Boarding time-Legend Civitavechia

[tejmar]

Our flight arrives at 8 AM in Rome and we thought that we could have a short tour of Rome prior to embarkation. Just to get an idea of when we could board I called RCCL and they said that boarding didn't start until 3PM and the ship sails at 6PM. That seems like a very tight window for boarding. Is this true?

[xeriod]

Our flight arrives at 8 AM in Rome and we thought that we could have a short tour of Rome prior to embarkation. Just to get an idea of when we could board I called RCCL and they said that boarding didn't start until 3PM and the ship sails at 6PM. That seems like a very tight window for boarding. Is this true?

 

Last July our party of 6 boarded at about noon and their where a lot of people on the ship before us. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to get there from Rome, so that better be a short tour your thinking of.

[xpcdoojk]

Generally boarding will be around noon. There are several logistical issues with arriving at the airport at 8am and then doing a short tour of Rome. The airplane will most likely land at Fiumicino Leonardo Da Vinci airport. This airport is not particularly close to ancient Rome. It is on the coast and it is at least a 30 minute cab or 20 minute train ride. Then you are in Rome with suitcases. What are you going to do with them? Then you have to get back to the port again another not so easy trip with suitcases.

 

Rome is wonderful, why not try to fly in a few days early and enjoy Rome?

 

jc

[tejmar]

Flying in early isn't an option for some of our family because of lack of vacation time. Actually, we were planning on a 4 hour tour of some of Rome and anything interesting on the way to the port as part of the transportation. I figure that even with the 1-1/2 hour trip to the port and an 1-1/2 hour time to clear customs that would give us at least 2-3 hours for some sightseeing on the trip from the airport. I was just concerned that if we got there too early we would just be waiting in line for them to start boarding at 3PM.

 

We are flying out the next day after the cruise and plan to tour some of Rome, but just thought that we might be able to see some of the area the day of the cruise since we will be arriving very early.

[xpcdoojk]

I still wouldn't deal with driving into Rome with luggage, maybe you could arrange a private tour of Ostia Antica. It is literally a few minutes drive from the airport. Here is a tourist link to the area.

 

http://www.initaly.com/regions/latium/ostia.htm

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/rome/ostiaantica.html

We stayed at a hotel a few years ago in Fiumicino for a night before flying home after a land vacation. The ruins are large and cover miles of area. Fiumicino is a sea side city, and is quite lovely in itself.

 

I still think you are really going to have a really difficult time doing any significant touring in Rome without spending a night, having to get between the port and the airport and trying to sandwich Rome in the middle on either end. The cruiseline may offer some tours with bus service picking you up at the port then transporting you to the city for a tour and then afterwards transporting you with your luggage to the airport.

 

It is your vacation, though and I wish you the best!:cool:

 

jc

[tejmar]

The crux of the issue is boarding time. My wife informed me that our flight actually arrives at 7 AM. If what RCCL says is true and you can't board until 3PM, Then we don't want to stand around at the port for 7 hours, so why not try and see some of the area. If we were going to do a tour it would be predicated on the tour operator picking us up at the airport then taking us to the port which would solve luggage issues. That's why I wanted to know from fellow pax when you actually board. If it is noon, then that would be a reasonable time to wait to board. I really didn't believe RCCL when they told me that they start boarding that late for a cruise where most of the pax are on international flights.

 

As always, thanks for all the replies, they are always appreciated.

[xpcdoojk]

I agree with you that nobody would want to stand around the airport for 7 hours. Although it is a nice airport.:D A few years ago we were stuck in Lima Peru for 12 hours. Not fun. :DThat said. I don't believe if the ship is sailing at 6pm that the ship will not board til 3pm. It will board at or before noon. That said, you need to be at the port by 4pm to be safe. You might want to check the ports section of CC and see if there are any tour operators that will pick you and your luggage up at the airport, transport you to Rome for a few hours with lunch and then transport you to the port. My guess is it will be quite expensive.

 

If I was in your situation, I think I might check out the roll-call for your sailing. You might find someone who actually knows the boarding time there, and you might even find someone who might want to do exactly what you are wanting to do and be able to share a tour. Making it far more cost effective for both of you.

 

Good luck

 

jc

[Capricruiser]

Assuming your flight arrives FCO on time, 7 a.m., you can plan on up to an hour to clear immigration, pick up your bags, and get outside to the taxi rank. A taxi to city center will cost you 40 euros and take not 30 minutes, but roughly double that due to early morning going to work traffic. So now it's 9 a.m. You'll have four - four and a half hours before you have to head for Civitavecchia to arrive for the 3 p.m. boarding. A taxi from Rome center to Civitavecchia will cost about 140 euros. You face two problems: what to do with your luggage, and shelling out a lot of money for taxi fares.

[tejmar]

We actually have 9 in our group and I found a service that will pick us up at the airport and take us directly to the port or for an additional chage give a 3 hour tour. I've been checking the roll call, but I don't see how they would know much more about embarkation times than anyone else since they would either look on the boards here or contact RCCL.

 

Lucky me I've been the ramrod for this cattle drive from the beginning and I am getting anxious to have the planning over with. Right now I'm once again in the process of finding out what everyone wants to do the first day. When I get that straightened out I'll only have 9 more days to plan. Yippee!!

[gedam]

I don't know whether this helps or not but we used Rome Cabs for a four hour tour - albeit post cruise. They were fabulous, they will pick you up at the airport and take you to the port with plenty of time to spare. Yes I do agree that Rome is wonderful to stay a couple of days, whether pre or post cruise but still think this is a viable option as well.

[ChipLondon]

Our flight arrives at 8 AM in Rome and we thought that we could have a short tour of Rome prior to embarkation. Just to get an idea of when we could board I called RCCL and they said that boarding didn't start until 3PM and the ship sails at 6PM. That seems like a very tight window for boarding. Is this true?

 

 

The best thing to do is to use a company who will give your a tour of Rome on the way to the port, which is about an hour and a half away from the city centre ( it is not a good port for embarkation ) However I can recommend www.romeshuttlelimousine.com as a good service at reasonable rates. although nothing is cheap with the present exchange rates

[JSnow789]

We actually have 9 in our group and I found a service that will pick us up at the airport and take us directly to the port or for an additional chage give a 3 hour tour. I've been checking the roll call, but I don't see how they would know much more about embarkation times than anyone else since they would either look on the boards here or contact RCCL.

 

Lucky me I've been the ramrod for this cattle drive from the beginning and I am getting anxious to have the planning over with. Right now I'm once again in the process of finding out what everyone wants to do the first day. When I get that straightened out I'll only have 9 more days to plan. Yippee!!

 

I think this can work-a word of caution though-you will all be really grouchy. It is an overnight flight and unless you get a lot of sleep most of you will probably be zombies when you land. Add to that Immigration and Customs and then baggage headaches and you are in the airport for 2 hours minimum after you land (and that is assuming that your plane lands on time). With 9 people assume that something isn't going to go smoothly for at least one of you with lost baggage. You are going to be herding cats so keep that in mind. We waited FOR EVER for our luggage in Rome.

 

When we boarded LOS last summer-we had taken the train back from Florence, got in to Termini-changed trains and took the train to Cita-then we took a cab from the station to the ship. We boarded just after 1pm and it was all good.

 

My suggestion would be to have the Rome tour as an add on once you get there and can make a determination of the time you have once you leave the airport. What day of the week? Consider that as well for traffic. Also-beware of Strikes-A transit strike can cause traffic to get even worse.

 

Enjoy yourself! He had a great time. Turkey and Greece were our favorites!

 

eta: We did 2 nights in Rome+2 nights in Florence pre cruise and then 3 nights Venice and 1 more night in Rome post cruise... Venice was amazing!

[kyriecat]

I used Rome Cabs in May. Our flight arrived about 7:30 AM. I don't remember how long it took us to get our luggage and through immigration. Our driver was waiting for us just outside the check through point. We had a tour of Rome with a lunch stop (fabulous out of the way place!) then on to the ship. We arrived between 2:30 and 3 and were in our cabin within 30 minutes. Our guide did an excellent job. I wasn't Stefano but I don't remember the guy's name. :o It was fairly expensive per person since it was only 2 of us but we both enjoyed the tour. They will customize it for you if you have a few "must see" locations. We made a brief stop at the Colloseum then drove around the city with a stop at the St. Peter in Chains church. We were taken into the hills above the city for some panoramic pictures then lunch. We picked up the tab for lunch ourselves.

[xpcdoojk]

I think this can work-a word of caution though-you will all be really grouchy. It is an overnight flight and unless you get a lot of sleep most of you will probably be zombies when you land. Add to that Immigration and Customs and then baggage headaches and you are in the airport for 2 hours minimum after you land (and that is assuming that your plane lands on time). With 9 people assume that something isn't going to go smoothly for at least one of you with lost baggage. You are going to be herding cats so keep that in mind. We waited FOR EVER for our luggage in Rome.

 

When we boarded LOS last summer-we had taken the train back from Florence, got in to Termini-changed trains and took the train to Cita-then we took a cab from the station to the ship. We boarded just after 1pm and it was all good.

 

My suggestion would be to have the Rome tour as an add on once you get there and can make a determination of the time you have once you leave the airport. What day of the week? Consider that as well for traffic. Also-beware of Strikes-A transit strike can cause traffic to get even worse.

 

Enjoy yourself! He had a great time. Turkey and Greece were our favorites!

 

eta: We did 2 nights in Rome+2 nights in Florence pre cruise and then 3 nights Venice and 1 more night in Rome post cruise... Venice was amazing!

 

Good advice.

 

jc

[EV2008]

Our flight arrives at 8 AM in Rome and we thought that we could have a short tour of Rome prior to embarkation. Just to get an idea of when we could board I called RCCL and they said that boarding didn't start until 3PM and the ship sails at 6PM. That seems like a very tight window for boarding. Is this true?

What if you hire a private driver and have him pick you up at FCO and take you to Rome and the sites and then to the Port, that away you can leave the luggage in his car. Just a thought.

[tejmar]

I'm looking into several companies, but some will only accommodate 6 or 8. Right now Rome Airport shuttle looks like the winner. I'm still awaiting the consensus.