shore excursions

[goldenvision]

Hi all,
Sorry about this but its my first time on forum, and first ever cruise,we are sailing the western med on Norwegian Epic in two weeks, and two of our ports of call are Florence and Rome and because of the distance involved we are taking the ships excursions rather than diy, what we would like to know is if we take the ships bus to Rome would we have enough time once we are dropped off to spend a few hours touring the Vatican as we would really like to spend at least 3 hours there. also i have heard about tickets online to avoid the long wait to get in, how and where do we get these from.
I would appreciate any help with this from anyone who has done this before,oh by the way Im so looking forward to this cruise, have wanted to do it for years.
thanks again
Tony

[Bonnie J.]

Welcome to cruisecritic!
Check with the Roll Call here on cruisecritic. You will find other people who are going on your cruise. Some may have done your tours before. People email each other here.

[Keith1010]

Originally Posted by goldenvision

Hi all,
Sorry about this but its my first time on forum, and first ever cruise,we are sailing the western med on Norwegian Epic in two weeks, and two of our ports of call are Florence and Rome and because of the distance involved we are taking the ships excursions rather than diy, what we would like to know is if we take the ships bus to Rome would we have enough time once we are dropped off to spend a few hours touring the Vatican as we would really like to spend at least 3 hours there. also i have heard about tickets online to avoid the long wait to get in, how and where do we get these from.
I would appreciate any help with this from anyone who has done this before,oh by the way Im so looking forward to this cruise, have wanted to do it for years.
thanks again
Tony

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I would post this question on the NCL Board to see find out the experience of previous cruisers. This is the link to their board.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

From experience on other cruise lines you will be able to do this.

This is a link to the Vatican Museum where you can purchase tickets on line.

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html

Keith

[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

You need to read the description of the tour you have booked. From my experience, there are two types of tours. The first is the normal escorted tour. With this you are unlikely to have several hours of free time.

The second is called something like "Rome on Your Own". With this, they provide a bus which drops you off in Rome and picks you up at a pre-set time later that day. In other words, only transportation is provided. Here you would have lots of free time.

[John Bull]

There's so very much to see in Rome that it's all about priorities.No-one can see everything in the time. Yes, you can spend three hours at the Vatican, though that cuts very very deeply into your time & you'll see little else of Rome. But each person has different priorities. Very definately buy timed tickets on the 'net, or most of your time wiull be standing in a queue.

Ship's transfer bus is way way more expensive than going independently by train, which is what many of your fellow-cruisers will be doing at about €9 return. But the time-scale is much the same, travel time to the station, waiting time, & just over an hour on the train is about 90 mins, same as the transfer bus. The only time advantage of the train is that you can alight or re-board close to the Vatican (San Pietro station) rather than the centre of the city.

Worth checking out the posts & asking the same question on the Italy board.
To find it, go to the bottom of this page & click on the arrow at "forum jump". This will bring up a list of all the forums, scroll down the list to Ports of Call & click on Mediterranean ports - Italy.
You can do the same for your cruise's RollCall

If you get lost on Cruise Critic (its quite complicated, so you probably will) & you can't find your posts, just click on your name - top right of any page.

JB

[chipq]

The cruise line should list those details for you in their description of the excursion.

ChipQ http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[electro]

The only time advantage of the train is that you can alight or re-board close to the Vatican (San Pietro station) rather than the centre of the city.

Another advantage to taking the train is that you are not at the mercy of traffic which can be quite bad in Rome.

Lois

[Hlitner]

Since the OP specifically mentioned Rome we will post our usual info (oft posted on the Italy board) to give an idea about money. Most cruise lines charge $69 - $99 for the simple bus transfer to Rome (from Civitavecchia). If its on a typical weekday (with morning rush hour traffic) the transfer to Rome can easily take 1 1/2 hours and your drop location will normally not be anywhere near the Vatican. If you take the train you can use the free port shuttle from your ship to the port entrance (you can also walk...although it can be nearly a mile) where you walk 4-5 blocks to the train station. You can buy a BIRG ticket for 9 Euros (also sold at some news kiosks in Civitavecchia) which will not only cover your round trip train to Rome (regional trains only) but can also be used for Rome's Metro and buses (unlimited use all day). If you want to go to the Vatican you can get off at the S. Pietro station which is only about 55 min from Civitavecchia) and walk to the Vatican. While the folks using the expensive transfer buses are still on the road you will already be in the line to get into the Vatican.

Hank

[rmurray847]

Originally Posted by goldenvision

also i have heard about tickets online to avoid the long wait to get in, how and where do we get these from.
I would appreciate any help with this from anyone who has done this before,oh by the way Im so looking forward to this cruise, have wanted to do it for years.
thanks again
Tony

We did Rome in November last year. It was our departure city, so we had spent a couple of days there ahead of time, so I can't comment on the excursions. HOWEVER, I strongly, strongly urge you to get Vatican Museum tickets ahead of time. We were there in the "off" season and we arrived pretty much when the vatican opened (that's the time I bought tickets for) and they let us right in...no line AT ALL. But even during this slow time, there were lots of people standing in line to buy tickets already. If we had shown up when we did without tickets, I'm sure we would have waiting 30-45 minutes. You can EASILY spend 3 hours there, especially if you include St. Peter's...so don't waste a minute. If I remember, it costs a couple of euros more to book advance tickets...but you'll never spend money any better.

[goldenvision]

Hi all,

A big thank you to everybody for your help,some really great people on here, looks like the train is the best option.
Thanks again,
Tony


Oh yes, sorry about this but would Florence be the same.

[Hlitner]

Originally Posted by goldenvision

Hi all,

A big thank you to everybody for your help,some really great people on here, looks like the train is the best option.
Thanks again,
Tony


Oh yes, sorry about this but would Florence be the same.

A bit different. The problem with Florence is getting from the port (Livorno) to the local train station. The best (and most efficient) way is to simply get a taxi which will cost about 20 Euros (get another couple and split the cost). However, many taxis do not want to take the short haul so you need to be a little assertive at the taxi queue and make it clear you need a taxi to the local "stazione." The train situation is similar to Civitavecchia with at least 1 (often more before 9 am) train per hour. You will also need a taxi back to the ship when you return and there are usually very few taxis at the Livorno station. We normally like to be among the first off the train and then we quickly walk through the station to the main exit where we hope to grab one of the few taxis (they have no problem with the short haul when going from the station). If there are no taxis you must wait...so this is a good reason to get yourself back an hour early. With a cell phone (that works in Italy) you can also call for a taxi (there is a taxi phone number posted in the station).

Hank

[goldenvision]

Hi again,
A friend of mine said he went to Rome 2 years ago and he got a special train to Rome for cruise passengers only, does anybody Know of this, the train was non-stop.
Thanks again
Tony

[John Bull]

Originally Posted by goldenvision

Hi again,
A friend of mine said he went to Rome 2 years ago and he got a special train to Rome for cruise passengers only, does anybody Know of this, the train was non-stop.
Thanks again
Tony

Yes, sometimes offered - but this is a ship's excursion, the cruise line charters the train.

I think the rates are about the same as cruise-lines' "Rome on your own" bus transfers.

The service is very little different to the regular train, the prices are errrrr, a tad higher
Kerr.....ching

JB

[goldenvision]

I knew there would be a catch,thanks for that.

[Poppet1964]

We're on the EPIC June 17th - we're doing a private excursion in Rome. They pick you up right in front of the ship, and with 5 or more people, it's cheaper than the ship's excursion. You totally control the itinerary. Spend as much time as you'd like wherever you want (of course, with the limitation of making it back to the ship on time ).

We'll be making it a whirlwind trip, trying to see as much as possible, but that may not be to everyone's taste.

[goldenvision]

hi poppet,
It looks like you join the ship the day I leave, don't worry I will tidy up before I go. ENJOY.