Civitavecchia to Rome post cruise - what time can we hit the ground sightseeing?

Our ship is scheduled to be in Civi at 5am on Dec. 5. We plan to use either a private transfer at 7am or a shared transfer at 8am. Say we decide on the shared transfer at 8am (worst case scenario), realistically at what time could we be at the first of our sights? I know the ride itself takes about 1.5 hours, then a couple of drop offs, then checking in to our hotel (Pantheon area.)

I'm just wondering what time to schedule our visit at the Colosseum, which is where I'm pretty sure we're going to start. We're probably going to walk from the Pantheon to the Colosseum. Is noon a good time? 11 too early?

We have only two days in Rome and Wed will be taken up by the Vatican, so time is precious.

Why don't you just have RomeInLimo pick you up at the ship and hit the ground running with their wonderful touring services! They keep your bags safe in the trunk while you actually do start your tour of several sites before ever getting to your hotel.

We have used them 4 times and would not hesitate to use them again!

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What is that, an extra €300 or so for luggage storage?

You can easily be at your hotel by 10 AM, checked in and bags dropped off (even if the room isn't ready) and ready to head out by 10:30. The walk from the Pantheon to the Colosseum is one mile, all flat terrain so you can easily cover it in a half hour.

What is that, an extra €300 or so for luggage storage?

 

You can easily be at your hotel by 10 AM, checked in and bags dropped off (even if the room isn't ready) and ready to head out by 10:30. The walk from the Pantheon to the Colosseum is one mile, all flat terrain so you can easily cover it in a half hour.

No, to be picked up at the ship and have a day of Private First Class tours.

RIL's basic service does not offer tours unless you pay extra for it. They offer a car service that is, by all accounts, excellent, but it's still just transportation and a good chat. The OP already has transportation at a much lower cost, the difference would be someone to drive them from the hotel to a few sites for several hundred euro.

I think euro cruiser's on the mark with the timing, although (being me) I'd probably add an extra half-hour for cushion. If you arrive a bit late, no panic. If you are a bit early, you can go look at the Pantheon before you walk down to the Colosseum area. (Or walk down there and spend a little time looking at Trajan's column or the forums..... ;))

If you are just purchasing a regular ticket (no tour), you don't have to specify a time for the Colosseum visit.

RIL's basic service does not offer tours unless you pay extra for it. They offer a car service that is, by all accounts, excellent, but it's still just transportation and a good chat. The OP already has transportation at a much lower cost, the difference would be someone to drive them from the hotel to a few sites for several hundred euro.

Everyones wants and needs are completely different. For us to have 2 days in Rome and to see as much as possible we had RIL arrange our entire stay. We never waited in line, our Vatican guide was arranged and met us. Our 1st visit to Rome was off a cruise ship and RIL got us into as many sites as possible in one visit. They are certainly more than a car service.

But each to their own. For us Rome involves 15 hrs or more on a plane and we wanted to make the best use of our time.

Have fun!

Everyones wants and needs are completely different. For us to have 2 days in Rome and to see as much as possible we had RIL arrange our entire stay. We never waited in line, our Vatican guide was arranged and met us. Our 1st visit to Rome was off a cruise ship and RIL got us into as many sites as possible in one visit. They are certainly more than a car service.

 

But each to their own. For us Rome involves 15 hrs or more on a plane and we wanted to make the best use of our time.

Have fun!

As you say, we are all different -- so let's go with what the poster has indicated their plans are, instead of trying to convince them otherwise. They have a perfectly reasonable idea of what they can do.

There is more to truly "seeing" a city than checking off as many boxes as possible on a must-see list. Standing in line, figuring out how to buy tickets or ride the buses, rounding a corner and coming across a random Roman column or a street shrine -- these can sometimes lead to insights that are lost if you go from insulated sedan to the front of the line and then back into the sedan again to be whisked elsewhere.

Just my penny's worth....

Thank you, everyone, for the spirited discussion! We did consider taking a transfer/tour to optimize our time, but we really are more like Cruisemom describes, and love just turning a corner and coming across some unexpected treasure. Those moments make some of our best travel memories. So for that reason, we decided to book just a transfer from the port which will take us directly to the hotel. I think the shared option will work out okay; it's about half the cost but not that much more time. The main disadvantage to the shared transfer is that they don't start until 8am. The private options will take you as early as you can get off the ship.

If we wind up choosing a tour at the Colosseum, I think we'll be safe in choosing either 11:30 or 12:00, and if we have a little extra time we can just use it to explore on our walk.

I'm sorry my suggestion was such a burden on the eyes on readers.

To the OP have a fabulous time no matter how you choose to see Rome and there are so so very many ways to see this treasure!

We disembarked in Civitavecchia in May. We were in the first group after the people that did a walk off with their luggage. We were called at 7:50 and arrived at the pickup area at 8 am. Arriving at 5 am means nothing.

We disembarked in Civitavecchia in May. We were in the first group after the people that did a walk off with their luggage. We were called at 7:50 and arrived at the pickup area at 8 am. Arriving at 5 am means nothing.

thank you for the reply. I'm not sure why you say arrival time meanings nothing? We plan to walk off with our luggage. We are not taking a ship's transfer or putting out our luggage for collection the night before. So if the ship arrives at 5 am we will walk off much earlier than if we arrived at, say 7am.

On our last cruise we disembarked in Southhampton, arrival 5am, and we could have chosen walk off as early as 6 or so (can't remember exactly the first walk off slot, but it was much earlier than we wanted.) In fact, we asked for the latest walk off slot which was still before 7am. IIRC, it was 6:30 or 6:45.

There's a time that they announce that the ship has been cleared for people to leave. Today we walked off the ship at about 7:30 am and could have gone a bit earlier. We were sightseeing by about 10 (?) but I didn't have anything ticketed until afternoon.

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There's a time that they announce that the ship has been cleared for people to leave. Today we walked off the ship at about 7:30 am and could have gone a bit earlier. We were sightseeing by about 10 (?) but I didn't have anything ticketed until afternoon.

That's pretty quick. What transfer did you use and did you take time to check into a hotel before you were sightseeing?

BTW, I do realize that arriving at 5am doesn't mean that we will be walking off the ship at 5am....but from past experience (not Civi, admittedly), I didn't think that 6 was out of the question....;)

Clearing of the ship depends on how many ships are in port and how many people they have working that morning. One ship arrived before us and the first walk offs on our ship started about 7:15.

Clearing of the ship depends on how many ships are in port and how many people they have working that morning. One ship arrived before us and the first walk offs on our ship started about 7:15.

Wow, your ship arrived in Civi at 5 but walk offs didn't start until 7:15? That seems so late. Was that the earliest time offered on the disembarkation sheet that you get a few days before, or was everything just delayed that morning?

That's pretty quick. What transfer did you use and did you take time to check into a hotel before you were sightseeing?

 

 

 

BTW, I do realize that arriving at 5am doesn't mean that we will be walking off the ship at 5am....but from past experience (not Civi, admittedly), I didn't think that 6 was out of the question....;)

I wish I had paid more attention for your sake. :) we knew we were doing self walk off so we didn't really pay attention until the time we were ready to go. We had a private car scheduled for 8 but I knew he would be there at 7:45 or earlier so we started walking off the ship around 7:15. We went to our hotel, checked in and stored our bags. Now that I think about it we were sightseeing by 9:20 or so because we looked in somewhere and it didn't open until 9:30. We were staying in the Pantheon area. This was a Thursday.

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I wish I had paid more attention for your sake. :) we knew we were doing self walk off so we didn't really pay attention until the time we were ready to go. We had a private car scheduled for 8 but I knew he would be there at 7:45 or earlier so we started walking off the ship around 7:15. We went to our hotel, checked in and stored our bags. Now that I think about it we were sightseeing by 9:20 or so because we looked in somewhere and it didn't open until 9:30. We were staying in the Pantheon area. This was a Thursday.

 

 

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No, that's pretty specific info so thank you! We are also staying in the Pantheon area and we arrive on a Tuesday, so hopefully our experience will be similar. I'm hoping to get a shared transfer at 8am, so I think planning our first sight in Rome at 11 or so should be good, to allow us a little more time just in case. Also since we will be there in December, there should be fewer people out and about since it's off season.....

I would plan for 8 am pick up. They are usually early anyway. Your driver will probably text you. You should be in Rome by 9:30. No need to stress.

Thank you, everyone, for the spirited discussion! We did consider taking a transfer/tour to optimize our time, but we really are more like Cruisemom describes, and love just turning a corner and coming across some unexpected treasure. Those moments make some of our best travel memories. So for that reason, we decided to book just a transfer from the port which will take us directly to the hotel. I think the shared option will work out okay; it's about half the cost but not that much more time. The main disadvantage to the shared transfer is that they don't start until 8am. The private options will take you as early as you can get off the ship.

 

If we wind up choosing a tour at the Colosseum, I think we'll be safe in choosing either 11:30 or 12:00, and if we have a little extra time we can just use it to explore on our walk.

Can you direct me to the shared transfer service you plan on using? I keep waffling about whether to take the train or to book a private transfer, but a shared transfer would be a great option (and less money than the private transfer). Any info on the shared transfer option would be highly appreciated!

Cheers.

Can you direct me to the shared transfer service you plan on using? I keep waffling about whether to take the train or to book a private transfer, but a shared transfer would be a great option (and less money than the private transfer). Any info on the shared transfer option would be highly appreciated!

 

Cheers.

I am also interested on this information regarding shared transfer from CIT to Rome. Our ship Celebrity Reflection disembark on 9/25.

We are using this one: http://www.sharedshuttle.it But there are others, like this one: http://www.civitavecchiacabservice.com/

I think many of the transfer services offer a "shuttle" option, just make sure to verify with them that you won't be charged the private transfer fare if no one else winds up booking the shuttle. One company I talked to (can't remember which) said we would be charged for a private even if we booked shared, if we turned out to be the only ones. Since we wouldn't know that until the day of, we didn't book with them.

We are using this one: http://www.sharedshuttle.it But there are others, like this one: http://www.civitavecchiacabservice.com/

 

I think many of the transfer services offer a "shuttle" option, just make sure to verify with them that you won't be charged the private transfer fare if no one else winds up booking the shuttle. One company I talked to (can't remember which) said we would be charged for a private even if we booked shared, if we turned out to be the only ones. Since we wouldn't know that until the day of, we didn't book with them.

I checked them out and they look good. But first I have to look for a hotel in Rome for 3 nights. Does anybody have any recommendation. Something close to the attractions. We plan to visit the attractions for days 1 and 2 and then the Vatican for day 3.