Pre Rome City Stay

We have the Italian Sojourn booked for August 2018. I was hoping to get the Pre-Rome City stay booked but they appear to be sold out.

Should I wait a while to see if Viking will have openings or should I try booking all of it myself? Any help is greatly appreciated!!

When we did Rome, we did not book the pre stay with the cruise line. Booking on our own was a little less then half price from what the cruise line charges (in better accomodations). In my opinion, all you get for booking with them are transfers to ship (from Rome expect to pay approx. 80 euros) and from airport (approx. 25 euros). Cruise line charges per person, on your own is per room or per ride. We've done precisely the same thing on our cruise next month ending in Barcelona. Booked our own hotels, tours, etc.

I've been to Rome many times and I always research and book the hotel myself. I stay in different parts of the city each time to get a new experience. My favorite location is at the top of the Spanish Steps. It's a centrally located. There are also great walking tours that are reasonably priced.

We love Hotel Artemide when in Rome

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g187791-d205044-Reviews-Hotel_Artemide-Rome_Lazio.html

Thanks everyone for the information. We are nervous about getting transportation to the port. Will the hotel help us or should we try to pre-arrange a shuttle?

There are a few different ways to get to ship. Check out this site for lots of info on Rome and getting to ship. There are some notes in our blog in our signature. You just saved lots of money by not going with Viking.

https://www.rometoolkit.com/

I highly recommend the Artemide Hotel as well. We used a taxi from the airport to the hotel. I think the next time we'll book a limo through Viator.

Thanks everyone for the information. We are nervous about getting transportation to the port. Will the hotel help us or should we try to pre-arrange a shuttle?

Go to Trip Advisor and look for airport/port transportation. In late 2016 we used Civitavecchia Cab Service to go from our hotel in Rome to the port at Civitavecchia. We found them on Trip Advisor. Service was good and at that time, it cost us 85 Euros plus tip. Hope this helps.

I have always used the hotels to arrange travel. We have gotten good service and a fair price.

Flights? When ? How many days prior? Ok, Rome is my favorite place to visit. I'd not worry and just find a hotel and book it. Rome is wonderful. 4 Nights minimum if you haven't been there before. Plenty of places to go to and see. PM me if you wish. The airport os 40 minutes to mid-town, and 30 to the ship. Go and enjoy.

Thanks everyone for the information. We are nervous about getting transportation to the port. Will the hotel help us or should we try to pre-arrange a shuttle?

The Hotel would help, the trip from Rome is over an hour. So Fixed price is a must, Have a blast.

The Hotel would help, the trip from Rome is over an hour. So Fixed price is a must, Have a blast.

So I guess I am a little slow but I cannot figure out how to PM you. I see that you live in GA and I live in TN. Do you book your own flights to Rome? If so, do you fly from Atlanta. I am trying to figure out what airline and the route to get from Nashville to Rome and then from Venice to Nashville.

So I guess I am a little slow but I cannot figure out how to PM you. I see that you live in GA and I live in TN. Do you book your own flights to Rome? If so, do you fly from Atlanta. I am trying to figure out what airline and the route to get from Nashville to Rome and then from Venice to Nashville.

I will jump in.

Yes, you can book your own flights (we always do). Want to see options out there? - try flights.google.com

You can find connections through many cities including ATL, EWR, JFK, ORD (Chicago), IAD (Dulles in DC).

Coming back, you will do extra connections as Venice is a smaller airport.

We did 5 days in Rome last year before our Southern Med cruise. Our TA got us a deal on airfare and hotel-the Bernini Bristol was very nice with a good breakfast on Piazza Barberini-near many tourists attractions and 2 subway lines. Rome is an easy place to do on your own or with local guides and cheaper than Viking. On embarkation day, we went 1 subway stop to Termini and took a train to Civitavecchia for about 5 Euros each. We were with a few other thrifty cruisers. Some walked into the port. We paid 2 more Euros each to take a bus to a point inside the port where shuttles took all (even the walkers to the ships. It is a big port. If you take other transportation from Rome, make sure they will take you to the ship.

I looked into the precruise Rome stay and it very expensive and without any included tours. The hotel once you book it is likely to offer to get a transfer for you. I ended up using a private tour guide for a few tours and they also offered a transfer so I used them.