Grand Med Cruise - Anyone disembark in Naples instead of Civitavecchia?

Well, as they say, the best laid plans....

We had great flights booked and then Delta went ahead and changed our return flight from FCO-ATL. The flight is now leaving 2 hours earlier than originally scheduled - changed from 12:25 pm to 10:25 am. There is no way we will make a 10:25 flight out of FCO the same day we are docking at Civitavecchia.

Our final destination is not ATL, we are continuing on to PHX. The other options available to us to get back to the States will require us to spend another night somewhere in the States before getting to PHX.

Thinking outside the box, I think the best option might be to just keep our flight as is and disembark the cruise one night early in Naples. We already have a private tour set up and the driver can drop us off at the Naples train station. We can take the high speed train to Rome, connect to the train that goes to FCO and that only takes 1.5 hours. We can stay the night at the Hilton that is literally connected to the FCO terminals via a pedestrian tunnel. We can have a nice night's sleep and then the next morning just stroll into the airport. No stress. And missing the last night of the cruise is really no big deal to us. Also, the thought of not having to deal with the morning disembarkation in Civitavecchia is also really appealing.

I know all about the restrictions of leaving a cruise early in the US itineraries. We've also been on European itineraries and have seen people leave a day early (for example leaving in France instead of returning to Southampton). I haven't heard of anyone leaving in Naples.

So....after all that detail that you probably really didn't need - here's the big question. Has anyone disembarked in Naples on the Grand Med or similar cruise? The day before Naples is a sea day and the stop before that is Kotor, Montenegro (adding that detail in case it matters).

By the way, the ship is scheduled to dock at 5am in Civitavecchia and there are no other cruise ships scheduled that day that I can see on the port calendar. It's in November so the busy season is over. But I still think the chances of missing the flight is very high even with a private transfer.

I'll speak to my travel agent on Monday and have them contact Princess to see if we can make this work. But definitely wanted to hear about any personal experiences with this option.

Thanks. Always appreciate reading about other experiences and options on this board.

Southwestgal

Did you talk to Delta and tell them the flight change was unacceptable? That would be the first choice, with reasonable suggested alternatives that work for you, like flying home the next day? That would be my first option.

As far as getting off the ship early, that is discussed regularly on the Ports boards. You need to get the written approval of Princess, but it shouldn't be an issue.

I’d call Delta and see if they can maybe put you on a partner flight for your disembarkation day. Rome is a huge airport with lonnnnnnnng lines, so I agree the new flight time would not work. Leaving the ship in Naples would require you to get advance permission from Princess. It’d depend on whether they can arrange customs there. The sooner you arrange that, the better. I’m hopeful you can get a flight on disembarkation day, though. Good luck!

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You can probably get off in Naples. But you would have to clear it with Princess and thru them the local authorities in advance.

You would not get any money back for the night you will miss on the ship. Nor would you be re-imbursed for the extra costs incurred

You can probably get off in Naples. But you would have to clear it with Princess and thru them the local authorities in advance.

 

You would not get any money back for the night you will miss on the ship. Nor would you be re-imbursed for the extra costs incurred

Nor are you ever guaranteed that you will make a port since weather, labor actions, etc. can cause ports to be skipped. I haven't heard of that being a problem in Naples but just be aware that you could end up in Civitavecchia even after arranging an early disembarkation. That happened to 40 cruisers who had arranged an early disembarkation in Charleston, SC on our Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale cruise a few years ago when a tropical storm intervened and the port stop was cancelled within sight of the dock!

You will not be going through customs or immigration in Naples or Rome. You will be within the Schengen zone already. Your first customs will be in your first stop in the US. EM

When airline makes changes, if they don't work they generally work something out for you that fits your needs... This has happened to me with American serveral times because I book early.

Of the options proposed, I would strongly consider stay overnight in Rome (at Hilton at the airport) and change your flight to the next day..