Do-it-yourself-ROME

[cruisingmimi]

TravelJunkie,

 

Thank you. I'll look forward to your report. I would be interested in what you did, prices, etc. Have a great time!

 

Mary

[Amy1118]

Hi Mary and Amy

 

 

We're travelling in June on Splendour. I will certainly report back after our trip. I'm not a very wordy person but I'll get as many facts to you as possible.

 

Thanks, TRAVELJUNKIE! I'm following this thread so I hope you will either post here or post a link here to your report.

 

Have a great trip!

[jewelea]

from Civatavecchia to Rome on my own.

Hi All

 

When i saw the excursion prices :eek: (it would be cheaper to come home and fly back to rome for a weekend then pay those huge exorbitant prices) I decided to do Rome on my own (well I sappose I'll have to bring the kids lol)

 

This site has been great for advice. Does anyone know how I can get from the Vatican to the Colosseum. I am sure its walkable but I have some disabilities and cannot walk very far especially in that heat. I would also like to visit the tavelli fountain en route if thats possible

 

Mike Does the 110 you were talking about follow the route I am looking for???

 

 

Thanks Julie

[TRAVELJUNKIE]

Hi everyone

 

I've come across a fabulous review on one of the boards. This is how I found it

• click on boards
  
• scroll down to ports of call - until you get to Europe
  
• when the next page comes up go to pg 2 at bottom
  
• go to LUV TO TRAVEL MED CRUISE REPORT
  

THERE'S A GREAT AMOUNT OF DETAIL ON THIS ENTRY - 84 PAGES!!

BE READY TO PRINT OFF.

 

5 WEEKS TO MY CRUISE

[cruisingmimi]

Hi flyfisher,

 

Glad you are enjoying this site! It was frustrating jumping from thread to thread trying to gather info.

 

I am looking for info on Villefranche, Monaco, Nice, Eze. May start a thread for that.

 

Mary

[flyhoney]

We actually did the Villefranche, Monaco, etc. a few years ago. I fell in love with the area. We took a cab from port to the car rental office at the train station in Nice. (I don't recall what the cab was one way.) It was nice to see the beach area of Nice but, been there done that....

 

Definitely go up to EZE....it's a beautiful old stone town set high up on the hills.

 

Monaco has a beautiful city park which are some of my favorite pictures. We stopped in one of the hotels to grab a bite to eat. I think I left an apendage of my body for the tab. :eek: ;)

 

Be careful when driving into Monaco.....you no sooner round a curve to pass the line and wham! There are usually police with radar sitting there. :eek: Surveillance cams all over the place, also

 

I wish we had spent a bit more time investigating the port in Villefranche. It is so picturesque. I (like everyone else) was so determined to see every other place....I would certainly mosey around there a bit.

 

When we were in Naples, we took the boat to Capri. Beautiful.

 

I had arranged for a tour of Rome with Max from Rome Limousines. He picked us up at the ship and we had a great, informative day with him.

 

We stayed at the Havanna in Barcelona. The decor was more modern than I'd prefer. It was very clean and in a nice / safe / easy walk to the old town.

 

If I recall any more info, I'll post them. I'm busy trying to get my crew ready for Alaska. :D

 

Later....

 

Sue

[cruisingmimi]

Sue, thanks so much for the info. I'm in the planning stages right now for Villefranche.

 

Have a great trip to Alaska. That's our next trip next year. Do a post for us if you can.

 

Mary

[flyhoney]

I read one of those weekly scandal sheets. The story today was about Tina getting **sloshed** at Michel's in Villefranche. She's a regular there. Ugly pictures! But...she still has great legs!

 

While in Villefranche, you may see Tina Turners estate and Elton John's is in the general area, also. BTW, they have a nice marina in port, also.

 

Can't wait to get to Alaska. Too dang hot in Dallas. 100 degrees the last couple of days.

 

Later....

 

Sue

[cruisernan]

Has anyone used 'myRoma' as a private guide in Rome. We are there for a day off Mille in August. They are pretty pricey for the two of us, but say they have a VIP pass which allows them to go to the front of the lines. That time of year I am told the extra $ may be worth it.

Has anyone used them or does anyone know of another company that has this ability??

 

Thanks for any info !!

[cruisingmimi]

Here's a recent thread on transportation from airport, train station & to dock.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=184733

 

Ron, you are keeping busy, I see, emailing your report. It's a good one!

 

Mary

[jewelea]

Can anybody please tell me if the Big ticket (Integrated Daily Ticket) is accepted on the 110 bus?

It says for use

Use

 

- Atac buses

- Cotral buses (urban routes)

- Cotral Trains: Ro

 

But needs to be validated on the B-line. (with all stops written in italian so not sure where they are)

 

Do I purchase this ticket on the B-line and then use it on the 110. Or should I just get a return ticket from the port and then an exclusive ticket for the 110? Can I purchase it on any of the stops or do we need to go to an office.

 

 

My interpitation of this route is that I purchase 1 ticket and then i can hop on and off a where I like is this correct?

 

Also does anyone know hoe long it takes to go around the whole route?

 

Sorry for all the questions

 

Julie

 

[Tania]

Someone asked about how to get from the Vatican to the Colloseum. Three blocks north of the Vatican is the Ottaviano metro...it will take you to Colloseo...check the routes, you may have to transfer. In any case, taxis are cheap and plentiful.

 

Don't rush Rome. Plan to return. There are so many interesting places no one ever talks about in guide books, places where the real Romans eat and chug-a-lug espressos to get away from us, the tourists...

 

I've spent over a week there and still have lots to see...but I did manage to find Harry's bar;)

[LYNNEFRED]

I was so happy to see this thread. Can't decide between taking a bus into Rome with Celebrity or hopping the train. Several years ago we spent a week in this wonderful city so definitely want to explore on our own. At that time we trained betwen various cities (Venice/Florence, etc).

 

I understand to take the free port bus to the end of the dock and then walking 10-15 minutes. Which stop is central Rome? On the return, after getting off the train, will that free bus be waiting to take us back to the ship or are we on our own.

 

For those of you limited with time, you should consider a tour that will be you an overall picture of Rome and at least a drive by to the most famous sites.

 

My favorite building is the Pantheon. With a single hole in the ceiling, the building was illuminated as if there were lights all around. Additionally, the floor tiles have holes in them for drainage. Rain comes in from the hole in the ceiling and the building never floods. Incredible!

 

Thanks to everyone for all your help.

 

Will any of you be on the Millennium August 26?

 

Lynne

[arkcruiser]

There are several stops in Rome where you can get off the train from Civitaveccha. Most obviously there are Termini (the main train station with connections to the metro system), San Pietro (there is a bus connecting to St. Peter's Square, no. 54?). You can check this page out for information: http://it.geocities.com/mp_pollett/roma-tr.htm

 

Enjoy your trip.

[davieg]

can you get on the 110 bus say at the colloseum and travel from there or do you need to join it at the start at the Termini station, we plan to do the colloseum and work our way back...forum, trevi, pantheon, piazza narvona,st peters....its about 4 mile walk but concerned about the heat in July, would like to see the spanish steps although that is a bit out of our way if we are walking, the bus seems a good idea, has anyone else experienced long queues for the 110 bus at the station?

 

Thanks

[canyousayvacation]

Has anyone used romehotels.net to book hotels in Rome? The rates seem almost too good to be true, so I hesitate......

[cruisetoscrap]

that geocities site is really helpfull.

[TRAVELJUNKIE]

Hi Lauren, Mary et al

 

 

We're just back from Splendour Med trip - had a FABULOUS TIME. Please send on any queries. I couldn't possibly write a report just now - couldn't do it justice!!

[cruisingmimi]

Welcome back, TravelJunkie!

 

We're glad you had a great trip! Tell us what your favorite place/attraction was!

 

Mary

[CamelliaCity]

Hi Mary,

 

Have you tried this site?

 

http://www.sightseeing-tours.net/web/25amq5h7-2.html

 

click on the Vatican/Sistine tour on the left hand side. There are morning 9a.m. tours.

 

Before entering the Vatican Museum, all travellers must queue to cross the metal-detector however there is no need to line up for entrance tickets as the guide will organise the entrance tickets on behalf of the group.

 

Has a boat tour also. Prices sound reasonable.

 

Brenda

[cruisingmimi]

Hi Brenda,

 

Thanks for the info. Our problem is that we can't go until the afternoon as we are disembarking the ship on 10/17 and returning to Rome that same day. I have a few companies I am checking out. Are you using the above company? Sounds like a good one. I like the fact that the guide gets the tickets.

 

Are you all set for your cruise? I am still researching a few things.

 

Have a nice weekend.

 

Mary

[TRAVELJUNKIE]

Hi Mary

 

From the minute we got on board, everything had a wow factor. We didn't get off in Marseille. Villefranche was absolutely beautiful and the sail away that night was unforgetable. We did Monte Carlo on our own. The maps give you the impression that everything is more spaced out, but that is not the case.

 

Our next excursion was Rome. I was glad that we took a ship organised trip (A Walk In Renaissance Rome) as Rome turned out to be a maze of little streets and as we had to children in tow (12 and 16) somebody would have been desceased before the day was out as it was quite hot and it was great to get from a to b as effieciently as possible without instructions from parents!!! I actually enjoyed the trip into Rome on the bus.

 

Next day we took another ship excursion - A hike to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. Again a hot day but so memorable. To look down on the the Bay of Naples from the mountain was fantastic - we were blessed with a clear day.

 

I have to say that on balance the cost of the ships excursions turned out to be good value because we got so much from them and were very well looked after.

 

Am I giving enough information??

 

Keep them coming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome back, TravelJunkie!

 

We're glad you had a great trip! Tell us what your favorite place/attraction was!

 

Mary

[TRAVELJUNKIE]

Hi,

 

We are taking the Royal Caribbean Med cruise on Brilliance in August. We are trying to find out how easy it is to take trains from Civitavecchia to Rome, and Livorno to Florence. My questions are, how do you get from the dock to the train station in each place, and how long does it take? Do you need reservations? The basic questions is, will we be happy that we saved hundreds of dollars by not taking the cruise bus (2 adults, 2 children 11 and 14), or will we be sorry that we squandered precious shore time trying to find taxis, etc.?

 

If you are able to help, thank you.

 

 

We're just back from Splendour ansd have children aged 12 and 16. We took the organised trip from ship. I have mentioned this on this thread also as a reply to crusingmimi. I'm not making little of the cost involved - we are working to a tight budget - but we were extremely relieved that the day was laid out for us as it would otherwise have been a tough day, which would be a pity as it is such a magical place. Rome turned out to be a warren of small streets - we would have spent too much time looking at maps - and in that heat!!! We booked our trips on the internet before we left - so easy and the tickets were put in our cablin on night one.

 

Any more questions?

[TRAVELJUNKIE]

Mary

We only went to St Peters Bascilica - we're saving the mueseums for the next time. A family at our table siad that this trip was fantastic - they said that the took loads of photos but pictures couldn't do it justice!

Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance.

 

 

Cruise Junkie: I wondered if you did the Vatican Museums tour and did you book w/ a tour company or do a self-guide? If you went w/ a tour company, which one did you use?

 

Thanks so much.

 

Mary

[STEFY14]

Hello everyone!

As you know downtown Roma have some particular traffic restrictions.

Just in case you can rent an electric car and you can easy visit some historical roman areas as Fontana di Trevi, Piazza Navona and so on.

Sometimes some friends of mine rented an electric car for Xmas shopping in the historical Area.

There are many places for rent an EC:

 

http://www.romeguide.it/freerome.htm

 

or you can go to Parking Ludovisi, via Ludovisi, 60 (near Via Veneto) and you can rent an EC.