Princess Excursion-"Rome On Your Own" Questions

[auburngirlie]

Hi ya'll! My husband and I are on the Ruby Princess in Sept. and I have come across a few questions regarding Rome for our upcoming trip. Of note: My husband and I are confident, 30 year old travelers who can navigate a big city without any trouble. We can take the subway and walk long distances. Any help figuring these out would be greatly appreciated.

 

* Has anyone on this forum ever done the Princess offered bus trip of "Rome on Your Own via motocoach?" My main concern is the time it arrives and leaves Rome. Based on my calculations (using the information provided by Princess) we would only have from 9:45AM-3:15PM in the city. I would prefer not to take the train.

* We would like to see/experience: The Colosseum, The Forum, The Vatican Museaums/Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Square & The Trevi Fountain. I know I would need a guide for the Vatican (for mutliple reasons), but all the others I have now been to 3 times and feel confident we could handle with a guidebook.

* Doing these things seperately from the ship would be a total savings of over $327.00, but is this feasible? Should I just suck it up and buy the Princess excursion, so I'm assured I can fit it all in? Btw, this is my husband's first visit to Rome, so I'd like to "hit the highpoints" for him.

 

Again, thank ya'll so much for any input (please be honest-I can take it).

[euro cruiser]

Ship excursions can only move at the speed of the slowest member, so if you are trying to fit a lot into a day this probably isn't your best option.

 

On your own, make reservations for the Vatican museums (and a tour, if you want one) in advance to avoid waiting in a long line.

 

Can you determine the drop off/pick up point for the Princess bus? If so we can help you lay out the day as efficiently as possible.

[auburngirlie]

Thanks so much euro cruiser for replying so quickly! I would appreciate any and all help.

 

The "On Your Own" excursion gets into Rome at 9:45AM and lets us off near St. Peter's Square. I would prefer to go ahead and see the Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica then rather than before boarding the bus to return, but I'm not sure what time the Vatican offered tours are scheduled (it is over 60 days out). On the Vatican's website I have seen times of 9AM, 11AM and 1PM, so I am going to assume it is every 2 hours (although the tour itself would be at least 3 hours correct)?

 

If we did the Vatican tour (including St. Peter's Basilica) at 11AM, that would only leave a little over 2 hours for everything else I listed above. The ship excursion--with all the sights included--just had more time in the city (that's how they "get you" everytime!). I just don't want to set myself up for disaster by doing it myself and not "hitting all the highnotes," but I also hate paying over 100% extra for the same tour I can do myself.

 

Thanks again for any help! :)

[euro cruiser]

You can do this!

 

Here's what I'd suggest. There are English language tours of the Museums and Sistine Chapel at 10:30 but you have to get them before they sell out. Check the web site as you get closer to your date so you can grab them the minute they become available.

 

The Museums/Sistine Chapel tour only takes two hours, so I'd jump off the bus at 9:45 and head right into the basilica, touring that on my own. It may take you fifteen minutes or so to get through security (depends on the time of year), so this may not leave you much time. Keep in mind that it will take you 15 minutes to walk from St. Peter's to the museums entrance on Viale Vaticano.

 

If your tour is over by 1 PM you'll have a couple of hours to race around and see the other sites, which you can do. Spend the money on a taxi, you won't regret it. You can usually find one as you exit the museums (there is a taxi queue right there) and have it take you to the Colosseum, the furthest point on your list. If you choose to enter the Colosseum and the Forum you'll eat up most of your time left; you may need to head right back. If you don't go in but just enjoy from the outside, from there you can walk to the Trevi Fountain (about 15 - 20 minute walk). From Trevi to the Pantheon is about a 10 minute walk, and from there to Piazza Navona is another 5 minutes.

 

At Piazza Navona you can get a cab back to Piazza San Pietro if you are running low on time, or you can walk from there (a little under a mile).

[CathyCruises]

Just a note: You can save a lot of money and have more time to enjoy Rome by taking the train. Many of us do it on multiple trips to Rome and very seldom is any issue of any kind reported. The cost is 9 euros/pp including all day use of the buses and metro.

[shoesonfire]

I agree, do it on your own! Plan to leave the ship as early as possible. Take the Regional Train from Civitavecchia at approx. 8:41 arrive San Pietro Station at 9:23, take a cab to the Vatican Museum -- of course get tickets ahead of time to avoid line -- hopefully use the Sistine Chapel exit into the Basilica, tour St. Peter's and then walk to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and Trevi ending up by metro or taxi to Roma Termini back to Civitavecchia. Check out mapquest or goggle maps for walking directions & time from St. Peters.

[Pushka]

You can do this!

 

Here's what I'd suggest.

<snip>

At Piazza Navona you can get a cab back to Piazza San Pietro if you are running low on time, or you can walk from there (a little under a mile).

 

Thankyou for this info, this sounds exactly like what we were thinking of doing.

 

Could you run through this for me please :p

 

We are catching the fast train offered by RCL which is expensive but guarantees a seat, air cond etc. I've booked Museum tickets for 10.30 (its a Wednesday so won't be doing the Basilica but hoping the museums are quiet as a result) then taking a taxi at about 12 to the Colosseum where we have entry tickets but not planning to stay long (just a quick head in, hubby is interested but I'm not as much). Then, can we walk to the Pantheon? Grab some lunch or gelato or something, then over to Trevi fountain , can we walk there) and then is it easy to get a taxi back to St Pietro station from Trevi area? I'm not quite sure what time the train leaves from Rome, and there's only one so we need to catch it. I think it must leave about 4.45 or so.

 

OK, reading again, I think we need to swap Pantheon for Trevi. So we need to go to Trevi then Pantheon, so taxis are easy to get from Pantheon to St Pietro?

[euro cruiser]

Yes, there is a taxi rank alongside the Pantheon. If you are standing in the piazza looking at the front of the building, the taxi rank is on the right side.

 

Your Colosseum ticket also entitles you to the Roman forum. I can't remember if they'll let you in through the gate near the Colosseum (they keep changing the rules on me and I can't keep it straight). If they allow it, simply walk through the Forum to the exit near Campidoglio. If they don't allow it, walk along Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Forum entrance, enter there and walk from there to Campidoglio. As you come down the Cordonata (Michelangelo's staircase) you'll be at Piazza Venezia; from there to Trevi is only three quarters of a mile.