rome excursions Spirit, may 7 to 19

[buddy1755]

I've been browsing rome excursions from various companies and ship excursions, when i look at the amount of time we will be docked its from 8 am to 7 pm, considering that there is a 1.5 to 2 hour disembarkation delay and you are required to be on the ship within an hour of sailing, most tours I see is 9 hours long even the ones on the NCL site seems to be cutting it close, if the tour is booked from the ship are we guaranteed to get to ship on time? If we book through another company like rome by limo will they guarantee our timely return?

 

Thanks

PS

This is our first time to Europe, might be slightly overwhelming to do on our own the first time, i would likely stress out about being late and missing the ship....so organized for us is the way to go I think.

[KeithJenner]

I've been browsing rome excursions from various companies and ship excursions, when i look at the amount of time we will be docked its from 8 am to 7 pm, considering that there is a 1.5 to 2 hour disembarkation delay and you are required to be on the ship within an hour of sailing, most tours I see is 9 hours long even the ones on the NCL site seems to be cutting it close, if the tour is booked from the ship are we guaranteed to get to ship on time? If we book through another company like rome by limo will they guarantee our timely return?

 

Thanks

PS

This is our first time to Europe, might be slightly overwhelming to do on our own the first time, i would likely stress out about being late and missing the ship....so organized for us is the way to go I think.

 

The time for disembarkation is never 1.5 to 2 hours. You can get off the ship at pretty well the time on the itinerary.

 

NCL will guarantee getting you back to the ship. As for other tour companies, this is their business and they can't afford to have people missing the ship. Baring things pretty well out of their control (vehicle breakdowns etc) they will get you back.

 

I haven't heard of any instance of people on third party tours missing the ship. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it's very rare.

 

One final thing. Probably the most likely reason for a tour being late back would be traffic problems. If the third party tour transport is stuck in traffic then it's likely that so will a NCL tour, so the ship will be waiting anyway.

[dalgirl]

On four cruises we have taken 3 private tours with Romeinlimo and DYI on the train. Romeinlimo always gets you back to your ship - that is there business. If the cost is too prohibitive (since you are considering the NCL tour, and they excursions are so expensive, Rominlimo would work for you), you can always take the train into Rome. It is an easy walk from the cruise terminal (unless you have mobility issues) and good information about DYI can be found on the Europe, Italy boards.

 

Also consider joining your roll call as people will put together tours to give you a custom feel at a really reasonable price.

 

Any way you choose you will have a wonderful time. We are exploring new parts of the world over then next few years, but I will always return to the Med. - my favorite cruises.

[Pale Gail Sails]

I've been browsing rome excursions .... if the tour is booked from the ship are we guaranteed to get to ship on time? If we book through another company like rome by limo will they guarantee our timely return?

 

I have done three Rome excursions from three different sailings. We have booked private transportation in every case without any issues. However, if you are a little apprehensive regarding your shore excursion and the return timing, then I suggest you book through the cruise line. If the shore excursion is booked through the cruise line they are responsible for getting you back on time and if there is a delay, it is their responsibility to solve the problem at no additional cost to you.

 

Shore excursions can be a lot of fun and if you are adventurous and you don't get stressed over possible problems, it is, in my opinion, better to book your own tour and personalize it to what you want to see and do. It is generally cheaper and the sights you see can be tailored to your specific interests and needs. But, if you do not have a lot of experience traveling in Europe and specifically in traveling on a self organized shore excursion, a ship organized shore excursion will provide a somewhat worry/stress free outing.

 

As for what happens if the ship organized tour is delayed upon their return to ship I think it depends on the cruise line, the length of delay and the number of passengers that have been delayed. I had one experience where that scenario unfolded. On one cruise we did take a ship organized shore excursion and due to an accident on the highway leading back to the ship, we were delayed one hour past the scheduled departure time of the ship. We all wondered what was going to happen as there were several bus loads of passengers all caught in the same traffic jam. The ship waited and once all the passengers who had been on the ship organized tours returned to the ship, we set sail. I am not sure if the ship waited because there were so many passengers caught in the traffic snarl or whether it was just normal for the ship to wait. I suspect though the number of people delayed factored heavily into the decision of the ship to wait.

 

Enjoy your trip, and in particular, enjoy Rome!

[Solararc]

When my DW and I were on the jade, we did the Ultimate Rome tour by private mini buss, very small group and had the very best Guide Named Rita, but she liked to be called Momma. We didnt wait in any lines at any of our stops, best tour to date.

 

 

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[SteveH2508]

If you are in a panic about missing the ship due to a private excursion:-

 

1. It is very unlikely to happen as these companies reputation and livelihood depends on this.

2. Look at the next port of call - if it is Livorno then it is not that big a deal - a train ride from Rome and an overnight - it is not flying to another country (similarly if the next stop is Naples).

[Cruisercl]

If you are in a panic about missing the ship due to a private excursion:-

 

1. It is very unlikely to happen as these companies reputation and livelihood depends on this.

2. Look at the next port of call - if it is Livorno then it is not that big a deal - a train ride from Rome and an overnight - it is not flying to another country (similarly if the next stop is Naples).

 

I have a question - based on this really informative answer here, should we take our passports with us when in port? Wouldn't we need it if we were to miss the ship (God forbid) in order to get to the next port? I have not traveled on a Med cruise yet, so I am not sure how that works; but will cruising the Med in April 2015.

 

All really good suggestions here; my thanks!

 

Happy and safe cruising all!!:D

Edited August 9, 2014 by Cruisercl

[SteveH2508]

Between Rome and Florence or Naples you would not need passports because they are all in Italy.

 

Just to add - if you did miss the ship then RomeinLimo would probably get you to the next port in Italy anyway (if they had any sense they would anyway).

 

Also bear in mind that the NCL excursions are sub-contracted to the local tour companies so the chances are that RomeinLimo may be running some of the NCL excursions as well.

 

You are worrying unnecessarily - it is almost unheard of for a private tour company to miss the return time - it would kill their business. A random taxi from the port is a whole different ball-game however...

[Cruisercl]

Between Rome and Florence or Naples you would not need passports because they are all in Italy.

 

Just to add - if you did miss the ship then RomeinLimo would probably get you to the next port in Italy anyway (if they had any sense they would anyway).

 

Also bear in mind that the NCL excursions are sub-contracted to the local tour companies so the chances are that RomeinLimo may be running some of the NCL excursions as well.

 

You are worrying unnecessarily - it is almost unheard of for a private tour company to miss the return time - it would kill their business. A random taxi from the port is a whole different ball-game however...

 

Thanks for your reassurance; there is a bit of fear of the unknown, in a foreign country no less. :)

 

The intent of my question was more general; what happens if the next port is not the same country? Also, there are many shore excursion companies so RomeinLimo may not be the tour vendor. The OP asked about Rome but my question was really about any port.

[rocklinmom]

We just did the Spirit cruise in June and I would highly recommend that you take an NCL tour in Rome. It is a 1 1/2 hour to 2 hour drive from the port to Rome. Later in the day headed back to the ship there was a lot of traffic, but we weren't worried because the ship waits for NCL excursions. We watched several people almost miss the ship there. One poor lady was literally running to the gangplank. It's just not worth it, in my opinion.