Rome Transportation

[Lew's cruise]

Can somebody tell me if Viking Ocean provides free shuttle service to and from Rome. We will be there 2 days and plan to take the offered excursion on one day and maybe our own walking tour on the other day.

[Peregrina651]

Lew, I've been researching this as well and this is what I have been able to discover.

 

If you go to the Viking website, to the page for the cruise that you will be taking and click on the tab that says itinerary (as opposed to "dates&pricing" or"airfare", etc.), down the left side of the page should be a list of the ports of call (Day 1, Day 2, etc). Click on whichever day says Rome. If you scroll down that page, you will see "Shore Excursions" and one of the excursions listed is "Rome on your own." It is not a free tour. So, basically, the answer is, "No. Viking does not seem to be offering a free shuttle into Rome." (And, imho, as much as I hate to say it, I can understand why it isn't feasible for them to do so: it is an hour and half drive from Civitavecchia; it is impossible to figure out the need at given time of the day--and if 300 people are waiting to get on a return bus, there is no way to add more buses last minute to accommodate them all. It would be a nightmare for any cruise line to attempt.)

 

However, the included tour for the day goes to Rome. We are considering using the included to tour to get us into Rome and leaving the tour as quickly as possible--the first time the bus stops or even sooner--and using the train to get us back to Civitavecchia. It is a popular question on Trip Advisor and a couple of people have given step by step instructions and plenty of advice how to do it. The only "but" in the plan is that we would want to be on the first buses into Rome and even if we sign up for the first time slot, it does not mean that Viking won't change our time slot without telling us or giving us a chance to say no (yes, they do that and quite frequently).

 

So, that is what I have been able to discover so far. Hope it helps.

[dln929]

We did the Romantic Mediterranean cruise on the Star in January and Rome was one of our ports. If there's an excursion to Rome that is included--and there will be--there's no reason why you can't sign up for it. Go down to the city on the bus and when you're there, go on the walking tour, or tell the guide that you're wanting to go on your own, and let him/her tell you what the bus stop is for the end of the day, and what time. Then go do your own thing. It's a pretty simple process.

[sitraveler]

We took the included Rome tour, left the group after the Coliseum, and rejoined at the Vatican for the return to the ship. Return time was 4:30. Rome on your own was a costly option to do the same thing.

[Lew's cruise]

Lew, I've been researching this as well and this is what I have been able to discover.

 

If you go to the Viking website, to the page for the cruise that you will be taking and click on the tab that says itinerary (as opposed to "dates&pricing" or"airfare", etc.), down the left side of the page should be a list of the ports of call (Day 1, Day 2, etc). Click on whichever day says Rome. If you scroll down that page, you will see "Shore Excursions" and one of the excursions listed is "Rome on your own." It is not a free tour. So, basically, the answer is, "No. Viking does not seem to be offering a free shuttle into Rome." (And, imho, as much as I hate to say it, I can understand why it isn't feasible for them to do so: it is an hour and half drive from Civitavecchia; it is impossible to figure out the need at given time of the day--and if 300 people are waiting to get on a return bus, there is no way to add more buses last minute to accommodate them all. It would be a nightmare for any cruise line to attempt.)

 

However, the included tour for the day goes to Rome. We are considering using the included to tour to get us into Rome and leaving the tour as quickly as possible--the first time the bus stops or even sooner--and using the train to get us back to Civitavecchia. It is a popular question on Trip Advisor and a couple of people have given step by step instructions and plenty of advice how to do it. The only "but" in the plan is that we would want to be on the first buses into Rome and even if we sign up for the first time slot, it does not mean that Viking won't change our time slot without telling us or giving us a chance to say no (yes, they do that and quite frequently).

 

So, that is what I have been able to discover so far. Hope it helps.

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing. I plan to research this topic to death and I really appreciate your taking the time to reply.

[Lew's cruise]

We took the included Rome tour, left the group after the Coliseum, and rejoined at the Vatican for the return to the ship. Return time was 4:30. Rome on your own was a costly option to do the same thing.

 

Sounds like a good plan. So far I think it's a good way to go.

[rjscott]

We took the included Rome tour, left the group after the Coliseum, and rejoined at the Vatican for the return to the ship. Return time was 4:30. Rome on your own was a costly option to do the same thing.

 

NOTE: They have shortened the tour. It is now only a 5 HR tour, so including travel time, not much time in Rome if you are planning to do your own thing.

 

Becki

[Peregrina651]

NOTE: They have shortened the tour. It is now only a 5 HR tour, so including travel time, not much time in Rome if you are planning to do your own thing.

 

Becki

 

That is why we are considering using Viking to get into Rome but using the train to get back to the ship. Or else we will bite the bullet and just pay for the "On your own." We are still discussing it. DH is worried what will happen if the trains go on strike and we can't get back to the ship; I keep saying we should play the odds.

[rjscott]

Peregrina,

I was considering doing the same thing, but Host Jazz made a convincing argument against that just because of the chance of a strike. My hubby, seconded that, as he has traveled on business in Europe a great deal and, due to our port being so distant from our sightseeing, agreed with Jazz. So, unless we find someone with whom to share a private tour, we will bite the bullet and do one of Viking's.

 

Becki