Rome Pre-cruise Hotel

[azmwood]

We are planning on touring Rome for a couple of days prior to a cruise. I'm looking for pre-cruise hotel and cruise port transfer advice for Civitavecchia. Has anyone used NCL's pre-cruise hotel and transfer service out of the Crowne Plaza in Rome before?

[AusQueen]

We always stay at the Star Metropole Rome when we are in that city. It is within walking distance to St Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel. Hence, convenient for a short stay as you get to see so much and we always make sure we go to the Basilica during every visit. Anyway, last 2016, we had a cruise wth NCL that started from Rome. We chose our own hotel but we joined their transfer out service. We went to the Da Vinci airport on the day of the transfer to the Civitavecchia port. It is about an hour's drive from the airport till the port. It is best that you join their transfer service. If you don't want to join their pre cruise hotel and transfer - Booking.com and Viator has options for the transfer to the port. Enjoy!

[jdvmd]

We used Civitavecchia Cab Service the last time and would book with them again. Website is easy to use and shows all the prices and services they offer from Rome etc.

www.civitavecchiacabservice.com

[wizdiz]

I would really suggest using an air BnB for Rome. Last year had the most amazing apartment in Rome walking distance to so much. Streets were great.

[pete_coach]

We have been to Rome many times and taken 2 cruises out of Civitavecchia. We always stay at Hotel Campo de Fiori http://www.hotelcampodefiori.com/en/ A great Italian hotel (as opposed to a western style) includes breakfast and a fantastic rooftop patio with views of the Palatine Hills and Vatican. We relaxed there with wine, cheese and bread form the grocer across the piazza every evening.

It is on a Piazza Campo de Fiori http://www.romeloft.com/rome-best-areas/campo-de-fiori-guide/ which is a market in the mornings and full of trattorias and cfe's in the afternoons and evening. It is a few steps form the famous Piazza Navonna and within walking distance of almost all sites.

As for transportation to the port, we always use Rome in Limo https://www.romeinlimo.com/ for all our transportation needs.

[Turtles06]

The Ports of Call/Europe/Med/Italy forum is a terrific source of info for hotels in Rome. This is a regular topic of discussion, and there is also the search feature.

[xitappers2bx]

We are planning on touring Rome for a couple of days prior to a cruise. I'm looking for pre-cruise hotel and cruise port transfer advice for Civitavecchia. Has anyone used NCL's pre-cruise hotel and transfer service out of the Crowne Plaza in Rome before?

 

 

We did this same thing last year. After giving AirBNB a go, we ended up going with a hotel having spent the month in Paris before and me really just wanting an excuse to eat out at every meal and stop cooking. Now, I have stayed at Crowne Plazas before, and while I can appreciate wanting to stick with what you know, here is the hotel we stayed at, that is of slightly better quality than a CP, but similar price: http://www.hotelstendhalrome.com/ It was in the perfect neighborhood, within walking distance to everything we wanted, and it was close to public transport making getting around easy. We had a room on the 5th floor, and the view at night of the moon over the buildings was just to die for.

 

We booked our travel to/from Rome and the port using : https://www.civitavecchiaport.org/ They do both private and group transfers and it was super easy, super comfortable, and I would use them again without thinking twice.

[Pgbear]

Following

[Lazz58]

We just returned from a cruise a a 3 night Pre-Stay in Rome.  We staed in an incredible little hotel called the Telegraph Suites.  https://www.telegraphsuites.it/  Very small and hard to find. From what I understand, books up very quick.  Old buildings that were reconverted. They have a small rooftop terrace for drinks and Tapas.  Excellent staff!  The entrance is off an alley, but do not let that fool you.  You will be within walking distance of many historical sites.  Restaurants everywhere.   IMO, you want to get away from the named brand hotels and experience the local ones for a true experience.  When in Rome....

[dogs4fun]

On 4/11/2018 at 6:59 AM, azmwood said:

We are planning on touring Rome for a couple of days prior to a cruise. I'm looking for pre-cruise hotel and cruise port transfer advice for Civitavecchia. Has anyone used NCL's pre-cruise hotel and transfer service out of the Crowne Plaza in Rome before?

The Crowne Plaza is not conveniently located for sightseeing in Rome - it is about a 35 minute taxi ride into the historical center of Rome. We would not stay here for this reason - we want to be in the historic center of Rome from which we can walk or metro to the sights and restaurants, not stay somewhere 35 minutes away by taxi.

We would recommend staying somewhere in the historic center of Rome and there are many options, depending on your budget. We love both the K Boutique Hotel (located near Peter & Chains Church - & the Cavour metro station is a mere 3 minute walk from the hotel) and the Albergo Santa Chiara (located in the heart of the historic center by the Pantheon). Both hotels are in excellent locations for exploring Rome.

K Boutique: https://www.thekhotel.it/en/boutique-hotel/

 Albergo Santa Chiara: https://www.albergosantachiara.com/en/

There are many other options as well - some less expensive, some more. 

There are many options for transferring from Rome to Civi. Taxi, bus, shared shuttle & train.

A shared shuttle is an inexpensive option from FCO to Civitavecchia. Check-out Romashuttle.com:

http://romashuttle.com/

The cost is only 70 euros for a couple (or 35 each) and they drop you off at the cruise terminal.

If you can manage your own luggage, the most inexpensive option would be the train from Rome to Civi. 

Edited December 2, 2019 by dogs4fun

[TSUmom]

On 4/11/2018 at 7:59 AM, azmwood said:

We are planning on touring Rome for a couple of days prior to a cruise. I'm looking for pre-cruise hotel and cruise port transfer advice for Civitavecchia. Has anyone used NCL's pre-cruise hotel and transfer service out of the Crowne Plaza in Rome before?

We just used NCL's hotel and transfer in October.  As others have stated the Crowne Plaza is not located near the City Center.  We enjoyed the Hotel and just used taxis to get where we wanted to go.  We had a group of 7 so sharing a taxi van was not too expensive and there were always taxis waiting in the hotel parking lot.  

If we ever return we will stay in Rome City Center.

[OnTheJourney]

On 4/11/2018 at 9:43 AM, jdvmd said:

We used Civitavecchia Cab Service the last time and would book with them again. Website is easy to use and shows all the prices and services they offer from Rome etc.

www.civitavecchiacabservice.com

 

Came across this thread since I have a related concern - a cruise out of Civi port that is not offering any pre-cruise extensions. I really don't want to fly in on embarkation day and not have any time to sightsee, so am looking for any sort of available transfer / hotel packages or whatever other options might look good. I checked out and bookmarked the cab service you suggested. Looks most promising! Thanks....

Edited February 4, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

On 4/11/2018 at 12:16 PM, pete_coach said:

We have been to Rome many times and taken 2 cruises out of Civitavecchia. We always stay at Hotel Campo de Fiori http://www.hotelcampodefiori.com/en/ A great Italian hotel (as opposed to a western style) includes breakfast and a fantastic rooftop patio with views of the Palatine Hills and Vatican. We relaxed there with wine, cheese and bread form the grocer across the piazza every evening.

It is on a Piazza Campo de Fiori http://www.romeloft.com/rome-best-areas/campo-de-fiori-guide/ which is a market in the mornings and full of trattorias and cfe's in the afternoons and evening. It is a few steps form the famous Piazza Navonna and within walking distance of almost all sites.

As for transportation to the port, we always use Rome in Limo https://www.romeinlimo.com/ for all our transportation needs.

 

Thanks for this info. We're looking to put together a pre-cruise hotel / transfer package of some sort since our cruise does not offer any this time. I bookmarked the romeinlimo site. Looks good....

[OnTheJourney]

I've started researching some hotels (looks like many of them also offer various transfers so this might be easier to put together than I though). A few suggestions from Trip Advisor are the Hotel Navona and Liberty Boutique. Both look to be in good areas for sightseeing. 

[mdsgu]

If you want a Western hotel, the Holiday Inn Aurelia is just out from Rome, is clean and comfortable, and only a short ride from central Rome.  We stayed three nights there in May 2019 before our Jade cruise.  We used Best Rome Driver for all our tours and our transfer to Civitavecchia.  They are very accommodating and very punctual.

 

We are going back to Rome in May 2020.  They suggested we try Villa Pinciana, so we are.  Last year, from the Holiday Inn to the port was about 45 minutes.

[laughing husky]

Another small but very convenient hotel is the Hotel lancelot.  It in very near the Coliseum in the oldest part of Rome.  It used a lot by Rick Stevens and is a good choice for a small non American hotel.  Has a great breakfast and very nice little bar.  It is not good for wheelchairs.  It is great for atmosphere.  They will arrange a private taxi or car to take you to the port.  No walking involved.  I stay there when in Rome even when I am not on a cruise.