Self disembarkation question

[HMSDingy]

First time with HAL and we are taking a cruise onboard the Koningsdam next June and plan to stay in Italy post cruise.  I want to book a private transfer from the port to Rome where I'll be picking up a rental.  What would be a good time to have the driver pick us up if we choose to disembark on our own?

 

Thanks in advance

[catl331]

If there are no problems, the self-debark line should start moving around 7:30. I would choose 8:00.

Edited December 7, 2018 by catl331

[WisRiver]

When you say "picking up a rental", do you mean a rental car or apartment.  We have disembarked in Civatavecchia and transferred to Rome to stay in an apartment.  Since the apartment may not be ready first thing in the morning, we have scheduled a transfer for 9:30 AM.  This gives us time to eat breakfast and be among the last to leave.  Traffic has thinned out and we are usually at our apartment in the center of Rome by 11:30 AM.   If the apartment is not ready, the owner/manager has let us leave our baggage in the apartment while they finish cleaning. 

[CruiserBruce]

Driving a rental in Rome is not a treat. I would figure a way to pick up the car outside of Rome.

[doublebzz]

What's the rush?  Have a leisurely breakfast and debark at will.  Absolutely agree with CruiserBruce about driving around Rome; however, I'm inferring you renting an apartment in Rome' not a car.  If you are, there is at least one car rental agency, I believe Hertz, right in Civatavecchia.

[HMSDingy]

Sorry about the confusion. By rental, I mean a car. The reason I'm not picking up in Civitavecchia is that for the short distance to the car rental, not many cabs will take us and it seems too far to hoof it with baggage in tow.  We would also have to pay an extra fee if we drop off the car at a different location. The best price I got for the car is from Europcar and they have a kiosk in the airport.  I would be driving to my relatives in Abbruzzo from Rome and then returning the car at the airport prior to our flight home.

[cruising cockroach]

Try a different rental company.  I've rented in Italy several times through Hertz and Europcar (+AutoEurope broker) and not had to pay drop off fees or higher one-way rates.

 

Be aware that Rome has ZTL (limited access zones) which will incur a hefty charge for vehicles that are not authorised, and getting out of the Rome Termini rental garage is devilishly difficult (among the tightest turns I've ever seen in a parking garage - we were involuntarily UG'd from a Fiat 500 to a 500 XL (think small SUV) and the immediate area is surrounded by ZTLs.

[VMax1700]

Ok. so you are collecting the car at FCO and returning to FCO?  It's just you mention a transfer to Rome, which posters consider the 'City' not the 'Airport'! 

 

I have debarked twice recently in Civitavecchia and both times from Koningsdam!

1/ Self debarking was called at 7.15 am.  There was a bit of chaos in the elevators as a lot of pax had not read (or understood) the debarkation instructions.  There were a lot of pax with their luggage trying to get down to deck 2 and from looking at the tags on their luggage they should have left it outside the cabin the previous night.  This was probably because there was a lot of different nationalities on this cruise and English would not have been their first or even second language.  However we were ashore by 7.45 am and into our car by 7.50 am (it was booked for 8.00 am and driver was early - Stefano's Rome Cabs). We were at FCO airport at 8.40 am. It was a Sunday morning.

 

2/ We took a leisurely breakfast in the cabin and  wandered ashore at 9.30a.m.  Our car was booked for 10 am and we were at the airport by 10.40am.  This was not Self Debarking as we put our bags out the last night. There are no customs or immigration formalities in Civitavecchia, so it is just a matter of claiming your bags and going to the private transfer waiting area.

 

My preference would be #2.  Maybe get a car for 9.00 am and look for normal debarking from the ship (when filling out the debark form mention a flight at 11.00 am?) You will miss all the rushing and chaos and the morning rush hour traffic.

 

[HMSDingy]

15 hours ago, cruising cockroach said:

Try a different rental company.  I've rented in Italy several times through Hertz and Europcar (+AutoEurope broker) and not had to pay drop off fees or higher one-way rates.

 

Be aware that Rome has ZTL (limited access zones) which will incur a hefty charge for vehicles that are not authorised, and getting out of the Rome Termini rental garage is devilishly difficult (among the tightest turns I've ever seen in a parking garage - we were involuntarily UG'd from a Fiat 500 to a 500 XL (think small SUV) and the immediate area is surrounded by ZTLs.

Actually the quote I got was from AutoEurope for a car from Europecar.  for the size of car we're looking at, the other agencies are charging for  GPS whereas with Europecar its included with the Audi 3.  The rep at AutoEurope confirmed the drop off fee iF we picked up in Civitavecchia & dropped off at FCO.

[HMSDingy]

2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Ok. so you are collecting the car at FCO and returning to FCO?  It's just you mention a transfer to Rome, which posters consider the 'City' not the 'Airport'! 

 

I have debarked twice recently in Civitavecchia and both times from Koningsdam!

1/ Self debarking was called at 7.15 am.  There was a bit of chaos in the elevators as a lot of pax had not read (or understood) the debarkation instructions.  There were a lot of pax with their luggage trying to get down to deck 2 and from looking at the tags on their luggage they should have left it outside the cabin the previous night.  This was probably because there was a lot of different nationalities on this cruise and English would not have been their first or even second language.  However we were ashore by 7.45 am and into our car by 7.50 am (it was booked for 8.00 am and driver was early - Stefano's Rome Cabs). We were at FCO airport at 8.40 am. It was a Sunday morning.

 

2/ We took a leisurely breakfast in the cabin and  wandered ashore at 9.30a.m.  Our car was booked for 10 am and we were at the airport by 10.40am.  This was not Self Debarking as we put our bags out the last night. There are no customs or immigration formalities in Civitavecchia, so it is just a matter of claiming your bags and going to the private transfer waiting area.

 

My preference would be #2.  Maybe get a car for 9.00 am and look for normal debarking from the ship (when filling out the debark form mention a flight at 11.00 am?) You will miss all the rushing and chaos and the morning rush hour traffic.

 

#2 seems to be the best bet as we've booked a car to pick us up at 9 AM.

[catl331]

On 12/7/2018 at 5:03 PM, doublebzz said:

What's the rush?  Have a leisurely breakfast and debark at will. 

HAL wants all the self-debarkers off the ship before the regular groups begin, mainly because of congestion in the elevators when many people are filling them with baggage while masses of people are trying to use them.

[cruising cockroach]

57 minutes ago, HMSDingy said:

Actually the quote I got was from AutoEurope for a car from Europecar.  for the size of car we're looking at, the other agencies are charging for  GPS whereas with Europecar its included with the Audi 3.  The rep at AutoEurope confirmed the drop off fee iF we picked up in Civitavecchia & dropped off at FCO.

 

Might be the particular car or location then, or even maybe new policy.  We just went with a standard econo and took our own GPS (advantage to Garmin is open source maps).  Picked up in La Spezia and dropped off at FCO.  We did a direct rental (Hertz, Euro or Sixt - don't remember) at FCO and dropped off in Termini.   Previously have rented at FCO and dropped off at FLR, rented in Siena and dropped off at Civitavecchia, rented in BRI and dropped off at CTA w/o drop off charges/OW fees.

[doublebzz]

1 hour ago, catl331 said:

HAL wants all the self-debarkers off the ship before the regular groups begin, mainly because of congestion in the elevators when many people are filling them with baggage while masses of people are trying to use them.

As VMAX has said, there could be congestion in the elevators whatever time you choose to debark.  Also agree with VMAX that if you are in no rush to get off, putting out your luggage the night before is probably most convenient for all concerned.

[catl331]

1 hour ago, doublebzz said:

As VMAX has said, there could be congestion in the elevators whatever time you choose to debark.

Of course, but many more people can fit in an elevator if none of them have large suitcases with them. I'm a little hazy on this, but IIRC when HAL gives out the self-debarker X card they say you must be "ready to leave" when it begins, normally at 7:30.

[RuthC]

36 minutes ago, catl331 said:

I'm a little hazy on this, but IIRC when HAL gives out the self-debarker X card they say you must be "ready to leave" when it begins, normally at 7:30.

That's my understanding and recollection, too. Self-disembark goes first (around 7:30 AM) and gets out of the way for those who have to claim luggage, and those in wheelchairs who start next.