Is This Possible On B2B Turnaround Day in Civitavecchia?

[cruisemom42]

On 10/10/2019 at 2:18 PM, CruiserMickey said:

 

Thank you, but a week in Rome is not an option for us for a number of reasons. Most important of those is my degenerative health condition. I don’t think walking around a city is doable with my back issues and I would hate to get there and be confined to a hotel room. We are doing the cruises so that I can rest, not have to pack/unpack/travel which would be exhausting for me, and we will fit in exploring as much as my back pain allows.

 

Sometimes pushing myself for a whole day (and being confined to bed the next) is worth it if there is something special to do or see. Because I may never get to see the Vatican or the Colosseum in any other way, I think it might be worth trying to do it. If the cruise ship excursions can offer something worthwhile, we may go for it since it will likely be our only chance.

 

Which I why I asked the question in the first place...because this is likely our “one and done” trip to Europe, and because I have health limitations, we are trying to fit in as much as possible within our constraints.

 

How wonderful it would be if we could return to Europe one day...but I don’t think that will ever be possible, unfortunately.

 

I love Rome more than anywhere else I've been on this planet. (Have been there many, many times.) And I totally understand your desire to see it. With the new info you provided, and the benefit of my experience, I strongly URGE you to do a private tour. There are at least two companies that are recommended day in and day out on the Ports of Call forums as outstanding (and both have already been mentioned in this thread: RomeInLimo and Rome Cabs). They are wonderful to work with and it is their business to get you back to the ship on time. I have been reading/contributing to the Italy Forums board for over 10 years and have NEVER read even one person who reported missing the ship due to a private tour with these folks.

 

Why a private tour versus a ship tour?  To get the most out of your limited time, to minimize your walking (a biggie) and to ensure you see EXACTLY what you want to see.

 

Rome is a difficult city when walking is a problem. On a tour bus, you will park a ways from the Vatican and you'll have to walk there. Once inside, just walking from the entrance of the Vatican Museum to the Sistine chapel is about 25-30 minutes. And that's without stopping and looking at anything else. I think you will be lucky to see the museums (quick walk through) and the Sistine chapel and St. Peter's in under 3 hours.) . Also tour buses cannot drive close to the Pantheon or Trevi fountain due to traffic restrictions.

 

A private driver can also drive you very close to all the other sites you want to at least see. And can generally stop and let you take a few photos (e.g., of the Colosseum) or even stick your head inside the Pantheon (it's free; however there can be a line in high season). They can also help you get the right ticket or tour of the Vatican based on what is offered and the timing of your trip.

 

It's likely that a private tour such as this would be around 400-500 euros total. A ship tour will likely be in the neighborhood of $200 per person. The private tour is such a better option in these circumstances.

 

I want you to realize your wish to see Rome. It's worth it, even for a short time. Don't listen to the naysayers. If you don't have a week, see it in what time you do have.

 

(I also agree with someone who posted above that you could likely get off the ship earlier if you let them know, rather than waiting around for the BTB check out/check in.  And yes, it often is less than 90 minutes to Rome.)

 

If you decide to pursue this, feel free to ask additional questions on the Ports of Call forum board for Italy. There are several regulars like myself that have a lot of accumulated knowledge for Rome.

 

Good luck!!

 

 

 

 

[hcat]

OP

Sorry your plan may not work out but hope the cruise line may offer something that does work .  Are there any other b2b guests on your roll call who might join?

 

Other than that ,  it is a long ride even  if you are in a comfy Limo,  there may be traffic issues getting there...lines to get into sites, even if you have advance priority tix,  uneven pavement,  curbs, steps..

 

If you go,  maybe select  just one special place that is not too taxing...The Coliseum part of our  tour was exhausting...and not anything  very special, crowded.  

 

 Sites  near  the port are worthwhile as noted by others, but get a limo... it,s a long walk to the train station and Cv itself is quite hilly!

Edited October 12, 2019 by hcat

[CruiserMickey]

18 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I love Rome more than anywhere else I've been on this planet. (Have been there many, many times.) And I totally understand your desire to see it. With the new info you provided, and the benefit of my experience, I strongly URGE you to do a private tour. There are at least two companies that are recommended day in and day out on the Ports of Call forums as outstanding (and both have already been mentioned in this thread: RomeInLimo and Rome Cabs). They are wonderful to work with and it is their business to get you back to the ship on time. I have been reading/contributing to the Italy Forums board for over 10 years and have NEVER read even one person who reported missing the ship due to a private tour with these folks.

 

Why a private tour versus a ship tour?  To get the most out of your limited time, to minimize your walking (a biggie) and to ensure you see EXACTLY what you want to see.

 

Rome is a difficult city when walking is a problem. On a tour bus, you will park a ways from the Vatican and you'll have to walk there. Once inside, just walking from the entrance of the Vatican Museum to the Sistine chapel is about 25-30 minutes. And that's without stopping and looking at anything else. I think you will be lucky to see the museums (quick walk through) and the Sistine chapel and St. Peter's in under 3 hours.) . Also tour buses cannot drive close to the Pantheon or Trevi fountain due to traffic restrictions.

 

A private driver can also drive you very close to all the other sites you want to at least see. And can generally stop and let you take a few photos (e.g., of the Colosseum) or even stick your head inside the Pantheon (it's free; however there can be a line in high season). They can also help you get the right ticket or tour of the Vatican based on what is offered and the timing of your trip.

 

It's likely that a private tour such as this would be around 400-500 euros total. A ship tour will likely be in the neighborhood of $200 per person. The private tour is such a better option in these circumstances.

 

I want you to realize your wish to see Rome. It's worth it, even for a short time. Don't listen to the naysayers. If you don't have a week, see it in what time you do have.

 

(I also agree with someone who posted above that you could likely get off the ship earlier if you let them know, rather than waiting around for the BTB check out/check in.  And yes, it often is less than 90 minutes to Rome.)

 

If you decide to pursue this, feel free to ask additional questions on the Ports of Call forum board for Italy. There are several regulars like myself that have a lot of accumulated knowledge for Rome.

 

Good luck!!

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for the advice. I really do appreciate it! I have been lurking on the Italy discussion board for quite a while and I will definitely ask more questions there as they come up.

[Iamthesea]

Excellent post, cruisemom42!

 

OP, should you book the private tour, you may be lucky enough to run into another B2B onboard the ship who would like to share that tour.  Happened to us in May when we were in Greece.  We just struck up a conversation with another couple at dinner.   We found out that they had nothing booked for Corfu.  We had pre-booked a tour for 2 before leaving home.  The car had room for 4.  A nice surprise and worked out great splitting the cost.

 

Keep checking your Roll Call as more and more people will start to join as the cruise nears. ;)

[CruiserMickey]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

OP

Sorry your plan may not work out but hope the cruise line may offer something that does work .  Are there any other b2b guests on your roll call who might join?

 

Other than that ,  it is a long ride even  if you are in a comfy Limo,  there may be traffic issues getting there...lines to get into sites, even if you have advance priority tix,  uneven pavement,  curbs, steps..

 

If you go,  maybe select  just one special place that is not too taxing...The Coliseum part of our  tour was exhausting...and not anything  very special, crowded.  

 

 Sites  near  the port are worthwhile as noted by others, but get a limo... it,s a long walk to the train station and Cv itself is quite hilly!

 

So far the roll call is empty. I will keep checking as we get closer to sailing.

[CruiserMickey]

9 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

Excellent post, cruisemom42!

 

OP, should you book the private tour, you may be lucky enough to run into another B2B onboard the ship who would like to share that tour.  Happened to us in May when we were in Greece.  We just struck up a conversation with another couple at dinner.   We found out that they had nothing booked for Corfu.  We had pre-booked a tour for 2 before leaving home.  The car had room for 4.  A nice surprise and worked out great splitting the cost.

 

Keep checking your Roll Call as more and more people will start to join as the cruise nears. 😉

 

That would be great if something like that would happen. I will definitely keep checking the (currently unpopulated) roll call.

 

[Pushka]

For those who are saying it isn’t possible are also saying that a day excursion into Rome isn’t possible. It is, we did it and visited Sistine Chapel, the Basilica, Colosseum, Pantheon and even had a sit down lunch. Celebrity had a train carriage along with the other ships in port that day and was air conditioned and everyone had a seat. Perfect. 

[upwarduk]

3 hours ago, CruiserMickey said:

roll call is empty. I will keep checking as we get closer to sailing.

 Not sure why, but our last 3 Roll Calls have been quiet, maybe because we have sailed from Southampton.

In 2017, we took a Princess cruise and we did a  ‘Rome on your Own’ tour.

We were taken from the ship by bus, which parked in a garage very close to the Vatican. I had looked on line, trying to book a tour into the Vatican, but I wasn’t sure of the timings, so didn’t book.

Instead, we took a Hop-On Hop Off bus tour, but we stayed on the bus. It gave us an over view and also photo opportunities.

The last 2 photos were taken just before we returned to the meeting place for the return to the ship. You can see how the queues had built up for entry into the Vatican.

Edited October 12, 2019 by upwarduk

[varoo]

On 10/12/2019 at 2:04 AM, upwarduk said:

 .......Instead, we took a Hop-On Hop Off bus tour, but we stayed on the bus. It gave us an over view and also photo opportunities.

 

That is an excellent suggestion and could be a great solution here,   if the weather is nice that day,

and if the OP is physically able to climb up to the top of a double-decker bus (preferably one with an open top).

 

The unobstructed views and photo opportunities are so much better that way than trying to take photos through the window of a car or van or limo or even a street-level bus,  and it would spare the OP from the physical exertion of walking around. 

 

Depending on the timing, they may even be able to stay on the bus and go around the circuit more than once that day.

If they can snag  seats on the back corners of the upper deck on both sides, they can shoot photos and/or video off the back of the bus as well as to the sides.

 

The obvious downside is missing the tours of the interiors,  but there are many wonderful videos of the interiors of the various monuments and buildings available that can be viewed in seated comfort from one's own home, avoiding the lines and crowds.

                                                                                          

Edited October 13, 2019 by varoo