Celebrity says I have to contact TA for airport transfer

[kwokpot]

16 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

 

It makes loads of sense if you would rather not spend 5-10x the cost of the train and are willing to take more time. 

 

We do that sort of thing often when travelling, like in London.  The tube to Heathrow may take an hour instead of 40 minutes, but it costs roughly 10% of what a taxi or private car might run you.  Easy choice if you aren't in a rush and are willing to walk a bit.

Taking the train at the Civitavecchia port also involves taking a shuttle bus from the cruise port to the train station. So it will involve multiple trips up and down stairs. Does it get where you're going sure, but at alot of hassle. Sometimes spending more money actually makes more sense if makes everything easier, and less of a hassle. 

[canderson]

14 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

You can do whatever you want on board, but there is a whole section of the TA portal dedicated to arranging transfers. Since Celebrity agents can't see a TA held reservation I'm not 100% sure they can even do it over the phone. 

Ah, understood.  Your comment was directed to arranging pre-cruise.  We've never bothered to arrange the transfer pre-cruise if we plan using Celebrity transportation.  

 

One wouldn't think that requesting price info from X would even require mention of a booking, TA or otherwise, any more than it is to ask about shorex.

[WestLakeGirl]

17 hours ago, zitsky said:

Just thought I'd share my experience which maybe is common sense.  I asked Celebrity about an airport transfer.  They said "privacy" and talk to your TA.  Maybe TA will come through.  Or maybe we go with private transportation like I suggested to my fellow travelers.  We used a Viking transfer once when we also had a TA.  I don't remember any trouble booking it.  

So, after you talked to your TA as advised, what did you decide?

Edited August 17, 2022 by WestLakeGirl

[zitsky]

27 minutes ago, WestLakeGirl said:

So, after you talked to your TA as advised, what did you decide?

See post #22 for the answer to your question.  Nothing has been decided yet.  I talked to the TA about 1 hour ago.

[Xrayal]

We have made the trip from the port to both Rome airports.

 

The first occasion was in 2016; we had a private transfer to CIA arranged privately as part of our pre-cruise planning.  The cost was €140.  It was a professional service using a Merc E Class.

 

The second occasion was in 2019; we purchased the transfer from Guest Services on Infinity to FCO.  We did not know the cost at the point of booking, which was $75 per person; we felt this was expensive.  It operated like a shore excursion and was only suitable for flights departing after 13:30.  Whilst the bus was not full so that one could spread out for more comfort, we would not retake this option because there is no Celebrity Rep involved.  Therefore if anything had not gone to plan, we would have no way of rectifying the situation other than to resolve it privately.  It was just a bus with a driver.  It was a nightmare resolving an errorornous minibar charge after this cruise with Celebrity, I wouldn't want to be negotiating a resolution over a failed transfer where I am out of pocket after the fact.

 

 

In future occasions, at Civitavecchia, we will arrange a private transfer.

Edited August 17, 2022 by Xrayal
Clarity

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, OysterD said:

It would make sense if you'd rather spend €11/pp on a train rather than $72/pp that Celebrity have quoted for a private transfer. Drive takes about 50 mins depending on traffic. Train will take 1hr 20mins. Not that much in it really.

 

2 hours ago, DCPIV said:

 

It makes loads of sense if you would rather not spend 5-10x the cost of the train and are willing to take more time. 

 

We do that sort of thing often when travelling, like in London.  The tube to Heathrow may take an hour instead of 40 minutes, but it costs roughly 10% of what a taxi or private car might run you.  Easy choice if you aren't in a rush and are willing to walk a bit.

 

This is frequently discussed on the Ports of Call boards. 

 

On the face of it, the train might make sense. But stop to think of the logistics involved:

 

• You have to get yourself and your luggage aboard the free port shuttle bus in Civitavecchia, which takes you to the port entrance. (And wait for it to fill up.)
• Then you have to either walk nearly a mile (with your luggage) or take a public bus that has a stop at the port entrance to the train station, again getting yourself and luggage on and off the bus.
• At the train station you have to get to your tracks. Fortunately Civitavecchia has just this year added elevators, but if they are out of order you'll likely have to schlep your luggage down a flight of stairs, through the underground passage, and up another flight of stairs.
• All of the early trains from Civitavecchia are regional trains, meaning there is no reserved seating. You'll have to get your luggage aboard the train, find a space for it (where you can keep an eye on it) and hope that you can find seats. The trains can be very crowded in the mornings going into Rome and in the afternoons coming back from Rome.
• At Termini station, a large rail depot, you'll have to walk the equivalent of another two city blocks from the regional tracks to reach the tracks for the dedicated express train to FCO airport, which leaves at roughly half-hour intervals.
• Load luggage on/off FCO express train.
• Arrive at FCO and navigate to your terminal -- the train only stops at Terminal 3. If you're headed directly to the US you'll probably have to get yourself to Terminal 5, a bit of a walk.

 

A private car or private shuttle will take you point to point, eliminate hassle of on/off bus (x2), on/off train (x2) and a fair amount of walking.

 

There is no way I'd allow less than 45 minutes to get from the cruise terminal to the train station in time for a particular train. Plus 120 minutes (minimum) transit time. Plus time to get to your terminal. And for flights to the US it is recommended to arrive at the terminal 3 hours in advance of your flight.

 

I figure doing the train would require at minimum 2+ hours -- likely more in advance of the 3 hours' ahead arrival. The private driver/shuttle option halves that.

 

I am a frugal traveler, but even I admit that the logistics of the train to the airport from Civi are not in favor of this option, for most.

 

 

 

 

[kwokpot]

2 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

 

This is frequently discussed on the Ports of Call boards. 

 

On the face of it, the train might make sense. But stop to think of the logistics involved:

 

• You have to get yourself and your luggage aboard the free port shuttle bus in Civitavecchia, which takes you to the port entrance. (And wait for it to fill up.)
• Then you have to either walk nearly a mile (with your luggage) or take a public bus that has a stop at the port entrance to the train station, again getting yourself and luggage on and off the bus.
• At the train station you have to get to your tracks. Fortunately Civitavecchia has just this year added elevators, but if they are out of order you'll likely have to schlep your luggage down a flight of stairs, through the underground passage, and up another flight of stairs.
• All of the early trains from Civitavecchia are regional trains, meaning there is no reserved seating. You'll have to get your luggage aboard the train, find a space for it (where you can keep an eye on it) and hope that you can find seats. The trains can be very crowded in the mornings going into Rome and in the afternoons coming back from Rome.
• At Termini station, a large rail depot, you'll have to walk the equivalent of another two city blocks from the regional tracks to reach the tracks for the dedicated express train to FCO airport, which leaves at roughly half-hour intervals.
• Load luggage on/off FCO express train.
• Arrive at FCO and navigate to your terminal -- the train only stops at Terminal 3. If you're headed directly to the US you'll probably have to get yourself to Terminal 5, a bit of a walk.

 

A private car or private shuttle will take you point to point, eliminate hassle of on/off bus (x2), on/off train (x2) and a fair amount of walking.

 

There is no way I'd allow less than 45 minutes to get from the cruise terminal to the train station in time for a particular train. Plus 120 minutes (minimum) transit time. Plus time to get to your terminal. And for flights to the US it is recommended to arrive at the terminal 3 hours in advance of your flight.

 

I figure doing the train would require at minimum 2+ hours -- likely more in advance of the 3 hours' ahead arrival. The private driver/shuttle option halves that.

 

I am a frugal traveler, but even I admit that the logistics of the train to the airport from Civi are not in favor of this option, for most.

 

 

 

 

People have different ways of spending money and what's the value of a Dollar (Or Euro, or Pound,lol), I get that. I just think it's strange, especially on the Celebrity Board where you have people literally saying they would rather not go on a cruise than stay in a room other than Retreat Class, only eat in Specialty restaurants when the MDR's and other included venues are quite good, and spend boatloads of money on alcoholic drinks that a post cruise transfer that requires multiple steps and a lot more effort is where one is going to save money. 

[dlh015]

43 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

 

This is frequently discussed on the Ports of Call boards. 

 

On the face of it, the train might make sense. But stop to think of the logistics involved:

 

• You have to get yourself and your luggage aboard the free port shuttle bus in Civitavecchia, which takes you to the port entrance. (And wait for it to fill up.)
• Then you have to either walk nearly a mile (with your luggage) or take a public bus that has a stop at the port entrance to the train station, again getting yourself and luggage on and off the bus.
• At the train station you have to get to your tracks. Fortunately Civitavecchia has just this year added elevators, but if they are out of order you'll likely have to schlep your luggage down a flight of stairs, through the underground passage, and up another flight of stairs.
• All of the early trains from Civitavecchia are regional trains, meaning there is no reserved seating. You'll have to get your luggage aboard the train, find a space for it (where you can keep an eye on it) and hope that you can find seats. The trains can be very crowded in the mornings going into Rome and in the afternoons coming back from Rome.
• At Termini station, a large rail depot, you'll have to walk the equivalent of another two city blocks from the regional tracks to reach the tracks for the dedicated express train to FCO airport, which leaves at roughly half-hour intervals.
• Load luggage on/off FCO express train.
• Arrive at FCO and navigate to your terminal -- the train only stops at Terminal 3. If you're headed directly to the US you'll probably have to get yourself to Terminal 5, a bit of a walk.

 

A private car or private shuttle will take you point to point, eliminate hassle of on/off bus (x2), on/off train (x2) and a fair amount of walking.

 

There is no way I'd allow less than 45 minutes to get from the cruise terminal to the train station in time for a particular train. Plus 120 minutes (minimum) transit time. Plus time to get to your terminal. And for flights to the US it is recommended to arrive at the terminal 3 hours in advance of your flight.

 

I figure doing the train would require at minimum 2+ hours -- likely more in advance of the 3 hours' ahead arrival. The private driver/shuttle option halves that.

 

I am a frugal traveler, but even I admit that the logistics of the train to the airport from Civi are not in favor of this option, for most.

43 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

And one other thing...transit strikes happen fairly often in Italy. I was very glad I had private transportation when I was in Rome last June...

 

 

 

 

[canderson]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

People have different ways of spending money and what's the value of a Dollar (Or Euro, or Pound,lol), I get that. I just think it's strange, especially on the Celebrity Board where you have people literally saying they would rather not go on a cruise than stay in a room other than Retreat Class, only eat in Specialty restaurants when the MDR's and other included venues are quite good, and spend boatloads of money on alcoholic drinks that a post cruise transfer that requires multiple steps and a lot more effort is where one is going to save money. 

Absolutely agree.  While ending a cruise is sorrow enough in itself, that end can quickly become more stark when the post-cruise logistics are themselves a big hassle. 

 

That said, we've had X's contracted post-cruise transport go poorly as well.  Once they had inadequate seating on buses out of Galveston (on a rare, rainy 40 degree day) to the airport in Houston, leaving some of us to arrange our own transportation from the pier.  In Tampa (recently), the stop for the bus was at the far end of the terminal and no luggage cart rack or porters to be found anywhere near there.  Really bad for some with mobility problems and those with a lot of luggage from B2Bs.

 

We have switched to private transport for most of our cruises.

 

 

[bigbenboys]

4 hours ago, DCPIV said:

 

It makes loads of sense if you would rather not spend 5-10x the cost of the train and are willing to take more time. 

 

We do that sort of thing often when travelling, like in London.  The tube to Heathrow may take an hour instead of 40 minutes, but it costs roughly 10% of what a taxi or private car might run you.  Easy choice if you aren't in a rush and are willing to walk a bit.

It is my understand that taking the train you will have to change platforms along the way. Luggage will have to be carried up or down stairs as there is not a elevator. So maybe if your doing carry on only.

There are no direct train services from Civitavecchia to Rome Fiumicino Airport. Travelling from Civitavecchia to Rome Fiumicino Airport by train will require a minimum of 1 change.

Have you posted on the Port board?

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/464-italy-ports/

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, dlh015 said:

And one other thing...transit strikes happen fairly often in Italy. I was very glad I had private transportation when I was in Rome last June...

 

Not sure how your quote got attributed to me (above), but as someone who has been to Italy many times and uses the train system frequently, I have to say that this is a bit of an urban myth.  Transit strikes do happen, but I certainly would not say they are "fairly often".  

 

When they do occur, they are almost always announced well in advance.  The most complete website is in Italian, but with many browsers now offering instant translation it's not really a burden to check. Do note that you need to read completely any notice as a lot of strikes only involve a particular region.

 

Ricerca Scioperi | Commissione Garanzia Sciopero (cgsse.it)

 

Also, even when strikes do occur, the state designates certain trains that will run anyway so as not to completely shut the country down. 

 

The regional trains from Civi to Rome are rarely included in any strike actions. The Leonardo Express (the express train from Termini to FCO) is also guaranteed to run.

 

In all my years of travel in Italy, I have never been impacted by a strike action.  Again, they do happen, but the spectre of being stranded due to a strike is much overblown.

[cruisemom42]

5 minutes ago, bigbenboys said:

It is my understand that taking the train you will have to change platforms along the way. Luggage will have to be carried up or down stairs as there is not a elevator. So maybe if your doing carry on only.

 

Just this year they have installed elevators at Civitavecchia. Finally.

[AnnaNicole]

We took the train.   It was cheap, easy, and not too far from the pier.   

[dlh015]

49 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Not sure how your quote got attributed to me (above), but as someone who has been to Italy many times and uses the train system frequently, I have to say that this is a bit of an urban myth.  Transit strikes do happen, but I certainly would not say they are "fairly often".  

 

When they do occur, they are almost always announced well in advance.  The most complete website is in Italian, but with many browsers now offering instant translation it's not really a burden to check. Do note that you need to read completely any notice as a lot of strikes only involve a particular region.

 

Ricerca Scioperi | Commissione Garanzia Sciopero (cgsse.it)

 

Also, even when strikes do occur, the state designates certain trains that will run anyway so as not to completely shut the country down. 

 

The regional trains from Civi to Rome are rarely included in any strike actions. The Leonardo Express (the express train from Termini to FCO) is also guaranteed to run.

 

In all my years of travel in Italy, I have never been impacted by a strike action.  Again, they do happen, but the spectre of being stranded due to a strike is much overblown.

I have no idea how that happened...