Rome tours

[cruisnfool]

Can someone tell me about MSC’s tours in Rome

[Stockjock]

14 minutes ago, cruisnfool said:

Can someone tell me about MSC’s tours in Rome

FWIW, I'm doing a Barcelona cruise that stops in Civitavecchia (near Rome) later this year.  So far, they only have some e-bike tours and that sort of thing.  I'm hoping that they'll add more eventually.  If not, I'll do a private tour.

[Heartgrove]

We did the MSC Rome on Your Own this past October while aboard the MSC Splendida. This was just bus transportation from Civiitavecchia to Rome and return as we had been to Rome twice before. The dropoff/pickup point was by Circus Maximus which is also where the Hop-On Hop-Off bus has a stop. It  is only about 1 km from the Colosseum.

 

Very convenient for the end of the day before the bus ride back to the ship there is a small bar/bistro at the intersection of Via del Circo Massimo and Via S. de Gregorio. Last chance for the use of the facilities as well. 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by Heartgrove

[angelsil]

On our November cruise we did the full tour of Rome. I think it was called the Grand Tour? Went to the Vatican, then walking around Trevi fountain/Pantheon area, lunch and then finally a tour of the Colosseum. We were perpetually behind schedule and were the last to arrive back at the ship. I'm glad we had booked with the cruise line in that respect.                                  

 

I had been to Rome previously, DH had not. He really, really wanted to see the Colosseum and it was the only excursion that offered it.

 

Would I do that tour again? I don't think so. The guide was great and the tour covered a lot of ground, but it was a loooong day and the time wasn't well utilized. The lunch was banquet level quality and certainly any number of local places would be better. Ended up waiting forever for shoppers at the Vatican, which was the first stop, so we ended up rushing the rest of the day through parts that were worthy of more time. We didn't get to go in any of the buildings except the Colosseum. Vatican, Pantheon, etc. were outside only.

[LuckyStar]

We visited Rome about 10 years ago and did a Hop On Hop Off tour that was awesome.  Rome is one of those cities that it works great for.  We found lots of local maps and were able to see everything on our own. 

[Morgsmom]

On 5/6/2023 at 4:03 PM, cruisnfool said:

Can someone tell me about MSC’s tours in Rome

The reason one might book an official Rome tour is if they are concerned about making it back to the ship on time since Civitavecchia is a good hour from Rome itself.  Otherwise there are other independent excursions that are less expensive and more intimate.  Depends on your level of risk.

[richiepr77]

 

On 5/6/2023 at 4:20 PM, Stockjock said:

FWIW, I'm doing a Barcelona cruise that stops in Civitavecchia (near Rome) later this year.  So far, they only have some e-bike tours and that sort of thing.  I'm hoping that they'll add more eventually.  If not, I'll do a private tour.

I have the same situation. My wife and I are on World Europa on Dec/Jan for our second anniversary and the only two ship tours for Civitavecchia that are on the website are the two bike tours. Our stop in Civitavecchia it's on January 1st.

[JanR]

A lot depends upon your level of confidence and your mobility ability.

 

A much more cheaper (and I think satisfying) option is take a taxi/shuttle over the the Civitavecchia train station and take the train to Rome, getting off at Termini Station (although some trains also make a stop near the Vatican).   I think the train tickets run about 5 euro per person each way--about $22 for a couple to get yourself there and back.  

 

From either point, you can take the metro (easy, cheap, clean, and safe) to where you want to explore or just walk.  I think Rome is one of the best cities to simply walk through.  You'll want to first have an idea of what you want to see in Rome (you cannot see everything in the time you'll have off of the ship.)  Pick out the few thing that you want to see and make a plan.  Budget enough time to get back to the ship (plus a bit of a buffer) and have a great time.

 

Again, I do think that Rome is wonderful to walk through.  For example, you can easily walk from Termini Station to the Vatican in about an hour--passing right by Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Castel Sant'Anagelo along the way.  You probably won't have time to do the Vatican Museum (which is the only way you can see the Sistine Chapel) but you can go into St. Peters.  

 

Then, take the metro and in 30 minutes you are by the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.  You could take a taxi and be there in about 12 minutes.  Spend some time admiring the Colosseum (based upon time, going inside isn't something I would do--not enough bang for your time) and walk (25 minutes-ish) or take a taxi (12 minutes-ish) back to Termini Station.

 

Of course, you'll want to add some time to enjoy each of these sites.  Normally, we've been able to walk right into the Pantheon (although there was a line when we were there three weeks ago--don't know what that was about).  Trevi Fountains and Piazza Navonna demands maybe 30 minutes each.  St. Peters really depends upon the lines.  We've often walked right in (did that in late November), but there could be lines much longer (here book an off-the-ship tour).  Inside, I'd look at least an hour--although I've seen people come in, take a couple selfies and walk right out--what is wrong with people!

 

Here's the bottom-line, Rome is absolutely one of those ports/cities that you can do on your own cheaper and have a much richer experience.  I've been 7 times now (everytime on my own--although I've previously done private tours through the Vatican Museum and the Scavi (a wonderful experience) and have never had an issue.  It's a safe city--mind pickpockets, but again, I've never had an issue.

 

 

Enjoy Rome!

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by JanR

[Nunagoras]

On 5/17/2023 at 3:17 PM, Morgsmom said:

The reason one might book an official Rome tour is if they are concerned about making it back to the ship on time since Civitavecchia is a good hour from Rome itself.  Otherwise there are other independent excursions that are less expensive and more intimate.  Depends on your level of risk.

This! And once MSC practices multi porting, for the mostly US crowd that reads CC, I highly suggest them to simply find a cruise that starts and finishes in Rome, instead of Barcelona. The most I enjoy Barcelona myself as my 2nd city, once I lived there for some 2 years back in the day, and Barcelona is as great city as it can be; Rome has simply far more things to do, see, and appreciate than Barcelona itself. You can basically to explore most of the main attractions in a single Barcelona cruise day, with the HOHO picking up cruisers at the terminal or by doing it independently with the help of maps and a reliable public transportation scheme plus taxis or a reliable port bus shuttle. Rome is not the case! To have a single glimpse of what Rome has to offer one needs some 3 days at full speed, I'd say 4 days at the most desirable time frame. And one would to consider the logistics: It's a good 70-90 minutes each way to make it from Civitavecchia. You'll need some 3 hours just for transportation logistics! If Rome is your "once in a lifetime" place to visit don't hesitate! Starting in Rome is the way to go, despite being slightly more expensive in occasion.

Edited May 22, 2023 by Nunagoras

[Morgsmom]

Completely agree with @Nunagoras  We sailed on the Grandiosa out of BCN in February but would have preferred to leave from Rome.  HOWEVER, the YIN category was shown as sold out of Rome, but we could get it from Barcelona, so we went that route.  If given a choice I'd rather have spent extra time in Rome as, it is true, you can easily get the feel of Barcelona in one cruise day.