FCO Airport in Rome to Hotel - Taxi or shuttle?

[g8way2go]

I will be staying at Crowne Plaza Rome-St Peter's.  Four of us will be looking for transportation to the hotel.  The hotel has a shuttle service at designated times - 2 hrs apart.  -  85 Euro for a minivan for the 4 of us.   Would it be any easier or cheaper to just find a taxi that can accommodate 4 people with luggage?  We would like to be on our way as soon as we clear customs etc.

Any concerns with doing this when none of us speak Italian?   TIA

[CruiserBruce]

43 minutes ago, g8way2go said:

I will be staying at Crowne Plaza Rome-St Peter's.  Four of us will be looking for transportation to the hotel.  The hotel has a shuttle service at designated times - 2 hrs apart.  -  85 Euro for a minivan for the 4 of us.   Would it be any easier or cheaper to just find a taxi that can accommodate 4 people with luggage?  We would like to be on our way as soon as we clear customs etc.

Any concerns with doing this when none of us speak Italian?   TIA

Most taxis will not handle 4 people and a lot of baggage. So a minivan for 4, for 85 euros is not outrageous. 

 

English is spoken at least well enough by the tourist business people that you will be fine.

 

Customs literally takes seconds. You go out the green exit unless you gave something to declare,  or you happen to get randomly selected for a check. Immigration and waiting for your luggage will take far longer.

[cruisemom42]

Some additional information that may help with your decision. Normally a taxi is a good bet, but in your case you have more people than will fit in a regular taxi AND you are staying in a hotel outside the "fixed tariff" area of central Rome.

 

While it's not too uncommon to find small mini-vans in the taxi line-up at FCO, you can't be guaranteed that one will be there the moment you need it. Also, I'm not sure how much the taxi cost would be to your hotel. 

 

If you don't want to wait, there are a number of private services that offer transfers from the airport to your hotel. Just reading the first few pages of this forum should provide you with a few names. These services generally cost slightly more than a taxi but may be worth it in your situation.

 

[g8way2go]

Thank you both for responding.  Knowing the hotel is beyond the fixed tarriff and that we need a large van ... settled the issue for us.

 

I really appreciate the helpful advice that is given on cruise critic.