Time to get to airport from ship in Rome?

[VenturaGal]

I am trying to arrange air back home in Rome - does anyone know when the ship gets into Rome port and how long it takes to get off the ship with luggage etc and get to the airport if you are arranging your own transfers? Also what does arranging your own transfers entail? I was going to try to get a flight at 1 pm from FCO thinking that the one at 10:30 might be too iffy.

 

if anyone has suggestions on how to best do this and how much time to allot i'd be very grateful!

 

Lisa

 

our first cruise - cantcha tell??? :-)

[joan24]

I may be overly cautious, but I would never try to take a 10:00 a.m. flight. It could be 1 hr to 1hr and 30 mins. from the port to the airport. You need a decent amount of time at FCO. We hired a private driver to take us into Rome. We'll stay overnight, because the only flight to Atlanta leaves at 10:10 a.m. There are lots of private drivers listed on the board. We're using Rome cabs. Do a search. You should be fine with the 1 pm flight. Good luck and have a wonderful cruise.

Joan

[kimiata]

Hi Lisa,

 

Our cruise ended in Rome a couple of years ago, and we used the Oceania transfer to FCO. It seemed like we were the first ones off the ship at 8:00, and we got to the airport around 9:30. Our flight (Alitalia, to Paris) was at 2:50, but we were able to change it to the earlier one at 10:50. I would have been too stressed about trying to get there by 10:30, though. Hope that helps a little. Have fun!

 

P.S. Hi Joan!

[CateW]

I think that a 10:00 flight would be cutting it too close. When we embarked in Rome, we were off the ship about 9 and had a 1:00 flight. The lines at FCO were outrageous but made it comfortably; any earlier than would freak me out. I would definitely go with the later flight.

[nparmelee]

Doing a private transfer just means arranging with one of the many available shuttle/car services to pick you up at the ship and take you to the airport (doing a search of Civitiavecchia to FCO on the Europe board will bring up lots of threads with recommendations). With at least two people a private car is usually cheaper than the ship transfer service. From Civitavecchia, there is also the option of the train to Termini and then the Leonardo Express to FCO, but you will need to be able to handle your luggage (lifting it on/off a train and possibly up or down stairs) on your own.

 

Each cruise may arrive at a different time and depending on what port you were at previously, clearing the port authority can be quick or take a while. The schedule for your cruise should tell you what time the ship is expected to to dock, expect an hour or so after that to be off the ship. Which ship/line you are cruising with may also be a factor, some allow you to carry your luggage off yourself, we've always stayed for a few days post cruise so I don't know if O does that or not. The ship is quite happy to help you get off as early as they can, they usually have to turn the ship around for the next cruise later that same day, the port authorities ultimately control what time that will actually be. Try cruisett.com website to find your specific crusie to see your expected dock time.

[tak2]

Although the ship's transfer is very expensive in comparison to private transfers, it does provide the most reliability. You may be ushered onto the transfer bus far earlier than you want, but it saves the worry on " what if the private transfer guy got sick, or a flat tire on his way from Rome to port?" This port has very limited supply of taxis, making this mode of transport unreliable, when you have to get to the airport within a few hours. For example, ship gets cleared by local authorities by 7:30, you have to arrive airport by 10:30.

[douganswerphone]

I am trying to arrange air back home in Rome - does anyone know when the ship gets into Rome port and how long it takes to get off the ship with luggage etc and get to the airport if you are arranging your own transfers? Also what does arranging your own transfers entail? I was going to try to get a flight at 1 pm from FCO thinking that the one at 10:30 might be too iffy.

 

if anyone has suggestions on how to best do this and how much time to allot i'd be very grateful!

 

Lisa

 

our first cruise - cantcha tell??? :-)

 

Lisa:

 

We did this in 2004 on Insignia. The last day overnighted in Civitvechia, so we could get off whenever we wanted. Also, in general, independents can disembark whenever they want on the last day on Oceania. You don't have to wait for your number to be paged.

 

We arranged with our tour guide to have another driver pick us up. I forget the flight times, but it was about 40 minute drive to FCO, I think 140 Euro for 4 of us. This is a busy port and there was a steady stream of taxis, but I'd use taxis as the backup plan. Everybody at the dock understands "Aeropuerto".

 

I would allow an hour to drive and 2 hours at the airport. For a 10:30 flight, this means "off the ship" by 7:30 at the latest. Not a problem if you're docked overnight and you're early risers.

 

If you're docking that morning, 10:30 is cutting it too close. Oceania will need maybe 2 hours to clear the ship and get all the luggage laid out, before they start disembarking. Ships often dock in the wee hours the last day for this reason, but weather and port issues can still interfere.

 

You can keep your luggage in the cabin with you, but that won't shave more than a few minutes off your disembark time. If you're docking in the morning, you'll want an early afternoon flight like 1pm or 2pm.

[Ask4Jay]

We walked off the ship in Civitavecchia at 07:35, left by pre-arranged limo at 08:10, arriving at FCO at 09:50. It was on a Saturday with hardly any traffic, check-in in Rome was chaotic, but we made a LH flight at 10:10 to Frankfurt. I am still out of breath. Limo service by Rome limousine by john dot com (no spaces)

[Aussie Gal]

We too have docked in Rome and organized a private limo to take us to the airport. Our flight was at 12.30pm and we left the dock at 8.30am. The trip is only 40-45 minutes but we unfortunately struck an accident so waited nearly an hour before we could move. We still made it to the airport by 10.30am and allowing 2 hours for check in, and collecting our tax back on our purchases, we had time to spare.

 

Rome airport is chaotic so I would never book a morning flight. I think anything after 12.30pm is fine, but remember the line for the credit on the value added tax does take awhile and if you have bought some expensive items then it is worthwhile to get the tax refunded. Also, remember to have the goods that you have purchased in your hand luggage otherwise they will not refund the tax.

 

Jennie