Changed arrangements at Civitavecchia

QV called in to Civitavecchia yesterday and I discovered that arrangements have changed since my last visit. This means that all the helpful advice that we have been giving people for getting to the ship themselves, is no longer relevant. I hate to think what happened to all the people I saw trudging down the street with their suitcases!

The shuttle bus from the ship called in at a car park and left us there. We could not find our way back to it after our time in Civitavecchia. We had to go to the information kiosk and ask!

It would seem that the new directions are as follows.

From the train station, take an orange shuttle bus. It is marked 'Station - cruise terminal'. You need to buy a ticket first. This is €2 and can be bought at the shop inside the station. This shuttle bus takes you to the car park where you can get on the correct shuttle bus for your ship.

An alternative is a taxi from the station but they want €20 and will not negotiate. I do not know if they take you all the way to the ship or only to the car park.

If anyone can add further information, it will be a help to embarking passengers.

When we got back to that car park, we could not recognise it or the location! I don't know if it was a different one in the afternoon or if we are just dense. It is certainly not a place I would want to find by myself. The shuttle bus from the station is the best option.

Still the normal cruise ship dock, or the container port? Was on QV in November one year. Due to high winds, the port stop at Naples was cancelled, and Civitavecchia, which was debarkation and must-dock, moved to the container port, which is several miles away. Maybe there's even more construction, or just full?

Bob, I really don't know the answer to that. I did not see any shuttle buses stopping at the port gates near the fort. I don't know how general this change is. I just want to start the discussion so we can hopefully find out the correct information before sending people on a long fruitless walk in future.

I will try to find time to ask at the excursion desk one day, if I am ever down when they are.

Still the normal cruise ship dock, or the container port? ...

To try to answer this question, I checked QV's vessel track history on the Marine Traffic web site. They show her position as latitude 42.10375N, longitude 11.7729E while she was docked in Civitavecchia. That location corresponds to pier 25 which I think is one of the normal cruise ship docks.

Regards,

John.

Over on Ports of Call, there's a thread about new shuttle stops at Civitavecchia, Via Turco is mentioned for Pier 25, which looks to be out in the middle of nowhere. A bit disconcerting when you've been telling people how easy it is to get to the train station.

After studying a Civitavecchia port map it's clear that the route to/from pier 25 is considerably different from the route to/from piers 10 through 13. One source I found calls the cruise ship terminal at pier 25 a "temporary" terminal. At any rate, it seems that it will now be important for those planning a DIY trip to Rome via the train station to know their arrival pier.

For what it's worth, here is a link I found that contains maps and explains the different routes between Civitavecchia port and the train station.

http://www.civitavecchiaport.org/get-the-port-from-civitavecchia-train-station/

Regards,

John.

I can tell folks using a car service to and from the port is the best way to avoid all problems... we always use Romecabs.com. Well worth it. $500 for two round trip, paid on day of service in cashm in euros... $250. Would not go any other way... we have gone in and out of this port at least 6 times. Only twice did we use a ship transfer.

Does anyone else know more about this? I would be interested to hear what happened to people in Civitavecchia on 15 August, when I departed.

$500! That's almost my total pre- and post-cruise budget- I never fly in same day, and also avoid flying home same day, although in Italy I've only sailed from either Savona or Venice.

The walk to Via Turco doesn't look to be much longer than the other docks, (which is about the same as my normal daily exercise regimen), but I also would be interested to know about the shuttle to the ship.

Does anyone else know more about this? I would be interested to hear what happened to people in Civitavecchia on 15 August, when I departed.

I was there in March and the system that the OP has alluded to was also in force.

I believe it is a big scam to screw more money out of passengers.

Originally the shuttle buses would drop passengers at the main gate some 10 minutes walk from the station.

Under this new regime the shuttle from the ship drives past the main gate and continues in the opposite direction from the station. When it eventually leaves the dock area it pulls into a coach park that has an office selling 'shuttle' tickets to the railway Station - now more than double the distance from the main gate - and laughably referred to as a 'Terminal'...

The shuttle bus runs to the railway station every 20 minutes...

Miss a bus and you could miss a train.

The answer for those on 'embarkation' and who arrive at Civitavecchia railway station, and don't want to pay for a taxi, is to catch the shuttle bus to the 'Terminal' and then transfer to a port shuttle to the ship.

PS. They charge extra for luggage on the shuttle.

Richard, your photos are very interesting. We were told by the woman in the information office that it would be €0.80 for a ticket, as your photo shows. However, when we got to the station we were told it was €2 for a ticket. Nothing was said about luggage being extra - but no one there had luggage.

I wonder if they charge different prices at the port (to get you out) and at the station (you will pay anything to get back to the ship). :rolleyes:

2 Euros doesn't seem out of line for public transit on an El Cheapo DIY. But not what I'd expect from a cruise line hyping itself as "Premium".

2 Euros doesn't seem out of line for public transit on an El Cheapo DIY. But not what I'd expect from a cruise line hyping itself as "Premium".

Hi Bob.

It's never the money that bothers me. It's the inconvenience and extra time now taken to get to the station.

Miss a train and there is an hour wait for the next one which is an hour less in Rome.

I see your point. None of my cruises for the next year stop at Civitavecchia, hopefully there'll be some trip reports soon.