Disembark in Rome

Planning to go on the 10 day Italy and Greek Isles cruise Sept 9 and I'm curious if any past passengers can tell me the earliest time people could disembark. Flight I'm trying for is 9:15am. I have status on airline so don't expect a delay at the airport.

I disembarked in Rome last year and I believe the earliest people could leave was 7:30. Given the distance to the airport as well as the chaos at FCO I can't imagine that flight time is possible.

Status or not, FCO can be crowded and slow.

Also, if you take a chance and don't make it, what's would your backup plan be?

My advice is to take a later flight, or stay in Rome for a night and take that flight the next day.

If it's an international flight, you will need to be there a couple of hours prior and then you have to add in a drive of approximately one hour (it has taken us longer on one particular occasion because of traffic). I wouldn't even consider a domestic flight for 9.15 :eek:, I couldn't take the stress.

I disembarked in Rome last year and I believe the earliest people could leave was 7:30. Given the distance to the airport as well as the chaos at FCO I can't imagine that flight time is possible.

 

Status or not, FCO can be crowded and slow.

 

Also, if you take a chance and don't make it, what's would your backup plan be?

 

My advice is to take a later flight, or stay in Rome for a night and take that flight the next day.

Rick,

Have you decided yet if you'll be doing another disembarkation in Rome this year too :p?

I've disembarked several times the last five years in Rome between 7:00 am and 7:30 am. It's a drive to FCO. If you're flying internationally, I don't think it's even possible. I'd be nervous if the flight were at 10:15 am.

Planning to go on the 10 day Italy and Greek Isles cruise Sept 9 and I'm curious if any past passengers can tell me the earliest time people could disembark. Flight I'm trying for is 9:15am. I have status on airline so don't expect a delay at the airport.

I don't care what kind of status you have. This was my experience last month.

Last month flying back from an Eastbound, we had to check in at Terminal 5 for U.S. flights. First check in was to get in line to show your passport, then you had to get into another line to get your boarding pass, then you had to get into another line to check your bags and your passport again, then you had to go thru security and have your passport checked again. After that, you had to catch a bus back to the main terminal (Terminal 3).

If you think you can make a 9:15 flight, go for it. If you carry off your own luggage and have transport waiting, you can get off by 6:30-7:00am. It's an hour drive to FCO. Do the math. If you are flying within the EU, maybe, but back to the U.S., I doubt it.

I was on the Reflection last week...I believe express departure starts at 6.45 am.

There is no way IMO. The lines are incredible at FCO. I've never been in so many different lines for different things - it's really quite dizzying even for well-heeled travelers. If just one of those lines is long or unusually slow, you're up the creek. Definitely not an airport I'd want to spend time figuring out how to get the next flight out of.

I'll take the noon flight. thanks

We discuss this topic, quite often, in the Italy Port board. But as others have said, a 9:15 flight is nearly impossible! We would generally not even consider any flight prior to 10:30...and preferable after 11:30.

Hank

Your on holiday! Relax! 3PM flight will be fine!

Rick,

 

Have you decided yet if you'll be doing another disembarkation in Rome this year too :p?

Probably not. After looking at our options we let our booking on the Connie go. Enjoy the cruise. Hopefully one of our other options work out.

Planning to go on the 10 day Italy and Greek Isles cruise Sept 9 and I'm curious if any past passengers can tell me the earliest time people could disembark. Flight I'm trying for is 9:15am. I have status on airline so don't expect a delay at the airport.

Am on Reflection Italy & Greece cruise departing on Sept 9 - based on our roll call, the earliest flight folks have booked is 11:20 AM (AA). Planning to have transportation meet us at 7 AM or shortly thereafter, based on advise of other folks on CC.

If you do book this cruise, come join our roll call.

Last time I flew out of Rome I had status too. It got me nowhere in fact our line moved slower than regular check in. Don't do it

Lines were awful last May in Rome. Leave plenty of time.

We recently traveled from FCO to PHL and you should be aware that security at FCO has been greatly enhanced. You check in at a remote terminal location which houses only American and Israeli based airlines. There are armed guards on a balcony above you. You will be interviewed before being allowed to transfer to the international terminal. All together you will be screened about five times before boarding. You have to allow about two hours for the complete process. Early air departures off a cruise ship are virtually impossible.

We get off Reflection on Sept 9 and the earliest flights available through Choice Air are 10:50 am so that's what we booked.

I don't care what kind of status you have. This was my experience last month.

 

Last month flying back from an Eastbound, we had to check in at Terminal 5 for U.S. flights. First check in was to get in line to show your passport, then you had to get into another line to get your boarding pass, then you had to get into another line to check your bags and your passport again, then you had to go thru security and have your passport checked again. After that, you had to catch a bus back to the main terminal (Terminal 3).

 

If you think you can make a 9:15 flight, go for it. If you carry off your own luggage and have transport waiting, you can get off by 6:30-7:00am. It's an hour drive to FCO. Do the math. If you are flying within the EU, maybe, but back to the U.S., I doubt it.

Can you print a boarding pass on the ship 24 hours before?

Flight on Delta back to the US from FCO

Any info. would be good thanks

Can you print a boarding pass on the ship 24 hours before?

Flight on Delta back to the US from FCO

Any info. would be good thanks

We flew Delta. On International flights, we never pre-print our boarding passes because we have to show our passports and check luggage. The one thing we do, especially with Delta, is to check in on line at the 24-hour mark. From experience when I did not do this, they switched our flights around.

Can you print a boarding pass on the ship 24 hours before?

Flight on Delta back to the US from FCO

Any info. would be good thanks

We flew Delta. On International flights, we never pre-print our boarding passes because we have to show our passports and check luggage. The one thing we do, especially with Delta, is to check in on line at the 24-hour mark. From experience when I did not do this, they switched our flights around.

You can print them off, if you so wish, by using the computers in the Ilounge that are linked to the printers.

Lines were awful last May in Rome. Leave plenty of time.

Last May there was a fire in the main terminal at FCO for N. America flights, and FCO used a temporary terminal and it could take you 3 hrs to go from entering to getting to the gate. :mad:

Agree after 11:30 am would be a wise choice.

Planning to go on the 10 day Italy and Greek Isles cruise Sept 9 and I'm curious if any past passengers can tell me the earliest time people could disembark. Flight I'm trying for is 9:15am. I have status on airline so don't expect a delay at the airport.

10:50am is the earliest FCO flight departure recommended by Celebrity Cruises for this specific sailing.

10:50am is the earliest FCO flight departure recommended by Celebrity Cruises for this specific sailing.

This is great to hear! I have been a little concerned about our flights out of Rome at 11:30. Originally when we started looking flights were at 12:45, which were changed to 11:15 and then once again to 11:30. We plan to walk off and I have booked our private transportation for 7 am, but I prefer not to stress. We realize things happen, but I feel better knowing we aren't being unrealistic.

Do people traveling on Air Canada also have to go through the security process at terminal 5 before getting on their flight in terminal 3? Or do they go directly to terminal 3?

I think if one is of the belief that one will be able to rock up at FCO and breeze through checkin and onto your plane then I would think again. In the past couple of weeks there has been an airport attack, a killing in Nice, both terrorist related and a coup in Turkey. One is going to need extra time to get through security, immigration and checkin more than ever before. I am reckoning that a minimum of 3 hours in Europe for all flights is going to become the norm not just to the USA. FCO is not what one could deem an efficient airport at the best of times let alone the security issues abound at the moment