How do we get from ship to Florence & Rome w/o paying for excursions or private hire?

We will be traveling with our 9 year old son as well as with grandparents. We are doing the August sailing from Barcelona to Venice on Constellation. I am wondering how to arrange transportation into cities - mostly to Florence and Rome without paying for an excursion. Does Celebrity provide transportation only? My son is open to all experinces so we aren’t worried about entertaining him and prefer to do the cities on our own. Since we will also have grandparents (mid 70s) with us we need to figure all activity levels in terms of ease of getting into the cities. Open to trains but how far from actual ship are the stations? Thank you for your expertise😀

Welcome to Cruise Critic. I hope that you find all of your answers and have a wonderful family cruise.

A few tips:

1. Follow this link and explore the information for Rome, Florence or any of your other stops. The information there will be quite detailed: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

2. Join your Roll Call, where all the interested passengers on your cruise can exchange ideas. There's a Find Your Roll Call button towards the top of the page.

3. Use the Cruise Critic Search facility.

4. There's lots of useful information throughout the internet, not just on CC. There is definitely a lot of good information here, but it's not the only place.

5. While it doesn't get a five star rating from everyone, this is a good place for beginners to start: https://www.tomsportguides.com

Have fun!

Have you checked their excursions? they should have a Florence and Rome on your own where they will provide transportation for a fee. Or Rome is fairly easy to do on the train by yourself.

If it were me, I would bite the bullet and take a shore excursion unless you're familiar with traveling on your own in a foreign country. My primary reasons would be the guarantee if you should be delayed returning to the ship and the presence of a knowledgeable English speaking guide to show you around and tell you about what you're seeing.....but that's not what you asked so here's what I would offer as a suggestion: rent a car and go on your own or go by train.

The drive from Civitavecchia to Florence is about 3 and 1/2 hours each way so you'll be spending 7 hours in the car which doesn't give you much time for sightseeing. The train is about 2 and 1/2 hours each way and will cost roughly 18 Euro per person so if you take the train you'll be spending minimum of 5 hours on transportation. Unless you're over-nighting in Civitavecchia I don't think Florence is doable.

The drive from Civitavecchia to Rome is about 1 hour and the train is about 45 min. and costs about 9 Euro per person. This would be a lot more doable than Florence.

What you MUST do is read your itinerary very carefully and determine exactly how much time your ship will spend in port;

how early can you leave the ship and what time must you be back on board; will the car rental agency allow you to pick up and return the car at the dock and how far is the train station from both the dock and Rome/Florence.

Both cities are wonderful places but if I had to pick either or I would pick Rome. Ciao!

Don't you hate it when you ask a question saying that you're not interested in something and someone replies telling you to do what you said you didn't want to do? Yeah, I'm going to do that. Sorry. We've visited Rome and Florence a number of times and I've learned a lot from the experiences. My goal is always to spend as much time in the city as possible, allowing for a timely return to the ship, and spending my energy seeing the sights I want to see instead of getting from one place to another.

I'm assuming that you wish to go to Florence from Livorno, not Civitavecchia. It's pretty easy to do that by train. but you are at the mercy of the train schedule. Celebrity does offer transfers but, for five of you, it might be cheaper to hire your own car. There are companies that will pick you up at the ship and return you there for a reasonable price. The biggest advantage is that they can take you into the center of the city. The big Celebrity buses will drop you outside the main area and even the train requires a bit of a walk.

For a day in Rome, can take the train but it's a huge city and to see a significant number of sights is pretty hard to do on your own. Rome in Limo or Rome Cabs will work with you to plan the day the way you want it. The best part is that the driver can drop you at one point and pick you up at another. For instance, our driver dropped us right by the Pantheon then later picked us up near Piazza Navona. He provided us with a cell phone so that when we were ready, we could just give him a call.

In both of these cases, you can certainly manage without the extra expense of a guide, although that's always an option.

Rome is easy to get to on your own, but you have to be prepared to walk a lot once you're there, if your parents are fit, it won't be a problem. Look into buying a BIRG ticket, it will get you to & from Rome & get you on public transport in Rome for the day.

With so many of you, you might want to see if the special cruise ship train is running, it gives slightly less time in Rome than you'd get if you were first off the ship & everything went perfectly, but that's hard with a big group, & this train leaves from the cruise port, does not always run though.

Your best option ( & the one you don't want,) is a private transport, with so many, it's your best bet of making the most of your day)

Otherwise, I'd look into the Celebrity Rome on your own tour, (still walking once you get there)

For Florence, Celebrity does provide a paid shuttle to & from the port of Livorno to the train station. Again, difficult is you're not comfortable with long walks once in Florence.

We used a private transfer only company that picked us up at the ship, & dropped us off at the end of the day, let me know if you want the company name. Otherwise, look into the Celebrity Florence on your own. You'll get there safely & back on time, & the driver will give you tips & directions.

Good luck!

Don't you hate it when you ask a question saying that you're not interested in something and someone replies telling you to do what you said you didn't want to do? Yeah, I'm going to do that. .

I believe the excursions being recommended where transportation to and from the Cities. Exactly what the OP asked for....sigh.

Here’s a thought - why not do them after you disembark ? - a couple of years ago we did that cruise and afterwards we got the train from Venice to Florence, wrapped with a couple of nights in hotels in both locations made it even more memorable, as you need more than a few hours to see Florence

We will be traveling with our 9 year old son as well as with grandparents. We are doing the August sailing from Barcelona to Venice on Constellation. I am wondering how to arrange transportation into cities - mostly to Florence and Rome without paying for an excursion. Does Celebrity provide transportation only? My son is open to all experinces so we aren’t worried about entertaining him and prefer to do the cities on our own. Since we will also have grandparents (mid 70s) with us we need to figure all activity levels in terms of ease of getting into the cities. Open to trains but how far from actual ship are the stations? Thank you for your expertise😀

The ports are a significant distance from both Rome and Florence that you would be taking a big risk trying to see those cities using public transportation. My first recommendation would be to use your roll call and see if you can join up with some other passengers and arrange a private tour. It is by far the best way too see both cities and maximize your time and at a reasonable rate.

Second option would be to use the cruise line transportation into each city, then walk around on your own. Please keep in mind the two cities are quite large and can be confusing to get around, quite easy to get lost without a guide.

Decide before hand what sites you want to see the most, then plan from their.

I believe the excursions being recommended where transportation to and from the Cities. Exactly what the OP asked for....sigh.

Sorry to have made you sigh. I feared I was giving her advice she didn't want but forged ahead anyway because I felt my opinions were sound. I was just attempting to make fun of myself.

Just found your cruise and it looks wonderful. I did misunderstand your initial post and having now seen the itinerary realize that you will be stopping in both Livorno (Florence) and Civitavecchia (Rome) which is way better than what I originally thought your plan was! Time to go from Livorno to Florence by train is about 90 minutes and by car about 1 hour 45 minutes. I understand that you want to go on your own but I think you'll be sorry in the end. If you're adamant about not taking a shore excursion through X then I would really recommend that you hire a car or mini-van for 5 people, especially one with a guide. There's so much to see in both cities, it would be a shame to spend time wandering around looking at things and not knowing why they're important. One thing derekjp47 pointed out that is very valid is how easy it is to get turned around in both cities and waste a good bit of time finding where you want to actually go....even if you have a map!

Both are doable by train on your own. That said, both cities are reasonably far from the port and the risk of missing a connection and the ship are high.

I've asked myself the same question and after reviewing the train schedules http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en I've previously decided to do the "City on your own" tour offered by the ship. That way I could do what I wanted, but had more comfort in the transportation back and forth.

I have the same two stops this year and will again review my options. Use the http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en link and investigate the train routes and times. It's probably too early for you to see the exact dates you are traveling but it will give you an idea.

Both are doable by train on your own. That said, both cities are reasonably far from the port and the risk of missing a connection and the ship are high.

 

I've asked myself the same question and after reviewing the train schedules http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en I've previously decided to do the "City on your own" tour offered by the ship. That way I could do what I wanted, but had more comfort in the transportation back and forth.

 

I have the same two stops this year and will again review my options. Use the http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en link and investigate the train routes and times. It's probably too early for you to see the exact dates you are traveling but it will give you an idea.

Good advice!!! :D

Rick Steves guide to Med. cruises might be very helpful - lots of info on DIY in ports.

We usually are DIY's but both of the ports mentioned are a bit challenging for that. If this is your one shot at these places, I would bite the bullet and pay for small group tours to maximize your time and convenience. And Italian trains are not always on time. You could join with others from our roll call and it would most likely be cheaper than the ship's unless you are doing transport only. But esp. Rome is a big city and again, maximizing your time would be worth it to see the main sights on a single day in port.

I just visited both Florence and Rome last summer on a land trip. Rome is easy by train from Civitavecchia via a local express train every 30 minutes or so. We used Rome Cabs from the airport into Rome including a tour of the famous sites and I would definitely check them out as an option. Excellent service and good value. Florence is a bit more difficult but doable by train. Just make sure you're looking at the high speed trains and not the slower local ones when checking routes. A planned excursion may be your best bet there. Personally, for just visiting the cities, I would never rent a car. It's difficult to impossible to drive in the cities depending on where you want to go. Find an easy way to get there and enjoy on foot or by other transportation. Remember, there are good public transportation options as well as taxis, Uber, etc.

When researching your options, also consider the means and time it will take to get from the ship to your transportation, then to your final destination in Rome and Florence. We've had stops in Civitavecchia on several of our cruises and once in Liverno. When we traveled to Rome via public train we took the Celebrity shuttle from the ship to the port gate, then went to the kiosk to purchase train tickets, then needed to walk 8 or so blocks to the train station. When the train arrived in Rome we needed to walk quite a bit to the surface roads, then to a main road in order to get a taxi to take us to our destination. These are commuter trains, so can be very crowded. On a different trip we hired a driver to pick us up right outside the ship, drove us to and around Rome making numerous stops, and at the end of the day dropped us off at the gangplank. This was a much more enjoyable way to visit Rome. You can consider the Celebrity transfers to Rome, but these can be costly and require you wait for everyone to board. A private driver might not cost you much more than the Celebrity transfers for a family of 5. You might get more specific suggestions from the Rome board.

I've taken the train both times I've cruised the Med. No issues. Very inexpensive, nice scenery.

We have been to Florence and Rome several times, our very first time for both cities was on an RCCL cruise.

I highly recommend biting the bullet and taking the ship excursions, especially for Rome. Not only will you not have to worry about getting back to the ship on time, you will likely see more than doing it on your own.

We did a "Florence on your own" tour - bus transport to Florence only. This was a big bus, so it has to stop outside the centro storico. A guide walks the group to a prominent central location, giving a information about sites you pass on the way. Guide gives the group meet back time and generally you will meet back at that spot, then you tour on your own. There will be drop dead time, when you will be left behind if you don't make it back. We were able to see the David, a lot of the Uffizi and have lunch, but we were booking it around Florence and had prepared ahead of time (pre-purchased tickets, had our Rick Steves guidebooks ready, etc). Not expensive and got the job done.

Rome - we splurged and got the big tour, which was almost like a private tour but through the ship - 20 passenger van (about 12 people on the tour) was able to drive around most sites in Rome - we saw the Colosseum, a bit of the Forum (not a lot), St. Peters and highlights of the Vatican Museum - again, VERY fast paced and a lot of walking,

A private tour would also accomplish what we did, might very well cost less, but without the guarantee of getting back to the ship. Of course, if a private operator misses the ship a lot, it will get around and they won't stay in business!

The big advantage to the private tour route is you might get input into what to see and how much walking your group is comfortable with - which might be important with multiple ages.

Personally, if DH and I were alone on a cruise and really were concerned about cost, we might take the train - we have been to F and R several times, even got stranded in Rome once when our flight was delayed and we missed our connection to the US - and DH speaks passable Italian - but knowing what can happen with the trains, I just don't think we would trust them.

We are in our mid seventies, probably around the same age as your parents and have travelled to Rome by train from the cruise port three times. I would caution you not to take the last possible train back to the ship, leave yourselves a cushion in case of problems. We got off the train near St. Peter's Square, explored that area then walked down into the main part of the city and visited the Coliseum area before boarding the train at the main station, Terminii (sp)

I would second the recommendation for Rick Steves book, also check his web site for a walking tour and a tour of the Coliseum. Ron in Rome is a good web site too. Unfortunately I lent all my Rome information to my dentist just yesterday, so cannot be more specific with names of stations. We have a serious aversion to tours with 40+ passengers so prefer to do our own thing wherever possible, even if we do not see everything in the city. I would rather see the main attractions at my own pace than rush around on someone else's schedule. I know this is not everyone's opinion!

Sheila

Actually I take everything I said back. I just looked at your itinerary; you hit Livorno (florence) first, followed by Rome the next day. I would prearrange private transport to Florence, spend the entire day there, stay the night in an air bnb, then take the first morning train to Rome (or private transport) or you could take the train to Rome that evening. It won't get dark till quite late. You'd have way more time with less stress in both cities, & a full sea day afterwards to recover.

good luck & enjoy, Rome is my all time favorite city!

Cruise Family 18,

Welcome to Cruise Critic. We are here to help and offer our experiences to enhance your family trip.

To answer your specific question - yes, the cruise line offers a bus route to both Florence and Rome. If you use the Ports of Call Forum for Europe/Italy you will get an overwhelming aount of traveler information. It will definitely help you plan your days.

If I can offer a few other pieces of advice....pre-purchase admission tickets to every site you plan on visiting. Lines in August will be long. It will also be very warm to hot. For example, lines at the Duomo and/or the Uffizi will be longer than the lines at the Academia to see David and the Duomo is between the other sights. FYI too. There are re-creations of David all over Florence and they aren't as good as the original but they are in the more central part of the city. Plan on some stops for a cooling drink especially with your parents. The cobbled streets and crowds can be daunting.

It's a shame time is an issue but we cruisers have all been faced with the same challenges. But I join many of the other posters and encourage you to use one of the recommended tour operators. They really can best handle your days to see more and do more with the best advice and guidance.

We did Pisa and Rome a few years ago. Our plan was to use the trains, and there were shuttles to get us within walking distance of the stations in Livorno and Civitavecchia.

Our plan worked perfectly in Rome. However, in Livorno we encountered the curse of Italian tourism - a train strike.

Train strikes are a regular occurrence in Italy but they are mostly scheduled well in advance so if you decide to use rail transport do your homework and have a plan B. We used the replacement buses to Pisa and it messed with our schedule a little but we got it all done. However Pisa is closer to Livorno than Florence and a forced bus ride might cut your time in Florence quite significantly.

The train station in CV is a big (but nice) walk from the port area...not sure if there's a shuttle..maybe taxi. Distance and time to and from must be calculated into plans. And traffic, train delays.

Lines for tickets and then actual admission to sites are LONG...on an excursion, your guide does all that!

Food for thought since you are travelling with grandparents..

.If you go with the cruise line, they are there for you speaking Eng/Italian if anyone needs aid..our friend tripped in a narrow alleyway coming out of a restaurant, broke an ankle and could not walk. Celeb took care of her back to and on the ship....

Hope you have no issues, find a good plan and enjoy!

Actually I take everything I said back. I just looked at your itinerary; you hit Livorno (florence) first, followed by Rome the next day. I would prearrange private transport to Florence, spend the entire day there, stay the night in an air bnb, then take the first morning train to Rome (or private transport) or you could take the train to Rome that evening. It won't get dark till quite late. You'd have way more time with less stress in both cities, & a full sea day afterwards to recover.

 

good luck & enjoy, Rome is my all time favorite city!

What a novel idea......I like it. :D

Hi I believe we are on the same cruise as you, departing Barcelona 11 august on the Constellation. Please be aware that the day we are in Rome is a public holiday therefore traffic may be congested and public transport may work on weekend schedules (IE less Frequent) the Vatican will also be closed for the whole day. I know you don't want to hear this but I suggest you do a ship tour to guarantee that you get back to the ship on time. Join the roll call also. Not a lot of discussion yet regarding excursions.