Changing ships in Civitavecchia

[rafinmd]

I have a wierd setup. I arrive in Civitavecchia October 21 on the Crystal Serenity, and am leaving that afternoon on the Wind Surf. I am looking for guidance on (1) possibilities for left luggage in Civitavecchia, (2) the size of the port and distance between berths, and (3) things I can actually do in a few hours on my own there.

 

Thanks

[euro cruiser]

You can look at an interactive map of the port at Civitavecchia here: http://www.port-of-rome.org/indexMappaen_GB.php?&carattere=p

 

It can be quite a distance from one ship to another. You can see where the port entrance/exit is by rolling over "informazioni" on the interactive map. To see where the cruise ships dock, first click on "Banchine Partenze/Arrivi Croceristico, then roll over # 11, 12 and 13.

[Keith1010]

I would consider being one of the last ones off the Serenity so that you disembark at aroound 9:30 AM. Then claim your luggage and then take the shuttle bus over to where your ship is and then check you luggage in for your next cruise. After that you could take the shuttle bus to the front of the port where you can just walk into town. There are many shops, and cafes and there are a couple of sites to see as well.

 

Keith

[rafinmd]

Excerpt from your world cruise blog:

 

Saturday, April 16, 2010

We have visited this port of call on numerous occasions. It is the gateway to Rome. Some people took transportation into Rome but since we have been there multiple times we decided to spend the day walking around Civitavecchia which we did all this morning. For those of you familiar with the port instead of taking the shuttle from the ship to the entrance of the port we just walked from the ship over to the entrance of the pier and then right into town. We then walked all around this nice town. While we have visited this town before it was much larger than we realized. The weather was also perfect and since it was a Saturday so many of the locals were out and about. We visited many areas including the extensive food and seafood markets, where many items were being sold including a wide range of fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, cheese, breads, household goods and clothing and other items. There were many different stands and stores selling these items so there was so much to choose from and they mainly sell to the locals who buy their food fresh. This is the way we remember cities in our own country when people would go to little shops and to buy fresh items on a daily or every couple of day basis.

 

We also walked to the Train Railway Station, and our walk included a visit to the Cathedral that is dedicated to St. Francis. We walked along the old city wall and also to Fort Michelangelo on our way back. We also walked up and down several streets and into various shops including a few pastry shops. Several trees were blooming since it is springtime.

 

We stayed out all morning and we walked all over the town. We then went back to the ship for Lunch, which we enjoyed at the Lido Café. Yes, we enjoyed another nice Salad Entrée.

 

We enjoyed or walk so much that in the afternoon we decided to walk around this town again to get some exercise and fresh air and to just take in all that was around us. Most shops were closed in the afternoon, but it was still fun to walk around. We did find the local supermarket and walked around for a little while. This town is getting better each time we visit it. There has been quite a lot of construction since we were last here in 2008. We think that this town recognizes that with all of the cruise ships that dock here there is a great opportunity to increase tourism. This town could be good t for those who do not want to stay in Rome for say a one or even two night pre-cruise stay. They appear to be on the correct path to compete for this tourism.

 

Keith

 

Keith, this sounds perfect for my situation. While I will try to plan my own walk as much as possible, are there a few "can't miss" things that I should be sure to include in the walk?

 

Also, are the port shuttles operated by the cruise lines or by the port itself. It sounds like we have fairly free pedestrian access to the port. Is that correct? By the way, as OP, my typing skills are quite flawed as usual. I'm actually disembarking Serenity October 31, not October 21.

 

Roy

[ab0si]

If the Wind Surf will not accept your luggage earlier or won't/can't promise you they can, I'd suggest contacting their port agent.

[Hlitner]

Excerpt from your world cruise blog:

 

 

 

Keith, this sounds perfect for my situation. While I will try to plan my own walk as much as possible, are there a few "can't miss" things that I should be sure to include in the walk?

 

Also, are the port shuttles operated by the cruise lines or by the port itself. It sounds like we have fairly free pedestrian access to the port. Is that correct? By the way, as OP, my typing skills are quite flawed as usual. I'm actually disembarking Serenity October 31, not October 21.

 

Roy

 

The port shuttles (they are very nice coach style buses) are all operated by the port authority and are free. The bus you would get from your ship would normally take you directly to the port entrance. However, we have found that the port drivers can sometimes be very helpful. When you get on the shuttle bus just tell the driver that you need to get to the other ship (most of the drivers understand some English). If you are lucky he will drop you at your 2nd ship. The worst case would be you would have to go to the port entrance where you could simply transfer to a different port shuttle bus that goes to your other ship. The shuttle buses have plenty of luggage storage underneath. It is most likely that the Windsurf will accept your checked luggage (the dock workers will probably just toss it into one of the large luggage cages they use to move the bags onto the ship) but this does not help with your carry-on luggage. You do have free pedestrian (or taxi) access to the port and the shuttle buses have a loading area right at the port entrance. Each shuttle bus usually serves 2 or 3 ships and they run all day.

 

Hank

[Keith1010]

Excerpt from your world cruise blog:

 

 

 

Keith, this sounds perfect for my situation. While I will try to plan my own walk as much as possible, are there a few "can't miss" things that I should be sure to include in the walk?

 

Also, are the port shuttles operated by the cruise lines or by the port itself. It sounds like we have fairly free pedestrian access to the port. Is that correct? By the way, as OP, my typing skills are quite flawed as usual. I'm actually disembarking Serenity October 31, not October 21.

 

Roy

 

Roy, the port shuttles are operated by the port and not Crystal but they run very frequently. Whether or not you will want to take the shuttle will depend on where at the port the ship is docked (it will vary on each cruise) and how much you like to walk and possibly even the weather. For us, all three things came together so we walked it and actually did two round trips that day.

 

As for walking, my recommendation is to walk up and down the various streets that are within a twenty minute walk of the pier. The locals will come onto the ship with maps plus there is also a local tourist office close to the pier.

 

I would go to the Cathedral which is on a street that is about two streets from the pier and looks down on the pier as that street is elevated. I would also walk over to the market which had an array of food and other items and will give you a sense for the locals.

 

Keith

[Sunfan6]

Keith --- Thanks for the infomation on Walking in Civitavecchia for the day. I have been to Rome before and was looking for ideas in Civitavecchia. After reading about your time there --- I am now looking forward to having a relaxing walk around the town.

[Keith1010]

Keith --- Thanks for the infomation on Walking in Civitavecchia for the day. I have been to Rome before and was looking for ideas in Civitavecchia. After reading about your time there --- I am now looking forward to having a relaxing walk around the town.

 

You are very welcome. The town is getting better each and every year. With so many people taking cruises out of this port including those like you who have visited Rome and are looking to spend some relaxing time there they in time I think they have a lot of potential to gain tourism.

 

Keith