Rome

[eightofninekev]

We were having a talk me and my parents about Rome and we are not sure which of the tours to take .Also my Dad said something about doing it independantly ,which im not to sure about .

[Cymro1953]

Hi Kev,

Rome is quite a distance from the port and it is doable independently if you've done your research and been before.

Also if you do a ship's excursion and are late the ship will wait for you. But not if you are DIY and miss a connection and are late back

 

We're going with the Thomson's excursion.

It depends what you are interested and want to see the Vatican or not.

In the time we've got personally we are more interested in Ancient Rome and are doing Rome and Colosseum one as we can get inside the Colosseum.

 

Berwyn

[kruzseeka]

We were having a talk me and my parents about Rome and we are not sure which of the tours to take .Also my Dad said something about doing it independantly ,which im not to sure about .

 

We have done both - gone on the train from Civitavecchia @ 9E return so a considerable cost saving. However, Berwyn is right, if you do it independently you do run the risk of missing the ship if you are late back (disruption to train services/cancellations etc.) Consequently, we found ourselves leaving Rome very early just to be sure and actually had about 2 hours less in Rome than when we went on the Thomson 'Rome on Your Own' excursion. I think that was about £35 each (a couple of years ago).

 

The 'Rome on your own' trip suited us well as we'd done some research and knew where we wanted to go so once dropped off our time was our own until the pre-arranged time to meet for the return journey. There are other organised tours taking you to different attractions - these will typically be about £70 but will include lunch as they are full day trips.

 

When we did the Colosseum, we bought our tickets on-line before we left (just print them off) so we avoided the queues to get in. Take care that if you decide to do this that you get the 'open' tickets which don't specify a particular time of admission. This could defeat the object of deciding what suits you best - either you are stressed rushing to get there in time or if you get there too early, hanging around for entry time. It's hard to judge exactly what time would be best until you're there! Not all sites offer open tickets (incidentally the same ticket gives you entry to the Forum too which is just across the road - certainly worth walking through even if you don't want to spend too much time there). If you want the site we used, get back and I can find the link for you.

 

Rome is a fabulous city. Enjoy! (And planning is half - well not quite half - of the fun! :D)

[davecttr]

I will be using a ships excursion this summer as it is my first time in Rome and I would like to get a feel for the place before striking out on my own. Rome is a long way from Civitivecchia and you have to allow plenty of time to get back to the ship. Ships excursions should be a lot less stressfull and you are provided with refreshments/meals which helps if you if you don't know the language.

 

For my upcoming trip I bought 3 phrase books in my local secondhand bookshop, French, Italian and Spanish. I intend to make up a small folding quick guide for each language and keep the appropriate one in my top pocket. All the basic words/ phrases will be there plus stuff like buying a coffee or beer, stamps, buying a train/bus ticket, where is the toilet etc etc.

[Cymro1953]

Thanks for the extra info Kruzseeka.

DW likes the convenience of the Thomson's excursions (and the security).

Unless we're somewhere we've been before like Florence or Barcelona.

 

Berwyn

[eightofninekev]

Hi Kev,

Rome is quite a distance from the port and it is doable independently if you've done your research and been before.

Also if you do a ship's excursion and are late the ship will wait for you. But not if you are DIY and miss a connection and are late back

 

We're going with the Thomson's excursion.

It depends what you are interested and want to see the Vatican or not.

In the time we've got personally we are more interested in Ancient Rome and are doing Rome and Colosseum one as we can get inside the Colosseum.

 

Berwyn

 

yeah i think we would like to see the Vatican ,I've been told the Colosseum is not worth seing .I'd like to see the trevi fountain .I've always been fascianted by the Roman empire though since learning about it in school.

[jenny wren]

We took the plunge and did our trip independently on our first visit to Rome....we had been to Civitavecchia before so knew where the station was....and we did loads of research before we went...printed off street maps, and metro maps (simple only two lines)...our ship was not due to leave until 1900 so we felt we had plenty of time and we did....neither of us speak Italian and it was not a problem at all...we got the train (left ship as early as poss) to terminii (St Pietro stop before but it was a Sunday so we decided to save that for next time!) ....and then the metro to the Colisseum (train tickets 9 euros return pp include metro) and we walked from there through the Forum eventually to Trevi fountain and then Spanish steps (a couple of stops to eat on the way) where we caught the metro back to Terminii station we left there around 3.30 and were in plenty of time.

 

We felt it was easy to do if you have the confidence...it was the first time we had done anything like that but there were lots of others doing the same thing and it was a direct train...I wouldn't like to have changed trains !!

[Ceabea]

the vatican is a whole day on its own if you want to see everything and make the most of the visit, the queues are quite long too!

 

we did the rome on your own option - you are dropped and collected in St Peters Square. We got a city bus to the colosseum (1 euro each) and did that (well worth it - amazing piece of history) and then walked back to st peters square taking in several other sites on the way - including trevi fountain, piazza navona, pantheon and castel sant'angelo. I planned the route to walk before we went and used the map the guide gave us.

 

If you arent keen on too much walking there is a Hop on Hop off tour that covers all of rome which looked excellent - was about 17 euros. the guide on the bus from the port gave us lots of info, a city map - and a discount voucher for the HOHO bus.

[crestaawave]

We went on the organised tour to Rome on the private train which was pricey but the guide was often able to usher us through the crowds and queues much quicker than if we were on our own.

 

The guy we had who was our guide for the Vatican was amazing, and really knew so much about the place and its history. You get a radio headset so you can hear him talking even in crowded areas.

 

Considering we spent about 9 hours I came back feeling that we didn't rush to include everything in, and Rome has so many things to see.

 

Graham

[Huddersfieldtourist]

We were having a talk me and my parents about Rome and we are not sure which of the tours to take .Also my Dad said something about doing it independantly ,which im not to sure about .

 

 

There are plenty of reliable trains to and from Roma Termini - if you just want to go to the Vatican get off at San Pietro station - it is quicker by train than coach and cheaper and many will be going by train - probably at least as many as do it by coach. See Trenitalia.com for times - just type in Civitavecchia and Roma Termini in the search on their website and it will give you the times etc. The trains are good enough to set your watch by and have gone to Rome three times by train which takes about an hour depending on which station you get off at. We tend to get off at San Pietro now and walk through Rome to the Termini taking in the sites.

[lynneh]

We did Rome by ourselves last year and it was very easy! The only mistake we made was not waiting for the shutttle to take us off port. It is a very long walk, so I advise you wait for a shuttle.

You then turn right and keeping the sea on your right walk until you see the station which is up on the left (about 15mins).

9E ticket gives you unlimited access to the trains , metro etc. We got of at St Pietro and followed others along to St Peters Square (about 10 mins). We accidentally joined the queue for St Peters Basillica (dont ask) and went inside. It is absolutely amazing . When you have finished there, with the church behind you, take the exit to the left and that road will take you to the metro where we took the train to The Spanish Steps. Trevi fountain and the Coloseum. All can be reached from there by walking . IT IS A VERY LONG WALK!!!! You WILL have sore feet!!!

It is best to get the train back to the ship from the Terminii because then you will be sure of getting a seat! The train fills up quite quickly at the next couple of stations.

We left plenty of time to get back just in case, but in any case I couldnt walk any further :eek:

It was a wonderful day and I look forward to going back.

Oh and BTW, as you look towards the Trevi fountain, the road that is behind you on your right has a really great ice cream shop just a few metres down. :D:D

[adeathome31]

hello kev,we did the thomson trip Rome and the colloseum as i really wanted to see the colloseum.it was great but we didnt go inside.you can see in through the arches but its not the same.we saw a lot of Rome but it was a hard day as we were walking and trying to keep up with the lead guide who carried a fish type flag and held it up so you wouldnt lose him.phew!,it was warm and were not that fit and were glad to have a break by Trevvie fountain and a cold drink.its very expensive in Rome and a couple of drinks and a not too big peice of pitza cost about 20 quid.but we were so ready for it we didnt mind.saw lots ,spanish steps,colloseum and lots more but if your not too keen on walking its a very tiring trip.still,were glad we did it as theres so much to see there.wifes was nagging me to take her to Bath city for ages and i never got round to it,she,s happy now as we did the real thing.enjoy your cruise,ade.