Civitavecchia to Rome transfer

[denmanja]

(Apologies in advance for the long post :eek: )

 

Has anyone used www.rome-shuttle.com before? They are the cheapest service we can find, but I'm beginning to have doubts. They upped the price listed on the website for additional luggage. (How few pieces are 4 adults supposed to have?!?) We are planning to use them again for transfer to the airport, then they randomly increased the price another 5euros. :confused: They are still cheaper than the competition and we would like to stick with them, but I'm nervous that they will try something else when we get there. Hoping for some positive past experiences, or else a strong warning to stay away!

 

We tried to set up transfers with http://www.romeshuttlelimousine.com/, which was actually the cheapest we could find. After saying that we would be confirmed after paying in advance through paypal, they never returned my emails. Anyone else had a similar experience?

 

I know there are recommendations on the board for other services, but they are all expensive. Do you get what you pay for? Does any have other suggestions - besides the train? The cruise is coming quickly and I want to have all this taken care of so I can relax! :)

 

Thanks in advance!!!

Jennifer

[dock]

When are you looking for transfer. I am arranging ours for 20 July and have had a submission form from Romeshuttlelimousine and they were the cheapest. Airport connection is also not bad at 136 euros for 4. Did you already pay RSL or not, they have not suggested pre-paying to me. Please update if you find anything cheaper. They quoted me 110 euros. Always ask if price includes taxes, service and luggage. The most expensive quote was from Bobs limousines, 165 euros for 4. I have also noticed that most quote more than the web price ,which is rather annoying.Faye.

[jbern66]

Why not take the train? Cost is probably around $10 each..or cheaper. You may need a taxi to the train, but as long as you get a metered taxi (or negotiate the price before) you should be OK. Any comments?

[ehogan]

I just booked my train trip from Civi to Rome on line www.trenitalia.com.

 

It was so easy! After registering with them, I chose the train I wanted, paid on line (4 Euro each person, one way) They sent me a confirmation email with the code I have to punch in to the ticket dispenser at the station to get my tickets.

 

I am hoping all will go well and that we have avoided any line ups (there are quite a few ships in port the day we arrive).

 

The only negative possibility I can see is if there is a rail strike which I gather can be quite frequent - then we'll be in trouble but we have several days in Rome so at worst it may be an overnight in Civi.

 

I do however, think this is only feasible if you can limit your luggage (we plan on one medium sized wheeled and 2 carryons) and are able to walk to the train station if no taxis are available.

 

I'll let everyone know how it went after our cruise.

[dock]

Looking forward to your input after your cruise ehogan. Certainly one would save mega bucks using the train, its just with 2 kids and who knows how much luggage(I always have good intentions and promise not to shop, but then things never quite work out that way), I therefore decided to go the car route. Have a great trip.

[denmanja]

Why not the train? One word: LUGGAGE!

 

I have been to Italy before (northern section - Milan and Venice), and used the train. For those who want to go that route, the trains are clean, efficient, easy to use, etc. Combined with my experience living in NYC and doing the subway-bus-airport transfer many times, I hate hauling heavy bags around. For an extra 20 - 25 euros per person, I'd rather have the luxury of a car taking me directly to my hotel. This is a once-in-a-lifetime vacation! :D

[jbern66]

My suggestion to take the train (post # 3) was aimed primarily at those people docking at Civitavecchia and visiting Rome for the day. $4 on the train vs $69 on the Princess bus is a great bargain for those who have just a little adventure in them. As for clean and on-time, my experience having lived in Rome for a few years (EUR) was expect neither. The express and inter-country trains are better, but I would suggest buying a 1st class ticket ($6) for the commuter train out of Civitavecchia. Obviously if you have a lot of luggage the train is not the way to go.

[Cruzluvin]

ehogan--how far in advance were you able to purchase your tickets for the train...? I am trying to get tickets online for August, but it says NO....Am I trying to early?

[ehogan]

Yes, I think you can only purchase about two months in advance.

[ehogan]

I don't think you really need to buy a ticket in advance - trains seem to run on the hour- unless you want to go on the Eurostar or the Intercity - then I think a reservation is necessary especially on the weekends. trenitalia.com outlines which trains require reservations.

[trubey]

Last summer, we bought our tickets at the train station. There was no problem at all and there were plenty of empty seats on board, both directions. The only thing you may want to think about is the frequency/timing of the returns. This is primarily just a commuter trip, so the timing can be an issue on week-ends. susan.

[mmmmm]

If anyone is taking the train in to see St. Peter's, there is a stop much closer than Termini Station (can't rememember what it is but they will tell you in the station). Right outside the Rome station there is a bus you can ride to St. Peters for free with your train ticket.

[mountainhouse]

Just wondering how bad the train is. I know I'd have to do some luggage lifting, but is there a place to store luggage once on board? Tnx,

[Georgia-boy]

The wife and I traveled all over Italy by train, luggage and all. We are in our sixties and had little trouble with the heavy bags. My wife never pack lightly. Yes there are places to store your luggage on the trains. Buying your ticket in advance may not be the way to go, to many things can change.:confused:

 

Read all about the trains on this web site.:)

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/instructions/index.htm

 

Have a good trip.

Chalres

[mountainhouse]

Thanks for the great link. The forums on that site are a great read to supplement the information here. I found a link talking about luggage on trains.

http://slowtalk.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/862600685/m/87810878111/r/87810878111#87810878111

I think I might be taking the train to Rome.

[catandave]

We have taken the train from Civitavecchia to Rome twice now. We bought return tickets at the station on both occasions. The ticket agents were friendly and the purchase went smoothly. We caught the 8.40 and arrive at San Pietro at 9.30.

Note: Ask for the Birg ticket(sounds like "beerg") it costs E9 covers the return trip and use of the metro in Rome.

We got off at Roma San Pietro and walked from there to the Vatican. It is about 5 blocks / quarter mile. You can see the dome of St Peters out of the left side of the train as you arrive at the station.

Get off the train go under the tracks and with your back to the station turn left and head towards the dome. Take the first or second street on the right. Turn left at the next road and head towards the Vatican walls. Cross the major road and follow the walls around to the right and you will be in St Peters Square.

Last year our arrival at 9.30 meant that the line up for the museum took us 1.hr 15min . Our previous visit was on a Sunday and the Vatican museum and Cistine Chapel were closed. We went into St Peters Basilica just as Mass was beginning it was wonderful.

Hope you have as much fun as we have had. We can't wait to go back. Good luck.

[jbern66]

Thanks for the great link. The forums on that site are a great read to supplement the information here. I found a link talking about luggage on trains.

http://slowtalk.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/862600685/m/87810878111/r/87810878111#87810878111

I think I might be taking the train to Rome.

 

Hi Mountainhouse,

Having lived in Rome for a few years, I certainly agree with watching your luggage and wallet. Plenty of people trying to steal your stuff. However, I found there is very little violent crime, as opposed to the big cities here in the U.S. where part of the drill is to hurt you along with absconding with your stuff.

We are also taking the train to Rome.

[mountainhouse]

Thanks for the confirmation, jbern. I take the train to work each day. I really enjoy it. I was hoping this option would work out, as taking a train into a city is really the best way to arrive. Thanks again!

[AllAboard]

Catandave: Do you know if this type of ticket still exists? I found it mentioned on an older posting somewhere (from a year or two ago), and wrote it down in my notes. However, in my research of the Italy train schedules and fares, I find no mention of it. Thanks. Lauren

[catandave]

AllAboard: We purchased two Birg tickets in August 2004. I,m sorry but I have no more recent information. It was the shuttle bus driver, from the QE2 to the dock gates, who told us to make sure we said Roma-birg (beerg) at the station ticket counter. We used the tickets on the metro from Spanish Steps to Roma Termini for our return to Civitavecchia.

Dont forget to validate your tickets for each journey. The ticket inspectors have passed through the train each time we travelled.

[24butterfly]

In response to the original post--we too scheduled w/rome shuttle (the 1st one) and they quoted us 15 Euros back in Feb. I told them 4 people w/4 large pieces of luggage, she e-mailed back and said 135 VAT included, everything included. I e-mailed the other day for their phone number and STILL have yet to receive it. They are only interested in how much luggage. THe title of my e-mails to them is always: what is your phone #. First they e-mail back that they only have the other couple on record (meanwhile they have MY credit card!) and to tell them more details about my service that day. It's 3 e-mails later, amybe 4, and they STILL have not e-mailed me their phone #. I sent all this to the other people we're sharing with b4 I cancel and take the train. I don't want any surprises either. I got confirmation from Elena back in Feb.--everything included.

[ventura43]

We just got back from Rome yesterday. The trip from the port to Rome was quite an adventure! Here's what we did.....

 

We left our ship a day early to have extra time in Rome. None of the free shuttles would take us to the port entrance because of our 6 pieces of luggage so we negotiated a taxi to take us to the train station. Our ship was docked a ways from the entrance but it wouldn't have been a bad walk if we didn't have the luggage.

 

We bought a "birg" ticket to Rome for 8 Euro each. The ticket seller said "No problem" with the luggage. Be sure to validate your ticket. They did check it. When we boarded the train we could not find a place to stow the bags so we piled them in a seat. I was willing to pay for an extra seat but the conductor didn't seem to care. We took the train to Termini Roma which is the end of the line for this train. The ride took about an hour. On the way we checked the map and realized our hotel was within a block of a Metro station so we decided to take the Metro instead of getting a taxi at the train station. We're not really cheap :), we just like to try new things!

 

The Rome Metro with 6 bags was interesting. We had to do at least one set of stairs because an escalator wasn't working. Once we finally got on board with all the bags it was only about 3 stops to Spagna (The Spanish Steps). I was so excited to get off the Metro and when we walked out of the station we found that we were at the BOTTOM of the Spanish Steps and our hotel, the Intercontinental, was at the TOP! I almost cried until I remembered seeing an elevator back inside the Metro station. So, back we went and took the lift. We still had to negotiate about 24 steps up to Via Sistine.

 

This would have been a snap without luggage. With the amount & weight of the luggage we had it was more of a hassle that it was worth.

 

Judi

[jbern66]

We just got back from Rome yesterday. The trip from the port to Rome was quite an adventure! Here's what we did.....

 

We left our ship a day early to have extra time in Rome. None of the free shuttles would take us to the port entrance because of our 6 pieces of luggage so we negotiated a taxi to take us to the train station. Our ship was docked a ways from the entrance but it wouldn't have been a bad walk if we didn't have the luggage.

 

 

 

Judi

 

Thanks for your input Judi...BTW, do you mean the walk to the train station would not have been bad if not for the luggage? Or to the port entrance, which in some ports can be quite a distance.

John

[24butterfly]

I don't think I was clear--this Elena person was from rome-shuttle, and she was the one giving me the run-around when I kept asking her for a phone # in case of emergency in Rome. All she was interested in (4 e-mails later...) was how much luggage and how big. I confirmed ev'thing w/her back in FEBRUARY where she said "no hidden costs--ev'thing included"--it was 135 Euros, I must've missed a key there. Any way, I just e-mailed them and politely cancelled, and then promptly cancelled my credit card and reopened a new one w/the company. So, in regards to the original poster--I CANCELLED with the same company you are contemplating not going with.

[ventura43]

Our ship, Oceania Insignia, was docked a bit of a distance from the port entrance. Maybe about 0.3 miles or so. The train station was about the same distance from the port entance. As far as we could tell, there is no way of knowing where your ship will dock. Civitevecchia is one of the largest ports in Italy.

 

To answer the question about drivers wanting to know about your luggage, this is important to them. Most cars in Italy are very small, including the taxis. If you have alot of luggage they need to make arrangements for that with a larger car.