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Can't build Rome in a day, but can you see it?


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My parents are going on a Celebrity Mediterranean cruise... First vacation in 20 years. They are excited about Rome. They want to see major sites like the Vatican (Sistine Chapel), Colosseum. Celebrity charges $300 pp for their excursion. Mom thinks this might be the only way to squeeze what they want into a day... She's concerned it would take 1.5 hrs if they took the train. They are in their early 70s and can walk around but not long distances.... Arthritic knees and back pain, although they are doing well now. Questions:

- can you see the major sites in a day? Should you or is too much to cram in?

- what other tour companies offer similar tours for less cost? How do they compare in cost and quality to Celebrity excursions to Rome?

- I saw some of the reviews rated the tour strenuous... How concerned should we be? They want so badly to see everything. They will probably never go back. Any suggestions?

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I have never been on Celebrity, but I would recommend looking into Rome in Limo who offers a Rome Highlight tour that includes the Vatican. Since it is a private tour you have the flexibility to make it less strenuous if you get tired. We used them and shared our tour with two other couples which made it very affordable.

 

It may not be right for them but it is worth looking into. We were happy with the guide, vehicle and tour even if it did just make us want to come back again :)

 

Sent from my LT28at using Forums mobile app

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Since this sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity for your parents, I highly recommend doing a tour- to get the most out of your day. A guide is extremely helpful. I haven't done Rome In Limo but it gets raves here.

 

My parents like doing ship tours as opposed to private ones because they enjoy the bus rides, over sedan rides. It is easier for them to get in and out of a bus. They are also concerned with being far from the ship and worrying about returning to the ship on time. So the ship tours work best for them.

 

The Vatican and Colosseum are the most impressive sights IMO. I'd concentrate on spending time there. Between these two sites there is a lot of walking. That might just be enough for your parents. The rest of the day- you can ride around and see the other sites- Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, etc. etc.

 

What itinerary are you doing?

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That's good to know which sites were the most impressive. I'm not sure which itinerary they are doing. They've been reading rick Steve's port guides.

 

One more thing, 6 aunts and their husbands are going. They've been on the same cruise before and are just going to wait until they get to the port and look at the tours offered at the port. Seems like an inefficient way to tour... On a cruise I went on, we prep landed most port excursions. Any thoughts on this strategy? Been trying to convince my parents to pre plan, but maybe I'm wrong.

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Don't worry about the Aunts and Uncles. They have been to Rome before and perhaps don't feel like dealing with a tour. That's understandable but for a first timer with limited time in the port- it isn't a DIY. You waste time figuring out the trains, getting lost and your parents won't have the stamina for train hopping. So a guided tour is a must. I would not waste time trying to find a tour at the port and Rome is a popular cruise destination. I would not wait until you board to get room for four people on a tour. If you do a ship tour- book ahead of time. You can always cancel up to 24 hours before the tour and get a refund if for some reason you change your mind.

 

Rick Steves does not travel the way 70 somethings with arthritis do.

Edited by rebeccalouiseagain
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I have visited Rome more times than I can remember, but never on a cruise. If this is a first time visit I wouldn't spend my time inside the Vatican and Sistine Chapels. Whatever time of year you go, Rome is always very busy, although more visitors in the summer months. I would be more inclined to do a tour which takes you to the places to see from the outside and maybe see the Trevi fountain, Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Navona etc. In addition to Vatican, and Colisseum. You can't see the Sistine Chapel from the street. The answer to the original question is, no, Rome can't be seen in a day. You can only scratch the surface in a day.

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One thing they need to know is that the Sistine Chapel is at the very end of the extensive Vatican museums. There is no shortcut to the sistine chapel and you bypass a lot of art and exhibits along the way. So if they don't want to do a lot of walking, the Sistine chapel maybe out for them. They could on the other hand just go to Saint Peter's square and the Basilica which they could tour at their own pace and spend as much or as little time as they liked. The Basilica itself is very impressive and I do not think they would be disappointed.

 

This would have the added benefit of freeing up time to see some of the other sites such as the Colosseum, Forum, Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, etc.

 

If there is a large group going, everyone would be best served by pre-booking a shared tour and sharing the costs, kind of an ideal situation.

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If the Sistine Chapel is on the tour you will not have to wait as long to get into the building and see the Chapel. From the Chapel you will be led directly to St. Peters and not have to go through the security line to get in. This is a time-saver. There is a lot of walking to get to the Chapel though.

 

Really it's up to you and your parents. For some people they prefer to spend the limited time just driving by the sights. There are tours that do that. St. Peter's was the highlight for me on my three trips to Rome. I went every time because it is so impressive and awe-inspiring.

Edited by rebeccalouiseagain
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My parents are going on a Celebrity Mediterranean cruise... First vacation in 20 years. They are excited about Rome. They want to see major sites like the Vatican (Sistine Chapel), Colosseum. Celebrity charges $300 pp for their excursion. Mom thinks this might be the only way to squeeze what they want into a day... She's concerned it would take 1.5 hrs if they took the train. They are in their early 70s and can walk around but not long distances.... Arthritic knees and back pain, although they are doing well now. Questions:

- can you see the major sites in a day? Should you or is too much to cram in?

- what other tour companies offer similar tours for less cost? How do they compare in cost and quality to Celebrity excursions to Rome?

- I saw some of the reviews rated the tour strenuous... How concerned should we be? They want so badly to see everything. They will probably never go back. Any suggestions?

 

We just did RCI's Liberty of the Seas Western Mediterranean cruise from June 15-22. Rome has a lot to see so I think it would take too much time trying to see it on your own with trains, buses, and taxis, especially if you've never been to Rome before. I tried to research all of the ports before the cruise. From what I've read, you can't just hail down a taxi on any street like we can in the US. You have to get a taxi at a taxi stand or at a hotel. And some of the popular bus routes for tourists are often crowded and have pickpockets.

I think an organized tour would make the best use of your time in Rome, especially if it's your 1st time in Rome and you only have 1 day. And in my opinion, if you’re going to spend the money to fly to Europe and take a cruise, then you might as well spend a little bit more money for a good, organized tour of Rome rather than try to see it on your own.

We shared a private tour with a nice family from South Carolina and a nice couple from Ireland. Our tour company was Rome in Limo and the tour was “Rome Highlights”.

http://www.romeinlimotoursharing.com/scheda_tour.php?url=/rome-civitavecchia/highlights.htm&pname=Civitavecchia, Port of Rome&it=30

Our driver Enrico picked us up at the pier just outside the ship. We stopped for photos at:

1. Circus Maximus opposite Palatine Hill

2. Capitoline Hill above the Forum, then walked up to Piazza del Campidoglio, then walked down Michaelangelo’s grand staircase

3. Pantheon

4. Trevi Fountain

5. Colosseum

We also drove by Piazza Venezia (where the Victor Emmanuele II monument is), Largo di Torre Argentina (where Julius Caesar was killed on the Ides of March in 44 B.C.), and the Spanish steps. After lunch, our driver dropped us off in front of the entrance to Vatican Museums and a tour guide, arranged by Enrico, led us through the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica.

A private tour has a few advantages over the ship's shore excursion:

1. If you share a private tour with a group of 8 people, it'll cost much less per person than the cruise's shore excursion.

2. A private tour with a group of 8 people usually uses a minivan so it can drive through narrow streets that the big tour buses can't and thus drop us off closer to many of the sites. Like your parents, I can walk around but not very long distances (arthritic hip and spine) so that was very important.

For example, Enrico was able to drive up to Capitoline Hill so we were able to take some photos of the Forum from above. The big tour buses used by the ship's shore excursions can't drive up there. Enrico also dropped us off about 50 feet from the Pantheon. I don't believe that the big tour buses can get that close to the Pantheon.

As for getting back to the ship on time with a private tour, if you use a reputable private tour company, it shouldn’t be concern. They do these tours regularly so the driver knows the traffic patterns and knows how much time they need to get back to the ship on time.

Some additional warnings:

1. Trevi Fountain. Enrico dropped us off about 350 feet from Trevi Fountain. About a 5-minute walk. Normally, the walk would be well worth it. But when we were there on June 19, maintenance was being done on Trevi Fountain so there was a fence around the entire fountain. There were scaffolds and maintenance workers, but not a single drop of water. Disappointing and not worth the 350-feet walk so your parents might want to skip Trevi Fountain if it’s still under maintenance when they’re there. If you want to see what Trevi Fountain looks like with fencing and scaffolds and no water, see these photos:

901243976_2014_06.19TreviFountain1.jpg.875f4b2a3759b32dcf337189409f0f41.jpg

 

1574281213_2014_06.19TreviFountain2.jpg.0260eb8177422214f3ccb2e81639128c.jpg

2. Colosseum. Enrico dropped us off about 600 feet from the entrance to the Colosseum. We had about 20 to 25 minutes to walk around and take photos inside the Colosseum before meeting our driver at the drop-off point. The Colosseum exit is about 1/4 of the way around from the entrance. It’s a bit of walking, but the Colosseum does have several large rocks that your parents can sit and rest on for a few minutes.

If you want to go inside the Colosseum, pre-purchase skip-the-line Colosseum entrance tickets before the cruise. The regular line to purchase tickets looked to be at least 2 hours long, but it took us only 5 to 10 minutes to get in with our pre-purchased skip-the-line tickets. When printing the tickets, be sure you print the page with the barcode because the turnstile scanner scans the barcode. The barcode is unique for each ticket so you need to print a separate ticket for each person in your group. The tickets do not have any specific date or time so I think you can use them anytime.

3. Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. Not only lots and lots of walking, but also up and down 2 levels of stairs. We went up 2 levels of stairs in the Vatican Museums, walked down a long hallway about the length of a football field, and went down a level of stairs to the Sistine Chapel. There are elevators in the Vatican Museums, but to get to the elevators requires a longer path through the museums. So the choice is longer walking and elevators vs (relatively) shorter walking and 2 levels of stairs to get to the Sistine Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel does have seats by the walls so your parents can sit and rest for a few minutes. Also, the normal exit from the Sistine Chapel takes you back through the Vatican Museums towards the entrance, but guided tour groups can use the shortcut exit next to St. Peter’s Basilica and don’t have to walk all the way back through the Vatican Museums and then around the Vatican City walls to get to St. Peter’s Basilica. But the shortcut exit from the Sistine Chapel requires going down a long flight of stairs. The steps aren’t high, but there’s no handrail on that flight of stairs. And St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world so there is a bit of walking inside St. Peter’s Basilica.

Because of the amount of walking inside the Vatican Museums, your parents might want to choose a tour that skips the Vatican Museums and just go to St. Peter’s Basilica. Then they might have an extra 1 to 2 hours to see additional sights in Rome. (I was so exhausted from the walking through the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica to do any shore excursions the following day at the next port.)

If your parents do the Vatican Museums tour, pre-purchase skip-the-line Vatican Museums tickets online before the cruise. The ticket voucher is for a specific date and time so check with the tour company on what time they should pre-purchase the Vatican Museums tickets for.

I hope this information helps.

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The detailed info on the accessibility is perfect along with the recommendations. Books just don't give you that detail. The private tour sounds perfect. Did you have to put together your own group or will limo in Rome help? I'm not going with my parents... It's a sibling trip, but I don't think the aunties will go. My parents would probably like the tour for 8 for the price and it's still a private tour. Been giving them cash for their excursions as gifts so they should have enough either way.

 

Curious, I've heard St. Peter's mentioned over Sistine chapel. Why? Is it the beauty of it or the accessibility?

 

Also, I'm willing to rent a scooter for them, but I assume renting a scooter wouldn't help?

 

Again, thank you for helping make this a wonderful trip for them. I'm so excited they are going on such a well deserved trip of a lifetime.

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I made a reservation with Rome in Limo and then posted the link on my roll call to fill it. The tour also did appear on their tour sharing page so someone could have found it that way.

 

If you go to the Rome in Limo tour sharing website it is very easy to use and navigate and figure out (I'm on my phone or I would link it for you). They don't hide anything in fine print so you know what to expect from the get go.

 

Sent from my LT28at using Forums mobile app

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The detailed info on the accessibility is perfect along with the recommendations. Books just don't give you that detail. The private tour sounds perfect. Did you have to put together your own group or will limo in Rome help? I'm not going with my parents... It's a sibling trip, but I don't think the aunties will go. My parents would probably like the tour for 8 for the price and it's still a private tour. Been giving them cash for their excursions as gifts so they should have enough either way.

 

Curious, I've heard St. Peter's mentioned over Sistine chapel. Why? Is it the beauty of it or the accessibility?

 

Also, I'm willing to rent a scooter for them, but I assume renting a scooter wouldn't help?

 

Again, thank you for helping make this a wonderful trip for them. I'm so excited they are going on such a well deserved trip of a lifetime.

 

It's easier to get into St.Peter's. There is a security line but it moves fast. As for the Chapel, there is a fee to enter the Vatican museum and then there is a long- long line from the entrance to the museum to the Chapel. Basically people are there to see the Chapel but have to wade through the other artwork and long line of people to get to it. While most people are curious to see the Chapel, I found the statues and beauty of St. Peter's superior to the Chapel.

 

As for your parents- you might be able to travel better with a rental wheelchair (s)http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/about-us/cruise-lines/celebrity-cruises/

Edited by rebeccalouiseagain
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Curious, I've heard St. Peter's mentioned over Sistine chapel. Why? Is it the beauty of it or the accessibility?

 

 

Completely different. The Sistine Chapel IS more difficult to get to, as mentioned it is a long way into the Vatican Museums before you reach the Chapel. Then (forgive me for this) it is just a large room with magnificent paintings, that on several visits has smelt like a high school boys' locker room.

 

The Basilica is free, easily accessible once you have passed through the sometimes-long security line, and enormous with stunning visuals everywhere. I think there are something like 43 separate altars. There is Michelangelo's Pieta and the spectacular dome he created. There is the baldacchino designed by Bernini which is extremely ornate. the tombs of many popes, including that of John Paul II which has been moved to the upper floor and still has people prostrating themselves in front of it. There is so much to see and exclaim over--so if time or energy are short, there is more bang-for-the-buck by going to the basilica.

 

Now I'm sure others will heartily disagree with me, and that's fine, I'm just trying to give the OP some assistance here.

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Last November, we cruised to Rome and decided to go to the Vatican Museums. We had prepaid tickets and it wasn't busy, but it still took a couple of hours. And we mainly concentrated on the Sistine Chapel. I do recommend your parents see St. Peter's though. Don't overlook the Pieta - magnificent.

 

This was my second visit to the Sistine Chapel, but the first since the cleaning. Since it was a dull November day, and no lighting in the chapel, it was difficult to fully appreciate the ceiling. Of course, no photos allowed.

Edited by Tansy Mews
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- I saw some of the reviews rated the tour strenuous... How concerned should we be? They want so badly to see everything. They will probably never go back. Any suggestions?

In case it gives some idea of the terrain they will encounter, I made these from my day in Rome. They will have a great day, even though they won't see everything. Rome is spellbinding. All the best, Tony

 

[YOUTUBE]ryrhL1LO9oU[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]5fdBZTNNvwM[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]46yl0GVp2sU[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]ykqV5Og42lg[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]VNB9gLs54vI[/YOUTUBE]

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The detailed info on the accessibility is perfect along with the recommendations. Books just don't give you that detail. The private tour sounds perfect. Did you have to put together your own group or will limo in Rome help? I'm not going with my parents... It's a sibling trip, but I don't think the aunties will go. My parents would probably like the tour for 8 for the price and it's still a private tour. Been giving them cash for their excursions as gifts so they should have enough either way.

 

Curious, I've heard St. Peter's mentioned over Sistine chapel. Why? Is it the beauty of it or the accessibility?

 

Also, I'm willing to rent a scooter for them, but I assume renting a scooter wouldn't help?

 

Again, thank you for helping make this a wonderful trip for them. I'm so excited they are going on such a well deserved trip of a lifetime.

 

Badger-Badger set up a group on the Rome in Limo tour sharing site. Here is a description of the Rome Highlights tour:

 

http://www.romeinlimotoursharing.com/scheda_tour.php?url=/rome-civitavecchia/highlights.htm&pname=Civitavecchia, Port of Rome&it=30

 

If you look at the calendar in the center of the page, you can see if there's already a group for the date that your ship docks at Civitavecchia. Click on the date in the calendar to see all the groups for that date and see if one of the groups is for your ship.

 

If there isn't a group for your ship on that date or for other dates without any groups, you can create a group. If you create a group, you'll want to post a link to it on your ship's Roll Call forum so other people can go to the link and join your group.

 

St Peter's Basilica is easier to access than the Sistine Chapel. To get to the Sistine Chapel, you have to go through the Vatican Museums and go down a long hallway about the length of a football field.

 

A scooter would help to go through the Vatican Museums and go down that long hallway to get to the Sistine Chapel. It would also help inside St Peter's Basilica because the church is huge. But you would need to figure out the logistics of renting a scooter.

 

For example, where would you rent the scooter from? On the ship? If so, then you would need a tour with a vehicle that can transport the scooter to Rome. The ship docks at Civitavecchia, which is about an hour drive from Rome. The big tour buses used by the ships' shore excursions may be able to store the scooter in the lugguge compartment, but the ships' shore excursion will generally cost more than a private tour costs. And the big tour buses may not be able to drop you off as close to some of the sites as a private tour minivan can. But if you have a scooter, then that might not be a problem.

 

The Vatican Museums has wheelchairs that you can reserve free of charge the day before your visit. But those are probably manual wheelchairs and not electric wheelchairs. Also, you would pick up the wheelchairs near the entrance and then when you exit the Sistine Chapel, you would have to go back through the museums to the entrance to return the wheelchairs and thus wouldn't be able to use the shortcut exit from the Sistine Chapel to St Peter's Basilica. Instead, you would have to exit the museums near the entrance and then go about 1.5 miles around the Vatican City walls to get to St Peter's Basilica. Or if you have a private tour, you could ask your driver to pick you up at the museums entrance and drop you off at St Peter's Square.

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If you rent a wheelchair or wheelchairs for the cruise, they will be available to the elderly parents if they need them. I pushed my grandmother around in a wheelchair for 5 years. They fold up easily and can go in the underneath of the tour bus or trunk of a car. It isn't that hard to push people in wheelchairs. Sounds like your parents are only going to need them off the ship and will be fine on board. They are just good to have because you want everyone to be able to see everything.

 

One year I injured my tendons climbing up a monument in the cold. I could barely walk. My 12 year old son pushed me around in a wheelchair the last day of our trip and it was a Godsend. Having had this experience, I would never hesitate to rent one down the road.

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The last time I visited Rome I took a manual wheelchair. However, Rome has to be one of the most disabled friendly cities in Europe. Therefore, my poor OH had great difficulty in pushing me over the cobblestones. All the museums and attractions loan them out. I think some of them need to be reserved in advance, just look on the info for wherever you want to visit.

 

The is a company which does golfcart tours and are able to take you down the narrow Roman streets. I can't remember the exact name, but there is info on CC and Tripadvisor. They are quite expensive, but may be worthwhile to pay for one if this is to be the highlight of their cruise.

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<snip> Also, you would pick up the wheelchairs near the entrance and then when you exit the Sistine Chapel, you would have to go back through the museums to the entrance to return the wheelchairs and thus wouldn't be able to use the shortcut exit from the Sistine Chapel to St Peter's Basilica. Instead, you would have to exit the museums near the entrance and then go about 1.5 miles around the Vatican City walls to get to St Peter's Basilica. Or if you have a private tour, you could ask your driver to pick you up at the museums entrance and drop you off at St Peter's Square.

 

Kyan, what a great answer! Yes, returning to the entrance of the Vatican Museums after the Sistine Chapel is a nuisance. We were without a tour group but walked through the shortcut with a group. It is supposed to be for tour guides and their groups only, but we really wanted to save the time of walking all the way back. No one challenged us.

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Why not start their day with something that not many people have done, a visit to underneath St Peters to see the actual tomb of St Peter that the basilica is based on,

 

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/uffscavi/documents/rc_ic_uffscavi_doc_gen-information_20090216_en.html

Edited by Andym
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We used Rome in Limo in June for private tours of Rome and Naples. We could have not seen all that we did without the use of a private tour. The drivers were there to pick us up from the ship and returned us in plenty of time. I would highly recommend using a private guide in the Vatican. You do not have to wait in line and will receive much more information. From Naples we were taken to Sorrento and Positano for a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant with incredible views. A tour of Pompeii was included which everyone should visit with a private guide. Rome in Limo provided our private guides which were all excellent and spoke excellent English. I highly recommend this tour company for a much better tour than offered from the ship. You will see so much more and learn so much more from their guides with the comfort of a small group (eight of us) and less costly than ship excursions.

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