Boarding Celebrity cruise in August in Civitavechhia - question

[dani negreanu]

5 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

 Would anyone know if they drop off at pier or if we have to wait for shuttle?

 

We were dropped right at the check in. We were also picked up from there post-cruise, back to Rome.

 

[drakes2]

14 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

We were dropped right at the check in. We were also picked up from there post-cruise, back to Rome.

 

Thank you. That's great. We debark in Barcelona so have to figure out transportation  from pier  to hotel. We are staying 2 nights but I think the port is closer just have not researched all that yet. 

[dani negreanu]

4 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Thank you. That's great. We debark in Barcelona so have to figure out transportation  from pier  to hotel. We are staying 2 nights but I think the port is closer just have not researched all that yet. 

 

Barcelona is closer, but it seems not as close as it used to be — they changed the port or something... I try to avoid Barcelona, after escaping 2 muggings 😰

[drakes2]

15 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Barcelona is closer, but it seems not as close as it used to be — they changed the port or something... I try to avoid Barcelona, after escaping 2 muggings 😰

Oh that's terrible. I'll be sure to be on my guard. We are staying in the Las Ramblas area at Royal Ramblas.

[Bruin Steve]

Count me among those who always spends the night prior in Civitavecchia...

 

If I want more time in Rome, I merely book extra nights in Rome...and, often , since we've spent so much time in Rome in the past, we'll find other interesting places to go pre- or post-cruise.  Last visit, for example, we spent time pre-cruise in Orvieto (then, the last night prior in Civitavecchia), then post-cruise in Tivoli before our last two nights in Rome.

 

This coming June/July, we're spending our pre-cruise--9 nights--in Lugano, Lucerne, Lauterbrunnen and Portovenere (for the Cinque Terre) before the last night in Civitavecchia...then 2 nights post cruise in Rome.

 

My favorite hotel in Rome, BTW, is the Residenza in Farnese...4 stars but small and very reasonably priced...lo9cated conveniently near the Campo de Fiori and Piazza Navona...

 

https://www.residenzafarneseroma.it/en/

 

Our reason for staying in Civitavecchia is to relieve all forms of stress the morning of the cruise...We catch a nice dinner, get plenty of sleep, a nice breakfast, then off to the ship early.  I don't want to wait for a taxi or shuttle in Rome that morning, I don't want even the hint of traffic...I just want to get up already there!

[DrivesLikeMario]

While you're in Rome, you should definitely do a RollingRome Tour!  Rolling Rome Golf Cart Tour  It was by far the BEST tour we have ever done in all of Italy!  We had a golf cart all to ourselves (had planned to share with another couple from our roll call but they cancelled the whole trip at the last minute) and our very knowledgeable guide tailored the 3 hr. tour to OUR desires.  We told her we had been in Rome before and what we had seen and she totally altered the tour to fit us. 

We squeezed down narrow alleys that cars can't get through, we stopped whenever we wanted and walked to some of the lesser known sites.  She gave us so much background on what we were seeing that it made it so very interesting.  She recommended places to eat and the best place to walk around at night when the tour was over.  It was just fabulous from start to finish!

[critterchick]

9 hours ago, carolekv said:

Thank you - sounds like excellent advice!  So, I will take this one step further and ask - would you recommend a car service?  How about a hotel in Rome?  

 

Because travel panic is one of the things you want to avoid, I'd book a car service. We have also used RomeinLimo and they were terrific.

8 hours ago, carolekv said:

Yes, we have actually stayed there before and loved it.  The one right near the American Consulate, I believe.  But I will be a bit more frugal this time, as I am also taking my son on a cruise in a suite, so getting less fancy on the hotel side of things.  BUT I am also super picky about comfort and safety and usually am high end too.  Mostly for comfort and safety reasons - I hate little beds, too many stairs up, bad locations, no bar in the hotel or nearby, yucky bathrooms, all of those things that are risks that I would've gladly taken when younger. 😉 

Years ago (2009) we stayed at the Roman Residence, a B2B that takes up half a floor of a larger building. It was an odd arrangement (to me, anyway), but it worked. It was brand new at the time, and it still gets great reviews on TripAdvisor. It's centrally located, close to the train station but in a lots of bistros and bars around it. And the bathroom was very nice. 🙂 If I weren't awash in Marriott points, I'd stay there again in a heartbeat.

 

I enjoy Civitavecchia - we stayed there for a night pre-cruise after a stay in Santa Margherita Ligure. But if this is your son's first trip to Rome, stay there and use a car service to get you to the ship. There's so much to see that a day or two will just scratch the surface.

[NCHPcruiser]

Definitely stay in Rome.   You can show your son a lot of Rome in a day and half especially if are in a well located hotel and make a plan.  We have used Romeinlimo on several trips (airport to Rome hotel, hotel to ship, ship to airport) and they are extremely professional and punctual.   Friends have also used them for a day tour of Rome.  

[hasentreelake]

We had a rental car from Florence to Rome...The car stayed parked in the hotel parking lot for the time we were in Rome...  Final day we drove and dropped the car at the Civitavecchia port and on to the ship.  EZPZ.  

DON'T do this! It's just not worth the stress...  It was a very nice rental ( a new Mercedes ) with a very good GPS map system display.  The GPS really was the only reason I got to Rome and then to the port.  I mean I wouldn't do it again. Let someone else do the driving🙃

[NMTraveller]

We had our hotel book the car service for us on the day of arrival.  We also had the hotel book the car service to the hotel.  We have a preference for the car services over the taxis.

 

One thing to be aware of is that they have small cars without much luggage space and larger vans.  Make sure that you check the luggage size for the car service that you book.

 

Yep.  Stay in Rome as long as you can.  There is much more to see there.

Edited February 19, 2020 by NMTraveller

[carolekv]

10 hours ago, Miaminice said:

As mentioned in recommendations by others, stay in Rome!

 

We are in Rome frequently and love a central location. We can recommend 

lh Suites Hotel www.lhroyalsuites.it and Hotel dei Barbieri www.hoteldeibarbieri.com for their unbeatable location.

You can reach all the interesting sites on foot and Trastevere for dinner is just around the corner - so is Campo dei Fiori.

 

Both hotels arrange a pick up from the airport and transfer to Civitavecchia. Otherwise we can highly recommend Bob´s Limos www.romelimousines.com.

 

 

There is a price difference - Barbieri is more expensive.  Is it worth the difference?  Thanks!

[suzyluvs2cruise]

6 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

So glad to see that you've enjoyed this hotel, coming from an experienced cruiser like you 😁 For sure we'll check the restaurant.

I think we were together in Sept. 2017 (Vision to New England/Canada).

Yes...we were on Vision in 2017. Great cruises. The restaurant was an unexpected find with many locals and great pricing. Enjoy!

[Miaminice]

2 hours ago, carolekv said:

There is a price difference - Barbieri is more expensive.  Is it worth the difference?  Thanks!

Barbieri is more boutique and lh Royal Suites are more run in a guesthouse style. Meaning at lh you get your own key to the building etc. - which makes you feel like a local. 
 

If there’s  a big difference I would choose the lh. It’s great!
If you are noise sensitive at night, request a room to the back. There is a tram on the piazza in front of the hotel. Didn’t bother us though. 
 

If I have time later, I’ll post some photos.

Edited February 19, 2020 by Miaminice

[PelicanLvr]

OP- You mentioned "a goal is to avoid lines"....please consider a company like "Walks of Italy" to see the big sites (a/k/a long lines) of Rome.  Their tours offer really great skip the line access.  The early access Sistine Chapel is outstanding!  Colosseum & Forum was also very good.  They seem to have a time slot for entry and you just walk in past the lines.

[tomcruiser1234]

Stay in Rome

 

agree with others to use DriverinRome.   Remo and Daniel will really Yelp you see so much more. We stay a a small Hotel close to e Trevi fountain. It was roughly $200 per night.  I’ll look up it’s name and get back to you

[Jim_Iain]

We always use RomeCabs and they offer a wonderful Mercedes experience.    They are always at the hotel early and are extremely efficient.    I am always shocked at how fast they get to the port.   I have never experienced getting stuck in traffic but I guess others may have had a different experience.