2 days between cruises, maybe stay at Civitavecchia, maybe not??

[cruisemom42]

10 hours ago, NoWhiners said:

 

Great, thanks. If I could impose on your good nature a little more--if we took a train, how would we do that? From the port or from Rome? I am leaning Orvieto but Tivoli also sounds nice. We would like to see more of Italy now that we are taking the TA and it doesn't have to be incredibly easy just not incredibly difficult.

 

We love rain (we live in the desert), so that wouldn't be an issue at all.

 

Thank you.

 

I'm having difficulty getting into the Trenitalia site this morning, but it looks like you would probably have to go from Civitavecchia to Rome in order to get to either Orvieto or Tivoli by train -- unless there is routing that I cannot see on other sites. 

 

Not such a big deal for Tivoli because going through Rome is not back-tracking at all. However, with Orvieto you'd definitely be going a bit out of your way to go through Rome.

 

Two things to think about if considering this: 

 

First, we have heard a report that the Civitavecchia train station now has a working elevator, which would be a big help for cruisers schlepping their stuff up and down to access trains on the far track. However -- hasn't yet been confirmed by any returning passengers.

 

Second, if you take the regular regionale train from Civitavecchia into Rome, you have to walk quite a long way to make your next connection -- more than a long block -- because the Civi trains arrive on the auxiliary tracks. It may be that you could circumvent that problem by taking one of the few Frecce trains that make that run -- for example, there is a Frecce train leaving Civi for Rome Termini station at 9:16 am currently, which should be doable for someone disembarking a ship. The added plus is that you can buy your ticket in advance and you will have assigned seats. Plus you'll arrive on the main track at Termini and will have a much shorter walk.

 

You will still have to get to the train station at Civi, including on/off the port bus to the entrance and then on/off a city bus to the train station.  Then there will be on/off the Civi to Rome train and on/off the Rome to Orvieto or Termini train. If you pack light it is not a huge issue but if you have several heavy bags....

 

One thing to consider if you are returning to Civi for another cruise is leaving some of your bags at the left luggage facility at the port. It would lighten your load for the days in between.

 

[cruisemom42]

10 hours ago, NoWhiners said:

We love rain (we live in the desert), so that wouldn't be an issue at all.

 

I live in a climate that is rainy in fall/winter so I am somewhat used to it. However, there is a difference between visiting a cute small town and dodging raindrops from place to place when you can easily duck into a museum or church or shop or restaurant (Orvieto) and have to deal with all-day drizzling rain when you want to visit an outdoor site like Hadrian's villa. There is nowhere to get out of the rain, parts of you will get soaked, and it is much more difficult to enjoy the site -- not to mention very little looks photogenic in the rain, except perhaps Roman cobblestones....

 

 

[euro cruiser]

The Trenitalia site has been down since yesterday but you're right, there's no way to get to Orvieto or to Tivoli by train without going through Rome.

[cruisemom42]

1 minute ago, euro cruiser said:

The Trenitalia site has been down since yesterday but you're right, there's no way to get to Orvieto or to Tivoli by train without going through Rome.

 

All tracks lead to Rome....

[NoWhiners]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I'm having difficulty getting into the Trenitalia site this morning, but it looks like you would probably have to go from Civitavecchia to Rome in order to get to either Orvieto or Tivoli by train -- unless there is routing that I cannot see on other sites. 

 

Not such a big deal for Tivoli because going through Rome is not back-tracking at all. However, with Orvieto you'd definitely be going a bit out of your way to go through Rome.

 

Two things to think about if considering this: 

 

First, we have heard a report that the Civitavecchia train station now has a working elevator, which would be a big help for cruisers schlepping their stuff up and down to access trains on the far track. However -- hasn't yet been confirmed by any returning passengers.

 

Second, if you take the regular regionale train from Civitavecchia into Rome, you have to walk quite a long way to make your next connection -- more than a long block -- because the Civi trains arrive on the auxiliary tracks. It may be that you could circumvent that problem by taking one of the few Frecce trains that make that run -- for example, there is a Frecce train leaving Civi for Rome Termini station at 9:16 am currently, which should be doable for someone disembarking a ship. The added plus is that you can buy your ticket in advance and you will have assigned seats. Plus you'll arrive on the main track at Termini and will have a much shorter walk.

 

You will still have to get to the train station at Civi, including on/off the port bus to the entrance and then on/off a city bus to the train station.  Then there will be on/off the Civi to Rome train and on/off the Rome to Orvieto or Termini train. If you pack light it is not a huge issue but if you have several heavy bags....

 

One thing to consider if you are returning to Civi for another cruise is leaving some of your bags at the left luggage facility at the port. It would lighten your load for the days in between.

 

 

Thanks for all this, it really complete what I needed to know. I will check on trains and hotels and keep an eye out for any cruiser updates on the elevator at Civi. I have read that too. euro cruiser had already suggested using left baggage and we are definitely considering that; it would make train jumping a lot easier.

 

Thank you so much for all your help--again 🙂

 

1 hour ago, euro cruiser said:

The Trenitalia site has been down since yesterday but you're right, there's no way to get to Orvieto or to Tivoli by train without going through Rome.

 

Thanks for confirming and your other help as well.

[bennybear]

IMHO Renting a car and driving is so much easier, and most of the roads are in rural Italy so it’s very easy.   Then You can stop and see things in the area,  There is a car rental right by where the shuttle bus drops you in Civitavecchia.  

[cruisemom42]

14 minutes ago, bennybear said:

IMHO Renting a car and driving is so much easier, and most of the roads are in rural Italy so it’s very easy.   Then You can stop and see things in the area,  There is a car rental right by where the shuttle bus drops you in Civitavecchia.  

 

I appreciate that there can be advantages to driving, but some people just do not enjoy it. (I'm one of them.) After traveling with a friend who volunteered to rent a car and drive us around the Campi Flegrei (outside Naples), I will not rent a car again while vacationing abroad. It stressed both of us out -- the driver could not appreciate the scenery and the navigator (me) was always stressed trying to figure out what we should be doing next.  Given that I usually travel solo, I would have to be both navigator AND driver and I do not think I'd enjoy that one bit.

 

Perhaps my experience is also colored by the long commute I had to make to work for 20 years -- 1.5 hours total every day (on a good day) in one of the most heavily trafficked urban areas of the US.  When I vacation, I do NOT want to drive. 🤣

 

[NoWhiners]

37 minutes ago, bennybear said:

IMHO Renting a car and driving is so much easier, and most of the roads are in rural Italy so it’s very easy.   Then You can stop and see things in the area,  There is a car rental right by where the shuttle bus drops you in Civitavecchia.  

 

While I agree, we have had a tougher time driving in Europe in the past than we expected. Now, we'd just as soon ride in a train, which is a treat for us, or have someone who knows what the heck they are doing drive us. 

 

16 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I appreciate that there can be advantages to driving, but some people just do not enjoy it. (I'm one of them.) After traveling with a friend who volunteered to rent a car and drive us around the Campi Flegrei (outside Naples), I will not rent a car again while vacationing abroad. It stressed both of us out -- the driver could not appreciate the scenery and the navigator (me) was always stressed trying to figure out what we should be doing next.  Given that I usually travel solo, I would have to be both navigator AND driver and I do not think I'd enjoy that one bit.

 

Perhaps my experience is also colored by the long commute I had to make to work for 20 years -- 1.5 hours total every day (on a good day) in one of the most heavily trafficked urban areas of the US.  When I vacation, I do NOT want to drive. 🤣

 

 

I agree. I'm not afraid to drive but I'd rather not. It would be extra hard having to drive and navigate, but at least nav apps or similar are available to help now 😉Plus, I always end up driving and DH is always confused about where we are (although he loves maps and is good at reading them), he just doesn't see the signs, etc!

 

Speaking of DH, @cruisemom42, as I was telling him about what I am finding out on this thread, he asked a good question. What if we stayed in Civi and used it as  abase of operations for the 2-3 days we will be there? There is a train station right there and we could just take the train to various stops and explore small places--couldn't we?

 

I realize that doesn't address the hotel quality issue (although we found one that gets good reviews 7Bells hotel) that might be good. But, it's an interesting idea and I like the idea of just hopping on the train and going somewhere. Is that too risky, do you think?

 

Thanks.

[cruisemom42]

1 minute ago, NoWhiners said:

 

Speaking of DH, @cruisemom42, as I was telling him about what I am finding out on this thread, he asked a good question. What if we stayed in Civi and used it as  abase of operations for the 2-3 days we will be there? There is a train station right there and we could just take the train to various stops and explore small places--couldn't we?

 

I realize that doesn't address the hotel quality issue (although we found one that gets good reviews 7Bells hotel) that might be good. But, it's an interesting idea and I like the idea of just hopping on the train and going somewhere. Is that too risky, do you think?

 

Thanks.

 

That's certainly an option. I don't know the hotel you mention but in the past the hotels in Civi are pretty uniformly average (at best) and don't try very hard to do better due to their captive audience of cruise passengers in and out.

 

If you want to use somewhere as a hub, why not just return to Rome and book a hotel near Termini station? They're no worse than Civi and some are better. Plus you cut the irritating Civitavecchia to Rome leg off of your wanderings. 

 

If you do decide to stay in Civi, you could add Tarquinia as a good place to spend a day. Between the charming town, Etruscan museum (the best I've seen) and the Etruscan cemetery with the famous painted tombs, you could do much worse than a day there.

[bennybear]

I do understand driving can be difficult,  especially anywhere near Naples,  and I also wouldn’t want to navigate and drive.   But driving from Civi on the rural roads is very easy, away from the motorways.  It is night and day compared to around Naples.  I would highly recommend staying in Pitigliano and doing day trips by car from there.  
 

 Or if you want to avoid driving make the trek to Orvieto by private transfer and train from there.  We enjoyed a visit to Arezzo by train, and many possibilities exist.  Orvieto is a beautiful town, far nicer than Civitavecchia.  

Edited March 6, 2022 by bennybear

[NoWhiners]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

That's certainly an option. I don't know the hotel you mention but in the past the hotels in Civi are pretty uniformly average (at best) and don't try very hard to do better due to their captive audience of cruise passengers in and out.

 

If you want to use somewhere as a hub, why not just return to Rome and book a hotel near Termini station? They're no worse than Civi and some are better. Plus you cut the irritating Civitavecchia to Rome leg off of your wanderings. 

 

If you do decide to stay in Civi, you could add Tarquinia as a good place to spend a day. Between the charming town, Etruscan museum (the best I've seen) and the Etruscan cemetery with the famous painted tombs, you could do much worse than a day there.

 

Yes, we also thought of Rome as a hub. I think DH wants to avoid the trip to Rome, just to come back again in 2 days. And, we are spending a week in Rome pre-cruise, so I think he'll be Rome'd out by then! The hotel has gotten good reviews in multiple places, some of them very recent. I have low expectations for any hotel and I generally don't trust reviews but the trends are useful. We are used to camping in a tent and no indoor plumbing, so we can cope. I had already planned Tarquinia as a day trip, it does seem very interesting.

 

34 minutes ago, bennybear said:

I do understand driving can be difficult,  especially anywhere near Naples,  and I also wouldn’t want to navigate and drive.   But driving from Civi on the rural roads is very easy, away from the motorways.  It is night and day compared to around Naples.  I would highly recommend staying in Pitigliano and doing day trips by car from there.  
 

 Or if you want to avoid driving make the trek to Orvieto by private transfer and train from there.  We enjoyed a visit to Arezzo by train, and many possibilities exist.  Orvieto is a beautiful town, far nicer than Civitavecchia.  

 

Yeah, it is worth checking out. Right now, I'm just overwhelmed with options, and having to figure out if we can get a refund for our return flight. I am out of practice after 2 years of no foreign travel.

 

Thanks.

[NoWhiners]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

If you want to use somewhere as a hub, why not just return to Rome and book a hotel near Termini station? They're no worse than Civi and some are better. Plus you cut the irritating Civitavecchia to Rome leg off of your wanderings. 

 

 

I just re-read this. I wasn't clear. We would just take the train from Civi to different places, not go thru Rome. I think DH would be irritated doing that leg too many times.  So, day trips to wherever the trains from Civi go--there must be some fun places to see? I will check the Trenitalia site after I get done dealing with Delta.

 

Traveling is fun, but a lot of details to work out 😁

[bennybear]

Suggest you try the site Rome2Rio,  let’s you know where you can go.   The problem is Civitavecchia is at the end of the spoke that goes through Rome,  don’t think there’s much else you can access by rail unless you back track. That’s why Orvieto would be a better hub and a far better location.  
 

But with a train it takes longer and you backtrack, that’s why I suggested get a private transfer to Orvieto in less than half the time and then once there it will be easier to daytrip and you have the bonus of a nice location.  Also you can see on the map, you could drive via Tarquinia, and Tuscania and Bagnoricio .   Viterbo and Pitigliano are other nice locations. 
 

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by bennybear

[NoWhiners]

12 minutes ago, bennybear said:

Suggest you try the site Rome2Rio,  let’s you know where you can go.   The problem is Civitavecchia is at the end of the spoke that goes through Rome,  don’t think there’s much else you can access by rail unless you back track. That’s why Orvieto would be a better hub and a far better location.  
 

But with a train it takes longer and you backtrack, that’s why I suggested get a private transfer to Orvieto in less than half the time and then once there it will be easier to daytrip and you have the bonus of a nice location.  Viterbo and Pitigliano are other nice locations. 

 

 Ohh, I see. That pic is a big help, thanks.  You make a really good point, Orvieto would be a much better hub. You're on a roll--any hotel rec's for Orvieto?😁 We were originally planning on a private transfer to Rome, with some stops along the way, outside Rome. I guess we could just modify that to transfer to Orvieto, with stops along the way. Then we'd need to arrange transport back to Civi, but I think I read we should be able to do that.

 

Thanks, maybe we're getting close to a plan!!

[bennybear]

33 minutes ago, NoWhiners said:

 Ohh, I see. That pic is a big help, thanks.  You make a really good point, Orvieto would be a much better hub. You're on a roll--any hotel rec's for Orvieto?😁 We were originally planning on a private transfer to Rome, with some stops along the way, outside Rome. I guess we could just modify that to transfer to Orvieto, with stops along the way. Then we'd need to arrange transport back to Civi, but I think I read we should be able to do that.

 

Thanks, maybe we're getting close to a plan!!

 You’re welcome, They do say a pictures worth a thousand words, lol!  We stayed outside the town in an agriturismo but we had a car,  so can’t suggest a place.  Take a look at some reviews on hotel sites to get started. 

[NoWhiners]

25 minutes ago, bennybear said:

 You’re welcome, They do say a pictures worth a thousand words, lol!  We stayed outside the town in an agriturismo but we had a car,  so can’t suggest a place.  Take a look at some reviews on hotel sites to get started. 

 

On my list.

 

Thanks again.

[cluso]

13 hours ago, bennybear said:

 We stayed outside the town in an agriturismo but we had a car,  so can’t suggest a place.

 

We did that, too, in 2019.  Agriturismo Cioccoleta.  Very nice.

[vapersecutor]

I’ve been enjoying reading all of the posts and appreciate the great ideas.  Can anyone offer any ideas for something they’ve seen or done in Civitavecchia that they enjoyed?  We’ve cruised from there before so I have some idea of it as a city port and not a tourist destination.  We’ll have the afternoon of our arrival and morning before we sail so not a lot of time.

 

Something I saw was Terme Taurine (historical ruins) and Terme Della Ficoncella (hot springs you can soak in).  

 

Has anyone visited the castle by the water?

 

Also, prompted by the comments on rental cars, I did a quick check of prices to pick up at Rome airport and drop at the port.  That’s about $100 per day and just picking up and dropping at the port doesn’t reduce the cost any.  Are rental cars really $100 a day?

[bennybear]

6 hours ago, vapersecutor said:

I’ve been enjoying reading all of the posts and appreciate the great ideas.  Can anyone offer any ideas for something they’ve seen or done in Civitavecchia that they enjoyed?  We’ve cruised from there before so I have some idea of it as a city port and not a tourist destination.  We’ll have the afternoon of our arrival and morning before we sail so not a lot of time.

 

Something I saw was Terme Taurine (historical ruins) and Terme Della Ficoncella (hot springs you can soak in).  

 

Has anyone visited the castle by the water?

 

Also, prompted by the comments on rental cars, I did a quick check of prices to pick up at Rome airport and drop at the port.  That’s about $100 per day and just picking up and dropping at the port doesn’t reduce the cost any.  Are rental cars really $100 a day?

You can easily take the local bus to Tarquinia for the day,  it has an excellent Etruscan museum and necropolis of tombs to visit. It’s about 30 minutes away.  
IMO that price for a car with drop off at the port is a good price,  as transport would cost you about the same or more.  That way you have the freedom to explore a little,  maybe stay in nearby Viterbo or Tarquinia.  

Edited March 10, 2022 by bennybear

[euro cruiser]

6 hours ago, vapersecutor said:

Also, prompted by the comments on rental cars, I did a quick check of prices to pick up at Rome airport and drop at the port.  That’s about $100 per day and just picking up and dropping at the port doesn’t reduce the cost any.  Are rental cars really $100 a day?

 

Yes.  Have you checked prices on rentals in the States lately?  They're double what they were pre-pandemic.  Even as the companies replenish their fleets and have more supply on hand I doubt the rates will come down until demand forces it, in the meantime they're all trying to make up for the losses they suffered during the pandemic.

[iancal]

Rent a car.  Lot of places to go.  So many interesting places in Umbria and Tuscany within easy reach.

 

Very easy to get to Lucca,  Orvieto, Florence by train.    Leave luggage in Civ. and just take carry on for two days. 

 

 If you want to see what is involved in training to a number of potential places get on the Trenitalia site.  Going up the coast towards Pisa you can easily change trains for Lucca or various Cinq Terre cities.

 

We certainly would not stay in Civ.for two days...most would be 1/2 day!

 

 

Edited March 10, 2022 by iancal

[GarCat88]

Prior to our TA to Ft Lauderdale in October we will be site seeing in Rome for 6 days. We will then stay 2 days in Santa Marinella at Villa delle Palme. It looks beautiful, and I’m so excited!  

[NoWhiners]

3 hours ago, GarCat88 said:

Prior to our TA to Ft Lauderdale in October we will be site seeing in Rome for 6 days. We will then stay 2 days in Santa Marinella at Villa delle Palme. It looks beautiful, and I’m so excited!  

 

I had to go look those places up. It does look very nice and October should still be warm enough to swim.

 

Have fun.

[ShopperfiendTO]

OP,

 

Is this your first time in Italy and have you been to Florence before?

 

If this is your first time and you haven't been to Florence, and given that you are not keen on driving, I would actually suggest a train to Florence.  Unfortunately, the fastest way there is through Rome but the trip is still under 3 hours using the express route (hopefully it's available on your date, I'm not sure).

 

On the TA segment, the port stop for Florence is likely Livorno, and it's a fair distance from Livorno to Florence.  I can't imagine you will be able to really enjoy both Lucca and Florence on a shore excursion, even if it's a long 12 hour stop.

 

If you debark November 14 morning and leave for Florence from there with a carry-on (using the check luggage as described by the other posters), you will have the afternoon and two full days in glorious Florence.  You can then use your Livorno stop to enjoy Lucca and/or Pisa more fully, as these cities are much closer to Livorno than Florence is (Florence is over an hour away by train, and if you aren't booking a ship tour you have to add time to get from the port to the train station in Livorno which takes 15-30 minutes).

 

If you have been to Florence, then, again, given your aversion to driving, I would suggest you might want to consider a train and bus to Siena as has been suggested earlier in this thread.  That trip takes under 3 hours using the "express" route.  Siena is an infamously a long drive from Livorno (lots of windy roads, about 1.5 hours by car each way).  However, if you stay there, you might want to think of a day trip to the surrounding area by booking a day trip if you find that you've done everything you want there.

Edited March 14, 2022 by ShopperfiendTO

[NoWhiners]

Hi Shopper

 

Thanks for this; it is our first trip to Italy.  We are almost certainly going back to Rome for the few days between cruises. DH found some museums he would like to see and we will have done the major touristy things pre-cruise. But, we may take a day to take the train to one of the places that have been suggested. They all sound great, which makes it hard to choose. We are starting to write things down so we can be sure we get to see all we want in the time we have. So far, it looks like we have about 1 1/2 days still open, so we can still consider other options.

 

Thank you for your help--the note about Florence being far from Livorno was particularly helpful.