Arriving 7am FCO Can't check into hotel until 2

[Ombud]

Title sort of says it but I'm staying in Civitavecchia & day tripping to Tarquinia. However the best flight has me into FCO at 'supposedly' 7am 2 days early. So -----

> is there somewhere near the train station where I can both check luggage and get hop on hop off bus? 

> then continue onto my hotel late day? 

[Ombud]

Is luggage storage at Termini Station safe?? Is it self store lockers? I can't seem to find that online (yes Google is my friend but it doesn't say)

[marazul]

46 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Title sort of says it but I'm staying in Civitavecchia & day tripping to Tarquinia. However the best flight has me into FCO at 'supposedly' 7am 2 days early. So -----

> is there somewhere near the train station where I can both check luggage and get hop on hop off bus? 

> then continue onto my hotel late day? 

Not clear what you are doing.  You say you are staying in Civitavecchia, but Termini station is in Rome.  The ho-ho buses are in Rome too, not in Civi.  This would make more sense if you were to stay in Rome for two days.  

 

Are you planning to land in FCO, take the train to Rome and go sightseeing for the day before going to Civi? Or are you staying in Civi and taking public buses to Tarquinia?

 

In any case, wherever you are, go straight to your hotel.  They will keep your luggage at the desk.  This happens all the time. In fact, when they know you are there, they will tell you if you can check in early later in the day.

Edited March 17, 2023 by marazul

[CruiserBruce]

I am confused. Are you staying in Rome, or Civi? Civi doesn't have a hop on hop off that I am aware of.

 

Hardly ever seen a hotel refuse to hold your luggage until you can access the room. Just leave the luggage with them.

 

It can easily take over an hour to clear Immigration and get your luggage.

[Ombud]

I don't want to stay in Rome. I don't like bug cities. I want to do the Rome HOHO bus the day I land in FCO then continue onto Civitavecchia late that day. 

[marazul]

Just a thought.  You do have two days before the cruise.  Why don't you go straight to Civi the day you arrive.  Leave the bags at the hotel and go to Tarquinia.  This is easy to do and you can turn in early after your long flight. The next day when you are rested, take an early train to Rome and spend the day sightseeing.  You will have more time to sightsee and you will not have to deal with your luggage.

Edited March 17, 2023 by marazul

[Ombud]

22 minutes ago, marazul said:

Just a thought.  You do have two days before the cruise.  Why don't you go straight to Civi the day you arrive.  Leave the bags at the hotel and go to Tarquinia.  This is easy to do and you can turn in early after your long flight. The next day when you are rested, take an early train to Rome and spend the day sightseeing.  You will have more time to sightsee and you will not have to deal with your luggage.

Good thought but I want to be rested for Tarquinia. Been to Rome ALOT but never there. Can skip Rome if necessary 

[CruiserBruce]

The Rome hop on, hop off is not recommended here. It can't get close to a number of key sites due to narrow streets. It is frequently very crowded,  making re-boarding very difficult. 

[Ombud]

Thank you!! That'll save me some time! Will just map out a walking route to / from ghetto

[cruisemom42]

The luggage store facility in Rome has been safe on the two occasions I've used it. It is manned -- you hand over your luggage and they provide you with a ticket for pick-up.

 

If your destination is the Jewish Ghetto, you may want to grab a cab outside Termini station. It would be about a 40-minute walk each way.

 

If you're looking for something to see/do closer to Termini station, there is the wonderful branch of the Museo Nazionale located almost across the street in the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. It contains many of the best antiquities found in and around Rome, including the famous garden fresco from the villa of Livia (wife of Caesar Augustus) and a beautiful larger than life statue of the same emperor. 

 

 

The detail is amazing. There are more than a hundred varieties of plants represented.

 

 

 

 

If you have already visited this wonderful museum, there is also the church designed by Michelangelo out of the ruins of one of the largest Imperial Roman baths in Rome -- and it has one of the longest names: Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs). The nave of the church was created from what was the cold room (frigidarium) of the baths. You can continue through the back and see some of the rest of the ancient Roman baths rooms as well; you can also see the famous meridian sundial that was used to check the accuracy of clocks in the early 1700s...   Read more here:   http://www.reidsitaly.com/destinations/lazio/rome/sights/sm_angeli.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[borninrome]

you might consider booking a hotel in Civitavecchia, and then a transfer from FCO to Civitavecchia that includes 2 or 4 hours of Minitour in Rome, there is this option on Civitavecchiaport.org website. At the end of the tour they leave you in Civitavecchia.

[Ombud]

On 3/18/2023 at 5:13 AM, borninrome said:

you might consider booking a hotel in Civitavecchia, and then a transfer from FCO to Civitavecchia that includes 2 or 4 hours of Minitour in Rome, there is this option on Civitavecchiaport.org website. At the end of the tour they leave you in Civitavecchia.

My flight won't arrive until 7:30 now (yeah, everything changes). So if it takes 2 hrs for customs a mini tour might be the best option!! 

[marazul]

We flew into Rome last August.  We also had an early arrival, but we were out of customs in less than one hour. 

It would be good to hear from others about their experience.

[CruiserBruce]

FCO is a bit of a slow airport, but it won't take 2 hours to clear Passport Check (the European name) and claiming your bags. Customs is the red/green system, literally takes seconds.

 

Plan on close to an hour for the process.

[borninrome]

Yes, 1 hour max and you’re out

[Ombud]

On 3/22/2023 at 11:31 AM, CruiserBruce said:

FCO is a bit of a slow airport, but it won't take 2 hours to clear Passport Check (the European name) and claiming your bags. Customs is the red/green system, literally takes seconds.

 

Plan on close to an hour for the process.

So they're egatesHeathrow? Heathrow?

[CruiserBruce]

8 minutes ago, Ombud said:

So they're egatesHeathrow? Heathrow?

If you are asking about Customs in European airports,  it's the red/green system. That means you self declare. If you have something to declare,  you go in the red line. If you don't,  you go in the green line, which takes you straight out to the public. There can be random checks.

 

Europe is not that big on Customs. The US seems to heading that way slowly. 

[Ombud]

I had something similar to Heathrow in NY. Match my face to my passport and enter. 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Ombud

[CruiserBruce]

5 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I had something similar to Heathrow in NY. Match my face to my passport and enter. 

 

 

This is not making sense.  If you are talking flying from Heathrow to NY, and this happened at Heathrow,  then this was your exit Passport Check. 

[Ombud]

3 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

This is not making sense.  If you are talking flying from Heathrow to NY, and this happened at Heathrow,  then this was your exit Passport Check. 

Not exactly.  I flew to UK and went through customs. Boarded the ship & cruised to Brooklyn.  Went thru customs. 

 

They also scanned my face entering at Fort Lauderdale but that was a different cruise

 

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Ombud

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

Not exactly.  I flew to UK and went through customs. Boarded the ship & cruised to Brooklyn.  Went thru customs. 

 

They also scanned my face entering at Fort Lauderdale but that was a different cruise

 

 

It's important to understand the difference between Immigration (Passport Check in Europe) and Customs.  Immigration is about your personal ability to enter a country.  Countries can be very serious about Immigration. Customs is about the legality of property entering a country. European countries are not too serious about Customs. 

[Ombud]

Delete

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Ombud

[marazul]

We showed our passports to the agent in Rome. No scans. It may have changed in the six months since. But we were still through immigration, customs (green), and out of the building in less than one hour.

 

And, yes, the scans at LHR has made it almost tolerable. 

[Ombud]

Sorry everyone,  got lost in the weeds trying to figure out how to squeeze Rome in despite this would be my 4th time there.