FCO => Civitavecchia Port?

[New_horizon]

Thanks for the info Sheik

 

We are not going until October 2007 but we'll be getting the train. We are in our fifties but we managed in Beijing and Osaka/Tokyo and so following your directions we think we will be fine in Rome. Really don't like paying high transfer fees and it's fun doing the local thing. Bye now.

[Sheik]

You're welcome mate ;)

[vivian02]

Got the information going to FCO, Thanks. I have noticed there are many seniors these days going to Europe and doing the Cruise thing. What has really paid off for me was the fact that I toured Europe in my younger years and that experience has paided off. For those who have never toured Europe and are "very demanding" I strongly recommend you take a private car or taxi. The train isn't for everyone. However traveling like the locals has always been a very enjoyable experience for me. Tim

[Deloresgardella]

We will be sailing on the Legend of the Seas Oct. 12, 2007. :)We have been to Rome so thought it would be nice to stay at the port. But every hotel that I have tried is not available on the 10 and 11 of October. Will keep trying for awhile then if I can't find anything will try Rome and stay there. We may try the train. We have done it in other cities. Took the train in Stockholm and had no trouble. Except we got lost in the city.:o But thats another story. Can anybody suggest a good hotel in Rome that isn't too expensive. :confused:Thank you for all help.

Delores

[Soccerfan]

We will be sailing on the Legend of the Seas Oct. 12, 2007. :)We have been to Rome so thought it would be nice to stay at the port. But every hotel that I have tried is not available on the 10 and 11 of October. Will keep trying for awhile then if I can't find anything will try Rome and stay there. We may try the train. We have done it in other cities. Took the train in Stockholm and had no trouble. Except we got lost in the city.:o But thats another story. Can anybody suggest a good hotel in Rome that isn't too expensive. :confused:Thank you for all help.

Delores

 

Hi Delores,

 

My DH has relatives in Rome that recommend the Hotel Arenula to visitors. It is very conveniently located in the centre of Rome, it is clean and breakfast is very good. We saw the hotel when we were in Rome in May 06 and have booked our party of 5 couples to stay in June 07. (Friends stayed there in May)

 

The hotel is not a Sheraton, in fact it's more of an Inn up a sidestreet off the main road. We weren't looking for a big hotel rather one that captured the European essence. Location was very important to us as we do like to walk and don't want to bother with taxi's or busses in order to see the main sights of Rome.

 

Cost is 125 Euros per night per room for 2 people including breakfast.

 

http://www.hotelarenula.com

 

Good Luck!! We can't wait to return to Rome.:)

[Sheik]

You can look for Hotel Giada near the trainstation in Rome. It's a 10 minutes walk from station to Hotel. It's a safe walk. The hotel as 3 stars, is relative cheap but the rooms need a refurbishment. Rooms are huge but VERY clean. Service is good. Cleanliness is the main reason we stayed once in Giada.

[didan]

Sheik,

Thanks so much for the great info on the train - we will be cruising in June and are thinking about taking the train from the port to the airport. One question about luggage - can you keep your luggage with you on the train or do you have to leave it in a certain area? I would be afraid of someone walking off with it...

[Sheik]

We always keep the luggage with us.

[dizzyb]

Greetings.

 

1st time to Europe and I want to make the most of it.

 

I'm arriving at FCO on March 14 at 7:35am, I want to be at my ship by 4-5pm (we are leaving port by 7pm). Not to pout but I'm not leaving Rome as soon as I get there. I do have a few questions that I'm hoping I can get some advice/suggestions on.

 

1) For all you train riders, I've read about the FCO to Civitavecchia route - how is the train from FCO into Rome with luggage?

 

2) Any polite suggestions on where I can store my luggage in Rome? :p

 

3) After I have my luggage stored (hopefully by 10 latest) I have a whole 5 hours to explore (fingers crossed). So who amongst you Rome experts have suggestions on the best way to spend my first day? (I did read about the hope on off bus - would that give me a good overview?)

 

4) Train rider experts again - can you please give me explicit directions from Rome to Civitavecchia? (please notice my posting name...)

 

I'm hoping to reverse the directions in 4 above to get me back into Rome from Civitavecchia for the last day of my cruise and the departure day. I just couldn't stand to pay the $85 fee pp on the date of arrival, a day in port and our day of departure so maybe the train will be the way to go for me. THANKS for the info! :D

[Sheik]

Hi there,

 

Rome needs a couple of days to explore. It's a missed change when you try to see this beautiful city in just a couple of hours. You'd better book an hotel for 4 nights before or after the cruise.

 

My suggestion is don't take unnecessary risks. We always take the same plane and arrive in FCO at 10.30am. We get our luggage and take the train to Civitavecchia. It's 1-1.5 hours trainride to Civitavecchia and we arrive in Civitavecchia at 1.00-1.30 pm. It's walk 600 meters walk to the entrance of the pier. From there we take shuttle to the ship, which is ready for embarkation, and are onboard at 2-2.30 pm.

 

Luggage is no problem. You can stand next to your luggage or look for a chair in front of the luggage. If it's not too crowded, you can take you luggage with you and place them on the chairs. You really not have to worry about the luggage loosing out of sight.

[dizzyb]

Sheik, so with the 7:30am arrival time - you still think we'd be cutting the arrival time at the port too close? I was so hoping to get an overview of rome on the hop on off bus so that we could then explore Rome more in depth on the last two days of our vacation.

 

However I have read a few other posts and it does seem that luggage storage in Rome for the arrival day would be a problem unless you can tip a bell captain at a hotel to keep an eye on it...

 

Is there any sites that you might recommend as a 'must see' at the port area then? It just seems like such a waste of our first day to arrive so early and go right to the ship without seeing any sights.

 

any suggestions are welcome...

[HapiFeet]

Thanks for all the train info everyone. My husband and I are 60 and I have a bad back so my idea of the train may not work so well. We will be spending a week in Venice post cruise, taking the train, so I know now what we'll be in for.

 

Re hotels, I found great results on Venere.com and TripAdvisor for Venice. After this discussion, I may go with the cruise hotel and transfer.

 

Did I read there's a hop-on hop-off bus in Rome?

 

HapiFeet

[Cruising Retired Army SGM]

Thanks for all the train info everyone. My husband and I are 60 and I have a bad back so my idea of the train may not work so well. We will be spending a week in Venice post cruise, taking the train, so I know now what we'll be in for.

 

Re hotels, I found great results on Venere.com and TripAdvisor for Venice. After this discussion, I may go with the cruise hotel and transfer.

 

Did I read there's a hop-on hop-off bus in Rome?

 

HapiFeet

 

http://www.trambusopen.it/

 

This is the web link to the Rome Tram Bus Open which I think you mean as the hop-on hop-off bus. We used it one day last summer and I am planning on using it again this June. It is also know as the 110 Tram Bus.

[corkpopr]

we have been on 3 cruises in the past 3 years from rome. i would strongly suggest not arriving the day the ship departs. go at least one day if not two before so your body is adjusted and you are relaxed. also, rome is the best stop in the Med! we have taken the train both ways in the past and the usual fee in closer to 120 euros if you hire a car. by the way, there is absolutely no reason to stay in Civiteveccia pre or post cruise.

 

the train is great but you do want the express to or from rome termini station. the express has one stop then the port. the commuter has about 9 stops. time diff. is 50 min compared to 1 hr 15 min. spend 9 euros for a private compartment so you can watch your luggage compared to 4.5 euros and it is at the end of the car and out of your direct view. Rome termini station is huge! 24 active tracks and the trains are long. from inside the station to climbing on your train can be as much as 400 meters. people will approach you and get a cart and roll your luggage and load it on the train for 5-10 euros (well worth it)

 

if you are on an unreserved train get one of the middle cars. when it stops in civiteveccia it will be 50 ft. or less from the stairwell underground. this station has 4 tracks but trains from rome are always inconvienently located on track 3. you will have to lug your four bags down 30 concrete steps, under the other tracks and back up 30 steps. if that doesn't kill you, it's almost over. an easy walk as other posters mentioned gets you to the gates of the port and then there is a shuttle bus to the ship.

 

if you take the train frm FCO to rome termini it is very easy. exit the plane, go thru customs (easy) and get a cart for one or two euros and the luggage carousels are right in front of you. luggage comes quite quickly. out the front and across the street and you are at the train. 9 euros each and you hump your own bags. about a 45 min. train into downtown rome. if you are taking a cab to your hotel from rome termini, call your hotel before you leave the states and ask how much a cab from the hotel to train station should be so you dont get ripped off. also it is good to check with the hotel and make sure your online res. are all in place!

 

have a great time.

[HapiFeet]

Whew! You're making me tired just reading this. Of course, my husband will be hauling the two big bags because I've had back surgery. Your information and details are great! We are planning on 2 days in Rome pre-cruise, so I'm going to check into the cruise hotel + transfer. Post-cruise we're going to get on the train and head for Venice. On our first trip to Europe (our honeymoon), we took a train from Paris to Nice and nearly lost our luggage. Some men offered to help us and, naively, we didn't negotiate price first. They left us at the wrong platform and we barely made our train. It was also confusing to look at the schedule boards. Two years later, we took lots of trains in England with no problem. First class is definitely the way to go so I will be reserving a compartment to go to Venice.

 

Can you tell me what we're in for in Civitivecchio to get back on the train to Venice? I assume it goes to the Rome termini first. Thanks.

[cod]

We went first class from Genoa to Rome. We did not have a compartment. The first class cars have the luggage areas at either end regular seating. We went 2nd class from Rome to Civitavecchia (on the Express) and were in a compartment. The compartments have no place for your luggage...it won't fit on the overhead racks and no room at your feet. We left ours outside the compartment in the walkway...no other choice.

 

As for getting to the port from Termini, if you can time it to catch the express, yes, I would probably do that. However, we got to Termini early and 2 local trains left - on time - before our Express train arrived...20 minutes late!! That's why, to me, the schedule should decide which you catch but in our case we'd purchased these tickets in Genoa (too)and so, we waited.

[Sheik]

the train is great but you do want the express to or from rome termini station. the express has one stop then the port. the commuter has about 9 stops. time diff. is 50 min compared to 1 hr 15 min. spend 9 euros for a private compartment so you can watch your luggage compared to 4.5 euros and it is at the end of the car and out of your direct view.

 

You'll never loose luggage out of sight. You can sit on top of it if you want. There is no reason to be afraid of loosing luggage in the regular train.

Regular trains are much easier to load luggage into the train. There are no steps and the floor is lower to the tracks. That's why we don't take the Express Train, it's not easy.

 

Rome termini station is huge! 24 active tracks and the trains are long. from inside the station to climbing on your train can be as much as 400 meters. people will approach you and get a cart and roll your luggage and load it on the train for 5-10 euros (well worth it)

 

Grab a cart, put your luggage on it and walk easily to the trains. Why spending 5-10 euros?

[corkpopr]

well, we have taken both types and were on the non-express with luggage out of sight twice. you are right there was no problem. the height from platform to the train car is the same on every train so i dont know what you are talking about.

 

we travel with two large suitcases each and one carryon. the 5-10 euros for a 400 meter walk and having them load it on the train is a bargain!!!!!! two cups of coffee costs more!

 

for the question of the train from the port to rome termini yes you have to go there first. make sure you book the eurostar only to venice. we went up on the eurostar to florence last month but were not paying attention when we left to go back to rome and got on a local. 1 hr 20 min. rome to florence but 3 hrs. 30 min. back to rome with 14 stops!

[AnnaBanana27]

Hi all,

 

I'm on the same cruise as Amanda on May 19th. My friend and I are planning to arrive 2 days earlier. So we will take the train from FCO to Rome and on cruise departure day from Rome to Civitavecchia. We're still spring chickens :) so I think we can manage with the luggage. Just not looking forward to schlepping them in the heat. Then upon arrival, we are planning to take the train back to FCO and depart for home. Sounds do-able right?

[HapiFeet]

As far as all the posts I've read here, it's do-able. Let us know how it goes. We're both 60 and not in the best of shape but working on it. Maybe I should start pulling luggage around the house...;)

[cotts]

You can look for Hotel Giada near the trainstation in Rome. It's a 10 minutes walk from station to Hotel. It's a safe walk. The hotel as 3 stars, is relative cheap but the rooms need a refurbishment. Rooms are huge but VERY clean. Service is good. Cleanliness is the main reason we stayed once in Giada.

Thanks for the advice Sheik. My son & I are training down from Paris 3 days before our cruise (Carnival Freedom in Oct). We will be near Gare de Nord in Paris and a hotel close to the station is practical. The Giada looks reasonable. Get brekkie as well.

[hbl]

EGADS! I know this subject has been beaten to death on these boards because I have oft contributed to the discussion. First off, the time to drive from FCO to the port is about an hour. Second, $85 per person is a darn good deal and you will not do much better using a taxi, limo, etc. The only cheaper option would be to use the train, and this would mean you have to take a train into Rome (opposite direction from the port) and than change trains (and platforms) for a train to Civ,, and than you still need to get from the train station to the ship (we have posted info on this many times). As much as I hate to ever use transportation provided by the cruise lines, if you arriving the day of your cruise I would suggest you take the cruise line option. As to the option of renting a car for the transfer, I have never found this a great option because the cost of a one-way rental with the darn drop charges is pretty steep. And, the rental car companies are all outside the port and some will no longer transfer you to the ship because of new security rules inside the port.

 

Hank

Thanks

[Coolcruise02]

You're welcome mate ;)

 

I realize you made post #6 last Decembr, but thanks for the overhead view of the port and train station route.

[suzy671]

Done this twice and would highly recommend arranging a private pickup.

[anilos81]

I was on a May 19th sailing, it was easy to take the train, but changing platforms sucked becuase we had to carry our bags down stairs and then up stairs to the parallel platform. On the way home we had 25 ppl book a shuttle at 20 euro each, I recommend getting a group together becuase 85 per person EACH WAY is a rip off! The train was definately doable though!