Princess Transfers

[RetdCruizers]

My husband and I will be on a cruise in November 2008, departing from Rome. Does anyone have any suggestions as to whether or not it is best to stay at the Princess hotels versus finding a hotel on our own. It seems that the prices of hotels listed in the Princess brochure are extremely high. :eek: We will be arriving two days prior to sailing and our TA said that we would not be able to get a transfer to the hotel from the airport through Princess...unless we were coming in the same day as we sail. We need suggestions on:

• How to arrange transportation from airport to hotel (~cost)
  
• A good hotel in the city
  
• How to arrange transportation from hotel to ship terminal (~cost)

Thanks so much for your help.

[willysgrandma]

I believe if you book your hotel through Princess, transfers would be included.

 

If you book a hotel on your own, you would haev to get yourself to the ship, but you can buy transfers back to the airport after the cruise.

[britsbest]

That is exactly what the OP knew!:D

[RetdCruizers]

Thanks...yes, we knew that the transfers would be included in the hotel cost, if booked through Princess...we are considering booking a hotel on our own and needed any info regarding experiences that others have had getting to and from the hotel/and port while staying in Rome....and if anyone has a hotel suggestion...

[Pam in CA]

A couple of suggestions: one is to check the pricing of hotels in Rome booking independently and then add the cost of the transfer from the airport to hotel and then hotel to pier before deciding that the Princess hotel is way too expensive. It's quite a distance from Rome to Civitavecchia (perhaps an hour and a half?) with lots of traffic and if there is an accident (which there often is), a cab right could wind up being very, very expensive.

 

You might want to check with your Roll Call to see what others on your cruise are doing and to see if you could share transportation, etc. if you book your hotel on your own.

[pj-atsea]

We booked our own hotel in Rome and then booked a private car pick up to take us to Civitavecchia.. I think we used viator for the car. I don't think it was much different in price than purchasing 2 transfers. I will see if I can find it in my files, but it was the summer before last so prices would be higher now. We stayed at a small hotel in Rome, the Albergo Ottocentro.. It was Ok, but I think I'd opt for a slightly bigger hotel next time. Pricewise it was fine and it was clean. Not badly located either,but rooms were a little small. Breakfast was included and that was a saving also. You can find it on tripadvisor.. I would get a room on a lower floor ( as we were advised on tripadvisor) because the airconditioning works better on the lower floors. There are lots of small hotels like that, maybe your TA can find one for you near whatever area of the city you'd like to be. I know with the car, it took a little over an hour to drive to the port.pj

[Toto2Kansas]

Just another idea. If you find a hotel near the airport in Rome, (we stayed at the Hilton and hotel offered a free shuttle bus back into Rome and then from there back to the hotel several times a day. We were able to do a lot of sightseeing without the transportation costs). You could make your way back over to the airport the day of the cruise and still book princess transfers to the port.

The Hilton had both a free shuttle to the airport or a covered walkway, we took the walkway as it was only a few minutes walk.

 

Transfers for two from Rome to the port can be very high if booked privately. The only way around this is to find several others to share the cost and the ride with. If you can not, the Princess transfers would be the best way if you can find a hotel close enough to the airport so you can get back the day the ship embarks so you can meet the Princess rep at the baggage claim area at the airport for the transfer.

[mopat]

We made arrangements to use Princess transfers in Rome, but not stay in the hotel they were using because of the cost. Princess rep advised us that we could just meet up at the hotel Princess was using on the day of departure. However, we eventually decided to book our own transportation to the ship due to the added taxi cost to get to the Princess hotel. Hope this helps. Good luck....

[RetdCruizers]

Excellent suggestions, just exactly what we needed. Thanks to each of you for your time and expertise...Happy Sailing !!

[YoPhilly]

As the dollar continues to drop against the euro, the Princess hotel deal may sound better and better. Do your research and compare rates. I stayed at Paba Hotel, Albergo del Senato and Hotel Teatropace within the past few months. All were clean, all except del Senato had tiny rooms, all included breakfast, all were convenient for sightseeing. Keep in mind that if you book your own hotel AND the Princess transfers, you will need to take a cab from central Rome to the Princess pick-up point.

 

I second the suggestion to find someone on your Roll Call to share cab rides. I did that - researched fares and found 6 other CC people to share the fare from Rome to the port. Makes it much more affordable.

 

From FCO to Rome, I've used www.romeshuttlelimousine.com four times now. They have the lowest fare (35 euros) for a private car and they are completely reliable and prompt.

[RetdCruizers]

YoPhilly....thanks a bunch for the suggestions regarding the Roll Call, the link to Rome Shuttle Limo service and the names of the hotels where you've stayed...much appreciated !! Sounds like you've spent extended time in Rome...can't wait !

[YoPhilly]

There are lots of posts about hotels in Rome. Do a search for "Rome hotels" or look under Ports of Call/Europe/Mediterranean. You could also check reviews in TripAdvisor.com and check rates at venere.com.

 

Have fun!

[Chesie]

We looked into the Princess Hotels. They wanted $1,100 USD for the 3 of us!! So I decided to do what Toto did. We booked the Hilton Airport Hotel as they have free shuttles to the center of Rome. We have been there several times and this time just want to chill and people watch.

 

We purchased the Princess transfers so all we have to do is wake up and walk 10 minutes to the airport from the hotel to catch the transfers.

 

I used my reward points for Hilton. Glad I did with the Euro now!

 

A word of caution, and don't know if this is totally true. My TA told us that if you book your own hotel you can pick up the transfer at the airport OR at a Princess hotel. However, if you go to the Princess hotel, we were told it would be "if there was room" to get on board for the transfer to the port! And what if there was no room on the bus? I don't need that stress on embarkment day.

 

I think the Hilton will work fine for us. We can sleep in a bit in the morning, enjoy breakfast and a short walk. Who knows what the traffic will be. If I'm on a Princess transfer I know I'm getting to the ship!

 

Chesie