My husband, my in-laws, my daughter and I are taking a Celebrity cruise from Barcelona to Venice this summer. The ship stops in "Rome." I thought we would just book shore excursions through the cruise line but it seems many use private drivers or tours in Italy.
Has any one been on a cruise ship tour that includes the Vatican? If so, what kind of line did you have to wait in? Does the excursion operator have the Vatican tickets already? Were you able to get entry to the Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basillica?
What would your recommendation be? Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance.
M
Rome Shore Excursion/Tour to Vatican
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This company has been recommended by several people on the travel boards http://www.romecabs.com/index.html
I emailed them and had a nice reply. We are going to book with them. The tour does the vatican and he gets the tickets in advance. If you read the website and send an email asking specific questions I am sure you will get the answers you want and prices. We are going to be there in September on the Rotterdam.
I agree with Romecabs... and make sure to ask to go with Stefano himself. He is the owner, although he has other drivers too.
We stayed in Rome for 4 nights before a Med. cruise in 2006. Stefano picked us up at the airport the day we arrived in Rome, and also drove us to the port on the first day of our cruise. He was great!
I agree with Rome Cabs... and make sure to ask to go with Stefano himself. He is the owner, although he has other drivers too.
We stayed in Rome for 4 nights before a Med. cruise in 2006. Stefano picked us up at the airport the day we arrived in Rome, and also drove us to the port on the first day of our cruise. He was great!
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Romecab is great and they will get you there from the port. The drive is not your tour guide for the Vatican but they will get one for you, and they also want you to get your own Vatican entrnace tickets.
To visit the Vatican, you will need a minimum of 4 hours just to get a good glimpse. You will also want the "no line" tickets, which is more expensive and a private small group guide (typically for 6 people or less) which is also expensive as well.
I have used "Dark Rome Tour" and their Vatican guide is exceptional. They offer both small group and large group and I highly recommend the small group.
Last October, we were at the Vatican before they were open to the public. People were already lined up around the block. The guide took us in bypassing the lines at 7:30 am. The security at the door checked our names and we were in before anyone else, ahead of the crowd pretty much the whole day.
Don't bother to buy any souvenir inside the Vatican. There is a hugh official Souvneir store outside by the Square. Everything is all in one palce and great selection. Same price as inside.
If you can get Romecab to get you to Vatican and back to the ship, and book Dark Rome Tour for the actual tour of the Vatican, you will have a winning combination.
markmoore topped a thread that is 3 years old. I'm sure the OP's trip is over.
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