france81

Our ship will be docking in Civitavecchia and I just found out it is about 1 1/2 hours from Rome. I have heard that booking tours, transport. thru cruise line is very expensive. Does anyone have a suggestion or two as to transportation or honest, reasonable tour company that I can use to see lovely Roma? My biggest concern is just to even get to Rome! I am a female traveling alone so it's a bit of a challenge. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I love this site!

petlover

I've had the best luck visiting Rome with a guide, Remo. (he also does strictly transportation to and from Rome as well). He speaks perfect English and has a great knowledge of Rome and a sense of humor! He's a native of Rome and you can just sit back, relax and let him take you as he sees fit. Some how he's able to avoid lines too. He'll wait and stay as long any one spot as you'd like. He'll also take you for a great lunch at a local restaurant. To keep the price down, it would be nice if you could gather another person or two as well. I've done both the cruise excursions as well as spending a day with Remo....no comparison! You can email him for his prices.

Here is the info on Remo:

Executive Limousine Rome
Remo Melaragno
website: www.driverinrome.com
email: [email protected]

Have a great time in Rome!

PumpkinEater

It depends on how adventuresome you are. My family took the train into Rome which actually gets there faster than by car. Our choice was made not only because of money (about $5 per person round trip) but because we wanted to experience the local flavor. We rode with children going to school, businessmen traveling to the big city, etc. We did our research online before we left and had a good understanding of where places were and how far they were, etc. We chose ancient Rome because we knew we couldn't see it all in one day. The coleseum is only about a six block walk from the termini train station and from there we went to the forum, trevi fountain, piazza navona for lunch, spanish steps, pantheon and some shopping. It was a full day.

If you want to visit the Vatican area, you would get off the train at St. Pietro and you'll only be several blocks from St. Peters.

If you aren't that adventurous, I would agree that a guide would be better than the ship's excursion.

Peter

mari129

I second the comments about Remo and Driver in Rome. What a fun, kind person. We had a group of 18. Depending on what we needed, Remo was able to accomodate our group of 18 in Rome, and when we separated into smaller groups in Florence and Naples. I can't recommend Remo and his company enough!

france81

Thank you so much for your response. I am quite adventurous and hopefully, I will meet enough people on board and we can "Share" a ride. Otherwise, I will be fine with the train and go by the seat of my pants!

SUNSHINE1223

Thanks for the information. I am going next year and will check our Remo. Again I just love this site too.

maryann

Has anyone ever stayed in Civitivecchia ? We will be there for 2 nights between cruises, want something with a view - near some restaurants.

We will want to go on a 1/2 day tour somewhere near (suggestion ?) and a full day in Rome (going to checkout Remo).

jacketwatch

In 2002 we struck a deal with a cabbie for a private tour and it was $200.00 then vs. about $450.00 from the RCCL excursion (party of 3). We were quite satisfied. Of course then the USD was 1:1 to the Euro. Good luck, Larry

traveller333

I can't imagine anyone who would want to spend anymore time in Civitavecchia than necessary. It's only a port, nothing more.

I used Remo of Exec. Limo and he was great. We have him booked again for September. He's a nice guy who really wants to show you the sights he's so proud of. He's good about working with whatever you want to see and will tailor your day accordingly.

katorric

Hi - Just returned from a Splendour of the Seas cruise that included Civitavecchia. It was easy going into Rome.
1. Get off the boat early - around 8:30.
2. Either pay the $5 transport fee to get to the train station or get a group of people to share a cab. They will be waiting for you. It was $10 Euros but we got 5 of us in the cab.
3. Buy a roundtrip ticket to Roma. It was only about $5 Euros. Just keep asking to make sure you get on the right train.
4. It really only took 45 minutes through interesting countryside to get there. Watch for your stops. Saint Peter Square for the Vatican or Termini for Ancient Rome.
5. We did the Systine Chapel, had lunch at a nice little place right outside, then took a short cab ride to the Pantheon (Brad Pitt was supposedly in a hotel filming Ocean's 12) We walked to the Trevi Fountain then cabbed it back to the train station. Much cheaper than an excursion that does the same darn thing.

hewlpac

I second katorric opinion, we did the same tour a few weeks ago. It is easy and cheap. The metro is a good option once in Rome to get from Termini to Colosseum or to Trevi. Pick a couple of sites and enjoy them in the time available. Take a cab to the train station, the cruise line will only get you part way as a rule unless you book an excursion and still charge you for that!

roothy123

In May, we took the train to San Pietro. Easy, but don't expect to see EVERYTHING in Roma if you do it yourself. There's just too much, and too spread out. If you want recommendations on other private guides, try going to yahoo's groups and searching in the cruise section. There's a lot of good stuff there. CruiseCritic boards too.

roothy123

As a P.S. We got a BIRG one day pass for Rome, which got us unlimited travel on the train from Civi to Roma (or San Pietro) and back. I think it was 9 euros - very cheap. It was good for the metro too - you bypassed the turnstiles and just walked in. (Don't worry - it's legal! We asked!) Although you'll probably see more with a private driver, it IS very easy and cheap to do it on your own.

roothy123

P.S.S. I wouldn't worry about being a female alone. Trains and metro are fine; just be cautious always. We'd heard a lot about gypsy children, pickpockets, etc. but had absolutely no problem - in Rome OR elsewhere in the Med. (Be cautious in Barcelona, too.)

andy

France81--Just remember to make it back to your ship in time- as ship WILL sail without you...

Also thw gypsies DO exist in Rome- usually little kids surrounding you and one does the pickpocketing or a woman tosses her baby to you and someone else pickpockets you...

In addition, TRAINS in Italy go on strike on a moments notice--so be forewarned...

I personally would do the private guide...and post this on the www.cruisecritics.com board and you will link up with a lot of people from your ship and your particular cruise and you will probably be able to fill that private tour car in no time!!

SUNSHINE1223

The gypsies are in Paris too. My older sister naive as she is got stopped by some teenagers. I was walking ahead and looked back. There was a group of them that surrounded her. I yelled at my sister to start walking. I stared one in the eye and turned. They said are you American? I kept walking and just put my hand up to say stop I know what you are doing. I then told my sister that it is hard to be nice to everyone and they were going to make a grab for her purse. I think she might have learned her lesson.

cruiising

We just got home from the Brilliance of the Seas (and wish we were back!). We used driverinrome.com - Daniele - in Rome and had a terrific experience. Daniele was our driver/tour guide and he was just perfect. Lots of info and history, but not overwhelming or too chatty. His English is perfect - hardly even a trace of an accent - which made a nice contrast to the tour guide we'd had on a RCCI trip in Dubrovnik.

We started at the Vatican Museum where we beat the tour buses and got in without a wait. Next we went to St. Peter's - also little waiting. After that we headed to a hilltop park with a great view of the City (and landmarks pointed out by Daniele). Then it was off to the Colliseum where he took us to an alternate ticket location which eliminated the wait there. After that we stopped at the Pantheon where a couple of our group left the tour to walk to the Spainish Steps and meet us there later. Daniele drove the rest of us to the Trevi Fountain where we also elected to walk to the Spanish Steps. (We wanted to walk some to get the flavor of the city "from the ground&quot. He was waiting right where he said he'd be when he said he'd be. All in all a great day.
Have a wonderful trip!
Ann

petlover

It looks like many of have used Remo...he is a great guide and I'd highly recommend him. Since we've spent quite a bit of time in Rome, last time we never left Civitecchia...a pleasant surprise. It's a nice town and for anyone who doesn't want to make the day trip to Rome, it's a great alternative for a low key, relaxing day with nice cafes for lunch and cute shops. Nothing like the hussle bussel of Rome. (If you've never visited Rome...go to Rome, no problem being a single female IMO!)