meggies

Can previous travelers please advise the most efficient and, hopefully, least costly form of transportation for two people with luggage from FCO to the cruise pier at Civitavecchia?

bratsandbeer

We are looking at a cruise now that ends in Civitavecchia. We have been to Rome several times so I am wondering if we could get off the ship at the Pisa location and take the train to Pisa or Florence and fly back to the states from there. That way we could see more of the area around Pisa.

Maybe someone can answer your question - there must be some kind of transportation besides a taxi. Did you ask the cruise company?

tuscanlifeedit

I am not a cruiser, haven't been on a cruise, and don't know anything from personal experience. I'm only reporting feedback from clients.

They got off a large cruise ship before the end of the cruise and told me that the cruise employees were very unhappy and unhelpful. The consensus seemed to be that this is discouraged because you aren't staying on the ship and spending. However, I can't see why you couldn't leave any time you wanted to.

To the OP: the most efficient way won't be the least costly way.

Most efficient: a car service. I have booked with one that charged 100 € each way for booking a return trip.

Least expensive: train to Rome, train to Civitavecchia.

Ann1

bratsandbeer: My daughter left our Disney cruise ship in St. Thomas to fly home for school. She told the staff when she boarded the ship that she would be leaving on a specific day. They had 3 other families leaving at the same time. They have to have customs board the ship anyway at each port so they can check you out at the same time. Everyone was wonderful to her. I guess as tuscanlifeedit mentioned, some aren't happy about it.

Meggies: Again as tuscanlifeedit mentioned the most efficient isn't the least expensive. Honestly, IMO, going on the train and changing and then getting to the port from the station.....to me it wouldn't be worth not getting a car service.

kybourbon

It's possible to take the train from FCO to Civitavecchia, but it requires a change at Roma Trastevere station (about 10€). You take the local train from the airport, not the Leonardo Express to Termini.

patandhank

We're going the opposite way in August. As I understand it, the least costly way is the train. Having said that, we opted for hiring someone to pick us up at the port to take us to the airport. Someone from our cruise may share the ride with us to split the cost, but even if they don't we don't want to have to deal with the luggage aspect in taking the train. Check out www.romecabs.com or www.romeinlimo.com

Waldo

I have made that trip many times. The most convenient and the least expensive way is to rent a car here in the US for pickup at FCO, which is a snap. It would be a one day rental, for about 35-50 US dollars. You pick up the car at FCO, load up, take a beautiful, liesurely drive, hugging the beautiful Mediteranean, all the way to Civitavecchia. You drive directly to the embarkation point, drop off a lot of luggage, with your other half guarding the luggage. You then drive the very short distance to the rail station and drop off the car. Then you take a lovely short walk back to the port and meet your other half and proceed.

Ann1

Waldo: Great idea.

meggies

Waldo, can you please advise as to which US car company you used to get that low rate? Also, DH would be the driver and he will be 74 when we travel. Is a car rental in Europe out of the question because of his age?

Waldo

I used Hertz here in the US. The Hertz counter is easily reached at FCO. I did not have any problems with my age. I must admit I am older than 74. Remember, you are renting in the US, so age should not be a factor. If you can, use your Master Card or Visa when you get your auto. At FCO, they will try to load you up with collision insurance. Be insistent, and tell them you have that insurance through your credit card. Get the most economical auto, you only need it for one relatively short trip.

kybourbon

>>>If you can, use your Master Card or Visa when you get your auto. At FCO, they will try to load you up with collision insurance.<<<

Your credit card insurance won't cover you in Italy. They all exclude Italy.

Ann1

CDW in included in your rental. You have to check what isn't covered. Sometimes your travel insurance covers auto insurance. I would suggest AutoEurope.com but I don't think they do one day rentals. I think they only do two and three day rentals. You can check it out. They will beat any price from any agency and they have insurance included. It's a US consolidator. Many people on this board use them. We always do.

Waldo

To kybourbon- I can't vouch for your credit card, but my credit card specifically covers CDW, including Italy.

kybourbon

To Waldo - I have AmEx and Mastercard. Neither cover Italy, Ireland and a few other countries. After a quick search, it appears Visa doesn't exclude Italy (it does exclude other countries such as Ireland, etc.), but it's also rather vague as it states - "Additionally, this benefit is not available where precluded by law or in violation of the territory terms of the auto rental agreement or prohibited by individual merchants."

If the merchant was insisting your card coverage wasn't valid or was precluded by law, then you might not have had any coverage.

Visa
>>>When and where do I have this benefit?

This benefit is available in the United States and most foreign countries. No benefit is provided for motor vehicles rented in Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland, or Northern Ireland. Additionally, this benefit is not available where precluded by law or in violation of the territory terms of the auto rental agreement or prohibited by individual merchants. Because regulations vary outside the United States, we recommend you check with your auto rental company and the Benefit Administrator before you travel to make sure Visa Auto Rental CDW will apply. <<<

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-ca...1273.php#chart

From Rick Steves website:

Exceptions: There are some exceptions to what I've described. If you rent a car in Italy, you are required to have theft insurance, and most car-rental companies' rates automatically include CDW coverage (which you sometimes can't decline). It's not unusual to decline CDW when you reserve your Italian car, only to find when you show up at the counter that you must buy it after all.

Ann1

Waldo, what country are you in? I have 4 cc's and none of them cover Italy. European cc's can be different.