Most smart passengers might consider finding alternative transportation to a bus for the
following excusions:
Rome Major Monuments and Squares 10 hours
Vatican City and Christian Rome
Catacombs/ Castel gandolfo/ Roman Outlet 10hrs
Orvieto/Assisi/ Tarquina Excursion : 10 hrs
www.romelimousineshoretours.com
Transfers:
Fiumicino to Civitavecchia Port with 3 hrs of rome tour.
www.romelimousinebyjohn.com

Hi Mary - As a new poster you may not know, but Fodors has a policy of no advertising on this forum..

Steve

Does anyone know what one has to pay to be picked up at the Civitavecchia docks and driven to FCO in September?

Hi Moet - The going rate is about € 100-120. Try:

www.airportshuttle.it
www.limoservicerome.com

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Hello- Does anyone know the approximate travel time by cab from downtown Rome to Civitavecchia? thanks-

look it on www.mappy.com for the travel time

Do you well-traveled folks have an opinion about whether to take a (Norweigan Cruise Lines) excursion package or do Rome on our own? March 2008. First time visitor to Rome, would appreciate your input.
Thanks.

You cannot see Italy from a ship. Rome demands 5 days and you need to stay in town. Same for Florence.

I'm sure to really "do" Rome we would need a week or so there...however, we are cruising and have a stop at Civitavecchia and one day to do what we can. That being the case, would the cruise excursion into Rome be best or should we book a private guide to cover the most ground in our short time there?

<<You cannot see Italy from a ship. Rome demands 5 days and you need to stay in town. Same for Florence.>> Well, that is really beside the point when someone has already booked a cruise, isn't it?

fsufan1, I'm not sure what you mean by booking a private guide. Do you mean booking a car/driver, or hooking up with a guide in Rome after you get there on your own? If cost is not a consideration, I would do anything BUT one of the cruise line's excursions into Rome. I suggest taking a look at the boards at cruisecritic.com. There really aren't many cruise fans on this board, to say the least. I don't mean this in a snarky way, just trying to be helpful.

I agree that going to cruisecritic and looking for a guide or a group to share a small tour with is a good idea. If you maximize your time you can get a decent overview of Rome from a cruise stop but it isn't the same as spending some time there. Maybe you will love it and decide to go again but at least you will have seen some of the "must-sees". You could take a train in from the port and sightsee on your own but there is so much to see and getting around on your own can easily lead to getting off track. Enjoy your day in Rome without the stress of trying to navigate it by yourself - take some sort of a tour. Next time go on your own and prepare to just get lost and enjoy the city at a leisurely pace without having to worry about getting back on a ship. We have traveled on our own and then last year we took a cruise - we had a great time on the cruise.

Thanks for your help. This mediterranean cruise we're taking is in the middle of a month-long stay in Europe. I already know we're going to want to plan another trip just for Rome, Florence and Venice, but this one is a one-time shot at the high spots. I'll check out cruisecritic, sounds like it may be better for us to get a private guide/driver to get us around efficiently.