I am trying to decide on the best method of transportation to take for my family of 5 (3 kids, ages 6-9) from the port in Cicitavecchia to Rome immediately follwing our cruise. After reading older posts about what a "nightmare" it can be to take a train (with all of the other cruise passengers trying to do the same thing), I'm wondering if a shuttle service (if available?) would be a better option. As I mentioned, we'll be travelling with 3 small children and all of our luggage. We would be willing to pay a bit more for safety, convenience, and peace of mind. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

Shuttle is a better alternative even if your should expect waiting time, the cruise line offer shuttle for $. If money is not an issue then book a private shuttle a small bus. I did that from Cicitavecchia to the airport, we were 8 persons, no waiting time ,was efficient.

Do you remember the company with which you booked the shuttle? Did you pre-book?

I booked through the travel agency so it was prebook

It isn't necessarily a nightmare at all since I suspect the large majority of your ship's passengers are just like you: they want safety and convenience so they aren't about to get a train.

There's nothing UNsafe about any of the conveyance modes IMO but why not simply pay either for the cruise lines' undoubtedly convenient and pricier mode or get a taxi/shuttle.

The train...in case you want the REAL story:

it is a ten-minute walk, all flat, to the train station from the port ENTRANCE; your ship will almost certainly be docked further on.

Regional trains take about an hour; do not require seat reservations, and the cost is about 5 Euro.

You could try e mailing this guy Brannetti Marco at autoneoleggiofante@libero .it
He is the husband of the owner of a restaurant we always go to in Maremma. A very nice couple. He has this taxi service and chauffeur business. Might be worth a try.

I was reading some other threads and came across a taxi service called limoservicerome.com. I emaimld them last night and am awaiting a price quote. Any experinece with this company? Dukey, if it were just my husband and myself, I would have no problem taking the train, but I did read a few people's accounts of negative experiences with the train, and it was enough for me to at least look into other means of getting to Rome. Thanks everyone for your advice!

Neal - Make sure it's Limo Service Rome (no S at the end of service) as there is a ripoff company using a similar name. I've used Limo Service Rome (Andrea)for airport transfers from FCO for a group before.

As for the train, most of the trains on this route are R trains and no reserved seating so it's a bit of a free for all and you could find yourself standing the whole way to Rome. There are one or two IC and ICPlus trains where you can reserve seats. They only cost about 5€ more than the R trains so if the timing of one of these works for you, buy tickets in advance at one of your other Italy stops.

Thanks for the warning about the extra "S" - I rechecked my email and I'm sending it to the site without the s! I haven't heard back from them yet. If the price is not out of this world, we'll probably just do it. I checked the cruise options, and although you do receive a tour of Rome as well, it's almost $150 per person. I think I can do better!

Their prices are on their website - 130E.
http://www.limoservicerome.com/Servi...es.htm#Inglese

I'm surprised you haven't heard back from them as they are usually very good about answering. Did you check your spam folder?

Rates for 5 from Port to Rome run between E170 and E200. Some have discounts for family travel.

Rome Shuttle Limousine also goes out to the port. The price is 145 euros for 5 people. They are very reliable.

http://www.romeshuttlelimousine.com/CivitavecchiaE.htm

The FR5 goes from the port to Termini. If I remember, the port is the starting point for the train, so you would probably have no problem getting seats.

If you can do the luggage drop at your apartment, you can get off the train at the Ostiense station, walk out to the bus stop, this is also the terminus for bus route 280, which will stop a couple of blocks from your apartment.

It will be much cheaper, and probably won't be a big deal.

I just heard from limoservicerome. (Andrea) Price sounds okay, and many other people on different threads have recommended them, so I think I'll go with them. Thanks to all for advice - I'm sure I'll have more questions before I go!