We arrive in rome at 9:00, our ship does not leave the pier till later that afternoon. Is it reasonable to do some sites that day? Can I take the train from the Rome airport to Teramini station,store our luggage, see the Forum (of some other site), and then take the train to the pier? Is this too much for 1 day?
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
You can probably board your ship earlier. If you aren't there at departure time, however, expect to be left behind.
When you arrive at the ship, you won't just walk right on. There is a boarding process that can take awhile.
There is probably time to put your luggage in a locker and take a walk but don't get too aggressive, you want to give yourself time to get through the boarding process.
Posted by
The Hague, NL (AMS)
2207 posts
Travel time from Termini to FCO is about 30-35 minutes on the Leonardo Express. They run twice an hour from the airport. Getting to Civitavecchia will take slightly more than an hour, plus time waiting for the train to leave... Also factor in that if you arrive at 9:00 AM, you'll have to clear customs and get luggage... so you may not arrive at the FCO train station until 10 AM.
That said... I'd STILL do it but I would be very focused on what I wanted to see as you'll have limited time. Also, KNOW the times and train numbers for the train options you have in the afternoon. I would suggest printing them out from the trenitalia site. Brad is corrrect though... you have to be at the boat on time or they will depart without you!
Good Luck!
Ciao,
Ron
Posted by
Cincinnati, ohio, usa
40 posts
Livia-
Rom is correct on all accounts. We just got back from a 11 day Med. cruise out of Rome. When we arrived at the tail end of our cruise the luggage line was 1 1/2 hours long. Pick up was not that bad. We traveled from Siena on our embarkation day to the cruise. We got to the port about 11:00 a.m. You will need to walk about 20 minutes to the shuttle service that will then take you a ride of about 10 minutes to the cruise ship. Allow for extra time for the buses to fill up with people. We breezed through the check-in at the port. Our ship offered a lovely buffet lunch upon arrival and were allowed in our rooms at 1:00 p.m.
Rome would be great to tour on that day, but please leave extra time for trains, transfers & luggage issues. Enjoy your trip. We had a wonderful time!
Sally
Posted by
Marin, CA
532 posts
I find you have to allow for the time when you get lost. You swear you're almost one place and have checked your map and you end up the opposite direction. Rome is not a perfect grid. Also even if the train takes a set amount of time you have to allow the maximum in case that train is missed. So if a train runs every 30 minutes you need to allow 59 minutes - "in case". Especially if the "in case" if missing your cruise. Also you'll be tired and slightly disoriented from the endless plane and time change. I love the Forum though. You can enjoy the Forum from the sidewalk above and not go in though and see a few more sites if it works out but I think you're really cutting it close.
Posted by
Norfolk, USA
255 posts
You might look into hiring a private driver for the day. You could arrange pick up at the airport and arrange to be taken to a couple of your "must sees" in Rome and then be dropped off at the cruise terminal. This would also eliminate the hassle of dealing with your luggage while you sight see. Might be a little expensive, but better than missing out on the Rome sites and missing your ship.
Posted by
Atlanta
5196 posts
Livia, It will take 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get to the port town once you clear the airport in Roma. The boarding process may also take that long and the cruise ship will leave you. One option is to go over a day or two early if possible and doing the biggies in Roma and then having an easy day to get aboard. That said, have a great trip. Who knows, we may even be on the same trip.