Is there still a free shuttle bus from the port entrance to cruise ships ? We booked a cruise on the Celebrity Edge next October and a room at the San Georgio Hotel, but instead of using the hotel shuttle we’d rather walk to the port entrance and take a free shuttle to our ship if available.
Also.....would you recommend buying first class train tickets on line for the train from Termini to Civitavecchia?
Thank you, Kathy
Many cabs and vehicles are prohibited from going onto the piers, so you can absolutely rely on the existence of the proprietary port shuttle bus. You cannot walk to the ship, either.
Note that some busses go to different ships, and some busses serve more than one ship, so pay attention to local ushers. Allow at least 15 minutes for the bus to wait for a full load. Luggage goes underneath the bus.
There is no reason to buy first-class train tickets. Instead, study scheduled travel time of different departures. The town bus from the rail station to the port transit center is only half hourly, and likely to be crowded. We found the port a long tedious walk from the train, with rolling luggage.
Kathy, very important … unlike the old days, you no longer enter the port at the Fort. This entrance is totally blocked for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Instead the ship shuttle buses all pick up at Largo della Pace. Our last two times departing from Civitavecchia, our taxi was able to take us directly to the ship. I'm sure your hotel can advise you on the taxi vs. shuttle option.
This is a case where it doesn't really make sense to buy train tickets online in advance. Most of the trains going from Roma Termini to Civitavecchia are regional trains for which no discount is available, and the trip is so short that the discount for the few Intercity and Freccia trains is pretty small. I would just wait until your day of travel and buy tickets for the next available train at one of the kiosks by the entrance to Termini. Although first class isn't necessary for such a short trip, the price difference is again small - for example, 21.50 euro versus 16.00 euro for the most expensive Freccia ticket (base fare). If you buy regional train tickets, the tickets must be validated before you board the train. Intercity and Freccia tickets come with an assigned seat and can only be used for a specific train, so they don't need to be validated.
I just got back from a cruise just over a week ago. Yes, there is a free bus from the port entrance to the ship. The second class from Termini worked out well and only cost about 13 euros for two of us. This included the cost of the bus from the train station to the port entrance. I bought it the day before as we were staying in Rome for a couple of nights. I don’t remember seeing any taxis by the ships. I do know that car services are allowed by the ships.
It is not the best idea to wait until the departure day to purchase your tickets to Rome at the Civit.... station. The train station ticket window and ticket machines will be absolutely mobbed especially if more than one ship is in port. The time to buy a ticket maybe longer than the train ride to Rome. So do one of two things -- If you are at any other train station anywhere in Italy during your travels buy a Regionale train ticket from Civit... to Rome for the day of departure. That ticket, AFTER VALIDATION, will be good on any Regionale train going to Rome -- should be two or three trains an hour. Just go to the station, check the board for platform number for the next Regionale train, validation (time stamp) your tickets in the little blue/green/yellow box on the back wall of the station, get on the train -- just get on, no reserve seats, may have to stand till a seat becomes available.
The other option is to purchase the Regional ticket on line. Those tickets can not be validated since your print them on a piece of paper. When you buy on-line you have to specify when you will board the train -- select 10am -- gives adequate time to get off the ship and to the station without rushing. The ticket will be valid on any Regional train going to Rome but only for four hours -- 1000-1400. So that gives you about three hours to get on the train. And you cannot board prior to the stated beginning time you selected. Normally it is not recommend to purchase Regional tickets on line because of the time window but in this case it would work for you. The ticket is only 4.60E so it not that expensive.
