will be disembarking from our cruise in Rome, and looks like there might be a shuttle from port to train station in Civitavecchia and then train into Rome - do these need to be (or are they best) purchased in advance? I've been told we will be off our ship by 8 am the latest. Looks like there is a stop in Rome at Roma Ostiense site - wondering if this would be less busy than Termini, and seems like maybe equidistant to our hotel in Campo di Fiori area but want to make sure there will be taxis around.
Posted by
Atlanta
5018 posts
We've taken many cruises including ones that ended in Civitavecchia. We have never been able to be off the ship by 8 a.m. Never. For that reason we would not make any reservations unless they were very, very cheap and we could afford to write them off. Shuttles from the port to the train station may be operated by the port authority or the cruise line. They may be free or at little cost. In that case you might want to have a reservation that will get you to the train station early. At any rate, pack your patience -- the train station will be a zoo. Check with the cruise line and see if you get any information from them regarding the shuttle.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
1097 posts
https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/civitavecchia-rome-port-81
First, find out how many ships will be import the same day as you. When I did the Med 5 years ago, there were eight…EIGHT…ships docked at Civitavecchia. We were so glad we did a ship’s excursion and were not trying to fight the other crowds to get on the train. We heard from several people on our cruise that a lot of the trains were full and people had difficulty getting into the city on their own.
Our tour ended up getting back almost an hour late and they held the ship for us, too. That doesn’t happen if you’re traveling on your own.
I’m a big advocate of independent traveling, but in that particular port, which is a long distance away from the city, I think taking a ship’s excursion is wise, especially if there’s more than 2-3 shops docked that day. And if you are cruising in 2025, many of the lines have not released their itineraries yet, so what you see today will not be the final numbers. Summer 2024 is probably pretty accurate though.
Edited to add: never mind! I misread your post. You should be fine disembarking.