Hello, we are getting mixed information on buying tickets in Rome. We are only there 8 hours. And we want to see the sistine chapel and the colosseum we wanted to buy the skip the line tickets, but now i'm hearing that skip the line.Just means skip the line to buy tickets. Is this accurate? And if we buy them in advance and don't make our time slot, is there any leeway? We are thinking of booking the Vatican at 10:30 AM. We get off our ship at seven and then the train ride and then booking the colosseum at one ish. Does this seem doable? We are not going to spend a lot of time in the Vatican museum. We just want to see the Sistine chapel. Our ship pulls out of port at 6 PM. So we want to be on a train back by three pm. Thanks for any help
Posted by
martinez, ca, usa
3013 posts
hey hey ellymayrowe19
you are right about skip the line tickets but you do have to go through security line. when is this cruise and how many are "we"?
i would use cruisemapper.com to see how many ships are in port that day which will add to the many thousands that want to do the same as you. if ship gets in at 7am doesn't mean you get off at 7am, may be much later than that.
what is your transportation from ship to train, taxi, bus? it will be very crowded as a poster mention yesterday felt like 300,000 people at the vatican plus many wanting to see colosseum. good luck
if that is a "must" can you reserve a private tour from ship to vatican and back to ship? the port is more than an hour from rome with many cruisers wanting to get back to ship before departing. what berth is your ship at, how far after from train, bus, taxi station you need to walk back to get back on.
would help for you to understand the whole scene of what you should understand and of course getting back on time to ship.
years ago we took an expensive cab to ship and saw so many people missing ship departure and had to fly (on their own $$$$ to barcelona). it's your decision what is important to you. look at all your alternatives.
aloha
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
18122 posts
...but now i'm hearing that skip the line.Just means skip the line to
buy tickets. Is this accurate?
Yes. "Skip the Line" tickets at both the Colosseum and Vatican Museums mean buying an advance ticket or tour for a specific open time slot. You will be expected to arrive on time, and will not skip the mandatory security-check lines at either. Whether late arrivals will be given leeway is up to staff at the time and I don't know as I'd expect it, especially during high season.
On your timeline, you MUST purchase timed-entry tickets in advance: you don't have time to stand in long, long lines when you get there.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
9243 posts
I think 10:30 Vatican then 1 pm Colosseum is very optimistic, impossible more likely.
Not even sure you can count on being at the Vatican by 10:30.
It can easily take you 30-45 min just to get from the Vatican Museum entrance all the way back to the Sistine Chapel. Spend 30 min in there? It will be completely packed then you have to get out by going upstream back to the entrance or the other way thru all the museum rooms/massive crowds.
From the Vatican Museum entrance/exit it will take you at least an hour to get to the Colosseum- did you plan to walk, taxi? or ?
Anyway- I would pick one or the other- trying to squeeze in both on such a rushed day does neither justice.
Timed entry means just that- you enter at the time you booked plus whatever time the security line takes. I would not expect exceptions to be made.
Or book an excursion offered by your cruise ship.
Posted by
Washington DC
30604 posts
Might you be willing to settle for a look at the outside of the Colosseum? That's a "wow" moment. Trying to squeeze two widely-separated, timed-entry places into a very short sightseeing day is risky, and all the more so when you risk literally missing the boat if something goes wrong. If an exterior view of the Colosseum would suffice, that would relieve the time pressure and also avoid the need to figure out what entry time you could manage. Without a clock ticking at the Colosseum, you'd be able actually to pause to look at things on the (long) walk from the Vatican Museum entrance to the Sistine Chapel. (Do expect unbelievable crowds, though.)
There are lots of things to see in Rome. Most of them do not require pre-planning, and some of them (small, beautiful churches, for example) are even free. I think you can have a more enjoyable visit by not trying to combine the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum.