Vencie and Rome
 

We are sailing in June to the Caribbben, we will be in Venice and would like to know how close we dock to St. Marks Square. How is the best way to get there from the ship?
Also, we have been to Rome on a crusie and we took the tour last time but found it to move way too fast. We would like to be on our own but can't afford to have a personal tour guide, does HAL offer a tour on a bus and let us spend time in Rome doing what we want?
Moondancer1942:)

We purchased HAL's transfer to Rome and spent the day on our own. We were six traveling together and we rode HAL's bus to Rome from Civitevecchia where we were dropped at a central location. We then had the whole day to spend where and how we wanted and were back at the drop off spot for the ride back at the appointed time. It was well worth going that way and I'd do it again.

We had been to Rome many times in the past so knew exactly where we wanted to visit with our friends..... their first time to Rome.

this will be out second time and we don't want to see the Vatican but maybe the Coliseum. where did they drop you off, what could you easily walk to? Also I know it was a ways to the city from the ship how long are you on the bus?
Is it safe for a couple?

Rome and Venice
 

There are two places the ships dock in Venice. Neither of them is right next to St. Mark's square. When we were there on Princess the ship did offer a shuttle to the Square. You can also walk to the vaporetto stop if you are comfortable using local transportation and reasonably fit.

Rome has excellent hop on hop off buses that will take you to all the major attractions, including the Coliseum. I don't know where the ship's shuttle drops off, but it probably would not be hard to find the HOHO buses.

The private guide business is very competitive and you might be surprised at the price of a private tour compared to the ship's tours. Rome is a place where a good guide can make a big difference.

If you are sailing to the Caribbean you will be about 5,000 miles from Venice, pity they scrapped Concorde, you may have just made it.

It's a long ride from Civitevecchia to Rome. Traffic varies a lot and can be very heavy. Count on definitely 1 hour plus and it is perfectly safe for a couple to go on HAL's bus to Rome. Spend a wonderful day on your own and have the peace of mind to know your transportation back to the ship is HAL's and the ship will wait for you if you are delayed. If you go on your own, you have to worry more about returning on time.

Plan your day in advance to make the best use of your time.

Seeing we were six people and we wanted to show them as much as we could, we decided to ride taxis between tourist areas. I rode with two others in one taxi and my husband rode in the other. Rome taxis are tiny. We know our away around the huge City of Rome but our friends had never been to Europe. We could see they were uneasy about one couple or the other being alone in the taxi.

I don't recall the order but what they wanted to do and see was:
St. Peter's Basillica
Coleseum
Trevi Fountain
Piazza Navona
Spanish Steps
A bit of shopping on Via Condotti
And especially a fabulous lunch at our favorite (at the time) Trattoria. :)

That is a lot to do in one day but we managed to move right along. They were content with a quick visit to St. Peter's. We have spent many, many hours there and still have not seen it all so you have to decide your priorities.

With only one day, a quick overview of as much as possible is wonderful fun IMO
Use the normal common sense when traveling around Rome. Like most European cities, there are gypsies who are adept pickpockets, ladies wear your purse cross body and have as little as possible in it. Keep some folded paper money in a shoe, just in case. Gents.... don't put your wallet in your back pocket. Pay attention to your surroundings. They almost never want to injure tourists and are only after your valuables. Don't let yourself be an easy target.

Ladies....... put a credit card in a 'safe place' :), just in case.

excuse the mistake.
Mediterranean

No probs, just a joke! When we went to Rome we went with a ships trip, it was a long day, 12 hours, but we saw it all, with a good guide & commentry, even then you should go back.
Venice, we just got a water taxi from next to the ship to St Marks & had a wander about, another place you need longer at too.

I would think HAL offers a Rome on your Own excursion. Most lines do. We've been to Venice a couple of times and always skip the ships transfer to St. Marks. We much prefer to walk over to Piazza Roma and take the #1 vaporetto. Le Sigh.... there's no better way to get your first glimpse of the Grand Canal.

:confused::confused: Isn't that what I described above? Rome on our own? I went to some length describing what we did On Our Own.

If not than what is is you mean by Rome on your Own Excursions?

I was talking to the OP! I didn't read your post. Calm down

We are going to Rome in July for the first time. If you only have one day what would you suggest that we see? Or, should take one of the ship's tours?

Thanks,

Our first time in Rome we had a group of 7 that we'd met online and put together a private tour with Driver in Rome, they were outstanding!! We saw and did a ton without much walking.

If you don't want to go the private tour route, I'd take a look at what your priorities are. Is going into the Coliseum a must, or is just seeing it a important, do you want to see the Vatican? How comfortable are you getting around Rome on your own? it's not a hard city to walk in but you'd have to cover a lot of distance. As much as I loathe them, perhaps a ships tour might be in order for you for the first time. The Pantheon is one of my favourite Rome spots.

Thank you for the advice!