Princess Cruises - The destinations we visited....Civitavecchia (Rome)
I have already blogged about life onboard the ship, and now want to pass on my opinions and hints about the destinations visited on the trip. As a family of 4 people, excursions can add a lot to the holiday cost as each excursion cost is multiplied by 4. Since we enjoy exploring a place independently we opted not to book the official ship excursions as it is cheaper to do your own exploring. I use cruises to mostly visit destinations I have not been to before so that I can see if I would want to return separately if I think it worthwhile.
Civitavecchia, Italy: Civitavecchia is the main port for Rome. Having visited Rome before we decided to save the cost of the excursions to Rome and decided to explore Civitavecchia instead. We took a complimentary bus from the ship into the centre and once there explored on foot.
What did I think about Civitavecchia? It was pleasant enough to walk around but did not really offer all that much. We did find the local farmer’s market to wander around If ever you are there I would suggest you pay the extra to venture into Rome for the day.
Rome is over an hour away from Civitavecchia and I would therefore suggest booking an organised excursion which guarantees to get you back in time for the ship's departure. You really need a few days to fully appreciate Rome as there are so many amazing places to visit. If you only have one day I suggest you stick with just visiting the Colosseum and the Vatican City. If you are not part of an organised tour the hop on hop off bus is a good option. Other wonderful attractions are the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.
The highlight for me in Rome is a tour of the Colosseum which includes access to areas the basic tour does not. You see beneath the arena where the slaves were kept in cells and then you climb to the highest part for an amazing view looking down on the arena.
I also really enjoyed a tour of the Vatican. The museum is large and has many artifacts, but the highlight is to go into the Sistine Chapel. You should also visit St Peter’s Square and the Basilica. The Vatican City is officially a separate state and is protected by the ornately uniformed Swiss Guard.
Both the Colosseum and the Vatican have incredibly long queues if you just turn up. I suggest you pre-book entrance tickets to ensure you can get in to see these marvellous attractions.