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Top Rated
Product Reviews
Ultimate Rome
In order to visit the two main highlights of Rome - The Vatican and the Colosseum, this fast-paced tour involves a significant amount of walking but will be very rewarding. You'll depart from the port of Civitavecchia with your escort to Rome where you'll meet your guide. Being an exclusive tour, once in Rome, you'll be in smaller groups. After passing through Piazza Venezia by the Vittorio Emmanuele Monument and the Roman Forum, your first stop will be the Colosseum. You'll begin your exploration of the Eternal City with an inside guided visit of this Imperial Roman symbol of power. Continue to the Trevi Fountain, one of Rome's most spectacular fountains. The high-Baroque Fontana di Trevi was designed by Nicola Salvi in 1732. Legend has it that you can ensure your return to Rome by tossing a coin in the fountain. After securing your next visit to Rome, you'll walk to the Pantheon where you can enter on your own and have free time for lunch before heading to the Vatican Museum. One of the highlights here will be your visit to the remarkable Sistine Chapel with its magnificent ceiling which took Michelangelo over four years to decorate. You'll gaze in awe at Piazza San Pietro, one of the world's most beautiful squares. Facing the square is the largest church in the world, St. Peter's Basilica. Some of its fabulous treasures will be shown to you by your guide during a brief visit before returning to Civitavecchia.
Note: Guests who are planning to visit religious sites during free time or on tour, please dress appropriately; no bare shoulders or shorts are allowed. Your guide will join you in Rome, however you'll have an escort with you throughout the day. The Vatican will be closed on May 1st, 2012, August 5th, 2012, August 15th, 2012, and September 16th, 2012; this tour is not available for the Norwegian Epic August 12th, 2012 sailings, nor for the Norwegian Spirit April 28th, 2012, August 2nd, 2012, or September 7th, 2012 sailings. AVAILABLE FOR ALL NORWEGIAN SPIRIT SAILINGS AND ON BARCELONA TO BARCELONA NORWEGIAN EPIC SAILINGS ONLY.
Average:
(11 Reviews) 11
Rating Snapshot (11 reviews)
5 stars
7
4 stars
1
3 stars
1
2 stars
2
1 star
0
8 of 11(73%)customers would recommend this to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Ultimate Rome
Review 1 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
5
out of
5
Cultural:
5
out of
5
Entertaining:
5
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
5
out of
5
ljg7444
Location:Phoenix, AZ
Party size:2
I traveled with:Family
Cruise Date Month:April
Cruise Date Year:2013
Favorite activities:Adventure
Favorite port:Athens (Pireaus), Greece
I want to go here next:Hawaii
Date:May 16, 2013
Best Overview
Being in Rome for 1 day is not enough time to see all of the sights, but this excursion shows you the highlights. A great excursion for a brief overview of Rome. With a few hours in between to sight see on your own, you are able to also experience the local culture. The tour is fast paced and not enough time to fully enjoy all of the sights. If you have never been to Rome before, this is a great introduction and will leave you wanting to come back for more.
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Review 2 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
4
out of
5
Cultural:
4
out of
5
Entertaining:
1
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
4
out of
5
Comfy2
Location:Ontario, Canada
I traveled with:Family
Cruise Date Month:May
Cruise Date Year:2013
Date:May 16, 2013
Power Walk Through Rome
This tour is not for the faint of heart or those with difficulty walking (a LOT) or climbing many stairs. It may just have been our guide on this particular day, but our group (of 20) literally power-walked through the massively crowded streets of Rome, and the Vatican Museum, just barely able to keep up with our guide. We literally raced by The Pieta in St. Peter's with no commentary or chance to view or take a photo. We were told NOT to sit down for lunch because there wasn't time. It was extremely rushed, very tiresome and all in all, a rather stressful day of trying NOT to get lost in the crowds. ( The guide was oblivious to those who could not keep up.) At the end, the group spent an hour waiting for our missing bus in the terminal while dozens of other tour groups left. Overall and by far, the most disappointing & over-priced tour of the week.
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Review 3 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
5
out of
5
Cultural:
3
out of
5
Entertaining:
3
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
3
out of
5
pjhh
Date:May 16, 2013
Very fast but you do get to see it all!
This was a small group tour of 15 which shared a bus to Rome with another small group. First stop was an inside visit to the Colosseum. We spent about 45 minutes here. We could have cut that time in half as the view is interesting but there isn’t that much to see. We reboarded the bus and drove to the Trevi Fountain. We had 45 minutes of free time to grab something to eat. We then regrouped and walked to the Pantheon. We reboarded the bus and this time had to leave all of our bags on the bus because bags bigger than a small purse can't be taken into the Vatican. Our walk through the Vatican Museum was more like a run. There was no time to stop and look at anything . We walked constantly as the guide described different things we were passing. The crowds were ridiculously large and the museum and Sistine Chapel were wall to wall people. Upon leaving the Sistine Chapel we entered St. Peter's Basilica. The crowds to exit the Basilica were huge and pressing and it was impossible to keep our group together. It took us a half hour to work our way out the door and down the steps to the square. We managed to finally get our group together but by this time we were way behind schedule. We made a 10 minute stop at a religious gift shop. We were very late getting back to the ship but since we were on a ship's tour it wasn't a problem. Other buses were even later and the ship left port two hours late. This tour is very fast paced and you don’t really get a chance to absorb what you are seeing but I was glad to have seen it all. Take lots of pics so you can review them later!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
5
out of
5
Cultural:
2
out of
5
Entertaining:
1
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
3
out of
5
Jeannes58
Location:Old Town, Maine
Party size:1
I traveled with:Family
Cruise Date Month:September
Cruise Date Year:2011
Favorite activities:Adventure
Favorite port:Naples, Italy
I want to go here next:Hawaii
Date:September 24, 2012
Disappointed
This was my most anticipated port and the reason I chose the cruise in the first place. Unfortunately, it ended up being the biggest disappointment. Not sure if it was the weather (which was rainy), the fact that 6 actual hours in Rome is just not enough, or the tour guide who was endlessly talking, throwing out dates details that boggled the mind and was never clear when the driver quickly drove by historical buildings which one she was referring to . . . it was just a long discouraging day. We only had 20 minutes at the Colliseum. The meal was the exact same meal we had for the Flavors of Sorrento excursion, other than the wine. I spoke with others on the cruise who also went on this tour, but a different bus and they loved it. I guess I would say that if you do book this tour and walk towards the bus and your guide is Angelica - run and try to get on a different bus.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
5
out of
5
Cultural:
5
out of
5
Entertaining:
5
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
5
out of
5
Thecleaner
Location:Dallas, TX
Party size:2
I traveled with:Family
Cruise Date Month:July
Date:July 22, 2012
Most informative trip ever
There is so much to do in Rome and so little time to do it in. This excursion gives you the best of Rome. Our tour guide was wonderful and very informative. This is a very faced paced tour but it needs to be to show you as much as you will see. I got chills seeing everything because it's what you have read about your entire life. I highly recommend this tour to everyone. It is a bit pricey but well worth it!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
5
out of
5
Cultural:
4
out of
5
Entertaining:
4
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
4
out of
5
happytravelers
Date:June 29, 2012
See everything and see nothing
This tour is not for the faint of heart. We tell people that we saw everything and saw nothing as it was always on the go for 11 hours. My husband primarily picked this tour to see the Pantheon and this was the only tour that offered this site. We had large buses without bathrooms on any tours – so watch your liquids. This tour was the only one where we had 2 tour groups sharing the same bus but it didn’t affect the tour at all. Our tour guide was a little frustrating as she would take off through security checkpoints and be 50 yards ahead when she would realize that half of us were still waiting to go through security. Not that she wasn’t knowledgeable as a guide, but we found that she lingered at some places and rushed us through other places to make up the time. With that said, we started our day at the Vatican museum but we couldn’t tour the rest of the Vatican at that time because the Pope was holding mass. It was nice but as I reviewed the pictures that I took (where they are allowed), I didn’t remember seeing half of what I photographed. Forget shopping for souvenirs on this tour but more on that later. From here we went to Rome. The tour included going into the coliseum which I personally could have done without and we were there longer than we needed to be. We had a little time near the Pantheon where we had lunch in the piazza at a sit down restaurant. Service was quick and the food was awesome – the tomatoes do not taste like the acidic ones we have in the US. Some people went shopping but we wanted to eat. After seeing Rome, we headed back to the Vatican where we saw the Sistene Chapel. Fair warning, there is a very strict dress code in effect and they denied people entry for not being properly dressed. Women need to wear clothing that covers your knees and upper arms and shoulders. If you wear a tank top, you’ll need either a sweater or shawl that must be warn at ALL times once your enter the buildings. Men also need to wear shirts with sleeves and pants. No flip flops either. The chapel itself was much smaller than I had imagined but we can now say we saw it. It was also dark so everything seemed understated. After being herded out of the Vatican, we were rushed into a designated souvenir shop which I did not go into. In our research we read that there was a gift shop that sold rosaries made of rose petals by the nuns but our tour guide once again was far into the distance and we had to almost run to catch up. I wish I would have gone into the Vatican gift shop and told the other tour guide that was also on our bus that we would follow her. Mistake made on our part. This was a lot of tour for 1 day so be forewarned.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
5
out of
5
Cultural:
5
out of
5
Entertaining:
5
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
5
out of
5
JackieHeleneLisaMichael
Location:Orlando, FL
Date:June 22, 2012
Do not miss this!
I have never been to Rome before, so I didn't want to miss a thing. I did throw a coin into the Trevi fountain to assure my return, though. The colosseum was amazing! By reading a previous NCL review I learned that I would have time to see the Four Rivers fountain and did during our lunch break. The pizza is the best (of course). I have seen so many pictures of the Vatican, but was in awe to see Michaelangelo's painting on the ceiling. I don't think I would have been able to see all of these sites on my own, so I found the money paid for this was worth it.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
5
out of
5
Cultural:
4
out of
5
Entertaining:
5
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
5
out of
5
HenryMark
Location:Miami fl
Party size:1
I traveled with:Other
Cruise Date Month:May
Date:June 2, 2012
Ultimate craziness
Amazing Tour!! Up really early and last to arrive on the ship. It is a long, long day, but it was so worth it! Nearly impossible to see all of Rome in one day, but this is the Cliff Notes version. A lot of walking and a lot of history. This tour took us to Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Circus Maximus, the actual site where Julius Cesar was asassinated, an hour stop at the Coliseum, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, and St. Peter's Square. It was a lot of information and sites compressed into one day, but very rewarding. Well worth the money. There is no way anyone would have accomplished seeing all these sites in one day on their own without a planned tour. All of the tickets for the Coliseum and the Vatican Museum were purchase by the ship for the tour, so everything flowed smoothly. Not a lot of down time except for a 30 minute lunch. Wear very comfortable shoes and bring water to stay hydrated. This tour is pricey, but worth every penny.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
5
out of
5
Cultural:
5
out of
5
Entertaining:
5
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
5
out of
5
scrapper
Location:Houston, TX
Party size:2
I traveled with:Family
Cruise Date Month:September
Cruise Date Year:2011
Favorite activities:Educational
Favorite port:Palma Majorca, Spain
I want to go here next:Caribbean
Date:October 5, 2011
Enlightening
We definitely got our money's worth on this tour! It was the only tour I found that went inside the Colosseum and inside the Sistine Chapel, which were the two things I most wanted to see. Our guide, Monica, was very informative & would stop at various times to give us a more in depth lesson on the history of both places. In the Sistine Chapel, she had pictures of all of the frescos downloaded on her I-Pad & explained every one to us.
This was a very busy day, but I feel we were able to see everything we wanted to see & judging from the crowds in Rome, I would not have wanted to attempt sightseeing without a guide! It was WELL worth the money!
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
5
out of
5
Cultural:
5
out of
5
Entertaining:
5
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
5
out of
5
Marcia55
Location:Coconut Creek, FL
I traveled with:Self
Cruise Date Month:July
Cruise Date Year:2011
Favorite activities:Relaxing
Favorite port:Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
I want to go here next:Caribbean
Date:August 13, 2011
It IS the Ultimate Rome
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
I was hesitant to spend $399 on 1 excursion. But since I do not know if I will ever get to Rome again, it was well worth the money. It begins with a bus tour after your guide boards in Rome. Devices are passed with headphones so your guide can speak to only your group as you walk through the city. Yes, it is fast paced but there is so much to see. The history of Rome is fascinating & was made more so by our guide (Donato?) whose passion for this city is incredible. His English was perfect, but for those who spoke other languages, he could communicate since he spoke 7 languages including Italian, Spanish & even Japanese. He held a extension pole which had a fish at the top so we would always see him set apart from other groups. We never stood in line as his group was always let in without a wait. We were given some free time before the walk to the Vatican & even the rain could not dampen my spirits. At many stops he explained in detail the artwork, the marble & statues & his vast knowledge made this excursion wonderful. The Coliseum, Trevi Fountain and of course, the Vatican are all included. Although I am not Catholic & perhaps not even that religious, I wept inside the Sistene Chapel as I gazed at the ceiling & marveled at the artwork & thought of the dedication & devotion that must have taken place all those years ago. There was so much to see at the Vatican with hallways of statues, paintings, & even the bodies of mummified Popes in glass enclosures who were made Saints after their death. I almost felt like I was intruding at times, especially seeing a nun praying in a chapel. If you have children, this might not be the excursion for you, as some of the kids in our group got a little antsy when our guide would go so much into detail. I, however, loved every minute of it. I would go again in a heartbeat & I am sure this time I would see many things that I may have missed.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for Ultimate Rome
Overall:
Historical:
5
out of
5
Cultural:
4
out of
5
Entertaining:
4
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
4
out of
5
redchelle
Date:May 30, 2011
Very Quick Everywhere
If you absolutely want to see the "big ticket items" in Rome, then this tour gets you there. We did a driving bus tour that drove around a few sites and then our first stop was the Colosseum. There is a short walk from the bus and then you get to go inside for about 30 minutes.
Back on the bus and then we drove to the Trevi Fountain. There was a short walk to the fountain and then we spent enough time there to snap a few photos and throw in a coin. We then walked to the Pantheon. We had a brief tour inside and then were given about 50 minutes to explore the square and find a bite to eat.
Another walk to the bus pick up sight (15 minute walk or so), and we were driven to the Vatican. Another 10 minute walk to the entrance and then a very, very crowded tour of the museum. We ended up in the Sistine Chapel for about 20-25 minutes. No photos were allowed inside and the guards were constantly "shushing" the crowd.
After this, we walked a short distance to the St. Peter's Basilica where we spent about 40 minutes inside taking pictures and being given information by our guide. We exited into St. Peter's Square and walked a short distance to a gift shop. We had 20 minutes in the shop to buy what we wanted and then we took a 5 minute walk around the exterior of St. Peter's Square to the bus boarding site. Once we boarded the bus, it was a straight shot back to boat. We embarked around 6 pm.
This tour is very fast paced. We wanted to be able to see the sights and get inside all of them. This tour definitely did that. Unfortunately, we were unable to just "absorb" any of the sights to really get a feel for them. And the museum at the Vatican was very crowded. It was literally wall to wall with people.
It is impossible to do all the sights on this tour and be able to spend enough time at all of them to truly appreciate them. If you want to definitely be able to get to each of these places to take pictures, then I would highly recommend this tour as it delivers. If you are trying to absorb these works, then this is not a tour I would recommend.
Understand that it is impossible to absorb all of these sights in 1 day. In order to do that, it would take at least 2 and probably 3 days to get that in-depth feel. We were not sure when/if we would ever be able to come back to Rome, so we booked this tour. Overall, we were happy with our experience and would recommend this tour to first timers (maybe only-timers) to Rome.
Also, there was a person in a wheelchair on our tour. She was able to stand and walk up or downstairs as needed. She was able to enjoy the entire tour and saw everything that we saw. Her family was helping her the entire way to get over some of the rough ground and cobblestones, and they carried her wheelchair on the steps. We never counted them, but our best guess is that the maximum number of steps at any one time was around 40 or so.
Hope this helps. Enjoy!
24 of 24 people found this review helpful.
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