Flight to and Arrival in Rome, Italy (June 24-25, 2023)

June 24, 2023 – Flights from Birmingham, AL to Rome, Italy

This afternoon we headed to the airport at 12:45 pm for our 3:12 pm flight to Atlanta, which left a little early and arrived in Atlanta 30 minutes early.  The early arrival was much appreciated since we originally had a short layover before the departure of DL 66 for Rome at 6:40 pm.  DL 66 left on time for our 5032-mile journey flying at 35,000 ft.  That flight was completely full and, although we tried, we didn’t get much sleep. The flight was smooth, but the seats are very cramped.

June 25, 2023 – Arrival in Rome, Italy

Arrival into the Rome airport, FCO, was almost an hour ahead of schedule.  The arrival process was extremely streamlined with no waiting in passport control. The passport is placed on a scanner, and then you receive electronic clearance to take your biometrics picture.  Then you proceed to a passport official who stamps your passport.  The entire process took less than 10 minutes.  We then collected our luggage and exited security.  The longest time was spent waiting for the luggage.  This was the most efficient passport/customs entry process we have experienced.  

Because we had reservations at the Hilton Rome Airport, we had to determine where it was located and how to get there.  Although we thought we would need at least an airport shuttle to get to the Hilton, an information person told us to take the elevator to the 2^nd floor in the arrival hall and follow the hotel signs for about a 10-minute walk on an enclosed overhead walkway that connected numerous parking decks and the Hilton.  The arrival hall is where we will meet the Celebrity Cruise representative at 9:30 am tomorrow for transportation to the ship.  So, we are conveniently located for tomorrow’s departure.  Hotel check-in was extremely slow, but it was very nice to have a room to settle into after a long journey.