My wife and I stayed at Hotel Traghetto for two nights prior to our cruise. We chose it based on…read moreother reviews and its close proximity to the cruise ship shuttle bus boarding area. The hotel is old but is well kept. The bathroom shower was very small. The staff are very friendly and speak English. There is a free continental breakfast in dining area on ground floor. The pastries were excellent. There is a barista during breakfast making you free coffee drinks or tea. I loved the cappuccinos. It can be noisy due to its location near fire station, ambulances and busy streets. I recommend you stay here for the reasonable price and proximity to the port and city attractions.

We just completed a lengthy Mediterranean cruise. Our travel agent dropped the ball and we…read morediscovered shortly before leaving home that we had no lodging in Rome the night before the cruise, nor did we have transfers from Rome to the ship in Civitavecchia, which is an hour-plus drive. I won't go into all the details, but the alternatives she offered us were all unacceptable and overpriced. We decided to take matters into our own hands despite the language barrier. With the help of Google Maps, we found the Hotel Traghetto in Civitavecchia. I engaged in several rounds of email correspondence (sent in both English and an Italian translation thanks to Google Translate) with hotel staffers Michele (that's the Italian form of Michael) and Nicola, who both responded to my many detailed questions promptly despite the nine-hour time difference, regardless of whether I sent my messages in the morning or the evening, and they responded in perfect English every time. Not only was the Hotel Traghetto only 99 Euros per night (a bargain compared to the 600+ Euros we would have paid for lodging in Rome), but they also arranged to have a taxi waiting for us at Fiumicino/Da Vinci Airport. Marco, the taxi driver, was right outside baggage claim holding a sign with our name on it. He took our bags and drove us (fast! Apparently if you pay a fee, you can drive on roads where the speed limit is 130km/hr - that's 80mph for us Yanks) directly to the hotel. We paid him 130 Euros in cash for this speedy service, and it was worth every bit. When we entered the hotel, we were greeted by (forgive me, it's been three weeks and I'm jetlagged) either Luigi or Giovanni at the front desk, who checked us in and took our bags up to our room, while insisting that we be seated in the adjoining parlor, where Marina served us complimentary cappuccino, which was a welcome break after such a long journey (see photo of my husband). We then went up to our room to freshen up before taking a stroll around town. During our stay, we asked Luigi and Giovanni (whoever was manning the front desk at any given time) many questions about where we should eat, where we could find a pharmacy, where we could buy souvenirs, where we could find the free shuttle bus to the ship (literally around the corner!), and each time we were given a free map that they marked up for us: "You are here. Go out the front door, turn this way, and the place you are looking for is over here." The next morning, we enjoyed a complimentary buffet breakfast, again attended by Marina, and much better food than you would get at any hotel in the U.S. The room was basic by American standards, but you must remember that all we were seeking was a place to sleep for one night between our arrival in Italy and embarking on our cruise, so our needs were minimal. The only negative thing I can say is that the beds were beyond firm. I like a firm mattress, but these were super hard. Still, that was a small price to pay for all of the pluses to this place. The staff was awesome and delivered on every single promise made on the website and then some! We would 100% stay there again!