cruisin cousin

Thank you, CruiseMom42.  You give a very helpful framing. MTS

Our ship offers two excursions to Delos. One is a standard tour. The other is called Delos in 3D. They give you tablets that you can point at the ruins and see what they (might have) looked like in antiquity.  I assume it also includes the tour part. That sounds really cool. It is also about $80.00 over and above the already quite expensive standard excursion.  Has anyone taken it or a similar one?  Is it worth it?  Do the gadgets actually work? We are in our 50's, do quite a bit of history and archeology, and would like a solid experience. 

(I am not going to sign up for a non-ship excursion to Delos because the last time we were in Mykanos there were rough waters and I waited at least 2.5 hours past the time my tender was supposed to be called. Not going to risk it.) 

Last summer we took a tour called Jeep Safari To Zeus Cave And Dilek National Park and it was CRAZY!   We had to climb over a fence and down a rocky incline to get to the Zeus Cave, which was dark, much deeper than it looked, freezing, and a marvelous experience. There were many stops and it was beautiful.  The jeeps chased each other in circles, there were multiple water fights, it was something else. I think the best part was when the driver poured cold water down my sister's back (during a water fight) and instead of getting upset, she marvelled at what it was like to be an Israeli getting teased by a Turk. If you are into off-beat experiences, I highly recommend this one. We got it from Viator, if I am not mistaken. And they got us back to the ship on time, even with a beach stop at the end. 

I am going on Rhapsody of the Seas with a stop in  Aiya Napa, Cyprus.  Does anyone know where the tender will let us off? I want to go snorkeling with Blue Lagoon Cruise and only will sign up if I am sure that I can easily get to their starting point. Thank you. 

We are travelling the week before you and I have been working with SPB tours. We booked a two-day guide just for the two of us and they are answering all our questions and giving us a very tailored itinerary. I expect to be thrilled. A friend of ours went on a ship excursion to the Hermitage and his report: "We couldn't wait to get out of there. They wouldn't let us go to the bathroom." Imagine not being able to wait to leave the Hermitage!

We are booked on Serenade of the Seas, out of Stockholm, two nights in St. Petersburg, the last week in June. We are wondering what the likelihood of there being a Russian Folklore show or dance show or some such on the cruise itself. Anyone have any experience or know how to find out?

Has anyone taken the Jewish shore excursion offered by Royal Caribbean? How was it? I read the description and am not sure how it fills up the full time. I am specifically wondering of there were unlisted shopping stops -- I am not interested in those. Did the tour give exposure to other aspects of Riga, such as the art nouveau?

Our ship changed its port from Livorno to La Spezia. We really want to see Florence. Any good ideas how to arrange it? The only tour the ship appears to be offering is a total of 6 1/2 hours, which sounds to me like 4+ hours on a bus for 2 hours in Florence. I am open to private tour companies or public transportation, and budget is an issue. We are two adults and we don't mind skipping Pisa.

Hi,

 

We were there in 2014. My husband found quite a bit of info over at trip advisor prior to our trip. We were VERY pleased with our day and I would love to go back! I'm pasting this from another post I wrote:

 

This summer we took a boat ride to the Calanques from Marseille. It was great. You have a several options/hours to choose from. If you’re at the far end/mouth of the harbor of the Old Port (Vieux), their booth was on the upper left corner. We were there on a Saturday, so I didn’t see other options for a Calanques tour, but I’ve heard there are more. You can also do a boat excursion to Chateau d’If and to the Frioul Islands. These boats are on both the upper right and left corner of the harbor and have regular departures (several companies offer these trips). See http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/en...at-excursions/ and http://www.croisieres-marseille-calanques.com/ for more. Advance reservations are not necessary (but I do recommend getting there early for a shaded seat).

As you’re exiting the harbor on these vessels, look back at Marseille for an amazing view! (Note: the view coming out of the harbor is even better than the view from the ship).

Though I didn’t go, the Palais Longchamp is a beautiful setting for a stroll. Of course, there’s the Cathedral not far from the Old Port and the Basilica Notre Dame de la Garde that sits above the city.

 

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Have a great cruise!

How long was the boat ride out of Marseille?

How about driving to the Viterbo area instead? What kind of driving is that and are the sites worth it? We like history, but the Etruscan are a bit early for us.

(We have been to Ostia Antica already and thought it was fantastic.)

The link to Tuscany Bus company is http://www.tuscanybus.com/portfolio-articoli/low-cost-bus-livornofirenze/ and it is one option. But its not our favorite option for one reason. They only run one bus a day and it does not get you to Florence until 11 am. When we use a taxi from pier to train...and train to Florence....we are generally in Florence by 9:30. We generally aim for the 8:12am train which gets you into Florence at 9:32 although we have sometimes made the 7:30 train which gets us in by 9:07. There are at least one (sometimes 2) return trains every hour.

 

The tricky part about using the train is getting a taxi to take you from the pier to the train station. This involves getting off the ship ASAP and being politely assertive in asking for a taxi to the station (Stazione). We have always been successful...but you do have to sometimes wait a few minutes to find a driver willing to do the short haul. The taxi normally charges about 20 - 25€ but that is for the entire taxi...and its usually easy to find other to share. A shared taxi can actually cost less then the shuttle bus (which often does not even start running until around 8:30) and you will be in Florence at least 1 1/2 hours before that Tuscany bus even arrives.

 

Hank

Thank you, Hank! A few follow-up questions: Where can I find the train schedule? Is it hard to find a cab from the train station back to the ship at the end of the day? Do I need to buy the train tickets in advance? What exactly does "validate the train tickets" mean? And where is the train station relative to the Duomo and the Uffizi -- can I just walk when I get off the train or will I need more transit? Thank you for your help; it is most appreciated.

How is the drive between Civitavecchia and Tivoli? Is there a ton of traffic? The Fodor's book I have from 2013 says not to do it "unless you have nerves of steel". It is talking about from Rome, not from Civitavecchia, but the roads appear to overlap.