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cruiserbruce is referring to specific vendors that are well recommended online but that one books through their own website/agency, not through a middle man.

 

The problem with Florence is that most drivers want to give you an all-day tour (at a higher cost) than just a straight transfer to/from Florence from Livorno. However, you may be able to find someone.

 

Alternatively you can take the local train, which is what I've done on my two visits by cruise ship to Livorno.

 

When you say it is all new to you, I would strongly reinforce that you need to do some reading on this board, and also possibly look at a good guidebook that is oriented to cruisers in the Med. Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports would be a good starting point.

 

Many, many people do these ports on their own or with a private tour. No reason to take the ship's tour or transfer -- unless you want to do so.

Thank you for your help and suggestions!

A lot of people use excursions outside of the cruise line, quite safely. It is discussed here almost daily.

 

There is something you need to know about the vendors you are looking at. They are brokers, and don't actually provide the service. They take your money, and contract with local vendors. Low prices attract a lot of people, but there have been issues with reaching the vendors and customer service, particularly if you have an issue, like you are running late.

 

Thus, many people, like us, will state we prefer dealing directly with vendors. Lowest price isn't the only issue to consider.

I have seen that mentioned, but when you say you prefer to deal directly with the vendors, what do you mean? Do you wait until you get off the ship and find your transfer at port? If not, how do I find a list of vendors? I'm sorry, this is all just so new to me.

My family and I will be docking in Livorno and plan to spend the day on our own in Florence. The transfer through NCL is $139 each so a total of $556 just to get us from the ship to Florence and back to the ship again. I've found much cheaper options (an average of $70 per person round trip) on ShoreExcursionsGroup.com and CruisingExcursions.com, but I worry about using a company other than the cruise line for a transfer and it either taking too long to get there or some other problem arising. I know people do it, but I'm wondering if it's common to use a separate company from the cruise line for "on your own" transfers or generally discouraged. If it's common, is there a particular company or recommendation?

Thank you!!

Hmm, the tower was built in the 14th Century. You can stand outside and view and photograph it for free. Hardly a tourist trap. It's charming to see, and I was glad we saw it.

 

Six of us did a private tour out of Livorno. We left the ship quickly and got to Pisa very early, before the tour buses. We had the place to ourselves, took our photos, and then went on to Florence, where we had hours, including a visit to the Accademia to see the David.

 

Very do-able.

Do you remember what company you used for the private tour out of Livorno? Did the driver pick you up right at the ship? Did the driver just wait for when you were ready to move on to the next place and to get you back to the ship at the end of your day? Planning a last minute trip at the end of May and feeling a bit overwhelmed!:o

Take the train from Civitavecchia to the Vatican -- get off at the Roma San Pietro stop and walk to the Vatican from there.

 

Take a taxi between the Vatican and the Colosseum -- should be 8-10 euro.

 

Finally, take the metro from Colosseo stop (right across from the Colosseum) to Termini -- Rome's main train station to get the train back to Civitavecchia. (This is backtracking a bit but if you don't take the train from Termini, it's starting point, you are unlikely to get a seat during the tourist season....)

 

If you wanted to NOT backtrack, you'd take the metro in the opposite direction to Pyramide station, then get off and go to the adjacent train station to catch the train back to Civitavecchia.

I too will be arriving via crusie ship at the end of May and was wondering if it is faster to go via train instead of the cruise line transfer? I understand a train would be faster than a bus, but by the time we get to the train station and on the train, will it still be a faster way to travel from port to the Vatican?