ajtraveler66

No problem. I'm doing my research elsewhere for now. I'll be back to check things out after the first of the year--when it is nearer to our cruise's departure time. Please remove all of my posts. I'd do it on my own if I knew how. Sorry to have been such a nuisance. It was not my intent. I would suggest that you make it easier for people to delete their posts. Perhaps there is a way to do it easily. I'm just not aware of how to do it.

We will be on a cruise in April 2023 and will be at port for a day both in Zadar and Split. I have heard that Croatia is beautiful. Do you know of any excursions out of either Zadar or Split that would give us a chance to see some of this beauty? Especially along the coast. Thanks

Thank you for the suggested tour. I'm checking it out. And thanks for the other suggestions from all of you. I really want to see these three things .... and I am hopeful and optimistic that I will see and enjoy much, much more. I've also emailed some other tour companies asking if they can customize a tour for us that would include the three things I've mentioned. I'm sure that if they can do so that they will know how to fill our remaining time with things that will be of value and interest to us. And by all means a nice leisurely lunch will be a part of that plan. Thanks again for all of the input.

Ir makes ME sad, when people don't understand that I want to be sure to see three things. I have enough sense to KNOW that I'll be seeing much, much more than those three things. To me the saddest thing would be to go to Tuscany and come home realizing that I missed seeing DAVID, THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA, AND SOME CELEBRATED MASTERPIECES OF ART. I'm sure that there is a tour out there that will allow me to ENJOY the THREE SIMPLE THINGS. I'd just like to find it.

Checking to see if anyone has used this tour company "Avventure Bellissime" Tours (www.tour-italy.com). I am looking for a VERY SPECIFIC excursion, and I have finally found it with this company. I'd like your opinion on their services, in general. The specific tour is an excursion out of Livorno which includes Pisa, advance tickets at the Accademia to view 'David', and advance tickets to the Uffizi Museum. Perhaps some of you have taken this specific tour. Of course, there is more time to see other things in Florence. But the above three are at the 'top of our list' to see, and this is the only excursion I've found that includes all three.

Is there a shore excursion for people who only want to see the "Leaning Tower" of Pisa, the statue of "David" in the Accademia and a few of the MAJOR masterpieces in the Uffizi? I've googled and searched, but it seems you have to do either the Accademia OR Uffiza on these shore excursions. I've seen "David" before, along with the "Leaning Tower" ... and I don't mind seeing them again--in fact I want to. And I feel that these two items are necessities for those in our group who have yet to see them. But it would be nice to see something that I"ve yet to see....and it would be good for the others too. Frankly, we just want to see the main pieces or art. We don't want to spend a lot of time in the galleries. We'd just like to see the main stuff and move on outside and look at some buildings. Of course, it would be different if we were going to be in the area for a longer period of time. But we are at the mercy of the clock. Maybe it's possible to hire a reputable private tour guide who could set a day like this up for us--tickets at all. Thank you so much. I apologize because I think I've posed a similar question to this one before, but I'm including Uffizi this time around.

I really don't think I'm going to get a response here, but I'm going to try. 😀 Among our party of four who will be cruising the Mediterranean in April, one loves to cook and has quite successfully made a few paella dishes. So.... it would be fun to share a paella in one of the above three mentioned port cities -- Ibiza, Motril, or Cadiz. The closer to the port, of course, the better ... but we'll venture out a little bit if we have to. Dona Paella In Ibiza has a 5* review rating ... but there have only been 12 reviews. Hopefully some of you can share some meaty info with us on where we might want to try. By the way....I'm the research guy for our party of 4. No one knows I'm doing this. But I think it would be a fun thing to add to one of our days. (I'm not including Barcelona because I know we are going to be VERY busy when we are in port that day).

I'm almost certain that we will be staying in Cadiz from all of the things that I've been reading about it. Also it is toward the end of our cruise, and I'm sure we'll be wearing down. We have plenty of time to debate on whether or not to do Alhambra, but it does look interesting. Thanks, everyone, for the valuable input.

I guess the title says it all. And while I've got you...on the day prior to our port day in Cadiz, we will be in Motril, Spain. Any suggestions on how to best give justice to these two days would be welcome. And I know there will be different opinions...and that is just fine.

We will be at port in Ibiza in April of 2023. One of the ship's excursions would take us to the Sant Antoni area on the other side of the island--where we would have time on our own. Evidently there are good cafe`s, etc. in the area. I have read in some posts that the island can be very noisy, but since this excursion is mid-day, perhaps that would not be the case. (We are 'young' senior citizens, and we can definitely do without loud and obnoxious behavior). Your input on the matter is appreciated. Recommendations encouraged if you think it's worth the time. Feel free to offer suggestions on things to do NEAR the port as well.

Thanks for the info. Rather than start a new thread, I'll try to get an answer to my next question thru this thread: If the only things we care to do for the day are to walk Los Ramblas, go to the Sagrada Familia, and then enjoy tapas and drinks in El Born .... can we easily do that day "on our own" as long as we buy tickets to S.F. in advance. Also....we will be at port from 8:00 a.m to 7:00 pm. So 9:30-5:00 is probably the window of time we have to work with ... What itinerary would you recommend .... and for what time of day would you suggest we purchase our tickets for S.F. (I'm reading online that they need to be purchased 2 months in advance.... April 25, 2023 is our scheduled date on the ships itinerary. Thanks.

I was in Barcelona back in 2010 for the beginning of a cruise. We walked Las Ramblas, and I remember seeing the statue of Christopher Columbus. So I know that all of that part can easily be done "on our own". In April, I'll be on a cruise with three others (2 have never been to Barcelona before). It was such a nice day in 2010, that I'm fine with repeating that portion of Barcelona that I mentioned above. What I do want to see this time, for sure, is the Sagrada Familia. I've seen online that there are 1.5 hour tours that are available. Would such a tour be worth it? Is it feasible to do that tour ONLY and then do the rest of our time at port "on our own"? Also.... there is a "Hop-On-Hop-Off" excursion that is available through the ship, and we are thinking of doing that if we think it will work with our plans. So, is there any way that we can pre-arrange a private tour of Sagrada Familia and then work it in with a "Hop-On-Hop-Off" day? If so, how do we safely go about doing that so that we would be sure not to miss that pre-arranged tour. Any other part of Barcelona that we should try to include? As far as art/architecture is concerned, seeing Sagrada Familia is probably about all we would have time for...because we want to spend the rest of our time just getting a 'feel for the city'....and especially enjoying some tapas & beverages, etc., etc.

We will be on a cruise in April, and while in Catania we are seriously considering Taormina. I understand that the best view of Etna (while in Taormina) is from the Greek theater. But I saw something today online that suggested that tickets are needed to get into the theater. If so, is the line long? We are only going to be in Taormin for about two hours, and I hate to think of wasting precious time standing in a long line. Maybe it's possible that one is able to appreciate the theater without going into it ... and also that one can get a good view of Mt. Etna without being inside the theater. I need your guidance on this. The ship offers two excursions to Toarmina -- one is an 'on your own'. The other is a guided tour that says you will look at the theater...it doesn't necessarily say you will go into it. Both tours are 4 1/2 hours long ... this including the transportation from and to Catania. We currently are planning to take the NCL "On Your Own" excursion. ... because we want to be sure to get that cannoli that everyone raves about.

I'm asking this question specifically of Cannes, but my question applies to Mediterranean ports of call, in general. (We'll be in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, and Albania). When we are in Cannes, we will have just toured Italy/Sicily for four days, and we will probably just want to stroll around Cannes for the day and take things a bit slowly...doing things on our own and not doing the ship's excursions. So, my question is this? Do most restaurants in Cannes take recognized credit cards? If so, which cards? If not, how do we go about obtaining our euro's?

Did you go all the way up to Castelmola or are you talking about the roads to Taormina here?

We are planning our time at port in Catania, Sicily. At present an excursion to Taormina is looking like a strong possibility for us. But it appears that another tour option includes Castelmola along with Taormina. This tour would also include a seafood lunch at Ristorante Baronessa in Taormina. We were content with the half-day "Taormina On Your Own" excursion. But this other one might be one to consider as long as Castelmola is worth the time and effort. Also...heights are an issue for two in our group. Castemola looks like it's 'way up there'. So we would not want to venture up that high if roads were treacherous and winding, etc., etc. Look forward to hearing from you.

I've already posed the question of doing Taormina as a tour versus 'on your own'. But I've never really inquired as to whether we miss out on any great offerings of Catania itself if we opt to do the Taormina excursion. From what I've seen and heard from some of you already, I'm leaning VERY heavily toward Taormina. (I'm the research guy for our party of four, and they are depending on me to provide the best info possible. LOL) We will be at port in Catania from 8a.m. to 5p.m.

I was on a Mediterranean cruise in 2010 (We were with an alumni group and things had been planned for us in advance). When at Naples our excursion consisted of Pompeii, time in Sorrento, and a drive along the Amalfi Coast up to Positano where they arranged for us to have lunch in a local restaurant. It was great. I will be returning to the area in April 2023 on an NCL Star cruise. We are trying to decide what to do. Right now we are talking Pompeii and Amalfi Coast. I am thrilled about seeig the Amalfi Coast once again. Quite frankly, I can take or leave "Pompeii" but two in our group have not seen it, and they are probably going to want to. (I haven't seen a ship excursion that includes Pompeii, Sorrento, and Amalfi) Were it me, I'd go with the Sorrento/Amalfi excursion. I really liked Sorrento. Can't explain what it was...but that was back in 2010. Maybe it was the gelato that I had (LOL). Just be sure to include Amalfi. And I wouldn't rule out a non-cruise excursion. Evidently that's what I had back in 2010 ... and it was great. (But if you can find the perfect excursion through your ship, then go fo it. That way you don't have to sweat beating the clock to get back to the boat ... everyone tells me I need to get over that 'fear of getting back to the ship in time'. LOL again)

I'm pretty sure the one that I'm zooming in on says Accademia. The price would suggest that as well. Also they did have one that I saw, and I'm thinking it's what you are referring to. All readers. She's telling the truth. So be careful what you sign up for. Accademia is the key word if you want to see the authentic "David".

7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Of course you have to be on board before 7. ... I forget the rule... It's NCL).

We are only at port in Livorno for a day....and it is a Sunday. That might make a difference too.

IT WAS IN 2016 ... SORRY, I LEFT THAT OUT.

Man.... I hate to hear that. We hope to return to Bermuda and were looking to go back there. I remember there was a restaurant there at the beach. Mickey's or something like that. Hopefully it didn't go under as well. DANG COVID. Maybe when we return, someone will have that place 'up and running' again. I was never in the hotel. We just took advantage of their beach day package.

Our ship has an excursion that enables us to see both the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Statue of David. However, it is quite costly. And as a splurge we can probably afford it. HOWEVER ... it's a guided tour and we are 'at their mercy' for the entire day. (Even though I know that that has its advantages as well). There is a ship excursion that is basically "Pisa and Florence: On Your Own". I like the freedom of that idea. HOWEVER, we definitely want to see the "Statue of David" and I know that ticket-purchasing and lines can be quite an issue. Can tickets be purchased online in advance for "David", and if so do you have to specify a time? If so, do they honor your ticket if your tour runs late? I look forward to your thoughts. Again...we are willing to do the ship excursion that includes both Pisa and David if that appears to be our best guarantee of making sure we see both. Appreciate your input for those who have been there.

We did a day pass at the Elbow Beach. It was a wonderful day!