prekcruiser

Thanks everyone for the input. I'm thinking I'm going to cancel my transport from the ship and opt for the bus instead. When finished at Pompeii, we'll probably take a cab to Herculaneum and just pay for it to stick around and then bring us back to the ship. And thanks Cruisemom42, I think we will just bring some snacks with us.

Hi everyone and Merry Christmas, I originally booked a transport through the cruise line to Pompeii but will probably cancel that after researching the transportation situation. I think I will just do it all on my own. I guess we'll try the train to get to Pompeii before the crowds and then ride the train back to Herculaneum. We'll probably take a taxi back to the port since they seem to be readily available at Herculaneum. Fingers crossed that we have enough time to see both. Would you who have been there recommend grabbing a bite to eat in Ercolano? It seems from other posts I've read, there aren't many food places at Pompeii. Thanks!

Hi there, I will be visiting Naples on a port stop in May. My ship will be docked from 6:30 am-4:30 pm. I have booked transportation from the ship to Pompeii. Has anyone tried to do Pompeii and Herculaneum in one day? I think it could be done by hiring a taxi to transport from Pompeii to Herculaneum and then back to the port. I plan on getting to Pompeii at 9:00 when they open and spending at least 3 hours there. It looks like Herculaneum is only 17 minutes away by car. So I think it's feasible, but I am worried about making it back to the ship. I really don't wan't to be in a large group of people on a bus and pay over $200 if this is something I can do on my own. My concern is traffic and how much time to allow for the return trip to the ship. Any insight or suggestions would be appreciated. I plan to book tickets for both online ahead of time to save some time in line. Thanks!

Hi alatraveler1, I think we are on the same cruise. With such a short time in port, I've decided to simply walk around the town and maybe grab lunch somewhere. I'm afraid that with having to be back on ship by 1:00, there isn't really enough time to do much else 😌

Viator......The Best Corfu Shore Excursion with Paleokastrista and Old Town.

Hi Marazul, Thanks for your reply. Since Imerovigli is on the back to Fira, I thought maybe we'd make a quick stop to look for some picture opportunities. I didn't plan on staying there long. How long do you think we should stay in Oia? I'm not sure how much time to allocate there. Our cruise excursion has us there for 1 1/2 hours of free time. Is this enough? I thought we should maybe plan to spend more time there. Glad to hear that there is no need for a tour guide at the Acropolis. I have downloaded the Rick Steve's podcast on the Acropolis and lots of other places. I have since booked a tour for Corfu that goes to Paleokastritsa, the caves, and the Old Town. I really wanted to do a boat ride to the caves so I figured I'd have to book a tour for that. I would love any suggestions you may have for Mykonos. My husband and I are not really into the party scene and I'm wondering what to do/see there.

Hi Michelle-nh, My husband and I are going to Italy and Greece in May. I booked the Charming Oia Village through NCL just to get priority tender and cable car tickets back to the port. NCL told me that with this "tour" they will bus you to Oia for 1 1/2 hours of free time and then bus you back to Fira. We plan on getting our cable car tickets from the tour operator and staying in Oia and then catching a bus back to Fira later on in the day. The local buses run every 30 minutes from Oia to Fira. There's even a stop in between in Imerovigli. We may check out that town too. The bus fare is 1.60 eu pp. In Athens, I think I will just taxi to Acropolis or catch the X80 bus. The bus is only 4 eu pp and the ride is about 20-30 minutes. You can buy the tickets to the Acropolis on the Helenic Heritage website. I think tour guides are available for hire there. I think this is doable on our own because we are in port from 7 am - 6 pm. With so many ports, these tours in every port are kinda expensive. Also, we are going to be in Italy for 12 days before our cruise so I'm looking to see what ports we can do on our own. I have no clue about Corfu or Mykonos. I wanted to go to the Blue Caves in Paxos from Corfu, but with only 6 or so hours in port, that isn't possible. I'm still researching...... Marilyn

I spent several days on each island in 2016. Bora Bora is known for it's beautiful water while Moorea is more of a lush tropical landscape. I did a jet ski tour around Moorea as well as a ATV tour on the island. Moorea is just gorgeous. So is Bora Bora for the water if that's what you want, but my vote would be for Moorea.

Thank you so much for your ship review. We board the Spirit in two weeks after being rescheduled and re-booked many times since COVID. Spirit looks like a great ship and we are very excited about finally going to such great ports. I really appreciate all of Patti's pics!

We are coming in to Bonaire on a cruise stop as well in April and have rented a car from the Bonaire airport. It looks like the airport is a short taxi ride from the cruise ship pier. We plan to drive around the island and see the sights and snorkel in a few spots.