Cruise from Barcelona on Norwegian ,Epic

Hi, I have booked a cruise on Norwegian epic sailing from Barcelona on 21 Oct. This will be second cruise for me and my wife. I would need suggestions how do I go booking shore excursions in Naples, Rome, Florence, Cannes and Palma Majorca. Is it cost saving if booked separately or should I go the Norwegian. Also please suggest tour operators at above cities to book. Thanks. Arvind

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Hopefully -you're talking about October 2019.

Things like desirable prebooked tix for the Vatican in Rome get snatched up soon after becoming available. Similar situation with the better guides, tour services, and first class pre/post cruise hotels in major metro areas.

If you're talking about next month (October 2018), I suggest, at least, seeing which ship tours may still be available on NCL.

Since you are less than a month out, if indeed you mean 2018, get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports are read what there is to do/see in the time you have ashore, and how to do it yourself. Also join the ROLL CALL for your cruise. Otherwise, Mr. Google, TripAdvisor, and the NCL website are your friends. Unless you just booked this cruise a few days ago, you are going to find leaving planning until the last minute is a risky business. EM

Hi, I have booked a cruise on Norwegian epic sailing from Barcelona on 21 Oct. This will be second cruise for me and my wife. I would need suggestions how do I go booking shore excursions in Naples, Rome, Florence, Cannes and Palma Majorca. Is it cost saving if booked separately or should I go the Norwegian. Also please suggest tour operators at above cities to book. Thanks. Arvind

 

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Cruise Critic posters, are just travelers like you, so asking for help with excursions for all your ports may be considered a big request. As a new poster, there are a lot of other forums to the website - including forums for every port of call. Here is the link to the Western Mediterranean ports.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=603

Read through these for some tips of what there is to do. also, when checking in online to your cruise, there are write ups and some suggestions for each port on your itinerary. I am a bird watcher and a museum and church fan. I could never give advice for those who want to bike or segway around a place, of do a booze cruise.

If this is indeed in one month, I would look at what the ship has to offer, see what interests you, then price it through some 3rd party agent like Viator. Or, if on the pages I linked to above, there may be some tour operators mentioned and recommended.

If this is in 2019, then you have plenty of time to review travel guide books and the other sites recommended above for research to fit your personal needs.

Another great source for guides to many ports written from a cruisers perspective is here:

https://www.tomsportguides.com/

No ads, no fees, just great info.

Thanks

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Arvind:

I see you are sailing next month! Despite the horror of some posters above, it is still possible to have good and fulfilling excursions. We have used

https://www.spb-mediterranean.com/

and also ships' tours. SPB may or may not save you money, but may provide a smaller more personal experience. Or have offerings that focus on some other aspects that interest you!

We did not go into Rome from Civitavecchia -- the transport takes a bite out of the day which is then experienced in crowds being herded from place to place (or this was my impression). Instead we did a leisurely ship's tour of several Etruscan sites.

At Florence we visited San Gimignano and Siena with SPB, who gave us an option to have lunch at a family winery (at additional expense but so worth it). At Naples we visited Hercanuleum (sp?) instead of Pompeii, with the ship's tour as I recall.

The one thing I can caution against is using the Hop-on-hop-off (HOHO) buses. Our experiences coming off a cruise ship is that they are simply not set up for the influx of passengers. We have used them on NON-cruise vacations and found them useful.

Don't be afraid to not book an excursion at some ports (namely Palma and maybe Cannes) -- research in the Ports boards if they are walkable or have shuttles or reasonable taxis.

Have a great cruise!

I HIGHLY recommend Italy Tour Sharing for your stops in Italy. They are amazing. They also have discounts for the creator of the group. I was able to save 50 euros for each of my three tours this past April.

https://italytoursharing.com/

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I HIGHLY recommend Italy Tour Sharing for your stops in Italy. They are amazing. They also have discounts for the creator of the group. I was able to save 50 euros for each of my three tours this past April.

 

https://italytoursharing.com/

 

 

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Arvind:

I see you are sailing next month! Despite the horror of some posters above, it is still possible to have good and fulfilling excursions. We have used

https://www.spb-mediterranean.com/

 

and also ships' tours. SPB may or may not save you money, but may provide a smaller more personal experience. Or have offerings that focus on some other aspects that interest you!

 

We did not go into Rome from Civitavecchia -- the transport takes a bite out of the day which is then experienced in crowds being herded from place to place (or this was my impression). Instead we did a leisurely ship's tour of several Etruscan sites.

 

At Florence we visited San Gimignano and Siena with SPB, who gave us an option to have lunch at a family winery (at additional expense but so worth it). At Naples we visited Hercanuleum (sp?) instead of Pompeii, with the ship's tour as I recall.

 

The one thing I can caution against is using the Hop-on-hop-off (HOHO) buses. Our experiences coming off a cruise ship is that they are simply not set up for the influx of passengers. We have used them on NON-cruise vacations and found them useful.

 

Don't be afraid to not book an excursion at some ports (namely Palma and maybe Cannes) -- research in the Ports boards if they are walkable or have shuttles or reasonable taxis.

 

Have a great cruise!

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Thank you everyone for sharing some valuable suggestions....this will help me decide on which tours to book....

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Hopefully -you're talking about October 2019.

Things like desirable prebooked tix for the Vatican in Rome get snatched up soon after becoming available. Similar situation with the better guides, tour services, and first class pre/post cruise hotels in major metro areas.

If you're talking about next month (October 2018), I suggest, at least, seeing which ship tours may still be available on NCL.

Sent from my Mi A1 using Forums mobile app