I'm overwhelmed...where do I start?

[gigem_aggies]

We are going on a 7-day Eastern Med cruise (RCCL Navigator of the Seas) in late May/early June. I'm attempting to plan our shore excursions. Any advice on where to start? How to stay organized? We are young, healthy, and willing to exhaust ourselves so we can see it all!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Well, a list of ports would be a good start!

[cberge]

We are going on a 7-day Eastern Med cruise (RCCL Navigator of the Seas) in late May/early June. I'm attempting to plan our shore excursions. Any advice on where to start? How to stay organized? We are young, healthy, and willing to exhaust ourselves so we can see it all!

If I were you I would start reading this board re the ports where you will be stopping as a lot of really nice people have posted what they have done,who they used or did the ship's tours or just DIY tours.You will get a a wealth of info and then you can ask more specific questions that you may then have.

[gigem_aggies]

Thanks! I guess a list of ports would be helpful! Ha ha. Sorry!

 

Civitavecchia

Messina

Kusadasi

Piraeus

Iraklion

 

We'll be spending 3 days in Rome post cruise, so I'd love some tips on doing Rome on our own as well. Off to read the boards. :)

[texancruzer]

Well I may be a little OCD......but I start with a three ring binder. I have sections for all phases of the trip. Air arrangements/confirmations, hotel confirmations, transporatation (if prearranged), cruise, then a section for each port. I print out stuff I find online and/or excursion arrangements. I also have a section for roll call info (Meet N Mingle) and even a section for a list of what we wear each day/night....... pretty bad huh ? BUT it keeps me organized and I havent forgotten to pack anything yet or to severly overpack (some items get worn twice)

 

and yes......read the boards !!!!!! You will find a TON of info here. Also - I start with the ships tours for info. They usually have a varied assortment of stuff. Then I go to the Ports section and read about those. I also go to Frommers online (some use Rick Steves or Fodors etc). Slowly narrow down what to do by what interests you the most. Some people are heavy into the history/museums and others like more adventure type stuff. We like to do both so try to mix the two.

 

We did a wonderful tour with Ekol in Kusadasi...... 4X4 jeep tour. It was an awesome day. Adventure with history and some shopping and eating thrown in :D Athens - we did DIY using the metro. Focused on the Acropolis and the Plaka...... way too much to see in one day...... we will go back hopefully ! Rome - well Rome is Rome......you can't see it all in a month let alone a couple of days. Hit the high spots and remember to take some time to just stroll, relax and enjoy the "feeling" of Rome. It is a truly magical place. (Can u tell - I love Rome?) And last - have fun planning - don't stress about it. It should be half the fun !

[chipmaster]

Thanks! I guess a list of ports would be helpful! Ha ha. Sorry!

 

Civitavecchia

Messina

Kusadasi

Piraeus

Iraklion

 

We'll be spending 3 days in Rome post cruise, so I'd love some tips on doing Rome on our own as well. Off to read the boards. :)

 

First could start reading here: http://www.europeportreviews.com/

 

Then go to your local borders/library and read up on each country/port and see what strikes your fancy and build a list of 4-8 things you might want to see in each port. Port time is limited so depending on the port distance and how you choose to tour you could find yourself seeing only a couple to as many as 6-8 things.

 

The cheapest and easiest is DIY, Do It Yourself. In some ports that makes sense in others less so given port and attraction distances from each other.

 

Private is always smarter and cheaper then the ship tours. If you are a small party you can always join rollcalls and see if you can join another private tour or solicit one that you yourself book.

 

Last, read thru and use the search button here to get some insight on what are the sites, port challenges and the recommended tour companies.

 

Good luck

[cynbar]

Just a quick note to the OP that Piraeus is the port for Athens. We have joined with other members of our roll call to book a private tour there, but there is a lot of info on these boards re the flexible and inexpensive plan for taking the metro into the city and exploring on your own. We got a Rick Steves guide to Athens to get us started, it is well designed for a 1st time visitor and explains everything clearly.

[agabbymama]

I do similar to texancruzer, only instead of a binder, I prefer a more flexible accordian file. The one I found at Big Lots has 12 pockets. It's about 9 X 12, very lightweight (since all the paper you add will weigh a lot). Then I started searching on the Internet for each port. We were doing a 12 night Med on the Grand Princess, with stops in Rome, Monte Carlo, Livorno, Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens, Kotokolon, Corfu and Venice. With Paris added at the beginning and end. If something sounded interesting I printed it. Also lots of info here on this site, that others have mentioned or talked about.

 

The thing weighed 7 lbs when we left. But as each port was reached, I threw away the papers from that day. So it was virtually empty by the time we came home. I did keep a few pages, but most were thrown in the trash. I had purchased pocket sized guides for Paris, Rome, Naples & Athens, and my friend really wanted to keep them, but ended up having to leave them in Venice or her luggage would have been overweight.

 

Be sure to have your Plan "A", but then also have a Plan "B" for when Plan "A" falls apart. It happened a lot to us, and unfortunately, I didn't have a Plan "B". I was sure Plan "A" would work, but with Princess lack of communication or misinformation, we were constantly having to fly by the seat of our pants. One example, we cruised into Naples at night, and the Captain announced that we were at one end of the dock, and the hydrofoil was at the end, so there would be a shuttle. I had planned to debark around 8:00 and make our way to the hydrofoil, to leave on the 9:00 sailing as we wanted to go to Sorrento, then train back to Pompeii and on to Naples. When we debarked at 8:10, the bus was sitting there, but the driver was rude, telling us to go away, the shuttle started at 9:00. We knew we couldn't walk it, so started asking many of the 200 taxi drivers, they all shook their heads no, they didn't want to take that short a fare and lose their place in the queue. So we ended up hiring a taxi driver to take us to Pompeii and Sorrento at 100 EUR pp. It was an expensive day, but we both agreed it was the best day of the 21 day trip. He wasn't a licensed guide, just a taxi driver, but it was like watching "Lives of the Rich & Famous" only we were living it. He stopped when & where we wanted, escorted us across busy streets, carried our purchases, and was very concerned that two elderly ladies were traveling alone (where were our husbands, or brothers, he asked?). Threw in a mini-tour of Naples before our return to the ship at 4:00 pm. It was an absolutely fantastic day!

 

So sometimes flying by the seat of your pants works! It did for us.

Have fun planning your trip, then savor and enjoy every minute of it! And if things don't go as planned, roll with the punches and don't let it ruin your entire cruise.

[RoadTripFanatic]

Thanks! I guess a list of ports would be helpful! Ha ha. Sorry!

 

Civitavecchia

Messina

Kusadasi

Piraeus

Iraklion

 

We'll be spending 3 days in Rome post cruise, so I'd love some tips on doing Rome on our own as well. Off to read the boards. :)

 

I have only been to Civitavecchia and Piraeus. Civit. is easy. Just check the Eurorail schedule and hop the train to Rome! :) Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get back but the trains are very frequent.

Piraeus- We were there two weeks ago. We had planned to take the metro to the Acropolis only to learn that parts of it were closed and would require us to hop off take the bus and then hop back on. We opted to get a taxi. Walk a few blocks from the port before you grap a taxi. It will be cheaper. We took the taxi up to the Acropolis and purchased our tickets there. The ticket included multiple sites across the ruins. (Temple of Winds, Agora (good to see) and Zeus' temple (good to see) These and the Plaka are easy to do. They are all with in walking distance. I'm going to HIGHLY recommend going to the Acropolis Museum. It is beautiful! It's one of the highlights from our trip!

As for your 3 days in Rome it's very easy to do on your own. There are many metro stops that can be used to access big tourist spots. In fact there is one right across the street from the Coliseum! We just did 3 days there with our 9 year old who got along great. Lots to see just pick out what you want to do and map it out. You will have time to see lots of stuff! Be sure you visit the Coliseum, The Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Circus Maximus(These are all right together) If you can take a tour of the Forum do it. You will learn so much about the area that you would never know without this information! The other MUST see places to me are St. Peter's Basilica, Trevi Fountain, Castle of Angels and every church you can step foot into! LOL! We did try to go to the zoo but it was too close to closing time. It looked like a nice zoo.

[cmdchiefthom]

Having lived in Iraklion for three years, the must see place is Konosos Palace, circa 1500 BC. It's about twenty to thirty minutes outside of downtown Iraklion. The musuem downtown is also pretty cool as well, with many Minoan artifacts going back almost 3000 years. Lion's square is a great people watching spot with cafes surrounding a Venetian fountain. It's basically the town center with many shops down the various streets coming off of the square. I'm guessing two hours at Konosos, another hour or so at the Iraklion museum, an hour travel time so you're looking at four hours just for those two attractions, time in the square for a Greek coffee (I suggest you ask for sweetened coffee);) I should also mention that the port is below the walled part of downtown, and its a fair walk from the cruise ship dock. I would expect the cruise line might have a shuttle service to downtown, and would probably drop passengers off in front of the Astoria Hotel which is about two blocks from Lion's square. Check out http://www.explorecrete.com its a great resource.

[UKBayern]

Check if your local library has travel books you can browse through to get a rough idea. The compact ones will only list the major sites. That is what you want, because you can't see everything in one day anyrate. Check the internet, all of these towns are going to have an official tourist information site where you can start. Once you know what the top ten of sights is, you can start narrowing it down what really interests you. Even if you think the ships excursions are too expensive or not for you (we are young and DIY, and that is our take on excursions), you can read through them to find out what the major attractions are, and then figure out if you want to go there and what the best way is to get there.

 

Remember: sometimes it is a lot more fun not completely planning full your day, but just walking around, enjoying the little things and soaking up the atmosphere and the culture. We always like to think of a cruise day in port as a way to see if we like a place and if we want to come back some other time on a land trip. Pick one major sight to go and see per port, not 10. You are just going to get frustrated that "you haven't seen it all" and not be able to enjoy anymore.

[seickert]

Gigem_Aggies... I am also going to be on that cruise! I don't know where to start either. But I plan to use tripadvisor.com along with cruisecritic and guidebooks to figure it all out.

 

My husband are ages 30 & 37... can't wait to go!

[UKBayern]

My husband are ages 30 & 37... can't wait to go!

 

Wow! You have two husbands and they are both coming on your cruise! :D

[seickert]

Hahaha! I meant to say - My husband and I are 30 & 37. :D

 

Two husbands is too much trouble, I imagine.

[TLCOhio]

Hahaha! I meant to say - My husband and I are 30 & 37. :D

Two husbands is too much trouble, I imagine.

 

Agree that two husbands would be too, too many. My wife thinks at times that one husband can be challenging!!!

 

THANKS for your clarification! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[gwyns]

We did this cruise in the fall and had the most wonderful time! We did most of our day trips by ourselves, but did hours of research first.

Two strong recommendations:

1) I downloaded walking tours (Rick Steves) onto our Ipods. Very easy to find if you google. I did a couple and wish I had done more. E.g. in Rome we did St. Peters Basilica, but wish I had looked for one about the Trevi Fountain, Colisseum etc.

2) I love the travel books that are called "Day by Day" - Frommers. If you get Rome Day by Day, or Athens Day by Day, they tell you what to do if you are only there one day, two days or three days. They also list neighbourhood walks, where to shop, where to eat etc. They include street maps and metro maps and make getting around very easy.

 

Be adventurous, don't waste too much money on ship excursions as you move like cattle in large groups. it's really not too hard to figure out if you do your homework before you. This site is amazing!!!

[anniversay/grad trip]

My husband and I and our 18yo triplets went on a med cruise last August and enjoyed it so much, and talked about it so much that our dearest friends are now joining us in June to do it all over again (a few different ports)>>>>They all laugh at me because I am a little OCD when it comes to planning. I search anything and everything that I can find on the web about each port and try to familiarize myself with the area. Then I search things to do in _____. I read tons of stuff on these boards, trip advisor, frommers etc....and then I start compiling a file for each port. I plan in three major catagories.... transportation, what to see, shopping/restaurants....then I simply plan out the day. I have booked, private tours, car rentals, etc....I stay away from the cattle call bus tours (but to each is own).....Believe me when I say, the better planned you are the more at ease you will feel when you walk off the ship with a plan. We met so many people last year that didn;t plan a thing, and were sorry for it. They wasted half their day making decisions and figuring out where to go and what to do...I personally would have been a mess. I also compile a budget for each port that includes meals, sundries, etc and surprisingly I wasn't far off. I did allow for misc. splurges which I did manage to spend....for me planning is half the fun.

[pennsylvaniamimi]

Check how much time you have in each port to start. I had all sorts of things lined up in my head and then found out we are only in some ports for 4 hours! That sure shortened my list of things to do! I agree to just do a seach and read the posts- take notes, get a good guide book for Rome. When we were there the Concierge at the hotel gave us a paper tear off map (Provided by the Time Machine I think) and would tell us how to get to certain places by bus or metro. EAT GELATO EVERY DAY or you will be sorry when you get home. Breathe deeply- the air has a certain smell I have been to Rome 2 times for 8 days each and would go back again tomorrow. I hope I can say the same when we return from our Trip to Greece and Turkey. Good luck and happy planning! Maureen

[skiiergirl]

Well I may be a little OCD......but I start with a three ring binder. I have sections for all phases of the trip. Air arrangements/confirmations, hotel confirmations, transporatation (if prearranged), cruise, then a section for each port. I print out stuff I find online and/or excursion arrangements. I also have a section for roll call info (Meet N Mingle) and even a section for a list of what we wear each day/night....... pretty bad huh ? BUT it keeps me organized and I havent forgotten to pack anything yet or to severly overpack (some items get worn twice)

 

and yes......read the boards !!!!!! You will find a TON of info here. Also - I start with the ships tours for info. They usually have a varied assortment of stuff. Then I go to the Ports section and read about those. I also go to Frommers online (some use Rick Steves or Fodors etc). Slowly narrow down what to do by what interests you the most. Some people are heavy into the history/museums and others like more adventure type stuff. We like to do both so try to mix the two.

 

We did a wonderful tour with Ekol in Kusadasi...... 4X4 jeep tour. It was an awesome day. Adventure with history and some shopping and eating thrown in :D Athens - we did DIY using the metro. Focused on the Acropolis and the Plaka...... way too much to see in one day...... we will go back hopefully ! Rome - well Rome is Rome......you can't see it all in a month let alone a couple of days. Hit the high spots and remember to take some time to just stroll, relax and enjoy the "feeling" of Rome. It is a truly magical place. (Can u tell - I love Rome?) And last - have fun planning - don't stress about it. It should be half the fun !

 

Hey Tex....I most definitely am NOT OCD...but I do a 3 ring binder with dividers,etc. too. Print out my research from online,etc. Have a spreadsheet on what to take and mark it off as things go in the suitcase.

 

We have booked another Med trip for next year. Finally have Mr. Ski booked on something besides RCCL! Finally convinced him to give Celebrity a try! But we also have Australian booked and he says I have to choose between the two! Hoping to win the lottery so I can do both! LOL!

[texancruzer]

Hey Tex....I most definitely am NOT OCD...but I do a 3 ring binder with dividers,etc. too. Print out my research from online,etc. Have a spreadsheet on what to take and mark it off as things go in the suitcase.

 

We have booked another Med trip for next year. Finally have Mr. Ski booked on something besides RCCL! Finally convinced him to give Celebrity a try! But we also have Australian booked and he says I have to choose between the two! Hoping to win the lottery so I can do both! LOL!

 

Hey Ski, the 3 ring binder just keeps it all together for me. I can't imagine doing it any other way. Guess there are others :)

 

I will keep my fingers and toes crossed for you - the lottery thing ! Australia is definately on my bucket list - BUT I do love the Med ! You won't be sorry about booking Celebrity ! Like Royal but even a bit better ;) Mike raves about our Celebrity cruise to any and every body ! We tried HAL last November and won't be going back. I should remember "if it ain't broke - don't try to fix it" LOL.

 

What is your itinerary ? Glad to hear from you ! Tell Mr Ski hello.

[ROSEBERRY]

Well I may be a little OCD......but I start with a three ring binder. I have sections for all phases of the trip. Air arrangements/confirmations, hotel confirmations, transporatation (if prearranged), cruise, then a section for each port. I print out stuff I find online and/or excursion arrangements. I also have a section for roll call info (Meet N Mingle) and even a section for a list of what we wear each day/night....... pretty bad huh ? BUT it keeps me organized and I havent forgotten to pack anything yet or to severly overpack (some items get worn twice)

 

and yes......read the boards !!!!!! You will find a TON of info here. Also - I start with the ships tours for info. They usually have a varied assortment of stuff. Then I go to the Ports section and read about those. I also go to Frommers online (some use Rick Steves or Fodors etc). Slowly narrow down what to do by what interests you the most. Some people are heavy into the history/museums and others like more adventure type stuff. We like to do both so try to mix the two.

 

We did a wonderful tour with Ekol in Kusadasi...... 4X4 jeep tour. It was an awesome day. Adventure with history and some shopping and eating thrown in :D Athens - we did DIY using the metro. Focused on the Acropolis and the Plaka...... way too much to see in one day...... we will go back hopefully ! Rome - well Rome is Rome......you can't see it all in a month let alone a couple of days. Hit the high spots and remember to take some time to just stroll, relax and enjoy the "feeling" of Rome. It is a truly magical place. (Can u tell - I love Rome?) And last - have fun planning - don't stress about it. It should be half the fun !

 

texancruzer, OCD or not, I truly believe it's the best way to start a cruise. I just love all the research. This site is such a great help too.Actually that's how I found this thread. I also love the "Roll Calls" and usually share transfers and shore excursions with members of the "Roll Call" I'm currently researching the ports of call on our next cruise, "The Black Sea" and have already printed out a copy of the ships shore excursions booklet. So now I'm looking for info. on this site:cool:.

I just absolutely love how this lovely couple share their cruising adventures.

http://www.thepreismans.com/

Back to Volus, our next port of call;)

[donaldsc]

We are young, healthy, and willing to exhaust ourselves so we can see it all!

 

First thing is to learn to relax. You need to budget sufficient time to just sit in cafes and watch the world go by. You will enjoy that much more and remember it longer than running from place to place. Some of my best times were spent on very long lunches that I found by asking the people who ran our hotels where they went to eat when they wanted to relax. You just can't beat a 2 hour lunch - much better than running around and doing sightseeing.

 

Remember - it is a vacation, not a marathon.

 

DON

[texancruzer]

First thing is to learn to relax. You need to budget sufficient time to just sit in cafes and watch the world go by. You will enjoy that much more and remember it longer than running from place to place. Some of my best times were spent on very long lunches that I found by asking the people who ran our hotels where they went to eat when they wanted to relax. You just can't beat a 2 hour lunch - much better than running around and doing sightseeing.

 

Remember - it is a vacation, not a marathon.

 

DON

 

I TOTALLY AGREE...... but the reality is most people try to do it all on their first trip. They usually don't think they will ever get back but most fall in love with Europe and return...... I know we did :D

 

Our first trip we went non-stop for one whole day precruise...... our second trip we also were out all day - but we strolled from one place to another..... no real plan. Loved it ! But we had seen the Vatican (all of it) and the Coliseum/Forum etc.... Of course we still have ALOT more to see....... next trip ;)

 

My advice is to set aside a block of time to relax. Depending on how long you have -

[misspupule]

Hey Ski, the 3 ring binder just keeps it all together for me. I can't imagine doing it any other way. Guess there are others :)

hey tex

just buttin in! LOL:p love this idea since i do the same thing. doing the greek isle cruise NCL Gem oct 9 2010. (split croatia, corfu santorini mykonos crete). we are do it yourselvers. have done lots of research on all and keep it organized in my folder then will put it together, also airfare, hotels etc.

we plan to stay one week in venice before cruise at private apartment we found near frari church for "cheap". things to see and do while in venice, we are going to a wine festival:D in bardolino on lake garda, about 2 hour ride from venice near verona. renting car for those 2 days. haven't been to this area but did spend 5 days in rome before my transatlantic cruise oct 2008 with carnival splendor. loved it so got the europe blood in me now. trying NCL now.

any info if you've been to these ports is welcomed. thanks in advance:)

happy cruising

miss pupule

[texancruzer]

Hey Ski, the 3 ring binder just keeps it all together for me. I can't imagine doing it any other way. Guess there are others :)

hey tex

just buttin in! LOL:p love this idea since i do the same thing. doing the greek isle cruise NCL Gem oct 9 2010. (split croatia, corfu santorini mykonos crete). we are do it yourselvers. have done lots of research on all and keep it organized in my folder then will put it together, also airfare, hotels etc.

we plan to stay one week in venice before cruise at private apartment we found near frari church for "cheap". things to see and do while in venice, we are going to a wine festival:D in bardolino on lake garda, about 2 hour ride from venice near verona. renting car for those 2 days. haven't been to this area but did spend 5 days in rome before my transatlantic cruise oct 2008 with carnival splendor. loved it so got the europe blood in me now. trying NCL now.

any info if you've been to these ports is welcomed. thanks in advance:)

happy cruising

miss pupule

 

Sounds like your plans are coming along......

 

We have been to Corfu, Santorini and Mykonos.

 

Corfu was our first trip. Did a ships tour. I know I know...but we enjoyed it. The island is beautiful. Not like most of Greece as it is very green and lush. Over 1 million olive trees on the island (see I was listening to the guide :)) They call it the Emerald Isle of Greece. The monastery was interesting, the small villages in the mountains were very cool, the seaside village we ate lunch at was picturesque. But really just enjoyed driving around. Perhaps to rent a car and just go is a good idea for a DIY'er. We also enjoyed a bit of shopping in Corfu Town. Neat architecture.

 

Santorini was on second trip. Tender in of course. We did the donkeys. Not planned - just spur of the moment - one of the "I'll never forget" experiences. Had a blast. Then took a taxi to Oia, stayed 2.5 hrs there just walking and ducking in shops and taking photos. Then back to Fira and dinner on edge of caldera.....sunset. Stand in line for cable car (long but went fast) and then tender out to ship. We were there 2pm - 10pm which is not the best schedule :(

 

Mykonos was also on second trip. Used this day to kick back. Just took the shuttle into town, walked, shopped, ate. If I get back that way - will go to Delos.

 

Just a note: on our last cruise (Caribbean on HAL) we had plans for each port but when we came to St. Thomas instead of taking the ferry over to St. John (which we love!) and renting a zodiac/dinghy there to snorkle, we opted at the last minute to just stick around St. Thomas - going to the beach. Well, big mistake. Didnt really like the first beach, so took another taxi to another beach..... snorkeling a bit better there but beach yukky. Point is research and plan - have a backup plan but for us, "winging it" just doesnt work.