Shore excursions in Rome, Livorno, Naples

[m4rcla]

Hi,

 

I will be traveling with my faimily (total 8 people) on the Norwegian Epic in August.

 

From the online option for shore excursions, everything looks really expensive (around $150+) per person. Is this normal pricing for Europe shore excursion? Originally when we were looking at the Royal Caribbean ship, the shore excursion looks a lot cheaper.

 

Do you recommend doing private tour and if so, any recommendations.

Ideally I'd like to spend only around 50 USD per person per tour. Is that even possible?

 

Thanks!

[Hlitner]

Well, the prices you quote are quite normal for the overpriced cruise line excursions. You can probably do a lot better by hiring a private tour in most ports (we are not experts nor make recommendations on private tours in most ports). Of course the other option is to simply go off on your own and take advantage of inexpensive public transport and your feet to save many thousands of dollars for your group. The options are all there, the decision is up to your.

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

I think if your budget is $50 per person per day, you need to start doing some research and planning DIY days. $400 at today's exchange rate is slightly less than 300 Euro, which probably isn't going to go as far as you want.

[phillygirl63]

There has been a lot of debate on these boards about ship's excursions vs. private tours. I have done both, and highly recommend private tours, especially for Rome and Naples (Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi coast and Pompeii). Since you already have 8 people, booking a private tour would be the best way to see as much as you can. We used yourtourinitaly, and they were great. There are roll calls for the Epic this summer and fall that have put together their tours with YTII upon my recommendation, and the cost for 8 people worked out to be much less than the ship's excursion for comparable tours. Keep in mind that it is very hot in Italy in August, so having access to your own private air conditioned van would give you a chance to cool off a bit between stops. If you get a chance, read my review of the Jade that I posted back in July 2010. We had the same itinerary as your cruise, and I go into detail about the tours that we did.

[euro cruiser]

Since you already have 8 people, booking a private tour would be the best way to see as much as you can. We used yourtourinitaly, and they were great. There are roll calls for the Epic this summer and fall that have put together their tours with YTII upon my recommendation, and the cost for 8 people worked out to be much less than the ship's excursion for comparable tours.

Can you share the actual amount per person, so the OP can have some perspective? S/he is looking to spend significantly less than the ship's tour (about 1/3rd) - did you realize savings that deep?

[ollienbertsmum]

Hi,

 

I will be traveling with my faimily (total 8 people) on the Norwegian Epic in August.

 

From the online option for shore excursions, everything looks really expensive (around $150+) per person. Is this normal pricing for Europe shore excursion? Originally when we were looking at the Royal Caribbean ship, the shore excursion looks a lot cheaper.

 

Do you recommend doing private tour and if so, any recommendations.

Ideally I'd like to spend only around 50 USD per person per tour. Is that even possible?

 

Thanks!

 

Private tours do work out cheaper - especially if you are working with a party of 8, but to work in that budget you might have to prioritise and decide which of the stops you want the guided tour and which will be doing your own thing. Of course with 8 people you may also want to split up because everyone does not have the same priorities.

 

The places that I would consider using public transport:

 

I have been to Rome several times and would recommend taking the train 9 euro for a day ticket. You will find detailed instructions here

 

http://goitaly.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=goitaly&cdn=travel&tm=10&gps=418_299_895_443&f=21&su=p531.51.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.europeportreviews.com/Rome2.htm

 

and all you need to do is follow the crowd of people.

 

You need a good guide book with a map and a plan of what you are going to do. You can use taxis whilst in Rome if you wish. A day trip to include visiting St Peters, the forum and the Colloseum is doable. You just have to leave early and make sure that you allow yourself double the amount of time you should to get back.

 

I am cruising to Italy again this year and am trying to work out what to do in Naples and Livorno. I think we will try to be sensible and not overplan so I am looking at going to Capri or Sorrento (we have been to Pompeii which I really enjoyed) on the hydrofoil and then from Livorno we can go to Pisa on the train.

 

I don't speak Italian, I do do my research and spend money on a good guide book for each place.

 

You will not have your own guide, but quite frankly I don't mind. When I went to St Petersburg we were in a party of 16, we had a brilliant guide and me and one other of the party listened to every single word. The other 14 enjoyed a snooze in the coach because they were having great nights on the ship and were tired ! We all had a great vacation.

 

This time there will be just the 4 of us so we will not be so full of vodka cocktails (the guide sure knew how to win the hearts of the teenagers!)

but we do want to pass the day in beautiful places.

 

From the small amount of research I have done, I think if I were to choose one place to choose a limo tour it would be from Livorno so that you could get to Pisa (which can be done fairly quickly) and then move on to Florence. Maybe someone else will give another opinion.

 

Whatever happens make sure that your group is willing to get up in the morning. If you are going to move more than a very short bus ride from the ship you have got to make sure you plan to leave early to get back well before sailaway. That to me is the golden rule of independent cruisers.

 

I would love to hear what you plan.

[phillygirl63]

We paid 530 euros split by 6 people for our 9 hour tours of Rome and Naples (530 for each day). In Naples we went to Sorrento, Positano and Pompeii. We had a private tour guide for Pompeii, which was arranged by yourtouriinitaly at an extra cost of 120 euros for the 6 of us. This was optional but worth it. Another option is to have lunch at LaTaggliata, which is a family restaurant at the top of the mountain overlooking Positano and the coastline. This was another 25 euros per person, and worth it. It worked out to be $131 USD for Rome and $160 USD for Naples with everything included. Of course, it would work out to be less for the OP with 8 people sharing the cost.

 

For us it was more about quality than price, but really the cost per person was no more than what was being charged by the ship for a comparable tour.

[m4rcla]

Thanks all for the input!

 

I guess we really have to choose and pick which ports to do private tours/shore excursions and which ports to just DYI.

The port of calls are Barcelona, Livorno, Rome, Naples, Palma di Mallorca.

 

I guess the question is which port would be easier to do on your own?

Are there ports where we can just walk easily to town (or catch a cab) without having to take trains?

 

I have found pretty reasonable tours for Barcelona and Naples. But for Livorno and Rome, the prices look expensive (probably because the point of interests or "towns" are further away from the ports).

 

phillygirl, I will your Jade reviews to get more insight, as well as read the Epic roll call.

 

Thanks again all!

[kazu]

You have 8 people so you already have a private tour all set up with no work.

 

We used Rome in Limo and were very pleased. They give you a discount if you book more than one tour with them. They are very reputable and you can review them on the boards.

 

You won't do it for $50 US a day but depending on where the euro stands when you pay (at the end of the tour) but the privates will be much more reasonable. You would need to plan on probably 450 -500 euros per tour for the 8 of you. Of course, entrance fees, meals, whatever are extra.

 

there is a lot to see and a good private guide can add a lot to the experience IMO :):)

[euro cruiser]

I guess we really have to choose and pick which ports to do private tours/shore excursions and which ports to just DYI.

The port of calls are Barcelona, Livorno, Rome, Naples, Palma di Mallorca.

 

I guess the question is which port would be easier to do on your own?

Are there ports where we can just walk easily to town (or catch a cab) without having to take trains?

Barcelona is very easy to handle on your own. Depending on which part of the port you berth in, you may be able to walk right into town. Barcelona has several HOHO bus routes, but in the high season they are very crowded and slow, often not able to pick up passengers waiting because they are already full. You'd be better off doing a little research and using public transit or cabs. When you compare the cost of 8 HOHO tickets to a couple of cabs two or three times throughout the day, you'll see that it's either a wash, or actually better to use cabs.

 

Naples is also easy on your own, unless you want to drive along the Amalfi Coast. For that you need a car to really appreciate it. There is a public bus, but ... what can I say about that? It's transportation, not touring. If you want to spend the day in Naples, you can walk right into town. For Capri, walk along the pier from the cruise port and right next door are the boats to Capri, no guide or tour needed.

 

In Palma di Mallorca we hired a cab for the four of us to drive to the caves. We ran into the tour bus there, but we got to see what we wanted, minus the mandatory pearl factory stop that comes with the ship tour. Our cost for the cab was a lot less than four ship tours.

 

Livorno and Rome can be accomplished DIY, many of us do it that way, but it takes research and planning. Plus, with a group of eight it's probably not a good idea to set yourself up as the guide/fall guy. These two stops are where I'd spend the money for a tour.

[chipmaster]

Welcome to CC,

 

Rome, Naples/Amalfi, and Livorno ( Florence/Pisa ) are amazing ports but a challenge for the little time you have. Europe is far more expensive than other places; exchange, cost of living and distance from port to attractions.

 

If your budget is only 50 euros/person/day after paying a couple thousand + for cabin / airfare the best thing will be to pick and choose carefully what you want to see and plan a DIY day for some ports and splurge in few others.

 

Forget cruiseline tours if you want to be efficient with money or time, go private!

 

Check your ship rollcalls for tour share, but with 8 people you can easily hire a van yourself. 8 is almost the perfect number.

 

One thing to consider is DIY in Naples for Capri and Pompeii and splurge in for Florence/Pisa and Rome for a private. For those two ports you are talkin 90' to 120' in travel time regardless of what you choose so a private vehicle versus a bus is the way to maximize your experience.

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I will be traveling with my faimily (total 8 people) on the Norwegian Epic in August.

 

From the online option for shore excursions, everything looks really expensive (around $150+) per person. Is this normal pricing for Europe shore excursion? Originally when we were looking at the Royal Caribbean ship, the shore excursion looks a lot cheaper.

 

Do you recommend doing private tour and if so, any recommendations.

Ideally I'd like to spend only around 50 USD per person per tour. Is that even possible?

 

Thanks!

[phillygirl63]

If you can only do one tour and this is your first time in Rome, I would definitely do a private tour for the 8 of you here.

 

As for Naples, I would not drive myself along the Amalfi coast. Anyone who has been there will agree with me on this. The road is very narrow and winding and Italians are not known to be patient drivers, especially the motorcyclists. Besides, the person driving misses out on the sites along the way. So, if you can do two private tours, I would suggest doing Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Positano and Pompeii). However, there are many other things you can do while in Naples on your own. Just figure out what your group really wants to see.

 

Florence would be my third private tour choice.

[Seein'theworld]

Here is a copy of my post regarding Naples. We used Rome in Limo last month and Carmine in Naples was the BEST!! Ask him to turn on his music for you! He took us to Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano. #1 best decision we made was to use this tour company. (We also used them in Livorno and Civitavecchia.) Great guides in each port. I would 100% recommend hiring tour guides in addition to your driver. The drivers are awesome, but they are not legally allowed to take you into the sites. It was the one thing I did not understand when we booked with this company. In Livorno we did not have an additional guide. If I had do-overs I would have. We adjusted our reservation and had the extra guide at the other ports. Although their tours end up being less expensive than the ship's tours, one thing you might consider is booking an 8 passenger w/ Rome in Limo and finding additional cruise-mates to share the cost. I would also just bring Euros for the cost of the tours rather than hassling w/ the ATMs (each will only allow specific withdrawals and there are fees) and travel cards....I wish I was going with you!!

[Seein'theworld]

I agree that the other ports: Barcelona, Palma di Mallorca, Monaco, Marseille are manageable without a tour. In Barcelona the hop on hop off bus is worth the cost. It will take you everywhere you may want to go in a day. Palma has transportation at the port. We went to the beach--Spanish Riveria is where Europeans vacation, Monaco has a small hop on bus easy to navigate. We were just there...it is hot. Bring hats or umbrellas. Spend your tour budget in Italy. Rome in Limo was great. Spend the extra money to hire their guide for inside the attractions as well.