Need help planning for Insignia's Istanbul to Barcelona Cruise on Oct. 15th

[rodjung]

Which of the following ports are likely to be tendered from Insignia-- Istanbul, Kavala, Ephesus/Kusadasi, Rhodes, Santorini, Taormina, Amalfi, Citavecchia, Livorno, Monte Carlo, Marseilles, Barcelona?

 

Which port towns can reasonably be reached on foot from the ship's landing (we don't mind walking a mile or two if it's reasonably safe).

Is it likely that Oceania will provide free shuttle service to any of these? Specific information on local bus services to town would also be appreciated.

 

Is there anything to see in Citavecchia? We've been to Rome several times before so we're looking for alternative places to visit nearer to the port.

 

The same for Livorno/Florence. We thought we might take the trains to Lucca. There are two scheduled days in Livorno, what else should we see nearby?

 

Is there any reasonable bus service from Monte Carlo to the hilltowns above?

 

What is there to see in Marseilles, and/or nearby?

 

We are experienced independent budget travelers and generally avoid commercial tours. We realize, however, that tight cruise schedules make taking tours necessary in some cases. Which ones are "must do's?"

 

We have arranged three nights pre-cruise and two nights post-cruise in Istanbul and Barcelona.

 

We posted on the Insignia cruise board but there's not much activity there yet. We are hoping to meet up with fellow cruisers interested in sharing taxis, tour vans, etc.

 

 

 

[LHT28]

I am going to guess that Monte Carlo you may dock or tender

Santorini =tender

Istanbul, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Liverno & Barcelona (maybe) dock in town

 

some port like Kusadasi & Liverno you may need a tour to see the sights like Ephesus

 

I would check the ports of call forums for recommend private tour guides to get the most out of the port stops

 

Enjoy

 

Lyn

[bassclarinet]

We will be interested in sharing local taxies etc in some of the ports and will take the Ships tours in Rome and possibly others. On past trips they have provided local shuttles in many case where the walk to civilization was long. Feel free to contact us J Webster

[LHT28]

I would join the ROLL CALL for your ruise for sharing tours with your fellow ship mates

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=420%22

Look for the ship then the sailing date

[no fuss travel]

Which of the following ports are likely to be tendered from Insignia-- Istanbul, Kavala, Ephesus/Kusadasi, Rhodes, Santorini, Taormina, Amalfi, Citavecchia, Livorno, Monte Carlo, Marseilles, Barcelona? Santorine, Amalfi, Monte Carlo are definite tenders.

 

Which port towns can reasonably be reached on foot from the ship's landing (we don't mind walking a mile or two if it's reasonably safe). Istanbul, Kusadasi (if you don't want to see Ephesus), Santorini, Taormina, Amalfi, Livorno, Monte Carlo, Barcelona

Is it likely that Oceania will provide free shuttle service to any of these? Specific information on local bus services to town would also be appreciated.

 

Is there anything to see in Citavecchia? We've been to Rome several times before so we're looking for alternative places to visit nearer to the port. Yes, there are some old Roman ruins, lots of stores

 

The same for Livorno/Florence. Stores, an old fort that you can walk around, there is suppose to be a nice beach fairly close by if you are beach people We thought we might take the trains to Lucca. Well worth a visit. See if you can find another couple to share a taxi with you to get there and back. More reasonable and then you don't have to worry about train strikes. Several people took private guides up to visit wineries and see some of the other smaller villages in the area and enjoyed that.There are two scheduled days in Livorno, what else should we see nearby?

 

Is there any reasonable bus service from Monte Carlo to the hilltowns above? Yes, I think we paid 1E per person. Trains are cheap to travel between towns as well and quicker.

 

What is there to see in Marseilles, and/or nearby? We missed this port due to an impromptu strike. If you go to Toulon, they have a fascinating market that is well worth wandering through.

 

We are experienced independent budget travelers and generally avoid commercial tours. We realize, however, that tight cruise schedules make taking tours necessary in some cases. Which ones are "must do's?" I would organize private tours. We used Ekol Tours in Ephesus and saw more than the cruise ship tours did and were not nearly as rushed. We ended up with a large van (air conditioned) for the two of us with a private guide and driver. It was well worth it if you have not been to this area before.

 

We have arranged three nights pre-cruise and two nights post-cruise in Istanbul and Barcelona.

 

We posted on the Insignia cruise board but there's not much activity there yet. We are hoping to meet up with fellow cruisers interested in sharing taxis, tour vans, etc. We did most of our matching up in the last month before the cruise. Just keep checking the board to see if anyone is interested. On one of our stops we met a couple and agreed to share a taxi. We had a really good tour that day but your cruise is not calling at that port.

 

 

 

 

 

See above as it was easier to answer your questions that way. Have a fabulous cruise. We can't wait to go back to some of the ports. Santorini was beautiful and they have excellent bus service so you can just take the bus.

[rodjung]

Thank you, "No Fuss" and the others who took the time and effort to respond to my questions. I found your information to be very helpful.

 

I might mention, that in the meantime, just today, I received in the mail a just published Rick Steves "Mediterranean Cruise Ports" guidebook. I had ordered it in advance of publication from Amazon.com.It's a heavy volume (about 1,270 pages) filled with practical information about Med. ports and how to see the sights in the area on your own.

 

Unfortunately it doesn't cover Kavala, Toamina, or the towns on the Almafi coast. But it appears that it will be useful for our stopovers in the other ports we'll be visiting on our Oceania cruise. And no, I am not promoting the book or connected in any way to the Rick Steves' organization.

[Paulchili]

FWIW,

We docked in Monte Carlo (with Marina no less) - depends on number of ships in port that day.

If you want to go to Eze (stunning) from there, you are better of using a local bus than train.

[Chai Cruise Enthusiast#18]

My 28 year old daughter and I are taking the Istanbul to Barcelona cruise. We are experienced travelers and we are looking forward to our latest adventure. Our preference is to take our own excursions so that we can explore on our own. We'll be arriving in Istanbul 1 day early and staying in Barcelona for several days following the cruise.

 

My daughter has taught me how to travel by focusing on experiencing locations rather than seeing them.

 

We'd like to share a personalized tour guide to take us on the Amalfi coast and St Paul de Vence near Marseille.

 

I am interested in train schedules while docked in Civitavecchia and Livorno. We want to take the trainto Rome to visit the Sistine Chapel and Jewish area as well as the Spanish Steps. In Livorno, we'll take the train 1 day to explore Cinque Terra in addition to going to Florence on the 2nd day to see the statue of David, once again.

[rodjung]

Hello "Chai" -- you and your daughter sound like our kind of travelers. Maybe we can get together to share tour and train experiences at some of our ports (assuming you're on the Oct. 15 Insignia cruise). We would also like to link up with J. Webster (BrassClarinet) who expressed an interest in sharing costs. You may e-mail me: Rod Young, at rodjung1@verizon.net.

 

In Livorno I thought we might go to Florence by train the first day to make sure we have plenty of time to sightsee without worrying about getting back to the ship on time. The second day we want to take the train, via Pisa, to Lucca.

 

From Almafi we plan to take the bus to Positano and a boat back to the port. We want to have time to look around the towns on our own and not just be escorted everywhere by tour bus or van. By the way, I discovered that the Steves' Med. port guidebook I mentioned earlier does cover the two main Almafi towns (including where to catch the bus, etc.)

 

Your excursion to St. Paul de Vence should probably start from Monte Carlo rather that Marseilles. Many people take excursions to Aix en Provence from Marseilles. We've already been there and thought we might walk around "old Town" Marseilles and take the bus to Cassis and the calanques instead.

 

We've visited Monte Carlo numerous times and thought we might try to catch a bus to one of the hill towns. Apparently the easiest to reach is Eze. A shared car rental would give us more flexibility.

 

We don't really want to go back to Rome again and are looking for ideas for what to do from Civitavecchia.

 

As far as organized tours go, I think the only one we'll take will be to Ephesus. We're hoping cut costs by sharing a van or bus.

[JimandStan]

Why not communicate via the Roll Call for your cruise?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1413937

 

There, you will find fellow passengers who are anxious to network with you, to plan tours and to discuss ports.

 

Have a marvelous trip ;)