Cruisetours - worthwhile?

[tobymonster]

My husband and I are looking at a med/greece cruise in May and want to spend some time in Italy before/after. I saw that there's a cruisetour available with the cruise we want, that does Rome, Florence, and Venice prior to the cruise.

 

Is this a good option? Or are we better off doing it on our own? Why/why not?

 

Thanks!

[Hawaiidan]

I just returned...

Shiptour to Rome $1000 for 2 Done Privately $450

Ship Tour Machu Picchu $6000 for 2 Privately $2000

 

Get a good hotel and your consierge can set up daily tours for you at a fraction of the cost. Package tours are bus tours that bounce you here to there.

Get an Italian rail pass and zip all over, booking day tours from your hotel...

 

I would suggest flying into Frankfurt and taking the train down through Germany and Switzerland, over the alps to your port, I like Frankfurt and Zurich because they have the train station my Baggage claim.

[FrankinPA]

I just returned...

Shiptour to Rome $1000 for 2 Done Privately $450

Ship Tour Machu Picchu $6000 for 2 Privately $2000

 

Get a good hotel and your consierge can set up daily tours for you at a fraction of the cost. Package tours are bus tours that bounce you here to there.

Get an Italian rail pass and zip all over, booking day tours from your hotel...

 

I would suggest flying into Frankfurt and taking the train down through Germany and Switzerland, over the alps to your port, I like Frankfurt and Zurich because they have the train station my Baggage claim.

 

Agree with going private, especially in Europe where travel is very easy. You mention going "over the Alps" in a train. Which train is that? I was unaware that any train line went over the Alps. Would love to do that.

[Leeroy-Jenkins]

I saw that there's a cruisetour available with the cruise we want, that does Rome, Florence, and Venice prior to the cruise.

 

Is this a good option?

 

Nope!

 

Or are we better off doing it on our own?

 

Yes!

[Hawaiidan]

There are several.

 

1. From Munich over the Brenner pass to Milan and any where

 

2. From Zurich, via Chur then the Bernina Express. Hightst pass in alps for a train. one of the greatest rail trips... Connects in Triano italy to Milan.. and then all over This is my last trip.

 

3. Zurich via Brig through the simplon tunnel but hits a lot of mountans, used to be more before the "new lotschberg tunnel" but still lots of alps.

You could stop in Brig and take a short detour to the Matterhorn and Zermatt... an hour train ride out of Brig too.

 

I have driven and train ed it in europe for 30 years+ I would fly into Frankfurt ( huge airport with lots of competive flights,) Buy a rail-saver pass 5 days, 4 countries for 2 $850 then train to Munich or better Salzburg,

Stay in a hotel and take the tours from it.. Its great small town..

Then take the Train Salzburg to Zurich through Innsbruck a great

ride . Its also possibel to take a rt day train to Vienna and back with your pass.

Another day Take the train over the Bernina to Florence. Stay in Florence ( watch pick pockets and gypsey) and have your hotel arrange tours Then down to rome on the train, Again have the hotel arrange I suggest the Hilton Calavari in rome for its position overlooking Rome.

With another train day on you pass you could go to Venice for the day or

 

The Saver pass is for 2 or more people traveling together and its super You can also get one for just Italy Or Italy and Switzerland up to 6 country combos

 

Have fun

[FrankinPA]

Hawaiidan,

 

This is great information. Thanks for taking the time to let me (and all of us) know these possibilities. I will do more research and put a trip together like you recommend.

[tobymonster]

Wow, thanks for all the train info! Definitely sounds like an amazing time!

 

I'm not sure we'll have time on this trip to do everything, but I like the idea of the train pass for inside Italy. I'll have to research that some more. (any chance you have a link?)

 

We'll probably stick to Italy for the pre/post cruise. The cruise we're doing is 13 nights, and we won't be able to take more than 3 weeks off work so, with travel time, we're somewhat limited.

[Hawaiidan]

Italu has a network of fast trains like 120 mph stuff and pretty darn clean. They also have a bunch of regional trains which you should be prepard for.. dirty and slow.

Be aware that in no Italian trian station do they have elevators or escalators if you have big bags. You have to make it down a flight of stairs then across to your platform then up the same length stairs ( about 30 dteps)

 

Now if you get a 7 day Italina rail pass what I would do is fly in to either Rome or Milan. Neither has rail service, so you would have to get a taxi in to the station or hotel.

Personaly, Rome is the best place to stay but its a madhouse at street level. I choose the Hilton Calivari, sits on a hill top in a park and has excellent food and a roof top that overlooks all of Rome from St Peters.

The have a free shuttle into town.

Now each day you can venture out one day to Venice, ( expensive beyond your dreams) for a visit then the next day up to Florence, all are less than 2.5 hours from the hotel by train. Each night you return to your hotel and relax in the pool.. No luggage, just like a cruise take day train trips to where ever you like, one un pack one pack.

The Hilton has a super concierige who, when I was there set up everything... I wanted.

Then when you want to go to the Ship in Citivveccia, its a 50 min train ride to 3 blocks form the ship. If you plan on Boarding in Venice, then take the train 2.5 hours to Not Venice but Mestri.

Mestri is the station/town just before Venice. Get off here.

 

Why? Because Venice starion has no cabs... you have to carry luggage over bridges and done long streets to get a cab to the ship.

 

Whereas, in Mestri, its boom-boom off the train into a auto-cab and a 15 min ride to the gangway of the ship 35 euros + tip I arrived at 8pm and it worked so smooth I am still smiling.

 

Why a train, Well Italians drive like mad fools, a rental car large enought for your liggage will be over $100 per day all the hiways are toll and gas was running 1.4E per leiter, thats like $7 a gallon. I drove 250 miles and it cost me $100.00 in gas + toll+car rental OH , and 27Euros a night to park !!!

 

Use the rail europe site, look for "selectpass" Select saver pass.

[ghstudio]

The answer to your question is really dependent on you. We have friends that like to travel and have every lunch stop planned...they take tours like this....easy, no preplanning required, no language problems, no worry about finding a restaurant and getting to/from and so on.

 

On the other hand, many of us are comfortable booking hotels ourselves, doing a little research, even if it's only browsing thru F.... or F..... at Barnes and Noble and planning how we will get from city to city, often just renting a car and doing it ourselves. Those in this group have far more flexibility and probably will spend a fair amount less $'s.

 

If you're in the first group, it's probably an OK deal.....

[IrishMis]

I agree with all that has been said about being able to do things cheaper on you own. That said, I want to put in the plug that we did take a cruise tour with X about 4 years ago which did Lk Como, Milan and then transport to Venice and a day there before boarding. Of 40 cruises, we always count it as one of our most memorable trips though we know we paid a lot. We loved how they handled our luggage throughout and left us free to enjoy to enjoy and not feeling like we are "working" on vacation to see what we need to do next. Either way, hope you will have a wonderful trip in Italy.

[jwds]

"Be aware that in no Italian trian station do they have elevators or escalators if you have big bags. You have to make it down a flight of stairs then across to your platform then up the same length stairs ( about 30 dteps)"

 

This is not correct. In major stations such as Rome, Milan, Venice all tracks can be accessed by walking on one level. In many mid-size stations there are elevators and/or escalators. On our Sept. trip to Italy the stations in Pisa and Verona both had elevators. In any station you may have steps to enter/exit the station.

[jwds]

"If you plan on Boarding in Venice, then take the train 2.5 hours to Not Venice but Mestri."

 

I agree with using the station in Mestre if you are not staying in Venice. It is, however, closer to 4 hours from Rome.

[Hawaiidan]

Venice -Mestri has none, Padua, none, Tiriano none, Rome stations none, like San Pietro ( very Pouplar) Citivviccia- none all subways.

 

Rome Termini is all on one level yes... like Milan.

Having just spent a month over there and with Italian friends, locals, and using the Train a lot, those were my observations with my lying eyes

I would thus not rely on any station having one.

The majority I visited did not!

 

Venice , Santa Margarita, is all on one level yes... but the catch is no cabs to the ship.. that over the river and through the woods..

And, the arched bridge over is all stairs up and down.

 

Venice Mestri is all steps, and subways... but is prefered because of the immidiate access to cabs at the station door. It is faster to get off here, catch a cab to the ship than to go to the end of the line , lug your stuff and deal with the details.

 

One thing too is you must validate your ticket after i you get it in a yellow auto-machine. They are not on the platforms inn many stations, Sometimes in the subway below, some times in the station, no rime or reason.

[jwds]

"Venice -Mestri has none, Padua, none, Tiriano none, Rome stations none, like San Pietro ( very Pouplar) Citivviccia- none all subways."

 

I believe that you said that "no stations" have elevators/escalators. From my past trip I mentioned two that I know have them.

 

I did agree with you about using Mestre if not staying in Venice.