PG LG 1 Posted January 21, 2012 #1 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Can any one tell me if O has a shuttle from the ship to the city of Livormo? Is there a charge ? Thanks Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredFL Posted January 21, 2012 #2 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Last October we had a shuttle from the ship to central Livorno, just off the central square where the cathedral is. Not sure if it was the city or Oceania who provided it. Be aware it is still a long walk to the train station if you want to go to Florence or Pisa. There is a city bus from the square to the train station but I am not sure of the details. Livorno is mildly interesting, especially the area called Little Venice, but nothing compared to Florence/Pisa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted January 21, 2012 #3 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Or San Gimignano or Volterra or or Lucca or ... fill in the blank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted January 22, 2012 #4 Share Posted January 22, 2012 No charge for the shuttle but not close to the train station or other means of transportation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnaples2624 Posted January 23, 2012 #5 Share Posted January 23, 2012 So.... what is the best mode of transportation to get from the port at Livorno to Florence? Is it best to book one of the excursions offered by the cruise ship or venture out on your own? I'm a "newbie," so please be kind.... :) Taking our first cruise ever on the new Rivieria set to sail May 26 from Athens to Barcelona. Any other tips would be most welcome...mainly about shore excursions. They seem really pricey, and I keep reading that a lot of them are not worth the price. Thoughts?:) Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted January 23, 2012 #6 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I guess the first question is: have you been to Florence before? My opinion is that you can't see it in one day, especially not from the port, but lots of people would disagree with me. So I think what I would do would be to take the ship's transportation-only to Florence (which I assume will be available). That gets you there and then you are on your own. It's a better deal economically than booking a ship's tour where you really can't choose where to go or how long to spend there. As far as touring is concerned, if you aren't secure in traveling on your own than ship's tours, while expensive, can be a good way to see places. The option WE prefer is to go to the roll call for your cruise and get together with others for private tours. This has the advantage of being smaller groups, doing what YOU want to do when you want to, and usually for less money. And sometimes we combine them. While I am averse to ship's tours, my husband is not, and so we tend to do mostly private tours (or just walking around on our own, depending on the port) but with 1-2 ship's tours on a cruise. It all depends on the itinerary. I hope this has helped a little! Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Hughy Posted January 23, 2012 #7 Share Posted January 23, 2012 There are pros and cons to ship tours. Pro: is that they are reponsible if for any reason you can not get back to the ship by the time the captain must clear port. While this is a remote possibility I have seen it occure. Con: the tours are over priced and the groups are usually to large for my liking. There is no guarentee on quality of tour guide but if tour is a complete bust then you may get a refund from ship. Private tour operators dont refund payments. I found in alot of places in Europe using the HoHo busses is a great way to Explore an unknown port. IMHO Have a great cruise and just enjoy the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksps cruise fan Posted January 23, 2012 #8 Share Posted January 23, 2012 So.... what is the best mode of transportation to get from the port at Livorno to Florence? Is it best to book one of the excursions offered by the cruise ship or venture out on your own? I'm a "newbie," so please be kind.... :) Florence is a very compact city that's easy to do without a ship's sponsored tour. You can... ... take the ship's transporation into Florence and tour with a private guide. (You'll need to arrange the tour in advance. Go to the Italy Ports of Call board for recommendations about walking guides.) ... take the ship's transportation into Florence and do the city on your own. (Rick Steves may have an audio guide for Florence.) ... join a small group forming on your Roll Call. There is good train transportation between Livorno and Florence and plenty of hand-holding for how to use the trains on the Italy Port Call board, but, clearly that's a more adventurous option. If you want to visit the Uffizi Gallery or the Accademia, advance reservations are essential! With your time limits, you really don't want to waste your time standing in line for entry. Suggestion: The Bargello is to sculpture what the Uffizi is to painting. However, lines are almost non-existent at The Bargello. Cruising in Europe takes lots of advance planning! You need to know what you want to see and how you're going to do everything given the time limits of a port call. I strongly recommend you go to the appropriate Port Call Boards every bit as often as you come to this board in the months prior to your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnaples2624 Posted January 23, 2012 #9 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I appreciate all the suggestions.... and, of course, now I have another question--- all the replies referred to "roll calls" or "Port Call Boards." I am not sure what those are. And exactly where do I find these roll calls and boards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksps cruise fan Posted January 23, 2012 #10 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I appreciate all the suggestions.... and, of course, now I have another question--- all the replies referred to "roll calls" or "Port Call Boards." I am not sure what those are. And exactly where do I find these roll calls and boards? Roll Call is a board where people taking the same cruise can meet one another online and potentially plan to take excursions together. The Port Call board is a place to have a more focused discussion about visits to specific ports. In the Italy board, for example, the advice can get very, very specific since many well-traveled posters -- both land visitors and cruise visitors -- post there. There are two ways to get to roll call: o go to the top of the posts on this web page. You'll see the phrase "Go to the Oceania roll call forums." That is a direct link to the Roll Calls. Scan down the list of cruises until you find yours. Join in. o Starting with the home page cruisecritic.com, find the link near the top of the page for "Boards." This will take you to a list of all the boards including Roll Calls and Ports of Call. The Ports of Call boards are further divided by geographical region. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted January 23, 2012 #11 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I appreciate all the suggestions.... and, of course, now I have another question--- all the replies referred to "roll calls" or "Port Call Boards." I am not sure what those are. And exactly where do I find these roll calls and boards? Roll Calls http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=420 Click on the ship then the sailing date you are on Post away Ports of Call http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5 Here you can search for things to do in the ports, private guide referrals & ask questions usually a local is monitoring the forum or people that have been there , done that Just explore the forums you will be amazed at the info found on CC Click on USER CP or your ID when you login & any new posts to the forums you have posted in will come up Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bphman Posted January 24, 2012 #12 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Train service in Italy is great, fast and cost-effective but one must not forget the propensity for the infamous Italian wildcat strikes. We have been victims of this on trains, planes but not automobiles. I was stranded in Bologna once by myself for a brief but inconvenient strike. If this occurred while on a cruise, it would be devastating. Florence is two hours from Livorno and you have to factor this into your plans. My brother lived in Livorno for five years with the U.S. Army at Campo Darby and there isn't much to do there. Pisa doesn't offer much more. A Med cruise will offer you a taste of Europe but be prepared for 6:45 AM excursions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.