Ship excursions or wing it?

[CruisingMouse]

Ports are Cannes, Florenence/Pisa and Rome then I have a day in Barcelona before returning home. Any suggestions on excursions, not really into too much history or hours in a church. I do liketaking in the scenery, some mild shopping and wouldn't mind an hour on the beach if possible in France. Any opinions and taking the ships excursions or finding something on our own? Any suggestions as to what not to miss and to do?

[paul929207]

You may want to check the Ports of Call section for ideas for your ports.

[cb at sea]

A good guidebook is what you need if you plan on going it alone...totally doable, but you HAVE to have information about where you're going, transportation, costs, restaurants, safety, etc.....libraries have guidebooks, or you can buy one. It's the best investment you'll make.

[Woobstr112G]

You might want to check your cruise's roll call to see what private excursions are being organized. I've had very good luck with them.....:):):)

 

Bob

[tomko2]

We spent the time in Cannes at the beach and strolling around town. Had a great time.

 

Florence we took the bus excursion provided by RCL that offered "FLorence on your Own", that was perfect as we had prepared our own walking maps, had pre-booked admissions to places we wanted to see and had the flexibility of doing it our way.

 

Rome - if you have never been to Rome then any excursion that will get you into the city to see some of the sites would be worth it. Our first Med. cruise left from Rome so we spent 4 days pre-cruise and 2 days post-cruise in the city. On our second cruise, we opted to spend our port day in Civitavecchia. My husband went swimming and I strolled around the town (farmers market on that day).

 

Barcelona - taking the HOHO bus is great - you see a lot of the city and can get off anywhere. My hubby took the aerial tram over the bay which he really enjoyed.

 

Photos in the link below my signature.

 

Reviews: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=57957

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=33168

[Hlitner]

The issue of crusie line excursions vs private excursions vs DIY are a popular topic here on CC. We admit that we are anti excursion, dislike being on a "cattle drives" following some silly person carrying a sign, and nearly always do ports on our own. We have been doing this for over thirty years in more then 100 ports and we also enjoy taking driving trips in Europe. That being said, there is a mind set (particularly among fellow Americans, Japanese and Chinese) to not do anything on one's own. Some folks are simply afraid, others worry about missing the ship, some worry about the language barrier, etc etc. You also see folks promoting HoHo buses, but after more then forty years of international travel we normally detest HoHo buses (especially if on a cruise) because one can waste a lot of their precious port time just waiting for the next bus. In places like Barcelona, Oslo, Paris, London, etc. where they have excellent public transit it is pretty easy to get from place to place on foot or by using the Metro and its a lot faster and cheaper then HoHo's. My advice to the OP is to just do whatever makes you feel more comfortable and do not pay attention to folks like me who have our own personal preferences. If you want to DIY there are quite a few of us here on CC who will help you with the details and you can also get advice on private excursions. One thing is for sure. If you want to take cruise ship excursions or most private tours you better start saving your money because this can cost you big bucks.

 

Hank

[Essiesmom]

Best book is Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports. He will tell you how to diy from gangway to gangway. Written especially for the cruiser who wants to do his own thing. EM

[euro cruiser]

There are a lot of options between the extremes of a cruise excursion and "winging it". The amount of time and energy you are willing to put into planning is up to you, some really enjoy doing this but it's possible to enjoy your time in these ports on your own with just a little pre-planning. Alternately, you could spend money for a private tour/exursion and get the benefits of DIY (set your own schedule, pick your own destinations) without having to do your own research.

[CruisingMouse]

Thank you all so very much for your indepth replies. I do have time to explore, research and plan. So with all you advice That's what I will do until deciding. Thanks again.

[tomko2]

Thank you all so very much for your indepth replies. I do have time to explore, research and plan. So with all you advice That's what I will do until deciding. Thanks again.

 

Just a quick Off Topic thought. Have you joined Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society (their loyalty program)?

Kathy:)

[CruisingMouse]

Just a quick Off Topic thought. Have you joined Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society (their loyalty program)?

Kathy:)

 

 

Yes after my first sailing with them...why??

[CruisingMouse]

Best book is Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports. He will tell you how to diy from gangway to gangway. Written especially for the cruiser who wants to do his own thing. EM

 

 

Got the book today...Thanks

[tomko2]

Yes after my first sailing with them...why??

 

Just wanted to be sure you got your coupon book onboard and get invited to the special gatherings. We used the laundry coupon when we did our Med. cruise.

The invites to gatherings etc. are now posted as messages on the tv so you need to check them occasionally.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Kathy:)

[CruisingMouse]

Just wanted to be sure you got your coupon book onboard and get invited to the special gatherings. We used the laundry coupon when we did our Med. cruise.

The invites to gatherings etc. are now posted as messages on the tv so you need to check them occasionally.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Kathy:)

 

 

Awww thanks very much Kathy for being so considerate. Yes I have received them in the past, but to be honest having really found anything in there to use. Think I used the buy one drink get one free once. But never know this time around. Thanks Again.