Curious about Cruisetours in Italy

[Cruzin with BQ & CQ]

My DW and I are considering a cruisetour in Italy pre cruise to include Venice, Florence and Rome. Has anyone had experience with this and wouldn't mind sharing? Is it worth the price or is it better to arrange on your own? Just thought it might be a little more seamless, if the price is comparable. Thanks to all in advance for your help!:)

[cruisemom42]

The prices are generally MUCH higher for these cruisetours than arranging something comparable on your own. This is because the cruiselines charge you a "per person" rate for the hotel and package, while if you arrange the hotel on your own, you are charged per room (not per person, which often ends up being almost double).

 

Not to mention I've seen some reviews (on various cruise lines) that suggest you read carefully what is included and what is not included, as some folks apparently thought they were going to be looked after the entire time when in fact there were only a few "introductory" tours included.

 

Another negative -- the hotels used can often be out of the way, e.g., not located in the areas where you'd want to be able to get out and explore on your own.

 

I'd highly recommend doing the research and putting together something on your own. Or if you are not comfortable with that, find a good travel agent who can help you.

[CruiserBruce]

Agree totally with what cruisemom42 says. Doing virtually any event like this- excursions, transfers, hotels, etc with the cruise line is almost always a poor deal money wise, and frequently service and product wise. Some high end cruise lines have some better packages in this vein, but not the mass market lines.

[prish]

Its very easy to organize a tour yourself, loads of help on the various travel boards. We're taking a cruise out of Venice in June and will be spending 5 days in Rome and 4 in Venice pre-cruise and I had no trouble getting my own package together. Read up a good guide book and decide what you want to see and do in the various places, come up with a tentative itinerary and post online for a critique. The planning's part of the fun, you'll also be amazed at the great advice and input you'll get, good luck!