Anyone done the Cirque Terre excursion or Pisa/Beach in Florence?

[luv2gonow]

Hi,

I am doing a land/sea tour this summer embarking in Rome on the Epic.

 

Since we are visiting Florence on the land portion I wanted to try something else.

 

I was all set on the Cinque Terre excursion but after reading some reviews I am getting nervous.

Very crowded trains to short time in each place, not organized.

 

Any experience with this tour.

I was also considering the Pisa Beach tour to relax after reading the Cinque reviews

Thanks

Kerri

[maryann ns]

The Cinque Terre are magical. You can visit as many or few of the villages as you wish if you go on your own. Being herded around on a group tour takes away the magic. You want to be able to stroll around and sit in a cafe and take in the setting.

 

I have been there twice when touring by land, but not from a cruise. Use the search feature here to find previous posts. You don't say what port you are docking in so it is hard to be more specific. If I had to choose just two villages, they would be Vernazza and Corniglia. The latter is a bit harder to get to so is less crowded. The views are splendid.

[luv2gonow]

The Cinque Terre are magical. You can visit as many or few of the villages as you wish if you go on your own. Being herded around on a group tour takes away the magic. You want to be able to stroll around and sit in a cafe and take in the setting.

 

I have been there twice when touring by land, but not from a cruise. Use the search feature here to find previous posts. You don't say what port you are docking in so it is hard to be more specific. If I had to choose just two villages, they would be Vernazza and Corniglia. The latter is a bit harder to get to so is less crowded. The views are splendid.

 

We are docking in Livorno. I have never done excursions not thru cruise I know stupid but I am a chicken.

But.....reviews of this one actually do say going thru the cruise is worth it because of the amount of traveling.

I am worried about summer crowds here and it seems the water is rough a lot and ferries are cancelled.

Are rough waters common there in the summer?

It seems there are 5 ships in port that day so it may be very crowded:o

Thanks

Kerri

[Hlitner]

When it comes to Cinque Terre we simply suggest, GO! You can worry about cancelled ferry boats (in which case you can simply use the train), rain, pestilence, famine, earthquakes, tornados, etc. But don't worry, be happy :)

 

Hank

[luv2gonow]

Ok I think I'm leaning toward Cinque again:D

Thanks

Kerri

[cruises42]

We are docking in Livorno. I have never done excursions not thru cruise I know stupid but I am a chicken.

 

Same here (about being a chicken). I have a choice of 2 tours: one to Florence, Chianti and Pisa or one to Cinque Terra (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, and Corniglia) and Pisa. Any recommendations?

[Langoustine]

I have a choice of 2 tours: one to Florence, Chianti and Pisa or one to Cinque Terra (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, and Corniglia) and Pisa. Any recommendations?

 

Yes. Skip the tours and go on your own. Both tours sound like you'll be too rushed to really experience anything, you'll just see a lot of stuff. (The movie "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" always comes to mind when I hear some of these itineraries.) The Cinque Terre is worth it even if you only experience one of the towns (Vernazza is my favorite).

[Editrix]

We are docking in Livorno. I have never done excursions not thru cruise I know stupid but I am a chicken. But.....reviews of this one actually do say going thru the cruise is worth it because of the amount of traveling. I am worried about summer crowds here and it seems the water is rough a lot and ferries are cancelled.

 

Are rough waters common there in the summer? It seems there are 5 ships in port that day so it may be very crowded.

 

My husband and I took the RCCL excursion to Cinque Terre this past October and found it to be excellent. The bus ride is long (90 minutes each way) and there isn't much in the way of scenery along the route, but once in Cinque Terre we were mostly left on our own to enjoy each village. On one's own or with a group, everyone waits in the same lines, strolls along the same narrow walkways, has the same options for shopping and food, and encounters the same heat and crowds. Italy in summer is hot and all of the popular places very crowded.

 

We are not opposed to DIYing or taking a private tour, and have done our share of both, but Livorno to Cinque Terre was not a day trip we wanted to do on our own.

[Hlitner]

If one wants to consider getting a rental car it should cost about 130 Euros (rental car plus gas) for rental car delivered (and dropped at the pier). With a party of 4 your cost is no more then $40 per person for round trip car transportation. I normally make the drive from the port to Riomaggiore (where there is paid parking for free parking along the road) in about 1:20.

 

I only mention this to toss out another option.

 

Hank

[sunsetbeachgal]

We took the Cinque Terra excursion on Princess and thought it was great. If yiur ship is in port in Livorno, it is a long way and I just didn't want to chance it to public transportation. We visitd three villages and did not feel rushed. we took boats between two of the and a train at the end to get to the bus to get back. We really liked it and I think it woule have been difficult to duplicate it on our own, especially considering the time constraints of the ship departure.

[jaimevoyager]

Although I usually do the DIY, I did the ship's excursion with Princes five years ago. We were supposed to dock in Livorno but just as we left Civitavechia, the captain announced a change to LaSpazia for the next morning. People who had DIY plans were really scrambling for changes. I felt very badly for them. For us, it ended up being the best thing that ever happened. We had a boat both to and from la Spazia and Except for the Via di amore, we did all four cities (no time to climb to Cornelia) by boat. I don't think that kind of luck will ever happen again:)

[luv2gonow]

Thanks everyone. I think if I do Cinque Terre I will do ship tour. Too many variables.

This cruise will be after a week land tour with NCL so I am not sure if we will want some relaxing beach time at this point.

Kerri

[ritraveler]

We did the ship's tour of Cinque Terre a few years ago with Celebrity and really loved it. Even though it was raining most of the day it was great. So glad we did it. It is a long way from the Livorno port and I didn't want to waste time trying to figure out where to go or what train or ferry I would need once I got there. There are definitely times when doing things on your own is better but when you have to do trains, buses and ferries on one day trip it can be stressful when you only have a short time there. Enjoy your cruise!

[luv2gonow]

We did the ship's tour of Cinque Terre a few years ago with Celebrity and really loved it. Even though it was raining most of the day it was great. So glad we did it. It is a long way from the Livorno port and I didn't want to waste time trying to figure out where to go or what train or ferry I would need once I got there. There are definitely times when doing things on your own is better but when you have to do trains, buses and ferries on one day trip it can be stressful when you only have a short time there. Enjoy your cruise!

 

Thanks I am looking forward to this cruise so much:D

Kerri