Excursions new to this

[Luvholidays]

Going on thomsons cruise around Italy in August we want to see everything should we book excursions with thomsons

[maryann ns]

My quick answer would be "No." You have some time. Do some reading on these boards. Also check out Rick Steves' book on Mediterranean cruising and Google Toms Port Guides. You do not need any kind of tour in some ports and in others you may want a local operator.

[CruiserBruce]

Agree totally with maryann ns. Do some reading and research here on the board- tons of info.

 

Define "everything". It is likely you don't have enough time to see "everything", as many ports have days worth of exploring. However, I will say a better use of your time in many ports is a private tour, not a tour with 40-45 of your new best friends, at least some of which might have mobility issues, or worse, time keeping deficits, in a big bus that may have to drop you further from some sites than a car can get you...

 

And, after some research may show you how you can do some ports totally on your own, by walking, taking bus or train, or perhaps taxi.

 

Lastly, what ports are we talking about?

Edited April 5, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[John Bull]

Broadly the same answers as you've already received - though it does depend on your mobility, your confidence & your sense of adventure. And one or two places eg Amalfi coast from Naples, can't be done or shouldn't be risked DIY in your time-scale ashore

 

Being from the UK I'm sure you won't have a problem getting your head round public transport. Trains, ferries, metros etc.

But you do need to research - time is comparatively short on a port-of-call visit & you don't want to spend a lot of that time figuring, for instance, how to get from Rome's Colosseum to the Vatican.

Plenty of info on these Cruise Critic forums and elsewhere.

Here's a typical thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2337147

 

Add Ron in Rome to your research on the web, together with the other excellent suggestions.

 

JB :)

[anthonyy7]

I can't think of any Italy ports that need a tour guide.... most are easy and cheaper to do on your own. What are your port stops? I also highly recommend Rick Steves Med cruise port guide which is geared towards those that do it yourself.

[Keith1010]

As mentioned you can't see anything. We've gone back several times and can't see everything.

 

I would also warn you that to me it is important to pace yourself. Some people book full day tours and mid way through the cruise are so tired that they want to go on a vacation yet they are on a vacation.

 

So to me the key is to pace yourself.

 

As such we do a mixture. We mix things up with full day touring and other days where we just go out on our own and we tour for just part of the day.

 

As you read about each port prioritize what you would like to do.

 

I am one that things are no black and white.

 

I first figure out the types of things we would like to do.

 

Then I go to the tool box to figure out how we want to visit those places.

 

In some cases we do a ships tour.

 

Other cases we do a private tour.

 

And other cases we do it on our own without any formal tour.

 

Factors that come into play are distances, ability to get into the sites and whether or not having a guide will add value to our visit. For example, I do find that when we visited the Vatican Museum that a guide really enhanced our visit. Could we have done the visit without a guide? Yes. But for us we feel that we learned significantly more with a guide. Even in Rome with all of our visits with guides and on our own, last year we did a night time private tour and our guide showed us places and some beautiful views that we had never done on our own. So even some places there are multiple ways to enjoy them and to explore.

 

My biggest advice is quality rather then quantity. In other words, I would not recommend rushing around to see dozens of sites just to say you saw them. I would see less sites but do so with quality time so you get something out of each one.

 

Again, as others have said, research is key.

 

Keith

[campolady]

Going on thomsons cruise around Italy in August we want to see everything should we book excursions with thomsons

 

We always cruise with Thomson - in June we go on our 7th - but very rarely book their excursions as most of their ports are so easy to DIY. In our Italian ports we did do Thomson excursions to Pisa from Livorno and Amalfi from Sorrento but have stayed in the ports since then as plenty to see.

 

When Thomson have to dock slightly away from the nearest town (e.g. Valencia is 5 km inland from the port) they provide shuttle buses every half hour at minimal cost which saves the hassle of taking public transport.

 

Which ports will you be visiting?

Edited April 6, 2016 by campolady

[KirkNC]

I can't think of any Italy ports that need a tour guide.... most are easy and cheaper to do on your own. What are your port stops? I also highly recommend Rick Steves Med cruise port guide which is geared towards those that do it yourself.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Break your cruise down by port, research each port sites and decide whether you should DIY, hire a private guide or do a ships tour, repeat for next port. It's that easy. Google, Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic are your friends, use them. Cruise Critic has great info on most ports, here is an example:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=68

 

Note the tabs "info" and "Things to Do".

[Luvholidays]

Now more idea what I should be doing really want to see Rome and feel that this should be a guided tour as we are not very good st seeing everything ,

[campolady]

Now more idea what I should be doing really want to see Rome and feel that this should be a guided tour as we are not very good st seeing everything ,

 

It is very easy - and much cheaper - to take the train from Civitavecchia to Rome but, for peace of mind, an organised tour is easier. Also, in the unlikely event that you are late back, the ship will wait for a Thomson tour to return but won't wait for you if you are travelling independently.

 

What other ports will you be visiting?

Edited April 6, 2016 by campolady

[CruiserBruce]

Now more idea what I should be doing really want to see Rome and feel that this should be a guided tour as we are not very good st seeing everything ,

 

Just look down the Italy board. Many providers recommended for private tours, including the HUGE thread on the wonderful Rome in Limo, which by the way, operates in several other Italian ports as well.

[sippican]

Just to clarify, many tour companies provide drivers who are a wealth of knowledge and will offer a commentary and insights of the area and attractions. They are usually not licensed guides and wil be unable to accompany you into many attractions such as the Vatican, Coluseum, etc. Most of the more popular tour companies, Romeinlimo for example, will arrange for a guide to meet you at these sights to provide an in-depth tour (for an additional fee). Based on personal experience, well worth the money spent.

 

Another great resourcce - Rick Steves Audio Guides for Europe. Exceptional self-guided tours. We have used them in Italy and in some cases they were better thn the humans They are free and easy to use! If you don't own a smart phone, buy a cheap MP3 player to download them onto - better than any guide book.

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-rea...io/audio-tours

 

For those of you new to the boards, welcome! May I suggest you look for your sailings on the roll calls found here. It's a great resource to find others and arrange tour sharing, activities, etc.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=34

[STAR89]

We go aboard the vision on July 2. we are looking for alternative agencies engaged in shore excursions at reasonable prices. In the boat cost a little expensive-Thanks for your help. Does anyone else traveling on this date?

[CruiserBruce]

We go aboard the vision on July 2. we are looking for alternative agencies engaged in shore excursions at reasonable prices. In the boat cost a little expensive-Thanks for your help. Does anyone else traveling on this date?

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

To meet others on your cruise, the Roll Call boards are used. Here is yours:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2309840

 

Otherwise, some reading down this board, and the other port boards for other countries you might be visiting, is the way to research your options.