Shore excursions in Mediterranean?

[rnMom11]

Please help! My family, which includes our 4 children ages 17-24 and my husband, are taking our first cruise on the Oasis of the Sea this June. 

This is our iteniary: BARCELONA, SPAIN/PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN/PROVENCE(MARSEILLE), FRANCE/FLORENCE/PISA(LASPEZIA)ITALY/ROME (CIVITAVECCHIA), ITALY/NAPLES, ITALY, Then back to Spain where we have a beach house for 3 days to relax! I'm very overwhelmed trying to plan our excursions at each port. Should I use the cruise excursions or plan my own. Obviously, its expensive traveling with 6 of us and I don't mind spending money on things that require it. Thanks for any help:)

 

[LHT28]

check the ports of call forums lots of good info there

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/472-mediterranean-eastern-amp-western/

[cruisemom42]

In the Med, the emphasis is really on your experience ashore. Having a good plan for your ports is a key part of that.  In my opinion, cruise ship tours are just about the worst option out there in most cases -- generally they are big-bus tours of 40 or more folks and it can be frustrating when stops that should take 10 minutes (bathroom, etc.) end up taking 30 minutes. Plus, as you say, they are expensive.

 

I suggest you first do a little research to figure out what things interest YOUR group in each port, and then look at the Ports of Call boards (e.g., there is one for Italy, one for France, etc.) for well recommended private tour operators. The best ones tend to book up during the peak summer season, so I recommend contacting them sooner rather than later.  The ones you'll see mentioned over and over are seasoned professionals and I have not ever heard of anyone getting left behind due to using them.

 

Another tip:  you have a lot of ports on your itinerary and some of the sites are a fair distance from where the ships dock. (For example, Florence is a good 90+ minutes from Livorno; Rome is 60+ by car from Civitavecchia.)  Be sure not to try to do too much in a given day, or everyone will be totally wiped out about 3/4 of the way through.

 

(Question:  Is your ship docking in La Spezia?  If that's the case, you're better off planning to visit the Cinque Terre on that day than going to Florence and Pisa, which is going to be an even longer drive than I mentioned above, about 2 hours from La Spezia. It's a bit misleading.....)

[Essiesmom]

Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports and read what there is to see/do in your ports, how much you can do in the time you have in port, and how to do it without a ship's tour.  EM

[rnMom11]

Thank you! It is La Spezia, so I will look into Cinque Terre. 

[dogs4fun]

6 minutes ago, rnMom11 said:

Thank you! It is La Spezia, so I will look into Cinque Terre. 

Very easy and economical to simply take the train to the villages - it stops in all 5.

http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-timetable

The Steves book referenced above will give you some good ideas - great resource for a 1st time visit. I also would recommend steering clear of cruise ship tours. Make sure to check your roll call - perhaps there are some interesting tours that you could join that others have already organized.

Edited February 4, 2019 by dogs4fun

[Hlitner]

The answer to your question depends on your and your family.  There are multiple options for each of your ports including Do It Yourself (DIY), private tours (normally booked online) or cruise line excursions.   If you booked through a decent high volume cruise agency they may also offer excursions handled by a third party.

 

There is no right or wrong with any of these options.  Obviously, DIY does require the most pre-trip homework but when done properly it can have an amazing upside.  You will be doing what you want, when you want, with your own little group.  Cruise lines excursions are certainly the most convenient and easiest to book, but are generally very expensive and mean you will be part of a large group (50+) and often herded around like cattle (follow the leader).  

 

As to private tours, you can also try to join with a few others (the CC Roll Call board is a good way to explore this option).

 

There is a lot of information on each port on the CC Ports of Call boards where you can also post specific questions on each port.   For the record, we have been to all of your ports (multiple times) over many decades and always select DIY options be it walking, trains, buses, taxis, or rental cars.  For me, not being stuck in a large group is the priority.  For others, not having to deal with any decision making (once you book an excursion) is preferable.

 

Hank

[rnMom11]

Thank you! My husband would prefer smaller groups so I'm thinking the DIY option. I will look at the Port of Call forums and see what I can figure out. Do you know how you can book train tickets early? Everything is in Italian! I would be nervous to wait till we got there with the crowds in June!

Edited February 5, 2019 by rnMom11

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, rnMom11 said:

Do you know how you can book train tickets early? Everything is in Italian! I would be nervous to wait till we got there with the crowds in June!

 

If you're talking about the Trenitalia website, you can change the language to English -- there is a small flag icon on the top right side. Click on the arrow and you can change to English (British flag).  

 

Tickets can only be purchased starting about 3 months in advance of your travel. 

[Nebr.cruiser]

We hardly ever do ship excusions, so my opinion is biased against them.  I think with four teen-twentyish kids they would be very unhappy on a ship tour, which is often (not always) a large group on a big bus and probably tending to an older crowd.

 

We mostly joined tour groups someone had organized on our roll call; I organized a couple myself.  This is a very port intensive itinerary, so give your self a  couple of days that are more low-key, if possible.  You may be able to DIY for some ports.

 

Usually non-ship tours are much cheaper, much smaller groups and better quality.  Do your research and also ask the kids what they want to see and do.  Yours are older, but many young people can only tolerate so much sight-seeing.

 

 

[JMorris271]

Something that has helped  us when looking for things to do is to check out descriptions of what other tour companies are doing for their clients. This should give you a few ideas of where the hot spots are.

The Med is great. We did your same cruise on the Reflection a few yrs. ago.

[dogs4fun]

11 hours ago, rnMom11 said:

Thank you! My husband would prefer smaller groups so I'm thinking the DIY option. I will look at the Port of Call forums and see what I can figure out. Do you know how you can book train tickets early? Everything is in Italian! I would be nervous to wait till we got there with the crowds in June!

In addition to the Trenitalia site, you have the option of purchasing the Cinque Terre Card online (http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card) - it offers unlimited train rides (La Spezia - Levanto) and also includes access to the hiking trails & park buses. This one day pass last year was € 7.50, adult (online purchase available one month in advance).

Travel time from La Spezia to Riomaggiore (the 1st village) is a mere 10 minutes. Travel time between the other villages is about 5 minutes between each.  

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by dogs4fun

[rnMom11]

Thank you everyone! I'm checking out the train sites, don't know why I didn't realize you can switch languages;)I'm realizing that planning our excursions is like a second job!!

[Hlitner]

12 minutes ago, rnMom11 said:

Thank you everyone! I'm checking out the train sites, don't know why I didn't realize you can switch languages;)I'm realizing that planning our excursions is like a second job!!

ROFL :).  I think of it as a labor of love.  I would again emphasize that there is a lot of info on the CC Ports of Call Boards and plenty of us willing to answer very specific questions such as about how to use trains, get to the stations, etc.  One personal tip.  Rather then getting completely hung-up on planning a detailed port itinerary, try studying each port and listing all the reasonable options that might be of interest.  You can then look at various combinations that might fill your days, or even wait until the last minute to actually decide what you will do.  For example, I remember one visit to the port of Naples (Italy) when DW and I decided we would return to Pompeii (we had been there a few times) and then spend our afternoon in Naples.  But the day we got to Naples there was an awful heat wave (very hot and humid) and there was no way we wanted to trek though Pompeii in that heat/humidity.  So we simply walked off the ship, over to the nearby ferry terminal (Molo Beverelo) and grabbed a high speed jet boat over to Ischia.  If we had gotten to the terminal a few minutes faster we might have taken the boat to Procida….and if we had been much later we likely would have gone to Capri.  Knowing our options made all this easy, without any anxiety.  We also will sometimes talk about a "rainy day" plan which might mean visiting a museum or having a long lunch in a fabulous restaurant.  

 

Hank

[rnMom11]

Thank you! I looked at the roll call but I'm not seeing one for our cruise.  We sail on June 9th-June 16th. Should I start one? Have decided though not to do Pisa and Florence since our port is Le Spezia, will do the Cinqueterra for the day. I think for Rome I'm booking a limo and the no waiting tours for the day.

[Cruisen Elf]

If you looked at the Mediterranean boards, I'm sure you've seen many recommendations for Rome In Limo, which offers private and group shore excursions all over Italy.  We went on several tours with them on our Mediterranean cruise, and they were wonderful!    Here is their website:  http://www.romeinlimo.com/

 

 

[lamchops]

On 2/4/2019 at 6:58 AM, rnMom11 said:

Please help! My family, which includes our 4 children ages 17-24 and my husband, are taking our first cruise on the Oasis of the Sea this June. 

This is our iteniary: BARCELONA, SPAIN/PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN/PROVENCE(MARSEILLE), FRANCE/FLORENCE/PISA(LASPEZIA)ITALY/ROME (CIVITAVECCHIA), ITALY/NAPLES, ITALY, Then back to Spain where we have a beach house for 3 days to relax! I'm very overwhelmed trying to plan our excursions at each port. Should I use the cruise excursions or plan my own.

 

 

There’ lots to see in Barcelona with varied interests so I’ll leave that for you to research. I would recommend buying a carnet (booklet of 10) of subway tickets to share as it’ll save some money.

In Mallorca, we took the port shuttle to town and visited the cathedral and the area around it. There are lots of public art and artisan booths selling handmade items. DW had a wonderful time and the area had a “great vibe” to it.

In Marseille, we took a shuttle to old port and watched the fish mongers and took the public bus to Notre Dame dela Garde. We have been to marseille when museums were free so we’ve also taken advantage of that. For your group a cab may be a cheaper alternative.

In La Spezia the only choice is cinque terre unless you want to spend a lot of time traveling. It is a 15 minute walk straight down the Main Street from the port to the train station. Buying the cinque terre card is what I would do. Take the train all the way to Monterosso and hike to vernazza. Spending time and hiking the 2 villages should take 4 hours. As many of the trails are closed, I suggest taking the train from vernazza and stopping at Corniglia, manarola, and riomaggiore on your way back to la Spezia.

As Rome is over a hour away from civitavecchia I would consider a excursion from a local company or cruise line to maximize your time in Rome.

 We’ve been to Naples multiple times and diy for Pompeii, and  Herculaneum. Depending on your comfort zone you can diy as well. Friends have taken excursions to Pompeii and they were reasonably priced. On our last visit, we just visited the town and worked our way to the 2 oldest pizza restaurants and had a slice at each. My suggestion is to do what you can afford and not too much so that you can experience the trip and not just “see things”.

On 2/5/2019 at 5:42 AM, dogs4fun said:

In addition to the Trenitalia site, you have the option of purchasing the Cinque Terre Card online (http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card) - it offers unlimited train rides (La Spezia - Levanto) and also includes access to the hiking trails & park buses. This one day pass last year was € 7.50, adult (online purchase available one month in advance).

Travel time from La Spezia to Riomaggiore (the 1st village) is a mere 10 minutes. Travel time between the other villages is about 5 minutes between each.  

 

Do it.

[cruisemom42]

On 2/5/2019 at 11:37 AM, rnMom11 said:

Thank you! I looked at the roll call but I'm not seeing one for our cruise.  We sail on June 9th-June 16th. Should I start one? Have decided though not to do Pisa and Florence since our port is Le Spezia, will do the Cinqueterra for the day. I think for Rome I'm booking a limo and the no waiting tours for the day.

 

Here's the link to your roll call:  

 

 

Royal Caribbean's model for Med cruises is that passengers can begin and end their cruise in any of several ports along the way, so some of the roll calls overlap in dates. This is the one for passengers who begin and end in Barcelona.  Not a lot of activity (yet)....

 

The CC roll call tool is a little wonky right now due to technical issues. When in doubt while searching for a roll call, it's better to just go to the ship's roll call page and then scroll until you find it.

[rnMom11]

On February 6, 2019 at 9:36 AM, lamchops said:

In Marseille, we took a shuttle to old port and watched the fish mongers and took the public bus to Notre Dame dela Garde. We have been to marseille when museums were free so we’ve also taken advantage of that. For your group a cab may be a cheaper alternative.

In La Spezia the only choice is cinque terre unless you want to spend a lot of time traveling. It is a 15 minute walk straight down the Main Street from the port to the train station. Buying the cinque terre card is what I would do. Take the train all the way to Monterosso and hike to vernazza. Spending time and hiking the 2 villages should take 4 hours. As many of the trails are closed, I suggest taking the train from vernazza and stopping at Corniglia, manarola, and riomaggiore on your way back to la Spezia.

As Rome is over a hour away from civitavecchia I would consider a excursion from a local company or cruise line to maximize your time in Rome.

 We’ve been to Naples multiple times and diy for Pompeii, and  Herculaneum. Depending on your comfort zone you can diy as well. Friends have taken excursions to Pompeii and they were reasonably priced. On our last visit, we just visited the town and worked our way to the 2 oldest pizza restaurants and had a slice at each. My suggestion is to do what you can afford and not too much so that you can experience the trip and not just “see things”.

 

Thank you for all this info, super helpful!!! We have booked a private excursion for the Rome trip by Aim Limo. I know everyone suggested Romeinalimo but you had to arrange seperate tours for the Vatican, where the other one did it all. Had great reviews! Doing the cinque terra with the trains and then I think we will just DIY with everthing else! 

[rnMom11]

On February 5, 2019 at 11:17 AM, Hlitner said:

ROFL :).  I think of it as a labor of love.  I would again emphasize that there is a lot of info on the CC Ports of Call Boards and plenty of us willing to answer very specific questions such as about how to use trains, get to the stations, etc.  One personal tip.  Rather then getting completely hung-up on planning a detailed port itinerary, try studying each port and listing all the reasonable options that might be of interest.  You can then look at various combinations that might fill your days, or even wait until the last minute to actually decide what you will do.  For example, I remember one visit to the port of Naples (Italy) when DW and I decided we would return to Pompeii (we had been there a few times) and then spend our afternoon in Naples.  But the day we got to Naples there was an awful heat wave (very hot and humid) and there was no way we wanted to trek though Pompeii in that heat/humidity.  So we simply walked off the ship, over to the nearby ferry terminal (Molo Beverelo) and grabbed a high speed jet boat over to Ischia.  If we had gotten to the terminal a few minutes faster we might have taken the boat to Procida….and if we had been much later we likely would have gone to Capri.  Knowing our options made all this easy, without any anxiety.  We also will sometimes talk about a "rainy day" plan which might mean visiting a museum or having a long lunch in a fabulous restaurant.  

 

Hank

 

 

Thank you Hank! Super helpful, I'm so glad I decided to make a board for help! The kids have voted for Pompeii so I think that will be our 1st choice but now I know what to do if that doesn't work out!!

[Hlitner]

21 minutes ago, rnMom11 said:

 

 

Thank you Hank! Super helpful, I'm so glad I decided to make a board for help! The kids have voted for Pompeii so I think that will be our 1st choice but now I know what to do if that doesn't work out!!

A very educational place for kids (we took our DD there on her first visit to the region).  Teens especially love the "Houses of Pleasure."  :).  

 

Hank

[erby2283]

You may also want to check into Italytours.eu - another reputable touring company. You can do some shared tours with others to help cut down on costs but since you're already a party of 6, it may just be 2 or 4 more. 🙂  Send them an email as sometimes their shared tours don't pop up on the website.

[a123gator]

Hi! 

We board the same cruise you are on in Rome so we will be on it for a few days with you. I highly recommend Rick Steves books for planning.  My husband and I are traveling with my mother in law and 2 kids (around your kids' ages). We have to keep in mind that grandma is almost 80 and are trying to limit her walking! Our plans, hoping to start booking things in the next few weeks, are to do a private tour to Pompeii, in Barcelona I think we will focus on a Guidi tour, in Palma Mallorca we are doing a snorkeling trip with Cool Divers, in Marseille I'm trying to set up a tour for the Calanques, and in La Spezia I'm hoping to stay onboard the ship (we did Cinque Terre last year and I highly recommend it and will hopefully spend a day here before our cruise with Grandma). We are also spending 5 days in Florence before our cruise and hoping to hit Pisa then. Hopefully this helps! 

Ali

Edited February 22, 2019 by a123gator