Mediterranean Cruising

[forest]

We are considering booking a Mediterranean cruise. Can someone out there give us some feedback on this. The pros and cons of shore excursions.

[caviargal]

Can you be more specific?

 

I have done 4 Med cruises and also have spent a lot of time there on land based trips.

 

I have never done an excursion as I dislike regimentation and having to do things with a group. I love to explore on my own. I also find the prices too high.

 

What ports are you visiting? WHat are your concerns? Europe has excellent public transport. Do you speak a language that will be helpful to you? While English is widely spoken, it helps to have a smattering of the local tongue.

[forest]

We are taking 2 back to back cruises . Visiting Messina, Naples, Rome, Livorno and Nice on the first trip then Rome, Naples, Venice Dubrovnik, Piraeus, Greece and Izmir, Turkey on the second cruise. We don't know as first time Mediterranean cruisers whether to take cruise lines shore excursions or try to go it on our own. We do not speak the language so thought that might be too big a concern to overcome.

[vjblk]

My sister and I did a med cruise a couple of years ago. We did a round trip out of Barcelona on Celebrity and visited Ville France, Livorno, Naples, Venice, Dubrovnik, Civitiveccia, and Messina. We really enjoyed it but these types of cruises tend to be very port intensive. Usually a new port every day. If you like to cruise to relax this may not be the best choice as usually you have to be up very early each day as some of the main cities(Florence, Rome) are a few hours from the where the ship docks. And you're usually not back until right before the ship sails. Then you have to rush for dinner, etc. Then you're up and running the next day. And we had very few sea days.

 

Before we went we did all the research on how to get to Rome and Florence on our own. It all sounded very easy to do but in the end we decided that we just didn't want to have to put that much thought into our transportation into Florence and Rome. We ended up doing the ship's on your own excursion which was just bus transportation into these cities. Granted you don't get as much time there as you would if you travelled on your own but we got enough time to see what we wanted. We just went armed with a plan of the "must sees". Believe me we were exhausted by the time we got back to the buses and were glad that we didn't have to figure out what train to catch! Also in Livorno we were glad that we took a ship's excursion into Florence as on the way back we encountered several accidents on the roads close to the port and traffic was jammed up everywhere. The ship had to wait for several excursions to get back before we could sail. We heard that that saved others who were on private excursions as they too were caught up in the jam but made it on board because the ship waited for their own excursions. It is a risk you take when you do it on your own. Alot of people have had great success with planning their own time. We just aren't that big a risk takers and prefer the security of a ship excursion.

 

Depending on the port you can do things on your own. In Naples we took a taxi down to Herculeum. The cab driver waited for us to tour the ruins and then drove us back. Then we had time to walk around Naples on our own.

Venice is a very easy city to do on your own. Half the fun is getting lost on all the narrow side streets!

 

Again, we really enjoyed our Med cruise and I really would like to do another to go back and see the things we missed the first time! I found it a great way to get a taste of these cities.

[caviargal]

Valerie is right on when she says "We just aren't that big a risk takers and prefer the security of a ship excursion." If that describes you, then take the ships excursions. It will be easier. Personally, I am pretty well travelled and prefer to do things on my own.

 

Naples and Venice are the easiest to see alone IME. Venice is a walking city and I figured out where I wanted to go in Naples, and my mom and I took cabs and also walked.

[jjones]

My niece and I cruised the Eastern Med in 2004. We never took a ship's excursion. We interviewed taxi drivers (waiting at each port) and chose drivers who spoke excellent English (we are totally ignorant of Italian, Greek and Turkish). We had some truly wonderful drivers, saw all the sights we wanted and saved a lot of money and had personal service instead of 50+ people in a bus. We were at Pompeii at least an hour before the tour buses arrived and almost had the place to ourselves, for instance. Dubrovnik is a walking city (no cars in the old town) and a walk around the walls is worthwhile. Many people spoke English everywhere we went. We also had extra days in Venice (public water buses and walking) and Rome (public buses and walking). In Athens, take the train from Pireaus where the ship docks to the Acropolis area and it is easy to see most of the Plaka and other tourist area by walking. Take lots of water. GET MAPS! The maps usually furnished by the ship are not very good. I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[vjblk]

And one thing I will say too is that if you decide to do your own excursions, the port of calls board here are a wealth of information. As I said many people have done their own thing on Med cruises and can provide all the needed information to make your plans. There is always someone who has experienced what you are asking and can give you the exact answer. If you decide to do the Med the people on these boards are wonderful and enjoy sharing their experiences.

[forest]

Thanks for all the information. We now have lots of reading to do and decisions to make. We will check out the message boards to get feedback from past cruisers.