Don't be afraid to try things on your own!

[Old Pete]

I think the one thing everyone who tries it needs to keep in mind and that is "make sure you get back to your ship on-time (i.e. before it sails to the next port)".

Speaking of - what is the "norm" when it comes to being back on ship "on time"?

1/2 before ship sails?

(Sailing on Viking Lomonosov doing Footsteps of the Cossacks)

[Hlitner]

Speaking of - what is the "norm" when it comes to being back on ship "on time"?

1/2 before ship sails?

(Sailing on Viking Lomonosov doing Footsteps of the Cossacks)

 

If you are referring to the Viking Lomonosov it is an entirely different issue than when on cruise ships. The Lomonosov is a river boat and, unless Viking River Cruises has changed their old policy, they include excursions in each of their river ports. On those river boats (we like Viking) there is no need to get back on the boat until just before sailing. However, with cruise ships the norm is to be back on-board at least 30 minutes prior to sailing. If the cruise ship is in a tender port the last tender is usually 30 min before sailing (I should say cruising). These times are always posted at the gangplank as you exit the ship and it is wise to double check the time at every port.

 

Hank

[carshal]

First of all, we love doing ports on our own and take public transportation whenever we can when we travel. Love this thread and that it has been going for years. :)

 

Question - in Gibraltar, how/where do we catch the #4 bus at the port to the cable car station? Does anyone know how much it costs? We are happy to walk to the station, but it seemed more efficient to use the bus.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

Shari

[hat776]

We also do the Ports on our own. However, I am realising it's not always as easy as it seems.

We just returned from a cruise in the W. Med with a stop at Palma.

I researched and found that a bus no. 1 stops just outside the Port and drops you off in the centre - fine. While getting off the bus we asked the driver where we get the bus for the return trip and he explained. We thought it odd as it was quite a distance from where we were dropped off. Anyway we found the stop , the bus was empty and we all got on..... and filled the bus to capacity.

As we were driving along, we saw loads of cruise passengers at the stops near where we were dropped off . Many started panicing and caught taxi's back.

We then realised that the driver knew all this and so advised us to catch the bus at the begining of the route to avoid any problems.

[teapotgirl]

Hank, I have followed a lot of your posts and wondered if you have any gems in the advice category for a one day port in Cannes for parents with a 17 1/2 yr old boy (no shopping please)? I have previously been to Eze and St. Paul de Vence and loved them. Husband and son have never been. Thoughts? No nude beaches either! Thanks for all your great advice. Paula

[Hlitner]

Hank, I have followed a lot of your posts and wondered if you have any gems in the advice category for a one day port in Cannes for parents with a 17 1/2 yr old boy (no shopping please)? I have previously been to Eze and St. Paul de Vence and loved them. Husband and son have never been. Thoughts? No nude beaches either! Thanks for all your great advice. Paula

 

Your son would probably love a nude beach! :) My wife's quick answer was "nothing" in that it can be hard to find anything to interest a teen boy other then girls or sports. You probably already know that we love St Paul de Vence and always try to visit this town whenever we are in the south of France. Does your son have any suggestions on what he would like to see and do? You might want to consider just taking the train from Cannes to Nice and spending a few hours in that wonderful city. But, even in Nice our favorite activities are to browse shops (esepcially in the old town) and enjoy a long lunch in an outdoor cafe (also in the old town area). If in your situation we would really want to know the teens opinion.

 

Hank

[lize8888]

Hi Everyone...

 

I'm going on my first mediterranean cruise this fall. We're doing Toulon, Provence, Rome, Florence/Pisa, and Naples. We'd love to do private tours and do things at our pace. We want to do all of the big touristy things in Rome, but the other places will be more relaxed. We would really like to do Tuscany and would love to do a winery, or some cheese or oil type tour. Any advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated!!

[Hlitner]

Although we personally do our own thing in Europe (very seldom ever take any kind of tour) we do think that private tours are a much better option then the overpriced, overcrowded, cruise ship excursions. Your best be it to get active on the Cruise Critic Roll Call board for your particular cruise and post messages looking so share a tour. With some luck you will find a "tour expert" who will put together some private tours and handle the arrangements.

 

Hank

[maryann ns]

for your winey, olive oil tour check here: http://www.accidentaltourist.com/

We spent a fabulous day with them.

[travelite]

Hi Everyone...

 

I'm going on my first mediterranean cruise this fall. We're doing Toulon, Provence, Rome, Florence/Pisa, and Naples. We'd love to do private tours and do things at our pace. We want to do all of the big touristy things in Rome, but the other places will be more relaxed. We would really like to do Tuscany and would love to do a winery, or some cheese or oil type tour. Any advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated!!

 

I would recommend Cinque Terre.

[sween10]

Hi, love your attitude on 'life'..my husband and i are doing our first european cruise from Barcelona. We are going to nice, livorno, rome, genoa & naples.

Would love your advice on livorno,,do we do florence & pisa ...also what about naples..is it possible to do positano and pompeii? In genoa do we go to cinque terre or portofino (could we do both)..any help you /advice would be greatly appreciated. Thx Michele

[Hlitner]

When we started this thread (a very long time ago) we never dreamed it would still be alive with more then 400 posts. The subject of doing things on our own (been doing this ourselves for nearly forty years) is still near and dear to our hearts. You certainly want to catch-up on many of the related posts you will find on the Italian board (we post there nearly every day) and certainly take advantage of the excellent Cruise Critic search engine (just type your subject and limit the search to the Italy forum). But here is my quick advice. In Livorno you should go to Florence. We have a problem telling anyone to cut their day short in Florence (already too short) to go to Pisa although it can be done. Naples is a fabulous port not for Naples (we dislike Naples) but for all the other terrific options. You could go to Naples 10 times on ships and never repeat the same stuff. It is possible to do both Positano and Pompeii, but a first-time visitor should only do this with a private tour (very expensive) where you (or a very small group) hire a car/driver. Tour buses are not permitted to enter Positano so this is why you want a car/van and do not want to take a cruise tour which only lets you see Positano from above. In Genoa you really cannot do Portofino (actually a very small place) and Cinque Terre, and in fact, it is even hard to cover all of Cinque Terre in a single day. Given a choice between Cinque Terre or Portofino we would choose Cinque Terre every time. It is possible to get there on your own via rail and possibly a scheduled boat, but even a cruise line transfer can be reasonable here. And by the way, you also need to take a good look at the France board for info on Nice since, like Naples, there are many different options in that part of France. And for what its worth you have chosen a great itinerary with all excellent ports. The only hassle (true on many Med cruises) is that several of those ports are a long trip to your goal (such as Livorno to Florence and Civitavecchia to Rome). That is a challenge but also part of the fun.

 

Hank

[brucert]

hank

 

what a great thread and a great service you offer! we also like to strike out on our own whenever we can, and hopefully you can give us some advice on some ports we plan to visit in an upcoming mediterranean cruise. we have visited many of the cities you have talked about, and your advice is spot on.

 

we will be visiting trapani, italy; valetta, malta; katakolon (for olympia), greece; corfu, greece; dubrovnik, croatia (i know you said you've not been there); naples, italy (we've done capri and pompeii); cagliari, italy; and finally palma de mallorca, spain.

 

if you've been to any of these cities, i would appreciate any advice on how to use private tour guides or even guide ourselves, if that is doable.

 

thanks in advance, and hoping you're still posting to this thread,

 

bruce

[Hlitner]

My Goodness Bruce, You are my hero for keeping this old thread alive. We have been to all the places on your list except for Cagliari and Trapani(we recently got to Dubrovnik). If you have followed some of my posts you know that we seldom take any kind of tour so we are the last folks to comment on private guides (expect in Kusadasi, Turkey). You can start out with the knowledge that it is very possible to do every one of those ports on your own...but of course that means you have to do a little pre-trip homework. We have often suggested that folks start be reviewing the excursion offerings on their ship (this info is on your cruise line's web site) and trying to prioritize what you want to do and see in each port. Once you have sorted through the options, then you can explore whether the best way to see and do what you want is best accomplished on the cruise line excursion, private tour, or on your own. In the end its all about personal preference and your level of comfort with the different modes of travel. For us, getting on a large tour bus is akin to getting ready for surgery (mine) so we always avoid the bus excursions unless it is the only way we can do something that we want to do. We will soon be going on a cruise with 25 ports (yes, its a long cruise). Of those 25 (and they are in some strange places) we have booked one cruise line tour (it is the only way we can get off the ship in Murmansk), are joining a few other couples for a private tour in one port (its a holiday and all the rental car dealers are closed), and are doing the other 23 ports on our own (we practice what we preach). Our kind of travel is not for everyone, but we love having the flexibility to do what we want, when we want, with whom we want.

 

One comment about Katakolon, which is based on some very recent info. Up until this year we might have suggested that you could take the train to Olympia and save some money over a cruise ship tour. But recently, we heard that the Greek government has cut many of their trains (their economy is in big trouble) including the train to Olympia. So now, you either need to take a tour, rent a car, or hire a taxi to get to Olympia....which is where most want to go the first time they visit this port. Your stop in Trapani sound interesting (because we have never been to that side of Sicily) and I know we would try to rent a car if we were in that port and we love driving in Italy (some would say I am insane to drive in that country).

 

Hank

 

P.S. This thread has stayed alive for over 5 years!

Edited April 19, 2011 by Hlitner

[hat776]

I think as a start you should put the names of the ports you are interested in into the search box on top - then if you need anything more specific just ask away.

It's a good thing this thread is kept going - there is so much info that it would be a shame to lose it all

[mrspaper]

We rented a car in Corfu from Sunrise. The cars are older, but functional. They met us at the port and the agency is located right outside the port gates. It's easy to drive around, only a few main roads on the island. Research which places you'd like to see ie the caves, tunnel of love, monastery, and head there.

[JetCruister]

My husband and I will be cruising the Constellation November 20, 2011 from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale, FL. Just wondering if we have to book shore excursions with the ship or are there taxis or others willing to take you places. Or are there places close enough to walk to. Have never been on a cruise in this area. All the cruises we have taken have had stuff to do off the ship or plenty of taxis or others to take you around. We are really interested in doing wine tasting at all the different ports. Would really like to visit some vineyards if we can. We are going to Alicante Spain docked 8am-5pm, Malaga Spain docked 9am-6pm, Madeira (Funchal) Portugal docked 7am-4pm, and Tenerife, Canary Islands docked 8am-4pm. If anyone has any information or ideas, please let us know.

 

Thanks for all your help!

 

Sheila

:)

[brucert]

hank

 

we will be visiting naples on an upcoming cruise. at least one in our group of nine wants to know if makes sense to visit BOTH pompeii and herculaneum on the same day. i have done a little research and can't seem to come up with a consensus. you've been to both; what's your opinion? is herculaneum just more of the same, but maybe a little smaller, a little better preserved, or are they different enough to warrant seeing them both in the same day?

 

thanks

 

bruce

[jms2362]

hank

 

we will be visiting naples on an upcoming cruise. at least one in our group of nine wants to know if makes sense to visit BOTH pompeii and herculaneum on the same day. i have done a little research and can't seem to come up with a consensus. you've been to both; what's your opinion? is herculaneum just more of the same, but maybe a little smaller, a little better preserved, or are they different enough to warrant seeing them both in the same day?

 

thanks

 

bruce

Forget Herculaneum, GO TO POMPEII - we have been twice once oabout 40 yrs ago and agina 2 yrs. ago. We saw completely different areas each time, they rotate where they take you. It is fabulous!!! I can't say enough. You can spend hours there. We blew up a picture 3 x 5 ft. and have it in our entry hall at home along with pictures that we took in Greece. You will love it there. The other we have done and it is nothing in comparison.

[Hlitner]

hank

 

we will be visiting naples on an upcoming cruise. at least one in our group of nine wants to know if makes sense to visit BOTH pompeii and herculaneum on the same day. i have done a little research and can't seem to come up with a consensus. you've been to both; what's your opinion? is herculaneum just more of the same, but maybe a little smaller, a little better preserved, or are they different enough to warrant seeing them both in the same day?

 

thanks

 

bruce

 

Good question and DW and I both think its probably too much of the same for a port day. On port days its nice to get some variety. I will admit that we did do both on the same day, but it was when we were spending a week on the Amalfi Coast (we had a car) and I decided to surprise DW on Mothers Day and do both ruins (we had been there on previous trips). And for a first time visitor we would recommend Pompeii over Herculanium because of its historical importance. Unfortunately, the Italian government does not seem to appreciate its importance because they have failed to do even basic maintenance at Pompeii (this is a big issue in Italy) and they have had a few structures simply collapse from erosion.

 

Hank

[hat776]

Wear comfortable shoes and take some water with you when you visit Pompei. Some 30 years ago (when we were in our prime) we went to Pompei after having spent the previous day in the sun.

I remember getting to a huge piazza , bright sun and no shade . I just stared and simply didn't have the energy to cross it.

Thankfully, we live just off Italy and so had a second chance to repeat our visit.

The archeological museum in Naples has most of the original mosaics and artifacts found at Pompei

[bonsai3s]

Good question and DW and I both think its probably too much of the same for a port day. On port days its nice to get some variety. I will admit that we did do both on the same day, but it was when we were spending a week on the Amalfi Coast (we had a car) and I decided to surprise DW on Mothers Day and do both ruins (we had been there on previous trips). And for a first time visitor we would recommend Pompeii over Herculanium because of its historical importance. Unfortunately, the Italian government does not seem to appreciate its importance because they have failed to do even basic maintenance at Pompeii (this is a big issue in Italy) and they have had a few structures simply collapse from erosion.

 

Hank

 

Hank, we have scoured numerous message boards and could definitely use your help on several ports. We plan on doing most, if not all, of the ports DIY...via buses or trains. We will be on back to back cruises this fall on the Navigator of the Seas...the second being our first Transatlantic. Please kindly email me at: bonsai3s@yahoo.com Thank you!..Efren:)

[bonsai3s]

Hank, we have a few questions:

 

Messina to Taormina: Train or bus? Ship is docked from 10am to 7pm. We wanted to see the clock "perform" at noon in Messina, do we have enough time to go to Taormina and make it back?

 

Kusadasi: What company would you recommend to visit Ephesus? Any thoughts on "ephesusshuttle"?

 

Livorno: Ship is docked 7am to 7pm. Is the train station walking distance from the ship? Per your advice, we plan on visiting Florence first then stop in Pisa (via train), only if we have time. This is the one DIY we are apprehensive about because of the distance...

 

Toulon: What are your thoughts of visiting Aix? Any suggestions for shore excursions?

 

Barcelona: Is Las Ramblas walking distance from the ship? Are there shuttles we can take from the ship/port to town? Are the local bus/subway/train easy to navigate and use?

 

Cartagena: What would you do here? We plan on perhaps simply walking around town.

 

Azores: Our last stop before heading back...what would you recommend here?

 

Hank, thank you in advance for all your thoughts and answers...:)

[jms2362]

Hank, we have a few questions:

 

Messina to Taormina: Train or bus? Ship is docked from 10am to 7pm. We wanted to see the clock "perform" at noon in Messina, do we have enough time to go to Taormina and make it back?

 

Kusadasi: What company would you recommend to visit Ephesus? Any thoughts on "ephesusshuttle"?

 

Livorno: Ship is docked 7am to 7pm. Is the train station walking distance from the ship? Per your advice, we plan on visiting Florence first then stop in Pisa (via train), only if we have time. This is the one DIY we are apprehensive about because of the distance...

 

Toulon: What are your thoughts of visiting Aix? Any suggestions for shore excursions?

 

Barcelona: Is Las Ramblas walking distance from the ship? Are there shuttles we can take from the ship/port to town? Are the local bus/subway/train easy to navigate and use?

 

Cartagena: What would you do here? We plan on perhaps simply walking around town.

 

Azores: Our last stop before heading back...what would you recommend here?

 

Hank, thank you in advance for all your thoughts and answers...:)

in Barcelona Princess had a bus that took us to a couple blocks from Las Ramblas. Then you walk it. Be sure to wear good walking shoes because you are on you feet almost all of the time in that area. We really enjoyed it. The mimes were great, street vendors and outdoor cafes. When you are ready to leave you walk back to where you were let off and the cruseline bus takes you back to the ship. We had to sign up for the bus before we got of of the ship.

[KayAnnie]

I am not Hank, but I can help :)

Hank, we have a few questions:

 

Messina to Taormina: Train or bus? Ship is docked from 10am to 7pm. We wanted to see the clock "perform" at noon in Messina, do we have enough time to go to Taormina and make it back?

You do not have enough time to get to Taormina and back in 2 hours as the train ride takes 1 hour to the train station below the town(you still have to catch a 10 minute bus up) and the busfrom Messina is longer. We took the train/bus combo and barely shopped at all, visited the Greek theatre and were back by about 1:15. I think that is about as quick as it can be done.

 

Livorno: Ship is docked 7am to 7pm. Is the train station walking distance from the ship? Per your advice, we plan on visiting Florence first then stop in Pisa (via train), only if we have time. This is the one DIY we are apprehensive about because of the distance...

Train is not within walking distance to the port. You must take a shuttle to the center of town, then a bus to the Train station or a cab directly to the train station. (I LOVE Florence)

 

Barcelona: Is Las Ramblas walking distance from the ship? Are there shuttles we can take from the ship/port to town? Are the local bus/subway/train easy to navigate and use?

NO! My husband and I did the walk and it was horrible over this huge bridge. There is a shuttle bus called the blue bus which takes you to the foot of the Ramblas (Christopher Colombus Monument) for 2 one way or 3 round trip. The local metro is indeed easy to navigate and is cheap. You can buy a ticket called the T10 for 7.80 which gives you 10 journeys which you can share between multiple people. So, only one ticket per family.

 

Those are the ones I knew about, I hope it helps a little. :)