Can I miss getting back on the ship and just get back on the next day?

[yoolykeme]

Like forreals.  I'm sure that this has been asked or tried before.

 

My cruise stops at Cannes on one day, then goes to Marina di Carrara (kinda Florence/Pisa, the next day).  Carrara is a terrible port and doesn't have many excursions on your own.

 

So what I want to do is rent a car in Cannes from hertz and return in it DT Florence, then just take a taxi back on the ship on the second day.  I already checked with Hertz that I can do this, so not worried about the car, and getting a transfer from Florence to the ship should be easy enough.

 

The question is, how will the ship handle me not re-boarding, and will I not be allowed on the next day.  Can I ask for permission to do this?  What if I don't?  I've been on like 30 cruises in my life, so I'm not new to the travel type.

 

Thanks for your insight.

[CruiserBruce]

Yes, it has been discussed before, quite a few times. You should notify the ship, because they will be looking for you at sail away from the first port involved. You are responsible for anything that goes wrong, like for some reason they can't dock at the second port, and you now have to continue to a third port. You will not get any reduction in your cruise fare for any of this.

 

Florence is 90 or so minutes from Livorno...don't know how far it is from Carrara...could be an expensive cab.

[yoolykeme]

5 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Yes, it has been discussed before, quite a few times. You should notify the ship, because they will be looking for you at sail away from the first port involved. You are responsible for anything that goes wrong, like for some reason they can't dock at the second port, and you now have to continue to a third port. You will not get any reduction in your cruise fare for any of this.

 

Florence is 90 or so minutes from Livorno...don't know how far it is from Carrara...could be an expensive cab.

Oh, good point about maybe the ship not being able to dock.  The next stop is Pireaus, and that's kinda really far.

 

Okay, maybe this is a bad idea.

[lissie]

1 hour ago, yoolykeme said:

Oh, good point about maybe the ship not being able to dock.  The next stop is Pireaus, and that's kinda really far.

 

Okay, maybe this is a bad idea.

I like your logic!  I figure we will risk going to Rome independently because the next port is Naples - and that's a quick train ride. However I'm far more nervious of  heading out in Fort Lauderdale - because the next stop is Bermuda - and I've now idea how to get there! 

[Cruise_Christy]

5 hours ago, yoolykeme said:

Oh, good point about maybe the ship not being able to dock.  The next stop is Pireaus, and that's kinda really far.

 

Okay, maybe this is a bad idea.

Yeah, we thought about doing this on our honeymoon in Greece as we wanted to stay in one location overnight, but decided not to in the end as they made it clear that if the cruise port has to change for any reason such as weather or emergencies or the port can't accommodate them, it's your responsibility to get back on board the ship wherever it ends up. They will not assist you if the ships plans change so you'd have to get wherever the ship is diverted to, which could mean an extra flight, and if there are no flights for the next day, then you miss another port, etc.

[kelkel2]

2 hours ago, Cruise_Christy said:

Yeah, we thought about doing this on our honeymoon in Greece as we wanted to stay in one location overnight, but decided not to in the end as they made it clear that if the cruise port has to change for any reason such as weather or emergencies or the port can't accommodate them, it's your responsibility to get back on board the ship wherever it ends up. They will not assist you if the ships plans change so you'd have to get wherever the ship is diverted to, which could mean an extra flight, and if there are no flights for the next day, then you miss another port, etc.

This is the one reason that would keep me from doing it. Let’s say the weather gets bad and for whatever reason they cannot dock at the next port, then it becomes much more difficult and likely costly to get to the next port. That’s too much stress for me on my vacation. 

[K32682]

Inform guest services that you will not be returning that day and will meet up with them at the next port. I wouldn't automatically rule out skipping a night because of general fears of a missed port. I would keep an eye on the weather and if the forecast looked doubtful cancel my plans.  

[jollyjones]

7 hours ago, lissie said:

However I'm far more nervious of  heading out in Fort Lauderdale - because the next stop is Bermuda - and I've now idea how to get there! 

 

Well, we just get a flight.

 

Depends on your dates, but there's direct from Miami (only 27 miles away), or connecting through Atlanta or Charlotte. Or Philadelphia, or New York, or Boston. Toronto's a bit too far, I guess.

 

 

Edited July 5, 2022 by jollyjones

[1025cruise]

While this has been allowed in some ports in the past (based on cabotage laws), my understanding is that this is not being allowed due to Covid risks.

[Essiesmom]

20 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

While this has been allowed in some ports in the past (based on cabotage laws), my understanding is that this is not being allowed due to Covid risks.

If so, it would be a cruise line thing, because MSC and Costa embark new guests at every port in their itineraries.  EM

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

If so, it would be a cruise line thing, because MSC and Costa embark new guests at every port in their itineraries.  EM

I believe NCL also does, or at least they used to do this. We were on an NCL ship boarding in Barcelona. Others boarded in Rome and a few in Marseilles.

[mom says]

I think one would need a very compelling reason to do this, to warrant the time and expense required to get back to the ship. An extra hotel night, rental car and gas cost,  the potentially very expensive surcharge for dropping the car in a different country, then the private driver or train, and local taxi at the end. Five hours of driving to Florence, then a couple hours more to Carrara.  Seems like a lot for little return.

 

PS. And don't forget that you would need to get an International Driver Permit before leaving home. And good luck avoiding the ZTL zones in Florence ( and the unwelcome traffic ticket that will arrive a couple of months after you get back home).

Edited July 5, 2022 by mom says

[Hlitner]

The answer depends on the ports and the specific cruise line.  Some lines make it a very simple procedure where you should just notify the Guest Services desk (telling them when you will rejoin the ship) and also inform your cabin steward (that is just being polite).  Other lines require the request be in writing (sometimes in advance of the cruise) and there even a few lines that now have an extra fee.  And post COVID many rules have been upended so we should not assume that what was fine 3 years ago is OK now.

 

But I will add that we have done various "deviations" on Europe without any problem.  This includes leaving a ship and rejoining in a different port as well as debarking 1 or 2 days before the end of a cruise so we can continue our European travel from a more appropriate place.  In fact this is quite common for cruisers who port at Le Havre one day before ending a cruise at an English port.  

 

A couple of other issues.  The International  Drivers Permit (IDP) is readily available at any AAA or CAA office for a fee (I think it is now $25.  We have driven throughout Europe for over forty years and never once been asked to produce that document.  But technically, it is required in a few countries including Italy.   We recently (May) picked up a rental car in Prague which is a country that requires the IDP.  When I pulled out the document to show the rental car agent he just shook his head and had no interest.  But if you get stopped by the Police in some countries (such as Italy) they may ask for the document and failure to have it could get you fined.

 

But here is the bad news for the OP.  In recent years it has become very difficult (and or very expensive) to rent a car in one country (i.e. France) and drop it in another country (i.e. Italy).  Years ago, we could easily arrange this by booking directly with Hertz or Europcar but now it is generally not possible or would carry a huge one-way drop fee (measured in hundreds of Euros).  Just a quick glance at Europcar shows a price of over $5000 (for a one day rental) for a small car.  Sixt has better deals at about $1300 (for one day).  And keep in mind that it is at least a 5 hour drive between Cannes and Florence and you would need to be careful not to penetrate a ZTL (Limited Driving Zone) in Florence or you would get a nasty fine.

 

So lets talk some reality.  Your idea of Cannes to Florence (for one overnight) just does not make a lot of sense.   When it comes to rental cars (especially short term) do not generally plan on renting and dropping in different countries.  One would have thought that having a European Union would have made this relatively easy, but the truth is that while prior to the EU it was easy it is no longer the case.

 

Hank

[ldubs]

5 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

The answer depends on the ports and the specific cruise line.  Some lines make it a very simple procedure where you should just notify the Guest Services desk (telling them when you will rejoin the ship) and also inform your cabin steward (that is just being polite).  Other lines require the request be in writing (sometimes in advance of the cruise) and there even a few lines that now have an extra fee.  And post COVID many rules have been upended so we should not assume that what was fine 3 years ago is OK now.

 

But I will add that we have done various "deviations" on Europe without any problem.  This includes leaving a ship and rejoining in a different port as well as debarking 1 or 2 days before the end of a cruise so we can continue our European travel from a more appropriate place.  In fact this is quite common for cruisers who port at Le Havre one day before ending a cruise at an English port.  

 

A couple of other issues.  The International  Drivers Permit (IDP) is readily available at any AAA or CAA office for a fee (I think it is now $25.  We have driven throughout Europe for over forty years and never once been asked to produce that document.  But technically, it is required in a few countries including Italy.   We recently (May) picked up a rental car in Prague which is a country that requires the IDP.  When I pulled out the document to show the rental car agent he just shook his head and had no interest.  But if you get stopped by the Police in some countries (such as Italy) they may ask for the document and failure to have it could get you fined.

 

But here is the bad news for the OP.  In recent years it has become very difficult (and or very expensive) to rent a car in one country (i.e. France) and drop it in another country (i.e. Italy).  Years ago, we could easily arrange this by booking directly with Hertz or Europcar but now it is generally not possible or would carry a huge one-way drop fee (measured in hundreds of Euros).  Just a quick glance at Europcar shows a price of over $5000 (for a one day rental) for a small car.  Sixt has better deals at about $1300 (for one day).  And keep in mind that it is at least a 5 hour drive between Cannes and Florence and you would need to be careful not to penetrate a ZTL (Limited Driving Zone) in Florence or you would get a nasty fine.

 

So lets talk some reality.  Your idea of Cannes to Florence (for one overnight) just does not make a lot of sense.   When it comes to rental cars (especially short term) do not generally plan on renting and dropping in different countries.  One would have thought that having a European Union would have made this relatively easy, but the truth is that while prior to the EU it was easy it is no longer the case.

 

Hank

 

Hank, the OP already got a nod from the car rental company that they could pick up in Cannes and drop off in Florence.   I think the bigger issue is getting back to the cruise port from Florence.  And, overall, it seems like a lot of logistics for an overnight.  

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, ldubs said:

 

Hank, the OP already got a nod from the car rental company that they could pick up in Cannes and drop off in Florence.   I think the bigger issue is getting back to the cruise port from Florence.  And, overall, it seems like a lot of logistics for an overnight.  

Am wondering if they got a total price (including one way drop charges).  Just looked at the Hertz web site and it won't even bring up a price.  As I said, Europcar does price out at over $5000 a day (for a small car) which I suspect means they will not even complete a reservation.  We actually looked at a one way rental (for this past April-May) between the Czech Republic and Germany and could not get any kind of reasonable deal.  Promises were made, but when it came right down to actually doing a booking the promises turned out to be a lot of hooey.  Not being able to reasonably do one way (between countries) has really crimped my own independent travel style :(.  

 

As to getting to the cruise port (Livorno) from Florence this is relatively easy via train or an expensive private transfer.   We have often used the trains between Livorno and Florence with the biggest hassle being finding a taxi at the Livorno station (there are often only a few in the queue and it is first come first serve).  I do liike the OP's style (we would consider a similar overnight) but would be surprised if it works out between these two ports (Cannes and Livorno).

 

Hank

[ldubs]

4 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Am wondering if they got a total price (including one way drop charges).  Just looked at the Hertz web site and it won't even bring up a price.  As I said, Europcar does price out at over $5000 a day (for a small car) which I suspect means they will not even complete a reservation.  We actually looked at a one way rental (for this past April-May) between the Czech Republic and Germany and could not get any kind of reasonable deal.  Promises were made, but when it came right down to actually doing a booking the promises turned out to be a lot of hooey.  Not being able to reasonably do one way (between countries) has really crimped my own independent travel style :(.  

 

As to getting to the cruise port (Livorno) from Florence this is relatively easy via train or an expensive private transfer.   We have often used the trains between Livorno and Florence with the biggest hassle being finding a taxi at the Livorno station (there are often only a few in the queue and it is first come first serve).  I do liike the OP's style (we would consider a similar overnight) but would be surprised if it works out between these two ports (Cannes and Livorno).

 

Hank

 

 

$5,000 per day!  That is a "we don't want your business" price for sure!  

[Hlitner]

4 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

 

$5,000 per day!  That is a "we don't want your business" price for sure!  

LOL....check it out!  Just looked again and put it a rental from Cannes to Florence on Sept 8 returning to Sept 9.  Europcar shows $5359.14 for their cheapest Fiat 500.  And I think Europcar would say they were cutting your a break LOL.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

So my SIL (another frequent independent traveler) decided to work on the Cannes to Florence problem.  His solution is actually reasonably priced :).  Get off the tender in Cannes and try to find a taxi to the train station (otherwise you need to walk about a mile with your luggage).  Take the train towards Nice and get off at the airport station.  Book a flight from Nice to Florence (these flights are usually about $100),  Once in Florence you can take a taxi from the airport to town  (DD uses a private black car for that ride and pays about 50 Euros).  Then the next day get to the Florence train station, take the train to Livorno, and pray for a taxi to take you to the port (about 25 Euros).

 

I kid you not about all this stuff.  As a confirmed independent traveler, we are always working on these kind of issues and it is often a lot of fun.  Trust me that planning our recent driving trip (which included the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland was a challenge and interesting.   The rental car turned out to be a good deal and we did not even mind paying about $9 a gallon for gas.  The shocker was that the roads in both the Czech Republic and Poland were in much better condition than our roads here in Pennsylvania.  You cannot make this stuff up.

 

Hank

[mom says]

Nice ideas about the alternate transportation modes for that trip Hank. Except the OP is supposed to port in Carrara, not Livorno.  They can still use a train from Florence, but it will involve at least one change; likely in Pisa.

 

On the upside (cost wise) there is now a low cost regular shuttle between the Florence airport and the Santa Maria Novella station in the city.

[yoolykeme]

I was thinking this: 

 

Get rental car in cannes. Stop at nice and Monaco for the day, then make way to Florence when done and return the car at the local Hertz there. Spend day in Florence, then transfer back to the ship that evening in Carrara. 

 

The issue is that a transfer from Carrra for a day trip is really expensive, where gas and a hotel cost significantly less, and you have more time on land. 

[chengkp75]

8 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

If so, it would be a cruise line thing, because MSC and Costa embark new guests at every port in their itineraries.  EM

It could also be a cabotage thing, because Costa is Italian flagged (EU) as are some of MSC's ships (Malta).  I see that the next port is in Greece, so there wouldn't be any cabotage issues for the OP, but there could be if the remaining ports were in Italy, as the OP would be essentially taking a cruise from Florence to end in Italy without visiting another country, and that would not be allowed on a ship that is not flagged to an EU member nation.

[mom says]

1 hour ago, yoolykeme said:

I was thinking this: 

 

Get rental car in cannes. Stop at nice and Monaco for the day, then make way to Florence when done and return the car at the local Hertz there. Spend day in Florence, then transfer back to the ship that evening in Carrara. 

 

The issue is that a transfer from Carrra for a day trip is really expensive, where gas and a hotel cost significantly less, and you have more time on land. 

So did you look at any of the previous posts? Have you confirmed with Hertz that they won't add an out of country drop off surcharge? Have you computed the likely travel times between cities in addition to your touring time in the cities you mentioned? And when/ where would you sleep? How do you plan to transfer back to the ship? Sorry, OP,  but I think your plan is plain crazy.

Edited July 5, 2022 by mom says

[wcook]

12 hours ago, kelkel2 said:

Let’s say the weather gets bad and for whatever reason they cannot dock at the next port, then it becomes much more difficult and likely costly to get to the next port. That’s too much stress for me on my vacation. 

When we do some thing “risky” on a trip I think through what happens if something goes wrong. Often the answer is “we’ll have an adventure.” We came close to missing the boat once in Barcelona. The downside would have been “forced to spend a few days in Barcelona.” I was almost sad when we made it back in time 🙂 

[yoolykeme]

I agree, but my mom will end up yelling at me all week, if we can't go back on the boat lol

[Hlitner]

9 hours ago, mom says said:

Nice ideas about the alternate transportation modes for that trip Hank. Except the OP is supposed to port in Carrara, not Livorno.  They can still use a train from Florence, but it will involve at least one change; likely in Pisa.

 

On the upside (cost wise) there is now a low cost regular shuttle between the Florence airport and the Santa Maria Novella station in the city.

ARGH!  Missed that and just assumed they would be going to Livorno.  Just realized they are on the Vision of the Seas and their options are really limited (some might say it is a good reason not to have booked that cruise).  Perhaps this is just one of those situations where "you make your bed and should just lie in it!"  There are no good options to get to Carrara.  From that port I guess an excursion to Cinque Terre is possible but that would make the most sense if done by a ship excursion.  

 

It also appears that the OP is talking about a trip this month (nothing like waiting for the last minute to look at options) which makes private tour arrangements difficult.  Given more time perhaps we he/she could have arranged a private Cinque Terre tour (from Carrara) and joined with a few other couples (via the CC Roll Call) to save some money.

 

Most admit I am very curious about what the OP was told by Hertz.  If Hertz is now allowing one-ways from France to Italy this is something of interest to me as it could be handy for a future trip.  But I cannot find any info of Hertz allowing this kind of one-way...even when we look on a special link used for private business accounts.  And I also noted that Autoeurope (a decent consolidator for longer term rentals) does not show any Hertz one-way options (although they do have options for both Avis and Sixt at high prices).

 

I am also curious why RCI is using Carrara instead of Livorno or La Spezia.  

 

Hank