WHAT TO DO WITH FAMILY - ITALY PORTS

[brianbklein]

 

Gang

I am taking a NCL cruise this June and we are visiting Malta, Messina, Naples Florence and Rome.  

Travelers are my wife and three teen boys (12, 15, 17).

Has anyone out there assembled any sort of cheat sheet itinerary on what to do, where to go, how to maximize your time in port to get the best experience and live the destination?  I realize i can google this, but wanted to reach out to the experts for any thoughts.

We have 8 hours in Malta, 9 hours in Sicily/Messina, 10hours in Naples  and  11 hours in Florence.

Obviously it would be awesome to do NCL tours, but when you multiply that x5 it gets expensive.  What can you do on your own and what should you do as an excursion.  I am guessing Florence to see David/Duermo should be an excursion and when you visit Naples an excursion to Pompei should be an excursion.  ANy ideas? 

Thank You

Brian

[CruiserBruce]

Like on your other post, start by reading the many threads on each port. There is tons of expertise here...

[PurpleTraveller]

You will need to do a lot of research and decide on what you would like to do. Florence and Rome are both far away from their respective ports so any outing to them will either require an excursion, either ship or private, or using public transport. In Malta, Messina and Naples you dock in the city centres but again you need to know what you want to do. In Naples you can get to Pompeii by train but you may prefer an excursion. The same in Messina if you want to go to Taormina or Mt Etna. Do not be tempted to do the most popular option if you have no interest whatsoever in seeing or doing that option. For example don't go to Pompeii from Naples if you hate ruins and would prefer to wander around Naples and eat pizza. A good place to start is to look at all the ship's shore excursions to see if anything there appeals to you all. There are many options in each location depending on your and your families interests and wish lists. Once you have an idea of what you might like to do, let us know as there are many willing to help with all the different options available to you to get to where you want to go. Happy planning! 🛳️

 

[edinburgher]

same reply as i gave on your Greek ports thread.

 

Have you tried internet searching something along the lines of "(name of town) for teens?" worth a try for each and you may find some good suggestions.

 

And there are five of you to research each of your ports which will reduce your own research time, and your teens might enjoy looking at the options and choosing which appeal to them.

[CCJack]

With 5 people it may make sense to hire a private guide rather than cost of 5x excursions.   Not necessarily a bus/van but just a local to help navigate efficiently and provide commentary.   When we traveled with our 4 teens (6 of us) we did this in Malta (walking tour only) and Genoa (walking with public transportation).    Both were great days, the guides tailored the tours to what we wanted to see and were great with keeping the kids engaged.

[euro cruiser]

Also look at the calendar, given how close these ports are to one another odds are there is no sea day between them.  In the summer heat, five days in a row of intense touring can wear down anyone, especially kids.  Try to prioritize which sites and ports are most important to you, then build in some easy days between them.

 

We had a trip like this with four kids, after Malta, Naples, and Rome in three days no one had the energy to go to Florence so they kids didn't get to see it.  There were actual tears at dinner after leaving Civitavecchia when I detailed what it would take to get to Florence the next morning ...

 

I don't think it would have made a difference to the kids if we toured DIY or in tours.  A private car service sure would have made it easier on the adults, but it just wasn't in the budget. 

Edited March 1, 2023 by euro cruiser

[carlmm]

Who knows, when I travelled with teens in Italy, it was always me who got tired first. Sit somewhere and take in the atmosphere or have a coffee? No, these teens full of energy, let's go on, what else can we see and visit. 

Maybe skip a port to relax - no way, so many new and interesting sights are waiting.

What I found helpful was on the one hand to have a rather detailed plan and schedule, and on the other hand to be ready to skip some of these for unforseen events or wishes.

[CCJack]

A couple more thoughts on this.

 

Agree with carlmm, I would not skip a port - too much invested not to take advantage.   However, EuroCruiser suggestion of building in an easy day is a good idea.  Perhaps Malta... head to central Valetta and stroll through downtown for a couple hours.   Could head back to ship or go to Mdina, which is not that far.  Either way could do in half day.

 

Personally, my first priority for excursion budget would be Naples.   Pompei or Amalfi Coast.   Pompei may not appeal to all, but Amalfi Coast is wonderful.  Sweeping coastal views, beautiful towns, cool ocean breeze, everyone would enjoy, I think.

 

I would get to Florence, even if you end up walking around the center of town on your own.  There is a lot there within walking distance.

 

As for Rome, consider trying to get your boys to watch "Colosseum" streaming on History Channel (at least a couple episodes) before you go.   Excellent television, in my opinion, discusses the importance of the Colosseum on the Roman culture and why this structure was so important to each emperor, etc.    Maybe peak their interest before you even leave !

 

 

 

[latebloomer56]

On 2/25/2023 at 6:48 PM, brianbklein said:

 

Gang

I am taking a NCL cruise this June and we are visiting Malta, Messina, Naples Florence and Rome.  

Travelers are my wife and three teen boys (12, 15, 17).

Has anyone out there assembled any sort of cheat sheet itinerary on what to do, where to go, how to maximize your time in port to get the best experience and live the destination?  I realize i can google this, but wanted to reach out to the experts for any thoughts.

We have 8 hours in Malta, 9 hours in Sicily/Messina, 10hours in Naples  and  11 hours in Florence.

Obviously it would be awesome to do NCL tours, but when you multiply that x5 it gets expensive.  What can you do on your own and what should you do as an excursion.  I am guessing Florence to see David/Duermo should be an excursion and when you visit Naples an excursion to Pompei should be an excursion.  ANy ideas? 

Thank You

Brian

Are you on a roll  call for you cruise? I have found lots of information over the years on these. Some folks are so clever with excursions not using the cruise line and they generally have all the contact info you need with agencies that deal with cruise ship passengers and their need to return to the pier on time.

[brianbklein]

Thanks, what do you mean by "are you on a roll call for your cruise?"  THANK YO*U

 

[Hlitner]

We have often dared to suggest that families get the kids/teens real involved in planning port days :).  As to the OP's ports, they can all be managed DIY (at great savings) with the possible exception of Messina, which can by a DIY challenge if wanting to go to Taormina and/or Mt Etna.  Private tours are certainly an option, but even that can become quite expensive.  

 

Hank

[mapleleaves]

3 hours ago, brianbklein said:

Thanks, what do you mean by "are you on a roll call for your cruise?"  THANK YO*U

 

If you look near the top of the page, you see the blue bar and the word Forums, and beneath that is Logo Store and Find Your Roll Call.

Click on Find your Roll Call, then choose the cruiseline and ship.  After that look for your sail date.

Since youre sailing in June, someone will probably have started a Roll Call.  Some are active, some not at all.  But it's a place where people will discuss what they did on a previous cruise at this port, or ask questions about what to do in each port, or theyre looking for several people to join them on a private excursion like a van with driver or catamaran trip around the islands. 

I usually find more info in digging thru last summers trip reports. You don't have to limit your seach to NCL, but any cruiseline who visited the ports you will be seeing.

Also Rick Steves book "med cruise ports" is very helpful in pointing out important sights at each port.

[Brehede]

Hi - we did a cruise which stopped in Naples in 2019 with our 2 teenage sons (c. 16 & 19 at the time).  We all really enjoyed Pompeii but a guide is vital (I think) to really appreciate/understand what you are seeing (at least for us!). Myself & my husband self toured years ago from a cruise & really felt we missed out. I don't remember the tour company we used, I think it was on Getyourguide, but it was a half day tour that just picked us up in a mini-bus (with a group) at the port & included a 2 hr guided walking tour of Pompeii. It was much less expensive that the cruise excursions. We then just spent the afternoon visiting Naples.  Have a great time, my sons loved the cruise & we are doing another this summer!

[Brehede]

Regarding Florence - we are docking in June in Livorno for Florence.  Florence might be challenging to do in a day as a self tour, but I have never tried!  We have visited before but not from a cruise.  For our cruise stop this year in Livorno, we have booked a bus trip from Livorno port to Lucca & Pisa, which includes 3 hrs stop in Lucca and a short walking tour.  It is very reasonable in price, c.€32 each for 7 hrs. I think Pisa would probably be interesting to teens and Lucca is a lovely town to walk around.  

 

We are stopping in Messina also but haven't decided what we will do yet.

 

Good luck  - we found cruising to be a very cost effective vacation with teenagers/young adults!

[cruisemom42]

6 minutes ago, Brehede said:

I think Pisa would probably be interesting to teens and Lucca is a lovely town to walk around.  

 

Almost every teen (my DS included) wants that Instagrammable silly photo at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

 

At Lucca, if it is of interest, you can also rent bicycles and bike on top of the old city walls for a unique and active experience.

[Brehede]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Almost every teen (my DS included) wants that Instagrammable silly photo at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

 

At Lucca, if it is of interest, you can also rent bicycles and bike on top of the old city walls for a unique and active experience.

Thanks for the tip for Lucca, they would like that.

[JillEBean10]

Hey Brian,

 

Are we on the same cruise? (We are on the Breakaway 6/25-7/4) We have the same itinerary, so I'll share with you where I am in my research so far.

 

For Malta, we are doing the NCL beach transfer. We have a credit, so it's super affordable and I think we will need a break instead of the tours.

 

For Messina, the kids really want to see Mt Etna, so we are looking at booking a Mt Etna and Taormina tour.  I found 4 companies that all have great reviews on TripAdvisor

• Sicily Tours di C. Egitto

• Sicily with Sebastian

• Excursions Sicily

• Sicily Private Tours by Luca

 

For the stop in Naples, we are looking at doing a food tour. Lots of options, just trying to decide. We have been at this port before and did a ship excursion b/c ours had been cancelled. It was Sorrento with pizza making and we didn't really enjoy it.

 

For Florence,  our first choice tour was sold out, so I am going to do research on that today.

 

Let me what you've decided to do!

 

Edited March 6, 2023 by JillEBean10

[Ar]

On 2/25/2023 at 7:53 PM, PurpleTraveller said:

You will need to do a lot of research and decide on what you would like to do. Florence and Rome are both far away from their respective ports so any outing to them will either require an excursion, either ship or private, or using public transport. In Malta, Messina and Naples you dock in the city centres but again you need to know what you want to do. In Naples you can get to Pompeii by train but you may prefer an excursion. The same in Messina if you want to go to Taormina or Mt Etna. Do not be tempted to do the most popular option if you have no interest whatsoever in seeing or doing that option. For example don't go to Pompeii from Naples if you hate ruins and would prefer to wander around Naples and eat pizza. A good place to start is to look at all the ship's shore excursions to see if anything there appeals to you all. There are many options in each location depending on your and your families interests and wish lists. Once you have an idea of what you might like to do, let us know as there are many willing to help with all the different options available to you to get to where you want to go. Happy planning! 🛳️

 

When ship is in port for Rome [Civitavecchia) take there local train you can buy your tickets at a newspaper stand about two blocks from the ship they are cheaper there, train not to far from there when you get off train go to subway A until Termini station and then B to get off at that Coloseum subway was included with are train tickets when we went. 

Hope this is helpful 

[euro cruiser]

The ticket sold at the newsstand is different than a plain train ticket, it's the BIRG which includes round trip regional train fare plus use of buses, metro, and trams in Rome for the day.

 

Never pay more than the train fare, which is 4,60 euro for a regional train.

[mcgeetech]

On 2/26/2023 at 5:54 AM, edinburgher said:

same reply as i gave on your Greek ports thread.

 

Have you tried internet searching something along the lines of "(name of town) for teens?" worth a try for each and you may find some good suggestions.

 

And there are five of you to research each of your ports which will reduce your own research time, and your teens might enjoy looking at the options and choosing which appeal to them.

We make each of our three teens plan one day’s activities. They need budget approval, but we make them do the research and mostly plan the day, it means everyone is invested on some level, and if you make the boys compete on who did the best job planning for everyone, maybe their competitiveness will spire some good action!

Edited March 7, 2023 by mcgeetech

[edinburgher]

We make each of our three teens plan one day’s activities. They need budget approval, but we make them do the research and mostly plan the day, it means everyone is invested on some level, and if you make the boys compete on who did the best job planning for everyone, maybe their competitiveness will spire some good action!

 

Way to go mcgeetech!  Best way for them to learn how to plan a trip which has some interest for themselves, not one with only interests for the grown ups..

 

When we visited Barcelona with our then teens, we had a full week and each teen had to plan a full day including something of special interest to themselves.  It was a reward for the 5 days they came with us around all the cultural sights, museums, parks and walking the historic centre..  Son's day included Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona), but daughter';s included way too much shop browsing than her dad and brother wanted, however a deal was a deal.  And on a 10 day trip to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, they surprised us by both opting for the climb to the top of Mt Vesuvius and a walk around (and look inside) the crater.  And both wanted Naples to eat pizza so we combined that with visiting the archaeological museum..

[euro cruiser]

We did this as well with our kids as they were growing up.  They did learn from it but we quickly learned that we needed more than just budget authority, because the lesson about considering everyone in the family's interest was lost on them!  Fortunately they've gotten better at that as they've reached adulthood.  😁

[pfopma]

If you can get the whole family together you can watch some videos on all the ports. Rick Steves has 1/2 hour programs on all these places. They are available on YouTube. Malta is a personal favorite and a visit to M'dina is not to be missed. If they are Jurassic World movies fans they will reconcile some of the places on Malta.

[mskaufman]

Last year there were six of us. In Florence we purchased transportation to the city and a HOHO bus ticket.  The combo was less expensive than the ship's Florence on your own tour.  We took the HOHO to one stop and never used it again (we purchased it as a way to get from the ship to Florence).  Florence is very walkable and we saw everything we wanted to see.

 

In Rome, we hired a driver/guide from Rome in Limo.  Was awesome.