Our Italy Experience -- And ... My Favorite Fun Excursion in Italy (A Little P.S. Bonus Included)

[ajtraveler66]

We visited five ports in Italy:  Venice, Catania (Sicily), Naples, Rome, Livorno   (Cruise on Norwegian Star --- April 15 thru April 30)

 

Venice:  In all honesty, Venice was a nightmare....and what a shame.   New regulations in Venice do not make this a cruise-friendly city....navigation is horrendous.  But we made the most of our day taking in a very crowded St. Mark's Square along with a must-do gondola ride.  But the highlight of the day was accidentally running into a sidewalk pizzeria on the way to the water taxi plaza.  Great time.  

 

Catania:  We took the cruise ship tour "Taormina On Your Own".  Beautiful place, and I highly recommend it.  Just too bad that we only have about 2 1/2 hours there.

 

Naples:  We did the exhausting, but must-do "Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast".  Don't miss these two.  We didn't get to throw in Sorrento on this excursion, but I've been there before....and it's wonderful too.

 

Rome:  We did the exhausting, but must-do things that people do in Rome:  The Vatican (make sure your tour includes the Sistine Chapel), Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, along with some time for a nice lunch.  A great day .... but very exhausting, as I said.  ...

 

Livorno:  We knew that Naples and Rome were going to be tough days, so we lightened up things for our time in Livorno.  And this....WITHOUT QUESTION.... was my favorite day in Italy.  We took an excursion through the ship  https://www.ncl.com/shore-excursions/LIV_59/Pisa-A-Taste-of-Tuscany.  While is Pisa, we skipped the optional guided tour thus adding to our 'time on our own'.  There are lots of sidewalk cafes in the area ... and we took the time to enjoy some coffee and some gelato.  Then as the excursion explains ... we went to a winery for a VERY short, informative talk (5-10 minutes) followed by a WONDERFUL meal.  This was a great choice ... and the day was very relaxing...and lots of fun.  Yes, we could have gone to Florence, but our day in Pisa and Tuscany was a great memory that I will never forget.  Everyone in our party of four feels that THAT was our best day in Italy.

 

As a side here .... It's not in Italy ... but we all really enjoyed our day in Split, Croatia.  Wonderful place.  You can do it on your own with ease.  I just wish we would have had more time to enjoy the city.  No excursion necessary in Split, Croatia .....  just enjoy Split.

[edinburgher]

AJ Good to read that all your port planning helped you enjoy your sightseeing in the various ports, even better to read that you followed the advice of others and chose to explore Split independently despite your hesitation to do so.  I hope this experience has given you more confidence to  venture out in the future without the need for a shorex in the ports where one isn't essential if it is easy to explore independently. without straying far from the ship. as that had been your main concern.

 

How did you get on with the other ports not mentioned above?.  Cannot remember them all, but  they included Motril, Cadiz and Portimao.

Edited May 3, 2023 by edinburgher

[ajtraveler66]

2 hours ago, edinburgher said:

AJ Good to read that all your port planning helped you enjoy your sightseeing in the various ports, even better to read that you followed the advice of others and chose to explore Split independently despite your hesitation to do so.  I hope this experience has given you more confidence to  venture out in the future without the need for a shorex in the ports where one isn't essential if it is easy to explore independently. without straying far from the ship. as that had been your main concern.

 

How did you get on with the other ports not mentioned above?.  Cannot remember them all, but  they included Motril, Cadiz and Portimao.

We enjoyed Cadiz very much.   We just went out there on our own and really enjoyed the city that day ... much like we did with Split.  Many had said that if we had never been to Cadiz that we needed to do Cadiz before venturing out to Seville.  We're glad that we took that advice.  If we're ever there again, we'll probably then do Seville.  CADIZ is a great port city.

 

Motril...we pretty much took a day off and stayed on the boat.  If the other three in the parrty had been game for Alhambra, I would have definitely wanted to go.  But...you know how these things go.  ...  Some that we met on the ship took a Flemenco dancing excursion that day included a meal.  They really raved about it.  

 

As for Portimao....what a beautiful area.  We made the most of JUST Portimao, but I really do wish that I would have taken your "Alvor" advice.  (It was our last day and we seniors were starting to 'poop out'  LOL. 

[edinburgher]

Thanks for replying.

 

Good to read that Cadiz was another successful DIY sightseeing day, again easy to do solo due to the docking location and in a town which has much to offer..  Fair to say that your confidence increased as the trip progressed and that is a good thing for any future cruises you book as you might be less hesitant with some ports, maybe not all, but some...  And save you money too as the cost of a ship shorex in every port can soon add up.

 

Motril you did of course know before you left that there would be little there if you stayed in town, but at least you all enjoyed a lazy day on a (presumably) quiet ship.  Sometimes that is needed if the itinerary is port intensive

 

And the Algarve really is lovely, though a little disappointed  that you simply stayed in Portimao when there were other nearby options you perhaps would have enjoyed more, but there could be a return visit in your future so who knows?

 

Wishing you happy future sailings.

Edited May 3, 2023 by edinburgher

[-Lew-]

19 hours ago, ajtraveler66 said:

Then as the excursion explains ... we went to a winery for a VERY short, informative talk (5-10 minutes) followed by a WONDERFUL meal.

 

We have enjoyed Fattoria Il Poggio (shown in the linked video), twice...an excellent tasting and dining experience for sure.  We have an overnight in Livorno this fall and hope to repeat the experience.

[Fishboy1947]

On 5/2/2023 at 4:29 PM, ajtraveler66 said:

We visited five ports in Italy:  Venice, Catania (Sicily), Naples, Rome, Livorno   (Cruise on Norwegian Star --- April 15 thru April 30)

 

Venice:  In all honesty, Venice was a nightmare....and what a shame.   New regulations in Venice do not make this a cruise-friendly city....navigation is horrendous.  But we made the most of our day taking in a very crowded St. Mark's Square along with a must-do gondola ride.  But the highlight of the day was accidentally running into a sidewalk pizzeria on the way to the water taxi plaza.  Great time.  

 

Catania:  We took the cruise ship tour "Taormina On Your Own".  Beautiful place, and I highly recommend it.  Just too bad that we only have about 2 1/2 hours there.

 

Naples:  We did the exhausting, but must-do "Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast".  Don't miss these two.  We didn't get to throw in Sorrento on this excursion, but I've been there before....and it's wonderful too.

 

Rome:  We did the exhausting, but must-do things that people do in Rome:  The Vatican (make sure your tour includes the Sistine Chapel), Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, along with some time for a nice lunch.  A great day .... but very exhausting, as I said.  ...

 

Livorno:  We knew that Naples and Rome were going to be tough days, so we lightened up things for our time in Livorno.  And this....WITHOUT QUESTION.... was my favorite day in Italy.  We took an excursion through the ship  https://www.ncl.com/shore-excursions/LIV_59/Pisa-A-Taste-of-Tuscany.  While is Pisa, we skipped the optional guided tour thus adding to our 'time on our own'.  There are lots of sidewalk cafes in the area ... and we took the time to enjoy some coffee and some gelato.  Then as the excursion explains ... we went to a winery for a VERY short, informative talk (5-10 minutes) followed by a WONDERFUL meal.  This was a great choice ... and the day was very relaxing...and lots of fun.  Yes, we could have gone to Florence, but our day in Pisa and Tuscany was a great memory that I will never forget.  Everyone in our party of four feels that THAT was our best day in Italy.

 

As a side here .... It's not in Italy ... but we all really enjoyed our day in Split, Croatia.  Wonderful place.  You can do it on your own with ease.  I just wish we would have had more time to enjoy the city.  No excursion necessary in Split, Croatia .....  just enjoy Split.

Good report, thanks

What made Venice not cruise friendly and a nightmare. We’re looking at two days there precruise

For the Amalfi coast after Pompeii, what towns did you actually go into? We have a private tour booked and would like to bypass Sorrento and visit an Amalfi town or two after touring Pompeii. 

[fishiecrackers]

2 hours ago, Fishboy1947 said:

Good report, thanks

What made Venice not cruise friendly and a nightmare. We’re looking at two days there precruise

For the Amalfi coast after Pompeii, what towns did you actually go into? We have a private tour booked and would like to bypass Sorrento and visit an Amalfi town or two after touring Pompeii. 

We are doing exactly both of those things (staying in Venice pre-cruise and bypassing Sorrento after Pompeii to go somewhere else on the Amalfi Coast), so I’m super curious as well!

[ajtraveler66]

We didn't stay in Venice prior to the cruise.  But if you really want to see Venice, you are probably doing the right thing by staying a few days THERE prior to (or after) the cruise.  If I ever go back, that's what I'll do.  But still...we did get to see some good stuff....just not as much as I would have liked.  St. Mark's Square is AWESOME.  We only saw the exterior of the cathedral...and that was quite impressive.  (If possible, I would take in the interior of the Cathedral....and probably want to do Doge's Palace as well..... Sadly, my traveling companions weren't much on architecture ... and in all honesty we really didn't have time to do all of that anyway.  I'd set up a tour if you want to see those two things).

 

As for the Amalfi Coast, we didn't get to stop in any of the towns.... just drove through it (Amalfi, I think...also the fringes of Positano) ,,,  We had our lunch between the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii.  

 

If you're trying to pick an Amalfi town to visit, Positano seems to be the one I hear about most often.

[schmoopie17]

Regarding the winery, how many wines did you actually get to taste? What did they have for lunch?

 

We're weighing this tour vs.doing a Pisa/Lucca tour and trying wines and having lunch on our own, for probably less money. Decisions, decisions.

[ajtraveler66]

3 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Regarding the winery, how many wines did you actually get to taste? What did they have for lunch?

 

We're weighing this tour vs.doing a Pisa/Lucca tour and trying wines and having lunch on our own, for probably less money. Decisions, decisions.

Several.  They weren't chintzy, for sure.  And the food was wonderful.  I would repeat this experience without question.  I really don't think you'd go wrong ... unless Lucca is a 'must' for you.  Lots of people were there, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.  It was extremely well organized.  As I said, our party of four loved it.

 

Seeing the leaning tower was all that we wanted to do as far as Pisa was concerned, so skipping the optional guided tour was great for us....giving us more time on some of the side streets.  Lots of vendors were there with very good deals for souvenir shopping.  

[ajtraveler66]

The main dish was a very tasty pasta dish.