Cruise compared to a land tour

[spenser711]

I am planning either a cruise or land tour of Europe next year and I would like some input. The choices are a 12 day cruise of Italy and Greece plus 3 days in Barcelona or a 17 day Italy, Greece ground tour with Insight. Anyone that has done both cruise and ground tours please tell me which you preferred and why. If you have only done the cruise why did you chose it over a ground tour. I love cruising but I am afraid I will be missing the real Italy. Thanks in advance.

[jhannah]

We seriously considered a land tour. However, the more we thought of hours confined to a bus going to the next place and then the next after that, we decided that's not what we wanted. The upside of a land tour is that you get deeper into the country and see more of it. We just didn't want to give up the easy-going lifestyle aboard ship, or unpacking and repacking once.

'Vegas Jim

[Bruin Steve]

I've done several vacations in Europe, the most recent two being cruises...

But though I've never gone on an "organized land tour", I had watched them with some interest while on my "do it yourself" land tours...

My impression had always been that those folks were on extended shore excursions--on and off buses, always waiting for the group, in and out of a different hotel every day on someone else's schedule...

Of course, every one of those tours are different--some include all maeals, some none, most somewhere in between...some have all days planned out, some have a lot of free time...and all variations in between...

I never got the feeling those folks were "experiencing the real Europe"...When I went without cruises, I went either by train (railpass) or by rental car, frequently consulted guide books and generally flew by the seat of my pants...and yes,I experienced a different side of Europe than I have by cruise ship...but, I didn't necessarily see more, nor was it necessarily any better...

A larger percentage of my time was spent in logistics--driving from place to place (or waiting on trains), checking in and out of hotels, finding hotels...

Even with a bus tour, a major portion of your time will be spent driving from one city to the next by bus...and I hate to tell you, riding on a bus is NOT "experiencing Europe"...

When you do it on a cruise, all of the logistical time (or at least most of it) takes place WHILE you sleep...Your actual "sightseeing" time is, therefore, longer...

What you do give up is that most of your meals are on the ship...of course, while in port in the Mediterranean, we generally never ate lunch on the ship...so we at least had the chance to eat lunches at local restaurants in Dubrovnik, Corfu, Santorini, Athens, Sorrento, Rome, San Gimignano and Eze...

Also, on our Mediterranean cruise, we were able to spend a wonderful 2 nights pre-cruise in Venice and 2 nights post-cruise in Barcelona, so we got a very pleasant "local" flavor (including meals) in those places...On our Baltic cruise, we spent 3 nights pre-cruise in Copenhagen and a week post-cruise in Britain (not that experiencing the restaurants of Britain is any great pleasure [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] )...

Remember, there is no two or three week tour of Europe, by ANY method, in which you will see and experience everything...You will, at most, only get to selected cities for short periods of time and see only limited things...You may get farther into the "interior" on land trips, but you will see just as much, if not more, while on a cruise...Doing a pre- and/or post-cruise will give you a lot of the best of both worlds...

Having done both, I prefer the cruise...You not only get the cities and the sightseeing, you get the relaxation, the entertainment and the activities of the cruise experience...

Whichever you pick, have fun...

Summit, July 3, 2004: Alaska: 13 night cruisetour

[jody]

I've done a 2 week tour of Italy (with a short stop in Switzerland) with a community band and a 12 day Princess Med cruise last summer. I enjoyed both but they were different experiences. I felt like I learned a lot more and experienced Italy a lot more on the bus tour. We spent 2-3 days each in Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan (and had shorter stops in Assisi, Sienna, Chioggia, and Lugano). We never spent more than a few hours on a bus going from place to place every few days and we really got to experience each city. My one day in Florence off the ship last summer was a joy to those experiencing it the first time, but a disappointment to me becuase of all that we didn't see and how much I know they missed out on. I guess what you don't know can't hurt you. Although we did have some prepaid generic hotel dinners on the tour, they weren't much different than eating on the ship. Either way, you have to make an effort to experience the local cuisine by eating off the ship or on your own on the tour. Having a dedicated guide on the land tour taught me so much about the places I visited. Our guide, Viviana, was a Roman and gave us so much background about the cities. You just don't get that on your own and possibly not from a private guide you hire for the day. The time on the bus is spent telling you about the countryside you are driving through and you have a lot more time to learn more. The tours I did during my cruise just never compared to the in depth info I received my first land trip to Italy.

It's a trade-off. Do you want to see fewer places but get an in depth visit and really see what the place is like or do you want to skim over a large number of cities and locations? Each has it's pros and cons. It also depends on the tour. We had a company hand tailor a tour for our group of 50, so it wasn't a generic cattle call bus tour like some of them can be.

One of the other CCers from our Med cruise did a short land tour with a tour company afterwards and thought it was a horrible let down after the cruise. Be sure to know what level of hotels you will get with the land tour and if air conditioned hotels are on the itinerary if it is summer.

If you want to truly experience a place, I think you need to do a land based visit. If you want to see the major sites but not necessarily mingle much with the locals at each place, then a cruise ship is perfect.

NEXT UP: Tahitian Princess October 2004 (Tahiti)
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[Aussie Gal]

I have had the same experience as Jody. Our very first trip to Europe was on a Trafalgar 13 day Tour of Italy in 1994. It was a great tour and we saw a lot. The tour guide from Rome and called Romano, gave us so much information. We learnt so much about Italy. That tour certainly gave us the confidence to return and see our favourite parts of Italy plus other parts on our own in later years.

The upside of an organized tour is everything is taken care of for you and you do not have to worry about luggage etc when you arrive in a different city and hotel. You also see a lot of different areas of the country. Another advantage is when you go to a museum or art gallery, you go straight in, no standing in line.

The downside is having to get up early and not having as much time as you would like in a town or city. The time on the bus is not that long, especially if you are doing a small country like Italy. It was only a few hours each day. I cannot hear "Come back to Sorrento" or "Funiculi Funicula" without being taken back to that tour. Romano played those songs amongst others on the bus most days.

We also had chosen a tour that gave us 2 days in each town/city. This gave us time to have a look around on our own and just relax a little.

Cruising is completely different. You really only see the cities or ports on the edge of the country and one day is not long enough to get the feel of a place. We are cruising now because we have travelled extensively over the past ten years and have seen such a lot, that we can now sit back and relax and enjoy the benefits of a ship. The ship for us now is really the destination and the ports are an added bonus. We also feel that as we are older we getting beyond the hassles of travelling independently on trains etc.

I do agree with you Spenser that you are perhaps missing the real Italy by just cruising. On that tour we went to some of the lovely hill top villages which you just do not have time to visit whilst on a cruise. We also went to the Lakes area of Italy as well as down south so we came away feeling that we had seen a fair amount of Italy though we haven't been down as far South as Sicily or Calabria yet.

Whatever you decide, I am sure you will enjoy.

Jennie

The next cruise is always the best!

3RD OCTOBER, 2004 PRINSENDAM
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[Hlitner]

I will suggest a third option (not for everyone) which is to simply go on your own (independent), rent a car, or get a Eurorail Pass. When I want to spend a weekend in New York City, we simply jump in our car (its a 3 hour drive) or grab a train and go have fun. Its the same if we go to Washington D.C., the shore, Vegas, etc. Its no different in Western Europe. Traveling on your own means you get up when you want, eat where you want, go where you want (and with whom you want), go to the bathroom when you want, etc. The internet (and the large Borders-like bookstores) have made doing pre-trip homework easy and fun. Tours have their advantages, but they also have many drawbacks. My wife talks about how , when we are walking through the streets of Paris, she sees the tour buses stuck in traffic with the noses pushed up against the closed windows as the "cattle" gaze at the wonderful streets, shops, cafes, etc. We also remember going to a wonderful restaurant in Lucerne, and eating some fantastic fondue while we watched a large group (Trafalgar Tours) crammed at several long tables. We heard one of the "cattle" ask if they could have fondue only to be told that it was not on their menu. Ok. I do confess! Someday when I am too old to rent a car, we too shall book a tour (hopefully with a top tour company like Tauck). Than I can sit back, close my eyes, and sleep through the tour (I would probably be too old to remember what they said anyway).

Hank

[bec2629]

We have opted for a cruise for our first trip to Europe. We love to cruise anyway and we figure it's like a buffet, the first trip you try a little of everything, then you go back to get more of what you liked. While we would never consider a large bus tour, much too confining for us, we are expecting we'll find a port that we love and going back to explore from there. We would like to spend a few days in several areas on our own, maybe hire a guide here and there depending on the history lessons.
While I am anticipating the regret of not having enough time on our shore excursions, I am going with the attitude that I will be even more excited to come back and that the 13 hour flight will be worth it. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif[/img]
Becky

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[Gardyloo]

If seeing the "real Italy" is your aim, then the cruise will definitely not do the job. What you'll see instead are some ports and maybe an inland town or two (most likely Florence) which will entail riding a couple of hours on a bus from Livorno, then either having 5 or 6 hours to try to squeeze in the gazillions of things that great city has to offer, then back to the bus (via hand-picked shopping encounters with merchants that provide subsidies to the cruiseline and/or guide.)

You won't see much of rural life, anything inland far enough to be out of range of excursions, or much at all at night, since you'll have to get back to the ship for dinner.

This is not to diss the cruising experience, just don't confuse it with land-based travel. The upside to cruising is that (this year at least) it's way cheaper than equivalent land-based travel. Plus, of course, your room is air-conditioned and modern (which hotels on land may or may not be) and the food is predictable and ordering is easy. Most of the Europeans you'll meet and talk to, however, will be waiters from Eastern Europe.

We always choose independent travel over tours, cars over trains, villages over big cities, and fall over summer if it's just us. Even for first-time visitors, it's very easy to travel independently, and in figuring out how to get around you'll work brain muscles that will be useful in the future.

[snshn3]

We have been to Europe on our own (without a tour guide) and really enjoyed it. But I think the reason why we liked it so much was because we stayed in Paris for 6 days and went to London for 1 day only. So there was not much traveling involved.
Originally we wanted to go to Italy for 10 days, but while I was planning it I realized all of the pack and unpacking we will have to do, as well as hotel changes, worrying about transportation etc....
That is when we looked into going on a cruise. This way we get to see the 3 main cities in Italy, along with other Mediterranean ports without all of the hassle.

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[bruingary]

I have a great deal of experience with independent European travel,European cruises, and some European tours.
The two destinations you have selected have different best choices.
Italy is best seen independently, then by tour, and least by cruise. The port stops are usually selected from Venice, Rome, Naples, Florence, Sicily (Palermo or Messina). They all require more than a one day visit with Rome and Florence being far from the port area.
Greece is best seen from a cruise. In addition to Athens and possibly Delphi for Oracle consultation you need to see islands: Santorini, Rhodes, Mykonos, Samos, Patmos, Crete, etc. Kusadasi and Istanbul Turkey are also biggies on cruises.
So a compromise is required. You might select a cruise that begins/ends in Rome/Venice and spend some pre/post days in Rome/Venice. Barcelona is nice but does not compare with Rome or Venice.
Or do the Insight Italy and Greek Island tour/cruises. In general it is best not to book a cruise thru a tour company because you will pay top $$$ with limited selection.
Or you could make Italy and Greece two separate vacations by doing a longer in depth land tour of Italy ( A Rick Steves tour will get you closer to the real Italy). The next year a Greek mainland land tour with a Greek island/Turkey cruise.
Hope tis helps.

Gary

[Hlitner]

I totally agree with Gary. If you have the time, it is possible to have "your cake and eat it too." We once did a trip where we spent 16 days driving through Italy and dropped our car at Rome's airport (FCO), grabbed a short Alitalia flight to Brindisi, caught an overnight ferry to Corfu, and took a 7 day cruise around the Ionian Islands. We have subsequently done similar trips where we try to combine independent land travel with Med cruises that go to some of the Greek Islands. What a life!

Hank

[spenser711]

Thank You for all your input. I am going to try to do a 14 day ground tour of Italy followed by a 7 day greek Isle cruise.

[Aussie Gal]

Spenser,

You have chosen well. This is the best of both worlds.

We did the land tour of Italy in 1994 and the cruise of the Greek Islands the next year. Both great holidays.

Jennie

The next cruise is always the best!

3RD OCTOBER, 2004 PRINSENDAM
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[Jane110]

Spenser,

I agree with Hank. Why take a tour? Do it on your own. Italy is a safe, friendly country. Once you're in a city you can take a guided one day tour - any hotel can arrange it. If you really want to experience a place, go on your own. You'll enjoy it more than from a group tour where you're led by the nose and told what you're going to see. (okay, perhaps you like being told what to do, what to see?)On our first trip together my husband and I went to Switzerland and Italy and changed our itinerary all along the way. 2 days in Venice turned into 4, 3 in Florence became 5. We became experts at calling hotels and cancelling reservations in broken italian.

Spend 14 days in Italy on your own and then do your greek island tour. Sounds perfect.

I like cruises and think of them as floating hotels, but I never think of them as really seeing a place. However, there are places where one day is enough and a cruise is a convenient way to see them. The other places that I know I want to see more of, I'll just plan on going back on our own.

[Hlitner]

Spenser, Your idea of 2 weeks in Italy followed by a week of cruising the Greek Islands sounds terrific. Let us know more once you figure your options and we will all "eat our hearts out."

Hank

[jezzdogg]

We did a land tour of Italy with Perillo and It STUNK!!! was proably one of the worst things we every did. The hotels were shabby at best(even by European standards) and food awful a nd spent much of the time on the bus going from one place to another and moving our luggagem "if its Tuesday it must be......." Our tour guide would say: Well thi is Florence here is the Church, over there is the museum and meet back on the bus at ..... and for this we paid a small fortune, way more than 2 cruises have cost the two of us. What I like about the cruis is the ship does the traveling from city to city while you sleep, no packing and unpacking, we always eat lunch out at one of the local restaurants and have had great excursions for the day with enough free time to get a feel of the city. Only other choice would be to rent a car and do it on your own, which we did in England.

Millie Aug/04 Med
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Connie 7/05 Sandavia/russia
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norm