Each Port on Your Own

[leslierx]

Just considering a 5 night West Med Cruise that starts in Barcelona, Spain and goes to Cannes, France; Livorno, Italy; and Civitavecchia, Italy. We definitely want to travel to Rome when we get off the ship at Civitavecchia, but unsure what to do at the other ports. Is there anything to do/see at the other ports close by, or is it recommended to travel to Monte Carlo and Florence or Pisa and how far are thoses places from the port. We generally hate the large tour bus trips and prefer to see sights on our own. Just wondering if that was possible. We are not at all familiar with Europe. Thanks! ;)

[tada]

We intend on doing the ports on our own using local transportation. We have done it in other cities. I refuse to pay upwards of $700 for a private tour or excursion, when they can be done on our own for much less. And we have fun doing it. Check out this board for information on several ports. http://www.portreviews.com/

[madra2112]

Hi, first post from a newbie, both to cruising and the board.

 

We're doing that cruise on Navigator of the Seas (our first), and are planning to do our own thing. I was in Rome for a short break last year, so I have a fair idea of what to do there. We'll probably concentrate on the Colosseum and Forum area, then visit the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. I've noticed on the Royal Caribbean site that most official trips feature "exterior viewings" and "photo opportunities". I'd rather see a few things properly than wave at everything as we pass by.

 

At Livorno, we're just going to concentrate on Pisa (the kids want to see the tower), leaving Florence as a tasty piece of bait for another cruise later on. At Cannes, we're just going to chill out in the town and watch the world go by. We might catch a train to Nice for an hour or two, but we want to concentrate on relaxing. We don't want to spend our first cruise chasing our tails!.

 

If you choose to go, I'll be happy to share whatever we've picked up with you, but in deference to the previous poster (and Tom Ogg), I'd better acknowledge that the europeportreviews site has been the starting point for our preparations.

[GSPLover]

Hi, first post from a newbie, both to cruising and the board.

 

We're doing that cruise on Navigator of the Seas (our first), and are planning to do our own thing. I was in Rome for a short break last year, so I have a fair idea of what to do there. We'll probably concentrate on the Colosseum and Forum area, then visit the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. I've noticed on the Royal Caribbean site that most official trips feature "exterior viewings" and "photo opportunities". I'd rather see a few things properly than wave at everything as we pass by.

 

At Livorno, we're just going to concentrate on Pisa (the kids want to see the tower), leaving Florence as a tasty piece of bait for another cruise later on. At Cannes, we're just going to chill out in the town and watch the world go by. We might catch a train to Nice for an hour or two, but we want to concentrate on relaxing. We don't want to spend our first cruise chasing our tails!.

 

If you choose to go, I'll be happy to share whatever we've picked up with you, but in deference to the previous poster (and Tom Ogg), I'd better acknowledge that the europeportreviews site has been the starting point for our preparations.

 

Sounds like a workable plan. Go with it and enjoy!

[carlmm]

Is there anything to do/see at the other ports close by, or is it recommended to travel to Monte Carlo and Florence or Pisa and how far are thoses places from the port.

 

It is possible to go my public transportation from Cannes to Nice, Monte Carlo and some other places but Cannes itself is a nice city for a day. There are a number of museums, including one in a fortress above the city and one on an island, interesting churches, a lovely old part and a stylish new part. And of course plenty of restaurants, shops, beaches. As you have not been in the area I would thus recommend to stay in Cannes and walk around.

 

Livorno also has some sights and you could spent a few hours there yet here I would encourage you to go to one of the more important cities. Pisa would be good choice as it is only 30 minutes by train. Florence would be one hour more. Another option is Lucca. For all these options you need to go preferably by taxi to the station and take the train from there.

[GMoney]

Just considering a 5 night West Med Cruise that starts in Barcelona, Spain and goes to Cannes, France; Livorno, Italy; and Civitavecchia, Italy. We definitely want to travel to Rome when we get off the ship at Civitavecchia, but unsure what to do at the other ports. Is there anything to do/see at the other ports close by, or is it recommended to travel to Monte Carlo and Florence or Pisa and how far are thoses places from the port. We generally hate the large tour bus trips and prefer to see sights on our own. Just wondering if that was possible. We are not at all familiar with Europe. Thanks! ;)

 

Good for you for being adventurous and striking out on your own! I did the same on the Brilliance in June, and I had a great time.

 

I agree with madra's comments about Rome, right down to RCI's tour approach.

 

A couple things to keep in mind:

 

> In Livorno and Civitavecchia, you dock in very industrial ports which can take a long time to emerge from before you even get into the town. RCI offers shuttle bus tickets for a small fee. Get them, as they can be very helpful, and are fully refundable if you do not use them.

 

> Try to be one of the first people off the ship so you can get to the earliest possible train to wherever you want to go. In Livorno, you will need to take a city bus or taxi to the train station; it's really too far to walk. Most of the buses stop at the train station. Do some research here and at other sites and know exactly where the train station is and how to get there.

 

> I did B2B cruises so I visited Livorno, Rome and the French Riviera twice. In Livorno, I went to Florence by train, saw the museums and walked through the town, and then went to Pisa by train the second time (very easy to do, and the walk from the train station to the Tower is very nice).

 

In Cannes / Villefranche, I took the train to Nice on the first cruise and just did a lot of walking. The second time I took the train to Eze and actually hiked up to the village. It's not for everyone, but it was great to be outdoors and get some exercise, and the views were great.

 

In Rome, I did the Vatican / Colosseum / Forum. I could have been more aggressive and squeezed in Trevi and the Pantheon. If I had it to do over again, I would have gone to the Colosseum first and the Vatican last, just to manage the lines a little better, but it all worked out. Buy your Colosseum tix at Palantine Hill where the line is generally much shorter.

 

> Do some research to know what's open and closed on the day of your visit. For example, on my cruise, we were in Cannes on Sunday (when the stores are all closed) and Livorno on Monday (when the 2 big museums are closed).

[ukiecruzer]

we were on a 12 day med cruise on the emerald princess in august 2007 with a 12 year old and did all of the ports on our own and had a wonderful time

 

to us this was just a sampler and did not want to spend hours on a bus

 

by going on our own we we free to see as much as we wanted and also had the option of returning to the ship at any time

 

would do it again without question

[bunnyette]

All of these ports have great public transit. In Citiavecchia, the shuttle bus was free for Carnival. It took you to the edge of town and then it was a 10 minute walk to the train station. We purchased a BIRG - which is good on the trains, buses and Rome Metro. At 9 euros, much cheaper then the Ship's "Rome on your Own" tour.

 

Livorno - yes you can get the train, but plan to be back to the ship at least 2 hours before departure - the trains when we were there were always stopping and several people missed the ship. Five of us shared a cab which took us to Florence and Pisa along with a stop at one of the Malls. As two of us were suffering from severe head colds - it was a blessing.

 

Barcelona - so easy - don't waste your money on a ship's tour. You can take the Hop-On, Hop Off or just wander around. Most of the cruiselines offer a shuttle for a fee.

[JSR]

We are also on the Navigator doing the same ports. When are you going. We are traveling with our 12 year old dd. We are on the June 2. We are also doing the May 29 Nav to Ibiza. We are just starting to figure things out.

[agabbymama]

This is just another suggestion. I plan to use Hop on/Hop off buses in Rome, Naples, Pisa and Florence. If you save your ticket after the first use, on subsequent tours they give you 10%.

 

http://www.pisa.city-sightseeing.it/eng/index.htm

 

I'm 60 and know I will get tired of walking long before we have seen everything. I figure with the HO/HO buses, at least we won't wear ourselves out getting from the Colosseum to Trevi to Vatican. These sites are quite a distance apart. I'd rather ride the double decker bus between and save our strength for the actual site, than take a chance of not seeing something at all because we were just too tired to walk to it.

 

I do plan to do each port on our own except Santorini and Kusadasi. The ship's tour in Santorini has buses that will pick us up at the dock without us having to do the cable ride or the donkey ride up the caldera. And Kusadasi, two women travelling alone, just don't want to wander around in Turkey on our own.

 

And the portreview site that tada posted is the reason I felt confident we could do it on our own. Once I found that site, I printed all the ports we are going to. I won't rent a car (again cost prohibitive) but we are going to do as much on our own as possible. And I so agree with tada that I'm not paying $300 to 800 dollars for a tour guide. I know the historical importance of the sights, research on the internet or go to the library if you have doubts. They usually have brochures or books to buy also, that tell you all about the historical events/sights.

 

My husband and I toured Italy (as well as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Holland) in '98. We had a rental car for the month, and we did not pay a guide or go on one single tour. As a matter of fact, there weren't any. We would go into the Tourist Offices and ask about tours or excursions and was told if we hadn't booked Globus or Trafalgar or the like, there was nothing locally. So I was tickled pink to see they now have HO/HO buses.

 

Have fun planning, then taking your cruise.

[luvnorway]

Agabbymama - just read your comment below

 

"I do plan to do each port on our own except . . .Kusadasi . . . two women travelling alone, just don't want to wander around in Turkey on our own."

 

We also always try to avoid shorexes and tours and prefer to DIY in ports, but, like you, chose to break down and take a shorex to Ephesus when we were in Kusadasi for the first time in April.

 

I'm assuming you're going to Ephesus, as most passengers do. If so, I'm also assuming you've researched it and know that it's well worth including the Terrace Houses.

 

The reason I'm posting is to tell you that, after our shorex, my husband returned to the ship, and I wandered around in Kusadasi by myself. I found the vendors to be much less "in your face" than they had been when my husband was with me for a few minutes. No one bothered me at all and I walked far back into the local area - well away from the tourist shops - really enjoyed it.

 

A very experienced traveller told me once that, "As long as there are women and children around, the area is likely safe." I've used this as a guideline walking around in about half a dozen cities in Morocco and again in Kusadasi and have never felt uncomfortable.

 

If you like to explore on your own, don't let the fact that you are 2 females discourage you, and don't judge what walking around will be like by the hassles of the vendors close to the pier.

 

Hope this will help if you have time after your tour to enjoy Kusadasi.