Which Shore Excursions for Mediterranean

[masondog]

Hi,

 

I'm new to this forum but it appears that there is a lot of good advice available.

 

Myself and my wife will be going on our first cruise this summer: Emerald Princess, Rome to Venice. Ports of call include Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa, Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens, Olympia, Corfu, Venice.

 

We were wondering if anybody who has been to some of the ports could offer advice on which shore excursions are worth taking etc. We know from previous travel that some organized excursions are a waste of time, where others shouldn't be missed.

 

BTW, we don't mind walking and exploring on our own where convenient/feasible!

 

Thanks

[Toto2Kansas]

I would check out the Med ports of call board here on CC. Here is a link since I see this is your first post here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=234 Then second, I would join the roll call for this sailing. Many plan private excursions that are usually much better than those booked through the cruise line, and you might be able to cut the price by getting a small group together.

[Casshew]

In Kusadasi do not miss Epherus with the Terraced Houses, it is the most incredible place to visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pam in CA]

Myself and my wife will be going on our first cruise this summer: Emerald Princess, Rome to Venice. Ports of call include Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa, Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens, Olympia, Corfu, Venice.

For Monte Carlo, I can HIGHLY recommend booking through "Revelation Tours" http://www.revelation-tours.com/ We were picked up at the dock, went directly to St. Paul de Vence before hardly anyone else was there and before the buses, and then went to Eze, Nice (for lunch), drive along the Cote d'Azure to Monaco, and then to Monte Carlo. We shared the van with others on our roll call and it was fabulous.

 

I second Cashew's recommendation to see the Terrace Houses in Kusadasi. Here, you might consider taking the ship's "Elite" tour since it's a small group and you can only get into the Terrace Houses by pre-arrangement.

[Longtonian]

Hope the following helps - we followed a similar itinerary last year

 

Santorini - don't miss Oia - it's probably the most picturesque and photogenic place I've ever seen. Avoid trips to wineries etc - the wine at the one we visited was like vinegar, though the setting was spectacular. Given the choice, we would have spent the whole day in Oia, getting there under our own steam - it's not too far from the capital, Fira, as it's a small island.

 

Monte Carlo - don't bother with excursions to Nice - very commercial and over-rated. If you want to go somewhere other than MC, Villefranche is beautiful.

 

Naples - too much to see and do from here. Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento, Vesuvius, Amalfi coast and Capri. Pompeii is fascinating, but very crowded - if you want to see a town affected by the eruption, Herculaneum is both closer to the cruise terminal and for us more intact and interesting (and less crowded). If you want to go on your own at low cost, you can walk to the railway station from the terminal and take a cheap train ride to the modern (if a bit run-down, but nonetheless interesting) town of Ercolano, where the ruined town can be found.

Also, take some time to wander the streets of Naples (the city is only 10 mins walk from the cruise terminal) - it is a hectic, crumbling but fascinating and vibrant place, totally lacking in commercialism. You take your life into your hands crossing the road, but for us it is totally unforgettable.

 

Florence is a total contrast to Naples, but not half so much fun. Undoubtedly a beautiful setting, but for us pretentious and commercial with queues for everything - the contrast between southern and northern Italy is quite stark. Florence is good if you like buying handbags, gold etc. - best bit for me was seeing the tombs of Galileo, Machiavelli amd Michelangelo at Santa Croce church. Ice cream is good. We took a "Florence on your own" excursion - the city is compact and it's easy to see most thing easily on foot. Quite a distance from the port and I don't think we were brave enough to rely on public transport.

 

Would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

[johnmik1]

In Florence,we did a city tour for 3 hours(on our own)and then went to a castle in Tuscany for lunch and then to a wine tasting.Very nice tour.

[YoPhilly]

Definitely book the Elite tour for Ephesus (Kusadasi)....it's worth the extra money.

 

We did Athens on our own, no problem - shared a cab with another couple to the Acropolis then went our separate ways. We toured the Acropolis then took a cab to the National Archeological Museum, then just walked and walked, had lunch at a local taverna.

 

Enjoy!

[Eileen G]

Masondog we did that same cruise last year on the Emerald. We enjoyed it so much we are going on the Grand this year- Venice to Rome. We did most of the ports on our own. Here is a link to my port review http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=557922

[chasetf]

Hi, I'm new to this forum but it appears that there is a lot of good advice available.

 

Myself and my wife will be going on our first cruise this summer: Emerald Princess, Rome to Venice. Ports of call include Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa, Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens, Olympia, Corfu, Venice.

 

We were wondering if anybody who has been to some of the ports could offer advice on which shore excursions are worth taking etc. We know from previous travel that some organized excursions are a waste of time, where others shouldn't be missed.

 

BTW, we don't mind walking and exploring on our own where convenient/feasible! Thanks

Here are my recommendations which are based on what we chose to do. All of our choices were as expected and we saw what we wanted and hoped to see.

• Monte Carlo - we did a ship tour to Nice and St. Paul. Highly recommend.
  
• Florence/Pisa - we did a ship tour of "On You Own" to Florence. They transport you to the city and then you walk around on your own. Great way to see what you want to see and plenty of time.
  
• Naples - got off the ship, walked over to the high speed boats and went to Capri. Spent the day there touring on our own. Also did a boat tour circumnavigating the island.
  
• Santorini - On our own. Road the donkeys to the top and the cable car down. Walked around the town on our own.
  
• Kusadasi - took a ship tour to Ephesus and Mary's house. Spent the afternoon walking around the local market.
  
• Mykonos - took ship bus to town and did it on our own.
  
• Athens - took ship tour to Parthanon. It included time on our own in Athens which we spent exploring the Agora and riding the tourist "tour train" around Athens.
  
• Olympia - took a ship's tour to the original Olympic site and museum. We also had time to wander around town.
  
• Corfu - did the Monastry and Achilleion tour. We left the tour in town to do our own walking tour of Old Town.
  
• Venice - disembarked here. Stayed in Mestre for a couple of days post cruise and toured Venice on our own taking advantage of the vaporetto to get about. Hotel in Mestre was much cheaper and the train to and from Mestre was very cheap.

Our pictures (link below) are available to whet your appetite.

Cruise: http://travel.webshots.com/album/561466395AjVEko

Rome (pre cruise): http://travel.webshots.com/album/561466990yqRQmC

Venice (post cruise): http://travel.webshots.com/album/561466793ZzpEaY

[cookingchick]

Hi,

 

I'm new to this forum but it appears that there is a lot of good advice available.

 

Myself and my wife will be going on our first cruise this summer: Emerald Princess, Rome to Venice. Ports of call include Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa, Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens, Olympia, Corfu, Venice.

 

We were wondering if anybody who has been to some of the ports could offer advice on which shore excursions are worth taking etc. We know from previous travel that some organized excursions are a waste of time, where others shouldn't be missed.

 

BTW, we don't mind walking and exploring on our own where convenient/feasible!

 

Thanks

 

Florence/Pisa - we did a combo tour there...really loved Santa Croce...Pisa was crowded but a great photo op.

 

Naples - not a pretty town...kind of dirty. We did an excursion to Pompeii...very interesting...not too crowded when we were there. We'll go back when we do a land trip to Italy.

 

Kusadasi - Don't even bother getting off the ship unless you're going to Ephesus...and I agree 100% with the other posters...do the Elite Ephesus tour that includes the Terrace Houses...they are NOT to be missed!!! Plus, on the Elite tour the groups are smaller so you don't have to use those stupid radio transmitters to hear the tour guide.

 

Mykonos - we had a blast just wandering around on our own. We found a little bayfront and went swimming and then just spent the day wandering through the alleyways.

 

Athens - you can do this on your own...everything worth seeing is at or near the Acropolis. We took the train to the Acropolis (about 15 minute walk from the ship) and afterwards wandered around La Plaka before taking the train back.

 

Venice - we were there for 2 days on our own...so much to see and do...definitely going back for a longer stay next time.

 

Have a great time...wonderful itinerary for a first cruise.

 

Edited to add: I just read a suggestion on another thread about luggage in Venice. If you are staying on in Venice after disembarking: luggage is probably the #1 issue with travelers after disembarking in Venice...how the heck to navigate Venice with luggage. My husband and I booked a hotel near Piazzola Roma which is very close to the cruise terminal but we still had to shlep our bags up and down a couple of bridges to get to the hotel...even using a vaporetto. The poster on the other thread said that they went straight to the airport from the cruise ship, rented a storage locker, put their luggage in the locker, packed a change of clothes in a carryon, then went back to Venice and checked into their hotel...no problems. Getting to and from the airport is not a big deal...there are cabs and buses that go straight there and back to Piazzola Roma where you can then catch a vaporetto to wherever you want to go.

[caribill]

 

Florence/Pisa - we did a ship tour of "On You Own" to Florence. They transport you to the city and then you walk around on your own. Great way to see what you want to see and plenty of time.

 

If you want to see one of the popular museums in Florence, buy tickets in advance on the internet. Pick a time about two hours after you will be leaving the ship. Then you can get in with no waiting.

 

If you prefer Pisa, Princess offers (at least they did when we were there last year) a tour that includes being able to climb to the top of the leaning tower. A great experience if you are physically able to do it.

[YoPhilly]

Kusadasi - Don't even bother getting off the ship unless you're going to Ephesus...

 

Oh, I disagree with this statement, although I agree that Ephesus is the place to go.

 

When we returned from Ephesus, we had time to sit at an outdoor taverna and relax over some apple tea. It was very delightful. Then wandered deep into the surrounding streets - perfectly safe and clean - and bought some Turkish delight and apple tea at a grocery store to bring home as souvenirs. Sampled (and bought) some excellent baklava.

 

I think it would challenging to find enough to do in Kusadasi for an entire day, but I would never opt to stay onboard the ship instead of exploring a new place.

[cookingchick]

Oh, I disagree with this statement, although I agree that Ephesus is the place to go.

 

When we returned from Ephesus, we had time to sit at an outdoor taverna and relax over some apple tea. It was very delightful. Then wandered deep into the surrounding streets - perfectly safe and clean - and bought some Turkish delight and apple tea at a grocery store to bring home as souvenirs. Sampled (and bought) some excellent baklava.

 

I think it would challenging to find enough to do in Kusadasi for an entire day, but I would never opt to stay onboard the ship instead of exploring a new place.

 

But you went to Ephesus, correct? THAT was my point...not that they should REALLY stay on the ship if they didn't go to Ephesus. My statement was made tongue in cheek. Who would stay on the ship in a port that they've never been to. :rolleyes:

[YoPhilly]

Then we agree!! I was so surprised at Ephesus.....I had never heard of the place before we booked, and it turned out to be one of my favorite excursions. Amazing!

[cookingchick]

Then we agree!! I was so surprised at Ephesus.....I had never heard of the place before we booked, and it turned out to be one of my favorite excursions. Amazing!

 

It truly IS amazing. The first time I went was 48 years ago when we were living in Izmir. I was only 2 at the time but have lots of pictures...I was so excited to go back and see it as an adult. And our guide told us that it will take another 200 years to uncover all of it!

[YoPhilly]

It truly IS amazing. The first time I went was 48 years ago when we were living in Izmir. I was only 2 at the time but have lots of pictures...I was so excited to go back and see it as an adult. And our guide told us that it will take another 200 years to uncover all of it!

 

It must be amazing to see it now compared to 48 yrs ago....what with the emphasis on excavation and reconstruction. I would imagine at that time, they didn't even know the terrace houses were buried within the hillside.

[cookingchick]

It must be amazing to see it now compared to 48 yrs ago....what with the emphasis on excavation and reconstruction. I would imagine at that time, they didn't even know the terrace houses were buried within the hillside.

 

No, they didn't...the Terrace Houses are a pretty recent discovery and they still have more of them to unearth. There is a picture in the Terrace Houses that shows the next hillside over...completely covered in grass but you can see the outline of terrace houses...so incredible.

 

The pictures that I have from there are kind of funny...there's one of me (with pacifier in mouth) and my older brother sitting on 2 of the "toilets" that they used back then...carved out of stone with a water trough running beneath them.

[retiring soon]

Hi! I had never heard of Ephesus either but it's not to be missed!

I have a book about it so was able to determine what I had actually seen

when I got back home. Sorry I missed the Terrace Houses~ they look & sound very interesting. You could spend a lot of time there if you had it!

~Jo~ :)