E.Med cruise questions - 1st timer

[cruisin414]

My husband surprised me with the 10 day eastern mediterranean cruise on the Solstice on June 5th for our 25th anniversary. We are trying to set up some shore excursions. Have a day in Naples set up with private guide - Marcello. Planning on private tour in Ephesus as well but not yet booked.

 

Can you walk to "Old Town" in Rhodes from the ship and do this on our own?

 

Do you need a guide in Taormina? Is taxi the best way to get there if you don't use a guide or shore excursion? Anyone know about how much that would be?

 

Any beach recommendations for Mykonos?

 

Those are my questions for now. I'm sure I'll have more as I continue my research.

 

Thanks you any help you can give us!!!!

[eandj]

I'd also check out a book of the Greek islands and/or a Med cruise book. You'll lots of ideas there as well.

Have a wonderful anniversary.

[nibird2]

My husband surprised me with the 10 day eastern mediterranean cruise on the Solstice on June 5th for our 25th anniversary. We are trying to set up some shore excursions. Have a day in Naples set up with private guide - Marcello. Planning on private tour in Ephesus as well but not yet booked.

 

Can you walk to "Old Town" in Rhodes from the ship and do this on our own?

 

Do you need a guide in Taormina? Is taxi the best way to get there if you don't use a guide or shore excursion? Anyone know about how much that would be?

 

Any beach recommendations for Mykonos?

 

Those are my questions for now. I'm sure I'll have more as I continue my research.

 

Thanks you any help you can give us!!!!

 

 

 

Welcome...my wife and I are also on that cruise. Can you give me some details on your Naples tour. We are planning to tour the city on our own, but a guide may be more productive.

 

Dennis

[scvgirl]

My husband surprised me with the 10 day eastern mediterranean cruise on the Solstice on June 5th for our 25th anniversary. We are trying to set up some shore excursions. Have a day in Naples set up with private guide - Marcello. Planning on private tour in Ephesus as well but not yet booked.

 

Can you walk to "Old Town" in Rhodes from the ship and do this on our own?

 

Do you need a guide in Taormina? Is taxi the best way to get there if you don't use a guide or shore excursion? Anyone know about how much that would be?

 

Any beach recommendations for Mykonos?

 

Those are my questions for now. I'm sure I'll have more as I continue my research.

 

Thanks you any help you can give us!!!!

Since you asked... I would skip Naples and go see Capri, Pompeii or the Amalfi Coast.

[cruisin414]

Thanks to all for your replies.

 

I did obtain a guide book on the greek Islands and will be doing some additional research that way.

 

I didn't mean to imply that we hired a guide for Naples - Marcello will be taking us to the Amalfi coast and to Pompeii for the full day.

 

Dennis - great to hear you will be with us on this trip. We booked a full day tour with Marcelo and he will be taking us to places that most people won't go because he lives in the area as well as the highlights we really want to see. He has also arranged for a private guide to take us through Pompeii and we will have a special lunch in a family restaurant he has recommended. We are really looking forward to this excursion and think it will one of the highlights of our trip. If you need more information I will provide all I can.

[FTLcruisers]

does Marcello have a website that we can check out?

[sammiedawg]

Rhodes is easy to do on your own. If your ship tenders off Taormina, you can take the funicular or a cab up to the town, tour the ancient theatre and walk around easily on your own.

[cruisin414]

As far as I know Marcello does not have a website.

 

I communicated with him through his email address:marcellomaresca@tiscali.it

 

I found out about Marcello through Mike and Carol Preisman and their website is http://www.thepreismans.com/

 

Hope this helps.

[mlbcruiser]

You asked, so . . .

 

You can do Rhodes on your own. We got off the ship a bit later than many people but wanted to share a cab w/someone to do a tour. We just stood near where the cabs were and asked people who walked by. Finally found 2 others and negotiated a better rate. We were taken on a scenic drive to the town of Lindos. There is a fort at the top of a hill overlooking the ocean. Very pretty place! Lindos is a pretty little town w/shops and restaurants, and you can take a donkey (or mule?) up to the top of the hill or walk it yourself. We rode up and walked down (and were glad as it was too hot to walk up and it was the first wk. of June 2 yrs. ago). There is another fee if you want to go inside the fort to look out from slightly higer, but we didn't and were told we really didn't miss much. We had arranged a pickup time according to our taxi driver's suggestion. He picked us up when promised and took us to the Old Town where we roamed the streets and shopped a bit. There are restaurants as well. I think we were able to walk back to the ship from there.

 

As for Naples, do something according to your interests. Just get off the ship and catch the ferry to Capri nearby. You can walk to the place to do this. Once there, take the funicular to the first town, half way up. Then get a cab or bus (ask how to do this once you are there. It will be crowded but you can easily do it) up to the town on top - Anacapri. For a georgeous view, go to the little chair lift and take a ride to the peak. You will ride over tiny little knomes in a garden and see little houses and farms on the edge of the mt. Once at the top, the view is OUTSTANDING! (Hope you like heights! LOL!) You can buy ice cream or drinks up there, and just sit for a while. . . .Or take a look at a guidebook at the bookstore or library and you will learn how to take the train to Pompeii. If you can afford a driver or car, or other tour, the Amalfi Coast drive is georgeous! Naples itself isn't exactly the reason the ships stop at this port. But so many very interesting and beautiful places are near it, it's one port where it's really hard to make a decision! We were lucky our first time and knew we would be back in the area (via car) after our cruise and would visit Pompeii and stay a few nts. in Positano, so we went to Capri and enjoyed it. HOWEVER, things that were cheap that first time (8 yrs. ago) went up a LOT. Like the chairlift was 50 cents but was $6 or $7 two yrs. ago we also made the mistake of eating at the town half way down in a place w/a sea view. We got gouged. So if you eat, stay up at the town on the top and walk the back streets looking for someplace. Look at the menu and and watch for any service fees, and you should be o.k. Oh, one more thing - many people see the hawkers for the Blue Grotto once they arrive. I know two people who did this and were charged more money to transfer onto a smaller boat once they got to the grotto. They said it really wasn't "all that" since they were only there for a couple of min. But I imagine others might disagree? Just thought I'd mention it, though.

 

In Mykonos, you can easily walk the town, shop (too many jewelry stores!) or eat. The back lanes were very pretty w/bright, white houses and bright blue doors and shutters. Ask where to walk to get the cheap bus to a beach called Paradise where there is a bar/restaurant a la spring break - sort of. We arrived at this beach in the afternoon. Not too many people in early June, but mostly younger folks. Some of them (a couple of not too chic looking girls and a another dorky guy who was pretty wierd) were dancing on the tables or around the bar when we left, after buying some ice cream and a drink,and just taking a look around. We heard it would get really pretty wild in the evening to wee hrs. But you might want to sunbathe or hang out there a bit. This was the beach that everyone we asked said was the easiest to get to and most popular. But I know there are other beaches as well. If I had it to do over again, I'd have skipped the beach though and just sat around having lunch in the town and people watching! But I guess we did get to see a little bit of the part of the island away from the town ,though there wasn't all that much to see. We felt other islands (Rhodes and most esp. Santorini) were much more scenic and interesting, frankly, than Mykonos.

 

Whatever you choose, you will see something wonderful!

[Sparky333]

Just so you know, Marcello's website is seesorrento dot com. We're touring the Amalfi coast with him in May.

[CathyCruises]

We used his buddy Marco on our tour--we were in separate vans (from Marcello) doing the same itinerary. Great day and lunch was amazing--you'll love it!

 

Not sure of your time schedule but for my money a ferry ride to Delos from Mykonos is the only way to go. Lots of info on these boards about it. There are lots of beaches in the world but only one Delos!

 

Cathy