Sonneke

We are first time cruisers, 10 days Western Mediterranean with Holland Amercia in June. There are 3 of us, husband, myself and adult son. We are planning to go on shore excursions at all the ports we stop at, Livorno, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Palma de Majorca, La Goulette, Palermo and Naples. Since paying for 3 on HAL sanctioned shore excursions will be pricy, can any of you experienced cruisers out there help me with advice on how to arrange and book private or semi private shore excursions? How would I find a reputable tour operator? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Percy

Okay let us give it a try !!!

For Livorno:
1. e-mail Gioia Gualtieri at:

[email protected]
Ask to have Paolo as your driver and on your way back from Florence stop at Piza to see the Leaning Tower.

2. For Naples:

The fellow you want is Giovanni Rotondo
[email protected]
or
[email protected] ( cell is 339 4197244)

For Barcelona:

You just have to get Michael at:

barcelonataxi.com

Michael is just terrifc and you will see all of Barcelona's major spots.!!

You do not need to do the costly ship excursions.
There will be lots of guides and rivers as you disembark the ship.

Have a good time
Percy

fmpden

This is a general statement but I think itis fairly correct. A lot of experience cruisers do not take the ship excursions. We have on been on five European cruises with our two sons and almost nevver use the ship's tours. This is our simplified approach. Contact me off line for more details. 1. Fully research each port prior to trip using internet and gude books. 2. Attend ship briefings and obtains maps. 3, Pack a lunch from ship's buffett. 4. Exit ship at first opportunity. 5. At the port you will find taxis, tour operators and all kinds of people willing to act as tour guide. 6. At this point it will depend on we have learned and decided from the port research. We hire a car for the day

fmpden

(something happened -- it posted before I was done)

--- hire a taxi after checking to see if his English is good and establish a fixed price for what we want to do, or hire one of the local tour companies or get transportation of the town center and visit the TI. The TI will often have great tours for very reasonable prices. And finally we find a hop on/off and do the city on our own. Each port is little different and it depends on what is available. We done about 70 days of cruise and have never been disappointed or had problem with this approach.

abram

We found Barcelona very easy to do on our own. The hop-on/hop-off buses (Bus Turistic) were easy to use, and we loved all the Gaudi sights: Casa Mila, Casa Battlo, La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell. Strolling Las Ramblas was fun.

Palma de Majorca also has a Bus Touristic. We stayed in town, and did't have the chance to see the Fort or tour the countryside. We enjoyed taking a self-guided historical walking tour that included the Cathedral and the Arab Baths.

In La Goulette, we negotiated with a cab driver when we got off the ship to takes us around for the day. We did a walking tour of the Medina and spent several hours at the fabulous Bardo Museum.

In Naples we hired Giovanni from www.tourofitaly.com for a day along the amalfi coast.

Sonneke

Thank you Percy, fmpden and abram for your helpful replies. I'll certainly follow up on them! Now I have 1 more question...Percy, have you any idea what the people you suggest for Livorno, Naples and Barcelona might charge? I have no idea what a reasonable fee would be...your input would be greatly appreciated...

Percy

The price will vary because it depends how many are in your group.

There was six of us and there will be 3 of you.

The prices are cheaper than from the cruise ship and it is so nice to get off the ship in the morning and have someone waiting for you!!

Percy

bondie

wow I've really benifited from your ?'s. I am taking the inagural disney 11-day mediterranean cruise. starting in barcelona may 26th. these are the ports i would love to research independant shore excusions from. we are booked w/ disney on one of there offerings-seemed like price n services were unbeatable. But I'm thinking I can do better w/ price on many of the other ports can you all help me too?

bondie

disney ports barceona >Palermo >naples(Pompeii) >olbia, sardinia >civitavecchia(rome) >laspezia(florence,Pisa) >marseille >Villefranche(monte carlo, cannes, nice)

KARIME2

I did this trip in May 05 on another cruiseline. Here is what we did:
1- We took the train from Villefranche to MonteCarlo and explored and then took the bus from MonteCarlo to Nice vs the train which would have been longer. It was about an hour by bus with the locals and very easy to do.
2-In Naples and Livorno we hired a driver (www.driverinrome.com) where they met the ship at 8am and we were off seeing the sites. They were also able to make us reservations to see the David and got us quickly in vs waiting in long lines. We usually got back to the ship between 5:30-6:30. It was worth it since there was 4 of us and cost us about $125 US for our driver, much cheaper than the cruise ship and we got to do what we wanted to do.

ParrotMom

Percy...You must of given up on Auriello..lol.. Yes, Michael is great in Barcelona.. My big problem is finding guides that don't want to rip us off for Morocco.. the situation is so dire that I may..MAY have to take a ships tour..yechh..lol

bondie

Karime2 thank you so much I needed this info n help.

Percy

Hi ParottMom:

No, I have not given up on Auriello!!

He is Michael's boss,so when someone write to Barcelonataxi.com for a private guide I just tell them to ask for Michael.!!
Good Luck on going to Morrocco.!

Percy

ParrotMom

Thanks Percy.. Today's Boston Globe has Turkey...not going to Turkey, but Ive become aware of the newer ports being added to the cruise ship itineraries.. Had a story this weekabout the food in Moroccco.. Just so many places and so little time..nor ro mention $$, but isn't it fun planning and dreaming.. Did you know Michael was going on a cruise with his famiily this summer, a spanish cruise line..he wrote to me about advice..lol Hope to meet up with them in December when we fly into
Barcleona.

gr8memories

Does anyone know how many suitcases will fit into a Barcelona taxi? We are a family of 3 going on a cruise and will probably have 3 or 4 suitcases plus carryons. Thanks!

sequess

The Bacelona taxis vary in size. Some are more like station wagons/vans and some are regular sedans. If you're coming from the airport there should be lots of taxis waiting and you can choose one that will fit your luggage. We had as many bags as you and had no problem.
Also in Palermo we had a wonderful guide named Jacqueline booked through www.sicilytravel.net.

bunman

Sonneke,

Did you end up booking any excursions?
If so, which ones, and at what price? We are also on that same HAL cruise.
Very interested to know what you found out about tours at various cities.
thanks

bunman

Anyone else with tips on excursions in Florence and Naples? We are a young couple on a budget.. but would like to see the sights?

Donsuz

Florence is a small city, and you can spend three or four days on foot and still have sights left to see. Most museums are closed on Sunday. Get a copy of a Florence guide. Even the train station is within easy walking distance to downtown. If you want to see "David," go to L'Academe early. Watch out for the gypsy beggars. One of their favorite tricks is for a woman with a baby to lunge at you and try to make you take the baby while she is working your pockets. Actually, they have the baby on a harness so it won' t fall even if you refuse to take it.