Back From Med Cruise on Grandeur
 

If anyone has any questions concerning the Grandeur Med cruise or questions from the ports we visited, feel free to ask. We also spent some time in Mallorca after the cruise.

John, We will be on the Grandeur's June 23rd sailing. Any input on shore excursions,etc. would be appreciated. We are a party of nine and logistics are a concern when considering what to do on shore excursions. Many thanks, Frank Keller

Hi John, <BR>Which ports did you visit and which tours did you take and what did you see? did you book tours on your own or do the ships tours? <BR>ie we want a full report, young man!

OK Lisa, <BR> <BR>You're right - I owe Fodors a report - after all, I used them for a lot of my research, which made the trip enjoyable and successful. <BR> <BR>Flew Lufthansa in to Barcelona to hook up with the cruise. Tip - international definition of carry on luggage turned out to be quite different from our domestic experience - all four carryons needed to be checked because they were either too big or too heavy!!! <BR> <BR>First port was Villefranche - easy walk to train station where we went to Monte Carlo for the day. It was "Grand Prix" day and everyone suggested we skip it, but as it turned out, everyone else was at the race and we had the run of what wasn't roped off - Palace, museum and shops - and of course just the sheer beauty of the place! Friends of ours took the train to Eze and then back to Nice for the day. <BR> <BR>Next port was Livorno - took taxi to train station and then on to Pisa and Florence. Florence turned out to be smaller that I had imagined and was easily walked - no problems - had a nice lunce in a restaurant overlooking the river next to the Bridge. <BR> <BR>Civitaveehia - taxi to train station then on to Rome - went to Termini station and walked to Colleseum, Forum, Pantheon and Spanish Steps. Had lunch at an outdoor restaurant in one of the Piazzas (can't remember which). Didn't think we had time to do the Vatican so we spent a lot of time at the Colleseum and Forum - lots of history there!! <BR> <BR>Naples - took hydrofoil to Capri for the day. Took the cable cars up to the city - wife and daughters did some world class shopping while I did a two hour hike to the Natural Arch and Cave - it was spectacular. Need to be in good shape though and wear good walking shoes. We all went to a very nice restaurant - open air - overlooking the Marina - it was relaxing and needed after our busy days in Florence and Rome. <BR> <BR>Malta - rented a taxi for the afternoon and went to Golden Beach for a few hours for sun and surf and then off to the glass blowing factory and craft village. We only had five hours in port. <BR> <BR>Upon our return to Barcelona, we flew over to Mallorca for three days and stayed at a fabulous Marriott resort and spa. We rented a car a drove all over the island seeing the mountains and the beaches. Very relaxing after the cruise. <BR> <BR>Flew back to Barcelona for the day and went to Catalunya Square and walked down Las Ramblas until we got tired - very good people watching experience.

Thanks,John. <BR> <BR>Good report. You get an A for your port report. Sounds like you had a great time. <BR>Interesting about the carryon luggage. How heavy was it? <BR> <BR>I know I have had the same carry-on luggage going to and coming back from a place. Nobody said a word going and coming back they threw a fit. Wanted to charge me an extra $100 and even with paying the surcharge would not let me take the carry-on. Go figure. Luckily my cousin arrived at the airport to se me off and I gave her the "excess". <BR> <BR>Which was exactly what I had brought, one standard size roll on and a small backpack. <BR>

How much were the tours to florence and the vatican?What did they include?How far to the station was it How much for the taxis?? Any other tips?

I'm not sure what you're asking about the price of the tours. We did Florence and Rome on our own and for the four of us Florence was about $100 including lunch and Rome a touch more. The ship's excursions ranged from $100 apiece to $340 and included transportation to and from and then extras like private guides, etc to get to the $340 price. We did a lot of research before we left included mapping out our routes, choosing which churches, museums were open (we were in Florence on Monday when about everthing was closed), etc. It really isn't that difficult if you are prepared. The train station is unwalkable (more than three miles, at least) in both Livorno and Civitavecchia. The taxis were both between $20 and $25 for all four of us. <BR> <BR>If you have any more specific questions, ask on this forum or email me.