Cruise in Mediterranean - guided tours or self-guided excursions?
Jul 26th, 2009, 07:54 AM
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Cruise in Mediterranean - guided tours or self-guided excursions?
We are planning a cruise on the Mediterranean in October with NCL for 7 days.
It stops at: Valletta, Malta; Naples, Italy; Civitavecchia (Rome); Livorno (Florence / Pisa); Cannes, France. We'll be with a 4.5 year old.
At the stops, which are for about 8 hours each, they either have a guided excursion, which is very expensive and could be tiresome (I'd rather travel alone and also I might need flexibilty with my little girl), or you can travel on your own.
I am wondering whether it would be easy to get from the port to the cities/attractions in these places on my own - and how would I get there - with a taxi/public transportation, and would it be expensive? and would it be easy to tour these places on my own?
Any advice?
Thanks!!!
It stops at: Valletta, Malta; Naples, Italy; Civitavecchia (Rome); Livorno (Florence / Pisa); Cannes, France. We'll be with a 4.5 year old.
At the stops, which are for about 8 hours each, they either have a guided excursion, which is very expensive and could be tiresome (I'd rather travel alone and also I might need flexibilty with my little girl), or you can travel on your own.
I am wondering whether it would be easy to get from the port to the cities/attractions in these places on my own - and how would I get there - with a taxi/public transportation, and would it be expensive? and would it be easy to tour these places on my own?
Any advice?
Thanks!!!
Jul 26th, 2009, 08:00 AM
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It will be very easy to tour Valletta on your own. There are many things to see in Valletta and the town is small and compact. It's a walled town so mostly pedestrian only.
Click on my name and scroll to my Malta trip report which includes sights in Valletta plus an overview of Malta. I was in Valletta several days so do a search in the report to read all the possibilities.
The ports for Rome and Florence are about an hour to an hour and a half from the towns so you need to decide if you want to see something closer to the ship or spend 2 to 3 hours commuting into Rome and Florence, giving you only about 5 hours to see some sights.
Click on my name and scroll to my Malta trip report which includes sights in Valletta plus an overview of Malta. I was in Valletta several days so do a search in the report to read all the possibilities.
The ports for Rome and Florence are about an hour to an hour and a half from the towns so you need to decide if you want to see something closer to the ship or spend 2 to 3 hours commuting into Rome and Florence, giving you only about 5 hours to see some sights.
Jul 26th, 2009, 08:25 AM
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You can get some info here but go over to www.cruisecritic.com for ALOT more info. I like to do ports on my own but to maximize your time in Rome you may want to do a tour. There is so much to see there and the transportation in and out, then getting to the sights can be a bit complicated. How old is your little girl? maybe an intense tour might be a bit much for her - alot depends on what you really want to cover there and if you think you will ever return.
Jul 27th, 2009, 10:58 AM
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Thanks.
My little girl is 4.5 years old and she will not do well with an organized tour (will want to rest,see, eat etc.).
RE Florence, Lucca seems closer to the port than Florence, is this correct?
Will a taxi/minibus be very expensive to the attractions in the above-said ports? We'll be 7 people. Or maybe it'd be better to hire a full-time driver?
BTW I couldn't find my post at first so I left another identical one.
My little girl is 4.5 years old and she will not do well with an organized tour (will want to rest,see, eat etc.).
RE Florence, Lucca seems closer to the port than Florence, is this correct?
Will a taxi/minibus be very expensive to the attractions in the above-said ports? We'll be 7 people. Or maybe it'd be better to hire a full-time driver?
BTW I couldn't find my post at first so I left another identical one.
Jul 27th, 2009, 11:46 AM
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In Naples try to go to Capri. Naples itself is hard to navigate and can be unsafe in some spots. Lucca is a very nice town and it will be easy for you to go there with a cab. No major attractions though but the city is very charming. Of course, Pisa is much closer to the port (Pisa itself used to be a port) and you can spend a good time around the tower complex (churc, baptistry, cemetery and the tower itself). I would recommend you to go there and back to the ship with your 4.5 yr old.
There's absolutely no point going to Florence or Rome for a quick one day excursion. If this is a point of honor for you, in Rome stay in the Piazza Navona-Pantheon-Trevi Fountain-Spanish Steps circuit. It is very easy to walk from a point to the other and there are several small restaurants/cafe/ice cream parlors on the way. You can go from the port to rome by train avoiding to pay the absurd price the ship will charge you. For details go to http://www.roninrome.com/2009/02/28/...for-the-day-2/
There's absolutely no point going to Florence or Rome for a quick one day excursion. If this is a point of honor for you, in Rome stay in the Piazza Navona-Pantheon-Trevi Fountain-Spanish Steps circuit. It is very easy to walk from a point to the other and there are several small restaurants/cafe/ice cream parlors on the way. You can go from the port to rome by train avoiding to pay the absurd price the ship will charge you. For details go to http://www.roninrome.com/2009/02/28/...for-the-day-2/
