NEED HELP QUICK: Disembark early from Costa cruise on the coast of France?
 

Our cruise departs this Sunday and is round trip from Savona, but given our return international flight from Milan on the same day we disembark at 1:50 pm, I am considering disembarking in Marseille, at 2 pm the day before, so that we can make our way to Milan early. The train from Marseille to Milan is about 5 hours so we would not arrive Milan until about 8 pm. Not much time to really do anything in Milan either.

Can anyone recommend another city to visit, on the way to Milan, that would allow us at least time for dinner, a quick stroll around town before turning in, and then heading back to Milan in the morning the next day?

Nice, Cannes, etc.?

Thanks in advance.

Can you get a private driver to meet you at the pier to drive you to MXP? That would be less expensive than leaving the cruise a day early. Presumably, the concierge onboard your ship can help arrange this for you, as well as getting you cleared to disembark early.

How could you possibly book a return at that time. Doesn't make any sense at all. What time is your departure from Milan? You could get off in Nice but there really is not that much see. Get to Milan so that an unexpected train strike doesn't delay you the next day. Remember you are going to have to get clearance from the ship to departure earlier. Has that been set up?

Well, there's plenty to see in and around Nice, but it makes no sense to get off a day early and NOT go all the way to Milan. The whole point is to make sure you catch the flight, not to put a different potential obstacle in the way.

Have you been to Milan? If not, there's certainly enough to see for a half or even full day.

Travelhorizons thank you for the suggestion on the private driver. I have found a couple of drivers online that might work. I suppose we'd also see some of the countryside as well. May go that route.

What were you originally expecting to do? It looks as though the first train you'd be likely to get from Savona is at 10.33 and it doesn't get to Milan Centrale until 12.50.

Out of interest, are you *allowed* to disembark from a cruise a day early?

I've now had time to check the fastest driving route from Savona to Malpensa (assuming that's the airport you're using?) according to viamichelin.com & it's 2hrs 25 mins - and I've always found their timings very optimistic. So if you can guarantee to be off the ship & in the car by 9am - and *if* there are no traffc holdups en route - you could do it. But it's very risky.

Savona to Malpensa is 120 miles and appears to take about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. That's if the roads are OK and traffic flows. You cannot possibly catch a 13:50 flight unless you can get off your ship by 8am and have a car waiting. Public transport won't work.

However, if your ship docks by about 6am, it's perfectly do-able if you prebook your car and arrange with Costa for an early disembarkation. It won't be cheap for this kind of trip though.

Otherwise Marseille is a 300 mile trip and is budgeted for 6 and a half to 7 hours and would cost a small fortune with a car service. Hiring a car one way with a drop off in another country will also incur high fees.

I hope that you can get off the ship early if it docks in time and then shoot the travel agent who arranged this. If you arranged it yourself, don't do it again!

By any chance, have you looked into flying back a day later? There could be a change fee ... but it might be worth it to you.

If, on the other hand, you bought the air through the cruise line, you're essentially protected.

You must let the cruise line know you are disembarking early,they are required to keep a passenger manifest and account for their passengers, and you can't just leave and not let them know.. please check into this all FIRST.