First I should tell you that my husband and I are both 62 and we didn't have much desire to shop while in the ports, so the way we viewed the excursions may be quite different from those who were looking forward to shopping time in the cities.
Second, both walk and ride bicycles a bit, so the walking, stairs and steep walkways in some areas didn't bother us, but we saw lots and lots of people who were winded by some of the walks.
...and last, let me say that Disney had the shore excursions very well-organized at the ports, but in a number of instances, it was VERY difficult to keep up with the "city guide" with 50 people "following the leader" through some very crowded, narrow streets. This was especially true for us in Florence!! Also, try to be one of the first people to board your bus. A few of the seats have partially obstructed windows and you don't want to have to sit there.
Palermo & the Ballero Market (1/2 day excursion)
After a short bus tour through the city, we ended up at the main Cathedral in Palermo and heard lots (maybe too much?) about the legend of St. Rosalie, the patron saint of Palermo.
We then left the cathedral area and went to the Ballero market where we had about 30 minutes of free time. This is an OLD and very crowded market, and not necessarily a very pretty one. My husband and I enjoyed seeing it, but there was nothing there we would have considered buying and eating. The fruits and meats looked pretty good, but the fish was lying out unrefrigerated (and with flies!). Yuck.
If you want to see how cities looked a hundred years ago, then this is a great tour. We enjoyed it, but, given the choice again, would have done something else.
Naples & the Amalfi Coast
For this tour, we did no "do Disney." We shared a car and driver with someone else and did a 9 hour tour of the Amalfi Coast. (Carmine from Benvenuto Tours
http://www.benvenutolimos.com/indice.asp) Let me tell you, this was one of the highlights of our whole trip. The Amalfi coast is just breathtaking and the little towns are totally charming. Our driver was top-notch, very knowledgeable and a VERY good driver (VERY important on those narrow roads!) Additionally, with the private driver, you had the opportunity to stop at "overlooks," could ask specific questions, had plenty of time to shop and wander around and were back to the ship in plenty of time. Private drivers are an expensive way to go, but in hindsight, I wish I'd have booked more excursions on my own.
Olbia - Costa Smerelda (and Porto Cervo) (1/2 day tour)
Contrary to what we thought when we did our research on this port, it turned out to be one of our favorite excursions. After a bus ride that showed us some of the most beautiful scenery/coastline we'd ever seen, we ended up in Porto Cervo, playground of the rich and famous (and VERY expensive!). We had almost an hour in the shopping area where we were treated to a wonderful gelato. We also went on a short (maybe 30 minutes?) train ride through the narrow residential areas of Porto Cervo. Lots of information about how Porto Cervo came into existence, the architecture (new, but made to look old) and a bit of gossip about what famous person stayed in which hotel when. For us, a delightful, relaxing morning.
Rome - Exclusive "Behind the Scenes" Tour of the Vatican
This was one of our "splurges" on the trip and for $600 per person we expected it to be spectacular ...and it was.
We got off to a slow start because the van assigned to this small group (12) didn't show up on time, so we were late getting started. Without going into too much detail, it ended up that we only had 2 1/2 hours of free (alone/unguided) time in Rome before we were to meet for our Vatican Tour ...and then one family returned to the meeting place 20 minutes late, so we were a bit late for the highlight Vatican Tour. Please Note: There is
no lunch on this tour, so I assume most of the group just had lunch during part of their free time. However, since this was our first time in Rome, I had a walking itinerary planned out and we got to see most of what we wanted to see (although VERY quickly) despite the shortened time.
Once we arrived at the Vatican we were met by our guide Luigi (whose last name I don't remember) and began our tour. We had no wait and were ushered right past a number of long lines. In case the elements of the tour change, I really don't want to give a "play-by-play," but let me just say that you WILL see things others don't get to see ...spectacular things!
The only criticism I have of this tour is that we were not provided with "Whispers" (headsets/guide speaks into a microphone). I'm assuming because we were such a small group (12), the didn't feel it necessary, but it was needed. Because of the ambient noise, it was often hard to hear soft-spoken Luigi.
One thing you should know, for 20 years, Luigi supervised the restoration of the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel ...so, you will have a guide who really knows his history and his art.
Note that this tour had a LOT of quick-paced walking and some significant stairs; a few of our group were looking for seats anywhere they could find them even before we arrived at the Sistine Chapel.
La Spezia - Florence and Michaelangelo
Of all our tours, this was the most disappointing, probably more due to the timing than because of the tour content. We visited on a Saturday and on an Italian holiday as well. The crowds were THICK, the worst we saw all trip. The first place we went was to the Academie della Arts to see the statue of David. Preceding the viewing of the statue, our guide showed us other half-finished sculptures by Michaelangelo and explained a bit about his artistry. We viewed the "David," one other plaster cast gallery and then were out of there and on to our tour of Florence. During this tour in particular, it was extremely hard to follow the guide because of the crowds, but we did have the "Whispers" so we could easily hear what she was saying and new we were in close range to her.
We tried to go onto the Ponte Vecchio, but didn't get very far before the guide turned and said, "This just won't work!" (due to the crowds) and we turned around and went another way.
Lunch was provided and it was wonderful (I'll let you be surprised as to the location!). The location was pure Florence ...and don't be afraid to ask for an additional bottle of wine. Our table of 5 went through three bottles ;-)
This also was the only city where our guide got upset about the pick-pockets. Twice while we were in large crowds, she screamed at some young men, telling them to go away ...and then told us they were up to no good and to closely hold on to our handbags and watch our pockets.
We had just a few minutes of free time before our bus ride back to La Spezia. (Great time for a nap! We'd seen the scenery on the way in!)
Also, our bus ride was only about 2 hours, not 2 1/2 as reported.
Marseille- Chateau Neuf du Pape and Avignon
This was one of our most enjoyable tours! The Provence region was beautiful and I fell in love with Avignon. The tour began with a bus ride through the beautiful Provencal countryside and then stopped at La Bouachon Winery for a brief tour of the winery, a short lesson (translated by our guide) from the wine maker and then a tasting of their wines (delicious! ...but very small pourings!). After a bit of time to shop, we proceeded on to Avignon and lunch (another leisurely one) at a delightful cafe. We were seated outside in the courtyard and it was delightful for all EXCEPT those few guests who ended up sitting in the sun for the whole meal. So, choose your seats carefully.
After lunch we went to see the Papal Palace and were then given a choice of following our guide into the gardens (LOTS of stone stars!!!) or time on our own to explore. We chose the gardens, but still had time left over to explore a bit later. The city square at Avignon is exactly what you think a small French village's square would be like with outside tables at the cafes, even an outdoor chorale performance by a local group. Just charming!
Villafranche - Monaco, Monte Carlo and Eze
I think we saved the best for last! This was a wonderful tour. We started out with a short bus tour of Monaco and our guide pointed out parts of the Grand Prix stands and barriers that were still there from the race a week before. They were being removed, even as we toured ;-) Our excursion included a audio-tape tour of some of the public rooms of the Royal Palace. Once we learned how to fast-forward the tape, it was OK, but unless you have a great desire to see the inside of the palace, personally I think you could skip that part of the tour and explore the surrounding areas and scenery more.
From there we went to Monte Carlo for lunch at the famous Cafe de Paris. Again, a leisurely, delightful lunch al fresco, so make sure you pick a shady seat! Our excursion included entrance to the Grand Casio and we went in to visit, not to gamble ;-) Note that you must have long pants to enter the casino and you are not allowed to carry any large handbags, totes or backpacks, on no visible cameras! There is a bag check right as you go in the door for items which you are not allowed to carry into the casino.
From Monte Carlo, we went to Eze, the little Medieval village built up on top of a hill ...totally charming! Of all the things we saw, I think we enjoyed our hour or so in Eze as much as anything else. Just be forewarned ...LOTS and LOTS of hill climbing and stairs!
In conclusion, let me emphasize how much walking, stairs, hill climbing, etc. there is on many of the excursions. If you ordinarily don't exercise or do a lot of physical things, many of the excursions will really tire you out. For those with creaky hips and knees (like me!) sometimes just getting off and on the bus was a challenge ;-)
Also, for the most part, we had absolutely beautiful weather ...a sprinkle here and there one day, but for the most part it was sunny and cool (low 70's), very unusual temps according to our guides. So, for those of you going when the temps are higher, I think the walking and the stairs/hills are going to be more of a challenge. Be sure to carry water with you.
Rest rooms were not a problem for us, but then we consciously limited our morning liquids so we wouldn't need to use the facilities any more than necessary. On all the tours, we were told where the facilities were and we found them adequate ...but the lines (especially for the ladies rooms) were long and the time allotted was short.
Also, on all our tours, we were offered a bottle of water and a snack (delicious crackers!) on the ride back to the ship.
Hope these brief tour descriptions have helped. You're going to have a wonderful cruise! ...and be sure to get a gelato wherever you can! It's delicious and wonderfully refreshing.
Med cruise on our own with 3 kids
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