August 28, 2010 Pirates of the Barbary Coast - 11 nights in the Mediterranean

[akluss]

We changed our minds and decided to book a private tour for Rome. It costs a lot more than taking the train, but we thought we could see so much more this way. Especially if it is hot. I also booked our Vatican tickets this morning. Every time I make another reservation it makes the trip seem so much closer.

Now the only things we are still working out are if we want to go to Medina or Sidi Bou Said in Tunis and how to get to Pisa in La Spezia. This trip is going to be awesome! Karyn

 

[Ready to Travel]

I am sooo happy. I found my misplaced passport today. Received our documents the other day. We were upgraded from Cat 11 to Cat 6. I was very pleased to see this. I am really getting excited now that the pressure of the passport is over. Now to plan the excursions. We will be doing these on our own not through Disney.

Martha

 

[Ready to Travel]

I don't know if this will help anyone. A friend of mine arranged for a private tour of Italy using www.limoinrome.com She was very pleased with them. If you decide to use them ask for Louigi. He grew up and still lives in Rome, knows all the ins and outs. All e-mails went to claudio@limoinrome.com

Martha

 

[Vicky29]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to say hello. We just booked today - Yipee It will be me, my mum and my little girl who will be having her third birthday onboard

Not long now
Vicky

 

[liberty6201]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to say hello. We just booked today - Yipee It will be me, my mum and my little girl who will be having her third birthday onboard

Not long now
Vicky

Welcome Aboard - we are getting very very excited now!

 

[eva]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to say hello. We just booked today - Yipee It will be me, my mum and my little girl who will be having her third birthday onboard

Not long now
Vicky

Aboard!

I can't believe that we are only 5 weeks away! Time is going to pass very quickly now. Monday I will be ordering some Euros through our credit union. We got a great rate the last time we did this. I just downloaded new books on my Kindle for the trip. I created our packing list today. Of course, that will get updated a number of times before we start packing. I also bought a few new clothes for the cruise yesterday.

What is everyone else doing to get ready?

 

[gam888]

We are a family of 5, myself, husband, son 21, daughter 19 and daughter 16. Sailing on the Magic on August 28. We got some prices on private tours to the Amalfi coast without Pompeii. Don't really want to walk around in the hot September sun in Pompeii and also we have visited it over 20 years ago. Would like to get more of an overview of the Amalfi Coast this time. We saw part of it last time and it was quite stunning. Wondering if anyone might want to join us to fill a bigger vehicle. Some of the companies we got prices from have van that can take up to 8 to 10 people. That will bring the price down. In Rome we are going to take the train in and see the city ourselves. Unless someone has come across a terrific deal and want people to share, please let us know. But the prices we have got for Rome are quite high. I am thinking Amalfi coast is harder to do on your own because it covers a certain distance. In La Spezia I am hoping to see part of Cinque Terre and see Pisa as well. We have seen Pisa before, but it's the first time the kids are in Europe. Just thought although Pisa is touristy, but it is really symbolic of Italy after having seen so many pictures of the leaning tower. Looked into the train schedule and it's probably doable but we will only have half a day to see Cinque Terre. We were not thinking of doing any hiking, but perhaps just to take the ferry or train to see one or two towns. I have contacted one company and they want 500 Euros to take us to Pisa and Cinque Terre. I think that is too expensive. But I just started investigating hiring a private company to take us to both places, so I haven't compared prices yet. Is there anyone who is thinking about the same thing about wanting to visit Pisa and Cinque Terre on the same day? Do you have a good plan in place for that? We are open for suggestions for all of these ports. Please share your opinions with us regarding DIY tours. We are not booking any with Disney. Already broke open our piggy bank just to pay for the cruise. Please let us know if anyone is looking for 5 people to share a tour somewhere, especially for Naples, if we can get a good deal we will consider going with another family who wants to see Pompeii, but we prefer just to do the coast at this moment in time.

 

[rav4lcrv]

Do not step on any ladders, NO working on anything electrical, Do not get to close to very contagious patients. No work that requires any kind of risk. Can't believe it's this close. (work cautions in just-gotta pay for those Mickey Bars somehow)

 

[cathicool]

hi
we are 2 adults looking for other couples/families to do a half day villefranche tour and/or a half day tunis tour. we have 3 kids, but will probably leave them on the ship for Tunis and Villefranche.

I have the tour companies already in mind. but are certainly open to ideas! Anyone interested in joining us? Please email me at catlang@optonline.net

Thanks!

 

[Ready to Travel]

"Welcome Aboard"

I found this web site very informative for the Port Excursions. Very detailed info on how to find transportation and other suggestions.

http://www.europeportreviews.com

Martha

 

[Ready to Travel]

This is an excursion my DM and I were looking at, is this similar to what you are looking at? http://www.italyprivatetour.com/default.asp?page=US126&paging=&id=96&map=campania

 

[eva]

33 Days! ​

Good Luck to all looking for people to share private tours. They can be more affordable, if you have enough people. But one thing to remember is that private tours never cover admission into attractions or meals. So make sure that you take that into consideration when comparing prices. We found that most of DCL excursions that go over a meal time include that meal, not all do. Food and such can be quite expensive in Europe. We were in Italy 2 years ago and a slice of pizza alone can run you 3 to 5 Euros ($4-$6.50). Drinks (even water) are another 3 to 7+ Euro. If you are wanting a sitdown experience, it will definitely cost at least 20 Euro a person. Here is a link to an excellent example of a lunch bill in Italy. I know that they say that this is a more expensive restaurant. But from what we saw in Rome and Florence, this was more an average bill. We paid over 120 Euro for lunch in Florence. That was for two people. I must say that 25 of that was for a bottle of Chianti. But 95 was for food. And we only ordered soup and a main dish each. Do a little research on the web to get prices for the type of places you are planning to eat. Also look at admission costs for places like the Vatican, Pompeii, etc. Then you can start comparing apples to apples.

 

[froggie93]

Checked this out and the lunch that they speak of is not included however on trip advisor after reading their recommendations they note the cost is aprox 50 - 60 euro per person

 

[akluss]

Another difference with the private tours v. DCL is that the DCL tours appear to include a guide for places like Pompeii and the Vatican Museum. The private tour is just a driver, who does give information about the area, but does not go in anyplace with you. A guide is an additional cost.

I worked the numbers and with 5 people, I still think we will save money with the private tours and I have booked 3. It seems great to be able to do things at our pace, but I am a bit nervous as to how it is going to work out, as I have never done this before. If anybody has had prior experience with a private tour company (like Rome in Limo or any other) I would love to hear about it. Thanks, Karyn

 

[madmum63]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to say hello. We just booked today - Yipee It will be me, my mum and my little girl who will be having her third birthday onboard

Not long now
Vicky

Welcome aboard Vicky 29. It should be great fun, you are bound to totally enjoy and feel relaxed. We are on this one too and are also in Lancashire, P-L-F just outside Blackpool. We fly out on the 26th but will listen out for the accent on board.

Not long now. we are all looking forward to it. Our kids make us do it

 

[ytsyts]

We are a family of 5, myself, husband, son 21, daughter 19 and daughter 16. Sailing on the Magic on August 28. We got some prices on private tours to the Amalfi coast without Pompeii. Don't really want to walk around in the hot September sun in Pompeii and also we have visited it over 20 years ago. Would like to get more of an overview of the Amalfi Coast this time. We saw part of it last time and it was quite stunning. Wondering if anyone might want to join us to fill a bigger vehicle. Some of the companies we got prices from have van that can take up to 8 to 10 people. That will bring the price down. In Rome we are going to take the train in and see the city ourselves. Unless someone has come across a terrific deal and want people to share, please let us know. But the prices we have got for Rome are quite high. I am thinking Amalfi coast is harder to do on your own because it covers a certain distance. In La Spezia I am hoping to see part of Cinque Terre and see Pisa as well. We have seen Pisa before, but it's the first time the kids are in Europe. Just thought although Pisa is touristy, but it is really symbolic of Italy after having seen so many pictures of the leaning tower. Looked into the train schedule and it's probably doable but we will only have half a day to see Cinque Terre. We were not thinking of doing any hiking, but perhaps just to take the ferry or train to see one or two towns. I have contacted one company and they want 500 Euros to take us to Pisa and Cinque Terre. I think that is too expensive. But I just started investigating hiring a private company to take us to both places, so I haven't compared prices yet. Is there anyone who is thinking about the same thing about wanting to visit Pisa and Cinque Terre on the same day? Do you have a good plan in place for that? We are open for suggestions for all of these ports. Please share your opinions with us regarding DIY tours. We are not booking any with Disney. Already broke open our piggy bank just to pay for the cruise. Please let us know if anyone is looking for 5 people to share a tour somewhere, especially for Naples, if we can get a good deal we will consider going with another family who wants to see Pompeii, but we prefer just to do the coast at this moment in time.

Hi,

I am currently looking into Cinque Terr plus Pisa as well. However my plan is to hike a little in Cinque Terre. Hikes between town range from 30 min to 2 hours. So my plan is to hike from 1 town to the other and then catch a train back to La Spezia.

U can look into Cinque Terre card which includes unlimited train rides from La Spezia to the various train stations of Cinque Terre towns plus the trail fees. 8.50 euro per peson. Vernazzo is supposed to be the nicest town of the Cinque Terre.

I am working on the train schedules now, if u want a copy of that, I can email to u tomorrow.

I am still earning my credits here so can't PM...

 

[ytsyts]

Hi,

I am currently looking into Cinque Terr plus Pisa as well. However my plan is to hike a little in Cinque Terre. Hikes between town range from 30 min to 2 hours. So my plan is to hike from 1 town to the other and then catch a train back to La Spezia.

U can look into Cinque Terre card which includes unlimited train rides from La Spezia to the various train stations of Cinque Terre towns plus the trail fees. 8.50 euro per peson. Vernazzo is supposed to be the nicest town of the Cinque Terre.

I am working on the train schedules now, if u want a copy of that, I can email to u tomorrow.

I am still earning my credits here so can't PM...

One more post and I will be able to post a link!

 

[ytsyts]

One more post and I will be able to post a link!

Cinque Terre Hike info:
http://www.cinqueterre.com/eng/information/hiking/2/

 

[ytsyts]

One more post and I will be able to post a link!

http://www.cinqueterre.com/eng/information/hiking/2/

 

[eva]

Another difference with the private tours v. DCL is that the DCL tours appear to include a guide for places like Pompeii and the Vatican Museum. The private tour is just a driver, who does give information about the area, but does not go in anyplace with you. A guide is an additional cost.

I worked the numbers and with 5 people, I still think we will save money with the private tours and I have booked 3. It seems great to be able to do things at our pace, but I am a bit nervous as to how it is going to work out, as I have never done this before. If anybody has had prior experience with a private tour company (like Rome in Limo or any other) I would love to hear about it. Thanks, Karyn

You are correct! For Pompeii you will pay about 100+ Euros for a private guide for just 2 or so hours. In places like Rome it is much more. I think that a lot of people book these private tours expecting the driver to give them a guided tour. They will say things about the area during the drive. Some are better than others. I have read about drivers that pretty much just drive. But drivers are not allowed to get out of the car and guide you. Both take special licensing in Italy. Tour guides have to complete training and be certified every so often. On a DCL excursion there is a driver for the bus/van and a certified guide that can get off the bus and show you around.