Mediterranean Cruise Excursions, other than Disney's

[bonnielynn]

Hey all,

We - my DH and myself - are thinking about booking this cruise to celebrate our 50th birthdays and our 30th anniversary. We have never been to Europe and wondered if we should either stick with the Disney excursions or go with another tour- perhaps private or group? Were you comfortable about going it on your own? I understand that the towns are a long drive (most) from the port itself and there is the worry about getting back in time.

If so, can you suggest a tour that you have done that you would recommend us trying?

We liked to see the historical sights, but also we like the culinary aspect of visiting other places.

I do plan to do a lot of research on it before we jump, but thought maybe something you did stuck out so much that you really would recomment the tour and the company.

Here are the ports:
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ports/barcelona-spain/
Marseilles, France 8:30 AM 5:45 PM
Villefranche (Monte Carlo, Cannes, Nice), France* 7:30 AM 5:45 PM
Genoa (Milan), Italy 7:00 AM 7:00 PM
Livorno (Florence, Pisa), Italy 7:00 AM 6:45 PM
Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy 7:00 AM 4:00 PM
Naples (Pompeii), Italy 7:30 AM 6:00 PM
Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks.

 

[Disneymadhouse]

We did the 7 night med cruise last year. We did our excursions with DCL, but I do hear your tour in Italy mentioned on forums etc for the Italian ports.
Are the times correct for your Rome day? We did the full day out in Rome. We left the ship around 7.30am and didn't get back on board until 6.30pm. Rome is over an hour from the port of Civitavecchia. It was a very long day out, but we did get to see lots.
We did the Easy Pisa excursion with DCL and is was great - and very easy!
The port of Palma is fairly near to Palma Nova which has a lovely beach. We have been on holiday to Palma Nova a couple of times and would happily go back ( we did the beach excursion there with DCL a few years ago too). Magaluf, another nearby resort has quite a party atmosphere / reputation. I've only been there once and that was enough

Claire

 

[remlap]

Hey all,

We - my DH and myself - are thinking about booking this cruise to celebrate our 50th birthdays and our 30th anniversary. We have never been to Europe and wondered if we should either stick with the Disney excursions or go with another tour- perhaps private or group? Were you comfortable about going it on your own? I understand that the towns are a long drive (most) from the port itself and there is the worry about getting back in time.

Thanks.

There are LOTS of reports on here and CC of people DYI. We plan on doing this in September in all ports. Head directly to train station and then port into town.

This works well for historical sights. However, if trying to also incorporate culinary, an organized group either thru Disney or 3rd party might be best. Our culinary adventures will most likely be limited to discovery of gelato shops.

 

[rlk]

My family went on a Med. cruise (not Disney) last summer. At first I booked all tour excursions through the cruise ship, but after talking to friends who have taken multiple cruises, I booked private tours for all our ports. I was nervous about the tour operators getting us back to port on time. Happily, I can report that we never had an issue with returning on time or for that matter never had any issues at all. We were so happy with all the private tours we book. We were able to have our own tour guide/driver for approximately the same price as doing semi private tours through the cruise line.

 

[texasgingerbread]

Do you know what you want to do in Naples yet? Capri, Amalfi Coast, or Pompeii? From there I can give you suggestions or if I had to choose I would choose Capri although the Amalfi Coast drive comes in a close second. Pompeii if you've done the other two. RomeInLimo is a tour company where you can hire a private driver for the Amalfi Coast as well as your day in Rome.

Do you know if you're hitting the Vatican in Rome or doing the other stuff? I can give you tips here but curious what direction to send you in. The port is FAR from the city and so count on several hours of transportation which doesn't leave much time for the city. We done Rome twice by cruise but by land many times - what you leaning towards?

 

[texasgingerbread]

Oops - Florence hands down over Pisa. I just answered this for someone else but go to the Uffizi (print out a map and mark everything you want to see and go directly to those exhibits and then get out - don't wander or it'll suck your time - I just make a pinterest board with exhibits I want to see and then map it out from there), then go to Ponte Vecchio and see the bridges (lovely), and finish it off with a viewing of the statue of David at Galleria dell'Accademia. Dont miss this in that specific gallery it is breathtaking and for sure a sight!

 

[trevorsmom2002]

Oops - Florence hands down over Pisa. I just answered this for someone else but go to the Uffizi (print out a map and mark everything you want to see and go directly to those exhibits and then get out - don't wander or it'll suck your time - I just make a pinterest board with exhibits I want to see and then map it out from there), then go to Ponte Vecchio and see the bridges (lovely), and finish it off with a viewing of the statue of David at Galleria dell'Accademia. Dont miss this in that specific gallery it is breathtaking and for sure a sight!

I would love your suggestions for all these ports (except last one). I have a 15 year old DS who is not going to be happy with me if I have him touring museums and churches all day. Thanks!

 

[texasgingerbread]

Rome-it really does depend on what you want to see. If you want to "walk thru the streets of Rome" I would start my day with a walking tour. Start at the Spanish Steps follow signs to Trevi Fountain, follow signs to Pantheon (lovely area to eat, people watch), follow signs to Piazza Navona (lovely square to eat - restaurants, artists, gorgeous fountain, and a lovely church). From here I would take a taxi to the Roman Forum -walk thru here from the "high point" down. If there are students at the Roman Forum they'll give you a free tour and you can tip them at the end. Fun stories - highly recommend a guide here or download an audio. Cross the street after you walk thru and see the Colosseum.

Technically you could start your day in Piazza Navona and work to Spanish Steps and then take the metro from Spanish Steps to Colosseum but then you are killing 30 minutes on metro vs a 10 min cab ride for cheap. FYI. But lunch in Piazza Navona is a must do IMHO.

If you do this DIY, just book your private transfer to and from port. Have him drop you at Spanish Steps and pick you up at Colosseum.

Naples - Capri - take the FAST hydrofoil (the slow one is only maybe 15 min longer but still) it's super close where you'll dock to the isle of Capri. Schedule a private boat tour with Gianni's Boats. This was one of our favorite excursions. You can book a 2 hour or 3 hour boat tour and he'll take you to 4 grottos, if warm enough you can jump off and swim, and just chill and see the island from the water. We stopped and were able to climb into the white grotto that is closed to people on land because they're not reachable. Gianni's Boats will meet you at the restaurant super close to where you get off the hydrofoil. Before you meet them buy your return hydrofoil ticket (the fast one not slow) so you know what time you'll need to be back at dock. After Gianni's Boats...walk up to the "convertible open air" taxi's and negotiate a rate for however much time you have left. We had 4 hours and gave 100 euro - I have no idea if we got ripped off or not - anyhow, the taxi took us up the mountain, stopped for photo ops (oh my gosh the photo ops!!!) and so pretty. They know all "the stops" and took us to the chairlift up to Monte Solaro. He waited at the bottom for us - then he instructed how to walk thru the town of Anacapri and he met us on the other side. It was NO STRESS and he babystepped us thru the entire day and got us back to port with plenty of time to get on hydrofoil (tickets we had already purchased return ticket for). A beautiful day!

Naples - Amalfi Coast - private driver thru RomeInLimo - stop in Sorrento, Positano (leave most time for this - gorgeous beach), and Amalfi (gorgeous church here).

 

[elena_n2o]

We did the cruise last summer, we booked a couple of excursions through Disney but for Rome we did our own thing, booked a private tour with Best Tour of Italy and had a great time, we had a driver for the 3 of us (we were travelling with our 5 year old) and it worked out brilliantly, our guide was really good.

 

[rlk]

We used RomeInLimo for our Italy ports. If you use them for 3 ports, they give you a discount. All our drivers & guides with them were excellent and allowed us to see a lot in each port. We also had an extra private guide (extra cost-provided by RomeInLimo) for the Vatican, Pompeii and Colosseum.

 

[cheermom2four]

We are doing the 7 night Med cruise this Sept on DCL. Only port we are using DCL excursions is the Rome/Civitavecchia port (due to distance and the fact this is the only port we are leaving our 6 year old at the time on the ship due to the long port day). Naples we hired Italy Limosine and in Livorno we hired Nicola Scovenna NCC because we really want to see more of Florence than Pisa area. Still havent figured out villefranche as my teen son really really wants to see the grand prix area in Monoco/Monte Carlo. We are more than likely DIY at this port since the train is within walking.

 

[ldo]

for Naples, with a 15 yr old,
Here is my prior DIY post. I have more disboards posts on almost all the ports, if you search. There was a thread from a few years back with lots of great info, called Med planning (?)
DIY to Pompeii by train. super cheap and you can decide at the last minute whether you are up for Herculaneum. For kids/teens, definitely Pompeii--they have/will study it in school and it is an important ruin to see. It was #1 place to see on our trip to Europe. For easy DIY--1st, right off the boat, stop in a tourist souvenir shop at the port and look for the cardboard book that has the overlay of Pompeii as it used to look (they also have them for Coliseum)--Pompeii revisited--can also order on amazon. These books are also at the airport. Then walk to the end of the port (pedestrian friendly), cross the small street and buy a ticket from the tobacco stand to/from Pompeii and good for all trams (5 or 8 euros PP), then take tram #1 right there to the circumvensia train station--5 minutes away. Get on the next train to Sorrento (one every 30 minutes). Get off at Pompeii Scavi (means excavation) and walk to front gate--right around the corner and buy your tickets--kids under 18 are free. With that little book, there is no need for a tour--get a map and go to the sites that interest you (or even better, download Rick Steves tours for free). My tweens/teens loved looking at the book and then at the ruins. It is hot and they lasted for 2.5 hours.
There is a café/gelato place inside Pompeii that you can cool down in, plus a few nice café style places right outside the gate where we got slushi drinks. Get back on the train (cross under the station--the train goes the opposite way back). The great thing is, you can decide on the fly if you want to get off at Herculaneum or head straight back for the ship. With DH and I alone, we did both. The next trip with the kids, we went to the ship--they had had enough---and it was a great day. remember to get off at the circumvensia station and get the #1 back--not the main trenitalia statin. We made that mistake--no worries, just hop on the train back 1 stop--15 minute detour to get the next train. It's pretty foul-proof to DIY. This is about the easiest port to DIY and with kids free At Pompeii and Herculaneum, you can save a lot of $$. We felt 100% safe at the port, on the tram, circumvensia train and at Pompeii. have fun! It's a great place. Elaine (ps. when we went in 2013, they also had a 20 euro PP bus to Pompeii at the end of the port, but we wanted the train to be able to stay as long or short as we wanted).
We have done DIY Lucca/Pisa from Livorno. Always go to the farthest place and work back towards the ship when DIY. Lucca is a lovely place, you can rent bikes and ride along the very wide, park-like wall around the city. fyi, you can buy some Italian train tickets online. If highly suggest getting at least outbound tickets ahead of time for Pisa and Rome. We would not have made the train to Pisa if we didn't buy online. They are good for 4 hours. Rome usually has a long ticket line. You can also buy tickets at the tobacco store, which not as many know about. Definitely buy Rome online, if possible.

 

[bonnielynn]

My family went on a Med. cruise (not Disney) last summer. At first I booked all tour excursions through the cruise ship, but after talking to friends who have taken multiple cruises, I booked private tours for all our ports. I was nervous about the tour operators getting us back to port on time. Happily, I can report that we never had an issue with returning on time or for that matter never had any issues at all. We were so happy with all the private tours we book. We were able to have our own tour guide/driver for approximately the same price as doing semi private tours through the cruise line.

Do you remember any of the tours names and what they were about?

 

[bonnielynn]

for Naples, with a 15 yr old,
Here is my prior DIY post. I have more disboards posts on almost all the ports, if you search. There was a thread from a few years back with lots of great info, called Med planning (?)
DIY to Pompeii by train. super cheap and you can decide at the last minute whether you are up for Herculaneum. For kids/teens, definitely Pompeii--they have/will study it in school and it is an important ruin to see. It was #1 place to see on our trip to Europe. For easy DIY--1st, right off the boat, stop in a tourist souvenir shop at the port and look for the cardboard book that has the overlay of Pompeii as it used to look (they also have them for Coliseum)--Pompeii revisited--can also order on amazon. These books are also at the airport. Then walk to the end of the port (pedestrian friendly), cross the small street and buy a ticket from the tobacco stand to/from Pompeii and good for all trams (5 or 8 euros PP), then take tram #1 right there to the circumvensia train station--5 minutes away. Get on the next train to Sorrento (one every 30 minutes). Get off at Pompeii Scavi (means excavation) and walk to front gate--right around the corner and buy your tickets--kids under 18 are free. With that little book, there is no need for a tour--get a map and go to the sites that interest you (or even better, download Rick Steves tours for free). My tweens/teens loved looking at the book and then at the ruins. It is hot and they lasted for 2.5 hours.
There is a café/gelato place inside Pompeii that you can cool down in, plus a few nice café style places right outside the gate where we got slushi drinks. Get back on the train (cross under the station--the train goes the opposite way back). The great thing is, you can decide on the fly if you want to get off at Herculaneum or head straight back for the ship. With DH and I alone, we did both. The next trip with the kids, we went to the ship--they had had enough---and it was a great day. remember to get off at the circumvensia station and get the #1 back--not the main trenitalia statin. We made that mistake--no worries, just hop on the train back 1 stop--15 minute detour to get the next train. It's pretty foul-proof to DIY. This is about the easiest port to DIY and with kids free At Pompeii and Herculaneum, you can save a lot of $$. We felt 100% safe at the port, on the tram, circumvensia train and at Pompeii. have fun! It's a great place. Elaine (ps. when we went in 2013, they also had a 20 euro PP bus to Pompeii at the end of the port, but we wanted the train to be able to stay as long or short as we wanted).
We have done DIY Lucca/Pisa from Livorno. Always go to the farthest place and work back towards the ship when DIY. Lucca is a lovely place, you can rent bikes and ride along the very wide, park-like wall around the city. fyi, you can buy some Italian train tickets online. If highly suggest getting at least outbound tickets ahead of time for Pisa and Rome. We would not have made the train to Pisa if we didn't buy online. They are good for 4 hours. Rome usually has a long ticket line. You can also buy tickets at the tobacco store, which not as many know about. Definitely buy Rome online, if possible.

Thanks... great info.

 

[bonnielynn]

Great suggestions.. you guys are awesome!!

 

[rlk]

My family went on a Med. cruise (not Disney) last summer. At first I booked all tour excursions through the cruise ship, but after talking to friends who have taken multiple cruises, I booked private tours for all our ports. I was nervous about the tour operators getting us back to port on time. Happily, I can report that we never had an issue with returning on time or for that matter never had any issues at all. We were so happy with all the private tours we book. We were able to have our own tour guide/driver for approximately the same price as doing semi private tours through the cruise line.

Do you remember any of the tours names and what they were about?

We booked all our private tours in Italy through RomeInLimo. This was our first cruise and we didn't know what to expect. It was such a great relief to step of the ship and to be met by our driver, who quickly led us to our air conditioned Mercedes with water bottles waiting for us. If you do a private tour, you are able to tell them what you are interested in seeing/doing. I did have to purchase certain tickets ahead of time for some sites. RomeILimo told me which places needed tickets and aslo told me what time to schedule our entrance (when needed).

 

[trevorsmom2002]

My family went on a Med. cruise (not Disney) last summer. At first I booked all tour excursions through the cruise ship, but after talking to friends who have taken multiple cruises, I booked private tours for all our ports. I was nervous about the tour operators getting us back to port on time. Happily, I can report that we never had an issue with returning on time or for that matter never had any issues at all. We were so happy with all the private tours we book. We were able to have our own tour guide/driver for approximately the same price as doing semi private tours through the cruise line.



We booked all our private tours in Italy through RomeInLimo. This was our first cruise and we didn't know what to expect. It was such a great relief to step of the ship and to be met by our driver, who quickly led us to our air conditioned Mercedes with water bottles waiting for us. If you do a private tour, you are able to tell them what you are interested in seeing/doing. I did have to purchase certain tickets ahead of time for some sites. RomeILimo told me which places needed tickets and aslo told me what time to schedule our entrance (when needed).

Thank you for the information! How far in advance did you book with Rome in a Limo?

 

[rlk]

Thank you for the information! How far in advance did you book with Rome in a Limo?

Initially, I booked all our tours through the cruise line at the time I booked the cruise - mid February. I decide to go rogue and book our tours independently right around now, the very beginning of March. This was for a cruise sailing on August 24.

Trevorsmom, I forgot to add that my sons were 13 & 14 years old when we went on tis cruise. We did drag them into a few too many chuches, but they loved the experience.