The David or Pisa?

[disneycrazy2004]

This is a though one to pick. 2013 we were fortunate enough to do back to back Mediterranean cruise. We stop at La Spezia twice so did Florance and Pisa. David was absolutely breath taking unforgettable experience! But we really enjoyed Pisa - we did it on our own, took the train, claimed up Pisa and being on the top was amazing! They also had the best pizza we have ever tasted there. While David was absolutely amazing I voted for Pisa, as we really enjoyed the whole experience of getting around that part of Italy on our own. Whichever one you choose you will have a blast

 

[GeneMachine]

I voted for David. He's at the Accademia. Try to make it over to the Uffizi to see some painted Michelangelos, as well as some Leonardos and Botticellis. You can reserve tickets in advance over the phone, pay when you arrive, and skip the lines. You can also reserve tickets at the Accademia--definitely do this and save time.

There's more to see in Florence. Pisa will take about an hour to see the tower and the church, and that's all that's worth seeing.

Have fun!

 

[dashofsunshine]

Been to both, and they were both amazing, but I'm an artist and art teacher...I stood and stared at David for about 20 minutes. And cried.

So, I guess you know which one I voted for.

 

[kiford]

Our first Med cruise we opted for Florence and David over Pisa. It was something I always wanted to see (I wanted to see the Leaning Tower too, but David was a higher priority. NOTE: we also loved the church in Pisa which hardly anyone ever mentions but David still is indescribably exponentially more beautiful). I was so glad I did. I could have sat for the entire day just looking at it. It was so much more impressive than I expected. On our second Med cruise we did do Pisa and climbed the Tower and I really enjoyed that, but if I'd only had the opportunity to do one, knowing what I now know, it would be David. Michelangelo truly was a genius - it was so mesmerizing.

 

[Keyser]

I've seen each of them twice. I voted Pisa - if the only difference is the Accademia vs. Pisa. David and the other sculptures were impressive, but I found Pisa much more interesting. The church and the tower both (plus there is a baptistery and a cemetery). Going up in the tower (which they have been off-and-on about letting people do; not sure of the current status) was one of my best memories from both Italy trips. Pisa (well, that part of Pisa) is beautiful, and iconic, and I'd have much rather given up my memories of seeing the David statue in person than seeing (and being in) the tower in person. But, it probably comes down most to whether you'd prefer architecture or sculpture.

Now, if your question was Florence vs. Pisa, I would pick Florence by a longshot. And, if the David option would give you more time in Florence as a whole, I would probably go with the David option. There is so much to see in Florence (I would recommend the Uffizzi highly - and do the audio tour). One of the reasons I've hesitated to ever do a cruise to Italy is that 1 day in places like Rome and Florence just does not seem like enough, even having been there before.

 

[OKW Lover]

We've done both during an ABD Viva Italia trip. Pisa was interesting, but not worth the bus ride IMHO. The David has to be seen.

Just replying to my own response with a further reason to see the David. If you do that, you will have time afterwards to see some of Florence which is a spectacular city. Spend some time at the Duomo and go to the leather market.

If you go to Pisa, you use up a lot of of your port time just traveling to/from there.

 

[ebradley23]

We booked our excursion with Rome in Limo http://www.romeinlimo.com/la-spezia/pisa-and-florence.htm . We were able to visit both place. We were traveling with kids so Pisa is a must for us. But if just adults I will go with David at Florence.

We also booked with Rome in Limo and were able to see both. We hooked up with other cruisers via the cruise critic message board, so there were 8 of us splitting the cost. We saved a ton of $$ over the cruise ship excursions.

 

[kiapepito]

Florence is beautiful and David is mesmerizing! Pisa was neat but all I remember from that trip was taking a picture tipping the tower over and shops.

I had the best cappachino I have ever had in Florence!

 

[kaseyC]

I vote for the David with time to explore Florence afterwards. We've been fortunate to do multiple med cruises and a land trip that included Florence so we've had plenty of time to explore the Accademia and Uffizi. Both museums are spectacular.

Now if your Florence day is a Monday, it may be a moot point because the museums are closed on Mondays.

 

[MeeskaMooskaMickey]

I'm also doing the Med this summer! I've voted Pisa, not because I think that as a sight it's somehow better, but looking at the cruise overall, if (sorry I'm just assuming) the day before you're going to Rome, that will be a full on day of ancient sights - therefore if you do Pisa the following day it will be an easy journey and not too intense hour or so of sightseeing- and early back to the ship. That's my logic anyway! Also I'm taking my kids who don't know a lot about Italy but the leaning tower is exciting to them so I also have to consider what they want to see! If it was left solely to me to decide and money was no object I'd probably go for Cinque Terre or Portofino..but that's just me!

 

[rhinodadz]

If you must choose, then another vote for Florence and David. However a private excursion may allow you to also see Pisa. We did a private excursion that hit Pisa first, only need an hour at most. That left plenty of time for Florence and the David.

 

[tomjude]

It may be too late to make this recommendation however, there is so much more art of the Renaissance and by Michelangelo in Florence then the David, many are in churches which cost nothing or charge a minimal fee. We elected to opt out of the Disney excursions in favor of hiring a private tour company. The tour company picked us up right at the dock immediately on disembarking around 8 a.m. and took us to Florence. I had outlined a specific itinerary in advance with the tour company, who was not only more than willing to take us to all of our destinations but had some of their own suggestions and were more than happy that we chose some more obscure and unusual venues. If you are going to see and enjoy Renaissance art, consider visiting the tombs of the Medici, the Laurentian stairs, the bronze doors of Ghiberti, in addition to the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo. We were able to spend 8 hours in Florence and were taken back to the boat with plenty of time to board. Honestly, we booked private tours with all of our stops on our Med Cruise in 2014 and never once worried about not getting back to the ship on time. All of these reputable tour companies are very familiar with deadlines. While it might be slightly more expensive to book the private tours, the advantages are numerous including writing your own itinerary and not having to wait for other Travelers who may not travel at the same pace that you do. We are not shoppers and have no interest in stopping at tourist traps which were conveniently avoided by booking our own tours. We booked the pvt tours in Florence, Rome, and Athens. Best of luck. Be sure to research everything before you go and consider all the options. Both my husband and I had previously been to Pisa but felt our children would get more out of Florence. Pisa is just not that interesting.

 

[thndrmatt]

Only replying since I didn't see our version of that day mentioned at all. We decide due to transit time to Florence to skip it and pile on both Pisa and Cinque Terre including a hike between the various cities. While it was a busy day, we were in and out of Pisa pretty quick and Cinque Terre was marvelous, to the point one of the pics from the hike is blown up as a canvas print and hanging on our wall. We took it from nearly the same spot as this one:

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-g...Vernazza-Italy-Sunrise-1-the-Cinque-Terre.jpg

That said if we went again we would do Florence to see all we missed, so there's certainly lots of value to both choices. Like others have said though, Pisa by itself would be a very light day (which might be what you want).