Possible cruise excursions in Florence/Pisa

My husband and I will be docking in Florence (La Spezia) for one day in August. We would like to see both Florence and Pisa (even if we can't go up the Tower). We are looking at 2 Royal Caribbean excursions. I was wondering if anyone could give me some input regarding the two tours listed below.

Thank you in advance for any assistance or guidance that you may be able to offer.

1) Florence and Pisa Independent Exploration with Smart Device

Approximate Duration: 10 hours

Leaves at 9:20

Returns at 19:20

Take an independent tour through Florence and Pisa with a pocket-sized GPS smart device with audio guidance. In Pisa, explore the Piazza dei Miracoli (“Square of Miracles”), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to behold the “Leaning Tower”, Duomo, and Baptistery. Then, spend three hours exploring the best of Florence including the magnificent Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in the Piazza del Duomo and Church of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo and Galileo Galilei are buried.

Highlights:

• Visit Pisa’s famous Leaning Tower, the Duomo, and the marble-fashioned Baptistery.

• Explore the iconic Ponte Vecchio, a medieval stone arch bridge which boasts some of the finest shops in Italy.

• Admire Michelangelo's timeless masterpiece, the "David”, at the Accademia Museum and original sculptures by Cellini at Piazza della Signoria.

2) Florence & Pisa (includes a lunch and champagne)

Approximate Duration: 11 hours

Leaves at 9:05

Returns at 20:05

Explore the rich heritage of two remarkable Tuscan cities as you embark on a tour of Pisa's architectural masterpieces and Florence's Renaissance landmarks. Marvel at the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa's exterior, as you walk the Field of Miracles independently for approximately 45 minutes. Behold Florence's colossal Piazza del Duomo, home to one of Europe's largest cathedrals. Savor tasty Florentine cuisine and sip champagne before stopping by the city's gothic-style Church of Santa Croce.

Highlights:

• Piazza del Duomo: Tour the square, encompassing a bell tower, baptistery, and one of the largest cathedrals in Europe.

• Church of Santa Croce: See the 14th-century gothic basilica's exterior, where many famous Italians are said to be buried.

• Lunch: Relish a delicious Italian meal and toast to your adventures with champagne at a local Florentine restaurant.

It does seem like the tour descriptions are relatively detailed so it is hard to add anything of merit :). So if you feel inclined to do a ship excursion they both look fine. Keep in mind that many do prefer to book private tours in Livorno and many others (including moi) prefer DIY days with no tours or groups.

If you simply read through this blog, or just do a search for "Livorno" or "Florence' you will find hundreds of previous posts about the port and it many options.

Hank

One thing: right now, the Baptistery in Florence is covered up, undergoing a restoration. So, you can't see it. They have left the Bronze Doors unwrapped, so you can wait your turn to get up to them. So, add the Baptistery to Trevi Fountain as things under wraps this season.

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If you simply read through this blog, or just do a search for "Livorno" or "Florence' you will find hundreds of previous posts about the port and it many options.

Hank

The OP says she is porting at La Spezia, not Livorno. I presume there would be private tour options from there as well, though.

Both of these are far too rushed, but at least the first one has you seeing the David.

The first one is better. Tour group lunches usually take too much time out of your day and the meals are not the greatest anyway. Pick the first and get a quicker lunch somewhere. That may even give you some free time in Florence.

I agree with marazul. The first tour gives you more inside visits. You really do need to see the original David on a trip to Florence. There is lots more of interest in that museum as well, but you will not be overwhelmed with too much museum time. Carry some water and snacks for nourishment or buy a panini at a bakery. Buy it early in the day to eat later, as often bakeries sell out early.

I agree with marazul. The first tour gives you more inside visits. You really do need to see the original David on a trip to Florence. There is lots more of interest in that museum as well, but you will not be overwhelmed with too much museum time. Carry some water and snacks for nourishment or buy a panini at a bakery. Buy it early in the day to eat later, as often bakeries sell out early.

Thank you all for the input. I think we will go with the more independent tour with portable GPS. Good point about pciking something up early to eat later as places may run out. I also see what you mean about group lunches taking longer than ones on our own,

The OP says she is porting at La Spezia, not Livorno. I presume there would be private tour options from there as well, though.

Thanks,, missed that in the post. We usually recommend that folks porting in La Spezia simply spend their day exploring the villages of Cinque Terre. Florence is a bit far (although it is doable) from this port.

Hank

Why don't u get a shared tour going? Post on your roll call. Less people, less cost. You can join ones at italytoursharing.com or if u want email joe bananas limo and ask for exactly what u want, get a group of 6-8 and get pricing. Then u get to see exactly what u want for less money.

One thing: right now, the Baptistery in Florence is covered up, undergoing a restoration. So, you can't see it. They have left the Bronze Doors unwrapped, so you can wait your turn to get up to them. So, add the Baptistery to Trevi Fountain as things under wraps this season.

 

We were there last year. Yes, the outside is covered for restoration, BUT the inside is spectacular. Buy a ticket and go in. The real doors are in the Duomo Museum. If open also worth a visit. It was closed when we were there but I think they opened again last November.

 

<<<Karen>>>

We did the option #1...loved it.... We had no time to climb the tower but that was fine with us. The time we spent in Florence on our own was amazing...we were dropped off at Santa Croce Square and given a time to meet our onboard guide back there for the trip back to the ship...a great DIY excursion. I never opt for anything that's going to include taking the time for any meal included...best to be on your own.

We did the option #1...loved it.... We had no time to climb the tower but that was fine with us. The time we spent in Florence on our own was amazing...we were dropped off at Santa Croce Square and given a time to meet our onboard guide back there for the trip back to the ship...a great DIY excursion. I never opt for anything that's going to include taking the time for any meal included...best to be on your own.

Ashland, what time did you arrive in Florence? How many hours were you able to have on your own there? We are on the same tour in June and trying to figure out what time to purchase tickets for the Accademia. Any dining tips for Florence since your time was limited?

Ashland, what time did you arrive in Florence? How many hours were you able to have on your own there? We are on the same tour in June and trying to figure out what time to purchase tickets for the Accademia. Any dining tips for Florence since your time was limited?

I e-mailed the shore excursion department of the cruise line. They provided me with an itinerary. The tour I booked will give us 3 hours in Florence on our own.

One thing: right now, the Baptistery in Florence is covered up, undergoing a restoration. So, you can't see it. They have left the Bronze Doors unwrapped, so you can wait your turn to get up to them. So, add the Baptistery to Trevi Fountain as things under wraps this season.

 

We were there last year. Yes, the outside is covered for restoration, BUT the inside is spectacular. Buy a ticket and go in. The real doors are in the Duomo Museum. If open also worth a visit. It was closed when we were there but I think they opened again last November.

 

<<<Karen>>>

 

The replicas are the South Doors. The East Doors were the original South Doors, but moved to the East entrance for the "Gates of Paradise" doors. The East Doors are visible behind some fencing.

Yep, the interior is spectacular. But, if someone is on a group tour from La Spezia, I doubt anything but a "walk by" is going to be possible.

Someone mentioned grabbing a sandwich or pastry early on in the tour. If you are with a ship's "herd", that will be very difficult to do. The herd has to keep moving, and with the hundreds of different herds surrounding the Duomo and Baptisery at any one time, it would be easy to lose your herd. Even with those guides holding up their individualized "flags" that you have to follow. I'm not sure how that "independent with GPS and smart audio" works: if it eliminates the herd, it could be good. I use Google Maps on my iPad Mini to negotiate my way around Florence and Rome quite easily. If I wanted audio to interpret what I am seeing (which I would only do if I did not research what I wanted to see before the trip), I could add the Rick Steves podcasts.

I was going to recommend a great sandwich place, but I realized you would be doing Accademia, not Ufizzi. Ino' is just on the side street behind, but parallel to, on the Ponte Vecchio side of the Ufizzi. Don't know if you would have the time to stand in line at Ino' for a sandwich; it would be a 15 min or so walk from Accademia, shorter from the Duomo. If you ignored the audio map you have for the tour, you could do it as you walk from the Duomo area to the Ponte Vecchio...

Curious what he dock time and cost of these tours are?

I suspect they are big bus affairs and have lots of "fat" built in for the slowest and most senior of the crowd. If you feel adventurous and independent I'd recommend you look at a tour share private van.

My husband and I will be docking in Florence (La Spezia) for one day in August. We would like to see both Florence and Pisa (even if we can't go up the Tower). We are looking at 2 Royal Caribbean excursions. I was wondering if anyone could give me some input regarding the two tours listed below.

Thank you in advance for any assistance or guidance that you may be able to offer.

 

 

1) Florence and Pisa Independent Exploration with Smart Device

Approximate Duration: 10 hours

Leaves at 9:20

Returns at 19:20

Take an independent tour through Florence and Pisa with a pocket-sized GPS smart device with audio guidance. In Pisa, explore the Piazza dei Miracoli (“Square of Miracles”), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to behold the “Leaning Tower”, Duomo, and Baptistery. Then, spend three hours exploring the best of Florence including the magnificent Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in the Piazza del Duomo and Church of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo and Galileo Galilei are buried.

Highlights:

• Visit Pisa’s famous Leaning Tower, the Duomo, and the marble-fashioned Baptistery.

• Explore the iconic Ponte Vecchio, a medieval stone arch bridge which boasts some of the finest shops in Italy.

• Admire Michelangelo's timeless masterpiece, the "David”, at the Accademia Museum and original sculptures by Cellini at Piazza della Signoria.

2) Florence & Pisa (includes a lunch and champagne)

Approximate Duration: 11 hours

Leaves at 9:05

Returns at 20:05

Explore the rich heritage of two remarkable Tuscan cities as you embark on a tour of Pisa's architectural masterpieces and Florence's Renaissance landmarks. Marvel at the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa's exterior, as you walk the Field of Miracles independently for approximately 45 minutes. Behold Florence's colossal Piazza del Duomo, home to one of Europe's largest cathedrals. Savor tasty Florentine cuisine and sip champagne before stopping by the city's gothic-style Church of Santa Croce.

Highlights:

• Piazza del Duomo: Tour the square, encompassing a bell tower, baptistery, and one of the largest cathedrals in Europe.

• Church of Santa Croce: See the 14th-century gothic basilica's exterior, where many famous Italians are said to be buried.

• Lunch: Relish a delicious Italian meal and toast to your adventures with champagne at a local Florentine restaurant.

Personally, I would find a tour or guide that will take you directly to Florence. There is so much to see and do. Of course David, possibly the highlights of the Uffizi, Duomo, San Marco is amazing and a wine bar lunch. If you love shoes the Ferragamo museum is fabulous. Pisa is interesting but if you go there you will want to climb the tower!

I did have a good chuckle at this line in the tour #1 description:

"• Explore the iconic Ponte Vecchio, a medieval stone arch bridge which boasts some of the finest shops in Italy."

All I saw (once again) walking over the Ponte Vecchio to get to a restaurant was rows of jewelry stores, all selling the same pieces at the same prices (with a few exceptions). Finest shops in Italy??? Try Via dei Tornabuoni for those (Pucci, Ferrragamo, Tods, Cavalli, etc.).

Then they only mentions the Santa Croce Church to look at the tombs. No mention of the Scuolo di Cuoio, which is at the back of the church. This is a famous leather school, where high-end items are hand crafted.