What are alternatives to shore excursions organized by the cruise in west Med...

Hi cruise critics out there. We are doing our first Med cruise in June on MSC Divina and I'm wondering if it's better to join the shore excursions organized by the cruise or should I consider alternative local companies ??

We are 3 adults and 2 kids (8 and 2 yrs old)so I thought arranging own tour would be better for the kids so we can go at own pace.

If anyone has any thoughts or experiences about shore excursions for these ports ...

Rome

Naples

La Spezia

Thanks to all

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We took private tours in Rome and Naples, using the wonderful Rome in Limo, which has a huge thread just down the board fill with thousands of recommendations.

There are MANY threads just down the board giving all sorts of options for each of the three ports you mention.

There are a lot of options for people who want to consider something besides the ship tours. Private guides are easy to arrange -- there are many recommendations on this board and also in Tripadvisor; providing you look for a well-recommended company, they are also very reliable. With a ready-made group of 5, you'd almost certainly do better costwise than on ship tours (although MSC tours are prices more moderately than some of the other mainstream cruiselines, I think....)

Most people visit the Cinque Terre from La Spezia, which can be done independently with a little research by taking the train.

The port for Rome is about an hour from Rome itself by train, a bit longer by car. You can choose to take the train from Civitavecchia, where a 12 euro BIRG ticket is all it will cost per person for round trip train fare plus use of any public buses or metro system in Rome itself. There are many posts here on this board giving detailed instructions and info if this sort of day appeals to you.

In Naples, there are a lot of options depending on what you want to do with your day. It's very easy to visit Capri by taking a hydrofoil/ferry (they leave from the ferry port which is next to the cruise port), or to take a bus or train to Pompeii (the same train also would get you to Herculaneum or Sorrento).

If you want to see the towns along the Amalfi coast, a private tour is definitely the way to go; however, if you have kids, it's a lot of driving and scenery so I'm not sure how interesting they'd find it.

A good place to start is with your ships excursion list. If there are excursions that meet your interests and you would like to replicate them as a DIY experience, ask for specific advice.

There are books specific to cruising that will outline the many activities available at each port. Buy or borrow from your library ... Ann Vipond's 'Mediterranean by Cruiseship' and Rick Steves' 'Mediterranean Cruise Port'. I took my book with me along as well as some notes I picked up from tripadvisor. (I always travel with a small daypack for books, sunglasses, wallet, camera, tickets, snacks, poncho)

And look over this forum for trip reports or use the search function to get first hand info from past travelers.

With a 2 yr old, you're biggest challenge will be to find something to do that will be doable. Many of the things to do are day-long trips; you'll have to find out if they are doable with a stroller (I doubt the 2 yr old will walk the entire time), plus you may need the need for more "bathroom stops" than the usual group of adults.

You may want to visit the family forum of CC - see of any of them can offer suggestions for your ports that would be fun for a toddler. I think most of us here are adults and travel with adults, not small children.

I am a big DIY person. You can go at your own pace and your are not tied to an expensive tour. For Rome, you could take the train and then take the hop off hop on bus to get around Rome. Naples - you could take the ferry to Capri and get around on the local bus, and La Spezia, you can take the train to the 5 villages and wonder around or if the ferry is running, you could take the ferry. It was only running one of the days we were there, but the train is very easy to use. You will not be able to hike the trails with a stroller, but you could walk some of the trail before having to turn around just to get some get pictures but you can take the train from town to town. For more info, you can see my write ups. If if you are not familiar on how to ride the trains in Italy I did a write up on that also. Doing your homework before you go will help you get around with ease. Have a great trip we love Italy.

winenchocolate dot com

Wow lots of info, thanks all for taking the time to write back.

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Wow lots of info, thanks all for taking the time to write back.

Good luck with it all ! You've had lots of great advice so far, and if it's any help/interest with your planning there are quite a few videos showing some of your options at those 3 ports in the Italy link in my signature below. All the best, Tony

You ask for alternatives and they would be to simply go off and do your own thing (using public transit, taxis, trains, or even a rental car) or to book a private tour. Those options certainly exist for the 3 ports you cite. That being said, having an 8 and 2 year old certainly does limit your options...or at least options that will make everyone happy :).

Hank