octobercruiseoncarnivalmagic

My husband and I are first time cruisers on the carnival magic in Oct. We have stops in Barcelona, Monaco, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina, Palma and Marseilla. We are very excited but cautious about booking excursions. We're not sure if we should do them through the cruise or separately, or do some on our own. We don't want to get lost or get held up returning to the ship on time. Any suggestions would be helpful from experienced travelers. Thanks!!

There is a wonderful new book just published the end of June: Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports. For years, Rick Steves traveled Europe and taught people how to do it on a budget. Now, he has taken on cruising. He covers all of the ports you are visiting except Mallorca. He tells you how to get from the pier to where public transportation is, how to use it, what it will cost, where the cheap eats are...What to see, the hours, and what it will cost. Where the bathrooms (WC) are, where there is internet. Also closes each chapter with a sidebar 'What if I miss my ship', how to catch up if you miss sailaway. It's a fat book, well worth the investment.

I also suggest you go back to the boards page, and scroll down to ROLL CALLS-Members Only, click on Carnival Cruises, then click on Carnival Magic, then look for a thread with the dates for your sailing. There you will find other CC members who will be sailing with you, full of plans for independent tours and suggestion for planning your cruise. EM

Thanks so much. This is great info and I appreciate your help.

Rick Steves' style is probably well-suited for ports of call - I imagine that he prioritizes what to see in the 8 or so hours available in a port. I'll bookmark that book for when I cruise the Med.