Oceana excursions in western med

[cptjack]

Hi, can somebody help, please?

We are on our first cruise in May on Oceana to the Western Med and we're trying to plan our shore excursions.

We've read about the shuttle buses that P & O run but don't particularly seem to advertise - do they run in every port? We are keen to visit Rome and Florence but don't know whether to book the "On your own" tours or whether it is possible to just get a shuttle.

Thanks for any help!

Cpt Jack and Mrs Bucket

[ukcrusing]

when P&O mention shuttles, these normal refer to local port shuttles taking you from the ship to the port gates, or to a local drop off point in the town you are docked in. The port for Rome (Civitavechia) is about an hour and half from central Rome, so the only way to do this through P&O is take one of their tours, or the on your own transfer option. Of course you could always get the train from Civitavechia station into Rome yourselves.

Hope this makes sense

[LibraLass41]

Yes , agree, if you want to to see Rome there will be quite a few tours to choose but all will have to be paid for, NO free shuttle to Rome, its just too far.
The cheapest tour will be 'Rome on your Own' you are paying just for the coach there and back with 5-6 hours free time in Rome, which will suit some people...BUT if you want to see as many sights as possible and queue-jump the long queues in hot sunshine then choose a trip.
We did 'Essence of Rome' £95pp - which took us inside the Vatican (the only one that goes inside) we saw inside the Roman Collusseum, St Peters, Trevi Fountain and other places plus a 3 course lunch, it was a great way to see as many famous places as possible but is not for the faint-hearted/disabled/very elderly or small children....it is fast paced with limited loo stops in hot weather.

Florence and Pisa is also a busy day to do both. We did , a lot of coach travel, but yep, I've seen both now, and enjoyed viewing the Leaning Tower. Again lots of trips will be offered ...you can do Pisa and swim for eg, see the tower then go to a beach, Florence on your own, or with a tour, or Florence and pisa with lunch in the middle - £75pp

When your tour guide comes, have a browse then come back and ask more questions! Before you decide.

photos here of Florence and Rome etc froma Arcadia cruise: CLICK OR COPY/PASTE THIS LINK:


http://picasaweb.google.com/AuroraPa...68378485036306

[Cymro1953]

Originally Posted by LibraLass41

Yes , agree, if you want to to see Rome there will be quite a few tours to choose but all will have to be paid for, NO free shuttle to Rome, its just too far.
The cheapest tour will be 'Rome on your Own' you are paying just for the coach there and back with 5-6 hours free time in Rome, which will suit some people...BUT if you want to see as many sights as possible and queue-jump the long queues in hot sunshine then choose a trip.
We did 'Essence of Rome' £95pp - which took us inside the Vatican (the only one that goes inside) we saw inside the Roman Collusseum, St Peters, Trevi Fountain and other places plus a 3 course lunch, it was a great way to see as many famous places as possible but is not for the faint-hearted/disabled/very elderly or small children....it is fast paced with limited loo stops in hot weather.

Florence and Pisa is also a busy day to do both. We did , a lot of coach travel, but yep, I've seen both now, and enjoyed viewing the Leaning Tower. Again lots of trips will be offered ...you can do Pisa and swim for eg, see the tower then go to a beach, Florence on your own, or with a tour, or Florence and pisa with lunch in the middle - £75pp

When your tour guide comes, have a browse then come back and ask more questions! Before you decide.

photos here of Florence and Rome etc froma Arcadia cruise: CLICK OR COPY/PASTE THIS LINK:


http://picasaweb.google.com/AuroraPa...68378485036306

Thank you Libra Lady for your helpful information and great pictures.
YOu did both Florence and Pisa in 1 Day? You must have been worn out.
We have done both but on separate holidays.
I know we are going on the RCCL cruise this June . That was a problem caused by RCCL seeling their share of our cruise line to Thomsons.
So next year it is our 30th wedding anniversary and we were looking to go back to a British cruise line.
I could not find any clear iformation on the P & O website though on the 24 hour dining or whether P & O do any sort of drinks package.
I was wondering if anyone could help please?

Berwyn

[LibraLass41]

Someone has mentioned on another thread they do a soft drinks package 20 drinks for £20, I don't know anything about that. They do wine bottle packages for dinner drinking too, I can give more info on that and drinks prices at the bar too.

In the evening you can have a 5 course meal in the restaurant, eat at the ss buffet restaurant which usually has theme nights like curry night, british night,mexican etc, or eat at a chefs restaurant like Gary Rhodes, or Marco Pierre White for a extra small payment pp.
Which ship are you considering?

[Cymro1953]

Originally Posted by LibraLass41

Someone has mentioned on another thread they do a soft drinks package 20 drinks for £20, I don't know anything about that. They do wine bottle packages for dinner drinking too, I can give more info on that and drinks prices at the bar too.

In the evening you can have a 5 course meal in the restaurant, eat at the ss buffet restaurant which usually has theme nights like curry night, british night,mexican etc, or eat at a chefs restaurant like Gary Rhodes, or Marco Pierre White for a extra small payment pp.
Which ship are you considering?

We were not sure but like the sound of the 2 that do the any time dining rather than the fixed dining times. The Ventura and Oceana.

It's a long story but we're on RCCL in June, not by choice, and would rather sail with a British Co.
Thanks
Berwyn

[davedex]

It's a long story but we're on RCCL in June, not by choice, and would rather sail with a British Co.
Thanks
Berwyn[/quote]
Take plenty of cash - we found that with the weak dollar the drinks arent cheap!!!

[liftman]

did rci last year was very good food top doller entertiamnent not british a bit hi de hi bar prices good $4.5 pint

[tom_uk]

We did a W Med cruise on Ventura just over a month ago, with calls at Lisbon, Palma, Barcelona, Cannes, Livorno, Civitavecchia and Gibralter. There were free P&O shuttles from the ship into town at Lisbon, Palma, and Barcelona. At Civitavecchia there was a shuttle to the dock gates and at Livorno there was a chargeable shuttle (€5 for the day) - these shuttles (Civitavecchia and Livorno) were provided by the local port authority. Finally, Cannes was a tender port right onto the quay near the festival theatre.

At Civitavecchia we made our own way up to Rome, and at Livorno we did an excursion. I blogged from the cruise, and here are links to the two relevant posts: Civitavecchia/Rome and Livorno/Florence.