srbbeachbum

Came across this itinerary and thought I'd post the link here.

 

Hope someone finds it helpful

 

https://www.tripsavvy.com/3-day-rome-itinerary-1547883?utm_source=tripsavvy&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Deals%2010/18%20Main%20List%20-%20Travel%20Channel%20Newsletter&utm_term=Travel%20Channel%20Newsletter

Thank you. I found this very helpful.

Joan

We used the HOHO in Florence about 8 years ago because we also wanted to get up into the Tuscan hills. We were spending 5 days in Florence at the time and I must say that it was a huge time waster in the city itself. Too much time wasted waiting for the bus to arrive - we finally ended up walking. The historic center of Florence is very walkable and much is pedestrian only.

We have not utilized the HOHO on our more recent trips to Florence.

Thank you.

Has anyone done the Hop On Hop Off Bus in Florence?

If yes, is it a good way to see Florence?

Joan

I have seen cruise buses drop passengers near Santa Croce - from Santa Croce, it is about a 20 minute walk to Piazza de Pitti. If you are dropped off in the vicinity of the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore), it is about a 15-17 minute walk to Piazza de Pitti. Both the Duomo & Santa Croce are in the historic center of Florence so, either end of the historic center, the gardens are doable.

You can use google maps to mark your route.

Great. Thank you!

The Boboli are the gardens behind the Palazzo Pitti. Cross the Ponte Vecchio, walk a couple of blocks and it will be on your left. The Pitti and Boboli are well wort visiting.

Thank you for your response.

Don't know where Princess will drop you off (assuming somewhere on the right side of the Arno) but the gardens are on the left side (south side) of the Arno river. You cross Ponte Vecchio & both Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens are just a short walk up Via de Guicciardini.

I found both Pitti Palace and the Gardens well worth the visit.

The Itinerary says we'll be dropped off in the Historic Center of Florence, so the Boboli Gardens may be an option.

Has anyone gone to the Boboli Gardens in Florence ? Not familiar with the area so I didn’t know if it is close by where Princess drops us off for the Florence on Your Own excursion.

Great. Thanks!

We are in the Princess Grand Mediterranean 11 day cruise in October.

One of their excursions is a Jeep Safari at Mykonos Greece.

Has anyone done this and what are your thoughts?

Joan

I’m working with the tour operator to do a six-hour combo tour of the ancient ruins for two or three hours with tour guide for a group of 12, and a visit to a small family-owned winery for a couple hours where we will have the option to wine taste or not and have appetizers. [emoji3] The winery looks nicer to me than the one Princess uses for its tours.

Sounds good. I need to get on our Roll Call for small group excursions. We prefer the smaller groups rather than the large motor coaches.

Joan

This was on my bucket list of things to see in Barcelona, so definitely you should go see it.

If you go, buy entrance tickets in advance on the website to the Monumental area, or it's a waste of your time. the reason Parc Guell is special and worth seeing is "the monumental area" and since you are buying tickets, get a tour with it, to explain the significance of what you are seeing. 1 hour, English guide and then you can stay as long as you want afterwards.

also, because of it's popularity, even if you don't do a guided tour, buy tickets in advance with a set entrance time unless you want to risk waiting hours for an entrance time.

Since we were staying near Placa Catalunya, we took the #24 bus from the plaza up to Parc Guell. The bus stops less than 100 feet from the gate where the tours start.

Afterward the tour, we spent time in the monumental area getting those iconic pictures. We walked around the rest of the park (the free areas) for views and then we walked over to the West side entrance, went to the top of the hill (turn de les tres crews), and then down and around and had sandwiches at the sandwich (Guelly Sandwich park) at the top of the street before walking down the steep hill (baixada de la Gloria), then over to the Vallcarca metro.

 

Go in the AM, when its not so hot and not so crowded.

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it!

Joan

Hi Joan,

I will probably be organizing a 12-person tour in the next few days for Katakolon with a very good company that we used three years ago when we were in Athens. Stay tuned. [emoji3]

Great. Looking forward to see what you find.

Joan

Hi Dana,

Thanks for the suggestions. I also noticed not much activity on our Roll Call page. Maybe it will pick up soon.

Right now I am looking at what Princess has to offer for excursions. I've only used Cruise Critics(for a British Isles cruise) once and joined excursions that others set up. But I'll keep an eye out on our roll call to see what others are doing.

Joan

If you look over on the Italy board (where Livorno, the port for Florence and Pisa is), you will see lots of info for Livorno.

 

Livorno is an industrial port, and you will need to take a shuttle or taxi into town. Pisa is 45 minutes away, Florence is 90.

 

Not a lot exciting in Livorno.

Ok thanks. Forgot to change from the France board to Italy!

We will be on a Princess cruise of the Mediterranean in October. One of the stops is Florence/Pisa.

I'm wondering if we do a short excursion that is offered by Princess in the morning, will there be anything to do at the port on our own for the afternoon. In other words, will we be able to find something to do on our own right there at the port or close by?

Joan

Adding a bit of footage: http://infocatalonia.eu/w/jJc7n

Thanks! Looks wonderful.

Joan

Does anyone have experience with some good relief bands for sea sickness.

I've never had a problem with sea sickness or motion sickness but it doesn't

hurt to come prepared. :o

Joan:o

We've gone to Barcelona a couple of times and Parc Guell is one of the places we went to each time. It is one of those places that is different than other places we have been to. Take a look at some of the pictures from one of our trips.

 

https://markandkareneurope2012.shutterfly.com/pictures/306

Cool photos. Thanks

Thanks everyone for all the replies. You have all been very helpful.:cool:

Has anyone been to the Parc Guell? What are your thoughts on it?

Joan

Every pre-cruise hotel listing on the Princess website clearly states:

 

Below rates are per person based on double occupancy.

 

...and at the bottom of the page:

 

Note: All Cruise Plus Hotel Packages are quoted per person, double occupancy. Government fees and taxes are additional and vary by city and duration of stay. Additional nights increase these fees. All packages include hotel accommodations, baggage handling, meet-and-greet services, transfers and the hospitality of a Princes representative. Please see your travel agent or call Princess Cruises for the most current fares, availability and for terms and conditions associated with the Cruise Plus program. Hotel properties and packages are subject to change and may not be available on all dates based on availability and participation. Cruise Plus Hotels are not owned or operated by Princess.

Thank you for your reply.

Joan

IMO the transfers are the only real advantage, because the "Princess hotel" cost really is high, considering that each person in the room is charged what would usually about as much as what the per night rate for that room would be for 2 people.

If there are 2 of you in the room. and you book your hotel independently, the hotel cost should be significantly lower (unless you are booking a 5-star hotel), and even with the cost of a taxi between airport and hotel, and hotel to the pier, added, likely your total cost should be less.

 

If I may ask, where are you embarking the ship??

Thank you. We embark in Barcelona, Spain.

So we are doing a Mediterranean cruise in October. We have hotels booked through a package with Princess. In looking at hotels it is a lot more expensive to book with Princess. Is there an advantage to this?

Any thoughts would be appreciated,

Joan

Has anyone stayed in room 311 on the Lido Deck. It was the only balcony left. We are wondering if we are going to have a lot of foot traffic passing our room to get to the grills, pools, etc.

Joan

We often travel in October in Europe and the Middle East... great time to travel... less crowds and mild not hot days, cooler at night, just what we like. Take a jacket, dress in layers.

Great, Thanks! Less crowded sounds good. Weather sounds good too.

Joan