kate1970

Our group of four used All Around Italy for three days in May on our port stops to Naples, Rome and Livorno. We toured the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii the first day joined by four others via our roll call. In Rome it was just our group of four where we saw all of the major sites. Then for Florence a group of eight again enjoyed Pisa, the leather market, a winery and the Statue of David. I cannot say enough about this company. Fabrizio is absolutely fabulous and everyone in our groups loved him. He was accommodating, informative and so funny. He even stopped and bought umbrellas for our group when we hit some rainy spots in Florence, found us restrooms on short notice and arranged an amazing, yet economical lunch in Rome. I arranged tours at all of our 10 ports of call and none of them compare to Fabrizio. Make sure you contact allarounditaly.net to get the right company. You won't be disappointed.

Has anyone used All Around Italy tours recently? I've seen many excellent reviews of this company, but nothing after 2013. Thanks.

Just returned from a 12 night Med cruise and we used All Around Italy (Fabrizio) for three of the Italy stops. The first day I arranged a tour share with our group of 4 as well as four others (mix of Canadians and Americans). I did this again on our third day. For Rome we just stuck with my group of 4 in case we wanted to change the itinerary on the fly.

Fabrizio is incredible and I can't say enough good things about the three days of touring we did. He is knowledgeable and funny. He seems to know everyone in Italy :). He was very accommodating and knowing that we only had one day in each area, he got us to see all of the main sites, arranging guides for us at those we wanted to spend more time at. He even stopped to buy us all umbrellas when an unexpected downpour came along one day, and wouldn't take any money for them. If you are still able to book this company for your excursion it is worth every penny and you will have so much fun while seeing Italy at the same time.

Hello! Is it possible to do a Pompeii and Almafi Coast tour?? Should we go with HAL tour, private tour or just hire a taxi for the day? Thank you!

I don't usually promote companies, etc. because everyone's interests are different but we just returned from a Med. cruise and used All Around Italy (Fabrizio) for our day in Naples port and I have to let you know how great it was. We left as soon as we could get off the ship and he took our group along the Amalfi Coast, to Positano for a quick stop and short free time to look around or shop, then to Sorrento for lunch and then to Pompeii where he arranged a guide for us and we did a 2 hour tour there. We were back at the ship one hour before all aboard time (we didn't run into any traffic or long lineups). We used Fabrizio for the Rome and Florence stops too because of the great reviews from other travel review sites. He was absolutely fabulous, informative, lively and funny. The comfortable van he used accommodated 8 of us on the Amalfi Coast day without any problem. The Amalfi Coast was one of our favourite stops on the 10 port cruise. Enjoy and have a fabulous trip.

Wow

 

So you are willing to take the chance that it will not be a regular occurrence and you will not be at the spot where the suicide bombers will be next time ?

 

Hope your luck holds out.

Just got back from the mall. Drove 45 minutes each way. Went for dinner last night. The chances were more doing those things that I would be involved in an accident.....but I still went. Personal choice....based on tolerance and fear level for each individual. Until the cruise line removes a stop or the bombings are more than just once, I still plan on seeing Istanbul.

OK where did you get the information that your cruise will be going to the ports mentioned above? I called NCL yesterday and spoke to one of the higher ups and was informed that as of right now nothing has changed. Now I am fairly confident that our cruise will not be stopping in either of the turkish ports but they were unable to provide me with any information regarding alternative ports.

I also called NCL today and spoke with our cruise consultant. He said a decision has not yet been made to cancel Istanbul or Ephesus for the May 19th Spirit sailing. I find it very interesting reading the different perspectives on Istanbul. It is a terrible thing that happened. But it was one day out of 365. I chose this itinerary specifically for Istanbul. Unless the attacks there become a regular occurrence, I hope NCL doesn't cancel too prematurely. If they do - it will be because of lack of sales - not safety of passengers, unfortunately. That said, Croatia would be a nice alternative. No one can predict where the next suicide bombing will be - but the way they seem to operate - it is likely it won't be in the exact same spot.

Thank you rmmbc. Looking forward to hearing how your tour goes.

Hello:

I've been reading many thread but can't find the specific info I'm looking for. We have a port stop in Kusadasi from 7am-2pm so it's much less time than most posts I've read about. The following are a must-see for us:

- Ancient Ephesus

- Terrace Houses

- local traditional Turkish lunch

We also want to see either Sirince or House of Mary but we don't just want to do drive by's of everything. So, for those who have been to Ephesus, will there be time on this short port stop to do all of this. If not, which would you choose - Sirince or House of Mary?

Thank you.

Yes, twice. We rented from both agencies. Went to Cassis, Le Castellet, Bandol, and Sanary-sur-Mer. Driving was easy, especially with my own GPS. Allow plenty of time to return the car and get back to the ship. There was a lot of traffic, but it was moving.

 

I would suggest going to Sanary-sur-Mer first for the morning market.

 

For restaurant for lunch in Cassis, I would recommend Le Boneparte. Stop by and make a reservation when you get there, then take the boat ride out to the Calanques. When you return, head to lunch. They are closed on Mondays.

Hello:

We are going to be in Toulon on a port day from 9-5. If we rent a car and do the stops you mention above, will we be able to fit it in including the calanques boat ride and the market? We are there on a Monday. Also, is it necessary to rent a vehicle in advance or is it possible to get one spontaneously when we arrive?

Thank you.

Can anyone tell me when passengers are required to re-board after port stops? Is it 1/2 hour before departure or 1 hour?? Thank you.

Yes thats correct - the 400 pleats are to commemorate the 400 year occupation of Greece by the Ottoman Empire (Turkish.)

 

Great photos cruisemom :)

 

The changing of the guard occurs at the top of the hour 24-7-365 -- but the best is at 11 am on Sunday mornings where the entire garrison attends complete with brass band.

 

It really is quite a spectacle get there early and at the front for the best view.

Does anyone know how long the 11am Sunday ceremony is?

I would just second the idea of a taxi if you want the speediest option. The 20 or so euro fare is worth it to get to the Acropolis early. Taxi will drop you closest possible to the ticket booth.

 

Traffic isn't too bad that early in the morning. It seems much worse in the afternoons, so leave enough time to get back to the ship.

 

 

The walk to the metro from your ship could be 20 minutes but it could be longer. The furthest pier positions can be 30 minutes or longer....

can you estimate how much time we will need to see the Acropolis? I am arranging a culinary tour in Athens (3-4 hours) and need to figure out if we should do Acropolis and Parliament first then food tour, or the other way around. We should have about 8-9 hours in port. Would like to just use taxis to get from place to place unless there is a better way. Is it easy to grab a cab anywhere?

Is it possible on a 7am-5pm port day from Piraeus, to see the Acropolis, Greek Parliament and do a food/culinary tour? Port day is a Sunday. If anyone has done this or similar I would love to hear about it and some recommended tour guides.

We arrive in Livorno at 8am and leave again at 7pm. Does anyone know if there is enough time to see Pisa (not climb the tower) AND fit in a look at David and a food tour in Florence? If anyone has done this I would be interested in hearing about it and any tour recommendations? Our port day is a Sunday.

Thank you to everyone for the guidance. Much appreciated.

We are a group of 4 adults who will be doing our first European cruise in May from Venice to the following ports: Athens, Mykonos, Kusadasi/Ephesus, Istanbul, Naples, Rome, Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Toulon and ending in Barcelona. Trying to decide which ports we can easily do on our own and which we need to find a private tour. Not interested in the ships tours unless there is some extraordinary reason to do so. We are not well versed on city transit but willing to try anything as long as we won't end up on the other side of Europe :) Main thing is that we get to see the main highlights on each stop. Thank you in advance.

My husband & I are going on the reverse itinerary at the same time in 2016. We've never been to Europe. What was the weather like for your trip in 2015? I've read the summer months can be brutally hot but wondering if it will be cool (jackets/sweaters for evening) or if it will be too warm for that. Thank you.

not Hlitner but can answer your question

 

using a water taxi or Alilaguna you wont need to use the people mover as their docks are near the ships-however depending on where your ship is docked it can be a long walk with your luggage.

 

I would second the suggestion to check in around 11 so will be one of first on the ship to get rid of your luggage and have lunch on the ship. Then head back out to enjoy Venice. This time take the people mover to P Roma where the Vaparettos or Water buses no 1 or 2 start for a trip down the Grand Canal to St Marks

 

Based on our experience there will be a lifeboat drill mid afternoon but those who miss it because they are exploring Venice will be "invited" to take part the following morning

Thank you so much! We just booked a 2 bdrm apartment in Castello for one night pre-cruise. We hope to spend the first day/night seeing St. Mark's Square, Basilica and Rialto Bridge area. Then catch whatever we miss in that area the following morning before boarding ship. After boarding we hope to see areas of San Polo, Jewish Ghetto and possibly Dorsoduro area if there is time for all of that. Anything you can think of that may be logistically wrong with that scenario??

We stayed at Hotel Colombina. It's a three minute walk to San Marco but away from the crowds. We were only in Venice one night same as you. If you don't mind spending for the water taxi which is $100 euros from airport and I think $80 euros to terminal. You will not regret using water taxi door to door. You can search here on Cc and also TA for comments about this hotel

Thank you! Does the water taxi drop off right at hotel? If not, how long of a walk would you say?

I have been searching the threads endlessly so sorry but here is another Venice hotel question. We arrive in Venice at noon the day before our cruise departs (departure following night at 11 pm). There are four of us and we don't have a problem using private water taxi's from the airport to hotel, and from the hotel to port. We will have an afternoon/evening to see Venice, then the following day we would like to check in to the ship around noon but be able to go out and about again until it's time for the ship to sail. We want to see the main attractions but hope to also have time to "get lost in Venice" and see some things off the beaten path. So the big question is - where should we stay that we can see most things but still get back and forth from the port the day we embark. Interested in 3 or 4 star. 5 is probably a bit high end for us.

Thank you Hlitner. If we take a water taxi to the port, do we still have to use the People Mover to get to where the ship is?

Our NCL cruise leaves port at 11 pm, so what do you think the best plan for the day is that will allow us to check out of our hotel on time but still maximize Venice before the ship leaves. We will be arriving in Venice the day prior to embarkation so we will have a couple of hours in the afternoon and some evening time on that day but we would like to make the most of it on embarkation day also. Will Venice hotels store our luggage until we are ready to go to the port or would it be recommended to embark early and leave to tour the city again. New to Europe and not overly experienced in cruising so your help is appreciated.

Can anyone tell me if I book online through NCL, is the amount in USD? I have tried to go as far as possible with a mock booking to see but nowhere on their site can I see what currency the price is in. They ask for the state or province and I'm Canadian, so wondering if it is USD or CDN. Thank you in advance.

Slickn, you said this was your 5th cruise. May I ask what other cruises you were on?

Thank you - have only used the site once before so still learning. Now to figure out how to delete this one.

Sailing Mediterranean on the Spirit, 12 nts. We are able to choose a package for free (free if you don't include the service charge) so we are thinking of the UBP. But the couple we are going with is doing the dining package which gives them free dining in specialty restaurants every night of the cruise. If we want to purchase the dining package separately but only for 4 nights, can we choose the nights we use it or will it be used for the first 4 specialty dining nights consecutively? Reason I'm asking is that if we buy 4 nights, we would want to use it for Cagneys or Teppanyaki only and just pay for the other two if we happen to get there.