Cruisetour for med?

[oh2gocruisin]

Just a few questions. Anyone have experience with them? Good value for the money? I realize there is a schedule the guides have to adhere to, but is the time allotted for seeing the sights adequate, or hurried? Any opinions, or ideas for better alternatives would be appreciated.

 

We are currently book on Equinox for 2011 departing from Rome and considering adding time in other cities (Venice and Florence) either pre or post-cruise. Thanks.

 

Kathy

[pete_coach]

Just a few questions. Anyone have experience with them? Good value for the money? I realize there is a schedule the guides have to adhere to, but is the time allotted for seeing the sights adequate, or hurried? Any opinions, or ideas for better alternatives would be appreciated.

 

We are currently book on Equinox for 2011 departing from Rome and considering adding time in other cities (Venice and Florence) either pre or post-cruise. Thanks.

 

Kathy

We took a couple of ship offered tours as well as a couple privately arranged. In my very humble opinion, one was as good as the other.

Fact is, they both take you to the same place. When you get there, there are several cruise ships worth of passengers as well as the other tourists. No advantage either way.

Price is relative. On a private tour you really need to figure out what the extras are, and there are a few, lunches, tips, entrance fees, guides etc. The ship tour has most of that included (not lunch LOL).

Last, depending on the day (Saturdays and Sundays and local holidays), can be a bear for traffic. The ship buses are big, comfortable, you can stand up and stretch and, the ship won't leave without all its tour back on board. are you hurried, well again, some folks can spend an entire day looking at Michelangelo's David, to me 5 minutes looking at a naked guy in stone was plenty LOL. Point is, being hurried is also relative. You never get enough time to do and see the things you really want to do or see.

As far as adding post cruise time to visit places well, if you are in the neighborhood, you may as well go..or you will always regret it.

Venice and Florence are both world class cities that everyone must experience. Venice in particular is everything you ever saw on TV or the movies. It is exactly that, not changes, no progress, no tall buildings, no sports stadiums, just history before your very eyes.

[Essiesmom]

A good travel agent can help you plan a pre- or post-cruise stay for far less than the package the cruise line offers. I sailed Oosterdam to Rome in 2009. My friend wanted to stay three days after in Rome, thought it would be easiest just to do the HAL package. HAL had tour groups housed in a hotel 35km outside the city and nothing for the first afternoon. My TA got us a hotel downtown and identical tours, one the afternoon after we got off the ship, and we paid $700pp less than the HAL package. It included private transfer from port to Rome and from hotel to airport. EM

[oh2gocruisin]

Good advice, and just what I needed to know. Thanks for your responses.

[travelteach326]

We did a precruise tour last summer. We flew into Rome and took Rominlimo tours. I highly recommend this tour company. We had a full day tour of Rome. They drove us from place to place. Gave us the history of each site. We would not have been able to visit as many sites as we were able to see. I know they have guides in Florence. None in Venice.

 

www.romeinlimo.com