Mediterranean cruise, ports where we don't need to book shore excursions?

[freefalling]

We are planning our first cruise, and are in the process of reviewing the itinerary. Of the schedule below, are any of these ports of call close to the city and would not require a booked excursion? If you've been these places via cruise ship, did you tour on your own or book the excursion? Are any simply too much to see on your own?

 

FRI 03JUN11 Sail from Venice, Italy

SAT Venice, Italy 1:00pm

SUN Dubrovnik, Croatia 10:00am 6:00pm

MON Kerkira, Corfu, Greece 10:00am 8:00pm

TUE Argostoli, Greece 7:00am 4:00pm

WED Thira (Santorini), Greece 11:00am 6:00pm

THU Sea Day

FRI Catania, Italy 8:00am 5:00pm

FRI Cruising Strait of Messina3

SAT Naples, Italy 8:00am 6:00pm

SUN Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy 7:00am 8:00pm

MON Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy 7:00am 8:00pm

TUE Barcelona, Spain1 6:00pm

WED Debark Ship Barcelona, Spain

[6rugrats]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1327597&highlight=

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1327592&highlight=

Edited December 29, 2010 by 6rugrats

[In Retirement]

Will relate to our experiences, but ask that you consider another version of your question. The question may not be can you do a port "on your own" but what do you want to accomplish at the port? In many situations your interests will far exceed your time. The second question is whether to participate in a ship's tour or a private tour. Good to read about other readers' ship tour experiences on these postings. Our research (on our own Ruby Princess Barcelona/Venice 12-night) was the ships tours were mainly 40-50 people on a bus and taking shopping breaks. For example, we were in Rome on a Sunday when the Vatican museum was free. Princess wouldn't consider taking people there, but our van of 8 had no trouble experiencing several locations that we enjoyed immensely. Another example: in Naples, by yourself, using public transportation you could make it maybe to Pompeii and back and do a tour on your own or maybe get to and back from Sorrento or Positano, but we identified an excellent driver and drove the full length of the Amalfi coast, stopping in Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi, having lunch in Ravello and then touring (with a guide arranged by our driver) Pompeii. We had a similar experience with Florence/Pisa which we could never have done "on our own." On the other hand we were at Mykonos (way different than our experience in Athens) and had decided (as did the other 14 we often toured with) that this island was a "walk around and return to the ship" experience. I am big on "do it myself" but consider this as an approach for a land vacation before and/or after a cruise. Beyond Cruise Critic, consider reading a tour book and look at tourism sites on the internet. We spent four full days in Barcelona and stayed in a lovely apartment. In Venice we spent another three days in a convenient hotel and did things totally "our way." Following this plan next May/June on a Baltic cruise we are doing Paris for a week before, sorting through ports to determine which we will plan with others and which we may just walk through, and then spend a week in an apartment in Amsterdam. Hope this gives you somethings to consider.

[commission1]

In Santorini you can rent a little four wheel drive all terrain vehicle for very cheap, best way to see the island and explore, For Rome you can get an all day BIRG train, bus, metro ticket for less than 10 euros, in Barcelona you can get a shuttle bus to the city then walk and subway the most popluar places, We did all of the above.

[Carolla5501]

I have done several of these ports, not on one cruise, but.

 

Dubrovink. I can't see a reason for an "excursion" It's very small. Get there, walk the walls, explore the city etc. Try to drop by Buza Bar (I may be spelling that wrong) for a drink before you head back to the port! (It's the bar outside the walls overlooking the sea!)

 

Santorina is also easy to do on your own. If you are REALLY brave you can take a Donkey up to the city (I walked they scared me :) )

 

However, doing these on your own requires research etc... if you are the type who just wants to go and have someone "tell you" what's what then I would stick with the excursions. I tend to be the "know every detail of every place" type so on my own works!

Edited January 1, 2011 by Carolla5501

[Bholling]

Venice, Santorini and Dubrovnik are very easy to do totally on your own; just get a good guide book.

 

Rome, Naples and Florence are where we did some ship-sponsored tours since the cities themselves (or in the case of Naples, the Amalfi coast and Pompeii, which we wanted to visit) are pretty far from the pier. We mostly did the "On Your Own" tours - which are the type that get you there, give you a brief orientation and let you go for 3-5 hours of independent exploring.

 

We did not want to worry about bus/train schedules and I realize we could have saved some $$ truly going on our own at these ports, but we sure did not want to miss the ship. (How much would that cost?)

 

have a fantastic voyage. How lucky are you that your first cruise is the Med??

[new-empty-nester]

Went to Santorini ~ 30 years ago (not on a cruise), and spent a week there. I wouldn't recommend booking an excursion (unless you want to snorkle or something like that). As another poster suggested, just rent a 4-wheeler and go explore. I rented a scooter and went all over the place - lots of fun. Nice scenery (a gazillion greek churches, groves of pistacio trees, vineyards, a black sand beach). A point of interest is Akrotiri - an archeology dig. Google it first to make sure it is open for visitors. (It's currently not; but might re-open by the time you go.)

 

Since you depart from Venice, try to schedule a couple of nights there. I think it's best at night (after all the day-visitors leave). As far as what to do, that depends upon your interest (e.g., history, museums, churches, architecture, food/wine, shopping, etc.) For us, the best part was just walking around and exploring, as well as gondola ride, and day-trips to Murano (glass blowing) and Burano (different colored buildings, which look beautiful when viewed altogether). Also, nearby are cities of Padua and Vicenza, which are interesting if you like art and/or architecture. Murano and Burano are reachable by boat; Padua and Vicenza by train. All within about an hour or less. Assuming you have a couple days, you can do any of this on your own - no need to book an excursion. If you want to know more, let me know. Also let me know if you need a hotel recommendation for Venice.

[gralsh]

Hi,

 

Do you still have the Florence/Pisa and Naples driver contact info. We are planning a July Mediterrean Cruise from Barcelona and would like to try your way.

 

Thanks,

Edited January 24, 2011 by gralsh
post the question to "IN Retirement"

[jdvmd]

Hi,

 

Do you still have the Florence/Pisa and Naples driver contact info. We are planning a July Mediterrean Cruise from Barcelona and would like to try your way.

 

Thanks,

 

Romeinlimo is a good choice and highly recommended among the CC board. We have used them a couple of times for Rome and the Vatican. Others from our roll call used them in the ports you mentioned above.

[In Retirement]

Give me a little time and I will look up our resources from 2009 (if necessary will go through my previous Yahoo account that I used for this planning process). As I go through this, what are your other ports? We had a great experience in Barcelona: stayed in an apartment with balcony that overlooked the city's large park, and was walking distance to HOHO bus and Picasso museum (also sidewalk cafes, bank ATMs, and a grocery store). Can provide name/email of our landlady who was wonderful. We had especially good experiences in Livorno, Naples (these folks can provide reference for Rome), Turkey (Istanbul, Kusadasi) and Greece (Athens). If you are ending your cruise in Venice, it absolutely pays to purchase fold-out map in bookstore (also used one to plan for Barcelona) and read a comprehensive tour book to select our experiences. I believe we spent three full days touring in Barcelona, with the first part-day to just become oriented (visit grocery store, spend the evening with our landlady visiting the music/lights/fountains show and experiencing the gothic quarter at night) and the last day was basically saying goodbye with taxi ride to the port (facilities at the port are modern and wonderful).

Let me know what you are about. We are currently planning a 3 June Baltic cruise and have a very lethargic Roll Call. Good we started with already a group of 10 and have now added three more couples. An email address would also be useful as I don't know if CC will tolerate the listing of so much information. (We are also from Michigan.:)) Hope I can be helpful as I plan for our May/June Paris/Baltic/Amsterdam month.

[mtab]

We did a Mediterranean cruise in 2006 but not exactly like yours. I was lucky enough to find in cruise critics someone who did the exact cruise and gave details on how to do these ports on our own. Her advice was detailed and fantastic. We followed her advice for most except Rome. Rome is too far from pier and we thought too risky on return. As for Pisa, we did this on our own. I can't remember for sure, but I think we took a shuttle into town and then caught a bus there. We had plenty of time.

We finished our cruise in Barcelona and also rented an apartment located in the Rumbla. Great move. We then bought tickets on a bus that did an "off and on" wherever we wanted. Barcelona is a great walking city. Just go. Sort of reminds me of Venice without the canals.

 

Now for Venice. It's a great city but getting to the hotel and to the ship was really tricky. My only regret was, we didn't purchase transfers from the cruise line. this is one time I would splurge. Book a room near Mark's square and then just walk. It's a great city for walking and exploring. If you don't get on the right "taxi boat" (can't remember the name offhand, maybe vaporetto) , it's not always a simple matter of getting off and on another one. We were going to the ship but he took us to the wrong pier. we could see our ship but he couldn't take us there. we had to get off with our luggage and were basically stranded until he called another taxi to take us. We paid twice and they charged for each piece of luggage. We had no choice and they knew it. The airport to the hotel was easier except we had to lug our heavy luggage through throngs of people over bridges, etc. Not for the faint of heart or with small children.

 

We've taken many vacations but this was, without a doubt, the greatest. Do your homework and you'll have a great time.

[eurocruzn]

Venice is a definite walk-around-on-your-own city. However, I did enjoy the Murano glass blowing tour. When you're walking around the city, be sure to check out the authenic mask making shops (not the touristy ones, but the real craftsmen).

 

Dubrovnik is also a walking city. It's very small and consists of a main cobblestone throughfare with various little tourist shops. It makes for a nice, relaxing walking day. Be sure to walk along the top of the ramparts for a beautiful view along the water (the ramparts walking area goes in a complete circle above the city).

 

In Naples, I would definitely recommend the Pompeii tour. I took the Pompeii and Amalfi Coast excursion set up by the cruise line and was very happy with it. Pompeii was so interesting and the Amalfi coast includes some of the most beautiful scenery I've every seen.

 

Civitavecchia is a long way away from Rome so I suggest booking the excursion that takes you to Rome and sets you free for the day and then drives you back to the ship.

 

Livorno is similar to Civitavecchia. It is a long way from Florence. If you just want to just see Florence, I'd suggest to just getting the excursion that drops and picks you up in the city. If you also want to see Pisa, I'd book a tour.

 

Barcelona is a great walking city. The Sagrada Familia is not to be missed. Definitely go up to the top to see the beautiful architecture.

 

Happy fun on your cruise :)

Edited February 7, 2011 by eurocruzn

[#1GatorFan]

I've been reading GREAT advice so far - have a few other ports to ask about hired tours/cruise tours/on your own??? There will be 4 of us.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Cinque Terre (La Spezia), Italy

Amalfi/Positano, Italy

Taormina (Sicily), Italy

Cofu, Greece

Kotor, Montenegro

 

Obiviously, we're going on a Med cruise the end of April. Already read about our other stops (Rome, Livorno (Florence), Dubrovnik, Croatia & Venice.

 

In advance, thanks for any & all info.

[new-empty-nester]

I've been reading GREAT advice so far - have a few other ports to ask about hired tours/cruise tours/on your own??? There will be 4 of us.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Cinque Terre (La Spezia), Italy

Amalfi/Positano, Italy

Taormina (Sicily), Italy

Cofu, Greece

Kotor, Montenegro

 

Obiviously, we're going on a Med cruise the end of April. Already read about our other stops (Rome, Livorno (Florence), Dubrovnik, Croatia & Venice.

 

In advance, thanks for any & all info.

 

Cinque Terre is wonderful, but not too convenient to get there from other major cities in Italy. Does your cruise stop at La Spezia? If so, and if you have a lot of time, then I'd highly recommend that you go to Cinque Terre. But if you're trying to get there from Livorno, you'll probably be pressed for time. (Our visit was part of a 3-week trip to Italy; not part of a cruise. So, we had plenty of time.)

 

I'm going to apologize in advance for the long post, but Cinque Terre is one of my favorite spots that I've ever been to, so I get excited telling people about it. Hopefully, it'll work out for you to have the time to go.

 

The name "Cinque Terre" translates to "five lands", which refers to the five towns along the coast (just NW from La Spezia). You can find the towns on google maps. First find La Spezia (NW from Pisa), then zoom in and look for these towns: Riomaggiore, then (going NW from there)... Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterossa. The five towns are connected by hiking trails (more on that in a moment), as well as local trains that quickly go from town to town about once an hour or so (frequency depends on day of week and time of year - so you'll need to find a train schedule). There are plenty of vineyards going up the hills, and the buildings in each town seem to be built right into the cliffs. Spectacular scenery.

 

Our favorite of the 5 towns was Vernazza. It had a lot of character, great photo ops (although you have to hike a little for the best photos), and good restaurants. Speaking of food - if you like pesto, this is the region where it originated. Cinque Terre also has great fish, and really easy-drinking wine. There is a "bakery/restaurant" at the top of the town (Vernazza), near the train station, that has great food, and entertaining owners.

 

Corniglia is the only one of the five towns not "on" the water (it sits atop a hill, overlooking the water). Monterossa has the best beach, but the least character in the town. Riomaggiore and Manarola are both worth a visit too - we just liked Vernazza the best. (Although, we found a great little wine store in Manarola - and they ship!)

 

If you plan to do any hikes, consider that the hikes from town to town can take a couple hours each (most of a day to hike all 5 towns). So, if you want to hike but have limited time, I'd suggest that you hike either direction from Vernazza for about 15-20 minutes, and you'll have plenty of good photo ops looking back on the town. (Note that those 15-20 minutes are somewhat strenuous, as you're going uphill as you go away from town. Coming back towards town will be easier though.) For your best photos of Vernazza (with the sun at your back), hike SE from town (towards Corniglia) in the morning, and NW from town (towards Monterosso) late afternoon.

 

Another hiking option is from the Corniglia train station (which is at the bottom of the hill) SE to Manarola. This is a flat (easy) hike, and provides good photo ops of the sea/coastline.

 

Before you go to Cinque Terre, check the weather. In the off-season, it can be cold and/or rainy. We were there in the summer, and it was beautiful. But we know someone else who went this past fall, and the weather was bad the whole time. April may also be cold/rainy; I just don't know.

 

I have photos, but don't know how to upload them. If you tell me how to do it, I'll upload a few for you.

 

You probably want to know whether to book an excursion or go on your own. I guess that depends upon your comfort level with the train system, and the amount of time that you'll have. If your ship stops in La Spezia, and they have a quick shuttle to one of the towns, I'd take advantage of it - and then go on my own from town to town. Provided, of course, that I knew how to get a shuttle back to the ship (on time!) The towns are so small that you can't get lost, so don't worry about trying to find your way around on your own once you get there. The main thing is just getting there and getting back to the ship.

 

Enjoy!

Edited February 10, 2011 by new-empty-nester

[arddee]

Hello

• 2 nights each, Lisbon and Venice.
  
• 8 nights cruising, with full day stops at Gibraltar,Cartagena, Valetta and Split.
  
• First time cruisers and would appreciate any advice, especially about the advantages/disadvantages of using ship organised tours or going solo at these destinations. Examples of good experiences would be helpful.
  

Many Thanks,

Arddee.

[arddee]

Hello, for our 40th Wedding Anniversary, going on 12 night Mediterranean cruise, as follows;

• 2 nights each, Lisbon and Venice.
  
• 8 nights cruising, with full day stops at Gibraltar,Cartagena, Valetta and Split.
  
• First time cruisers and would appreciate any advice, especially about the advantages/disadvantages of using ship organised tours or going solo at these destinations. Examples of good experiences would be helpful.
  

Many Thanks,

Arddee.

[gralsh]

Romeinlimo is a good choice and highly recommended among the CC board. We have used them a couple of times for Rome and the Vatican. Others from our roll call used them in the ports you mentioned above.

 

 

THANKS for the info! I'll give it a try.

[Pixiescleo]

We did an eastern Med cruise two years ago and explored on our own in Santorini, Mykonos and Istanbull (overnight).... there were 4 of us and my older daughter has a built-in GPS as we've always teased her :). In Santorini we took the cable car up and explored the town, it's fascinating with little unexpected flower beds tucked into little corners and behind short stone walls. There are some very neat stores that we explored and everyone we met made us feel welcomed.... just watch where you put your feet when near the donkey paths. :0 Be prepared for lots of "up and down" walking as the town seems to be mainly hills.

 

In Rome we stayed for 3 days post-cruise, and used the hop-on-hop-off bus extensively. For one price you can get on and off at as many stops as you wish and explore to your hearts content. Don't know how that would work with only part of a day though.

 

Enjoy your cruise and all the sightseeing and new experiences.

 

Smiles

 

Marg

[badtwin]

Best advice I can give is RESEARCH and decide what you want - shopping, sites and history or "going local." We mixed it up on our cruise. Online, I found some walking tours (Rick Steves and other travel sites) we printed out and took with us, some IPod downloads for more detailed guided tours, esp. the major Rome venues. Lots of places to give you help.

 

You did not say how old, fit or adventurous you were. We are early 50's with daughter 20 and did not mind spending the day walking.

 

One highlight for us was the hike from Fira to Oia along the top of the caldera - but it was long, hot and took at least 4 hours. Bus trip back was a mad house.

 

We did Naples on our own to Pompeii but found it was a school holiday and the train ride was a mob scene and quite scary. I wished we were on a more formal tour. We ended up going back early rather than further down the coast because the train was so crowded we did not know if we wold make it back to the ship.

 

Bottom line was to study up and decide what you want to get out of each port. For example, we knew enough about Pompeii that it was understandable on our own. But we did a guided tour in Ephesus (not your itnerary but I use as an example) because I could tell we had no background to put the venue in context and some decent distances to cover. That tour was another highlight.

[Captain Canuck]

dubrovnic...main thing is to walk the walls..can do this on your own easily..scared the hell out of me as I have a fear of heigts but well worth it

 

santorini...we have been there a couple of times..always have taken the gondola up and walked the steps down...linle ups to come down were insane last time as a huge ship was in port with usl...lots on donkey poo on the walk down but only way to take pictures..we walked about half way to oi (spelling?) . we were alone a lot of the time. great pix and a good day. people go to the smaller towns to avoid the crowds but everybody doing that so just enjoy the main town. and the views.

 

naples..either go to the museum in naples or take a ferry to capri. 2 ferry ports in naples. we took one from next to our cruise ship..one on the way back dropped us off a mile from the first one..check which port your ferry goes to

 

rome..easy to do on your own..birg ticket on the train..about an hour in to rome...

 

http://www.kenandpene.com/ROME%20ON%20YOUR%20OWN.htm

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=59139

 

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...hia+train+rome

[SpringBreakMom]

I've been reading GREAT advice so far - have a few other ports to ask about hired tours/cruise tours/on your own??? There will be 4 of us.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Cinque Terre (La Spezia), Italy

Amalfi/Positano, Italy

Taormina (Sicily), Italy

Cofu, Greece

Kotor, Montenegro

 

Obiviously, we're going on a Med cruise the end of April. Already read about our other stops (Rome, Livorno (Florence), Dubrovnik, Croatia & Venice.

 

In advance, thanks for any & all info.

 

Do you have your plans set for Amalfi yet? We did the Med cruise in 2007. Best day of the cruise (and pretty much best day ever!) was Amalfi. We had a private guide that we found through CC. If you like I can dig up his contact info and share it with you.

[twosit]

We are planning our first cruise, and are in the process of reviewing the itinerary. Of the schedule below, are any of these ports of call close to the city and would not require a booked excursion? If you've been these places via cruise ship, did you tour on your own or book the excursion? Are any simply too much to see on your own?

 

FRI 03JUN11 Sail from Venice, Italy

SAT Venice, Italy 1:00pm

SUN Dubrovnik, Croatia 10:00am 6:00pm

MON Kerkira, Corfu, Greece 10:00am 8:00pm

TUE Argostoli, Greece 7:00am 4:00pm

WED Thira (Santorini), Greece 11:00am 6:00pm

THU Sea Day

FRI Catania, Italy 8:00am 5:00pm

FRI Cruising Strait of Messina3

SAT Naples, Italy 8:00am 6:00pm

SUN Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy 7:00am 8:00pm

MON Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy 7:00am 8:00pm

TUE Barcelona, Spain1 6:00pm

WED Debark Ship Barcelona, Spain

 

What a fantastic cruise for your first cruise! We did a similar itinerary a few years ago. Sailing out of Venice was incredible--there is not a port that comes close to that sail-away experience. I am not a fan of ship tours--I hate the feeling of being herded. I love to get together others and just hire a driver--it is less expensive and you get to do and see more. Some of our friends only do ship tours...different strokes...

Many of the major cities you mention have walking tours or Hop on/off tours.

On our first Med cruise we got together with a group and toured Rome. We hired Rome CAb--Marco was our driver. It/he was fabulous! It is a really full day and exhausting. The Vatican takes a lot of time--it is hard to not go visit it--but we feel like we have "been there done that" and will not visit there again.

We hired another driver for Naples and he drove us to Pompeii and then to the Amalfi coast. I can not remember the driver's name-but the driver was not as pleasant. It is a lesson that it is the individual driver who can make or break--but IMHO, it was still way better than a ship tour. It is a lot of time in the car driving and we didn't have much time to stop because it is a lot to do in one day. This time we will take a hydrofoil to Capri and then maybe Sorrento--on our own.

We had friends who had visited Florence often and planned to tour us around. Unfortunately, they were quarantined that day and we were left on our own. There were four of us--and we rented a car to drive to Pisa and Florence. It went pretty well. We split up because two of our friends wanted to shop and we wanted to sightsee. We did a self walking tour which was great. The key is to make your reservations to see The David ahead of time--to avoid the lines. This time we are planning to take the train instead.

Santorini is gorgeous. We took the public bus to Oia--wandered around some and then rented a car and went to the beach afterwards. I like the idea of renting a jeep or something--i think we may do that this time. Beware of the bus--it is crowded--with a lot of locals--but we love that part of it. I just did not like the height part of it--the road is narrow and I hate heights.

We did Barcelona on our own--using the Hop on and off bus--we will do it again.

I hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise.

[Bucket List]

Will relate to our experiences, but ask that you consider another version of your question. The question may not be can you do a port "on your own" but what do you want to accomplish at the port? In many situations your interests will far exceed your time. The second question is whether to participate in a ship's tour or a private tour. Good to read about other readers' ship tour experiences on these postings. Our research (on our own Ruby Princess Barcelona/Venice 12-night) was the ships tours were mainly 40-50 people on a bus and taking shopping breaks. For example, we were in Rome on a Sunday when the Vatican museum was free. Princess wouldn't consider taking people there, but our van of 8 had no trouble experiencing several locations that we enjoyed immensely. Another example: in Naples, by yourself, using public transportation you could make it maybe to Pompeii and back and do a tour on your own or maybe get to and back from Sorrento or Positano, but we identified an excellent driver and drove the full length of the Amalfi coast, stopping in Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi, having lunch in Ravello and then touring (with a guide arranged by our driver) Pompeii. We had a similar experience with Florence/Pisa which we could never have done "on our own." On the other hand we were at Mykonos (way different than our experience in Athens) and had decided (as did the other 14 we often toured with) that this island was a "walk around and return to the ship" experience. I am big on "do it myself" but consider this as an approach for a land vacation before and/or after a cruise. Beyond Cruise Critic, consider reading a tour book and look at tourism sites on the internet. We spent four full days in Barcelona and stayed in a lovely apartment. In Venice we spent another three days in a convenient hotel and did things totally "our way." Following this plan next May/June on a Baltic cruise we are doing Paris for a week before, sorting through ports to determine which we will plan with others and which we may just walk through, and then spend a week in an apartment in Amsterdam. Hope this gives you somethings to consider.

 

Would you mind sharing the name/contact info for the private tours you took for the Amalfi Coast and Florence? I would greatly appreciate it. Also, if you have had a reliable private tour in Venice that would be helpful. Name of a good, reasonably priced hotel in Barcelona near the port?

 

Thanks, Nancy neg419@gmail.com

[SpringBreakMom]

Would you mind sharing the name/contact info for the private tours you took for the Amalfi Coast and Florence? I would greatly appreciate it. Also, if you have had a reliable private tour in Venice that would be helpful. Name of a good, reasonably priced hotel in Barcelona near the port?

 

Thanks, Nancy neg419@gmail.com

 

Mariano Fiorentino was our driver and he was absolutely wonderful. Very accommodating and great about answering emails. The email I have for him is info@pleasantravel.com. I do believe this is a link for him as well http://www.hiddenitalytours.com/en/index.html. Different email but the same van ( he had just gotten it and was so proud!). Same name in guestbook as well. We had Mariano for Amalfi Coast but his website mentions Florence as well. We did a short ship excursion and spent most of the time shopping!

Alas we did Venice on our own, and all we got to see of Barcelona was the airport on the way home :( If your search the CC boards for the ports of call you are sure to find what you are looking for. I found all of my guides that way and was thrilled with them all. If you can find another couple or two to share, it will cost no more than ship excursion.

 

Have a wondferful time!

[Bucket List]

Give me a little time and I will look up our resources from 2009 (if necessary will go through my previous Yahoo account that I used for this planning process). As I go through this, what are your other ports? We had a great experience in Barcelona: stayed in an apartment with balcony that overlooked the city's large park, and was walking distance to HOHO bus and Picasso museum (also sidewalk cafes, bank ATMs, and a grocery store). Can provide name/email of our landlady who was wonderful. We had especially good experiences in Livorno, Naples (these folks can provide reference for Rome), Turkey (Istanbul, Kusadasi) and Greece (Athens). If you are ending your cruise in Venice, it absolutely pays to purchase fold-out map in bookstore (also used one to plan for Barcelona) and read a comprehensive tour book to select our experiences. I believe we spent three full days touring in Barcelona, with the first part-day to just become oriented (visit grocery store, spend the evening with our landlady visiting the music/lights/fountains show and experiencing the gothic quarter at night) and the last day was basically saying goodbye with taxi ride to the port (facilities at the port are modern and wonderful).

Let me know what you are about. We are currently planning a 3 June Baltic cruise and have a very lethargic Roll Call. Good we started with already a group of 10 and have now added three more couples. An email address would also be useful as I don't know if CC will tolerate the listing of so much information. (We are also from Michigan.:)) Hope I can be helpful as I plan for our May/June Paris/Baltic/Amsterdam month.

 

Dear In Retirement,

I am also a Michigander. I see that you are an experienced cruiser. I am going on a Mediterranean cruise in June on the Holland American Line. Do you have any specific recommendation for a hotel in Barcelona or Venice? Day tour companies in Rome, Venice, Florence? The roll call for my ship has not had much activity.

Thanks, neg419@gmail.com