land/sea of Italy, Sicily, Greece and Turkey

[Hula Hips]

hi everyone saw this cruise in Sept leaving Rome to sicily, then over to Greece and turkey. Price was fine. BUT when you add 5 day prior tour of Italy plus airfare from Florida WOW does it go up and up and up!!! I'm worred it won't be worth the money?? Has anyone or is anyone traveling on this Navigator of the Seas land / sea cruise in Sept.?? thanks sunsetgal

[AF-1]

why not go over a few days prior and not take the land tour. That would save you money.

[Hula Hips]

the land tour is venice, florence and Rome for 5 days ONLY. We don't think we would be able to do on our own. We don't speak Italian and wouldn't even know where to go?? The cruise is 1,000 but when we add 5-6 nights in hotel in Italy and airfare for two from Fla to Venice we are now over 11,000 and thats not even excursions, etc??? Isn't that HIGH??

[villauk]

We did this cruise, not the land tour, last October and are doing again next month. I think the other poster was suggesting you do a few days in Rome instead of trying to fit in Florence and Venice at the same time. You could get a reasonable hotel in Rome and view the main sights either pre or post cruise.

 

There will be plenty to see on the actual cruise i.e. Athens and Ephesus to fill your entire days. Could you not concentrate on the southern end and then leave Florence and Venice to another visit? I realise the cost factor of the flights, however it was the same in reverse for us. Even though we would have liked to visit Washington as well as NY on our NE cruise last year, we knew it wouldn't have been feasible and had to concentrate on NY instead. Obviously if you did organise on you own it would be cheaper, but I understand if you think this is a little ambitious.

 

Asking if it's worth the money is obviously subjective, however the places you would like to visit are very beautiful. I would still say that I prefer to sail in or out of Venice as I feel this is very special. Does the land tour incorporate Pisa at the same time as Florence? You could go on and on adding places definitely worth seeing in Italy i.e. the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii, but it would be impossible to see everything in one visit. Perhaps if you concentrated on Rome this time, then there is always an excuse to return to Europe in the future ;)

[mp2010]

We are doing this cruise in September as well, but we are not doing a land tour prior. We are planning to spend 3 days in Rome before the cruise. Even with 3 days, I know we won't get to experience everything we want in Rome. As much as I'd like to see other parts of Italy, it just wouldn't work out time-wise (or budget-wise) for us right now. We'll just have to make return trips every few years to see more stuff! :D

[pennys mum]

Hi, We are doing this cruise in 2 weeks. I will post a review when we return.

Having been to Rome previously i can tell you that you need lots of time to do it justice.

The vatican museum is not to be missed and you could spend days in there alone.

I agree with the other poster save the tour for another trip, you can visit florence and pisa on one excursion on a different cruise. You have one hours travel to the port from Rome. Also consider the time difference and jet lag this may spoil your tour as you will be tired. We feel the same as you about the cost of flights, we travel to the US every year and it is expensive ( we are paying the same as you for 2 weeks in Florida in december- with no food included, 3 of us)

Most europeans speak a little english (they are used to us Brits) and you will get by in Rome..beware the pickpockets.

[AF-1]

Most land tours include your hotel, breakfast, and dinner. Normally your buy your lunch while you are touring.

[ssb]

hi everyone saw this cruise in Sept leaving Rome to sicily, then over to Greece and turkey. Price was fine. BUT when you add 5 day prior tour of Italy plus airfare from Florida WOW does it go up and up and up!!! I'm worred it won't be worth the money?? Has anyone or is anyone traveling on this Navigator of the Seas land / sea cruise in Sept.?? thanks sunsetgal

 

Do transatlantic and a pre cruise btb to maximize

Your money spent. You would already be over there.

Look at our 2013 planned cruises

[artypharty]

hi everyone saw this cruise in Sept leaving Rome to sicily, then over to Greece and turkey. Price was fine. BUT when you add 5 day prior tour of Italy plus airfare from Florida WOW does it go up and up and up!!! I'm worred it won't be worth the money?? Has anyone or is anyone traveling on this Navigator of the Seas land / sea cruise in Sept.?? thanks sunsetgal

 

You got a lot of responses on the Ask A Question forum to this question. Hopefully you will get some answers that will work for you and will help you make up your mind.

 

P.S. changing your "name" was a good idea, never a good idea to have your email addy as your cyber name!

 

No matter where you go in Europe (and especially Italy) you should have a good time, good luck!:)

[AF-1]

Do transatlantic and a pre cruise btb to maximize

Your money spent. You would already be over there.

Look at our 2013 planned cruises

 

SSB, looking at your transatlantic trips; did you take the same ship across the atlantic, then take the first cruise on that ship? Did you buy a one way ticket?

[FreshOffTheBoat]

I did a 13 night cruise last september and 2 nights in Rome. I did an excursion on each stop. I did specialty resturants, spa, bought drinks each night and everything else onboard the ship.

 

I planned most things on my own and did some ship tours and I did not even come close to spending 11000 dollars on everything.

 

In my opinion it is much cheaper to do it on your own and you would save a lot of money.

[ssb]

SSB, looking at your transatlantic trips; did you take the same ship across the atlantic, then take the first cruise on that ship? Did you buy a one way ticket?

 

Just found question!

Done one way and round trip

We have done differently with miles and Choice Air:

We live in Galveston galveston cruise and I :D

Makes Galveston TA's easy

We love them

1. TA over (Voyager) Galveston to Barcelona 2 weeks

and then BTB but changed ship for Mediterranean Cruise - week

(Navigator-it was leaving same day)

then Spain and Portugal - Land trip - week

Flew back but with a "round trip" back open

2. Later flew back over on back end of round trip air

TA Barcelona to Galveston back

3. Flew over

TA Genoa to Ft Lauderdale

MSC Orchestra back 21days all one cruise

Mediterranean - week

TA - week

Caribbean - week

4. Flew over one way - miles

Rome - week

TA - Rome to Galveston - 2 weeks

5. Flying over air miles

BTB on same ship and same room (Mariner)

Holy land

TA Rome to Galveston

6. Flying over air miles

Doing BTB same ship and same room

Repositioning - Rome to Barcelona

TA - Barcelona to Galveston

[mjldvlks]

hi everyone saw this cruise in Sept leaving Rome to sicily, then over to Greece and turkey. Price was fine. BUT when you add 5 day prior tour of Italy plus airfare from Florida WOW does it go up and up and up!!! I'm worred it won't be worth the money?? Has anyone or is anyone traveling on this Navigator of the Seas land / sea cruise in Sept.?? thanks sunsetgal

 

That does seem high for the land tour. As others have said, you can do much better on your own. Don't be intimidated by language. We organize things pretty much on our own, but if you feel more comfortable with a travel agent, he or she can help you organize and get with the right tours guides. You can expect English to be spoken at the hotels and most tourist attractions. I don't think I have been anywhere in Europe recently where there was not someone to help. I have found the people in Europe to be warm and friendly and eager to help [especially in Italy, but even in France]. Most are proud of their cities and countries and like to show them off. The public transportation in Europe is generally top rate. You can get about anywhere within a city by subway street car or bus. Just make sure you know the system so you have the right ticket. Once you get the hang of it, it is easy, but that can be a little confusing at first. Trains between cities are usually reasonable and easy to use. There are ways to keep the costs down. You don't have to take taxis, use the streetcars. You don't have to take first class on the trains. The trips are usually short and second class is reasonably comfortable. Most restaurants have menus posted oputside so you can see the prices in advance. Eat a meal or two at an outdoor food stand -- they are cheap and usually pretty good. You don't have to stay right by the leading tourist attractions. Staying out of the main attractions can save you quite a bit of money, and sometimes is even more enjoyable. I think we enjoyed our stay in a B&B in Normandy a lot more than we would have enjoyed a stay in a hotel. Sometimes, the hotels away from the attractions help with transfers just to attract customers. In Venice for example, we stayed on the mainland. The hotel was about a quarter of the average price in the city and they provided train tickets to Venice every day. In Venice, staying on the mainland also gives the advantage of land taxi access to the cruise terminal which can make life much simpler if you are sailing from there.

 

If you can spend an hour, a day or a year in Europe, I encourage you to do so -- it is worth it. What ever you do, take lots of pictures. You will appreciate that when you get back.

 

The single best piece of advice I can give is don't try to do everything. There is no way that is possible in any event. Pick a few places you really want to see and the things you want to see there and don't lose any sleep over what you miss. There will always be something for the next trip.

 

If you can spend an hour, a day or a year in Europe, I encourage you to do so -- it is worth it. What ever you do, take lots of pictures. You will appreciate that when you get back. By all means, go. Have a great trip. You will enjoy the memories for years.

[ssb]

That does seem high for the land tour. As others have said, you can do much better on your own. Don't be intimidated by language. We organize things pretty much on our own, but if you feel more comfortable with a travel agent, he or she can help you organize and get with the right tours guides. You can expect English to be spoken at the hotels and most tourist attractions. I don't think I have been anywhere in Europe recently where there was not someone to help. I have found the people in Europe to be warm and friendly and eager to help [especially in Italy, but even in France]. Most are proud of their cities and countries and like to show them off. The public transportation in Europe is generally top rate. You can get about anywhere within a city by subway street car or bus. Just make sure you know the system so you have the right ticket. Once you get the hang of it, it is easy, but that can be a little confusing at first. Trains between cities are usually reasonable and easy to use. There are ways to keep the costs down. You don't have to take taxis, use the streetcars. You don't have to take first class on the trains. The trips are usually short and second class is reasonably comfortable. Most restaurants have menus posted oputside so you can see the prices in advance. Eat a meal or two at an outdoor food stand -- they are cheap and usually pretty good. You don't have to stay right by the leading tourist attractions. Staying out of the main attractions can save you quite a bit of money, and sometimes is even more enjoyable. I think we enjoyed our stay in a B&B in Normandy a lot more than we would have enjoyed a stay in a hotel. Sometimes, the hotels away from the attractions help with transfers just to attract customers. In Venice for example, we stayed on the mainland. The hotel was about a quarter of the average price in the city and they provided train tickets to Venice every day. In Venice, staying on the mainland also gives the advantage of land taxi access to the cruise terminal which can make life much simpler if you are sailing from there.

 

If you can spend an hour, a day or a year in Europe, I encourage you to do so -- it is worth it. What ever you do, take lots of pictures. You will appreciate that when you get back.

 

The single best piece of advice I can give is don't try to do everything. There is no way that is possible in any event. Pick a few places you really want to see and the things you want to see there and don't lose any sleep over what you miss. There will always be something for the next trip.

 

If you can spend an hour, a day or a year in Europe, I encourage you to do so -- it is worth it. What ever you do, take lots of pictures. You will appreciate that when you get back. By all means, go. Have a great trip. You will enjoy the memories for years.

 

Great infomation!!!

 

Also consider BTB

 

Our BTB's are one way there or one way back

with transatlantic or repositioning cruise on one leg

and airfare the other leg!

 

We then tag on a cruise on same ship with same cabin

or another cruise with RCL just before the TA

 

One way cost allows you to spend time

in area on land or sea cruise based once there!

More bang for air cost and only one way!

Good air deals

with Choice Air - RCL Partner

or use air miles

Book one way or a round trip and take another TA later the other way

across the pond!!

Which we have done!!!

 

As example see our next itinerary below:

 

Mariner: (same ship/same room)

Holy Land -10/12- 13 day - regular cruise

Rome to Galveston - 11/12 0 -16 day - TA

 

See these cruises with costs that are reasonble:

Navigator: (same ship/same room)

Italy/Spain to Barcelona - 11/13 - 7 day - Repositioning

Barcelona to Galveston 11/13 - 14 day - TA

 

We live in Galveston

and the TA's from/to here

are easy for us!!!!

Find ports near your home if you can!

 

Food for thought

do search of

90 day ticker

for most cruises within 90 days of departure

[Sinppu]

I've been to Italy five times and I've never needed Italian (which I can't speak) anywhere. Millions of tourists do not speak Italian and they get along just fine!

You do know quite many people speak English, also in Italy and especially in the tourist branch? :)

I personally think you would fine by yourselves, without the land tour (the price is shocking, to say the least :eek:).

If you want to see Rome, Florence and Venice all at one go, it's doable. It requires some research (which can be done here on CC) and a sense of humour while you're in Italy but it could be the trip of a lifetime.

I did this cruise with my Mom in June and we loved it.

 

Of course if you have no sense of adventure and you are scared of being independent, then you should not leave at all. :(

[mjldvlks]

I've been to Italy five times and I've never needed Italian (which I can't speak) anywhere. Millions of tourists do not speak Italian and they get along just fine! . . .

 

There was one place, a little bakery near the hotel [on the mainland] we stayed in right before boarding in Venice. The attendant did not speak English but we managed to get a few things for breakfast. As I said above, we have found the people everywhere we have been to be friendly and helpful. It is amazing how far you can get with a smile.

[Sinppu]

There was one place, a little bakery near the hotel [on the mainland] we stayed in right before boarding in Venice. The attendant did not speak English but we managed to get a few things for breakfast. As I said above, we have found the people everywhere we have been to be friendly and helpful. It is amazing how far you can get with a smile.

 

Exactly! You had the same goal: to get you breakfast. You were on the same side and that always helps a ton!