Seabourn Med Excursions- need advice

[travelluxe]

Spirit from Barcelona to MC on 4/18/14 - advice on shore excursions needed. I've searched the threads and saw some great advice already. We're in our 40s and like food/wine/simple tours, don't need alot of attention. Can anyone comment on the excursions noted below- good ideas or not?

Valencia- 'Valencia- Past and Present'- worth it or just go on our own?

Cannes- Golden Corniche&St Raphael, St Paul de Vence or Provence wine tasting?

Livorno- Considering Lucca or 'Florence on your own'

Corsica- worth an excursion or just wing it?

Portovenere- 'Stroll thru Portovenere', or Villages of Cinqueterre? (heard this is the better port to see Cinqueterre if you are going to do it)

 

Open to all advice and ideas, thank you!!

[Nigella]

I can only comment on Corsica because I know it well.

I've never done a Seabourn excursion in the other places.

Can you give me an idea of what the Corsica excursions consist of? I'm tempted to say wing it, but depends what they have on offer.

 

Edited to add I see you're travelling in April. The weather can be iffy until late May, so take into account when planning. It will probably be pleasant but no guarantees at that time of year.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Nigella

[Ithaca]

We did Portovenere on our own. Charming town, with the narrowest streets and buildings! Lovely oils and spices and yummy bakery products. Unless you go to Cinqueterre in a tour, I believe you can stroll the town on your own. Be aware that you will be climbing "street stairs" most of the time; not good for the mobility impaired. Portovenere is one of our favorite small ports, enjoy!!

[margbem]

We did the Florence on your own trip. A lot of people on these boards will tell you that Florence is easy to get to by train and that method is very cheap but we decided we wanted the comfort of being taken by air conditioned coach and knowing that if anything delayed us we would not miss the ship! We would certainly recommend doing the Seabourn trip. We were dropped off as near to the heart of Florence as is possible and picked up in the same place in the late afternoon. Chilled water is provided on the coach free of charge. On the journey there we had a fascinating talk on Florence and on the area that we drove through. When we were picked up we were taken to a viewpoint above the city for a 10 minute photo stop before being returned to the ship.

 

We would also recommend going to the Academia to to see the David. Wonderful! Book tickets in advance. We had the 11.30am slot and it was perfect.

 

Portovenere is beautiful and easy to just walk around.

 

Hope this helps.

[jam52]

Make sure you see all of the Calatrava architecture in Valencia whether on a tour or by yourself. the tour is easy and worth it.

[johnnycruise]

You chose a great itinerary.

 

Valencia - likely location for "shopping with the chef" complimentary excursion. If it is offered, I would sign up. It has a large, ornate Mercado and the guide gave a nice overview of the city en route.

 

Cannes - go to St. Paul de Vence. It is a great medieval walled village with something for everyone: historical sights, shopping, dining.

 

Livorno - if you have been to Florence before, I would recommend going to Lucca. It is much closer to the port so you wouldn't spend a significant part of your day in transit. But if you haven't been to Florence before, it is a must. Agree with Margbem that it is worth the small charge to make reservations for entrance to the Accademia (or the Uffizi Gallery).

 

Corsica (Calvi) - very easy to walk around the town and up to the fortress on your own.

 

Portovenere - easy to walk around on your own - I would not pay for a guided walkabout in Portovenere. Cinqueterre, though, should not be missed as it is very accessible from Portovenere. The excursion only stops at Monterosso and Vernazza since the other three villages are a steep hike from their boat landings. In April before the summer crowds take over, a short walk on the Via dell'Amore path between Riomaggiore and Manarola would be wonderful (as long as it's not raining), but you would have to arrange the logistics on your own. A one-day unlimited ferry pass is ~ $32 if you decide to do things yourself.

[Keith1010]

I would no longer do Valencia on my own. Very bad situation with crime. I would recommend visiting the old town area but also visiting the aquarium which is the largest one in Europe and very impressive.

 

Livorno. I would take a full day tour of Florence. I would not do it on my own though. I would have an organized tour.

 

Keith

[johnnycruise]

I would no longer do Valencia on my own. Very bad situation with crime.

 

Keith - have you had a bad experience in Valencia? I have been there on Seabourn cruises twice. The first visit we did the shopping with the chef excursion and the second visit (May 2013) we rode the Seabourn shuttle into the city and strolled around on our own without any issue. We did get a bit "lost" in smaller alleys near the center due to a very poor map, but the locals were very helpful in giving us directions. We never once felt at risk. I felt more apprehensive in the crowded streets of Barcelona and Rome than in Valencia.

[travelluxe]

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate all the input and ideas. Keep them coming!!

[Keith1010]

johnnycruise, we did see problems the last time we were there compared to the first time. I agree that Barcelona is so much more crowded and one to be very careful about as you walk around for pick pocketers. The last time in Valencia we saw first hand a couple of problems and heard about others. I suspect most of it driven with high unemployment.

 

Best to you.

 

Keith

[Capri73]

We have traveled all over the world.Barcelona was the only place we ever have encounter problems.We were with a group and one man with us had his passport and money stolen getting off the bus going to into the hotel.The next day day we had a similar incident leaving the hotel going to take a stroll.The Hotel was of no help.I am Leary of goin it along in this city.Sad but that was our experience.

[secoma4]

We've travelled extensively throughout Europe including Spain - on a bus tour and also Seabourn cruise, the last occasion being last year. Barcelona is the only place where we found a need for real caution. It is not a question of being unsafe, just the risk of being relieved of some possessions!

 

As our guide explained on the first trip, it s not a "crime" to pick pocket if the value of what is stolen is less than €400. This means that most offences go unreported and the police will not even record it if you try to report it. We heard no suggestion of physical violence and saw nothing to concern us.

[mraven]

 

As our guide explained on the first trip, it s not a "crime" to pick pocket if the value of what is stolen is less than €400. This means that most offences go unreported and the police will not even record it if you try to report it. We heard no suggestion of physical violence and saw nothing to concern us.

 

400 euro stolen is not a crime? Wow.