Italy & Greek Isles Shore Excursion Recommendations

[kborth]

Do this one with lunch. We were on the Silhouette last summer and it was the best excursion I have ever done in 8 cruises. The lunch alone was worth the price. We had salads , decanters of wine on the table, veal, chicken, contorni( vegetables grilled) , best coffe ever and limoncello cake to finish, the setting in the side of the Amalfi coast. Just beautiful.

[BBsails]

Do this one with lunch. We were on the Silhouette last summer and it was the best excursion I have ever done in 8 cruises. The lunch alone was worth the price. We had salads , decanters of wine on the table, veal, chicken, contorni( vegetables grilled) , best coffe ever and limoncello cake to finish, the setting in the side of the Amalfi coast. Just beautiful.

 

Which excursion are you recommending? I'm not sure what you mean by this one.

 

Thanks!

[suec12]

Just a couple of comments about Athens. The port of Pireaus is HUGE! It can be a long HOT walk esp. to the subway - it is better to figure out how to take the bus that runs along the port to the subway entrance. Be aware there are many tricky people on the subway - pickpockets! So maybe you want to take a taxi in - the taxi drivers at that port are some of the most aggressive I have ever encountered. They probably will not want to just take you into the city - be prepared for a LONG spiel to convince you to spend the day with them.

 

On a more pleasant note :) - if you have been to Europe on other trips and would like an option to the "crumbles", there is a wonderful museum in Athens - the Byzantine Museum. Esp. if you are a Christian, there is the most amazing collection of icons - and not the usual icons (ie. Mary and Jesus or a saint) but these meticulously painted boards with dozens of Biblical scenes. Also some lovely tapestries and other religious items - just amazing works of handcrafted art.

[4774Papa]

Just a couple of comments about Athens. The port of Pireaus is HUGE! It can be a long HOT walk esp. to the subway - it is better to figure out how to take the bus that runs along the port to the subway entrance. Be aware there are many tricky people on the subway - pickpockets! So maybe you want to take a taxi in - the taxi drivers at that port are some of the most aggressive I have ever encountered. They probably will not want to just take you into the city - be prepared for a LONG spiel to convince you to spend the day with them.

 

On a more pleasant note :) - if you have been to Europe on other trips and would like an option to the "crumbles", there is a wonderful museum in Athens - the Byzantine Museum. Esp. if you are a Christian, there is the most amazing collection of icons - and not the usual icons (ie. Mary and Jesus or a saint) but these meticulously painted boards with dozens of Biblical scenes. Also some lovely tapestries and other religious items - just amazing works of handcrafted art.

The New Acropolis Museum is awesome as well, not to mention the Archaeological Museum.

[Rufferto]

We are a big fan of planning and doing things by ourselves. We do a lot of research on-line and even purchase tickets for trains and attractions this way. A lot of people are leery of using the subway system in a strange city. I found that subways are actually very easy to use. In Rome for example, I didn’t need fluency in Italian in order to figure out that the subway stop “Colosseo” was the Coliseum.

We are also used to walking great distances and don’t mind it, so some of what I suggest is not for everyone. Always wear comfortable shoes, and make sure you respect the dress code for certain religious sites.

Rome: Buy your tickets online for the major stuff (Vatican, Coliseum). You can skip lines by doing this. Avoid the Vatican on Wednesdays if possible- the Pope will be blessing the crowd that morning, so it will be more crowded that it usually is. Probably also very crowded on Sundays too. For something truly unique, creepy and easy to do, take a look at this: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuchin_Crypt "What you are now we used to be; what we are now you will be..."

Messina, Never been

Mykonos: Walked through the village, took a taxi to Paradise beach and rented some chairs, had some drinks and swam.

Rhodes: Never been

Ephesus, Took a Ship-guided tour to the ruins. The tour was great. After the tour they dropped us off in port and you could go to a Persian rug demonstration. This rug demonstration was nothing more than a hard sell for Persian carpets.

Santorini, Took the lift to the top, and walked around. Saw that blue-domed church that is pictured in EVERY SINGLE ADVERTISEMENT FOR GREECE TRAVEL :rolleyes:. After we took a taxi to the other side of the island, had a great lunch, then went back to the ship.

Athens Did the hop-on hop off bus. It was very hot. Be warned since you are going in July.

Naples: Took the ferry to Capri. Once there we rented a little motor boat and zipped around the island by ourselves. This was a lot of fun and turned out to be the highlight of our trip.

Naples part 2: The second time we didn’t actually stop at Naples, but you can do the same thing. We booked train tickets to Pompeii. Once at the Train station there, we took a taxi to the ruins and walked around all day. After we walked back to the train station (it’s not that far). We were there in October however. In July the ruins are bound to be very hot.

[Mr. Click]

We did Santorini in June 2011. We booked the ship's tour based on the information we got on our roll call, not on some Celebrity sales pitch. We also arrived at 2pm and there were already 5 or 6 ships in the harbor. No one mentioned a boat trip to Oai at that time, if it had been an option I might have gone for it because I love boats. In those days the ship's tour was $40 per person, included the cable car back down so it was not outrageous. Oh, the ship stopped to tender the ships tours people first, then it moved to another location to anchor and then tender the rest. At dinner that night and breakfast the next day we heard a lot of complaints from people who chose to go it on their own...Enough said on this topic... some of us like chocolate, some like vanilla, that is why they make both...I guess

[suec12]

Can anyone provide a link or the name of the company that offers the boat from the tender dock the side of the island near Oia? I tried googling this a couple of months ago but the websites that I "bumped into" did not seem to be offering this option any more. I am hoping this will be an option for our visit in Sept.

 

Another good link that I don't have, is the link to the website that provides the info of which ships and how many passengers will be in the port when you visit. That would make a huge difference in how you plan your visit. If yours will be the only ship, DIY should be manageable but if your ship is one of four or five of the monsters of the sea, it might be better to sign up for a tour.

[Wiltonian]

We did Santorini in June 2011. We booked the ship's tour based on the information we got on our roll call, not on some Celebrity sales pitch. We also arrived at 2pm and there were already 5 or 6 ships in the harbor. No one mentioned a boat trip to Oai at that time, if it had been an option I might have gone for it because I love boats. In those days the ship's tour was $40 per person, included the cable car back down so it was not outrageous. Oh, the ship stopped to tender the ships tours people first, then it moved to another location to anchor and then tender the rest. At dinner that night and breakfast the next day we heard a lot of complaints from people who chose to go it on their own...Enough said on this topic... some of us like chocolate, some like vanilla, that is why they make both...I guess

 

Clearly, the 2pm arrival was the fundamental issue; it changes all the usual advice.

 

Stuart

[ghstudio]

Lots of good advice. You don't need any tour in Mykonos...just walk around, walk up to the windmills, enjoy the day.

 

absolutely get a private guide for ephesus so you can go at your own pace. absolutely visit the terrace houses (extra admission). One thing that hasn't been mentioned...Warning: there are no bathrooms or food/drink stands inside the ephesus site....go to the bathroom before you start...bring your own water or whatever you will need....and bring a hat and sun tan lotion..it can be brutal.

 

If you are going to pompeii...again, get a private guide so you can go at your own pace. You can decide if you want to wait to see the more graphic parts (there is always a long line) or move on.

Edited February 26, 2015 by ghstudio

[4774Papa]

Lots of good advice. You don't need any tour in Mykonos...just walk around, walk up to the windmills, enjoy the day.

 

absolutely get a private guide for ephesus so you can go at your own pace. absolutely visit the terrace houses (extra admission). One thing that hasn't been mentioned...Warning: there are no bathrooms or food/drink stands inside the ephesus site....go to the bathroom before you start...bring your own water or whatever you will need....and bring a hat and sun tan lotion..it can be brutal.

 

If you are going to pompeii...again, get a private guide so you can go at your own pace. You can decide if you want to wait to see the more graphic parts (there is always a long line) or move on.

If you love ancient history, don't miss the island of Delos. You can still see Mykonos after going to Delos.

[chris_kelowna]

In Ephesus we had a tour with Ephesus Shuttle Private Day Tours. Our guide was Serkan and it was a wonderful tour. This was a real highlight of our trip. We shared the tour with two other couples and there was a driver as well as our guide. Highly recommended.

[MicCanberra]

Lots of great info my my Connie cruise next year. Thanks all.:D

[Mr. Click]

Yes, the 2pm arrival made a big difference. The plan worked well for us at that time and leaving late in the evening, 10pm departure allowed me to make a beautiful picture of the Santorini sunset :). Had it framed and hung it in our bedroom. Good memories.

[freddiebud]

We booked this cruise to for June 2016. I too am interested in the responses.:)

 

hey cactus baby - another Arizonan here. I am on this cruise in july 2015.

[freddiebud]

As suggested by another poster, get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports. He has taken his expertise in Europe and specifically tailored it to the cruise traveler. He tells you what there is to do in a port, how much you can do in the time allowed, how to do it, about what it will cost...You have lots of time to plan, change your mind and plan some more. EM

 

you can also download his audio tours and maps which I find quite helpful.

[kborth]

Which excursion are you recommending? I'm not sure what you mean by this one.

 

Thanks!

 

It was a full day tour to Sorrento, Positano and the Amalfi coast with lunch outside Positano. We did not go to Capri, just the coast and stopped in Sorrento and Amalfi . Amalfi is really beautiful. I don't have the brochure but it was fairly expensive and my husband didn't want to splurge but after he said it was fabulous and the tour guide was interesting and really delved into the history of Naples and the area. The bus travels quite high along the edge of the coast and it is thrilling.

[Onelung]

Messina - Been here once. Took the shore excursion with the ship to the amazing town of Taormina and then onwards to Mount Etna. Taormina and its views are spectacular. Amazing little streets with quaint shops, eateries and awesome views. Mount Etna is also amazing.

 

I'm thinking of doing this tour in September, would you recommend it? How long did it take to get to Taormina, I've seen conflicting information. Also, did you have neough time to see anything of Messina itself?

 

Thanks for any info.

 

Frances

[Onessa]

Rome - we've done a land tour there, one cruise with a day stop, and two cruises where it was either the departure or arrival point. All but one time we used recommendations from Rick Steve's tour books for hotels. Once we were their pre-cruise with Celebrity and got a great deal from them on hotel (seems to be a rare occurance, but the price was very competative to start with and included all xfers - airport to hotel, hotel to port, port to airport on the way back. That made it a great deal -- and also got us preferential treatment with the transfers).

 

I would suggest a minimum of two FULL days in Rome pre or post cruise - three would be better. And get out early! In July it will be very warm so early morning weather will be better and if you can beat the crowds you will appreciate everything a lot more.

 

Messina - we've done Taormina twice - once just walking around the town the second time we did a nature hike featuring the volcano. Both we arranged on our own. If you are just going to Taormina, there are taxi's waiting, spend some time negotiating for a round trip taxi. (the other tour we did, a friend of my BIL was living near Messina and he picked us up)

 

Mykonos - a ship's tour to Delos (part day) is great. Convenient and typically pretty price competative. Then walking around town and taking pictures.

 

Rhodes - is a great "on your own" port. I downloaded a pod-cast audio tour of the old town.

 

Ephesus - we did a ship's tour our first time and it was a great introduction. We were there in November however so it was temperate (in the 80's) and not too busy. There was a rug factory tour afterward, but it was in town and less than a block from the port, so we could pass on that. We were there another time earlier in autumn and it was warmer and busier. July will be warmer and busier -- a private (or smaller group) tour may be best. Check your cruises' board to see if there are some folks you may want to join up with.

 

Santorini - we have always been fortunate enough to be in Santorini when ours is the only ship in port. In July it is unlikely you will be in the same position. Even as the only ship in port, we have always done a ship's "on your own" excursion. The ship uses dedicated tenders for their excursions and the tenders land at a different spot where buses take you to Oia for a while and then to Fiera (I think there is a winery "tour" in there somewhere - I know people who have asked to be left off prior to the winery). If you want, you can tell the tour director when you get off at Oia, that you will not be rejoining the group and then get back to Fiera (by foot, by boat, by bus, by whatever) on your own. Even as the only ship in port, we have had tablemates or other pax tell us about how long it took to get a tender off the boat or get up the hill from where those tenders land. We have never had a issue getting down from Fiera to the tenders.

 

Athens - we've done a ships tour once, every other time we've done an on our own. The ship's tour is crowded -- several bus loads ending up at the Acropolis at the same time. The ship's tour is also well known for holding you hostage at some trinket shop in the middle of nowhere for a hour of your tour. We have just done public transit and wandered on our own with a guide book and have been quite happy with that. You can always grab a taxi back to port if you want and it is pretty affordable.

 

Naples is trickier - We've been quite happy with taxis to Pompeii or Herculeum. Naples public transportation has caused us some problems (we had a very slow train to Pompeii once, and on another occassion were there during one of Italy's strikes, and the traffic is so aggressive that walking to the station can be a bit scary :)) -- at the port you negotiate with a waiting taxi for a round trip and it is pretty affordable. If you want to tour the Amalfi coast, arrange for a private tour -- a mini van with an English speaking driver is all you need, the smaller vehicles can get in and out of the towns (coach buses not so much) and you can tailor your trip to your own tastes. We've never done Capri - there are just so many other things to see/do in Naples. If you want to check out a cameo factory, arrange it with your taxi driver or tour driver -- it is interesting (and not really very high-pressure).

Edited February 27, 2015 by Onessa

[MicCanberra]

Excellent tips, thanks to all.:D

[lawgirl]

It looks like you got lots of good responses.... For more and for any tour questions, I suggest you go to the ports forums on cc....they are full of info and where I always find guide and tour and port suggestions. Good luck

[MicCanberra]

It looks like you got lots of good responses.... For more and for any tour questions, I suggest you go to the ports forums on cc....they are full of info and where I always find guide and tour and port suggestions. Good luck

 

Cheers, will do.:D