DIY Excursions from cruise ports.

[DOBIN OF THE SEA]

Hi I am in a group of 20 plus people who are on a RC cruise in Oct.23  to celebrate a birthday, some are questioning if t is possible just to get off the ship and book your own excursions to most destinations from stalls e.t.c. around the port as some do not want to pre-book and see how they feel and what weather is like on the day, we are landing at the following ports :- La Spezia, Civitavecchia and Naples - any ideas, assistance would be greatly appreciiated.

[princeton123211]

45 minutes ago, DOBIN OF THE SEA said:

Hi I am in a group of 20 plus people who are on a RC cruise in Oct.23  to celebrate a birthday, some are questioning if t is possible just to get off the ship and book your own excursions to most destinations from stalls e.t.c. around the port as some do not want to pre-book and see how they feel and what weather is like on the day, we are landing at the following ports :- La Spezia, Civitavecchia and Naples - any ideas, assistance would be greatly appreciiated.

I'll preface what I'm about to say with the fact that I am not an "excursion person"-- unless there is something that would be difficult to see on my own or I might risk the chance of not making the ship on the way back I generally try to do my own thing. 

 

That being said-- winging it with 20 people you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. If the plan is for everyone to do the same thing you are going to have to, at very least, agree on a general plan and set up transportation in advance. If everyone is fine breaking up and doing their own things, then planning ahead is less important. 

 

Traveling with 20 people in any situation is a tall order and the more organized you are ahead of time the smoother it will go and the less disappointment there will be. 

[CruiserBruce]

Just walk off the ship with 20 people and grab a tour? Or small groups?

 

Europe is not like many other locations for tour vendor availability at the ports. I would definitely not plan on that option.

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, DOBIN OF THE SEA said:

just to get off the ship and book your own excursions to most destinations from stalls e.t.c. around the port

Also worth mentioning that these are major European ports and cities-- there aren't stalls and vendors hawking their tours even close to the level that you find in the Caribbean. 

[mapleleaves]

For the most part you will dock at large commercial ports with limited or no accessibility by vendors, so there won't be stalls.  At most you'll find taxis.

So last minute excursions?  no.  DIY exploring? most definitely. 

 

You'll be close to train stations so it's easy enough for you (and 19 friends) to catch a train to a city and explore for the day.  However, some activities/sites are very popular and require advance reservations.  ie in Civi you can easily catch a train into Rome to visit the major sites on your own. However if you want a tour INSIDE the Colosseum you need a tour reserved in advance .  So all of you need to do a little research to determine what you want to see and do ..... some people will be fine with a photo opp outside the Vatican while others will want a prearranged tour for 3 hrs.  

 

 

[Ine]

Get in touch with eg. this tour operator, who can help you planning to make the right excursions.

As mentioned donot expect to arrange it at the dock with such a large group. https://www.italytours.eu/private-tours/

Edited November 24, 2022 by Ine

[marazul]

We often travel with other couples.  We have a rule - every couple decides what they want to do during the day and make their own arrangements and everyone meets back at the ship for cocktails before dinner.

It works like a charm.  

When several people want to go to the same place, say the Vatican Museums, we coordinate to sign up for a joint tour.

[Tbird58]

On 11/24/2022 at 5:09 AM, DOBIN OF THE SEA said:

Hi I am in a group of 20 plus people who are on a RC cruise in Oct.23  to celebrate a birthday, some are questioning if t is possible just to get off the ship and book your own excursions to most destinations from stalls e.t.c. around the port as some do not want to pre-book and see how they feel and what weather is like on the day, we are landing at the following ports :- La Spezia, Civitavecchia and Naples - any ideas, assistance would be greatly appreciiated.

I've been to these ports several times and I always set up my own excursions with recommended tour companies since I'm not into the big busses of 100 people in a group.  20 is do able - but you need to be organized.  I can recommend tour companies I've used and they always get you back to the ship in plenty of time.  They know their business is based on recommendations.  Check out Joe Banana Tours, Italy tour sharing, Tiber limos.  Once you get info on their sites and you can choose the tour you want, send to your friends.  Pricing with all the companies is dependent on the number of people you have in your group.  If you want to see the Vatican, check out Eternity tours.  Good Luck!

[melday]

In Naples we've used AP Tours twice. The tours are phenomenal, priced right, drivers are wonderful as they know all the secret spots the buses can't get to. I know they do several other ports in Italy. Don't know about accommodating a big party but its worth a shout out. Good luck!

[ollienbertsmum]

With 20 people in your group you certainly have options to book some good value group tours.  It will work out much better value than going on one of the 50 person ship tours, so a little planning would get you a private car for the day.  
 

You do however need to decide in advance what you want to see.  Naples for example offers the Amalfi coast (still not done it after about 6 port stops in Naples), Pompeii, Herculaneum,  a walk around Naples (October is a good time of the year for this),  trip to Capri or a hike to see the volcano. 
 

Some of you will want to do different activities.  Even in my family of four we have split up on some trips.  On one of our stops in Rome, youngest daughter and i wanted to visit the Vatican museum, DH and eldest went elsewhere (no idea where, but they were happy).  We met up on the train going back to the port.  
 

So with a bit of homework you can make informed decisions.  Google will help you.  Read a few trip reviews.  Look at what is available from each port. 

 

Most reputable firms will offer money back if your ship fails to dock (bad weather or engine problems).  Make sure everyone pays up front and don’t plan for everyone though.  

[Hlitner]

Am watching this thread with a lot of interest.  I cannot imagine trying to plan anything with a group of 20 which is why this sounds fascinating.  But I will agree with CruiserBruce that you will generally not be able to make group arrangements (for 20) when you get off the ship.  If you want to stay together as a group you will need to pre-book (well in advance) private tours.   

 

What gets complicated with groups is whether they all want to do the same things   For example, when in Naples some might want to spend time going to ruins like Pompeii.  Others might prefer to spend the day taking a fast jetboat over to Capri.  You might even have a few who would prefer taking the train up to Caserta.  

 

Whatever you choose to do we wish you a great cruise/trip.

 

Hank

[ollienbertsmum]

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 I cannot imagine trying to plan anything with a group of 20 which is why this sounds fascinating.  

 

 

Hank - i went on a cruise in a group of 16 (parents and teenagers). One of the stops was St Petersburg.  I organised a bus for all of us to do a two day tour.  This was great value in comparison with what we would have got through RCL.  Day one, second stop was the hermitage, one teenager and one adult were already planning to stay on the ship on day 2!   I got criticized by my husband for the food arranged for day one.  I insisted that i was in Russia so borscht was a requirement.  I liked it.  
 

No one was interested in going to the ballet with the company i booked.  I didnt push them.    On the day of the trip they changed their minds.   They had to book their own and paid more, went on a coach and had seats at the back.  We all enjoyed it.
 

We all made our own plans for the other ports.  Some of the plans coincided, most  didn’t.  it was one of the best cruises ever.    
 

The point of the post is to say that it can be done as long as you set out the ground rules and plan ahead.  

[CruiserBruce]

Noticed the OP has never come back...