Port to town transportation

[pmamolou]

First time cruiser, but experienced traveler here.

 

For the NCL Greece/Italy cruise I am scheduled for in September, I know that the port in many stops is not really near the destination (Athens, Rome, Florence, even Santorini for example.)

 

Do I need to pre-plan transportation in these cases?  I don't think I want to spend a day in Piraeus and I know that port is half an hour from Athens proper..

 

I am guessing that ship sponsored excursions are one solution, but I really prefer to explore on my own.

 

 

 

 

[Essiesmom]

Get a copy of Rick Steve’s Mediterranean Cruise Ports.  He tells you how to navigate the ports on your own, what kinds of tours might be available, etc.  The Ports of call boards here will give you a lot of advice, also.  We took the train into Rome and explored on our own.  We took the tender into Santorini and wandered on our own.  The first time to Livorno we took the ships tour to Pisa and Luca.  Second time we took the ship transfer to Florence on Your Own.  Drop off there and tell you what time to be back.  Most calls to Florence dock in Livorno, but some use a different port so I am not familiar with those options.  EM

[XBGuy]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  There are a lot of resources on this site, and I think a couple of them might be helpful to you regarding your question.

 

There is a "Ports of Call" page where people can discuss questions regarding specific ports..  This link will take you to a directory, and from there you can drill down to specific ports.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2-ports-of-call/

 

Another idea would be to check the "Roll Call" for your cruise.  A Roll Call is a specific forum for a specific cruise.  Cruisers on a specific cruise get to meet each other and socialize.  Typically, these people are experienced cruisers and, often, have visited specific ports previously.  I would bet, they would love to take a new cruiser under their wing.  If you look at the top of this page you will see a "Find Your Roll Call" link.  It is a bit tedious to find your Roll Call, but you drill down through the cruise line, through the ship to the exact cruise.  Again, I think you might find it useful.

 

 

 

[wcook]

You want to pre-plan, but not necessarily pre-buy. The only one that’s hard is Florence, which is a PITA to get to from a ship in Livorno. Consider the ship’s Florence on your own or pre-arrange transportation.

[navybankerteacher]

28 minutes ago, wcook said:

You want to pre-plan, but not necessarily pre-buy. The only one that’s hard is Florence, which is a PITA to get to from a ship in Livorno. Consider the ship’s Florence on your own or pre-arrange transportation.

Or, if there is a likelihood of your getting to Florence (which deserves several days) on land travel, save it for such a time when you won’t be frustrated by the long travel which leaves too little time - and go to Luca, which is worth the time and can be fairly done on a cruise stop.

[ldubs]

Another resource is a website named "whatsinport.com".  It provides information on transportation options at cruise ports.    

[John Bull]

At many ports the ship will provide (usually payable) shuttles from port to centre.

If a destination is a little further they'll sell "Athens (or wherever) on-your-own" return transport. On your cruise that includes Civitavecchia to Rome, sometimes  for Rome  a cruise line will charter a train instead of coaches (buses).

I don't know if "Florence on-your-own" is an option, but NCL is the one (and only?) cruise line to provide (payable) shuttles between ship and Livorno Centrale train station as well as Livorno city centre - the station can be difficult  to get to by other means. Direct trains to Florence 🙂

 

 

"**** On Your Own" tends to be poor value compared to local public transport, but sometimes it's worth it to avoid complications

 

These ship-sponsored options are in addition to offering complete guided tours

 

JB 🙂

[ldubs]

5 minutes ago, John Bull said:

At many ports the ship will provide (usually payable) shuttles from port to centre.

If a destination is a little further they'll sell "Athens (or wherever) on-your-own" return transport. On your cruise that includes Civitavecchia to Rome, sometimes  for Rome  a cruise line will charter a train instead of coaches (buses).

I don't know if "Florence on-your-own" is an option, but NCL is the one (and only?) cruise line to provide (payable) shuttles between ship and Livorno Centrale train station as well as Livorno city centre - the station can be difficult  to get to by other means. Direct trains to Florence 🙂

 

 

"**** On Your Own" tends to be poor value compared to local public transport, but sometimes it's worth it to avoid complications

 

These ship-sponsored options are in addition to offering complete guided tours

 

JB 🙂

 

We did Florence "our our own" excursion back prior to COVID.  It was an RCI ship.   

Edited January 29, 2023 by ldubs

[sanger727]

yes, you certainly want to pre-plan. You can still do it on your own.

 

For example, in Santorini there are several businesses directly off the ship that will boat you to Oia and bus you back. In Rome you can take the train (although that would be quite a long day). But no, If you get off the ship and expect to walk/taxi to a sight of interest without any pre-planning you will likely be disappointed. 

[pdmlynek]

On 1/29/2023 at 1:55 PM, pmamolou said:

Do I need to pre-plan transportation in these cases?  I don't think I want to spend a day in Piraeus and I know that port is half an hour from Athens proper..

I am not sure what you mean by "pre-plan".  If you mean "plan", as in, read up what is available in each port, then yes, go ahead and do that.  If you mean to buy tickets ahead of time, then no.

 

In Athens, there are plenty of ways of get between the port and the city: bus, metro, taxi, etc.  In Santorini you just walk up the hill and catch a bus on the top.