Specific Portofino / RCL Question

[gail-s]

I'm asking this here because it's specific to the excursion from RCL in Portofino.  Has anyone done the Portofino, Rapallo & St.Margherita or the Cinque Terre: Monterosso & Vernazza excursions?  Could you share your thoughts on them?  Please do not respond 100 times with "You can book your own tour so much cheaper" or "Just do it yourself".  That's not what I'm asking.  I'm asking about these 2 specific RCL excursions  and opinions from people on those particular trips.  Thanks. 

[basenji56]

Good question.  I am booked on Portofino, Rapallo & St.Margherita. 

[gail-s]

That's the trip I was thinking of booking.  I wasn't sure if there was a pro or con to either.  

[basenji56]

9 minutes ago, gail-s said:

That's the trip I was thinking of booking.  I wasn't sure if there was a pro or con to either.  

Cinque Terre is amazing.  No cons that I know of.

 

[gail-s]

I think the cinque terra trip is a longer day (9 hours) and involves a train. I wasn’t sure how long the transitions from place to place took. Having the long trip to Florence the next day, I was leaning toward something with a bit less travel. 

[nelblu]

56 minutes ago, gail-s said:

I think the cinque terra trip is a longer day (9 hours) and involves a train. I wasn’t sure how long the transitions from place to place took. Having the long trip to Florence the next day, I was leaning toward something with a bit less travel. 

The one that we took some years ago involved a train and a boat ride.  Our idiot guide gave the wrong meeting place to some and she was panicking as a bunch were missing.  Then she tried to make up ground by rushing and speed walking and my poor my wife was having a difficult time keeping up.  We took the tour in August and if I recall the temps was a bit over 100.

 

The countryside was beautiful and hopefully you will get a chance to see rows and rows of Sunflowers before they are picked and turned into Sunflower oil and the Carrara marble deposits.

[gail-s]

Oh my gosh how annoying!  The guide really does make or break the trip. 

[gail-s]

Thanks for the responses!  I went with the Portofino trip.