Celebrity excursion: Historical Florence and Accademia Museum

[NCteacherlovescruising]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

If you haven’t done so already, please visit the Italy Port of Call forum here on CC (link below). You’ll find and can also inquire about recommended private tour operators. Hopefully you can put together (or join) a small group from your Roll Call. 
 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/464-italy-ports/

I have and they have been extremely helpful!  Thank you. My intent here was to see if anyone had done this Celebrity excursion and if so, were the Accademia tickets included. We liked this one because it hit about everything we wanted to see, including the Accademia, which is a high priority. We figured we could do it day 2 when we have to be back on the ship by 5. I found an excursion I like and posted it in our roll call. 

[tce40]

I did this tour, but back in 2019.  Yes, the skip-the-line tickets were included.  There was a lot of walking but we ended with a nice lunch at a restaurant there.  I had a great time.  Lots of walking 🙂

[NCteacherlovescruising]

14 minutes ago, tce40 said:

I did this tour, but back in 2019.  Yes, the skip-the-line tickets were included.  There was a lot of walking but we ended with a nice lunch at a restaurant there.  I had a great time.  Lots of walking 🙂

Did you have enough time to see all the major places, besides the Uffizi Museum? 

[tce40]

We walked to the center of town, by the Duomo and had time to shop around there, then went to the Accademia, which was great!  After that, we again, walked around different areas in Florence, the Ponte Vecchio bridge/shops and finally, met up at a nice restaurant on the side street, where they served us drinks/cocktails and a very good meal!  It took most of the day, because the drive from the port took at least an 1-1/2 hours, if I remember.  The drive through Tuscany is worth it.  When I go back, I'm going to spend my time there!  Someone on these boards recommended this trip and I'm happy I took it!  Did not have time for the Uffizi Museum.   Another time!

[JeanieC,Aston]

14 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Did you have enough time to see all the major places, besides the Uffizi Museum? 

Visited Florence a few times,,,in my opinion a tour is a waste of time,,,there is not much difference to ‘Florence on your Own’,,,,the coaches on both drops you at the same place,,,Florence is small enough to see most things in a day but not in depth.

I would swop Academia with timed entry to the Uffizi Gallery and its magnificent art.

Outside of the Uffizi in the piazza is an almost exact copy of Michelangelo's David.

Inside Santa Croce is a must,,,hundreds of places for lunch,,,,and don’t forget to rub the wild boars nose for luck in the Mercator Nuevo just along from the Ponta Vecchio.

 

The centre of Florence is really walkable.

Try one of the many food cafe bars for lunch in Mercado Central.

 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

6 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Visited Florence a few times,,,in my opinion a tour is a waste of time,,,there is not much difference to ‘Florence on your Own’,,,,the coaches on both drops you at the same place,,,Florence is small enough to see most things in a day but not in depth.

I would swop Academia with timed entry to the Uffizi Gallery and its magnificent art.

Outside of the Uffizi in the piazza is an almost exact copy of Michelangelo's David.

Inside Santa Croce is a must,,,hundreds of places for lunch,,,,and don’t forget to rub the wild boars nose for luck in the Mercator Nuevo just along from the Ponta Vecchio.

 

The centre of Florence is really walkable.

Try one of the many food cafe bars for lunch in Mercado Central.

 

If we were going there both days, I would go to Uffizi. Given a choice between the two, I’d prefer Accademia. The primary reason I want a tour is just getting there without hassle. We will be there in June. If the lines to go inside Santa Croce are long we would skip it, otherwise we will go in. I do plan on rubbing the nose and trying the coin. Lol

[JeanieC,Aston]

The centre of Florence is traffic free so the coach to do Florence on your Own or Florence Tour is not much different apart from the tour you are at the mercy of the guide and punctuality or not of the other 50 passengers on the coach,,,on both trips you are walking around.

The shuttle is probably half the price of the tour.

ps…the coaches park alongside the River Arno about a 10 min walk from Santa Croce.

[Iamthesea]

Tami - I am really surprised that no one on your Roll Call is interested in sharing a tour.  Since your cruise is not until next June, you still have plenty of time. Perhaps your RC is not in full swing yet! 😁

 

When we went to Florence, it was not from the ship.  We were staying over a few days in Rome after our cruise.  Took the train from there.  In Rome, the train station was right around the corner from where we stayed, Hotel Canada.  Great hotel!!!    We had no time restrictions other than to catch the last train back to Rome.  I think we actually took the next to last.   

 

Your tour to Siena looks fabulous!!!

[Saukkey1]

My husband and I just did this tour in June. We had a lot of OBC and hate dealing with organizing transportation. It was actual wonderful! The guide talked the entire ride there. Took us into the museum and and guided us around. She took us around town and then we had a lovely lunch. It was a long day, but because it was so crowded, we were happy to have someone organize it for us!

[NCteacherlovescruising]

10 hours ago, Saukkey1 said:

My husband and I just did this tour in June. We had a lot of OBC and hate dealing with organizing transportation. It was actual wonderful! The guide talked the entire ride there. Took us into the museum and and guided us around. She took us around town and then we had a lovely lunch. It was a long day, but because it was so crowded, we were happy to have someone organize it for us!

I canceled this yesterday. We had a lot of OBC but booked X excursions for every port to use it, except the overnight in Livorno. We had a bit left for this port, but mostly paid cash. Transportation was our main reason for booking it as well. Now I’m considering rebooking it. Did you feel like you missed out on anything doing this excursion?

[Saukkey1]

We, also had an overnight in Livorno. We did the Florence tour with the ship and loved it. I do wish we had done the Uffizi instead of The Accademia. The lunch was good in an old quaint Villa restaurant. The second spray we did the Tuscany farmhouse lunch. If that’s an option, I highly recommend it. It was perfect to have the long busy city day and the relaxed lunch the second day.  

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 hours ago, Saukkey1 said:

We, also had an overnight in Livorno. We did the Florence tour with the ship and loved it. I do wish we had done the Uffizi instead of The Accademia. The lunch was good in an old quaint Villa restaurant. The second spray we did the Tuscany farmhouse lunch. If that’s an option, I highly recommend it. It was perfect to have the long busy city day and the relaxed lunch the second day.  

Why do you wish you had went to Uffizi instead of the Accademia?  I really want to see the original statue of David. Is that all that was worth seeing there?  If we can’t find anyone to join us on a private excursion, perhaps we will repurchase this. 
 

The other day in Livorno we will have a private excursion that will take us to a beautiful winery with a tasting of 11 wines and 3 olive oils and balsamic vinegar, plus a steak lunch. The wine tasting included really good wines, including 6 D.O.C.G.!  We are splurging in this because we love nice wines and visiting a beautiful vineyard in Tuscany has been a longtime dream of mine. We are staying in Rome 5 nights post cruise so if we feel we didn’t see everything we wanted to in Florence, we could always make a day trip. 

[mahdnc]

23 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Why do you wish you had went to Uffizi instead of the Accademia?  I really want to see the original statue of David. Is that all that was worth seeing there?  If we can’t find anyone to join us on a private excursion, perhaps we will repurchase this. 
 

The other day in Livorno we will have a private excursion that will take us to a beautiful winery with a tasting of 11 wines and 3 olive oils and balsamic vinegar, plus a steak lunch. The wine tasting included really good wines, including 6 D.O.C.G.!  We are splurging in this because we love nice wines and visiting a beautiful vineyard in Tuscany has been a longtime dream of mine. We are staying in Rome 5 nights post cruise so if we feel we didn’t see everything we wanted to in Florence, we could always make a day trip. 

 

Uffizi is to Italy like the Louvre is to France. It houses many masterpieces from the Italian Renaissance. If you had to choose between the two as a casual tourist, go to the Accademia to see the iconic David. If you're an art lover and want to see paintings by Botticelli (including the iconic Birth of Venus), a da Vinci, and a Michelangelo, go to the Uffizi.

Edited July 29, 2023 by mahdnc

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Uffizi is to Italy like the Louvre is to France. It houses many masterpieces from the Italian Renaissance. If you had to choose between the two as a casual tourist, go to the Accademia to see the iconic David. If you're an art lover and want to see paintings by Botticelli (including the iconic Birth of Venus), a da Vinci, and a Michelangelo, go to the Uffizi.

I would fall into the first category. 

[mahdnc]

6 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I would fall into the first category. 

 

Then definitively skip the Uffizi. If I ever go back to Florence, I would like to tour the Uffizi for the first time. My wife would be bored though.