NCL Secret Shuttle - Livorno?

[AstoriaPreppy]

Considered posting on the NCL board, but this is port-specific. 

 

Word on the streets is that NCL has a $25 port - Livorno Centrale train station shuttle bus, but it's only offered onboard and they don't like to talk about it. Does anyone have any specifics on if this shuttle is still running as of 2023, and experience using it?

 

We're currently booked on a ship-sponsored "on your own" tour to Florence (mostly as a brainless transfer). However, we're experienced navigating regional trains in Italy if this shuttle would save money/offer more time/flexibility in Florence. 

[Girr]

I was on the Epic earlier this month and asked the concierge about the shuttle to the train station, and it wasn't offered.  What was offered was a shuttle service to Piazza del Municipio which is a little over 1.5 miles from the central train station.  If I remember correctly the cost was around 7 euro per person.  At the piazza it was a zoo - lots of ships in port that day.  I did notice a lot of buses picking up people to transport them on to Pisa, Florence, Lucca, etc. from the piazza.  (One bus had a sign on it with the name tuscanybus.com).  There were plenty of taxis at the port so if you can find a taxi to take you directly to the train station it would probably be a better option.

[MeHeartCruising]

11 hours ago, Girr said:

I was on the Epic earlier this month and asked the concierge about the shuttle to the train station, and it wasn't offered.  What was offered was a shuttle service to Piazza del Municipio which is a little over 1.5 miles from the central train station.  If I remember correctly the cost was around 7 euro per person.  At the piazza it was a zoo - lots of ships in port that day.  I did notice a lot of buses picking up people to transport them on to Pisa, Florence, Lucca, etc. from the piazza.  (One bus had a sign on it with the name tuscanybus.com).  There were plenty of taxis at the port so if you can find a taxi to take you directly to the train station it would probably be a better option.

 

With the above info ^^^, you could take a city bus from Piazza del Municipio to the train station.   We did this in reverse on our visit (years ago).  It was not a long ride at all.

[mapleleaves]

When I was on the Epic 3 yrs ago, shuttle tickets were available from the Excursion Desk.  Shuttle info was just a brief line posted in the Daily the day before arriving to Livorno.  They charged my cabin. 

You might try asking on an Epic FBook group for current info. 

 

[Girr]

1 hour ago, mapleleaves said:

When I was on the Epic 3 yrs ago, shuttle tickets were available from the Excursion Desk.  Shuttle info was just a brief line posted in the Daily the day before arriving to Livorno.  They charged my cabin. 

You might try asking on an Epic FBook group for current info. 

 

This has changed - was on the Epic just this month.  While NCL is providing a shuttle in Palma and Ibiza for a fee, in Livorno the shuttle is being offered by the city (it was a little strange as sometimes they were city buses, but other times excursion style buses.)  The Excursion Desk (or the concierge) doesn't offer the tickets.  You have to get off the ship and line up to acquire tickets.  Then as I mentioned above you still need to get to the train station.  Depending upon the number in your group by the time you pay for multiple shuttle tickets if you can get a taxi at the port it could be cheaper and a little less stressful in making train connections.  

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Girr said:

if you can get a taxi at the port it could be cheaper and a little less stressful in making train connections.  

 

The key is this phrase "if you can get"....

 

Many of the taxis are quite aggressive about only taking full-day tours for much higher prices. 

 

If you can find a dispatcher, talk to them. Taxis are supposed to take whatever fare presents itself, but in Livorno it can be particularly tough to convince them. Passengers probably stand the best chance if they are among the first off the ship, as a taxi would have time to get them to the station and then get back in the queue for a longer fare.

[Girr]

Cruisemom, absolutely concur about the “if”, and this year it seems worse than usual in getting a cab in Italy (read the other day Rome has less than 9000 taxis!). 
 

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 7/25/2023 at 9:25 PM, Girr said:

I was on the Epic earlier this month and asked the concierge about the shuttle to the train station, and it wasn't offered.  What was offered was a shuttle service to Piazza del Municipio which is a little over 1.5 miles from the central train station.  If I remember correctly the cost was around 7 euro per person.  At the piazza it was a zoo - lots of ships in port that day.  I did notice a lot of buses picking up people to transport them on to Pisa, Florence, Lucca, etc. from the piazza.  (One bus had a sign on it with the name tuscanybus.com).  There were plenty of taxis at the port so if you can find a taxi to take you directly to the train station it would probably be a better option.

 

On 7/26/2023 at 9:11 AM, MeHeartCruising said:

 

With the above info ^^^, you could take a city bus from Piazza del Municipio to the train station.   We did this in reverse on our visit (years ago).  It was not a long ride at all.

 

20 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

The key is this phrase "if you can get"....

 

Many of the taxis are quite aggressive about only taking full-day tours for much higher prices. 

 

If you can find a dispatcher, talk to them. Taxis are supposed to take whatever fare presents itself, but in Livorno it can be particularly tough to convince them. Passengers probably stand the best chance if they are among the first off the ship, as a taxi would have time to get them to the station and then get back in the queue for a longer fare.

 

Thanks for all the details everyone, and TBH a bit sad the shuttle to the train isn't offered anymore. We're not really interested in the center of town shuttle + taxi/bus to the station + train, or doing the (admittedly cheap Tuscany Bus). At that point we've likely blown any time benefit getting into Florence ourselves would have offered.

 

We'll still ask onboard, but will likely just stick with the NCL "on your own" transfer to/from Florence at this point. We've already booked tickets for the Accademia and Uffizi, so we should be able to maximize our limited time in the city!

[ollienbertsmum]

I have been to Livorno a few times with RCCL and NCL.   We are also typically DIYers and have been to Livorno itself using the shuttle to the town centre.  Pisa and Lucca on the train using the NCL shuttle direct to the station and then the ‘Florence on Your Own’ ship tour when I knew that the shuttle to the station was not guaranteed.  I felt that the latter was expensive as a simple bus seat, but we had enough time in Florence to see what we wanted and I think I would do it that way if I went again.  

[Stonymtncruiser]

We were there in Nov 2022. Off the ship early and took a cab to the train station then on to the train to Florence. Cab was inexpensive split between 2 couples. We were able to extend our stay in Florence by doing this ourselves rather than using the ship. 

[MeHeartCruising]

22 hours ago, Stonymtncruiser said:

We were there in Nov 2022. Off the ship early and took a cab to the train station then on to the train to Florence. Cab was inexpensive split between 2 couples. We were able to extend our stay in Florence by doing this ourselves rather than using the ship. 

 

Correct.  This is no doubt the best way for DIY'ers to go from the port to the train station.  Unfortunately, it is not always easy to accomplish.  Not all taxi drivers will take this fare.  You won't know until you get there if it will work or not.  In my case, we did find a taxi to take us to the station like this poster.  However, we had 4 or 5 drivers who told us they would not take us before we finally found one to do it.  We also teamed up with another small group to fill the cab and reduce the per-person price.

 

Also, when we arrived back to the Livorno train station after the day in Florence there were zero taxis waiting at the station to take us anywhere.  We waited for several minutes and none showed.  We asked a worker inside the station if he could call them and he shrugged his shoulders and did nothing.  We finally ended up getting on a city bus and riding it to the main square in town where we caught the ship shuttle bus back to the port.  

 

Moral of my story... have a plan.  Have a backup plan.  Know your options so you can make decisions as needed.  Have fun.

[Guest]

On 7/26/2023 at 9:11 AM, MeHeartCruising said:

 

With the above info ^^^, you could take a city bus from Piazza del Municipio to the train station.   We did this in reverse on our visit (years ago).  It was not a long ride at all.

Did the city bus accept tap to pay cards or will I need Euros? Doing this Dec 3rd and was considering jogging to the train station since everything seems like such a cluster.

[Girr]

12 minutes ago, Cajundragon said:

Did the city bus accept tap to pay cards or will I need Euros? Doing this Dec 3rd and was considering jogging to the train station since everything seems like such a cluster.

The shuttle takes credit cards or euros.

[cruisingteachers4]

Are you allowed to walk off the ship into town, or are you required to pay for a shuttle to leave the ship?

[MeHeartCruising]

15 hours ago, Cajundragon said:

Did the city bus accept tap to pay cards or will I need Euros? Doing this Dec 3rd and was considering jogging to the train station since everything seems like such a cluster.

 

I don't recall.  I know we paid Euros.  This was several years ago, so it also could have changed since then.

[MeHeartCruising]

10 hours ago, cruisingteachers4 said:

Are you allowed to walk off the ship into town, or are you required to pay for a shuttle to leave the ship?

 

No.  It is an industrial port and you are not permitted to walk into town from the port.  You need to use the shuttle bus if you're not going on a paid excursion.

[cruisingteachers4]

10 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

No.  It is an industrial port and you are not permitted to walk into town from the port.  You need to use the shuttle bus if you're not going on a paid excursion.

Then I think I'll call the shuttle bus a "paid excursion" as well. 🙂

[Girr]

On 10/1/2023 at 4:17 PM, Cajundragon said:

Did the city bus accept tap to pay cards or will I need Euros? Doing this Dec 3rd and was considering jogging to the train station since everything seems like such a cluster.

Oops, scanned thru your message too fast so I probably didn’t fully answer. Shuttle-yes takes card.  As to the bus, somebody recently reported it was free with the shuttle, but I don’t have first hand experience. In researching I see the bus for the train station is on Via Grande, and there’s a newsstand on the Piazza Grande that sells tickets. Hopefully someone will be here soon with personal experience.