"Best of Florence and Pisa" Excursion

[Steven Pricharad]

Hi, we're going on a 7-day western Mediterranean on Oasis of the Seas (September 15 to 22,2024).

I was wondering if anyone has tried the "Best of Florence and Pisa" excursion.

Should I book this excursion? Never been to Europe and would like to see the Leaning Tower and see Florence.

I would appreciate any advice/tips. Thank you

LINK TO EXCURSION: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/shore-excursions/lsp/florence-pisa-italy/best-of-florence-pisa/ll97

[juanrod]

We did this excursion two years ago and loved Florence.   Our stop at Pisa was about 90 min and glad we spent more time in Florence vs Pisa .   Pisa area was packed,  but glad we saw it.   Have change to use bathrooms in Pisa, a guy stood at bathrooms outside of leaning tower area by McDonald’s and charged for toilet paper and use of bathroom.  The drive from Florence to Pisa is quite a while and you will need a bathroom 

[allie3490]

I recently spent 4 nights in Florence and could’ve used a couple more. No way will you experience this amazing city in just a few hours. And Pisa is a tourist trap. Complete waste of time 

[little britain]

Pisa is very overrated. Go to Florence. 
Get off the ship and get on your way asap as it’s a long way 

 

https://global.flixbus.com/bus-routes/bus-florence-la-spezia

Edited March 10 by little britain

[Izzywiz]

Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or money to spend on extended visits to places of interest so, although it would be a more immersive experience to stay for longer, I would encourage the OP to use this excursion as a taster of a wonderful part of Italy. The bus journey also gives people a chance to get an overview of the area. 
Both Florence and Pisa have their attractions, especially if you haven’t been before.

[George C]

We did a fantastic private tour with Papillon, had 8 of us , others were from our roll call, same brief stop in Pisa, had skip the line passes for museum with David for those interested (we loved it) , then stopped at a organic vineyard for free wine tasting on way back . This was 8 ago and cost a hundred each , driver was excellent guide. 

[jacobtsf]

Do a private or small group tour. It will be about the same amount of money, and you will get a much better experience. You will have a guide for your small group as opposed to 1 guide for a bus full (or more) of people, you will get in and out of places quicker (the vans can get much closer to the sites than the busses), and you will get more time where you want. 

[RobInMN]

In 2018 we did the Western Med from Rome to Rome on Symphony. This was the last stop for us, and by this point, we were kind of exhausted. We had originally booked this tour, but changed it to Florence-only. My wife was told by people in Rome that if you want Italian leather, Florence is the place to go, so Florence beat Pisa.

Pisa is 1.5 hours from port, Florence 2 hours, and there's 1.5 hours between them. The bus time is 5 hours. As it was explained to us by the Shore Excursion team, Pisa was essentially a 30 minute photo-stop. Florence requires (or did at that time) that busses park about a 30 minute walk from where you want to go (so that's another hour). I want to say that there was also some walking distance in Pisa also, but don't recall exactly.

The ship's tours did not include tickets to the museum where David is. 

Switching to the Florence only tour added a stop at a leather factory. That was just a shopping stop for overpriced leather goods. The guided tour was limited, but there was a lot of free shopping time. Could have probably used this to go to the David museum also. There was a lot of waiting for others.

 

I don't know if I could honestly recommend either ship's tour here. If I were doing this stop again, I would seriously look at a private or small group tour that might be able to park closer and only do the things you want to.

 

[CynBeth6]

We went on a Med cruise in July. My Mother was with us and knew it would be too much for us to do both in 1 day so decided to just stick with Pisa. There were taxis waiting right outside the terminal in Livorno and we worked out a price with the driver and a time for him to pick us back up where he dropped us off pretty close. I had booked tickets ahead of time for the Field of Miracles attractions including the time for my husband and I to climb the tower while she waited for us at the coat room area where there was seating. After that we had just enough time for lunch at a cafe. 

[ajtaylor29]

I second other comments that you should try to do private excursions in the med if you can. Taking the ship excursions will involve a busload of people, which is slower and harder to get around and see the sites. You spend valuable time loading and unloading the bus! We've been several times now and almost always book private excursions. We feel like we get to see more and beat the crowds, especially if you're headed to a tourist area.

BTW, you might try looking on the ports of call boards here for advise of others who are doing this same route. I always find great tips and advise there! Also, look for a roll call for your sailing?