Florence and Rome opting for the train into these cities

Unfortunately, Royal Caribeann's Brillaince has no shuttle from the ship to Livorno Piazza Grande where one could then take a taxi to the train station...Anyone out there find a reasonable solution to this (other than attempting to board another ship line shuttle?)

There were plenty of taxis waiting for us in Livorno - we were on the Grandeur. Best to get off a little before 7:00 to be one of the first - taxi drivers are all hoping for an all day booking and don't want to waste their time going to and from the train station. At 7:00 there were dozens of idle taxis.

Peter

fodorspeter:

Thank you so much for this info...such a great, practical solution! So, it would seem that an earlier morning than usual is the "ticket"!

mixx - you're welcome. I'd be glad to give you some tips for the ports we were at if you'd like - Villefranche, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples and Malta. In addition, since we had paid for the expensive airfare to Barcelona, we opted to spend four days post-cruise on the island of Mallorca just a short plane ride from Barcelona. It was wonderful.

Peter

Peter:

If you have some time to share any of those tips I'd appreciate it immensely! Unfortunately, due to time constraints, my trip will entail the flight into Barcelona the day the cruise begins with no time on the other end either... I doubt that I'll be able to even see much of Barcelona at all (nevermind Mallorca) but one can always hope for a return visit, nes pas? P.S. On the return from the train station re: my earlier query~ Will there be taxis at the train station willing to accomadate? Thanks again! Any in-put is appreciated!

Pam

And: Malta? Not on my itinerary, sad to say! Again, another time perhaps!

Busy at work so this IS in bits & pieces!

The other ports for Brilliance's cruise:

Dubrovnik and Corfu...Have you any info to share there as well?

Naples:

Am thinking of planning to see Pompeii and the towns of Positano and Revello on the Amalfi coast. Too much in one day ? If do-able, how best to plan?

[This message was edited by mixx on 05-26-04 at 11:22 AM.]

Pam - can't help with Dubrovnik and Corfu.

Naples - after our first three port intensive days, we were ready for something easy. We really wanted to see Pompeii, but it was the train thing again and the weather was forecasted to be in the 90's and it gets even hotter in the digs, so we went to Capri on the hydrofoil. It was a nice 40 minute ride over to the Marina. We opted not to see the Blue Lagoon as there were long, long lines. I took off on a two hour easy walking hike through the woods, up the mountain (all concrete paved path) to the Grande Arche - it was impressive - first time I looked down on the seagulls flying around. My wife and daughters browsed thru the shops - they have them all from do-it-yourself perfume shops to Prado. We met and ate at a wonderfull restaurant built into the side of the mountain overlooking the Marina. We spent almost three hours there eating and drinking wine (not the daughters - well maybe one glass). My wife bought the most comfortable pair of hand-made leather sandals she has ever owned. A leisurely hydrofoil back to the ship topped off the day. To do both Pompeii and drive the amalfi coast (need to hire a driver) would be very ambitious. The traffic on the coast road can be really awful during the summer and seeing a mile or two of the coast in two hours wouldn't be worth it in my opinion. Pompeii and lunch in Sorrento would be good or Capri and Sorrento is definitely doable as they are all connected to Naples via hydrofoil.

Villefranche - don't know if you're going there but you have several good choices. By train, head north towards Monte Carlo - about twenty minutes by train. Before you get there, get off at Eze de Mur (by the sea) - the actual village is up the hill - tough walk, we took a bus (bus stop right accross the street from the train station). A very interesting old village with a perfume factory and lots of little shops. On to Monte Carlo to see the Palace, the Seaquarium museum, the Casino and the Marina - most beautiful city I have ever seen. Or you can go south to Nice to see the flower market and the Promenade des Anglais (beach area).

Florence - train station is very centrally located - everything you'd want to see is within a ten square block area from the station. Tip on riding trains in Italy - there are little yellow metal boxes positioned around the station and the tracks - you need to validate your ticket in those boxes whenever you are to board a train. The conductor will look for those punches and will be quite upset if yours isn't punched. You can get off and back on the train at any stop between where you got on and your destination. This is helpful if you are going to attempt to see both Pisa and Florence. We didn't, but people with us did. Put the Ponte Vecchio bridge on your list of things to see in Florence. It is located near many good restaurants so a good place to target for lunch time. Good leather bargains in Florence. Taxis are a little harder to find on the return to Livorno - we waited about 15 minutes for one.

Rome - I would plan to do either the Vatican area or ancient Rome (coleseum, forum, trevi, spanish steps, panteon, piazza navona) but not both - too much in too little a time. We did ancient and did lunch at Piaza Navona in one of their open air cafes - great. Also rented on of those horse drawn carriages to go from the Pantheon to the Spanish Steps - pricey, but great. Don't forget to try the gelato (ice cream) in Italy - way better than the stuff we get here in the States.

I know this was long, but hope it helps.

Peter

Many thanks, Peter!

Excellent suggestions!

And re: Naples ~ I thought Amalfi & Pompeii would be a bit much...

(Very good info on the Florence train, thanks too)

Yes, Monte Carlo would be hard to miss!

Too bad you don't have tips for ~Venice~? Any one out there who does?

I do appreciate your taking the time to be so very helpful.

Hellow Peter & Mixx

Peter - your posted information have been the most detailed (i.e. train ticket, the 40 min. ride, the paved path, the gelato, etc.) message that I have read thus far and I truly appreciate it ! And for that I'd like to ask you a few Q's:

Did you use the ship's excursions and if so, do you recommend any? Were you and your family on your own on most of the ports?

You had mention you visited the Seaquarium museum in Villefranche, how was it and would recommend it? [my husband is an aquarist and would love the idea of visiting such "museum"]...

How much should we expect to spend on transportations on each ports (i.e. the hydrofoil and train)?

Also, I have heard from many different sources that in italy, rome and perhaps even barcelona, there has been incidents of pickpocketing...did you or someone you know experienced this? [just a side note of caution]...

I sure do appreciate your insight !

Tammy.

BOS 8/6/04 (Barcelona/Villefranche/Rome/Naples/Venice/Dubrovnik/Corfu/Flo)

MOS 1/17/04

NOS 8/03

VOS 12/02

AOS 8/02

ECSTASY 12/01

MOS 8/18/01

In Villefranche we took the train north to Monte Carlo which is where we visited the seaquarium museum. It was interesting to our oldest daughter who is a Jacques Cousteau fan. She and my wife went in the museum and I was busy with my youngest daughter trying to get pictures of the Grand Prix. They fence off the streets and put plywood over it so you can't see in. They want you to pay a price to see the race. I couldn't even tell you what specifically was in the museum. My daughter was excited so it must have been worthwhile. The train rountrip per person was about $4.00. Its about a half mile walk from the tender dock to the train station.

In Livorno, a taxi to the train station was $25. The train to Florence was about $6.00 round trip per person. The train station in Florence is right in the middle of anything you'd want to do. About ten blocks in any direction will get it done - easy walk.

Civitavecchia - again, about $25 for the taxi to the train station. Train to Termini station (for ancient Rome verses St. Pietro for the Vatican) was about $6.00 per person. We did have a pickpocket incident in Rome. Some teenage girls came up to my wife with a map and put it on top of her fanny pack (she was wearing it in front) and pointed to the map and asked her a question in Italian. One of the other girls began unzipping the pack when an Italian passerby started yelling at the girls and they ran away.

Naples - the hydrofoil station for Capri was about 100 yards from where our ship docked. The cost was around $15 per person round trip. Now, you can only buy your tickets one-way for some reason so you have to buy another one-way when you come back. Tip - you can use a credit card (which I always prefered to do to get the best exchange rate) to go over to Capri, but the ticket booth in Capri will only take cash - so I had to run to the nearest ATM to get back on the second last hydrofoil of the day.

Malta - we employed a taxi driver for the day for $85 plus tip. Make sure you get an airconditioned taxi. He took us to Golden Beach (not a nude beach - most are I guess), the Craft Village (glass blowers, etc) and then back to the ship.

Peter

Well, all in all, the transportaion fees aren't so bad. they're pretty nominal. Glad to hear your trip was saved by an italian semaritan. We will have to be extremely observant during our visit.

Thank you Peter for your quick reply. And your information are very helpful !

Tammy.

BOS 8/6/04

MOS 1/17/04

NOS 8/03

VOS 12/02

AOS 8/02

ECSTASY 12/01

MOS 8/18/01