Jump to content

Are all Excursions going to cost ££££££!!!!


Cruise-Virgin !!
 Share

Recommended Posts

In September 2018, we have booked a Western Med cruise on the NCL Epic, this will be our 1st cruise and our 10 year wedding anniversary, so we have treated ourselves to a 3 day trip to Barcelona before we board and we have booked an outside cabin with a large balcony on 12th floor, so as you can imagine the price this cruise is costing us already. However we are trying to research ports and have found the prices of the excursions are extortionate, does anyone have any tips on how to keep down the cost of an excursion? For example, is it possible to just get a taxi ..bus or walk and see the sights ourselves?

 

Our ports are as follows:-

Naples/Pompeii

Civitavecchia (Rome)

Livorno (Florence/Pisa)

Cannes

Palma

 

We understand that booking the wee extras have made the cost more expensive, but as the cruise is all inclusive, we imagined that the big spending would be the actual cruise, we didn't think that the excursions would work out as expensive as they seem, is there some kind of shortcut we don't know about.

 

Any help or tips would be appreciated. :D

 

Regards

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What do you mean the cruise is "all inclusive" Are you aware there is a daily service charge, drinks are extra as well as specialty dining, or any other on board offerings that may have an additional "charge" of course, unless you prepaid for these things ahead of time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What do you mean the cruise is "all inclusive" Are you aware there is a daily service charge, drinks are extra as well as specialty dining, or any other on board offerings that may have an additional "charge" of course, unless you prepaid for these things ahead of time.

 

Since the OP used the British pound symbol, I assume they are from the UK. NCL has changed their policy for UK bookings and they have introduced their "premium all inclusive", which includes DSC and drinks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a rule ship sponsored excursions are quite expensive relative to doing similar sightseeing on your own as in addition to the tour operator cost the cruise lines take a percentage as well as their service charge. You can google your ports of call or go to the CC individual ports of call boards and get ideas of things to do independent of the ship tours.

 

Here is a link to those boards: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

Just be mindful that the ship will not wait for you should you return late from a non-sponsored tour and factor extra timing as a precaution into your planning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since the OP used the British pound symbol, I assume they are from the UK. NCL has changed their policy for UK bookings and they have introduced their "premium all inclusive", which includes DSC and drinks.

 

Is this recent? That would be nice to have here in the US

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mark, it would help if you told us what you want to see in the ports.

As a first time cruiser it may be good idea to either stick with ships excursions or tag along with others who are organising private tours. You can find the latter on your cruise' s Roll Call.

Rome is quite a long way from Civitavecchia! Pisa is not diffucult to get to from Livorno, Florence a bit further. Both comfortably doable for more experienced travellers, but perhaps bite the bullet and take a ships tour. Pompeii is fairly easy to do by taxi from Naples, BUT you will either have to pay yhe taxi for hours of waiting to drive you back or loom for another taxi there. Then you will get your tickets and if you want a guide (recommended for a first visit) you will need to find one in Pompeii. (Actually you probably will need to fight them off with a stick). Traffic back to Naples can be diabolical. ...

No need for a ships tour to see the sights of Palma. There are good HoHo buses that will get you around for cheap. Can't comment on Cannes. Not been there by cruise ship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What do you mean the cruise is "all inclusive" Are you aware there is a daily service charge, drinks are extra as well as specialty dining, or any other on board offerings that may have an additional "charge" of course, unless you prepaid for these things ahead of time.
Yeah folks as you can see from my user name we are new to cruising and really dont know the ins and outs of it all ....as said above our cruise includes,The ultimate drinks package ..The gratuity package ...but help and advice with the excursions would be great. ;) Edited by Cruise-Virgin !!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another reason ship excursions are more expensive is that the cruise line requires a larger insurance bond for their vendors.

 

What the OP needs to do is study up on guide books for the ports in question, which look at sites from a non-cruise perspective, and then they can decide what is available and what is doable in the time frame of the port call. Without knowing the OP's interests, suggesting things to do is a bit futile.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah folks as you can see from my user name we are new to cruising and really dont know the ins and outs of it all ....as said above our cruise includes,The ultimate drinks package ..The graduates package ...but help and advice with the excursions would be great. ;)

 

With your all inclusive packages, you pretty much have it all covered

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so far folks.... not looking things to do as such ..more the fact of is the docking port of the ship a 2 minute taxi ride from the place we want to visit i.e -Naples / Pompeii ....or is it 2 hrs on a coach .?

 

Well. Naples to Pompeii is around 25 kms by road.

Or you can take the train..

 

http://www.mediterranean-cruise-ports-easy.com/naples-to-pompeii.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could start with a very bad joke and tell you that all on board expenses are billed in $$$ but i am not going there ;)

My first advice would be to take part in your roll call. Many people organize small group tours with independent contractors which cost around 1/3 of the tours offered by the Cruise line.

A good travel guide book will help a lot to enclose what you really want to see in these ports, most of them have very easy access to public transport.

Do you drive by car "on the wrong side of the street"? If so, car rentals on this loop are very easy to find and around €45 - 60 per day.

Happy planning!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports and see how you can DIY all of your ports except Palma, which he doesn't cover. On his website, he has audio tours for ipod/mp3 which you can download free, and print out maps to go along with them. EM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keeping down the costs is actually very simple. Do not book cruise line excursions, which are often overpriced.....not to mention giving some folks the feeling of being on a cattle call. Everyone of your ports can be handled on your own if you have some "travel sense" and take the time to do a little homework,. For example, in Naples you can go to Pompeii on your own, take the jetboat/hydrofoil to Capri on your own, etc. On Palma you can use public transportation to go to town, various beaches, etc. Or you could simply rent a car and drive yourself where you please....for a lot less then a tour. In Livorno you could share a taxi to the train station (about 5€ per person) where you then catch a reasonably priced train to Florence (where you use your feet to see much of the main part of the city. Or, you could use the train to get to Lucca. Cannes gives you access to the train line that spans the entire coast all the way to Italy. You could stay in Cannes, take the train to Anitbes, Nice, Monte Carlo, etc. Once in those places you can use a combination of public transit and your feet to see what you want to see :).

 

The bottom line is that its up to you. DW and I (both seniors) average about 1 tour for every 20 ports (we have cruised all over the world). For us it is not even about the cost as much as we prefer to do what we want, when we want, with whom we want. The idea of being crammed into a bus with 60 other cruisers is just not my idea of fun.

 

Hank

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keeping down the costs is actually very simple. Do not book cruise line excursions, which are often overpriced.....not to mention giving some folks the feeling of being on a cattle call. Everyone of your ports can be handled on your own if you have some "travel sense" and take the time to do a little homework,. For example, in Naples you can go to Pompeii on your own, take the jetboat/hydrofoil to Capri on your own, etc. On Palma you can use public transportation to go to town, various beaches, etc. Or you could simply rent a car and drive yourself where you please....for a lot less then a tour. In Livorno you could share a taxi to the train station (about 5€ per person) where you then catch a reasonably priced train to Florence (where you use your feet to see much of the main part of the city. Or, you could use the train to get to Lucca. Cannes gives you access to the train line that spans the entire coast all the way to Italy. You could stay in Cannes, take the train to Anitbes, Nice, Monte Carlo, etc. Once in those places you can use a combination of public transit and your feet to see what you want to see :).

 

The bottom line is that its up to you. DW and I (both seniors) average about 1 tour for every 20 ports (we have cruised all over the world). For us it is not even about the cost as much as we prefer to do what we want, when we want, with whom we want. The idea of being crammed into a bus with 60 other cruisers is just not my idea of fun.

 

Hank

:ship:(y)(y)(y)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Public transport is your answer in most of your ports.......

 

From Naples you can visit Pompeii by

- train. Get to the main rail station at Garibaldi Square by bus or metro & take the Circumvesuviana train (it's the one that's covered in graffiti), end destination of the service is Sorrento. costs about 6 euros to Pompeii, takes mebbe 20 minutes, service is half-hourly seven days a week, get off at Pompeii Scavi and you're right there.

- bus. Direct service, haven't done it myself, costs about the same as the train. Advantage is that it departs from near the cruise terminal disadvantage is that it's much less frequent than the train.

Definitely no need to go by taxi or ship's tour. There are guides available on-site or I'm fairly certain there are audio-guides to rent.

- for something a little different take the fast-ferry from adjacent the cruise terminal across the Bay of Naples to Sorrento, costs about 17 euros, takes about an hour. Sorrento is on two levels - nice little harbour with several watering holes, then a shuttle-bus (one or two euros) up to the town. Or (somewhere) there's a lift up the cliff from harbour to town.

Pleasant little town.

Then take that same Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento toward Naples, get off at Pompeii Scavi for your visit, then complete your journey back to Naples on the same train service. Back to the ship by bus, or metro, or walk (20 to 25 mins but now its downhill), or by taxi if time is pressing.

 

Civi to Rome by train. Needs the free port shuttle to the gate, then a longish seafront walk or payable shuttlebus to the station, train costs about 12 euros return & the ticket also gives you free travel on Rome's metro & buses (not hop-on buses, but they're a waste of time anyway). Journey time 1hr to 1hr 25, depending which station you want (San Pietro for Vatican, Ostiense for Colosseum & Forum)

Or by tour bus. See this thread https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2579247

You really do need to plan out your day in advance cos there's too much to see & too little time. Be prepared to modify or shorten your plans as you go.

 

Livorno to Pisa or Florence (or both, if you skimp at each) by train, about 18 euros return to Florence.

NCL may or may not still provide a (payable) shuttle from ship to Livorno central station.

 

Cannes. There's a coastal train east as far as Monaco or west as far as Antibes or beyond. Excellent service & inexpensive.

 

Palma de Majorca. Sorry, long time since I've been there and that wasn't by cruise ship.

But plenty of folk do their own thing.

The one port where I reckon you should consider a rental car.

 

But you also have other options such as tour-sharing via your RollCall.

Quote your sailing date & one of us will provide a link.

 

Ships' tours are poor value, sometimes they're the best bet but I don't see the need at any of these ports.

 

JB :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Public transport is your answer in most of your ports.......

 

From Naples you can visit Pompeii by

- train. Get to the main rail station at Garibaldi Square by bus or metro & take the Circumvesuviana train (it's the one that's covered in graffiti), end destination of the service is Sorrento. costs about 6 euros to Pompeii, takes mebbe 20 minutes, service is half-hourly seven days a week, get off at Pompeii Scavi and you're right there.

- bus. Direct service, haven't done it myself, costs about the same as the train. Advantage is that it departs from near the cruise terminal disadvantage is that it's much less frequent than the train.

Definitely no need to go by taxi or ship's tour. There are guides available on-site or I'm fairly certain there are audio-guides to rent.

- for something a little different take the fast-ferry from adjacent the cruise terminal across the Bay of Naples to Sorrento, costs about 17 euros, takes about an hour. Sorrento is on two levels - nice little harbour with several watering holes, then a shuttle-bus (one or two euros) up to the town. Or (somewhere) there's a lift up the cliff from harbour to town.

Pleasant little town.

Then take that same Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento toward Naples, get off at Pompeii Scavi for your visit, then complete your journey back to Naples on the same train service. Back to the ship by bus, or metro, or walk (20 to 25 mins but now its downhill), or by taxi if time is pressing.

 

Civi to Rome by train. Needs the free port shuttle to the gate, then a longish seafront walk or payable shuttlebus to the station, train costs about 12 euros return & the ticket also gives you free travel on Rome's metro & buses (not hop-on buses, but they're a waste of time anyway). Journey time 1hr to 1hr 25, depending which station you want (San Pietro for Vatican, Ostiense for Colosseum & Forum)

Or by tour bus. See this thread https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2579247

You really do need to plan out your day in advance cos there's too much to see & too little time. Be prepared to modify or shorten your plans as you go.

 

Livorno to Pisa or Florence (or both, if you skimp at each) by train, about 18 euros return to Florence.

NCL may or may not still provide a (payable) shuttle from ship to Livorno central station.

 

Cannes. There's a coastal train east as far as Monaco or west as far as Antibes or beyond. Excellent service & inexpensive.

 

Palma de Majorca. Sorry, long time since I've been there and that wasn't by cruise ship.

But plenty of folk do their own thing.

The one port where I reckon you should consider a rental car.

 

But you also have other options such as tour-sharing via your RollCall.

Quote your sailing date & one of us will provide a link.

 

Ships' tours are poor value, sometimes they're the best bet but I don't see the need at any of these ports.

 

JB :)

WoW that is fantastic info ...thanks for the advice :D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so far folks.... not looking things to do as such ..more the fact of is the docking port of the ship a 2 minute taxi ride from the place we want to visit i.e -Naples / Pompeii ....or is it 2 hrs on a coach .?

 

Use Google maps to see how far it from the cruise ports to the places you want to go to using different modes of transportation.

 

DON

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

We did most of these ports September 2016 , almost all our tours were with members from roll call ,either 8 to 10 people and mostly about 80 dollars a person, my favorite was the papillon tour from liverno to Pisa , Florence and a vineyard for a wine tasting , ten hour tour 80 per person. Much cheaper and more enjoyable than ships tours

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WoW that is fantastic info ...thanks for the advice :D

 

 

 

There are two really good resources out there (besides this forum of course): a book by Anne Vipond on Cruise Ports in the Med (7th ed.) and a similar by Rick Steve’s. Both available as dead-tree books or e-books.

Enjoy!

Stan

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...