Shore Excursions in Livorno (&Cannes)

[hbperry]

We're on the Equinox's 10/31 cruise arriving Livorno on Monday, Nov 1. The ship offers a "Pisa & Florence On Your Own" shore excursion for $99 pp. We're wondering if anyone has had experience with making their arrangements with vendors at the dock in Livorno for tours/ transportation to Pisa and Florence. If so, how easy was it? How reliable? What was the r/t cost? Are tour vendors located where the ship docks? Are there any "secrets"/tips to know for this port? Anything to avoid?

BTW -- same questions for docking in Cannes on Tuesday, Nov 2 for a tour/ transportation to Monaco/Monte Carlo.

Thanks a million!

[LHT28]

I would check out the Med Forums lots of good info there

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=603

[AF-1]

I used romeinlimo in both rome and Florence/Pisa last year. They were great, we saw a lot and they got us back to the ship in plenty of time.

[chipmaster]

Welcome to CC,

 

My 2 cents would be not to chance your port experience after spending so much on flight and cruise to random luck of happening on a good vendor/taxi in port.

 

Here is a good website to see where each port is in relationship to attractions and possible transportation options: http://www.europeportreviews.com/

 

Each port is different, Livorno is a one of the more challenging ports with the big attractions from Pisa and Florence far from port. Still possible to DIY Do It Yourself but need to figure train schedule and such. The ship tour is the easiest and most expensive IMHO. As others suggested private is most time efficient but requires research and getting a group of 6-8 cruisers togather to make the best value.

 

I prebooked months ahead of time with a private tour and had great experience with the private operator. I wouldn't hold my breath for a random dock hook up.

 

Good luck

 

We're on the Equinox's 10/31 cruise arriving Livorno on Monday, Nov 1. The ship offers a "Pisa & Florence On Your Own" shore excursion for $99 pp. We're wondering if anyone has had experience with making their arrangements with vendors at the dock in Livorno for tours/ transportation to Pisa and Florence. If so, how easy was it? How reliable? What was the r/t cost? Are tour vendors located where the ship docks? Are there any "secrets"/tips to know for this port? Anything to avoid?

BTW -- same questions for docking in Cannes on Tuesday, Nov 2 for a tour/ transportation to Monaco/Monte Carlo.

Thanks a million!

[sandinmyshoes]

I would be a bit leary of hiring a driver at the port. You never know what kind of driver they are (safe driving is a big issue in Italy with the narrow roads) or if they speak English in a way your group will understand. You could get "taken for a ride" and not experience the things you want to see.

Pisa is fantastic, but you want to make sure and get there first off before the crowds or you won't be able to climb the tower at an easy pace. We hired RomeInLimo.com over the internet from reviews we read here on Cruise Critic and they lived up to their reputation. The price was the same as the other companies but the experience they gave us was far beyond the standard. (I'm a former travel agent, so I've experienced many different companies.)

With Florence, it is extra handy to have a personal driver to take you to the entrance of sites you want to visit or get recommendations from them. It saves you lots of time walking around and waiting on a large group to rendevous at the appointed meet times.

I went on my ship's roll call and asked others to join our group. I got four other adults within a couple of weeks, and our spontaneous group of six made the per person cost cheaper than the big bus and DIY tours offered by the cruise line. The group got along great and we got to enjoy the sites of Italy for much cheaper. Also, they got us back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. Their reputation is outstanding because they've never missed a ship. If they had, you would definitely hear about it on these boards! Our driver checked the traffic reports with her phone before heading back and found out about a wreck on the major highway we would have taken. She took an alternate route and got us there without delay. The ship was late leaving however, because their own tour bus got stuck in the traffic.

Enjoy your vacation!

[texancruzer]

Well, we booked our cruise very near the sail date....no time to figure out DIY or join a private tour with roll call folks....... so we booked a ships tour. Don't usually like to do that. But we were also there in off season..... and guess what ? We really enjoyed our ships tour.

 

We first headed to Pisa, about 45 minutes there. Then to Florence and had 4 hours of free time there. Was a very full day and got back to the ship in the dark. Remember it gets dark early there in the late fall. Another thing to remember when trying to do DIY :eek:

 

I agree - book something ahead of time - don't try "winging it" in this port.

 

Just a note: we also did a ships tour while in Villefranche. We went to Nice, Eze, Monte Carlo and Monaco. Another full day but also free time in each place. Nice tour.

[oc323]

We're on the Equinox's 10/31 cruise arriving Livorno on Monday, Nov 1. The ship offers a "Pisa & Florence On Your Own" shore excursion for $99 pp. We're wondering if anyone has had experience with making their arrangements with vendors at the dock in Livorno for tours/ transportation to Pisa and Florence. If so, how easy was it? How reliable? What was the r/t cost? Are tour vendors located where the ship docks? Are there any "secrets"/tips to know for this port? Anything to avoid?

BTW -- same questions for docking in Cannes on Tuesday, Nov 2 for a tour/ transportation to Monaco/Monte Carlo.

Thanks a million!

 

I have used Romeinlimo before and will be using them again for 6 ports this summer. For Cannes I have booked with Riveria Premium tours. However if you check the board and trip advisor you will find valuable information on companies that have been utilized by cruisers in the past.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We used RomeinLimo for Florence and Pisa in April--and arranged a group of 8 on our roll call only a week in advance (but I don't recommend waiting that late--we got lucky, I think.)

 

It was an excellent tour with pick up right at the ship and the price was good for 8 people.

 

We ported at Villefranche, but I'm sure the same companies service Cannes. We used Private Shore Trips and did the same as above--got a group of 8 together on our roll call. This was a really, really outstanding day also.

[wsailher]

yes, we've done the ordinary ship transfer into florence and its the only way to go...i believe they offer two options, check them out. better than going to pisa.

[ActiveTraveler]

Is there anything to do in Pisa outside climbing a leaning tower?

[daryleann]

Active traveler: google Pisa tourism... there are plenty other things to do, even without climbing the leaning tower

 

hbperry: we are also on one of the ships in Livorno on Nov 1st. Note that it is Monday and most of museums and places in Florence are closed, so you might want to rethink going there... maybe the next cruise?;)

 

There are several comments on the port there that makes it sound like it is hard to even get out of the port. Search and read some of them.. I also am torn on what to do:cool:

[GSPLover]

There are several comments on the port there that makes it sound like it is hard to even get out of the port. Search and read some of them.. I also am torn on what to do:cool:

 

I'm not certain what comments that you are referring to but I have not found Livorno a port that is hard to get out of (unless you wish to walk and they'll stop you.)

 

Get off the ship early and grab a cab. If you can gather 4 people, total, it will be about 5 Euro each. Go to the train station and go to Pisa or Florence.

 

Want to go later, take the ships shuttle to town center. Wander around or take the bus to the train station. Go to Pisa, Lucca, or Florence.

 

Keep in mind that there are many people in this world that have gone somewhere and have no concept/recollection of where they have gone or what they have done (and I'm not just referring to senior citizens like myself). What is difficult for some is normal for others.

[daryleann]

GSPLover: when I said it was difficult, I meant that several people had mentioned that taxis would not take to the train station on many days, hoping for longer fares.

Have been looking, and except for this post, most were short. I am noting this one that tells of cost of shuttle, etc. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1188221

 

I still am not sure if taxis are at the 'edge of the ship' or we have to take a shuttle to get to them. Guess I will learn in Nov.:confused:

[romanroxy]

Because I waited until the last moment and tried to book a tour with Rome In Limo...they were SOLD OUT, so I looked into other tour companies and found YOUR TOUR in ITALY (they are highly recommended/reviewed over on Trip Advisor).

 

I posted on Roll Call and found 2 other couples that were interested in joining us for Pisa/Florence. It was 570 euro (plus tip). Much cheaper than the ship's excursion and more personable too. I would recommend using a driver for Pisa/Florence, because of the distance.

 

Our driver Gian was outstanding!!! He was very professional, humorous, and very informative.

 

I LOVED Florence!! I want to return to see more of the breathtaking sites of Tuscany and I would use YTII again for sure!