PLEASE HELP....So CONFUSED!!

[Chillaxx46]

My family and i are going on the Carnival Magic next year on a 7 day european cruise. This will be our first cruise in europe and are very confused on what to do.

 

We will be stopping in Monaco, Livorno, Rome, Naples, and Sicily

 

If you could recommend anything to do in those ports your help would be much appreciated!

[sunsetbeachgal]

Tell us more about your family-how many are traveling, are there children, older folks, etc. and what are your areas of interest? There are alot of options in these ports, and in order to make recommendations need more information.

[cruisemom42]

Without knowing you or your family, it's almost impossible to make recommendations. Do you like museums? Beaches? Shopping? Do you have anyone iwth physical mobility issues? Young kids? Are you interested only in ship's excursions or are you willing to DIY?

 

You need to do a little research and find out what sounds interesting, then come back and post here and we will be happy to help you sort out some options.

 

Here are some places to start:

 

http://www.europeportreviews.com/

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=42

[euro cruiser]

First of all, RELAX! Typing in all caps makes your question/problem seem urgent, you've got a year to think, plan, dream, read, research, etc.

 

A trip to your local library is a good place to start, to get an overview of the places you are going to.

[J&Jtravelcouple]

Go to your public library or local book store and pick up 1-2 travel guides on each city. You have plenty of time to ready up and learn all about each place. Also you should be able to find travel DVDs or other audio-visiual guides to the cities. Also don't forget items on local history and culture, which will help to understand the place as well as give you ideas of what you want to see there. For example, right now on our table we have waiting to watch Rick Steves' DVDs "Greece, Turkey, Israel & Egypt" and "The Lives of the Apostles Paul and Peter" (exploring on location).

 

Also, you have plenty of time to pick some audio guides to the local languages and some phrase books. For example "Italian for Dummies" (don't take it personally, it's right here on my counter!). While learning a new language can be daunting, it's really not that hard to pick up at least a few useful phrases. For each country you visit, you should learn how to say hello, good bye, please, thank you, where is X, and so forth. No need to necessarily learn the whole language. A few phrases will break the ice and get you where you need to go. Buy a small, light phrase book to carry with you for when you need a quick cheat sheet.

[cberge]

READ this board..click on the topics that you think will help you...tons of info here alone...you have a year.

[maninmontreal]

First of all, RELAX! Typing in all caps makes your question/problem seem urgent, you've got a year to think, plan, dream, read, research, etc.

 

A trip to your local library is a good place to start, to get an overview of the places you are going to.

 

I agree...enjoy the planning. It's half the fun and a great learning experience. Don't try to do see it all. Pick and choose what to visit according to your and your family's interests and then enjoy those things to the fullest. :)

[dfwguy62]

What works best for me... Keep a small notebook with a section for each city. Pick one city at a time and focus your research on it. Accumulate your material over the coming months and gradually refine it down to a specific list of things to do for each city and how you're going to accomplish it.

[Chillaxx46]

Alright thank you everybody!! I will take all your suggestions and consider everything!