First Cruise, excursion questions, Ventura 20/8/11

[SlackAlice]

We have booked our first cruise, myself, husband and 2 kids aged 6 and 8. We are so excited, and I realise how much we do not know....

 

I am looking at the excursions and trying to research them all but my head is exploding. Do we have to book them all online before we go, or can we wait till onboard, and book what we fancy then, as we will have had time to read up on them by then. Do they often get booked up way ahead of departure?

 

I know that there are some that are good for kids (waterparks etc) and I would like to find the ones that are easy beach days out, and avoid the ones that are long coach trips to places I might like, but the kids will not.

 

I know our stops are Valencia, Barcelona, Toulon, Liverno, Civitavecchia, Ajaccio and Gibraltar.

 

Many thanks for any guidance.

[CruiserBruce]

We have booked our first cruise, myself, husband and 2 kids aged 6 and 8. We are so excited, and I realise how much we do not know....

 

I am looking at the excursions and trying to research them all but my head is exploding. Do we have to book them all online before we go, or can we wait till onboard, and book what we fancy then, as we will have had time to read up on them by then. Do they often get booked up way ahead of departure?

 

I know that there are some that are good for kids (waterparks etc) and I would like to find the ones that are easy beach days out, and avoid the ones that are long coach trips to places I might like, but the kids will not.

 

I know our stops are Valencia, Barcelona, Toulon, Liverno, Civitavecchia, Ajaccio and Gibraltar.

 

Many thanks for any guidance.

 

The Med isn't as much about waterparks, it is usually about history, musuems, ruins. Yes, there will be some beach options.

 

The only way to figure these things out is do your research, including reading the info here, and that the cruise line provides. For example, the ship probably doesn't tell you Rome is 75-80 minutes from the port. You get that sort of info here.

 

Booking depends on the popularity of the excursion. If you wait until you get on board, some of the more popular may not be available.

[Essiesmom]

I think you will get more info if you ask on the P&O-UK board, under Cruise Lines P-Z. Also, join the roll call for your cruise, if there is one. Get a guidebook that covers the ports you are visiting. Generally, the Med. isn't about beaches and waterparks. If that is what is important, you might do better to stay onboard and enjoy the pools while your fellow passengers go ashore. EM

[John Bull]

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

First of all, don't automatically think that ship's excursion is the only way to go. All ships' excursions are expensive & it soon mounts up.

 

Gibraltar for instance is so compact, so easy to explore independently, even with kids - you can hire a taxi or shared minibus at the quayside to drive the Upper Rock, with stops at tSt Michael's cave, the apes' den & the Great Seige tunnel, which looks vertically down a long way to the airport & across to the mainland, and then drops you in town for shopping etc or back at the ship. Around £20 pp. With kids it's a better option than the cable car, which can have long queues & is shut down in windy weather. And if the kids are scared of the apes, they can stay in the vehicle & still see them, they'll climb all over the vehicle.

It'd be a shame to waste Gib on a beach day, and the two small beaches (eastern end of the runway & near there at Catalan Bay) are pretty basic & lacking in natural shade.

 

Ajaccio - this too is compact & easy to explore on foot.

 

Barca - open-top hop-on bus (ho-ho) is popular.

 

Civi - it's about an hour from Rome by train, about 1 hour 20 by coach. This is going to be difficult with kids - the full ship's tour spends an awful lot of time driving round the city on the coach, but if you opt for the "Rome on your own" option (with kids in tow?) then you might as well do it independently by train for only €9 pp return.

Here's a useful website

roninrome.com/%20transportation/cruising-come-to-rome-for-the-day-2

 

Valencia. Med cruises are all about the sights but, esp with kids, this would be a good place to take the day off, & I'm guessing that here's where you're thinking of the water park.

 

Do plenty of research, starting on this website with the Ports of Call forums - at the bottom of this page, go to "forum jump" & scroll to "Ports of Call, Mediterranean - Spanish ports, etc.

 

But once you've decided to do a ship's excursion, there's no advantage in delaying - prices don't change & some do book-out ahead of the cruise. Check P&O's excursion cancellation terms - I can't remember P & O's, but most cruiselines allow cancellation without penalty up to about 48 hours before the day.

 

John Bull :)

[jocap]

There's also a water park in Civitaveccia- I haven't been, but we began researching it before the last time we stopped there. P&O was trying to find different trips for the popular ports- some people will have been to Civi so many times that they don't get off the ship now- they do a half day into the country, with tea on a farm (olives, wine, soft drinks etc).

There are beaches in Barcelona, if it's too hot for strolling.

Enjoy Ventura- we're on her again this Friday-:)

Jo.

[cruiserking]

Barcelona: is a wonderful city to explore on foot. Take a cab to the Sagrada de Familia Church. Walk along the boulevards, seek out other whimsical buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi. Las Ramblas is very touristy but, worth a look see.

Barcelona is a wonderful city with so much to see.

 

Livorno: you will need to book an excursion here. This is the stop for either Florence or the Leaning Tower of Pisa or both.

 

Civitavecchia: of course is the stop for Rome. Most cruise lines will offer a shuttle excursion into Rome with four or five hours to spend on your own.

 

Pick up a guide book that covers these ports and read about discover the things that interest you the most.

 

 

Jonathan

[SlackAlice]

Thanks for all the answers. I would love to see the museums, ruins etc but I have to be realistic about the kids's attention spans, and tendency to climb over everything.

 

I hope I can take them to some sights that don't involve lengthy coach trips, but I know that they will be more excited by a beach and ice-cream than a ruin. Hey ho.

 

I think we will definitely make the most of an empty ship on some port days, so I hope to choose the best excursions for a family day out.

 

Now the excursions are available on the P&O cruise personaliser I can print them down and start doing the detailed research, but there are so many my head is spinning!!

 

Thanks for all your advice