Norweigan Epic shore excursions

[hayleyfever]

Hi can anyone help me

 

We are taking our 2 children age 11 and 9 on the epic in july 2014. Can you tell me the best ways to do the excursions to Pompeii, rome and Pisa.

The ship excursions seems so very expensive and im not sure of other ways. If we do a private excursion can any be recommended to see the sights of the above places mentioned. Can they guarantee that you will be back on the ship before departure at the ports.

Its mind blowing with what to do hope somebody can advise and will be grateful of any information offered.

 

We are also staying in barcelona for a few day after the cruise any advice on how to get to and from the airport.

 

Thanks

Hayleyfever

[nomad098]

Hi can anyone help me

 

We are taking our 2 children age 11 and 9 on the epic in july 2014. Can you tell me the best ways to do the excursions to Pompeii, rome and Pisa.

The ship excursions seems so very expensive and im not sure of other ways. If we do a private excursion can any be recommended to see the sights of the above places mentioned. Can they guarantee that you will be back on the ship before departure at the ports.

Its mind blowing with what to do hope somebody can advise and will be grateful of any information offered.

 

We are also staying in barcelona for a few day after the cruise any advice on how to get to and from the airport.

 

Thanks

Hayleyfever

 

Hi

 

we did the Epic last year and it all comes down to what you feel comfortable doing and how adventurous you are :D

 

Pompeii we caught the locals bus to and from the ruins very easy and inexpensive alternatives would be:

1) train

2) Taxi these are a set price for 2 hours at Pompeii

3) Private tour/shared tour more expensive but more piece of mind

 

Rome we used smartcruisetours and can recommend them, there are other private tour companies and some get better reviews than the one we used but cost a fair bit more as well. Another option would be a shared bus tour, or the train quite inexpensive compared to the alternatives as Rome is an hour plus from the port

 

Pisa we took the ship transfer to Livorno and then the local bus tour to Pisa this gave us about 2 and a half hours in Pisa. Other options would be a private tour or the train

 

If you look on the ports of call boards under Europe here http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

there is lots of information on tours both independent and through a company

 

Anything else just ask

 

Damon and Family

[Daisyduke70]

Hi can anyone help me

 

We are taking our 2 children age 11 and 9 on the epic in july 2014. Can you tell me the best ways to do the excursions to Pompeii, rome and Pisa.

The ship excursions seems so very expensive and im not sure of other ways. If we do a private excursion can any be recommended to see the sights of the above places mentioned. Can they guarantee that you will be back on the ship before departure at the ports.

Its mind blowing with what to do hope somebody can advise and will be grateful of any information offered.

 

We are also staying in barcelona for a few day after the cruise any advice on how to get to and from the airport.

 

Thanks

Hayleyfever

 

We are doing the same trip next month - we have nothing pre-booked. We are lucky to be embarking in Rome and therefore are staying for a coupld of days post cruise but for the others, we are:

 

Naples - taking the train to Pompeii, really easy trip.

Pisa - Again - just training it there, should be back again for afternoon tea!

Cannes - taking the train (again!) to Monaco

 

As you can see - I'm a big fan of taking trains :D

 

In regard to Barcelona - just get a cab, it's about 25 EUR straight off the ship to/from airport, cheaper from the city, no pre-booking needed.

 

Enjoy!

[KeithJenner]

If you want the cheapest ways of getting to Rome or Pisa then it is the train.

 

I would certainly use the train for Pisa, as it is compact enough to do without transport when you get there. However getting to the train station in Livorno is a bit of a pain. You need to get the shuttle bus to the town square and then another bus to the station. I would probably get a taxi back to the ship from the station if I did it again.

 

The train journey is pretty short.

 

In Rome, getting to the train station in Civitavecchia is easier than Livorno. Just take the shuttle bus to the post exit and then walk with the sea on your right for about half a mile. The train ticket (get a BIRG ticket as it includes the Rome metro) is cheap, but the journey is 60-90 minutes each way.

 

The problem with doing Rome on your own is that you don't have any transport when you get there. If it is your only visit you are likely to make to Rome then there is a case to be made for going on a tour and seeing as much as possible. If you are likely to go back sometimes then I'd save yourself a few hundred Euros and take the train.

 

If you plan to go to the Colosseum/Forum then I'd prebook tickets as that will save you a lot of time:

 

http://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm

 

Prebooking will save a lot of queueing on the day.

 

If you were to decide to do a third party tour, don't worry about not getting back in time. They stake their reputation on getting you back. Lots of people worry about this, but I have never read about a reputable tour missing the ship.

 

Remember that if your tour is late back because of delays on the roads, for example, then it will also very likely affect the ships tours so the ship will most likely be waiting for those people too.

 

If you go on your own then we just make sure that we build in some room for error (never plan on catching the last train for example).

[bridgetjonesni]

We went on a cruise last year that covered many of the same ports, and I've just made out some "cheat sheets" for my grandfather who is cruising solo on the Epic next month. You've already had great advice above but just throwing in my two cents in case any of it is helpful.

POMPEII

We actually took the train last time but the bus route is actually easier to navigate for cruise passengers. The SITA bus takes only 35 minutes and departs from right near the cruise terminal. When you exit the cruise terminal, follow the pedestrian walkways out to the main road (the Via Cristoforo Colombo), and turn right. Walk along the Via Cristoforo Colombo for a few minutes – you will pass a large coach/car park on your right and the tram line runs along the street on your left. The SITA bus to Naples departs from outside a ferry terminal for a company called SNAV. There is a little blue kiosk where you can buy tickets for the bus. You will need to buy a ‘U3 orario 140 minuti’ ticket (a one way ticket that is valid for 140 minutes in zone 3 of the Naples area after it is validated), which costs €2.90. In fact you can buy 2 tickets so you already have 1 on hand for your return journey. Note that it is the ‘Pompei Scavi’ stop you will need, rather than just ‘Pompei’, which is the modern town. The Pompeii excavation site opens at 8.30am. Suitable buses depart Naples at 8.00am, 10.00am and then every half hour until 1.30pm - any later than this and you won't have enough time to see Pompeii and get back to the ship anyway. On the way back there are buses at 10.50am, 11.45am, 12.15pm, 1.10pm, 2.00pm, 2.45pm, 4.00pm and 5.00pm. Any later than this is cutting it fine to get back on board on time.

ROME

There is a free shuttle from the cruise ship to the port gate in Civitavecchia. Several trains run every hour between Civitavecchia and Rome. The journey takes from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes depending on the train you catch. To get to the train station from the shuttle bus drop off point, turn right and walk down the main road that runs parallel to the beach, called Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi. At a crossroads with a white building called “Hotel de La Ville” on the corner, cross over to the street with the Hotel on it (Viale della Republica) and keep walking in the same direction. It is about a 15 minute walk (just under half a mile) in total. At the train station you can easily buy a ticket using the self-service machines, which have an English language option. There are also staffed ticket desks, but they may only speak basic English. There are different kinds of train available:

Local (“regionale”) trains cost €5.00 per person each way and the journey takes between an hour and an hour and twenty minutes. There are no seat reservations on these commuter trains and more tickets can be sold than there is capacity for. They are great during quieter times, but are packed during rush hours. Before you get on the train, you must time-stamp the ticket in a yellow machine at the station. As mentioned above there are also BIRG tickets that cover the Rome Metro as well. I've just advised my grandfather to take one of the hop on hop off tour buses in Rome, since he only has limited time and will want to see everything, but we used the Rome Metro ourselves last time and it's pretty easy to navigate if you know exactly where you want to go. There are also a few Frecciabianca trains which are more expensive. Seats on Frecciabianca trains are reserved, and the seat reservation is included in the cost of the ticket. The journey takes around 40 to 45 minutes. I don’t think you can use the BIRG day tickets on these trains. Note that Roma Termini is a very large station – it is a 10 minute walk between the main entrance and the platform for Civitavecchia trains, so be sure to leave enough time to get to your train on the way back.

PISA

Take the train from Livorno Centrale to Pisa Centrale. Trains are pretty regular on this line so you won't have to wait too long. The walk from the train station to the Leaning Tower of Pisa is around 1 mile at its shortest if you walk via the Via Francesco to the river, across the Ponte Solferino bridge, then straight up the Via Roma to the tower. However there is a slightly longer more scenic route (around 1.5 miles), with plenty of shops, bars and restaurants along the way, and a pretty walk along/across the river - just walk up the Corso Italia to the river instead, then along the river past the Santa Maria church, then follow the same route as above over the bridge and up to the tower.

[millineumwoman]

Transfer to airport we used suntransfers,

- for Naples -sorrento ,postitino,Pompeii ,amalfi coast we used can't be missed tours - very excellent tour guide

-florence&pisa - we used share a shore excursion - small group excellent price and great time got to see and do everything!!

 

And all of them got us back to the ship in plenty of time no worries!!

 

Rome I splurged and did a ship excursion ultimate Rome $399 as I wanted to see everything and guarantee I would be back on ship on time, the others in my group did there own thing

[funny87]

I agree when You do this tour as Pompei You need a guide otherwise is like walking in The Middle of nowhere i had a wonderful guide Last year that took us around price was reasonable and conformed with The usual price for two hours tour if You need some contact let me know

 

 

Inviato dal mio iPad utilizzando Forums

[quercus alba]

Have you joined your roll call? You might find another family with kids that you could share a private tour with. We got van tours of 8 for a fraction of the cost of NCL tours--used "yourtourinItaly.com" for both Rome and Naples*--saw a LOT, had great guides, much more relaxing than catching trains, etc. (As a father of a 12 and 9 y/o, I know we might be successful in getting around these places ourselves via train, but I also know I wouldn't be able to relax for a second!)

 

 

*Really excellent reviews on tripadvisor.com. Also used "shareashoreexcursioninItaly.com" for a transfer to Florence from Livorno. Others in our roll call used "RomeInLimo.com" with good results.

 

 

For Barcelona, Runner Bean walking tours ( http://www.runnerbeantours.com/) has a couple of kid-friendly options. We enjoyed their Old City tour immensely.

[suron]

I was on Epic 8th-15th June (boarded in Barcelona). The ship is larger than any other I have sailed on and as a solo traveller I was a little concerned about this to begin with. I have written a review which can be found at: http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=257253

(or you can log on to the Members Review board and see the review under NCL Epic Reviews).

 

You will see that I opted for private shore excursions at all ports of call - the NCL prices are so expensive (especially for families) and I could not envisage being crowded on to a huge coach with some 50+ others. The small groups in private cars/mini vans made for much more comfortable travels.

 

If you were to join a roll call I am sure there would be others asking for fellow travellers to join them on excursions or you could even invite others to link up with you.

 

I hope your plans work out well and enjoy your cruise.

 

Regards

 

Suron