worthwhile and worth-the-money excursions

[PatsyKline]

Hello.I have done a lot of Caribbean cruises, and we have never done excursions because we like to explore on our own.But this will be our first Mediterranean, and we wondered if we could get recommendations for worthwhile and worth-the-money excursions. We are going on the Celebrity Equinox in Sept: Athens, Ephesus, Mykonos, Chiana, Dubrovnik, Rome, Florence, Nice and Barcelona.

I would appreciate some input. Thanks in advance.

[busmech]

There is a ports of call board. Also would recommend Rick Steve's Mediterranean cruise book. Lots of info

[cb at sea]

First..you need to decide what YOU want to see and do! This isn't a Caribbean thing....lots of history there, if you care about that...but I can tell you, a guidebook is your first step...read it! Find out about the places you'll visit...THEN you can decide what you want to do/see, and HOW to do it!

I wouldn't start booking anything until I had more info!!!

[Ashland]

Hello.I have done a lot of Caribbean cruises, and we have never done excursions because we like to explore on our own.But this will be our first Mediterranean, and we wondered if we could get recommendations for worthwhile and worth-the-money excursions. We are going on the Celebrity Equinox in Sept: Athens, Ephesus, Mykonos, Chiana, Dubrovnik, Rome, Florence, Nice and Barcelona.

I would appreciate some input. Thanks in advance.

 

For Rome consider RomeInLimo. We had an amazing private tour with them...just DH, myself and driver/guide. We also added a private tour at the Vatican...arranged by them with a separate personal guide...The tour they provided was wonderful !!!!

[John Bull]

It's pretty easy to do your own thing in those ports rather than booking tours, a great deal cheaper & more fun mixing with the locals, provided that you're happy to use public transport (very different to the Caribbean or the US) and you do the legwork on researching the ports & the transportation - the ports-of-call pages on Cruise Critic are a good place to start http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=603

 

Athens - lots of transport options from Piraeus port to Athens, and getting around Athens. No need for a tour.

Ephesus (from Kusadasi port?) - you'll need transport and either a guide or good guide book or you won't get much out of a load of old stones ;). This is one stop where perhaps a pre-booked tour is best.

Mykonos - if your ship isn't berthed you'll be tendered into the town harbour, or take the shuttle or a taxi two miles from the berth. For a laid-back day in the little town you don't need transport or a guide. Or you can cross to Delos by ferry or tour.

Chania (various spellings). Sorry, can't help.

Dubrovnik - probably you'll be berthed about 2 miles from the walled town, use ship's shuttle or local bus or taxi. Or if it's a tender port for your ship, tenders take you to the walled town. No need for tour.

Rome - needs a carefully-planned day because your time in the city will be waaaay too short. Most independents take the train from Civitavecchia port to Rome. Don't waste your time or money on a Rome ho-ho.

Florence (from Livorno?). Most independents take the train, some book a local tourist bus transfer. Or go to Pisa instead - or, at no extra expense by train, both Florence & Pisa in the one day if you don't want to see either in depth. No need for a tour at either. Don't waste your time or money on a Florence ho-ho.

Nice (from Villefranche?) - train to Monte Carlo or Nice or Cannes, or plenty of other DIY options. No need for a tour.

Barcelona - depending how far your berth from the port gate, take the (payable) port shuttle. The bottom of Las Ramblas is near the port gate. No need for a tour, but you'll likely need either the ho-ho or the metro or local buses.

 

"No need for a tour" is of course personal opinion, but we like to freewheel.

But you do need to research, you do need to be flexible, you do need to be realistic & disciplined, and you do need to have a Plan B and allow for delays to avoid it all going belly-up. After all, it's a long swim between any of those ports ;)

 

There's a whole lot more history & background to Med ports than to those in the Caribbean. I can understand those who freewheel on the Caribbean but choose tours in Europe - a good guide is worth their weight. So "no need for a tour" is my scene & may not be yours.

 

JB :)

[Sixtytwo]

We did a Med cruise with days before and after and did not do any organized excursions. Everything was on our own. Did a lot of reading about the ports and cities we visited and pretty much had an idea of what/where we wanted to see/go. Had a blast!

 

If you do a ho/ho tour, I would suggest doing the full route one time then go again, getting off at those stops you want to spend some time at. Just keep a close watch on your time and don't miss the ship! [emoji15]

[flamomo]

Most definitely book tour .. ships's or otherwise .... for Ephesus!! There is so much history there that knowledgeable a guide is a necessity. It one of the most amazing historic sites I have visited.

JMO, of course!

[CPT Trips]

Join in on the "rollcall" for your cruise. There is a good chance of getting ideas of what to see and do.p and you may well find people organizing independent tours you can connect with.

[PatsyKline]

Thanks to everyone. This is exactly the kind of specific info I am looking for. We did book an excursion in Ephesus. Other than that we will probably remain independent unless anyone else has further input that sways that decision. We have both traveled in Europe before (with guidebooks), and we are both fit to do lots of walking. I will also join the Roll Call. Wasn't aware of that.

[Sequim88]

Rome, Florence, Nice and Barcelona

 

We did these on our own and were very glad for it - except for Florence where we decided to take the train to Pisa instead (glad for that too - much closer, more time there). But our cruise ended at Rome (Civitvechia) so we had no pressure to get back to the ship at a certain time. It's quite a distance so probably best with a ship based tour to assure getting back or the ship waiting.

 

Nice (Villefranche) was super easy to take the train to both Monaco and Nice and we walked all over the town and had a nice lunch (Niçoise Salad of course) then took the train back to the ship.

 

Barcelona we took the subway to near Sagrada Familia toured that and a taxi to Parc Guell followed by a walk to the top of Las Ramblas then walk down it to the port with stop for lunch (seafood paella of course). We're hooked on self-touring now wherever we can and it makes sense. The Rick Steves books are an essential tool.

Edited August 5, 2016 by Sequim88