Epic Mediterranean Cruise - Tips

[Vertigirl99]

Any feedback from experienced cruisers on this itinerary on Epic would be very welcome! Roll Call is pretty much all people trying to join or get people to join their off-ship excursions, so not really the nuggets of wisdom I am looking for.

 

Sailing out of Barcelona on the Epic - first time on the Epic, and first time in the Med! Have a family all-day excursion planned off-ship for Rome to make it theee longessst day, but it is definitely packing it all in. Other than that, I was noting how much pricier the excursions are to book on the ship for seemingly just a cab ride somewhere and back, with a 20 min. ride to a destination but it's still an 8-10 hour day.

 

So, I am wondering what ports - Naples, Florence, Majorca, Cannes - would it be easy to take a jaunt off the ship and kind of just check things out. Or if there's anything that is a must-see at any of those places. I am all about the Neapolitan pizza, in addition to history, art and literature. I am just amazed to be going.

 

However, I would like to strike a balance between seeing these beautiful cities but not feeling like I have been jamming in every possible activity in each port to the detriment of having a relaxing vacation - which is also much-needed.

 

Thanks in advance for anything you have to contribute! :D

[ColinIllinois]

Vertigirl, I would suggest you check out the Europe ports of call forums. They have specific forums for all those ports that include excursions, transportation, fun things to do, etc. Lots of stuff you will enjoy. Here is the link for you:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

Edited May 16, 2018 by ColinIllinois

[Sauer-kraut]

Mallorca you can just walk to the Cathedral, have a bit of a wander and go back on board.

[familyof6cruisin]

Any feedback from experienced cruisers on this itinerary on Epic would be very welcome! Roll Call is pretty much all people trying to join or get people to join their off-ship excursions, so not really the nuggets of wisdom I am looking for.

 

Sailing out of Barcelona on the Epic - first time on the Epic, and first time in the Med! Have a family all-day excursion planned off-ship for Rome to make it theee longessst day, but it is definitely packing it all in. Other than that, I was noting how much pricier the excursions are to book on the ship for seemingly just a cab ride somewhere and back, with a 20 min. ride to a destination but it's still an 8-10 hour day.

 

So, I am wondering what ports - Naples, Florence, Majorca, Cannes - would it be easy to take a jaunt off the ship and kind of just check things out. Or if there's anything that is a must-see at any of those places. I am all about the Neapolitan pizza, in addition to history, art and literature. I am just amazed to be going.

 

However, I would like to strike a balance between seeing these beautiful cities but not feeling like I have been jamming in every possible activity in each port to the detriment of having a relaxing vacation - which is also much-needed.

 

Thanks in advance for anything you have to contribute! :D

 

We sailed this exact cruise 3 years ago and loved it !!!

Naples -We hired a Private tour to Amalfi Coast

Rome - Private tour of all the sights including the Vatican.

Livorno - (After the longest day in Rome) we rented a car at the port and drove to Leaning Tower of PIsa and then to a beach. We needed a relaxing day and a break.

Majorca- took a bus to a wonderful beach (highlight of our trip)

Cannes - half the family stayed at the beach near port and the other half took a train to Nice. We all enjoyed our day immensely.

 

 

You should check out each port on this board for a wealth of information

Enjoy !

[Boxersma2]

Any feedback from experienced cruisers on this itinerary on Epic would be very welcome! Roll Call is pretty much all people trying to join or get people to join their off-ship excursions, so not really the nuggets of wisdom I am looking for.

 

Sailing out of Barcelona on the Epic - first time on the Epic, and first time in the Med! Have a family all-day excursion planned off-ship for Rome to make it theee longessst day, but it is definitely packing it all in. Other than that, I was noting how much pricier the excursions are to book on the ship for seemingly just a cab ride somewhere and back, with a 20 min. ride to a destination but it's still an 8-10 hour day.

 

So, I am wondering what ports - Naples, Florence, Majorca, Cannes - would it be easy to take a jaunt off the ship and kind of just check things out. Or if there's anything that is a must-see at any of those places. I am all about the Neapolitan pizza, in addition to history, art and literature. I am just amazed to be going.

 

However, I would like to strike a balance between seeing these beautiful cities but not feeling like I have been jamming in every possible activity in each port to the detriment of having a relaxing vacation - which is also much-needed.

 

Thanks in advance for anything you have to contribute! :D

 

We did this cruise out of Rome 3 years ago on the Epic.

 

Cannes we did on our own, and we walked around the shops, looked at boats, and churches, it was also Cannes movie festival so we walked all around the main sites looking for the actors.

 

 

Palma Majorca, we shared a cab with another couple and he took us to an old bull fighting ring, looked at the views, old buildings, and the different point of interest. A lot of people did the hop on hop off bus.

 

 

In Naples, we took the local train to Pompeii and spent the day and explored there.

 

 

Florence we did an excursion from the ship because as this was our first ever cruise and we really wanted to see all the sites, At the time, I thought this was the way to go...,but you can easily do it on your own although you will need to hire transportation to get you there....I believe it was about an hour drive from the port. We are going back next year on the Jade -14 day cruise and we will probably do Florence with a group from our roll call.

 

 

Enjoy you cruise!! It truly was amazing for us and we absolutely fell in love with cruising because of this cruise!

[zqvol]

Pretty much every port in Europe can be done on your own without too much trouble. Buy a copy of Rick Steve's book. (He has a bunch so make sure you get the right one.) It is an excellent resource and worth 2 or 3 times what you pay for it.

[Huntingdon1701]

I've done this cruise twice now and it's a great experience.

 

Mallorca and Cannes are the easy ones to for yourself. For Cannes, you could consider taking the ferry to the off-shore Lerins islands. They're nature reserves, and include the castle where the man in the iron mask was kept.

 

Cannes is the only tender port and if you want to get off quickly you need to book the first tender. It's more time-consuming than the other ports.

 

I always use http://www.leisure-italy.com for tours in Naples and pull together a group from my roll call. First time, we did an amazing tour of Herculaneum, Vesvius, and Pompeii. The second time, a walk through historic Naples, a stop at a authentic pizza place, and then a tour of the Archaeological museum where they have displayed all the items recovered from Herculaneum and Pompeii.

 

If you can manage a day or two in Barcelona before you sail, I recommend it. It's a beautiful city with lots to see and do.

[pe4all]

We did this tour last summer with our family of 4. It was also our first cruise to Europe, and I did tons of research before booking anything! In Naples we took a RomeInLimo private tour of the Amalfi coast. In Rome we did an NCL tour which included all the major sites. In Livorno we also did a private tour. In Majorca we hopped a cab and went to a beach, and in Nice we walked around and did the NCL "Little Train" tour. We had a great (but exhausting) cruise!

[NewCruiser51912]

DH and I are doing this same cruise leaving from Barcelona on June 3rd. We're both first time cruisers so we're not really full of nuggets of wisdom. However, we are in the same boat (pardon the pun) as you with wanting to see as much as we can but not jam pack so much stuff in that we'll need a vacation from our vacation! Here's our plan for the trip...

 

Naples: A guided tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Rome: We hired a private car to take us to Rome where we'll tour on our own and then get a private car back to the ship. All the tours seemed to include the Vatican and we're much more interested in the ancient Roman side of Rome than the Vatican.

Florence: We're getting a shuttle into the city and again we'll tour on our own before getting a shuttle back.

Cannes: There isn't really anything we're interested in seeing here so we plan to just hit one of the many beaches that are literally steps away from the port.

Palma: We may stay on the ship this day or we may go and visit the cathedral that's within walking distance or take a taxi to see a couple sites.

 

Hope this helps!

[fabnfortysomething]

Any feedback from experienced cruisers on this itinerary on Epic would be very welcome! Roll Call is pretty much all people trying to join or get people to join their off-ship excursions, so not really the nuggets of wisdom I am looking for.

 

 

 

Sailing out of Barcelona on the Epic - first time on the Epic, and first time in the Med! Have a family all-day excursion planned off-ship for Rome to make it theee longessst day, but it is definitely packing it all in. Other than that, I was noting how much pricier the excursions are to book on the ship for seemingly just a cab ride somewhere and back, with a 20 min. ride to a destination but it's still an 8-10 hour day.

 

 

 

So, I am wondering what ports - Naples, Florence, Majorca, Cannes - would it be easy to take a jaunt off the ship and kind of just check things out. Or if there's anything that is a must-see at any of those places. I am all about the Neapolitan pizza, in addition to history, art and literature. I am just amazed to be going.

 

 

 

However, I would like to strike a balance between seeing these beautiful cities but not feeling like I have been jamming in every possible activity in each port to the detriment of having a relaxing vacation - which is also much-needed.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for anything you have to contribute! :D

 

 

 

You will probably find that those people on roll call looking for tourmates in private tours have done their research and found a company which hits the highlights for each port

 

However as already suggested head over to the ports of call forums where there is a load of info which will help you decide whether to DIY or even join one of those tours already set up in your roll call

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Linda the Book Lover]

Plan on resting when you return home! Our trip last year was our second time on the Epic and we enjoyed it. Favorite show was Cirque, sitting on the floor level.

 

We spent two days in Barcelona pre-cruise and wish we spent more. We booked Barcelona Day Tours (Barcelona and Montserrat) and I was so sorry to see the day end. It was a fabulous and tour and guide.

 

Cannes - Booked Cannes Shore Excursion-small group Monaco and Eze Half-Day Tour. A fabulous tour with once again a great guide.

 

Florence and Pisa/Pompeii, Sorrento, & the Amalfi Coast - Booked both of these tours through ItalyTours. EU Our guides for both tours were wonderful and we had plenty of time to see so much.

 

Rome - We did the Vatican and Best of Rome and we both enjoyed it but wished we had more time without the guide to enjoy walking around on our own and the Vatican.

 

We walked on our own and toured here but cabbed it back to the ship in Majorca. I had the best Gelato in the mall of all places.

 

We used the Europe thread as was suggested above. Enjoy deciding what to do - we are pondering another trip it was so good.

[libertyschool]

Plan on resting when you return home! Our trip last year was our second time on the Epic and we enjoyed it. Favorite show was Cirque, sitting on the floor level.

 

We spent two days in Barcelona pre-cruise and wish we spent more. We booked Barcelona Day Tours (Barcelona and Montserrat) and I was so sorry to see the day end. It was a fabulous and tour and guide.

 

Cannes - Booked Cannes Shore Excursion-small group Monaco and Eze Half-Day Tour. A fabulous tour with once again a great guide.

 

Florence and Pisa/Pompeii, Sorrento, & the Amalfi Coast - Booked both of these tours through ItalyTours. EU Our guides for both tours were wonderful and we had plenty of time to see so much.

 

Rome - We did the Vatican and Best of Rome and we both enjoyed it but wished we had more time without the guide to enjoy walking around on our own and the Vatican.

 

We walked on our own and toured here but cabbed it back to the ship in Majorca. I had the best Gelato in the mall of all places.

 

We used the Europe thread as was suggested above. Enjoy deciding what to do - we are pondering another trip it was so good.

 

Hi Linda,

 

Who did you book your Barcelona day tours with? I will be dong this itinerary as well in the fall and will be spending 48 hours in Barcelona pre-cruise. I am travelling solo so I would like to do some kind of organized tour.

[marktwothousand]

My main message on this one would be...save as much of your energy as you can if you want to do ports. Especially if you like enjoying the ship and drinking. It makes for an exhausting (but fun) trip. My experience from last year:

- Barcelona, give yourself a few days prior if you can, lovely place, tonnes to see and do. Also, getting to and from the port is really easy, so don't stress out about it.

- Rome, we skipped it because of the long travel time, but also because we had seen it before. If you do decide to go, just pick one thing (like the Coloseum) and maybe some general walking around. Too much involved in just getting there.

- Naples, same as above, we crammed too much in and it was exhausting. Really not sure how people squeeze Pompeii, Amalfi, Positano, and Sorrento all in one trip and call it fun. Traffic is horrendous on these 2-lane roads and you end up with less than an hour per stop. I'd just pick a coastal/mountain drive tour with 1-2 stops max.

- Florence... long travel time to get into the city. Recommend just splitting a private car with someone to get there and explore on your own. Have a nice lunch at one of the restaurants and walk along the river.

- Cannes, this was an interesting one. With no plan, we rented a car for 20 euros from Enterprise and drove to Monte Carlo. Highly recommend, was very easy.

- Mallorca, we took a walk from the port and back within an hour. It was too hot and we were too tired by this point in the trip to do anything. Plus, everything closes at Siesta, so if you don't get off the ship early, good luck.

 

Loved the whole experience overall, but just sayin', they don't call it "port intensive" for nothin'. Actually, I might be going back on this sailing again this summer, when are you heading?

[Linda the Book Lover]

Hi Linda,

 

Who did you book your Barcelona day tours with? I will be dong this itinerary as well in the fall and will be spending 48 hours in Barcelona pre-cruise. I am travelling solo so I would like to do some kind of organized tour.

 

http://www.barcelonadaytours.com/

They are fabulous. It was by far the best tour guide. We would take another tour with them. Enjoy!

[Meanee]

I've done this cruise few years back.

 

Naples: We took a train to Pompeii and joined a tour group that are always out there. They will get you in faster than on your own.

 

Rome: We thought about taking a train, but there were bunch of buses, offering 20 euro round trip, which drops you off few feet away from Vatican. We walked all over the place, and took subway (very easy to use).

 

Livorno: NCL provided a bus that took us out of the port (that one is pretty industrial area, you shouldn't walk there) and we took a train to Pisa. 10 minute walk and we are watching tourists propping up tower for photos.

 

Cannes: Took a train to Eze village. Amazing place.

 

Mallorca: Very easy to walk around, we checked out cathedral, and city in general. Surprisingly beautiful island.

 

Barcelona: They offer an airport bag transfer service now. We dropped off our bags and went to explore the city. Took a train to airport after and picked up our bags.

 

Europe is a piece of cake on your own.

[dogwalfal]

Can you please tell me more about the Barcelona bag transfer? We have some time before our flight and would love to have lunch before heading to the airport.

 

 

 

I've done this cruise few years back.

 

Naples: We took a train to Pompeii and joined a tour group that are always out there. They will get you in faster than on your own.

 

Rome: We thought about taking a train, but there were bunch of buses, offering 20 euro round trip, which drops you off few feet away from Vatican. We walked all over the place, and took subway (very easy to use).

 

Livorno: NCL provided a bus that took us out of the port (that one is pretty industrial area, you shouldn't walk there) and we took a train to Pisa. 10 minute walk and we are watching tourists propping up tower for photos.

 

Cannes: Took a train to Eze village. Amazing place.

 

Mallorca: Very easy to walk around, we checked out cathedral, and city in general. Surprisingly beautiful island.

 

Barcelona: They offer an airport bag transfer service now. We dropped off our bags and went to explore the city. Took a train to airport after and picked up our bags.

 

Europe is a piece of cake on your own.

[Meanee]

Can you please tell me more about the Barcelona bag transfer? We have some time before our flight and would love to have lunch before heading to the airport.

 

This was a fairly new service. First cruise I had from Barcelona to Barcelona (same as OP's), did not have that, but that was like 3 years ago. Last cruise I had was from Athens to Barcelona, but it was on Princess. And right in a terminal, there were people with those fliers. I think it's like 20 euros a bag.

 

They take your bags right there, give you a claim form, and take your payment. It also depends on when your flight is, they may not be able to accommodate you. We had somewhat later flight. They told us that bags will be in Lost and Found section of a terminal (forgot which one), but they will give you a map. Barcelona airport can be a tiny bit confusing, but we had no problem finding the place. Our bags were there at 3pm. We just rolled them to checkin and that was it.

 

Wonderful service and was very well-worth it. Instead of lugging our crap to airport, we enjoyed the city, saw few things, and made a nice day trip out of it. Went from "let's just get to the airport" to another sightseeing port of call.

 

Link: https://bagsandgo.com/en/

[Catchum]

Can you please tell me more about the Barcelona bag transfer? We have some time before our flight and would love to have lunch before heading to the airport.

 

 

Bags & Go https://bagsandgo.com/en/ We always use them at Barcelona - pre book for a small discount - the price is per bag no matter size. When you collect your bags in the cruise terminal you walk through customs and look for their sign - hand over the bags collect your paperwork and head out the door bag less. Leave plenty of time to find them at the airport as if you are flying short haul with a budget airline you will need to transfer between terminals - super easy though. you can easily get to the airport from the center of Barcelona on the AEROBÚS which cost about 6 euros and run every few minutes

[dogwalfal]

Thanks so much!

 

Bags & Go https://bagsandgo.com/en/ We always use them at Barcelona - pre book for a small discount - the price is per bag no matter size. When you collect your bags in the cruise terminal you walk through customs and look for their sign - hand over the bags collect your paperwork and head out the door bag less. Leave plenty of time to find them at the airport as if you are flying short haul with a budget airline you will need to transfer between terminals - super easy though. you can easily get to the airport from the center of Barcelona on the AEROBÚS which cost about 6 euros and run every few minutes

[nicoleinwi]

DH & I also did this same cruise from Barcelona three years ago. Due to timing and fitting what we thought was the most in, we ended up doing all NCL excursions except Rome.

 

This is what we did;

Livorno: Tour to Florence which included going to see David, free time in the city and a guided walking tour, then went to Pisa and climbed up the tower.

Naples: Tour to hike up Mt Vesuvius (on our own not a guided hike), then a guided tour of Pompeii. We arrived back to the ship with a little time to spare so we just started walking to find a pizza place (it was nothing special).

Mallacora: Bike tour, I think it was about 10 miles. Very fun and stopped at many places.

Cannes: Tour to Monte Carlo, which was a guided walking tour, free time to explore the city, then entrance into the Monte Carlo Casino.

Rome: This was the only place we did it on our own, just because so much cheaper then a transfer with the ship. We took the train in and did the 3rd Ring Coliseum Tour, Roman Forum, Parthenon and so much more I can't even remember everything we saw without going through pics. We did not do Vatican City though.

[wine_aholic]

Any feedback from experienced cruisers on this itinerary on Epic would be very welcome! Roll Call is pretty much all people trying to join or get people to join their off-ship excursions, so not really the nuggets of wisdom I am looking for.

 

Sailing out of Barcelona on the Epic - first time on the Epic, and first time in the Med! Have a family all-day excursion planned off-ship for Rome to make it theee longessst day, but it is definitely packing it all in. Other than that, I was noting how much pricier the excursions are to book on the ship for seemingly just a cab ride somewhere and back, with a 20 min. ride to a destination but it's still an 8-10 hour day.

 

So, I am wondering what ports - Naples, Florence, Majorca, Cannes - would it be easy to take a jaunt off the ship and kind of just check things out. Or if there's anything that is a must-see at any of those places. I am all about the Neapolitan pizza, in addition to history, art and literature. I am just amazed to be going.

 

However, I would like to strike a balance between seeing these beautiful cities but not feeling like I have been jamming in every possible activity in each port to the detriment of having a relaxing vacation - which is also much-needed.

 

Thanks in advance for anything you have to contribute! :D

 

Hi I am also on this cruise, 2nd time in the med. you can walk round Palma, Cannes and Naples from the boat, you don't need a tour. In Palma you can get the bus to the centre from just over the wee bridge when you get off the boat (go see the cathedral). Naples there is a segway tour for 1 hour or 2 which is fab (2hr tour includes the beach).

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/AttractionProductDetail-g187221-d12613785-1_Hour_Cannes_Segway_Small_Group_Tour-Cannes_French_Riviera_Cote_d_Azur_Provence_Alpes_Cote_d_Azur.html

Florence is about 1hr 20 mins from our port but there is a shuttle bus to Livorno where u can get a public bus to the train station (10 mins) then the train to Florence (Santa Maria novella) or Pisa (20 mins to Pisa centrale)

We are going to Pompeii when in Naples via train from porta no lama station (40 mins). Getting the tram from the port to the station that leaves from the port every 5 mins.

[Vertigirl99]

haha...Thank you all for the tips! Want to have fun on the ship but also enjoy time in the ports without being too beat up at the end. We are going June 24 from Barcelona and ill have a full day before to sightsee there. From what I have read so far, I am sure I will be coming back for a land trip just to spend more time there!

 

From what everyone has shared, I think we will be able to find a nice balance of sightseeing and ship fun.

[TNCruzer56]

We took the Epic out of Rome-Also spent 3 days before and 1 day after. There is so much to see in Rome!

To us, Barcelona was just another big busy city. Make it a port stop, of course, see Sagrada Familia, followed by some Gaudi buildings and schedule time for Las Ramblas!

[TNCruzer56]

Also we skipped Naples as were told by several that it`s a dirty boring city. We used Umberto and he was fantastic!!! 1st to Pompeii (splurge for a guide-you will get so much more out of it) then to the AWESOME Amalfi coast! He`ll take you to a hillside restaurant where Everything is grown just next to the place-All the food and wine/limoncello (also homemade) for $25 Euros. An hour stop at Sorrento an back to the ship. Maybe our best excursion ever!!!

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g194863-d10669721-r454542810-Umberto_Limos_Positano-Positano_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html

Edited May 23, 2018 by TNCruzer56

[wine_aholic]

Also we skipped Naples as were told by several that it`s a dirty boring city. We used Umberto and he was fantastic!!! 1st to Pompeii (splurge for a guide-you will get so much more out of it) then to the AWESOME Amalfi coast! He`ll take you to a hillside restaurant where Everything is grown just next to the place-All the food and wine/limoncello (also homemade) for $25 Euros. An hour stop at Sorrento an back to the ship. Maybe our best excursion ever!!!

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g194863-d10669721-r454542810-Umberto_Limos_Positano-Positano_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html

 

Did umberto guide u round Pompeii too or just get u there and back?