Florence and Pisa on your own

[themob]

I have booked with Princess to do this excursion.Please advise if you have done this tour and where do they take you in Florence and where do they pick you up for return back to ship?Will you need transportation to visit other places in Florence?Are there guides you can hire once you have arrived in Florence.I was there a few years ago and had a private tour and remember having to drive to get to all tourist sites.Please reply if you have knowledge of this tour

[Hlitner]

The drop place in Florence can vary, but will be somewhere within easy walking distance of the most popular tourist sites (such as the Pitti Palace, Uffizzi, etc.  The one place where you would probably want to use transportation (such as a taxi) is if you are planning to visit the Accademia.   Keep in mind that even the central part of Florence does require lots of walking, so wear comfy shoes.    As to Pisa, the tours take you to one place which is the Field of Miracles which has all the major tourist attractions (including the Tower) at a single location.   It is an expansive park, but completely flat.

 

Hank

[GloriaF]

Our first trip to Italy was on a TA cruise.  We were lucky enough to join another couple from our Roll Call that were experienced in traveling and driving in Italy, and were renting a car to tour Cinque Terra.  It was just the four of us and we had a wonderful day walking Cinque Terra, had lunch, and stopped by Pisa on the way back to the ship.  We didn't visit Florence that trip.  I will always thank Hlitner & wife for such an amazing day.  I highly recommend Cinque Terra!! 

 

On our second TA, we took a ship's guided tour of Florence -- it was better than not going, but not as good as it could have been with a private guide or on our own.  The main problem with a walking ship's tour is the group only moves as fast as the slowest person, (and people tend to think they can do more than they actually can).

 

Hope my memories help in some way.

Edited January 24, 2019 by GloriaF

[partybarbie]

My husband and I did this tour.  You don't have to stay with the group.  There's lots of walking, but it's mostly flat.  They will give you maps on the bus.  We were able to get around pretty well on our own.  A lot of Italian people speak English, so it's not a problem to ask for directions.  We didn't go inside the museum as it didn't seem like we would have enough time.  One could easily spend a week in Florence and probably still not see everything. 

 

Edited January 24, 2019 by partybarbie

[lolane1]

I've been to Florence several times but as a land vacation.  I found the city small and easily walkable.  As a previous poster mentioned, a trip to the Academia (to see David) is a longer trip. But there is a copy of David in the Palazzo della Signoria, maybe called Palazzo Vecchio now.  II's right near the Uffizzi and the Ponte Vecchio.  Be really careful about pick pockets, especially in crowds.  Had my passport stolen downstairs in the crowded Duomo  It was in a leather case; the thief probably thought was a wallet.  Italian police are the best. Lots of people speak English.  You can buy a great map in Barnes and Nobel. 

Taxi's are a PITA, because of the one way nature of the streets.  

[4cats4me]

We just did the Florence on your own” Princess tour this past October, and it was a huge disappointment compared to the private excursion we’d done three years previously.  

I realize that you are also going to Pisa, so I won’t comment on Pisa,  it our tour was described as having “6 free hours” and it was closer to 3 hrs 30 mins.  Grossly overstated in the brochure tour description. Also, it took forever for our bus to depart the port due to some rude passengers who held us up, so we lost 30 mins dealing with their “issue.”  Upon arrival to Florence, same said passengers issue held us up once again so that the guide could hail them a taxi, as all the busses park out far away and it would have been too long a walk for those particular passengers.  We had to wait for the guide to essentially tend to them and their neediness.  It was ridiculous.  I will never take a big bus Princess excursion ever again, and this was a FREE excursion, since we needed to use onboard credits.  Florence itself was spectacular, and we naturally departed the group immediately and branched out on our own.  Later that day I found out that many passengers were mislead and brought to a leather making demonstration at a store, which wasted another half hour of people's time.  

The previous time In Florence we were in a group of 8 for both Pisa and Florence, and it was a great day, so efficiently run, we beat the big busses into the city center, had a great guide, fantastic. 

 

As an aside,  we also made the mistake of taking the big bus tour to Provence, and it was equally irritating, and we were lied to, as we were supposed to be on a 25 passenger van and last minute they decided to combine 50 of us on one large bus instead. They stopped for a restroom break for “10 minutes,” which turned into 35 mins. True.  If on a small tour, you don’t waste long periods of time for restroom breaks. 

We only took the ship  tour due to once again, having an abundance of shipboard Credit. 

Once we got to the destination, we had a wonderful time.  

 

Sorry to give so much detail, but I wanted you to be aware if the little things that can detract from what should be a great day.  

Edited January 25, 2019 by 4cats4me

[suzyed]

11 hours ago, partybarbie said:

My husband and I did this tour.  You don't have to stay with the group.  There's lots of walking, but it's mostly flat.  They will give you maps on the bus.  We were able to get around pretty well on our own.  A lot of Italian people speak English, so it's not a problem to ask for directions.  We didn't go inside the museum as it didn't seem like we would have enough time.  One could easily spend a week in Florence and probably still not see everything. 

 

It was a lot more walking from the drop off spot than we anticipated....and pretty much the same back to the bus.  

[brt49]

Get a few people and use Rime in a Limo. We arrived at Pisa before the crowds and skipped the line to see David. 

[ontheweb]

There have been several comments on this (and other threads) about the "big bus" versus on your own or private tours. I would generally agree with them, but our experience in Italy was different.

 

We did Rome on our own. Coming back we took the next to last train to ensure getting back on time. It was extremely crowded and with the near 100 degree temperatures in Rome that day, extremely uncomfortable. And that was before a fight broke out on the train.

 

In another thread I previously wrote how we did the Florence on our own excursion because 10 years earlier on our first cruise I had caused us to miss Florence by getting on the train the wrong way. Well Florence was even warmer than Rome, but the air conditioned bus was much more pleasant than the Rome trip on our own. And due to DW's getting advanced tickets to the 2 major museums and the fact that it was "on your own", we got to see what we wanted. More expensive than doing it on our own, but in this case well worth it. In fact afterwards DW mentioned that she wished this time we had also taken a ship excursion (probably again on your own) for Rome.

 

 

[cruisequeen4ever]

We did this a few years ago and found it a great way to see the region. We had trusted transportation and the freedom to explore on our own. There’s a “guide” onboard the bus who gives some info and comes around to deliver a map to you and answer any questions you have or provide recommendations. Ours was great. In Pisa, the bus parks in the far away bus parking lot, and the whole group walks together to the main area outside the gates. Once there, you’re told how long you have, and you meet back at that same place to do the return walk again as a group. In Florence, the bus can’t get too close to inner Florence so parks along the river. The group walked together to the Leather Factory in Santa Crocce Square as our meeting point. We could use it’s restrooms and shop or just begin our independent exploring. Santa Crocce Square is convenient to everything. You can easily walk everywhere...as long as you’re pretty mobile. 

[wickhamk]

There are 9 of us needing to get from Livorno to Florence.  All the mini buses only hold 8.  Any suggestions on how to get there with 9

[buttons71069]

I'm on this cruise and the museums in Florence are free first Sunday. We are in port that day.

[Mary Ann 2]

We have done this several times and it was always the Santa Crocce Square where we split up and met back together.  Florence is very walkable and easy enough to walk to all the main spots from this square.  Last time we had pre-purchased tickets to the Uffizi for entry in the morning so we wouldn't have to wait in line. The first time we visited Florence and Pisa we did the group tour but felt that we didn't get to see much and we parked much further from city centers.  So I would recommend the on your own because you control your day.  Decide what you want to see and research it so you know where to go and if it's recommended to pre-purchase tickets.

[caribill]

3 hours ago, buttons71069 said:

I'm on this cruise and the museums in Florence are free first Sunday. We are in port that day.

 

If they are free, then reserve timed-entrance tickets in advance from the museums (not a agency that sells tickets). No cost for admission, but there is a booking fee.

 

If you do not do this, you will not get to see the museums as the lines for free admission will go around the block and you will not have the time to wait on those lines.

 

[themob]

7 hours ago, caribill said:

 

If they are free, then reserve timed-entrance tickets in advance from the museums (not a agency that sells tickets). No cost for admission, but there is a booking fee.

 

If you do not do this, you will not get to see the museums as the lines for free admission will go around the block and you will not have the time to wait on those lines.

 

How do you book timed entrance from the museums?

[caribill]

16 hours ago, themob said:

How do you book timed entrance from the museums?

http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi/default_eng.aspx

[themob]

10 hours ago, caribill said:

http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi/default_eng.aspx

Thank you for your help God Bless You

[turquoisesea]

On 1/24/2019 at 10:29 AM, themob said:

I have booked with Princess to do this excursion.Please advise if you have done this tour and where do they take you in Florence and where do they pick you up for return back to ship?Will you need transportation to visit other places in Florence?Are there guides you can hire once you have arrived in Florence.I was there a few years ago and had a private tour and remember having to drive to get to all tourist sites.Please reply if you have knowledge of this tour

We booked a ship’s excursion for this port and then made the excellent decision to cancel it.  I emailed Romeinlimo and arranged for their tour of Florence and Pisa. They suggested what tickets to purchase on line, which right now I can’t remember. But the biggest plus for doing this private tour is that your car can drive inside Florence. (Buses cannot) Your driver will take you to all the sites and our driver gave us a great history lesson about each site and what to look for. He waited for us outside each stop.  He directed us where to go to lunch  and then we walked to the Gold Bridge for a little shopping!  If you can find another couple it will bring the price down when divided by 4.  We were only two and it was worth every penny!