First Mediterranean Cruise - Rome, Naples, Majorca, Florence, Cannes

[Staceylyle]

Hello, this is our first cruise in the Mediterranean (Sept 2019) and I'm having a really hard time deciding what to do in Naples and Majorca. In Naples I don't want to miss Pompei but I don't want to miss Positano or maybe Capri. I'm also interested in swimming somewhere in the Mediterranean! I know we won't be able to do EVERYTHING but I don't mind a full day to get to where we want to go. Majorca is another one that I can't really decide what to do. Doesn't look like there is too much there.

 

There are four of us and we'd rather use local tour companies (small groups) because the ship tours are soooooo expensive!

 

My only other question is if Pisa is worth it on our way to Florence. Half of my friends say no and the other half love it.

 

Any comments / suggestions are most welcome. It's a long way for us to go so I don't want to make the wrong choices now!

[mapleleaves]

there is a long long thread in the Spain forum for DIY Majorca.  The most recent thread is about beaches close to the port.

 

As for Naples, be mindful of the details for tours that say Pompeii AND Amalfi Coast.  Some of them stop in Sorrento for lunch and for a factory tour, taking away from time you will have along the Amalfi Coast.  And some only do a photo stop above Positano.   

Our group of 4 decided that seeing several villages along the Coast was the priority.  So we are giving up Pompeii in order to get to Ravello.  We have hired a private driver with Aldo Limos for the day.  We started off with a route that included Pompeii but then changed it all around.  They've been great to work with, offering tips on timing, routing, and agreeing to meet us in Amalfi so we can take the ferry from Positano to Amalfi.   Enjoy !

[Love the beach]

Unfortunately you can't do Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Capri....there just isn't enough time! I would do Pompeii and Amalfi Coast and leave Capri for next time! Highly recommend Joe Banana Limos and you can tell them what you want...they will work with you. Have a wonderful trip!

[mskaufman]

We did a tour that did the Amalfi coast by boat (with an hour stop in Amalfi) and after lunch went to Pompeii.  On a subsequent cruise we did the Amalfi Drive.  However, on the first trip we didn't know if/when we would be back so this was a good compromise.  We were very happy with the choice.  Here is a link to some of the pictures.

 

https://markandkareneurope2012.shutterfly.com/pictures/973

 

 

[tdeyette]

Hello Staceylyle

 

It has been a year since our MED cruise and already we are dreaming of going back!

 

If you have not already done so, join your cruises roll call. Here you can share ideas and join tours with fellow passengers.

We ended up joining 3 tours in Italy with fellow cruisers using Joe Banana tours and we could not have been happier.

We met some great people and really had fun.

Our ship stopped in Salerno Italy (for Naples) and we took Joe Banana's tour called SAL003.

 

• We drove to Sorrento, stopping at a lemoncello factory by request and then had free time in Sorrento for shopping and gelato.
• we then drove the Amalfi coast stopping for photo opportunities where possible. 
• we stopped in Positano where we walked down the narrow streets to the beach at the bottom. My wife put her feet in the ocean (we did not really have time for a swim). 
• After we had a wonder full family style lunch in a hill top restaurant overlooking Positano.
• After we drove to Pompeii for a guided tour. I believe we were there for 2 hours (our guide said we only saw perhaps a 6th of the site). Pompeii was amazing.

we then drove back to the ship tired and enriched.... 🙂

 

I may have forgotten some of the details in between but these are some of the highlights

 

Enjoy your cruise

 

[cruisemom42]

20 hours ago, Staceylyle said:

 

My only other question is if Pisa is worth it on our way to Florence. Half of my friends say no and the other half love it.

 

Any comments / suggestions are most welcome. It's a long way for us to go so I don't want to make the wrong choices now!

 

Take a poll among the four of you regarding Pisa. There is no right or wrong and as you say, some people love it and others happily leave it. 

 

For me, once would have been more than enough (saw it and walked up it on a land trip when I was 14, even then I wasn't very interested....)

 

However, I returned with my young-adult DS last year on another land trip, and he wanted to see Pisa and climb the tower. He loved it, it was one of the more memorable things for him.  (I waved from the bottom, lol.)

 

I will say that if you ARE going to Pisa, it's far better to do it by itself than cram it in with Florence. Without time to climb the tower, it's just a bit of a silly photo op.

 

[ollienbertsmum]

I have been to Pisa twice and I would tend to agree with Cruise Mom.  If you are planning on visiting Pisa - which we did on our first stop in Livorno, then book your tower ticket in advance.  We did it after a visit to San Gimignano and wine tasting (although half way up the tower, one of the wine tasters could not cope with the tower !!!!).  

 

We have been back to Pisa and enjoyed the rest of the Field of Miracles.  We had a good time because it was just a day out in a low key cruise.  Compared to what else you can visit from Livorno - no contest.   

[Host Jazzbeau]

I second the recommendation that you visit the Palma de Mallorca - DIY? thread [note Spanish spelling].  You will find that there are three basic approaches to a port stop there:  (a) spend the day in Palma; (b) rent a car and drive to Valldemossa and Sóller; (c) go to a beach.  I suppose you could combine (a) and (c) if your ship is stopping long enough – but my recommendation is (b).  The thread gives very detailed instructions about how to rent a car and what routes to drive.

 

[VMax1700]

Personally, I would skip Pisa in favour of extra time in Florence.  It is amazing to be in the cradle of the renaissance period.  Pisa is just a tower and not much else. 

Palma de Mallorca would be your 'swim in the Med' opportunity. Maybe take the train to Sóller and visit Port de Sóller.  The cathedral in Palma de Mallorca is worth visiting too.https://www.abc-mallorca.com/soller-train-mallorca/

[caripoo]

On 6/10/2019 at 5:07 PM, Staceylyle said:

Hello, this is our first cruise in the Mediterranean (Sept 2019) and I'm having a really hard time deciding what to do in Naples and Majorca. In Naples I don't want to miss Pompei but I don't want to miss Positano or maybe Capri. I'm also interested in swimming somewhere in the Mediterranean! I know we won't be able to do EVERYTHING but I don't mind a full day to get to where we want to go. Majorca is another one that I can't really decide what to do. Doesn't look like there is too much there.

 

There are four of us and we'd rather use local tour companies (small groups) because the ship tours are soooooo expensive!

 

My only other question is if Pisa is worth it on our way to Florence. Half of my friends say no and the other half love it.

 

Any comments / suggestions are most welcome. It's a long way for us to go so I don't want to make the wrong choices now!

You cannot do Pompei, Capri, and Positano in one day....If you want to swim, do the Capri trip....you can swim there, or you can go to Positano, and rent a boat to Capri and swim on the way there and back. You will use up all your day doing that, but you will enjoy...Positano is my favorite.

 

We always do private tours, you can design them your way

 

And Pisa is nice, but it will take time from Florence....you will not have the time Florence needs without Pisa, so just go one place.

 

ENJOY

[Lois R]

FLORENCE😁😁😁gets my vote

[ollienbertsmum]

On 6/12/2019 at 5:09 PM, VMax1700 said:

Personally, I would skip Pisa in favour of extra time in Florence.  It is amazing to be in the cradle of the renaissance period.  Pisa is just a tower and not much else. 

Palma de Mallorca would be your 'swim in the Med' opportunity. Maybe take the train to Sóller and visit Port de Sóller.  The cathedral in Palma de Mallorca is worth visiting too.https://www.abc-mallorca.com/soller-train-mallorca/

 

Absolutely agree about using Palma as the swimming stop.  You can easy do a shuttle to town (or local bus if you are off quickly), visit the old town and Cathedral and then go to the beach.  We have walked back - but it is a long way.  You have the ship in view all of the way, but you have to like walking.  There are taxis to take you back if you prefer.  

[cruisinginapril2012]

Loved our drive along Amalfi Coast from Naples to Positano and Sorrento with stops for pictures along the coast.  A stop for pizza and then to Pompeii and espresso and gelato in Naples before getting back on ship.  The only thing I would do different is to hire a guide in Pompeii and our driver offered us one but we refused.  Driver was great too, we used Taxi Mister Cab Driver-Naples & Amalfi coast-

[George C]

Must get pizza in Naples, hard to decide between Capri and Pompeii but I wouldn’t do Pompeii which is great.

best tour I ever did was papillon out of Livorno we had a group of 8 spent about 90 mins in Pisa then Florence they prebought tickets to museum with David for those who wanted to see that and we skipped the line had time to ship and have lunch then went to a wine tasting at a vineyard. Perfect day guide driver was great about 100 each including museum 80 without.