Western Med Ports thumbs Up or Down

[TheHawk1]

1 hour ago, Nunagoras said:

Don't worry so much. Pretty much every other of these ports are easily doable on your own, except for Rome. If you have never been to Rome, at least book a ship sponsored shore excursion there. Some one and half hour or more driving each way from port to city center requires insurance that only a ship sponsored shore excursion will 100% guarantee.

Driving isn't the only way to get to Rome.  The trains run very frequently and take less than hour.  Once in Rome, there are several highly rated day tours (Walks of Italy, City Wonders) that are less than half of what the cruise lines charge for the same thing (or better).  That's what I'm planning on doing this September.

[adam7392]

In Naples if you have time after Pompeii (which in my view is the no 1 thing to ) then a close second is to drive to the summit of Vesuvius, the views are immense.

[sgmn]

On 6/23/2022 at 4:13 PM, little britain said:

 

4. Naples - noisy dirty chaos. 
 

Easy to catch the ferry to Capri for a great day out 

[Norwich Cruiser]

1 hour ago, sgmn said:

Easy to catch the ferry to Capri for a great day out 

We’ve done that a couple of times hopefully doing it again in a few weeks.

 

Ferry stops right outside the port a maximum five minutes walk.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Full disclosure, when I go to Europe it's for work, not vacation, so my perspective may differ. And as much as I love virtually the entire country of France, I really can't recommend Marseille. Any of the excursions in the surrounding areas that have been mentioned would make a much more enjoyable day IMHO.

 

Naples ... yes, it's dirty and noisy, and I LOVE it. 🥰 Partly because the southern part of the country was "home" to me, and it just encapsulates the essence of urban southern Italy which I happen to love. That being said, yes, the surrounding areas also have some really worthwhile stuff. But I wouldn't be scared away if you enjoy the urban vibe--I think NYC is a good comparison. Marseille is, of course, also urban and dirty and noisy, but to me it just doesn't feel like France. Naples, on the other hand, oozes Italy. 🙂

Edited June 25, 2022 by la_croisiere_s'amuse

[Host Jacquelyn]

5 hours ago, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

Full disclosure, when I go to Europe it's for work, not vacation, so my perspective may differ. And as much as I love virtually the entire country of France, I really can't recommend Marseille. Any of the excursions in the surrounding areas that have been mentioned would make a much more enjoyable day IMHO.

 

Naples ... yes, it's dirty and noisy, and I LOVE it. 🥰 Partly because the southern part of the country was "home" to me, and it just encapsulates the essence of urban southern Italy which I happen to love. That being said, yes, the surrounding areas also have some really worthwhile stuff. But I wouldn't be scared away if you enjoy the urban vibe--I think NYC is a good comparison. Marseille is, of course, also urban and dirty and noisy, but to me it just doesn't feel like France. Naples, on the other hand, oozes Italy. 🙂

 

It's funny, someone once described Naples to me as "the Marseilles of Italy"

[kccrzr]

Rather than a long transfer to Rome (where we had been several times) and then a rushed day there, we arranged for a private tour from Civitavecchia to Orvieto and Civita Bagnoregio, which included lunch and wine tasting.  It was a great day with plenty of free time for us to explore on our own.