Western Mediterranean Excursions Question

[WappNY]

Hi,

I'm new to the forums so I'm not sure where I should be posting this inquiry so I thought I would start here.

 

My wife and I have a western mediterranean cruise booked and these are our ports of call. Depart/Return Barcelona, Cannes, Florence/Pisa(Livorno), Rome(Civitavecchia), Naples, Messina(Sicily), Valletta, Cagilari, Palma(Majorca). 

 

To anyone who has been to these ports, will we need to book excursions at each of these ports or will we be able to just disembark and experience beautiful sights and towns right off the ship?

 

This is our first mediterranean cruise so anything and everything that we see is going to be new for us. 

 

Thank you!

 

[Girr]

I recommend you go over to the Europe board where these ports are discussed daily, and excellent suggestions given.  To answer your question in the short form:  Florence and Rome over an hour away from port with no free transfers.  In Barcelona, and Palma transfers for a fee are available.  Cannes in a tender port, and you can just disembark, but most travel on.  Naples and Messina are cities you can just walk off, but again, most travel on.  

[mapleleaves]

There is a Ports of Call forum and each country has it's own forum where you will find useful info on sights, activities, and how to get around.  Use the attached link as a starting point.  

Mediterranean - Eastern & Western - Cruise Critic Community

 

I would also suggest you buy a guide book specific to Med cruises. ie Rick Steves  'Med Cruise Ports' and Ann Vipond 'Med by cruiseship'.   These books provide info about the history, culture, sites, tours, DIY options, etc.    Also, look in the blue banner at the top of this page for LIVE CRUISE REPORTS. Read thru Med cruises for this yr and last (regardless of the cruiselline) for first hand experiences and suggestions.  

 

[CaptainBazz]

2 hours ago, WappNY said:

Depart/Return Barcelona, Cannes, Florence/Pisa(Livorno), Rome(Civitavecchia), Naples, Messina(Sicily), Valletta, Cagilari, Palma(Majorca). 

We did a similar cruise a few years back. Cannes was a great place to walk around...you can take a small train/shuttle that takes you round some of the sights. At Livorno it was easy to get to the Leaning Tower...you need tickets to go up and you can buy them on line. Just make your own way there. Rome is quite a distance away, I would book something either from the ship or local. In Naples we pre booked a full day tour (not through the ship) that took us to the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento and Pompeii. Definitely do something like that. Messina we just walked around the town. Valletta is a great place to walk around...lots to see and many great restaurants. Don't recall Cagilari...maybe we didn't stop there. We had been to Palma before so stayed on the ship. You will have fun on this cruise...enjoy!

[eileeshb]

There is generally decent public transport at most of those ports but beware of possible strikes, the Italians and french in particular are rather fond of striking. On the other hand there is usually alternative transport available if you pick an independent excursion vendor or diy so you don’t have to stick to the cruiseline excursions. 

[schmoopie17]

Not a whole lot of excitement in Civatawhatever. Rome is an hour and a half away, which makes the need for an excursion imperative. But with the commute time and the necessity to cram several days of sightseeing into a few hours, it also makes for some probable sightings of pier runners before the ship sets sail.

[eileeshb]

Just a word of caution, some of the NCL offered excursions are nothing more than a bus to the location so if you do book with them check the description carefully. When I did this itinerary a lot of covid restrictions were still in place so I couldn’t even get off the ship in the Italian ports unless it was to go on NCL excursions. However if you want to do Rome from civitavecchia there is a bus from the port to the train station and regular trains to Rome Termini which is the main train station and all the HoHo buses start from just across the street from that train station. There are numerous HoHo bus companies so pay attention to which you use if you go for that option. It was the one port I could skip the NCL excursions as it was my embark/disembarkation point.