Which ports require an excursion

[Wannacruise24]

I will be doing a Mediterranean cruise in Oct, visiting Villefranche,France,  Ajacciao,Corsica,  Cagliari,Sardinia,  Valletta,Malta,  Messina, Sicily,  and Naples, Italy. I was wondering how many, if any, of these ports can you just get off the ship and wonder around on your own, or do you have to take an excursion or some other transportation to actually get into the town/city to see anything. Any recommendations on tours would also be appreciated.

[Mary229]

I know of no cruise line that requires an excursion. Many people will tour independently in this ports    Just be sure to note the all aboard time and get back to the ship on time. 

Edited February 2 by Mary229

[leaveitallbehind]

Even if transportation was required to reach a given town or attraction you can always arrange that independently.  As @Mary229indicates, I am also not aware of any cruise line that requires you to do a ship sponsored excursion while in port in order to reach any given destination.  You can always leave the ship and sight see on your own.

 

Specific to your itinerary, Nice may require a taxi or other transportation to reach from the cruise terminal.  And at others you may as well, depending on any specific attraction you wish to see.  But you can research each port in greater detail for tour and sightseeing ideas at the Mediterranean ports of call board at this link:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/472-mediterranean-eastern-western/

Edited February 2 by leaveitallbehind

[mom says]

The Ports of Call forum for the Med is a good source of information; at least as a starting point.  If DIY touring is new to you, I'd suggest getting the Rick Steves Guide to Mediterranean Cruising. You're welcome.

[CDNPolar]

We often look at independent excursion providers and are not tied to the cruise line excursions.  Sometimes these can be same or similar excursion at a cheaper cost.

 

I have done this once in the past - hired a taxi for a 4 hour drive to wherever... that is good too.

 

Sometimes ships have shuttle busses to the city centre so you can go on your own.

 

My favourite travel hack is Uber where Uber is available.  Take an Uber.

 

Just know your back on board time and ensure wherever you are that they are not using a different local time from the ship time.  Leave a window of extra time and be back 45 minutes before back on board time.

[navybankerteacher]

At all of those ports you can get off and wander about on your own.  In fact most of them have a lot to see/do within easy walking distance.  You might want to check out Villefranche as a possible tour port, as there is less within easy walking distance as at to other ports.

 

[Hlitner]

As others posted, none of those ports "requires" an excursion.  In fact, we have been to all those ports and done our own thing using public transit, walking, and rental cars.  The "secret" of cruisers is that some folks will not even walk off the ship unless they are part of an organized group excursion and others of us will do everything possible to avoid going on any group excursion.  A majority of cruisers will use a combination of ship excursions, private tours, and Do it Yourself (DIY) depending on the port.

 

My advice is to do your pre-trip homework (which can be a lot of fun) looking at all the available info on each of your ports.  A good starting point is to simply look at your cruise line's excursions to get some idea of the more common options.  You can than look at various online resources, tour books (often found in a public library), and also take advantage of the Cruise Critic Ports of Call boards where you can read previously posted suggestions and also post any specific questions that come to mind.  There are quite a few of us who enjoy helping out other cruisers with specific advice on DIY options as well as private tours (you can sometimes join with others using the CC Roll Call Board for your specific cruise).

 

Hank

[Wannacruise24]

Thanks for the info! It's really appreciated. This is going to be my first cruise and I am so excited. I'm trying to research everything but it get a little overwhelming at times😀

[Honolulu Blue]

This post reminded me of the bad old days immediately after the cruising restart when some cruise lines and some ports DID require a cruise ship excursion to get off the ship.

 

We are, thankfully, past those days, so carry on.

[ontheweb]

The only port we ever visited that you either did not get off or basically required an excursion was St. Petersburg. You could theoretically get off the ship without a private ofrship excursion, but the cost and hassle of getting a Russian visa really did not make it practical. And the cruise lines really tried to scare you into avoiding the private tour companies and using their larger and more expensive excursions.

 

Of course, no one at the moment or the near future, is taking a cruise that includes St. Petersburg as a port.

Edited February 3 by ontheweb
spelling correction

[leaveitallbehind]

2 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

This post reminded me of the bad old days immediately after the cruising restart when some cruise lines and some ports DID require a cruise ship excursion to get off the ship.

 

We are, thankfully, past those days, so carry on.

Yes indeed!  That was the only time our 32 year cruising history when that was that case.  And as I recall it was with the cruise lines as an agreement with the port of call requirements for visitors to be allowed back in their country as part of the restart.  At least with US based closed loop itineraries.

Edited February 3 by leaveitallbehind

[ldubs]

On 2/2/2024 at 8:31 AM, navybankerteacher said:

At all of those ports you can get off and wander about on your own.  In fact most of them have a lot to see/do within easy walking distance.  You might want to check out Villefranche as a possible tour port, as there is less within easy walking distance as at to other ports.

 

 

Yes, this.  I don't think the OP was asking if an excursion was a cruise line requirement, but rather if the area could be visited on foot.   

 

I spend time researching ports of call for that very same reason.  

[leaveitallbehind]

On 2/2/2024 at 6:27 AM, Wannacruise24 said:

...or do you have to take an excursion or some other transportation to actually get into the town/city to see anything. Any recommendations on tours would also be appreciated.

 

11 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Yes, this.  I don't think the OP was asking if an excursion was a cruise line requirement, but rather if the area could be visited on foot.  

Based on the thread title and the above quoted section of their question, I kind of took it as a little of both thinking that they were wondering, if nothing to see wandering on your own on, if an excursion was required to see anything.  And I assumed (I know, risky thing) that they were referencing ship tours.

 

Either way a lot of good information was provided which should cover all bases!  🙂

Edited February 3 by leaveitallbehind

[clo]

On 2/2/2024 at 8:21 AM, mom says said:

The Ports of Call forum for the Med is a good source of information; at least as a starting point.  If DIY touring is new to you, I'd suggest getting the Rick Steves Guide to Mediterranean Cruising. You're welcome.

Oh, thank you so much for that reminder. We have a lot of ports coming up in July where we won't be doing excursions. 

[clo]

On 2/3/2024 at 9:08 AM, ldubs said:

I spend time researching ports of call for that very same reason.  

As do I. But I'm an info-junkie 🙂