Do it yourself

[trout96]

I would like to know best way to get from the port to cities of interest? Can you walk? Is there a shuttle? HOw far are they? I have tried to search but my search isn't working. My parents want all do it yourself. Should you for the best trip or a combo of private tours?

[cberge]

I would like to know best way to get from the port to cities of interest? Can you walk? Is there a shuttle? HOw far are they? I have tried to search but my search isn't working. My parents want all do it yourself. Should you for the best trip or a combo of private tours?

 

It would be helpful if you listed the ports/cities your parents will be stopping in on their cruise...there are ports out there.You can search by name of the port as well ans there really is a lot of information on this board as well as checking the cruisline CC board they are on fro info as well.

[Nightwind]

I've not cruised in Europe (yet :) ), but I've been to Europe many times and I've used ferries to get around, and I can tell you that, depending on where they're going, they generally won't be able to walk from the ship to the city! For instance, Civitavecchia (the port that serves Rome) is about a 45 minute train trip from Rome itself. Piraeus, which serves Athens, is, if I recall correctly, a similarly-long non-walkable trip. They'll need excursions, either through the ship or privately arranged, particularly if they've never been to Europe before and/or don't want to rent cars and drive themselves around...

 

I don't recommend driving in most large European cities. SCARY! Then again, I'm kind of a chicken about driving in cities in general. Still, they need to be prepared for craziness on the roads. :) If they're going to arrange things themselves and don't want to go through the ship, I'd recommend that they look at rail service in the various ports. When I was in Europe, I found the train system to be much better than the coach/bus service. Once they get to the city, they can hook up with the various day tour operators there.

[trout96]

The ports we are going to is Naples, Croatia, Venice, Messina, Barcelona, Cannes, Livorno. Also reading through the many I just feel overwhelmed.

[Nightwind]

Honestly, unless you're familiar with traveling around Europe by yourself, I think your best bet is to hook up with a tour operator. Likely a quick Google search will turn up many options for all of the ports you'll be visiting and then you can research from there. Perhaps they can even meet you at the ship. (As I said, I've not cruised Europe; only travelled extensively on land by rail and an occasional ferry.)

 

But I think your most convenient option is to arrange all of your shore excursions with the cruise line. It'll be more expensive, but it will DEFINITELY be less confusing and stressful for you and therefore might be worth the extra money. They will arrange your travel between the port and the city and will arrange for tours/activities from there. You don't have to do a thing other than pick what you want to do and pay your tab. :) Otherwise...Well, yes, you're in for a lot of confusing options and stress, particularly because on a cruise you'll have time constraints in terms of getting back to the ship on time. So unless you're a pro at arranging this sort of thing...I'd suggest going for the ship-sponsored excursions. You'll save yourself a LOT of trouble. Traveling around Europe is a lot different than traveling around the US or the Caribbean.

 

Oh, and when you're in Naples, definitely go to the Isle of Capri and, if the weather/sea levels allow, see the Blue Grotto. It's amazing. :) Even if you can't go to the grotto, the island itself is beautiful. Depending on how long you're in Naples, of course Pompeii is a must-see, too. :)

[Susan-M]

We like to explore on our own, and with a lot of advance planning and the ability to spend most of the day on your feet .... it works very well. I remember the "overwhelmed" feeling of planning at the beginning, but once you get going, the planning is almost as much fun as the trip itself. Following a tip from another CC poster, I organized a binder with a section for each port. It kept me organized during the planning stage, and I took it with me on our trip so that each day I would just need to pull out that day's section and put it in my backpack.

 

Venice, Barcelona and Dubrovnik are fairly easy to do on your own.

 

If you choose to go to Florence from Livorno (1.5 hrs away), you can go by train, or on the ship's "Florence on Your Own" bus which drops you off and picks you up, leaving you on your own for the day.

 

We explored the Villefranche area (close to Cannes) by bus & train.

 

In Naples I would strongly suggest a private tour guide - the Amalfi Coast and the small towns along the coast, along with a visit to Pompeii makes for a great day!

 

This is a link to a review I wrote following our cruise ... it will give you an idea of what is involved in doing some of these ports on your own: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=240792