Shore Excursion in Florence

[tuft]

Hi!

 

We are sailing on the 11/1 Celebrity Summit from Barcelona to Venice. One of the ship's excursions is Florence On Your Own. We are in port from 7AM departing 7PM and have signed up for this excursion. Has anybody out there done this particular excursion from this ship? If so, can you tell me what time the bus arrived in Florence and left for the return trip to Livorno?

 

Also I read in a guide book that stores in Florence are open from 9 or 10AM to 1PM... then reopen from 4PM to 7:30PM. Did anyone find this to be true?

 

And finally, did anyone who made advance reservations for the Accademia find one internet site better than another on which to do this? There are so many booking sites that I find it really confusing!! :(

 

I appreciate any guidance you can offer!!

 

Thanks,

Peg

[D-Town]

:) My wife & I are also booked on this Summit sailing Nov. 1st.

We've been to Florence several times.It's fantastic.

Regarding travel time from the port of Livorno it takes at least 1 1/2-2hrs depending on traffic to reach the city and return.

Florence is very compact. You can walk the major attractions.

In November, it shouldn't be packed with visitors. I'd make reservations for the Uffizi on line. The shops were open regular hours. However, they will close for the afternoon break. You might want to plan around that.

Local restaurants are available and the food is great.

If, you haven't visted Pisa, I'd recommend it. You can combine the two on one of the excrusions.

However, it does cut time in Florence....

Have a wonderful cruise.

[tuft]

Thanks for the Florence info. It was helpful! Have you visited the thread dedicated to our cruise? If not, its entitled Summit 11/1/08 Barcelona to Venice. There is also a fabulous website designed and managed by Susan (sjb95) (one of our fellow "sailors). It is marvelous!! The web address is http://www.freewebs.com/summitnov1. The wealth of information she provides is impressive.

 

Thanks again for your help regarding Florence. See you onboard!

 

Peg

[Susan-M]

Hi Peg,

 

We did the Florence on Your Own on Millennium in '05. The On-Your-Own excursions are the last to leave, and traffic was tied up in port that day, so we didn't get to Florence until after 10 a.m.. They parked the bus near the Arno River and walk the group to Santa Croce church (where you'll meet again later in the day ... ~ 3:30 - 3:45.)

 

We reserved tickets for the Accademia through the official museum site: http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/accademia/ (we paid for the tickets once we arrived.)

[tuft]

Hi Susan,

 

Thanks for your comments. I was disappointed to hear that the "On Your Own(ers) are the last group off. Was the "rest stop" at the leather factory very long? Based on what I have read in various travel guides regarding the distance from Livorno into Florenece, my husband and I estimated that we would arrive somewhere around 10:00. I hope we arrive no later than that!! We are comfortable taking the train on our own into Rome (because we will be there for two days) but we are hesitant to do so in Florence due to the traffic horror stories. Thanks,again, for your input.

 

Peg

[Susan-M]

Hi Peg,

You're welcome.:) We didn't have a shopping stop ... I think that due to the delay getting out of port, they gave us the option and the majority voted against it. I was quite happy with that decision, and the market in Florence has plenty of nice leather items.

 

We were going to take the train into Florence that day, but about a month before our trip we learned of a planned strike that day, so the on-your-own was a second choice. It worked out OK and was very convenient ... the next day we took the train to Rome.

 

I forgot to mention above that if you are just reserving tickets for Academia instead of buying in advance, you have to phone them.

 

Good luck with your plans.

[diligaf51]

you must see the "David". It just looks like a nice statue in pictures but is the most impressive thing I have ever seen in person. Florence is very small and quaint. You will love it.

[tuft]

I can't wait to see the "David" "close up and personal". For me, it will be one of my most treasured memories (amongst about a million others, I'm sure) of Florence. Even though we're traveling in November, I want to purchase the tickets before we go just to ensure we can get in!

 

Susan, as much as I love to shop, don't get me wrong... My reason for questioning the stop at the leather factory was because we don't want to waste time enroute. We would be happier if the excursion did not include the old "on the way to Florence we will make a comfort stop at a leather factory" yada, yada, yada!!!

 

We are so excited about this trip. Thanks to all for sharing your enthusiasm for Florence :D

 

Peg

[D-Town]

Hi fellow CC Summit cruisers.

Dennis & Janis are in 7022 on the front of the ship.

We like easy access to the gym.

We're on the early seating for dinner.

We're new grandparents. Our first a beautiful girl name Cathryn.

We've cruised extensively on Celebrity, Cunard, NCL , Costa and Princess.

 

And, yes, we would like to discuss excursion opportunities in certain ports.

We registered for the Celebrity CC on-board party.

I can't seem to edit or add us to the roll call list on that terrific website for this sailing.

Kudos to whoever took the time to put it together.

It's the single best website either cruise line or other I've seen.

:)

[6502programmer]

I can't wait to see the "David" "close up and personal". For me, it will be one of my most treasured memories (amongst about a million others, I'm sure) of Florence.

 

I went to Italy back when I was sixteen. I had no idea what was in the museum we were wandering through, when all of a sudden, I rounded a corner and there was David standing in front of me. It really is one of the more amazing memories of my life--So much so that when we were discussing the idea of a Mediterranean cruise, I told my wife that any cruise we would take would almost certainly have to have a stop in Florence!

[cavkc]

We did this excursion and arrived in Florence at approx 11am. On route the coach stopped at a leather factory outlet/manufacturer. Whilst some of the goods were quite nice, I would not recommend buying from there as you will find much better quality at a better price in Florence itself.

 

We were left in Florence and had approximately 5 hours on our own. It is a beautiful town, very easy to navigate and easily done on foot. As it was a public holiday that weekend, and also a Sunday, not all the shops were open, however the vast majority had opened by 12 noon.

 

San Lorenzo market is quite good, with most of the stall holders having shops immediately behind the stall.

 

We ended up buying a leather jacket each and a fur coat for me. Do shop around though if you are interested in leather as quality varies considerably.

 

Before we left Florence the coach drove around the outskirts of the city where we had some wonderful views and passed some incredible properties.

 

Enjoy your trip

[ISABELLA]

Hi!

 

We are sailing on the 11/1 Celebrity Summit from Barcelona to Venice. One of the ship's excursions is Florence On Your Own. We are in port from 7AM departing 7PM and have signed up for this excursion. Has anybody out there done this particular excursion from this ship? If so, can you tell me what time the bus arrived in Florence and left for the return trip to Livorno?

 

We've done it twice - loved it for an opportunity to see Florence in our own pace. Florence is very walkable city. Just get a good map and you will have no problem. Bus will drop you off at Piazza Crocia at about 10am and we were picked up at 3:30 or 4 - can't remember. I don't remember if stores were even closed for lunch - maybe some, most of them are open for tourists. I marked the map at home the sites we wanted to see. If you want to visist Uffizi museum - need to get tickets in advance. They are available on line. Florence has the best jellatto.

Enjoy.

[Sherlock H]

Hi Tufts -

We are from Mass and have not cruised in quite a while. How do you join the http://www.freewebs.com/summitnov1/summit.htm. I can not find any way to get in with the "crowd"

HELP!

Dick

[sjb95u]

Hey Dick (Sherlock-H),

 

It's Susan (sjb95u) from the Summit Nov sailing, I'm the designer of the website for this cruise.

 

Are you trying to get to our Roll Call, are you on this cruise? If SO, you can click on the Cruise Critic Roll Call link (left side menu on the website) or click on roll call below--- then introduce yourself to all your fellow cruisers!

 

Here's what we'll need to get you in with the "Crowd" if you're a fellow cruiser...your name(s), hometown, cabin #, early/late dining, and if you're interested in traveling with a large group via train into Rome (aka, on your own style).

 

Come and join us on the Roll Call

 

Susan~

http://www.freewebs.com/summitnov1/

[Sherlock H]

Hi Susan

We are Sandy + Dick from Marblehead, MA - We are late seating and still wondering about the best way to tour Rome and other cities. We have cruised before, but it has been a long time and it is our first trip to Europe.

We would like some advice as to how to take the best advantage of the cruise and the sites?

[tuft]

Hi Sandy and Dick,

 

"Tuft" is John and Peggy from Florence (part of Northampton), MA. It will be nice to have fellow "Bay Staters" on board! We (along with another couple) are flying to Barcelona from Logan on 10/29. Are you planning any pre-cruise time in Barcelona? If so, they have an excellent hop on hop off tourist bus which is a great way to see the city. Be sure to check out Susan's website. She did an excellent job. There is a wealth of information regarding all the ports as well as links to various tourist websites. As far as shore excursions, some people are doing private tours, others are doing ship excursions and some are "on your own"ers. People are still looking for fellow cruisers to share private tours in many locations. For more info, see Susan's site or just post a query on the forum for our trip. Many of us are planning to take the train into Rome from Civitavecchia. It takes approximately 90 mins from the port to Rome. Once in Rome, there are a variety of tours you can take. Again, there are a number of people who arranged private tours in Rome. Perhaps someone has room for two more!

 

We are really forward to this trip and meeting our new Cruise Critic friends. (Be sure to register for the Cruise Critic Connections party to be held on the Summit!!)

 

Go Sox !!!!!!!!!!!

 

Peg (Aka "Tuft")

[caviargal]

This is the official website for booking museums in Florence, which I highly recommend doing: http://www.firenzemusei.it/

 

The lines can be very long should you not make a reservation for a specific time

 

The Bargello is a lovely sculpture museum and my personal favorite. It is small and has never been crowded on my visits. And the Palazzo Vechhio is a good choice for those interested in a more digestible amount of than is housed in the Uffizi, which can be overwhelming.

 

For those interested more in food, I suggest Mercato Centrale. I love to cook and find this place endlessly interesting, far more so than the stalls outside the market selling mostly tourist trinkets and trash.

 

Florence is a beautiful city and 5 hours there will barely scratch the surface. I have spent 3-4 months there over the course of 20 years and can never get enough.

 

Make some time to have a gelato at Baldini or Vivoli, and perhaps take a walk in the Oltrarno district -across the Arno - if you are interested in artisans vs. the typical tourist "sites".

 

We are headed there for 8 nights very soon and I cannot wait! It is my favorite city in the world.

[Denny01]

Yes, you need to see David, but be ready for what I think is the most moving sculptures leading up to David, and those are the 'Slaves'. They are unfinished sculptures that appear to be fighting their way out of the granite. I loved David, but these really caught me.

 

Also, you don't want to miss Donatello's Mary Magdalene at the Duomo Museum. Sculpted in 1455, but looks so modern.

 

We will be visiting Florence in Nov 09 (Solstice TA) and we will be using this tour. I'm glad you posted this info so we could plan on it. I didn't want a full guided tour and not be able to stay at a Musuem of my choice, and I didn't want to take the chance on a private or take the train on our own. If I go far away from the ship, I want a ship's tour so I'm guaranteed the ship will wait if there are problems. I'm a chicken!

 

Denny

[tuft]

Hi Caviargal & Denny01,

 

Thanks for your advice and suggestions. Denny01, several guidebooks also stress not missing the Slaves. I already made reservations for the museum. While it is off season, there are still a lot of ships sharing the port with us. We didn't want to waste what little time we have in Florence waiting in line!

 

Caviargal, I made note of Mercato Centrale (yum), and the Oltrarno District. We are always searching for beautiful and interesting things to bring home. Sounds like this might be a good place to look! (Wish it wasn't so hard to transport things, though!!!)

 

Thanks again, to you both for your help. Happy travels.

 

Peg

[Bobblsc]

I never want to see David again. Before you gasp, let me tell you why. I have seen him once and have an indelible image in my mind. I cannot risk having other images cloud the one I have. He remains magnificent. Before you go, read the history of Michelangelo's work, about the discarded stone, the large hand, and the large head.

 

As stated, the Bargello is a very nice museum. The Uffizi is not to be missed. The Ponte Vecchio is a sight in itself, and across it is a great museum. Then there are the churches with the Medici tombs and, second, those of Michelangelo, Galileo, and others.

 

OK, I know this is too much. We lived in northern Italy for a while, and have been back many times. A cruise is fine, but visit Italy for a real trip sometime. The trains are good, and for the really adventuresome, rent a car. ( A car will be cheaper to rent in another country, then driven into Italy.)

 

I have no Italian heritage I know of, but this is a country rich in history, the arts, and the finer things of life. It needs time to be experienced.

 

Bob :cool: