Need Advice: Tours/excursions with older parents

[J2911]

Hello,

we are booked to go on a 14-day Med Legacies Cruise (Venice to Barcelona) on Celebrity Summit on Oct 17, 2009. I am currently trying to research different touring companies recommended on CC. Our issue is that there are eight of us traveling, three of whom are over the age of 70 (also traveling are my husband, me and our three children ages 18, 19, 23). My parents and aunt are all able to walk, however, not for long distances, and I'm sure climbing more than 30 steps may be a problem. I know Celebrity has some excursions tailored for those with limited mobility, but we want to try to do as many excursion with all of us, rather than splitting up the group.

So my question...finally... is: Of the following ports, are there any tours that absolutely will require walking long distance (more than a mile) or climbing many stairs?

 

Venice

Dubrovnik

Athens

Ephesus

Naples/Capri

Rome

Florence/Pisa

Nice

Barcelona

Also, on the ports that require walking to trains, shuttles, etc. will it be too much for them to walk the distance?

 

Thank you so much in advance. This will be my parents' and aunt's first cruise and want them to enjoy themselves without them feeling like they are holding us back.

[martyap]

Your question is very difficult to answer because of the differences in physical abilities within your group. Understand that a Med cruise is very port intensive and potentially very physical and tiring. It may also be late to secure private tours although not impossible......I would suggest you try.

 

Rome......possible with a private tour to see many sites with limited walking.

Guides can get you very close to almost everything.

 

Naples........private tours usually take you to the Amalfi Coast towns where there is limited walking plus Pompeii where there is a great deal of walking.

 

Dubrovnik.....no tour is necessary....take the ship's shuttle to the walled city. you can easily split up and meet later.

 

Venice..........the fun of Venice is walking and getting lost. There should be ship's excursions with limited walking.

 

Florence/Pisa.....Again it would be in your best interest to get a private tour....similar to Rome......depends what you want to see....museums, David, shopping, Tuscany.

 

Ephesus.......get a private tour but walking the ruins will not be good with those in your party with physical challenges.

 

Barcelona.......take the hop on bus and combine it with some walking on Las Ramblas.

 

October is a great time to visit Europe.....temps can be moderate and not hot....expect some rain.....bring umbrellas....layer your clothing......have a great time.

 

Marty

[chipmaster]

Hello,

we are booked to go on a 14-day Med Legacies Cruise (Venice to Barcelona) on Celebrity Summit on Oct 17, 2009. I am currently trying to research different touring companies recommended on CC. Our issue is that there are eight of us traveling, three of whom are over the age of 70 (also traveling are my husband, me and our three children ages 18, 19, 23). My parents and aunt are all able to walk, however, not for long distances, and I'm sure climbing more than 30 steps may be a problem. I know Celebrity has some excursions tailored for those with limited mobility, but we want to try to do as many excursion with all of us, rather than splitting up the group.

So my question...finally... is: Of the following ports, are there any tours that absolutely will require walking long distance (more than a mile) or climbing many stairs?

 

Venice

Dubrovnik

Athens

Ephesus

Naples/Capri

Rome

Florence/Pisa

Nice

Barcelona

Also, on the ports that require walking to trains, shuttles, etc. will it be too much for them to walk the distance?

 

Thank you so much in advance. This will be my parents' and aunt's first cruise and want them to enjoy themselves without them feeling like they are holding us back.

 

I had almost the exact same situation this past summer, 3 of one generation 70s to 80s, but good health. Then on the other extreme the young generation as young as 7. Trying to juggle foreign port, 3 generations of various levels of physical ability and attention span among 11 people would be too much to DIY or juggle the big bus cruiseline tours. Thus, I pretty much planned it to be totally private to avoid any aggrivation with walking/transportation.

 

Also, to consider many European cities have very small narrow streets that make big bus tours parking a ways from the attractions. Footing can be hit or miss given the age of many of the places you visit. So, unless you go small van, which is pretty much what all the private tours do, you will find they will likely see far less and be less comfortable depending on their health, motivation and mobility.

 

I can only comment on my thoughts/experience on the ports I did last summer.

 

Venice: Was our embarkation port. All about walking around, but between gondolla ride, vaporette and say staying around the St Marks area you will get to see 90% of the magic without any heavy climbing or long walks. Lots of place you can stop for rest, drink and gelato, too :D There are numberous bridge crossing with 5-10 stairs that you need to consider. If this is start/end port stay in central Venice a night will give you all the time you need for the leisure stroll.

 

Athens: Acropolis requires some heavy climbing and my father never made it to the top. Go early, at opening if it is summer/hot and you can avoid the worst of the heat and crowds. Plaka and the other sites are easy to do, again heat in summer could be a problem, less so with your visit. A private tour enables you to be dropped close enough to everything, or allow the older folks tha ability to rest and chill in the confort of the van. DIY is supposidily managable from port thru the public transportation and a bit of walking. In the end private was much more expensive but so much simpler.

 

Ephesus: No way around it this place requires a good long walk over rough thousand year old rocks and trails. Not a hike in the wilderness but not a sidewalk either. The entrance to exit is one way also. You got to go all the way once you go in the entrance. Its all down hill but lots of very uneven surfaces. I did end up helping my dad here for the whole time and he ended up not staying and doing the whole tour but going to the end to rest. It was hellish hot that day. I think its a good 3/4 to a mile or more walking.

 

Naples: Pompeii if you do it is lots of walking just like Ephesus and as uneven stuff. But unlike Ephesus you can make it as short or long as you like but figure 1/2 mile at a minimum if you want to see some of the ruins. Lots of places to sit at the exit like Ephesus to rest up and refresh. My father did better here doing the full two hours with us, it was also a lot cooler. Amalif coast is something you can easily take in with just a few steps from your vehicle, well worth it as the views are to die for, and the small town stops are easy walks. To do Amalfi you want to do it in a small vehicle that allows you to stop at multiple places. Capri we didn't visit or consider but is something to DIY as a private tour wouldn't make sense for this.

 

Rome: Go private, we were able to stop at Trevi, Colliseum, Forum, Pantheon,Circus Maximus,the Vatican and more. Pretty much every stop was 20 meters or less to the attraction. I saw many a big bus cruise tours hiking from who knows what, there was no way they were going to get close to many of the places. The Vatican requires a good deal of walking, the good its all AC, the bad its a good ~mile of walking if you do the whole tour from Museum, Sistine to St Paul's Basilica. Surprising my dad this this fine, either AC or he was building stamina thru the trip.

 

Florence/Pisa: Like Rome, only small vehicles can drop you right at the attractions. If you take the big bus tour you need to walk the town and a ways to Pisa. Pisa is worth a stop even if only to look and wander the grounds for 30'. Its so famous, do find a way to stop there. My 81 year old dad got the motivation to climb the pisa, of course it took him over 45' and annoyed the hell as everyone was on 30' time windows. Can't imagine doing this port with anything but a private vehicle dropping you off 20-50 meters from all the big attractions, its a lot like Rome. For the able body it makes sense to walk, but for us it was all about getting dropped right out in front. We did miss some of the magic in some cities by not walking around.

 

Barcelona; We overnighted and end our cruise here. We strolled Las Rambla as a big family, but the older generations pretty much was exhausted after the Italy/Turkey/Greece marathon and stayed in the hotel. Stay close to Las Ramblas and most things are a short 5-7 Euro cab and minimum walking. The HoHO is another option but if time is short I find the circular route very limiting and time consuming.

 

Hope that help, enjoy the cruise, you'll have the vacation of a lifetime!

[BurBunny]

Chipmaster did a really good job on a wide-open topic. Much of the answer depends on your personal interests on whether or not it we could give recommendations. What is most important for you to do/see? There are always some options.

 

One note however in addition to Chip's comments on Pompeii. While you can keep the distance down once inside and adjust to how everyone is doing, from the gate to the excavations is a bit of a hike (not far, but uphill). Can make it a bit tiring at the beginning and make it less desirable to see as much inside. Definitely do as early as possible in the day to make it cooler and easier.

[MercedMike]

I am mid 60s and walk with a cane due to knee surgery. I managed most places on your list, but slowly and painfully in some instances. In most ports it really is pretty much necessary to get a small private van so you can do it your way.

 

Venice -- a city for walkers. Long distances, up and down bridges, not easy to negotiate. As a poster above said, if you restrict yourself to St. Mark's Square (probably your ship has a shuttle) and gondola ride it is possible. When we did it the hardest part was standing in the long long long line for the shuttle back to the ship in the hot sun.

 

Athens -- The climb up to the Acropolis cannot be avoided. (There is a small, hard to find elevator but they usually only accept wheelchair passengers). It is steep and the steps are a bit slippery. However, it is one of the world's great places and if there is anyplace to make the extra effort, this would be it!!

 

Ephesus -- the ruins at Ephesus are spectacular but require a LOT of walking, and adding the Terrace Houses is even more walking. An alternative is the beautiful Turkish village of Srince. The streets are rough and a bit up and down, but a private van could drop you at easy parts.

 

Naples/Capri -- Both Pompeii and Herculaneum are a LOT of walking. I made it halfway through Herculaneum on a ship's tour and had to turn back because I could not keep up, and could not have made it back up the hill in time.

 

Rome -- So many things to do! The ship will probably offer an "EZ" tour which is basically just staying on the bus and not stopping anyplace except gift shops ;) Again a private van can take you to many places at your own pace. It is possible, for instance, to view the Colusseum and the Forum and St. Peter's Square without actually going down or up into them.

 

Florence/Pisa -- Once more, plenty of walking. A private van can get you close to the tower in Pisa so that would be OK. The main attractions in Florence can also be seen with medium amounts of walking, not much up and down.

 

For some looks at these places, and tours we chose bearing in mind my limited mobility, Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/med.html and http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[J2911]

Thank you very much for your replies and recommendations.

I'm planning on booking private tours when possible. I think they should be fine as long as they can stop and rest when needed.

[ny4cruise]

Chipmaster and MercedMike couldn't have said it better. I was in Athens in April with my wife, three kids and mother-in-law who is in her early seventies. Although she doesn't have a significant mobility problem, in order to be on the safe side we booked a private tour in advance. We didn't regret it. Private tours use mini vans and not large tour buses and so they have the advantage of approaching the sites very close, in some places even up to the entrance. At the Acropolis, although our driver guide drove us up to the ticket booth (where the big buses can't go), we had to climb up quite a bit to reach the site. We had asked to use the elevator but they told us that only persons in wheelchairs can use it. Nevertheless we were compensated when we reached the top and my mother-in-law said it was worth it. We avoided the big crowds and the heat by leaving our ship at 08:00. In addition, the private tour gave us the flexibility to have as many rest stops as we wanted and to change our schedule at any time. The mini van we used was a brand new Mercedes that had an extra, wide, automatic exterior step very helpful for easy access, especially for kids and older people. Nikos Loukas, our driver guide, was courteous and patient. He had a deep knowledge of Greek history and was very informative. Great value for the money. We highly recommend him. You can find him at www.privategreecetours.com.

Have a good time.

Richard

[Dubrovniktravelady]

So my question...finally... is: Of the following ports, are there any tours that absolutely will require walking long distance (more than a mile) or climbing many stairs?

 

There are many steps in Dubrovnik, especially the city wall. A total of 650 steps spread through out and 2 kilometers long. I doubt the elderly could do this walk. There is a lovely alternative, it is the Cabrio bus which departs from the Pile area several times per day. It is a 2 hour bus trip which will allow a good overview of Dubrovnik in comfort. It is an open air bus, but does have a sun roof and only makes 2 stops for photo opportunities, once at the Tudman bridge in the Gruz harbor and the other at the viewpoint above Dubrovnik called Vidikovac. The trip costs 90 kuna per person and they do not accept credit cards on any foreign currency. Be sure to have Croatian Kuna prior to the trip, it is perfect for anyone who has limited mobility.

Upon your return, you can get off at the Ploce (plo-cha) entrance which is on the eastern side of town and walk down to the Stradun (our main promenade). There are many lovely churches, museums and small shops to visit as you make your way back to the Pile entrance on the western side of town.

[KCcruisin07]

I agree that Chipmaster did a great job. I would just add that in Venice, you can have a wonderful time on the vaporettos. It rained a lot while we were there, so after seeing St. Mark's Basilica, we holed up in vaporettos. We enjoyed trips to Burano (beautiful multi-colored houses) and Murano. I think you can sightsee on the islands without too much walking. Just be sure to find out ahead of time where to catch the vaporetto you want and where to go from there to catch a water taxi back to the ship and the best way to get there. We did a lot of walking to get to the right vaporetto points and to get back to the ship.

In Florence we had a friend whose mother was in her 80's, and they took a Hoho bus. In Venice they took the Doges secret tour and loved it.

In Pompeii people with disabilities had trouble with the rough cobblestone streets. However, history buffs may enjoy the National Archeological Museum in Naples, which has exhibits from Pompeii and Herculaneum. Others may enjoy a drive along the Amalfi Coast.

I think it is wonderful that you are doing this as a family. You will create great memories. Maybe members of the family could take turns escorting the grandparents at different ports. After one of the ports, our friend's mother rested the next port day. Have a great time!!