probably a stupid question: NCL excursions

[jend**]

On the "Rome on Your Own" and "Florence on Your Own" excursions through NCL, which basically are just transfers from the port into the city, do the buses (or whatever vehicle they use) have air conditioning? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

[jrbeccles]

Yes they do, and in fact they will have a guide that will let you know a lot of info and history on the way in. Plus there is a potty stop also!

jrbeccles

[WinnieinWA]

No such thing as a Stupid question! :)

[jend**]

I called NCL after I posted, but before anyone posted a response, and the shore excursion desk said that there was not air conditioning :confused:

[euro cruiser]

In my experience, the folks who answer phones at NCL often don't have a clue. I'd rely on experienced cruisers who've actually been there before I'd listen to whomever they've recently taken on at corporate.

[garycarla]

I would agree highly that calling NCL customer service is not worth the time for some stuff, since most can not afford to cruise or have not been on a ship.

 

Ask here.

 

Though I have never taken one of these transfer buses, all the ones I have seen are high quality coaches and I a positive they have a/c.

 

By the way, question is NOT stupid.

[jend**]

thank you all so much for your posts! this is my first cruise (the gem from barcelona on 7/26/09), and i'm learning so much from this site.

[sillysailor 1955]

We did NCL Jade Eastern Mediterrean cruise from Barcelona last December. All our excursions were all booked through NCL - the buses were really very nice (and air conditioned) and the tour guides were very informative - your will enjoy this trip.:)

[Duff Man]

We were on the Jewel and did Rome on your Own as a backup to taking the train on our own (which paid off since there was an Italian train strike that day!), and the bus was comfortable with a/c. No problem. It also had a "guide" on the ride into Rome, who talked with each guest or group of guests to see if they had questions about getting around the city, various sites, etc. Didn't get a potty break though (it was only about an hour one way). :p

[Pickels]

On the "Rome on Your Own" and "Florence on Your Own" excursions through NCL, which basically are just transfers from the port into the city, do the buses (or whatever vehicle they use) have air conditioning? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

 

 

Never say that, the only "stupid" question is the one you don't ask, :D (of course, a stupid question may be one where noone responds)

Happy Cruisin':)

[lupe lu]

While we are on this subject: Excactly where in Rome do they drop you off/pick you up? And how early in the morning do you have to be on that bus? Going with my family in October on Norwegian Gem, Western Med., and as first time cruisers we have been talking about taking the "drop off bus" into Rome and maybe Florence. We have been to both cities before so we can find our own way around, just need the transportation.

Thank you!

[awdcruise2009]

does anyone know when the bus for the "florence on your own" actually gets to Florence? I saw that it was supposed to leave the port at 7:45am and that it said it's about a 1 hour ride. However, I just read somewhere that someone did not arrive until 10-10:30am. I am starting to stress as I pre-booked Accademia tix and due to the popularity, and their reservation system, it "selected" 10:30 am when I asked for 11am or 11:30am. Those were not available times. Does anyone know??? plus I don't know how far we will have to "run" from the drop off spot to get to the Accademia!!!

[Duff Man]

While we are on this subject: Excactly where in Rome do they drop you off/pick you up? And how early in the morning do you have to be on that bus? Going with my family in October on Norwegian Gem, Western Med., and as first time cruisers we have been talking about taking the "drop off bus" into Rome and maybe Florence. We have been to both cities before so we can find our own way around, just need the transportation.

Thank you!

 

 

In Rome the NCL bus drop off/pick up was near the Coliseum. It's close to the Metro, so we took the Metro up to the Vatican for our first stop (we had pre-arranged tour tickets). On the ride back, however, there were LOTS of buses, and it took us a while to find ours. I have trouble recalling what time we left port, I think we left the port around 7:00 a.m., but certainly no later than 8:00 a.m.

 

I haven't been to Florence, so I can't answer that poster's question . . .

[euro cruiser]

does anyone know when the bus for the "florence on your own" actually gets to Florence? I saw that it was supposed to leave the port at 7:45am and that it said it's about a 1 hour ride. However, I just read somewhere that someone did not arrive until 10-10:30am.

Even turbo charged the bus will not get to Florence in one hour. Best case is 90 minutes, if it hits bad traffic two hours.

 

If the bus leaves more or less on time, you'll be near Piazza Santa Croce between 9:15 - 10:00 AM. You'll be fine for the Accademia at 10:30, no need to stress.

 

Are you willing to try and go on your own, instead of the excursion? The train is fairly easy and drops you right in town, a ten to fifteen minute walk to the Accademia. If you decide to try it, you can speed things up by taking a cab directly from the ship to the train station in Livorno. Ignore the $5 shuttle bus, it will only slow you down and greatly complicate things. The 20 Euro cab is the best investment you can make in Livorno.

 

There is an 8:11 train from Livorno Centrale (direct, no need to change trains in Pisa) which you should have no trouble making, if you take a cab to the station. It puts you in Florence at 9:30.

[meaclasact2]

On the "Rome on Your Own" and "Florence on Your Own" excursions through NCL, which basically are just transfers from the port into the city, do the buses (or whatever vehicle they use) have air conditioning? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

 

 

We did the Rome on Your Own last Summer. It was wonderful! But the specifics you asked about...yes, the bus is air conditioned (all of the bus' that we took on our Med cruise were), and there is a potty stop along the way (that was the same on all our shoreex's we took).

 

For the hour or so trip on the way into Rome, the guide reviewed these terrific maps that each passenger received. She had already marked of highlights and gave us some terrific tips. The best one for us was where to buy tickets for the Coliseum. Buy them at the Pallantine Hill ticket booth...the line is much smaller.

 

One day we will return to Rome, and I would not hesitate to take that tour again.

 

In Florence, we took the guided tour and loved that as well.

 

Have a wonderful time...Italy is magnificent!

[vacationjoe]

We are going on the Gem in October and are thinking about doing the NCL Rome on your own tour. Did you find it easy enough to get about? What did you see? I have an 11year old and an 8year old and my elderly but fit mother with me. Terrified of getting lost and being in charge of them all!

[HistoryCruiser]

Joe,

For about the same $$ check out your roll call and consider sharing a tour on a van. Rome is fun and very enjoyable with lots to see. Have the kids look up some of the history before you get to the Coleseum and Forum.

[awdcruise2009]

Even turbo charged the bus will not get to Florence in one hour. Best case is 90 minutes, if it hits bad traffic two hours.

 

If the bus leaves more or less on time, you'll be near Piazza Santa Croce between 9:15 - 10:00 AM. You'll be fine for the Accademia at 10:30, no need to stress.

 

Are you willing to try and go on your own, instead of the excursion? The train is fairly easy and drops you right in town, a ten to fifteen minute walk to the Accademia. If you decide to try it, you can speed things up by taking a cab directly from the ship to the train station in Livorno. Ignore the $5 shuttle bus, it will only slow you down and greatly complicate things. The 20 Euro cab is the best investment you can make in Livorno.

 

There is an 8:11 train from Livorno Centrale (direct, no need to change trains in Pisa) which you should have no trouble making, if you take a cab to the station. It puts you in Florence at 9:30.

we are researching this train option. I think I have "united states trains" fears that I understand are not an issue over there. It would certainly be cheaper than the $125 per person we are set to pay just to take the NCL bus into Florence. Any other "train taking" tips???

[JohnIreland]

Take the train for rome, it's far cheaper and more conformable than a coach.

[HarpHarp]

We were on the Jewel and did Rome on your Own as a backup to taking the train on our own (which paid off since there was an Italian train strike that day!), and the bus was comfortable with a/c. No problem. It also had a "guide" on the ride into Rome, who talked with each guest or group of guests to see if they had questions about getting around the city, various sites, etc. Didn't get a potty break though (it was only about an hour one way). :p

 

 

Taking the train to Florence is very easy and the train station is a short walk to most of the major attractions. That said, read Duff Man's message above. Transportation strikes in Italy are very common and announced in advance, so make a backup plan for as he did.

 

The Train station in Rome is a major transportaion hub with buses leaving very frequently. Also easy to get around. Rome is a huge city with very many things to see so don't try to do too much.

[euro cruiser]

we are researching this train option. I think I have "united states trains" fears that I understand are not an issue over there. It would certainly be cheaper than the $125 per person we are set to pay just to take the NCL bus into Florence. Any other "train taking" tips???

Here's a great primer on trains in Italy, written by an Italian: http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/trains/

 

Also, do a search on this forum. There are lots of current and recent discussions on how to get to Florence from Livorno by train.

[awdcruise2009]

Even turbo charged the bus will not get to Florence in one hour. Best case is 90 minutes, if it hits bad traffic two hours.

 

If the bus leaves more or less on time, you'll be near Piazza Santa Croce between 9:15 - 10:00 AM. You'll be fine for the Accademia at 10:30, no need to stress.

 

Are you willing to try and go on your own, instead of the excursion? The train is fairly easy and drops you right in town, a ten to fifteen minute walk to the Accademia. If you decide to try it, you can speed things up by taking a cab directly from the ship to the train station in Livorno. Ignore the $5 shuttle bus, it will only slow you down and greatly complicate things. The 20 Euro cab is the best investment you can make in Livorno.

 

There is an 8:11 train from Livorno Centrale (direct, no need to change trains in Pisa) which you should have no trouble making, if you take a cab to the station. It puts you in Florence at 9:30.

ok.another "timing" question. In order to make the 8:11 am train, what time should we be off the ship and catch a cab? how long does it take to get to the train station?

[Duff Man]

we are researching this train option. I think I have "united states trains" fears that I understand are not an issue over there. It would certainly be cheaper than the $125 per person we are set to pay just to take the NCL bus into Florence. Any other "train taking" tips???

 

You should watch out for Italian train strikes, and need to monitor that. I understand they happen occasionally, but, by law, the national train strikes are announced well in advance of the date and, if they are not resolved, there will be a strike. There is an Italian web site that provides all strike information, I post the link below (it's in Italian, of course!). You may be able to find more info by searching the boards at the ports boards. The odds of this happening are probably very slim but it does happen . . .

 

This happened on our cruise in 2007. I had purchased tickes in advance for the express train in to Rome. The 24 hour national strike was announced in advance (of course, the 24 hour strike had to be the ONE day we were in Rome). I had been following it for a couple months before our cruise. After we were on ship, when I mentioned it to other pax, everyone thought I was crazy. We booked the Rome on Your Own excursion as a back up. Well, the night before we sailed in to Rome, they announced on ship that there was a national strike and there would not be train service. NCL tried to line up additional buses, but they were also up against other cruise lines. Many people didn't get into Rome. We did! I owe it all to Cruise Critic boards!

 

This link is an excellent thread on getting from port to Rome on the train (NOTE that this thread is 2 years old, so times, fares, etc. probably changed). A poster named HeinBloed provided excellent information throughout this thread, unfortunately his great pictures don't seem to appear anymore.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=513414

 

Here is the link to look up train strikes. It's been a couple years since we went, so I don't remember exactly where on the site to look. I remember getting instructions on CC boards somewhere (maybe posted by HeinBloed).

 

http://www.commissionegaranziasciopero.it/

[euro cruiser]

In order to make the 8:11 am train, what time should we be off the ship and catch a cab? how long does it take to get to the train station?

Personally, I'd get off as soon as they let me. The trip from the port to the station is 10 - 15 minutes, but you also need to add time to get the taxi and to buy your ticket once you get to the station. You'll probably wind up waiting around for a little while, but go into the bar at the station and have some Italian coffee.

[cynbar]

We did the Rome on your Own last summer and it worked out great. We were let off right by the Colosseum, and we found the metro system to be very easy to use (there is a stop nearby). Do some research in advance, if you have a guidebook on Rome (which is a really good investment, by the way) there will be maps and info there. It cost 1 euro per ride, and there is an easy to use automated machine at the entrance that is in English also. We used the metro for a quick trip over to the Vatican, then back to the Trevi Fountain area. From there, we walked back to the bus area, admiring the ruins as we went. A very nice day.