Mediterrean Port Excursions - Recommendations

[fredandkell]

I'd rather do Eze

We did do Eze on the same tour as Monte Carlo/Monaco. It was cute for the very short time we were there. Didn't feel like I really got to see it much as we were very rushed on our DCL excursion.

 

[WaywardMemphian]

We did do Eze on the same tour as Monte Carlo/Monaco. It was cute for the very short time we were there. Didn't feel like I really got to see it much as we were very rushed on our DCL excursion.

We plan on at least 2 to 3 hrs there along with Tropee d'Auguste for up to an hour.

I have no desire to spend time in Monaco other than the cross the border this trip.

Ok here's what we are planning. A private tour from Cannes with the main objectives St. Paul da Vence and Eze W/ Trophee d-Auguste with 2hrs of walk about time for each at minumum. Since Cannes is a tendering port, I'm not sure how much time we'll really have sin e we'll come after the Disney excursions. (Any experiences with this I would love to hear) If tendering puts a squeeze on time, we'll cull St. Paul de Vence. We'd like to include a visit to either The Chagall or Mattisse Museums in Nice along with a drive down the coast for pics of various landmarks.

Oh, and a really good restaurant with a view for dinner either in St Paul or Eze.

Love to hear feed back

 

[ColoradoCruiser87]

We used https://www.tomsportguides.com/ to organize all of our shore excursions last summer on our RCL MedCruise. As others have said, if you want to save some $$$ and see all there is to see, a DIY approach is best but requires putting in the time and doing the research. If you want it to all be done for you and not have to worry about a thing (and don't mind parting with some cash) going through the cruise line is fine. We used Rome in Limo for our day in Rome though, because there was soooooooooooo(breath)oooooooooooo much to see we could not have done it without a guide.

 

[chrisnb]

We are doing the cruise before that June 8-14 Barcelona to Rome. Our first time on a cruise there as well. Have fun!

We are on the same cruise! spending a week in Paris after

 

[WaywardMemphian]

We'll be in Europe for 5 weeks. I'm a theme park fanatic so we'll be doing Alton Towers and Port Aventura before the cruise and Disneyland Paris, Puy du Fou, Europa Park, Phantasialand and Efteling afterwards. Of course they'll be lots other stuff between. Other , smaller parks may get a visit as well. Toverland being g among them. I'm trying to figure in Copenhagen if just for long enough to hit up Tivoli but I see it as bait for a Northern Europe cruise

 

[hippiechicken]

Did anyone do the DCL excursion:
Amalfi Coast by Boat & Pompeii

 

[Kellycanada]

If you have kids- Gladiator school in Rome. We toured the coliseum first and then headed to Gladiator school. My kids loved it. We didn’t go to Florence as it was a lot of time spent traveling. We to the train to one of the Cinque decTerre villages and went on Angelo’s boat tour tour. Awesome day. Beautiful way to see the 5 villages and the kids loved the swim breaks.

 

[Keyser]

Just a suggestion - Italy has a LOT to see across a wide range of interests, and you won't be able to see it all during your port excursions. So, you might find it helpful to narrow your options down to what your biggest interests are. Maybe think about what "categories" you are most interested in: Time period: Ancient Rome? Renaissance? Modern Italy? Are you more interested in: Iconic landmarks? Historic Places? Artwork? Picturesque Scenery?

Churches?​

Food? Wine? Shopping?

These things aren't all mutually exclusive, but if you're the type of person who loves Ancient Roman history, you might not be as happy with a food and wine tasting experience. Or, if you are someone wanting to look at Italian fashion/shopping, maybe an art museum is not the best choice. But, others might be the exact opposite!

 

[sunmoon620]

We used Rome in LIMO...they were fabulous..They do more than just Rome. Best day of the entire cruise! It was awesome to have our own personal tour guide who was a local. We saw more in one day than we would have in 3 on our own!

 

[tlprice]

I would second everybody on here that said to skip Monaco. It was by far my least favorite place.

 

[hippiechicken]

I decided to do Pompeii and Amalfi from Naples.
Now I'm planning Florence. Has anyone done a food tour there from Livorno?

 

[PsylockeSmythe]

I decided to do Pompeii and Amalfi from Naples.
Now I'm planning Florence. Has anyone done a food tour there from Livorno?

We didn't do the food tour in Florence last year; but did the whole day DCL Discovering Florence (LV04) tour. We had a great time and feel the tour operator they used was great. We really liked the tour guide and she was very knowledgeable and informative. We would take that tour again.

Psy

 

[hippiechicken]

Thanks. I’m considering doing the Florence on your own, and a food tour while I’m there. Do you remember the timeline for arrival and departure in Florence?

 

[PsylockeSmythe]

If I remember right; we left the ship around 7:30 to 8am and were in Florence between 9:30 and 10am. Took guided tour for a few hours; then had an hour for lunch; then another few hours of a guided tour; before having about 1 1/2 hours of free time and then were back at the ship between 6 and 6:30pm.

It was about a 2 hour bus ride each way with a bathroom stop on the way to Florence.

Psy

 

[babyruth]

glad for the info on putting together our own tours because I do think the DCL ones are rather pricey! I'm really stuck on what to do for the Genoa day. And I had no idea we might detour to Marseilles!

 

[hippiechicken]

I booked a food tour for Genoa. Then I realized I could use Yelp, Google maps, and Rick Steves to do my own tours. So, now I have a food tour planned for Florence, too. I'm planning Cannes now.

 

[rlk]

We used Rome in LIMO...they were fabulous..They do more than just Rome. Best day of the entire cruise! It was awesome to have our own personal tour guide who was a local. We saw more in one day than we would have in 3 on our own!

We loved our Rome in Limo tours in Italy. We booked three private tours with them for our Med cruise and was very happy we did.

 

[babyruth]

I booked a food tour for Genoa. Then I realized I could use Yelp, Google maps, and Rick Steves to do my own tours. So, now I have a food tour planned for Florence, too. I'm planning Cannes now.

did you buy the rick steves book? that food tour in Genoa looks great! does the shop dock close to where that begins? i probably should have started looking at this a little sooner than 3 days before open booking LOL

 

[hippiechicken]

I bought the Med Cruise Ports book. The audio tours sound pretty good too. You can save the ones that you like. They're free.
I just booked last week, but I can't book until April 8. All I've done for a week now is plan!!
The tour meets in the port, so hopefully it's not too far. It starts at 11:45, so there should be time to find it.

 

[bbagnall]

I keep hearing that the Monaco-Monte Carlo-Eze tour was just meh. I honestly could care less about the casino at Monte Carlo, I really just wanted to visit a little nice quaint French Village, and Eze looked so beautiful. Then, I started looking again and found the Cannes, Grasse, St. Paul excursion. Does anyone have any feedback on that one????