Cruise Talk: PORTS OF CALL

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»	Cruise Talk » Cruising 1.0 » PORTS OF CALL

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Author

Topic: PORTS OF CALL

MAXI
Just Boarded
Member # 2825

posted 02-26-2002 04:55 AM

OUR PORTS OF CALL ARE: VILLAFRANCHE, LIVORNO,
CITTAVENCHIA, BARCELONA

CAN ANYONE PLEASE GIVE US ANY TIPS RE: EXCURSIONS
ARE THEY COSTLY ? SHOULD WE TRY TO DO OUR OWN
TRAVEL IN ANY OF THESE PORTS >

THANKS

Posts: 5 | From: SCOTLAND | Registered: Feb 2002 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 02-26-2002 06:44 AM

Hi Maxi, In my opinion many shore excursions are overpriced. I cannot usually afford to do an excursion in every port of call. However, the excursions are usually of good quality and very convenient - you are bussed to and from the ship. You will also not miss the boat so to speak.

It is often possible to do similar excursions for a fraction of the cost, using a taxi, bus, train, tram or simply walking into town! In fact I don't like being closeted on a coach, too much. The danger is that you could spend the whole trip on a ship and on a bus, and feel that you have not really been anywhere! I prefer to get out there, stretch my legs and experience the local atmosphere!

However you will need to do a little homework. A good guidebook with maps is useful. Also bear in mind that some ports can be a long way from the main towns and attractions. In other cases the ship almost docks in the town. Don't forget that you will need local currency to do your own thing.

Hopefully the CruiseTalkers can give you more exact advice on the above ports.

(Don't forget to tell us how it went )

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

scorpio
First Class Passenger
Member # 1245

posted 02-27-2002 07:50 AM

Hi Maxi,
Villefranche is beautiful, but you transfer from ship to port in small tender boats. Look for the road train when you disembark, as this will give you a cheap tour of the town, then you can decide where to go. The town is quite hilly, especialy the shopping areas, but fashion clothes are very reasonably priced (compared to UK). Clean toilets are available at the port.
Most of the other ports of call, and the cities available to visit share the same problem - no public toilets (or at least no clean ones). Always look for a McDonalds because their toilets are kept clean and the ice cream will be the cheapest in the area.
Barcelona is ideal for shopping and a bus will take you from the port to the town area.
Livorno and Civitavecchia are not brilliant, but provide access to Pisa and Rome, both worth visiting. Pisa has many market stalls around the tower where you can get souvenirs to take home and is one of the few places which provide public loos (at a small charge). If you take the excursion to Rome, the coach will probably stop for a toilet break at a service station outside Rome, for obvious reasons. We preferred the "Independant Rome" excursion, which delivered us into the centre of the city, gave us a local bus pass to get around and allowed us to "do our own thing", and collected us at a set time to return to the ship. We had ample time to see the Trevi Fountain, Colisseum and Peoples Square as well as many other interesting features. If we had been younger and fitter, we could have also visited the Vatican, but we spent a leisurely time in the shops (and McDonalds for ice cream and toilets). Many people choose to travel by taxi or public transport instead of paying the high prices for an excursion, but it depends on your own preferences.
If you (or your kids) have any more questions, don't hesitate - there are many people ready to answer them.
Bon voyage.

[ 02-27-2002: Message edited by: scorpio ]

Posts: 92 | From: UK | Registered: Apr 2000 | IP: Logged

scorpio
First Class Passenger
Member # 1245

posted 03-04-2002 03:13 AM

Hi again Maxi,
Here is some more of the information you wanted. These are the 1991 prices for excursions.
From Villefranche:-
St Paul, Grasse & Cannes - full day - 36 pounds (child 29 pounds)
Antibes & Vallauris - half day - 25 pounds (child 20 pounds)
Nice & Eze - half day - 25 pounds (child 20 pounds)
Scenic French Riviera - half day - 25 pounds (child 20 pounds)
From Livorno:-
Florence & Pisa Combined - full day - 43 pounds (child 34 pounds)
Florence - full day - 40.50 pounds (child 32.50 pounds)
Lucca, Montecarlo de Lucca & Winetasting - full day - 38 pounds (child 30.50 pounds)
A Piece of Pisa - half day - 28 pounds (child 22.50 pounds)
From Civitavecchia:-
Vatican & St Peters - full day - 49.95 pounds (child 40 pounds)
Exploring Rome - full day - 39 pounds (child 31 pounds)
Independant Rome - full day - 32 pounds (child 26 pounds).
*Rome involves a lot of walking, so wear suitable shoes.
From Barcelona:-
See, Shop & Eat - half day - 27 pounds (child 22 pounds)
Taste of Catalan Spain (Monserrat) - full day - 44 pounds (child 36 pounds)
Barcelona City Highlights - half day - 25 pounds (child 20 pounds)
Sporting Barcelona - half day - 25 pounds (child 20 pounds)
One book you may find useful is the Berlitz Guide to Mediterranean Cruising, available from bookshops for £4.95, also available to buy on board Sunbird. It gives details of all of the ports of call on your cruise and has a photo of the sunbird on the cover.
You may also be interested in this site
http://users.iol.it/mcroy
for taxi tours from Livorno.
Have a great time.

[ 03-04-2002: Message edited by: scorpio ]

Posts: 92 | From: UK | Registered: Apr 2000 | IP: Logged

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