Recommended excursions for Mediterranean Highlights cruise.

[Barbs]

Hi, 

I am travelling on Sept 2nd on the Independence of the sea for 14 nights Mediterranean Highlights cruise. Would anyone please have some advise on some excursions from each port not necessarily booking with Royal carribean. 

The itinerary is Gibraltar, nice, Rome, Florence /Pisa, Marseille, Malaga, and Lisbon. Any tips on any of these ports would be so helpful.

Thanks ? 

[Neaxan]

The only port I can help with is Marseille:

Personally, I don't like the town very much. I'd recommend an excursion to Avignon if you're in port for some time. It should take 1,5 to 2 hours by bus per trip but it's really worth it - and you get to see a bit of Provence on the way. Avignon itself is a gorgeous old town in part bordered by the river Rhone with an ancient town wall, numerous beautiful churches, the popes palace... If you're pressed for time, Aix-en-Provence is also quite nice with an old town, cathedral and especially Cours Mirabeau.

[Barbs]

Thank you for your reply Neaxan ?

I am so looking forward to visiting Marseille and Nice. We arrive at 9am and leave at 6pm so Avignon should lovely to visit. Is there much to see and do around the port of Marseille. Thanks

[tiny260]

We used a company called Rome Private Excursions for Rome and Florence/Pisa, they are not through the ship, so if you are new to cruising I would recommend booking everything through the ship. Marseille we just took a ship provided bus into town and walked around, so not really much advice there.

The other cites we did not visit.

Rome Private excursions was great, you would need 6-8 people to make it economical, we hooked up with a group as part of our Roll Call on CC.

[Barbs]

Thanks Tiny260 for your reply. 

My previous cruising has been in the carribean, so I am looking to book excursions myself. Is this the company that you used for Rome and Florence. 

http://www.romeprivateexcursions.com/shore-excursions/

Thanks for your help ?

[tiny260]

Yes, we actually used them for Rome, Florence and Naples, never once were we concerned about our safety or being back to the ship on time, the guides were very very knowledgeable.

Rome Private Excursions recommends as would I that where available per-purchase your entrance tickets, most of the time they will facilitate this for you, especially at they Vatican, we pulled up in front of the Vatican and there was a line stretched around the city block, we by passed this line, got our tickets and went right in, there was still a wait but not like the people on the side walk were going to experience. 

When I did these excursions, my previous experience had been the Caribbean and always through the ship, so needless to say I was stepping out of my comfort zone booking these private excursions, but hooking up with others on my Roll Call helped me feel better, I figured if the tour was late at least there would be 3 other couples that would be late with us, but we had no worries as far as that was concerned.

[Barbs]

Thanks so much that's great will definetly look into booking Rome and Florence with this company. I have travelled to Rome and Florence previously on a weekend break, so gave seen many of the sights. My main concern is that my parents who are in there 70's are also travelling and I am hoping the tours will bring them to all the sights so they won't have to walk too far. Thanks again for the great info. 

[fonemanbob]

We did the RC private tour to Rome.  It is a bit pricey but it was well worth it.   The guide was excellent.  The main reason we did RC was the distance you travel. If you miss the boat on a non RC excursion its your expense.   Best of Rome Tour CV07.   It includes lunch which was very delicious.  

Edited August 15, 2017 by fonemanbob
updated information

[Barbs]

Thanks for your reply I am looking at the options with Royal Carribean and the tours do sound great. Just checking out some of the other tour companies and they are a lot cheaper. I know It is safer to go with Royalcarribean wouldn't like to be left behind ?

[bobroo]

The best excursion my wife and I ever took was through RCL in Rome. We went to the Coliseum, wandered a bit through the streets of Rome, had lunch, and went to the Vatican. What an incredible day! There are not enough words to describe the Vatican. It is really, really something to see no matter your faith, heritage, or upbringing. Unbelievable! Our tour arrived back at the ship 45 minutes late. We were not the last RCL excursion to arrive, there was another that pulled up after we were onboard.

In Naples my wife and I hiked up Mt Vesuvius and visited Pompeii. Another incredible day as I look back on it I can't believe all those memories happened on O-N-E day. Afterwards we went into Naples for a pizza dinner in the birthplace of pizza. While there we also saw those flocks of birds, starlings I think. Crazy! Just like every YouTube video you have seen. And that show was free!

Florence, home of the Renaissance. There is just so much to see downtown....I don't think you can make a bad decision. Seeing Michelangelo's David in person was special. There is a small sandwich shop at the foot of the Ponte Vecchio bridge that has incredible food. So incredible it was at that point I realized some things and made it very clear to me about Italy and food. I hope during your trip you can find a ham sandwich that turns your head around and changes the way you think about life and food....if not a ham sandwich just about any gelato shop you find in Italy may very well do the same thing. 

In Marseilles we took another RCL excursion going to two Cote de Azure towns, the Notre Dame of Marseille, and lunch on our own. I was pretty churched-out seeing Marseilles Notre Dame;   once you have seen the Vatican everything else pales in comparison. The two towns were really neat and really showed what life was like in the south of France. Having just been in Italy; it was easy to see the difference between Italy and France. Coincidentally one town had a farmers market going on. I learned quite a few more things about culture and food; building on what I've learned in Italy. Lunch on our own in Marseilles; the bus stopped near the famous Ferris Wheel downtown. There have got to be a hundred cafes to choose from. So many it's difficult to pick one. I chose a place called Hippopotamus, just for the silly name. So...lunch at an outdoor cafe seaside in the south of France, a bottle of wine, sunshine, and we were blown away by our dessert ('cause the French eat dessert); the profiteroles! OMG! We were wondering why it took so long; it was because they were made from scratch! Absolutely delicious! And made Hippopotamus one of my most very favorite restaurants in the world. 

 

 

Here is a question you should be asking: What is the difference between RCL excursions that have nearly the same description -- other than the $100 per person additional cost? Is it a printing error? They are the same right? They go to the same exact places and do the same things.... Well, there are differences. In the restaurants they take you to. Not everything is written in RCL descriptions. The really good guides...are on the more expensive tours. In Rome the expensive tours get two guides--because they are necessary to keep the group together it's so busy at the touristy places. Listen, a dollar is a dollar. And not that there aren't good values with other companies or other options. Sometimes it pays to take the high road. For me, Rome was one of those times and I am thankful I did. Even at the $300 per person it cost us, I got good value out of every dollar. I would do the same thing all over again. It is after all, a vacation.

 

My wife and I have taken expensive excursions and we have had $5 Euro ham sandwiches; both have changed the way we think about things. It's not necessary to follow in my exact footsteps there are plenty of awesome things at all these ports. I mention what I've done as an example. I hope during your European journey you stumble upon something that changes the way you think about life. It could be a building, a famous piece of art, a conversation with a local, a bucket list item, or a great meal at a random restaurant. No matter what you chose at any of your ports, there is something fascinating and potentially life changing around every corner. Mix it up with a little of an organized tour and a little discovery on your own. I vote you start with the closest gelato shop!

 

 

 

[Barbs]

Thank you so much Bobroo, your insight and info into your excursions was such a thoughtful reply. I will take on board your suggestions, looking forward to travelling next week ? thanks again for your reply. 

[dlman66]

Barbs - We are also going on that cruise. You probably already have made your tour reservations, but in case you haven't, we have at least 2 spaces available on our tours for Marseille, Nice, and Florence. We are using ItalyTours.eu and would love to have you join us. I don't know if you are travelling with a companion, but we have one spot available on our Rome tour with ItalyTours.eu as well. 

Also doing the Walk and Taste tour in Malaga (http://www.welovemalaga.com/) and the Pirates of the Cruise tour in Lisbon (http://wehatetourismtours.com/). 

David