| Author |
Message |
    
Larry Campbell
Senior Member
Username: Czeezo
Post Number: 325
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 03:00 pm: | |
My advise to anyone that is going to Gilbraltar - DON'T DRIVE OVER. Park and walk over. Then take a tour. It took us 2 hours to get out of Gilbraltar - the Boarder Guards make it hard to get back into Spain. And don't eat the Fish and Chips - where I come from - you don't want "Fish Stick" - there not that fresh. |
Steven L. Kellberg
Senior Member
Username: Steve_k
Post Number: 56
Registered: 04-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 30, 2007 - 05:39 pm: | |
May
On Gilbralter, we took a van tour of the rock. It included the caverns and the monkeys. Most interesting. About $45 each if you buy it on the boat.
For Naples/Pompeii. One can catch the bus near the port to Gariboldi (?) stop for about 3E each. Take the train to Pompeii and hire your own guide or take a self guided tour. We spent about 3 hours there and did not see it all. By the way, you can buy round trip train tickets. MAKE SURE you get the tickets validated as you go past the turn style or you may end up with a fine. That also goes for the tickets for the bus. Validation machines are on the bus front and rear. The train is about 6E each round trip and the entrance fee for Pompeii is 11E each. Now you can compare the boat price.
steve |
Phyllis DeLancey
Senior Member
Username: Phyllis
Post Number: 1513
Registered: 06-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2007 - 06:25 pm: | |
Last year in Gilbraltar, we just got off the ship, and used a local driver to take us to the rock, he got us closer than the tour buses, cheaper than the ship, and nice van to ride in. We had him drop us off in town, stopped for refreshments in the town squar, than walked back to the ship. If they do their own thing, just make sure they allow time to get back. Florence has double decker bus service to see the city by. We always like that, again, leave the ship early and get back early. |
sallie langford
Senior Member
Username: Jeansl
Post Number: 110
Registered: 06-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2007 - 05:36 pm: | |
Something to think about - friends of ours recently did a cruise to the Med. They said some folks on the cruise booked their own tours in Italy - due to heavy traffic and accidents on the roads they did not make it back to the ship and the ship left without them. They had to pay to get to the next port to meet the ship - she said it was expensive. The ship only waits for tours booked thru them. Might want to consider booking your own tours in small towns not busy big cities where getting back to the ship could be a problem. |
Kenneth E Cantrell
Intermediate Member
Username: Kcantrell
Post Number: 11
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2007 - 01:01 pm: | |
May
You might try the Cruise Critic message boards @
http://www.cruisecritic.com/
and check the board for each port of call. Past cruisers give suggestions and names & #s of private tours that are about 1/2 of what the ship charges. Have gotten some great info there. |
Cherry C.
Senior Member
Username: Cherry
Post Number: 2518
Registered: 06-2003
| | Posted on Friday, July 27, 2007 - 11:55 pm: | |
You probably know that the excursions offered by the cruise line will be much more expensive than going with a local company OR just making your own way around. A lot depends on how adventurous your parents are, and how comfortable they are with figuring out local transportation or negotiating with taxi drivers in strange languages!
In any case, I highly recommend borrowing standard guidebooks from the local public library and reading up on each destination so they'll know what things they want to see in each port (or which ports they don't care about seeing and might prefer to stay aboard the uncrowded ship!).
|
May Thomas
Senior Member
Username: May
Post Number: 155
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Friday, July 27, 2007 - 11:54 am: | |
My parents loved the Alaska cruise we sent them on for their 50th ann. so much they booked a Mediterranean cruise in Oct '07. Since this will only be their second cruise I want to recommend some shore excursions in the various cities they will visit. If anyone has suggestions please let me know.
Their ports of call will include: Vigo, Lisbon, Gilbraltar, Naples/Pompeii, Rome, Florence, and Nice. Thanks again for any help, May |
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