help with excursions for cruise in august

[Jennie Lee]

My fiance and I will be taking RC Brilliance next month for our honeymoon. We would like to do some excursions on our own as opposed to large ship excursions that cost too much money and hold too many people. We have booked a private tour in Ephesus, and from what I gather, Mykenos and Santorini are fine to do on our own. I'd like to do Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri in a day if possible (in that order hopefully to have extra time at Pompeii) and on our own using the ferries and trains. I've been to Florence and Rome before 8 years ago, but my fiance has not and he would love to see the cities. Again, train is cheaper, but there is so much to see. Would you recommend a guided 1/2 day tour or doing it on our own? And what about Athens and Villefranche? It seems we can do those on our own, but i'm curious to know what the more experienced cruisers would recommend to do! Any advice is appreciated! Thanks so much!

[ftroute]

Jennie Lee,
Welcome to Cruise-Chat and congratulations on your forthcoming marriage. While in the Naples area, why not just do Herculaneum, Pompeii and Sorento on your own? Makes for a full day and easy to do on your own. Rome and Florence are easy to do on your own. Get a guide book for Rome and Florence if you need one. A good map is recommended. Check my site, www.ftroute.com/ItalianTrains.htm for info on trains to these areas.

[Hank]

Jennie Lee,
The first thing you must accept is that you cannot "do it all" whether on a tour or on your own. In fact, I think the biggest mistake many cruisers make is to do too much, and hence they really do nothing! (hope that makes sense). All those ports can be done on your own, if you want to take the time to do your homework, and you prioritize what is most important to see and do. As an example, you can do Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri on your own, but your time in Capri is going to be pretty short, and you are also going to have to keep Pompeii to no more than 2 hours (this assumes you get to Pompeii by around the 9 am opening). Florence and Rome plans are dictated by how much time (if any) you want to spend in museums. One problem with doing Florence on your own is getting from the ship to the Livorno train station. Athens is quite easy to do on your own by using the train/subway from Pireaus to the city. Villefranche offers many options, and you do have easy access to the train line as well as buses from this port. If you can further refine your options, both ftroute and I can give you lots of detailed help.

Hank