Mediterranean Ocean Cruise: Questions about cities on stops

Hi,
Commenting on the French bits
- The Calanques are a must see when in the area.
- Eze isn't a must but it's really pretty, more interesting than Monte Carlo or even Monaco in my opinion
- A morning in Sete is fine. The pretty part of town is really, really small. If you'd rather stay in the ship you don't miss a lot.

We loved Eze. Beautiful views

It’s a little unclear from your post, but are you planning a day in Florence on your own? There is so much in Florence, I would recommend you not trying to combine it with anything else. Also, you should consider trying to find a private guide for an overview of the highlights.
I would find out if they have “plan B” in case the calanques boats are grounded due to weather. We tried a a clear, sunny day, but the wind and currents kept the boats in port.
If you visit Nice in the morning, you could stay for the afternoon on your own. Lots to see and do there that I, personally, would find much more interesting than Monte Carlo. Eze is a pretty town, with some unusual features. I don’t know if I would call it a “must see.”

You can buy Italian train tickets in the station (but expect a line) or online, including on short notice. See www.trenitalia.it. Most trains on your route are unreserved Regional trains, so buying a ticket online will just lock you into a 4-hour window for using the ticket. A few departures between Livorno and Pisa are by InterCity train, which is reserved for a specific date, time, and seat assignment whenever you buy the ticket. Whole trains don't typically sell out in Italy but I don't know the actual effect of cruise travelers on that line (e.g. how many travel by train versus guided excursions).

Also check out Rick's Mediterranean Cruise book (which doesn't cover Sete): https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/mediterranean-cruise-ports.

Thanks so much for your prompt responses. It does look like Eze is really pretty. I am trying to entice some of our group to switch to the tour that includes Eze. Are the views from Eze much better than from the Promenade des Anglais in Nice or from the Rock in Monte Carlo?

Berleley, I have never been on a Viking Cruise or out of the U.S. even. We are thinking we are going to take either Italy's Art and Architecture or The Renaissance Treasures of Florence on the first day. We can't decide if we will be sorry if we don't take the Tuscany to Pisa excursion the second day or not. We were going to book it, then just not go if we feel we need to go to Florence again. We thought we may be able to just do the second day on our own and go quickly through Pisa since it's close to Livorno and then go on to Florence for the day. Do any of you know if it is difficult to get transportation to and from Livorno? Or, do you have any suggestions for a private guide that is not super expensive? The cruise people we talked to made it sound like if you leave a tour, you are responsible for getting back on your own. We are unsure of how difficult that would be and if language would be a big problem since none of us speak Italian.

They also told us that the system would not let you book two excursions at the same time, so a back up to the calanques boat would be to go back to the boat or to go somewhere on our own.

In Monte Carlo, there is an excursion called Nice, Eze and Monte Carlo, which starts in Nice, then to Eze, and finshing in Monte Carlo. For some reason, this excursion is categorized as demanding.

Nice, Eze and Monte Carlo all in one day? Yes, exhausting. Nice deserves the whole day at a minimum. There is so much to see and do in this beautiful city.
Monaco - just go up to Royal Place and Cathedral where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier are entombed. Look down on all the high rises and yachts below.
We have spent a lot of time in Nice and never have gone to Eze so can't comment on it but I do not like heights.
Calanques- do not miss! And you need time in Marseilles too.

After driving by for twenty some years, I finally went up Eze but wasn’t overwhelmed. My in-laws who live on the coast drove me over and gave me a time limit to go up and back down while they stayed at the bottom and went to the perfumery. Maybe the circumstances had something to do with it, or maybe because the views from the corniche road are already so spectacular that I didn’t get what there was about a village completely devoted to tourism.

edit: I read too hastily. If there’s a full day tour going all three places, that sounds good. It gives you an overview of the landscape. You don’t have enough time on a half day ship excursion to get much more than a quick glance at very little. Sit on the right side of the bus going for the best views, and the left coming back.

Thank you all so much. You have made my decision easier. Much appreciated.

If it's too rough for the boats to go out, the small town of Cassis is very picturesque (though usually thronged with tourists). It would be enjoyable to wander around and have lunch there.

I'd say the most atmospheric part of Marseille is the area just to the west of the old port, but a guidebook will provide information on sights elsewhere if you have time to go farther afield.

Sete is worth seeing, but I thought it wasn't as in-your-face-cute as Cassis. Then again, it doesn't feel as touristy, either; that's a big plus for me since I don't go to Europe to be surrounded by thousands of other Americans. I think 2 to 4 hours would be sufficient in Sete unless there's something special going on that you're interested in. For example, I encountered a photography exhibition scattered around town in 5 or 6 different locations.

Montpellier is a good-sized university town with a large medieval district. Should be fun on a first trip to Europe.

I have never cruised, but I know cruise excursions are said to be very expensive. And I believe they can theoretically sell out, so you probably can't wait to buy them until the night before. (Right? I'm speculating here.) How will you feel if you've ponied up all that money and you end up with a miserably rainy day? If you plan to do your own thing, you can adjust if you want to.

However, it's true that if you're late getting back from something you've arranged on your own, the ship will absolutely leave without you. It's obviously essential to plan to get back early. If you want to see both the port town and another place, head first to the more distant location.

I don't think you need to be concerned about language issues. What I'm not sure of is the impact of thousands of people pouring off a cruise ship within an hour, with quite a lot of them heading to the nearest bus station, train station or taxi rank.

The reason the all-day excursion to Nice, Eze, and Monte Carlo may be listed as demanding is that there may be a lot of walking (some with elevation). I have been to each of the places you mention and love the area - it is beautiful and depicted in many movies. For the area outside Monte Carlo toward Eze and Nice, think of some of scenes from the movie, "To Catch a Thief." Monte Carlo probably visits the casino, harbor as well as Royal Place and Cathedral. For Nice, you will probably visit the Promenade and the shops and flower market of Old Town. Many of these places are beautiful with views of the sea. If you didn't want a tour, you could probably do some of this on your own. The Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports book has information on most of the ports you will visit to assist going on your own or to orient you for tours you may take. You can take a bus from Monaco to Eze. Monte Carlo is small, and you could visit the harbor and Royal Place and Cathedral where Princess Grace is buried. There is a changing of the guard at 11:55. Monaco is on a hill and there would be some walking so maybe you could get a or bus. We made this excursion while staying in Nice (not on a cruise); took a train to Monte Carlo; walked up to Monaco and then down to the port and Casio; then took a bus to Eze (toured the top and ate in a restaurant with great view) and then back to Nice by bus. It was a beautiful day.

Use cruisecritic.com. There is a section (roll call) where you can find your specific sailing. You can also browse other cruises on Viking with the same itinerary. There's a thread for each sailing and people use it for several purposes, one of which is information on port stops and private tours. Many veteran cruisers book small group private tours which are usually cheaper than the cruise line tours and operated by the same companies. This allows you to customize your itinerary (like combining 2 half-day itineraries) and avoid the big bus tour.

If you are going to Florence on your own, I would do that on the first day. It's a long journey and you must be back on board the ship before it sails. If you're late, you will have to get to the next port stop on your own to rejoin the ship. Take into account that you probably need to board an hour before scheduled sailing time. If a ship's excursion is late, the ship is obligated to wait for everyone to board. If you are on your own or a private tour, they have no obligation to wait for you.

I recently spent a week on the French Riviera. I liked other towns better - Menton and Villefranche were my favorites. I completely skipped Monaco, and what I saw of it from the road above confirmed my decision (too many modern high-rises going up on the seashore. Eze was nice, I much preferred the coastal villages. Of course, those are my personal tastes, lots of folks have other preferences.

Since this is your first trip to Europe, be aware that cruising to cities that are not ports can result in a lot of wasted time. But this is common, because places like Florence and Granada are must-sees. (We have been on eight cruises, so I am not slamming cruising. We do tend to cruise to "island" destinations, like Tahiti and the Canaries.) You may have a two-hour bus ride to Florence, each way.

Another thing to think about is (and I say this because of the way your OP is written) the idea than ANY private excursion is superior in every way to a boat excursion. Some travelers have spent so much of their budget on the cruise tickets that they must economize on excursions - and ship excursions can be very expensive.

But if you are not back at the ship in time for the departure ... or for the last tender boat if the ship is anchored offshore ... the ship will leave without you. You will have to get to the next port on your own, and sometimes without your actual passport, because the ship gave you a shore-visit sheet of some kind. If this is your first trip to Europe, are you read for that kind of problem. If you have traveled in Europe independently, it's not such a burden to make shore excursion by public transportation. But even then, you have no control over a transit interruption, truck accident on th highway, or a delayed streetcar that makes you miss your train back to the ship.

Jeanette,

We did a Mediterranean cruise last summer and really enjoyed it. We had several similar ports and ideas for stop that you do. I recommend using Tuscany Bus from Livorno to get to Pisa. You say that you have two days in Florence, so I would split that up into two trips – one day going to Pisa and possibly Lucca, and the second day just Florence. Combining Florence and Pisa would be exhausting due to the length of time to get to Florence and also the traffic that you encounter. I did the full day Eze, Monaco, and Monte Carlo excursion that you talk about and it was very exhausting with lots of uphill walking and extremely hot weather. I am posting a trip report that I wrote that gives you the full details of both excursions.

About cruise ships leaving private excursions passengers behind if they return late ....... make no mistake. It does happen. My friend and I watched from our cabin balcony, glass of wine in hand, as the ship’s loud speaker announced the names of the two late passengers. Ship’s officers paced back and forth on the pier at the gangway, looking at their watches and having consultations. Then the officers got back on board, the gangway went up and the ship departed, leaving the missing couple to their own devices.