Millenium Sept 30

[Jeanie]

We're on the Millenium cruise of the Med from Sept 30th.
Our ports of call are:-

Barcelona
Villefranche
Florence
Rome
Naples
Mykonos
Santorini
Athens
Dubrovnik
Venice.

We'd really like some advice and tips from people who have done their own shore excursions rather than take the ship ones. Also anyone looking to join up with others to do our own shore excursions welcome

we will be on this cruise also but booked the ship excursions ---would like to know what others are doing though

Barcelona-- Get a guide book like Frommer or one of the others and if it is the one that gives a direction by direction that coordinates well with a map, that is the best way to tour Barcelona. Be careful of the little ladies with the cardboard (pickpockets)

Dubrovnik- need a shuttle to town, but do on your own. Go to the gondola ride for a beautiful view.

Everything can be done as a walking tour, but you may want a guide to make it interesting. We had another couple that made it interesting.

Hey Jeanie,
Did you see the e.mail I sent you re our tent. plans? Heard can do the train from the port to Rome for great fee. Just received trip info so trying to make plans in next 2 weeks.
Adrienne

[amycooper]

barcelona-arrive day of departure i guess will just take the transfer to the ship., i would love to see a few sights i just dont know how with are luggage or do we check on the ship and go back out anyone have any suggestions

villefranche- thinking of taking the local train to monte carlo

livorno- taking the ships excursion to tuscany san gimigano and volterra so excited to see a gorgeous countryside ., i look at the paintings on my wall at home and i know my visions will not come close to the beauty

rome- a little scared but i want to do it on my own taking the local train into rome i think we will go to the collesum and then st. peter's basilica., i here the crowds are less in the afternoon

naples- taking the ships excursion on amalfii drive and pompeii

mykonos- would love to have a relaxing day ;researched diferent beaches, plan to take local transportation to elia beach., eli is my yougest sons name so it seems appropriate., i have read there is a water theme park right behind elia beach if anyone is interested

athens - planning on taking ships excursion to see acropolis

santorini - interested in renting a car and exploring on our own i would love to see the sunset while eating dinner in oia but concerned of the time factor ., the ship leaves at 8 pm it was later when we originally booked.does anone know when the sun sets on oct 8th

dubrovnik - will do on our own i have read there are many local excursions from dubrovnik once we get there, but the city itself is easy to navigate 10-15 minutes to walk across the city

venice - doing grand canal and st. marks basilica after hours excursion

Post Edited (07-27-04 12:53)

Do St Peters early- crowds in the afternoon are awful.

[cruiselover]

Public transportaion is very good in europe.
Barcelona- take a taxi to the center of town and from there you can walk everywhere. It seems like a big city but a lot of the big attractions are close by or reachable by public transportation.

Rome- if you want to do it on your own go to the train station in citavechia (where the ship will dock) and from there take a train It is about 10 euros round trip. it is much cheaper compared to everything else.

Dubroknik- The city and wall is within walking distance. The wall is the main attraction is the wall and it is close to the tender station. It is a eautiful city and very possible to do it by foot.

Athens: I was just there for the olympics and my cruise ended there i stayed on there for a day. You can reach the city but taking the bus that is right across from where the ship docks. You take that to the train station and then you can go by train to the center of town. Dont worry about getting lost because the people there are so friendly. They have lost so much money becuase of the olympics that they are welcoming toursim and will go out of their to help you so the greek image is maintained.

Have Fun!

[Jeanie]

Hi,
No I didn't our home e-mail is Bress3@aol.com, please reply again

[Jeanie]

Great advice thanks for your help

Well are we all excifed I know i am it is now 18 days away

Just a little bit for you all ---- We were talking to some friends of ours who grew up in the Venice area and they say that there is this small resurant on the Grand Canal called
La Mdonina Ristorante that is suppussed to be great -------- Its is truely a family business I guess Mom is in the kitchen the daughter seats you and the son waits on you.

I just went on the same cruise and the same ship Sept 6th. i just got back. it was a really great cruise, but i really recommend going on shore excursions. all the cities are so hard to get around by yourself without a guide. my dad and i went on excursions to almost all the cities, except for a couple (athens and dubrovnik) and we really wished we had excursions for those days because even though we knew where we wanted to go it was so complicated to get around and find things because we couldnt speak the language and we were confused as to where to go because everyone kept giving us wrong information.

We did our own excursions and more fun and economical. We did not take any ship excursion, I have a made detail for each port, so it was easy.

[jamc]

Santorini is my favorite place in the world. We got off the ship and took the cable car up to the top and just wondered around in the town. I saw no need to get a car since the town is fun to wander around in. It seems as if every shop is a jewelry store. The views from the top are fantastic. It was a sunny day and I could have happily spent the day just sitting at a cafe and looking at the view. I would have liked to have seen the uncovered ruins at the other end of the island but didn't see how we could have managed to do both in a day. I have heard that the donkey ride up is fun but also heard that sometimes the drivers stop half way to the top to demand more money. I wish we were going back to this beautiful place.

[cruisingmom]

this is the first time i found this site. I hope you made it to the Madonna Restaurant because it was our favorite two years ago when we stayed there for a week, they have the best eel anywhere in the world! Great restaurant and ate there 2 or 3 times in 1 week!