[Waverunner]

Mediterranean Cruise on Oceania and Planning Shore Excursions

We have booked our first cruise on Oceania Cruises, traveling from Rome to Barcelona in September. Have any of you traveled on this cruise line? Any pros, cons, recommendations, suggestions? (We have cruised with other lines.)

We are also looking at possibly booking some or all of our shore excursions separate from the cruise line and are interested in hearing from anyone who has planned their own shore excursions. We are seeking to have a more personal experience, without the large numbers that come off the cruise ship, without breaking the bank. We start in Rome (and will be there a few days ahead of the departure). Our ship stops in Livorno, Portofino, Monte Carlo, St. Tropez, Marseilles, and Palma de Mallorca before disembarking in Barcelona. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

[Uptown Girl]

I am not a seasoned traveler to these spots (only cruised them once)
but when we were planning our trip, I found it very helpful to Google the individual cities. Many have their own websites now. Here's one example:
Livorno Now | About Livorno in Tuscany Italy

That was much easier and more concise than wading through the 'guide books'.

It is hard to recommend things to see and do to another, for what I might think is a must may be as boring as cold toast to someone else…. and not all have the same physical stamina that is often needed to see and do.

Time is an element as well- many of the wonderful things to see are not that close together…. or that close to the harbor- so often the 'cruise tours' are the better, safer bet.
You'll be driven in a brand new, air conditioned bus and will be assured of getting back to the ship on time. Once there, you are often 'freed' to meander on your own- unless it is a guided tour with a lecture, you are not kept in tight formation.

Unless you are very fluent in other languages, it can be difficult to head out on your own. Some areas are safer than others to wander through, as in any city.

Often, street signs are very old cornerstones of buildings- even with a map, you may not always be able to identify the street you are walking on, or headed to. You may easily miss something cool, not knowing it was only a block away.
We spent time going to places, only to find them 'under renovation' and closed to the public that day. (not so uncommon, and very disappointing) In those instances, we'd have been better off choosing a tour.

We did both guided tours and independent exploration. We saw more on the guided tours, generally- and were less exhausted.

If you have a day in Barcelona, do consider seeing some Gaudi architecture. (it's NOT boring!)
You can easily to THAT independently- there is a bus that will pick up and drop off at appointed stations. The bus comes by once an hour. Very pleasant way to go - I think the bus pass was about $14 for a 24 hour period and the stations were marked on a map that came with the pass.

Have a great time- and tell us what you enjoyed when you return!

[KyWoman]

We took a Med Cruise this past April on Oceania's Riviera. We are not cruisers (prefer to charter sail boats in the Caribbean), but we absolutely had the trip of a life time on this cruise and are already booked on another.

The ship is beautiful, the service was top notch and the food was fabulous! We left from Barcelona and ended in Athens. All ports of call in between had so much to see!


As far as tours, we took them through Oceania and were happy with them, but I have heard that they are more expensive and many cruisers booked their own.

We also booked a night before sailing and a night after through Oceania and the hotels were 5 star.

We were treated royally from the pick up in Barcelona, to our departure at Athens airport.

Can you tell I highly recommend this cruise??

Have a wonderful time!

[Medtrans]

We had a trip planned on Oceania a year or so ago but had to cancel. This line was highly recommended by our cruise travel agent (prior cruise directors on Royal Carribbean) and we were so disappointed we couldn't make the trip. I think the cruise line shuttles you in to the main part of the port cities so you have a starting off point. DO see SaGrada Familia in Barcelona. It was so so beautiful. DO be very careful in Barcelona about your wallet. While it is a beautiful, clean modern city, it is full of pick-pocket people or people who ask for directions, etc. so they can distract you while trying to pick your pocket, or their child does. My husband had his wallet stolen and we spent 2 hours in the police dept filing a report, to no avail. This is not to scare you but just a heads up. It is in the most crowded areas that it happens. We walked from the main part of Barcelona back to our ship and safety was not an issue at all. Do your research for excursions. We have always been one to take the ship's excursions but I'm sure you can do better with the prices on your own. I'm envious of your trip and please post how it went when you get back. Loved the Gelato place across from the Vatican in Rome!

[blueash]

If you have not checked cruisecritic.com you might find it useful. It is loaded with information on each port. Also if you click on rollcall you can find a message board devoted to your particular cruise. People plan activities as a group there.

[Carla B]

We are looking forward later this year to a trip to Barcelona for a few days on our own before joining a tour. I bought Rick Steve's "Pocket book of Barcelona." It details walks through the "must see" areas and attractions, including how long it will take, how much it costs for admission, etc. He takes you by the hand and lessens some of the apprehension visiting a strange new place. Also very helpful is the Barcelona tourist guide on line.

[Waverunner]

Thanks for all the great information! We too will be on Oceania Riviera and have heard nothing but raves about the accommodations and food. Their specialty restaurant menus have me predicting an extra 15 pounds!

It is delightful that many of you mentioned Barcelona. It is one of my favorite cities. This will be my third time and his second time to visit. I introduced him to my favorite architect, Antonin Gaudi, last year. We are very comfortable moving around this city and already have a personal itinerary set to see a couple of things we missed last year. Since we had been before, it fit well to be our last stop.

(Medtrans, I too had the pickpocket experience on my first visit to Barcelona. We were on the Ramblas and she managed to get her hand in my purse while her other hand was presenting me a "free" red carnation. I caught her as she was extracting a wad of cash and she didn't succeed. I got lucky that time and more savvy with my personal belongings and interaction with strangers like this. I was even approached later by a second duo carrying red carnations. The "NO!!!" couldn't have been any louder. Last year, I insisted on carrying my husband's wallet as I felt I could keep a cross body bag closed and closer in front of me.)

I am a researcher as well, (which I will continue to do all the way up to departure). I have collected a bunch of Rick Steves shows (from PBS) on the DVR, (he is great to watch and you always pick up something new) and gone to many sites including cruisecritic.com. Blueash, thanks for turning us on to Rollcall. That is a feature we were unaware of and a great idea.

After discussion and more research, we decided to go ahead and book our shore excursions through the site cruiseexcursions.com. They are more than half the price of the equivalent that is being offered through Oceania. We are hoping for the best. The city that we are least comfortable with right now is Florence. There is so much to try and see there in what will amount to about a half a day. We will need to set some priorities!

Thanks again TOTV community. We will let you know how the cruise and excursions turn out later in September.

[swrinfla]

My travel companion and I generally do ship shore excursions, but on our Mediterranean cruise last November we did a couple booked with Viatour. Both worked very well and were well within budget.

The key is to keep a very sharp eye on all your plans/expenses!

SWR