KevinL10

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

Florence is a wonderfully historic and interesting city to visit. However, because it is inland, the commute in will take about 1.5 hours each way. The one thing about Florence however is that you will quickly realize that tourists in the city outnumber residents. The crowds are stifling at times.

Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France

There is not much to see in Villefranche. You will have to visit Nice, Cannes, or Monaco on an excursion or on your own (as we did). Villefranche is not a docking port and so you will have to lineup for tendering boats, which takes a long time. Then once you are in the village of Villefranche, catching a bus to Nice can be a lesson in patience. The small village's infrastructure does not accommodate such a large influx of people from a cruise ship.

Palermo, Sicily

Palermo can be a bit rough around the edges compared to some of the other cities we visited, but it is quite walkable and safe. There are some sites that are very impressive and some quirky ones like the catacombs.

Naples, Italy

We did not stay in Naples, instead opting to visit the nearby island of Capri. It is a beautiful resort island. However, as this is a jetsetter's paradise, beaware the prices at shops and restaurants are on the high side. We heard from others on-board that there was not much to see in Naples and that it was a bit rough. Most cruisers opted to visit Capri, Pompeii, or Sorrento/Amalfi.

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

Again, Rome is a long trek from the port of Civitavecchia. We traveled ourselves, instead of opting for the more expensive excursions, and managed to find our way into Rome on train for a few dollars (as compared to the ship's excursion of $86). The trip is about one hour but well worth it. Rome is such a historically rich city that one day is really not enough to see it all. With a cruise you just have to soak in bits of it. Plan to sample everything and not see anything in-depth however.