Shore excursions vs. on your own

The last time that we were in Livorno we hired a Mercedes van and driver
from Papillon to take us to Florence. There were four of us and we
recruited another couple on the ship to share the van with us. The ride
was quicker and more comfortable than the bus the ship offered and the
cost per person was slightly less than the ship was charging. The
driver was friendly and helpful. I would unequivocally recommend
Papillon Service. We intend to use them again in July.

BTW, obviously the van was more expensive than a train but the van was
much more comfortable, we weren't locked into the train schedule and
didn't have to bother with getting to and from the train stations.

JMHO

bobed@ (Robert "Bob" Edwards) wrote:

>obviously the van was more expensive than a train but the van was
>much more comfortable, we weren't locked into the train schedule and
>didn't have to bother with getting to and from the train stations.

Maybe so. However, an important reason for me to visit foreign countries is to
meet and talk with the residents of the countries I visit, not just to the back
of the head of a driver.

RTCReferee commented that an important reason for him to visit foreign
countries is to meet and talk with the local residents. I agree that
that enhances the experience unless your talking includes "Stop Thief!"
or "Watch out for that pickpocket!" <vbg>

BTW, the driver we had was a very interesting fellow and we had plenty
of other time to interface with the populace once we got to Florence.
One of the locals suggested a nice little restaurant to us. We were the
only tourists there and we particularly enjoyed chatting with the
gracious hostess in our respective pidgin English and Italian.