Florence & Pisa Shore Excursion from Livorno

Our tour guide Sara was great and tour was very good, if you can leave early (not 9.30-10) and not have a ship sailing that day. We did not have enough time to see Florence, barely missed going up Tower of Pisa or go into the Basilica even though we had tickets and luckily they arranged to drop us off at our ship 5 minutes before we had to be onboard.

Accademia Gallery ticket (if option selected) Access to the Leaning Tower (if selected) Air-conditioned vehicle Authentic Florence Walk with a local tour leader (if selected) Complimentary glass of wine in Florence Emergency contact number Expert Tour Leader Free Wi-Fi, Free Map, free wine tasting Free multilingual Walking Tour app (downloadable via Wi-Fi onboard) Priority boarding on the bus This excursion was extremely disappointing and did not match what was advertised. First, this was essentially just a bus ride from the meeting point to Florence. The coach was advertised as air-conditioned, but it was so hot inside that many of us had to use our own handheld fans just to stay comfortable. The excursion also failed to deliver several of the advertised highlights. We never stopped at many of the locations listed on the website, there was no complimentary glass of wine, and there was no wine tasting. Instead, the guide simply pointed us in the direction we were supposed to walk and gave us very little guidance. The schedule was so rushed that we barely had enough time to visit the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s David before we had to hurry back to the bus to leave for Pisa. There was no opportunity to enjoy Florence or experience any of its other famous sights. As someone with mobility limitations, the experience in Pisa was especially frustrating. I chose not to make the long walk to the Leaning Tower. The driver was supposed to show me a place where I could comfortably sit and wait while the rest of the group explored. Instead, he simply said “ciao” and walked about 20 feet ahead of me while talking on his phone, leaving me to figure things out on my own. I felt completely overlooked. I’ve visited Florence before on another excursion, and the difference was remarkable. On that tour, I was able to see beautiful landmarks like the Ponte Vecchio, enjoy the city’s atmosphere, and actually experience Florence. On this excursion, the bus drove straight to the bus station without providing any sightseeing at all. Overall, this tour was rushed, stressful, poorly organized, and did not provide the experience that was promised. I would not recommend it, especially for travelers with mobility challenges or anyone hoping to actually see and enjoy Florence.

Easy meeting points and knowledgeable about the areas we passed by. Only complaint is that we were to visit the museum to see the statue of David and never received our entry tickets. Eighteen of us traveling together and we all paid for the entry.

While we enjoyed the cities, we were quite frustrated with the travel experience. There were many discrepancies between what was noted in the event listing and what actually happened. The listing noted an air conditioned bus and we found ourselves using our personal fans just to stay cool. We even shared our fans with others because no one could get cool air to come from the vents. The listing noted free wifi available on the bus. No password was ever provided and thus we couldn't research the last minute details we needed. Moreover a walking app was supposed to be available for download on the bus wifi and there was no mention of this and it obviously wasn't going to be available anyway. The listing noted wine tasting and a free glass of wine in Florence. None of this was provided or even mentioned. The listing noted priority boarding bus on the bus and there was no such thing. Additionally we were given attraction tickets with times and then we arrived late to the attraction. The tour guide also provided incorrect information in Pisa. She said no backpacks were allowed in the tower. We had small crossbody purses and we had to step out of line to put them in lockers because absolutely no bags were allowed. The tour guide was nothing more than someone to tell us where to meet in a city. She didn't share any information about sites or buildings, had no knowledge of history of the places, and didn't share the insider information you would expect from a tour guide. She literally got on the bus, told us where we're going and when to meet, and then never pointed out anything during travel. We might have driven by the points in the listing but you wouldn't have known that because she never pointed them out. Finally we did not go back to the original pick up point. We were running so late the bus had to take us directly to the ship. While appreciated so we didn't miss the ship, the delay meant we didn't go back to what was listed. My family was planning to catch our own shuttle to the ship after doing a few things and we never had that opportunity We were quite disappointed in the overall experience. It should have been listed as transport only and not as an actual experience.

Good experience with a tour guide through all the areas of Florence and Pisa. The guide speaks in English and Spanish so you can understand everything. He gives you 10 minutes of courtesy time to take photos and see each monument