marazul

There is only one sure way to avoid the cable car and really enjoy Santorini: 1. Take a cruise that skips Santorini, and 2. Fly to Santorini from Athens before or after the cruise. Stay 2 or 3 nights. The flight from Athens takes 30 minutes. There are a dozen flights to Santorini (JTR) everyday on Aegean Air. The prices start at €45 each way. There are many, many hotels in Santorini at all price points. The easiest would be to fly there the same day you fly into Athens. Just take an afternoon flight to Santorini and stay there to begin your trip. Fly back to Athens the day before your cruise or earlier if you have more time. The few cruise excursions that avoid the cable car, and tender to and from Athinios are geared to handicapped passengers.

The land visitors have no need to take the cable car. There is nothing down at the port. It will be crowded enough just with cruise passengers.

For history and architecture stay in Palma. Visit the cathedral and the royal palace. Plus the rest of the old town. If you are on a long port day, you could also do a half day tour to Valldemosa and/or Soller. But don't miss Palma. The whole island is beautiful.

@scotlady Do anything else. Tour Palma, it is amazing. If you can also add Valldemosa, even better. Flamenco is not typical of this region, especially not of Mallorca. It is performed in the south of Spain (Andalusia). This will be strictly a show for foreign tourists who do not know any better. Mallorca is beautiful. Enjoy the island.

The beaches are much better in Cannes than in Nice. The ones on La Croisette are comparable (or better) to Ruhl in terms of amenities and restaurants, plus Cannes has sand while Nice has pebbles on the beach. You can take the ferry to ile Ste M right from the tender pier. You do not need an excursion for that.

Then pick one of the trattorias named above.

Right. Just get the debit/ATM card.

It isn't that complicated. We keep a second account for travel purposes. We do a wire transfer into it before every trip and have a cc.

museivaticani.va is the real one. You could stand in line for hours to buy tickets. Do it online. They are available two months ahead of time.

Have you thought of opening a "travel" account and credit card from a credit union? (If you work in the public schools, you know which one.) They do not charge fees. Also, if your WF credit card is lost or stolen you would have access to another financial institution.

You could ask your hotel to book you a table there. You never know... Look up the other beach restaurants on Google maps and see what they offer. This is a very high end area and the food and amenities are all bound to be good.

If you have time, get the extra cash there at an ATM instead of bringing a lot more with you. You will get better rates.

I would have 200-300 € and use the ATMs if you need more. Do use credit cards as much as you can (charging always in euros, never in dollars), but it is always good to have some cash.

You could also book Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina, try to get the wine cellar. Most restaurants in Amalfi are within the city, but there are a few on the beach, some with beach amenities. The Marina Grande is right on the beach and it is quite good. If you go during the day the also have beach chairs that you can reserve and have lunch and drinks there. The pizza in Amalfi is also very good, same as Naples.

None of the restaurants in Old Nice are on the water. If you want a water view and very upscale, try Le Patio at the Hotel La Perouse, just on the edge of Old Nice. The old port does have a number of restaurants on the water. Further down the Promenade on the "new" section, there is Le Chantecler at the Negresco Hotel for a true upscale experience. For real niçoise food by a master chef (Dominic Le Stanc who had 2 Michelin stars at Le Chantecler), try La Merenda in Old Nice - but no view and casual.