ollienbertsmum

You have already had your trip. I hope that you had a good day even though the weather was a bit dodgy across the region. For the benefit of others I would say that it is easily walkable from ship to cable car if you are a regular walker. The 2, 3, 4, 9 and 5/10 all go to the cable car station. I often walk by after visiting Alameda gardens with my nephew and notice the queues. They can be longgg. I recommend getting out there early.

In Gibraltar you can use euro to pay for items such as ice creams. Not recommended for larger items because the exchange rate a business would offer you is definitely not in the shopper’s favor. However there are very few places that won’t accept plastic. Even a place I occasionally buy coffee from, only £1.50, will take a card. It is acceptable to ask businesses for change in sterling - we all know the issue of not being able to use local currency outside Gibraltar. Enjoy your port stop in Gibraltar.

Ok so I am a very cautious person, and I was thinking how you can be late in due to bad weather during the last night of the cruise. Storms are not completely unheard of in the area. Last month my plane (different to a ship I know) was diverted from Malaga to Seville due to poor visibility.

Does this help. I was looking for beach photos but didn’t see any. It is a strange picture because it looks like the ship is on a car park. It is 2012 so things could have changed. We were just about to sail away, no idea what I was trying to capture in the photo.

We went a few years ago. We took the shuttle to the old town - I wanted to visit la lonja de seda (worth it) then we took a public bus to the beach. It was a Sunday in the middle of summer, it was easy to see which buses were beach bound. I recall being really impressed by the beach. I’m not a big fan of the pool deck on a cruise ship, it was nice to get cool with room to breathe.

We have done it easily. This was on a cruise that called into Schengen ports only. I would want a plan B in case of bad weather, engine trouble or any of the other causes of delay. I can’t go anywhere without a Plan B though.

I’m not sure that I do know what French people are like. I googled it and apparently they are famous for food, wine, love, art and fashion. Sounds a good basis for a cruise.

To be honest you still have a whole year to go. I think the route and options for Venice to Trieste are getting better. We did fine taking the train from Bologna to Trieste and Airbnb the day before embarking and then using FlixBus to Venice for our return. That was a year ago and I think it is getting to be a road more well traveled. So you have this season to keep on reading reviews and blogs. Make that your summer homework. You have time to make decisions during the winter

You have not said when you are taking the cruise, that makes a great deal of difference - from my experience small children work better in the cooler weather. If you are going during summer months then you can find some good beaches in Barcelona, Cadiz (brilliant beaches), and Cannes where a short walk from tender drop off is a public beach. OR a short ferry to Ile Saint Marguerite for walks or beaches could make a great day out. Just take swimwear and towels (I always carry those small towels you can get from sports shops) because you might come across the possibility of bathing when you don’t expect it. I am sure that there must be some great play parks around these cities too. I agree that you would be best to avoid long treks like to Florence, but difficult to advise without knowing if this is 1. A once in a lifetime trip to Europe with kids in tow or 2. A great cruise where we want to find things for the kids to do during the day. Does that make sense? The two cruises require different approaches. I have done both - and version 2 worked out better.

Now that so many people pay by card splitting the bill is much easier. In November on a trip with three other ladies, one used her card and we all sent her money to cover expenses of the trip. When we go out at home we will divide the tip and bill by the number of people and all pay that. The waiter goes around the table taking cash or uses the card machine. Perhaps it takes a few minutes longer than if one person pays - but they are used to it. It is how people go out to eat in digital times.

Your day sounds pretty much like our first day trip to Cannes. It was really enjoyable and a relaxing day after a couple of long port days. Don’t miss the handprints of famous people in front of the film festival building.

The Med has not given us much of a problem in our 8 cruises - unless there has been a storm. We have been in big ships though. I think your best advice would come from the company running the cruise - or the crew itself. Why don’t you take the prescription anyway and ask for advice when you are on board

We have always done our own thing in Cannes. We actually spent our 30th Wedding Anniversary (like you we never had a honeymoon) at Cannes. We had been a couple of times before and had enjoyed just walking around for the atmosphere - expensive cars, views, buying a croissant using schoolgirl French, Le suquet, swimming from the public beach -(in summer) but as this was in November we decided to go on a ferry to St Marguerite a little island that offered nice walks. We had a lovely day. I always say ‘next time Monaco’ but in reality I think we would likely have a more enjoyable day taking the train to Nice. You want to do a ship tour I think so you have different considerations to me, in your case I think I would want to include Eze view with Nice. I hope that the weather is kind to you during the cruise - we have had several in November and I find it much more comfortable walking around than July. You do risk a storm though.

With a bit of research you can do some good diy days in these ports. Check out the ports on google maps as you may prefer to get a shuttle to the town Centres. I think you will be stopping in Cadiz not Seville - it is a lovely city with lots to see. Without knowing your preferences it is difficult to know what to suggest

Just left the cold rainy uk that Graham has described. On my way home after a trip to see my 95 yr old parents. Trip was extended because my dad had a fall getting into bed while I was there. The broken bone will heal but he is struggling to sit up - his blood pressure keeps falling. My sister is taking over getting mum too and from the hospital. I left early this morning on a plane headed for Malaga where my car has been waiting for me. There was fog over the airport in Malaga so we were diverted. Now I am sitting on the plane at the airport in Seville. Ironically I have been planning a trip here for months. look how interesting it looks