edinburgher

there are many past threads with info and suggestions for Alesund, a port favourite with cruise passengers as docking is in town and there are a number of sights and attractions. some past threads here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=alesund&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116 This one is, I think, one of the best. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2826391-alesund-norway/#comment-62807291

Did you find and read any of the past threads using the search tool as previously suggesed you do?/ If not, Cavtat https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=cavtat&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149 Trogir. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=trogir&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149

Future useful or not, it was an interesting read so thank you for your effort posting it. Melilla is similar to Ceuta, the second of only two Spanish enclaves in N. Africa, and subject to the same attempts to enter by those seeking a new life. As both only ever appear to hit the news for all the wrong reasons,your very balanced perspective was much appreciated.

Only you can decide if the driving time, effort and cost are worth it to you personally.😀

As you enjoyed Viking river cruises, Viking OCEAN, Azamara, Oceania, Seabourn but there will be others..

then it must be so.

Sorry. I thought this one above was the one you were referencing and I was surprised to see Ravello included as it sometimes is and sometimes not due to time and traffic constraints especially if you are getting free time in each and not simply drive throughs and/or photo ops. It is also a very long day for your child, and for adults too.

That itinerary sounds like too much time would be needed from Naples if you actually stop in each location instead of simply driving all day. Is it at least 8 or 9 hours long, and if so will the timings match your port timings?

You can double check by looking at cruise schedules on the official Port of Toulon website or cruisetimetables or any of the other cruise calendars..

I would not worry too much about Monday closures as you still have options and enough for a single port day as you would need more than a day anyway to include some of the closed sights. The viewpoints will all be open, as will the castle and shops will be open. Although most sights in Belem will be closed you could still take a bus or tram along and stroll the gardens and fountains and see the huge monastery from outside.. You would also see the Tower of Belem closer up (inside is actually underwhelming anyway IMHO) and admire the wonderful carvings on the Monument of the Discoveries which is huge and incredibly impressive up close, much better than the view of it from the ship, also the mosaic map of the world set into the ground beside it. the Castle of St George is open on Mondays. Buses go closer to the castle than trams, and from there you could walk downhill to the Cathedral/Se viewpoint. You could ride the quite famous vintage tram route #28 from start to finish or board at an intermediate stop. or choose instead to ride a vintage tram to Belem instead of a bus. One of the vintage tram routes to Belem runs from Praca do Figuera very close to Rua Augusta so you could start or end your Belem journey there.. Your first "sight" as it is closest to the sea and you may pass it on the way to your berth, is likely to be the huge Praco do Comercio, and on leaving it, head towards the Augusta Arch on Rua Augusta. You can probably see a tiny section of it it from P do C, slightly behind and to the left of P do C (with your back to the sea). This street is pedestrianised with many eating and shopping options, and sometimes street theatre, and you should stop at the bakery Fabrica de Nata where you can watch the natas being made and running around on tracks through the glass screens before eating some.Can personally also recommend their toasted sandwiches! All of that area is flat, even ground all the way to Rossio train station with many shops, squares and pedestrian streets to explore before reaching the station. To get up to our own preferred viewpoint, see post#6, you could join the line (there is almost always quite a long line) and pay for the Santa Justa elevador, or instead, from Rua Augusta, off to the left, (left with the sea behind you) enter the/Baixa/Chiado Metro station (it has a large curved semi circular entrance which can be seen from a couple of streets away.) where there is a series of free escalators which will take you to the higher up Chiado area and from the exit walk the last 10 or 15 minutes to the viewpoint. There is a good photo op just before the viewpoint as some of the vintage trams terminate there. There are some ideas and suggestions in the earlier posts on this thread, and absolutely delve into the excellent official visitlisboa official website also mentioned above and the more you look the more you will find. To properly visit Lisbon you would need at least a week, but as the above would easily fill a single day you may or may not decide to use the HOHO. Enjoy. We love Lisbon.

Sorry to disagree Hank, but Toulon has two porting options, Toulon itself and la Seyne sur Mer which is around 5 or 6 miles away and is mostly used by bigger cruise ships. ashley24 reading how Toulon is described on your itinerary, I am guessing you will be onboard a big ship (you didn't say) and most likely you will be docking in la Seyne s/Mer. From there you could take a cruise shuttle (could be bus or boat) or the little public shuttle ferry boat to Toulon or walk into la Seyne itself, a quite pleasant little seaside town which has both a train statiuon and public buses, opening up further sightseeing options should you not want to stay in either Toulon or la Seyne. there are some past threads for both and reading a few might be helpful. very few for la Seyne, more for Toulon. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=la seyne&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=462 Toulon https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=toulon&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=462 .

That would explain the lack of an actual "ticket office" when we were there, but perhaps "the lady selling tickets at the table" is there only on days with cruise ship calls? it could be that it is an easier option for staff than trying to help passengers use the machines but I do not know.

I agree with you that when reading reviews a "trend of sorts" does appear and I too find that helpful. Many people are dismissive of online reviews thinking too many are fake, but I still encourage people to read them as not every one can be a fake. And hotel booking websites only allow verified reviews from guests who booked through them. I hope you find a hotel which meets your requirements. I find looking for accommodation much more stressful than planning actual sightseeing. An extra note to say that the location of the Anantara is a busy one so traffic noise could be an extra issue as Nice is a busy city.

Are you aware that Notre Dame Cathedral is still closed due to ongoing renovation/rebuilding works following the 2019 fire and not expected to re-open before the end of the year? At present it is exterior views only.

Many people do enjoy it for at least a week, and will return for a longer stay if their first was for only 2 or 3 days. The more you look into what this city offers, the more you will understand why longer stays are preferable to shorter ones. as an example, should you want to follow the "Gaudi Trail" and visit interiors in addition to exteriors, this alone will use up at least one very full day as a few hours can be taken up in the Sagrada Familia alone. You could look at all the usual Tourist information websites including the official Barcelona City one, Tripadvisor, Frommer's, Fodors, YouTube and any others you choose from results when you internet search" Barcelona Tourist Information" It is almost guaranteed that you will love your time there however you choose to use it.

It got mentioned a little too much recently as it was one of the areas targeted by anti-tourist protesters. It is also an area which is very pro-Catalan with Catalan flags hanging from many buildings and usually hits the news when there are or calls for Catalan Independence.. We explored it on foot including visiting the market then continued walking along the beach promenade.

B2B is of course different froim a round trip so you may get lucky and get two passages after all.

Viator is another broker which does not itself operate tours but instead books you on to the tour with a local company which actually operates it. The local company pays Viator a commission for giving them the business. It is sometimes possible to trace the company by googling some of the tour description but not always.

Read reviews on Tripadvisor and on hotel booking websites as past guests may mention any noise issues they experienced and doing so may help you decide.

Sorry to disappoint, but although your itinerary may show two passages, cruise ships will normally only do one, whichever of the two has clear passage. It may be your first pass or it may be the second, but only one is the norm. Itineraries show two, usually one in each direction, as they don't know if one or none will be possible at the times you are there. Hopefully you will get a transit as it is stunningly beautiful.

Absolutely agree with CruiserBruce. Too early and you risk too much unmelted ice as has happened this season. And Prins Christian Sund was non navigable for the same reason until a few days ago. This should give you thoughts about dates, especially post #17. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3018969-prinz-christian-sound-ice/#comment-67712813 We also successfully transitted PKS and visited Greenlandic ports with HAL on not one but two occasions.😀 so HAL could be worthy of consideration. Have friends currently onboard Volendam hoping to make ports and PKS sometime soon.

Both your part first and part second days could be affected by jetlag, but by all means book your Sagrada Familia tickets for whichever day and time you think you would cope best with. This visit alone could easily take a few hours depending on which tickets you pre-purchase, but it is your agenda so only you can decide if you have time or not forfor "the park" (presumably Parc Guell?) For anything else, your hotel is in a great location for easy waking access to Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter to explore them on foot, so that too is an option, and it also an excellent transport hub with HOHOS stopping there in addition to the airport bus should you need it. Helpfully posted by alsserod Barcelona is a huge and very diverse city and if this will be your first visit, short on time and potentially jetlagged, the HOHOS could be a great way to get an overview of the city without much physical effort. Staying on for the full route,although with one change to the second route for which you would also stay on, would give you a wonderful overview and mean you would be spared one of the worst aspects of HOHOs in busy cities, ie long lines and full buses at many of the stops and long waits for the next available.. This thread could be useful for you, but given your location and the transport options on your doorstep, you may not actually need the info. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2976917-transport-in-barcelona-taxi-metro-bus-etc-to-the-city-port-and-airport-all-information-and-questions/page/5/#comment-67445422 As there is more than one HOHO company, read descriptions of both including reviews, the routes they run, if it is possible to switch to a second route with the same ticket, and the costs and types of tickets which best suit your timing as depending on the country and city you might be in, some 24 hour tickets are for day 1 only, some for 24 hours from time of purchase. I no longer remember the info for Barcelona so you need to internet search yourself.. AND DO WATCH OUT FOR PICKPOCKETS AS UNFORTUNATELY BARCELONA IS NOTORIOUS FOR THIS. AND READ ONLINE ABOUT SOME OF THE DISTRACTION TRICKS USED ON SOME TOURISTS WHILST OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GANG ATTEMPT TO ROB YOU.. BE ALERT AT ALL TIMES. Some of these past threads could be a helpful read https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=barcelona pickpockets&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=465&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=and Despite this, It is almost guaranteed that once you have a tiny nibble at this amazing city, you will plan another visit to Barcelona, next time planning for at least a week.😀

Scottish school holidays are usually earlier, but that isn't what you asked. In Scotland during summer they last around 6 weeks. School summer term ended in Scotland at the end of June with the new autumn term beginning mid-August. These are the same each year, so most Scots take their summer holidays in the month of July especially if they have school age children.

i should have said that we visited Alvor independently using public transport but a taxi would have been easier and possibly faster. We saw the ship shorex coach arrive into Alvor as we were leaving. Very few past threads for Portimao but you may find info or suggestions on some of them https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=portimao&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=465

You must be sailing either all of the itinerary in late January or partly January and partly February, possibly the two coldest and wettest months in many parts of Europe. You would be wise to pack layers and waterproof outerwear and footwear.