edinburgher

A different suggestion. ALVOR only around a 15 minute taxi ride from the dock. A lovely historic fishing village which is still relatively unspoiled despite the number of visitors. Small and colourful with an entire street of fish restaurants and a boardwalk through the nature reserve. our ship included it in a shorex to traditional fishing villages of the Algarve. Many images and info about Alvor can be found online to help you decide. We thought Portimao itself very uninteresting and somewhat boring unless you like a good beach.

What about seeing Positano from inside the bus ride? Is that doable? That question was already answered in my post #13 above.. A brief photo stop from the road above, looking down on Positano, otherwise arrive by ferry and walk the village from there.

very unlikely as Malaga is quite some distance from Granada and with driving time both directions and the Alhambra visit itself, the priority will be to get you back to the ship.

On our FOURTH visit, yes really, and having previously visited Taormina, Mt Etna and even Messina itself, the latter not recommended, we opted for a shorex called Godfather Villages and despite having little interest in the "Godfather films" we enjoyed it more than we had expected to mostly due to the scenery and the attractive villages. There have been a few past threads about this scenic tour and reading them might help you decide if this might be an option to consider .https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=godfather&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464

not that I am aware of given the non resident traffic restrictions already mentioned. it is something we should get a ticket and go inside the sight to see it? i hope you meant that as a joke!!😁 You can see Vesuvius from a distance from all around the Bay of Naples.For an actual visit, all vehicles only go up to the top parking area and you walk up the rest of the way to the crater. As a bonus, on a clear day the views are outstanding. Does anyone anywhere ever visit INSIDE a volcano anywhere in the world? I think not,!!!!! but you can walk around the perimeter and look down into the crater. Read reviews and descriptions to help you decide..

I absolutely agree with euro cruiser. On the date you are giving, if you were to look at average weather for the area, you will see that January is also the coldest month. and if it is also raining, you would be sitting in a van looking at rain running down the windows. I would also recommend you simply stay in Naples where there are a vast number of sights both indoors and outdoors, more than enough to fill a single day, meaning you could easily work around whatever weather you have that day. and you could have pizza for lunch in the city where it was created. The other advantage is that you can explore Naples on your own as you dock centrally,only needing to step out of the terminal building and you are there , and no tour needed if you do some pre-trip homework, maybe starting with past threads, but also the usual "Tourist Information Naples" websites, inncluding Tripadvisor, Frommer's, Fodors, YouTube and many others which will appear in your internet search. Past threads here, choose from these https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=naples&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464

As an alternative to Pompeii, consider nearby Herculaneum. It is smaller and more manageable than Pompeii especially if the weather is hot, and although there are similarities to Pompeii, there are also differences. Images and info online.. Take the same train line (Circumvesuviano) you would take for Pompeii, but get off at Ercolano Scavi for Herculaneum, actually closer to Naples than Pompeii. Walk around 15 minutes downhill to the entrance. With a 9 year old, would a visit up Mt Vesuvius be of interest? it isn't every day a youngster gets to go up a volcano, but she could from this same train station. Info can be found online and in past threads.You could visit both Herculaneum and Vesuvius on the same day. Be aware that "to visit Positano" you would really need to arrive and leave by ferry as independents, as most driving tours do not go into Positano itself, but stop on the main road above for a photo opportunity looking down onto Positano before driving on. This is mostly due to the tough restrictions on vehicles of non residents entering Positano. Deciding what to do on a port stop in Naples is always a difficult decision to make given the number of top rated options from there. We usually recommend that people consider a stay of at least a week, ideally longer to explore everything the mainland area and islands offer.

If I remember correctly it is a little under 30 minutes each way so euro70 sounds excessive. sgmn, you could have perhaps found others to share with you on any Roll Call for that sailing which you might have signed up for. By leaving it later until you left the ship, you reduced your chances of finding others as they were probably off earlier.

nor have we!

Another vote for the amazing Musee Rodin for anyone with an interest in sculpture.In addition to "TheThinker" there is also "The Kiss" and "The Gates of Hell", (based on Dante's description in Inferno) amongst many others. And it is an indoor/outdoor museum with many sculptures in the lovely garden area, a really quite peaceful spot to rest afterwards for a time far from the crowds. Also in very close proximity to Napoleon's Tomb, maybe 5 minutes max, and with views across the Champ de Mars to the Eiffel Tower, and maybe 10 or 15 minutes walk from the Musee d'Orsay, so really quite centrally located which is a bonus as several sights can be visited quite easily in one day. The shop at the Musee Rodin was poorly stocked on our first visit and the same on our second when we ventured back in the hope that with a gap of a few days,new stock would have arrived.(we had a "Museum Pass" so had no need to pay again) sadly it had not, instead we had to buy a series of postcards of the top exhibits which we had mounted together and framed once home and which we still have.

The usage of car seats for children (usually under age 12) is mandatory in most if not all European countries and fines are payable if caught without the type appropriate to the age and/or weight of the child.. You would need to check the requirements for Italy and when arranging a tour or transfer, would need to check with the provider if they can supply on the day..

It is absolutely true. P Roma is the last point for all transport which is not water based, the reason why many visitors decide to stay in hotels there or close to it, as it is convenient for arrivals and departures by airport bus, trains and taxis, and in the past for the People Mover. Everywhere else in Venice must be reached by either vaporetto, on foot or by water taxi. Unique challenges but worth the inconvenience.

Looking at the ports named on your link, you could do all of these on your own apart from Ephesus from Kusadasi where transport is needed but there should be shared transport and tours from the dock, and for Chania, either a ship shuttle or the public bus from outside the port of Souda would transfer you into town. Small and quite attractive, mostly flat ground and very easy to DIY once you get there. Past threads for Kusadasi https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=kusadasi&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149 and for Chania https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=chania&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=463 For the others, you need to read what sights/attractions might interest you on the usual"Official Tourist Information websites for name of town/city)," Tripadvisor, Youtube, Frommer's, Fodors, Rick Steves and others., and read past threads for each. and look at shorex to see what is being offered even should you not want to book one as they often describe the highlights and what can be reasonably fitted into your port timings, then look to see how you could do any which suit your interests independantly. If you do not know how to use the easy and fast SEARCH TOOL. Go to the correct geographical forum for each port. Stay on the main page without going to an individual thread, and in the empty search box under your username, insert the name of the port or place then click the little spy glass. Note that the dropdown should have defaulted to "this forum". Within seconds all past threads containing that word should appear ready for you to choose which to read. And think a little outside the box. EG for your Naples port call, if you have no interest in the city itself but would be interested in Pompeii, do not search with the word Naples, search instead for Pompeii. And if there is a Roll Call for your sailing, join it as it is where you can exchange info and suggestions with those who will be fellow passengers. Lots of homework for you. Advice is to focus on one port at a time and only move onto the next when that one is finished otherwise you risk being overwhelmed. And note if any of the sights/sites/attractions you intend to visit require pre-booked timed tickets.

Consider cross posting on the Royal Caribbean forum where members who might have taken this tour would be more likely to see it and reply. this one This one https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/ The Luberon is one of the most attractive areas in that part of the world with a number of pretty villages so I hope you will see more of it than only Lourmarin although it is thought to one of the prettiest..

Has there been a change since the original terminal at Marittima became redundant? I ask because there were definitely roads going to and even to inside the port terminal from Venice (from P. Roma and from the People Mover.station) when it was still being used,. one section of iwhich was also a busy main road, part of which was a long bridge with pavements on each side for pedestrians coming and going on foot between the terminals and P Roma.. The few cruiselines which used to run shuttle buses beween P Roma and the cruiseterminal on turnaround days used that same road, as did taxis. And it was busy so why it would be completely closed to traffic is quite puzzling.

Now that it is confirmed that you will check-in at the original Venice Cruise Terminal, thehotel location info I gave in post #2 would still be good and sightseeing aside, would probably be the easiest as you could transfer from the airport on the airport bus, followed by an easy short stroll to your accommodation, and on the morning of check-in, either a taxi or the People Mover to get you the short distance to the check in area. As you would have to do in other cities and towns anywhere in the world, you will need to pay whatever the going rate is on your dates,as pricing is determined by supply and demand on the dates you plan to be there. There may be cheaper accommodation closer to the airport with a public bus used to take you into the city proper, or you could try the Mestre area which is outside Venice proper but not too far away with decent transport links to the city, but you would need to travcel into and out of Venice on arival and departure to get you to check-in, also for your sightseeing. Note that It could also be tricky navigating Venice with a one year old, assuming he or she will be in a pushchair,as it will need to be carried up, across and over the many bridges which are mostly stepped. As I mentioned before, Venice is wonderful but presents unique challenges.

there is a "pinned" thread at the very top of this Greek ports forum and you may want to look at that as it is FAQs about santorini , Oia and Fira. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2739131-find-it-here-santorini-firá-and-oia-q-a/page/12/#comment-67499183 That failing, there are many many threads on this Greek Ports forum. Here are some of them for you to choose from https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=santorini&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=463

Impossible to say as cruiselines price in different ways. And only you know which "extra" charges you might want to add, and of course the type of onboard accommodation you want to book can change the pricing significantly. Some lines will give a basic cost which includes less, appearing at first view to be cheaper but with many add ons such as drinks, speciality restaurants, shore excursions, gratuities/service charges etc which will bump up the overall cost, but others, usually the more upmarket and at first view the more expensive, include extras in the base price meaning you need to calculate which is actually "best value" as you may find after doing that, that the more inclusive lines actually offer the same or better overall value And bigger ships could be more problematic if there are tender ports as it can take a long time to get on to tenders ashore and back to the ship, eating into your shore time. Smaller ships might also have to use tenders in some ports but would take less time. And some ships are simply to big for smaller islands so that too is a consideration. You really need to do lots and lots of research(mostly online reading) and/or meet with a good travel agent to discuss your preferences, but it would be helpful to have done a good deal of research before meeting with an agent. May should be quite a good month to sail as heat levels should be lower than in the peak months.

I just now checked too and found a number of threads mentioning BARI. This thread containing a review on one of the posts would be worth reading as it describes the difficulty the member had when trying to board in Bari and you should find it helpful. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2975955-msc-splendida-review-italy-greece-and-turkey-1017/#comment-67438827 On that same MSC link I gave in my post #7, I also found these which mention Bari but whether any would be useful or not, I do not know. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=bari&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=49 I still suggest that you ask on that MSC forum about Bari hotels as some MSC passengers must have have overnighted before embarcation, but that failing, use the usual hotel booking review sites and eg tripadvisor to help you decide which might meet your requirements.. .https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/49-msc-cruises/

I agree with the above and I think, but do not know for sure, that you would also struggle to find an apartment which would sleep that number, but you could try internet searching something like "Venice apartment sleeping nine persons" or something similar, in the hope there could be a small number of options, but you would lose the choice of location and have to work out how best to travel to and from it, and how many bridges you would need to cross carrying your luggage if you choose not to use the left luggage lockers and carry only small overnight bags. Venice is wonderful but presents some unique challenges..... And note that a private water taxi would probably not be able to accommodate nine persons plus all their luggage, so I think you would need two and they are not inexpensive, but the public water buses are also usually crowded, and again, your party of nine would struggle to travel together with their luggage. i think that you will need to consider splitting yourone group into smaller groups. The pros and cons are something everyone in your party would need to discuss

i know how you feel. We were one time underneath the pool and promenade deck and heard all the scraping and hosing when that area was being set up with loungers and cleaning early every morning. From then on we chose our cabin in a location which had cabins both above and below us.

Sorry, no we have not as we prefer smaller ships. You could read reviews of any MSC ships which are of interest to you(or any others) . Reviews can be found at the very top of pages, to the right of the CRUISE CRITIC name and logo, or here the more you read the more you will learn. https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruise-ships/?stay=1 or ask any questions and/or find answers on the MSC forum https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/49-msc-cruises/

If you are committed to certain dates you can only consider lines which offer everything you are looking for, or as much as possible. Hoping you found my comments helpful, If you are happy with either english or german language ships, choose by itinerary, cost and flights convenience.

Thanks for acknowledging as not everyone does. It is so easy to check that you could do that for all your ports as there are times when it is quite important to know how crowded a port town could be, especially smaller ones which may eg only have a small number of taxis and should you plan on using onand the more ships in and the bigger they are, the potentially bigger the demand. As there is ever only ONE OFFICIAL port website, you were either on it or you were not. If you used the word OFFICIAL in your search it should have appeared near the top of your results, sometimes in the language of that country, other times in english. If not, you may have been on some of the other websites which show calendars of arrivals.These can be helpful as a guide but are not always accurate, so if using any of them, cross check on others as you may get different results.😀

Have not personally done this, but for what it is worth, there have been a number of threads on the topic and it appears that at least some of the lines using Marghera instead of Trieste or Ravenna,have passengers checking in at the old Venice Cruise Terminal (Stazione Marittima)before transferring them to Marghera for boarding. Others who know more will surely add their thoughts, but there are some past threads on the topic which you may find of interest.Choose from these: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=marghera&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464 Should you also have to check-in at the original Venice Cruise Terminal, hotels around the train station and Piazzale Roma would be the most convenient location as this is the last point for land travel access and you would have a choice of either taxis or using the People Mover to get you to the terminal.