edinburgher

Check Marella/Tui as they operate the Caribbean on these dates.and with everything included and their own flights they make everything very easy.

The cruiselines themselves can also be important, in your case as you listed Fred Olsen, RCI and P and O, all of which have english as the onboard language. But you also mentioned AIDA, which is a GERMAN cruiseline where you can expect the onboard language, food, announcements, entertainment etc, all to be in the German language. And as they cater to the German market, most passengers will also be German. Noting you are based in Italy but writing your thread in english, which onboard language would you be most comfortable with, because if your knowledge of the german language is minimal or less than average, you might want to drop the Aida option and focus on the others. On the other hand, if your knowledge of the Italian language is above average or better, you might want to look at MSC Norwegian Fjords itineraries (MSC is an Italian line)but offering a more "international" onboard experience. And note that Fred Olsen is a Norwegian owned company with many Captains and senior officers also Norwegian. And they have a long history sailing Norwegian waters. And some of their ships are smaller than some of the larger Pand O and RCI ships.

Sadly very true, and have almost come to expect them.

It is possible that, as more and more people become aware of the changes coming in 2026, they are bringing forward future plans to sail 2025 instead, and as they anticipate an increase in demand, are booking early. I wouldn't stress too much about the availability of "desirable" cabins as you may find you spend more time outside viewing either on deck or from observation lounges.

When we were there, we could actually see the HOHO from the ship as it was only a few hundred yards away (maybe only 2 or 3 hundred but that is a guesstimate) on the main road to the left of the port exit, but the other option of the little tourist train was equally close as it left from a square directly opposite the HOHO stop. You could read Tripadvisor reviews of both the HOHO and the little train, and compare routes and pricing, to help you decide which to go for.

Be aware that the last weekend in May is a UK BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND so demand could be higher, also pricing, but probably less so on the Sunday than it would be on the Friday or Monday when travellers are either going away or returning from, the long weekend..

As expected, according to the official port of Dubrovnik website, your ship is showing as being DOCKED AT BERTH 11 GRUZ. As a bonus, unless any changes, yours will be the only ship in that day. Quite how you missed that when you yourself checked I do not know. And Split too. The only ship in that day and with no anchor showing, you should in theory be docked unless there is a change on the day, but it is rare that tenders would be required and even it is a tender port for your ship, you would tender into close to Riva, the main promenade in the heart of the city.. You can now make your plans.

Thanks for acknowledging as many don't. Berlin from Warnemunde is around 2h 15/2hr30 each way, so sometime in the future, possibly better to plan a few days in the city on a land trip. Past threads for Warnemunde. Aactually a really nice place to port and with easy additional options available, choose from these. ( Warnemunde is actually on the N. Europe and Baltic Sea forum and is a suburb of Rostock, around 20 minutes by train from beside your ship.) Warnemunde https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=warnemunde&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116 Ijmuiden https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=ijmuiden&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=148

Are you perhaps only looking at tours offered by middlemen/brokers? Their cancellation policies can be tricky for cruise ship passengers should the ship not make it to port or arrive late as they sometimes want 24 or 48 hours notice. Middlemen/brokers do not them selves operate tours, only booking you onto tours run by local companies who must then pay a commission to the broker.Booking direct with local companies could offer a better cancellation policy more suited to cruise passengers. Can only suggest you look at tours operated by local companies and read their cancellation policies very carefully before actually committing. If you have not already searhed for and read some past threads which might offer some suggestings, choose from these, although there are very few. Seydisfjordur https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=seydisfjordur&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116 Djúpivogur. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=Djúpivogur. &quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=2705

A couple of points before you begin planning your time ashore.. 1) It IS a short day in Amsterdam, but are you certain you will actually dock in Amsterdam itself, as the number of ship calls has been restricted by the authorities, and for some time now, for the majority of cruise ships, the port of Ijmuiden has been substituted. You would need to check which port is actually to be used, and if it is Ijmuiden, you would need to allow time to travel to and from Amsterdam which would further reduce your available time. 2) Ships do not port in Berlin, instead it is more commonly WARNEMUNDE from where shorex to Berlin are usually offered, although due to the long distance and the time it takes to travel each way, most of your day would be taken up in transit with little time to explore the city. If you can clarify your actual ports and report back, lots of useful info should come your way.😀 And BTW, as I only just noticed you are a new member, WELCOME TO CC

And another "senior moment" from me, as it only occured to me after posting that the reason we could have been further along in Split could have been because there were more ships in on that second or third visit than there were the first time we docked there,explainng the thought that we were further along than previously. We did notice though, in part as we had taken the public bus from the bus station next to the ferries along to Trogir and that time it was definitely closer to our docking location

Thanks for acknowledging as many don't.😀 You said There’s not a ton of advanced planning I can do / should do for tendering in these ports It appears that having done your research, you are now quite definite that you will tender in Dubrovnik, Split (AND Mykonos according to your other thread). which is astonishing to say the least. Mykonos was always going to be a sort of 50/50 chance of tendering, but that isn't a big deal in Mykonos and the tender drop off point is actually more convenient than the docking location. Dubrovnik and Split are another matter. Having done as you were advised to do on both threads, and checked the OFFICIAL port websites,( on this thread for Dubrovnik and Split) you were able to clearly see that your ship is marked for tendering, which, in the case of Dubrovnik, means it is marked as "old town" which means tendering and not docking at Gruz with either a named or a numbered berth. That is actually bizarre as only the smallest ships would usually tender, and NCL ships do not fall into the category of "smallest ships" If you can give the name of your ship and your arrival date in Dubrovnik,I am happy to double check as it takes less than 5 minutes. We have visited Dubrovnik seven times and have some knowledge of the way things usually work there, and an NCL ship tendering into the old town simply doesn't make a lot of sense, but it may be that you misinterpreted the cruise calendar info on the website or things have changed since our most recent visit pre-pandemic. You only need give the ship name and Dubrovnik arrival date and hopefully you will get clarification and can begin to make your plans for the day.

You could consider packing 50/50, ie pack one checked bag with clothing for both of you, and if you have a second,do the same with it. You would still have the equivalent of one checked bag each, but with the contents distributed in a different way. That way, if one bag should go missing, you should each have clothing in the other bag, enough to keep you going until until the missing one appears. Many people do this"just in case"😀

JB, we only visited Split 3 times and on those dates didn't see any ship tendering but of course they may do on other days. What we did notice between our first visit and either the second or third visit, was that our berth appeared to be a little further along than before, as first time we were sure we had been closer to the ferries but also the furtherest, if that makes sense, and the second or third time we appeared to be further along and another ship was a little further than us.making us think the berths had perhaps been extended?

I have read on CC that shorexTattoo tickets sell out quickly on all lines so maybe check the shorex offerings daily and when you see them come available, buy immediately. If you have not already done so, you could check any Roll Call for your ship and sailing in case fellow passengers have made arrangements and are looking for others like yourselves to share.

is it maybe a capacity warning? Like in Bermuda the third ship in is tendering as there is only space for 2? Many factors are taken into account when deciding whether a ship will dock or tender, but the main ones are the overall measurements of the ship, ie length, height, beam and draught as it needs to be able to safely access a docking location, (and manoeuvre should there be other ships in that day)and there may be eg a narrow channel, or a bridge which it is too tall to pass under, or the water depth is too shallow, or indeed any other potential navigational obstacles. And ports have only a certain length of docks available, which could be one long one or more than one shorter ones, and the Port Authorities need to figure which ships would fit which berths, but it is always the PORT AUTHORITIES which make the decisions, nothing to do with the cruiselines themselves..Some ports such as Monaco have limited berths only suitable for shorter length ships and larger ships are usually located in nearby Villefranche where tendering is required. Edinburgh is an example where there are four possible options, a mix of dock and tender,and the cruiseforth websiste shows which ship will go where and whather it is tender or dock. This is partly to do with an issue with a bridge which some taller ships cannot sail under. As for "overcrowding" of actual berths, some ships will be diverted to nearby ports such as Barcelona to Tarragona, Livorno to la Spezia and others, but these are usually made well in advance and not commonly last minute changes, particularly where a ship is on turnaround and needs more services than a ship on only a port call. would require One way to find out for your own ship and date, is to go to the OFFICIAL PORT OF (name ) website and look at eg "cruise ship schedule/cruise ship arrivals" or similar (plus the year) as some give actual berth numbers or names, and as the schedule for the full year or season is often given you can usually check some time ahead. Some have more info than others, but Dubrovnik is usually one which does, likewise Lisbonand a few others. That failing simply internet search "port of (name) cruise ship arrivals (and the year)" I am sure that as my own knowledge is limited, others in the know will correct any mistakes I made or may have some useful info to add. Whilst NCL is to be commended for trying to give as much advice as possible to those who could have difficulty with the tendering process, they should also show more clearly where the risk of tendering is minimal.

What was the source of your "just learned that they can be tendering "in Dubrovnik and Split information? Unless there has been a VERY UNLIKELY recent change, ships all dock in Split, Dubrovnik they dock unless they are small and can tender into the old harbour, but there are few of these, and as NCL ships are big ships, more likely you will dock at Gruz Port just like everyone else.

Thanks for acknowledging as not everyone does. Hoping your tour goes as well as ours did. Good or not so good, maybe you would be kind enough to post a few words about your experience as others may be interested for future Corfu port calls.?.

Try the usual websites which appear when you search eg "Nafplio Tourist Information" or similar, also Tripadvisor, Frommer's Fodor, YouTube, Rick Steves etc. for restaurant reviews, and simply search for "wine tasting Nafplio" or "wine tasting tours Nafplio" should you want a tour As Nafplio isn't big I don't think you would need a walking tour as such, although you might want to consider a tour out of town. Google could become your new best friend.😀

Easiest way to get info, especially for lesser known ports, is to read past threads. If you have not already searched for and read some, choose from the following (there are not many) https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=nafplio&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=463

And thanks for acknowledging as not everyone does. note that Lindos was incredibly busy, actually uncomfortably so.

Blue Puffin and North Cape Tours have been previously mentioned in threads. and there may be others if you internet search. Should you want to share with others, which may lower the cost, you could check your Roll Call to see if any fellow passengers have arranged a private tour and are looking for others like yourselves to share. Or plan one yourself and ask on the Roll Call if anyone wants to join you. And your ship will offer shorex.

There are also a small number of very good museums (Prehistoric and Archaeological) located centrally in Fira/Thira showcasing artefacts and wall paintings/frescoes from the archaeological site of Akrotiri. Tthey are small, but should you have an interest, worth a short visit

This is a copy of a post I submitted on a previous thread. Sorry but I have no recollection of the cost and we shared both ways. coty/paste We visited Lindos on our second visit to Rhodes. (First time we explored Rhodes Town)Shared a taxi with two others from our ship and picked it up a short walk away from the port at the square in town where many of them wait for fares. I think I remember it was a fixed price with a list showing fares to different locations. Coming back we had arranged to meet again and picked one up in the Main Square Lindos as the town itself is pedestrianised. We had to wait a few minutes for a taxi as they were in demand and it was busy.(ADDED NOW READ QUITE A FEW MINUTES, POSSIBLY BETWEEN !5 AND 30 before we got lucky) We didn't venture up to the Acropolis as it is a very steep hill and it was a really hot day. Enjoyed walking around town despite the crowds but fewer folks would have suited us better. Have you tried simply googling something like "taxi fare from Rhodes Town to Lindos"? If you have not already searched for and read any previous threads containing the word Lindos, you could choose from these https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=lindos&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=463

We almost always self explore whichever ports we are visiting. Should you not get replies for english language organised walking tours, try internet searching something like " self guided walking tours of (name of port)") as these self guided tours often come with maps and descriptions and are usually easy to follow. We have also had succes with GYPSmyCity if St Malo is on their list. Only you can decide if Dinan offers more of interest to you than St Malo. Read about both and look at images to help you decide.