edinburgher

They won't! Carry an umbrella?😉

I expect cruise ships will be the next target. Some cruiselines have already switched from Barcelona to Tarragona not only as a port of call, but also for changeovers.And la Spezia is much more used now than it used to be, I think because Livorno was too busy. and Princess have been voluntarily dropping Santorini on some sailings this summer due to the number of ships there in any one day and the disappointing and somewhat negative experience this brings to passengers. I personally think there are too many cruise ships chasing the same ports. This follows very recent protests in Malaga, Palma Mallorca and Tenerife. I think the biggest issue for locals in Barcelona is that the number of licensed short term tourist apartments such as Airbnb, VRBO etc currently stands at around 10,000 which means an acute shortage of affordable longer term rentals for locals especially those who work in the city. The mayor is to revoke ALL short term licences in the coming years. I posted about this a few days ago and advised booking only a hotel "just in case" Here is the post. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3014935-caution-advised-if-booking-accommodation-in-barcelona-in-the-near-future/

Why not enjoy ALL THREE of the options offered, and at your own pace, by dismissing the idea of a shorex entirely and opting instead to visit Bruges independently? It is very small but offers a lot for a one day visit and you could try, experience and taste the lot.😁😁 There are a number of past threads describing how to do this Choose from these There are more as these are only the threads with Bruges in the subject line. Use the search tool to find others should you need them. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=bruges&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=148&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_in=titles .

Descriptions of hotels should include basic information such as the availability (or not) of an elevator. You could check hotel descriptions on some of the hotel booking websites, and more importantly on the individual websites of each hotel in which you may have an interest. Should there be one of particular interest to you and it is unclear whether or not they have an elevator, contact them directly and ask.

As most cruise pax head to Ephesus, 9and on a second visit further afield eg to Selcuk) a hamman won't be the #1 priority, so should responses here be disappointing,for more recent reviews and/or experiences, I would look somewhere like Tripadvisor. A good place to look in any case as hamman experiences can vary and you want to be as assured as you can be of what you will experience and importantly that it will be of a high standard. If you decide to do this and it will be your first experience of a hamman, before going,do search online for the proper "hamman etiquette" to give you an understanding of what to expect.😁

Choices will vary but probably the most helpful way to decide is to look at your international flight options before anything else, comparing overall travel time, number of airport changes along the way and cost too as prices can vary depending on the carrier and the time of year. Taking these factors into account, once you know your best options, you will have a better idea of which ports would be the most practical for you.

Apologies as I had intended to add the thread link and only now noticed that I had not. This one https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2739131-find-it-here-santorini-firá-and-oia-q-a/page/11/#comment-67313942 And thanks for acknowledging as many don't.😀

Do try to do the longer excursion up into the Yukon as the shorter round trip train journey is only part of the route. Ship shorex offer this and the trip is memorable.😁

You could each consider crossposting on your respective cruiseline forums (HAL and Celebrity) where pax who already took this shorex will be more likely to see your question and reply. HAL https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/103-holland-america-line/ Celebrity https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/16-celebrity-cruises/

We had considered either a Kenai Fjords boat trip or heading to Exit Glacier, but unfortunately experienced torrential rain which never really went off, so headed for shelter indoors at the Seward Sealife Center which we really enjoyed. Strolling back to the ship in the rain, we spotted a small number of seals in the harbour. It was a good enough day, just not how we thought it would be. Lots of info on Seward attractions online. Try Tripadvisor and others. Maybe plan for both outside and inside attractions just in case?

In that case you will need to search for info on where to find the bus stop at Ward Cove and my understanding is that there is only one an hour. You might be lucky to get on at Ward Cove if there are any spaces left, but if a bus fills downtown with pax from any other ships in port that day it likely won't even stop, leaving you with a long wait for the next one, which itself may or may not have spaces. Next option would be to take the NCL shuttle to downtown and catch the public bus there, in which instance you would drive past Ward Cove on the way to Totem Bight. Might a taxi be worth considering? And did none of the past threads linked above mention buses or taxis from Ward Cove to Totem Bight? If not, you could try googling the question. There have been a number of mentions this year of how poor NCL is in Alaska. These included short port times, too early or too late arrivals/departures, using Ward Cove instead of Ketchikan itself, and few if any NCL ships scenic sailing Glacier Bay, a very special Alaska day which for many is #1 in Alaska.

I don''t remember la Pallice port being on an island but it may be if you say so. It is certainly a few kilometers out of town. We used taxis shated with others to and from the main square but these are few in number. Since our visits, there is apparently a public bus stop outside the port and the bus runs to the main square and bus station, and the afternoon or evening before arrival your ship will probably announce a (for fee) shuttle bus which will run to that same square. Lovely town. Enjoy.

There is also a "pinned" thread at the very top of this Greece Ports forum. "Pinned" threads do not move up or down the board, statying "pinned" in the same location as a handy reference tool as they are full of useful info and frequently asked Qs and As. The thread is very long, so you might want to try using the search tool on it.

The two parks are indeed next door to each other and the public bus stops right outside.Totem Bight is a State Park with entry at $5pp. The bus ride from downtown Ketchikan is $2pp each way, $1pp for seniors.It is a popular independent sightseeing trip with cruise pax in part due to the ease of getting there and the low cost. Having said that, if sailing with NCL it is unlikely you will dock "downtown", instead, they usually dock out of town at Ward Cove which is actually on the road to Totem Bight. Info and images for both Totem Bight and Potlach can be found on eg Tripadvisor. If you have not already used the search tool here on CC to find past threads, here are some. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=totem bight&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=33

That does seem odd. As it is an island, you would probably get there by ferry, the usual mode of transport in that part of the world.. Have you tried internet searching "ferries to Ko Lan?" or something similar as it could be worth a try

And once you know the size and model you need, you could ask taxi companies if they supply as standard when required by passengers. If considering taxis in any of your other ports, be aware that as far as I am aware, every country in the EU has child seat requirements, but you could check that as there may be variations in the requirements..

JB, as it is Turkey, , more than likely carpets!😁

spot the obvious error above? I initially referred to Malta rather than Gibraltar., having experienced a "senior moment" and with no alcohol involved!😁 I expect that not all who cross daily to Spain to work will be Spanish speakers, and not all who cross from Spain to Gibraltar to work will be english speakers, although i agree that one would expect a public bus driver to have at the very least, a few words.

Malta is another dual language country with Eeglish and Maltese both classified official languages, so perhaps the driver only spoke Maltese? And the Gib/Spanish border is a a busy one as many Gribraltarians who work in Spain cross daily, and Spaniards who work in Gib cross in the opposite direction. hammo. Very sorry that you original thread appears to have been highjacked and gone very off topic. Wishing you success organising a transfer, but really, a simple taxi would be an easy option..

Are you referring to Scottish Gaelic or "Broad Scots", neither of which is usually spoken on a daily basis except for in some specific areas or islands. And over the years, in and around Aberdeen, "Doric" is becoming less and less spoken. Most Scots speak "the King's English" albeit with regional accents, much the same as you will have regional accents in Canada. Certainly on our several visits to Canada we had no difficulty being understood, nor did we have difficulty understanding "Canadian english" although in Quebec and Saguenay it was French all the way. Confusing is it not when a country has more than one language?.😁

As you didn't mention which sights you will visit on the ship tour on Day 1, it isn't easy for members to guess which "main sights" you want to visit on day 2 therefore how best to advise you how to get to them wherever they may be.. As a general rule, trams are the most efficient way to get around Istanbul, because Istanbul traffic is notorious/infamous for traffic jams and the time it can take to get from A to B, and parking in the main tourist area of Sultanahmet is also tricky, indeed, many locals do not have a vehicle for those very reasons. Many of the local tour guides do not offer vehicle "pick ups" at the port for this reason, and instead meet cruise pax at the port and escort them to the main sites in Sultanahmet by tram.Once there, it is very easy to access many sights on foot as they are in close proximity to each other. You may find that your shorex on day 1 will be a bus ride, possibly a long one depending on traffic, even for a short distance, then being dropped off and walking with a guide before meeting the coach for the return to ship. . Read the description very carefully because the Sultanahmet area is very easy to DIY, and you only need read online how to use the trams.or use the SEARCH tool here on CC to find past threads on both trams and Sultanahmet sights. Here are some past threads which mention trams, but internet searching will find more info. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=istanbul trams&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=and

Referencing my post #3, I should have added that we were all very pleased with the taxi tours. The company responded to enquiries promptly, they know the most scenic routes and stops, and importantly know what can be included within the port times. we all paid cash on the day at the end of the tour, although I don't know if that will have changed since then. they have a website. Corfu Taxi Private Tours band it used to have a photo of the owner on it. Dimitris was his name.

As so important to get it right, best if you check online for current legislation. Something like "child car seat law in France" should do it.

Volunteering what I thought was a handy tip, one which served us well a number of times, appears to have unintentionally opened a can of worms. Knowing that Cantonese was the language of choice in HK in the past, but thinking that that the Chinese Govt was nowadays encouraging more use of Mandarin, I chose to suggest that language.

Unless your ship is small enough to sail upriver and actually dock in Bangkok itself, and there are not many of these, most dock in Laem Chabang, some 2 hours distant.