edinburgher

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.

You could consider visiting Totem Bight State Park just outside Ketchikan which is popular with cruise pax. Being a State Park, it is ADA compliant for some disabilities. The public bus goes almost to the entrance and is only $2 pp each way, only $1pp each way for seniors so you may not even need a rental should the bus be one which can accommodate a wheelchair but you would need to check that. Park entry is only $5 or $10pp, ( I cannot remember which but you could check that on the website.) and right next door is Potlach Park.

When we were focusing on Asian itineraries (did several) doing our visas we needed to have full tourist visas, wheras now my understanding is that some countries have introduced e-visas which, should they apply to your ports of call would be easier and cheaper. We loved what little we saw of Japan, and Hong Kong is actually one of our favourite cities. We ported there a few times and opted for hotel stays pre and post cruising 3 times. Thailand we did as a land trip and only had a few other ports on cruises. I suggest you might actually get more out of a land trip to Thailand as you would see more of the country and islands than you would on cruises, but others might disagree. China we only visited a small number of places and never returned due to the visa application complications. Having said that, we liked Beijing, couldn't quite believe we walked a tiny bit of the Great Wall, but our favourite was definitely Shanghai as we had 2 full days there and our ship that time was small enough to dock right in the heart of the city, Be aware that bigger ships dock a long way from there. We did independent sightseeing in Shanghai and had an amazing two full days.

You might want to consider cross posting on the "pinned" thread at the top of this Board.. It is "all things Palma" and local resident roger b keeps an eye on it and usually respons quite quickly. As the thread is huge and your question has probably been asked before, you might want to use the SEARCH tool on it to find past car hire threads more easily. This one https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2697012-palma-de-mallorca-diy-new/page/27/#comment-67544634

There are many fascinating countries towns and cities to visit in Asia, but one matter to take into account is VISAS. Some are straightforward, others not only complicated to acquire but also costly and you may find that visa applications and costs are far more daunting than you initially expected. Our personal worst were those for India (twice) and China (once) and we vowed never to return to either because of the faff and additional expenses so check carefully what the visa requirements are for the countries on your preferred itinerary, ideally before booking. You might want to consider cross posting on the ASIA board where your question would be more on topic, although the Mods may move it anyway. This one https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/43-asia/

Again, there have been multiple past threads about transport between Venice and Trieste, even more since many ships had to divert there once the cruise terminal in Venice closed. This is one of the most recent, but there are more to be found. You can find threads about "Trieste" travel by using the search tool under your username. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2988138-trieste/#comment-66828153 And the same for "left luggage in venice". threads. There is one at the train station but there are others as using left luggage in venice is a popular option given the logistical challenges.. You could either search for past threads here on CC or a simple internet search should find them. lots and lots of reading for you to do, but Venice is wonderful if you get the logistics right.

Venice hotels can be challenging due to there being no road access after the train station and Piazzale Roma, and to reach your chosen hotel,the number of bridges to cross on foot with luggage is another challenge as they are mostly stepped. Another option is to leave the bulk of your luggage in a left luggage and only carry with you a small bag with your essentials for a short stay. or hire a porter. There have been numerous past threads explaining the logistics and best locations depending on whether you arrive by train or from the airport and I suggest you read at least some of them to help you decide. this would be a good starting point https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2988138-trieste/#comment-66828153 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2949199-venice-hotels-and-luggage/#comment-65689648 (esp post #2) https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruise-terminal-hotels-piazzale-roma.htm And this which describes the number of bridges to hotels. https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/bridges/ Find them all by using the search tool under your username.And do delve into the wonderful europeforvisitors/venice website to find all the info you will need for your first time stay. the more you look the more you will find.

Thanks for acknowledging as not every does. Mondays can be tricky as some museums etc will close, so when deciding which sights/attractions to visit, check opening and closing days in addition to opening hours. BTW, the Baixa District is convenient for the docking locations. And for a first visit, the visitlisboa.com official city website is a great starting point as the more you look into it the more you will find., including how to use public transport. Many others too of course including the usual Tripadvisor, YouTube, Rick Steves, Frommer's and others. And past threads which you can find using the SEARCH tool. As there is way too much to choose from for a single day, you will need to focus only on the sights/attractions, viewpoints, museums etc which appeal to your personal interests- and plan for a return future visit..

Sometimes we do too, and on more than one occasion when travelling we have found ourselves at the stop for the correct line and and number but going in the opposite direction to the one we actually want. Same here in Edinburgh as tourists are often to be found "going in the wrong direction" and common to hear a driver tell a tourist "you need to cross to the other side". Easily done, even by grown ups.☹️

Happy to be educated, but whichever, Cantonese or Mandarin, same advice applies.

A tip you might find useful which we used a number of times.. Have the name and address of your hotel written or on your phone in Mandarin to show a driver where you want to go. Once at the hotel, take one of their business cards from the reception area where they are usually to be found, and carry it with you at all times to show any taxi drivers at any time. Most hotels will have their addresses and business cards in both english and Mandarin, some would also have it showing on their websites. To help before arrival, if you cannot find the name and address in Mandarin on their website, e-mail tham and ask for it to be e-mailed back to you as having it definitely makes life easier.

Absolutely! And NOWHERE else.

Most European cities, towns and regions are well served by public transport making it easy to move around or to venture out of the town or city. These can include buses, trams, ferries, subways,trains etc. and HOHOs are often available too. And depending on the port, self guided independent walking tours are also an option. It really depends on the port. And for some port cities/towns, a paid for ship shuttle can take you to the entrance of a historic town or city, because very often they are pedestrian only anyway, so any shorex9especially a walking tour) you pay for will probably find you on foot walking the same streets that independent pax are walking for free. Aand english is widely spoken, even more so in tourist centred cities and towns meaning language is rarely an issue. Once you decide on an itinerary, there is much info to be found on the Europe/ports of call forums for each country. And if you post your port names, members can advise which are very easy DIY and which might be better suited to a shorex. It is common on European itineraries for pax to "mix and match" and sometimes include private tours into the mix of shorex and independent.. Opting for all "shorex only" touring means you get the "one size fits all" excursion everywhere, doing some independently means you can tailor them to suit your own personal interests and choose how long to spend at each of your stops, and you can decide where you want to lunch or stop for a drink or coffee. And think of the $$$s savings! Costs can very quickly mount as European itineraries are often quite port intensive with few sea days. Shorex everywhere costs for 2 persons might give you quite a shock, but if you are happy to pay, that would be easier to plan than doing pre-trip research would be. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/8-europe/ .

We walked it in, I think , no more than 15 minutes or so. And no hills to climb! Herculaneum is usually less tiring than Pompeii, but you could rest onboard over a leisurely lunch and afterwards see how you feel at that point. Pizza can be found everyhere in Naples. Unless you especially want to dine in one of the historic original pizza restaurants, just buy wherever you think has the tastiest looking, and if busy that is usually a good indication of qualty.😁

As your question is NCL specific, consider cross posting on the NCL forum where passengers who experienced this would be more likely to see it and respond. This one https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/64-norwegian-cruise-line/

They are not mosquitos and do not bite but they can be a nuisance.

We had Iindian visa nightmares on two occasions over the years and vowed never again to return because of these. Our applications also included personal visits to the Indian Consulate here.in Edinburgh, and lucky we were to have it here and not to have to travel to a different city. And the photos which were required were not the usual standard passport size, but a different one and we had great difficulty finding a photo booth where we could get these. Also be aware that if your itinerary includes Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, an additional "protected" (or it may have been "restricted") area permit is also required and is a separate application. Pre-pandemic, at that time, and a fairly new introduction, my understanding is that if cruising into certain named ports in India , an "e-visa" could be applied for instead of a full tourist visa, but you would need to check extremely carefully if that exemption still exists and if so, which ports it applies to I suggest you only use your own government OFFICIAL websites, also OFFICIAL Indian govt websites as it is entirely your own responsibility to be in posession of the correct visas for each country because if not, you could actually be refused boarding for the entire trip (as happened to some Brits trying to board our ship in Dubai who had not known that Port Blair was actually in India and they needed an Indian visa for that one Indian port.. Should you contact any officials either govt or cruiseline by e-mail to double check you have the correct info, I strongly advise you keep copies just in case you were given incorrect information which you relied on. We had similar issues and expense with Chinese visas and once again, never returned. Good Luck with your research as you will need it.!

VV we ported in Lisbon 5 or 6 times before deciding to spend time there on a land trip/city break after deciding it is one of our favourite cities and that here was more sightseeing we could do both in and out of the city without being restricted by ship times. Knowing how very steep many of the streets there are, and with five days there, we wanted somewhere on more level ground which we could easily stroll and settled on the Baixa District which is super convenient for everything including dining and all forms of transport. There is also good public transport to and from the airport including the airport shuttle bus, should you not want a taxi. Anywhere close to Praca da Figueira where much of the transport is located would be perfect for easy DIY sightseeing. Unfortunately I cannot recommend our aparthotel at the P. da Figuiera end of Rua da Prata as it was a victim of the pandemic and has since closed,despite being part of a locally owned hotel group, but the following threads might be a good starting point. which day of the week will you be there? https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2896693-tours-from-lisbon/#comment-65351636 post #7 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2998813-porto-lisbon/#comment-67374209 Posts 13 and 14 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2998813-porto-lisbon/#comment-67374300 posts 11-14

We know the city well. and will do tomorrow. zzzzz😀