edinburgher

There may be some info and/or suggestions in previous threads. If you have not already searched for and read some of them, choose from these: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=manila&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=43

We looked into doing this on our second visit, but alhough there were little boat-type ferries, they were only seasonal and had very few sailings per day in either direction (think 3 or 4) which meant they were not suitable for cruise passengers with a schedule to keep to. Should a ferry schedule not work for you either, you could go by public bus from la Rochelle, by taxi or hire a car. Maybe they have increased the number of crossings since then? Or is there an additional company offering crossings? What did you find when you internet searched? We decided to stay in town again and although we did most of the sightseeing first time, it meant we could have a more relaxed visit with time for a lunch instead of a quick snack like first time, and time to window shop and explore more of the back streets. la Rochelle is actually a very pleasant town in which to spend a port day, and if your first visit, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. You didn't say if this would not be your first visit, but if it will be, reading some past threads would give you info and suggestions. Choose from these https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=la rochelle&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=462

I am also puzzled by this. On our Kiel port stop we went out to the observation deck of the Holtenau(sp?) locks before returning to town and following a self guided walking tour and there was no mention of walls, walkable or otherwise.

Ticks are also to be found in many areas of Scotland, especially, as noted above, in woodland, moorland, and long grass areas where the same clothing advisories are recommended. Dog walkers are usually advised to check their pets after walking in such areas.

I should have added that post #6 on the link above should also be read. In it, there is a mention of the district called le Panier. If you have any time left over, I have copied one of my posts from an ealier thread. Here: Consider exploring le Panier district. The oldest in the city. There are entrances to it from a block or two behind the Old Port, but the main entrance/exit there is via Rue Poiriers, an incredibly steep street (the handrails are there for a reason) which is best avoided if you value your legs. 😀 An alternative with flat, easy access is next to the Cathedrale de la Major, (when facing the Cathedral, the small entry streets are to the right) barely 5 minutes walk from the Old Port and across from MUCEM , in turn next to the fort St-Jean. (These locations are where the cruise shuttles usually drop off and pick up) Entering from this direction also gives the opportunitiy to visit MUCEM and the Cathedral. Lacking the views enjoyed from the Basilica Notre-Dame-de-la Garde, the Cathedral is nonetheless worth visiting inside and is one of the largest in France. Entry is free. Le Panier offers a few sights, but it is mostly best for strolling the narrow streets many displaying colourful wall art. At the top is Place des Moulins, the perfect location for rest and resfreshments, although only two towers of the original windmills mills remain, and these are incorporated into homes. All downhill from there, means you can exit down the steep Rue Poiriers, much better for the legs than going up. The splendid looking Intercontinental Hotel is only a few steps away and has a lovely outdoor terrace with views of ND de la Garde and a little of the old port. Across from it is the "Maison Diamantee" a building with unusual design features.

Our biggest delaying issue was at the very beginning, the lack of the ship chartered private boat, and the time it took to find a replacement coach and driver which was available at the last minute, although we were told that staff had been working on it as soon as they were notified about the lack of the boat. Between that wait, the drive to the ferry port and the splitting of the group onto different ferries, we were 3 hours late by the time we actually arrived on Gozo and only made up one hour along the way. I think you will all like the ferry ride. It was scenic especially as we passed close to Comino. 26 of you is a big number and I hope the fast ferry is large enough to accommodate you all on one crossing. Our ferry boats were small and for foot passengers only although some may now be larger and hold vehicles. And yes, do please post about how it all went as there is very little about Gozo on CC and others may be tempted to go there, not necessarilly to kayak, but simply to visit. The fast ferries from Valletta should make all the difference to your timings rather than the bus/ferry combo you initially mentioned.

Feel free to ask .😀

You didn't describe your tour but if you are only doing a city tour and it will be a first visit to the city, It is a short walk from Gare St Charles to the historic Vieux Port, and from there, post #5 on this link would be worth a short read. I think coming from Toulon suggestions on here would fill your available time in the city and give you the highlights. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2998979-marseille/#comment-67149752 From your ship in Toulon you could take a taxi or walk to Toulon SNCF, the location of which should be easily found on an online map.

Can only give you an opinion, not a personal experience, but I have some knowledge of the area and can point you in the right direction. I think your timing could be a little tight. For what it's worth Your ship could be in either Toulon or the adjoining La Seyne sur Mer, so you need to check the port cruise schedules for each before you can plan your journey. Irrespective of which, you will know to allow around 15/20 minutes for the ship to be cleared before you can leave. If in Toulon you can go directly to the train station,(la gare SNCF) by taxi. If at la Seyne, you first need to take the little boat ferry (or a bus should there be one) or a taxi, to Toulon then make your way to to Toulon train station, or take a direct taxi from la Seyne to Toulon train station if there are taxis waiting. Remember to ask for "la gare SNCF" because if you simply ask for "la gare", the driver will ask which "gare"?. SNCF (trains) or Routiere( buses) From Toulon train station, you will need to take a train to the main station in Marseille (la Gare St Charles) which will take approx. 50 minutes or so, then make your way to wherever your meeting point is. (you didn't say) You will have to do some homework on your docking location, taxis or little ferry boats, train timetables, and your route from Marseille Gare St Charles to your tour meeting point and for all this Google will be your new best friend. What kind of tour are you planning in Marseille as it may not be necessary to actually take a tour which would leave you with no timing constraints and the freedom to fill your time with your own interests? .

Have you already read the somewhat mixed reviews of Arctic Shorex Tour Company on Tripadvisor? If you have not, simply Google "Arctic Shorex Tour Company reviews." And there are a couple of past CC threads mentioning this company. If you have not already searched for and read them, here they are https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=arctic shorex tour company&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=2705&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=and

You should get the answer there.😀

You might want to consider cross posting this thread on the NCL Forum where NCL passengers who would know would be more likely to see it and respond. This one https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/64-norwegian-cruise-line/

Decisions decisions, and the greater the choice the more difficult the decision.

but using it more sparingly like us.🙁

Lovely idea. As an aside, living in Spain you will be aware of the recent price increases for olive oil. I cannot remember ever seeing it as costly as it now is and we are using it more sparingly.

You may find that you want to return for a second, or even a third visit, as it took us three or four cruises to tick all the boxes we wanted to tick.

Also El Corte Inglés Plaça de Catalunya

were already almost 2 hours late Checked some info and it should have read almost 3 hours late at that point(and we never did find out why the private charter boat which would whizz us to and from Gozo never turned up).

Wanting to explain why I wrote the above post and warned you but I ran out of time yesterday. I should also add that we are almost always independent travellers, only booking a shorex or private tour with others if the itinerary would be too difficult to do independently or if the destination is too far out of our personal comfort zone. We had visited Valletta a number of times on cruise ships and had been tempted by Gozo but were not convinced we could visit independently within docking time frames nor was it offered as a shorex, until one time it was offered as a shorex which we booked. It was to be a full day with lunch in a beach restaurant visiting some sights and free time in the capital Victoria. We were to leave the ship in Valletta on a privately chartered boat which would take us directly to Mgarr harbour on Gozo where we would switch to jeeps for a tour of several of the highlights of the island by jeep, including some free time in Victoria, the capital, and return to Valleta once more on the same privately chartered boat. The privately chartered boat didn't arrive in Valletta and a coach (delay 1)had to be chartered there and then,but this meant driving to the far end of Malta to the public ferry boat dock.(delay2) The little ferries could not accommodate all of us plus other passengers who wanted to cross, so we were put onto different ferries a few at a time mixed in with "ordinary" passengers who had bought tickets and who had been waiting in lines for ferries. (Delay 3..) Finally arrived into Magrr Harbour which was very busy with people already in lines for public buses which thankfully we did not need.. Once all the group had arrived off different ferries, we got into our jeeps and finally set off, but were already almost 2 hours late due to the boat/wait for coach / long drive to ferries/ fiasco on Malta also the ferry numbers issues. This meant that "lunch at a beach restaurant" was reduced to something like 15/20 minutes to eat--one single slice of pizza each. No choice, only tuna which wasn't ideal for everyone, but it made up some of the lost time. Next to be dropped to make up more of the lost time was the free time in Victoria which we barely glimpsed as we drove fast along the outskirts to get to our next "sight". The return journey had to be repeated with the group split onto different ferries as there wasn't a private charter boat available. (delay4) back on Malta there was a coach but again it was a long drive back to the port (delay 5) where we finally arrived over 2 hours late, having delayed ship departure by an hour or so. Gangway was pulled up as the last of our tour group boarded. Fortunately we were on a shorex and it waited for us. Neither of us can remember which our next port was, but a delayed departure must have been preferable to moving 50 left behind passengers on an official shorex from Malta to the next port as getting off islands can be tricky and it may not have happened the same day. We were all given generous partial refunds of the cost of that shorex which was memorable for all the wrong reasons. We did actually enjoy what we saw of Gozo, also the ferry trips there and back, but it wasn't how we expected the day to turn out. I hope you have better luck with your own plans.

jammer 1000 see above post. marazull, apologies once again for quoting you in error. Nowadays it appears I am having more and more senior moments☹️

Have you considered contacting the OFFICIAL Brindisi(or Puglia) Tourist information Office as staff there will be local and should know. They may have an e-mail contact address or form on their website or maybe try them on social media? and if you have not already done so, have you searched for and read through some of the past threads about Brindisi? Choose from these https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=brindisi&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464 Sorry that Matera is not offered as a shorex

or Lecce

When cruising, no matter which country in the world you are in, it is usually more sensible to go to the furthest point first and work your way back towards the ship, so I advise you switch your plans around and visit Gozo first and Valletta last. Having said that, the main ferry port on Gozo is at Mgarr and unless they offer kayaking in the harbour (most unlikely) you will need to travel further to wherever the kayaking is. Being a small island there is less public transport, but I do not know about taxis. You would need to research all of that online. I personally think that going to a small island is quite high risk, because for your return to Malta, should a ferry break down or not run for any reason including weather issues, you will be stuck there as there is no other option that I am aware of. Should you decide to take that risk, there used to be fast ferries from Valletta Grand Harbour, not far from where your ship will dock, to Gozo, and if these still operate, that would be your fastest way to get to Gozo and back as the buses to the Gozo ferry take longer than you might think to reach the opposite end of Malta and the ferry port.. You could check online. Other members may disagree, but throwing my thoughts your way might help you understand the logistics.

Should you decide that your initial thoughts would be too rushed and stressful , consider instead combining Pisa and pretty Lucca, both of which can be visited by train more easily on a port day. This is a popular independent sightseeing day with cruise pax. Images and info on Lucca can be found online.

There are beaches close to Brindisi and Google will be your best friend when searching for them, also for facilities on each and transport to and from them. and do read reviews as it may be necessary to pre-book chairs and umbrellas. However, a word of caution. August is usually the hottest month in Europe and that is also when the majority of European residents take their holidays with millions on the move meaning that beach holidays are super popular. and beach areas can be crowded. And in our experience, beaches on Sundays can be extra busy as local residents also flock to them from very early in the day, meaning they can already be busy busy by 0800. Should you decide against, if your ship offers a shorex to Matera,i can highly recommend. It is unique in the world and you could find info and images online.