edinburgher

Check which shorex are being offered as they would give you an idea of the highlights and what could be possible within your hours there. Also check the local Brest Tourist information website, Tripadvisor, youTube, and results which appear when you google eg "Tourist Information Brest" or similar. And if you have not already done so, you could choose which past threads with the word Brest in them to read from these https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=brest&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=462

Had you simply googled the question as I just did, the Schipol Airport website with link to cruise terminal transportation info would have appeared in the results. https://amsterdam-schiphol-airport.com/transportation/airport-to-cruise-port/

downtown Ketchikan walking tour map https://www.alaska.org/guide/downtown-ketchikan-walking-tour

I would not be worrying unnecessarily as you won't actually have to "wander" unless you choose to. The shuttle buses drop off very close to the Vieux Port and almost everything I described above is in very close proximity to it, and should you take a boat trip and/or the little tourist train or a HOHO, in addition to visiting the port itself, MUCEM and the Fort, most of your time will be taken up within a very small area with no chance of getting lost. Shopping opportunities are also available very close to there. As with any large city, the usual advice is to keep your valuables safe and only take out with you the items you will need.. I think you will enjoy your time there.

There are both fast and slow ferries and a fast one would not necessarily be "lengthy". Or you could take a short flight to one of your choosing. For suggestions if you have not already done so, try internet searching something like "closest islands to Athens" or "best islands close to Athens" or similar wording.

Are you aware that Viator is not a tour operator, only a broker/middleman which books you onto a tour with another company? Their Tcs and Cs regarding refunds can cause issues for cruise pax in the event of a late port arrival or last minute port cancellation. Lots of warnings on CC threads about them. IMHO no actual tour is needed in Marseille. Ship shuttles usually run their shuttle buses to and from the VIeux Port area and there is a good selection of attractions, sights and options easily accessed from there, a number of which are described on the thread below. I would encourage you to read it as it would be a shame to only visit the Palais Longchamp and nothing else at all in the city, the second largest in France. Ignore the reference to "kids" in the title as these suggestions are suitable for all ages, and within a few minutes by foot from each other. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2982828-marseille-with-kids/#comment-66691124 As for the Palais Longchamp, I do know it can be reached from the Vieux Port in a few minutes by bus, metro or tram, and internet searching should give you more detail as I am not current with lines or numbers. You could use your saved $89 for a lovely lunch somewhere, but I caution not around the Vieux Port tourist trap area which mostly offers only "tourist" meals of poor quality for the prices they charge. This is a copy/paste of a post I put on a thread in response to a different Marseille question. More ideas for you here: Potentially additional useful information for others. 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. 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. Info on MUCEM, the Cathedral, le Panier, Maison Diamantee, bouillabaisse etc can all be found online. And for history enthusiasts, Marseille, having been founded by the Greeks around 600 BC (or perhaps even earlier) has a rich history, and visting any of the museums which display this gives a new perspective of the city.

That is a normal amount of luggage, (some folks travel with more than that) especially if you are two persons as each would take one suitcase and one carry on and that would easily work for train travel.

If you are willing to pay for one excursion, and you like trains, then Skagway would be the obvious choice for the White Pass |route. Not inexpensive but worth it. There are various combos mixing train and bus, to choose from and some travel further than others so your length of time in port is important. we did as mentioned in the previous post, travelling as far into the Yokon as Emerald Lake and can highly recommend that one. Remember to take your passport with you. For Ketchikan, lots of options, but you might want to consider going to Totem Bight, a few miles out of Ketchikan. Public bus $2 or $3 pp each way, and as is a State park, entry is only $5pp. (info online plus tripadvisor etc) You could hike or bike both ways and only pay entry if you would prefer that. Ketchikan ideas here; https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2995995-ketchikan-self-exploration/#comment-67041614 Other port suggestions here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2982623-not-so-expensive-excursions/#comment-66756447 There will be many past threads for all your ports, you only need use the SEARCH tool to find them before deciding which to read.

Santa Margherita is super easy to combine with pretty, but tiny Portofino and combining the two makes for a really pleasant day. Many many past threads about both and you may find it helpful to read a few of them. Portofino https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=portofino&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464 Santa Margherita. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q="santa margherita"&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy

If only planning one beach day, compare sightseeing options in both Ibiza and Palma and have your beach day in the one which offers the least amount of interest to you. Palma is actually a lovely city to visit, Ibiza less so. There is a"pinned" thread at the top of the Spain Boards which is full of info and suggestions so you could browse that in addition to the usual "Palma sightseeing" websites, YouTube, Tripadvisor, guide books etc. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2697012-palma-de-mallorca-diy-new/page/24/#comment-66879051

Lucca can also be reached by train from Livorno, and it is relatively easy to combine Pisa and Lucca. Really, the choice of which excursion is your own decision depending on which holds the most appeal for you. JB has already explained the pros and cos which might help you decide.

On Corfu, taxi tours are popular and the companies know which routings would work with your port timings. Check them out on the internet. A very scenc island. You could possibly find others to share with you on your Roll Call.

That sounds quite a lot to pack into a 7 hour tour and you would need to read the tour description very carefully to find out exactly what would be included. And as it is an MSC specific question, suggesting that you cross post on the MSC forum where any MSC cruise passengers who have taken this tour would be more likely to see it and respond.

Learning something new every day and thanks for that update. Just as well you are checking my posts for accuracy. 😁 Love 2 travel, apologies for my inaccurate information. It may be best for you to ignore my posts in favour of those posted by fruitmachine.

Wishing you an enjoyable walk down memory lane reliving your youth.

It isn't actually essential to book a tour for Bilbao. The ship shuttle buses usually drop off and pick up next to the Old Town, and the Guggenheim is only around a 10 minute walk from there alongside the river. (book your tickets online at a time to suit your plans You can also rent an audio guide) It isn't always necessary to pre-book entry. We turned up without and could walk in.The old town area is mostly pedestrian. and you could always join a walking tour if you thought it would be helpful. We didn't walk further along along the walkway from the Guggenheim to the bridge.

Thank you. There are a small number of us local to Edinburgh and we try to help when we can. Something I should mention. Should you follow the West End/King's Stables Road/Grassmarket/ Victoria St routing, you would miss the Floral Clock, which is at the opposite end of that western section of Princes St gardens, next to the staircase at the foot of The Mound. But that assumes it is in place at the time of your visit (it is seasonal) Which month will you visit? And how long will you have in the city, remembering that Newhaven is a tender port? And you may want to enjoy a stroll through that section of the gardens which has lovely views of the castle and the white higgledy piggledy houses at Ramsay Garden next to the Castle Esplanade.. The other section of the gardens lies between Waverley Bridge and the National Galleries at the foot of the Mound, and it too has lovely views and is a pleasant place to walk through. I think that, should the weather be good that day, Calton Hill should be visited, but when you come down onto Regent Road, you only need walk the very short distance to Waverley Bridge where you can enter that eastern section of the gardens, and at the end of that section, you simply cross the road at foot of the Mound, enter the western gardens section by the gateway there, and the Floral Clock is right there next to the staircase. and from there, a tram from St Andrew Square or a taxi. Hmmm port planning is rarely easy,or long enough especially for a first visit to a city with much to offer.

Thanks for clarifying fruitmachine. I bow to your superior knowledge.😀 A trip down memory lane then, how lovely for you as it will add an extran dimension to your visit.😁 Will you be able to visit the actual location where you did your research? Or the area where you lived?

Beadwork is a local craft and the ladies make quality items. These were the nicest souvenirs we saw, apart from the carved figures in Nuuk, but they were $$$ priced.☹️ You should browse/buy at any tables you see before sightseeing, as they will only have a certain number of items with them, and they may sell out if you leave buying until later in the day.

Will you be first time visitors to Venice? if so, reading this recent, and still quite current thread should be of interest to you, as there are a few challenges you should be considering to add to your "wish list" of accommodation requirements in addition to possibly rethinking your preferred "near St Marks" location as it is nearly at the opposite end of Venice compared to P. Roma. Remember that walking Venice is easy, walking with luggage not so much, and there are a few other considerations you may not yet be aware of, such as bridges with luggage, vaporetto stops and private docks. post #13 in particular, but all posts are worth reading. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2996093-venice-experts-help-needed-first-time-to-venice/#comment-67049896

If you want the fastest, that would probably be a taxi, but taxis in both directions will probably cost more than the 4 X round trip bus tickets although that I do not know, and you would need to check that with local taxi companies ahead of time. By far the slowest but cheapest would be the public bus operated by Lothian Buses, a flat fare I think of £2 pp each way so maybe £16 round trip, but it will take much much longer in each direction as there are frequent bus stops serving the public, unlike the X99. You would see estimated timings on the LB website for the route. You could check the Lothian Buses website, for, I think, the #43 route, or whichever it is, and for info on where in S Queensferry the stop would be, also the best stop for you in Edinburgh city centre. the X99 picks up and drops off next to the tender point at Hawes Pier. It has never been inexpensive to travel as a family. Some day you will find there are only two of you and you will be thinking "how cheap it is here", but of course it won't be, the difference will be that you will be paying for 2 instead of 4. Until then, unfortunately you need to accept the cost of travelling as a family of four. UPDATE. I just now thought to look at the "getting around" section of the cruiseforth website (S. Queensferry.) they say nearest public bus stop is a 10 minute walk, and they also give taxi contact info. https://www.cruiseforth.com/content/getting-around-south-queensferry/

Excellent plan. Be certain to buy tram tickets from the machines BEFORE boarding as ticket inspectors constantly patrol the trams and will fine you if you have no ticket, no excuses accepted. If you are already on the High St/Royal Mile, Cockburn street is downhill from there, not up, but I can't imagine what is of interest to you on Cockburn St. OTOH, Victoria St and the Grassmarket are worth a look. You could actually access both from the boundary at the west end of Princes St Gardens, close to the Ross Fountain, along Kings Stable Road which brings you on to the Grassmarket which you would walk through onto Victoria St then uphill to George IV Bridge, take a left and the Royal Mile is only a few steps away. Or you could access both from the Royal Mile by turning right at George IV bridge then sharp right onto Victoria St and down to the Grassmarket. Hope you have a lovely day in the city and that you may even be tempted to return for a land visit which would give you more time to explore.

Not so much "out of respect", but more for being essential. Read this very recent thread, especially the early posts (3/4/5) referencing buying souvenirs from local ladies who set up tables to sell the crafts they made over winter. Cash would be the most practical way of paying as they are most unlikely to be within any card system for payment. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2995710-nanortalik-and-qaqortoq/#comment-67060958

We saw 2 or 3 of them running freely along a street in Honningsvag. (port for the North Cape if that on your itinerary)

Additional info here: https://www.lothianbuses.com/cruiselink-x99/