edinburgher

Absolutely not. An indusrial tank farm is not where you expect to find yourself trying to embark!

Cannot recommend a specific hotel but can recommend an area which would at least narrow down your search area. . Lisbon is a nightmare of steep (very steep) streets, many of the cobbled and even the fittest might struggle with them at times. Having visited a number of times and enjoyed a longer city break ,I can recommend you look for accommodation in the Baixa area which is largely flat/even ground, central, with many hotels, restaurants, bars etc, but also really really convenient for public transport should you want to do that, including vintage and modern trams, the metro, buses, including the airport bus and close to where cruise ships dock. Iinfo on using public transport can be found online. There are also several of the main city sights to visit in the area and it should be really easy for a mobility scooter to take a rider around the area. Praca Figuera (a main transport hub) is also close by. Anywhere on or around Rua Augusta / Rua da Prata/Rua Vitoria. would be my advice. Google Rua Augusta for its location on a map and look at what there nearby.. And Tripadvisor accommodation reviews may mention how central and flat/even the hotel locations are.(and that is quite important in Lisbon) Others have recommended that area in the past, also hotel names To find these threads and posts, go to the general Other Mediterranean Ports Forum, not to an individual thread, and input the words Rua Augusta into the emppty search box under your username, hit the little spy glass and you should get results ready to read.

Anyone have experience with the hoho bus or the 500 bus? Been twice and used neither of these. We used the metro to get from the dock to town and back again, only having to make one change from one line to another to reach Vila Nova da Gaia. There will be many past threads you could find helpful to read. if you do not know how to use the SEARCH tool, go to the general Other Mediterranean Ports Forum, (not an individual thread)and input the word Leixões into the empty search box directly under your username, then hit the little spy glass. All previous threads and posts with that name in them should appear ready for you to read. You could also try the same tool but using the words OPorto and Porto at different times as it spells both ways.

You mat be better cross posting on the NCL forum as it is NCL specific. There may be no timing which is accurate due to several factors. the number of pax onboard, usually the more pax there are, the longer it would take for "the majority".to get off. but that would depend on the number of tenders being used, the distance and time for tenders to make each return journey, sea and wind conditions which could slow things down, Many ships will use a system similar to but not exactly like the following: Shorex pax off first, followed by Priority Suite and/or higher loyalty status pax, All others subject to the number they hold. Lower numbers would be faster off the ship than higher numbers. The numbers are often given out at designated times, usually either the evening before arrival or the morning of arrival. You would go to the designated area at the correct time and maybe have to wait in line to collect your number. You may be advised of this wih a flyer or it may be found in the "daily" newspaper, hatever it is called on NCL, or by app.

they end up in an industrial tank farm. 😞 Not exactly helpful then! Have you tried looking at the offiial Port of Valencia website? This because many ports show which of the berths a cruise ship will use, assuming of course there is more than one berth. Check for a 2023 cruise ship calendar on their website.

Ditto with eggplant/(UK) aubergine-- they do amazing things with that humble vegetable and use about 20+ different kinds of it in their dishes. 😀 Totally agree. Soooo yummy.

post #7 We paid our tickets right at the entrance to the houses refers to the terrace houses with separate fee. I have no idea if terrace houses entry can be bought at the entrance to the site. We were on a group shorex and did not pay the general Ephesus entry fees,, most likely the guide for our group paid for these,but we didn't know if we might have time for the terraced houses until we were in front of them and decided we did have time so took the opportunity when we saw we could pay right there. Fortunately we had Turkish currency in cash with us.

Apologies for my bad in post #9 which refers to ISTANBUL, not Kusadasi. I am sure there will be Turkish Delight/Lokum available in Kusadasi, just not from the store where this delicacy was first created.

Lisbon is a nightmare of steep (very steep) streets. The most even and easiest ground is to be found in the Belem area where there is actually much to see and do. Look online for info then choose to suit your interests as you won't have time to see and do everything there on a one day visit. You could for example spend an entire day in the Maritime Museum. If he can manage public transport Belem should be an easy bus or tram ride, or take a taxi instead if that would be easier. Should be a straight run from your docking point. You will sail into and out of Lisbon past the Belem area and will see the Tower of Belem, just one of the sights to be found there.

To take home as a souvenir or present you will find everywhere boxes of Turkish Delight. It's a type of sweet that's covered in icing sugar with different flavourings. And should you want to visit the store where Turkish Delight/Lokum originated,HAKI BEKIR it is close to the entrance/exit at the lower level of the Spice/Egyptian market so you may well be close to it anyway.. If exiting the market turn right and walk along until you see the shop on the right hand side. If outside facing the entrance/exit to the Spice/Egyptian market, turn left. The shop is quite small but has interesting exhibits inside. Plus lots and lots of flavours. Probably some of the best quality in town, but for that quality it is more expensive.

have been told that the Malaga promenade is nice just for a scoot around. T sorry i am not familiar with that one. On our last visit pre pandemic there was a modern promenade under construction, so perhaps it is that one. There are also a few gardens quite close to the port gates (just across from them) and these are lovely for a stroll even with a scooter as they are level. If you google a tourist map of Malaga you should see them easily enough. There are also other gardens across the road from the opposite side of the gardens near the Town Hall. the ones closest to the port have shaded areas, toilets and a few kiosks for snacks or ice creams and there are occasional events held. We caught a flamenco team competition by chance and that was fun to watch for a time.. Cadiz has a lovely promenade around the outside of the old city, to the right of the port area. There are several pretty little gardens with fountains and seating areas, also some cafes, and walking alongside the sea there are also nice views. That walk should also be doable with a scooter although the historic old town centre might be too much of a challenge.

or should we consider just staying on the ship or in the case of olbia is the town ok? OLBIA We didn't want a tour here, only a quieter more relaxed day and that is what we had. We didn't find a great deal to interest us here, although we did enjoy the archaeological museum on the waterfront and I recommend you visit. I think it was free or cost very little.. They have some Phoneacian, Punic and Roman artefacts and the remains of a Roman ship, their star exhibit. Other than that, we only strolled around the central area (which is quite pleasant)for a time before returning to the ship as we had no interest in the beaches of which I believe there are a few. The town centre is mostly flat which would be OK with a scooter, so do venture out if only for a time. On our visit there were many young teens working in pairs. They explained they were studying english, but with few opportunities to practise, they had been let out of school to interact with the mostly english speaking pax from this British cruise ship, with the focus to be on verbal exchanges. They were working in pairs with questionnaires on their clip boards, also gave directions if asked, and were very keen, usually approaching passengers to ask if they wanted to know about the town or needed directions.. There were also a few in the archaeolgical museum volunteering guided tours in english. Sorry cannot help with Genoa as never ported there but there are many past threads you could read.

Your date is over a full year away, so do not be surprised if you try now and there is no availability showing as many hotels won't release room availability and pricing quite as early as that..

positano is teeny tiny and you may only need a max of two hours to fully explore it (perhaps less) Depending on how long you will have in Positano, you could travel over to Santa Margherita (Ligure)and explore there too. It is a lovely seaside resort town with quite a few sights and a pleasant location to while away a few hours. Info and images online (tripadvisor and others) It also has many restaurants and prices are likely to be lower and offer more choices than those in Portofino (which attracts the wealthy and has prices to match) You can walk the shortish distance to SML or take a taxi, but the most scenic way to transfer between the two is to take one of the ferries the short 15/20 minute crossing. There have been quite a number of previous threads about both Portofino and SMl which you could read for more information. If you do not know how to use the SEARCH tool, go to the general ITALY BOARDS FORUM ( not an individual thread) , input the word Positano into the empty search box under your user name, hit the little spy glass next to it and all threads containing that word will appear in the results ready for you to read. You could try he same process using Santa Margherita but many of the threads relating to one also link the other as they are so close to each other. marazul helpfully posted a link to the ferry schedule only a few days ago on this thread https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2933032-looking-on-how-to-get-to-portofino-quickly-from-santa-margherita-after-a-shore-excursion/#comment-65262282 But do also read other past threads from your search results for more info on both..

Corfu is a popular destination for taxi tours around the more scenic parts of the island. Having said that, it is advisable to pre-book these before sailing as you can then discuss needs, length of time, cost, and have an english speaking driver/guide. eE found several online by googling "corfu taxi tours" or something similar, and ended up with either 3 or 4 taxi tours shared with others on our Roll Call. Have you checked your RC to see if anyone has already arranged one and is looking for others to share? Alternatively you could arrange one and look for sharers on your Roll Call. As mentioned above, if by "Montenegro" you mean Kotor, entrance to the old town is within a few metres of docking or the tender drop off and there are many restaurants, cafes and bars to enjoy a rest. And yes, the old town is flat and a joy to explore.

sgmn Did you have any success cross posting on the RC forum as suggested above? Ship shuttles are often only advised to passengers one day or even the evening before arrival as they want you to book their shorex rather than for you to go independently.

It may depend which tours are offered as there could be possibilities not actually highlighted in tour descriptions. This because ships may visit several times over a season, with only one or two dates coinciding with the shortish lavendar flowering season. You could pull up previous threads and replies for information. Go to the GENERAL FRENCH PORTS FORUM, not to an individual hread, and input the word lavendar (or similar) into the empty search box below your username then hit the little spy glass. All previous threads containing whichever word you used should appear ready for you to read. This one is an example you might find helpful https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2921465-which-tour-luberon-villages-or-lavender-of-provence/#comment-64955355

Not food, but TEA. The coffee isn't to our taste either, unless you ask for "Nescafe" rather than "coffee "as the latter would be the Turkish version. OTOH, we love the apple tea which is found everywhere and served in tittle glasses. We have also brought some home with us. And another vote for the meze. Love what they do with chick peas, aubergine etc.

Your thread will most likely be moved to the SPAIN PORTS FORUM as both Cadiz and Seville are located in Spain. Your question is actually a FAQ with many previous threads asking the same question. If you go on to the general SPAIN PORTS FORUM (not an individual thread) and input the word Cadiz into the empty search box under your username then hit the little spy glass, all previous threads and their replies will appear in the results ready for you to read the info in them. Follow that with the word Seville (or vice versa), and again, there should be many results for you to read. This is a typical thread to start you off. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2881440-cadiz-questions/#comment-63729793

Tusconcam, I am also thinking you are in need of a relaxing holiday if only to clear your mind!!!😀

But I'm still puzzled by your Nice/Eze excursion out of SML! 😁 I am too. It is a long drive from SML to Nice then on to Eze then all the way back. I am guessing that most of the day will consist of sitting on a coach with little "feet on the ground" time on arrival at both, (guesstimating 5-6 hours but could be way wrong with that guess) And any lunch stop will use up more of the off coach time too,.but the the OP must have reasons for choosing this shorex. At least it is a shorex and should it overrun, the ship will wait. I now looked at YouTube and there are several videos of the ferry trip, and someone also describes the walk, which I don't think you would have time for anyway.. (but I only noted the titles, didn't actually watch any of them.)

You could also walk as the distance isn't huge, but if timings allow, the most scenic and highly recommended way is to use the ferry. The short ride is beautiful even if you only do it one way. You could perhaps take a taxi or walk there from SML, but carefully time the ferry schedule for the return. Portofino is teeny tiny so you could spend as little as an hour there if you don't want longer. If timing is even more tight, you could consider taking the ferry to P, but not get off, staying on for the next ferry back to SML. The ferry in P goes right into the town harbour and the arrival is really pretty, so you would see most of the prettiest part of P as there isn't a great deal more than that anyway... I don't know exactly where you tender into in SML, but the ferry stages are right on the seafront alongside the promenade and across from a litle garden area. Note that for either option to work, ferry timings would be crucial. There should be reviews found online, and possible ferry films on YouTube. I do not know, but worth a look.

Am I missing the purpose of these boards???? Isn't it to ask people for advice or suggestions? Well, yes, but only up to a point. The OP posted near identical threads for every port to be visited, without giving any clue as to tastes, budget or anything else which might encourage others to offer guidance. Nor did he/she indicate that they had already looked for anything matching their criteria. This is the one for Marseille, a city which must have many many hundreds of dining options scattered throughout this huge cirty.. Best places for lunch in Marseille

Naples, the home of pizza is where you would find the best pizza, reputedly the best to be found anywhere, and although I cannot vouch for that, I do think that most folks would opt to try pizza there it is to be found everywhere so no matter where you are in the city there should be some close by, some of it in historic buildings, and i think, more than one claiming to have invented pizza.. You could try googling something like "best pizza in Naples".

What is the best way to get to Cassis? Train or ferry? I didn't know about any ferries, they must be new(?) but there should be trains and public buses, and info on them should be found if you search the internet. You could also pull up the very many previous threads and replies about Cassis to read info which others have written as it is a FAQ..