edinburgher

apologies that post #2 was incomplete but it was too late to edit it. AJ, just a little surprised to see you begin this new thread, as you began an almost idential one 6 months ago on August 10. It would appear you have not yet made any progress so maybe time to reread these two?. here is your first one: https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2872494-portimao-portugal-questions/#comment-63744665 And here is another you could find helpful: https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2847745-portimao-ideas/#comment-64061312 I amended advice to take a public bus, as I discovered after posting that info , that a taxi from the dock to Alvor should only take 10-15 minutes. As it will take 5-10 minutes to reach central Portimao by taxi , there is very little difference in time, but Alvor is more likelky to suit you better given how colourfuil and pretty it is, also compact, and in your earlier thread you had mentioned "nature" and been advised that the Alvor Boardwalk passed alongside the estuary and nature reserve with info easily found by googling "Alvor boardwalk". Had also advised that there were a good number of FISH restaurants neighbouring each other in one street leading to the waterfront, so very easy to compare menus etc. Plus had suggested you check Tripadvisor Alvor restaurant reviews in addition to Tripadvisor Portimao restaurant reviews to help you decide your lunch location. And this time you are asking abgout a sardine meal. Have you tried googling "best sardines in Portimao" and "best sardines in Alvor? So easy to do, so many results for you to read and learn from.. if it is any help at all, Alvor is still a FISHing village, where FISHermen still land their catches and presumably at least some of those same FISH restaurants will be buying directly from them. Alvor or not, I hope you enjoy your day, but would still advise that there is little of interest in Portimao and it is much more spread out.

AJ, just a little surprised to see you begin this new thread as you began an almost idential one 6 months ago on August 10. It would appear you have not yet made any progress despite being advised to read certain online information sources to help you. here is your first one: https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2872494-portimao-portugal-questions/#comment-63744665

How easy is it to just get a cab and go to the beach? Have you tried simply googling something like "getting to Mondello beach from Palermo?" Be aware that once you arrive at whichever beach you are going to, during the month of August pretty much ALL beaches in S Europe will be absolutely packed (for which read uncomfortably crowded)with tourists and locals from very early morning as it is the main European holiday month, and the hottest. This applies no matter the day of the week but could be especially crowded at weekends especially if it is a frree public beach area.. And if you need sun beds, umbrellas or any facilities and there is that option, you should probably reserve ahead of time. If the cruiseline transfer includes sun beds, umbrellas etc and guaranteed places, you might want to give that option serious consideration. Palermo is actually a wonderful historic city to explore with some really top sights so you may want to consider having a beach day from a different port.

Yes and yes unfortunately. Too bad he will miss one of the highlights of Norway, but you could book i tfor youself as a shorex or as a private tour with others on your Roll Call ,while he could book a shorex or private tour with others to explore somewhere without the heights.

Learn something new each day. Had no idea there were fields near Grasse until I read that post, and I thought I knew the area relatively well. These would definitely be closer than the L:uberon fields and less expensive. Another option for the OP might be to take the train from Cannes to Grasse and find a taxi at the station (or tel for one )to take them them to the closest fields and have a brief viewing and pho op stop before returning them to the train station. Instead of returning directly to Cannes, they could use the opportunity to visit some of the sights in Grasse and maybe tour a perfume company such as Fragonard. before returning to Cannes by train. I think that woiuld make quite a nice excursion from Cannes as there really isn't much of interest in Cannes itself (although it has a good beach)

I'll take your suggestion and check some other threads to get some alternate ideas. Once you have checked possible alternatives to Florence, you will be able to make an informed decision as to which appeals to you most and would also give you peace of mind. There are really no bad choices from la Spezia.

but this train ticket is more than my 4 nights in London Just curious really, but where in London are you able to stay for four nights which is cheaper than the train ticket prices others in the above posts are quoting?

Or are there any other tours where you see the lavender fields? Hank is 100% spot on as usual. The most famous lavendar fields are a long way from Cannes, perhaps a 2-3 hour drive. I believe the closest you would find to Cannes would be in the Luberon area which should be less costly to tour to as it isn't as distant.Not as famous as the ones further north, but there are a few, and the bonus is that the Luberon villages are a popular and scenic drive. You could try costing tours to that area, explaining that your main focus would be the lavendar fields rather than the Luberon villages (or a mix of both) and ask what they suggest as a route. Bear in mind that the distance and time is still going to be quite long, just perhaps not quite as long as the previously mentioned ones. Just a thought really, but if you also have a port stop in Marseille, the Luberon is much closer to there so that would be a better option than from Cannes. Faster to reach and probably cheaper too.

There aren’t a lot of shore excursions options. What do people recommend? One of the main shorex from Vigo is likely to be to Santiago de Compostela. (The other port most commonly associated with S de C tours is la Coruna). You could find a trip to S de C is more interesting than you might initially expect, but it would be in every way totally different from kayaking. You could read up on S de C online, also read reviews of kayaking on the Minho river to help you decide.

As it is quite a distance from la Spezia to Florence, a good chunk of your time would be lost just travelling there and back whichever way you choose to travel, with or without a tour. What were you thinking of doing once you arrive in Florence, as entries to some of the top sights need to be pre-booked and you would need to factor in these timings around your travel times. Only a thought, but should you want to consider an alternative, there have been a number of recent threads discussing sightseeing options from la Spezia as it is well located for other destinations which are much more easily and quickly reached than Florence. You could find them easily by using the SEARCH box above, but this is an example of what you would find; https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2911139-la-spezia-anything-to-do-within-a-short-drive/#comment-64765017

Looking for recommendations for a good tour company As above, very easy to DIY to both. Vaporetto to Murano, stroll around, visit glass factories and salerooms. When ready to leave take another vaporetto from Murano to Burano and stroll around there until you are ready to leave, again by vaporetto to return to Venice itself. There are a couple of churches on each, and on Burano a small museum showing the history of lace making, which in the past was what Burano was quite famous for. restaurants and cafes on both.We preferred Burano at that time as the houses were painted in brighter colours than Murano, but i expect properties on both have been repainted since then! We enjoyed both although they were both quite busy with tourists , as were the traghetti Whatever, visiting both makes for an easy and quite relaxing side trip from Venice and i don't think a tour company would be needed. There should be much info online about how to reach them and from which Venice stops (one used to be in front of the train station) but you should check as there have been so many changes everywhere since pre- pandemic.

The main area of the National Park is located between Marseille, la Ciotat and Cassis, with the most numerous calanques closer to Cassis. You would be able to hike at least one from there, possibly a second depending on your available time, as you would need to travel to Cassis and return from there too and that would reduce your time, although there is relatively easy access by foot from the town itself to the closest one. There is also a small one in la Ciotat, but it isn't at all conveniently located for a person with no private transport. i know there are at least two in the outskirts of Marseille but have never visited so cannot help with these. You could instead consider taking one of the many boat trips from the harbour in Cassis which pass several calanques on their route , or even take a boat trip to them from le Vieux Port in Marseille. if you search online you should find much info on the Calanques National Park, and boat trips from Cassis and Marseille. Also try searching for "Marseille calanques" as there should be info on these too.

Agree that last tender is usually 1 hour before sailing to allow time for removing everything shoreside, returning the last tenders to the ship, and raising them into position onboard in good time for the actual sailing time. If you use the SEARCH option for previous threads re" Santorini sunsets" you will find many posters have reported seeing the sunsets from their ships. (including ourselves) We also had local musicians, singers and dancers come onboard to give a brief folk show around the pool area. You could therefore watch the sunset from your ship, stress free with no concerns about a last tender.

No problem Roger. Such a fabulous thread.for info. Well done you for checking it often also for checking for any inaccuracies.

I found a Viator tour that I like that starts and ends at St Gerasimos Square from 5-9. My ship is docked from 1-11pm Is there something particularly unique about this tour that cannot be found elsewhere? If you can find the same or similar and will be there from 1300 onwards, why not choose a tour which leaves earlier than 1700 and relieve yourself of the stress? BTW Viator is not a tour company, They are a middleman, meaning you don't actually know which company you will tour with.

No!. Walk up only. When you see it you will understand why.

Transportation options from Cadiz to Saville There have been many previous threads very similar to this, also debating whther or not the journey is worthwhile for such a short time there, and whether it might be more worthwhile staying in Cadiz and if staying, what there is to see and do. Instead of hunting through many back pages, you can find them by using the SEARCH option. If you never used it, go to the Spain Ports forum but not to a psrticular thread. In turn, input Seville or Cadiz into the empty SEARCH box under your username. Leave the default "this topic" or "this forum" where it is. Hit the little spy glass and many many results should appear a few seconds later, ready for you to read.. Very informative. Here is an example of what should appear: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2878145-seville-or-cadiz-which-one-with-only-3-4-hours/#comment-63877773

And will you be docking in Bordeaux city centre, or at Bassens or Le Verdon as the location will make a huge difference to your plans.

Fos (where the cruise terminal is,) is quite some distance from Marseille centre and is quite spread out. You could take a taxi all the way , or there is a public bus outside the port, which may be some distance from your dock, but many cruise lines run their own shuttle buses from your dock to a central point near the Old Port. Another option might be to take a taxi from the port to Joliette, a transport /terminus hub which is part way between Fos and the city centre and from there take a public bus or Metro to wherever your first sightseeing stop is to be. An example could be public bus from Joliette to Notre Dame de la Garde. You would need to check Marseille bus routes online to see if there is a direct bus on that route or if a change might be needed. (There is no Metro station at ND de la G.

Dubrovnik and Kotor can be found on the "Other Meditteranean Ports" forum despite the geographical listing error. Both are FAQS with multiple threads including onfo on private tour operators. Instead of having to back page multiple times, find them easily and quickly using the SEARCH option which is very easy to use. Go to the "Oher Mediterranean Ports forum but not to any particular thread. In the empty SEARCH BOX just under your user name, input the name of each in turn(leave the default words THIS FORUM where they are) and hit the little spy glass. All previous threads containing that place name will appear in the results ready for you to read. You can use the same process to find Corfu and Zakinthos/Zante (you should probably try this under both names in turn as it is known by both names.) on the GREEK PORTS forum and Naples and Rome on the ITALY PORTS forum..

Well, it was good you were able to visit Sanibel and Captiva when you did. Since Hurricane Ian, not much left there, I am sad to say. We were sad to read that SueMo, as both were quite pretty with quality beaches, but pleased to read that the Edison/Ford complex was not as badly affected as many of the displays and historical exhibits could not be easily replaced. Perhaps the beaches on Sanibel and Captiva could be replaced if sand were to be trucked in? What nature gave, nature took away. Enjoy your second trip to the Tattoo. Fingers crossed for you that the weather is kind that evening.

This multi paged thread gives much info about Palma including several references to beaches and how to get to them.. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2697012-palma-de-mallorca-diy-new/ it is very long, so perhaps once you open the link, you can input the word BEACHES into the search box and hit the little spy glass as that might bring up the relevant posts, otherwise you might need to scroll through the pages.

RTR 21-0 Sorry to ask ,but it would also be helpful for others if you would name all of your ports - and countries!- as a generic "Europe" isn't that helpful when you are asking for specific info. Rome and Naples are mentioned, but is that Rome for only one day on a port stop at Civi, or will you be based there for a few days pre or post cruise?

THE best thing to do from Aldasnes is an excursion to the Troll Road and Troll Wall. Both are really really famous in Norway and Europe and there will be much online info if you do a quick google. Spectacular, as is the ride up and down, but best on a clear weather day. We were really lucky and got that so could enjoy it to the max. We’re active and able to do moderate hikes. . This is NOT in any way a "moderate hike". Take a tour. This previous thread would also be a good starting point https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2901724-suggestions-for-andalsnes-norway-perhaps-romsdalen-gondola/#comment-64518744

From Geiranger we took a shorex which took us up to Mt Dalsnibba. A clear weather day with the most spectacular views, some of the best in the whole of Norway and the drive up and down was a bit of an experience in itself! i have seen chatter on this forum about a different (non cruise ship) bus tour which also goes there, and you should find info about it in past threads by searching with the word Geiranger. As we only had a half day in MOLDE we only explored the town on foot, going as far as the peace grove/garden? before heading back down to the vwaterfront and returning on foot walking along the scenic walkway while others took excursions to the Altantic Road. We also visited the Romsdal Museum, a folk museum close to the centre of town.Molde has a lovely setting, with a backdrop of mountains