Steirisch
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Posts posted by Steirisch
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Taxis in Lisbon and quite reasonable. If we're not walking, we're in a taxi when we visit there. You can buy a day pass at some metro stations, but the taxi is so much more convenient. And with the Euro so low these days, it's even more reasonable.
By the way, here is a great map of Lisbon showing the cruise docks.
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When I used to live in the Bay Area, I'd usually park in the Sutter-Stockton Garage. Here is a website that lists their rates, and they don't mention an extra charge for an SUV: http://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/parking/parking-garages/sutter-stockton-garage
It's near Union Square, Chinatown, and the Financial District (depending on which street you walk out of the garage from. They have color coded elevators, so you'll be able to remember your floor.
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There is this website: http://www.citysightseeing.com.co/en/
There are also pages on that site showing the route the bus takes.
TripAdvisor also has some reviews, which don't look all that promising.
Last time we were in Cartagena, we took the ship's excursion, which was fine. They seem to have better guides.
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I was looking at Google Maps and can't see where a ship would dock, so it must be tender service. Is Puerto Angel where they do the tendering? Just want to get my bearings. Thanks.
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This is such an informative thread. We'll be staying in Torrance prior to our cruise (visiting friends in Redondo). I see back on the first posts of this thread that taxis were about $55. What would a taxi cost from DoubleTree Torrance to the cruise port for Crystal? Thanks.
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Haven't done Espiritu Santo with Celebrity, but did with Crystal a few years ago. The tour was wonderful and I learned a lot, but the coffee they let us try was not a good taste for me. I ended up buying some, carted it home, tried it again, hated it and threw the rest away. They just didn't roast it dark enough for my taste.
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Thanks you...I was looking for it as well.
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Last time we were in Rome, I wanted to take the train to Civi. As it happened, my husband was quite against this...he's not an easy traveller. So we booked a car through the hotel and the car company told us they were one of the few companies that certified to take passengers directly to the ship. It rained slightly in Rome the day we left and I'm so glad my husband insisted on the car because it was raining cats and dogs in Civi. We didn't get dropped off at the entrance to the port to wait for the bus, we went directly from the car into the check-in tent. Got a little wet, but it could have been worse. I felt it was well worth the cost of about 100 Euros.
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We enjoyed Herculaneum more than Pompeii. Had been to Pompeii 10 years before and were told by our Herculaneum guide that a lot more archeological items had been moved out of Pompeii and put into the Museo Archeologico in Naples. After we did the tour of Herculaneum, we took a cab to the museum and found it closed for a one day strike. Alas!
Not far from Rome by train is Ostia Antica, which we found quite interesting.
Just a 20-25 minute train ride and a short walk.
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We were on the green one last year, got a ticket valid for two days. On the first day, we were jet lagged and fell asleep in the middle of the tour. Got off and went to our hotel. Continued where we left off the 2nd day. It being a weekend and nice weather, we were moving very slowly in traffic. Besides which, the bus was packed and we had to sit apart. On top of all that, the 2nd half was sooo boring. We got off 2 stops early and went for a pint. Can't say I'd recommend the green one, but the red one may not be much better.
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There is this place:
http://www.ristoranteilviaggio.it/it/ which specializes in gluten free
There is also a website, where I got this from called glutenfreetravelsite.com
Also, this restaurant: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d1034629-r132936978-La_Soffitta_Renovatio-Rome_Lazio.html
Haven't eaten at any of them but they have some good reviews.
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And just a note about the currency. We were there twice last year (once because it was too rough to stop in Jersey). If you get currency out of a cash machine, make sure that it is a machine that dispenses pound sterling, not Guernsey pounds. I didn't know that this was a problem, but evidently you can only spend Guernsey pounds in Guernsey.
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We've done a couple of tours in Lisbon with We Hate Tourism Tours and both times there were only 6 in our group, plus the driver. The first tour was of Lisbon, Sintra and Estoril, with a final stop to get some Belem pastries at Pasteis de Belem. Our driver was used to going there, so went in and got warm pastriies and brought them out to us. The second tour, done a different year, was to the places the Knights Templar built. That was also fun, but more climbing than the previous tours. You also get time to explore on your own. Their driver/guides speak good English and also tell you what's going on in Portugal if you're interested. The first tour, we met at Rossio Square and the second tour picked us up at our hotel.
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If you take a taxi to Sagrada Familia, ask the driver to drop you off on the Carrer de Sardenya side, as that is where the ticket office is. There is one place to purchase tickets, and another for those who have already purchased. We took the printout from our prepurchased tickets and showed it at the window. No problem. We also got an audio guide, which was very helpful. Finally, I prebooked a visit to the one of the towers. Won't do that again. You go up by elevator, then you walk down. The stairs are narrow and there are a lot of them. I had painful thighs and calves for a few days. Glad I did it though, just not again.
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Lisbon is one of our favorite cities and these lovely photos brought back so many memories. Thanks for sharing them with us. Now I want to go back, especially to have another one of those fabulous Belem pastries.
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While you're in Belfast, you might also want to visit the SS Nomadic, which was one of the tenders for the Titanic when she called at Cherbourg. We skipped the Titanic Museum, but did visit the Nomadic. The tour guides are very informative and we were there for at least three hours. Here is a link to their website: http://www.nomadicbelfast.com/
It's a short walk from the Titanic museum. We ordered our tickets online, but there is a ticket office nearby.
I forgot to mention that they have restrooms inside the Nomadic and they are the are the original Crappers, made by the company of the same name. There's a painted logo inside the bowl.
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We love to walk, but after a transatlantic flight, our spirit is more willing that our bodies. We walk as far as we can, and then take taxis. Average of 8 or 9 Euros per ride, but well worth it. We then have more enjoyment of what we see. I think it's well worth the cost.
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We were on Crystal in late August. It's summer, right? The seas were so rough in Londonderry that we had to curtail our visit. Some people got ashore in the tenders, but we had to stop mid=day. Galway was so rough, we didn't anchor at all, as we had intended, because the tenders were bouncing around so much. That was the worst. I, of course, got seasick that night going from Galway to Cork, but got a pill from the Stewardess and was fine next day.
Europe has had one of the coldest summers in recent years and I don't see it getting better in the Fall.
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Oh, what an ordeal! Some airports just don't get it. After a horrible experience coming back from our most recent cruise, Chicago O'Hare is now on my "do not connect through" list, along with Frankfurt and Heathrow.
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I'll preface this by saying I've not stayed in either hotel, but after looking at each website, I would spend the extra 200 Euros and stay at the Albergo Cesari. It just looks charming and their in room soft products look like a better quality than the Grifo. If I were travelling by myself, either one would be fine, but with a dear spouse it's different.
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With the Italian (and French) penchant for having one-day strikes, I would check the museum first. The only time we were in Naples, we went to Herculaneum and then to the Museum afterwards. The museum was closed due to a one-day strike, and there was a notice on the entrance door to that effect.
So if there is a strike the day you're there, or if it's otherwise closed, at least you'll know that you can take the Amalfi drive at your leisure.
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I found this video online: A Walk with the Ambassador in Rome
It's on the Polish Embassy in Italy's website and the Ambassador takes you to some of his favorite places in Rome. Beautifully photographed and although it's in Polish, there are English subtitles. One of his first stops is the Keyhole and ---- what???---no line. I'd love to go back and see some of those places I missed.
Enjoy and view full screen: http://www.rzym.msz.gov.pl/en/root
on the right side of the above page a little ways down.
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Anni, you are a wealth of information. Thank you for helping us all.
I just looked at your website and it is very well done. I'm thinking we'll have time to go to Ludwigslust, and your description of the area is enticing.
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Anni,
Thanks for the info on the 9-Uhr ticket. Is this ticket for the HADAG ferries or the Maritime-Circle Line, or a different one?
I see on the Fahrplan for Maritine-Circle Line that we can take the ferry to Wunderland. This is the Miniatur Wunderland, right?
We'll be docking somewhere at HafenCity and already have our tickets to M.W. Or is it just as fast to walk there.
Vielen Dank.
Livorno shuttle on a HAL ship
in Italy Ports
Posted · Edited by Steirisch
I don't know if this is still the case, but a few years ago our Crystal ship stopped for the day at Livorno. Husband didn't want to get off the ship, so I took a taxi to the train station and had to wait 45 minutes for the next train to Florence. There was to be a one day strike on Trenitalia that day, which I didn't know about until I had been in Florence for a few hours. So I caught the next train back to Livorno and luckily made it back to that station. The really bad part is that there were two available taxis at the station and I got into the first one in line. When I told the driver I needed to go to Maritima, he started yelling at me and then got out of the car and started jumping up and down while still yelling. I stayed in the car, having been warned by an Italian waiter on the ship that I shouldn't get out of the taxi if the driver refuses (is this common?). Anyway, about that time a uniformed man came over and talked to the driver, then asked me where I wanted to go. I told him. Then he spoke to the driver in the next taxi and he agreed to take me, but didn't appear too happy about it. I never did find out why the first driver was so angry, but I hope to never go back to Livorno again.
So might it be easier to do a deal with one of the taxi drivers at the port and ask how much they would charge for the excursion you are planning? If I had to do it over again, that's what I think I'd do.