Zana711

Fabulous! It was very very hot today, with 4 cruise ships at port. I just updated my comment above re: Dubrovnik Pass. Start as early as you can. And do the city walls first. Peak time to enter Pile Gate was 10:30am to 11:30am when all the cruises’ walking tours seem to be there. So even if it means you get there at 9am it makes a huge difference. Have a great cruise!

Just so happens that I’ve been in Dubrovnik on yet another cruise today! Yes to credit card to both. Buy the Official Dubrovnik Pass for €35. Includes both City Walls entrance and Rectors Palace plus other museums. There’s signs everywhere near Pile Gate to purchase or you can purchase online. This is good value because if you walked straight up to the City Walls entrances and buy tickets, it’s €35 just to do the city walls.

I don't remember seeing any when I was there October last year. But I did visit a supermarket behind Civitavecchia train station and it stocked alcohol, drinks and snacks. Link to Google Maps here - https://maps.app.goo.gl/xarvFZUrK5k4MKhV8

Another vote for Lucca @CruisingSarah. Lucca was definitely less touristy. Also from what's already been said above, don't miss the Aqueduct of Nottolini. See it before you walk towards the city centre, as it's close to the station and just outside the city walls. Also climb either the Guinigi Tower or the Clock Tower for great views of the city walls. The cathedral also has a bell tower (but shorter). I did a DIY excursion there and if you're interested, here's the link to my blog post: https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/lucca-tuscany-day-trip-livorno-cruise

@Dreamer68 I've done the Malta Experience. It's okay. I did it because on my last port day at Malta, I had already spent 8 days there in total and I was looking for something new to do. I think that it's a bit expensive for what it is, at €20 for adults. If it's your first trip to Malta, there's so much more exciting stuff to do than watch this show! @PurpleTraveller is absolutely spot on about that! You mentioned that you're interested in history of the Knights of St John in Malta. Then, in Valletta, I would recommend St John's Co-Cathedral and the Palace Armoury inside the Grandmaster's Palace. Further afield, I would recommend Mdina and Fort St. Angelo in Birgu (in my 3 cities DIY itinerary). Sounds like you picked out a good tour that combines the Blue Grotto and Mdina. Mdina was used as the Knights' cavalry base during the Great Siege. Last but not least, if your cruise is heading to Rhodes in Greece, then you'll have another opportunity as the Knights of St John were there, too! All the best with your planning! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time on the Equinox. A friend and his elderly Dad was on it recently and they loved it!

@Dreamer68 Thanks very much! 😁 Here's my take: if your 4-hour excursion finishes on time, it's absolutely possible to see it with time left to walk around Valletta. However, I would not recommend public transport. The bus route 74 takes 30 minutes each way. Then you need to walk down, do the boat trip and then walk back up. Just too hard to time it well. Ask the 4-person group to catch a cab instead there instead after your excursion. It'll be a 15 minute drive each way. In case it helps to see what a DIY excursion to the 3 cities look like, I've also got that itinerary on my blog. Just go to the menu bar and select Malta and you'll see it. (Don't want to post too many of my blog post links here and get banned!) If it's your first trip to Malta, I think Valletta will be more interesting than the 3 cities. All the best for your trip!

Thanks very much indeed @spethstation 😊. Glad it's useful for someone!

I went to Rhodes on a RC cruise summer 2022 and from what I recall, there's definitely more "on land" shore excursions - besides Lindos, there's a walking tour of the City and the Grand Master's palace as well as a beach club at Faliraki beach. There's much to see on Rhodes Old Town and it's only about 10 minutes walk from the cruise pier, making it quite easy for independent exploration. The main bus terminals are also on Averof St. in Old Town, making it easy to do a DIY trip to both Lindos, Faliraki Beach and Kallithea Springs. If you're interested in my DIY trip, here's the link to my blog. https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/diy-rhodes-shore-excursions-your-perfect-day-on-this-greek-island-paradise 7 hours kayaking, even with stops, sound a bit intense! 😅

€1.70 paid last year. Not sure whether it's gone up. KTEL is the bus company.

@Jayhoaps 😁 This is an easy one! It's right at the bottom of my blog post! 👇 Google Maps will tell you where the beach is - https://maps.app.goo.gl/voJhMHTRxGaKQ8pL8 - you can see where it is in relation to the cruise port. There's only one road! https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/mykonos-cruise-port-diy-shore-excursion-guide#aioseo-how-to-get-to-aghios-stephanos-beach-from-mykonos-new-port-old-port " Getting to Agios Stephanos Beach from Mykonos Ports This one’s a breeze! From Mykonos New Port, Aghios Stephanos is a walkable distance. Tenders arrive at the Old Port, where you can catch a public bus from the Old Port bus station (aka North Station)."

@Jayhoaps Honestly, I think that's a decision that your cruise line makes. But I have visited Mykonos on a cruise ship twice. Celebrity chose to dock at the new port and then provide a free shuttle into the sea bus terminal / car park area. Royal Caribbean chose to tender into the Old Port. If your cruise line is going to make it a tender stop, it's usually made clear in your itinerary. It is unusual for a cruise line not to list a tender stop as such when they sell you the cruise. So check your itinerary - it's likely that you already know whether it's going to be a tender stop for you. I think the easiest is to take the cruise line's shuttle into the Sea Bus terminal. Note that the reason why the shuttle only goes into the Sea Bus terminal is that big coaches don't drive all the way into Old Town itself. The streets are just too narrow. Once you get off the shuttle, you still need to walk about 15 minutes. If your cruise line doesn't offer the shuttle, then there is a public bus / shuttle for €2. I won't recommend walking from the new port all the way into town - just not worth it in my opinion. All the details are in my post below: https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/mykonos-cruise-port-diy-shore-excursion-guide See link above Have a great trip! I saw that you posted messages on a few threads - if you read my post, most of your questions are answered there.

Most are in restaurants - the only one I found open (on both my visits) is the one in the Old Port or the Sea bus terminal. (Link to Google Maps). There's another one marked on Google Maps here (closer to town) but I went there last October and it was closed around 10am on a weekday, so I'm not sure that it's meant to be open anymore.

Thanks very much! 😄

Aix is a wonderful town to wander around on your own! I think the Aix-en-Provence tour may not be that popular because one of the star attractions at Aix - the Atelier de Cezanne - is closed until spring 2025. There's still lots to see in Aix!

I can confirm that last October when I was there, the water taxi did include the shuttle ride up the hill to Oia. If you want to catch the bus to Oia, I have directions on how to find the bus station in Oia in my blog post - look at my "How to Get from Fira to Oia by Public Bus" - it's essentially the same trip the other way around. Have a great cruise! https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/santorini-cruise-port-diy-shore-excursion-guide