Zana711

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

On 4/3/2024 at 1:35 PM, CruisingSarah said:

 

Thank you!  That's helpful! Might try Lucca as never been and have been to the others before.

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

8 hours ago, Dreamer68 said:

Appreciate the added story and perspective, @PurpleTraveller! What an adventure you had!

I was wondering if any of you might have an opinion about The Malta Experience...? Skip? Keep? 

@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! 
 

38 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

Thanks for your question, @livetravelcruise07! We leave Barcelona the week after you on the Celebrity Equinox with Valleta being our first stop. Loving all the recommendations here. I've spent some time scouring the threads for several months now and I'm starting to get indecisive about what to do with our 8 am to 6 pm stop.

We are currently booked on a 4-hour excursion (thanks to OBC) to visit 3 cities (Cospicua, Bittoriosa, and Senglea continuing to Marsaxlokk <-- we are interested in this fishing village, for a look)...plus a cruise around Valetta harbor. The problem is, the excursion start time is at 8 am (same as arrival time into Valetta). AND half of our 4-person group really would like to see the Blue Grotto. And I really want to hear about the Knights Templar.

How might we enjoy the sail-into Grand Harbour in the morning, do the excursion we booked, find a way to see the Blue Grotto (read your blog DIY @Zana711 (thanks!! Your "sweat index" was helpful. LOL!) and back to walk around Valetta by 5pm?  I have a feeling we need to drop something (the ship excursion)...or perhaps design our own DIY that prioritizes going to see the Blue Grotto in the morning after sail in, and then return to visit Valetta as per recommendations from @PurpleTraveller and @edinburgher? Any insights from you who know Valetta well?

 

Thanks LOTS!

@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! 

10 hours ago, spethstation said:

 

Wow, love your blog! I will be referencing it for my upcoming Med cruise! 

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! 😅

4 hours ago, Nemo2005 said:

Anyone know the approximate price of the bus back to port?

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

22 minutes ago, Jayhoaps said:

 

Thanks again for all your feedback, I read the link you shared and it was very helpful.

 

Just to clarify with Agios Stephanos Beach, is that located on New Port or Old Port? How does one get there? Thanks in advance. 

@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)."

 

52 minutes ago, Jayhoaps said:

Hey Zana, just wanted to clarify some things as I am a bit confused.

 

From My understanding, the new port can only dock one Ship and if your ship is not docked you will have to take a tender. 

So if it does not dock at the new port, you can either be tendered to new Port or Old Port?

@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.

52 minutes ago, Jayhoaps said:

Also, if you end up in the new port, you can take a Seabus/Water Taxi to Old port?

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

52 minutes ago, Jayhoaps said:

Also to clarify, if you arrive at the Old Port, it's a walking distance to Mykonos Town?

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. 

52 minutes ago, Jayhoaps said:

Hope you can clarify this, as I am a bit confused. Thanks in advance. Best Regards. 

 

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. 

44 minutes ago, soggy1975 said:

Super useful DIY guide thanks

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

I did the walk from Fira to Oia - note in this direction, it's slightly downhill the majority of the time, whereas from Oia to Fira, it's slightly uphill. So it's easier. If you're first and you manage to get off in one of the first tenders, there will be minimal queues. Make sure you know how to get tender tickets or where to join the queue for tenders onboard. 

Taxis are not as plentiful as one might expect for an island full of tourists! So the bus is the best way. If you do want to take the bus from Fira to Oia, you can do the 8am or 8:30am bus, depending on how fast you get off the ship. If you do the walk, then the afternoon bus journey from Oia to Fira should be relatively - I've done it twice and no big queues. And one of those instances was in mid-August with 6 ships in Santorini! I wrote up my DIY excursion here if you're interested - 
https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/santorini-cruise-port-diy-shore-excursion-guide

You didn't say which part of Corfu your private tour will cover. There's a few beaches relatively close to the cruise port with good bus connections back to the port. So if you like beaches, you can just chill and enjoy the sea breezes. 

Alternatively, if your private tour hasn't taken you inside the Old Fortress and the New Fortress in Old Town, they are sites which you can easily find your way back to the cruise port afterwards by bus. Further out, you can get your guide to drop you off to Mon Repos Park or the Achilleion Palace. I wrote up my DIY excursion here: https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/corfu-kerkyra-cruise-port-diy-shore-excursion-guide

43 minutes ago, carlmm said:

In case public transportation is an option for you: There is a train station right in Trastevere, where you can get a train directly to Civitavecchia. Very easy.

There you can continue by taxi or shuttle/bus.

The FL5 regional train will take you from Rome Trastevere Station to Civitavvechia station in less than an hour. Tickets are €4.60 one way. From there, you can take a paid shuttle (€6) which leaves outside Civitavvechia directly to the cruise terminal or walk a little bit and take the free port shuttle. I was last there in Oct 2023 and I was surprised with how many people walked from Civitavvechia station all the way to the cruise port gates with their luggage! 

It's obviously not as easy as a door-to-door taxi from the hotel but it's budget friendly! If you're interested to know the difference between the paid and free port shuttle, I have more info on my blog post below.

https://diycruiseports.com/embarkation/get-from-rome-airport-to-cruise-port

Have a wonderful cruise! 

Mykonos is relatively compact and you absolutely have time to do all that. For a place to eat in Little Venice - try Captain's - it's small plates food. Try the fried calamari! Link to Google Maps

I did a DIY excursion too! If you fancy catching a bus to one of the famous beaches - Paradise or Elia - walk to Fabrika (South Station) - about a 10 minute walk south of town and there's a direct bus there. Here's my blog post if you're interested in reading more - https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/mykonos-cruise-port-diy-shore-excursion-guide

I would recommend paying for the NCL shuttle to Ravenna town centre. (Celebrity & RC charged me $10 each way) (It's actually quite a small town with very few taxis. Until it was first used as a port by Royal Caribbean in 2022, Ravenna was mostly visited by Italians as their summer holiday destination, as there's miles and miles of beaches nearby). There is a local bus - Bus 90 - that stops around 10 minutes walk from the cruise terminal for €2. (Link to Google Maps). 

I was surprised by how much there is to see in Ravenna. There are 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites with the most spectacular being Basilica of San Vitale - the mosaics date back to the 6th century. Here's more details on my blog post on what to see in Ravenna. I joined my cruise from Ravenna (as opposed to yours being a port stop) but the things to do in Ravenna applies to a port stop too! 

https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/ravenna-cruise-stop-mosaics

For Dubrovnik, I would recommend walking around independently. The star attraction in Dubrovnik is to do a circular loop on the City Walls. I found that most walking tours won't take you up there anyway and it's more flexible walking on your own, as you can stop whenever you want. 

The Rector's Palace, Pile Gate, Jesuit Staircase, St Dominic Street - all those filming locations for King's Landing in Game of Thrones are within the Old Town and it's fun to explore on your own. It's also easy to take the cable car up to Mount Srd to watch the sunset. 

If you're interested, I have directions on how to catch the public bus from the cruise port to Old Town on my blog post - https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/dubrovnik-cruise-port-see-the-best-in-6-hours-or-less-diy-guide

The highlight for me was the Malta at War Museum & War Tunnels. (Not to be confused with Fort St. Elmo aka National War Museum). The Malta at War Museum is slightly further out from the city centre - about a 10 minute bus ride away. The war tunnels were absolutely amazing and is the biggest I have seen. It's not just a few long tunnels but an entire labyrinth of rooms used as communal refuge rooms, supply rooms, private bomb shelter cubicles, first aid station etc. 

I took an included guided tour but you're free to just roam around, hard hats provided! I wrote a blog post about my DIY excursion if you're interested about the Malta at War Museum. 

https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/valletta-cruise-port-diy-excursion-guide

@orla56 There is one of those covered "air-bridges" like walking an airplane. See the photo in the link for what I mean - https://www.valenciaport.com/en/ports/passengers/services/

But Valencia cruise port is more of an industrial port, so it does depend on where the ship is being docked. (A new cruise terminal is being built right now). But as with all ports, those with reduced mobility can request assistance, so I'm sure that it won't be a problem getting off the ship. 

I really loved the Arts and Sciences complex! Hope you enjoy your port in Valencia! 

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

Whilst that makes a great deal of sense, it can be difficult to persuade drivers at the port to accept such a short trip - they generally want something more lucrative.

 

I wasn't referring to taking a normal taxi from the port to the cable car station. I agree with you - the taxis don't want do a short trip because they're waiting for the more lucrative trips to do a 2-3 hour tour. 

I was there in April 2023 and there were official taxis "selling the seats separately", just like a tour but for the trip to the cable car station. That's why I called them "shared shuttles". They'll let you sit inside the taxi and wait till the taxi is full and they'll take everyone to the cable car station. 

4 hours ago, jb12 said:

I wonder if I can use Free Now app to get from Athens airport  to Center of Athens and on the way back from Piraeus port to Athens airport.

Because of local taxi regulations, FreeNow is just a way to call a normal licensed yellow taxi in Athens. Same with Uber. So yes, you can use the app to call a taxi and pay with card. No difference really compared to just jumping into a local licensed taxi except the taxi will for sure let you pay by card. 

5 hours ago, pcrum said:

Thanks for this information. Can you pay the bus fare on the bus or do you purchase bus tickets in advance?

 

Thanks again. 

Cash only on the bus for single & return tickets. If you want to purchase the daily hopper ticket, then you can purchase online if you wish - https://www.citibus.gi/tickets-and-fares. Have a wonderful port day in Gibraltar!

Thanks for your kind words! Appreciate it! @edinburgher