MalibuCA

Thanks for your advice. I'll check it out.

Shelley

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I am talking about Alcudia. Our ship will be in the port. To clarify, we just walk through the gate and the stairs are right there?

Thanks,

Shelley

Can you tell me where we access the Old Town perimeter walls so that we can walk above the town when we visit Puerto de Alcudia, Spain? Is there an admission fee?

Thanks,

Shelley

For those of you who have visited Ibiza by cruise ship, these questions are for you. Thank you in advance for your help. My husband and I will be in Ibiza on the Crystal Symphony next August. Our plan is to visit the city on our own. We want to spend our day in the Old Town, D'Alt Vila. We plan to return to the ship in the afternoon. Since the ship doesn't sail away until 1 am, and Ibiza is such a "party" city, we thought that after we have an early dinner on the ship, we would go back into the city. In the evening after dinner, we want to return to the La Marina area to watch the party revelers have fun. Could be quite the show! Here are my questions:

1) Where do the cruise ships dock? Is it walking distance to La Marina, or would we need transportation at night?

2) Were there many available taxis in the morning at the ship so that we could taxi up the hill to the Old Town? We will walk back down, but I've read that it is a very steep climb, and I'd rather ride up and walk down.

3) Were there many available taxis at night at the ship to take us to the La Marina area in the event it is too far to walk?

4) Were there options other than taxis - both day and evening?

5) Did your cruise ship provide a shuttle into Ibiza? Where did it drop off and pick up passengers - city center in the lower town, or up the hill in the Old Town? Did the shuttle run throughout the evening, or did it stop at an early pm hour?

6) Is there anything more you can tell me about getting around Ibiza that might help me with my logistical planning?

I'm posting this to the Crystal board, too, hoping that I get specific information from Crystal passengers who have visited Ibiza. However, I'm hoping that passengers from all cruise ships, who have visited Ibiza, might be able to share with me their transportation experiences too. I appreciate the help.

Thanks,

Shelley

Thanks for your help!

Shelley

Thank you for your suggestions. I've arranged a private guide to take us once again to Ephesus and Sirince. We loved the village and Ephesus with the Terrace Houses can't be beat for great ruins. We've built our courage to wander Istanbul on our own - every guide I contacted said that we've seen it all previously, and there's really no other great sights to see. So, we will simply wander from the ship to the Grand Bazaar area and soak up all of the daily life and ambiance that Istanbul has to offer. Probably will do the same in Izmir. Thanks for your help.

Shelley

To walk down, is there only one road, or is there a particular route? Please share the "how to" and the chances of getting lost. One more question . . . how long does it take to walk down at a pace that is slow enough to enjoy all the sights around us?

Thanks,

Shelley

My husband and I are visiting Izmir, Kusadasi and Istanbul on the Crystal Serenity in September. We are looking for private guides for the two of us. We have visited Kusadasi and Istanbul in 2014, and therefore, we are looking for something new that we didn't see before. We visited both Ephesus and Sirince in Kusadasi. We hit just about all of the "must see" sights during our three days in Istanbul. This is our first trip to Izmir. For those of you who have visited these ports by private guide, please share with me contact information for your very favorite guide in these cities.

Thanks,

Shelley

My husband and I will be on the Crystal Serenity with a visit to Izmir. I am trying to decide between two excursions: "Pergamum Discovery" or "A Visit to Sardis." Which should we go to? Pergamum or Sardis?

Thanks,

Shelley

Back to my original post . . . I just want to thank all of you so much for your advice and excellent information. I'm reconsidering a car rental now. If all of these cruise lines offer the Perce excursion around the rock, then I expect Crystal will too. Unfortunately, I expect it will be at a price that's even higher! Loved reading about the Puffins, too, although I'm not sure if I'll see much more than the Gannets in October. The natural scenery looks so magnificent that I don't think it much matters what specifically we see - it will all be fantastic! Our trip isn't until October 2016, so I'm looking forward to feedback from all of you when you return from your 2015 adventures!

Thanks again,

Shelley

Thanks for your responses!

Shelley

Alberta Quilter - Thank you, that would be great if you could share your information when you get back.

Pizzalady1 - Thank you for the clarification. I'm also interested in learning more about National. I know that Budget is located next to the Marina dock, but I wasn't aware National was local. Do you give them the time that the ship arrives, and they have the car waiting for you at the dock? At the end of the day, does National send a representative to the dock to take the car back from you? Are you setting the times for delivery and return in advance, or do you call them when you arrive at the dock? Which company are you using for the boat tour around Bonaventure Island?

Your help is really appreciated! Thanks!

Shelley

My husband and I will be cruising the Crystal Serenity with a stop in Gaspe, Canada on October 15. From Gaspe, we would like to go to Perce. Does anyone know how late the whale watching season lasts in Perce? It looks like the boat tours run until October 30, but I'm wondering whether there are still lots of whales to see, or whether the whale opportunities will be sparse? No need to take a whale watching tour if there aren't any whales still in the area!

Thanks,

Shelley

My husband and I are taking a "fall foliage" cruise on the Crystal Serenity in October 2016, and I'm trying to get a jump start on possible shore excursions. The ship stops in Gaspe, Canada. We are hoping to book a boat tour in Perce (1 hour from Gaspe) that goes around Bonaventure Island - either through Crystal or through a private company. If we do this through Crystal, then the transportation is included. If we do this through a private company, then we will rent a car and drive to Perce. Questions:

1) Have you been to Gaspe?

2) Have you visited Perce?

3) Did you take a boat tour around Bonaventure Island? If yes, was it through Crystal or privately?

4) Do you know whether Crystal has offered a boat tour excursion around Bonaventure Island in the past? I have tried to search the Crystal website for past cruises, but nothing pops up. Moreover, Gaspe is not designated on the itinerary as a maiden port for Crystal. It's a real puzzle! Unfortunately, there are no "sample" excursions listed for Gaspe on my cruise.

5) Can you recommend a private company for this type of excursion? I have come across a few names, but when I search their website, everything is in French, and I'm afraid that my high school French is very rusty.

Any help you can provide is very much appreciated!

Thanks,

Shelley

Thanks for your advice!

Shelley

I absolutely will! You are my new "go to" Nova Scotia person! Thank you again!

Shelley

Maryann -

This is fantastic! Thank you so much for providing me with this valuable information! I'm digesting it all, and I'm sure that, at some point, I will have more questions for you. You have made my life so much easier! Thank you!

Shelley

Thank you so much, Maryann! This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to receive. I will check out all of your recommendations! Are any of these locations in the Annapolis Valley? Is that an area to see changing leaves?

Yes, we are going to be in Sydney the day after Halifax - Thursday, October 13, 2016. I haven't started my research for Sydney yet. That's my next challenge. Do you have any special advice or recommendations for what we should see and do there, and where we can hope to find changing leaves?

Thanks,

Shelley

We are taking a Fall Foliage cruise on the Crystal Serenity in 2016. Trying to begin my research early! We will be in Halifax, Nova Scotia the second week of October (on the 12th). We are in search of places to see the leaves change color (being from CA, we don't see much of that). We would like to rent a car and drive to vibrant, extraordinary colors! I certainly recognize that no one can foresee the future and predict exactly which days of October that the leaves will be most vibrant, but I'm hoping that you can recommend places we should drive where the leavings will be popping - provided the climate cooperates to make October 12 a great time to view the colors. If you were renting a car in Halifax and searching for changing leaves, where would you drive?

Thanks,

Shelley

Thanks! I found that too. All set now!

Shelley

I have read that there are four synagogues in Gibraltar. Are tourists permitted to visit any of these synagogues outside of attending a service? We enjoy seeing synagogues in places that we visit - no different than visiting beautiful churches, too. Do you know if we can just walk in, or is it necessary to make arrangements in advance? Which synagogue(s) allow visits? Do you have website information or address/location for these synagogues? I've googled and googled, but I can't seem to find the information that I need.

Thanks for your help.

Shelley

Thank you for sharing! Much appreciated!

Shelley

My husband and I are going to be in Palamos, Spain on the Crystal Serenity from 8 am to 6 pm. I'm looking for a private guide/touring company that can take the two of us privately from Palamos to Girona for the day. I have found tours that begin in Girona, but we have no way to get there. There are also tours that go from Barcelona to Girona, but we need to be transported from Palamos. Any suggestions or recommendations?

Thanks,

Shelley

Great story, Hank, and thanks for sharing. Thank you all for your help. Now we need to balance all of the wonderful suggestions and purchase our flights. We're planning on 10 full days of sightseeing prior to our cruise. Anything we miss . . . we'll just have to return again. To buggins2402 - Thank you for the Chateauneuf de Pape recommendation, but we were actually there previously on a river cruise last year. That's when we discovered that we love the south of France, but need to see it up close and personal - not just on a river boat. Thanks again for all of your help!

Shelley

We plan to visit the following cities/villages in the South of France prior to boarding the Crystal Serenity in Marseille:

Arles

Aix-en-Provence

Avignon

St. Remy

Les Baux

Ansouis

Gordes

Roussillon

Menerbes

Lourmarin

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Venasque

and possibly:

Lacoste

Oppede le Vieux

Bonnieux

How many days should we plan pre-cruise in order to visit all of these villages and cities? We do not want to rush, but instead, we want to savor the moments and soak up the ambiance. We are retired, and fortunately, we are not restricted by time - we want to spend whatever number of days is necessary to do it right and in a relaxed way. Which cities/villages should we combine on the same day, and which cities/villages demand a full day each? I know that part of the charm of visiting the South of France is to be free of a set-in-stone itinerary, but I need some kind of plan to know how many days to spend pre-cruise. If it helps, we are considering Aix-en-Provence, Avignon and Marseille as our single base hotel. I know that Marseille doesn't offer the charm that Aix and Avignon do, but they do offer larger hotels with excellent concierge service that the smaller boutique hotels in Aix and Avignon may not provide. We are still very ambivalent on which city to use as our base, but for planning our itinerary, it doesn't seem to matter so much since most of the villages and cities that we want to visit are within 1 - 1.5 hours from all hotels that we are considering. How many days???? Looking for your brilliant help!

Thanks,

Shelley