marazul

Le Meridien is in the perfect location to see Nice. It is right across the sea on the Promenade des Anglais. If you can, stay there two nights. Short walking distance to everything - restaurants, flower market, old Nice, Place Massena, etc. The little tourist train starts right across the street. You are a little far from the train station, but just rightfor everything else. You may want to take a taxi to the train station for about $8 or it is a 15 minute walk. There is a line of taxis outside the door or the doorman will get you one. No need to reserve.

Based on transportation arrangements you are ok. The closest you stay to the sea and to the Nice flower market the better it is for sightseeing. A taxi to the airport is about $20. Trams are about $2 pp. It's only two nights. If you are active and fit you are ok. If you consider other places, I will offer my 2 cents. If not, enjoy and have a wonderful time.

Yes. Stay in Nice for two nights. It is easy enough to train back to Monaco. You save two transfers and checking in and out. Plus there is a lot more to do in the evenings in Nice than in Cap d'Ail. The Holiday Inn you picked is not in the best part of Nice. Do you have other options to use your points in?

Try https://www.friend-in-france.com/ for your transfers.

L'Antica Salumeria is directly across the piazza from the Albergo. Great porchetta sandwiches and many other things.

It was 4 years ago. I don't remember.

Shouldn't miss Valletta, Mdina and Hagar Qim. I recommend this company: http://www.guidedtoursmalta.com/

Tours provided by your cruise (SB?) line will be available because they have contracts with local providers. If you want to book with a local tour operator, do it NOW.

These are the areas open to the public now. The third level of the Colosseum is currently closed to the public. If you want a guided tour choose "Full experience ticket with access to the arena and underground with didactic visit". I suggest doing a couple of dummy bookings on the website so you are familiar with how it works. The Palatine and Roman forums are adjacent to each other. Actually, they are two sections of the large area of ruins next to the Colosseum. Yes, get that ticket and at least walk around there some. Read about it too. There are some very interesting structures you can visit there. Also consider visiting the Domus Aurea which requires a separate ticket. You can walk from your hotel to the Colosseum in about 20 minutes, but these are very busy streets with lots of traffic. The taxi is only 10 euros.

None of those are issues. 748 is a great location.

It is very expensive if you try to hire a taxi for a full day tour. If you take a taxi between Villefranche and the Villa Ephrussi, it is $10-15. Between Villefranche and Nice it is $25-30. That is for the ride not per person.

If you are so inclined, you can do a 9 hour private tour that would have you back on board by 5 pm the latest. Spend a good amount of time in Florence and just ask for a quick stop to take pictures of the tower of Pisa. Lisiamc is right in that there is quite a bit to see in Pisa, but for your first trip you should concentrate on Florence. There is so much more to see and enjoy there.

Google! There are many sites, just google "ships in port"

How many hours in port?

That's good. A little less traffic and all the museums are open.

Here is the Accademia website. Buy your tickets there, not from a "skip the line" vendor. https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/en/ I suspect the OP and friends will not be comfortable taking the train. However, a private excursion would be worth a splurge and it might not cost more pp than the ship's guided excursion. Firstly, the transportation will be faster than the excursion bus because there is no waiting for it to load and unload, and to organize a bunch of people walking through the city. That means you have more time in Florence to see something other than the statue. If you choose the "on your own" ship's excursion, you have to find your way to the Accademia and that could be stressful for you. The buses park a few blocks away and you have to find your own way in. On a private tour, the guide will work out a walking tour that takes you past some of the many wonders of Florence on the way to the Accademia and save enough time for a light meal or snack. And they will get you back on time! How long are you in port?

Talking about the mortgage required rates, the Bauer Palazzo is gorgeous and it has one of the most beautiful terraces on the Grand Canal. The terrace is open to the public and it is a magical place for a Bellini or Aperol spritz in the evening. The drinks only require a small loan from the bank.

Ask at your hotel.

We were on b2b cruises where we received a passenger list booklet each week.

Other than Sarande, all other ports have someting or a lot to offer. As Hank says, it is a shame to go that far that staying on board seems like a waste. Do get off the ship in the morning and see what the port has to offer. Then get back to the ship before or after lunch and relax the rest of the day. But from Motril go to Granada. From Catania, go to Taormina, Castelmola or Mt Etna. From Cadiz, a lot of options. Do go to the library and check out Insight Guides or Green Michelin Guides and read up on these areas. There is so much to see and enjoy in many of these ports that staying on board is really a waste. It's only a few days on the cruise. Relax when you get home.

Well, she certainly acted the part. Aloof and exotic. And I doubt there is a drop-down menu for deposed monarchies. She might grant an audience to the Supreme Allied Commander. You never know. 😁

You get noise from the anchor in the forward V1s on deck 5.

That could be a bit much for one day. You might want to pick Nice and Monaco or Nice and Cannes. Nice always first so you can see the Flower Market in action. It is a bit of a walk from the train station to the Flower Market. Same for the others. Go to google maps and enter: sncf gare [name of town] All three could be done if you have a very long port day, a lot of stamina and not a lot of interest in seeing much. In Cannes you see the beach and the fancy hotels. There is a lot more to see in Monaco old town - palace, cathedral, oceanographic museum. Of course, you would also take a look at Montecarlo. So, my vote would be Nice and Monaco.

We last received in 2019. We cruised both in 2021 and 2022 and there was never a consent form for a passengers list and no passengers list. Yes, the titles were interesting. Not long ago there was a Royal Highness from a now defunct monarchy.

Skip the castle and have a more comprehensive tour in Ephesus. And of course, if you have a private tour say "no shopping!"