nelderwoman

On 5/31/2022 at 5:05 PM, Hlitner said:

Yes.   There is a stop at Syntagma Square and you can enter the Plaka area from that location.

Hi

going to Athens in September. Took the bus the last time I was there. Can you just tell me please is the Plaka area easy to find from Syntagma square. And

do you get the return bus where the bus left you off 

thanks 

Thanks folks 

I have just booked the new ship Apex and we as offered stateroom 7190 

I have just remembered about this magic carpet. Where does it go up and down, it looks like it will block light from some staterooms and it’s wide roof with also shield sun. I know the Edge has the same 

could you give me your reviews and which cabins are involved. Would I be better off  on Port side

thank you as always and I hope we’re all safely back cruising soon 

For cruisers who only have one day in port, I DO NOT recommend the citysightseeing hop on hop off bus. We tried to use it this month and had horrendous experience. We bought our tickets online and downloaded to my phone. The line at the stop by the ship was long, full of other cruisers. They had a staff member stationed there and I showed him my phone and he said wait in line. After 25 minutes and 2 buses, the driver refused to let us on because the tickets were not printed!! The staff offered no help in trying to get them printed. we walked around and found a university reception desk that helped us. 45 minutes later we are getting on the next bus. The top deck of the buses are always full, and the bottom are stifling hot with no air conditioning and only 4 tiny window vents for the whole lower section. The red line is thru a heavy traffic area and you could walk faster that the bus travelled , plus they wait at some stops 10-15 minutes.! The narration is very limited and they don't announce which stop you are at so its not easy to follow along on their map. We wasted all day sitting in traffic and didn't even complete one loop.. we got off at one stop and upon return waited 45 minutes for the next bus. DO NOT waste your money..and your valuable time!

Thank you so much for this

Hi Terry

 

This was our day there in 2013. We just got an all-day travel ticket (€6 then). I wasted so much time queuing for a very ordinary ride in the Santa Justa elevator that I was unable to go to the famous pasteis shop in Belem :mad: Hey ho, you can't win 'em all.

 

All the best for June, Tony

 

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Thank you so much for sharing.

I am waiting on answer to exact same question

If your goal is to just go to Mdina (a pretty good goal) then it makes little sense to shell out the bigger bucks (or Euros) for the HoHo. Just go up to the top of the hill (there is an elevator that helps), walk over to the bus station and take the next local bus that goes to Mdina.

 

That being said, DW and I really enjoy the island of Malta (and nearby Gozo) and recommend that those with the time explore the island. Our preference is to simply rent a car and drive since we can then stop when and where we please without being concerned about HoHo bus schedules (which are often at least 30 minutes between buses). But we would also mention that driving within Valetta is a pain in the you know what.

 

Hank

Hank

Does the local bus go to the caves. Could we do both caves and Mdina in an afternoon.

Edinburgher this is brilliant. Thanks so much

Hi

We are on P&O Oceana next week and will be in Sibenik for a day

What will we do there for the day

Thanks

Thank you for your review it was helpful

In Athens is it easy when leaving The Acropolis to walk through the Plaka to Syntagma Square

in Katakolon, do we need need to pre book the tours

When finished visiting the Acropolis is it easy to walk to Plaka area and syntagma Square or just take the bus from where you got off

Thanks

Thank you so much Little Britain. Did u pay on the bus

Going in July

If this bus is running can someone let us know please

Many thanks

This building is about 3000 years old, and while the wood front has been modernized it is the original structure

 

Egyptian

We decided to skip the museum as a group and Jen and I decided to head back to the ship while most of the group headed off in the vehicle to a nearby monastery which looked beautiful.

 

The modern town of Chania which is very much a tourist destination is built on ancient ruins older than Pompeii or Ephesus. It is some of the oldest ruins in the world dating back 3000-4000 years ago. While there were a few events that damages the city like an earthquake most of the ruins are hidden by continually updating and modernization but you can see a mix of old an new if you look closely and our guide was invaluable and pointing this out. Walking around you would have no idea of this and the town would simply look like a very large Mykonos.

 

We went to another production show, not sure why as we usually go to none, and while it was ok, it wasn’t as good as iHolllywood in my opinion. The wedding game was last night which is always fun. Today we have another much-needed sea day (aren’t they all?). I am going to check out the matinee performance of a Phil Collins impersonator onboard this afternoon and then tonight there is a magician. Not sure Dee will join me as she doesn’t love magicians. I am going to post all the Celebrity Today’s eventually, maybe I will find time today and post a link.

We arrive in Israel tomorrow. Getting off shouldn’t be hard as immigration was done onboard on the last sea day in the Reflection lounge so we already have a landing car and our passports stamped (which Dee and I requested). We’re spending a night off the ship in Jerusalem and then going back to the ship for the move to Haifa where we’re touring for a third day in Israel in Tel Aviv.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Hi Jenna

Loving your posts.

Can I ask do u just request your passports being stamped with immigration

Thank you for your wonderful review and photos. I loved reading it.

St. Petersburg--This was not a DIY port for us. We were not interested in trying to obtain our own visa nor dealing with arranging our own transporation, etc. for 2 days. So, I researched several tour companies and based on our interests, we chose ALLA Tours. I was complelely satisfied with this company--they answered my emails; their staff was at the port on time each morning; they included all the stops they promised in their website; and they got us into all the sites in an expedited manner, especially the St. Peter and Paul Fortress which had a long line of other tour groups ahead of us. (Just be prepared for crowds everywhere!)

 

Helsinki--This port was probably my least favorite port since there seemed to be rather little to see or do there. We arrived at the West Harbour (LMA) and had no problem getting into the old town. Just follow the green line on the pavement out of the port area to the tram stop. A one-way tram ticket costs 2.5 euros if purchased from the machine or 3 euros if you purchase it from the driver. You can also purchase an all-day tram ticket for 8 euros which includes the ferry to Suomenlinna Island. (That's what we did).

 

The tram is #9 and if you are going to Market Square, then ride it to the stop called "Rautatieasema" at the main station. From there, it is about a 8 minute walk to Market Square.

 

You can also take a tram to the Rock Church ("Sammonkatu" stop on #2 tram) and the #2/#3 tram combo is a 1-hour circuit through the city which many use as a sightseeing "tour".

 

Here's a link from the Helsinki Tourism website showing the various tram routes. We found this map helpful and that using the tram was an easy and inexpensive way to get around town.

 

https://www.hsl.fi/en/timetables-and...utes-and-stops

 

We started our day by taking the ferry from Market Square to Suomenlinna Island and walking around for a couple of hours. (We did not pay to enter any of the various museums.) It was a gorgeous day to be outdoors, so we enjoyed that aspect of the island.

 

Upon our return, we somewhat followed the Rick Steves "Self Guided Walk in Helsinki", but there's not very much to see listed on that walk.

 

We started our "tour" by perusing some of the stalls in Market Square and then headed to the Esplanade Cafe at Pohjoisesplanadi 37 (on the north side of the Esplanade) for hot chocolate/coffee and one of the famous Finnish pastries, the cinnamon roll called "korvapuustit". It was DELICIOUS and we sat outside on the sidewalk watching all the people go by as we enjoyed our tasty treats. I'd probably recommend going here rather than the more famous Cafe Kapelli which looked really crowded.

 

From there, we took the tram to the Rock Church (which is under construction on the exterior). A classical pianist was performing inside the church which made our stop even more worthwhile. We then walked to the Kampii Chapel of Silence (not on the RS walking tour) because it intrigued me. It was worth about a 2- 3 minute stop and then caught the tram back to our ship. We considered doing the #2/#3 tram tour, but the sights on the tour, e.g. Finnish Opera House and the Finnish School of Economics just didn't interest us.

 

It's a little sad when the highlight of a port is a cinnamon bun, but that was Helsinki for us.

 

Next: Stockholm

hi GradUT

This sounds like my day in Helsinki. We will be on P&O Azura on June 15th

If you don't mind may I just confirm a few details with you

Is it easy and obvious to find the tram from the port. Can you just buy ticket on board?

Is the tram stop in Market Square easy to find to take us to the Church in the Rock? And to get back to the ship

Looking forward to that bun and chocolate

Thank you for this, we are anxious to try and do it ourselves, just like to have all details

I hope you had a great trip

Hi everyone

We are on the P&O Azura docking in Copenhagen on 15th June. I don't know which dock

It's our first visit and we'd like to visit The Little Mermaid, changing of the guard at the Palace and Hyhavn

Could someone please maybe walk me through this, how to get to these places etc

I'd be so grateful. I've spent so much time organising St Petersburg the other ports have fallen by the wayside

Thanks

Hi

We are going to Regensburg on a Viking River Cruise

I want to visit the Thurn and Taxis Palace.

Viking are offering a visit as a paid extra, I wonder is it easy to get there on our own or would it be easier to go with Viking

Any tips how to get there gratefully received

Thanks

Dear Nalderwoman,

Unfortunately, the answer about water levels is -It depends. It will be a function of how much rain and snow there was in the previous weeks.

Below is the link to our trip story and pictures.

http://stevekathytravels.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/christmascruise2007.pdf

The biggest market will be in Nuremberg and you will be bused from the ship.

We are happy to answer any questions

Thank you for your reply and lovely photos. I'm getting excited now

Hi folks

We are going on our first River Cruise with Viking. It's on the Danube. Budapest to Nuremberg

It's a Christmas market cruise

Can anyone answer a few questions

How are water levels ?

What's the weather like, is there any snow?

Can you normally walk to the markets or do we need shuttles or taxis

Any advice or tips gratefully received

Thanks

You really don't want to HOLD an ape, believe me. They should not be touched at all.

 

There is generally a shuttle to Casemates Square from the dock for a 3 or 4 euro charge. They will also take pounds (forget the price). When we were there 2 weeks ago, there was a small booth close to where the taxis line up for the tours. There is also a bus going to town about a ten minute walk away from the dock. Then again, in 20 you can walk to Casemates Square, which is the start of Main St. To the cable car is farther, and the lines can be very long, I hear. We didn't do the cable car; just took a taxi tour and then I took a bus a couple places. My pictures are at http:// http://www.pbase.com/roothy123 Gib was our 3rd stop.

 

Quite honestly, I would just take a taxi tour from the port - first one you run into that has some people already lined up. It's the best way to get to see things on the Rock in the least amount of time. Right now the value of the euro is fluctuating, so I don't know which is better - paying in euros or pounds. We had euros and just paid in euros.

 

If you're really on a limited budget, you can go a lot of places in Gib on the public buses with a day pass (maybe 5 euros? I forget). There's only one bus that goes a small part of the way up the rock, so just take the tour for the Rock. Then g to Europa Point (pretty) and "the Frontier" near the airport to walk across the runway. I ran out of time for the town and for cable car, but had a wonderful time doing just everything else. I read that the cable car is nice (but crowded) but the distances between attractions on the Rock are greater than you might think, so to see anything much there, you'll probably end up walking all the way down.

 

There are other threads on here that will help you. I got a lot of good info by asking questions on this forum.

Hi everyone. Thanks for taking the time to answer, we have decided to take the tour, best idea.

Very best wishes Neil, we had some laughs with you on board

Get well soon

Aurora won't be same without you

Tour lasted 1 1/2 hours an taxi will drop you back in the centre for shopping. We really enjoyed the tour would of been a shame going to Gibraltar and not getting to hold an ape.

 

 

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Thanks SCousemum. I think I'm sold

Thank you so much for this, really good points, gives me something to think about.

How long did tour last and had you time for a wee bit of shopping on Main Street

Hi

First trip to Gibraltar

We just want to have a wander on Main Street and go up the rock, I want to save the caves tours for another time so:

We are only in port from 1-6

How far would it be or how long would it take to walk from the ship to the cable car. We could then walk down Main Street back to the ship

Or

How much would a taxi fare be to the cable car station and are the taxi drivers willing to take you. I know they will be looking for tours

Which currency is best. British pounds or Euros

Thanks

Any tips or advice gratefully received