John Bull

Was your information about "tiered" disembarkation from a reliable source ? If not, do check with your cruise line. Usually ships allocate disembarkation times only at the disembarkation port, and at ports-of-call where they lie off-shore and tenders are needed to ferry passengers to the quay. I think all ships berth at the quay in Civitavecchia. If you're sailing MSC or Costa they often have pax embarking or disembarking at several ports during a cruise but I don't know whether allocation of disembarkation times affect those who are mid-cruise. Ship to rail station is more complicated than it was - it used to be a port shuttlebus to the gate by the small castle then a pleasant 15 - 20 minute seafront walk. But the port now uses a gate much further from the station, so most folk switch there from the port shuttle to a station shuttle. If you choose to walk, shops & stalls en-route sell BIRG tickets to Rome. Or, if there's a line at the station ticket window, buy them from the newspaper stand in the station, same price.. Wherever & whenever you buy tickets they're not dated. so It's important to get them validated (stamped) on the platform before you board the train, or an inspector will charge you an excessive penalty. Our first time we though there would be validation machines on the train - there weren't, so we travelled in dread of an inspector wanting to see our tickets. Luckily there wasn't one 😌 For the Colosseum get off the train at Ostiense station and follow the blue metro signs to the adjacent Piramide metro station to take the blue metro line (end-station Rebibbia or Conca D'Oro) two stops to Colosseo. https://www.rome.info/transport/public-transport/metro/ Give yourselves plenty of time to get from ship to Colosseo, if you arrive early enough explore the Forum (entry is the same three-venue ticket as for the Colosseum), right by the Colosseum. As you already know your metro ride is included in your BIRG ticket. JB 🙂

Don't waste your time & money on Rome's ho-ho buses. I'm a great fan of them in many cities,, but that doesn't include Rome (or Florence) They're forbidden down many small but important roads (and Florence's can only circulate round the edges of the old city). Colosseum & Vatican are the only two worthwhile places on their route, they hang around at Termini station (looking for more passengers) and the Vatican (so passengers can walk around the corner to see t properly), and like in most cities they're useless as "transport". But you could consider a night tour (different operator) on your first evening. If you've got three days (at least two full days) IMHO you'd do better to split Colosseum & Vatican into two days - Colosseum (and Forum and mebbe Palatine Hill) - Vatican (and Piazza Navona and Pantheon and mebbe Trevi and Spanish Steps). Colosseum and Forum and Palatine Hill are all on one 3-venue tickets. Buy in advance to avoid the ticket lines. For Vatican / Sistine Chapel you need to book well in advance - I think they're timed tickets but others will know better than I. JB 🙂

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic, For excursion-sharing, post on your cruise RollCall https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/20-roll-calls/ (menu page to RollCalls to your cruse line to your ship to your sailing date. Sailing dates aren't consecutive, each post puts that cruise to the top). As per CC rules, don't use other forums for things specific to your cruise - such posts are irrelevant to 99% of members and clog up the forums Cinque Terre is iconic - but about 2 hrs e/w from Livorno by road, and problematic due to crowding in the villages. The day of the week, the time of year, how many cruise ships are in La Spezia or Genoa, etc are all immaterial as we discovered to our dismay during a shoulder season vacation on a mid-week day when there was only one cruise ship in La Spezia. The frequent, convenient & good value Cinque Terre trains from La Spezia and from village to village were packed, the villages were packed - we saw a fight between two families of circling "vultures" when folk vacated one restaurant table, and our planned lazy lunch at an outside table on the harbour of one village became takeaway sandwiches sat on a convenient wall. We were lucky to get a ferry between two villages, which got us out of the hubub and the wind in our hair for about 20 minutes. If your proposed excursion involves travel from village to village by boat that's probably the best way to do it but it'll be expensive, esp including a van between Livorno and Cinque Terre. If it's all by van, the quiet winding roads between villages will be welcome breaks from the crowds, but the villages have roads restricted to locals etc and/or parking restrictions so expect one or two long walks. Don't expect a great response to an offer of excursion-sharing for this one - it's to far from Livorno and most folk will have their eyes on Florence and/or Pisa Pisa / Lucca / Winery sounds much more relaxing. Lucca via Pisa is about 40 minutes e/w from Livorno, much more sensible. Pisa's Field of Miracles of course is iconic - it'll be busy, but spacious grounds with plenty of room to breathe. We've been twice - both times it was easy to get a drink and a meal on the road of cafes bars & restaurants just off-site, but that's no guarantee. On a road-trip we had a few days based near Lucca. Attractive & historic walled city, un-crowded, plenty of shade and people-watching from behind a long cold beer. But not "iconic", unlikely to be of great interest to first-timers in Italy. A winery is a great way to round-off an excursion in Tuscany. I don't know how popular it will be with your fellow-cruisers - Pisa is cheap & easy by train, and Florence will be top of the list for many, but there will be those who've been-there, done-that. First job - find and browse your cruise Roll-Call, and at least post on there to say Hi to your cruise-mates. JB 🙂

Either of the terms that I've highlighted in red is reasonable - but both together??? Or to put it another way -- if you have to cancel within 24 hours of the journey time don't go to the bother and expense of phoning them, they're keeping all your money anyway so let their driver hang around in the Arrivals Hall for an hour or two while their car runs up Heathrow's exorbitant parking charges. 🙄😃 JB 🙂

Spain & Greece are at opposite ends of the Med., so it means a cruise of about 14 days or two back-to-backs (western & eastern Med. cruises) with a switch somewhere like Rome (Italy will figure in most Med. cruises) Best bet would likely be Barcelona to Rome, then Rome to Venice (or Ravenna or Trieste for Venice) or vice-versa. Several cruise lines offer these one-way cruises. That will give you the opportunity to spend a few days in Barcelona and/or Rome and/or Venice. You can book open-jaw (aka multi-city) flights from home to one of those places and back home from another at a fare midway between the return fares, provided that you book them both in the same booking and with the same airline or air alliance. JB 🙂

That 1/2 day in Volos puts you in the same position we were in. For Meteora it's ship's excursion or a seriously-crossed-fingers independent excursion, or a lazy day in Volos. After our little trip up in the hills we enjoyed a relaxing waterfront meal somewhere near the Azur Hotel https://maps.app.goo.gl/pYUQWRF8VpHH5vp7A For Kusadasi, as Hank's post you should have no problem fixing up a tour with a local operator JB 🙂

..........plus woodworkers, stoneworkers, etc, all in conjoined little villages that make up Ubud. And a street of stalls selling those artefacts, opposite a walk-thru monkey sanctuary (no fee when we were there). And / or the traditional Kecak sunset fire dance at Uluwatu Temple on the cliff overlooking the west coast. Quite spectacular, and in a spectacular setting. Worth arriving early to explore the temple https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=332c45449e59f683&rlz=1C1GEWG_en-GBGB999GB999&sxsrf=ACQVn09M5cqGdQ3YP6dT5DucxySkTkg-Yg:1710078539480&q=Uluwatu+Temple+Sunset+and+Kecak+Fire+Dance&tbm=vid&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjws4j_6umEAxVbUUEAHRwFA2cQ0pQJegQIDhAB&biw=1234&bih=671&dpr=1.25#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:d9b3c5b0,vid:pA9xzSfnLLc,st:0 (not my video) Monkeys here too. JB 🙂

The two brokers (as per @CruiserBruce 's post they're booking agencies, not excursion operators) specialise in excursions from cruise ships, so one can have more faith in them than in all-sorts agencies but do carefully check whether they're only offering platitudes or they accept liability if you don't get back to the ship on time. Missing a sailing when on a professionally-organised excursion is extremely rare, but no-one can guarantee getting back on time, and the krunch is whether they accept liability for getting you to the next port and all the costs involved. The only place that I'm aware of which is worthy of a visit from Volos is Meteora, about 90 miles & something under two hours away. If your ship is in port for only a short day that would explain why there are no ship's excursions. Our ship did offer that excursion, but their price was very high and the timing was too tight to risk renting a car. So instead we rented a car and explored the hills behind Volos - a pleasant but unexciting day. Some day we'd like to go to Meteora, it's a unique & magical place. The main attraction from Kusadasi is the ancient ruins of Ephesus, less than half-an-hour from the ship. I feel sure that the ship would offer an excursion - is your cruise a long way off, excursions not yet published? Or is yours a late booking, excursions already sold-out? There's no need to use a booking agency, plenty of local operators if you browse https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=Ephesus&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149 or google the place. We negotiated a taxi - that plus the admission worked out a little cheaper than an excursion, though our objective was doing-our-own-thing rather than cheap-skating (honest it was 😏). You do need a guide, or at the very least a guide book from a stall at the entrance - there's virtually no signage so you wouldn't have a clue what you're looking at. JB 🙂

Assuming you're a Brit, a P&O fly-cruise wins hands-down...... - You fly in a P&O chartered aircraft, way better value than booking flights separately. - direct flights from regional UK airports, everyone on the flight will be on your cruise. - you hand over your luggage at your departure airport and don't see it again until it appears outside your cabin door. - no ESTA required - at Grantley Adams airport you transfer off the aircraft straight onto a transfer bus which takes you to the port - no immigration, no customs, no baggage carousel, you don't even go into the airport terminal. - no long sail to your first port-of-call. - Ship's currency is sterling - no complications or expense in conversion - No daily tips added to your on-board account ($18 pppn on Celebrity) - No tips added to drinks prices, speciality dining service, spa, salon etc (20% on Celebrity) - Even before tips are added, the drinks are more expensive on Celebrity. - You get a full day & evening in Barbados at the start or end of your cruise - On your last day you aren't required to be off the ship by about 9.30am & left to fend for yourselves & your luggage until your evening flight back to the UK. Instead you have the run of the ship until your return transfer is called (between about 2pm and 5pm), including dining, bars, pools, etc & you can even explore ashore in the morning to or take a morning excursion, but have to be out of your cabin by about 8.30am (luggage storage provided). All very smooth & civilised, and your holiday starts at your UK airport. We've sailed the Caribbean with Marella and now-defunct Voyages of Discovery and half-a-dozen times with P&O and P&Os subsidiary Ocean Village, including last November on Arvia. Try the infinity pool & swim-up (errr, make that paddle-up) bar at the stern and the Crows Nest Bar high up at the pointy end. Headliners Theatre has amazing technology, comedians in the Club House We've also sailed Celebrity, we've found them more up-market & glitzy and the food is better, tho Arvia is very acceptable in both respects. P&O's passengers are almost 100% Brits, Celebrity will be mainly North Americans. We've happily sailed Celebrity in Europe, but haven't sailed on Ascent. Ascent is smaller (3250 pax) than Arvia (5200 pax) but both are bigger than our preference. You don't mention Ascent's itinerary, but we do prefer Arvia's eastern Caribbean over western Caribbean. Our favourite is southern Caribbean. You'd be very happy with either, but for a Brit P&O is a no-brainer. JB 🙂

Pretty-well anywhere in Europe a taxi for a day is very expensive - it's not like the Caribbean or Asia. If you choose that option you need to pre-book because you don't want to be negotiating on-the-day. On a vacation in Cyprus we've driven the Troodos Mountains in a rental car,, something you might want to consider. JB 🙂

There are direct flights between NOLA & London and between Istanbul & London - we've flown both. But friends who booked NOLA thro NCL had a long & frustrating journey via a layover in Atlanta, plus a couple of flight changes between booking & sailing which added to the confusion. And folk who booked London to Istanbul thro RCI for our cruise went via a long layover at Amsterdam - we had most of that day in Istanbul, they arrived early evening. This is because cruise lines have their pet airlines (sorry, their "preferred air partners") and if those airlines don't have direct flights then you can end up with a scenic tour of the world's airports. In both cases they paid more for those routes than the self-booked direct options, but I can't say that's the norm., and @YYCJim found the opposite to be true. Disadvantages too with some hotels booked thro cruiselines - always good hotels, but scant regard for location - often inconvenient for the sights, the airport and/or the cruise port. But at least cruiselines quote which hotels they use before booking, so you can research both price and location before booking. Added to that the cruiseline is an extra cog in the system, much like booking a shore excursion thro an intermediary. JB 🙂

I usually suggest the two mentioned by @Blue and Green plus https://www.aquacars.co.uk/ They're all based at the Southampton end. You could also browse the sticky thread at the top of this board - browse it from the last page first https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2968902-southampton-london-transfers-airport-lhrlgw-new-thread/page/5/#comments Even tho it's the tail end of the season I suggest you book several months out - they'll be taking bookings now for October. JB 🙂

Yep, port website shows Anthem as the only arrival that day - but she's a big lady. The only Nat Express that would suit is the 9.45am, arrives Heathrow between 11.30 & noon depending which terminal. if you plan to use Nat Express I suggest you book it soon. JB 🙂

Arrivals in Southampton are usually 5am to 7am, so 8am is probably first disembarkation. Cheapest is Nat Express as per @sddsddean's post - you will want to be at the airport about 2.5 hrs before your flight time, 90 minutes is the bare minimum, so book an appropriately-timed coach - they do book out early. Add up to £10 for a taxi to Southampton coach station Ship-sponsored coach transfers are rated by the cruise lines as fine for flights after 12.30 / 1pm / 1.30 (depending on which cruse line) so with a 3pm flight you have a wide window. Some ship-sponsored coaches (incl. Cunard, RCI and Celebrity) are expensive - I've seen over $100 pp - so usually more than a private transfer for two. Princess offer probably the best value at around $65 pp Pre-booked private transfers (check the top sticky on this forum for suggestions) cost about £140 to £150 for a sedan There is no direct train route Southampton - Heathrow, train travel for this journey is complicated, slow, and expensive. Drive-time monday thru friday is about 90 mins to 2 hrs, much quicker at weekends. JB 🙂

Southampton airport doesn't handle long-haul flights, just domestic and European flights. Whilst it's possible to fly to a European hub like Amsterdam or Paris then a flight to Southampton it's an expensive, time-consuming and troublesome option, so the vast majority of inter-continental travellers fly into London Heathrow (LHR) or London Gatwick (LGW) The greater number of US airports fly into Heathrow, the biggest & busiest airport in the UK. But from Orlando you can get some good deals with Virgin Atlantic to Gatwick Heathrow is very marginally closer to Southampton than Gatwick, Gatwick is less of a zoo. So don't worry about which of those two airports to fly into - instead choose according to your preferred airline, flight time, airfare, etc., and the airport will be whichever it is. From Heathrow, best public transport option is National Express coaches, but from Gatwick it's the train. For a private transfer expect to pay £140 to £160, for Gatwick £160 to £170 I'll second @Blue and Green's suggestion of International Friends tour-transfers - but not available from Gatwick, nor for those arriving same-day in Heathrow. Best value are their post-cruise transfers from Southampton to central London, those to Southampton are limited by registration tmes at the port. The cruise terminals in Southampton are close to the city centre, to Southampton's few "old town" sights and to coach & train stations. Here's a precis of suitable hotels - some are better (therefore more-expensive) than others, there are none that I's caution against altho Ibis Budget is quite limited for a stay of more than one or two nights. See the thumbnail map at the bottom of that page, it shows the locations of the hotels, cruise terminals & train & coach stations. https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm If your main concern is the train station consider hotels ! or 2, if your main concern is shops, pubs, restaurants, ferries & old-town consider hotels 4, 5, 6, 7 & 16. But the two areas are only a ten-minute walk apart. The city's B&Bs are mainly north of the train station, between Hill Lane & The Avenue, some are walkable to the station and/or the northern end of the city centre. Sorry, can't help with them. Southampton is a working city, not a tourist destination, but it has enough to amuse the visitor for a day. And it's a rail hub, with direct & inexpensive trains to places like.................... Portsmouth & Southsea (conjoined cities), under a hour from Southampton. Well-worth a very full day. https://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/things-to-do/attractions The major attraction is the ships etc of the Historic Dockyard https://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/things-to-do/attractions Salisbury about 35 minutes from Southampton https://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/salisbury/things-to-do/attractions Major attraction in this historic & laid-back city is its magnificent cathedral https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/visit-us/ And from Salisbury the ho-ho https://www.thestonehengetour.info/ to Stonehenge https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/ Buy tour Stonehenge tickets from the ho-ho operator, those tickets are "entry at any time", so you can ignore the website's need to pre-book an arrival time. Bath About 90 minutes from Southampton. Compact Georgian city with Roman Baths & Jane Austen connections, Rail station (Bath Spa) right in the centre https://visitbath.co.uk/ Winchester About 15 mins from Southampton Ancient capital of England. Cathedral much older than Salisbury. City streets are narrow, much more crowded than Salisbury. Plenty of other destinations by train, your departure station is Southampton Central https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ Or by ferry to the Isle of Wight. 35 mins (Red Jet fast-cat) or 60 mins (Red Funnel traditional ferry) from Southampton Town Quay. Slow-paced and laid-back island stuck in the 1950's. Attractions include Osborne House (designed in Italianate style by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria, and her favourite home) and The Needles. Or a ten-minute ride on the little Hythe Ferry from Town Quay across Southampton Water, then from the taxi rank at the pier in Hythe a 6-mile ride across a corner of the New Forest to Beaulieu https://www.beaulieu.co.uk/ Britains premier motor museum + Bishop's Palace + footprint of Beaulieu Abbey, razed during Henry V111's Dissolution of the Monasteries (no taxi rank at Beaulieu, arrange a time (3 to 5 hours) with the driver to bring you back to Hythe). JB 🙂

9.5 out of 12 * RA - Royal Artillery QMS Quartermaster Sergeant Scran - yep, grub. Both navy and army, but not only from 🙃 JB 🙂

My father was a CSM serving at JFHQ in BAOR, and 2I/C to the SNCO in the RA, . During a NATO exercise he needed 50 Battle Bowlers to be delivered by Fat Albert to his FLOT. Because QMS always halved requisitions he requested 100 Battle Bowlers. But the IOC of QMS was a TA Rupert CQMS, and sent him the 100 Battle Bowlers that he'd requested.🙄 They ended up using the extra 50 for their scran 🤣🤣🤣 Funny story, eh ? JB 🙂

You can see Nat Express stops by clicking the blue "i" against each coach on the day's schedule, and in the resultant pop-up click on "show calling points". The only stop in Southampton after the coach station is the bus interchange at the university main campus in Highfield, a residential area about 4 miles from the city centre / cruise terminals and no hotels in the area. Next stop is Winchester park & ride (outside the city of Winchester), then non-stop to Heathrow BTW a lot of conveniently-timed Nat Express coaches throughout the summer are already sold-out. 😮

When I was a nipper, kids who got into a dispute or a fight would agree a ceasefire by linking fingers with the opponent & both saying "Pax". Yes, we all spoke Latin in those days. 😃 JB 🙂

3pm is pretty mean 🙁 Yes, look for the ship offering "Bruges on your own", Bound to be more expensive than the independent shuttle, but wouldn't be (shouldn't be 🤔) as much as $120, and more of a guarantee for timing of both out & back journeys. Problem with the train is that it's hourly - and preceded by a shuttlebus to the station, so pot-luck whether you have up to an hour's wait at B'berge station. JB 🙂

We're usually carefree about doing our own thing, but on Tortola we used ship's excursion to Virgin Gorda (excursion boat) because there's no Plan B if the ferry fails for the return journey. We'd take the same view with Jost Van Dyke, so can't really help (you probably know the ferries go from West End, a 20/25 minute taxi ride from Road Town). We've been to Cane Garden Bay a couple of times (local vans), last time on Tortola we used ship's 4x4 excursion up into the north-western hills - a pleasant & convivial trip but not spectacular, and of course over-priced. JB 🙂

Hi Turtles, Ooops😮 Came across these gushing words on a T/A's website when looking for her Carib. itinerary " Experience exceptional comfort and warm hospitality on Celebrity Constellation, the fourth and final ship in Celebrity Cruises' sublime Millennium Series fleet. Designed to mirror her sister ships, Celebrity Constellation has an opulent yet contemporary style. Recently revitalised with stylish upgrades, you can discover the world in new luxury." So not my fault.😏 Nothing ever is 🙃 JB 🙂

Motril isn't a tourist destination, or even an excursion destination. The beaches are stony or gravel, very little sand. And few facilities. The town is a couple of miles inland and not very interesting. The obvious choice from Motril is the Alhambra, by far the closest and easiest port for it - an hour or less, on the outskirts of Granada and no need to fight the city traffic. But you do need to pre-book the Alhambra well in advance. Alternatives which need a rental car or private excursion include - the troglodyte town of Gaudix, but it's 30 mins beyond the Alhambra. Perhaps return from there to Motril on the twisty back road across the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and along the coast, altho that route takes 2 1/2 hours. - or west along the coast 20 miles 20/25 minutes to the caves of Nerja, just outside the town. Nerja is an old coastal town, a very pleasant & interesting vacation destination, but parking often isn't fun. JB 🙂

Hi, leaveitall, For us, and most Brits, "DIY" means walk off the ship with only a vague idea of what we want to do (mainly using ships' excursions as a guide-book 🙄) and seeing what vans at the port are offering, or negotiating what we've decided with a taxi. Very easy in most of the Caribbean 🙂, tolerably easy in most of SE Asia & South America 🙂, definitely not suitable for Europe 🥴. Same for you ? JB 🙂

That business was formed a good few years ago, it has a tolerably-decent reputation but like all agencies it also has the negatives mentioned by @CruiserBruce Better to deal direct with a well-reviewed excursion operator. If you name the port - and perhaps a precis of the excursion - we can try to point you in the right direction. JB 🙂