hoffdahl

We cancelled the transfers since it seems that our 6am arrival and 2pm departure for home sounds like it will give us plenty of time to get taxis.

We will either have breakfast and relax at the airport hotel (will it be easy to find?) or maybe take a taxi to another hotel near the cruise terminal. I will be checking out these hotels - any suggestions will be welcomed. Thanks for the advice.

Is there a deadline for when you can cancel transfers and be refunded the costs? I'm sure it's hard to predict, but do you think we would have a long wait for a taxi from the airport? And what about the taxi from the ship back to airport at end of cruise? (Our flight home is not until afternoon.) Thanks for your suggestions.

I will be on a Riviera cruise, Miami to Miami, with my 86 year old dad. Our less than ideal travel plans include a red-eye flight that arrives at 6am. We have an Oceania transfer to, I guess, the cruise terminal? And then a long wait before we embark at 1pm. This will not be easy for my impatient father. He is already worrying about where we will get breakfast, etc. So I would like to know if anyone who may have experienced this wait has any suggestions on how to make it as pleasant as possible. I am wondering what is available in the terminal, and is there somewhere to get breakfast? Will we be in charge of our suitcases until we embark or will Oceania take them from us at the terminal? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Thank you, wp bob, for the shuttle info. It will be very helpful in planning for our next cruise. We don't have a full day in Lisbon - the ship leaves at 3pm. On a past cruise I had two bad experiences with shuttles on days with earlier departures. People hurrying to get on the shuttles back to the ship were rude, pushing, etc. Did you experience anything like that at Lisbon? Approximately how far was the walk back to the ship from the town square that you mentioned?

I tried to get this thread made into a Sticky since questions about free shuttles are so frequent. I thought I had done everything necessary, but it appears I was wrong? If anyone more skilled at this than me (which is probably just about everybody) wants to try, I still think it would be worthwhile. Thanks

I would like to start a record of Oceania passengers' experiences with Free shuttles. I think this will help future cruisers plan for their activities at the various stops. I know it is a frequent question on this forum!

I was on Marina, April 2011, Pearls of the Riviera:

Valencia - Free shuttle took us near the train station. This was a great starting off point for a walking tour of the historic areas.

Palma de Mallorca - Free shuttle to an area below the cathedral which was used by several bus tour groups. We crossed busy street and had a short walk to stairs up to the cathedral area. Several stairs to climb to the church itself.

Marseille - Free shuttle to a convenient area to start some exploring. We were just steps away from the little HOHO tourist "trains" that have 2 routes through the city.

Sorrento - A short free shuttle ride helped us avoid a climb up the hill to the town's main square. From there it was a short walk to the train station where we got a ride into Pompeii.

Monte Carlo, Portofino, Amalfi - none needed

Livorno - We took a private tour so I don't know what was available.

Next year we plan to go on "Continental Connoisseur" and I would like to know what is available in Le Havre, Saint-Malo, Concarneau, La Rochelle, Verdon, Bilbao, La Coruna, Oporto, Lisbon, Cadiz, and Casablanca. I hope others of you will contribute to this thread, and thanks in advance for those of you who do.

It sounds as if getting a taxi from the ship into town won't be a problem - I assume there will be a line of taxis waiting at the pier. But when we are returning to the ship will it be easy to find a taxi? Is there a "best" location to wait for one, and how much time should be give ourselves to find a taxi to make sure we get back to the shi on time? Thanks for any help.