ajtraveler66

I'm not going to read all of the posts here. I am just going to say this. When our group of 4 was there in 2016, we did high tea at "Sweet Pea" at the Perfumory. It was a tremendous experience and one of my most cherished memories of Bermuda. Hopefully it is still in operation. I do know that there were only certain days that they were open...so check to make sure it matches your cruise itinerary.

The guided tour sounds wonderful. But it appears you would miss out on the coffee/cannoli experience. We'll just do our research and do the best that we can. Thanks for the info. Taormina looks like a 'must do'. .... Wondering if this ship excursion could be made a day prior to the event. Asking this...because weather can be such a factor. As wonderful as this place looks with the videos and pictures that I've seen ... I'm not so sure that I would want to venture out on a rainy day. (Our actual date to be there is April 20, 2023).

I'm hearing great things about Taormina. We'll be on the NCL Star in April 2023 with a port of call in Catania (Sicily). I see that the ship has excursions to Taormina: One is a guided tour ... the other is an "On Your Own" offering... suggesting that we would only be in the city for about 2 hours. I really think that two hours would be enough time to get a good view of Mt. Aetna, to stroll around for a bit, and to enjoy time for coffee/pastry, etc. Is there a better way to get there? Are we better off just staying in Catania? If we opt to go to Taormina (on our own) what highlights would you suggest for us?

Thanks for the tip on Ibiza. Yesterday I read some articles that police were dealing with NOISE issues even during the day. I'm sure your son is a good kid, but I was a good kid once myself, and I loved all that loud stuff. 😊. I think we'll stay in for at leasst MOST of that day. 😊

When you say don't skip Seville....do you mean Seville the city or Cadiz within the Seville area. The city of Seville looks awesome, but I've seen comments that you don't get much time there because of the time needed for travel back and forth. I'm hearing great things about CADIZ ... that city itself. I guess it's really a no-brainer. When you port at Cadiz (Seville) ... just be sure TO GET OFF THE BOAT! LOL! 🙂

Thanks for the advice, Hank. From my research, Cadiz and Portimao were looking like 'winners'. I, too, love sardines, and I had already read that grilled ones are exceptional. I think we'll definitely have to venture out while in Cadiz and Portimao. Now I look forward to hearing about Zadar, Sarande, Ibiza, and Motril. (Disappointed that Kotor, and Corfu were not included in the itinerary....but there is no perfect itinerary as we cruisers well know.) That entry into Kotor looks absolutely incredible!

Our group of four senior citizens will be on a 15-Day Mediterranean Cruise on the NCL Star in April of 2023. We are trying to decide how to divide our time. We've already made big decisions for several of our ports of call. But there are a few ports that we are not all that familiar with. Since we know that we would like to devote perhaps 2 or 3 different days to mostly 'rest time on the ship' (reading, lounging, etc.) we are trying to decide which days those should be. We enjoy the usual stuff: scenery, arts, architecture, good food. So we are willing to venture out a little bit at each port, if it's something we definitely should do. Here are the ports of call that are 'in the running' for 'spending the day on the ship': Zadar, Croatia (we plan to go to Split); Saranda, Albania; Catania (Sicily), Italy; Ibiza, Spain; Motril, Spain; Cadiz, Spain; Portimao, Portugal. If you've been to any of these places, let us know which ones you think are good candidates for "staying-on-the-ship" days? And why? {And we realize that weather may be a factor in determining what those days will be}. Also if there are any that you think we must NOT avoid, let us know...and why? Thank you all so much.

We are really looking forward to a 15-Day Mediterranean cruise on the NCL Star in April of 2023. Make no doubt about it, we plan to do it up right while in Venice, Naples, Rome, and Florence. We'll probably also want to spend a lot of onshore time while in Barcelona, Spain; Cannes, France; and Split, Croatia. The following ports remain: Zadar, Croatia; Sarande, Albania; Catania (Sicily), Italy; Ibiza, Spain; Motril, Spain; Cadiz (Seville), Spain; and Portimao, Portugal. Our group of four senior citizens will probably need about 2-3 rest days--days in which we spend most of the time 'taking it easy' on the ship. Some of you know the places in the above paragraph better than I do. Which ones should we consider as 'stay-on-the-ship' days .... and which ones should we be sure to get out and see things, if only for a half day or so. When it comes to travel, we like scenery, art, architecture, lay-back restaurants. We're not too keen on the shopping. So we are open to your suggestions on Zadar, Sarande, Catania, Ibiza, Motril, Cadiz, and Portimao. {And I realize that some decisions will be made based on the 'weather of the day'}.

I cruised the Mediterranean with an alumni group in 2012. The university had arranged all of our shore excursions through some travel agent. There were probably about 25 of us and we traveled that day in a bus. I remember our excursion out of Naples included Pompeii, quality time in wonderful Sorrento, and a tremendous lunch in Positano. It was -- without question -- the very best day of our cruise (which included Rome and Florence, and a few other ports). I plan to be on the NCL Star in April of 2023. And would love to relive that experience, if at all possible. Oh, I know it cannot ever be precisely the same--but the plan of the day can be. I have looked at the NCL offerings...and I cannot find anything that includes the itinerary mentioned in the title. Quality time in Sorrento seems to be missing if you want to include the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. I, personally, could do without another dose of Pompeii, but two in the group have not seen it...and they need to. And we definitely want to spend this day together. Any suggestions would be welcome. We will be a party of four -- all of us in our 60's to early 70's. As always, having the assurance of knowing we will get back to the boat in time is of extreme importance to us...so we would want to go with a reputable tour company.

Thanks for the advice here. Sounds like there is plenty to see in Cadiz. I think we will take advantage of this fact and just stay put. I checked out a few You-Tube videos, helping me to further concur.

I've gathered some new info on possibilities for tours while we are in Cadiz(Seville), Spain. It has been suggested to me that we should go to the actual city of Seville instead of 'hanging around the port' in Cadiz. I'd appreciate any thoughts on this. I see that NCL offers about 3 different types of excursions that go to Seville. One includes 'Seville On Your Own'. That obviously was the cheapest of the offerings. However, some of these cathedrals may require a ticket to get into them, and I'm wondering if we would be better off with a tour that has purchased the tickets in advance. I'm also willing to consider using a reliable tour company (other than NCL) as long as we have assurance in feeling that we would get back to the ship in time. Thanks for your input.

Curious ... should you see this. Did NCL Gem offer shore excursions that included St. Mark's Basilica and possibly a gondola ride to go with it? I'm thinking that maybe a ship excursion would be adviseable in a tender situation. (We'll be on NCL Star).

We hope to be on the NCL Star with a stop in Ibiza in April of 2023. The boat is only there from 7am to 3pm, so we will not have a lot of time. And obviously it will be too cool to consider serious beaching. Any ideas for an early leisurely lunch? Someplace near the port? If it has a great beach view that would be perfect, but certainly not necessary. I suppose we would be looking for tapas or possibly a paella (to provide local flair). Or it could be that we just take a stroll in the port area and just partake of our 'free' NCL food. Thanks.

We will be on the NCL Star in April. The cruise starts in Trieste and then we go to Venice the next day. (Not sure what port that will be as I understand cruise ships are discouraged to port at Venice...as the title suggests....I am confused). Our schedule does not permit us to come in a day early, so we are at the mercy of the cruise ship itinerary (not complaining...it is what it is). Will we be close to St. Mark's Basilica? I don't see any excursions available for going there. Furthermore, we will be there on a Sunday and even though we are Christians we are not Catholic, and it would be great if we could attend a mass there that day. Any suggestions on any of this would be appreciated.

In response to this: I have not made myself clear, I suppose. We do ship tours. One of them was the "Hop Off/Hop On Bus" tour. Our fear is not the fear of any port or people, OUR FEAR IS NOT GETTING BACK TO THE PORT IN TIME. That's it!. Sorry for any confusion. But these points that you've made are taken well.

Perhaps I was a bit misleading. We are not leery of locals at the port. Our fear is making sure that we get back to the ship in time. That is the reason that we lean toward the NCL-sponsored excursions. Certainly, not opposed to using other companies offering excursions as long as we know we will make it back it time. That's our chief concern.

Our cruise in April is on the NCL Star. The ship departs 10pm on April 15 from Trieste. Then we arrive at port the next morning (16th) at 6a.m. so that we can go into Venice until 10pm that evening. So evidently we will have time to see Venice...and won't need to do any pre-cruise excursions in order to see it what we want to see. Because of the possibility of flight delays, etc., when would you suggest that we fly into Venice .... and where would you suggest that we stay so that we would be reasonably close to the cruise terminal in Triest. Is there an NCL affiliated with this area that can help with the connections?

We were on a Mediterranean cruise back in 2010, and it started in Barcelona. We stayed at some hotel the night before, and I remember walking down the Las Ramblas and enjoying it very much. In April, we will be starting a cruise in Venice, and Barcelona will be one of the ports we actually visit while on the cruise. So my question is this: Do the 'hop-on-hop-off' tours include drop-off points that would include Las Ramblas? Any other thoughts that you might have to help us enjoy Barcelona--particularly Las Ramblas--would be appreciated. We are seniors now ... and we like good food, as does everyone. Any tapa place to recommend should we do the Las Ramblas again? Thank you so much!

When I was there, we didn't take an excursion....we just walked around. It was time well spent. The one thing that stands out in my mind is that huge cathedral that is there. Absolutely beautiful. I wouldn't miss that.

Rather than to go off on a shore expedition to Monaco (or whatever), we've decided to just stay at port in Cannes, find a nice restaurant (hopefully in a beach setting) and enjoy an hour or so there. Then just mosey around for a while and head on back to the boat. Another option in lieu of the above would be to find a great French pastry shop and splurge on pastries and coffee. Ready to hear your thoughts.

Our tour with NCL Star (April) will start in Venice. We've already started working with a travel agent, and knowing us, we will want to arrive in Venice the day before the cruise embarks. We definitely would like to experience a gondola ride (It doesn't appear to be an excursion offered by the ship). And any suggestions for a hotel? What about a great mid-priced meal that night as well. We--a group of four senior citizens--thank you in advance for your help.

We've zeroed in on our itinerary and will be (Lord willing) in Croatia in late April 2023 on the NCL Star. Our ports for Croatia include Zadar and Split. That said, we'd like to take a scenic excursion at the port (of these two) that you feel is best for that. We're hesitant to go out on our own and will probably stick with a ship cruise unless you have any other 'safe/reliable' suggestions. As for the other port (whichever that turns out to be) we will probably just stroll around the port area and take in a leisurely lunch at some restaurant with local flare. (We would be willing to venture out by taxi a mile, maybe two, if that's what is necessary). We four senior citizens (who are currently in good health) look forward to receiving your suggestions. Thanks.

Portimao is on the itinerary for a late April 2023 cruise that we are very seriously considering--Lord willing. (We are four healthy senior citizens). Do you have any recommendations on what we might enjoy as far as sightseeing goes (particularly nature as opposed to architectural). Also...it's always fun to have a leisurely lunch at a place with a real local touch and a great view, if possible...any suggestions? Selecting this cruise itinerary came as a surprise to us. But it's on a smaller ship, NCL Star. And the thought of passing through the Strait of Gibraltar also helped to inspire us to make this decision. Thanks.

We--a group of four seniors--are hoping to do a Mediterranean cruise in April. Ibiza is on the itinerary. Is there plenty to see in the port area? We don't have mobility issues, but we always like seeking out local restaurants with a local flare, and with a good view, if possible. Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Seville (Cadiz) is on our NCL Star itinerary for April 2023. Are there things to do/see near the port? (We don't mind venturing out a little bit if necessary). Is there a decent beach nearby for just walking around? (Again, we don't mind venturing out a little bit if necessary). Any suggestions for a nice lunch? (Preferably near the port on this one). Look forward to hearing from you.