mamkmm2

Just thought I would share.

http://www.gpsmycity.com/gps-tour-guides/liverpool-2632.html

There are two for the Beatles, several historic building walks, etc. They even have some audio files and a directory of pubs. Someone may find this useful while planning their trip to that port.

Also, according to what I've found, Albert Dock has free wifi. Free works for me and that will help me avoid using some of my on-ship minutes.

I can't do better than Bob's advice.

Rail schedules for bank holidays are usually the same as - or very similar to - the more limited sunday service.

 

But commuters are the rail network's main users, so rail operators use sundays to carry out track maintenance, which further affects services. Bigger jobs mean that Saturdays are also affected. And the biggest jobs are done over bank holiday weekends. Murphy's Law says you'll be using Gatwick at the same time as a major track job.

 

Immediate post-cruise tour-transfer Southampton to London via Salisbury, Stonehenge, Windsor is easier to advise.

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_to_london_shared_bus.html

Do buy your Stonehenge tickets with your transfer ticket, to avoid the potential problem of delayed admission without a timed ticket. Like the Salisbury-based ho-ho, those who buy from the operator have dispensation to be admitted immediately. I don't think the same applies at Windsor castle, perhaps others can comment.

 

JB :)

And for those of us traveling to the area in July, it looks like central London will be shut to most vehicular traffic on the 30th and 31st for some type of bicycle event. I know for my family this is really going to impact our plans as we return to Southampton on July 31st.

Empanadas. Yum!

Thought this was an interesting question so went looking for the answer myself and here's what I found at tripadvisor concerning passport stamps in Cozumel.

To answer the OP's question, you have to go to the national immigration office on the corner of Av 15 Sur and Calle 5 between the hours of 9am and 1pm.

 

To correct information, passengers are required to show government-issued photo ID to reboard their ships after a day in Cozumel -- for all cruise itineraries. Most passengers use their passports. Some of the piers require photo ID at the pier entrance and others do not. But at those that do not, ID is checked at the ship's door. Mexican immigration officers always visit the ships at arrival and departure.

San Miguel is a fantastic little town with tons to see... take the taxi to town, walk around for a few hours, there is a museum but its small. Then if you still have the energy, walk back down to Puerto Maya... but it is a long way and very hot, on uneven sidewalks with some shade but I would say more sunny that you think. You can duck in some of the little bars and cafes along the way to cool off if you want. Taxis will slow down and ask if you need to ride, so at any point you can grab one. Really... Cozumel is the friendliest and easiest island in the Caribbean.

Glad to hear that San Miguel is worth walking around in. We'll check out some of the cafes - hubby can eat anything he wants and at least I'll get to enjoy watching him enjoy it. LOL

One of the reasons we chose Cozumel before the Bahamas or other itineraries is because we'd heard how friendly it is there.

First off, I think if you choose a Caribbean cruise vacation you have to accept it is primarily about beaches and watersports, with a few Mayan ruins and forts thrown in.

 

My first couple of visits to Cozumel I stayed on the Main Street of San Miguel with hundreds of other cruisers and was not very impressed. Next time I hired a driver for the day,and took a tour around the island and discovered life away from the crowds. We have since returned for several land visits in addition to cruise days. Plenty of photo ops of lighthouse, scenery and wildlife on a private tour and opportunities to get in and out of vehicle as you like. That said we do like to relax, preferably in a quiet area, with the sound of the ocean and enjoy a drink and a snack.

 

To answer your questions more specifically. You can use Google maps to find the distance and route from San Miguel and even do street view right round the island. It is about 3 miles, one way from Puerta Maya to middle of town. I have walked it, while on a land visit - it is perfectly safe. There is a pedestrian walkway most of the way, until the outskirts of town- would I do it on a cruise day, probably not, it is too hot and is more than I would want to do followed by walking round town. I would taxi to town and then walk the length of the malecon and explore the streets behind the square but if you are fitter maybe walk one-way, explore, then taxi back? There is a small museum and old church in San Miguel, nothing outstanding, but interesting in their own way. Here is a link to get you started:

http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages/CozumelCruisesOnYourOwnWalkingTour.htm

 

Non- beach activities we have done and enjoyed: photo tour with Tati Biernas (regular and custom tours), excellent cooking class- Cooking with Josefina, Chocolate factory tour (interesting hands-on demonstration, but may be limited if diabetic), take a taxi out to the small ruins at San Gervasio to look around, walk through the jungle, take photos, maybe combine with exploring the town? Taxi rates are posted at the pier, confirm before you leave, - you can get a ride to the ruins, with waiting,and then ask to be dropped off in town on the way back. We haven't done them but there are Segway tours and electric bike tours, mostly on the east side.

 

None of this is outstanding, "must-do stuff" but we find Cozumel to be a very safe and friendly island to explore.

This is a great review and gives me a realistic idea of what is possible. One of the problems we are having is that our ship docks at 1:00 pm and doesn't leave until 10:00 pm. I'm noticing that many attractions/venues close by 4 pm. Some of the other venues (mainly shopping and dining and the bars) run their hours based on when the ships are leaving port so we'll probably do one attraction first thing ... possibly Discover Mexico ... and then shop so we don't have to cart around any potential purchases.

Thanks for the help.

It's nearly 5 kilometers (3 miles) from PM to the downtown plaza. $7 by taxi. Still in any heat that's a long hot walk. PM is at Km4 Sur on the along the coast road. Discover Mexico is at Km 5.5 along the coast road. That's around a mile. But it's $10 by taxi because it's in the Hotel Zone. There is a sidewalk, but might not be smooth all the way although I think Segways roll along the sidewalk on this portion of the road.

 

DM has exhibits and slide shows on all of Mexico and Mexican history. Noted for their miniature models of many famous sites. There's a museum shop and a café.

 

But frankly, you can find plenty of shopping in the Puerta Maya complex and Pancho's Back yard has a nice terrace for dining.

Thanks. From one Floridian to another. As for the heat ... I walk here in the Tampa Bay area all the time all year long. The heat isn't what kills you, it's the humidity. LOL Which brings to mind that I need to be sure and bring our water bottles and a small cooler bag I can tote them in.

Is there a reason you don't want to take a cab into town?

 

It is a long walk (about 5 miles), along a busy road to get from Puerta Maya to San Miguel.

 

San Miguel is nice to walk around.

Not against a taxi but I was kinda hoping there was something worth seeing along the way.

To be honest, even on a first visit to Cozumel none of the excursions really jump out at me and make me want to buy anything. And yes, I've looked at non-cruise vendors.

Maybe a museum or something along those lines but hubby and I are the type that like to get out on foot and look around where we are visiting, take pictures, etc.

So my question is for those of you familiar with the area ... we'll be docking at the Puerta Maya but aren't averse to walking to San Miguel ... and are things really worth the walk?

Is walking from Puerta Maya to San Miguel safe ... as in would we share the road with traffic or is there a pedestrian walk way/path/side walk?

I've seen estimates from 2.8 miles to 6 miles between Puerta Maya and San Miguel. Which is closer to the truth?

Is there anything within walking distance of Puerta Maya that really stands out as something to do? Like the "Discover Mexico" attraction?

Thanks. I'm just getting the impression that most people get off the cruise ship and go to a beach resort. We're from Florida and have beaches accessible to us every day of the week. And I don't really want to get off a boat to get on another one. LOL. And we aren't drinkers ... I'm diabetic so it is a major no-no.

Just a little guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Oh, and my husband speaks fluent Spanish so there isn't a language barrier if that's an issue.

My kids will be staying home by themselves and my father is in ill health so being able to connect and check for emergency calls, even if we don't actually connect to a person, will make this trip much better for us.

My question is how/when do you purchase the wifi? Do you wait until you are on the ship or do you do this in advance. I've looked all over the Carnival website and can't find the answer. Thanks.

For the teens and perhaps some of the adults I would suggest the free hike from town in Skagway out to the Goldrush Cemetery then up to Reid Falls. The waterfall is worth the hike and the history attached to the Goldrush Cemtery is very interesting as well. When I say a hike I do mean a hike ... I think from the visitor center in Skagway it is a three or four mile hike round trip though about half of that is through the town of Skagway itself. I think there is a city bus that will drop you off close to the cemetery for a nominal fee if you don't want that kind of hike.

In Juneau, the Juneau Whale Watch company had really good online deals when we booked that cut our whale watching cost by about half for hubby and I and while a small company, they are very knowledgeable. If that is out then take the city bus to Mendenhall Glacier ... older party members can have a good time at the visitor center (accessible via an elevator for those that can't do the hill up to it) and the 45 minute hike out to Nugget Falls would be another Wow for the more active members of your party. Even the photography points near the roundabout where the buses drop off provide a draw dropping look or three.

In Ketchikan the funicular/tram up to the small resort at the top of Married Man's Trail is more than worth the $2 for the ride. $2 is for the whole day (they put a bingo spot on the top of your hand) and the boys can hike down Married Man's Trail and meat you at the bottom at the end of Creek Street which is itself interesting but tending hard towards needing rejuvenation.

When in port expect just about everything to be more expensive than you expect and build it into your budget ... especially drinks and food. I can see three teenage boys needing to be refueled on a regular basis some come prepared. (grin)

Mine are in my signature. Warning, it is long....

 

Tim

LOL! These play really, really well via Apple TV and my iPad.

This needs a bump. It is a great resource.

After reading another thread about ideas for celebrating an anniversary on-board' date=' I decided to try and find some "flameless" LED candles for our upcoming anniversary cruise. Today I found 3" wax LED candles for $3 each at our local Big Lots store. I bought three, figuring I'd use one as a bathroom night light and the other two in the cabin or maybe on the balcony.[/quote']

 

As you can tell I'm reading, reading, reading a bunch of threads for ideas and this is definitely a fun idea. We are doing a 25th Anniversary cruise (our first cruise) to Alaska this coming May. We never go over the top but for a 25th you just gotta at least get close. LOL! I was wondering about surprising hubby with a little decoration thing and this would actually be perfect.

 

You can find those flameless candles by the bucket full at the party stores, usually over in the bridal shower area.

We are on different cruises. My land portion starts on May 25th, and the cruise portion starts on May 29th. We are doing the DBX cruise tour that originates in Anchorage for one night, goes to McKinley for one night, Denali for two, and then to Whittier to board the ship.

 

As to your question on the cruise ship schedules, here is the link to a site which has information on each of the ports:

 

http://cruiseportinsider.com/index.html

 

Once on this site, scroll down to where it shows Alaska and click on this to get the dropdown for each of the ports. Click on one of your ports, lets say Juneau for example. Then you get to a page that says "Juneau basics" at the top. Then scroll all the way down to where it says "Cruise port Schedule"

and click on that. You will then see all the ships that are in port on each day for that port, in this case Juneau.

 

You will need to repeat this process for each port that your ship is sailing to.

Thanks! As you can tell ... I've never cruised before and didn't realize how many similar itineraries there were out there.

First, it has been extremely helpful to review all of the ideas and info on this site over the last several days after booking our cruisetour on the Coral Princess starting on May 25th. This site is an outstanding resource. This is our first trip to Alaska and my wife, daughter and I are looking forward to the itinerary below.

 

Day 1- LAX to Anchorage. Arrive mid afternoon, transfer to Captain Cooks and then weather permitting rent bikes at Pedro's(about 1 block away) and take the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Dinner that night will probably be at Simon and Seafort where we hope to have Copper River Salmon.

 

Day 2- board motor coach to Mt. McKinley Wilderness Lodge and that afternoon take the shuttle to Talkeetna and do a flightseeing and glacier landing with Talkeetna Air Taxi. Hopefully the weather allows this tour, it looks to be spectacular. We are doing the Grand Denali Glacier tour.

 

Day 3- take the train to the Princess Denali lodge. Explore the lodge and possibly take a tour, undecided at this point.

 

Day 4- All day in Denali with the Tundra Wilderness tour.

 

Day 5- Motorcoach to Whittier, board the Coral Princess, get settled in our balcony mini suite.

 

Day 6- Hubbard Glacier

 

Day 7- Glacier bay

 

Day 8- Skagway, using Packer Expeditions, take the train and then a 4 hour hike through the rainforest on the Denver Valley Wilderness Hike and White Pass Railway adventure. By the way, one of the benefits for our Wednesday departure is there are only two ships in port this day in Skagway.

 

Day 9- Juneau, Harv and Marv Whale Watch bright and early, drop us off at Mendenhall, tour glacier, shuttle back to enjoy Tracy's King Crab.

 

Day 10- Ketchikan. Get off the boat early and tour the Totem Heritage and hopefully Saxman Native Village. Then off to Southeast Sea Kayaks for the Orcas Cove Trip around noon.

 

Day 11- at sea, and recuperating before arriving in Vancouver on...

 

Day 12- fly back to LAX and travel to our home in Laguna Hills.

You sure this is the Coral Princess? I know she has a southbound but I thought it started in Fairbanks. This is our exact schedule (sail date on May 25th but the land part starts on the 21st) except we are sailing on the Sapphire. LOL!

We are doing the tundra tour our full day in Denali too. The 6 am one. ROFL! I hope the animals are up by then. (grin)

How do you know how many ships will be in port on each port day? That sounds like an interesting way to plan things out.

Thanks.

Land/cruise package on Princess Cruise Line; ship = Sapphire Princess

First cruise to Alaska ... first cruise period. Despite living in a large port city in Florida cruising was just never one of the things we chose to do as we saw it an activity for "old folks", not for the young and active campers and hikers we were. We still camp in tents and hike the backcountry when life allows - we've done it with five children of all ages in tow - but for our 25th Anniversary we want something different. It will be one of three vacations that we've taken without children in all 25 years so I expect it to be different for that reason alone. LOL!

Because we are usually so active we went with a combo land/cruise package that starts in May. Not the most optimal month for seeing Alaska I suppose but the only time we could get away from our business. We even plan on arriving a couple of days in advance of the vacation package starting. Any hints or suggestions are welcome. I'm certainly combing this website and the forum and have gleaned lots of things I never would have thought of ... like taking a power strip to make sure we have enough electrical receptacles for all of our electronic chargers.

Day 1 (May 18): arrive late afternoon in Anchorage after flying all day from TPA

Day 2 (May 19): Anchorage and the surrounding area (still in planning stage)

Day 3 (May 20): Anchorage and the surrounding area (still in planning stage)

Day 4 (May 21): land package starts but since it is a do-it-yourself kind of things we'll finish up whatever we have left from the previous three days, drop the rental off at the airport and then avail ourselves of the shuttle from the airport to the hotel the cruise line booked for us (Captain Cook Hotel)

Day 5 (May 22): 9 am - 12:30 pm bus to McKinley Princess Lodge; grab a bite to eat from whatever picnic stuff we have managed to hang onto from the previous day to save from having to eat during the busy time in the lodge; hike around the lodge and get acquainted as best we can; 3:00 - 8:30 pm float trip on the Chilutna River to Talkeetna and back to lodge. Depending on dinner hours grab a bite to eat and then hike around until it is too dark to be safe and then come in and crash and burn for the night.

Day 6 (May23): Breakfast at the lodge; do a little more hiking around because we are going to be doing a lot of sitting this day. 10 - 11 am ride the bus to the train depot. 11:20 an - 3:45 pm train ride to Denali. Possibly eat on the train though I've heard the food can be hit or miss so I'm going to be prepared with energy bars and bottled water. 4 - 4:30 pm bus to Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge after which we'll check in then do some hiking and sightseeing on our own then head back to the room for a quick clean up and change. 8 - 10 pm we've got books the Music of Denali Dinner Theater. Back to room and hopefully a good night's rest.

Day 7 (May 24): Super early day today. Not sure how we are going to do breakfast. Booked the Tundra Wilderness Tour that starts at 6 am and comes back to the lodge at 3 pm because the others were already filled and closed. Wasn't that a surprise. What we do after 3 pm will depend on how zonked we are from the last few busy days. I can't see hubby wanting to slow down so I'll likely have to down a soda or something for some caffeine.

Day 8 (May 25): 'Nother long day of sitting that I can guess will be a real challenge for hubby who is worse about that than a five year old hyperactive boy. Hopefully we'll stop enough that he can work the kinks out. Not sure what we'll do about lunch as the cruise is very specific about the stopping details on that leg of the trip. Either way 8 am - 4:30 pm is a lot of time on a bus but at the end of it we'll be in Whittier and boarding the cruise ships. I hope to be able to eat on the cruise ship that night. Ship leaves port at 8:30 pm and we plan on spending the rest of the day getting oriented, exploring, and figuring out what is going on.

Day 9 (May 26): First full day on the cruise ship. We should be passing Hubbard Glacier 3- 8 pm. I've hiked the Sunrise/Sunset trail on Mt. Ranier and have seen some spectacular views of a small glacier but reports are that I'm going to get totally blown away by the glaciers I'll see on this trip. Hubby and I are sure to miss sharing the sights with the kids but lots of pictures will help with that plus if the trip goes well we plan on taking them the next go around.

Day 10 (May 27): Another cruise-only day, this time by Glacier Bay National Park. We've seen so many of the US National Parks over the years that it is almost like a collecting game for us. Doing the happy dance to be able to say we've seen this one as well.

Day 11 (May 28): First "port day" in Skagway, AK (7 am - 8:30 pm). Hubby is going to need to move it, move it, move it. He plans on jogging the deck every morning but he's the type that really needs to burn off some energy and we are currently trying to decide whether we are going to take the ferry to Haines and do some uber nature stuff over there or whether we are going to stay around Skagway and participate in a few excursion there. Ferry schedule that time of year doesn't allow for both and choosing is difficult.

Day 12 (May 29): Juneau, AK (8:30 am - 4 pm). Definitely going to Mendenhall Glacier but not sure of the rest of the day.

Day 13 (May 30): Ketchikan, AK (10 am - 6 pm). Still wondering what to do this day. I'm feverishly reading the forum for hints but like anything else, every excursion seems to have its pros and cons, not the least of which is cost. I like crab and hubby likes salmon so there will probably be some of that. And we both love history. Creek Street sounds fun (no little kids in tow which will be strange not hearing them try and weasel some special treat out of their dad hoping mom does hear ... LOL). Since it is our last port day we want to make it special.

Day 14 (May 31): at sea. Hopefully the cruise ship will have some interesting activities planned that day. I'll also be repacking everything, making ready for our trip home.

Day 15 (June 1): Arrive in Vancouver, BC at 7:30 am. Not sure how long disembarking is going to take or how the luggage thing is going to work. Like I said, first cruise and all that. Our flight out is at 4 pm so we'll probably just go straight to the airport and veg because we will be flying all night and won't get to TPA until 6 am the next morning. Now that is something I am not looking forward to but when you are losing 4 hours you just gotta deal. (grin)