Transatlantic shore excursions

[Ka Honu]

We're booked on Mariner next March (2011) for the transatlantic crossing from Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona. Port visits are:

• Hamilton,

• Funchal,

• Casablanca,

• Malaga, Cartagena, and

• Palma de Mallorca

If anyone has any experience, advice, or recommendations on Regent's excursions in any or all of those ports, we'd appreciate them.

 

Thanks in advance.

[gdlamberth]

When we were in Malaga on Regent we did the Alhambra excursion. Really liked it though it is about a two hour bus ride each way. You do have to like stuff as old as "Buzz's Steak House" though;).

 

Greg

[Jim B]

We just booked the Voyager Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale November 28th 2011 cruise.

Decided on this one because friends are going.

 

Looked at the one you signed up for and also the Mariner reverse trip.

Love those sea days.!!

 

Sorry. That is not what you were asking on your thread but I just had to comment!

[WesW]

Ka Honu, you can also search CC ports section (Europe (for Spain ports); Other

Med Ports (for Funchal), and Bermuda ports section to get an idea of the types

of excursions you may like. Pls see links below for CC excursion info on Malaga,

Funchal, and Hamilton:

 

ps..Jim do love those TA seadays especially on a western crossing where we lose an hour

on many seadays.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1121228

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=998248&highlight=funchal

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1013462&highlight=hamilton+excursions

[jcross2]

We're booked on Mariner next March (2011) for the transatlantic crossing from Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona. .............

 

Hope you'll join us on the rollcall thread at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1097371

 

 

Jan

[Ka Honu]

Ka Honu, you can also search CC ports section

 

Thanks but I'm trying to do this the easy way by asking for information on Regent excursions so I don't have to read, take notes, sort, and compare. If that doesn't work, I'll start doing it the way you suggested.

[Hambagahle]

We have been on the trans Atlantic crossing twice, once east to west and once west to east...

 

In Funchal we took an excursion that promised us the highlights of Madeira, as well as a trip to their highest mountain. I had been in Funchal befoer, in 1952 and knowing that the place had changed (beyond belief, actually!) we chose this particular excursion so that we could see both the town and the country.

 

The tour was only average or worse. We drove through the town, saw the airport (not very exciting!) and drove on to a rather seedy hotel in the hills for a coffee...we were offered disgusting coffee and in dirty cups too. The cake was stale - and having coffee and cake is not really my idea of seeing Madeira. We then went on to the mountain. The roads were very hairy (and I live in the Swiss alps and am well used to single track, unprotected mountain roads!) It happened to be a cloudy day and it was foggy at the top. No one's fault. Instead of a view we saw the inside of a gift shop. We then went back down to Funchal and went to Blandy's wine lodge for a "Port tasteing". We were offered a glass of white and a glass of tawny port. No explanation about the growing, the ageing, the casks etc. But of course we were urged to buy some!! At that point we gave up and went back to the ship on our own. Not a satisfactory tour! This past May we were in Madeira again. We did not take a tour but went, with the suttle from the ship, to the centre of town and walked to the télécabine and went up in that to Monte. There we visited the beautiful gardens. Then we came back down by télécabine (friends with us took the wooden sled down - I have done that and will not do it again!!) and went for a capuccino. A very good one, I should add.

 

All in, seeing Madeira on our own was far more satisfactory than taking the tour (which of course we paid for!!)

 

We have also taken tours from Malaga - most recently to Granada. It was an excellent tour and we loved it and loved the guide who was terrific. If you want to see the Alhambra and the Generalife Gardens it is a good idea to take a tour rather than hiring a car and driving. It is two hours in each direction and you need a booked time to enter which is hard to get if you are not on a tour. Some people from our ship (Navigator) did try this on their own, drove all the way there and could not get in! The lunch Regent arranged for us there was very good indeed!

 

If you will be in Barcelona, the tour of Gothic Barcelona and Gaudi's Barcelona are also excellent...and we had a private, Regent arranged tour of the Picasso museum there which was superb! I hope this helps you make decisions...

[Hambagahle]

Sorry - I didn't see Palma --- we took the tour of the town of Palma. The guide was terrible and we left half way through and went back to the ship! Getting a good guide is so important, and it is really the luck of the draw. If you have a bad one, better to go off on your own than to suffer, I think.

[Ka Honu]

Exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking for! Thanks for the tips.

[Longhorn1]

KH: We are on the same cruise next March. All I know for sure, at this point, is where I am having lunch in Casablanca. And that would be Reeeckss! (doing my best Peter Lorre). See you on board...should be a good time.

[jcross2]

........ Pls see links below for CC excursion info on Malaga,

Funchal, and Hamilton: ............

 

Col. Wes,

 

Thanks so much for taking the time & trouble to post those links; I found them very helpful!

 

And I agree, love those sea days on transatlantics. Helps recharge the old batteries so one can fully enjoy the ports.

 

Regards,

Jan