fvandewouwer Posted May 11, 2014 #1 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Hi, cruise RCI Vision of the Seas Palm trees and pink sand one stop from 7 am till 5 pm at Charleston South Carolina can anyone help me with what to do when we arrive at this port try to find out with Google maps where we will dock, if we can walk out of the ship to check out the town or is this an industrial harbour ?? Any ideas what we can expect ? Any ideas what we really should visit by bus or taxi all your ideas are more than welcome have a wonderful day and thank you for making time to help me from Belgium xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordanaire Posted May 11, 2014 #2 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Hi, cruise RCI Vision of the Seas Palm trees and pink sand one stop from 7 am till 5 pm at Charleston South Carolina can anyone help me with what to do when we arrive at this port try to find out with Google maps where we will dock, if we can walk out of the ship to check out the town or is this an industrial harbour ?? Any ideas what we can expect ? Any ideas what we really should visit by bus or taxi all your ideas are more than welcome have a wonderful day and thank you for making time to help me from Belgium xxx Charleston is only of America's most beautiful cities. I ought to know 'cause we lived there for 10 years! You can literally walk off the ship and begin a walking tour of the city. It's just a hundred yards or so to the Market area. Here you can see vendors selling many items from the Charleston area as well as sweet grass baskets. You can take a carriage tour of the city from there. Several "low country" cuisine and seafood restaurants are here as well. I recommend taking the carriage tour and seeing the Battery, which is an area in the downtown area featuring some of the most beautiful 150+ year-old homes in the USA. You can take a harbor tour, a tour of Fort Sumter (where the Civil War began), or tour Patriot's Point and see a WWII aircraft carrier, submarine and more. Charleston is a great place to visit and you will only touch the tip of the iceberg with your short visit there. Have a great time! :cool: Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fvandewouwer Posted May 11, 2014 Author #3 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Wow Bill, thank you so much As I began reading this afternoon I also found out that this is an amazing city and one day is too short to explore but a wonderful opportunity to feel the touch of the iceberg I am going to try and find a map from where we can start our walking tour the carriage tour seems a wonderful idea, did find a website about the historic tour did not know what to expect but now I am getting really excited thank you so much Bill for your time to help me have a wonderful day Frieda Charleston is only of America's most beautiful cities. I ought to know 'cause we lived there for 10 years! You can literally walk off the ship and begin a walking tour of the city. It's just a hundred yards or so to the Market area. Here you can see vendors selling many items from the Charleston area as well as sweet grass baskets. You can take a carriage tour of the city from there. Several "low country" cuisine and seafood restaurants are here as well. I recommend taking the carriage tour and seeing the Battery, which is an area in the downtown area featuring some of the most beautiful 150+ year-old homes in the USA. You can take a harbor tour, a tour of Fort Sumter (where the Civil War began), or tour Patriot's Point and see a WWII aircraft carrier, submarine and more. Charleston is a great place to visit and you will only touch the tip of the iceberg with your short visit there. Have a great time! :cool: Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise Envy Posted May 11, 2014 #4 Share Posted May 11, 2014 I second Bill's advice! We went there for our honeymoon! Great seafood to be had as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordanaire Posted May 11, 2014 #5 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Wow Bill, thank you so much As I began reading this afternoon I also found out that this is an amazing city and one day is too short to explore but a wonderful opportunity to feel the touch of the iceberg I am going to try and find a map from where we can start our walking tour the carriage tour seems a wonderful idea, did find a website about the historic tour did not know what to expect but now I am getting really excited thank you so much Bill for your time to help me have a wonderful day Frieda You're most welcome! I hope that you will thoroughly enjoy your visit to the USA and Charleston! Here are a couple of websites to check out regarding the walking tours: http://www.charlestoncvb.com http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/charleston-sc-tours http://www.charlestonfootprints.com http://www.oldcharlestontours.com/ http://www.lowcountrywalkingtours.com Hope these help you out! :cool: Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fvandewouwer Posted May 11, 2014 Author #6 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Bill thank you so so much this is indeed a wonderful help also Carolyn thank you for your time to read and answer to my mail this is really a welcome surprise, in this cruise itinerary ( I do like beaches but I really can appreciate some history and great old buildings ) have a great weekend goodnight xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted May 11, 2014 #7 Share Posted May 11, 2014 You've already been given wonderful suggestions for a one day visit to Charleston. Yes, it is a lovely city! Hope you will return when you can stay longer. :) Additional Note: Please do keep in mind Charleston is quite hot and VERY humid in August. Wear very light weight loose fitting clothes. ;) LuLu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janpa70 Posted May 11, 2014 #8 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Thank you so much for asking this questions and also for the answers. We are looking at sailing out of here next summer and we always arrive a day early so now I know what we can do with our extra time. I am now looking forward to the extra time instead of dreading it. Can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodle77 Posted May 13, 2014 #9 Share Posted May 13, 2014 From the links that Bill posted above, I can personally recommend the Low Country Walking Tours. My girlfriends and I took that tour last fall when we were in Charleston and loved it! We found reduced-price tickets on Groupon, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fvandewouwer Posted May 13, 2014 Author #10 Share Posted May 13, 2014 also you are a great help was during break time at work reading about those walking tours and tried to figure out to do several in one day so one during morning coming back to the ship for lunch and one during the afternoon just not figured out yet where the ship will dock exactly also the reduced price ticket tip : wonderful we do have groupon not sure if I can register for the us deals so lovely of you all xxx From the links that Bill posted above, I can personally recommend the Low Country Walking Tours. My girlfriends and I took that tour last fall when we were in Charleston and loved it! We found reduced-price tickets on Groupon, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordanaire Posted May 14, 2014 #11 Share Posted May 14, 2014 also you are a great help was during break time at work reading about those walking tours and tried to figure out to do several in one day so one during morning coming back to the ship for lunch and one during the afternoon just not figured out yet where the ship will dock exactly also the reduced price ticket tip : wonderful we do have groupon not sure if I can register for the us deals so lovely of you all xxx The ship's pier is right next to the downtown area. It's only a hundred yards or so to the Market Place. Just a 5-minute walk. From there, you can shop, rent a carriage ride, eat at some fantastic restaurants and more. Most of your Charleston tours can be bought right here as well. You won't need a cab. It's all right there within walking distance. So much to see and do! It's a beautiful city! :cool: Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fvandewouwer Posted May 16, 2014 Author #12 Share Posted May 16, 2014 so we really do not need to book anything in advance ? it would be a lot easier for us if we just could hop off the ship and walk back on without being somewhere on the clock we really appreciate a guided tour but hate to walk behind someone with a flag and a group of 40 not even interested in what the guide is telling ( have done a lot of city trips so we know ) is there a a kind of hop on hop off system ??? or even better if we can walk everything that we need to see ( and I do not mean shopping but ok when we see some also restaurants or bars does not interest us, why should we, we have a driving restaurant with us) so it would be great after breakfast step of the ship and walk around go back for lunch and after that do another site of town .... would that be possible a city map on the internet ? google maps I have but still cannot figure out where we dock ( am Flemish and blond perhaps that is the reason ;) thanks again QUOTE=jordanaire;42759976]The ship's pier is right next to the downtown area. It's only a hundred yards or so to the Market Place. Just a 5-minute walk. From there, you can shop, rent a carriage ride, eat at some fantastic restaurants and more. Most of your Charleston tours can be bought right here as well. You won't need a cab. It's all right there within walking distance. So much to see and do! It's a beautiful city! :cool: Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartanexile81 Posted May 16, 2014 #13 Share Posted May 16, 2014 We visited Charleston a few years ago and thought it was really beautiful. We're going back again and we've got an overnight stop this time so I wondered if anybody had any ideas what we could do in the evening Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordanaire Posted May 17, 2014 #14 Share Posted May 17, 2014 Here are some sites to check out: http://www.sciway.net/maps/downtown-charleston-south-carolina-map-grid4.html http://www.charlestonsfinest.com/sc/mapdntwn.htm https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0LEV131AndTSl4AJe9XNyoA?ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-312&p=historic+charleston+sc+city+map&rs=0&fr2=rs-bottom http://thecharlestoncitymarket.com/index.cfm These sites will give you some idea as to where the ship will dock (noted on maps). Hope this helps. :cool: Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fvandewouwer Posted May 17, 2014 Author #15 Share Posted May 17, 2014 this I would never have found and the one with cruise terminal and visitor center on it I will print and take it with me no more questions Thank you so much everyone, especially Bill ! have a wonderful weekend Here are some sites to check out: http://www.sciway.net/maps/downtown-charleston-south-carolina-map-grid4.html http://www.charlestonsfinest.com/sc/mapdntwn.htm https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0LEV131AndTSl4AJe9XNyoA?ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-312&p=historic+charleston+sc+city+map&rs=0&fr2=rs-bottom http://thecharlestoncitymarket.com/index.cfm These sites will give you some idea as to where the ship will dock (noted on maps). Hope this helps. :cool: Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberta Quilter Posted October 15, 2014 #16 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Thanks everyone for the information already provided. I am planning to be in Charleston on May 3/15. We'll have less than 8 hours there. I like the idea of the City Market and a carriage tour. Would you locals or semi locals recommend the Boone Plantation over the market/carriage idea? We have been to plantations in the New Orleans area so plantations are not new to us, and we're planning to go to the Newport mansions later in the cruise. I am travelling with my 79 year old mother so need to keep her limitations in mind, too. Half day tours, with flat/level walking are best for her. She really wants to see Charleston (one of the reasons she agreed to the cruise!). So, which do you think would be the best use of our limited time? Or do you have other suggestions? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChucktownSteve Posted October 16, 2014 #17 Share Posted October 16, 2014 (edited) Thanks everyone for the information already provided. I am planning to be in Charleston on May 3/15. We'll have less than 8 hours there. I like the idea of the City Market and a carriage tour. Would you locals or semi locals recommend the Boone Plantation over the market/carriage idea? We have been to plantations in the New Orleans area so plantations are not new to us, and we're planning to go to the Newport mansions later in the cruise. I am travelling with my 79 year old mother so need to keep her limitations in mind, too. Half day tours, with flat/level walking are best for her. She really wants to see Charleston (one of the reasons she agreed to the cruise!). So, which do you think would be the best use of our limited time? Or do you have other suggestions? Thank you! Boone Hall Plantation is on the other side of Mt. Pleasant over the Cooper River Bridge. It's about 20 minutes or 12 miles from the cruise terminal. I'd recommend doing a carriage tour close to the port. I personally like Palmetto Carriage which has a very strong reputation. I'd also recommend a downtown historic house tour. Since you mentioned a plantation, I suggest the Edmondston-Alston Museum House owned my Middleton Place foundation, which also owns the plantation in west Ashley. The house is located on the battery overlooking the harbor and Ft. Sumter. it gives you a good feel for the town house of a plantation owner with about 85% of the furnishings and items having belonged to the original families that lived in the house. You can also make your way to the official Visitors center on Meeting Street between John and Ann Streets. They have a shed that the van tours leave from. Check out charlestoncvb.com and search for the motorized tours. Alan’s Talk of the Towne is a local one person company who's tour also includes the E-A House. Or look for one of the tours that includes Boone Hall. I believe Charleston Venture Tours does. That should fill up your day. Please let me know if you would like additional info. I hope you enjoy Charleston. Edited October 16, 2014 by ChucktownSteve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberta Quilter Posted October 16, 2014 #18 Share Posted October 16, 2014 Boone Hall Plantation is on the other side of Mt. Pleasant over the Cooper River Bridge. It's about 20 minutes or 12 miles from the cruise terminal. I'd recommend doing a carriage tour close to the port. I personally like Palmetto Carriage which has a very strong reputation. I'd also recommend a downtown historic house tour. Since you mentioned a plantation, I suggest the Edmondston-Alston Museum House owned my Middleton Place foundation, which also owns the plantation in west Ashley. The house is located on the battery overlooking the harbor and Ft. Sumter. it gives you a good feel for the town house of a plantation owner with about 85% of the furnishings and items having belonged to the original families that lived in the house. You can also make your way to the official Visitors center on Meeting Street between John and Ann Streets. They have a shed that the van tours leave from. Check out charlestoncvb.com and search for the motorized tours. Alan’s Talk of the Towne is a local one person company who's tour also includes the E-A House. Or look for one of the tours that includes Boone Hall. I believe Charleston Venture Tours does. That should fill up your day. Please let me know if you would like additional info. I hope you enjoy Charleston. Thanks, Steve! I looked at Palmetto carriage tours previously and just reviewed the Talk of the Town site. Which do you recommend - carriage tours or motorized tours and why? From a cost perspective, it looks like the Talk of the Town tour is a better value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChucktownSteve Posted October 16, 2014 #19 Share Posted October 16, 2014 Thanks, Steve! I looked at Palmetto carriage tours previously and just reviewed the Talk of the Town site. Which do you recommend - carriage tours or motorized tours and why? From a cost perspective, it looks like the Talk of the Town tour is a better value. Touring Charleston isn't about which is a better value. It's about the experience. Both methods are good. If you can only select one (I'd do both for the different perspectives) then select the one that suits your group's likes and situation best. It's like comparing apples and oranges. I've taken several carriage tours over the years. There are four different routes selected on a bingo type lottery to spread the carriages out throughout the city. Each guide gives a different perspective. Since you'll have eight hours, there's time to do both motorized and carriage if you have the funds. I'd suggest asking your mother what she would enjoy and make it a group decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberta Quilter Posted October 16, 2014 #20 Share Posted October 16, 2014 Touring Charleston isn't about which is a better value. It's about the experience. Both methods are good. If you can only select one (I'd do both for the different perspectives) then select the one that suits your group's likes and situation best. It's like comparing apples and oranges. I've taken several carriage tours over the years. There are four different routes selected on a bingo type lottery to spread the carriages out throughout the city. Each guide gives a different perspective. Since you'll have eight hours, there's time to do both motorized and carriage if you have the funds. I'd suggest asking your mother what she would enjoy and make it a group decision. Thanks for setting me straight on the "value" issue. It's just the accountant brain looking for the best deal! I will do as you suggest and speak to my mother to decide what to do in Charleston. I'm looking forward to seeing your city! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChucktownSteve Posted October 16, 2014 #21 Share Posted October 16, 2014 (edited) Thanks for setting me straight on the "value" issue. It's just the accountant brain looking for the best deal! I will do as you suggest and speak to my mother to decide what to do in Charleston. I'm looking forward to seeing your city! At between $20 and $40pp, they're both GOOD value compared to some other markets. :D However, you can always look for coupons online at CharlestonCVB or google "Charleston coupons." There are several sites where you can print them online. Edited October 16, 2014 by ChucktownSteve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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