Foreign cruise ports

[ontheweb]

There was a thread cruise ports that asked for what cruise ports in the USA you have embarked from. Though some of us did also mention foreign ports, I thought it would be appropriate to ask the question of what ports outside of the USA have you sailed from , and what was your favorite.

 

Mine are Barcelona, Copenhagen, (the port for) Rome.

 

Hard to pick a favorite as they were all excellent starting points, but if I was really pressed I would say Barcelona. Our first cruise left from there, and firsts are always special. And we stayed over the next time we left from there and had a fine time. Also, the first time was when the travel industry was still in recovery from 9/11, and unlike other times just waiting to embark, those of us who had bought cruise line transfers were given a free tour of Barcelona before being taken to the ship.

[keywest1]

We have sailed from Barcelona.  We enjoyed our time in the city and would love to visit there again.

[puppycanducruise]

Loved our sail away from Venice.  We stayed for 2 days before the cruise and enjoyed it, I hope we can do it again someday.

[hallasm]

Copenhagen, Barcelona, Southampton, Civitavecchia (Rome), Singapore, Stockholm and Venice,

 

My favourites ports are Copenhagen, Singapore and Venice.

Bad experience with Civitavecchia - travel to and transportation within the harbour as well as check-in.

[Aquahound]

Venice was my favorite by a long shot, and I’m grateful to have experienced that awesome sail away. 

[Shmoo here]

38 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

what ports outside of the USA have you sailed from ,

Not as many as US ports - Barcelona, Vancouver.   As well as Constanta, Amsterdam, Budapest and one in China I can't recall the name of (if you're counting river cruises)

[babs135]

No argument.  It has to be Sydney.  The Bridge on one side and the Opera House on the other, magical.

[cruisemom42]

I usually travel to any foreign ports with enough time in advance of the cruise to do some sightseeing. Most of my cruises (and my travel) is in Europe, so I'll also give my perspective on the various ports and situations of each one with which I'm familiar.

 

I think too many CC posters make a decision to stay near the port in Europe, without necessarily doing their research. Many ports in Europe are not near the areas or towns that are most interesting, and transportation options are plentiful, so there is no real reason to spend any time in, say, Civitavecchia (the port for Rome), which is one of the most uninteresting Italian towns I've had the pleasure of visiting. Even if you have already visited Rome, there is more there than can be seen in a handful of (or even a dozen) visits.

 

European Med ports -- pluses and minuses:

 

Piraeus (Athens):  The port is large and the immediate area around it is very commercial. Piraeus itself is only about 20-30 minutes from Athens -- it actually seems like part of the city due to the urban sprawl. I would definitely recommend staying in Athens over staying in Piraeus. Athens is not one of the more expensive European cities and there are fine hotels in most price ranges that are close to the sites. While Athens itself (outside the historical quarter) isn't the prettiest city, it does become more attractive during an evening stroll.  With luggage the easiest bet to get to port is a taxi -- have your hotel call one to lessen the chance of the driver trying to rip you off. Or arrange a private taxi in advance; quite reasonable in price.

 

Barcelona: Depending on where you choose to stay it is quite easy to sightsee in the heart of the city and still be close to port. Good public transportation in the form of the metro if you need to get around beyond the old quarter; taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap to the port. But watch out for pickpockets and scams, ESPECIALLY when you are preoccupied with your bags/luggage.  I think Barcelona is the #1 place for pickpocketings -- but they are common in all major European cities. If you are into food you'll be spoiled for choice with restaurant options here.

 

Civitavecchia:  See above. There are almost no decent hotels in Civitavecchia, most do little to improve as they have a ready contingent of cruise passengers in and out weekly. Do yourself a favor and stay in Rome. Rome isn't the cheapest city but far from the most expensive and good options in the center exist without breaking the bank.  Even though the drive to the port is around 75-90 minutes (depending on time of day, location), there is plenty of time to get to the port from the city. Shared shuttles provide more reasonable rates than private transfers. The train is a good option primarily if you pack light as you will have to schlep stuff on and off two buses enroute to the port.

 

Istanbul:  Not very many ships embark passengers here at the moment, but it is relatively easy -- and is a fascinating city to spend a few days in. Istanbul has been building a new cruise port and so the facilities should be good. It is only a short taxi or tram ride from either the old city (Sultanahmet area) or from the new and very modern "downtown" area of Taksim. For first-time visitors, Sultanahmet is where all the major sites are located -- Topkapi Palace, the Haghia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Basilica Cistern, etc. Staying in a boutique hotel (there are many) created from the old Ottoman mansions adds to the atmosphere and most are reasonably priced.

 

Naples:  Few ships embark here, which is a shame as Naples offers so many options of things to do in the vicinity (Capri, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, the city itself and more....). On the one embarkation I had from Naples I was able to stay in a perfectly reasonable business hotel near the port (Italian chain) and walk there with my luggage on embarkation day.

 

Venice:  Venice is a wonderful city but does present challenges when traveling with more luggage. The best thing you can do is research extensively in order to find a hotel that can be reached easily on the water by the various options (vaporetti or alilaguna from the train station or Piazzale Roma, alilaguna from the airport). AND equally important, find one without any or with few bridges to be crossed from where your transport leaves you. Water taxis are an expensive and elegant luxury -- some say worth it but I've never partaken. Venice can also be quite expensive. Some tips: book direct with hotels and ask for their best rate; join any loyalty club they may have, book well in advance but choose a refundable fare in case you find a better option closer to your sail date -- happens occasionally.

 

 

It's my understanding that some ships (Royal Caribbean) are planning to embark passengers in Ravenna in 2020 -- if there is a Med season, that is. This is due to Venice's waffling on what to do about allowing larger cruise ships to dock there. It's an issue well worth researching if you are looking at a cruise with a Venice departure (up until now one of the most iconic sailaways...).  However Ravenna is a VERY charming small city with beautiful mosaics and great restaurants. Logistics of getting to/from port are less clear as it is a bit distant -- nothing like Rome to Civitavecchia, however.  

 

 

 

 

[bonsai3s]

Totally agree with cruisemom42...most special to us was Istanbul.  Just what cruisemom42 stated but our parents sailed with us.  May they rest in peace...we miss them dearly.

 

We also love sailing away from:

Papeete: Incredible market just across the terminal...and knowing each stop just gets better and better.

 

Sydney: Wow! just about everything's walking distance from the OPT, Overseas Passenger Terminal...the Rocks, Harbor bridge, Sydney Opera House and the gardens next door, Circular Quay...needless to say, what an incredible sail-away.

 

Yokohama: Perhaps the best designed cruise terminal in the world.  Our sail-away had Japanese dancers and Taiko drums performing, with thousands locals waving international flags, and all singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow"...memorable.

 

We also love: Venice, Quebec, Singapore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam.  We have to include Southampton (for our many British friends) because we can walk to Westquay mall and IKEA from the cruise terminal.

 

[whogo]

Barcelona was probably the easiest port; reasonable taxi ride from the airport to a hotel, short taxi ride from hotel to our cruise ship. Would also be an easy ride from the airport to the ship, if you ignore the usual forum advice to arrive a few days early. On the downside, flights to Barcelona have always involved two intermediate stops for us.

 

Pireaus was not quite as easy as Barcelona, the train from the airport seemed to take forever. Transfer from our hotel to the port was quick, easy and cheap via rail and taxi.

 

I have never warmed to Civitavecchia, I'm tired of taxi drivers trying to overcharge me and of ten year olds trying to pick my pocket in Rome. I do enjoy the train ride to Civitavecchia, though.

 

Copenhagen was an delightful port in 1998. We disembarked near the Little Mermaid statue and enjoyed a DIY walking tour before taking the train to the airport.

 

We had long waits for Canadian immigration, a taxi, and US immigration when departing Vancouver for Hawaii and points south.

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

There was a thread cruise ports that asked for what cruise ports in the USA you have embarked from. Though some of us did also mention foreign ports, I thought it would be appropriate to ask the question of what ports outside of the USA have you sailed from , and what was your favorite.

 

Mine are Barcelona, Copenhagen, (the port for) Rome.

 

Hard to pick a favorite as they were all excellent starting points, but if I was really pressed I would say Barcelona. Our first cruise left from there, and firsts are always special. And we stayed over the next time we left from there and had a fine time. Also, the first time was when the travel industry was still in recovery from 9/11, and unlike other times just waiting to embark, those of us who had bought cruise line transfers were given a free tour of Barcelona before being taken to the ship.

I really should have titled this thread non-USA ports, since some of the ports mentioned would not be foreign to some posters.

 

And I left out Dover for London. And if our 2020 cruise had actually sailed we also would have had Southampton also for London.

[lenquixote66]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

There was a thread cruise ports that asked for what cruise ports in the USA you have embarked from. Though some of us did also mention foreign ports, I thought it would be appropriate to ask the question of what ports outside of the USA have you sailed from , and what was your favorite.

 

Mine are Barcelona, Copenhagen, (the port for) Rome.

 

Hard to pick a favorite as they were all excellent starting points, but if I was really pressed I would say Barcelona. Our first cruise left from there, and firsts are always special. And we stayed over the next time we left from there and had a fine time. Also, the first time was when the travel industry was still in recovery from 9/11, and unlike other times just waiting to embark, those of us who had bought cruise line transfers were given a free tour of Barcelona before being taken to the ship.

We have never been to Europe or anywhere except North America except for one cruise from the US to Central America and boardered the ship after a shore excursion.Therefore,my favorite non US port is Costa Rica.

[navybankerteacher]

Because the area immediately surrounding the boarding area is usually industrial, if not flatly dismal, I would consider the “embarkation port” to include where you would actually spend the night before boarding.  Even in San Diego, where there are hotels a five minute walk from the pier,, you have to move a bit.  Accordingly, I would say the “embarkation port” would refer to Rome rather than Civita Vecchia, Athens rather than Piraeus,  anywhere in Venice rather than the pier, and anywhere in Manhattan (which could be 30 to 45 minutes from the pier) rather than 12th Avenue, immediately adjacent to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

 

That said: Manhattan is wonderful for the sailaway down the Hudson, and, along with Rome, Venice, Athens, Istanbul, et al wonderful places to enjoy/explore for a day, or several, prior to boarding -as well as offering glorious sail away experiences.   

Edited December 21, 2020 by navybankerteacher

[Zach1213]

4 hours ago, babs135 said:

No argument.  It has to be Sydney.  The Bridge on one side and the Opera House on the other, magical.

I would love to take a cruise from Sydney. I get there 2-3x yearly (in a normal non-2020 year) for work and usually stay a block or two from the piers. I never get tired of walking down there and seeing a big ship docked alongside the ferry boats. 

Edited December 21, 2020 by Zach1213

[jocap]

We've sailed from many ports in the UK, but mainly for ferries to the Continent, and it's usually a pretty slick operation especially if you're driving your car on board- Hull and Portsmouth stand out for that. 

So that means several ports across the water in The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, France- not forgetting Scotland and Ireland.

Then- Barcelona,  Piraeus, Malta... and  Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt... a nightmare at the airport, but as it was a fly/cruise, we were whipped away pretty quickly and the embarkation was flawless.

[paul929207]

Iquitos, Peru.'  we were on a weeklong river cruise on the up river part of the Amazon. Ship held 24 passengers.

[rkacruiser]

Bremerhaven, Auckland, Civitavecchia, Montreal, and Vancouver are the only non-USA ports from where I embarked a cruise. 

 

A favorite?  I love Vancouver and Auckland for more than their embarkation facilities.  Regarding the best of the group for "specific cruise embarkation issues", Vancouver is the winner.

 

Bremerhaven was an interesting one for me. (Bremerhaven was an interesting city with an excellent maritime museum.  I got to practice my limited German as well.  Nice folks as well.)   My traveling companion and I embarked as the final port on a Norwegian cruise on the QE2,  We had to disembark at Southampton on turn-a-round day.  Then, we had to re-embark.  Not quite like we were just beginning the sailing, but close to it.  Even in 1980, the "scrutiny" that we had to endure before we re-boarded QE2 was unusual.  

 

 

 

 

[sverigecruiser]

7 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

anywhere in Manhattan (which could be 30 to 45 minutes from the pier) rather than 12th Avenue, immediately adjacent to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

 

 

We stayed at Ink48 two minutes walk from the cruiseterminal the last time we cruised from Manhattan and that is an excellent place to stay. The location can't be much better, especially not before a cruise but we can defenitely stay there again even if we aren't going on a cruise.

 

We had the most amazing cityview from our room. The "free" (I know it is included in the price, not free!)  wine they served every afternoon was nice too!

[wowzz]

8 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Even in 1980, the "scrutiny" that we had to endure before we re-boarded QE2 was unusual.  

Well, given what was happening in the UK at the time, I'm not sure why you would have thought it was unusual!

Edited December 22, 2020 by wowzz

[Essiesmom]

Vancouver, Singapore, Civitavecchia, Venice, Southampton, Barcelona, Piraeus.  Venice the favorite by far.  EM

[Zach1213]

12 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Bremerhaven was an interesting one for me. (Bremerhaven was an interesting city with an excellent maritime museum.  I got to practice my limited German as well.  Nice folks as well.)   My traveling companion and I embarked as the final port on a Norwegian cruise on the QE2,  We had to disembark at Southampton on turn-a-round day.  Then, we had to re-embark.  Not quite like we were just beginning the sailing, but close to it.  Even in 1980, the "scrutiny" that we had to endure before we re-boarded QE2 was unusual.  

 

 

I have never done a cruise from Bremerhaven, but I have done a local tourist boat tour. It was fun to go in and out of all of the commercial shipping docks, including several of the massive auto carriers moving German-made cares out of Bremerhaven. 

[John Bull]

17 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

.We have to include Southampton (for our many British friends) because we can walk to IKEA from the cruise terminal.

 

 

Yes, all ports have their disadvantages  

 

 

JB 

ps I wonder how many cruisers missed their sailing because they couldn't find their way out of IKEA 

[tropicalkerry2002]

Venice, Stockholm and Sydney. THE SCENERY!!!

[Honolulu Blue]

The only foreign port I've embarked from is Vancouver.  I wouldn't call it a favorite.

[rkacruiser]

13 hours ago, wowzz said:

Well, given what was happening in the UK at the time, I'm not sure why you would have thought it was unusual!

 

Forgive my ignorance.  I have no memory of what you are referencing.