Casablanca -- Are ships now stopping there, or diverting elsewhere?

[marne-c]

Hi folks! My wife and I are leaving next week for a cruise which includes a port stop in Casablanca, Morocco.

 

Last year, many ships were declining to stop at Casablanca, citing security concerns. Most ships diverted instead to a Spanish port like Malaga or Majorca.

 

Does anyone know whether that is happening again this year?

 

 

--Marne

[Hlitner]

We were on the Grand Princess and stopped at Casablanca in late April (on its transatlantic cruise). Had a great time (we took a local train to Rabat before returning to Casablanca for a couple of hours of shopping). This was our 2nd time in Casablanca in the past 2 years (both times we went off on our own) and we felt quite comfortable in the country.

 

Hank

[GloriaF]

We were on the same cruise as Hank, and we wanted to go to Marrakesch so we opted for the ship's tour since it was a good distance from the port. If we were to return to Morocco in the future, we would feel comfortable going off on our own; we were glad that we were on a ship's tour this time, though - see below.

 

The tour stated it was 10 hours and the ship was in port 12 hours. It took 3 hours to drive to Marrakesch on a very good highway, but because the driver took an unwarranted detour to a secondary road on the way back to the ship, it took 5 hours to get back. We did not get back to port until 10PM, 2 hours after the final boarding time, and 1.5 hours after the ship was due to leave port. We were all thankful we had chosen to do a ship's tour and they would wait for us!

[seapenarth]

Hi folks! My wife and I are leaving next week for a cruise which includes a port stop in Casablanca, Morocco.

 

Last year, many ships were declining to stop at Casablanca, citing security concerns. Most ships diverted instead to a Spanish port like Malaga or Majorca.

 

Does anyone know whether that is happening again this year?

 

 

--Marne

 

Majorca is an island not a port. There is a port in Palma the capital.:o

[marne-c]

Seapenarth: Thanks for the correction! I knew Majorca was an island, but I haven't yet been near there. Now I can look forward to visiting Palma!

 

--Marne

[G.M.T.]

Majorca is an island not a port. There is a port in Palma the capital.:o

To give it it's correct name:

 

Palma de Mallorca

 

Ron

[blondie1234]

To the person who went to Marakeech: Was the tour worth it? I had read on one of the boards that the new highway should only take 1.5 hours to get there from the ship. I am going on the cruise next week and am deciding between Marakeech and Casablanca/rabat.

[cafeamericaine]

Distance to Marrakesh is about 140 miles, and took a little over 3 hours each way on April 27 this year on the new highway. Included a stop at one of the roadside plazas each way.

 

Marrakesh is a special and exciting place, and to me it was well worth it. Enjoyed viewing the countryside as well.

 

I sat on the right-hand-side of the bus. Since you are traveling southwards in the morning and northwards in the afternoon/evening, you get better lighting for your pictures when the sun is behind you and also you are on the shady side of the bus in both directions.

[Smiles3usa]

Why does it take 3 hours to go 140 miles on a new highway? Is it the traffic or the condition of the buses?

 

On the Princess tour in Marrakesh were you pressed for time, or did you leisurely see all the sites? Any alone time? How was the meal?

[GloriaF]

Distance to Marrakesh is about 140 miles, and took a little over 3 hours each way on April 27 this year on the new highway. Included a stop at one of the roadside plazas each way.

 

Marrakesh is a special and exciting place, and to me it was well worth it. Enjoyed viewing the countryside as well.

 

I sat on the right-hand-side of the bus. Since you are traveling southwards in the morning and northwards in the afternoon/evening, you get better lighting for your pictures when the sun is behind you and also you are on the shady side of the bus in both directions.

 

We were on the same tour, the same day, different bus. The busses seem to be modern and in good order, it just happened that the one I was on had the a/c on the fritz. There was traffic, and I really can't explain why it takes 3 hours - it just does. It took much longer coming back due to the detour our bus driver took and loads of traffic in the towns. I don't have any more explanation than this.

 

I agree with the post that I quoted that it was worth it. I am glad we did it, even with the extra time and no a/c. I haven't been to Casablanca or Rabat, but understand that both are more business centers where Maralesch is a tourist center. When we first entered Marrakesch, there were a lot of condos and gardens and a beautiful new area that is being built, it was like an oasis in the desert. We left that tourist timeshare area and got to the real Marrakesch. I have written a complete review of my experience on this board, and will try to find it and link it to this post.

 

Here is the post of which I referred: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=751219

The entire thread is worth a read and deals with what you are asking.

[verga]

Our ship (Century) is also stopping in Casablanca and Tangiers in Oct 08. We would love to hear your experiences in these exciting ports.

 

Thanks in advance.

[EGG]

I was on the May 19th Brilliance of the Seas cruise. We stopped in Tangiers and had a wonderful day. I just posted on the Med. board. I didn't even notice there was an Africa board.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=790038