ollienbertsmum

And don’t forget to appreciate the sail in to Malta - one of the most impressive ports.

On our second trip to Dubrovnik we got the cable car up to see the views. I’m pretty sure that you could do the walls then walk round to the cable car station- although there was a wait. I’m pretty sure that a taxi from the port was as cheap as a shuttle. You could perhaps take a taxi straight to cable car station. Great views. Then walk back to the walls. It is important to get kids involved with planning, especially because DIY always means getting out early. If they have stayed up late having met new friends in the kids club, early mornings to places they are not invested in can result in grumpy faces. Or just accept that kids just don’t appreciate travel. What we think of as an interesting canal cruise of X turns into the opportunity for a nap to the kids. Mine were polite but just did not get how fortunate they were for travel opportunities as teenagers. As soon as they hit their twenties they have really taken off and have passport stamps that I could have only dreamed of when I was their age.

To be honest you are probably going to be best going directly to Venice - so much to see and you have only a short time there. I looked at your hotel on Google maps. Looks like your easiest bet would be to get off the train and get a water bus ( vaporetto) to the Rialto stop and it is a short walk away. You will enjoy the canal journey if you are not jam packed. It could be that if the bus gets you in that much earlier, then it is worth the extra step from the people mover. It might be nice to repeat the route at night. I did it at 8:30 am on a Sunday morning accompanied by a Rick Steves audio guide and it was great. Rick also had a great guide for St Marks Square. I sat in the shade and listened while taking it all in. if you want to go inside the Basilica and Doges palace I would book for first thing in the next morning. Do you need a guide for Venice - no because you cannot get lost - but see photo for what did happen to me. I had to walk back to the hotel with only half a sole.

I went to Malaga with DD and her boyfriend they live about an hour away, they were dropping me off at the airport for an early evening flight. Malaga was mega busy as it was Palm Sunday. It was late lunch time so a busy time in Spain. Boyfriend who goes to Malaga a lot suggested El Pimpi. There were tables inside so we were happy. I just checked the bill and saw that it was not cheap at €25 per head - probably just two alcoholic drinks in that, but we enjoyed. I kept their card because I thought I would want to return. So I would say if you are there at a weekend, book ahead if you are specific about eating outside. Don’t expect it to be cheap. I don’t think I saw anyone there that looked like a ‘tourist’, mostly families (who could have been staying in Malaga for Holy Week so could have fitted the definition of tourist). I cannot recall what we ate and sadly I didn’t take photos. I know that it was tasty.

I checked out the hotel on Google maps. Great reviews, great location and lots of restaurants around. I do have to add that I have stayed in bcn pre cruise 7 times. I stayed in a different location each time. All locations were great because the city is so accessible.

This is what I was going to say. Also when we cruised midsummer we always carried swimwear and one of those small sport towels. We found a place to swim in most ports.

You have already had your trip. I hope that you had a good day even though the weather was a bit dodgy across the region. For the benefit of others I would say that it is easily walkable from ship to cable car if you are a regular walker. The 2, 3, 4, 9 and 5/10 all go to the cable car station. I often walk by after visiting Alameda gardens with my nephew and notice the queues. They can be longgg. I recommend getting out there early.

In Gibraltar you can use euro to pay for items such as ice creams. Not recommended for larger items because the exchange rate a business would offer you is definitely not in the shopper’s favor. However there are very few places that won’t accept plastic. Even a place I occasionally buy coffee from, only £1.50, will take a card. It is acceptable to ask businesses for change in sterling - we all know the issue of not being able to use local currency outside Gibraltar. Enjoy your port stop in Gibraltar.

Ok so I am a very cautious person, and I was thinking how you can be late in due to bad weather during the last night of the cruise. Storms are not completely unheard of in the area. Last month my plane (different to a ship I know) was diverted from Malaga to Seville due to poor visibility.

Does this help. I was looking for beach photos but didn’t see any. It is a strange picture because it looks like the ship is on a car park. It is 2012 so things could have changed. We were just about to sail away, no idea what I was trying to capture in the photo.

We went a few years ago. We took the shuttle to the old town - I wanted to visit la lonja de seda (worth it) then we took a public bus to the beach. It was a Sunday in the middle of summer, it was easy to see which buses were beach bound. I recall being really impressed by the beach. I’m not a big fan of the pool deck on a cruise ship, it was nice to get cool with room to breathe.

We have done it easily. This was on a cruise that called into Schengen ports only. I would want a plan B in case of bad weather, engine trouble or any of the other causes of delay. I can’t go anywhere without a Plan B though.

I’m not sure that I do know what French people are like. I googled it and apparently they are famous for food, wine, love, art and fashion. Sounds a good basis for a cruise.

To be honest you still have a whole year to go. I think the route and options for Venice to Trieste are getting better. We did fine taking the train from Bologna to Trieste and Airbnb the day before embarking and then using FlixBus to Venice for our return. That was a year ago and I think it is getting to be a road more well traveled. So you have this season to keep on reading reviews and blogs. Make that your summer homework. You have time to make decisions during the winter

You have not said when you are taking the cruise, that makes a great deal of difference - from my experience small children work better in the cooler weather. If you are going during summer months then you can find some good beaches in Barcelona, Cadiz (brilliant beaches), and Cannes where a short walk from tender drop off is a public beach. OR a short ferry to Ile Saint Marguerite for walks or beaches could make a great day out. Just take swimwear and towels (I always carry those small towels you can get from sports shops) because you might come across the possibility of bathing when you don’t expect it. I am sure that there must be some great play parks around these cities too. I agree that you would be best to avoid long treks like to Florence, but difficult to advise without knowing if this is 1. A once in a lifetime trip to Europe with kids in tow or 2. A great cruise where we want to find things for the kids to do during the day. Does that make sense? The two cruises require different approaches. I have done both - and version 2 worked out better.