Palma de Mallorca

Hi everyone :)

I'll have one port day at Palma de Mallorca and really looking forward to it! I'm going with the Norwegian Epic in october.

It will be a short day, so I won't be able to do everything that I really want to do. So I had to choose a few things that I'm interested in (there is so much more, so if it's possible I would definitely want to go back there some time for a longer period of time!) but still can't decide and don't have the time to do all of it. So I hope some of you can give me advice!

I really want to see: La Seu Cathedral, Bellver Castle and Palma aquarium.

Can you and is it easy to walk from the cruise port to Bellver Castle? Have some of you done it? How long does it take?

I know there is a bus stop to the city, so I could see La Seu Cathedral when I go into the city center. But what about Palma aquarium? How long does it take to get there with public transportation?

How many of you have seen Palma aquarium and what did you think of it? Is it worth it? I have to add that I'm a big fan of aquariums/sea animals etc, but La Seu Cathedral does look breathtaking and worth it. :confused:

Basically I don't know what to choose, so my question: what would you recommend and why?

Thanks in advance :)

Hi everyone :)

 

I'll have one port day at Palma de Mallorca and really looking forward to it! I'm going with the Norwegian Epic in october.

It will be a short day, so I won't be able to do everything that I really want to do. So I had to choose a few things that I'm interested in (there is so much more, so if it's possible I would definitely want to go back there some time for a longer period of time!) but still can't decide and don't have the time to do all of it. So I hope some of you can give me advice!

 

I really want to see: La Seu Cathedral, Bellver Castle and Palma aquarium.

Can you and is it easy to walk from the cruise port to Bellver Castle? Have some of you done it? How long does it take?

I know there is a bus stop to the city, so I could see La Seu Cathedral when I go into the city center. But what about Palma aquarium? How long does it take to get there with public transportation?

How many of you have seen Palma aquarium and what did you think of it? Is it worth it? I have to add that I'm a big fan of aquariums/sea animals etc, but La Seu Cathedral does look breathtaking and worth it. :confused:

 

Basically I don't know what to choose, so my question: what would you recommend and why?

 

Thanks in advance :)

Sorry but the Palma Aquarium is way out past the airport and will take about 45mins each way by bus.

I would concentrate on the cathedral and use the Ho Ho bus which stops in the port you would possibly be able to do Belver Castle.

Read my posts on Palma de Majorca DIY,

We had a port call in Palma a couple of years ago. I really wanted to see the Cathedral. We took the ship's shuttle into the downtown area, where we saw the Cathedral as well as the nearby Royal Palace and walked around that lovely area near the water. If you do visit the Cathedral, don't miss St. Peter's Chapel, where there is a mesmerizing installation by modern artist Miquel Barceló depicting the biblical miracle of the loaves and fishes. I could hardly tear myself away. This is just a small detail:

(photo by turtles06)

Sorry but the Palma Aquarium is way out past the airport and will take about 45mins each way by bus.

I would concentrate on the cathedral and use the Ho Ho bus which stops in the port you would possibly be able to do Belver Castle.

Read my posts on Palma de Majorca DIY,

Hi Roger,

Thank you for your information and the suggestion of using the Ho Ho bus :)

I will definitely take a look at your posts on Palma, thanks!

We had a port call in Palma a couple of years ago. I really wanted to see the Cathedral. We took the ship's shuttle into the downtown area, where we saw the Cathedral as well as the nearby Royal Palace and walked around that lovely area near the water. If you do visit the Cathedral, don't miss St. Peter's Chapel, where there is a mesmerizing installation by modern artist Miquel Barceló depicting the biblical miracle of the loaves and fishes. I could hardly tear myself away. This is just a small detail:

(photo by turtles06)

Hi Turtles!

It is always very helpful and lovely to read stories about personal experiences, especially like this one! I love it when a place means/does something to a person, I will definitely keep this in mind for my Palma port: thank you! :D

Before committing to the idea of the HOHO bus be sure to check your port loads for the day you are there. When we were there last September on the Silhouette there were over 10,000 other passengers from cruise ships in town for the day. Loads like that can make for very long lines for buses and taxis etc. We opted to book a tour of the countryside that day and really enjoyed ourselves.

Before committing to the idea of the HOHO bus be sure to check your port loads for the day you are there. When we were there last September on the Silhouette there were over 10,000 other passengers from cruise ships in town for the day. Loads like that can make for very long lines for buses and taxis etc. We opted to book a tour of the countryside that day and really enjoyed ourselves.

What site you use to check how many ships are in port?

Here you go:

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/

Thank you :)

Hi any more tips? I am thinking of doing private tour and want to go to Valdemossa - anyone been there?

Loved Valledemossa!

Nice village, Chopin miniconcert great,

Wife loved the pearl store

Just came off the Epic last week and visited La Seu Cathedral in Palma. We docked on a Saturday at 1PM only to find that the church was not open to the public. In the afternoon only guided tour groups are allowed inside. If you book the ships excursion, "Palma in Depth" you will be allowed to enter inside the cathedral. With only tour groups inside, there are no crowds and you are able to fully appreciate the cathedral. The excursion also allows some time to shop and then drives up to Bellver castle. There is no time to enter the castle but you can enjoy the views from outside.

Here you go:

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/

Oh this is really helpful! Thank you for this :D

Just came off the Epic last week and visited La Seu Cathedral in Palma. We docked on a Saturday at 1PM only to find that the church was not open to the public. In the afternoon only guided tour groups are allowed inside. If you book the ships excursion, "Palma in Depth" you will be allowed to enter inside the cathedral. With only tour groups inside, there are no crowds and you are able to fully appreciate the cathedral. The excursion also allows some time to shop and then drives up to Bellver castle. There is no time to enter the castle but you can enjoy the views from outside.

Thank you for telling your personal experience and for the tip of "Palma in Depth" because I have been thinking about doing that excursion! :) On NCL I feel like the details for the excursions aren't really too detailed lol. But you helped me a lot, knowing you do visit the Cathedral from the inside and you have time to enjoy the views from outside Bellver castle, but not going in!

Do you happen to know if the people that did the "Palma in Depth" excursion had a stop to drink/eat something? Because there isn't anything in the description... maybe because it's around 4 hours, most people will probably eat on the boat again!

How was your trip? :) I hope you had an amazing time!

Thank you for telling your personal experience and for the tip of "Palma in Depth" because I have been thinking about doing that excursion! :) On NCL I feel like the details for the excursions aren't really too detailed lol. But you helped me a lot, knowing you do visit the Cathedral from the inside and you have time to enjoy the views from outside Bellver castle, but not going in!

Do you happen to know if the people that did the "Palma in Depth" excursion had a stop to drink/eat something? Because there isn't anything in the description... maybe because it's around 4 hours, most people will probably eat on the boat again!

 

How was your trip? :) I hope you had an amazing time!

Sofie, Yes they gave us an over an hour to eat & shop on our own between the cathedral and castle visit. Those that did not want to see the castle could just remain in town and take the ships shuttle bus back to the port when they wanted.

I felt this excursion was well worth the $85 cost, especially since I had the $50 excursion credit add-on. Just an FYI, Guests with no booked excursions were being charged $15 for a round trip shuttle bus into town.

Overall, had a great time. Ship was kind of crowded, but being such a port intensive cruise, we didn't seem to mind it much at all. Hope you have a Great Trip Too!:)

We did a private tour for 6 of us with Spain Day Tours. We went to the castle and then out to Valldamossa. Coming back we did a drive by of some other city sights so it was a pretty full day. In Valldamossa we did a walking tour, had a light lunch/snack and then had some shopping time if we wanted it.