matamanoa

We recently experienced this in Darwin as Princess only let us know a day ahead that the usual main city dock was occupied and we were going to have to put in at an industrial dock further away. It turned out that from the industrial dock, the only way into town was by shuttle bus and it would be a 45 minute drive there and another 45 minute drive back from town. We got our bus tickets at the designated time and place as listed in the Patter. We got number 11 tickets. Well, by 2:00 p.m. we were still waiting for our number to be called and we finally just gave up and let someone else have our tickets. We changed into our bathing suits, went upstairs to the pool and lounged away the rest of the afternoon. We heard the last group of ticket holders called at 4:00 p.m. Absolutely ridiculous! Princess had not arranged for the proper number of buses against the number of people who would want to get off and as a result many passengers were left waiting and getting frustrated. Keep in mind that most of the attractions and museums closed at 5:00 and that there were also very few shops open that day (it was a weekday), a lot of passengers were left with a very bad taste in their mouths over the poor organizational skills of Princess. Due to this experience, every time we had to get a shuttle ticket for a bus, people would start lining up two hours beforehand, just to secure an early ticket number. The crew started to become aware of this as there were long lines of passengers standing around with their coffees, lining the hallway and they always asked us why we had lined up so early. Passengers just gave them the evil eye. A similar experience on the B2B cruise ending in San Francisco where we put in at pier 80, an industrial parking lot for cars being off loaded from container ships. The only way into the tourist areas of Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf would be to take a taxi or call an Uber and in the Patter, Princess warned us that those two types of transportation might be limited. So, to appease all those who had started to complain about the arrangements, Princess offered to put on free shuttle buses to both Union Square and Pier 27. Sounded good, right! Once off the ship we had to stand in long snaking lines for over an hour, with our luggage( for those of us who were getting off in SF but not going to the airport) and we waited while the few buses which had been called into action loaded the appropriate people and their bags and made off towards the city. Due to traffic, it took over an hour for the trip to be made, start to finish. Luckily it was a gorgeous day with warm temps and sunshine but I can't image what would have happened had it not been good weather. Once we were off the ship, Princess just didn't care and we have heard rumblings about more cruisers being let off at out of the way piers just because Princess does not want to pay higher port fees. This may or may not be true but in any case it has left a bad taste in the mouths of some Princess cruisers. Sorry if this is long winded but it was an opportunity to let you know what is happening out there.

When we were in Athens in 2018, we did a free walking tour of Athens and enjoyed that greatly. Our guide Adrian was very knowledgeable and we had a few wonderful hours with him. We stayed at the Angel's Gate and that was a good location. On cruise day, we used Private Tours Greece for a half day tour to Cape Sounian and then dropped us off at the cruise port in the early afternoon. Our guide's name was Ellis and he was excellent and very punctual. Hope this helps

There are so many choices of quaint towns and attractions to see around the Southampton area. We spent three days in Bath a few years ago pre cruise and thoroughly enjoyed it. Easy train ride back to Southampton to catch the ship. We've also spent a day in Brighton and it was a straight train run there from Gatwick airport where we landed. Interesting town as well. There is a lot to see and do in Portsmouth and we spent the day there this past summer. Would have liked more time, a two day stay would have been nice. So much to see just in the dockyard area. We have also spent some time in the towns in the New Forest but luckily we had friends who were driving us around on that trip. It's a bit harder when you are on your own without a car but the area is beautiful. The Cotswolds are one of our favorite areas to visit but again harder to get around in if you don't drive your own car. Whatever you choose to do pre cruise will no doubt be amazing as there is spectacular scenery and so much quintessential UK, that you'll want to come back for more! Enjoy your time there and your cruise. Barb

Based on our own past experience, that flight is too early. Don't stress yourself out at the end of your cruise. Either book a later flight or stay over an extra day. Barb

absolutely gorgeous picture. Well done! Barb

While our cruise didn't leave from Whittier but from Seward instead, we used the Alaska RR for our transfer from Anchorage and it was a wonderful experience. Our luggage was handled by train staff, we were served a delicious breakfast while riding through the countryside, listening to an on board naturalist describing the flora and wildlife and we were able to get a different perspective of the land by traveling inland and not hugging the coast on a bus. Very positive experience.

Thanks for the suggestion. Barb

Thanks for the useful tips. The walk we are taking is free and is run by the city. They do cover a fair bit of ground so should give us the most value for the short amount of time we have in Melbourne. A friend did recommend the Hopetoun Tea Room and said that we might need a reservation. From the pictures that I've seen for the lineups waiting to get in, we'll keep our fingers crossed that we can get a seat without too much of a wait. It looks just like my kind of place. I'll check out the website you suggested for St. Kilda.

We love quaint little shops and alleyways, art museums (not modern art). We are taking a guided walk around the CBD one morning, so that should show us some interesting places that we might want to pop back to. We like antiques and historic architecture. And - I love tea rooms and being able to have a cream tea!

I'm sure we will. The only problem is that we have so little time to discover your wonderful city. My husband and I will be coming through Melbourne on a cruise and so that affords us one day in the area. We don't plan on going into the city that particular day as we will be back again after the cruise ends. At that time, we will have two days to see whatever we can of Melbourne and then we're off again on another cruise. So the first time in port, we are going to stay in the port area and discover the shops, restaurants and galleries in the beach area and Bay St. On our second time in Melbourne a week later, we will have more time to see what the CBD has to offer and I'm sure we'll enjoy our brief stay. Barb

Thanks again Leigh for answering. Barb

Another question if you don't mind. We will be using the tram service on Easter Sunday to get to the cruise port. Due to the holiday, will tram service run on a lighter schedule with fewer trains available? Barb

Thank you Yarramar and Possum52 for the information. The tram sounds perfect! Barb

What is the best way to get from our hotel (Ibis Budget Melbourne, at Collins and Elizabeth Strs) to the cruise port? My husband and I will have a medium suitcase and a carry on each. Thanks for any advice. Barb

Please return to the old format. This one is ridiculous and as JB put it, if it doesn't go back to the old format, then I won't be reading it. Please don't change anything else!