edinburgher

In that case, the Alilaguna vaporetto service might suit you best as there will be a stop close to St Marks, just check their routes as given by euro cruiser above, and bearing in mind there is no land transport after P. Roma (opposite side of Venice from your hotel) you don't want to walk far with luggage. Does your hotel have a private dock or will you have to walk from the closest public vaporetto stop? And do you know how many bridges you will need to cross carrying your luggage? A few challenges with Venice but the city is amazing.You said this Don’t want to spend and arm and leg either Sorry to advise that Venice is not inexpensive, especially for tourists.

Is it possible you were looking at third party shorex vendors, such as Viator instead of actual tour operators? Third party vendors are middlemen not tour providors, so you would not always know which company they would be booking you with and would also be tied to their own cancellation policies which may be different from those of the actual providor.

We visited Marsaxlokk on a port day, simply taking the local public bus from the bus station which dropped us right beside the harbour. ( or you could take a taxi) strolled around there for a time, took photos of the coloured boats, browsed the small craft market, enjoyed a cold beer then returned by bus again to Valletta. The bus route passes through the Three Cities, so you could if you wanted to, get off at each for a time before either walking to the next one or taking a bus or taxi.I expect you could find info on doing that online. I am unsure how much there is to be gained by taking one of the boat tours around the harbour as you will already sail into it and out again, seeing much of it for free, and much of the rest can be seen from Valletta itself including from the Upper Barrakka Gardens and from other viewpoints and photo points around the city. The only benefit I can think of is that you will see it from lower down closer to the water than you will from a higher up taller ship. You could internet search for photo points and/or lookout points in Valletta as there is no shortage of fortifications.

As if the castle entry isn't expensive enough on its own ! Ithink that time pressures probably have some bearing on this action, especially as Britannia is so far out on a limb from the other sights. Most cruise pax on a one day visit will find that most of their day can be taken up simply on and in close proximity to the Royal Mile/High St if they include the Grassmarket and Victoria St, with maybe a short time at Princes St Gardens and Calton Hill (weather permitting). I always feel a little sad that there is really no time to visit some of the excellent galleries and museums we have here. Thanks for taking the time to explain all of that as it will be useful for future visitors to know. I have just now read your amended info and assume that castle entry tickets are not in fact currently being sold at Hawes in conjunction with the bus tickets unless being bought as part of the more expensive packages. And yes, that could change, or perhaps it won't, making it tricky for we locals trying to advise others. I think I will simply continue to advise them to pre-book castle entry well ahead of time on the official castle website. I was surprised to see that tickets could currently be booked up to the end of September, as I think previously they were only up to three months ahead, not five, but this probably reflects the new online only sales policy which means no more "walk up" availability.

grimpil, this to let you know that there is now updated correct info added to this thread.

Learn something new each day! Tthank you for the info fruitmachine as changes have been made to castle entry which I was not aware of and I would not want to give incorrect info to anyone asking.. I have now looked at the official website and discovered that, unlike before where pre-booking was a personal choice, it now appears to be compulsory, as the website info states that "once online tickets are sold out, no further tickets will be available at the castle" I can only apologise to anyone I may have unintenionally misled, but just as well I usually advised pre-booking to avoid waiting in a line. Presumably this important change has been made to reduce the length of the lines and to cap daily visitor numbers. Now knowing this, can you explain how the entry tickets sold at Hawes Pier work? Are they for specific times that day?

Highly unlikely I would think as I expect these online bookable tours will sell out well in advance alongside pre-booked entry tickets. I would also not expect the bus ticket staff to have audio guides for the castle. Although October would be quieter than the peak visitor months, it is not actually "quiet" as the city is busy busy year round and pre-booking is recommended for any sights or attractions which you intend to visit. The Real Mary Kings Close being another example. Buy your castle entry tickets as soon as you they come available, usually several months ahead of time to get the timing which would work best for you. Today it is possible to book a date through September, so October may appear very soon. Without a timed entry you would need to wait in a long line. i think that the castle tickets fruitmachine refers to above, will only be general admission, not timed entry. Widely available, buy wherever you like the look of or consider going for a full on Afternoon Tea somewhere as a treat. As the HOHO buses cannot drive every street in the old Town and some sections of the Royal Mile are pedestrian only, the best way to explore the area is actually on foot. As it is only a mile from the castle to Holyrood Palace and the sights and attractions are close to each other anyway, I would recommend you consider doing this. you could take the X99 into the city than a taxi up to the castle, and when finished there, simply stroll the length of the Royal Mile with its attractions, museums, churches, St Giles Cathedral and the many "closes", some of which you could explore. Much info for all of the Royal Mile can be found by searching the internet. Past threads for Edinburgh, some of which you may want to browse https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=edinburgh&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=8

I am unsure what you will gain doing this, as it is possible to book the official castle guided tours at the same time as you pre-book and buy your entrance tickets and they are available at certain times throughout the day. That failing, you can also tour using the self guided audio guides which can also be hired alongside admission tickets. Doing this means you can move at your own pace. This also means you do not need to stress about meeting a guide at a certain time, but do pre-book your entry tickets to avoid waiting in a long line.

As your question is very Celebrity specific, consider cross posting on the Celebrity forum where passengers who have taken this itinerary or passengers who have one upcoming and can access the information would be more likely to see it and respond. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/16-celebrity-cruises/

We have found in italy on occasion, that although many shops may be closed on a Sunday morning, some of them slowly begin opening around lunchtime/early afternoon.

Portofino is expensive no matter the time of year, as it is geared towards the rich, so even a block or two back with no view will probably be pricey. As a general rule in Europe, the prettier and higher the view, the higher the cost. You can check menus and prices for different restaurants online as doing that might help you decide. From Portofino will you travel the short distance to Santa Margherita? There you will find a bigger selection of restaurants and lower, but not necessarily low as it will be peak season, prices. Should you go there, do try to take the ferry (15/20 mins) at least one way if not both as it is a really scenic way to arrive or leave. Past threads for Portofino https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=portofino&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464 and for Santa Margherita https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=santa margherita&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464 As they are so close to each other, some posts for SM will mention P and some for P will mention SM. By coincidence, this thread currently just below yours. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3005377-restaurant-recommendations-for-santa-margherita-ligure/#comment-67300181

Based on only our two 14 night itineraries onboard HAL ships, Holland America and Princess usually have the best docking locations, or had pre-pandemic, but maybe things have changed since then?

Honningsvag. Your best option is the North Cape, the reason for the stop here, You might want to take at tour for this.. ALESUND is a super easy DIY port stop. I posted this some time ago but it would be helpful for you to read Alesund, a favourite with cruise pax, partly as you dock in the centre of town, partly because there are a number of sightseeing options and partly because they are easy to do on your own. You would find it helpful to read this thread which has a number of posts which would help you decide. And Norway is expensive so a saving in at least one or two ports is better than no saving at all. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2963492-alesund-excursions/#comment-66098932 Ttromso is another port where it is almost as easy to explore independently, even easier if you dock in the centre of town rather than out by the botanical garden, from where we used the publiuc bus outside the terminal to get into the town centre). There is quite a lot to see and do in Tromso, your decision as to which sights, museums etc appeal most to you personally. We have visited 3 times and found things to see and do each time. Many previous threads about Tromso. Here they some ready for you to decide which to read. As a number of threads digress from the original subject line topic or from the original question, don't dismiss some without first reading. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=tromso&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116 If you have not already read past threads for all your ports, do learn how to use the quick and easy SEARCH tool under your username as it is an invaluable resource. Results will usually appear in seconds. You mention "a nice pub". If this your first visit to Norway, be preparted for price shocks for everything as Norway is very expensive , but especially for any alcohol. To avoid an unwelcome shock, best to check pricing of any alcohol before ordering.

I don't know if my suggestion will be helpful or not, but when we visited Kiel we did quite extensive research on how to spend our day there and Laboe was one of our options.. We didn't go to Laboe in the end, actually went in the opposite direction to the observation deck at the lock there before exploring Kiel itself, but in the course of researching our options, we came across references to a ferry from Kiel city to Laboe and it was a properly timetabled regular ferry, not a "one a day" ferry. That was pre-pandemic and there have been many changes since then, but some online research into a possible ferry might be worth trying. Kiel itself is a busy and quite large working city and although we didn't look for one, there must be taxis to be found. Try googling? As for one to return from Laboe, perhaps you could make enquiries directly with the museum via their website.. You could also arrange for whichever taxi you take there to return for you at a certain time, but that option carries an element of risk for cruise passenhers..

There have been many many recommendations for Ehpesus tours in the past, and it might be helpful for you to read at least some of the past threads for ideas and information. Choose from these: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=ephesus&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149 There may also be more under Kusadasi, so choose from these: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=kusadasi&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149 And you could check your Roll Call in case some fellow passengers have already booked a tour and are looking for others like yourself to join the small group. And are you aware that Viator is not a tour operator, but a middleman which books you on to tours run by other companies, so you won't actually know which company you will tour with.