edinburgher

April in Rome isn't going to be as busy as other times. Easter is one of the busiest times of the year in Rome and it often falls in April. In 2023 Easter Sunday will fall on April 9th.

Post #2 Libertas is the local bus company so you could check their website for ticket info, and that failing, perhaps you could contact them directly and ask.

Valencia is a really easy DIY day and is a" flat"city so easy on the feet.The historic area is quite compact, so once in the centre (local bus from port) easy walking around. The modern, futuristic area is separate but also easily reached by public bus from the port.Or the HOHO might suit you. The Valencia Tourist Info website is most useful and there are many others with suggestions, and you could bring up all previous Valencia threads and replies by using the SEARCH facility, then reading them and picking up info that way, and the same for Malaga which offers many sightseeing options both in and outside of the city. Many many previous threads for Malaga.

Probably a huge disappointment not to see Venice, but if you stay in Ravenna there should be more than enough sights to fill your day.The mosaics are actually world famous. Lots of info and images online. Perhaps you could work a short stay in Venice around a future trip?

Suggesting you ask this question on the forum for the cruiseline offering this (Celebrity? 5/23) as you would have more chance of responses from pax who did this same shorex with that line, as maybe others did a similar but not identical shorex with a different line and s different title. Also because you accidentally posted it on the SPAIN Forum where it has even less chance of being replied to.

I imagine the walk along the river is flat yes the riverfront is flat. and all the way to Rossio station too. Unfortunately for most sights and views you can expect uphill. There are a number of elevators, some with a fee, some free. These help so you could read up on them. Or buses or trams. Pr de Figuera isn't far either if you have no luggage and is an excellent transport hub for moving around the city and out to Belem, but you may find you can do that from a stop closer to you as you must be close to Pr do Commercio which is also a good transport hub. When arriving I know the airport bus terminates there so that could be an option for you. Do read about using public transport. On a first visit to Lisbon you could ride the quite famous tram route #28. There will be much online info about it and you can check the stop closest to your accommodation. We rode vintage trams on our first couple of visits just because the vintage ones are different and one of the symbols of Lisbon, but thereafter we preferred the modern ones as we thought them more spacious and comfortable. Reads as if you made a good choice re location. Should you want to buy breakfast items or snacks, I could recommend any of the Pingo Doce supermarkets which offer more choices than the mini marts although they vary in size depending on location (which you can find online). Enjoy.

Mykonos would be a good beach day unless you want to tour the island. As would Katakolon unless you want to visit the ancient site of Olympia. Messina. Most folks on a first visit would opt to visit Taormina or take a Mt Etna tour. Santorini. Again, most folks on a first visit would visit Oia. Ephesus is Ephesus and unmissable. Naples will give you a headache trying to decide where to go if this would be your first visit. Choices include Naples itself, especially for the Archaeological Museum, Pompeii, Herculaneum. Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, Capri.. Athens. Again like Naples, you would need to read and decide which sites would be of most interest to you.

so I’m assuming mid/late October isn’t really peak season. It will be quieter for sure but the weather should still be pleasant enough although maybe a little mixed. You could check Ibiza October weather online. Most summer activities around the Med will end around mid or late October. I think it would be more helpful if you were to ask this queastion about the Virgin Valient Lady beach club shorex on the VIRGIN VOYAGES FORUM. That way you may get replies from anyone who actually did that same trip. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/826-virgin-voyages/

Would like to just spend the day in Ibiza at a beach club Apologies, but it isn't exactly clear to others if you are hoping to go to an actual all singing, all dancing "beach club" as opposed to a nice beach with facilities. Ibiza is the clubbing capital of Europe and you might expect high end clubs with pricing to match, in addition to resident DJs and non stop dancing day and night, especially so if you will be visiting any time in summer. Partygoers will rate a club not on the actual beach, but on the celebrityDJ's (flown in specially) and the "vibes". LOL simply writing that makes me feel terribly old!!! I suggest that to find the one which best suits you, you internet search something along the lines of "Ibiza beach clubs", and read descriptions of them followed by reviews to see which might appeal to you most and where it or they are located. That would give you a starting point re transport options for the return to ship. As an aside,when in her early 20's, our daughter went to Ibiza for a week with 3 friends one summer hoping to enjoy beach clubs on a couple of their days. They knew it was expensive but hoped to stretch to two outings, either day or evening. Returned home very disappointed. They had not read up enough before they left home and once there, discovered that loungers etc had been pre-booked weeks or months in advance, some of the clubs had really expensive minimum spend rules and they were simply too expensive for the girls who were low earners or students at the time. And the evening/night clubs were also too expensive for them so their break didn't go as well as they had hoped. Exhorbitant pricing for food and drinks was how the clubs were described by the girls so the shorex may actually be a good deal.

7 days as a test to see if we liked cruising. We did!! But we still mix up cruising with land trips to get more variation of countries and cities.

I would also advise great caution in Rio (per post #2) Do read this fairly recent thread, or maybe start a thread with Rio Safety as the subject: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2846897-rio-april-2023/#comment-63789450 Despite the problems there it is still an amazing city to visit. Standing up at Christ The Redeemer and looking at Rio spread out below is one of those "pinch me I must be dreaming" moments.

If on a port of call,there is usually a shuttle bus to a big shiopping mall, which as post #1 suggests is most likely at Plaza San Miguel. Very very strongly advised not to venture out of the port on foot as the area is unsafe and vendors/taxi drivers quite agressive. Also wise to leave ALL jewellery, valuables, passports etc onboard and only venture out with the absolute minimum you might need securely concealed..

The port does release the expected terminals but it doesn’t go as far as January yet, they are using jardim in November so it does seem likely to be that one. 🙂 that is quite central and could be doable as a walk on even ground if you were staying in the suggested area- or even closer to the dock than that.

The only thing I know about the port is ncl says it’s port of Lisbon You could try looking at the official website for the Port of Lisbon. where you can click on the english version for easier reading. They describe the different terminals and their locations, but pre-covid they used to also show which terminal each cruise ship was to dock at. Or, If you are on a RC for your sailing, others may have already looked into it.

Sorry for being so 'cruel' but again, this was nothing as to what we expected. Giantfan 13. Was sorry to read about your disappointing experience in Q. We visited twice and although we would not be enthusiastic about a third visit, we enjoyed both our visits. Greenlandic ports will always be lower key destinations, but both our days were reasonably warm, sunny and with many flowers in bloom and together with the coloured houses they made for pretty pics. We followed the Stone and Man route the first time and enjoyed looking for the carvings and just walking around including up to the very top of the town. Second time we walked part way around the lake. Only spoke with a couple of mothers and children at the fountain area when we stopped for a rest and a snack, but they were pleasant enough, especially when, instead of eating them ourselves, we gave the kids the two apples we had taken from the ship as fresh fruit is especially expensive there and in short supply. Only other person we spoke with was the librarian in the library, a really nice lady who was happy to chat about life there, especially as she was going to visit our home city (Edinburgh) the following summer during her Scotland trip. The world is indeed smaller than one might think! When we returned two years later we sought her out again and not only did she remember us, we had even more to talk about as she had by then visited Scotland. and was keen to give us her impressions. I suspect that "the guys cutting up the whale" would have been reluctant to engage with you in any way (even with only eye contact) as the killing of whales has become even more controversial in recent years and they would have been wary of your reactions. Whaling has been a part of their culture for many generations and I think they are allowed a certain quota each year (but am happy to be corrected should others be better informed) You saw the place. Few work opportunities, probably very low incomes combined with high imported food costs, so the whale meat would have been an important food source for them and others , but not every tourist would understand that.

Lisbon is extremely hilly and can be difficult with luggage in addition so I would suggest you look at central areas which are on even/level/flat ground. We had visited several times on cruises but returned in Feb 2020 for a land stay and booked an aparthotel (which sadly closed through the Covid period) on Rua da Prata. There were so many restaurants, bars, shops all around and it was really convenient for all sorts of transport including the airport bus, trams, buses and Metro from Praça da Figueira and was one of the main reasons we booked that area, the other being that it was on even ground as you cannot underestimate the steepness of many Lisbon streets. Running parallel is Rua Augusta, another popular accomnmodation area so I would suggest you look at anywhere in that Augusta, Prata, Praca de Figuera area. which also has the Augusta Arch and is only minutes (flat) walk to the huge Praca do Comercio on the waterfront. If your luggage has wheels and you are docked near Praca do Comercio you could probably walk to the ship but Lisbon has several docking locations so you would need to check which one. Can I suggest you read these two previous threads which might be helpful: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2800644-lisbon-hotel-choice/#comment-61863345 This one has another cruise passenger mentioning Rua Augusta area. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2832656-what-to-do-on-lisbon-disembarkation-day/#comment-62740525

Glacier Bay is a definite highlight on any Alaskan cruise. With some other glaciers, it is a short approach to a reasonably close viewing spot,, ship sits for a short time and will usually do a twirl around for photo ops both sides,before sailing away again. With Glacier Bay you are in there for several hours, and in addition to the commentary, there are multiple glaciers to see, the bay itself and some incredible mountains. It really is scenic and as silence is requested it is quite a moving experience as you glide around. You could go on to the US National Park Service website and use the menu to find Glacier Bay National Park, or simply google Glacier Bay National Park then again followed by the word photos or images. What you read and see should help you decide.

Thank you! Will do some homework. We've got 4 nights in La Spezia. The initial plan was - First night, will get there by train from Venice early to mid in the arvo, so planning on looking around La Spezia. Day 2, go see 3 of the Cinque Terre Towns. Day 3 see the other 2. Day 4 we were going to head to Pisa and then Porto Venere.. although now looking to see if adding in Lucca is an option. The next morning catch an early train to Rome. Sounds like a plan! Just one thing though, and you would need to check, but I don't think there is a train station in Porto Venere. When we were to dock at Marina di Carrara we had looked at that option, but without a train station instead headed to Santa Margherita and Portofino on a shorex as we had already visited both Pisa and Lucca twice.. We actually really liked SM, which was much more attractive than we had expected. if too complicated for the Porto V. /Pisa option you might be much simpler with the alternative Pisa/Lucca combo.

Thank you (as well as carlmm). Good suggestions. We've done SM & Portofino previously (amazing). Will look into Lucca. Over from NZ Should you decide on a Pisa/Lucca day, you could read this recent thread as the train station info (posts #6 and7) could save you quite a walk in Pisa if you can time trains on the Trenitalia timetable which offer the secondary station in Pisa as stops. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2883871-livornopisa-with-public-transit/#comment-64037421

Lucca is just lovely and a great town to stroll around, and once you have looked at Lucca info and photos online I think you will be tempted. With no major sights, it is a less demanding, more relaxed day out in a pretty town, perfect for leisurely walking and having lunch.And do walk the walls for views into the historic centre below, giving a completely different perspective of the old town. The train station was very close to the walled old town. If I remember correctly, simply exit onto the main road, cross over, and one of the entrances through the walls was just a few steps to the left. Just adding a thought. If you only want to spend a few minutes in Pisa looking at the Leaning Tower, (as opposed to a full day) you could very easily combine Pisa with Lucca in one day as they are on the same train line and not far apart.. That is a popular day out for cruise pax from Livorno and with no sailaway time to meet you could extend your day as much as you would like.

i would also opt for la Spezia as there are more options to explore the region, and accommodation and dining out may be less expensive and offer more choices than would the villages. In addition to a direct train line to Pisa, you could also consider the slightly longer rail trip to Lucca if you never visited there before. (Think of it as a Tuscan gem) Much online info. Or in the opposite direction you would have the option of Santa Margherita and the very short transfer from there to Portofino on foot, or by bus, taxi or the really scenic short ferry crossing which only takes a few minutes.

You could begin by reading all previous threads and replies (as not too many of them) by using the SEARCH box under your username. Should bring up these, several of which have quite detailed info: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=cagliari&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464 Quite detailed info on here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2831952-cagliari-sardinia/#comment-62669621 Cagliari is an attractive town and many tourists visit. I think you will enjoy your day there.

Reading this very recent thread could answer some of your questions. and a wine tour is also mentioned! https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2854543-le-verdon/#comment-63815087

We used the airport bus to travel into the city and to return to the airport at the end of our land trip in Feb 2020 as our accommondation was closer to Plaça da Fiqueira bus stop than to the metro station and we had luggage. The bus also routed by Rossio area. I think it terminated/started at Praca do Comercio. It went well both directions, but sorry, neither of us can remember the cost.You could try googling something like "airport bus Lisbon". or " Lisbon Airport transport" You should also find route info.

And you will be aware that daylight will be much shorter at that time, darkness setting in late afternoon, That might suit your mother better as you would be more likely to be back on board earlier. Honfleur from le Havre would be easy by taxi (rather than public bus) and such a pretty little town to walk slowly around that you would both most likely find it charming. Join a Roll Call if there is one and perhaps others might want to share a taxi as Honfleur is such a popular destination. We have sailed into and out of Hamburg (although your sail out time might be in darkness depending on the time) and it was actually much more interesting than we had expected it to be. Sailing IN there were many homes, tiny beaches and wooded areas. These neighbourhoods looked quite upmarket.Then came the dock area which was enormous,( probably one of the biggest we ever saw, certainly in Europe). When we visited, there were even ferry/boat tours of the docks/harbour available as they are a bit of a tourist attraction in their own right. There is more than one docking location. We were docked at the Altona facility. There is a ferry stop right next to that facility, literally a few steps away and we used it to get to and from the busy ferry terminal Landundbrucken (SP!?).Tthat would be super easy for your mother.After check-in, I would recommend you use this ferry route as it was a scenic ride along the waterfront and "Landunbrucken?!) is a busy transport hub and a good place to enjoy a coffee or beer and watch all the activity before taking the ferry back to the ship. There should be reviews and photos online. If cheap AND convenient, I would give it very serious consideration.