edinburgher

Or maybe consider swapping your day 1 plans and go to Lucca that day instead of on day 2. Doing that you could return to he ship as late as you like.

And once again NCL surprises. Your group do know that on NCL there is no such thing as a "free" drinks package, because unless there has been a recent change, they will have to pay a 20% service charge pppd on the full retail value of the "free" drinks package. It is for many an unexpected cost. Maybe next time you visit Alaska, you get to choose the cruiseline!

No worries, but if your question is not really a general one and specific to a certain cruiseline, a better response can usually be expected by posting there.

Pity that Nuuk is not on the itinerary. Check Great Greenland website to get an idea of what they sell, otherwise you will be looking at items made from beads or horn, or t-shirts or similar, but when we passed through.the Great Greenland oulet we noticed plenty of items made of sealskin,there is only the question of C.I.T.E.S. or USDA?

Barcelona is a well trodden path with millions of visitors every year,meaning there is most likely very little of the city which has remained " a hidden gem", so good luck with that question. But there is SO MUCH MORE to the city than the small number of sights you listed and you want to spend your time seeing and doing the sights/attractions which are of most interest to you personally and there are a vast number to choose from. In order to do that, you need to read, read and read even more, beginning with the official Barcelona Tourist Information website, and others which appear when you google "Barcelona sightseeing" or similar, also Tripadvisor, YouTube, guide books, and websites such as Rick Steves, Fromer's, Fodors, Lonely Planet etc. Google really is your best friend. And of course the boards here on CC There are many many past threads about Barcelona, a quick search produced the following from which you can choose which to read. And also google "self guided free walking tours of Barcelona" https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=barcelona&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=465 It is an amazing city, enjoy.

Would this be only for the day or is it for a post cruise stay? Asking because it is further than many cruise pax would find comfortable timing for an independent port excursion, but everyone has a different stress level and you might be more comfortable with that than others might be. You could travel by train between the two, first having to get to Mareseille Gare St Charles from the port at Fos. On that routing there should be a mix of faster TGV and slower regional trains. Or you could rent a car or pay dearly for a taxi. Alternatively, there are a limited number of direct trains from Marseille Provence Airport to Avignon, but you would first havre to get to the airport from the port at Fos. It isn't actually that far away from Fos, I think around 30 minutes or so by taxi depending on time of day and traffic.

I think many first time visitors to Greenland expect to see the usual array of shopping outlets, taxis offering tours at the dock, and a full selection of shorex, not realising that Greenland is a world away from all of those. We found it a refreshing change, and not a "Diamonds International" in sight!!😉

Beaded items are a traditional craft and we bought some in Nuuk from local ladies who were selling them off tables in the old harbour area. One told us they make them in winter to sell to summer tourists. We also bought a tiny bone carving from similar ladies with tables at the tender dock in Qaqortoq, paying cash in both locations. We saw some lovely hand carved items in shops in Nuuk but as they were VERY expensive we only looked. They had a special name which I cannot remember, but I think it began with "t".

As this is an NCL specific question, you might want to cross post on the NCL forum where pax who took NCL excursions would be more likely to see your question and reply. And it would probably be helpful to members if you were to ask about your specific ports, rather than simply "Greenland" excursions as not all ships visit the same ports every time. Generally in Greenland, shorex are few and far between. You might want to look at this recent thread which does mention one or two, but you could search CC for all your ports and decide which of the results to read. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2990832-greenland-tours/#comment-66956316

Think you might want to try online research for answers, or maybe contact the official Tourist Information Offices of both to ask. You would also need to check if such items would be allowed into the US or banned due to any C.I.T.E.S. violation. Do bear in mind that both places are very small towns, more like settlements really, and you won't find many outlets selling only tourist items as presumably there would not be enough trade to sustain such a business. The main town is Nuuk, if you are porting there also, and they did have many stores there. it was the only town where we saw regular stores. The tiny number of shopping outlets in smaller towns/settlements sell mostly everyday items, think supermarkets.We didn't notice anywhere like that in Nanortalik, but in Qaqortoq there is the "Great Greenland Tannery" near the tender dock which could be worth a try so try googling that one. And in Greenland, many of the "skins" are sealskin, another item you might want to check for C.I.T.E.S inclusion. And check too which taxes you might need to pay to import allowable items such as fur or sealskin.

Thanks for achnowledging as not everyone does. should you dock at Altona you will be good to go, if at one of the others you need to do some pre-trip homework, although the u-boat info will still be relevant.

BON VOYAGE to both!😀😀

shmabbies, should you find any relevant info by whatever means, perhaps you would consider adding it to this thread at some point as it could be helpful to others travelling there in the future.😀

Description of the recreation of it (it was a Roman jigsaw with multiple fragments)and images online.😀

Even should you not want to book one, look at the shorex on offer as these will give you some ideas of the highlights. And check the usual official Tourist Information Helsingborg website, also Tripadvisor and any others which appear when you google something like "Helsingborg sightseeing"

If you are definitely docking in Amsterdam itself and not one of the other locations, the docking area is well positioned for easy independent sightseeing of the city and a tour isn't essential, and even if you are wanting to tour outside the city, public transport is generally excellent. And coaches are not always able to enter some of the central area which is better explored on foot.

To be honest, one bathroom for 5 sounds horrific, especially at times when all five will be trying to get off the ship in port or to go for meals, or for anything really. but there is another element to take into account, and I think it is an important one. If a cabin for 5 involves any kind of fold down or pull out bed, that will take up some of the already quite small floor space, meaning it will be difficult (if not impossible) for anyone to move around within that cabin. Price any suite which can accommodate five comfortably, or go for two cabins, reducing costs by opting for inside and/or interconnecting and divide the group between them.

Thank you for all that information. It is always worth spending time researching the Ts and Cs of different policies to find the most suitable/best one, and paying for it too, as the best or most suitable usually is the most expensive, but for peace of mind alone, IMHO in the event of something going wrong, it is usually money well spent.

And if Ketchikan is also on your itinerary, are you aware that NCL do not dock or tender into downtown, instead using out-of-town Ward Cove and using shuttle buses between there and Downtown. if you can cancel without penalty, you could consider one of the more experienced cruiselines such as Princess or HAL, as both lines appear to have more permits for GB, although I would still check as it cannot be assumed that each and every one of their Alaskan sailings cruises GB as there may be an occasional one which does not.

We did this from Haines. it was fabulous, and having cruised GB twice, flying above and looking down on it gave a completely different perspective.

and a small piece of that Roman history will be displayed in Edinburgh following its loan to the British Museum in London. It is a brass arm guard dating from the 2nd C AD, one of only three known in the world and incredibly rare. (Thought you might be interested in this very recent announcement.😀)

And it really isn't necessary to sightsee in every port using only shorex. Some pre trip time reasearching online and on the CC forums would inform you how sightseeing independently in some (not necessarily all) ports can be very worthwhile as your day is tailored to suit your own personal interests, and worhwhile savings can be made.

We have never sailed NCL, in part due to their supersized ships, so cannot comment on that line, but we were happy enough with Celebrity.

I was thinking about pax who had booked flights independent of the cruiseline.

and are we to also stop using MDR instead of Main Dining Room?😀 and Roll Call instead of RC?