edinburgher

You might find it helpful to read this previous thread which has lots of Alesund info and tips on what to do and see. Both the HOHO and the little train are mentioned and almost everything you might want to know about Alesund can be found in it. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2826391-alesund-norway/#comment-62526938 Such an attractive town to visit and popular with cruise pax. Enjoy.

You may not need a guide for your day 2, if for example you were to visit Topkapi Palace or the neighbouring Archaeological Museum, both located only a few minutes downhill walk from Sultanahmet. It does of course depend on your interests, but either could take in excess of 2-3 hours using at least half your day should you visit both and I suspect that neither would be part of your Day 1 tour although they may well be as you didn't state which of" the most famous sights" you would visit on day 1. Or consider visiting Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus. Easy to get there by tram from Sultanahmet to the Kabatas tram stop which is the terminus of the T1 tramline so you cannot go wrong.. From there it is only a max 5 minutes walk, probably less. Reviews for all of the above can be found online as reading them could help you decide. Also check opening hours.

You were lucky to have "a few feet" and not just "a few inches"! FredZiffle, parallel parking is one of the elements of a UK practical driving test, and failure to carry out the manouevre correctly can result in a "fail" so learners here need to practice this before their test date. My understanding is that some learners can fail their test a number of times as they cannot parallel park correctly. I have no idea if it is included in practical driving tests in other European countries, or your own country for that matter, whichever it is. Even if you were accustomed to parellel parking "at home",an added difficulty for you would have been that you were not as familiar with the length and width of a rental as you would have been with your own vehicle. Feeling your pain from here........

If no definitive answer on this board, you could try posting on the NCL board as your question is NCL specific.

Just luck really as to how many people could be entering at around the same time as you, but walk-up would work better as your timing will be unknown given the tendering and transfer from SQ with the additional transport needed from city centre to Ocean Terminal.

Bennybear, that would have been a lovely trip. We were very impressed with the sightseeing opportunities in Puglia, a lovely mix of inland and seaside. Also seeing ithe area appearing more often in tv programmes so its popularity appears to be increasing.

It is far, but sometimes for something special it is worth considering. It was long to get to Cairo from the port, also to Meteora from Volos, and to Shanghai and HMC/Saigon on our second visit when we didn't sail upriver and dock right in the heart of HMC as we had done on our first visit. There have also been a few others across the years. We use the journey TO the destination as an opportunity to view from the coach as we usually snooze the entire journey back and see nothing!

On the few occasions we take a shorex, if there is an opportunity to leave the group and meet up again at the departure point and time, we will do this, but it depends on where we are and how much info we want to hear from the guide, so we don't always leave the group.

VV thanks for having an online peek at Matera. Tthe description of the shorex with our cruiseline wasn't especially tempting, but having seen it on tv we sort of knew what to expect and booked it. .From the above four options you listed, trulli houses and Alberobella are probably one and the same, and living where you do, maybe vineyards and/or wine tasting around Ostuni won't be anything new to you unless there is more to the tour than that. (Those (probably unwanted) comments may make it easier for you to decide- or not!) We stayed with the guide in Matera as some buildings were locked unless in a tour group with a guide and we wanted to see inside them. A rock church, and a typical home being examples. It is one of our "stand out" memories although we have many. When we watched JB No Time to Die, we immediately recognised one of the car chase scenes filmed in Matera.

Many will have little interest in the city itself being far more interested in the Bordeaux wines and the wineries all around for which it is very well known . In the world of wine, the name Bordeaux is very prominant.

You might also want to consider pre-booking your entry.

And maybe expect that your itinerary could be impacted by a hurricane, and your trip may turn into a bit of a mystery cruise if you are very unlucky. Would advise that you maybe don't book and pay for anything such as a tour or car rental unless you are guaranteed a full refund in the event of cancellation which could be fairly last minute. Definitely read anyT's and C's very carefully.

the Palace and Riva are a 10-15 minute walk from the ship depending on your walking speed. You will be able to see some of both from your ship. We know of three markets in Split. If you imaginne walking off the ship through the ferry piers and bus station you will arrive at a sort of "T" junction. Left for Riva, Palace etc, but very close to that junction is quite a large daily market on the opposite side of the main road. There is also the small fish market further along the Riva west of the palace area and just off a pedestrianised street whose name escapes me. We also came across a third one by chance as we wandered,uphill from the back of the first mentioned daily one. If you imagine the market "front" is the area closest to the sea, and the "back" the area furthest from the sea, we walked on the uphill street to the right of the market. and close to the palace there are usual stallholders selling craft items. I expect if you googled you would find them all showing on a map of Split.

Not sure can recommend it over others as we only visited the one and have no others to compare it with. We went to this one in Istanbul based on reviews and online images. Cagaloglu Hamami. in the Sultanahmet district. You mention "we". Be aware that if the "we" is a mix of male and female you will be allocated separate sections, in which case you might want to arrange a time to meet up in the communal entrance area when you think you will be good to go. Our only negative was the same one. In both the ladies and the mens section, the attendants were quite pushy about asking for a higher tip. We had both tipped our attendants, and thought we had been quite generous as we thought the attendants maybe didn't earn too much and they did a good job, but in each case they were indicating they wanted more, perhaps because we were tourists rather than locals? I do not know. Whatever, it is quite the experience and not one you will ever forget! If this is to be your first, I suggest you read up online about the procedure which will be followed as knowing some of that will be helpful to you at the time. if nobody can come back with more definite recommendations, you may need to make an informed choice as we did based on online reviews and images.

VV, you will know by now that we are mostly DIY /independent visitors who thoroughly research destinations to find the most interesting (to us) ways to spend our time ashore. I found this old post of mine which was in response to a previous thread about Brindisi although Ii have slightly adapted it to suit your own question. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ . Brindisi is not so much a"destination port"as a" gateway port," with a really good selection of places to visit in the surrounding area, some closer than others. Alberobello is all about seeing trulli, We didn't do that as we had seen them numerous times on tv shows and didn't think there would be anything new for us. We did hear other pax saying afterwards that their shorex was a little boring as "if you have seen one, you have seen them all". and "one house with a pointy roof is much like any other" Other pax went to Lecce and enjoyed that shorex, thinking the town was worth the visit.. There is much about Lecce online and you could read about it to help you decide whether that could be combined with the trulli as it has a lot to offer. it is also quite an easy DIY outing. From what we have read, also the comments above, Lecce would be for us a really interesting town to visit and we would have made this option our #1 choice and happily gone there independently had we not been tempted by a shorex which for us is fairly rare as we only take these if the journeys are outwith our comfort zone distance or are too complicated using public transport or a taxi share should we find others. Having said that, our research usually begins by looking at the shorex to read about what might be possible in the area as a shorex if not suited to DIY. Immediately spotted a shorex to MATERA, on offer,a truly unique town which has featured in many major films as some scenes were shot there (including Passion of the Christ, Ben Hur and a few James Bond films among others)and which we had seen in a tv documentary, so we opted for that one and it didn't disappoint. It was definitely a unque experience to visit this UNESCO site especially as there is nowhere else in the world like it. And for once, we didn't even escape the group and guide but stayed with them, and that in itself is unusual for us. Do read about MATERA online, also look at images, because if it is an option as a shorex, I would recommend you at the very least give it serious consideration.. I think the distance is a little too far for a private tour, at least for us, but ohers have different time/distance limits.

Why would you sit in your cabin? There are a number of ports around the world where it pays to be up on deck even with an early start As a general rule, with any scenic sail-in you want to be outside and higher up with as much of a 360 degree view as possible, or a forward observation lounge or similar as option #2 should you prefer indoors to outdoors.

I would like to BE that person!

we have never been to the Almafi Coast and would love to see a quaint town. Not a single one of these left in that area any more unless you go way off the tourist hot spots. Same with Capri where you would not lack for company either..

If you absolutely must, then for purely practical reasons I would choose Sorrento over Positano, although Sorrento is not actually on the Amalfi Coast. If you search for and read past threads with the word Positano and/or Amalfi Coast,(some links below) you will find many comments about the possibility of delays and congestion on the Amalfi Coastal road, also references to the new driving regulations brought in for the summer months to help ease congestion, also issues with Positano access, that is, if you want to go into Positano itself rather than simply viewing from above. Of the two, Sorrento could be less worrisome. Your tour provider will be very aware of the potential for delays getting you back to the ship and may advise against both if time doesn't allow. I would take advice from them. From the suggested itinerary you posted, it would appear that the operator is going to the furthest point from the ship first and the more problematic Amalfi Coastal route earlier probably hoping for less traffic at that time than there could be later on in the day,and working back with a shorter journey to the port at the end of the tour, all very sensible (and I am guessing that the winery visit may be fairly close to Naples)could be either shortened or dropped completely if timing becomes an issue as that may be the least important element of the tour for you. It would also explain why you are not going to Pompeii first as earlier is usually preferable due to the crowds and heat which build up as the day goes on.(post #3) To get you started https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=positano&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464 and https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=amalfi coast&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464

Total guess here, but it may be the same as saying Paris when it is le Havre, Florence when it is Livorno and Rome when it is Civi. A marketing ploy. As many more folks will have heard of the bigger names rather than the smaller ones, it makes the itinerary appear much more attractive to those looking to book something and la Rochelle may be unfamiliar to many non Europeans who are already familiar with the word Bordeaux.. la Rochelle is actually a very pleasant and attractive town to visit with more than enough to fill a day without sitting on a coach for hours each direction. Pull up previous threads and posts about la Rochelle by going to the general France Ports forum (not an individual thread)and inputting le Havre in the empty search box under your user name, then hit the little spy glass and within seconds all previous threads containg that word(s) will appear ready for you to read. This would give you a start (with a second link on post #5) https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2865177-alternatives-for-la-rochelle/#comment-63535027

You may find it more difficult to get a taxi to only"the town", a drive of probably less than 10 or so minutes depending on your chosen drop off point. as most drivers will be hoping for longer driving tours or transfers to places further away such as Honfleur. If you plan on staying in le Havre, this very recent thread could be of interest to you. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2945266-le-havre-france-port-notes/#comment-65581326

No worries. It is what we are here for. Had only wanted to know you were aware of another option in the area you would already be in and very easy for a child, or anyone for that matter.. Thanks for posting your plan as others visiting in the future could be interested in that option.

Sorry to read you didn't make it up there AJ as the views were worth the effort. Also sorry that the reason for not making it was due to time in port being shortened, and that was a pity as Split is one of the nicest ports of call and merits as much time as possible to make the most of it. Perhaps though you might book another European itinerary in the future, one which includes Split once again, although there are a number of other lovely ports worth visiting in Croatia.

Shilu, requoting you as unsure if you have seen the additional info on post #6 and you are sailing in July which isn't that far away now.

AJ, As recommended, did you also make it up to the viewpoint either by taxi or on foot?