vivace91

Yes, (for Canadians at least) you do need an IDL for Spain if you want to rent a car. It is not "required" in Portugal but is recommended. The CAA is the only legal issuing authority in Canada. My daughter's fiancé had one and was asked to show it when they rented cars in Spain and southern France last spring. You can probably look this up on the official US gov. travel website.

Hi, We did a beach day at Son Matias Beach. (connected by the waterfront walk to Palma Nova beach, only a couple mins apart) Easy to get a taxi from the cruise port to the beach, but I did pre-book a ride back to the ship in order to not stress about getting back on time. We were there last August and following other's recommendations of how busy it can get. We arrived at the beach, on a Saturday, before 10am in order to reserve beach loungers/umbrella right next to the water. (bring euros to pay the guy, he'll wander around every once in a while and collect money from you after you've picked your spot) There are lots of cafes, restaurants, and shops right along the waterfront and we had a late lunch at The Olive Tree before heading back to the ship. 100% recommend this restaurant - beautiful view of the beach from their pretty patio, great food and lovely staff! (I'd make a reservation if you want to eat lunch right along the beach- they get very busy in prime tourist season) We had a nice, relaxing day at Son Matias beach - it was very clean and the water was clear blue and perfect to cool off. Love to be back there right now instead of this cold rain and wind we're getting this week. Enjoy! - Char

Hi, We had visited Palma city on a previous trip, so we planned a beach day for our Palma, Mallorca port stop last August. We took a taxi from the port to Son Matias Beach and had a really nice day. There are 3 beaches in a row, connected by a pretty waterfront promenade walking area. Loads of restaurants, cafes and shops all along there. If you search Palma Nova beach (maps) you'll see the three beaches. Son Matias was a very clean pretty sand beach with lots of chairs and umbrellas to rent and the ocean was lovely for swimming. I had pre-booked a restaurant for lunch and also pre-booked a ride back to the ship. (just because I didn't know how plentiful taxis would be near the beach and I didn't want to be stressed about getting back to the ship on time) The beachfront area is mostly pedestrian only so the taxis will drop you off a few streets from the beach, but it's only like 3mins walking. I can definitely recommend The Olive Tree for lunch - it's right next to the beach with pretty views from the patio and we had a delicious meal! In Ibiza we did a walking food & old city tour with Ibiza Walks. It was our first visit to Ibiza and it was much better than we anticipated. Really enjoyed our day there! -Char

@cachouonacruise We were on that same cruise! I so wanted to buy honey to bring home as well! It was sold in every touristy place we went to but I kept reading NZ's strict policy and also knew that Canada's rules say not to bring back any honey 🥲 I wondered why they sold it at every single place knowing that tourists aren't allowed to bring it through customs?? We tried samples at a few places and I did buy a 5 pack of Manuka honey face masks that were all sealed individually and in a box...I made it home with those and some wine, good chocolate, the infamous TimTams and some hot sauce but, sadly, had to pass on the honey. Hope you had a nice holiday!

We booked the tour online in advance with WALKING IBIZA and the tour was called "Bespoke Premium Food, Drink & Culture Tour" They were very good to deal with and totally flexible with what we wanted to do. We originally wanted to do a cycling tour with them but since we docked at 11am and it would be very hot then, we chose to do the walking tour. 100% recommend, it was great 😊 Enjoy your cruise!

Ibiza was a much better port than we were expecting! We booked a private Ibiza town walking tour/food tour combination and loved it. We took the water taxi over to the Ibiza town waterfront area to meet our guide. We bought round-trip tickets from the sellers who were positioned on the walkway that runs through the pier area, over to the dock where you board the water taxis. I think it was about 10mins total walking from the ship to water taxi boarding dock. There didn't appear to be many regular taxis at the port and the line of people waiting was fairly long. I had read while researching for our cruise that the water taxi was a better option for most and it's only like a 5 minute ride over to the main town. There are loads of shops and restaurants if you just want to wander on your own. Or you could try (in advance) for a reservation at a nice resort if you prefer a relaxing beach day. The party atmosphere doesn't get going until later, so don't worry if that's not your thing. I would definitely recommend getting off the ship for Ibiza!

Hi Mark, We've stayed in Barcelona three times and have done most of the tourist things too. We did an evening tapas food tour and I highly recommend it! It was a small group, walking tour and we went to authentic, non-touristy places that you might not find on your own. We had a fun evening! Booked it in advance online- "Devour" food tours - they have daytime options as well. Have you taken the Montjuic Parc cable car up to the castle/fortress? Great views at the top and gets you away from the big crowds for a while. We also took our daughter to the Barcelona Aquarium and had a nice couple of hours there. Don't know if that would interest you but it was quite nice and it's located right on the waterfront. Last August was our third time visiting Barcelona. For something different, we booked a private guide and went by high-speed train from Barcelona to Girona and absolutely loved it there. Or book the train online and DIY if you'd rather. Not sure how many days you are in Barcelona, but there are also a few seaside towns that are very doable by train for a day trip from Barcelona if you prefer. We usually try to meet up with a local guide who knows all the good spots, best food and history/information, because it makes the day so much more enjoyable for us. We have always pre-booked a taxi/car service with our hotel and had no issues getting to/from the cruise port at the correct time. It always seems a very busy port so I would definitely pre-book your ride. Love Barcelona! Have a great time!🙂

I would ask your hotel to pre-book a reputable transfer service. Your hotel can give you the prices and options for vehicle type. (that's been our past experience anyway) My daughter was just visiting Barcelona in May and taxis were very busy, especially airport taxis - long waits. Everywhere has shortages of drivers and/or cars right now it seems. Since your transfer would be early morning it might be worth pre-booking and to not worry about it. Happy travels!

We were a group of 6 and never could get a "van" at the taxi stands. We always ended up taking 2 separate taxis (as they only will take 4 and some only 3 passengers) or we pre-booked a van ahead of time. We were in Barcelona and Rome but I think it's the same everywhere from what I've heard. If you have to pay for 4 separate taxis, it could very likely be cost efficient and a better experience to see if you can pre-book a mini-bus that meets you at the cruise terminal - much less hassle and you will all arrive together. Happy travels!

Hi, While in Barcelona pre-cruise (2018) we did an evening tapas tour with Devour Tours and separately booked tickets for the Gran Gala Flamenco at the beautiful Palau de la Musica theatre. Both were really excellent and I'd happily do them again! I saw combined tapas/flamenco tours (at flamenco bars) on booking sites that are probably good but we wanted to go to the actual theatre - so we booked them separately. We looked months in advance to be sure of availability - the theatre only runs the flamenco shows on certain days and is usually scheduled for 8/ 9pm. Well worth it 🙂 Hope you find a good one!

My morning went "downhill" for a few minutes thinking our 2023 cruise had been cancelled. It's still showing on the RC app but when I log in to their website like the rest of you are saying, it's no longer there. Relieved we aren't the only ones!