I take a Caribbean cruise for R & R. I take a European cruise as a sampler menu to get a taste of many different places so I can decide where I'd like to return if I can find the time and money in the future! For this reason, the first cruise I take to a port I try to hit the highlights (though because I really wanted to devote more than 6 hours to my first trip to Paris we did Honfleur and Rouen from Le Havre). We were surprised in most ports - ones we were expecting to love (Barcelona, Rotterdam (Amsterdam)) we found disappointing. Others we included simply because they were in the ship's itinerary (Seville (Cadiz), Santiago de Campostela (Vigo)) but loved them! Others simply lived up to our very high expectations: Brugges, St Paul de Vence, Florence. We also spent three days in Rome pre cruise because we thought we'd never want to return - we all fell in love with it (despite crowds and very hot temperatures).
This fall I am taking my DH with me. We'll hit some of the ports I did last summer and since he wasn't with me, I'll stick to the highlights. Then after we're home sharing memories, we can decide where we might want to return for a longer stay and which ones would be suitable to bring our daughter when she's old enough to enjoy it!
BTW, I generally consider myself an independent tourist; if I use ship's transportation it's usually for drop off/pick up only. We toured Alhambra last year and it wouldn't have been nearly the same without a guide (shared by about 20 people from CC). Some places (and sometimes certain days of the week) public transportation isn't a good option, especially if trains are few and far between and you don't want to risk the last train of the day.
Don't be afraid to try things on your own!
in Other Mediterranean and Black Sea Ports
Posted
I take a Caribbean cruise for R & R. I take a European cruise as a sampler menu to get a taste of many different places so I can decide where I'd like to return if I can find the time and money in the future! For this reason, the first cruise I take to a port I try to hit the highlights (though because I really wanted to devote more than 6 hours to my first trip to Paris we did Honfleur and Rouen from Le Havre). We were surprised in most ports - ones we were expecting to love (Barcelona, Rotterdam (Amsterdam)) we found disappointing. Others we included simply because they were in the ship's itinerary (Seville (Cadiz), Santiago de Campostela (Vigo)) but loved them! Others simply lived up to our very high expectations: Brugges, St Paul de Vence, Florence. We also spent three days in Rome pre cruise because we thought we'd never want to return - we all fell in love with it (despite crowds and very hot temperatures).
This fall I am taking my DH with me. We'll hit some of the ports I did last summer and since he wasn't with me, I'll stick to the highlights. Then after we're home sharing memories, we can decide where we might want to return for a longer stay and which ones would be suitable to bring our daughter when she's old enough to enjoy it!
BTW, I generally consider myself an independent tourist; if I use ship's transportation it's usually for drop off/pick up only. We toured Alhambra last year and it wouldn't have been nearly the same without a guide (shared by about 20 people from CC). Some places (and sometimes certain days of the week) public transportation isn't a good option, especially if trains are few and far between and you don't want to risk the last train of the day.