Scottishclover

Enjoying your review- you have a nice writing style and I like your tips in the red. DH and I were on Ascent last summer in the Med and had a great time, so much so in fact that we are bringing our adult daughters with us this summer. Same ship, but different itinerary. Regarding the song - I know it. It was a hit here in the UK for The Beautiful South. Not sure if the band had much international appeal but they had some great songs and a unique style.

If you decide on St Andrews there’s a distillery just outside at Kingsbarns with award winning Scottish Lowland whisky and options for tours and tastings.

I did wonder how Cascais was so quiet! Now I know😂 We were there a year past in April and the place was hoachin’ . Did not help that there was an International Youth football tournament on. You captured a whole different side to it that I did not notice. Great photos.

Do the RIB tour with Fjord Events along the Lysefjord rather than the cruise - it was really fun and also informative. Our teens were buzzing after it! It was their favourite thing we did on our Arctic Circle Cruise.

We were on a Celebrity Cruise to the Arctic Circle in July. We waited to see the weather forecast before deciding on the Skylift. We just got off the ship and booked at one of the tents there. It was pretty expensive for such a short ride ( there were 4 of us) but we spent a lot of time hiking at the top. The ride is quite an experience if you have never been on a cable car before. We normally hike in the Alps so nothing exciting for us. We enjoyed our day as the trails were very peaceful but not sure it was worth the money. We hiked Hauren in the afternoon for free.

My family plan to this hike next summer. I’ve watched a couple of good YouTube videos about the hike and it gives you an idea of the terrain, toilet facilities etc. I’ve read that the best views are Fira to Oia direction but after John Bull’s suggestion, we might get the water taxi to Oia to try and beat the crowds and then walk back to Fira. I think if you are planning on doing the hike, then I’d just walk up the donkey path. It will be a nice little warm-up! If you are doing this before next July, please report back on the hike.

From La Spezia you have some nice options. The big one is obviously Cinque Terre ( a must if you like to hike or are a fan of gorgeous scenery) but Pisa and Lucca aren’t too far away either. We spent some time in Lucca pre- cruise the last two years and loved it. It’s a bit of a hidden gem. Even in high season, it’s not crowded. We went to Florence for the day and honestly, the crowds made it really unpleasant. On the other hand, we found Pisa and the Square of Miracles remarkably peaceful and laid back.

Great photos of Kelvingrove Museum. You’ve reminded me to make another visit next time I’m visiting my daughter at Glasgow Uni. No shortage of great eating places in Glasgow’s West End but you probably hit the most famous one! It’s been there for a while- I remember it from my student days 30 years ago. Enjoying another great review. Thank you.

We took the train straight up to Myrdal and got the bikes at Cafe Ralleren, right at the station. Good idea to book them in advance but if I remember correctly, the booking didn’t open until February for the summer season. The first bit down the hairpin bends was a bit tricky- the bike guys tell you to push your bike down that section - but otherwise it was a gentle downhill or flat ride back to Flam. Waterfalls round every corner. It was awesome!

As others have said, book the train on your own. We saved lots and there’s no way you will miss the ship. I can’t understand why anyone would book this particular excursion with Celebrity. I took this photo from the OV at breakfast so you can see how easy it is to get to the station. You get commentary on the train as well. We took the train up and biked down. I would recommend that option, much better than the train journey. You don’t have to be that fit- it’s downhill all the way.

Cinque Terre is best from La Spezia port. We did this in August and had a great day. However it was so crowded and if we hadn’t been hiking from village to village, the masses would have been too much for me. The trails, which were quieter than we had anticipated, were a welcome respite. A really nice DIY day from Livorno is Lucca. It’s our favourite town in Italy and would be much more relaxing than Cinque Terre. Regarding trains in Italy, relatively easy if you download the Trenitalia App and do everything from there.

Also oat, soya and almond milk at breakfast in the buffet and plant based milk at Cafe al Bacio. Celebrity has definitely improved their vegan offerings in the last couple of years so it should be easy for your group to find plenty of variety.

Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time to return to the ship and continually check traffic updates. The A82 is a very slow road and is notorious ( along with the A9) for accidents. Closures are often mentioned in the travel news on the radio. Probably caused by frustration from sitting behind the many caravans and motor homes heading to the Highlands. Any diversion would add a lot of time onto your journey. Just something to be aware of.

Fantastic photos from your vaporetto ride at night. I will keep that tip in mind for the next time we are in Venice. Looking forward to reading the rest of your review. Enjoy your cruise.

Enjoying another great review from you👏 You’ve been in Greece a lot lately. Do you have a favourite port?