Scottishclover

I think it was either 2 or 3 pm. There were 2 RIBs that went out at the same time. I should say we were not tendered, we were on the Disney Magic and it was connected to the floating Seawalk so it was quick to return to the ship and come back off again.

This is going to be our strategy. We are going to queue up at St Peters Basilica at opening at 7am. Hopefully we will be faced with a very small line. Spend an couple of hours or so, climb the dome( before it gets too busy). Then we are going to explore the area, have a long lunch/ avoid the heat, then we have a guided tour booked at the Vatican Museums for 3pm. I read that the Vatican is a bit quieter late afternoon. We will see…. My husband and I have been to St Peters and Vatican before but it will be the first visit for our daughters. Out of the two, I think it matters more to have less crowds in the Basilica, to appreciate the serenity. Also I do not want to stand in a queue in the hot sun.

We did this RIB tour in 2016 with our daughters who were 11 and 13 at the time. One thing I really enjoyed was being down low on the fjord. It makes it more spectacular. Be aware that it isn’t an hour of tearing up the fjord. The fast spurts we’re interspersed with stories about the mysteries and history of the fjord. We got very close to the Seven Sisters Waterfall. We had booked the tour for mid afternoon as we went hiking for around 5 hours in the morning. We came back to the ship for lunch and then straight back off for the RIB boat tour which is right at the dock. Definitely book direct - our cruise line offered the tour at much higher prices and really you could not miss the meeting point. I would definitely go for it - it was very memorable.

Hello Jim and Iain, So happy to read about your new travels and pleased you both made it to the ship. I will enjoy reading the next instalments with my morning coffee. I will be interested to read about your British Isles cruise in particular. We were on the Apex last year out of Amsterdam and loved it! I don’t think you should be too critical of your airline meal. My husband is gluten free and once on a BA flight back from Miami he actually got a glass of orange juice and an orange for breakfast. We were dumbfounded - someone was seriously lacking in imagination! While you’re in Amsterdam take a wee trip out to Haarlem ( easy on the train). It’s a very charming town and you will escape the big city crowds. Really worth a visit to the church in the main square and the restaurant scene there is very good - especially Indonesian. We really enjoyed Der laachende Javaan there for our first taste of Indonesian Food. As always your photos are unique. Happy cruising 😀

All retailers are legally required to accept Scottish notes ( or those from Northern Ireland).I once had problems spending an Ulster Bank Note in Scotland. Just point out the word “Sterling” on the note. Used to be worse when there wereScottish £1 notes but they went out of circulation ages ago. Most people use cards now so not as much an issue as it used to be.

To avoid the high hotel costs in Amsterdam, we stayed in Haarlem in a really charming B&B. It was called Hotel Malts. There’s a direct bus from Schipol to Haarlem on arrival and then it’s a 20 min journey into Amsterdam by train, with trains every 20 mins. It was a great choice as Haarlem is very pretty with lots of good eating options. It would be a much nicer alternative than staying at the airport.

Just back from 5 nights in Lisbon. Lots of bikes/ electric scooters to hire everywhere. The only place I would ever use them is along the promenade from Cais do Sodré to Belém. This was a popular route. Alfalma as you mentioned, wouldn’t work. Between cars and tuk-tuks there is little room on the very narrow streets.The traffic in Lisbon is absolutely chaotic. It’s bad enough for pedestrians, never mind cyclists. I think you would need to be used to cycling in major cities to cope with it. We walked everywhere although I know the tile museum is far out. There is an extensive transport system but you need to give yourself an extra half hour to work out and queue for the ticket machines. We were caught out a couple of times with this. Have a great trip.

Great idea, thank you.

Thanks for the quick replies. I understand what you mean about Pompeii but from Scotland we could easily go to Naples another time and do Pompeii. Should have mentioned we have 2 teens in tow who may have reached their limit for sights by the time we hit Naples. We are spending 4 nights in Lucca and 4 in Rome before the cruise too. I just thought that Procida might work to change things up a bit and perhaps escape some of the crowds.

We are doing a med cruise in the summer and think we might be a bit tired of ruins/ art/ culture by the time we get to Naples near the end of our cruise. We are thinking of catching the ferry to the island of Procida. Wondering if anyone has experience of doing this and if they would recommend it?

We did a Baltic cruise last year. My husband has coeliac disease and my two daughters are vegan. Eating out can be very challenging. Can’t help you with particular places to eat but I did note that Helsinki in particular was very gf and vegan friendly. Lots of options on most menus. Eating out in Scandinavia is so expensive though. Most of the time my husband snacked on fruit and cereal bars and had something when back on the ship. I appreciate you taking the time to research these places.

Certainly the north-east of Scotland is prone to harr ( a Scots word for sea mist). I remember when my sister-in-law was looking for a house in Aberdeenshire she avoided certain areas as she said you would never get your washing dried due to the harr. However, you can never predict it. You would be more likely to have clear skies than fog. I say clear skies but be aware the Northern Isles do get a lot of cool temperatures and rain, even in summer. I will keep my fingers crossed that you get some sunshine.

Warnemuende is really busy in the summer months and we prefer to stay in Rostock. Our go to in the area is the Rostock Apartment Living Hotel. It’s clean, modern and has a fantastic location in the old town but a 2 minute walk from the Town Hall and a tram stop. It would be super easy to get to the cruise port from there - 5 min tram to the Hauptbahnhof and then 20 min train to Warnemuende.

We did Pulpit Rock in 2016. To put in context we regularly hike at home in Scotland and in the Alps and had our daughters with us at the time who were 11 and 13 at the time. We were up and down pretty quickly, in less than 2 hours, and managed to catch an earlier bus ( in fact had to wait for it). I remember thinking we were way quicker than the recommended time but that is usual for us in the Alps too. We spent 20 minutes at the top as it was very windy. We had a clear run uphill but took just as long coming down as we were continuously stepping aside to allow the uphill climbers to get by. It did get pretty frustrating and does not make for a relaxing hike. You need to keep weather conditions in mind too. We got to the top just before the weather closed in and it was slippery going downhill ( some people were wearing Converse 😩 and there was one woman on our cruise who broke her ankle on the hike) . I would not do this hike in bad weather as it’s not worth it. I would like to go back to Norway on a land trip and start this hike really early to avoid the crowds. Btw our favourite hike on our cruise was Sukkertoppen in Alesund. Amazing 360 degree views from the top on a good day and nice relaxing hike with locals.

We were all completely moved by our visit. Well worth it. Our children are older though - 17 and 19. I teach 11 year olds and to be honest, I think only a handful of them would get the significance of Anne Frank’s House. Only you will know if your son will appreciate it. It definitely helps to have read “ Diary of a Young Girl” beforehand. Another poster mentioned the introductory programme. I was unable to get tickets for that, I think you need to be in quick when tickets go on sale.You need to book tickets in advance and if you are in Amsterdam before a cruise, I recommend booking the latest available time slot. We did that and the museum wasn’t crowded at all.

We also went with Flagship Amsterdam. I much preferred this smaller, uncovered boat but we were in Amsterdam in very hot weather. I had booked early evening so it was very pleasant. They have umbrellas if it’s raining/for shade and also a drinks service, but they were not pushy about it in the slightest. We had booked but I would wait and see the weather before deciding. Like another poster, we got on at Anne Frank’s House and had timed our reservations there so we walked straight off the boat and into the museum. It was a nice experience and a great alternative to the usual walking tours.

I should have said that there was a charge for the shuttles. Usually around 20 dollars per person if I remember. When you are travelling as a family of 4 that can mount up quickly. Part of the reason we walk everywhere.

There was definitely a Celebrity shuttle to Tallin as we passed it when walking back to the ship. It really is a very short walk to the centre from the port. We also walked from the port into Helsinki. It was a great walk by the shoreline and lots of locals out and about. It took about 45 mins. Pretty sure I saw shuttles too. There is a tram spot nearby and also lots of electric scooters to rent if you fancy something different. They were everywhere in Helsinki.

I lived in Rostock for a year and last visited in 2019. I would take the train from Warnemuende to Rostock (20 mins) Head to the tourist info on Universitaetsplatz ( basically the focal point of the town) and pick up a leaflet about the city walls. You can walk around the walls and there’s info about all the major structures/churches/gates. Stein toe is my personal favourite. In the Petrikirche there’s an astronomical clock and you can climb the tower in Nikolaikirche. If you like architecture, it’s interesting looking at the different styles of the buildings : gothic, hansestic, socialist. This would fill the morning. Then return to Warnemuende in the afternoon and soak up the atmosphere, have a beer, eat some pickled herring etc. You can also do a cruise and learn about the shipyards if that’s your thing. I love Warnemuende but admittedly have never been there when a cruise ship is in town. Alternatives: trip on the Molli steam train or trip to Schwerin, there’s a nice palace there. There is also some really pretty countryside/coast at Ahrenshoop and Darss peninsula ( think wild, white beaches and thatched cottages) but that would require hiring a car.

The only time I ever use cash here is to pay the milkman when he delivers. He is a very elderly, traditional farmer and I can’t see him ever going contactless😂 I would have some cash available for emergencies just in case though. On occasions you can go in somewhere and the card machine isn’t working. I agree that £20-50 is about right. With regards to AMEX, definitely bring another credit card too. AMEX is our credit card of choice as we have a good connected points system, but even some major retailers here don’t take it. In local cafes and small businesses AMEX is not usually accepted. Something to do with the exorbitant charges for the retailer so I’m told. Visa/Mastercard are much more widely accepted. And forget AMEX for the continent. Very few places accept it. Have a great trip😀

Just be aware that when you order a gf pizza there’s a risk of cross contamination as it’s made in the same area where theres a lot of flour around. My husband had one on Apex which he enjoyed but he did feel a bit ropey afterwards. It probably depends on your sensitivity levels.

I’ve seen your post on the Italy board too and I think the key to this is a bit of variety and something to please everybody. If your boys aren’t into ruins, why drag them round all the different sites because you feel you “should”? That would be a bit miserable. We have 17 and 19 year old girls and I always give them the chance to research themselves and suggest places to visit. Usually they will come up with the same ideas as me but occasionally they want to visit an obscure museum or trendy area in a city and we accommodate that. If they can’t be bothered doing the research, then I tell them they can’t complain about what I’ve planned ( and most of the time they don’t!) We are heading on a cruise to the same area as you this summer and I’m trying to make sure there’s a mix of exploring ruins, some active days and some relaxing days just soaking up atmosphere with an aperol spritz. In some ports we are hiking/biking and in others we will be soaking up some history. I am lucky both my girls enjoy museums/galleries. As we’re doing Rome and Olympia, I have decided Pompeii is a step too far for us. We’re thinking we might catch the ferry to Procida and wander. We are fortunate though that we could return to Naples quite easily and visit Pompeii another time. I have read that in Olympia there is a company from which you can rent VR, which perhaps your boys might enjoy. If your boys enjoy the beach, then do a half day on the beach. People on this board will say there’s more to do in Italy/Greece than going to the beach but you might find your boys need a change of scene for a few hours. You know your family best and while it’s great to get some advice from other travellers, always consider your interests and situation might be vastly different. Family time is so important, enjoy your cruise whatever you do.

Another option is Hebridean Island Cruises. My parents did a cruise a few years ago around the Hebrides on the Hebridean Princess. It is a very small ship, so not for everybody, but they had an amazing time. I will say they were lucky with the weather which helps a lot when you are on holiday in Scotland. They are foodies and the dining experience was good - local produce so expect lots of seafood. Even if a ship that size is not for you, it might be worth checking out the website for information on the islands.

Not always, last summer we were on the Apex and it docked at the other cruise terminal, the one walkable to the centre of town. Think it’s called Langelinie?? Much handier than Oceankaj, which we’ve docked at before.

If it were me, I would definitely book something beforehand. Portree is really just a little village. One thing to think about is traffic congestion on Skye. It’s not unusual to sit for hours in jams ( Skye is heavily overtouristed and nearly everyone arrives on the island by car and most have no idea how to drive on single track roads) so make sure if you are going DIY you leave plenty time to get back to the ship.