ollienbertsmum

I live in Gibraltar. I don’t know anyone in the Port Authority, but it sounds a bit dodgy to me. I have heard of no new legislation being passed. We usually have social media comments on anything and everything. I think that this is something NCL based, There may well be new forms to fill in post-Brexit. There are also taxes that would affect Gibraltar and the rest of Europe differently. If I was a passenger I would be expecting a proportion of the package to be reimbursed. We know that the Casino will be out of action. Happened for us when we had an unplanned stopover in Civitavecchia, we were not surprised, but could still drown our sorrows in the bar. What you pay for the package in UK does not affect how you are taxed when. consuming alcohol in other countries, but if you have paid for the package then i would not have thought you need to pay any extra tax. That should have been priced in the package. Do you want me to make contact with the Port Authority to try to establish the facts??

Malaga is a lovely city with lots to see, including a hoho bus, however if you have never been to Granada…. No comparison. I would always use the ship tour to get to Granada. The long road journey and the difficulty securing tickets really makes a guided tour a better option. The Alhambra palace is not the only thing to see in Granada, we have been there for a couple of weekends and we were kept busy without a visit. Walking and all the tapas bars seemed to keep us busy. we have been to Valencia on a cruise. It was ages ago (when the adventure of the seas sailed from Malaga - that was such a good cruise). We did a diy and did not visit the oceanographic exhibition. We walked round the old part because I wanted to see La lonja de seda. We then took a local bus to the beach. We have ready access to the beach throughout the year so we don’t tend to seek out beaches when cruising, but Valencia was worth it. It was a beautiful beach. We must have taken a shuttle in and out of town.

We have often had a train at 8:30am. We skip breakfast and are one of the first to leave the ship. Taxis are plentiful at this point. Later the queues build up so I think it is worth leaving early, especially if you have flights and connections that might be costly if you miss them.

Well prior to the pandemic I stayed in Hotel Suizo. I loved the location right beside a metro stop and taxis to ship were readily available. Character??? I suppose that is relative. I do find a lot of Spanish hotels brown and gloomy, and not in a rustic way. I do like value for money, we stay just the night before the cruise so we are there for just 17 hours. However I do always expect a hot shower, clean bed and no noise. I got it here along with the great location. I can’t comment on breakfast because we usually go for a walk on waking (I love Barcelona) there are usually coffee shops around and this was the case here. I have stayed in numerous areas around Barcelona, only the Ramblas sticks out as “awful” because it was right above a party point for young people and we got no sleep at all. It has become the bar for awfulness in our family. if you look for somewhere in your price range, with good reviews, near a metro stop you can hardly go wrong.

I have been doing this for sometime. I go to the buffet and bring down what we want. Not a deal breaker for me tbh. Use it for tea in the afternoon too.

Hank - i went on a cruise in a group of 16 (parents and teenagers). One of the stops was St Petersburg. I organised a bus for all of us to do a two day tour. This was great value in comparison with what we would have got through RCL. Day one, second stop was the hermitage, one teenager and one adult were already planning to stay on the ship on day 2! I got criticized by my husband for the food arranged for day one. I insisted that i was in Russia so borscht was a requirement. I liked it. No one was interested in going to the ballet with the company i booked. I didnt push them. On the day of the trip they changed their minds. They had to book their own and paid more, went on a coach and had seats at the back. We all enjoyed it. We all made our own plans for the other ports. Some of the plans coincided, most didn’t. it was one of the best cruises ever. The point of the post is to say that it can be done as long as you set out the ground rules and plan ahead.

I am thinking of two days early. I can get to Bologna with a direct flight and explore somewhere that has been on my bucket list. Win win.

We went to Tarquinia on one of our cruises stops in Civitavecchia. It was a good day trip in a charming town. We went by train rather than by bus. It was a public holiday (1st Nov) and this resulted in a lot of waiting around. We also walked from the train stop to town. I can’t recall eating. We usually find breakfast fills us up too much to need a lunch. The following year we hit a storm and instead of going to Naples, we had an afternoon in Civitavecchia. That has to go down as “worst port stop ever”. By the time Naples had been cancelled it seemed as if there was no time to get into Rome. We should have done. The exploration of Civi unearthed absolutely no hidden gems. if i were landing in Rome, especially with kids, i would stay in Rome, do an early evening stroll and dinner. Then take a booked car or train in the morning. if travelling seems difficult, i would suggest that you make sure that you do not overpack. Over the years as i have responded to the luggage allowances i take so much less and find that it is so much easier to get around.

With 20 people in your group you certainly have options to book some good value group tours. It will work out much better value than going on one of the 50 person ship tours, so a little planning would get you a private car for the day. You do however need to decide in advance what you want to see. Naples for example offers the Amalfi coast (still not done it after about 6 port stops in Naples), Pompeii, Herculaneum, a walk around Naples (October is a good time of the year for this), trip to Capri or a hike to see the volcano. Some of you will want to do different activities. Even in my family of four we have split up on some trips. On one of our stops in Rome, youngest daughter and i wanted to visit the Vatican museum, DH and eldest went elsewhere (no idea where, but they were happy). We met up on the train going back to the port. So with a bit of homework you can make informed decisions. Google will help you. Read a few trip reviews. Look at what is available from each port. Most reputable firms will offer money back if your ship fails to dock (bad weather or engine problems). Make sure everyone pays up front and don’t plan for everyone though.

When we went in 2019 we stayed two nights prior to the cruise. I wanted to be near to the people mover and the train station. I got a bit of sticker shock when looking for hotels, but i found a three star which was perfectly acceptable. It was not modern. It was small which you expect for a hotel in Venice. The room door and safe even had real keys 🔑. It also had no lift. I loved it for the location. Hotel was called Locanda Di Orsaria. I thought that the location was perfect, it was right beside the train station, right opposite. The water taxi stop and a really short walk to restaurants, main tourist sites etc. i would definitely get a hotel in that area if i go to venice again.

Just booking flights for my trip in May 2023. This scenario worries me so much. Flight delays seem so much more common. Just wondered, would the response from insurance have been different if you had caught up with the ship and spent the last week on board?

Dani, I agree with you about the cruises leaving from Venice. I was on one of the very last ones. I was so excited to be doing it although we left at about 10 pm. They were letting ships go very slowly. We ended up missing Kotor as a result so I was a bit sad. There are worse things than an extra day at sea though. I had a conversation with a cruise consultant today about this very topic. He says that the Venetian authorities want to encourage cruisers back so next year they will be doing some tenders. It must be nice to have the place quieter, but I understand them wanting revenue. .

Me too. I booked one (a NCL because they were on sale) for May next year. It is only 5 nights but it is a cruise. As I retired at the end of August I thought that I should live like a pensioner and have booked an inside. I really am happy about it. Never been in an inside before but I think that I will be happy. We will be going from Trieste in Italy which is one of the alternative ports to Venice. Since the accident in 2019 and lockdown, cruiseliners are not welcome in Venice. We are going to some Croatian ports that had not been on my radar at all. So excited to be planning again. Coming back to post I have seen the comments about Hurricane Ian. It is horrible to see how much some people have lost. So sad.

Hi Hank. I was reading the first two posts and my thoughts were ‘why don’t you just walk’. On our last cruise (September 2019) we took a taxi into town, realised the distance and just walked back. No big deal. And to be fair to the taxi drivers, I am not sure if I think this is a scam. If they are also stuck in the traffic and work from a fixed fare, it might not be a good time for them to be at work. I have just today booked my first cruise since the pandemic. It is just 5 days in Croatia/Slovenia. Looking at the ports, apart from Dubrovnik, they are a bit unknown to me. That makes it all a bit exciting.

Well I have been away from the board for a while to complete my PhD but glad to come back to some horticulture. Horticulture is to be my new interest on retirement in 21 days time. My balcony is small but I am showing love to lettuce, chilli peppers and tomatoes. Varying response to my love. The caterpillars and ants seem to have responded the best tbh. Any caterpillar I found was not destroyed. I kept them in a purpose built cage. I caught about 20 caterpillars, released 4 butterflies - but then the ants got into the act and had not received the brief about protecting butterflies.

It is true. You are kicked off the ship so early that you have the whole day ahead of you. Go back to central Rome and see some more of the sights that you have missed (and there will be many). You will probably want to be able to drop off your bags at your hotel so you will need to be central. Maybe there is a bag store in the train station, I did not need to use it so I cannot recall. I just want to remind you that you have a huge amount of time in Rome - more than those of us who have only ever visited on a day trip from Civitavecchia. I am longing to one day eat a pizza in Rome at dusk when the day trippers have gone. I am retiring in 21 days time so things like tthat are on the cards. 🙂

As has been pointed out, you do not get directly from train to ship. We had a shuttle booked, maybe if you stay overnight by the time you return you will be too late for the shuttle. However you will have time to look for a taxi/bus. You won’t have any stress about the ship leaving without you so you can eat drink and make merry and take advantage of an overnight. I have been on multiple western med cruises and never had one.

Look you are going on your first cruise. You will have a great time. It is, in my opinion, a mistake to bid on any upgrade when you are already happy with your cabin allocation. .. but you did. Don't give it another thought. Pack your sunscreen and just enjoy your cruise.

We spent the day walking around Livorno on one of our trips. We did get the shuttle in though. Not sure what was near the port, but a very walkable town. Saying that, I think if I had the luxury of overnighting in Livorno, I would be more likely to want to visit Florence and have time to enjoy an early supper after the crowds had gone. There are regular trains back to the ship.

Cruisemom you voiced my thoughts. We did a wander around the old town and saw some rather smart high fashion shoes. We saw some veg and fresh fish shops. The streets were not however accessible. The last med cruise we went to had to miss Naples due to bad weather. Many passengers, including us, had to cancel tours to the Amalfi Coast. We got a ‘shopping day’ in Civitavecchia instead. Most of us were gutted. Sorrento would be a better shopping option in my opinion. Try getting there by train/ferry/bus tour.

We have done this a couple of times. We have taken the public bus from outside the port, walked in the old town, swam in the beach and walked back to the ship. When we did it in July it was hotttt. At least you see the ship all the way. It was easier when we did the same cruise in OCtober.

I have not been on a cruise from Barcelona since 2018, however the taxi cost from central BCN to the port on my last 7 cruises has been under $20. We were a couple, if you have a larger party the taxi fare would be greater. Hotels are central and worth the taxi fare to the port. WE have boarded and watched people walking to the port, probably to save money - fuffff I would not be doing that walk to save about $5

I live in the area and have been to Granada several times. I would be cautious about DIY from Malaga even in a hire car. If only public transport were better. Yes it is possible, but for me risks such as breakdown/getting lost/unknown delays would make me avoid DIY for this tour. The other consideration is of course where your next stop is. If the next port is Valencia or Cadiz then consider it. If you are going to Palma or Ibiza then catching up with the ship might be harder (In my opinion anyway).