DavietheScot

On 1/29/2023 at 5:05 AM, nyc12345 said:

 

Thanks for sharing your experience.  When did you take this excursion to Bangkok?  The blog was posted in October 2020, but that was during the pandemic, so it was probably before then.  Do you remember how much you paid for the shore excursion?  Thanks in advance!

The cruise referred to was in 2016 

26 minutes ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

Davie, you’re replying to a remark written more than a year ago. 

Sorry so I am, not sure what happened there but I got a notification for the post and replied to it, apologies.  😊

On 1/31/2021 at 9:03 PM, mskaufman said:

Still in our plans for July, but getting to be doubtful

If your referring to covid restrictions by July you should be fine, Europe is already removing almost all restrictions for fully vaccinated individuals. 

As for current situation in Ukraine then at the moment that will have little effect on a Cruise industry in Europe with of course the exception of Baltic cruises which will be impacted. So fingers crossed you get there. 

On 1/7/2022 at 10:09 PM, ontheweb said:

Tallinn is very walkable; you do not really need a bus.

Yes I would not recommend the Hop on Hop Off bus for Tallinn it is a easy city to see on foot and as already has been said the bus doesn't actually visit the Old Town and therefore many of the main attractions.  

On 11/16/2021 at 12:41 AM, Cardiff girl said:

Would anyone recommend the wetland reserve at Albufera? I enjoy bird watching and I've seen the main sights in Valencia, so I thought it could make an interesting change.

 

This site mentions a traditional boat ride on L’Albufera Lagoon and says I could get there on EMT city buses 24 and 25. 24 goes to El Palmar and  25 to El Perellonet in under an hour for €1.50 each way. 

https://www.visitvalencia.com/en/what-to-see-valencia/albufera-natural-park

 

Any thoughts?

We did not do this ourselves mainly due to time restraints But we have friends who did visit the wetlands and said it was well worth it, and that there was a brilliant variety of bird life there for anyone with a intrest in that field,  so it's not a personal recommendation but one I think would be worth a try. Definitely something different from the normal city attractions and very close by. 

On 10/7/2021 at 11:44 PM, ontheweb said:

We've been in Scotland both on a land trip and on a cruise. I guess we were lucky as we never experienced that type of weather change like we did that day in Copenhagen.

 

DW is actually half Scottish as her father was a Scotsman. After being an RAF flyer in World War II, he emigrated to America to work for British Airlines, though I guess it was still BOAC back then

BOAC now there is a name from the past. 😀 when flying was truely a luxury experience. 

On 1/19/2021 at 1:10 PM, sansterre said:

Thanks CassCruise and mskaufman.  City of Tallin is lovely and prison is interesting.

I know the city is too hill for me to walk.  But I'm considering a taxi for an hour or two that will drop us off at the top of the town.  I could then take my time and walk back down to the cruise port.

That would work if you took your time. 

On 7/22/2021 at 4:36 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

I'm not personally familiar with any, sorry, as I tend to plan and do my own touring. 

 

I've also followed your posts on the other thread and while I agree ship tours are not ideal, they may be the best option for you given the limited time you have. I would rate the #28 tram ride very highly and enjoy the Alfama area most (second favorite is Belem) but keep in mind it is an actual operational tram so you can get crowded conditions at times and need to take care re: pickpockets, etc.. I was less excited about the funicular....

The 28 Tram is good but as said it can get very busy and being a operational tram used by locals and toursist alike take care of your valuables as pick pockets have been known to target it. 

On 1/22/2021 at 11:12 AM, ski ww said:

Some really great ideas here, thanks for posting the pictures Davie & Mark. We'll be stopping there in Jul 2022 on our cruise, just planning ahead.

Enjoy

On 11/4/2021 at 2:55 PM, marazul said:

There are always taxis waiting at Athinios when the ferries arrive.

Yes that's true we noticed that on another visit.

On 10/14/2021 at 12:53 AM, iancal said:

We were three nights in Seville.  Could have stayed longer.  

 

Seville would be a no brainer to us if the alternative was Cadiz.

Agree

On 12/19/2021 at 5:40 PM, 4774Papa said:

Excellent post in your link, we did all the same things when we visited BA.  Loved the Tango Show.

Thank's it is a great city to visit.

On 5/24/2021 at 6:08 PM, DavietheScot said:

There are a few places around Nothern Europe to see seals with one of  the best locations being along the west coast of Scotland where you will also if your lucky  see Basking Sharks and various whale's,  but got to be honest never knew there was a seal watching trip available from Tallinn.  

Yes West Coast is a great area to see whale's dolphins and as you say in the summer Basking Sharks which are huge when you are lucky enough to see them.

On 1/22/2021 at 11:15 AM, ski ww said:

Again thanks for posting, we're also planning for our cruise in 2022. The pictures give us something to look forward to. 

Enjoy 

On 9/13/2021 at 5:12 PM, ontheweb said:

We were in Copenhagen on a Monday after a cruise. It was years ago (2007) so I don't remember much, but I do remember that being a Monday most major museums were closed which disappointed DW who is an art teacher. I remember going to the Little Mermaid, and being disappointed. Rick Steves actually calls out the most overrated tourist attraction.

 

Two things I remember is that the weather kept changing and we spent a lot of the local currency. When we left our hotel, the weather was beautiful. Before the days was out, there was all kinds of weather including rain. We were easily spotted while shivering wet and cold as tourists.

To be fair re the weather that could be said about most Northern European cities it especially rings true for me coming from Scotland,  as we say here we can have the four seasons in one day ... Spring Summer Autumn Winter !! 😊

On 8/18/2021 at 8:38 PM, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Let’s hope that we all get to where we want to go in 2022!  Everyone I know is ready to cruise.  I hope we are turning the corner.  There will be some setbacks but we need to press on.

Could not agree more 👏

Good news for anyone visiting now is the restrictions have almost all been lifted and this city as like much of Spain is now beginning to return to normal with toursist and cruiseing returning we have just returned from a short trip there and it was great to see life back in this great location. 

On 9/14/2021 at 3:15 AM, mskaufman said:

There are some pictures from the Santa Cruz barrio in a link I put in an earlier post.  Our tour gave time for lunch on our own, which was great because we had a quick lunch.  The one site we missed was the inside of the cathedral.  However, that was our choice as we chose to walk around.  Also, if we wanted, we would have had time for a horse and carriage ride. I agree that Seville is worth the trip from Cadiz.

Have to agree Seville has much more to see than Cadiz.

On 9/4/2021 at 3:16 PM, Hlitner said:

I think you have the wrong idea about what many now consider "small" ships.  These days many of us consider any ship with fewer then 1000 passengers relatively small.  Even when I am on a vessel with 300 passengers I have never felt "stuck" with anyone.  In fact it is on those smaller vessels that it becomes easier to make new friends.  And being on a ship without queues, tender tickets, the need for reservations, etc. is a terrific experience.  We have often pointed out that the most luxurious upscale cruise lines all have one thing in common which is relatively small vessels.    The first time we went to Saigon on a ship was many years ago on the Marco Polo (at the time it was part of Orient Lines).  We cruised up the Saigon River and docked in downtown Saigon (forgive me for not calling it Ho Chi Ming City).  DW and I simply walked off the ship and had a terrific day exploring the city.  These days most ships dock more then an hour from that same city (at an ugly port) and then have to deal with a long transfer which wastes several hours of their port day.   It was the same when we cruised the Prinsendam up the river right into the city of Bordeaux, France and we walked off the ship into the heart of the city.  There are many such ports all over the world that are accessible to smaller ships.  Consider that now, the only folks who will even have the joy of cruising into or out of Venice, Italy will be folks on smaller vessels.

 

DW and I have been blessed to have cruised on many vessels of all sizes (from 20 passenger to over 4000 passenger) and they have all been wonderful.  But all things being equal we would generally opt for ships with no more then 800 passengers.

 

Hank

Take your point Hank and yes it would be ideal to get off in the heart of any city / location but not everyone can afford the smaller ships which can be much more expensive than the larger ones. As I said I actually enjoy the larger ships and all there e tra restaurants and amenities so accept that will mean like in Bangkok and Vietnam you will have longer journeys into the cities etc. It really boils down to personal choice. The one thing I would say is the larger ships do open up the cruise market to a wider audience and that can only be good for the future of cruiseing,  as some of these passengers will move on to other lines and types of ships. 

On 8/18/2021 at 9:58 PM, Hlitner said:

Tonight we strolled through the old town streets a Naoussa, Paros after finishing our dinner at about 11pm.  The narrow streets were packed, restaurants full (folks sit down to eat at 11pm), and masking was rare.  This is a rather upscale tourist city on Paros that attracts many younger folks (under 35) as well as a few of us seniors.  Like many of our pre and post cruise independent sojourns we choose to go to places not normally visited by cruisers or cruise ships .  I must admit to being somewhat amazed at how quickly Greece has moved past COVID lockdowns to something akin to normal.  It is a joyous thing to experience a part of the world that is trying to learn how to live with COVID rather then die with the pandemic.  Time will tell us if Greece made a wise decision but you would not find many on this island who has any doubt.  And it was the same on nearby Naxos (which we left today after a fantastic 4 day stay).

 

When we boarded the short ferry ride (about 50 minutes) from Naxos to Paros there was no vaccine certificate checks or any attention paid to the mandatory health forms.  While there is a lot of scrutiny at the ferry port of Pireaus, the Greek government seems to keep their vigilance centered on preventing the unvaccinated or untested from leaving the mainland for the islands.  But once on an island there is no hassle for those moving between islands.  This is good news for those CC folks planning to do their own island hopping in the near future.

 

Hank

Sounds perfect 

On 8/15/2021 at 10:06 PM, Hlitner said:

For your eyes only :).  It is shocking that some normalcy does exist which might give us hope.  We just returned from the sea front part of Chora (Naxos Town) on the island of Greece where DW and I enjoyed an excellent late night dinner at an outdoor restaurant.  When we left our restaurant is was just past 11:30pm and nearly all the restaurants (more then a dozen) were still packed with folks eating and drinking.  The street was full of other folks walking, talking, drinking, etc.  Very few were wearing masks and it was a gorgeous evening (temps around 80) on a popular Greek Island.  The government does require that anyone coming to these islands either prove they are fully vaccinated or have tested negative on a very recent COVID test.   During the day the beaches are packed, folks are having a good time, and there is little evidence of a pandemic other then a few folks who wear masks.

 

So what does this mean for BA and most other places?  I do not have a clue but both DW and I are very happy we sought out one of the few places in the world that is doing their best to allow normalcy (Mexico is another such place).  I am wondering what the future holds for much of the world but for now there are some options for those who have the risk tolerance, means, and spirit of adventure.  There are few absolutes in current times but one absolute is that time passed is time gone....forever.  We have cruises booked and trips planned into 2023 and cannot help but think that nothing COVID related will change in the next few years other then our tolerance to risk and willingness to learn how to live with this awful disease.

 

At the moment, cruising in Greece is an option and it appears to be working.  This guy (and his wife) want to shout out a thanks to the Greek Government and Seabourn for helping to make this trip a reality.  To see thousands of folks spending an evening out and about and seemingly enjoying themselves is more then precious in these troubling times.

 

Hank

Could not agree more with those last comments fully believe its now time to live again. 

On 1/6/2021 at 10:57 PM, Anyislandwilldo said:

Thanks for sharing.  Just starting to do research for our Mediterranean Cruise in 2023.

Glad it was of assistance. 

It looks as if it's more about the cruise company's rules than the Government or Local authorities because as has been demonstrated a few times since cruiseing restarted in Europe there can be two ships at the same port and one has ship only excursions and the other has passengers able to walk off. Just more confusing rules with very little real Sicence if any behind them. 

6 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

GREAT BLOG!!!   Thanks so much for taking the time to write all of this.  Your tour of Rio was very informative as we are hoping to get there by Spring 2022.

Glad you liked it, and fingers crossed you get to Rio in 2022 it a amazing city and onethat will not dissapoint.  

On 7/31/2021 at 7:04 PM, hallasm said:

Welcome back - certainly hope for ‘normal time’  by 2022  - Denmark population should be fully vaccinated by then and hopefully the pandemic history.

Let's hope so and looking forward to visiting again.