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On 1/10/2020 at 3:59 PM, Budget Queen said:

You can rent from any of the ports.  I suggest- first figuring out where you want to go and include based on your port times.   Some people have unrealistic ideas and don’t rely on google maps for time estimates.    Be conservative with your plans especially if you have not been there.   I’ve visited at least half a dozen times and plan in this manner 

I was hoping that you could give us the actual contacts of the companies that have locations at the ports. That's the part I am trying to research.

On 12/27/2019 at 6:01 PM, cc cruiser said:

Thank you so much, Host Bonjour and 3Shelaghs!   Such great, helpful info!  We appreciate tips from people that have had memorable experiences!  
My husband is a very experienced driver.  We recently lived in Germany for 5 years & he drove all over Europe, many tiny villages, in a standard car.  I think he’ll be great.  
We have cars reserved in 2 ports: Akaroa, Tauranga.   And for Bay of Islands, we have a car reserved in Kerikeri.  It looks like that is 20 minutes away, but there were no cars available at the port.  
The other three ports, we will DIY by foot and shuttle buses.

Any other suggestions are more than welcome!

Could you share where you are renting a car in Tauranga? We are on an NCL NZ cruise later this year and would like to explore this option. Thank you.

On 12/29/2019 at 3:31 AM, Budget Queen said:

I also  just rented a car in Napier,   which is also excellent,  and so is Dunedin      Tauranga can be tricky.   It's a very congested city,  and hopefully you have a long port day.    I suggest you get off your ship immediately upon clearance,  because the shuttle pick up is a distance away.     In New Zealand,   I have a data Sim,   because downloaded maps aren't always accurate and don't have traffic detour options.   

We have booked an NCL NZ cruise later this year. Can you share where you are renting cars from that have port locations? Thank you.

On 12/26/2019 at 8:15 PM, Goldconnection said:

Both are great. Just off the Jewel and had the opportunity to visit both.

We are booked on the Jewel later this year. Can you tell me what there is to do in Picton? Any suggestions? Also can you add advice for Lyttleton, NZ and Whangarei ? I'm having a hard time finding out any information on these ports. 

I am trying to research what car rental companies are actually available from near the pier on Tortola . It seems that all the posts I am finding are very old. Does anyone have some recent information on car rental companies who have offices near the pier and the cars are there as well?

Thank you for your help.

26 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

There really aren't.  Remember, this is Los Angeles--Street parking is all restricted with so many qualifications that you can't leave your car anywhere for a day, let alone 15...Businesses have parking lots...but most have barely enough for their own needs...None are in a position to give up a spot for an extended use that isn't tied to their own business.  I once did a search for public lots in Long Beach (which has many more parking lots and structures than San Pedro) and found none willing to rent for an extended period.

 

You might try contacting the Crowne Plaza and ask if they'' rent you a spot for the 15 days WITHOUT renting a room...but I am imagining that the rate won't differ much from that Park and Stay rate that includes he room...

 

You could park, for example, at one of the many long term lots at LAX (The Parking Spot, for example, often runs coupons for $099 per week)...but, when you factor in the cost of a shuttle or Uber to the port and back, you're not going to save much, if at all...and the added inconvenience really wouldn't be worth it...

 

Just figure you are going to spend an extra $270 for that port parking...and enjoy the convenience of having your car steps from the terminal...

Thank you for your quick reply. One more quick question. Are there any rental car agencies close to the port? I could compare a one way rental.

We are driving 3 hours to San Pedro in October and going on a15 day cruise. We don't need a park and cruise hotel. Are there any less expensive parking options than at the port which is $18 per day? The park and cruise hotels would cost us even more than this. Any other parking lots for less?

I can recommend the airport Hilton. You walk to it from the concourse. There are a number of tour-transfer options mentioned above. They work just as well for transfers from the airport to the port as viceversa or as port-day excursions. I can also recommend www.italydrivinguide.com for this. Good options for sightseeing along the way are Ostia Antica, Cerveteri, Bracciano and/or Tarquinia. Look them up and see what interests you. Only the Castello Odesalchi in Bracciano is open on Mondays.

Thank you so much for this suggestion. I will look into those options.

Following this thread. It will be our first Mediterranean cruise. First time in Europe. Total newbies. So we are taking a Western then Eastern cruise. We fly in the evening before our cruise leaves the following day. Can anyone give us suggestions for an airport hotel? What are our best options for just 2 people for a tour/ transfer that next day? We will have 4 days in Rome between cruises, so we will explore the city then. We have the Rick Steves, but it's all so much to take in.

The map we just found, shows stop number one at the Port near the cruise ship. If you go to City-sightseeing dot com you can drill down and you should see a map of the hop-on-hop-off bus route. Hope this helps.

Got it. Thanks for the help.

Cartagena - We've been here 4 years in a row and have done all the basic excursions. This past winter we did the Hop On - Hop Off but spent a few hours touring the 'fort' and a self walking tour of the Old City. In previous visits we did the Old City Walking Tour (guided) along with a bus tour of the cities (old/new) and a fishing village. All were good.

 

Puntarenas, Costa Rica - Puntarenas Highlights - 10 in 1 Tour - http://www.thumbsuptours.com

 

Corinto, Nicaragua - already provided info http://www.juliotoursnicaragua.com.ni/index.php/tours/64-shoring-in-corinto

 

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala - Antigua On Your Own Tour Booked thru NCL as we had excursion credits.

 

Acapulco, Mexico - Acapulco City with Cliff Divers - La Quebrada Cliff Divers show – Fort of San Diego - also through NCL

 

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Land's End Boat tour through NCL - or try Medano or Tabasco’s Beach on your own

 

Hope this helps...

Could you tell us how far the hop on hop off bus in Cartagena is from the cruise port and how you get there? Thank you so much.

This update:

Over 100 Sick With GI Bug On Celebrity Equinox

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Jim Walker

Over 100 people are ill with vomiting and diarrhea aboard the Celebrity Equinox cruise ship which is returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on a ten day cruise, according to cruise expert Dr. Ross Klein.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 95 out of 2896 passengers (3.28%) and 7 out of 1209 crew members (0.58%) became ill during the cruise with noro-like symptoms.

The CDC has not yet figured out whether the sicknesses were caused by norovirus.

Norovirus can be caused by contaminated food or water, contaminated surfaces or by hand-to-hand contact between infected crew members or passengers.

The cruise line always blames the passengers for not washing their hands. I suppose that happens, but it's far from the only explanation.

The CDC never discloses why the virus spreads. I wonder why?

Rendezvous is a great AI resort. A bit quieter than Sandals, it is a great place to just chill out and relax with a few pool games, etc around, but not non-stop fun.

for more actio (and less $$$) head to Reduit Beach. Chairs/Umbrellas are readily available, beach bar and restaurant at Spnnakers with good food and drinks, watersports for hire and lots of shops and bars, etc all in easy walking distance.

Sept is low season here, so tours and excursions will not be crowded and beaches will be pretty empty (not that they are ever very crowded anyways!)

Do also consider some of the water only tour - spencer ambrose has a beach break tour that is by sea both ways down to Jalouise beach between the Pitons and includes lunch and drinks. He also has a snorkeling tour that includes stops at several great snorkel stops along the coast. the beach break would be the best of both worlds - see the coastline and Pitons, beach break time and no bumpy roads or long trip in a van. Just a thought. I think his beach break is around $85US pp - that includes transport, lunch and drinks. Worth checking as I saw on TA you had also inquired about Jalousie Day passes. This would be a much better way to go!

Enjoy your visit.

I've been reading up on threads about day passes on St. Lucia. Do you have an opinion about the Rendevous day pass vs the Day pass for Ti Kaye Village?

We are just looking for a relaxing beach day from the cruise ship.