MeHeartCruising

Last summer on Royal Caribbean, I took their Delos excursion.  We were docked in the new port.  We left our ship and walked a short distance to a ferry boat that took us to Delos.  The ferry left after dropping us off.  While we did our guided tour on Delos, the ferry returned to Mykonos and picked up the regular  passengers.  We were the only one touring Delos at that time.  The ferry returned to Delos with a full load of passengers and they got off and our excursion group hopped on.  We were then taken to Mykonos Old Port and dropped off to explore the town on our own.   We were also given a free ticket for the shuttle boat that runs between Old and New Port.  We could go back to the ship in the New port at any time we wanted.  Our ship was docked just a few feet from the shuttle boat dock. 

14 minutes ago, amyhphoto said:

What are the options for using your cell phone in Greece? I will need to be able to use Google Maps and text. Thanks for any help. 

1. Do you also plan on having it able to receive and make calls back to the states, if needed?

2. Who is your current phone service provider?

3. What brand and model phone do you have?

11 hours ago, Jayhoaps said:

Hello everyone, looking forward to my cruise. One of our ports is Kusadasi Ephesus Turkey. I hear they have great prices on designer bags even knock offs. Does anyone know if they sell these bags near the cruise port? I would love to buy some bags for great prices. Thanks in advance. 

There are lots of shops selling various good within walking distance of the ships.  You can probably find such bags in the same stores that have signs out for their "Genuine Fake Watches".

4 hours ago, getawaygirl said:

We will be arriving in Santorini on the Odyssey in late May. We are docked from 1pm til 11pm and it appears there will be 3 ships in port. We plan to do our own thing (no tours are available /sold out of things of interest to us) We would really like to catch the sunset from Santo Winery and I saw we could actually catch a bus there, or maybe even walk (we're in ok shape) My question is, for the way back, do they have the steps coming down "lit up?" I know the sunset will be a little later (8:30ish) but I'm worried about walking down steps in the dark if cable car line is too crowded. Thanks for any info.

I couldn't find any now, but I have seen online pictures of the donkey path/steps lit with lights at night in the past.  I would call it "dimly lit" in the pictures.  Like one light on a pole at each switchback turn.  But as for current conditions, I'm afraid I don't have personal experience.  Maybe bring along a little LED flashlight to help out too.

Edited to add:  I found the pic I had seen.  These lights look awfully bright.  Perhaps they've updated them or it's just good photography.  You can read the entire thread on the topic using the link.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2951301-santorini-donkey-trail/?do=findComment&comment=65809584

I went to hertz.com and started a reservation for car pickup in Messina, Italy.  It looks like their location is at Via G. Garibaldi 128, Messina,98122, which would appear to be very close to the port.  I would try other international car rental company websites directly rather than using Google.

I would agree with cruisemom42 on this.  I've never heard of a cruise ship needing to tender in Piraeus.  I have to believe that listing is an error by NCL.

9 hours ago, Jayhoaps said:

Also, just saw an excursion offered by Carnival entitled Mykonos Town Walking Tour, It's a 3 hour tour and costs $79.99. 

 

I will post the details from the Carnival Site

 

"Mykonos was once a peaceful fishing village, but it has now become the most famous town in all the Greek islands that attracts not only tourists, but also film stars, artists and the jet-set celebrities. Starting from the Old Port, walk into the heart of town to discover the authentic spirit and atmosphere of the narrow alleyways. Whitewashed houses strike a sharp contrast against their brightly painted doors and shutters as well as with the vibrant colors of the bougainvillea and geraniums of the courtyards and balconies. If you feel lost in this labyrinth of little streets, there is a reason: the town was designed in this way to confuse invaders and prevent pirate attacks. Every corner of the town is worth photographing including the typical Cyclades’ cubic architecture, the numerous chapels and the whitewashed pavements, which make the town so truly unique and special. Lurking in some alleyway you may also meet Petros the Pelican, the island’s mascot. Do not miss a visit to Little Venice, a distinctive district in the town, where the houses are built right on the water's edge. It is said these buildings were used to quickly load and unload ships to avoid pirate attacks. Today, this area has numerous restaurants lining its seafront. The walk continues toward the promontory south-west of Little Venice to admire the famous windmills, a symbol of the island of Mykonos, once a major trading center between Venice and Asia. Dating back to the 16th C and situated near the old port in a strategic position to exploit the wind, the windmills were used to mill wheat. At the end of the guided tour, feel free to stay in town and return to Tourlos Port with the shuttle at your own expense."

 

Just wondering if anyone has taken this tour, or what are any thoughts of people about the tour, just wondering if it's worth it or not. Thanks in advance. 

 

Best Regards,

I would not recommend paying anyone to walk you around the town of Mykonos.  It's very small.  Just walk around, you'll find everything you've read about.  Or Follow other people and see where they are going.  

I'll agree with CruiserBruce here.  In Europe, unless tendering, I have never been held back from leaving the ship while waiting for the excursions to leave the ship.  In fact, I'm often one of the first 20 people off the ship.  I watch from an upper deck as they set up the exit ramps and safety rails and such and then once they are just about done with that, I head down to the gangway.  I'm often down there shortly before, or just after, they announce that you may go ashore. Most of the time, excursions are still gathering in the theatre at that point.

In Naples in particular, I did find the walk from ship to terminal exit to be a little longer than some stops.  They make you walk thru a fairly large shopping mall of sorts before you can get to the street.  But still, it is no more than the 10-15 minutes advised above for the casual walker.  Maybe even less.

As noted above, some ships tender directly into the center of town.  If you dock, there will be a water taxi (a shuttle boat with many people on it) that goes back and forth between town and the dock for a few euros.

Great advice above from the locals.  I took a departure day London Waterloo to Southampton train for a cruise with zero issues.  I arrived in Southampton around 9:30am and there were taxis waiting to take me to the ship.  It was a very easy and pleasant trip.

You didn't finish your second paragraph, but I assume you mean they wouldn't accept it as the full down payment amount since it wasn't a full-valued CruiseNext certificate.

I'd be asking why it wasn't credited to your account as $346 if it was supposed to be worth that much.  This should have been asked within days of when it was credited to your account.

Given your current situation, if it is a valid CruiseNext in the eyes of NCL, then perhaps you will be able to use it when they run a special that permits 2 certificates to be used on a cabin.

I can confirm that the easiest way to access the pedestrian path is via an exit at the back of the station.  Toward the water.  You will then be on the path.  I have done the walk twice this way.  The walk is easy enough assuming you're able to walk that distance.  The surface is smooth enough for rolling luggage.

I see the pedestrian ramp you refer to going to the Bumhuis.  I really don't recall that being there when I was there a year and half ago.  But perhaps I just missed it.  I cannot confirm whether it allows for hotel access or not.  I use the other ramp that takes you down a little further and makes you U-turn back to the hotel.

Google Maps seems to show a gate between the Bumhuis and Movenpic after crossing the ramp.  It looks like you'd have to go inside the Bumhuis building and use an internal connection between the building, if that exists.  Someone else will need to confirm this.

And I believe the females need to wear something on their head.  Most use a lightweight scarf.  And everyone removes their shoes.  So you might want to be wearing socks.

Generally, the cabin steward will move your belongings.  Discuss the details with them, obviously.  Sometimes they will offer to move the clothing you have on hangers without you needing to take them off the hangers.  Sometimes they will ask you to re-pack everything.  I prefer to re-pack everything into my luggage and then just let them move the luggage.  But it's your call on that, usually.  I like it in the luggage and I put a new luggage tag on it with the new cabin number on it.  Just so it's less likely to get lost.  

@Flyinby Thank you so much for your thoughts on the topic and the specifics of the excursions I've chosen.  I too am one that likes to book in advance.  I like to know that the major elements of my plan are in place before I leave home.  I think I'm going to go ahead and book the excursions.  I'll have plenty of clothing/gear to deal with the weather, so it will be fine.  On my last previous mainstream cruise in Norway, it rained quite a lot.  But I went ahead with the excursions and still had a great time.  Even if I couldn't always see the beauty around me due to clouds, fog, and rain.  It's all part of the adventure!

When you are on an excursion, you do not get tender tickets at all.  You are simply led from the excursion's assigned meeting area to a tender boat by a crew member.  So, no, I don't think your 3:00 pm excursion will help you get off the ship earlier that morning.

4 hours ago, grayjay said:

April is rather a quiet time for a coastal voyage and I think the "Pollux"won't be sold out. Secondly, the weather in April might be anything from mild and with hints of spring but rain and snow are possible, of course, too. So I'd book on board. The only exceptions might be snow excursions if they are still possible (Husky trails and such) , but it might be too late for such, anyway.

May we ask which excursions you have considered?

About your second question: You'll find such a map on the TV in your cabin. Using a phone in Norway is easy, you'll have strong signals everywhere, even in remote areas. So you might use that, as well.

Happy sailing!

Thank you for the reply.  I know the weather will be very unpredictable, so it's good to hear that buying onboard is a decent strategy.

The excursions I plan on taking are:

Alesund - Winter Cruise to Geiranger

Tromso - The Arctic Capital (goes up the gondola to Fjellheisen)

Honningsvag - The North Cape Plateau 

Kirkenes - The Russian Border

That's good to hear about the TV map display and cell coverage.  I have a data plan from T-Mobile the will cover a fair bit of data while in Norway.  I'll leave my GPS at home.  I'd have to buy  Norway map coverage for it before I could use it anyway.

I'm excited.  I just booked a 12-day round trip voyage (Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen) on Havila Pollux that will set sail on April 21, 2024.  I'm now pulling together my overall travel plan.

I plan on booking 4 ship excursions and then doing my own thing in other ports.  What kind of advice can you folks offer me as to WHEN to book these excursions.  Some of them are ones that I probably would rather not take if the weather is just horrible -- i.e pouring down rain.  I can deal with any cold and snow I might encounter, but if it's pouring rain, I may not find it worth it to take the excursion.

I know I can buy the excursions now using the Voyage Portal.  I believe I can also purchase them once onboard.  Is that true?  Do you have any sense of how often they are sold out if you wait until on the ship?  I would prefer to see how the weather looks in the next day or 2 before deciding on whether I want to spend a couple hundred dollars on an excursion.

A separate, unrelated question -- I am a geographer and would love to follow the ship's path on a map as we move up and down the coast through various passages.  Do they have such a map on the TVs in the cabins?  in the common areas of the ship?  Like they do on many mainstream cruise lines.  If not, I might look into bringing a GPS device.  Obviously, I can use my phone too, but I'm not sure how effective that will be if I don't have a cell signal and I don't know how much data I will want to use up.  Any thoughts?  

6 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

I would put it at zero since you have a GTY 

 Everyone who paid more than a GTY is already ahead of you.

It's all about revenue so even if you bid $400 per, those in an OA only need to bid $200 or less per and they have you beat.

I don't follow your logic.  I would say it's all about ADDITIONAL revenue.  They already have the booking money from the person with the current GTY and the OA.  That's not going to change.  Wouldn't they rather have $400 more from anyone (even the person in the GTY) than $200 more from anyone else?

What am I not understanding?

1 hour ago, wintertexancruiser said:

Hello. I have a question concerning the port we dock at while in Amsterdam for NCL Star.

We are arriving Oct 2024.

Does anyone know if we are at the port by the city center or IJ Muiden? I am trying to get a shore excursion booked and the company asked which port we are at.

Thanks

 

o 

 

You will need to call NCL and get them to confirm that for you.  It could be either port.  If it is IJMuiden, it is usually spelled out in your cruise confirmation document.

I would just pay the 6 euros/person and ride the bus from your ship directly to the train station.  I rode it the other direction and it was great to be taken door-to-door, so to speak.

4 hours ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Hmmmm... maybe that's the case for us as well? I don't remember seeing details about a coach before, but it's absolutely in there now. 

 

Here's the description: 
 

---

 

Overview

Berlin is about a 2.5- 3 hour train ride. Throughout the journey, your escort will provide you with water and light snacks, Berlin city maps, and an "emergency kit" with essential phone numbers to prepare you for your exploration activities in Berlin. Your escort will also inform you of your departure time and location in Berlin. After a day of exploring on your own, you'll take the train back to your ship. The coach will transport you from the arrival/departure train station to the city center.
 

Highlights

• Explore Berlin at your own pace.
• Discover your own Berlin—see the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, or browse the city’s unique boutiques and shops.
• Sit back and enjoy scenic views of the northern German countryside on a relaxing train ride.
•  

Important details and advisements

 

• During the transfer to/from Berlin guests will be escorted and assisted by an English-speaking host.
• Guests may be required to pay between 50 cents and 1 Euro to use the public toilets.
• Guests must be at least 18 years old to consume alcohol. Alcohol may be served, please drink responsibly. 
• Please note that shops are normally closed on Sundays in Germany and only souvenir shops will be open.
• The train ride between Warnemunde and Berlin is approximately 2.5- 3 hours each way, subject to daily train traffic conditions.

It’s poorly written, but I think it sounds like there will be a bus involved.  Even so, it would be nice if they told you more details.  I looked back at the excursion  description from my day.  It was way back in 2008!  In the description, they told us the Hilton Hotel was our drop off and pick up point.  That allowed me to make specific plans in advance.  Good luck

On 3/10/2024 at 1:13 PM, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Heading on a Celebrity cruise this summer, stopping in Warnemunde for the day. We’ve booked Celebrity’s Berlin on your own by train excursion, with pickup in Warnemunde on the chartered excursion train. 

 

One question: I’ve seen *multiple* reviews, comments, complaints and gripes across multiple lines, mentioning the drop off and pick up stations in Berlin being different for this excursion. However, none of these comments mention which station the train stops at on arrival and where it leaves on departure. Most of the times it’s an exasperated passenger saying “no one told us” or “we were so confused and had to take a taxi,” etc. 

 

Does anyone know specifics? It would certainly help us plot out our day in Berlin knowing what station we’ll start the day at and what station we’ll conclude. 

Can you post a description of your excursion?  I can't get to it without having a cruise booked.

It was years ago, but when I was on an excursion that did this, it didn't matter which train station we were taken to because once at a Berlin train station, we were put on a bus and then taken into the city center.  We were dropped off at the Berlin Hilton (near the Stadtmitte U-Bahn station).  Pickup was at the same location.  This info was included in the excursion's description, so I could plan accordingly.  

When I was there in 2023... It is indeed a 10-15 minute, mostly downhill walk from the visitor center to get to the site itself.  Once down there, you will be able to see a lot of the site without walking difficulties, however, as mentioned, you probably won't walk out on the rocks that much.  There was also a small trolly car run by the site that would transport people back up the hill if you want to use it.  It arrived just as I was finished seeing what I wanted to see, so I rode it back up the hill.  I can't recall if it also took people down the hill but I would imagine that it did.  Especially someone with mobility issues.

Quickly looking thru the linked document above, I didn't see mention of this "shuttle" service.  But maybe I just missed it.  Or maybe it's not always offered.  I'm not sure.  But I know I rode it back up the hill.

Did you see the "Important Details" section of the page you linked to?  It seems to spell things out nicely.

EVERYONE has to pass thru the same security line at the Colosseum, even if you already have tickets (and a guide) to get into the colosseum.  There is no skipping this line.  If that line is long, it sounds like your guide may decide to not take you inside.  If the line is reasonable, it says you will go inside.

At the Basilica, they mention that strict dress codes are in place.  That would not apply unless you were going inside the building.  But it also lists reasons why you might not go inside.