whimsy7

@Samstress.

we stayed at an AirBnB place near Sant Antoni.

we like to wander around the ports on our own....getting lost and absorbing the atmosphere of each place. generally, we find the port excursions to be overpriced so we did not take any and will not be able to help with information about port excursions.

Corfu - early docking at 7.00 am. there was a free shuttle that took us from the dock to the terminal building. we had planned to walk to the city centre but ended up taking a cab there (10E for 4 people). most of the shops were still closed so there was actually time to have a leisurely breakfast on board before heading into the city.

we visited the Old Fortress (entry fee 6 E). no need for a guided tour...just wander around the fortress on your own. you can walk up to the highest point in the fortress and have a nice view of the city.

Santorini - ahh, this was a very pretty port. it was a tender port so we queued up for tender tickets about 1 hour before they handed the tickets out (and even then got tender #8). trip on tender to the port was quick (less than 10 minutes). at Fira, there are people offering a trip by fast speedboat to base of Oia, private bus up to Oia and private bus back to the upper part of Fira (cost 15E). note that you still had to make your way down to the port on your own....by walking down the path or by cable car.

we walked on to the cable car station (less than 100 metres) away and purchased our 5E cable car tickets. the ride itself only took 5 minutes to get to the top. we then walked to the local bus station and rode the local bus to Oia (1.80E). the 2.4 km trip took about 30 minutes - a good value ride.

we wandered around Oia feeling like we were in a postcard scene. the colours were bright and crisp. there were many shops there.

our trip back to the ship took us 1 hour and 45 minutes and this was a smooth run with no waiting for the bus from Oia to Fira, no waiting for the cable car down to the port and no waiting for a tender boat back to the ship. my tip is to give yourself at least 2 hours to make your return journey to the ship especially at busy times.

on our second visit to Santorini, we walked down the path from the top to the port. it was a fragrant and at times slippery walk as we shared it with the donkeys and their (very few) riders. there were moment when the donkeys came very close to us and a gentle push was needed to steer the donkeys away.

Mykonos - another tender port. we got off the ship very early as we like taking photographs with not many people in the photograph. if this is not important to you, take your time to come in to Mykonos as many shops did not open until 9.30 am. we walked through the winding streets and through Little Venice and went to the windmills. again, there are many shops in Mykonos to keep you occupied.

Katakolon - docked right next to the commercial area. just outside the port gates are two companies offering return bus trips to Olympia (10E). we had a clean and comfortable bus for our 30 minute drive to Olympia. we opted not to go in to the Olympia site (10E) and so spent our time window shopping on the main street of Olympia instead. there is not much to see in Olympia. my tip is that if you are not into ruins, make this an easy day on board with a small stroll around Katakolon.

Athens - this was a busy port day. our ship docked at terminal B. just outside the port gates, there was a manned ticket booth where we purchased our 4.50 E day transport ticket. we caught the X80 bus for our one hour ride into Athens. we headed straight for the Acropolis as we'd read that it gets quite crowded later in the day. it can be quite slippery on the rocks around the ancient sites so wear good shoes. it did get quite crowded at the end of our visit - glad we went there early.

we wandered around Athens and viewed the Agora, the Roman Agora and the Library. we visited Monastiraki and the flea markets and then visited Syntagma Square where we watched the changing of the Presidential Guards in front of the Parliament.

alas, no freestyle daily papers were kept.

one show that is on for every cruise is the Elements show. do go to see that great show.

we had a Beatles Invasion show on one of the cruise sectors.....4 young men who looked and sounded like the Beatles. it was very, very good.

the White Hot party was jumping! we went to that party to work off some of the calories from our meals....not sure if it worked.....

Noumea...we found free WiFi in the Place de la Cocotiers, near the Tourist information building.

If heading away from the beach, it's on the left hand side.

my bad (and thanks to cc rider for pointing this out)..... still jet lagged....

the Barcelona cathedral is not free between 1300 - 1730.

we landed in Barcelona at Terminal 1.

we purchased our tickets at the tabacca shop which is outside the building on the way to the car park.

we used it on the bus to take us into central Barcelona.

very useful and economical ticket.

Barcelona is a beautiful city. am sure you'll love it too.

when you get off the ship, take the 2E per person interport bus to the Drassanes area.

there is a metro station there and you can take the metro directly to La Sagrada.

buy the T-10 tickets and use it for your group.

take the metro (you're on green line) to Espanya or Catalunya station (closer) then change to the red line to La Sagrada station.

cheap and easy.

we were in Barcelona about a month ago and we found the T10 tickets to be very good value.

at the T1 terminal, you buy the tickets from the tabacca shop which is outside the building on the way to the parking area.

the 10 tickets can be shared between a group - just activate it for one person and walk through, hand it back so that the next person can activate it etc.

we used it on the bus to the city.

@ cruisegal415,

I think that your port day itinerary is too packed. suggest leaving off the HOHO bus.

when you get off the cruise ship, take the 2E interport bus to the Drassanes area. there is a metro station there and you can use it to get to Sagrada. you will need to get to Espanya station or Catalunya station and then change to the red line to get to La Sagrada.

we took a bus #92 from Sagrada to Park Guell. easier and no need to walk up the hill.

on the first day, just walk around as Barcelona is a walkable city.

head to Las Ramblas and stroll down that road with everyone else.

drop in to the La Boqueria market which is there (pick up some fruit salad or snack on some jamon/ham).

you could visit the Barcelona Cathedral - free entry and very beautiful.

Raina,

thanks for your beautiful photographs.

it reminded me why we love living in Sydney.

We have had a great time on the Jade cruising from Barcelona to Malta to the Greek ports and to the Adriatic.

We boarded at Barcelona. It is worthwhile to spend a few nights pre-cruise in this beautiful city. Do visit the Sagrada Familia and the Barcelona Cathedral.... or this can be done even on a port turnaround day.

At the Drassanes end of La Ramblas, you'll find the Columbus monument. On the ocean side of the roundabout, you'll find an inside roadway which has a bus stop for the port bus. This blue bus (cost of 2€ per person one way... pay on the bus) takes you to the port terminal. Do not try to walk to the terminal as it is takes at least 10 minutes to ride to the nearest terminal.

Formalities and embarkation was done quite quickly.

Our interior stateroom was compact but functional. We had the beds put together with the bedside tables between the bed and the walls. The bedside tables had a single shelf.

The pillows were soft, the bedding was also lovely and soft. We liked the soft bed and slept comfortably on many nights after a long day of walking and sightseeing.

In the stateroom there was a TV, a safe, two tabletops, two seats, a hairdryer, three drawers, four shelves for your belongings and many hangers in the wardrobe.

The bathroom was compact but functional too. There was a dispenser for hand soap at the sink. A cake of soap, a box of tissues and a tube of body lotion was also provided in the bathroom. The rectangular shower recess had two glass doors, a hand held shower unit, a dispenser for shampoo and a dispenser for shower gel. There were also two small wire shelves in the shower recess. A laundry line stretched across the top of the shower recess (yes!). On the bathroom door were four hooks and two rails (hanging options have always been a problem in many stateroom bathrooms but not in this one... another yes! ). We found that small items of clothing dried within 24 hours in the stateroom. The extractor fan was efficient. Water temperature and pressure was good.

There was an ice bucket and two glasses provided in the room. The ice was replenished regularly.

The small fridge (with mini bar) was in the room but we never opened the door at all.

The room was quiet with no TV noises being heard from neighbouring rooms. Noises of the shower and flushing toilets were not heard in the room but only when in the bathroom.

The stateroom number unit outside your door also functions as a message facility as you can spin the inside disc to change your status from 'do not disturb' to 'make up my room' to 'turn down my room' .

Our room attendant was friendly and any requests we made were met with minimum fuss.

We found the Jade to be clean, comfortable and well maintained. The decor was very Hawaiian and vivid in colour.

All the staff we met were friendly, English-speaking and happy to talk to passengers.

As we had the time, we went on a short guided tour of the public areas of the Jade. We found this to be useful and informative re procedures on the ship.

We loved the food on the Jade.... too much. We felt that the food was the best we have tasted on our cruise trips. (Has anyone else noticed that the sea air causes your clothes to shrink?) Yes, even the Garden Cafe buffet food was good. Granted, the buffet food is repetitive, with only a small percentage of new choices in the desserts, the hot food selection and the grill but you can choose a variety of good dishes each time you eat at the Cafe. We enjoyed dining in the MDRs - Grand Pacific and Alizar. Grand Pacific was decorated in a traditional European style with dark wood and marble columns whilst Alizar was more modern in decor. We found the Grand Pacific to be quieter and that the tables for two were not placed so close to other tables.

Memorable dishes include prime rib, pork loin, Norwegian hot smoked salad, hazelnut chocolate bar, warm volcano cake, tiramisu cake, apple souffle , most cheesecake desserts and most mousse desserts.

Entertainment each night was varied. We enjoyed the Beatles Invasion and the Elements show.

We had two turnaround days in Venice. These were our port days in Venice. Two nights before the end of a cruise, we received information and stickers about what to do on the day. We disembarked easily and did not have to be back on board until half an hour before the sailing time. We only needed to attend the first muster. Passports needed to be carried with you on a port day at Venice.

Tip - use those newly purchased souvenir magnets to hold paper on the walls of the stateroom.

the cakes in the main dining rooms were quite good.

worth mentioning are the warm volcano cake, the tiramisu cake and the hazelnut bar cake. we enjoyed the cheesecakes and the mousse too (yes, we were on a long cruise B2B)

how about the option of an apartment for that week? you get more space, a kitchen for preparation of breakfasts/supper etc and laundry facilities.

there are many on offer here in Sydney...check out the Meriton ones, the Adina chain or Hyde Park Inn

sorry...just gave you more options to consider :)

your first cruise on Celebrity Solstice is actually all NZ except for Sydney being the starting/ending port.

your second cruise on the Dawn is actually all Australia except for one port in Papua New Guinea

so actually comparing apples and pears

we've recently done a cruise on the Solstice and it was great.

love the Celebrity line but it might not be so good for the teens.

the Royal Caribbean ships might be a good compromise for your kids and both of you (the adults).

Voyager of the Seas was great with the characters from Shrek on board, rock climbing, surf simulator

for seeing wildlife near capital cities, the Lone Pine near Brisbane is good....one of a handful of places where you can hold a koala

more decisions to make.....

whatever footwear you end up with.....break them in before your trip.

new shoes would be a disaster.

Do y'all (Sydney traveler's) use this card and think it's a good value?

Yes, the locals here use it as many buses are pre-pay only.

Also, the Opal card has some other benefits......

- it is $2.50 for transport on Sunday

- the daily cap is $15 so after that your transport is free.....if taking the ferry to Manly and back on the ferry...it's almost $15... so after your next transport, the rest of the day is free

- after eight paid trips per week (with an hour between each trip), the rest of the week is free

- the weekly cap is $60

note that it is difficult for visitors to claim back any unused portion on the Opal card (usually paid into a local bank account only)

Solstice is a beautiful ship. we thought the food on board was very good.

check out the burgers at the Mast Grill....no extra charge for these....they were great!!

Isle of Pines is one of our favourite ports.

walk up a slight hill away from the first beach area. turn left and walk down towards another beach on your right.

good spot for snorkelling around Sacred Rock.

get some reef shoes for these coral beaches or at least wear something on your feet as the corals bits can cut your feet...at minimum thongs or croc type slip ons

@icequeen,

many thanks for your detailed report of Athens in your blog.

we're heading there in about 5 weeks and your blog is very helpful.

another vote for the Solstice.

classy, subtle, great food.

many thanks for all your efforts in posting this blog.

brings back memories of our Solstice trip in Nov 2015 to the South Pacific.

we enjoyed the food in the MDR and those hamburgers and hot dogs at the Mast Grill were worth the wait in the queue...

the day that we sailed around the Fiordland was the highlight of our 12 night NZ cruise!

we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day for our visit.

we even saw a pod of dolphins in the area.

if you are interested in being on deck for your viewing (and most of us would), be aware that it can be quite cool/cold on the deck.

we brought our scarves and jackets for this occasion (even though we were there in February....summer)

always thought that the sea air shrinks your clothes....

NZ does free Wifi well.

many of the ports that cruise ships visit have free wifi in those ports.

Wellington - on our first visit there, wifi was free around the waterfront. think it is now free in the whole downtown area.

Dunedin - free wifi near the tourist information centre in the Octagon area

Picton - we went to the Library and accessed free wifi outside the building

Auckland and Napier - free in the city centre

I agree with Keith.....do both.

do a short cruise from Sydney that goes counterclockwise..... finish the cruise in Auckland and then drive to visit Rotorua....fly out of Auckland or Wellington.

our cruise day on Milford Sound was the highlight of our trip to NZ.

overseas friends will be boarding the Azamara Quest tomorrow at White Bay.

the ship will then sail to the OPT and be at the OPT on Saturday until departure time of 5.00 pm.