Raisinette

I did a TA this fall stopping at a few of these ports and offer the following opinions! There is N O T H I N G at Le Verdon, the port guard doesn't even have a hut, he/she operates out of their car, and the 'port' is just about in a field. I wasn't interested in any wine country type excursions but other people on our roll call mentioned that on previous stops here there was a shuttle service to 'Soulac Sur Mer' on the opposite side of the penninsula, about a 20 minute or so bus ride away. The day we were here the port was engulfed in fog - you could hardly see one end of the ship from the other. However, we took the free shuttle and halfway to Soulac Sur Mer all the fog disappeared. Soulac Sur Mer is a small summer resort town, a main street with many small stores, cafes, pharmacy etc. From where the bus dropped us off to the beach was about a 7 minute walk down the main street. We really enjoyed this as a quieter day compared to some of our other stops. The ship was still fogged in when we returned. La Coruna - I did a ship tour that took us to many areas in and around the city, included snacks, guided walking tour, enjoyed it, but did it mainly because I had an excess of onboard credit to use. The ship docks right in the city with a very short walk to harbourfront cafes, shops etc. You can do this on your own if this type of activity appeals to you. Good luck with your planning!

This is easily possible, however I have a suggestion... Leave your luggage at the airport Schiphol | Baggage storage at the depot or in lockers , take a train from the airport to Rotterdam Centraal station, do your sight seeing then take a train back to Schiphol, collect your luggage then continue by train to Amsterdam Centraal and walk/taxi etc to your hotel. The trains at Schiphol are right underneath the Arrivals concourse. There is very frequent (mid day approx every 5 minutes!) service on Intercity trains to Rotterdam, and the journey on these trains takes approx half an hour. Tickets can be pre-purchased on the ns.nl website, or at the ticket counter on the day you arrive. I think you can also purchase your tickets at the vending machines in the concourse, with English being a selectable language on the screen when you begin. Good luck with your planning!

Yes - that was helpful! However I now realize I likely won't be able to go anyhow as my tour finishes approx 2:00 and the market closes at 3:00. Thanks! Becky

Hello, We'll be in La Coruna on a Saturday in 3 weeks, and I have a comment in my trip notes that there is a decent (?) Saturday market within walking distance of the port. Unfortunately I don't have any further info and had no success in Google. Does anyone know if there is in fact a Saturday market close-ish to the port area, and whether it's worth a look? I don't need fresh meat/fish(!) but am always interested in regional specialities and perhaps some nice fruit. Any info would be appreciated, Becky

Aaaaahhh, so just testing the waters so to speak - thanks!

Hello, I’m on the Carnival Panorama, docked in Puerto Vallarta today. A couple of hours ago a Princess ship (Diamond Princess according to the cams) came into view, then stopped well outside the port area. They haven’t noticeably moved other than rotating a bit, and no tendering happening that I can see either. Is there anyone onboard that can shed light on this!? Thanks, Becky

Thanks!

Hello! By chance are you at Puerto Vallarta today? I’m on the Carnival Panorama, we’ve been docked for hours, and a few hours ago I noticed a Princess ship coming into view- and then it stopped. It doesn’t seem to have moved and doesn’t appear to be tendering either, so I’m curious to know what’s happening?! I was planning to take some photos of the ship coming in as I think the docking entry area is a little snug, but maybe that’s my imagination. Can anyone onboard enlighten me? thanks, Becky

We’ve only done this once before, and that time we met in the terminal (I couldn’t remember which one, hence my original comment) and boarded together. On that trip she arrived the night before and stayed at a hotel very close to the airport and took a taxi to the terminal in the morning. (She has slight mobility issues and is not able to take the tube to meet me in town) The bus made a quick stop at terminal 5 to pick up a few more people. This time she’ll arrive in terminal 2 - allegedly - so we may or may not end up on the same bus. It’s a chance we’re willing to take! If I was on my own I’d likely take the train or coach option, but don’t want to pay the single supplement on the cruise itself!

Hi Globalizer and John Bull, I recognize both your names from many previous informative posts - thanks so much! On this particular trip (and in fact most of my cruises in Europe), I'm cruising with a friend that is arriving separately and won't have any time in London pre-cruise. We live in different countries and tend to connect to do the transfer together, chatting for most of the bus journey! I will however save the info and links for future reference. As an aside, I don't know if Princess still offers transfers from Victoria as we specifically requested the Heathrow transfer through our agent. I appreciate the input! Becky

I'll be staying in London for a week prior to a November cruise, and will also be going back out to Heathrow to connect with the Princess transfer. I didn't know which terminal I should head for (Heathrow has 5 terminals), so asked Princess via their 'Chat' feature. This is what I was advised: Based on this it would seem that you will need to get from the hotel to terminal 3. Perhaps contact the hotel ahead of time for suggestions as I'm sure they deal with this type of question frequently? Becky

As many of us have experienced frustrations connecting with Princess customer service lately, I wanted to share a good news situation for once! I had a question relating to existing OBC that my TA wasn't able to answer, so decided to give the Live Chat a chance. I had low expectations I'll be honest. To my surprise I was immediately acknowledged by Cyndy who was able to answer my question after a little back and forth. All accomplished very quickly. I was then reviewing my airport transfer plans (I'm arriving in London a week before the cruise departs, but need to get back to Heathrow to connect with the transfer bus). I couldn't determine which terminal to head for...so another Live Chat ensued, this time with Miriam. She also was able to quickly get the information I needed. Thank you Princess Live Chat! Becky

Aha, now that is excellent news - thanks!

Thanks for all the info! I normally cruise on Princess and always do my own laundry to avoid the (to me) excess dryer heat likely shrinking some clothes. I normally do 14 day+ cruises so will need laundry at some point. The cost is not an issue, just shrinkage concerns. I'll have to give this some more thought... Thanks again, Becky

Thanks for all the feedback! I don't have any quick dry type clothes, and the excess dryer heat is a concern for tops and undies. I don't mind sending the rest through the laundry though... Will have to give this some thought. Becky

Hello, I'm a happy customer of another cruise line, but considering trying a Holland America cruise. I have a general question - do any of the Holland America ships have laundry facilities where you can do your own laundry? Thanks! Becky

Hello, I'm a happy customer of another cruise line, but considering trying a Celebrity cruise. I have a general question - do any of the Celebrity ships have laundry facilities where you can do your own laundry? Thanks! Becky

Thanks to everyone for the information!

I'm re-reading this, checked our itinerary, and we will have a stop in Fuerte Amador after the transit. So does that mean we should have some type of excursion available after all? I am very excited to be doing a full transit, but also trying to explore options!

Aaaaahhh, so the various threads about ferry/train excursions only apply if you are doing a partial transit?

I'll be on the Emerald Princess full transit departing Fort Lauderdale Feb 1/2023. This will be my first Panama Canal cruise. Excursions are available for every (port) day of the cruise except the day of our full transit, is this normal? Thanks!

Hello, I'm booked on the March 9/23 16 day transatlantic ending in Barcelona on March 25. I'm toying with the idea of doing a B2B with the next cruise, but there doesn't seem to be a 'next' cruise. I can't seem to see anything for this ship until the April 15/23 departure from Barcelona. Does anyone know what this ship will be doing for the missing 3 weeks? thanks, Becky