Excursions/Spain /Portugal

[marilla chris]

We are booked on the Getaway in June to Spain, and as yet there are no shore excursions listed for 4 ports. I have been following since February,  and they were never listed. NCL helpline insists they will be posted soon, but it is now 1 month away and still nothing.  Does anyone else have any info on this? Thank you

[zqvol]

Probably all sold out before you started looking. 

[Huntingdon1701]

Unlikely everything would be sold out, including the free time ones, if OP has been following since February. Somewhere like Gibraltar does have limited spaces but everywhere else has been quite flexible. 

 

You could double check on the roll call to see if anyone else is having this issue.

 

However, I would start looking at some of the other providers so that you don't miss out. Pick a reputable one and there is little risk of missing the ship. You'll also find they're often cheaper and smaller groups than the ship tours. If you google 'shore excursions' a few of the main ones will come up.

[Twolittleboys]

Depending on what you like to do most ports in Spain and Portugal can also easily be done on your own. There isn't always a need for a tour (depending of course on your personal tastes).

[nimbex1970]

We were just at Cadiz and Lisbon.  There is so much to see in Cadiz, you simply walk straight out (after a quick bus transfer, not allowed to walk the port, it's free).  The cathedral is amazing, there are shops everywhere with street cafes every few steps.  

 

Lisbon was a bit more of a challenge but very walkable (asuming no wheel chair, scooter or trouble breathing with walking. (we spent three days).  The taxi line off the ship was an hour, so consider a tour or a tuk tuk which are across the street from the taxi line.  There are several "districts" in Lisbon, we visited them all, and you can't go wrong.  We negotiated a tuk tuk for an hour for a break in walking for $40E.  I hope this link helps

https://www.lisbon.net/neighborhoods

 

If you are not comfortable without a tour, trip advisor and viator are ligit places to book, just allow yourself time to return to the ship.

Edited May 7 by nimbex1970

[Asawi]

1 hour ago, nimbex1970 said:

We were just at Cadiz and Lisbon.  There is so much to see in Cadiz, you simply walk straight out (after a quick bus transfer, not allowed to walk the port, it's free).  The cathedral is amazing, there are shops everywhere with street cafes every few steps.  

I agree that Cadiz is very good for just strolling around. But when I was there we could just walk off. No transfer needed. Maybe there are different docking locations used. Either way, a very nice city!

[KeithJenner]

9 minutes ago, Asawi said:

I agree that Cadiz is very good for just strolling around. But when I was there we could just walk off. No transfer needed. Maybe there are different docking locations used. Either way, a very nice city!

Same for us. It was really handy.

 

Motril is a port in that area where a shuttle was required to get out of the port. I wonder whether they got confused between the two.

[Travelling2Some]

Agree that Cadiz required no shuttle.  You are docked right in the heart of town and just walk off the ship.  Spain Day Tours (spaindaytours.com) does shore excursions in both Spain and Portugal and is very reliable.

[floridafish]

Lisbon, Cadiz, Malaga, Ibiza and Barcelona are all cities you can do on your own. Wonderful places to explore. No need to book any excursions. Cadiz and Malaga have amazing food markets to visit and eat.

DO NOT waste your time going to Gibraltar. It's a cluster with having your passport stamped. The day is better spent in Cadiz. 

Seville and Granada are more suited for land trips given the hours spent driving back and forth. 

[14ersco]

If the OP is looking at the first cruise for the Getaway after dry dock (June 6) there has been a limited number of shore excursions over many months for the entire cruise.  I've been following for about 7 months and there has been no embarkation tours in Southampton and disembarkation tours in Barcelona just appeared last month.  There has been no tours listed for Malaga, Ibiza, and Palma.  For the entire 10 day cruise NCL is now only offering 26 shore excursions.  Not much use for the FAS $50 discount.