Hi Steve

I would suggest also posting your question in the Turkey forum, stating which resort it's in, as you may get a better response there.

luci

Hi everyone,

I have been reading the posts about DIY tours and and I am hoping to use the advice I have seen so far. We are cruising in July this year on the Grand Princess and have so far found help for some of our ports of call (Rome, Florence/Pisa, Barcelona). We are also going to Gibraltar, Alicante, Cannes, Alghero (Sardinia) and Seville (from Cadiz).

Has anyone ever been to these places on a cruise? If so can anyone a) recommend the best things to spend our time doing, b) if you would advise DIY tours and how best to go about them in these ports?

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help as I am a novice at this forum stuff

Suzanne

Gibraltar, most people do the rock to see the apes and the views....it is fine but not exactly a must do. Best way to do this is to use the minibus taxis at the cruise terminal exit. Basically they fill them up i.e. normally 8 people, which keeps the cost down. The town itself consists mainly of the high street, where you will get all the jewellery/booze/tobacco that you could ever need at extremely low duty free prices. Because Gibraltar is UK, the amount you can take home (officially) is limited. There is an area at the bottom of the high street which is like a "town square" with a number of eateries and is quite attractive. Otherwise not really a great port of call.

Alicante is worth a stroll around, and has an open-top bus with a stop at the port gates. If the weather is good, there is a decent beach with all the normal pavement cafes etc. There is a castle up on the hill, which is worthy of a visit and is on the open-top bus route.

Cannes is an attractive town, with a new and historical old town area. There is a trolley train which goes round the coastal part of the town, and up into the old town. You can get off there, explore, and get the next trolley train down. A very relaxing place, nice beach too if that attracts you.

Not been to Sardinia.

If you don't want to go to Seville, then Cadiz is worth exploring, and also has an open-top bus. The layout of the town is such that it is easy to dip back to the ship for lunch, and continue exploring later if you wish.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help as I am a novice at this forum stuff

Hi Princess x x

Hi Princess x x

Hi daddy! Thanks for the welcome!!!

xxx

Hi hamrag

Thanks for all the useful info, thats a great help and has made our journey plans seem easier now!!!

Thanks again

Suzanne

Hi there ....we've been to Alghero and its a lovely little town that was really nice to wander around....we were tendered ashore and if you walk up to the right through the town you will come to shops and cafes in squares which was really nice then you eventually come to the sea front which you can walk back along to the harbour....so in effect walking a big circle. nice shops and nice cafes for coffee and a cake!!!

gibraltar is, as has been said, the Rock and a street of shops.

Cadiz we did the Seville on your own trip...so we got ships transport to the city and then wandered on our own with ships transport back.......lots to see, beautiful cathedral.

Hi
we are cruising on the Grand Princess this Saturday
We have decided to take the Princess coach into Rome and then do our own thing for the day!
We are thinking of an open top bus tour
so
has anyone any tips on good/bad tours, we have quite a long while to kill between drop off and pick up
so a nice hop on hop off, so we can see each stop, take pics, back on the bus and so on!

Anyone done this bus trips and can recommend?

there is a hop on hop off bus system in Rome but haven't used it so can't comment....the metro is really easy to use we got it from the Terminii (main railway station) to the Coloseum which is directly across the road from the entrance to the metro - then walked past the Forum to the Trevi Fountain then to Spanish Steps (via a couple of cafes where we had coffee and cake!!) where we caught the metro back to the Terminii (we caught the train from civitavecchia) It is well signposted from the Coloseum and you can also find street maps on the internet.

Thanks Judy, thats perfect. Sardinia was the one place no one could tell us anything about so it's great you can recommend ways of spending the time there. Coffee and cake sounds perfect i cafe's, you've sold me straight away

Thanks again

Suzanne

Hi Princess

These links might also help you choose some more things to do in port.

ROME

BARCELONA

GIBRALTER

ALICANTE

CANNES
ALGHERO This looks a nice place

SEVILLE

Dad

Has anyone visited the Dali museum independentlyfrom Palamos and how easy is it?

Jim

Hi all

Due to go on first family cruise (with four children) to the Med in July (Southampton/Vigo/Lisbon/Mallorca/Alghero/Rome/ Cannes/Barcelona/Gibraltar).

I have booked ship excursions to Rome and Barcelona. What other ports of call would you suggest I book for and/or how easy are others to be undertaken independently ie very accessible from where the ship/launch docks. Not too keen on public transport travelling due to potential to get lost and miss ship!!

Thanks for any advice!

Barcelona is a breeze to do on your own, best way is to use the open-top bus. You will be able to cancel the trip you have booked. Rome tour is probably wise, for a first time cruiser. All the others ports are easy to self-explore too.

Thanks for the advice. Will cancel the Barcelona tour!

Need to start looking at points of interest for each stop now so I don't miss anything!

Anybody any self explore tips for the following: Koper, Venice, Dubrovnik, Split, Kotor? Only a week to go and i'm getting excited!

If visiting the Island by Cruise Ship this is just a feel of what is available.

The Island

We will start with out and about.

If you want to see the real Mallorca you either need to book trips or hire a car. However, this would depend on how long you are visiting the island for.

The scenic coast road between Palma, Port D'Andratrix to Soller is fantastic for its views. Along the way there are many stopping places to admire the many views over the coast and then onto Valdemossa and Deia. Valdemossa is one of the favourite destinations of tourists who are more into tranquillity and quiet relaxation and because of this it is very touristy, from ther past you have Chopin, the French romantic novelist George Sands and of course up to date Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones have a home here as well. Deia is the burial place of Robert Graves, a famous writer and poet. From here to Soller for a relaxing lunch in the main square. If you have the time the trolley train to Port Soller is a must.

Between Palma and Soller is Jardin de Alfabia. These gardens are well worth the visit and are situated just before the southern end of the Palma - Soller tunnel. Well laid out, and beautiful walks through many different trees and plants. Can I recommend the home made lemonade from the café on site, they also do home made orange but the lemonade is superb.

Can I suggest you miss a visit to the Festival Village, this is Majorca's equivalent to our Outlet Vilages, we had heard so much about it so it was one of the things to do. I will not go into anything else except, what a waste of time, in some shops prices more expensive than in Palma and the whole area was very quiet. We may have gone on an off day, but!!

Another place to visit depending on time is Port De Pollenca, again stopping on the way to admire the views. A quick stop at the viewing point north of Port De Pollenca then onto the Lighthouse at Cap De Formentor, with views across the water towards Menorca, worth the drive, but it is not for the faint hearted. Be warned, a small bottle of water in the café costs €2.50.

Felantix is a small town towards the north but more famous for another of our favourites, Sant Salvador Monastery, a very twisty drive up but the views across Mallorca and towards the coast, especially Porto Colom is breath taking.

Everyone goes on about the Coves of Drac. Very large lots to see, a guided tour and a chance at the end to take a boat across the lake towards the exit, but no photography allowed. However, in my opinion the Caves of Arta are something different and do not disappoint. Beautiful caves, excellent lighting, very good English speaking guide, along with German, Dutch and Spanish, and you could take photographs. The exit out was towards the sea. These caves may be out of the way but are worth the visit.

For those contemplating hiring a car, the roads are excellent. There has been a lot of new ones build since our last visit and also many of the roads have been resurfaced.


Palma

Well a visit to Mallorca cannot pass without a visit to Palma.

If you look above Palma you will see Bellver Castle. This is a very famous and unique castle. Bellver castle is a very pleasant, worth a visit with an excellent photo opportunity of Palma and the bay.

Most coaches drop off, opposite the Cathedral, think it is called Escullera - It is near the entrance to the Marina just south and across a very busy dual carriageway from the Cathedral. It is very easy to cross road - just remember to look left first. However, I have never caught the shuttle into Palma with a cruise ship so this could be different.

So, first a visit to the Royal Palace, entrance just opposite the Cathedral, The Palace was originally a citadel built by the Moorish governors and was converted into a palace at the beginning of the 14th century, beautiful décor and laid out rooms. Next must be the Cathedral, This is a beautiful and magnificent Roman Catholic Cathedral located in Palma. Light comes in through the rose window, this is one of the world's largest windows. Then onto the Museum that displays a superb collection of prehistoric artefacts.

Then after the culture, a walk around town and a little shopping. If you are looking for exclusive shops try Passeig Des Bonn and Avinguida Jaume III. For those who want to know, Palma has two Corte de Ingles. Be careful, the streets behind the Cathedral are a rabbit warren and it is easy to lose track of time and direction. Take care and have your street map handy, if you do not have one there are two easy to find tourist information centres within 10 mins walk of Cathedral. However, if in doubt there is always a sign somewhere pointing to the Cathedral. In the streets there are plenty of shops, restaurants and tapas bars.

There is HOHO bus stop just to the west of the Cathedral, on Avinguda D'Antoni Maura and it completes a fairly extensive tour of Palma, including Bellver Castle.

Hi all
We are doing the Adriatic on the Spirit in Oct any ideas for trips would be welcome, we know the ship well so thats not a problem.
Regards
Roger

Hi all
Have just booked our first cruise for July 2011
Treasures of the Mediterranean on Thomson Dream
Starting at Palma and then visiting
Trapani/Scicilly,
Naples,
Civitavecchia/Rome,
Ajaccio/Corsica
Mahon/Menorca
Then back to Palma

Obviously I want to see as much as we can fit in without breaking the bank can anyone recommend which trips are best at each location and suggest a reputable company to book these with
We would like to see Colosseum and the Roman Forum, the Acropolis and the Pantheon, St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel at Rome and Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii at Naples if possible but are open to any suggestions anyone may have as I'm not sure exactly how much time we will have in each port