edinburgher

Reykjavik airport is around 45 or 50 minutes drive from the city so you would need to allow for that in your planning.

That trip was our first 'post-kids' cruise, when I hadn't learned how to time excursions and never included lunch in the planning. One of the major drawbacks of cruising is that a shortage of time is often an issue on port calls, especially so in cities or towns which have a wealth of sights/sites to explore. i know that for many cruise pax living in smaller towns with fewer dining choices, international dining options can be tricky to find. ,For us, living where we do and being fortunate in having an abundance of restaurants on our doorstep offering cuisine from around the world,, we always prioritise sights/sites, although in less time challenging ports we often do indulge in a sit down lunch and people watch. (We most recently dined out only three days ago( on Sunday) and enjoyed a Japanese meal in Umai Sushi and Ramen Edinburgh Where cruising comes into its own is when a one day call is sufficient to see everything we want to see, but also when a one day call tempts us to return on a longer land trip, and we have done that on a number of occasions with great success.

Will have one day in Granada. Any recommendations for a local tour guide? TIA. Sorry about my post above as the info wasn't suitable for cruise pax. I (wrongly) assumed that as you did not mention an actual port or an excursion , that you would be on a land trip which included Granada. Or a pre or post cruise land extension to a cruise. Especially as Granada is inland and not near the sea!. Not usually recommended for DIY. Instead, a shorex or private tour is usually recommended, and your tour will most likely only take you to the Alhambra then return you back to the ship once your visit there is over.

one way of getting around it is to plan, not a cruise, but a land trip. Tuscany is amazing and with several days to explore not only Florence but some of the other really attractive locations in the region, you could enjoy a wonderful trip at a more relaxed pace.

I would love a good pizzeria recommendation for Naples! ALL pizza in Naples is good, you can really not go wrong, so for something a bit different, after our first visit to the Archaeological Museum, we went to the what is thought to be the very first pizzeria in the world, just a few minutes walk from the Archaeological Museum. Might be worth googling to find the name and address as it was really quite close. It was not anything terribly special (Naples is after all reknown for excellent pizza and there are many options) but it was quite nice to know we were in the first one ever. A bit like us visiting the first ever Starbucks when we visited Seattle. Many souvenirs for sale inside and really busy both inside and outside as other folks took their selfies.

Although it is many years since we visitedLucca and Pisa together in one day, I do remember researching and finding a second train station in Pisa, much closer to the Field of Miracles than the Central Station, in fact maybe only 5 minutes or so on foot. We arrived into it by train from Lucca but when leaving for the return to Livorno we had to walk the longer distance to Centrale Station. Maybe Centrale was served by more trains to/from Livorno than the other one or maybe it was a different line. I cannot remember exactly,only that we needed Centrale for Livorno.. I just now looked for the name of the one beside the Field of Miracles as I could nor remember it offhand and it is called Pisa San Rossore railway station. Anyone taking the train to Pisa from Lucca or to Lucca from Pisa might want to very carefully research it (and timetables too) as it saved a quite long walk (and time) at least one way. Anonmom it is very easy to take in both Pisa and Lucca in one day, and Lucca is a very attractive town to visit and highly recommended.(think of it as a Tuscan Gem)There should be plenty of info and photos to be found online to help you decide.

Host Jazzbeau, that was indeed a very packed day and I don't think it would be possible nowadays unless post covid tourism figures have decreased from the ever increasing numbers between 2011 and 2019, the years we noticed crowds increasing year on year in popular European destinations. We saw that even in our home city( Edinburgh,Scotland) when the month of August (Festivals month) became ever more crowded. In common with some other European cities, there have been calls here at certain times of the year for tourism to be more effectively "managed" to help aleviate the many issues which came from over tourism, but that is a different topic. Was there anywhere in that packed schedule for a sit down "leisurely lunch" or did you eat "on the go"? That may be where AJs first compromise will lie.

cruiemom42, that was EXACTLY my point. It appears to be abundantly clear that there WILL have to be compromises, and AJ 's group should discuss this and decide which on their agenda to continue with and which to drop if/when time becomes an issue. Especially important that they also have enough time to return to the ship before sailaway, and ideally a "safety margin" of an hour or 45 minutes,or whatever length of tme gives them peace of mind, but again that depends on the compromises the group are willing to make. Sorry Hank, but given the choice of a leisurely meal and risk missing the ship or having a snack and arriving back at the ship on time, I think most cruisers would forego the leisurely lunch and have something "faster" instead. We do of course enjoy meals ahore, usually lunches if we are cruising, also breaks for coffees or beers whenever we feel like it,- or these days,when in need of short rest! Having said that, it is of more importance to us to see the sights we have looked forward to.visiting as we figure we can always eat on the ship but we cannot take that site (or sight) back onboard with us.

Would you actually need a local tour guide? The #1 sight there is of course the Alhambra which is a complex including gardens and the Generalife in addition to the Palace itself. Half of your day could easily be spent at the complex. You could buy tickets which are entry only, or ones which include either a private tour or a group tour. As for the town itself, there are a few more minor sights, but during our couple of days stay there, we enjoyed simply strolling around the city. The short walk alongside the river is very pleasant and offers some lovely views of the Alhambra opposite, but even better was walking around the old Moorish neighbourhood which offers many many photo ops, bars, restaurants,independent shops and little cobblestoned winding streets. (footwear with a good grip advised) Close to a church near the top of the neighbourhood is where the most amazing views of the Alhambra are to be found. IMHO walking like that without a guide gives you the opportunity to walk at your own pace and to linger or stop when something catches your eye or you find a bar or restaurant which appeals to you for a break. If you search, there should be online info and photos for the Moorish quarter to help you decide if it would appeal to you.

Although it is usually December before tickets go on sale for the following year, just a heads up that tickets for 2023 are already on sale. This year the "theme" was "Voices", next year it will be "Stories". As yet no performers announced. This years performances only finished 3 days ago. There was quite a change in direction this year and Tripadvisor reviews are very mixed instead of the usual 4 and 5 stars.. We ourselves were quite critical when we watched it on tv yesterday evening, and for us, that is unusual.

We last sailed Balmoral pre-Covid in June 2018 and post Covid there may have been a few changes. We have friends booked for an August 2022 Iceland cruise who will be new to Fred and to Balmoral, and although I have been able to find our own past info, there are still a few questions they have and if you have answers that would be much appreciated, as the last couple of years appear to have wiped our memories of some details as 2018 is feeling more like ancient history.. Are there still 2 self-service laundries on Decks 9 and 3? Are they free or is there a charge?. Use own laundry powder or is it supplied? Is there a retractable drying line in the canin shower cubicles? Is there still a library next to the Bookmark Cafe? And is there a free steam room or sauna, or both? If so, separate male/female or mixed? And are they still as rigid with meal times? ( Thinking of port days,going ashore and coming back on board), does lunch still end at around 2pm with nothing more available until afternoon tea time(which I think used to be around 3pm or 3-30pm) Thanks in advance for any replies. So much has changed since cruising restarted that I am unsure if my past info is still current. .