edinburgher

Your photos brought back good memories so thanks for posting. We rested in the Rodin gardens for a time as it was super hot that day and we were tired. They are a peaceful and relaxing spot.

Note that it is generally acknowledged that airports (and cruise ships) usually give the worst exchange rates.

It appears that you will stop on the main road above town for a photo op then proceed into the town itself for some free time to self explore. The amount of time isn't specified but you will at least be in the town, which is what you wanted. You said I liked this one too but wasn't sure what will happen if their "minimum of 6 ppl have to sign up" requirement hasn't met on that day You should contact them and ask. You should also ask if your 9 year old child is required to have a car seat or restraint suitable for her height and/or weight (required by Italian law) and if so, can they provide this on the day. Have you looked for a Roll Call for your sailing? Roll calls are where you would try to find others on your sailing to join you on a tour, also where you might find others looking for people like yourself to join a tour they have arranged.

Definitely inflaion then, however it appears it all worked out in the end for you, by luck I think more than anything. How disappointing that there was no active Roll Call for your sector as that is usually a good way to find others to share taxi rides or private tours. Better luck next time!

We had hoped to buy prints or posters which could be framed once home, but had to settle for the black and white postcards instead, although all separately mounted in one frame they still look lovely (at least in our eyes😉)

The OP will be aware of that, and from the multiple threads posted appears to be for now weighing up the pros and cons for the different sightseeing options for this one day stop to help her(?) make a decision. The adult #1 preference was to visit Positano itself, not just to take a photo from the main road above and is looking for a way to visit in person which would be allowable and now thinks that Royal Caribbean coaches would be the exception to local laws.. The local public buses would not be advised when on a ship but would be on a land trip. The only other option would be a small group private tour, but given how busy that stretch of road is even in early October, and to get back to the ship on time,that would mean spending the majority of the day in a van. I would also suggest that the OP use some of the extra days at the start to stay in a hotel in the Naples/Sorrento/Amalfi area and explore more of it with the extra days, rather than stay in Rome. Rome to Naples used to be an easy enough transfer but whether it still is I do not know. Info should be found online.

For anyone who has already visited some of the top sites in Istanbul, or for those staying longer than one or two days, Dolmabahce Palace could very well be be worth visiting. It holds the largest chandelier in the world (and quite beautiful it is too) and has the largest collection of Bacarrat chandeliers in the world. Info, images and reviews easily found online.Super easy to visit from Galataport either on foot or by tram to the terminus at Kabatas followed by a maximum 5 minute walk on flat ground, I think possibly less than that). We enjoyed our visit there and also visited BEYLERBEYI PALACE. Again, images, info and reviews can be found online. This one is trickier to visit as it is on the Asian side which means a short ferry crossing to Uskudar followed by a local bus to get there. The buses are next to the ferry pier at Uskudar making a simple transfer.

Most likely ...yes. My understanding is that tour coaches/buses are not allowed into Positano, but the rules may be different for small minibuses. Llocal laws for entering and parking in Positano would need to be studied. Is there a particular reason why you cannot use a ferry? Some past threads for Positano https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=positano&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464

A different suggestion. ALVOR only around a 15 minute taxi ride from the dock. A lovely historic fishing village which is still relatively unspoiled despite the number of visitors. Small and colourful with an entire street of fish restaurants and a boardwalk through the nature reserve. our ship included it in a shorex to traditional fishing villages of the Algarve. Many images and info about Alvor can be found online to help you decide. We thought Portimao itself very uninteresting and somewhat boring unless you like a good beach.

What about seeing Positano from inside the bus ride? Is that doable? That question was already answered in my post #13 above.. A brief photo stop from the road above, looking down on Positano, otherwise arrive by ferry and walk the village from there.

very unlikely as Malaga is quite some distance from Granada and with driving time both directions and the Alhambra visit itself, the priority will be to get you back to the ship.

On our FOURTH visit, yes really, and having previously visited Taormina, Mt Etna and even Messina itself, the latter not recommended, we opted for a shorex called Godfather Villages and despite having little interest in the "Godfather films" we enjoyed it more than we had expected to mostly due to the scenery and the attractive villages. There have been a few past threads about this scenic tour and reading them might help you decide if this might be an option to consider .https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=godfather&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464

not that I am aware of given the non resident traffic restrictions already mentioned. it is something we should get a ticket and go inside the sight to see it? i hope you meant that as a joke!!😁 You can see Vesuvius from a distance from all around the Bay of Naples.For an actual visit, all vehicles only go up to the top parking area and you walk up the rest of the way to the crater. As a bonus, on a clear day the views are outstanding. Does anyone anywhere ever visit INSIDE a volcano anywhere in the world? I think not,!!!!! but you can walk around the perimeter and look down into the crater. Read reviews and descriptions to help you decide..

I absolutely agree with euro cruiser. On the date you are giving, if you were to look at average weather for the area, you will see that January is also the coldest month. and if it is also raining, you would be sitting in a van looking at rain running down the windows. I would also recommend you simply stay in Naples where there are a vast number of sights both indoors and outdoors, more than enough to fill a single day, meaning you could easily work around whatever weather you have that day. and you could have pizza for lunch in the city where it was created. The other advantage is that you can explore Naples on your own as you dock centrally,only needing to step out of the terminal building and you are there , and no tour needed if you do some pre-trip homework, maybe starting with past threads, but also the usual "Tourist Information Naples" websites, inncluding Tripadvisor, Frommer's, Fodors, YouTube and many others which will appear in your internet search. Past threads here, choose from these https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=naples&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464

As an alternative to Pompeii, consider nearby Herculaneum. It is smaller and more manageable than Pompeii especially if the weather is hot, and although there are similarities to Pompeii, there are also differences. Images and info online.. Take the same train line (Circumvesuviano) you would take for Pompeii, but get off at Ercolano Scavi for Herculaneum, actually closer to Naples than Pompeii. Walk around 15 minutes downhill to the entrance. With a 9 year old, would a visit up Mt Vesuvius be of interest? it isn't every day a youngster gets to go up a volcano, but she could from this same train station. Info can be found online and in past threads.You could visit both Herculaneum and Vesuvius on the same day. Be aware that "to visit Positano" you would really need to arrive and leave by ferry as independents, as most driving tours do not go into Positano itself, but stop on the main road above for a photo opportunity looking down onto Positano before driving on. This is mostly due to the tough restrictions on vehicles of non residents entering Positano. Deciding what to do on a port stop in Naples is always a difficult decision to make given the number of top rated options from there. We usually recommend that people consider a stay of at least a week, ideally longer to explore everything the mainland area and islands offer.

If I remember correctly it is a little under 30 minutes each way so euro70 sounds excessive. sgmn, you could have perhaps found others to share with you on any Roll Call for that sailing which you might have signed up for. By leaving it later until you left the ship, you reduced your chances of finding others as they were probably off earlier.

nor have we!

Another vote for the amazing Musee Rodin for anyone with an interest in sculpture.In addition to "TheThinker" there is also "The Kiss" and "The Gates of Hell", (based on Dante's description in Inferno) amongst many others. And it is an indoor/outdoor museum with many sculptures in the lovely garden area, a really quite peaceful spot to rest afterwards for a time far from the crowds. Also in very close proximity to Napoleon's Tomb, maybe 5 minutes max, and with views across the Champ de Mars to the Eiffel Tower, and maybe 10 or 15 minutes walk from the Musee d'Orsay, so really quite centrally located which is a bonus as several sights can be visited quite easily in one day. The shop at the Musee Rodin was poorly stocked on our first visit and the same on our second when we ventured back in the hope that with a gap of a few days,new stock would have arrived.(we had a "Museum Pass" so had no need to pay again) sadly it had not, instead we had to buy a series of postcards of the top exhibits which we had mounted together and framed once home and which we still have.

The usage of car seats for children (usually under age 12) is mandatory in most if not all European countries and fines are payable if caught without the type appropriate to the age and/or weight of the child.. You would need to check the requirements for Italy and when arranging a tour or transfer, would need to check with the provider if they can supply on the day..

It is absolutely true. P Roma is the last point for all transport which is not water based, the reason why many visitors decide to stay in hotels there or close to it, as it is convenient for arrivals and departures by airport bus, trains and taxis, and in the past for the People Mover. Everywhere else in Venice must be reached by either vaporetto, on foot or by water taxi. Unique challenges but worth the inconvenience.

Looking at the ports named on your link, you could do all of these on your own apart from Ephesus from Kusadasi where transport is needed but there should be shared transport and tours from the dock, and for Chania, either a ship shuttle or the public bus from outside the port of Souda would transfer you into town. Small and quite attractive, mostly flat ground and very easy to DIY once you get there. Past threads for Kusadasi https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=kusadasi&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149 and for Chania https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=chania&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=463 For the others, you need to read what sights/attractions might interest you on the usual"Official Tourist Information websites for name of town/city)," Tripadvisor, Youtube, Frommer's, Fodors, Rick Steves and others., and read past threads for each. and look at shorex to see what is being offered even should you not want to book one as they often describe the highlights and what can be reasonably fitted into your port timings, then look to see how you could do any which suit your interests independantly. If you do not know how to use the easy and fast SEARCH TOOL. Go to the correct geographical forum for each port. Stay on the main page without going to an individual thread, and in the empty search box under your username, insert the name of the port or place then click the little spy glass. Note that the dropdown should have defaulted to "this forum". Within seconds all past threads containing that word should appear ready for you to choose which to read. And think a little outside the box. EG for your Naples port call, if you have no interest in the city itself but would be interested in Pompeii, do not search with the word Naples, search instead for Pompeii. And if there is a Roll Call for your sailing, join it as it is where you can exchange info and suggestions with those who will be fellow passengers. Lots of homework for you. Advice is to focus on one port at a time and only move onto the next when that one is finished otherwise you risk being overwhelmed. And note if any of the sights/sites/attractions you intend to visit require pre-booked timed tickets.

Consider cross posting on the Royal Caribbean forum where members who might have taken this tour would be more likely to see it and reply. this one This one https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/ The Luberon is one of the most attractive areas in that part of the world with a number of pretty villages so I hope you will see more of it than only Lourmarin although it is thought to one of the prettiest..

Has there been a change since the original terminal at Marittima became redundant? I ask because there were definitely roads going to and even to inside the port terminal from Venice (from P. Roma and from the People Mover.station) when it was still being used,. one section of iwhich was also a busy main road, part of which was a long bridge with pavements on each side for pedestrians coming and going on foot between the terminals and P Roma.. The few cruiselines which used to run shuttle buses beween P Roma and the cruiseterminal on turnaround days used that same road, as did taxis. And it was busy so why it would be completely closed to traffic is quite puzzling.

Now that it is confirmed that you will check-in at the original Venice Cruise Terminal, thehotel location info I gave in post #2 would still be good and sightseeing aside, would probably be the easiest as you could transfer from the airport on the airport bus, followed by an easy short stroll to your accommodation, and on the morning of check-in, either a taxi or the People Mover to get you the short distance to the check in area. As you would have to do in other cities and towns anywhere in the world, you will need to pay whatever the going rate is on your dates,as pricing is determined by supply and demand on the dates you plan to be there. There may be cheaper accommodation closer to the airport with a public bus used to take you into the city proper, or you could try the Mestre area which is outside Venice proper but not too far away with decent transport links to the city, but you would need to travcel into and out of Venice on arival and departure to get you to check-in, also for your sightseeing. Note that It could also be tricky navigating Venice with a one year old, assuming he or she will be in a pushchair,as it will need to be carried up, across and over the many bridges which are mostly stepped. As I mentioned before, Venice is wonderful but presents unique challenges.

there is a "pinned" thread at the very top of this Greek ports forum and you may want to look at that as it is FAQs about santorini , Oia and Fira. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2739131-find-it-here-santorini-firá-and-oia-q-a/page/12/#comment-67499183 That failing, there are many many threads on this Greek Ports forum. Here are some of them for you to choose from https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=santorini&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=463