edinburgher

. Have you read post #25 above? You may be relieved if you do not go, your mother also as it will be unlikely to meet her expectations for her "bucket list" experience and she could end up remembering Santorini for all the wrong reasons. And you mentioned you would be in Paris during the Olympic Games and that would be another disappointment (your post #9). If you can cencel your accommodation booking without penalty, it may be that you would have a more positive experience in a different city in France as Paris will have more visitors than usual and there will be road closures and diversions to help move participants and officials to the venues by the fastest routes. Friends returned from a Paris break on Monday and mentioned that there are already some closures and diversions as the city prepares new signage and road markings.. Their airport taxi driver mentioned they were expecting up to a million extra visitors and that he was already having difficulty keeping track of the various road closures and diversions as works have begun..

I totally agree that ships holding that number of pax can easily swamp smaller towns. Hoping that even bigger ships will never be considered!😉

Our first visit we explored Kotor itself, on our second we went along to Perast. We took the public bus both ways between Kotor and Perast, or you could take a taxi one or both ways and a bus the other. Perast is teeny tiny but pretty, so lovely for a little walk around. The boatmen who can take you accross to Our Lady are easily found on the waterfront and afterwards you could sit and enjoy a coffee or beer at one of the waterfront cafe bars enjoying the views. We had a lovely time doing these things and still had time for a second brief walk around Kotor on return.

As few cruise pax are unlikely to have experienced being collected at the port, maybe try contacting the local Le Havre Tourist Information Office or the le Havre Port Authority to ask as these would be the most likely to know for certain.

i absolutely agree. And maybe cruiselines could stop building bigger and bigger ships as the number onboard isn't helping in smaller places either as pax numbers can completely swamp a town causing disruption to residents and creating animosity towards larger ships. As an example, only a few days ago MSC Virtuosa arrived into Lerwick, Shetland which has an approximate population of 7000 residents. It is the largest ever to visit Lerwick and can accommodate up to 6334 pax and 1704 crew, more than the number of local residents.

There are a multitude of past threads about Edinburgh and as most are full of info, tips and ideas, reading a few of them might be helpful. Choose from these; https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=edinburgh&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=148 But do remember that the city will be really crowded and anything you want to visit which offers -pre-booking (such as Mary King's Close) should be booked as soon as bookings open for your date. Wise to have already booked castle entry. 😀

But that may not be the situation at all unless you have evidence of that? At the time they confirmed they had a slot and included it on an itinerary, they were possibly the first or second to confirm and unaware of how many other ships might request the same date AFTER after their own confirmation, only later discovering just how many others also booked the same date. Given that an overcrowded port call could bring disappointment and possible upset to so many passengers, voluntarily withdrawing in favour of a less busy port is possibly the better decision.

There most definitely is alserrod, possibly more than in some other countries, and I hope that TeamAguilar will find your very comprehensive explanation of the rules helpful, although unless he is "following" this thread he won't see it as you didn't "quote " him(quoting me instead) he wont be alerted to the new post.☹️

Split and links to past threads already given in post #2 As the central area of Split is mostly pedestrian only, best way to explore is on foot. Corfu. Taxi tours are popular here so do consider one. Lots of mentions of taxi tours in past Corfu threads. Trogir(note spelling as an incorrect spelling will give you a negative search result) and Cavtat have also been mentioned a good number of times in past threads where you can read what others wrote. We visited Trogir only once and it was so crowded we didn't linger there long. We love the Cavtat peninsula walk and Cavtat could not be easier to reach from the port of Gruz Dubrovnik. Of our 7 visits to Dubrovnik over 20 or so years, we visited Cavtat three times to escape the crowds in Dubrovnik. In addition to your port names, you can also search for past threads for Trogir and Cavtat using the quick and easy search tool, and "Corfu taxi tours" should be in search results too. Researching and planning your days is part of the overall trip enjoyment, as you plan your days to suit your own interests rather than followimg along on the quite rigid content of a shorex, and you save lots of money too. Win Win😀

Lesson #1 when booking a cruise. Never ever book a cruise for one specific port of call as there are too many reasons why a call could be cancelled right up until the last minute.

Probably the easiest way to find out is to look at the Ascent itineraries on the Celebrity website which will sail before before your date as some of these ports might be scheduled ahead of yours. But looking at your ports, it isn't always necessary to take any tour at all wheher it be shorex or private as a few are very very easy to DIY with a little pre-trip homework and should reassure your wife at the same time as saving $$$$s. As an example, in Kotor you will either tender into or dock in the town centre. You only need cross the road and you are already inside this historic small town with its very narrow pretty streets. This is a super scenic sail-in so be up on deck approx. an hour before scheduled arrival time. Split you will dock a 10 to 15 minute walk from the centre (which you can see from your ship) You only need walk the flat surface past the bus station and the ferry piers and you are there. Dubrovnik. If docking at Gruz, you would probably want to take a ship shuttle, a public bus from the port gate or a taxi to Pile Gate, the last point for all vehicles as the walled town is pedestrian only.. Pile Gate is one of the entrances to the walled city so you are already there. What would be helpful to you would be to look at previous threads for all your ports as they are full of helpful information and tips. Use the quick and easy SEARCH tool to find them in seconds. These to start you off. Choose which to read from these. Split https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=split&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149 Dubrovnik https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=dubrovnik&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149 Kotor https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=kotor&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149

S Queensferry for Edinburgh is really quite straightforward with a local express bus transferring pax to central Edinburgh and from there she can walk, take a taxi or use a local bus to get to where she wants to go. Go to https://www.cruiseforth.com/ then "find my ship" to confirm it will be S Queensferry, then "getting around" to access the transport info Reading past threads for all her ports is a good way to find info. Use the quick and easy search tool to find these one at a time , but note that correct spelling is essential and you have at least two spelling errors in your list. It is le HAVRE not le HARVE. and it is INVERGORDON not INVERGORDER. Spelling errors will give no results. To get you started, past threads for Edinburgh. Choose which to read from these. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=edinburgh&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=148 And note that August is the busiest month in Edinburgh and the city is full to bursting due to the number of festivals and events taking place. For some the best time to visit, for others the worst. She is advised to book well ahead for any attraction she wants to visit which offers this. If she wants Edinburgh Castle, she absolutely MUST pre-book as tickets sell out usually ahead of time and as August dates and times are already available to book this should be a priority and she should book asap.

Not quite. Referring you back to my post #8 where I gave the suggested way to find it. And do include the word OFFICIAL in your search. Once you have it, you then look for any link which would hopefully give you the daily arrival and departure times of the different ships.. Good luck

Perhaps searches in different countries produce different results but that I do not know. Maybe you could try cross posting your question on the forum for the cruise line which you will be sailing? More chance of someone seeing it there who has taken it. 😀

Instead of stressing about possible weather on the day, a last minute booking is actually a bonus although one has to accept it may not happen at all. We were too early in the year for bears and/or salmon so it was the perfect opportunity for us although we did see a huge number of eagles.

How strange. I myself just tried it and got a number of results, incluing tour descriptions for the shorex being offered by both HAL and Princess.

I think you are still misunderstanding. It is not a question of "which ship with least clout will get bumped", it is that the cruise line (in one case Princess) is VOLUNTARILY skipping Santorini, and I think also Kotor,(referencing the other thread above in post #8) due to the guest experience likely to be badly affected by the number of visitors.Cruiselines actually want their guests to enjoy onshore experiences as negative onshore experiences could lead to fewer repeat bookings in the fture and negative reviews. Too bad you will be in Paris during the Olympics, but hopefully your days pre or post cruise will still be everything you hope they will be, although you can probably expect the city to be busier than it usually is in August.

Browsing some other forums I came across this one referring to Sun Princess cancelling calls to Kotor Montenegro and thought you might be interested to read it. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3006564-sun-princess-still-visiting-kotor/#comment-67393918 Kotor is another super attractive port call with a beautiful sail-in, but the town itself is tiny, and maybe this is another overtourism issue. I think the better option for the future is to travel outside the busiest time of year in Europe (summer) annd to sail ships smaller than some of the super sized ones.

Should you not get any replies, try googling instead. Something along the lines of "Biblical Ephesus with Mass tour reviews" should do it.

If the overcrowding meant you had to stand in line for hours (in August heat) to go up or down the cable car or walk the donkey path one or both ways, then literally shuffle along or push your way through the crowds on the narrow streets, some would argue that it is better that the call is cancelled, especially when it is known ahead of time and you can plan alternative sightseeing in your replacement port. Disappointing yes, but port calls get cancelled for many different reasons, sometimes on the actual day. To get some idea of what it can be like in Oia on a busy port day in photo form, try googling something along the lines of " images of Oia on a busy cruise day" Once you see the crowds jammed against each other, I think you will feel a sense of relief in not being there. It certainly wouldn't be the experience your Mom would have imagined when she included it on her bucket list. For that you would need to visit well off season and stay for a couple of days minimum.

As the port of Fos is several miles out of the city.I would say that $20pp is worth it as cruise shuttles usually run all the way to an area very close to the Vieux Port, Fort St Jean or MUCEM, same location for the return to ship. You would need to check the following yourself unless someone else can give you a definite answer. OTOH, my understanding is that the free port shuttle runs only as far as la Joliette, a transport hub from where you can catch a bus, metro, or taxi or walk the remainder into the city proper. And depending on how many ships are in on the same day as yours there could be long lines for the free shuttle.and depending on where you re docked, you may have quite a long walk to the bus stop for the free shuttle bus. Once in the area of the Vieux Port there are a number of sightseeing options within the immediate vicinity. The following is a copy/paste of a reply I gave earlier last year with some minor tweaks. It is easy to spend time around the Vieux Port, itself worth a visit in its own right And if already in the area next to the Vieux Port, you could wander into the historic Fort St Jean,at one end of the VP, part of which is free entry. From here you can cross a footbridge to the ultra modern MUCEM complex.on the waterside which is worth visiting. (as an aside, your shuttle bus may drop off and pick up from here or close to it) It is mostly outdoors with walkways and terraces, and some lovely views of the Vieux Port, Notre Dame de la Garde and the Med. It is a public space and can be enjoyed free of charge by anyone whether local or visitor unless you choose to enter any of the paying exhibitions. There are seating areas, and cafes and restaurants and it is a lovely place to stroll or sit whilst admiring the views of both city and sea. And from there you will be able to see the huge Cathedral de la Major a 5 minute walk away across the road. one of the largest cathedrals in France, it merits a short visit and has free entry. There are also short boat trips on offer from the Vieux Port going to the Chateau d'If (think Count of Monte Cristo) and a couple of other tiny islands, and longer ones to the Calanques of Cassis. And one of those little tourist trains which tootles around and it goes up to the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde for the wonderful views, and a couple of HOHOS. The little train and HOHOS leave from alongside the VP close to the historic building with the flags outside which is actually the Hotel de Ville. Also a few museums close by too. . And the shopping is excellent. These suggestions would be the easiest to do given their very close proximity to each other, but at the same time offer a number of sights/attractions Do read about the city and include the official Marseille Tourist Information website which I think is excellent (click for english version), Marvellous Provence, Tripadvisor and others,

this "pinned" thread at the very top of this Italy Boards forum might be a good starting point as it is all hotel related posts. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2756652-hotels-in-rome/page/38/#comment-66334554 And this other "pinned" thread relates to food and drink, but isn't unique to Rome so you might need to use the search tool on it to find Roman restaurants. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2796246-italy-all-things-food-and-wine-related/

Our starting point for info on docking, transport, things to do and see etc is always the website whatsinport (followed by the name of the port) and I suggest you try it too. There are a number of suggestions for Ponza (which are not boat related) on there. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. From that starting point we go on to other information sources.

I was curious and googled "cruise ships cancel Santorini calls" and found many many results. According to the many media reports in the results, it appears that Princess voluntarily cancelled due to the total number of cruise pax expected to visit on that date and it was thought that number of visitors would negatively affect the guest experiences.(or words to that effect) As an example, on June 11 around 17,000 pax were expected to go ashore and it was thought that overcrowding could be an issue. And they would be correct. Imagine the lines for the cable car and the crowded narrow streets in both Fira and Oia with that many pax, plus additional local residents and visitors on land trips.

I think the most accurate port timings would be found on the OFFICIAL port websites wherever they are in the world, in this instance, the Port of Penang. Try internet searching something like "Port of Penang" or that plus the word Malaysia and look for "cruise ship schedule" or "cruise ship calendar" or similar. That failing their website should have contact info.and you could contact port authorities by e-mail or through social media and ask.