edinburgher

Strangely enough, although we have visited Aigues- Mortes, Montpellier and Carcassonne on a land trip, we have never visited Sete. Of the three, our preference was for #1 Carcassonne, #2 Aigues-Mortes, #3 Montpellier, but all have different things to recommend them and looking at online images and info will help someone decide which most appeals to them personally.

Our flights were r/t Vancouver, but even getting from Seward to Vancouver -with luggage- would have been a challenge, so reboarding was a nobrainer for us. We had initially only booked Vancouver to Seward, but after checking the logistics booked the Seward to Vancouver leg a couple of days later.

We live in Europe and currently have no concerns for our safety.

Another option to consider. Our first Alaska sailings were out of Vancouver, and although it was round trip it was booked as two one-ways. Vancouver to Seward northbound followed by Seward to Vancouver southbound departing Seward the same day we arrived. It wasn't intended to be so, but going one way and ending in Seward meant a logistically trickier and more costly return to Vancouver where we were staying for a few days before flying home on our International flight.Once we looked at the logistics of returning to Vancouver from Seward, we decided it was far simpler and, as it happened, cheaper, to simply re-board and sail back. Although it meant an almost exact repeat of the same ports, we simply continued our sightseeing from where we left off a few days previously. and as a bonus, the weather in Glacier Bay was very different the second time giving us entirely different views. Our next Alaska was a 14 night r/t Seattle as it gave us almost entirely new ports, of which Sitka was one. It has a lovely setting and the sail-in and out were more scenic than several of the others.

i had thought your comment about being to late for planning, meant late for port planning for your time ashore, not for booking.the actual trip. If there are signs are that it is selling well.you should probably look into booking the cruise as a priority. Some TA's have access to staterooms which don't show on the website.

If it is an especially good itinerary with interesting ports of call, it may indeed be selling well and it isn't uncommon for some cruises to go on sale as early as 18 months ahead of travel date. Maybe you could try calling Celebrity to check or contact a TA?

If reading the above hasn't put you off, (!) ( and Hank 's advice should not be ignored) where are you actually trying to get to that you must have a vehicle? Italy is well served by trains, public buses, and from Genoa, also ferries, and in addition to areas of many cities and towns which cars cannot enter, (ZTLs mentioned by Hank) finding any parking can be a total nightmare. In general if you can use public transport that would be the easier option.

. Some electrical appliances can be dual voltage, only requiring that the appliance is switched to the appropriate voltage before plugging in, but never heard of actual sockets being dual voltage. Travel adaptors are a quick and easy solution and widely available, but best to check both the number of pins and the shape of them as some can be round and others more flat. Ask on the forum for your cruiseline. If you are really stuck, Guest Services can often lend an adaptor( sometimes free otherwise requiring a small deposit.)

i would also choose the Italy/Adriatic itinerary as we have sailed several itineraries around the Adriatic in particular and loved every one. is it too late to plan and book a Mediterranean cruise for June?] I don't understand this at all. This is October 23 and you are planning for June 24, almost 8 months away.. That should be more than adequate to plan a few port stops even if you plan to visit independently. So much info to be found on the boards and in other online resources, plus guide books, YouTube videos, even looking at shorex as they will give you an idea of what could be possible and you don't need to book any. Yes, it will require time, but not nearly 8 months. And your girls are teens, so get them involved especially for planning the GOT location stops. And maybe your husband would help with one or two ports? This is is a family trip so all of you should have some input. If you list your ports, members can quickly tell you which are easy DIY and which would be better with a shorex or private tour, but cost could also be a factor as you are four persons and the more you can DIY, the less costly it will be for you and that is something you should also take into account when comparing the two itineraries. And compare actual times in port as NCL have a bit of a reputation for having shorter port times than some other lines in some parts of the world.

Pretty much all pricing is more "nuanced" nowadays with more and more sectors using "dynamic pricing" programmes, meaning that fare prices can fluctuate even several times a day depending on ticket demand. I wasn't really suggesting that early booking ALWAYS meant the lowest price, but generally it sort of does, as higher demand and fewer seat availability closer to the travel date will usually mean higher pricing for the few remaining. The OP can of course choose not to book early, but wait until later in the hope that demand will be low and fares become cheaper to boost sales, but during peak travel periods will that be a good strategy? Or will they find that, cost aside, that there is little or no availability for the dates they would prefer on the route they would prefer as opposed to a more circuitous route? OP should probably check pricing over a period of weeks or months until they find a fare they are comfortable paying and buy at that point, and watch for occasional airline "sales".

How strange because I definitely remember seeing that post about public buses earlier this year. Because of that, I just now googled "public bus from Santa Margherita to Portofino" and several results with info appeared so you might want to try again with similar wording.. You could also contact the official Tourist Information Office of either of the two towns and ask them.

Folks wanting to plan trips back to family over Christmas will often book their transport many months or even a year ahead when ticketing and timetables come available, as pricing usually increases as availability decreases. I think you are wise to look at a different time of year as flight prices have already increased quite substantially post-Covid without the added complication of special" in-demand holiday periods".

If you cannot walk and the ferry does not run in winter, my understanding is that there should be taxis in Santa Margherita to take you to Portofino, but also a public bus route which I know nothing about, apart from seeing it mentioned in a thread earlier this year. Perhaps you could search for it using the SEARCH tool under your username, or try googling?. Or by "place to place" do you mean you would want to visit some of the CinqueTerre vilages in winter?

It will be an expensive trip, as air travel in December and into early January usually means premium pricing, something like you would expect to pay pre and post Thanksgiving should you want to travel over that holiday. Supply and demand.

Perhaps another accident waiting to happen?

You could leave it in your safe and carry a copy with you, knowing that should the original be required for any reason you can access it. Of course in some countries carrying photo ID is mandatory in which case you should carry it with you.

The point being made was not so much that NCL don't go to GB, it is that they appear to have fewer permits, so if GB is on a "to-do" list, best check which NCL itineraries actually include it as there may be fewer compared to oher lines. My understanding is that ships cannot enter GB without the rangers onboard as having them is mandatory.

NCL have had a number of poor reviews this year for Alaska sailings. Most have been about poor docking locations or having to tender when other lines dock, also shorter times in port compared to others, and they appear to have fewer permits for Glacier Bay. Princess and Hal have many years of experience in Alaska, usually dock centrally and many of their itineraries include Glacier Bay. If sailing one of these two doesn't bust your budget too much, do at least consider them if the overall experience is important to you.

Reminds me of the time we were on a South America itinerary and sitting on an outer deck admiring the mountain views at sailaway. The two ladies sitting next to us were doing the same, then one turned to the other and asked "what is the name of these mountains?" The other lady explained very earnestly that these were "the Pyrenees" -and she was not joking! Astonishing that neither knew where the Pyrenees were located (the border between France and Spain) and as they were in S. America, the mountain range was in fact The Andes! We shook our heads, said nothing at all and tried not to laugh out loud.

Yes it is. Sorry, my bad as I wrote "boards" instead of "ports" but the ports forums are also boards. See wording on link below. This one: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/464-italy-ports/

Expect your thread to be deleted by the Mods as tour offers are only permitted on your Roll Call. Have you tried posting there as that is where others on your sailing would see it?. Posts looking for members to "share" your excursion, or posts mentioning that a few more spaces in a van are available and you should contact so and so, are not allowed here or or on any of the other forums except the ROLL CALL forums.

or if you have not done this before, why not simply stay in the city and explore it? There is actually lots to see and do there, including boat trips to some islands and to the calanques at Cassis. Another scenic trip outside of the city to the "villages of the Luberon" could be done as either a shorex or as a private tour, perhaps sharing with others on your Roll Call to reduce the cost. Have you checked your Roll Call to see what others may have planned as some may have already planned a private tour to somewhere of interest to you and are looking for others to join the group, and if not, you could ask on your RC what others are doing there or if they are considering a private tour.

Ships run shuttles to Miraflores as the dock area at Calleo is unsafe. Read this thread and replies to see why. I expect there will be others if you use the CC SEARCH option to find them, or search the internet in general. with something like "safety at Calleo port" https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2886479-callao-peru/#comment-64516058

We spotted the MSC logo on the funnel or part of the infrastructure on the top deck. There was also a spoken reference to something like a "Yacht Club dinner" and MSC have their "Yacht Club" areas. Have to sgree with wineoclock. It was so bad it was "almost but not quite" good. We did enjoy spotting locations we have visited and look forward to the next episode which should be Lisbon, one of our favourite cities.

There will almost certainly be taxis at the port with drivers happy to drive you to Florence, but the chances of these drivers offering actual "tours" is unlikely although perhaps possible. And would your driver speak enough english if your Italian language skills are less than fluent, and also have the knowledge to inform you of the history and facts which turn a simple transfer into a tour? And there is also the issue of cost. How much will a driver charge you to drive you threre and back and wait for you in Florence for a few hours? Probably best to prearrange an actual tour with one of the well recommended operators which can be found on previous threads, and perhaps share it with a small number of fellow passengers from your Roll Call to reduce the cost and to be certain of a quality professional tour.