edinburgher

I would still persevere trying to find a minibus in part due to cost as you will need to compare costs. Our ship ran shuttle buses from the port to the entrance to the Old Town, but 14 x shuttle bus tickets may cost more than 2x minibuses. 2x minibuses as you will also need to be transported back to the ship and that too you will need to arrange. (and you are already struggling with ONE way) From the shuttle bus drop off/pick up point, it was very easy to explore the main sights on foot, including the Old Town, riverside and the Guggenheim. And is it absolutely essential that all 14 of you move around together? There must surely be some ports where not every person wants to leave the ship at exactly the same time as the others, and do exactly the same as the others at the same time and for the same length of time depending on their interests. Consider spitting into smaller groups and then you will have lots more to talk about over dinner.🙂

Lots and lots of reading in your future due to the amount of research you will need to do! Have you tried posting your thread on the Family Cruises Forum? And there are threads you can read which might help you decide. It is this one: https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forum/28-family-cruises/ And once you have a selected a couple of itineraries which might appeal, you could google for each port something along the lines of "X" for kids/children"

We also enjoyed Rhodes town on our first visit (second we visited Lindos) So very easy from the ship into the old town, and in addition to some sights such as the Palace of the Grand Masters above, we enjoyed exploring using a self guided walking tour we found online. It is very easy to enjoy a pleasant day without venturing anywhere else, especially if a first time visit.

Many many more reuptable news sources are now reporting. Maybe of little value, but in my opinion, I do think that cruiselines have largely brought this upon themselves by building larger and larger ships in recent years and not only larger, but more of them, meaning that the number of cruise pax has dramatically increased in some portswhich were already seeing too much growth in tourist numbers Unfortunately this has coincided with the upsurge in tourist numbers in general and many European cities and towns have been overwhelmed, making the visiting experience almost uncomfortable . Over tourism has prompted many local authorities to clamp down on the expansion of eg AirBnBs, cruise ships, and other groups which contribute to overcrowding. In very recent years, the port of IJmuiden has taken some cruise ships in an effort to reduce numbers in Amsterdam itself, and even more recently Rotterdam, but efforts by the Amsterdam authorities are ongoing and this announcement only the latest. Anyone who has regularly visited Europe in the last 15 or so years will have noted the increase in numbers and will appreciate that there comes a time "when something must be done" as such uncontrolled growth in tourist numbers is not sustainable

i do mostly use the quote function, but sadly nowadays it is not uncommon for me to have "senior moments" and that was a prime example of one.

Thanks for that as I am sure I won't be the only one reading it. And yes, some yummy sounding offerings on there, but the prices are definitely out of our personal comfort zone. And to fully understand the pricing, anyone not living in eurozone,( including myself) has to use an exchange rate to convert to their home currency.

Since 1911 in Italy there has been a regulation in place that classifies espresso as a "necessity" and must be affordable for all. The cost of an espresso standing at a bar or counter was not to exceed 1 euro and that price remains in place even now. Of course ordering a different type of coffee or sitting down inside or out is not included in that regulation. The same sort of regulation applies to baguettes in France,, so that everyone can afford their daily bread. (This dates from the French Revolution when the poorest could not even afford bread) They must be a certain length and width and the price is highly regulated. And only four ingredients are allowed and they must be freshly made that morning. I probably missed a few other details as the French do love their red tape, but you get the meaning.

gail-s It was an excellent example of some of the points being made in this thread, which is why I copied/pasted it, not at all uncommon on CC, but unfortunately forgetting to include your username so you could take full credit. you have now corrected that ommision. Reading it, I felt your pain.🫠

Exactly Hank. Each to his/her own That is why I wrote the above For some, the cost will be of no importance, but for others, "forewarned is forearmed"

There are actually fines of a few hundred euros issued to anyone sitting on any of the S Steps and there are enforcer,swardens, officials carefully watching for anyone who dares to sit and to whom they can issue a fine. From what you wrote, I am thinking that the heat was so intense, and visitors suffering so much from it, that many of them could have been tempted to sit for a few minutes and if there were many of them, they could have outnumbered the "enforcers, wardens, officials" whatever they are called, and to avoid that possible scenario, the shaded steps were completely closed. But that is only my guess and others may know better.

Quite surprising to read that and I do not know, but perhaps the town council have an informal nudism policy there, and actual nudist designated beach or beaches elsewhere. In that circumstance it is personal choice in respect of how much clothing one chooses to remove. Should you ever go for a stroll in a park in somewhere like Germany, don't be surprised if you find nudity there too as nudity is permitted in parks, gardens, swimming pools, saunas etc. It is considered entirely normal to strip off completely in a public park.

All this talk about "how expensive it is" made me curious and tempted me to look at the most recent Tripadvisor reviews of Cafe Florian, and HANK, $15 for a DOUBLE espresso would seem like small change now going by what I just read. and when the 6euro pp charge for the "orchestra" and any other charges are added, it is even more costly. For some, the cost will be of no importance, but for others, "forewarned is forearmed".

The most popular European tourist cities and towns have become more and more crowded over a period of at least 10 years, to the point where they are suffering from "over tourism", the reason so many local authorities have begun introducing measures in an attempt to curb tourist numbers. We ourselves add to these numbers, but when you have to almost physically push your way through crowds to make your way from A to B, it does reduce the enjoyment. No matter the month of the year, (even in winter) visit with the expectation that you will find more crowds than you expected to find, and you won't be disappointed. Came across the following post (on the Italy Heatwave Alert thread) just in time to add to this post. I expect more threads like this will appear once folks return from their trips, or you speak with friends, family or neighbours who just returned from land trips. We just flew back to Boston on 7/13. We were in Rome from the 10th until we left. It was over 100 every day. Dry heat but miserable. In the afternoon you felt like you were going to drop walking around. We had a 5pm entrance to the Colosseum (only time I could get thanks to their fabulous system) and DH was miserable the entire time. So many people, so hot, sun beating down. We walked by the Forum and Palatine Hill but skipped going through them. We had an 8:30 guided tour of the Vatican on Wednesday. Figured it would be early so no problem. It was absolutely packed. They start the tours earlier. Wall to wall people. If there was AC you couldn't feel it in the museum sections. Thankfully you don't need to have your shoulders covered there but you did in the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's but with the higher ceilings they were much cooler. Talking to people who live there and they said it normally isn't quite that hot that early in July. They said that August is unbearable and wouldn't recommend travelling there during that month. DH is a teacher so we're tied to school schedules when we travel so I feel the pain of only being able to travel when it's bloody hot. There were lots of places to refill water bottles walking around. One day the police actually had the shaded section of the Spanish Steps corded off to keep people from sitting on them, it was that bad.

Maybe best keep an eye on the Acropolis website from time to time time before your visit, as there may (or may not) be changes once the heatwave has abated (which hopefully it will do) and Acropolis visiting times revert back to more normal pre-heatwave opening hours. later in the afternoon once most passengers are back on board. And understand that cruise passengers do not make up the majority of visitors. They add to it, yes, but the vast majority of visitors will be on land trips/city breaks and the like, or on day trips from resorts outside of Athens, so won't be "back on board". You will still need to share the space with a few thousand of your soon-to-be best friends. Did you read any of the link in post #1? it quotes the DAILY number of Acropolis visitors at around 17,000, and if that figure is correct, cruise pax will account for only the tiniest of percentages of that number.

Absolutely 100% agree with ollienbertsmum that you must have accidentally strayed onto a nudist beach, because that amount of nudity is not normal on a Europeam beach unless it is a designated "nudist beach" Perhaps you misunderstood signage in a language you didn't understand?. Topless pretty much everywhere in Europe, yes indeed, but totally nude, no way. Some caution is required as there are many nudist beaches in Europe and notices should be carefully read. Or do some pre-trip research of beaches in the area you think you might want to visit, and note which ones (nudist) you might want to avoid. That way, if you see a beach section with only a name and you recognise the name as one of the nudist beaches you read about, you can simply go to a different one.

Reflection from Barcelona on 10/19/2023 The subject of this thread ibears no resemblance whatsoever to the question you are asking, but despite that I do know the answer. Should you have any future questions, for best results you should consider wording your subject/title in a more relevant way.. The little train leaves from (and presumably returns to) a location alongside the very centrally located Vieux Port. We have seen it more than once. It was parked up near the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall). a rather grand historic building with several flags outside.No need to book ahead, you simply turn up and buy tickets from the little cabin/ticket office a few steps away. I think it follows more than one route so check the website where you should also find a timetable and current pricing..

It appears to be private so water taxi is your only option unless you can make your way to the nearest (public)vaporetto stop wherever it may be. On thehotel link you gave, the website states "to Piazzale Roma where you can take the “vaporetto” line 1 or 2 direction Rialto-San Marco" . You would need to contact the hotel to ask the name of the stop, or try to figure it out yourself by researching stops along these two lines and match the closest stop with the location of the hotel, or would any onlinehotel reviews mention proximity to a public stop or even the name? Once at Tronchetto, how does one narrow down where to find the bus? Sorry, but I can't help with that. You could consider asking on the Celebrity Forum as it is Celebrity specific. and other pax may have used it.

There is also little shade so Pompeii can be an exhausting visit on a hot day so bring plenty water if travelling in the summer, and be realistic about the amount of time you are likely to spend there and what you can expect to see in that time. For most, I think an average will be around 2-3 hours and the site is indeed huge.

Is the dock at your hotel a private one or a public one with a vaporetto stop? If the latter, you only need take a vaporetto to Piazzale Roma, and from there the People Mover will take you directly to Tronchetto in a few minutes. People Mover info online. You could of course pay $$$s for a private water taxi, it is your choice. Tronchetto is a huge car park, the closest parking area to Venice city, and could be seen from some of the berths at the original Venice cruise terminal.

It IS actually topic related. The last paragraph on post #10 was responded to by cruisemom 42 in post #13, prompting the response in post #19. Yikes, Following threads can be quite complicated when they digress, even if it is ever so slightly, especially first thing on a Monday morning! (me),but both posters made valid points as the new regulations will likely affect salings in ways we are not yet aware of.

As there is "tourist stuff" across this large and spread out city, maybe choose which attractions interest you most for your limited time there and choose an area which is convenient for at least some of them, and if you plan to move around the city by Metro, within your chosen area, choose one which is close to a Metro station.

in Edinburgh our temps have been slightly lower than average for a number of days now, around 17-19C, but we have been luckier as we have had lots of bright, sunny weather interspersed with quite heavy showers also quite windy at times, but reading and watching all the special reports about the heat in Europe, we are grateful not to be suffering. Apparently it is to do with that pesky Jet Stream which is a regular visitor. N. Europe is on one side of it, S europe on the other, and until said JS moves, unlikely to be much change in the weather. On Wednesday evening our daughter returned from a week in Croatia. She said "it wasn't the best" as they had to spend most of their time in their room with a/c or in the pool. They didn't manage any sightseeing at all.

Thinking you are totally missing the point here. Crowds are only one issue but by far the biggest challenge and the most serious issue is the scorching heat which actually discourages visitors and residents from stepping outdoorsat all, never mind trailing around sightseeing. Quite aside from being a hazard to health for all ages, (can be life threatening) such heat is totally draining and leaves one with zero energy and for some it can be a struggle to breathe properly.. You might find post #3 on this thread. an interesting read. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2950760-red-warning-heatwave-alerts-issued-for-several-regions-of-spain/#comment-65735820 Several authorities have now stopped outside works and are urging residents and visitors to stay indoors as much as possible for their own safety..

My aplogies as there is no info finding past threads on post #4 of the above link. Do as follows: Simply go tthe GENERAL France Ports Forum, (not an individual thread) and insert the word Ajaccio into the empty search box under your username, then hit the little spy glass. Within seconds all results will appear and you can choose which to read.

it will probably be around 60-90 minutes drive by coach to Ljubljana, but if it makes a difference, these are flat roads, not twisty, hilly or mountainous, and they are good roads. The town itself is compact and very pretty. We did the combination tour which included Lake Bled and that too was pretty. It is a shortish drive from one to the other, thinking it was maybe a maximum of 30 minutes, and we returned directly from there to Koper. We rarely do a shorex, but the distance was outside our "DIY comfort zone" so we spent the money as we really wanted to visit. There are a number of previous threads about Ljubljana with or without Lake Bled and you might find it helpful to read them. To find them simply go to the GENERAL Other Mediterranean Ports Forum, (not an individual thread) and insert either Koper or Ljubljana into the empty search box under your username, then hit the little spy glass. Repeat the process with the second name. This would also give you info on other options from Koper (such as pretty little Piran which you could also search for)