IWantToLiveOverTheSea

Common practice on the cruise lines I've used. You'll see them in time, with prices, but I forget what timeframe is typical.

We visited a few weeks ago. We were on one of Oceania's small ships and the ship was assigned to dock (for embarkation) near the World Trade Center, which is quite near the large Teleferico base with the cable cars going overhead to Montjuic. That has been typical for O's small ships recently, but as the port assigns dock locations, there's no guaranty of where a ship will end up. This location is different from where most cruise ships dock, but if you're lucky enough to be assigned there ("World Trade Center") the walk will be a little shorter than if you're on the long quay. After checking in, I went back out and walked to Drassanes Metro. I forget how long it took, but it wasn't too bad of a walk. But if I had to do it again, I'd probably just find the cruise bus (although I didn't see exactly where it stopped near World Trade Center/Hotel next to pier) and then walk a little from Columbus to the Metro station. (I wanted to see Sagrada.) Or perhaps I'd take a taxi. Even with maps.me on my phone, the walk was a little confusing.

I updated/added a few things based on our recent Iberia/Bordeaux cruise.

Adelaide Aus................Tram right at port goes to centre city, no shuttle ...Dec 2019 Agios Nikolaos ............Don't need a shuttle as dock near town centre ......update 2020 Airlie Beach (Aust.) .....Tender, then $5AUD pp each way shuttle Akaroa NZ ................... Tender of centre of town. ...... Dec 2019 Alanya (Turkey) ............Taxis take you to the top of the hill . ... update 2020 Albany West Aus ..........Shuttle to town centre ...........Dec 2019 Alesund ........................ Dock at town so no shuttle Alexandria .................... Shuttle to city square Alicante Sp ....................free shuttle .............update 2022 Amalfi .......................... No need for shuttle Antigua...........................dock in town ..no shuttle Antofagasta ................. Free shuttle to town Antwerp ....................... Dock in town - no shuttle needed ... Aug 2017 Aqaba ........................... Shuttle Arrecife (Canary Is.)......free shuttle .............................per Currents 2014 Ashdod Israel .............. Shuttle to Sea Mall ... April/June 2022 Athens (Port of Piraeus)...Shuttle to outside port area in Piraeus - need tour to Athens (2022) Bangkok ....................... Free shuttle to town Bar Harbour ................. Dock at town so no shuttle Barcelona .................... Smaller O ships often dock at World Trade Center not far from Columbus Monument/Metro. Port often offers shuttle from WTC & other port terminals to near Drassanes Metro. Basseterre, St. Kitts ..... Dock at town so no shuttle Belfast .......................... Free shuttle to town (near City Hall) Bermuda (Hamilton)....... dock in town .no shuttle Bilbao ............................Free shuttle 5/2023 Getxo port to Bio's Plaza del Museo, 2 near Guggenheim Bordeaux (city) ........... Usually tie up nr Bourse Maritime on river, no shuttle 2023 Bordeaux (Le Verdon) ...If ship making short technical stop only in Le Verdon, shore excursion to area or to Bordeaux required (taken to ship afterwards) 2023 Brisbane (Aus) ............. Free shuttle to town Bozcaada, Turkey........... tender port, and small city. No shuttle needed .... April 2022 Broome (Australia)........ Free shuttle to town Bruges (Zeebruge) ......... free shuttle to port gates ... August 2017 Burnie Tas Aus...............Shuttle to Makers Workshop (meet guides/taxis) and to town......update 2020 Buenes Aires ................. Free shuttle to town / Plaza Hotel .......... update 2020 Cadiz ........................... Dock at town so no shuttle. Need train/other transport to Seville 5/2023 Cairns Aus ................... Dock at town so no shuttle Callao (Lima) ............... Free shuttle to town Canary Islands .............Shuttle to terminal then walk ................ update 2020 Capetown..................NO shuttle - walk or cab. (E berth, Terminal, Duncan Rd Jan 2019 Casablanca .............. Free shuttle to town Castries, St Lucia ...... Dock at town so no shuttle Chania (Hania), Crete (Greece) - shuttle to city center Civitavecchia(for Rome).. Free shuttle to Civitavecchia Cobh..................... Dock at town so no shuttle Colombo, .............. Free from ship to Port Gate 1. (local taxis available there) Jan 2019 Concarneau .............. Dock at town so no shuttle Copenhagen .............. Free shuttle to town – however reports of it being difficult see post 301 Coquimbo ................ Free shuttle to town Corfu ......................... Free shuttle to town Corner Brook ............ Dock at town so no shuttle Crete..........................Shuttle ................update 2020 Note: Oceania stops in several places in Crete Dar es Salaam...........Free shuttle from pier to Hyatt Regency in City Center. Long walk from ship to exit gate. There are several gates which may be confusing. Very busy working port (Jan 2019) Darwin Aus ............... Free shuttle to town Dubai .........................Free shuttle from the port to the Dubai Mall Dublin ...................... Free shuttle to town (kildare St/Merrion Square) ... Aug 2017 Dubrovnik .............. Free shuttle to town Dunedin NZ .............. Free shuttle to town East London, SA ........... Free shuttle from pier to the Hemingsway Mall (Jan 2019) Edinburgh (Leith) .......No shuttle - Closest port to town but still a distance to city centre Eden Aus ................... Tender then shuttle but only short walk Ephesus ..........Quite a drive from Kusadasi - best done by a tour ...........update 2020 - see Kusadasi Esmeraldas ............. shuttle to Playa de las Palmas (docked / itinerary said tender) Mar 2019 Exmouth (Aus) ........... Free shuttle to town Flam Norway............... No shuttle needed - dock in town July 2018 Fremantle/Perth ........unsure, nearby ferry dock, train station very close to dock..... update Dec 2019 Geiranger ................... No shuttle needed - Dock at town Geraldton West Aus ...Shuttle .................Update Dec 2019 Gijon SP .....................Shuttle to Calle Rodriquez San Pedro ("Las Letronas"), 5m walk to old town Gisbourne NZ ............ Free shuttle to town but short walk Gothenburg ................ Shuttle to City Hall Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas) - tender used to get to island. No shuttle needed. Greenock ................ ..No shuttle needed - Dock at town (15-20 minute walk to train to Glasgow) Haifa .........................shuttle to port entrance only (April 2022) Halifax ................. ....No shuttle needed - Dock at town Halifax pier 31 shuttle to Pier 22 pavillion April 2019 Hamburg ................. Shuttle provided by Port to City Hall ....Aug 2017Harvest Caye........... ferry to mainland *not* operating for independents when there Mar 2019 Havana, Cuba ............ Dock in city. walk off on main street.... April 2017. Helsinki ................... Free shuttle to town/ Shuttle from Westport to terminal near Market Square Hobart (aus) ............ Dock at town so no shuttle ... Sep 2017 Holyhead ................ Free shuttle to town (really to end of dock) ... Aug 2017 Invergordon ............. Dock at town so no shuttle .... August 2017 Kirkwall (Shetlands Is) .......Shuttle to visitors centre Castle St .... update 2017 Koper ...................... Dock at town so no shuttle Kotor ....................... Dock at town so no shuttle Kristiansand ............ Walking distance to town ...(South coast Norway) August 2017 Kristiansund.............No shuttle - dock in town (West coast of Norway) July 2018 Kusadasi (for Ephesus) - no shuttle, shopping available nearby in city. April 2022 La Coruna ............... Dock at town so no shuttle Langkawi.................Free shuttle from pier to Cenang Duty free Mall Jan 2019 La Rochelle ............. Free shuttle to town Le Havre (for Paris) .... Free shuttle to town (Le Havre) .... August 2017 Le Verdon ................. Free shuttle to town (Soulac Sur Mer) sometimes offered. Take excursion if not. Also see Bordeaux above Lerwick .................... Dock at town so no shuttle Lima - .......................Free shuttle to Marriott at Larcomar (Miraflores neighborhood) Mar 2019 Lisbon .................... Free shuttle reported for some cruises; none for others. Dock below Alfama near transportation/walk opportunities (updated Apr 2022) Liverpool ............... Dock at town so no shuttle ... August 2017 Livorno ................... Free shuttle to town Londonderry Nth Ire .....Shuttle to visitors centre in town..........update 2019 Male, Maldives.........tender port.... guides waiting + pick up tours there. Walk in town Jan 2019 Mahe, Seychelles........no shuttle . Jan 2019 Malaga ....................Shuttle ..............update 2022 Manta Ecuador ...... shuttle to main square (longish walk); will drop you at port gate Mar 2109 Maputo, ...................Free shuttle from pier to City Center (feima market) Jan 2019 Marseille ............... Free shuttle to town (fort Saint John) Melbourne Vic Aus ...Tram 109 is 5-10 min walk from port, buy ticket at convenience store, no shuttle. Trams within City Centre free, no shuttle ...... update Dec 2019 Messina (Italy) - ship docks at City Center; no shuttle needed. Miami .................... Free shuttle to Bayside Marketplace (*not* as an embarkation day) Mar 2019 Mitilini.....................This is tender port near town centre....... update 2020 Monte Carlo ............. Dock at town so no shuttle Murmansk ................ Need to book a tour either O or private for visa Muscat ..................... Free shuttle to the Souk Mykonos.....................No shuttle needed, dock in town ...update 2020 Napier NZ.....................shuttle to ISite info centre on Marine Parade .... update Dec 2019 Nassau, Bahamas ..........dock in town New York .................. no shuttle (Manhattan cruise terminal) Mar 2019 Newcastle .................. Free shuttle to nearest metro station (limited timing) Nosy be, Madagascar...Free shuttle (tender port) from pier to Town Center Market Jan 2019 Oporto (Porto)......... Free shuttle to Parque de Alfandega (riverfront transport parking lot) Apr 2023. Walk left as face water about 10 minutes to get to Ribeira/bridge Oslo ............................. Dock in town so no shuttle .... Aug 2017 Paphos, Cyprus ......... ? no shuttle. About 10 minutes walk to shops etc April 2022 Palma de Mallorca........ Free shuttle to town (cathedral) Paris - see Le Havre Patmos..............Dock in town - no shuttle needed .... update 2020 Perth see Fremantle Phillip Is Vic Aus.........long tender ride in, shuttle to beach /boardwalk, limited car hire/taxis....Dec 2019 Phuket, Thailand........no shuttle Jan 2019 Picton NZ .................... Dock at town so no shuttle Piraeus (Port for Athens)...Shuttle to outside port in Piraeus, need tour to Athens (2022) Pisco ......................... Free shuttle to town Port Arthur Tas Aus ..... Tender in to PA Penal Settlement - (no real town so a guess) no shuttle needed updated 2022 Port Elizabeth, South Africa....Free shuttle from pier to the Boardwalk jan 2019 Port Klang................... Shuttle to Bukit Tinggi Mall. Break from 11:45 - 1:30. Jan 19 Porto - see Oporto Portofino ................... No need for shuttlePuerto Limon........... no shuttle, tours by the local taxis & shops on the pier, walk to town Mar 2019 Portland UK ................... Free shuttle to town Praislin, Seychelles....no shuttle Praislin, .............. .......no shuttle . Jan 2019 Roatan ...................... no shuttle, Oceania docks in Coxen Hole, many port shops etc Mar 2019 Roatan can also dock at Mahogany Bay resort port Rhodes ....................... Dock in town. no shuttle - longish walk to port gates. .April 2022 Richards Bay............... Free shuttle from pier to Boardwalk Mall. (Jan 2019) Rio .............. Free shuttle to town Rome ........................(see Civitavecchia) Safaga,Egypt .............. a shuttle to downtown Saint John NB ........... Dock at town so no shuttle Salalah, Oman ............ shuttle to the Souk Salaverry............. shuttle to Trujillo/or shuttle to port gate - private tours. Tours in Trujillo Mar 2019 San Sebastion de la Gomera ...........None needed ........ update 2020 Santa Cruz De Teneriffe ........Shuttle to terminal ....................update 2019 Santander SP docked along waterfront Almirante Quay near Botin Center Apr 2023, no shuttle needed Santiago de Compostela SP - see Vilagarcia Santo Tomas, ...... - no shuttle, tours in the terminal, walk into town Mar 2019 Santos ......................... Free shuttle to town - about 6 yrs ago no shuttle to San Paulus Skagan Denmark............free shuttle to town July 2018 Singapore.......................no shuttle Jan 2019 Sorrento ...................... Free shuttle to town Split ............................. Dock at town so no shuttle Stavanger ....................dock in town July 2018 St Barts ..................... tender to town..no shuttle St. Lucia ................... Castries: Dock at town so no shuttle. Pointe Seraphine: .....walking distance (500 metres) or harbour water taxi to main area town. St Malo ...................... Dock at town so no shuttle St Jean De Luz .......... Dock at town so no shuttle St Petersburg .............. Need to book a tour - either O or private for visa Sydney N.S. ................. Dock at town so no shuttle Sydney Cove/ Circular Quay Aus ...... Free shuttle to Darling Harbour centre ..... 2018 Sydney White Bay dock Aus ...turnaround day . no shuttles, taxis available ..... Dec 2019 Tallinn ........................ Free shuttle to gates of old lower town (main road outside city wall) Tauranga /Rororua.....disembarkation ?? shuttle ..............Dec 2019 Trapani, Sicily .......... no shuttle; docked very near downtown June 2022 Valencia ..................... Free shuttle to town Valletta ..................... Dock below town. Take an elevator up for €1-€2 . Free to go back. update April 2022 Venice ..................... Free shuttle to town (may be outdated; ships not allowed in city May 2023) Vilagarcia (port for Santiago de Compostela) Port authority provided free shuttle Apr 2023 to tourist info center downtown at O Cavadelo (closed at 9 AM). Local buses & cab stand nearby but not much open/few people around. I took cab to train, train to Santiago, walked back to shuttle, shuttle to ship. Warnemunde............ walk to town or train (short walk from port) to Rostock July 2018 Wellington NZ............free shuttle to several places city centre ...... Dec 2019 Zakynthos, Greece ....tender port, no shuttle, smallish island. Walk to small town spring 2022 Zanzibar................... Free shuttle from pier to Kelele Square (Jan 2019) Zeebruge (for Bruges).... Shuttle to port gates ... Aug 2017 NOTE: ON EMBARKATION & DISEMBARKATION DAYS, SHUTTLES ARE NOT NORMALLY OFFERED. Updated 5/7/2023 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

Hi. We were just in Bilbao. There was a shuttle from the port (which is in Getxo, outside of Bilbao) to "Plaza del Museo, 2." I took a ship's excursion, so didn't use the shuttle, but I did look up the address on Google in case I had time to use the shuttle to or from the ship after my excursion. Plaza del Museu is near Plaza Euskadi, and (a guess) maybe three blocks from the Guggenheim. The shuttle started running a half hour after our arrival time, and the last shuttle was at 8 PM. (We were there overnight). There was a regulatory break (common in Spain) from 4 - 5 PM so be prepared to get back some other way if you want to return to the ship during that hour. Bilbao has a decent tram system, and I believe after checking out the Guggenheim (if interested) you might be able to catch a tram to get to Casco Viego, the old part of the city. There was a tourist rep with maps in the port terminal in Getxo. I missed the port talk (live and on TV later) but I imagine some info on the area was given during the talk for Bilbao. It's a beautiful city. I found the transporter bridge outside Bilbao fascinating, too. The excursion included it, though it is also possible to get there on the Metro to see and ride it on your own. I have info on shuttles in Bilbao, Porto, Portimao, Gijon and perhaps Santander & Vilagarcia, Spain. I'll try to post or update info on the list in the next day or two.

We used the same private driver in Bali in December 2019 as "hallasm" did (Dewa). It was well under $100 for a full day tour for the two of us.

I'm not sure what chart you posted, or what you mean by the "port charts" and when they were developed/published. Cruise lines do sometimes (or perhaps often?) change their itineraries from the time they are first announced. And then of course weather or other operational issues may impact when the ship actually docks at a berth or anchors. And IF they need to wait for clearance, which lucily doesn't happen often, that can be a little bit of a time killer. Once it arrives in a port, I find Marinetraffic.com helpful in determining when a ship actually docked, though you may have to convert the recorded time from UTC (Universal Time Coordinated) to local time. And you have to make sure that the time being reported is actual time of arrival at a dock and not a point in the water where official arrival in a port is recorded. It's a little difficult sometimes to determine just when a ship actually was tied up at the dock, cleared, and ready to open the doors. (I basically only use it to determine roughly when a ship may pass something I want to see - for example, once the ship leaves the dock at Lisbon, when will it pass the Tower of Belem, or the Bridge, or the set of lighthouses out to sea?)

I'm (finally) a little curious about Allianz, as there are many people who recommend them on Facebook cruise pages. But I'm also curious - are their prices more or less comparable to other similar companies that do NOT reimburse for missed ports? I know the cost of insurance depends on the cost of the overall trip, a person's age, etc. But have you ever compared a cruise you've taken to any other policies? I've compared Allianz (forget which plan) once to what I usually purchase on other companies, and Allianze wouldn't save me anything. In the past I can't remember missing more than one port in any cruise other than our problematic Australia/New Zealand one, where wild fires and winds wreaked havoc. So I'm kind of wondering if Allianz just keeps getting recommended over and over again because of the publicity it gets on Facebook and Cruise Critic, or if there's a solid reason I should consider using them. (I typically browse plans on Trip Insurance Store or Insure My Trip or Squaremouth. I don't always purchase insurance from the same company.)

We don't go to La Coruna or La Rochelle, so can't help there -- unless you are close to Santiago de Compostela while in the former city. We're planning to take a train to Santiago. It's a historical city and a religious city, at the end of El Camino de Santiago. I didn't know anything about it before I booked my cruise, but it sounds interesting, and by train isn't far from where we port (Vilagarcia). Then again some people on my cruise don't sound like they have much interest. Anyway, enjoy your adventures!

I'll be in Porto on Oceania on April 25. If I remember, I can post on here whether there was a shuttle, and if so, where it went. If there's one, it's likely free for Oceania passengers, but from what I've experienced, that's not always the case for other cruise line passengers. But paid or free, it may help you out a bit. I've been trying to find out where the shuttle may drop us, and so far it sounds like it's near the Clerigos tower (Torre). (Sorry if I mentioned that before; I haven't kept up with all posts.) But someone on Viking mentioned being dropped off a completely different place, so who knows? In any case, it sounds pretty good for at least getting somewhere in Porto where we can get around Porto and then across the river to Gaia if we have time! Just in case there's no shuttle, however, I've got a contingency plan for my day which includes the 500 or possibly the Metro close to the 500 stop! I want to see a lot in Porto!. I'll try to post back here after 25th with shuttle info.

Google Barceloneta - beach area in Barcelona. I've been there, but not to lie on the beach, just to play tourist there pre-cruise.

I found seatguru of limited help on TAP. But there's also aerolopa.com. It seems to show things more clearly.

So I'm thinking I may be flying once and done on TAP, but we're in their version of Economy Plus rather than business class (which they call Excecutive). But we'll see. I did like their stopover. And traveling in April, the nonstops to Barcelona simply didn't exist, so we took what we could get. We only fly business once in a while (way too expensive for us) so we're almost used to some of the things that have been mentioned, so it may not be as bad as I'm kind of expecting For example, in Europe it's not uncommon for a plane to load passengers on the tarmac, and if there's no water except in a cup before the trays come out in economy, we'll deal with that. As for the food in economy, I think we'll eat before boarding the plane and then go to sleep. If I can, I'll bring a few packaged snacks to eat in the morning. But their website is definitely flaky. Once in a while it simply refuses to show me a seat plan. And you have to click a lot of buttons to see your seat numbers. And this isn't the website, but the agent I called told me they couldn't put my PreCheck number in. (Watch Hill, were you able to do that? I know Portugal doesn't use PreCheck. But we're boarding in a U.S. airport, so I would at least like to (hopefully, anyway) get to go through the PreCheck lines). And I've requested a wheelchair in Lisbon airport. Hope they're not scarce. At this point, I'm just happy that TAP workers aren't striking right now, as a while ago I read that a strike was planned for part of his week and next.

Here's a diagram of Executive class (business) on an Airbus 321 neo LR (LR = long range) showing the throne seats. They are desirable because they provide extra room.

Just wanted to add a cautionary note for those traveling in economy or the economy comfort (more legroom) seats. I booked and reserved seats months ago. From my city to Lisbon TAP has been using the 321 neos (but not those marked LR) and there is no change that I know of for my flight, although of course anything can happen. Periodically I've checked to make sure my seats didn't change as I read on Flyer Talk site that this sometimes happens, and not just once in a blue moon. I don't care about my 2 flights within Europe, but I don't want to spend 7 or 8 hours in a cramped economy seat flying across the Atlantic. Now, several weeks pre-flight, I found that my carefully chosen seat on one transatlantic flight had been changed (by the computer, apparently) to a middle seat. It was also away from my spouse. So I was flying in between two strangers in a different row. At this late date, the comfort seats were down to 4, including 1 aisle seat, 2 exit row premium seats (more $$, even with "plus" pricing, and even as described by the agent as less comfortable), plus I middle seat. I know airlines that airlines can change planes (though it doesn't appear this was likely in my case) and that they sometimes block off seats for various reasons. But I don't understand how someone was able to bump me out of that particular seat, if that's what actually happened (miles and go status? seat reserved for crew?) - the agent wouldn't or couldn't tell me. And while TAP has a "family" policy that blocks the computer from making only one change to a "family" seating arrangement, this may have made my situation worse rather than better. In any case, if you're flying in economy or are not willing to fly in a middle seat away from your travel partner, I'd check your seats frequently. And as for bidding for business class, I have tried, and will continue to try to do that. But now planes are running very full and it's likely not working out for many people who try it. I checked availability on Expert Flyer, and it appears there are only 2 unbooked seats on my flight, so I doubt I'll get anything out of bidding. If you want and can afford business, I'd definitely suggest booking business. .

Oh, I loved Ronne! But it's best to get out into the countryside to see the best of it.....very old, very pretty white round churches, smoke houses, interesting architecture. We rented a car and had a wonderful time. I realize renting a car is not for everyone. But on Bornholm island, it was easy.

Not all cruises have a lot of availability. Mine on Sirena has been completely sold out for several months now. But perhaps the smaller ships sell out faster than the larger ones. And the ones with rather unusual itineraries are always popular.

I've cruised five or 6 times on Viking Ocean including in August 2021. They always took my credit card. And I've heard that you can ask for a longer time to pay, though I doubt very seriously it's as long as what Oceania gives you. I like Viking a lot, but their limited itineraries are the primary reason I don't cruise on them more.

Yes, thank you.

Oceania has some wonderful cruises to Spain, including the less-cruised areas like Gijon, Santander, and Bilbao along the northern coast of Spain. We're on one coming up that goes to a number of Portugal (Porto, Algarve, Lisbon) and Spain ports (Barcelona, Seville from Cadiz, Santander, Gijon, Santiago de Compostela), plus 2 stops in France (Bordeaux (on a river - fun! & Biarritz). I think we'll have a lot of wine drinkers, and some modern day "pilgrims" (visits to a couple places in a famous Spanish walk called "The Way") and some artsy/architecture lovers. I'm neither wine loving or very religious, but was very attracted to the itinerary. Oceania is not the cheapest line around, but if you keep in mind that they typically make more port stops than the bigger ships, plus don't charge for specialty restaurants, internet, DIY laundry, etc., they aren't as expensive as you might think they are. And they have smaller ships, which means fewer people and no lines. And their itineraries are wonderful - everchanging, always adding ports, going unknown but charming places, etc. I love just about everywhere I go, but Spain and Portugal, are high on my list for places I'd love to see more of.

For Oceania, I've seen a shuttle reported for Porto, which drops around Clerigos Church, a good location. The port is Leixoes, and yes, it's 20 minutes or a little more to Porto center city. There's also apparently a metro stop maybe a 15 minute walk from the port and a bus #500 to Porto not far from the port. And sometimes a HoHo bus. I don't know about the other ports, but you may have luck going to a sticky post in the Oceania Cruises section to see what Oceania cruisers have reported in the way of shuttles. If you're not on Oceania, you may or may not have them for your cruise line. Or they may be available but not free. But at least the thread gives you clues as to what's right around the port. What's in Port is also helpful for that kind of information.

I saw the Mighty Cruise Ships program on Azamara's mystery cruises! That sounds like fun, even though I'm the type of person who plans out every stop almost hour by hour😁 and perhaps a mystery cruise would be a tiny bit disappointing! But I hope you love your cruise. And at least with Oceania, the stops are usually frequent and wonderful, so even if something was not up to par, I barely notice it or care. And oh, the places I can go - O adds new ports each year, switches up the itineraries, and keeps some small ports mixed in with the tried and true better known, larger ports. Alaska is wonderful. When we went, I wondered why in the heck it took me so long to go there!

I'm not interested in wine, so many of the things people do in Bordeaux (and in the Medoc region, which included Le Verdon, aren't of much interest to me in Bordeaux. I'm trying to decide what I want to do. I'm kind of interested in Arachon, and a little interested in St. Emelion. Both can be reached fairly easily by train, and I love doing things on my own, so I may do that the morning of the full day we're there. I'll explore the area around Bordeaux, and things that are available via a tram ride or a BAT boat ride. I'm disappointed that Bordeaux doesn't have their Miroir d'Eau operating until May, so I won't be able to see that. But everyone seems to love Bordeaux, so I have a number of ideas of fun and easy things to do/see. And the big Cite du Vin museum is just a short tram ride away, up (or down?) the river. My spouse has indicated he may like to do that. And I've read that the tourist info center in Bordeaux has tours to near by chateaux. As for the trip to Bordeaux from Le Verdon, I'll likely stay on the ship as it cruises the river. It sounds rather unusual, plus there are some lighthouses and other things along the shore I'm interested in, so I'll just relax and enjoy the trip. In Le Verdon, assuming we're allowed off the ship, and there's a shuttle to Soulac, I'll go there and just nose around. I'm pretty easily entertained, and love doing things on my own (or with spouse) and taking pictures, finding things of interest, etc.

Well, Bordeaux is scheduled for a two day stop on some itineraries, and a one day stop on others. It takes around 4.5 hours to sail to it from Le Verdon, once the tides are favorable. It apparently takes about half that time to take people on a coach. This summer, Marina and another O ship went to Bordeaux by river. I suppose if people want to sail into Bordeaux, they should choose an itinerary with Bordeaux for more than one day, although that obviously doesn't help people who've already chosen an itinerary. But I see Bordeaux like any other place that has another city in parentheses on the itinerary (like Athens and Seville). If you want to go to the first place listed, you'll get there with a little more effort than you would in a place which has a cruise port right there in the city. If you don't want to spend time traveling, you choose to stay in the port city. As for onboard times, my experience has been that Oceania has required passengers to be back on board, or at the tender location, a half hour pre-departure time. I can't remember any ports where an hour was required, though I suppose there likely are some. So yes, we'll have to be back earlier than before. But most days, I'm doing things on my own and ready to come back to the ship around 4 or so. So that's OK.

I don't know for sure, and would like to know. However, in the past, a shuttle has been reported to be available to some cruisers, free or paid, to a place that is close to a circle (Moyua?) and Metro stop that is about a 10 minute walk north up to the Guggenheim, in the newer part of the city but also close to the historic, older part. If you're embarking/disembarking there, however, it may not run that day, or if it does, there may be a fee for its use. Sorry I can't be more specific, but that's all I know.