leongcpa

I really enjoyed CT. More than Florence, actually. We spent three nights in Monterosso Al Mare, and did a number of hikes between the 5 towns. I think sunsets at Manarola and Vernazza are pretty delightful. We flew into Milan and took a train to Monterosso.

We did all three with a Viator tour. It was a bit rushed, but it is do-able. If I had to do it again, I'd probably just do two: Giverny and Le Havre. I would save Rouen for another visit, as it's the easiest one to do DIY-style. (Taxi/Uber to train station, and a pretty direct train trip to Rouen).

We rented a car from Tony's (search this forum for more info) and enjoyed the sunset from Santos winery outside of Fira (after a visit to Oia). It was quite stunning, and their tasting platters were yummy and generous.

Enjoy Venice. It's a really special and romantic place!

Did a little more homework. Looks like I can take a water bus (#62) to Landungsbrucken Wharf and then take subway line to U3 to Baumhall subway station to get to Miniature Wunderland. However, I'm in Hamburg on a Saturday. How does the weekend affect the water bus schedule?

Hi,

We are in port from 8am to 8pm (at Altona Port). I'm not sure where Altona Port is, in relation to Miniature Wunderland. Our current plan is to go from Altona Cruise Center, and head direct to Miniature Wunderland. Then we will meander our way around Hamburg for the rest of the day and then return to the ship. What is the best way to accomplish this? Is there a way to do this using public transportation?

Thanks!

You can spend one day riding the Taieri Gorge railway, and then spend the evening and next day on the Otago Peninsula, which is very pretty. My wife and I stayed at Larnach Castle in the Larnach Lodge Rooms (we had the corner suite which had spectacular views), and had our own small group dinner at the castle. One of the highlights of our trip to New Zealand.

Venice is a collection of small islands connected by bridges. The main part looks like a small fish on a map, which is connected to the mainland by a main road which terminates at Piazzale Roma in Venice. I don't consider Venezia Maestre (which I consider to be a part of the Veneto area) Venice proper.

1. I'd say 45 minutes to go through customs and collect your baggage at VCE, then another 30 minutes on ATVO bus to Piazzale Roma (the only place where cars are allowed). Stay near Piazzale Roma. I can recommend Hotel Moresco, Hotel Antiche Figure, and the Papadapoli Hotel (in that order). Moresco's my favorite, for the service, and terrific happy hour.

2. The train station closest to the port in Venice is Venezia Santa Lucia. You can take the peoplemover from the port, and walk to the train station. From the port to the peoplemover (walking at a mild pace), 15 minutes. I would guess it's at most, a 10 minute walk from the peoplemover to the train station. So total, from ship to train station, maybe 30 minutes.

Santorini (so pretty)

Hydra (aka Ydra; pretty walks between towns)

Mykonos (for Delos)

Athens

Argostolion (aka Kefalonia; Melissani Caves and beaches are great)

Corfu

Chania

For the Blue Mountains, Lurline House in Katoomba is a great place to stay.

Large hotels are also generally a good bet.

There is a public restroom near the Tower of London, which I think costs 50 pence to enter. It might be a GBP. I can't remember.

Thanks for the heads up. We've never had metal detectors at the port before that I can remember.

How many ships were in port? I suppose if worse comes to worse, we could take a taxi back to port. We were planning on going back so we would be on the ship by 3:30. I'd better plan more time in case people from the MSC ship heading back when we do.

I vaguely recall there being one other ship... can't remember.

Thank you! We were thinking about Korfu taxi service but decided against it. There are 2 other ships in port, one arriving at noon so we want to do old town first and then hit the other places in the afternoon.

Do we catch the #15 bus back to port?

Yes. We did; there was a long line of folks waiting to get back to the ship, when we were there. I would advise going to Mouse Island first and then explore the Old Town after. Allow a little extra time to get back to the ship, because it was a bit chaotic getting through the metal detectors back at the port. You have to pass through metal detectors at the Port's building before they allow you to board the ship.

How long were you at the port in Corfu? I think we'll go this route, but want to make sure we have enough time. We're only in port for 5 hours.

We were in port for 5.5 hours. It's enough time to go to Mouse Island, and walk around the Old Town. We skipped the Old Fortress (which we could have done), as we preferred to spend more time doing souvenir shopping in the Old Town.

The one I was referring to is the Monastery and not a church. Is there a bus that goes to Mouse Island.

Yes. 5 euros for an all day pass. Took Bus No. 15 from Port to the Old Town. Walked to San Rocco Square. Took Bus No. 2A from San Rocco Square to Kanoni and saw Mouse Island. Then took the same bus back to the Old Fortress, and explored the Old Town at our leisure. Easy and super cheap.

The walk to San Rocco Square and identifying where the No. 2A bus stop was probably the hardest part. Once you get to San Rocco Square, keep an eye out for the No. 2A bus. Alternatively, you could catch it outside the Old Fortress, as there is a stop there.

Thanks, I had seen a really old post that vaguely outlined this route. Good to know!

 

I read that Castro to Haight Ashbury is walk-able but with one heck of a hill to climb. I'll need to look into Uber, we do not have it on this side of the border but I may get an account for just for this trip. Thanks again.

It is walkable, but it is long and uphill. I don't think Uber would cost much and would save you alot of time.

To get to the Castro, the fastest thing is to take the F line above ground rail to the underground light rail station at Embarcadero station. Then take the outbound light rail (the K, L, or M lines) to Castro station. This trip takes less than 20 minutes, I think. The above ground F-line is quite slow; the underground light rail is significantly faster. From Castro, you can take Bus #6 that runs up Divisadero to Haight Ashbury. I think it's more efficient to Uber this trip though. I would then Uber back to the ship.

Vernazza or Manarola

I think they are the two prettiest towns. If you're there for sunset, nothing beats the view of Manarola from the park below the cemetery.

There's a great view of Vernazza on the trail above the town...

You could ask your hotel in Sydney to store your luggage for you for the few days you are in the Blue Mountains (and just drop it off there). That's what we did.

As for Katoomba, I highly recommend the Lurline House B&B. Really great and affordable B&B. The proprietors can usually pick you up and drop you off at the train station, if you advise them of your arrival and departure times.

I think spending a minimum of two days in the Blue Mountains is a good idea. We spent two nights at the Lurline House B&B - following a similar itinerary to the one you have outlined (except that we explored Echo Point and Scenic World the day we arrived in Katoomba), and I wished that we had spent a couple more days to explore more of the Blue Mountains.

NCL Star - took it to the Baltics a few years ago; really liked the ship.... great thermal spa; highly recommend the thermal spa pass.

Can't comment on the RCCL Radiance... that being said, I'm not a big fan of RCCL....

Check the hours in port. We took an RCCL ship to Corfu, and we were in port a mere 4 hours... Chania is very industrial. We took a KTEL bus to Rethymnon and then explored the old town in Chania.

Kotor is lovely; Perast and the islands are great photo opportunities.

Kefalonia has the Melissani Cave Lake; quite nice.

I would say Kotor + Kefalonia is better than Corfu + Chania.

Split was ok to me; it probably wasn't my favorite because my tour guide was raging anarchist. The waterfront was pretty and the old town/Diocletian's palace were just ok to me.

Haven't been to Katakolon so I can't comment on the port.

Did you take local currency with you or rely on ATMs along the way? We're booked for a British Isles cruise on Princess in August and will be going from England to Ireland to North Ireland to Scotland and finally to France. I plan to get a little bit of cash in euros and pounds from my bank before we leave.

 

Also, were there tours available at the ports like there are in the Caribbean?

We rely on ATM's along the way. That being said; we travel to Europe pretty frequently so we generally have a stash of euros and GBP leftover from past trips.

Sometimes, there are tours available at the ports. We tried to help a couple we met on the cruise ship get on a couple of our tours, but our tours were booked up. They were able to latch onto another tour at Belfast, but were unable to do so at Greenock.

Does the ho ho bus stop near the cruise terminal in Dublin? Also is there a shuttle from ship to centre of Dublin? TIA

I would guess that it would take at least 30 minutes to walk from the closest HOHO bus stop (which is near the Jeannie Johnson tall ship) to the cruise terminal. Princess (at least when we were on the Caribbean Princess last month) provides a shuttle to the center of town, across the street from the statue of Oscar Wilde in Merrion Square.

That being said, it's pretty easy to get an Uber in Dublin, if need be.

Handy tips! How did you get to Powerscourt Gardens? Did you do this the same day as Trinity College?

We had an overnight in Dublin, so we did the Glendalough and Powerscourt Gardens tour with DoDublin on Day 1.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186605-d195416-Reviews-DoDublin-Dublin_County_Dublin.html

Glendalough was fantastic. We felt a bit rushed at Powercourt, but still, the Gardens were lovely.

We did Trinity College and the Book of Kells on Day 2.

For a party of 2 or more, I think it's worth it to just Uber it. It's not going to be that much more to Uber (maybe even less if you have 3-4)...

Simpsons Boutique Hotel is a B&B at Potts Point, on bus route, walking distance to city through the Royal Botanical Gardens. Lively location with lots of excellent restaurants nearby.

+1 for Simpsons Boutique Hotel. Really delightful nightlife and restaurants nearby. It is a bit of a walk to the Harbour though, but we enjoyed our stay.