Which ports would you choose

[Chelseawolves]

Looking at two cruises, both on thompson celebration. 7 ports are the same( Dubrovnik , katakolon ,Corinth ,itea,Corfu town,kotor,and Venice . However there are four different ports on each of the cruises. If you had to pick would you choose either koper, sibneik , korcula and Bari, or the other option of rovinj, Trieste ,zadar and split. Thanks

[kruzseeka]

Looking at two cruises, both on thompson celebration. 7 ports are the same( Dubrovnik , katakolon ,Corinth ,itea,Corfu town,kotor,and Venice . However there are four different ports on each of the cruises. If you had to pick would you choose either koper, sibneik , korcula and Bari, or the other option of rovinj, Trieste ,zadar and split. Thanks

 

 

You're asking a difficult one there Chelseawolves as Thomson have really rung the changes this year with those itineraries. We've done the Adriatic several times with them calling at Koper, Korcula and Split from your lists - so can give you a bit of info on those but it doesn't help with the comparisons since half of the ports I don't know.

 

They both look great itineraries tbh - that's certainly an areaThomson beat their competitors if you are looking for interesting and port intensive cruises.

 

Koper is quiet - especially if it's Sunday when you call (which was the case each time we went) but you cn catch a local bus to go to Piran which is beautiful and has more of a buzz on Sunday. If you prefer, you can get off at Portoroz just before Piran - that has a beach and is more of a resort.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Piran+pictures&client=firefox-a&hs=ZYR&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=XAoOVMWfB6rG7AbUpIG4Cw&ved=0CEcQ7Ak&biw=1280&bih=619

 

Korcula is very pretty and a lovely port of call - I think they call it the beetle or something like because its shaped like the back of a bug rising out of the water. Again very picturesque but small - you can explore it easily in a couple of hours so perhaps worth a half day excursion there.

 

Split is a good stop too. You can explore Diocletian's Palace (more a fortified complex - free entry) and enjoy the waterfornt cafes. a very attractive port. Round the headland to the right as you look at the town from the sea, there is a beach area - it's more of a concrete apron to enter the water which is quite shallow - but it's very popular with locals.

 

I would be happy to do a cruise with any of these three as PoC - no poor ones there although both Korcula and Koper are small so you might want to bear that in mind as you may feel half day excursions are called for (but you can do Piran on your own very easily).

 

Perhaps someone else will be able to help with the other ports for you.

[GaryT-UK]

Looking at two cruises, both on thompson celebration. 7 ports are the same( Dubrovnik , katakolon ,Corinth ,itea,Corfu town,kotor,and Venice . However there are four different ports on each of the cruises. If you had to pick would you choose either koper, sibneik , korcula and Bari, or the other option of rovinj, Trieste ,zadar and split. Thanks

I've only been to 4 of your choices:

Koper - went in July and took the trip to the Postojna Caves - well worth it in my opinion.

Korcula - agree with Kruzseeka, its a nice small port to explore. I went on a tour to Vela Luka to see a bit of the island (& did a bit of wine tasting) and still had plenty of time to explore.

Zadar - was another stop this summer. A nice town to wander round, there are a few ruins, a good seafront walk if you don't want to go on tour. This had the option of a tour to Krka (see below).

Split - Didn't really have much time to explore the town as I did a trip to the Krka National Park trip, which has huge waterfalls, something different after places like Venice & Dubrovnik.

If I had to choose I'd probably go for Koper & Korcula, but I'd go back to the others too.

You also have some great stops & tour opportunities with the other 7 ports, so it might be worth considering what you would do there and then see if the other places offer something different that you like.

[Chelseawolves]

Thank you both, for taking the time to reply:)

[kruzseeka]

Just saw a picture in a travel mag yesterday for Arberobello which reminded me that we did a half day trip there from Brindisi (good job we did Brindisi wasn't up to much). But Arberobello was charming and very unusual. It appears to be equi-distant from Bari and Brindisi so if you end up on the itinerary which does Bari, then there may be an excursion to Arberobello. Might be worth bearing in mind - it's worth a visit, but then again Bari may be lovely in its own right.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=alberobello+pics&client=firefox-a&hs=ER2&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=JzQQVKaCGMnQ7AauzoD4Aw&ved=0CCUQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=619

[Chelseawolves]

Thanks for pics, it's looks very pretty

[Chelseawolves]

Found a much better deal on the dream, so have booked that. The ports will now be visiting are villefranche , Livorno , rapallo, Toulon, Barcelona ,Palma, olbia,sorrento , rome, Ajaccio , and palamos

[Julessmiles]

Found a much better deal on the dream, so have booked that. The ports will now be visiting are villefranche , Livorno , rapallo, Toulon, Barcelona ,Palma, olbia,sorrento , rome, Ajaccio , and palamos

 

We did your first week's itinerary this year combined with Moorish Delights - you've made a good choice; some nice ports there.

[Chelseawolves]

Hi Jules, would be very interested to know what you did at each of these ports? And tips you can offer:)

[Julessmiles]

Hi Jules, would be very interested to know what you did at each of these ports? And tips you can offer:)

 

 

 

Leave it with me & I will write it up for you; we did a lot of DIY - it is very easy in the Western Med ports!!

[Chelseawolves]

Thank you very much, will be very gratefull, as we tend to DIY a lot of trips :)

[kruzseeka]

I'll look up some earlier posts too. Easy to do Monte Carlo by train from Villefranche - or stay in Villefranche which is charming and visit the Villa Ephrussi.

 

Barcelona dead easy DiY there's a HoHo and good Metro.

 

Livorno easy to do Pisa by train but I'd opt for the Florence on your own transfer if you are keen to go there. Likewise Rome but you can go by train if you want to.

 

Toulon I'd recommend the Thomson half day trip to Cassis. Lovely!

 

Rapallo you can get the ferry to Portofino - no need to pay for a trip.

 

I'll check out details of how to do any of these if any are of interest to you.

 

Happy planning ;)

[GaryT-UK]

Found a much better deal on the dream, so have booked that. The ports will now be visiting are villefranche , Livorno , rapallo, Toulon, Barcelona ,Palma, olbia,sorrento , rome, Ajaccio , and palamos

 

Hi, I've been to a few of these too, lots of nice places and some where you can have a nice lazy day before busier ports the next day.

Villefranche - just had a wander round the beach & town.

Livorno - been 3 times, once did the Pisa/Florence trip, once wine tasting & once just explored the town. I'd do Pisa/Florence if you've not been.

Rapallo - again just explored, found the cable car up to a church & great views. May be worth checking the times in advance though as I think I was lucky to get there when it was setting off.

Toulon - went on a Sunday on my first ever cruise, they had a French Sunday market which was great, but everything else was shut. Also a little tourist train. I had no expectations of this port and it's still one of my favourite ever port days.

Barcelona - loads to do. HOHO buses are a great way to see the main sites - definitely worth planning what you want to see here. Easy to do on your own.

Palma - another of my fave places. Catch the bus or walk the seafront to the Cathedral, Palace & shopping area. Have also done the train tour (not on a cruise) to Soller which is good too.

Rome - been twice. I've done the ship's tours to the Coliseum & Vatican - would recommend both.

Ajaccio - another nice port to wander around. A lot did this as a beach day.

Palamos - another good beach day port. If you like art the trip to the Dali museum in Figueres is really interesting.

You'll have to let me know what Olbia & Sorrento are like :) Enjoy!!

[Chelseawolves]

Thanks for all the input everyone, loads to research . Been to 3 of the ports already, rome we hired a driver from rome in limo, and visited vactican and collusium , plus lots of other places. This time will either use as extra ship day, or explore the surrounding port. Been to Barcelona, and visited the nou camp, and wandered down rambles, really love the vibe there. Also been to sorrento, lovely town and can't wait to re visit, but this time want to visit almafi drive, other ports are totally new.

[kruzseeka]

If you have a middle day in Palma, you berth early and leave late so it's a good opportunity to venture further a field on DiY. I'd recommend getting the Soller train (very picturesque journey through the orange groves and mountains), then tram to the Port de Soller and have a couple of hours in this attractive port then get the 'round the houses' local bus back to Palma (make sure it's not the express which goes back to Palma through a tunnel) . The journey is very scenic.

 

You can get off this bus at Valldemossa and spend another couple of hours there. It's a lovely place and well worth the stop over. Then pick up a later bus back to Palma. It's a great day out.

[Chelseawolves]

Most ports we will do DIY , but believe best to book three thompson tours, one from Toulon to cassis, another from sorrento to amalfi drive, and one to Florence / Pisa. We will then look at taking the ferry to portofino, a trip from villefranche to Monte Carlo by either train or bus.

[joeholiday2]

I took Kruzeekas recommendation to visit Villa Ephrussi when in Villefranche, it was really nice, just put this video up this weekend:

 

The Soller train trip is also highly recommended:

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2012973

 

There are always the best cruise guides around...

http://www.tomsportguides.com/portguides.html

 

if you have a smartphone or tablet the Trip advisor app for Barcelona is excellent.

 

Palamos is nice to have as a last day, a lovely long beach and prom to walk along.