Where have you visited on a cruise that you would return for a Land-only vacation?

[D C]

2 hours ago, Denny01 said:

This is a Thread that is good to start up again! I personally won’t be heading to Europe until 2022, but when we do, will add a ‘land-only’ time prior and/or before as we’ve done many times. 

 

So where would I go back to or add as part of a cruise?

  - Amsterdam. We spent 5 days there prior to a Rhine river cruise and would love to do it again. Did it on our own (not the pre-cruise line hotel/tours) and it was one of the easiest cities to get around in and the friendliest. 

  - Cornwall. Spent a week in Cornwall area prior to a TA out of Southampton. Beyond Fantastic. Stayed 3N’s in Penzance with our rental car and toured western Cornwall; then 3N’s in a neat pub/hotel just north of Southampton and had a grand time. Driving was ‘fun’ but worth it. 

 

There are many other places would love to head back to that haven’t such as Malta.

 

Den 

Save for the singing pirates, Penzance should have been lovely. 🙂

 

I honestly did not expect Cornwall in any of the responses.  We've yet to make it to that part of the UK.  Anything specific that stands out?  

[Denny01]

56 minutes ago, D C said:

Save for the singing pirates, Penzance should have been lovely. 🙂

 

I honestly did not expect Cornwall in any of the responses.  We've yet to make it to that part of the UK.  Anything specific that stands out?  

In Penzance, We stayed at the Smuggler’s Restaurant w Rooms which is right on the harbor with views. Outstanding dining. Fun little place. Sat at the room windows and watched the fishing boats and crew rowers (men and women teams) in and out. Nearby was the Neolithic Merry Maidens stone circle. You can walk out into it and its a great feeling to just be there. We drove out to the Lands End which was off season but still a bit crowded. So we drove along the beautiful coast to St Ives. A very fun town. Fun shopping too. Just explored that area of Cornwall. The roads are single lane.....and I Mean Single! My favorite sign was ‘Caution. Oncoming Traffic may be in your lane’. There was only ONE LANE with stone walls on each side!! You drive nice and slow.

 

North of Southampton, we stayed at the Hampshire Hog. A pretty hotel with nice pub and restaurant. Right near it is the Butser Ancient Farm. It is a site where archeologists have reconstructed buildings/homes from Stone, Iron, Roman and Saxon periods. Fantastic. Spent huge time there. Spent time in Portsmouth with tons to do including seeing the HMS Victory.

 

What can I say. Great little places to stay; shopping; fantastic countryside and history beyond belief. Loved it more Ethan Stonehenge because you can walk into the circles and touch (lightly) the stones and leave nothing behind but carry it all within. I’m wearing an HMS Victory rugby shirt and dine off St IVes pottery with jellyfish and octopi on them!! 

 

Give yourself All Day to drive a few hundred miles because you just will keep stopping and just looking. You also may end up behind a thrashing machine going to another field! 

 

A few heads up:

- we rented at Heathrow but realized I’d not drive for 5-6hrs to Cornwall after overnight flight so stayed in Windsor overnight near the castle (neat town!). I reserved a small car (nice inexpensive) but realize many economies are stick shift. And driving first time on left side AND stick would be too much a challenge for me so I upgraded. Not a big increase.

- Plan to have Lots of time to just relax and not to try and see a lot each day. 

- One time on another cruise we went to Isle of Wright. Well worth it. 

- Also stayed a few days in Winchester just north of Southampton and spent all days just walking around. 

 

Den

 

[LGW59]

10 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

In Penzance, We stayed at the Smuggler’s Restaurant w Rooms which is right on the harbor with views. Outstanding dining. Fun little place. Sat at the room windows and watched the fishing boats and crew rowers (men and women teams) in and out. Nearby was the Neolithic Merry Maidens stone circle. You can walk out into it and its a great feeling to just be there. We drove out to the Lands End which was off season but still a bit crowded. So we drove along the beautiful coast to St Ives. A very fun town. Fun shopping too. Just explored that area of Cornwall. The roads are single lane.....and I Mean Single! My favorite sign was ‘Caution. Oncoming Traffic may be in your lane’. There was only ONE LANE with stone walls on each side!! You drive nice and slow.

 

North of Southampton, we stayed at the Hampshire Hog. A pretty hotel with nice pub and restaurant. Right near it is the Butser Ancient Farm. It is a site where archeologists have reconstructed buildings/homes from Stone, Iron, Roman and Saxon periods. Fantastic. Spent huge time there. Spent time in Portsmouth with tons to do including seeing the HMS Victory.

 

What can I say. Great little places to stay; shopping; fantastic countryside and history beyond belief. Loved it more Ethan Stonehenge because you can walk into the circles and touch (lightly) the stones and leave nothing behind but carry it all within. I’m wearing an HMS Victory rugby shirt and dine off St IVes pottery with jellyfish and octopi on them!! 

 

Give yourself All Day to drive a few hundred miles because you just will keep stopping and just looking. You also may end up behind a thrashing machine going to another field! 

 

A few heads up:

- we rented at Heathrow but realized I’d not drive for 5-6hrs to Cornwall after overnight flight so stayed in Windsor overnight near the castle (neat town!). I reserved a small car (nice inexpensive) but realize many economies are stick shift. And driving first time on left side AND stick would be too much a challenge for me so I upgraded. Not a big increase.

- Plan to have Lots of time to just relax and not to try and see a lot each day. 

- One time on another cruise we went to Isle of Wright. Well worth it. 

- Also stayed a few days in Winchester just north of Southampton and spent all days just walking around. 

 

Den

 

Europe, NOTHING like it!!!!  Cannot wait to go back.

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, D C said:

Save for the singing pirates, Penzance should have been lovely. 🙂

 

I honestly did not expect Cornwall in any of the responses.  We've yet to make it to that part of the UK.  Anything specific that stands out?  

Ah, memories. DW and I spent three weeks in the UK on our honeymoon almost 50 years ago, including a week in Cornwall staying in a gorgeous cottage in Polruan belonging to friends of the family. (It's now a rental property: https://simplyseaviews.co.uk/listings/4343/shrimp/). One evening, we saw a very entertaining production of The Pirates of Penzance at the Minack Theatre, an outdoor amphitheatre overlooking the sea in Porthcurno, a small fishing village not far from Penzance.

 

 

While we've had more recent holidays in the UK, we've not had the opportunity to return to Cornwall, but it's definitely on our list of places to return to.

[emmas gran]

OK guys Cornwall --my home was born and bred there love the place. Fouremco we went to the Minack on a school day trip and I keep saying to my husband we must go for him to see it.

Moved away for 30 years but back again in the South West now

 

Liz

[TeeRick]

5 hours ago, emmas gran said:

OK guys Cornwall --my home was born and bred there love the place. Fouremco we went to the Minack on a school day trip and I keep saying to my husband we must go for him to see it.

Moved away for 30 years but back again in the South West now

 

Liz

Liz I was addicted to the BBC Masterpiece show Poldark set in Cornwall and the surrounding area.  Have you seen it?  Currently available on Amazon Prime.  The scenery around Cornwall seems spectacular!  I am supposed to be in the UK in Aug 2021 if all stars line up- does anybody know about nice hotels in Cornwall to stay?

[TeeRick]

17 hours ago, LGW59 said:

All the vaccine posts are getting to me.  Love all the comments on this thread.  So while late to the party here are my favs:  Dingle Peninsula, Ireland and Peggy's Cove, Halifax, NS, are probably two of the most beautiful natural beauty places I have ever visited.  Anywhere in Italy, but two tops, Ravello on the Amalfi Coast and Florence, way outside of Florence proper, neighborhoods and small 6 table restaurants are to die for.  Bayeux, France, very small town, with tons to do, just outside of Normandy.  Find a table on the sidewalk, go for breakfast, stay for lunch and a bottle of wine, then just watch the locals do their thing.  

Thanks for resurrecting this thread!  I did love Peggy's Cove and all of Halifax really.  In fact all of the Maritime provinces and Quebec City.   Of course Italy and the Amalfi Coast.  Also Sicily, Capri, pretty much all of Italy.  I want to travel again so much that my heart aches for it!

[keysey222]

Costa Rica is at the top of my list. Australia, especially Queensland as I fell in love with that part of the country. New Zealand and Singapore. Being from the eastern US, small land trips to some of the Caribbean islands to escape the winter, particularly Puerto Rico (we go almost yearly), St. John (not a cruise port, but a popular excursion spot) and Aruba. 

[emmas gran]

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Liz I was addicted to the BBC Masterpiece show Poldark set in Cornwall and the surrounding area.  Have you seen it?  Currently available on Amazon Prime.  The scenery around Cornwall seems spectacular!  I am supposed to be in the UK in Aug 2021 if all stars line up- does anybody know about nice hotels in Cornwall to stay?

Check out the Scarlet Hotel absolutely fabulous cliff top position. Pricey but good!

Liz

[ROYALBOY]

We spent a few hours in Barcelona a few years back. 🤞🏼We will spend 4 days there in Oct before our Apex TA. 

[markeb]

Since this thread started in the summer, I've gotten bizarrely into travel, food, and food with travel, shows on Netflix and Prime. And a lot of the locations featured on some of my favorites are near places I've cruised from or to!

 

I think right now my leading interests are roughly from Venice to Pisa; restaurants in Modena and Tuscany, wine in Montalcino (and probably all over Tuscany), Parmigianino Reggiano, etc. London, with a couple of specific places in mind, and I'd really like to explore the food scene more beyond pub grub (we've eaten at Michelin places in London, but there's a really interesting food scene in the UK). And I've gotten intrigued with the Southeastern US, Charleston and Savannah for sure, and maybe more.

 

Plenty of other places where we haven't cruised, both in the US and around the world. I'd love to spend a couple of weeks or so traveling from San Francisco to Seattle and maybe Vancouver. We lived in Northern California for a couple of years, but we just didn't have the time (or money) to really explore. Great restaurants in San Francisco, great wine in Napa, Sonoma, Willamette Valley, and eastern Washington. And our local wine shop can get us invites, which we couldn't get when we lived out there. And maybe do the same in Bordeaux, Rhone, and definitely Burgundy! And the Douro Valley, and Porto. (There's a theme here...)

 

That's a good start. Throw in Ireland in general, and Islay, Speyside, Skye, the Highlands, etc. in Scotland, and I'd be set, at least for the Northern Hemisphere!

[LGW59]

50 minutes ago, markeb said:

Since this thread started in the summer, I've gotten bizarrely into travel, food, and food with travel, shows on Netflix and Prime. And a lot of the locations featured on some of my favorites are near places I've cruised from or to!

 

I think right now my leading interests are roughly from Venice to Pisa; restaurants in Modena and Tuscany, wine in Montalcino (and probably all over Tuscany), Parmigianino Reggiano, etc. London, with a couple of specific places in mind, and I'd really like to explore the food scene more beyond pub grub (we've eaten at Michelin places in London, but there's a really interesting food scene in the UK). And I've gotten intrigued with the Southeastern US, Charleston and Savannah for sure, and maybe more.

 

Plenty of other places where we haven't cruised, both in the US and around the world. I'd love to spend a couple of weeks or so traveling from San Francisco to Seattle and maybe Vancouver. We lived in Northern California for a couple of years, but we just didn't have the time (or money) to really explore. Great restaurants in San Francisco, great wine in Napa, Sonoma, Willamette Valley, and eastern Washington. And our local wine shop can get us invites, which we couldn't get when we lived out there. And maybe do the same in Bordeaux, Rhone, and definitely Burgundy! And the Douro Valley, and Porto. (There's a theme here...)

 

That's a good start. Throw in Ireland in general, and Islay, Speyside, Skye, the Highlands, etc. in Scotland, and I'd be set, at least for the Northern Hemisphere!

markeb:  When you get to Italy again, and are in Montalcino, I VERY highly recommend a tour of

Il Palazzone winery.  We did this and added the rustic lunch with a wine tasting.  Their Brunelo is to die for!  I ordered a case while there in early 2019 and now every 3-4 months I have it shipped to my home.  Just the drive through the countryside is worth the trip to get there.  

[markeb]

38 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

markeb:  When you get to Italy again, and are in Montalcino, I VERY highly recommend a tour of

Il Palazzone winery.  We did this and added the rustic lunch with a wine tasting.  Their Brunelo is to die for!  I ordered a case while there in early 2019 and now every 3-4 months I have it shipped to my home.  Just the drive through the countryside is worth the trip to get there.  

 

Never did the drive to Montalcino, but I have driven from Vicenza to Livorno a couple of times, years ago. Beautiful drive when you're out of the tunnels!

 

I'll keep that winery in mind. I've gotten into Italian wines again recently. There's a lot more variety than I remember when we lived in Germany 25 years ago and everything (that we saw) was Chianti in a basket. The Super Tuscans are incredible, and then you have Brunello, Barolo, and of course Barbaresco, and a lot of regional varieties (or variations). 

[Doubt It]

Would you southern Europe by land and take the many trains between cities.

Then take a detour from northern Italy up to Austria and Switzerland and do the mighty train Glacier Express to Zermatt to try, yet again, to see the entire Matterhorn.

 

The only cruising only routes for me are Norway, South America, Asia, Pan canal. Done those, so it is land based only going forward. We are about the destination and being immersed, so cruises simply do not provide what we wish to purchase.

[LGW59]

3 hours ago, Doubt It said:

Would you southern Europe by land and take the many trains between cities.

Then take a detour from northern Italy up to Austria and Switzerland and do the mighty train Glacier Express to Zermatt to try, yet again, to see the entire Matterhorn.

 

The only cruising only routes for me are Norway, South America, Asia, Pan canal. Done those, so it is land based only going forward. We are about the destination and being immersed, so cruises simply do not provide what we wish to purchase.

Hear you on the trains getting around Europe, glorious way to travel and see so much!

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, markeb said:

Since this thread started in the summer, I've gotten bizarrely into travel, food, and food with travel, shows on Netflix and Prime. And a lot of the locations featured on some of my favorites are near places I've cruised from or to!

 

I think right now my leading interests are roughly from Venice to Pisa; restaurants in Modena and Tuscany, wine in Montalcino (and probably all over Tuscany), Parmigianino Reggiano, etc. London, with a couple of specific places in mind, and I'd really like to explore the food scene more beyond pub grub (we've eaten at Michelin places in London, but there's a really interesting food scene in the UK). And I've gotten intrigued with the Southeastern US, Charleston and Savannah for sure, and maybe more.

 

Plenty of other places where we haven't cruised, both in the US and around the world. I'd love to spend a couple of weeks or so traveling from San Francisco to Seattle and maybe Vancouver. We lived in Northern California for a couple of years, but we just didn't have the time (or money) to really explore. Great restaurants in San Francisco, great wine in Napa, Sonoma, Willamette Valley, and eastern Washington. And our local wine shop can get us invites, which we couldn't get when we lived out there. And maybe do the same in Bordeaux, Rhone, and definitely Burgundy! And the Douro Valley, and Porto. (There's a theme here...)

 

That's a good start. Throw in Ireland in general, and Islay, Speyside, Skye, the Highlands, etc. in Scotland, and I'd be set, at least for the Northern Hemisphere!

 

Don't leave Lyon off your list. Some of the best food I've EVER had has been in Lyon. (Lucky enough to visit there for work from time to time....)

 

[markeb]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Don't leave Lyon off your list. Some of the best food I've EVER had has been in Lyon. (Lucky enough to visit there for work from time to time....)

 

 Just saw there are 20 Michelin starred restaurants in Lyon. That’s not the primary dining criteria, but it’s useful. Added to the list!

[Cruise a holic]

We liked Cozumel and Cancun.  When safe, we might do an all inclusive to a luxury hotel.

[TeeRick]

21 hours ago, emmas gran said:

Check out the Scarlet Hotel absolutely fabulous cliff top position. Pricey but good!

Liz

Thank you!!

[TeeRick]

For the many of you that love touring Italy, we love Taormina in Sicily which I'm sure many have visited.  But did you know about Castelmola at the top of the rocky hill above Taormina?  Well worth the visit to have a meal there and see the amazing scenery.  Most people don't know about it and just go to Taormina.

https://www.italymagazine.com/news/castelmola-delightful-hamlet-looking-down-taormina

Edited December 14, 2020 by TeeRick

[Homosassa]

Our travel plans over the years have usually been a mixture of cruises and extended land vacations.

 

Cruises have been "local," i.e.; less than a two hour flight to take a ship that visits various islands (usually in the Caribbean or ports in Central America).

 

Otherwise, we fly to a destination and spend two to three weeks  traveling in a limited geographical area  to explore. (No if this is Tuesday, this must be Belgium.)

 

Some of the trips have been driving trips such as parts of Canada and the continental US.

 

On the cruises, there have been two land trips  that have resulted from port visits and one that is on hold until we can travel again.

 

After several port stops in Port Limon, Costa Rica, we flew to San Jose and spend two weeks touring the country from the Pacific to the Caribbean.

 

After port stops in Santo Thomas de Castillo, Guatemala, we also returned to that country for two weeks to explore. Out of all my trips, the Guatemalan people are the friendliest people we have ever met.

 

Planned for sometime in the further after two port stops in Fort-de-France, Martinique, is a land trip to the island combined with a possible cruise that ends and returns to Martinique.

 

Currently, we have not traveled since March 2020 as we have adhered to Covid 19 social distancing guidelines. At this point, a day trip out within twenty miles of home is an adventure. 

 

Our cars also carry the license plates of shame (Florida) so while we have been self quarantining, traveling out of state could cause us problems.

[TeeRick]

5 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

Our travel plans over the years have usually been a mixture of cruises and extended land vacations.

 

Cruises have been "local," i.e.; less than a two hour flight to take a ship that visits various islands (usually in the Caribbean or ports in Central America).

 

Otherwise, we fly to a destination and spend two to three weeks  traveling in a limited geographical area  to explore. (No if this is Tuesday, this must be Belgium.)

 

Some of the trips have been driving trips such as parts of Canada and the continental US.

 

On the cruises, there have been two land trips  that have resulted from port visits and one that is on hold until we can travel again.

 

After several port stops in Port Limon, Costa Rica, we flew to San Jose and spend two weeks touring the country from the Pacific to the Caribbean.

 

After port stops in Santo Thomas de Castillo, Guatemala, we also returned to that country for two weeks to explore. Out of all my trips, the Guatemalan people are the friendliest people we have ever met.

 

Planned for sometime in the further after two port stops in Fort-de-France, Martinique, is a land trip to the island combined with a possible cruise that ends and returns to Martinique.

 

Currently, we have not traveled since March 2020 as we have adhered to Covid 19 social distancing guidelines. At this point, a day trip out within twenty miles of home is an adventure. 

 

Our cars also carry the license plates of shame (Florida) so while we have been self quarantining, traveling out of state could cause us problems.

Too funny about the "license plates of shame"!😀

We have only been to Martinique once in all of our time cruising the Caribbean.  But what a beautiful and friendly place.  We would definitely go back there for a week or two.

[MamaFej]

I'll jump on the Italy bandwagon and share a link to my favorite place (so far). This agriturismo in Tuscany, near San Gimignano was recommended to us by Hubby's chief, and we've recommended it to several firefighters who've all loved it. 90-95% of the food and beverages served there were grown or raised on the farm/vineyards. 

 

http://fattoriapoggioalloro.com/?lang=en

 

The proprietor wrote an amazing book: A Family Farm in Tuscany, with the history of the land and the family, as well as recipes using what's fresh on the farm each month. It's a gorgeous book, well worth purchasing, even if you don't plan to travel there.

[MISTER 67]

Greece and Italy.

[markeb]

The odd thing with me and Italy is I'm much more comfortable north of the Alps, or even in the Alps. I speak enough German (Bayerisch, really) to get into trouble, and maybe out of it. So that gets me from Germany to Austria to parts of Switzerland and the Süd Tyrol of Italy (actually at least some ability to communicate in a number of European countries that sat on the major invasion routes between France and the various German states for centuries). And having lived and driven there, I'm perfectly comfortable at 170-180 km/hr on the stretches of the Autobahn that allow it, and those stretches are mostly still in areas where no self respecting German would do something stupid like pass on the right or run a yellow (yes, I said YELLOW) light. It was a long time ago, but we were mistaken for Bavarians a few times in Garmisch-Partenkirchen!

 

Italy is always high adventure to me on the road from that background. And I speak almost no Italian. But the countryside and the food! And the cities I've been able to visit (Venice, a long time ago, and actually sick with what turned out to be strep throat two days later back in Germany; Verona; Florence; Pisa; and a couple of years ago Naples) were all great. I guess I'd consider a tour, but I'd rather torture myself learning enough Italian to survive, and get a car with a good GPS (and an automatic transmission...), and enjoy being there on our own.

 

I know you can get to both of them via a ocean cruise although we haven't, but I loved Amsterdam and want to return. It's a strange city in many ways, but I've probably been to Brussels twenty times in the last twenty years. I enjoy it, and it's a great jumping off point. I want to go there with DW, explore the city a bit, get out to Brugge with her (I've been), maybe take her to Ypres (couple of hours by train if memory serves), visit Waterloo (I've always been working in Brussels), and finally go to Bastogne.

 

All of which means I may be missing travel more than cruising...