Darn - not going to Croatia on Breakaway June 2023

[Oceansaway17]

looks like my cruise got a change of ports.  Not doing Dubrovnik but instead going to Malta.

hmm not sure what to think as Croatia was supposed to be a great port.

On the other hand, wondering how Malta will be.

[GALSews]

23 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

looks like my cruise got a change of ports.  Not doing Dubrovnik but instead going to Malta.

hmm not sure what to think as Croatia was supposed to be a great port.

On the other hand, wondering how Malta will be.

We've been to both. The NCL tour we took in Malta was interesting - we went to a museum where we saw a pygmy elephant and then went to another site where we saw prehistoric structures. Of course, Dubrovnik has the castle in Game of Thrones. 

[SpainAlien]

Malta is lovely. You dock at the walled city of Valetta. You can get the lift up to the ramparts from just in front of the port for a couple of Euros. Once in Valetta you can walk around the city which is very hilly and visit museums: the armoury is good as are the war tunnels from the 2nd World War. Alternatively you can get the ferry across to Sliema which is more like a modern Mediterranean holiday resort. The scuba diving around Malta is very good. There are excursions to some interesting places where Gladiator was filmed for example.

 

To be honest I do prefer Dubrovnik but Malta does definitely have it's attractions and is worth a visit

 

[LisaLisa87]

I would be disappointed too as Croatia is on my “must do” list for our next Med cruise. On a positive note, we visited Malta on our first (and so far only) Med cruise and LOVED it. The taxi drivers there give tours with set prices, which were very reasonable when we were there. We went straight to the Blue Grotto to beat the tour bus crowds. We were on one of the first boats, and it was gorgeous! Then we went to the walled city of Mdina. Very cool. Our driver then drove us to a few more of the popular sites before dropping us off in Valletta. We walked around, exploring on our own for awhile, then we took the lift down and headed back to the dock. We ate at one of the waterfront restaurants and then got back on the ship. It was a great day!

[complawyer]

never been to malta, but was in croatia a few years back. out of the 2, i think dubrovnik would win hands down. its a beautiful and picturesque city and personally i would be mega disappointed, but thats the risk one takes on a cruise. ports can be changed at any time for any reason

[phillygwm]

17 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

looks like my cruise got a change of ports.  Not doing Dubrovnik but instead going to Malta.

hmm not sure what to think as Croatia was supposed to be a great port.

On the other hand, wondering how Malta will be.

Never been to Malta but Dubrovnik was on my list of ports I wanted to visit.  Finally did, back in 2019.  I found it underwhelming.  GOT fans were crawling all over the castle.  I skipped that and had breakfast a couple blocks away, then went back to the ship.  In retrospect, probably would have preferred Malta.

 

[LisaLisa87]

One more thing to add to my earlier post...

 

The sail in to Malta is amazing and not to be missed. I had to get up really early for ours, but it was worth it!

 

Sail in to Malta

 

Grand Harbour

 

The entrance to Mdina (and also Kings Landing)

 

Blue Grotto

 

Boats at Blue Grotto

 

Valletta

Edited February 9, 2022 by LisaLisa87

[Oceansaway17]

thanks for all the comments.  I guess I will like Malta.  It is the place that Princess Elizabeth lived at with young kids before she became queen and Philip was still in the Navy.

[ECCruise]

Been to both many times.

 

Know that Dubrovnik is now trendy (we first visited there in 2001, not long after the war).  The last time we visited was in 2019 and it was a crowded, wall to wall mess.  Had to walk a long way to avoid the mass of crowds.

 

The sail in/out to Valletta in Malta is incredible.  Much to see in Malta.  Most people speak English. You dock right below the main town.  One of our favorite ports. 

 

 

[lixogab]

Malta is pretty interesting place to visit. You can spend couple of hours just wandering Valetta streets. Then you take a city bus and visit the medieval city of Mdina. With excursions you have even more places to visit.

[lixogab]

21 hours ago, GALSews said:

We've been to both. The NCL tour we took in Malta was interesting - we went to a museum where we saw a pygmy elephant and then went to another site where we saw prehistoric structures. Of course, Dubrovnik has the castle in Game of Thrones. 

Malta has several GOT locations as well, starting with Mdina gate.

[BklynBorn47]

We visited Malta on our own for 4 days and LOVED it.  True, I was following the entries & photos of my Dad's WWII diary so there was that personal connection, but many GOT locations as well and not nearly as mobbed as Dubrovnik in season.  The best time we had there was in the winter.  Yeah, we needed warm clothes, but we actually got to see stuff.

Note: I do not "complain" about tourists since I AM a tourist, this is just my own observation.  

[GALSews]

1 hour ago, lixogab said:

Malta has several GOT locations as well, starting with Mdina gate.

We were in Malta before GOT. In Dubrovnik when the series was in its early years.

[trex-de]

Changed it in October 2023 as well. Thanks for the info. Trolling forward to Malta

[MichiganBound]

I've been to and thoroughly enjoyed both.  You won't be disappointed with Malta.  As others have said, the sail-in and sail-out are lovely.   I have had fun exploring Valetta several times.  You will enjoy it.  Get to Dubrovnik the next time.   

[Laszlo]

On 2/8/2022 at 6:53 PM, Oceansaway17 said:

looks like my cruise got a change of ports.  Not doing Dubrovnik but instead going to Malta.

hmm not sure what to think as Croatia was supposed to be a great port.

On the other hand, wondering how Malta will be.

Thats a shame, my wife and I spent a week in Dubrovnik in 2019. Loved everything about the city, hopefully you'll make it someday

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by Laszlo