2018, A to Z Challenge, Cruises, Europe, Italy, Travel Notes

N = Naples

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A to Z Ports = Naples, Italy

Where you dock in Naples really couldn’t be any better. You are docked at Stazione Maritima with quick access to Naples city centre. There are several choices — fast ferries can take you to the Isle of Capri, and a short walk will take you to the Metro Station. Or head to the large castle on the left of the port and you will find the central stop for the hop on, hop off buses. You can also head to the train station to go to Pompeii. There will be all sorts of tour guides at the front of the port terminal. This is a port with a lot of options.

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The other thing you can be certain of is construction — it will be everywhere! Many people take off for the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii or Capri, but there are some wonderful things to see in Naples, even if all you do is get lost wandering its narrow streets. And, if you want to see the treasures of Pompeii, but don’t want to make the trip, go the the Archaeological Museum, as it is the home of some of the best of Pompeii.

Here are some of my previous posts about Naples

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2018, A to Z Challenge, Cruises, South America, Travel Notes, Uruguay

M = Montevideo

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A to Z Ports = Montevideo

Montevideo, Uruguay is a small port that allows you to simply walk off the ship and into the center of this capital city. My plan was to just walk around the city, however that changed when I talked to a tour operator and soon a group of eight of us were driving along the coastline. The driver was very happy to share information about his city and its sites. and it was nice to see things that I would not have seen, had I stayed in the city central. We concluded our tour at the Capitol Building and were given the choice of going back to the ship, or staying in the city.  I opted to stay, so I could walk through the market and back to the ship. It was a nice walk, with many small shops and restaurants along the way.

 

More posts about Montevideo

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2018, A to Z Challenge, Cruises, Europe, Portugal, Travel Notes

L = Lisbon

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A to Z Ports: Lisbon, Portugal

The port of Lisbon is very popular with cruise ship lines. Most ships will dock at Doca de Alcantara, which is near the 25th of April bridge, which is very similar to the San Francisco Bridge. There is no reason to stay on the ship with all that Lisbon has to offer!

Most ships spending the day in port will offer a shuttle to Praca do Comercio near the pedestrian area of central Lisbon. This is a very central location and easy place to find transit to other areas of Lisbon. Two trams are of special notice, if you have limited time in Lisbon, Tram No. 28 is a old-fashioned wooden tram that goes to the Castelo de Sao Jorge and Tram 15 goes to the Belem area.

View of the opera house and Plaza from the Santa Justa Elevator
View of the castle from the Santa Justa Elevator
Santa Justa Elevator
Pedestrian area in downtown Lisbon
Beautiful tilework on building in Lisbon
Gate to downtown Lisbon
Castelo de Sao Jorge
Castelo de Sao Jorge

 

Here is my past post about Lisbon.

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2018, A to Z Challenge, Cruises, Orkney Islands, Travel Notes

K = Kirkwall

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A to Z Ports: Kirkwall, Orkney Island

The main port for the Orkney Islands is at Kirkwall. You can easily walk off the ship and into the town of Kirkwall. But there s also so much to see on the island, including Skara Brae, a Neolithic village, The Ring of Brodgar, and Maeshowe, a chambered tomb.

In the morning, I took at tour to see sights of the island.

In the afternoon, I walked through the the town of Kirkwall, which includes the Cathedral of St. Magnus and the Bishop’s Castle.

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2018, A to Z Challenge, Cruises, Travel Notes

J = Jamaica

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A to Z Ports: Jamaica’s Montego Bay

The port for Jamaica’s Montego Bay is fairly boring, but it is an easy cab ride to the city that should cost a flat rate of $5.00. Montego Bay is lined with different beach bars, shops, and Colonial houses. It’s a nice beach town. For cruisers, if is also a stopping point for other excursions. These include trips to Dunn’s River Falls and Negril.

I spent my day in Negril on the beach at Margaritaville and then at Rick’s to watch the cliff divers.

2018, A to Z Challenge, Cruises, Travel Notes

I = If you don’t have a plan on your cruise

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A to Z Ports: If you don’t have a plan…

Now I really do not understand this, but I have been on several cruises where people have no clue where we are going and what ports we are visiting. I plan my cruise by the places it will go – and you can probably imagine how strange it felt for me to take a “Mystery Cruise” where we did not know where we were go!

So, if you don’t have a plan, what can you do when you sail into a port?

  1. You can arrange to take one of the ship’s excursions. For people who plan, you can reserve before you board the ship and your excursion tickets will be waiting for you I your cabin. But, if you do not plan, get to know your shore excursion staff. They can help you choose the best option for yourself. Just know that you will probably be on a large bus with 35 to 40 other people and the tour guide will need “herd” you around in order to see everything on the list and get you back to the ship on time. One very good policy, if you are on a ship’s excursion, you are guaranteed to make it back to the ship before it sails.
  2. Can you just walk off the ship and take your chances? Of course!  When I am travelling alone, there are times I make no special plans (although I like to do research, so I know if you can walk off the ship and into town, or if there is a shuttle bus or hop, on, hop off bus that will runs to town). In many ports, there will be various tours you can arrange at the port and, as a solo traveler, I have found groups of people who will share a small tour. There is also an organization called Greeters that will also provide tours of their cities.
  3. Don’t want to do a lot of planning? Join a Cruise Critic Roll Call!  There will be several people in your roll-call who are trying to put together smaller tour groups. Let them to the work, and you can join the tour! This has been a great advantage for me in several ports as I was able to see things farther away from the port and get to know some of my fellow passengers who had similar interests.  I would really suggest doing this for St. Petersburg, Russia. We used SPB Tours and they were amazing!
  4. There is always just wandering around to see what will draw you. Yes, I’ve done this too – and it is a great way to spend a day.

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2018, Cruises, Cuba, Cuba, Travel Notes

H = Havana

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A to Z Ports: Havana, Cuba

Sailing into the port of Havana as only been open for four years on a cruise ship has only been available for the past few years. A Canadian company setup a partnership with Celestial Cruise Ships. For the first two years, they did a week-long cruise around the island and allowed passengers to board at either Havana (mostly for Canadians and Europeans) or Montego Bay, Jamaica (for US citizens). The ship was older, some of the cabins were a bit funky, but the entertainment was amazing and the mostly Cuban staff was friendly and extremely helpful. Because it was a small ship, it would dock in some unusual places.

For the Port of Havana, the dock is across the street from the plaza in front of the San Francisco of Assisi Plaza, making this an easy walk throughout old town Havana.

If you walk along the beginning of the Malecon, you will come to a stand for Coco taxis. I highly recommend negotiating a tour with one of these and heading down the Malecon! I had such fun and my driver, Nadia, was very good at showing me the highlights of Havana – as well as some of her personal favorite places.

It is so easy to just walk off the ship and explore this fascinating city. Language can be a barrier, so learn some basic Spanish so you can talk to the locals. Most of the people who work in the bars and restaurants speak English, but it is always nice to know a little of the local language.

In some of the plazas, you will see people dancing or dressed in colourful costumes. Don’t just take their pictures, but ask or permission. Most will agree, some may ask for something in exchange. I was standing on a street corner with several other people waiting for a bus when some guys came by pushing a cart filled with vegetables to sell. All of a sudden, everyone (except me) seemed to have their camera or cell phone out to take a picture. Finally, one of the guys looked over and said “hey, this is our life. If you want a picture, ask.” There is something to be said for being polite.

Celestial runs its own Cuba cruise now, and changed the itinerary, missing the north side of the island completely. Some US-based cruise lines are now visiting Havana. If you get the chance, go! There is no place like Havana!

For more posts, click on the menu above for Cuba or the A-Z Challenge for 2016!

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2018, A to Z Challenge, Cruises, Europe, Greece, Travel Notes

G = Greece

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A to Z Ports: Greece’s Port of Rhodes

One of my favorite ports to visit is Rhodes, Greece. I visited it on my first cruise and I decided to forgo a group tour and explore Old Town Rhodes on my own. I had prepared and studied the maps of this port and yet, I learned an important lesson. I can get lost in a walled city, but I can also find my way back.

Cruise ships dock very close the one of the gates in the wall that surrounds Rhodes. From there, it is very easy to wander your way through this charming, ancient Greek city.

Ship docked near the walls

The walls were originally built by the Knights of St. John who made this their headquarters until they were defeated and forced to relocate and ending up in Malta. There is the Palace of the Grand Master and the Avenue of Knights that tells their story.

There is also a Archaeological Museum and, at the base of the Avenue of Knights, are the ruins of the Temple of Aphrodite.

And, of course, there are cafes where you can sit and watch the world go by. Of course, I had to get my usual cup of espresso (with a thanks to my waiter who took the photo.

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Rhodes is a place I enjoy visiting and would love to spend more time there.

Here is a previous post about Rhodes.

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2018, A to Z Challenge, Cruises, Europe, Finland, Travel Notes

F = Finland

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A to Z Ports- Helsinki, Finland

Most ships sailing to Helsinki will dock close to the commercial area, which is not close to any of the attractions. However, when a cruise ship is in port, the hop-on, hop off bus makes a special stop at the ship, so it is a good option forgetting to most of the main sites of the city, with great drop off points. Once in the city centre, it is easy to find the craft and food market, high-end shopping and great places for a nice coffee or a bite to eat.

The craft market was a great place to wander, see local artisans at work and meet some of the friendliest people who wanted to share information about their work.

If you are lucky, there will be performances in the park across the street from the market. We were entertained by live jazz music and various street performers.

A special hint, sometimes it is hard to find public washrooms. While the train station’s architecture is beautiful, skip the washrooms (they were dirty and you still had to pay). Instead, the City Hall, which is near the market, has free washrooms and they were clean.

Here are some links to my previous posts about Helsinki.

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2018, A to Z Challenge, Asia, Cruises, Travel Notes, Turkey

E = Ephesus

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A to Z Ports – Ephesus

The closest port of Ephesus, Turkey is Kusadasi. It is easily accessible and there is a lot to do at the port, especially if you like to shop, haggle and eat amazingly fresh seafood and Turkish cuisine.

If you want to see the various sites of Ephesus, you will have to arrange a tour, either through the ship’s excursion desk or, as I did, with a private group of people that I met from the Cruise Critic Roll-Call chat room for the sailing I was on. Our tour took 8 of us to the Archeological Museum, St. John’s Basilica, a 14th century mosque, the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, the House of Mary and the archeological site of Ephesus, including the excavations of some houses.

We had lunch at a rug consortium where we saw silk worms and met some of the women who were learning how to weave the intricate Turkish rugs.

While we were at the Temple of Artemis, a young boy approached us to sell postcards. I did not think much of it until we were back in Kusadasi and I was walking through the market back to the ship and there, in front of one of the souvenir shops was the same boy that we saw at the temple. He grinned sheepishly at me as I passed the shop and I laughed a bit. It was a nice way to end a long but wonderful day.

Here are my past post about Ephesus.

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Just cruisin' around the world

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