PORTS OF CALL

[JillD66]

Are there any experts on the forum at the moment?

I'm trying to find details of ports for upcoming Arcadia cruise but the link to "ports of call" doesnt appear to work.

Help please!

[Manoverboard]

While you wait .... list the Ports and we will try to help you.

[oldbluefox]

I couldn't find Peter's list either.
Hopefully somebody else will.
Which ports are you thinking of Jill? I feel sure someone will be able to help.

[Manoverboard]

Tis a Dropbox 404 error ... which says

File not found

Sorry, that file doesn’t live here anymore. It might have been moved or made private.

Not certain if that's a D63 or a Peter type problem

[david63]

Not certain if that's a D63 or a Peter type problem

It is a Peter problem

[JillD66]

I'm glad its not just my age!!

Were going on Arcadia 21st May. Were going to Barcelona, Toulon, La Spezia (for Pisa & Florence), Sorrento & Ferrol.

We've been to all of these apart from Toulon, so were really looking for something different (not too busy).

Tried to book the trip to Amalfi and its waitlisted. Been to Capri several times and had a day trip in Sorrento.

Any recommendations gratefully received!

[Manoverboard]

Sorrento - Try a boat trip to the Island of Ischia else book a trip to Amalfi through Viator ?

https://www.italyguides.it/en/campania/isle-of-ischia

https://www.viator.com/Sorrento/d947-ttd

Have you walked down to the harbour for a Pizza and a glass or two of wine or got on a local bus to one of the many local villages to the West of Sorrento ?

[Kenmo1]

We have visited Barcelona several times and because we were there on our Golden Wedding Anniversary day we decided to go to Montserrat which is something we have always wanted to do. It is high up in the mountains about a 3/4 hours coach ride from the city. There is a Benedictine Abbey and stunning rock formations. We did the PO excursion. We pre-booked it and I think we paid something like £36 each minus our 10% loyalty discount. The coach takes you up so far and then you catch a small train which takes you right to the Abbey area. The train is included in the PO price. There is lots to see and there are adequate toilets and a restaurant. We needed jeans and a jacket and when we first arrived it was misty but that soon cleared and we had lovely bright blue sky. We could see a massive dark cloud in the distance and heard thunder and this turned out to be a downpour over Barcelona and a lot of people got soaked.

I think you can do the trip independently but we are not that brave. However, in the distance we could see a funicular railway which went up to a very high peak and if we ever stayed in Barcelona I would like to do that.

I was so pleased I did that trip.
Maureen

[Jean W]

I wholeheartedly agree with Maureen about Montserrat. A beautiful trip. We did it with P&O and asked locals at the Station which was the best side to sit on the train!

[Kenmo1]

We have been to La Spezia before so decided to catch a local bus to Porto Venere, totally forgetting that we were there on Easter Monday and I think the whole of Italy had the same idea as us and, in fact, caught the same bus as us. We were squashed together and the driver still picked up more people. The only place that he wasn't filling up was the roof like they do in India. Health and Safety has not reached Italy yet. We left the port (mandatory port shuttle bus as it is a busy working port) and went to the Tourist Office which was extremely efficient and well laid out. We bought a Bigletto Giornaliero (Daily Ticket) for 5 euros each so that covered us for to and from Port Venere and if we had had more time we could have caught the bus in the other direction to Lerici or Sarzana. I'm not sure that it would cover you for the Cinque Terre ports but we weren't brave enough to tackle those in just one day and with hindsight I think it would have been a mammoth task on a Bank Holiday. We crossed the road on the zebra crossing with a petrol station on our left. We carried straight ahead through a plaza to the main road and crossed over to some arches and waited there for a bus (number P or I think the other one is number 11). Don't forget to validate your ticket in the yellow machine just the once, when you get on the bus and it puts the date and time on your ticket as it lasts till midnight on that day. The bus stops at the top of Porto Venere and then you walk 5 minutes down the hill to the promenade. Very picturesque with a church and a fort up on a hill with stunning views. As we walked back to the left we looked back at the colourful houses/bars/ restaurants and realised what a decidedly dodgy looking lot of buildings they are and they look ready to fall into the sea anytime soon. You go back up the hill to where you got off to catch the bus back to La Spezia. A very enjoyable day on a sunny day with lovely scenery.

[Kenmo1]

Now that I have re-read my entries just a couple of clarifications. The coach trip to Montserrat was three quarters of an hour, not the 3 to 4 hours I have made it look like.

I have found the leaflet about the daily ticket we bought in La Spezia and it looks like you can use it for the Cinque Terre ports.

[qbman1]

I definitely agree about Ischia - a really good day out. You can also DIY it

[david63]

I wholeheartedly agree with Maureen about Montserrat. A beautiful trip. We did it with P&O and asked locals at the Station which was the best side to sit on the train!

I agree that Montserrat is well worth a visit but we found that, as is typical with P&O excursions, that there was not enough time to really do the place justice - and certainly not enough time to go to the top.

[Manoverboard]

Toulon - Walk-a-bout in the old town or maybe a trip to Aix-en-Provence to see the fountains etc else a visit to one of the pretty coastal villages in this area.

Another ' tick ' for Montserrat

[oldbluefox]

We weren't impressed with Toulon. Not a great deal to see or do so given the chance I would do an excursion.

[Kenmo1]

We weren't impressed with Toulon. Not a great deal to see or do so given the chance I would do an excursion.

Totally agree, OBF. We will do the same next time we call there. We actually moored at La Seyne sur Mer and had to go by free shuttle boat (took 198 at a time) to get into Toulon.

Maureen

[screwy]

From Toulon we did the P&O tour to Cassis, very nice little spot with a hair raising ride to get there, well worth it.

[Kenmo1]

From Toulon we did the P&O tour to Cassis, very nice little spot with a hair raising ride to get there, well worth it.

That's useful to know, screwy, as we are calling into Toulon on a cruise next April so I must try and remember that. I have just looked up some information on Cassis and it looks worth a visit. Not so sure about the hair raising ride though.

Maureen

[screwy]

From Toulon we did the P&O tour to Cassis, very nice little spot with a hair raising ride to get there, well worth it.

That's useful to know, screwy, as we are calling into Toulon on a cruise next April so I must try and remember that. I have just looked up some information on Cassis and it looks worth a visit. Not so sure about the hair raising ride though.

Maureen

Dont let it put you off, it's worth the ride.

[JillD66]

Thanks for the many suggestions. We came home the first week in June and I thought you might be interested to know what we actually did at the ports.

Vigo – La Toja island by Trolley train (4.5 hours) Extremely enjoyable – weather sunny & warm. Tapas at Hotel Louxo at La Toja was excellent.

Cartagena – Murcia on your own. Interesting place but too many shops!

Barcelona – Have been a few times before, so didnt purchase Barcelona tour.. Spent most of the time rambling in Las Ramblas! Due to heat and the fact our stay was Friday/Saturday – we found it more comfortable to walk up the main street early morning and meander in less busy side streets later in the day.

Would have liked to do a trip to Monserrat, as suggested, but it wasnt covered by P & O and we didnt feel confident about doing it on our own.

-Evening Flamenco show & Sangria – well the dancing was extremely good. Our guide was not! There were a few coaches from the Arcadia. Our coach was the first to leave the quayside but we eventually were seated last, at tables located at the back of the theatre, so our view of the stage was limited. There was a local dance act doing a couple performances on the ship, and we managed to return in time to see the later one.

Toulon – we actually docked at Mole d'armement pier at Seyne sur Mer, which is a 20 minute shuttle (ferry) ride to Toulon. It made little difference to us, as we went by coach to Cassis. It was a brilliant choice of tour. Cassis was almost like a mini St Tropez – a pretty harbour and a beach where you could swim. Unfortunately we didnt have long enough at this stop which was a shame.

La Spezia – We've been to both Florence & Pisa, albeit a few years back, so decided to do a trip
Lucca on your own – lovely walled town. Easy to walk around with lots of shade!

Sorrento - The Amalfi coast – drive along the coast with amazing views (as long as you remember to sit on the righthand side) with stops at Positano (15 minutes) and Amalfi (about1 hour). The return journey didnt come back along the coast!

Olbia – Maddalena Archipelago by boat – I think this was one of our favourite trips. We sat on the top deck of the boat – weather was hot and sunny – stopped at a small beach for a swim and then back on board where we were served a local snack, in the shade!

Gibraltar – Just the afternoon here and we just walked into town for shopping and a beer. When we walked back the temperature was 35 – but I'm sure the exercise did us good.

El Ferrol – Our 2nd visit here and the first time we visited the Naval Museum, which was good. This time we went to Pazo De Oca Gardens. The gardens were lovely – not many flowers in bloom, but it was early June – but the whole place needed a lot of tlc! One person was in a wheelchair and had to spend the trip in a small flat area as the pathways were inaccessible for him. I think P & O ought to have conducted a reccie as the only toilet appeared to be in a sort of cave! We then went to a small hotel for wine & tapas (not cup of tea or coffee as advertised), followed by a quick talk about their vineyard.

We really enjoyed our cruise on Arcadia, although she's looking a bit tired. Weather was brilliant and the few new ports made it more interesting.

Jill

[oldbluefox]

Thanks for reporting back Jill. Pleased you had a good time.
In Barcelona did you find there were fewer 'living statues' than on previous occasions. The first time we went it was really busy with them but for the last couple of occasions La Ramblas has seemed very quiet. I wonder if it has anything to do with the day you are there.
I wish I had known about sitting on the right hand side of the coach for the Amalfi trip.We were stuck on the left and sat opposite somebody sat next to the window who was not one bit interested in the view and spent most of the tour sleeping!!! I wasn't too concerned as I thought we would get the views on the way back. Wrong!!!

[qbman1]

Thanks for reporting back Jill. Pleased you had a good time.
In Barcelona did you find there were fewer 'living statues' than on previous occasions. The first time we went it was really busy with them but for the last couple of occasions La Ramblas has seemed very quiet. I wonder if it has anything to do with the day you are there.
I wish I had known about sitting on the right hand side of the coach for the Amalfi trip.We were stuck on the left and sat opposite somebody sat next to the window who was not one bit interested in the view and spent most of the tour sleeping!!! I wasn't too concerned as I thought we would get the views on the way back. Wrong!!!

Duh ! If you're heading south on the west coast, then the sea is on your right !

[oldbluefox]

But if you are thinking the coach comes back the same way it doesn't matter. How was I to know it didn't return the same way? Not psychic!!!

[Kenmo1]

I am finding this thread extremely useful as we have two cruises booked for next year. One calls at Sorrento so now I know to sit on the right-hand side of the coach if we do the Amalfi trip and the other cruise calls in at Salerno so I assume that we will need to sit on the left hand side of the coach if we do the Amalfi trip then. Like OBF I would have assumed that the coach would return the same way.

I see that Sorrento is marked as a tender port which can tend to slow disembarking so probably we will just wander around Sorrento and leave the Amalfi trip until we visit Salerno. Is there enough in Sorrento to keep us occupied for a few hours other than just gazing at the views.

Thanks for starting the thread JillD and for your review - most helpful.

Maureen

[JillD66]

OBF, the "living statues" in Barcelona were greatly reduced from the last time we were in Barcelona. Although we didn't walk the entire length of La Ramblas, we only saw 2 and they were near the port end.

In Gibraltar we also saw 2 statues - one of which was a motor cyclist who appeared to be flying! As he was in full leathers and the temperature around 30, we donated to his fund!

Concerning the Amalfi trip - I was told to sit on the righthand side of the coach before we went - you learn by mistakes! I too was hoping to return by the same road but in vain!

Maureen - although Sorrento is a tender port, as we booked the P & O Amalfi trip, we were among the first groups to be disembarked. The tour lasted 8 hours but we had plenty of time as the ship docked about 7.30 and all were back on board by 17.30.