This cruise had a good itinerary with plenty of stops in great places. My wife and I travelled in Princess Grill accommodation which was adequate ( this was our 31st cruise nearly all Cunard). We elected to avoid the Princess Grill dining room altogether and enjoyed buffet service in the Lido.. Now bearing in mind that cruising seems to be all about dining and its experience we definitely were 'off message' Efforts were made to encourage us to go to the Grills restaurant.
The service we received was attentive and friendly and we had a great time doing our own thing.
The shops were actually lacklustre with stuff we wouldn't normally buy, high end is great but very limiting. On this cruise the theatre was also a bit mundane although it was packed so glad that others enjoyed it night after night.
As regards to the accommodation, whilst okay, getting in and out of the bath to have a shower gets more difficult as our age advances and also the cabin was really cold with the air conditioning ( turn it up or down I hear you say) well there seemed to be only two settings either Hot or very cold and specifically at the settee part of the room. Fortunately it was hot outside but air con when it is cold is very cold... no point in whingeing about that but worthy of a mention
Palma was full! Loads of people everywhere very busy. Using the hop on hop off bus allowed us to get around. We didn't do many of the actual tourist sights but did get to see things from the bus. The waterfront with all its yachts were nice to see as was the exterior of the Cathedral
Another Hop on and Hop off bus, we went to the Acropolis and Parthenon and had a meal in its shadow in the local café ( which had toilets!) That bus was a great way to get about, and came to the cruise dock so was an easy. It was around eight miles to Athens. We enjoyed the stop.. The weather was stonkingly hot but we were prepared for that
A tender port , sadly a bit windy and that meant rough seas for the tender and us! When we got to the dock, there were uneven walkways which were very steep. We did the usual tourist bits including the cable car , no queues despite what other write ups had warned against, local shops with tourist stuff abounded, coffee and smoothies were great whilst looking at fantastic views. We sailed as the sun set and it was, to say the least a pretty place. We enjoyed the stop and will remember the steep slopes. There are donkeys to take people up the slopes but if anyone is cruel enough to use them in the heat, you may find that you pay more than the cable car!
Another hop on hop off bus ( not a red one) Bit of a worry using them due to them being so busy and not everyone getting off. Its an issue for time bounded cruisers. Our destination was Knossos, loads of ruins etc. We declined to pay entrance fee due to it being a big site, very hot and with limited mobility. We hit the local shops and enjoyed them, even saw a peacock fly. This site is fully of mythology and history and is worth a visit . Great stop
What a great place! We docked within walking distance to the fishing port shops and there were loads of them not just tourist stuff ie junk but some decent stuff too. Loads of cafes etc and simply idyllic . No hassling from shopkeepers and a great attitude. Worth a little discussion on price since there seems to be a cash price and a higher credit card price. This was a great stop. Loved it and the coffee was great also
Nice stop, Walking distance to the local shops etc along a nice front. The main shops across the road were under arches where cafes abounded ( and toilets) All tourist stuff, fair prices for a coffee and an ice cream. Very hot day when we were there. Enjoyed the plac
It is what it is, an ' English' destination with most shops run by Asians, just like in the UK, with loads of tourist stuff .. I'm not too sure about all the duty free stuff because nothing was overly cheap. Its a great stop for a couple of hours. . Anyone who has been here several times will be less excited for this port. Gibraltar has been been a building site forever it seems and noisy and dusty. No one can say its a nice place when compared to other stops