All tagged Cruise Planning

Eight Hours Ashore in Le Havre, France - Cruise Port Profile

Popular Cruise Port Le Havre is in the Département Seine Maritime part of the Normandy region, situated on the north coast of France. Cruise Ships dock within walking distance of Le Havre town centre which is probably the ‘marmite’ of cruise destinations - with as many people loving it as hating it! It is in Normandy - a region famous for its food, in particular apples. sea-food and dairy products. One of Frances most important deep water ports, Le Havre is situated at the mouth of the Seine river which links Paris to the sea. The reconstruction of the town by August Perret after the catastrophic damage of WW2 is now viewed by many as an outstanding example of urban planning - leading to its position as a UNESCO Heritage Site.

Eight Hours Ashore in Le Havre, France - Cruise Port Profile

Popular Cruise Port Le Havre is in the Département Seine Maritime part of the Normandy region, situated on the north coast of France. Cruise Ships dock within walking distance of Le Havre town centre which is probably the ‘marmite’ of cruise destinations - with as many people loving it as hating it! It is in Normandy - a region famous for its food, in particular apples. sea-food and dairy products. One of Frances most important deep water ports, Le Havre is situated at the mouth of the Seine river which links Paris to the sea. The reconstruction of the town by August Perret after the catastrophic damage of WW2 is now viewed by many as an outstanding example of urban planning - leading to its position as a UNESCO Heritage Site.

5 Hours Ashore in Athens, Greece

Arriving early on a clear, crisp, sunny November morning, we decided to take the chance to visit Lycabettus Hill - the tallest of the seven hills in Athens - standing about 300 metres above sea level - somewhere we had seen (you can’t really miss it from almost anywhere in Athens) but had never actually visited.

Eight Hours Ashore in Kerala…

Back at the start of the year - when the world looked very, very different and we had no idea how lucky we were - we took cruise on a Dubai - Singapore route onboard Celebrity Constellation. As we were travelling to some completely unfamiliar countries and ports we decided to change our usual DIY approach to going ashore for a couple of ports partly also because we had some very short days in port. A recommendation in talkExplore Facebook group led us to take a look at the excursions from the Viator Company.

Venice - birthplace of portExplore...

On Valentines day I was thinking about the title of ‘Most Romantic City in the World’ in relation to cruise destinations and for me the most romantic destination for cruisers it just HAS to be Venice! I know the title is meant for Paris, but much as I like Le Havre it doesn’t seem a very Romantic cruise destination!! So I’m voting for Venice (for as long as they’ll have us!) and it was while I was looking for some pictures from my various visits that I thought that I should tell you the story of how PortExplore was born in Venice…

Saga schedule June 27th return to UK cruising

Saga’s 2021 season is scheduled to begin on 27th June when Spirit of Discovery will set off from Tilbury a six day trip Scottish Highlands and Islands Cruise visiting the Shetland Islands and Scotland ports.


All guests will be UK passport holders, in the over 50 age group and must have completed a full vaccination cycle. Pre-departure testing will take place in the London Cruise terminal before boarding, and include a full medical screening.


Which side of a Cruise Ship is Best?

A ship can tie up on either side and could face either into or out of the port - so one side does not consistently have better views in port. Once you're in the open ocean, the view will be pretty much the same on either side - ships really don’t often sail that close to shore. If you’re arriving into port or cruising near somewhere amazing - past Stromboli volcano for example - then you want to be up on deck, looking forward to see the all ocean around you, to make sure you get the full experience! For this you can either go high to the top decks or search out a lower viewing deck that’s open to passengers - the helipad at the bow is very popular but you may need an invitation or a pass. When Cruising in an inlet - say into the Fjords, Kotor or parts of Alaska - the ship will go in facing one way and come out facing the other, so both sides will get the best view at some point! And for some ‘scenic cruising’ such as in Hubbard Glacier the ship actually turns gently in a full 360* circle so everyone will get the same view from their balcony.

I love sunsets and am fairly unlikely to even see the dawn so on a passage - a cruise that start in one place and ends in another - there will generally be a side that will get better sunsets. On these itineraries, choose a port side cabin for sunsets if you're sailing north or west, or to see sunrise if you're sailing south or east (or choose starboard for the opposite). But most cruises go out and round and back to where they started so then it really won’t matter at all
There are a couple of specific places it could make a difference …



Going Ashore - new Covid rules may change plans.

Sailaway - safely back onboard ship and the perfect time to reflect on an awesome day spent ashore!

But the perfect day isn't something that just happens is it? It needs planning!

And it's difficult to plan ahead at the moment because the rules on cruising are changing all the time.

So we have thought about the best way to move forward in the current uncertainty.

Read our Blog post GOING ASHORE and see if you agree...