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Looking for feedback and guidance on these ports

I am planning a vacation for my Mother-Father in-laws who have never been oversees. They can not walk for long periods of time. They wanted a cruise and we selected a NCL itinerary. I do not know these Spanish and French ports well and I am looking for feedback and guidance.
We start in Lisbon, Portugal —> Vigo, Spain —> La Coruna, Spain —> Bilbao, Spain —> Bordeaux (Le Verdon), France —> Rotterdam, Netherlands—> Brussels, Belgium —> Paris (Le Havre), France —> London, England.

Is this a good itinerary?

Posted by
372 posts

If you’re looking for ease of use, I’d really look at your cruise ship info for tours and excursions offered they meet you right at the ship, your in-laws won’t have to handle anything aside from meeting at the designated spot and time.

You should also look at where these ports really are/where ship is vs how long to get to the desired activity. Are they ok with 1-2 hour each way rides? Something to know before booking excursions

Posted by
818 posts

I cannot speak to all of your proposed ports, but i do know about a few. Lisbon is a wonderful city, but it is full of steep and not-so-steep hills and (in the rain) slick sidewalks. You will be able to use the elevators, but in our experience, Uber was a great solution. Very inexpensive and quick between parts of the city. Lisbon is full of small, largely accessible museum. I would recommend that decide whatever you think you will be most interested, plan it out, then consider 1.5 or even 2x the amount of time, just to make it easier on them. Le Havre was practically blown off the map during WW II and consequently, the reconstruction is decidedly postwar. it's pretty grim. There is a small, lovely impressionist art museum, but otherwise, I don't think it would be particularly fun for them. It's also an uphill walk from the port. Might be a good day for a ship's excursion. Popular ones from Le Havre include Rouen, which is easily walkable, and Monet's Gardens at Giverny, also very walkable. How long are you in port there? The lines say "Paris" but keep in mind Le Havre is a long bus ride from there. You'd be spending half your day just to get there. I'm not saying don't go, but consider your parents' stamina, endurance and patience. Paris is wonderfully walkable, but if they can't walk long distances, you'd have to scale that back of course. As far as London, same thing. Think about how you will get from Southampton to London. The train runs regularly, and there are busses, but if you are carrying considerable luggage, you might want to take the easy way out and take the ship transfer to London. They all go to Heathrow, some also have city stops, depending on the line. Are you staying in London after the cruise?

Posted by
8879 posts

I also would look at Cruise Ship excursions here. A few reasons. First NCL seems to be including these or at least a large credit or these in their fare/promotions lately. Secondly, The excursions are easy to find as mentioned above and they are guaranteed to get you back to the ship on time.

I think that you can assume that any port on this cruise will have several opportunities available for them to explore.

If this is the itinerary they like, I would go ahead and book it. For cruising, using a travel agent that specializes in cruising can be a good idea and extra perks are usually available.

Posted by
2492 posts

Re: cruise ship excursions - when they’re docked in Le Havre, an excursion to Honfleur is a possibility.

Posted by
7799 posts

You might want to also check river cruises in Europe. They seem to be very popular and dock at the city, so people don’t have the long bus rides to be seeing the sites. I can’t speak about them personally, but I know several people who really liked that option, including a cousin who was recovering from cancer. She really appreciated the chance to rest and having the sites nearby as they docked.

I’ve been to all of the countries you’ve mentioned except Portugal. For each of these, it seems like there will be a lot of transportation time vs. actual enjoyment time since the places they really want to see aren’t at the ports.

Posted by
11569 posts

Vigo, Spain visit Baiona where Columbus’ ship, La Pinta, returned from the New World, waterfront town, nice Parador. Or visit the beautiful area of f the Rias Baixas.
O Coruña- visit Santiago de Compostela, where pilgrims from throughout Europe complete their journeys. Site of St. James burial in Cathedral.
Bilbao- In Basque region, visit this wonderful city and maybe one smaller town such as Getaria or Lekeitio.
Rotterdam- a must see, definitely visit Kinderdijk, 19 windmills in their original locations, take short boat ride there from Rotterdam on the river. Wonderful site to visit!’
Brussels- visit Bruges or Ghent.
Paris-They should book a city tour with the cruise line, as there is way too much to see in only one day. So they must take a guided tour with their lack of walking ability.
London- so much to see! They should book a hotel here for two or three nights at least after cruise ends, hire guides as needed. Hotel concierge can arrange guides. Fabulous city, a favorite of mine. I always go to Westminster Abbey. Churchill’s War Rooms is a must see and is very close to Westminster Abbey. If Buckingham Palace has reopened to the public tours, book tickets ahead at rct.uk. Self guided, audio included.
When is their cruise?
.

Posted by
6713 posts

From LeHavre they will spend half a day just getting to and from Paris. Better choices would be Rouen or Honfleur.

Posted by
28065 posts

The town of Vigo itself is comparatively dull. I'd definitely want to head out of town from there. Pontevedra would be a possibility, or a local excursion to the nearby coastal villages. Santiago de Compostela is roughly midway between Vigo and A Coruna so could be visited from either. But A Coruna is a lot more attractive, I thought, than Vigo, so I'd prefer to visit it from Vigo rather than from A Coruna. However, I think I remember an uphill walk from the Santiago train station to the historic center.