The Independence of the Seas whist pregnant: Day 4-5
Day 1-3: Southampton (Boarding, The Ship, Cabin #1700)
Day 2-3: At Sea, At Sea – includes Chops Grill specialty restaurant
Day 4-5: Gibraltar & Cartagena (You are Here)
Day 6-7: Palma De Mallorca & Barcelona
Day 8-9: Valencia & Malaga
Day 10-11: Cadiz & Lisbon
Day 12-14: Sea Days (including Giovanni’s) and Conclusion
We explored the Great Siege Tunnel, saw the 100 Ton Gun (yes, it’s as big as it sounds!) and then saw the lighthouse and mosque at Europa Point with a view over Catalan Bay. We were driven around for a bit on a tour, and finally drove across the airport runway! Douglas offered to drop people off in town if they wanted to explore the city and market, or take us back to the cruise. Everyone else got out in town, but I was ready for my afternoon nap and we headed back to the ship. I felt a little bit embarrassed that Tom & Theresa who were in their 70s seemed to have more energy than me. If you are pregnant and find yourself on a port-heavy cruise you definitely need to accommodate for how much extra energy it uses up as I wasn’t expecting the sheer exhaustion I felt most days by mid afternoon.
Fantastic tour all round and highly recommended. Gibraltar is honestly one of my favourite stops I’ve been on (and that’s well over 30 ports and rising). It had a wonderful mix of British and Spanish with a very unique feel and incredibly friendly people. The history there is fascinating but so are the views and the nature. It’s got a little bit of everything and I will definitely be back.
The tourist boat goes from just a few mins walk from the ship and is a 45 minute tour of the harbour and immediate area, with a pre recorded commentary in English and Spanish. It’s not that impressive but very cheap and an easy way to relax and sit down for a bit whilst seeing the city from a different perspective. You can get off the boat at a fort and be picked up an hour later but there’s really not much there.
We went back to the ship for lunch, very easy to do since it’s all so close, and then to the castle after lunch (included in the four entry ticket), which also had some nice gardens and peacocks! Beautiful town and port and we were glad that we’d just hopped off and explored as it was a full, interesting day at a very low cost. This is a beautiful port and would be very easy to do with a baby in a stroller – I’m already thinking about when we’ll be going back and how old William will be!
-4 Comments-
Really enjoying reading this trip report.
Thanks Jade, the rest of the series is coming one post at a time. Really appreciate you reading and commenting. We’re also looking at booking a cruise soon with the baby, so that’ll be exciting!
I absolutely love Gibraltar. We stayed here for a week. It’s cool getting a Spanish feel but technically you’re in the UK and don’t have to worry about any language barriers. Always found the people so friendly too.
It was my favourite stop I think!