Hi, I think someone already told me this, but I can't find it. I went to the M-C municipal site, www.monte-carlo.mc/, and found info on the cruise ports, i.e.:

"Large cruise ships can dock in Monaco. The Principality's two ports are equipped to greet pleasure-boats : The Port Hercule, is 39.52 square acres. This legendary port offers mooring and anchoring possibilities for five hundred vessels some of which are extremely large. With the growing development of maritime tourism, Monaco is today the starting point or terminus for many Mediterranean cruises. Monaco's shores, in summer, are fantastic viewpoints for its international fire-work competitions. The Port of Fontvieille integrated into the new district, can receive in its 19.76 acres of water as many as 60 vessels of at least 30 meters in length. At close proximity, the Port of Cap d'Ail is also a choice destination for pleasure-boats."

Anyone know which one Radisson uses? I am plotting how to get from the train station to the port. Somebody also said here somewhere that this is difficult because cabs are hard to find. Is there a way around this problem?

Wendy--

Don't know if this helps, but Voyager in September embarks at pier Nouvelle Digue. I speak no French whatsoever but it wouldn't surprise me if the translation of this is "new dock" but haven't the faintest idea where it actually is.

Bill

Thanks Bill, the word "digue" means quay, so I guess that means the new port!

It is a new "dam" type thing built there over the past several years with the main purpose being to bring in larger yachts to the port.
I guess the Voyage falls into that category.

I think there is only one berth for large cruise ships right in the center of everything where all the big yachts for MC dock. When we embarked in Nice one time, they had us tendered into MC the next morning for our stop there. I would think they give preference to ships that are embarking passengers with all the luggage, etc., so lets hope we get there rather than a neighboring town (can't remember the name of it). I know that this berth is new in the past few years.

Also, you can check Cruise calendar to see how many ships are in port with you. Maybe you will be the only ship and get the prime spot!

Maybe this is a silly question, but for embarkation, would they not have to know in advance which quay they were at, so that arriving passengers would know which ones to go to?

Wendy - from the pictures, I believe we were berthed at Port Hercule. There was a Princess ship in port the same day that was tendering its passengers. I believe Radisson includes the name of its port agents in the documents we get 3-4 weeks ahead of time with the tickets. You could contact them for more specific information. Cheers, Anne

Thanks Adrenn, I will at some point, but not this year

Some more information on the "new port":

"Fontvieille is the newest area of the Principality of Monaco and was literally created from land reclaimed from the sea. This man-made waterfront area features a harbor, stadium and sports complex, heliport, and a pollution-free industrial zone, as well as some shopping areas and the new Columbus Monaco hotel."

I'm just angsting about setting out on our own by car to Provence from Nice airport, then making it back to the ship (but probably won't do this anyways.)

Hi Wendy! Here's what I remember: The Mariner cruise we took in October 2002 was originally scheduled to depart from Monte Carlo but pier Nouvelle Digue wasn't finished so we departed from Nice instead (we had lots of notice about this so it wasn't a surprise). When we departed in June 2003, I'm 90% certain it was from Nouvelle Digue and that's at Port Hercule.

The Fontvieille harbor is, from the pictures, right next to the Marriott hotel and about 15 or 20 minutes from the harbor where we boarded the ship. If that's correct, it's not large enough to berth the Voyager (or any other sizeable cruise ship). It did look new but it's further west of the main part of Monte Carlo. Great yatch watching at both harbors!

The question I have after seeing the Princess ship at anchor the same day we embarked is whether the Voyager is berthed or anchored. I expect Voyager would be berthed because it's a disembarkation/embarkation port for the ship. If, for some reason, it was tendering, then the question is where do you pick up the tenders? I think the tenders were running from a pier next to the Voyager but that wasn't something I focused on at the time.

Hope that helps. If it were me, I'd drop the car at the Nice Airport & have a taxi take me right to the ship's check-in area. I think it was about 40 euros for 2 of us. Cheers, Anne

Hi Anne, well that's what I thought we would probably do, if we decide on Provence. I was looking at the Nice airport website, and they have a luggage-check, but it says that you have to have a valid air ticket. Of course, at that point, we won't, so my cunning plan of leaving our cruisewear at the airport may be scuppered. We'll probably just go to Nice in any case, but I must admit, I would love to go back to Arle, I spotted a nice little hotel there.

The cruise ship dock-pier-terminal(?) in Monaco is relatively new, on the west side of the city, relatively near to the underground garage for the Palace. In fact, the Voyager was the first ship to use the new cruise ship terminal there, for it’s christening, which we were lucky enough to have been invited to and to attend! The area was not quite complete at that time (end of March, 2003), but the dock was usable and they set up chairs for the ceremony, with red carpets, etc. The bulk of the ceremony was the invocation by the Archbishop of Monte Carlo, who spoke for more than half of the total ceremony I think - in FRENCH! No translation, either! Then we had the absolutely best lunch with Prince Albert, and 300 or so of our closest friends! Highlights: really good Champaign, the best mushroom soup we’ve ever tasted, a Kobe beef entrée, great wines, etc. etc. It was truly spectacular.

On another thread, someone asked about walking from the cruise ship dock to the Hotel de Paris - Casino area. Long walk - all the way down to and then around the main harbor, up under the (former Loews - not sure just what it is now) hotel, and then up to the square by the hotel and casino - doable if you're fit, but I would say its probably a good half hour walk, or 10± minutes by bus or cab, depending on traffic. During the Grand Prix, you can't get there from here, at least not the way just described, because part of that route (under the hotel) will have been incorporated into the race course. Enjoy!