Top 10 Cruise Port of Calls for Movie Fans
After returning from a cruise, the memories that we have keep us tied over until our next getaway but it is always difficult to relive the first time we see a great movie, as even watching it again will never live up to the first time.
One way of keeping a connection to our favourite movies is by diving deep into the background information of how, where and when it was made and whilst we may never fully understand the process of making a huge blockbuster and we certainly could never go back to been there is person when it was made, what we can do is go to the filming locations used and stand where the movie stars stood and see what our favourite characters saw.
The great news for all of those who love movies and who love cruising is that so many iconic cities and filming locations can easily be visited on a cruise holiday, with many iconic sites just a short walk from a cruise terminal and with other easily visited on an organised tour.
Our Top 10 Cruise Port of Calls for Movie Fans
Los Angeles
When you think tv and movies, it is often Hollywood that comes to mind due to the historical importance of the area in the American movie industry.
The iconic Hollywood sign remains a must see for film lovers but it is now the nearby city of Burbank, in Los Angeles County, where fans head for with a host of attractions including Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Studios, and Nickelodeon Animation Studios all on offer.
Burbank is known as ‘The Media Capital of the World’ as it hosts many companies including Warner Bros. Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, The Burbank Studios, Cartoon Network Studios with the West Coast branch of Cartoon Network, and Insomniac Games.
There are many locations in and around the city that have become famous for the films and television programmes that they have featured in including Rodeo Drive, Malibu and Santa Monica.
London
The production side of the British television and film industry is thriving and can match any in the world but it is also one that is mostly London-centric.
Whilst there are lots of negatives attached to that, it does mean that there are lots of fantastic must see districts, locations, and buildings to be found throughout the English capital and with the excellent public transport in the city, it is easy to explore all of them on your own.
Whilst only a handful of cruises start or end in the city each year, a number of cruises operate from nearby ports and many of us heading to the key ports of Southampton, Dover and Portsmouth head past London en-route to embarkation.
Amongst the most popular filming locations in London are the South Bank, Canary Wharf, Piccadilly Circus, Old Royal Naval College (Greenwich) and Trafalgar Square.
Visitors can take things one step further and see many top stars of both the big screen and the small screen live in person on the West End that attracts stars from across the globe.
San Francisco, United States
Whilst San Fran maybe the second city in California behind LA when it comes to filming tv and movies, it is still far above most other locations around the world with many big and small productions using the numerous iconic features of San Francisco and the entire bay area.
If you haven’t visited the city, you will know the key highlights such as the large hills with trams going up and down them lined by beautiful houses to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and from Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf and best of all you can easily visit them all on a shore day from many cruises that sail the US Pacific Coast.
New York
Lots of major cities around the world often feature in films but the production of movies actually takes place in other cities with similar features due to the disruption needed to film on the streets of metropolis and the huge costs involved but one city that not only welcomes filming crews but fully embraces them is New York City.
The means many tv programmes and films are filmed in the city and that has helped to make locations such as Battery Park, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Central Park, and the Empire State Building (amongst many others), a must see for film lovers.
From our point of view, the great news is that there are many cruises holidays that start/end in the city and many more that call into the centre of New York as part of a cruise of the region.
Rome, Italy
Although the cruise port of Civitavecchia maybe and hour or 2 from the centre of Rome, it is well worth the time sat on a bus for lovers of historical films and television programmes.
The cities stunning ancient architecture is ideal for movies set on the Roman period but it is often the contrast of historic and modern Rome that makes it popular for production companies including those behind blockbusters such as Gladiator, Angels and Demons and Spectre (James Bond).
Paris, France
Paris is another city that mixes the old with the new and that makes it a popular filming location for historical pieces wanting the allure and glamour of the historical side of the city and also for productions wanting the grimy, run down areas that can be found throughout the city.
That means you are just as likely to see Paris used for a crime drama as it is for a Rom Com or for a period drama.
Its many landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame and the nearby Versailles are used across many films with the likes of Last Tango in Paris, Les Misérables and Inception all using the Parisian backdrop.
Monte Carlo, Monaco
The Principality of Monaco may not be one of the first places you think of as a popular destination for productions companies but there is a surprising number of films and tv programmes who head to the South of France.
What ranks the streets of Monte Carlo so high on this list is the fact that many cruises that call into the country and the small size of it means that you can explore all of the iconic sites on foot coupled with the amount of filming location that have become iconic parts of major movies.
There are also lots of cruise itineraries of the Mediterranean that call into Monte Carlo or to nearby ports in the South of France that make it easy and relatively cheap to visit on a cruise holiday.
The Monte Carlo Casino is used in many movies but has arguably been made iconic by the many James Bond movies that use it for major parts of their films whilst blockbusters such as The Jewell of the Nile, Mission Impossible (Rogue Nation), Oceans Twelve, Swordfish and The Transporter Refuelled have all been filed in Monaco.
Mumbai, India
Bollywood has grown out of been a regional enterprise aimed solely at the Hindu speaking world to breaking into the mainstream and becoming attractive to audiences across the globe.
It’s name comes from a mixture of Bombay and Hollywood as the city was thought of as the Indian version of the American filming hotbed and whilst the city may now have changed name to Mumbai, it is still the heartbeat of the Indian film world and is still the backdrop for 100’s of film each year.
The city is also becoming a popular cruise port of call for cruises out of the Middle East or South East Asia.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is the world’s biggest metropolis in terms of population and it has often been used by region film producers as an incredible backdrop but more and more often, Western film companies are using the high-rises and bright lights of the Japanese capital city.
If a production needs a spectacular, futuristic city then there are few better than Tokyo but films also based on Japanese culture also use the more historic parts of the city as a backdrop including the likes of Skyfall (James Bond), Lost in Translation, the Last Samaria and perhaps most famously Kill Bill.
There are a couple of nearby ports of call that offer cruise holidays and many more itineraries include a stop in the city when cruises the region.
Reykjavik, Iceland
So many of the locations on this list are either large cities full of skyscrapers and iconic landmarks or they are historic locations that allow filmmakers to go back in time but Reykjavik stands out as it is the location of choice for many production companies that are wanting a remote location.
Reykjavik is the perfect locations for films looking to take advantage of the mountains, waterfalls, volcanoes, cliffs, fjords, glaciers, hot springs, and rest of the stunning natural beauty on offer around Iceland.
Amongst the many films and tv programmes filmed in and around the capital city of Iceland include batman Begins, Die Another Day (James Bond), Fast and Furious 8, Judge Dredd, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Prometheus, Star Trek into Darkness, Stars Wars: The Force Awakens, Thor: The Dark World and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
