Wembley Fraggle

We dined in Cagney's, Le Bistro and Moderno exclusively and honestly for the extra $30 or whatever can't imagine why one would not given the overall cost (we bought the full UDP).

 

You didn't, by any chance, take pictures of the current menus that you could share?

We will be on a short two nighter in June and I am wondering if we should buy the dining package ($72) or just pay a la carte for Cagney's and Le Bistro.

However, we might check in Bergen before we sail, so thanks for the information!

 

And there might be stores like this in other towns, with longer port stops.

 

GC

 

You can find a Vinmonopolet, which is the only retail company allowed to sell beverages containing an alcohol content higher than 4.75% in Norway, in the Bergen Storcenter (next to Bergen railway station) or at Valkendorfsgaten (3 minutes from the tourist information) in Bergen. Two more are located in central Trondheim, one is right of Skansegata in Ålesund.

 

Depending on which country's terms and condition you read, you are allowed to bring alcohol on board (up to two bottles, 1.5l, per person) but either have to check it in at the reception or not consume it on board... anyhow, they will mind much less than the large cruise lines. Don't take your wine to the restaurant but they will more than likely not care if you drink a can of beer or cider in your cabin, as long as you drink moderately.

10, leaving in 7.

And after two weeks of bronchitis I have just come down with a stomach bug last night. Well... i guess that means I will be over it by the time we leave. So.. yay?

I strongly believe the posted prices are by glass

 

With the "Hurtigruten White" being priced 95 NOK - yes, definitely by glass.

A half liter of boxed wine will cost you 600+ NOK in the Vinmonopolet off the ship. Expect ship's priced for bottled wine to be above that, 80 AUD for a bottle will probably be at the low end already.

My husband is only 50, but wears rose colored glasses on his ears. He hears what he wants to hear, and his 91 year old dad is the same (although can get confused).

 

This is a typical problem when it comes to customer service. You say "We will try x" and the customer hears "That person will magically solve my problem" and yes, often that is what happens but sometimes, there is just nothing that can be done no matter how hard everybody tries.

 

“They said, ‘Go sit down and wait. The ship doesn’t sail for three hours. It shouldn’t be a problem.’ ”

They said shouldn't. And I am sure they really thought it shouldn't be a problem. But the Star holds close to 2500 pax, one piece of luggage per person plus the odd piece of hand luggage we are talking what? 3000? 4000? 5000? pieces of luggage to go through. In 3 hours (180 minutes). That leaves between 2 and 4 seconds per piece of luggage. Luggage that is stacked on top of each other, mostly looking the same, with luggage tags that all look similar. Nobody can guarantee that one specific suitcase can be singled out in that chaos within three hours. NCL tried, NCL failed.

 

I do understand that the couple felt abandoned and distessed, they are right to feel devastated, and I think it's wonderful that NCL eventually stepped up and offered them a solution. I still think they are wrong in doing so.

 

"when they would board a gleaming white vessel run by a reputable cruise line they had previously taken on enjoyable cruises out of Boston and New York [...] Norwegian had made it clear passports were needed to board. "

This was not the couple's first cruise. No matter their age, they should have known that they need their documents to board the ship. They are not inexperienced first timers. NCL told them they would need their passports to board. They did have passports.

 

"The Waxes had stayed with a granddaughter who lives in LA the night before their planned voyage. She had helped them carefully secure their passports in an outside pocket of one of their three suitcases."

The couple knew they'd need their passports. They knew their granddaughter had put the passports into a suitcase pocket. They should have stopped her then and there and put the passport in grandma's purse or a coat pocket. Granddaughter, who is probably in her 30s/40s, should also have known to remind grandma and grandpa not to pack their medication and to keep all their traveling documents, including their passports, closeby and not in their suitcases. Granddaughter would also have done well to stay with grandma and grandpa until their luggage had been taken away and they had been checked in. Either they are too elderly to go through the check-in alone, in which case their granddaughter should have assisted them, or they are not too elderly to handle the check-in process alone, in which case they would be responsible for not having their documents in order.

 

It's also a shame that they didn't get their luggage back until Jan 2. But it's not NCL's fault that they chose to travel over Christmas, that there was no shipping service on Saturday or that New Year's is a thing. It's a series of unfortunate events, caused by the travelers' fault.

 

The only thing that should not have happened, from the article, is the NCL representative berating them on the phone. But I am sure that's not worth a full refund and a free trip. It's wonderful that NCL thinks that this is the right thing to do and I do wish them a wonderful complementary journey but this is one hundred percent their fault and their granddaughter's fault. NCL cannot hold the hand of 2500 pax disembarking and 2500 pax embarking a ship and get everybody checked in, cabins cleaned, lunch prepared... that's why personal responsibility is a thing. Even when you are close to 90 and even if that might mean you can no longer travel (alone).

If you haven't booked yet, this "Setekart" is supposed to be quite accurate. If you have, 39/40 should be ideal seats.

If the wagons are in the correct order and the windows are clean of cours ;)

Where are you staying in Bergen?

We are having a bit of trouble trying to decide there.

We'll be there a few days before our Hurtigruten RT cruise (that will be a fun experience, quite different), and then one night after, as the return flight time changed, and we couldn't make it with the new time.

 

We have booked Scandic Byparken and Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz in Bergen... mostly for their placement in the Twinings Best Breakfast 2017 competition :o

 

If you are looking for something more comparable to the Oslo Grand, I would recommend the Clarion Hotel Havnekontoret in Bergen. The new Bergen Børs Hotel also seems to have quite good reviews.

We spent a night in the Clarion Collection Havnekontoret and loved it. We found the location convenient - right at a bus stop for the airport bus, at the end of Bryggen (DH has mobility limitations and could easily walk 'everywhere') - good breakfast, waffles in the afternoon, light dinner included in the price, very friendly staff. We had a lovely harbour view though unfortunately the window was a bit small). Generally one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in. They definitely had an elevator... I can't remember them having one but I am sure I would remember if they didn't. It is somewhat pricey though.

 

For next year we have booked the Scandic Byparken and the Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz. It may sound ridiculous but... we mostly booked for the breakfast. Both were nominated for the "Twinings best breakfast 2017", the Rosenkrantz came in third, the Byparken chef received a special prize for his commitment. I love breakfast :o

Hotel Rosenkrantz is right behind Bryggen and close to the Floyen furnicular as well as the airport bus (we are flying back from Bergen), Hotel Byparken is close enought to the train station for our needs (less than half a mile) but depending on the weather we will just get a taxi.

 

For location only you might want to look into the Scandic Strand, which is right off Torget (Fishmarket) or the First Hotel Marin. The Radisson Blu is at the same cul de sac the Hotel Havnekontoret is at. Those and the Clarion Hotel Admiral were the ones we looked at.

 

I cannot recommend tour guides or say anything about taxis, we are more into public transport and take breaks when walking gets too much.

 

Luggage / porter service from Oslo to Bergen should still be available. That's something we are also considering.

The Spitsbergen is also a tad smaller than the mass market cruise ships ;) that's why I was worried. We were <10 round trip passengers on our last HR trip - so always first row seats in the panorama lounge, only one dinner sitting, no shared tables, sheer luxury. But good to hear that the Spitsbergen doesn't feel crowded even when it's nearly fully booked.

100 :hearteyes:

(in 97 days we will just have boarded the train to get us to the airport)

We sailed with 160 passengers.

 

Did the ship feel crowded with 160 passengers on board? Our February cruise seems to be nearly fully booked (six inside cabins available at the moment) and I have to admit that I am a bit worried ;)

We are booked on Spitsbergen next February and I have just read elsewhere that the Spitsbergen is not a good ship if you are taller than 6'2... from your experience, do you think my 6'4 DH will constantly be banging his head into things like sprinkler heads and signs?

We had one of the accessible Over the Water Cabanas on Nellie's Beach (#9) last year. We did not require a scooter and I have no idea how ideal the Cabanas are for a scooter user but I assume they are somewhat accessible.

 

They can drive you right up to the Cabana (the Cabana attented will get somebody to pick you up as well)

 

This is what the walkway behind the cabanas looks like (I don't think it's concrete but fairly hard sand, again they drive the golf carts along here, you will know better than I if you could possibly ride your scooter on ground like this)

 

There are no steps into the accessible Cabanas at Nellie's Beach, there are ramps.

There is also a ramp down to the beach but you end up in the sand. Unless you can walk a few steps you will not be able to get into the water or you will need a beach wheelchair

 

 

If you rent a Cabana you will need to confirm, reconfirm and rereconfirm that you are getting what you need. We didn't necessarily need an accessible Cabana but one that has a handrail at the stairs that lead into the water... we were told we were assigned Cabana #6 on board (which would have worked for us, so we confirmed this assignment) and were then taken to the first Cabana on the other side of the beach (#1)

As DH can do stairs as long as he holds on to something (this Cabana does have two steps at the end of the ramp) Cabana access would have been all right but to get into the water he would have had to walk around half the cove (water access is down the stairs in front of the Cabana). The whole back and forth spoiled the whole day a bit, thankfully they could accommodate us in the end.

 

I don't think the Bungalows at Columbus Cove are accessible by scooter but can't really tell from my pictures (there is a wooden walkway that leads up the the Bungalows but I have no idea if that continues behind the entracen to the Bungalow area). Somebody elsewill probably know better.

Take whatever type of ID you might need to reach the next port in case you miss the ship.

Did you enjoy the formal dinner nights?

 

Unless you do Cunard the TAs aren't necessarily more formal than any other cruises done by a specific line. Dress code doesn't change for a TA though there are of course more formal nights the longer the cruise is. That saying we did see a lot of people dress up for formal night on both Celebrity and RCCL but don't really have any "regular" cruises to compare it to as all our cruises have so far been TAs.

I agree with the PPs, I would not assume there to be laundry service on the Nordkapp. Yes to laundry service on Fram, Midnatsol (and maybe Spitsbergen) on their explorer voyages / expedition cruises but for the other ships in regular service (B-K-B) I would not assume that laundry service is offered. And if it was the cost would more than likely not be moderate.

 

Now the cost for self service laundry should be moderate so that would be your better option.

That was really helpful - thanks - I need a new esta and am going on our 1st cruise from Southampton and will be calling at US island ending in Orlando - didn't have a clue what address to put!!! Thanks again - Sue

 

Unless you are staying in the US after your cruise, you can also select "yes" to the question "Is your travel to the US occurring in transit to another country?" and then won't need to enter an address. If you are staying in Orlando put the hotel address.

 

 

Are you on the IOS transatlantic? If so, you will need your ESTA to board in Southampton (printed!!) but - unless things have changed since last October, which I doubt - St. Thomas will not be able to process your ESTA, you get the old fashioned paper I94 forms to fill out before you arrive in St. Thomas and then get in line on board to see the immigration officers, as they do not have computers all they will do is stamp your passport and check your I94 (if even). No additional immigration in Fort Lauderdale (they will look at your passport but that's it). So you do need to have ESTA approved for RCCL to allow you on board but as long as it has been approved nobody will care which address you listed (I still use my ex host family's address in Ohio if I don't know what to put, because it's the only US address I know by heart).

 

Do not make any plans for St. Thomas. Last year the last non-US passengers were allowed off the ship around 3 pm, if I remember correctly. Either book a ship excursion (will automatically get you a #1 for immigration) or go with the flow, there will be delays and more likely than not the cafe promenade will run out of coffee... or snacks... or hot water...

is there a laundry service like there is on main line cruise ships?

 

Certain ships might offer laundry service for an additional fee. Google the name of your ship and "laundry service."

It seems at least the Fram and the Midnatsol do. [edit] As I can't find information on other ship it might be that this is because they do explorer voyages?

 

Laundry A laundry service is available on board the MS Midnatsol for an additional cost. Self-service laundry is available on MS Midnatsol. No dry-cleaning is possible on any ship.

Source

You would pay $4,500 for the Celebrity cabin I used as an example and almost everyone else would pay $2,700. Do you still not get it????? By the way, instead of paying the $4.500 book it as a double have one no show and you will save yourself money.

 

$ 2,700 = 100% (1 passenger, based on double occupancy)

$ 4,500 = 167% (1 passenger, based on single occupancy)

 

The supplement is $1,800 or approximately 67%.

If you booked it as a double you would pay 2x $2,700 so $5,400 in total. If you had the second person be a no show you would get port fees back I assume but have to admit that I couldn't say if those would add up to $1,800.

 

You are paying 167% of what one passenger would pay if they shared but it's not a 167% supplement. If the supplement was 167% your single fare would be $7,209 ("1 passenger, based on double occupancy" + 167% of "1 passenger, based on double occupancy -> $2,700 + (1,67*$2,700) -> $2,700 + $4,509 = $7,209). It's a 67% supplement, 67% then the base price.

 

As to your assertion that "rarely" is the single supplement above 100%, when Celebrity imposes a 250% single supplement on their "specials" (no less), in a 4-6 week period earlier this year, that does not fit the definition of rarely.

 

If Celebrity imposed a 250% single supplement, they would be charging the single cruise 250% on top of the fare a cruiser would be paying if they shared their stateroom with somebody else. So if a "1 passenger, based on double occupancy" cruiser paid $2,700 and Celebrity imposed a 250% single supplement, the "1 passenger, based on single occupancy" cruiser would have to pay $9,450.

 

Using your logic, the Freedom inside cabin of $900 with a 200% single supplement means $1,800 is added to the $900 fare with a final total of $2,700 :confused: yet the actual cost is $1,800. I know the cost is $1,800, from your definition it is $2,700...you are wrong.

 

Exactly. Because while the Freedom inside cabin might cost the "1 passenger, based on single occupancy" cruiser 200% of the price a "1 passenger, based on double occupancy" cruiser would pay, the supplement is "only" 100%. It's 200% of the price, a 100% supplement.

 

If Royal advertises it as a "200% single supplement", Royal is - sementically - incorrect, as they are really only charging a 100% single supplement.

 

In asking you to list the "often" cruises that are less than 100% supplement,

 

For example, Celebrity does in the example you gave above.

The single supplement Celebrity asks their single cruiser to pay is 67%. A 67% supplement is less than a 100% supplement. The supplement is what the single cruiser pays on top of the "double occupancy" cruiser's fare. Not the total amount the single cruiser pays (which, in your example would be 167%).

 

A supplement is something you add on top of the base line. Like a dietary supplement - your usual diet already provides you with a certain amount of vitamins, a supplement just adds something to what you have already consumed with your usual diet.

 

While I have never researched single cruising I think NCL has cabins that only sleep one, which come with a lesser supplement (studio cabins). It seems that the same is true for RCCL (studio cabins), P&O (single cabins), Fred. Olsen (single cabins). I know it's true for certain Hurtigruten ships who have single cabins (Lofoten, Vesteralen). Cruise Critic has an article on cruise lines for solo travelers, maybe that could help you to find a cruise line that takes a lower supplement?

But why on earth didn't you have a 19 inch or 21 inch carry on with you? [...]

It takes zero effort to pack 2 pair slacks 2 pair shorts some casual/dressy/beach tops

 

While I can't travel with carry-on only (I am jealous of those who can but, alas, I am a chronic overpacker - anything longer than four nights needs luggage) this is exactly what we do. We travel with a 19" 4-wheeled carry on (plus my purse as a personal item) and a smallish laptop backpack - medication and travel documents go into my purse (next time DH will also have a camera bag as personal item (tripod goes into wheeled carry on)), stuff we will need while on our way goes into the backpack (snacks, electronic devices, chargers, books, pens etc.) which will then still fit a packing cube with a few nights of clothes for DH (underwear, socks, bathing trunks, shorts, two shirts, slacks), the wheeled carry on holds another packing cube with clothes for me (underwear, socks, bathing suit, cover up, sundress, shirt, pants) and everything we might need if we get stuck at an airport overnight (or for a scheduled overnight - night clothes, basic toiletries, more books). Unless we are traveling to the US we are both of a size where it's difficult to easily find inexpensive clothes while traveling (DH is tall, 6'4 and I am chubby and... busty) so we make sure to have at least two sets of clean clothes with us (one to wear, one to dry, one for emergencies). Volume wise I could pack more but as Europe is getting stricter and stricter with the weight limit (<18lbs) I don't.

 

As we were not dressed for the specialty restaurant we had reservations for, we again went to the buffet, we were becoming regulars.

Without luggage I assume even the more dressy lines, such as Cunard, would let a cruiser dine in a specialty restaurant or the main dining room in 'unsuitable' clothes. The cruise line was aware of OP's luggage problems and I am certain that the restaurants could have been informed about OP's dilemma and would have allowed OP in.

 

I know losing luggage is a pain (though fortunately to us it has always happened on the way back, the problem would have been minor had KLM not decided to leave my ex-boyfriend's manual wheelchair behind that they made us check in) but there are ways to make sure that even if luggage is lost the whole situation is as comfortable is possible. We do check in as much of our luggage as we feel comfortable (never again any type of medical equipment though) and we check it through wherever possible. We also double and tripple check, especially when connecting, if there are any airports where we need to take our luggage through customs ourselves (entering Europe for example or when first arriving the US). For our winter HR 'cruise' for example we are trying to reduce our chances for lost/left-behind luggage by not connecting in Norway on the way to Bergen and not outside of Norway on our way back home (still fairly certain we won't arrive at home with all our luggage as the connection in Oslo is only 55 minutes but oh well). I will still pack at least one set of suitable winter clothing (including ski pants) into our carry on luggage. I don't want to be cold and miserable while on vacation (and we arrive two nights early and on a direct flight, still... I am not taking any chances).

@SarniaLo

 

I have just dusted off my long forgotten school French (my teacher would be so upset, I think I forgot more than I ever learned) and read through your Christmas 2010 HR cruise. Stunning. Simply stunning (coming from somebody who went through a week of winter stoms during her HR Christmas cruise, with gale force winds and the water splashing all up to the panorama lounge on deck 8).

 

 

Would we see NL in early October or is the best bet for that March? That is our quest and bucket list--to see NL.

 

If that is your quest and bucket list... a cruise, even a HR cruise, simply might not be your best option.

 

I agree with SarniaLo, on land you have more opportunities to move around. You might be better off taking a regular land vacation (Canada, Alaska, Iceland, Norway/Sweden/Finland), staying in the same spot for a week or two and either renting a car or taking excursions hunting the lights (with experienced guides who will know where there is the least light pollution and how to set your camera). Even combining a HR trip with a land tour might be a better option - you could take the northbound cruise and spend a few days in Kirkenes (then either fly back south or catch a different ship back to Bergen) or hop off in Tromsø, the Lofoten or Vesterålen on the way back south, as suggested. (HR offers "land adventures" you can add to your cruise, at least on the US website)

 

And even if you do that there is no guarantee. You might end up with a week of bad weather, winter storms, cloudy skies, rain, snow.

 

Early October will be nice, Norway in fall is lovely (if the weather cooperates). March will (most likely, unless winter comes as late as it did this year) mean early spring in the south and still winter and snow in the north. I took a train trip through Scandinavia in February/March a decade ago and Bergen was still cool late in February, norther Norway/Sweden was freezing (-14C/6F and three to four feet of snow in Boden, Sweden), Helsinki was bleak and Stockholm, which was my last stop, was definitely in the early stages of spring in late March (approx. 10C/50F). I love the light you have in Scandinavia in February / March. I did not see a single NL on that trip though. We saw one (!) on our HR cruise in December (it was green to the eye but lasted 15 minutes only). Iceland (Akureyri area) in the last week of August had amazing NL for a few nights in a row when we were there in 2014, greyish fog but across the whole sky and for hours, like dancing clouds. You just never know. You can have two weeks of bad weather or low solar activity or bad luck, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, you could run into bad weather and end up stuck in Harstad because all northern ports are closed due to storms. Or you have amazingly clear skies, high solar activities and five/six nights of lights.

 

No matter what, you will be stuck on the ship. No chance to stay longer in a place that is perfect for lights. No chance to move out of the city a bit to minimize light pollution (neither can you turn the ship lights off completely). No option to move from a to b where the weather might be nicer.

Seeing that people ask for lower numbers to get off the ship early (due to early flights or long drives home) I assume you could also ask for a higher number with a later disembarkation window. Plus, while they might not let you off the ship early (at least that was our experience with RCCL in FLL) I don't think you will be in trouble if you miss your assigned window, as long as you get off the ship with everybody else (but at 9 am instead of your allotted window of 7.30 am). Your luggage will be waiting for you a bit longer.

Is Berlin worth visiting? Yes, of course.

Do I, personally, think it's worth going to Berlin from Warnemünde? No.

 

You are in port from 7.30 am to 10 pm.

If you look at the train schedule for the coming Sunday (3 September), there is a train from Warnemünde to Berlin main train station at 8.03 am which requires a change of trains in Rostock with only a 10 minute transfer time. You'd arrive in Berlin at 11.16 am IF your train is on time.

 

With a 10 pm departure, you would most likely have to be back on board at 9.30 pm. The last train you'd have to catch to get back from Berlin to Warnemünde has a 6.35 pm departure time, 11 minute transfer time in Rostock, and an arrival time in Warnemünde at 9.09 pm.

 

You get approximately 7 hrs in Berlin plus a 6 hrs train ride.

 

a) You might not make the 8 am train. The next train goes at 10 am and will get you to Berlin at 1.17 pm. Your 7 hrs in Berlin just became 5.

b) If you miss the train in Rostock on the way back, you will miss your ship. The earlier train back to Warnemünde leaves Berlin main station at 4.42 pm (arrival in Warnemünde at 7.54 pm). Reducing your 7 hrs in Berlin to 5 1/2.

c) In case you missed the 8 am train and wanted to be back in Warnemünde at 8 pm rather than at 9 pm, you'd have a grand total of 3 hrs in Berlin.

 

Can it be done? Yes. Have people done it? Yes. Would I do it? No.

However, for me visiting Berlin is not a "once in a lifetime" thing, as Berlin is a whooping 4 hr train ride away from where I am. If you want to do it, do a tour. Either through the cruise line or with a private tour agency / guide that picks you up at port, drives you to Berlin, shows you around and drives you back to the ship on time. Or risk it and have a back up plan (what is your next port? Could you easily fly there?). Otherwise stay in Warnemünde or go to Rostock, maybe to Wismar or Stralsund (which at least have hourly trains), you could go to Kühlungsborn. But you will of course not get the "major metropolitan area" experience but rather the "rural, touristy Germany" taste.

Depending on your definition of cruise ship either Hurtigruten's MS Trollfjord or the Celebrity Eclipse <3

We had fairly decent lights in northern Iceland (Akureyri area) late August 2014. It just needs to be dark enough, with clear skies and decent activity. We hadn't expected to see any that "early" but it was the cherry on top a great vacation.