Al_Frescoe

"Thank you for holding, we won't be long" ARRRRRGH!!! Liars! I have been waiting over an hour. And that music you have playing on hold ... Not a good first experience for me with RCCL customer service.

Ho-ho boats?

Ho-ho = Hop on - Hop off

I have been watching the live feed on and off all morning ... it looks to me like it is sinking deeper.

Any good recommendations on which archipelago islands i should visit? cruise ship leaves at 5pm so I'm hoping to get out early and see some islands. is waxholmsbolaget a good way to get around the archipelago? http://www.waxholmsbolaget.se/visitor/day-tours/

 

any help is much appreciated!

The closest island is Fjäderholmarna : http://www.fjaderholmarna.se/english/start.4.1a2467a10ad032dc26800015081.html

There is a regular ferry that goes between Stockholm (right next to the ferry to Vasa/Djurgården) and the island. It's pretty small and not really that much to do. There is a small whiskey distillery there and some shops and cafe/restaurants. Check the site for more.

Al

Thanks Al - it does help.

 

You say the strip is good for 8 trips, is that 8 trips no matter how many zones it is?

 

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I have been to the websites and read everything I can find and am still confused.

 

Thank you in advance.

That would be 8 trips within Zone A only. Zone A is really all you would need. By the way, the strips (once the time is stamped) are valid for 1 hour. You could ride the bus, subway etc on the same stamp. The travel strips are NOT valid for the ferry from Slussen to Djurgården (Vasa).

Enjoy,

Al

Can someone clarify for me on the SL Travel Card for 1 Day:

 

They say that it is transferable and can be used for multiple travelers but not at the same time. What does that mean exactly? If we had one card between my husband and myself could I go through a turnstile and then hand the card to my husband to use?

 

We're taking a taxi from the airport to our hotel in the afternoon. I figure we will walk to the Gamla Stan and back that night. The next day I am thinking of purchasing the 1 day Stockholm Card and see all the museums and use the transport on it. The following day around noon we will be taking a taxi to the port, but will probably get back off the ship and tour a bit more before we leave that evening. I am thinking of buying the 1 day SL Transport Card for that day.

 

Does this make sense or is there a better way to do this?

 

Thanks in advance for the information.

The SL travel card is good for only one person at a time, so no, you would not be able to hand it back to anyone else and get through the gate and you would be subject to a 1,200 kronor fine if caught.

The travel strips are a different matter. They cost 200 kronor and are good for 8 trips. You would hand the strip to the bus driver (or the ticket window on the subway) and indicate how many people will be traveling.

Hope this helps,

Al

Check this website :

http://www.taxi020.se/in-english/

The fix quote is 470 SEK for transfer regardless of number of passengers.

Had a problem with Taxi 020 ... so I have taken them off my "good to go" list. Your mileage may vary. Just sayin.

Al

Hi north-bound. I was a little disappointed to find out that the cruise ship I'll be on docks in Frihamnen, and all we do is go to the airport for the flight home. Given that, do you think I'll be able to see any of downtown Stockholm at all from the ship as it comes in to dock? Also, I've read that the approach to Stockhom through the archipelago is scenic, but would you or anyone else be able to tell me if this applies to coming in to Frihamnen, and if so, about how far out I should start looking for nice scenery, islands, etc.? Thanks.

Hi,

Sailing in to Frihamnen you will see 99.9% of the archipelago. The sail in takes about 4 hours, so whenever your ship is due to dock you can start enjoying the archipelago 4 hours before that. The sail-in can be quite early, but the sail-out is just as nice.

Have a good time,

Al

I know you have probably answered all of this before but I need to ask in order to feel confident that we are on the right track for our part day in Stockholm.

We are on the Emerald Princess arriving on Tuesday June 12 from 7am to 2pm only! We are docking at S167.

My plan is to purchase a combo HOHO and Vasa ticket at the booth at the dock and hop on one of the boats going directly to the Vasa so we can be there as early as possible (hopefully 8:30am when they open). Spend approximately 1 hour touring the Vasa Museum. After that I would like to take the HOHO over to the Royal Palace stop and walk over to City Hall and catch the 10am tour. After the tour decide if we want to go up the tower at 11:15am. This will take us till about noon at which time we would walk over to the Stockholm Cathedral for a quick tour. Then wander around Old Town and catch the HOHO back to the ship for 1:30 all aboard time.

Is there anything we should consider eliminating or adding? Is is possible to cover all of this in our short time frame?

I had considered purchasing the Stockholm Card rather than the HOHO pass but wasn't sure if the bus was as efficient as the HOHO boats.

Thank you for any information you can provide to make our day in Stockholm an amazing one!

As North-Bound mentioned elsewhere, you can’t always count on the advertised docking assignment. However, that said, when it says S167 this early, well that is most likely where you will be.

In all honesty, I am not familiar with the HOHO service, there are several (at least 2) companies. I tried to get some straight answers last season, but I am still a little confused. I am pretty sure they will be waiting to take people to the Vasa when the ship disembarks.

Sorry, but in my opinion you are trying to do too much in such a short time. I would forget the city hall tour and the tower. You are not taking into consideration getting around. You have to consider waiting time for ferries, buses or whatever and climbing the tower too. I suppose what you have on your wish list is possible, but I would be dead about half way through, and stressed out of my gourd even if everything fell into place perfectly, time wise, crowds etc. Once again, sorry, but this is the way I like to travel. I understand it might be a once in a lifetime trip for you and you may never get back, but best to be aware.

I’m sure you will have an amazing day. Be sure to add on your comment card to the cruise line that you were not real thrilled with the in-port hours. Enjoy the sail-in/out through the archipelago. Hope I did not put a damper on your plans, I can only speak for how I would do it.

Al

Gayle,,

I have read that the HOHO boats start running around 8:30am to take people directly to the Vasa or Gamla Stan. I am trying to confirm this as we would like to be at the Vasa by 8:30. We may have to go for the bus instead.

If Al has any information for us we would appreciate it.

Diane

The HOHO boat companies know when a ship is expected to dock and the way I understand it they will be waiting at the dock when you disembark. They will wait until they are full before leaving (well, they did on the day I investigated last season).

Have fun,

Al

Pressbyrån at Gamla stan subway station, Munkbrogatan 8

Pressbyrån, Västerlånggatan 19

Hjärtpunkten, Järntorget 83

I also believe they sell them at 7-11. There is one right in the middle of the old town.

Al

Al,

 

Yes, the "Neptunes" is a generic term for the band they hire for that; same as the Adagio Strings, "XXX" and the HAL Cats, etc.

 

Dave

Thanks :)

Al

 

Music:

- Queen’s Lounge: Natalie and HAL cats, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

- Ocean Bar: The Neptunes, 6:30-11:30 p.m. Happy hour 6:00-7:00 p.m.

- Piano Bar: Michael 9:00 p.m. – close. Sing-along 9:00-10:00 p.m.

- Explorer’s Lounge: Adagio Strings, 7:00-10:00 p.m.

- Crow’s Nest: Solo guitarist Darlyne Cain, 5:00-9:00 p.m. Happy hour 7:00-8:00 p.m.

- Northern Lights: Dance request night with DJ Tyler, 10:30 p.m. – close. Battle of the Bartenders 10:30 p.m.

I am just off the Eurodam after the 12 day trip from CPH to Dover. My question is about the Neptunes. I had struck up a conversation with the drummer and he said they were getting off at Dover. This makes me wonder if "The Neptunes" is a generic name that HAL applies to anyone playing in that lounge. The group we saw consisted of a trio, the piano player was bald (self inflicted I assume), accompanied by a double bass and drums. They were quite good.

Curious.

Al

We are staying pre-Cruise at the First Hotel Reisen right in the Gamla Stan where we can walk everywhere. It is on the water and just across from the Vasa. We thought it was reasonable for Sweden and its location..check it out.

Sherry

As the crow flys Hotel Reisen may be "just across from the Vasa" but I would not call it a short walk by any means. The thing about Stockholm is all the islands. The Reisen is fairly close to the Djurgården ferry though and that lets you off pretty close to the Vasa/Skansen/Nordiska museum/Aquarium, Gröna Lund etc etc. but walking will take some doing.

Bus 76 also runs right in front of the hotel and that is another good way to get to Djurgården.

Have fun,

Al

Thank you Al for your quick response.

 

I did already know about the number of tickets and the 1 hour time. I have done a lot of research on all our destinations and our public transport options; reading this thread made me realise how many don't.

 

By the way, I found the SL Journey Planner to be an excellent tool: http://reseplanerare.sl.se/bin/query.exe/en?

Amazing that you read the whole thread .... kudos. :)

You are so right though about research. My wife, for example, loves to do the research on our trips and she does it the hard way, i.e. no forums. For myself, well, I love forums and CC has been invaluable to me over the years. My one tip for new folks that are interested in getting the most info and "bang for their query" is to learn to use the search function of these forums. Once they have done an initial search and found some good info then they could post more specific questions.

I do realize that many folks are just on the "trip of a lifetime" and are not really that forum savvy and will probably move on when it's over. That's fine. A wonderful thing about this type of forum is that there is always someone willing to answer and help out no matter how many times the same question has been asked (and answered). :)

Sorry for the long post. Once again, kudos for reading this entire thread. I was in on it very early and I can't say I have read everything :).

Have a great time in Stockholm, and the rest of your travels.

Al

I've just whiled away a few hours reading this thread from the beginning. I had already planned our day in Stockholm but I got some useful new information and confirmation of a few of my thoughts.

 

We will be docking at Frihamnen and catching bus 76 to and from the city as mentioned many times. We are a family of 2 adults and 2 children and these will be the only buses we plan to use.

 

I believe that a strip of 16 adult bus tickets costs 180SEK, whereas the individual tickets (8 adult and 8 child) would cost a total of 196SEK. I know it's not a huge saving but I wondered if we buy the strip of 16 adult bus tickets, can we use them for the children's fares too?

 

Hoping that a local can help with this question. Thank you in anticipation.

Unless you buy the strip with the "senior" discount you can use the strip for all in your party. Keep in mind that each trip will take 2 coupons and are valid for 1 hour from time of stamp (I guess you already knew that).

Enjoy,

Al

According to the link referenced below, the Azamara Journey is docking at Frihamnen 650 on 7/21 and 7/28.

Just a reminder - all docking information is subject to change for whatever reason. It does not happen often but I'm just letting you know that it can happen without notice. The information I posted on my calender was from the Stockholm port authority, they do the schedule and the berth assignments. I put the calender together before the start of the season back in May.

Hope it works out for you all.

Al

Another question about transportation from Stockholm Airport (ARN). I saw on the web that a Super Shuttle service now exists. Has anyone tried this?

 

I did a "search" in this thread but no results.......anyone out there have input? The cost is about 1/2 of that of a cab. We won't be in a hurry as it will be too early to check into our hotel anway.

 

Thanking you in advance.

Just looked it up. If you not in a hurry this would be a good option, especially if they pick you up at your hotel (and vise versa). Would be interested to know if they can deliver the goods as far as time (i.e. will they be there when they say they will).

Al

We are calling in Stockholm for the day in August and have done minimal reading to date, but will be doing much more in the weeks ahead.

 

We are due to dock at F638, and are planning to take the number 1 bus in to town. From there we plan on using the HOHO bus around the city and just do exactly that, jump off have a look around and then hop back on again. Any top tips for should not be missed places on or close to the route (we are in our 40s and very mobile on foot). And does the plan detailed above make sense from F638 and the HOHO bus?

 

Finally we have to think about lunch, and we understand that restaurants in the city are very expensive. Do you have any suggestions for good value lunch, which will be accessible from the HOHO bus? Not fast food (mcdonalds etc), but any other suggestions would be gratefully received.

 

Many thanks (in advance)

 

Jenki

You did not mention what day you are in town, but if it is not a Sunday or a holiday bus 76 is much better for tourists. otherwise, bus 1 will get you to the city center. I recommend you get off at Hötorget if you ride bus 1 and then find your Hoho stop, perhaps you had already researched that.

Have fun,

Al

Does anyone know if (and how badly) out of place we might feel if we came neatly dressed straight from a day of sightseeing? Or might we not be admitted at all? Of course, we would not wear shorts or tanks or tee's...but not jackets or dresses either!

You will be fine at the Veranda restaurant at the Grand, that's where they serve the smörgåsbord.

Enjoy,

Al

Does anyone know where the Azamara Journey docks on 7/21 and 7/28 in Stockholm?

 

Also, are the Taxis big enough for 4 with bags or will we need two taxis to/from the ship?

 

Thank you,

Sherry

You are scheduled for Frihamnen on that date. See all the cruise ship arrivals here.

Al

Hi...we just were in Stockholm and booked Taxi Stockholm for a couple hours tour. The touring companies in Stockholm are AWFUL. I have NEVER had so much trouble with tour companies. Just fyi....I loved Stockholm and hope to return. The tour companies are the worst I have ever encountered.

 

Sandra

Interesting. Care to elaborate? Might be helpful to others.

Al

Hi Al,

 

Could you tell me how far is Helsingborg from Stockholm? Is it closer, across the water from Copenhagen? An old boss of mine lives there and I am hoping to get in touch with him and meet. I don't know if that is feasible as I don't know if either Stockholm or Copenhagen is close. Thanks so much for your help.

 

Corinne

Canada

Hi Corinne,

Stockholm is quite a long way from Helsingborg, so no, I don't think it is feasible for you to meet up on a cruise visit to Stockholm. Copenhagen is even further.

Enjoy the trip,

Al

How do we get from Vasa Museum to Grand Hotel?

Will have Ho Ho boat tickets.

One of the HOHO stops is right next door to The Grand Hotel.

Al

Thanks, Al, I wrote them again to tell them that I will not have a cell phone with me, and they confirmed the taxi booking now without it.

Great to hear that Pam. Have a great time.

Al