twotravellersLondon

1 hour ago, Leither said:

And interesting to see that the captain, Jozo Glavic, is going with her. He was the captain who took us through the Corinth Canal on Braemar a few years ago.

 

And what a cruise that was... do you remember the standing ovation that he received from the passenger 

?

 

2 hours ago, teenieleek said:

I got the email this morning with the “new” cruises for 2025

 

Our brochure ended on the doormat this morning... with quite a thud...it's a heavy one! 

 

Not only has the FOCL website been revamped and made a bit more attractive the new brochure is beautifully produced. Lots of inspiration; pics and very well set out and ordered pages. Some of the print on pp136-138 is a bit small... in the old days editors would never ever have allowed that.

 

Looking at the prices for cruises from Rosyth... much the same next year as they are this year... so initial thoughts are positive. Cruising to Iceland from Rosyth is from about £164 pppn. Rosyth is a little more expensive than sailing from Liverpool where a similar cruise is only from about £158 a night... but it's like that this season as well.

 

But... nowhere near as expensive as making the trip South.

 

  

32 minutes ago, teenieleek said:

I got the email this morning with the “new” cruises for 2025.  Sadly I don’t see much that’s new to me.  Anything appealing we’ve already done.  Nothing from Newcastle or Liverpool either that jumps out.  
 

Could you tell me which other lines go from Leith etc please as this has passed me by.  
 

Thank you for your replies.

 

Probably best to look at a good travel agents site... one in mind... but CC will not allow us to name travel agents by name. Suggest that you do a search... key words might include... Seabourn, Windstar, Azmara, Ambassador, Oceanana and Silver Sea... or even "Cruises Departing From Rosyth."

 

Having been brought up on the North-East coast of Scotland and lived in Aberdeen for a few years after we were married... we know full well the additional problems of having to get to places like Southampton to join a cruise! 

 

Good luck. Hope that you find something that you like.

40 minutes ago, teenieleek said:

I was on the website last night but I missed those.  Must have clicked on the wrong thing.  Thanks for replying.  Hopefully a few more will be added.

 

Now had another look... and there are eight Balmoral cruises listed from Rosyth in 2025... the same number as in 2018 when we were last interested. So no drop in the number of FOCL cruises.

 

FOCl's schedules for 2025 are already published. The Balmoral is doing the rounds of Rosyth, Newcastle and Southampton and there seems to be no opportunity for other cruises from Rosyth to be added. The two other FOCL ships are also fully tasked. 

 

The big difference is that there are now more cruise companies leaving from the Rosyth/Leith/Edinburgh area than there was in the past... so there seems to be a greater choice.

12 hours ago, teenieleek said:

I’ve just been looking at 2025 and there are no cruises on the website that leave from Rosyth. 

 

Just have a look at the FOCL website. 

 

There are 6 cruises on the Balmoral from Rosyth advertised for the summer of 2025. They include the Scottish Isles and the West Country, Norway, the Baltic, Iceland and a one-night mini-cruise.

 

Balcony cabins are available on the cruise that we've looked at.

 

 

22 hours ago, Laszlo said:

It basically said the judge upheld the running. Still trying to figure out of this goes in effect now or not for another year or two

 

Many thanks for your clear and concise facts. Elsewhere, there seems to be a lot of rumour, supposition and speculation over the tinkling tea-cups about what may happen at Bar Harbor but things could well be clarified by the Town of Bar Harbor in the very near future... even this week.

 

You might already know that there's already a Memorandum Of Agreement between the Town of Bar Harbor and the cruise lines. That is; an agreement will be made each year covering all bookings of ships which plan to visit in the 18 months following a schedule being agreed. These Memorandum Of Agreements are signed with each cruise line annually 

 

In 2021, any combination of cruise ships booked between May 1 and October 30th of a season had to be at or below the daily caps based on the published lower berth capacity for each ship. That was; 3,800 for May, June, September, and October and 3,500 for July and August. (The lower berth idea is a very American thing... if the lower berths are sold the ship would been at 100% capacity (loading) and additional passengers in upper berths could well push the loading well over 100%.)

 

However... an essential part of this Memorandum Of Agreement was that the Harbor 

Master would stop accepting reservations of any additional ships once the monthly caps (based on accumulation of the published lower berth capacity of each booked ship) had been filled: 30,000 for May 40,000 for July 65,000 for September: 30,000 for June 40,000 for August 65,000 for October.

 

At the time this Memorandum Of Agreement was made in 2021, bookings made prior to July 21, 2021 were to be honoured... even if they exceeded the agreed limits. This Memorandum Of Agreement was to be effective from September 21, 2022 for scheduling of the calendar year 2023 and 2024 cruise seasons. A review was due in November 2023, at the end of the 2023 season with a view to scheduling the 2025 season.

 

What people who are less well informed need to know is...  in November 2022 folks living in Bar Harbour voted for a cap of just 1,000 passengers a day with other restrictions on cruise ships and the operators of the pier. As you've helpfully explained, On 29 February 2024 Federal Judge Lance Walker on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine ruled that the limit on the number of cruise passengers was legal and could be enforced by the town council.

 

Harbor Bar Town officials are reported to have said they were pleased with the ruling and that they would provide more information after a scheduled town meeting in the first week of March 2024.

 

It's difficult not to have mixed emotions about this one... a feeling of empathy with cruise passengers who may not have the same opportunity to visit Bar Harbor, as others have had in the past, and the residents of Bar Harbor who have to navigate thousands of cruisers a day in their small community.

 

Sadly for us... we're in the former group!

Wet, cold and grey but what better a day to get in the mood for a warm balmy evening in Athens in the middle of July... July? 

 

Who else but us would have tickets for a Midsummer Night's Dream in Stratford upon Avon for this evening?

 

Perhaps the Tempest or A Winter's Tale would be more appropriate! As we navigate through the wind, the rain, the sleet and the possibility of snow... with tomorrow's forecast  looking like 1˚C or 2˚C at best and feeling more like -1˚C or -2˚C... the RSC will need to conjure all of its considerable talents to create the atmosphere of an olive in Athens tonight!

 

We've remembered not to pack sunglasses.

 

Hope all are well!

 

It's a cold 5˚C. It's rainy hard and there's a blustery wind. Major grocery delivery due... but... there are Almond Croissants and "hot Lava Java" coffee for breakfast!

 

Hope all are looking forward to the weather improving!

1 hour ago, Martini&Fizz said:

Thank you for your response, twotravellerslondon, it's much appreciated. That all sounds great. Luckily, we are in the same cabin for both cruises. Did you have to go to both safety drills? 

 

We did. It was the "Crocodile Walk" in those days holding on to the shoulder of the person in front and shuffling to the lifeboat. We did suggest to one Cruise Director that we should make it into the a "Caribbean Conga"... but our suggestion was never taken up!

50 minutes ago, Martini&Fizz said:

My husband and I will be on the Balmoral for the Baltic cruise this July, sailing from Rosyth, and are staying on board for the next cruise to Iceland. Does anyone know what facilities will be available to us on this turnaround day, eg for dining, relaxing etc? Also, I'm thinking we'll have access to our cabin, is that right? 

 

When we did something very similar we were well looked after... especially as we had to change cabins as well.

 

All of the lounges were available and the tea/coffee stations were fully operational.

 

Lunch was provided in the dining room... it was the full works... and there was wine and beer on request if we wanted it. It was obvious that there were contractors, port officials and other visitors on board and they were also fed very well.

 

Afternoon tea was served just as the first new passengers began to arrive. Our new cabin was available early afternoon. We were free to come and go from the ship as we pleased.

 

Our post from home was delivered to the ship's reception (by arrangement) for us to collect.

 

Our new cabin was available from about 10.30 am and our cases were in there when we arrived.

 

The only downside... the ship did feel a bit lonely and the corridors were full of linen.

 

However that was pre-covid... times may well have changed.

 

On 2/24/2024 at 3:44 AM, Selbourne said:

Day 52 - Friday 23rd February - Ocho Rios, Jamaica

 

 

A very odd day in Jamaica. As a Carnival ship managed to damage the cruise pier a few weeks ago, and has apparently put it out of action for a year, we berthed at Reynold’s Pier, which the locals call the James Bond pier. It’s an industrial berth that was used in two James Bond films as the baddies lair. The local economy is going to take a big hit, as this pier can only take smaller ships (and maybe only one at a time?) so all the biggies are being rescheduled to either Falmouth or Montego Bay. The locals aren’t at all happy. 

 

I was booked on a ‘Panorama of Ocho Rio’s’ tour and it was on one of those awful Toyota minibuses that seem to be as prevalent around the Caribbean as the wild chickens are on Grand Cayman. I got in the front seat which, due to there being no door, involves a degree of contortion and dexterity to get in and out of that thankfully I can still just about manage (at a push). 

 

As we left Ocho Rio’s we climbed up through Fern Gully, which is a steep sided gully that was originally a river that got diverted as a result of an earthquake. Even though I was in the front seat it was difficult to see out as the minibus had a tinted band that covered almost the top half of the windscreen and it wasn’t well applied so distorted the view. Anyway, as we were climbing the gully, I noticed the greenery start to move at the side of the road and all of a sudden a person on stilts, absolutely covered in greenery (from their head to the bottom of the stilts), just ‘walked’ out into our path. As if this was perfectly natural, our driver just slowed down and then drove around him. A little further up the gully there was another leaf covered manned stall and our guide said that he was ‘Jack in the box’ and the chap on stilts was ‘Jack and the beanstalk’. They are apparently ‘tourist attractions’ (code for beggars). 

 

We weaved our way through some quite poor looking areas and then got to an affluent area where various music stars own properties and then stopped at a viewpoint (Shaw Park Ridge) that overlooks Ocho Rio’s. On our way back down the hill another chap dressed all in black walked out in front of the minibus and brought us to a halt. He then proceeded to do about a dozen backward flips down the middle of the road. I should at this stage say that Marijuana in ‘small doses for personal use’ is legal in Jamaica and I was beginning to wonder if I had inadvertently taken some. Anyway, it was another beggar who managed to get a few dollars from the more benevolent passengers on the minibus. 

 

We then stopped at an extremely average church (St Johns Anglican Church) with a very shabby graveyard. I have no idea why so many shore excursions on various islands do this. The average village church in the U.K. is more impressive than 90% of these. After that we stopped at the Taj Mahal shopping centre (yes, you read that correctly). Lots of shops all selling similar things - tourist tat, t-shirts, booze, cigars, jewellery etc. The prices all look astronomical to me, probably as Sterling is weak against the US dollar. Maybe the prices are more appealing to our US cousins. 

 

Next we headed out of town for a slightly pointless drive through the heavily congested village of St Ann’s (it’s Jamaica Day today so everywhere was busy), which included driving in and out of the hospital car park (I’m not making this up for effect BTW). The final stop was an outdoor eating area where they cook vast quantities of Jerk Chicken and pork. Again, I’ve no idea why. It smelt nice but wouldn’t get a food hygiene rating at home!

 

Back to the ship just 20 minutes late which seems to be better than most excursions. BTW, If booking tours don’t plan on doing two in a day. Chances are your first tour will be late back. They don’t even seem to be aware of the scheduled return times! 

 

As the tour was late back we had missed lunch in the MDR so went for a burger at the Lido Grill. The service up there is poor but the burgers are OK and are a quick way to fill a gap. 

 

We were scheduled to have a relatively short day in Jamaica with an ‘all on board’ time of 4.30pm. Then we had the added challenge that wheelchair users could not get on and off the ship between midday and 2pm due to the tides (when only stepped access from deck 5 would be available). However, by the time we had grabbed some lunch the level step free access from deck 4 had been reinstated, so we headed ashore. 

 

Thankfully, although we were further out of town than the usual cruise pier, the walk into town was very good and wheelchair friendly. It was a tiny bit more tricky in places once we got into the centre, but still better than most of the places we have visited. On the way back to the ship we had a look around Island Village, a nicely landscaped shopping and leisure area. 

 

Having returned to the ship in good time for the early departure, at 5pm the Captain announced that we would be delayed in our departure due to a delivery of provisions having arrived late. As a result, people could go ashore for another 2 hours if they wished. I doubt that many did. He also said that this would mean that we would be a few hours late arriving into Tortola in 2 days time as a result. We ended up leaving at around 8pm. 

 

Clearly there is a tight budget on fuel costs, as the journey is apparently about 720 miles and we have 36 hours to do it if we are to arrive on time. That would mean travelling at 20 knots, which is well below Auroras designed operating speed of 25 knots. I wondered if the Captain would do the same as he did with Bermuda, when he patted himself on the back for getting us there just marginally late when we had made a big diversion to avoid the worst of a storm system. However, he said that there would be a communication about the impact of our delayed arrival on shore excursions, so maybe not. 

 

At 7pm we went to Carmen’s for a Headliners performance called ‘Up all night’.  As those who cruise a lot will know, there can be big variations in the quality of the Headliners troupes. We’ve seen a few excellent ones and some quite poor ones. In all honesty, the troupe that we have is very good and it’s frankly amazing that the vast majority of them are on their very first contact with P&O. In the spirit of complete honesty, the male singers are let down a bit by one of their number being quite weak, but the female singers and the dancers are all excellent. 

 

Dinner was mediocre. We both had jerk chicken. I wasn’t terribly keen but it was a welcome change from the usual fodder. My wife enjoyed hers. My dessert was dreadful. I struggle to think of more than a handful of MDR desserts that I have really enjoyed. 

 

The 10pm show was vocal group ‘Legacy’ but we were both quite tired so didn’t go. Tomorrow is a sea day as we progress towards Tortola. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like you we were at Reynold's Pier (James Bond Pier) when we visited Ocho Rios a few years ago and now you've jogged the memories we decided to begin a blitz of all of the Bond films from start to finish... one a week!

 

One of us (a keen reader at the time who'd read all of the Ian Fleming's Bond books) saw the first Bond film at its release in the town hall of a tiny place on the East coast of Scotland one cold, wet Saturday. It was... totally amazing... not just the Bond action bits... but being transported to the Caribbean... it was "a million miles away"... so totally different from our own rugged bit of Scottish coastline... and it was beyond our wildest dreams to ever be able to visit such a place... unless we joined the navy!

 

So last night... your post was the inspiration for the beginning of our personal Bond "season"... starting at the beginning... with Dr No... and there was the pier, "in all its glory"... complete later with what was state of the art pyrotechnics in 1962.

 

So one picture, a passing comment... will now provide us with hours of entertainment over the next few weeks and months. 

 

Many Thanks!

6 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Ben Kearsley

 

We've heard him a couple of times... very much to our taste... a very talented musician. 

Good? Morning.... 10C... coolish... greyish and it looks like it will be rainyish... but it's...

 

 

Leap Year!

 

So... we're going to have fun. Tonight a Belgian meal of rabbit with croquettes... with a suitable starter and a Tarte Tatin for pud... What some people will do just to crack open a bottle or two of Belgian beer!

 

For those who were born on this date.... "Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday & Happy Birthday again!"

 

 

Hope all are wel!

5 hours ago, kalos said:

 

Morning everyone it's a cool 3.c and feels like 1.c  and overcast .

 

I agree with S H we should have good brakes ...🙃

 

 

And as for electric cars ,lots of things are been converted to electric ,even

our local farmer is converting his sheep to electric .

He now has one of the last sheep that is still coal powered ...😮

 

Have a good day everyone 😃

 

 

There are times that it's better not to be down "wind!"

 

8 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Clocks forward one hour tonight, the first of 3 changes en-route to the Azores, so we will just be 3 hours behind the U.K.

 

Three hours down but one day up... must be chaos at the international date line.😅😅

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

 

Day 55 - Monday 26th February - Basseterre, St Kitts

 

Another ‘interesting’ day in the Caribbean! We had docked in St Kitts very early in the morning. After breakfast I was booked on the St Kitts Scenic Railway excursion but it was due to leave at 10am so there was no rush. There had been some heavy rain whilst we were at breakfast and as we returned to the cabin there was a small rainbow alongside the ship. We could see the entire rainbow and it made quite a sight. The photo doesn’t really do it justice. 

 

The scenic railway was a very popular trip which probably a good 150 passengers had booked to go on. We were loaded onto the now infamous minibuses and were taken the long way around the island to the pick up point. The driver & guide Kirk was very funny. One chap asked if we could stop at a restroom. Kirk replied that he would pull up somewhere so that the guy could go behind a tree (which he did)! As he stopped he warned the guy to be careful as “we have monkeys and they like to grab bananas”. The passengers wife piped up “Oh, he’ll be alright. He’s only got a small one” 😱 That must surely be grounds for divorce 😂

 

I have mentioned before that many of the stops on these tours have been tenuous at best. Well today took the record. We stopped and remained in the minibus whilst Kirk said he had something to show us. It was a water stand pipe. He gave us a demonstration of how it worked. When he got back in we then had a detailed account of the fact that the government is gradually removing the levers from them, making them key operated only for farmers. Fascinating 🤔

 

At this point Kirk received a call to say that there was a problem with the train and we would be delayed, so we then had time to kill. This enabled us to stop briefly to see a couple of other stand pipes, as well as semi derelict houses. When we were on Grand Cayman, my lasting memory was the hundreds of chickens we saw roaming around everywhere. St Kitts has the same (and sheep and goats) but the thing that struck me most was the scrap cars everywhere. We must have seen hundreds. When a car meets its end it’s just abandoned in verges or outside peoples houses. Kirk covered this as well. The government is going to start fining people if they don’t dispose of them environmentally. Good luck on that one!

 

The train was meant to leave at 11am and when we arrived at the pick up point at around this time we were told it would be around half an hour late. This turned into an hour and finally the train turned up at around 1220. Profuse apologies from our host for the delay (apparently a pin had come out holding a rail in place) and we were off. It’s a double decker train with open sided seating on the top and an air conditioned saloon underneath. I went for the air conditioned saloon. The views weren’t quite as good but it was a pleasant temperature. 

 

The 18 mile trip lasts 1hr 45 mins, during which time there was some dubious ‘traditional dancing’ (two teenagers with a ghetto blaster, angling for tips), an informative live commentary and free drinks (rum punch etc). Having learnt the hard way in Honduras, I disciplined myself to one rum punch but in reality I only took 2 or 3 sips of it. Two reasons. The first was that my sore throat is fine much of the time now, but alcohol causes me real discomfort within minutes. Secondly, it tasted horrible 😂. For my second drink I had a Virgin Colada which was far better. 

 

After 10 minutes we stopped abruptly. We were at the spot where the rail had separated and it happened again! Thankfully the engineers were all still there with their equipment so we were on our way within 10 minutes. In truth I’ve been on far more scenic train journeys in the UK, but it was still a good experience. When we got back on the minibus it was very apparent that a number of my fellow passengers had partaken of one or two too many rum punches. We arrived back at the port 1hr 45 minutes late (pretty good going for a 3 hour tour) and my wife was beginning to get quite concerned where I was, but obviously the problems were entirely out of P&Os control and “all part of the experience” 😂

 

In every single port in the Caribbean we have been told to take photo ID (passport or driving licence ashore), yet we have never been asked to show it anywhere - until today. Utterly pointless. It just caused queues and delays and the checks were not conducted properly anyway. What do they do with the people who didn’t have any photo ID? My guess is they let them through anyway as the ships have their own security! Whilst I was queuing a very elderly couple in front of me were both struggling to stand, not through infirmity but (through their own admission) too many rum punches 😂

 

When I eventually got back to the ship we dashed up to the Lido deck for a quick lunch and then I took my wife ashore. Arvia was also in port, so the Port Xante cruise terminal was very busy. There was a karaoke bar in the middle where a succession of people who thought they could sing, but couldn’t, were belting out one song after another. Why is it that the only people who get up and sing at those places are all tone deaf? It reminded me of the Eric Morecombe line “all the right notes, but just not in the right order”. It was truly excruciating. There were also people in various states of inebriation around the edges ‘dancing’. A very unkind and deeply insensitive person prone to sweeping generalisations might have said that this could have been the sort of place that was attracting Arvia passengers who were perhaps partaking of the drinks package, but thankfully that’s not the sort of thought that would ever cross my mind 🤔😂 

 

Prior to looking around the cruise port we went into the town, which isn’t much but is another authentic place. I had a note to see the Circus (clock tower) and Independence Square. Both were only a short distance from the cruise port so that didn’t take long. One thing that we thought was lovely was that all the school kids were walking home and they are obviously told that tourists are the life blood of the island and to be respectful to them. As they passed us they all smiled and said “Good afternoon”. Can you imagine school kids at home doing that?

 

I got brownie points from Lady Selbourne because she only wanted one thing from the shops and, amidst all the shops selling the usual tourist tat, booze and bright clothing, I managed to find it - Hairspray 😂 (no, they don’t sell it on the ship). Talking of hair, my number 3 & 2 clipper cut has lasted well and may even get me home, where I can do it myself for nothing 😂

 

Back on the ship we went to Raffles for a drink and as we were departing the Captain announced we were leaving and that indeed he was himself leaving us tomorrow and a new Captain is taking us back to Blighty as planned. Nothing against the guy, he seems very pleasant, but he has been the most uncommunicative Captain that we have ever had in almost 30 years of cruising. I genuinely believe that he needs reminding that being Master of the vessel is not just about the seamanship side of it (which, in all honesty, the majority of which is done by the bridge team anyway), but is also about enhancing the passenger experience with useful nuggets and by being visible. He has done neither. I wish him well, but for a Grand Tour such as this, which is a huge adventure, we drew the short straw. I shall be sure to feed back on this if I ever get the chance on a feedback survey and I hope that many of my fellow passengers do the same, as I’ve heard enough of them commenting on it!

 

Sail away was nice and peaceful, as we were thankfully spared a band on the top open deck. A few honks were exchanged between us and Arvia (we were the first to leave - I don’t think we had any stragglers in the karaoke bar 😉) and we sat on the balcony well past darkness as it was still so warm and lovely and quiet other than the relaxing noise of the ship cutting through the water. 

 

We’ve had very few pre dinner drinks since my throat issue, so next stop was the MDR for dinner. Another hit and miss experience but mostly miss unfortunately. My leek soup starter was very watery and was quite insipid. My wife enjoyed her cauliflower tabbouleh salad. I had roast beef and had two really thick slices cooked exactly as I’d asked. However the Yorkshire pudding was like cardboard and tasted like it had been cooked a few days ago. The usual barrel shaped spud and a few overcooked root veg with a flavourless gravy. My wife had lasagne and said that she thought it was nigh on impossible to mess up a lasagne but they had managed it. I asked what was wrong with it and she said that the pasta was ‘gluey’. She left 90% of it. I had rhubarb and ginger crumble, which was fine, but their custard (or sauce Anglaise) is always dreadful (it manages to be both runny and lumpy at the same time and flavourless) so I asked for ‘Honey Combe’ (as they call it) ice cream instead. My wife had just the ice cream. 

 

The 10pm show was Jayne Middleton’s second show, also as Annie Lennox. I looked her up after her first performance as I just knew that she was putting on a very bad Scottish accent and, sure enough, she’s from Stoke on Trent 😂. Why do some tribute artists think they have to talk like the artist as well as sing like them? They almost never do it well and sound silly. Anyway, thankfully this girl has a great singing voice. The second show wasn’t as good as the first. She’d done many of the big Annie Lennox & Eurythmics hits in the first show. There were a few more this time but she also did some covers that Annie Lennox apparently did but that I was unaware of. Tomorrow is Antigua, which is our last Caribbean port before we start the long drag home via the Azores. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another great post.

 

8 minutes ago, brian1 said:

For me,a retired plumbers dream,standpipes and stopcocks😉

 

Another great post.

 

We remember that train well... good way to check that the dental fillings are all secure!

11 hours ago, TMSA said:

We are going to Stockholm in May and it was through trying to research the ports that I found this thread. How did you find where you were docking? I've tried but can't see. Ours is also showing the OYO experience so starting to worry we might be nowhere near the centre

 

We were there a few months ago.

 

From Stadsgården It's also a short walk to the Line 2 bus that's 20 minutes to the Opera. A taxi took less that 5 minutes... there's the Line 82 ferry across to the Vasa and the ABBA Museums. The ferry ran every half-hour and cost about £5.  

 

Things have changed very rapidly in the Baltic since St Petersburg was dropped from cruise itineraries... and almost ever ship that now doesn’t visit St Petersburg requires two nights in berths elsewhere in the Baltic... in locations where there are facilities and the potential for excursions. That's put enormous pressure on quays and caused immense concern about environmental issues... so much so that the EU is financing quays and power connections.

 

Stockholm is looking for Stadsgården to be the major cruise quay. When we were there, they were building the facilities at Stadsgården quay berths 167 and 160 makes ports of Stockholm the first port in Sweden to offer cruise ships onshore power connection... that will remove 6,000 tonnes of cruise-ship exhaust gasses from the centrum ever year. So the emphasis is on making Stadsgården accessible.

 

Sometime cruise-ships go to the adjacent Masthamnen Cruise Terminal but it's also equally well commented to the centrum and the museum area.

 

There were lots of shuttle busses when we were there... but many people also used the public transport system.

 

2 hours ago, cymrucat23 said:

Thank you so much, wonderful photos....really looking forward to it - not sure if we will have time to do much walking around Tromso, as we are booked for a a dog mushing experience! Do hope to do some walking around Alesund.....  🙂

 

We had posted without knowing which cruise you were on.

 

This might be useful... https://thehiddennorth.com/highlights-of-alesund-self-guided-walking-tour/

 

Have a great time.

 

1 hour ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

Have woken up this morning to this view from our balcony

 

 Just... inspirational!

49 minutes ago, Kinniegirl said:

Getting into town, I know that there is no shuttle bus, is it far to walk in ie uphill, long way, or is it better to catch a taxi

thanks 

 

Morrisons is about 1000 yards from the cruise quay... and many of the shops aren't much further. It's a level enough, easy walk but can be a bit uncomfortable if it's a hot day. We've watched as people have panted back to the ship with heavy bags of duty free and others have arrived back by taxi... so it's very much a matter of personal choice.

Earlier this morning it was 3˚C, bright, sunshine and the Bluetits were taking turns at the birdfeeder outside the kitchen window. We enjoyed it as long as it lasted... now we have a yellow weather warning for rain... and are looking forward to sorting out some more cruise-holiday photos.

 

Best Wishes to all.

7 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

There's also a lot of pride in these churches which are often the centre of village life.  In Barbados for instance there's traditionally a rum shack immediately next door to the church to facilitate celebration after the services.  Most of the "traditional" islands have a very high percentage of church goers.

 

That's just so true. An excellent post!

 

It's the sense of community, the sense of history, the sense of belonging, the sense of who people are that so important. `these circles, parishes, communities... where people were baptised and became members of the church, where they were confirmed in the faith, where there met their partners, were marries, presented their children in from of their friends, the community and the congregation for baptism and invited the love of God and the support of the assembled folks was and is immensely important. Funerals are also Immensely important... a change to say goodbye to long time friends with the surety that folks will meet again on the day that the trumpet will sound.

 

Many of us, but certainly not all of us, live in a world that we just don't understand the intricate and complex interrelationship between people/faith/culture & history.

 

In so many places, as our friends in the Caribbean will testify, churches and parishes are an integral part of who people, families and communities are... and have always been.

 

In our opinion, it's quite a privilege for a casual tourist to be offered an insight.

 

 

 

16 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Taj Mahal shopping centre

 

Another really great post that brought back memories of when we were in Ocho Rio’s a few years ago.

 

We took an excursion to Strawberry Hill where Bob Marley hung out after the attempt on his life. (It's now a rather expensive watering hole where the super-hyped "Gods" of the music world, such as Madonna, hang out with their entourages.)

 

The busses were exactly as you describe them, so were the prices and the lateness of the return to the ship... and we did use the "James Bond Pier!"

 

We visited the Taj Mahal shopping centre... where we were encouraged to haggle for... diamonds!  Not on our shopping list that day!

 

However... hindsight is a wonderful thing... and we're left with very happy memories. Thanks so much for reigniting our interest.

22 hours ago, cymrucat23 said:

Off on our first ever cruise next week - Northern Lights 😍. Is there any point in getting local currency?  We have cards and it seems most places take cards. We've booked 3 excursions, but would like to do a bit of walking around on our own as well. Thanks 🙂 

 

 

Even pre-pandemic Norway was virtually a cashless society and it's now even more so. 

 

We were up there last year and visited Bergen, Ålesund, Tromsø, Honningsvåg, the North Cape and Alta... didn't use cash anywhere. People seem to prefer cards. All of the taxis take cards, museums are free or take cards and even in the churches... donations are welcomed by card. In some cases cash is simply declined... just like in many places in the UK... especially London.

 

Evening  tourist markets... not that many will be open at this time of the year, take cards.

 

In Tromsø bus tickets are available from the Tourist office.

 

 

Walking in Tromso... you may need to take the shuttle up to the city centre nut from there there is a very attrative walk along the main street and down to the shore and harbour. there are really good views over to Tromsdalen Kirk (Nicknamed "the Arctic Cathedral") It you want to see the real cathedral it's in the center of town by the Ferry Quay.

 

Waking in Honningsvåg just follow the coast line and the harbour... it's very atmospheric. There is a Christmas shop and a very bohemian cafe/bar to look out for.

 

Walking in Bergen...

 

We've been to Bergen lots of time over the years and have sometimes stayed there these are some suggestions within easy walking distance of the cruise terminal...

 

From the main cruise terminal, it's just a couple of minutes’ walk to the fortress which is immediately outside. It was virtually destroyed when a German ship blew up in the harbour during the second world war but has been rebuilt. There's a park, military museum. banqueting hall and tower with good views.

 

About 100 yards further on there's UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Bryggen... a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings dating back a 1,000 years and lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour. It is a world class must-see site and has lots of museums, shops, restaurants and pubs. Be sure to penetrate the alleyways.

 

About 100 yards further towards town and the end of the harbour there's a very classy McDonalds. Call to fame... Bill Clinton once sneaked in unannounced for a burger!

 

 From there turn left up Vetrlidsallmenningen and in less that 100 yards you'll find the Fløibanen... a cable car that takes tourists of a trip to the top of the mountain... sensational views... when it's clear.

 

 If you have the time, there are some interesting walks down the peninsula to the west of the harbour and some good views back to the Bryggen and there's the Akvariet i Bergen - Det Nasjonale Akvariet (Aquarium) at the end.

 

Alternatively from either the Bryggen or the Fløibanentake take the Øvregatenl behind Bryggen and the Fortress to Mariakiken and then up the hill along Nye Sandviksveien... take the turning to the left down Skuteviksveien. This is a very pretty traditional street with some houses dating from the 1700s... the strange cobbles in the middle are to help horses in the snow... we've found them to be ideal for elderly tourists in the wet!

 

 At the end you'll come across the wharfs and refurbished warehouses around Skutevik. From one of the wharfs by the Seaman's mission... brilliant views towards your ship... and with luck... Eider Ducks on the water. (Hooded Crows are everywhere!)

 

There's a sneaky way back to the ship via the beach and on a DIY board walk at the back of a shed or you might prefer the road... either way... it's only a few minutes.

 

The sail away can be stunning in the right light and weather...  we try to be on deck.

 

 

A few pics to whet the appetite...

 

Tromsø...

 

 

 

 

 

Ålesund...

 

 

 

 

Bergen...

 

 

 

Alta... If you can sleep out overnight,,, we're done it five time n different places... just amazing... especially when the lights come out.

 

 

 

North Cape...

 

 

 

 

Honningsvåg...

 

 

 

And keep looking out... we saw the lights on six consecutive nights... mostly were most others were in bed!

 

 

 

 

 

We hope that you have a really great time.