CCJack

We stayed at the doubletree.   Great views of the canals, and easy walk to canals, shopping, etc.  Very short walk to train station.    We also walked to our ship.   About a 20 minute walk to ship, a doable walk even with luggage.  Some people in the hotel  took taxi to ship so that is a toss up.   

41 minutes ago, Coral said:

I do not think Mendenhall is a must. I think it is a let down actually. 

I agree, if you are going to see another Glacier on your trip then I don't think Mendenhall is a must.

For our upcoming NCL cruise we booked the NCL  Oai excursion in Santorini just to avoid the cable cars going up.   We still need to deal with them going down however.

In past years we almost always tried to find independent excursions.  However, in the last couple years we have moved back to ship excursions.  Mostly for the "getting off of the ship" reasons and not "missing the ship" concerns.   Several cruises we have been on the ship's excursion passengers have been given priority to get off, even if docked.   In Flam, our ship (not NCL) docked, let ship's excursion people off then backed away and tendered everyone else, while a different ship took the dock space.  I feel cruise lines are starting to entice people to use their excursions by offering these perks sort of like Disney letting their resort guests get in the park first!

Do the celebrity cruises that overnight in Osaka offer an overnight excursion to Kyoto with hotel, or is this something you would have to plan on your own?   We are considering this.   Alternative is to do a few days DIY on our own to see Tokyo and Kyoto followed by a shorter cruise to coastal cities, preferably without an overnight in Osaka.

thank you.

On 5/25/2024 at 10:28 AM, Thejuggler said:

.  To really appreciate fjord cruising you therefore need to be prepared for some early mornings, certainly a couple of hours before the port arrival to sit on the balcony or be up on deck to admire the scenery and take everything in.

 

By the time you leave, generally 5-6pm you will be changing for dinner so you probably won't have time to sit on the balcony for 2-3 hours.

 

 

 

For sure.  #1 rule for a Norway Fjord cruise is get up early on Fjord days.  Morning should be your primary plan to see the Fjord, then if it happens to be bad weather in the am, you can get a 2nd chance with the sail out, but you have the dinner crowd, and lots of activity at that time as thejuggler says. 

I was the only person on the upper deck at 5 am for our Flam port and it was really beautiful.   Don't miss....

On our Viking Danube cruise our evening entertainment was sitting on the top deck and enjoying the beautiful views.    There seemed to be a "deck" group of people and a "lounge" group of people for evening entertainment.   We went as a couple (no group) and enjoyed the trip very much.   Did meet a few folks but we are not "very outgoing".   It all worked out and was a great trip.

Speaking of groups, I would not book so early you are the first cabin reserved.   We did this.   Then Viking sold every other cabin to one group, essentially a charter plus us, (not part of the charter).   They did let us know after they sold the rest of the boat and we were able to reschedule to another date but it was a hassle and a cost for us which they did not offer us any help with the costs.   I felt it was not handled well by Viking. 

I agree with the above answers.... as for locks, we were on a Danube cruise that went through over 20 locks.   About 15 of those were at night, and we were not awoke once.    The remainder were during the day which I thought was a very interesting experience.   I enjoyed seeing the locks very much...

It is possible to do a little of both (land / cruise).  Although our Japan vacation was cancelled due to COVID we had booked flying into Tokyo for a couple days, train to Kyoto for a couple days, then back to Yokohama for a cruise.  In this way you get a few days of immersion into the culture followed by a more relaxing cruise to the coastal cities.

Although we couldn't go on our vacation, I had previously been to Japan several times on business.  My observations on traveling in Japan is that it is safe, clean and everything works!  The downside is Tokyo is a massive city, very crowded that the transportation system can be daunting.  However, it is certainly doable with a little patience and planning.

On a related note, the value of the Yen is at a 20 year low... a great time to be planning a trip to Japan.   Likely, a DIY trip will take advantage of the favorable exchange rate more than a cruise or a pre packaged land trip.  In the case of the latter, the companies likely will benefit by pocketing the profit from the exchange rate rather than lowering their brochure prices at least in the short term.  I would be locking in hotel rates in $ now, if you plan on traveling in the next year or so.

Good luck.

The SCAVI tour under St. Peters is very interesting (this is different than papal tombs).  However, it may be too late for you to book, as it is a very limited due to the close quarters.  I think less than 12 people in the group when we went.

Based on other threads the response from the SCAVI office has not been prompt either.  However, they are nice folks and good tour guides just slow to respond it seems.  - it is completely different staff than the Vatican Museum.  

It might be helpful if you post the itinerary for the 2 cruises you are considering..  I would view Quebec City as a don't miss stop for a cruise in this part of the continent.  It is beautiful and a great cruise stop  as the ships dock in the old town and you can walk throughout the old town easily.    Saguenay allows you to sail in and sail out one of the best fjords in North America.

I view Boston as a destination in itself - maybe for a non-cruise vacation to Boston, but it depends on your interests and future travel plans.

We have been on a couple of those cruises where we embarked in Civi, but others embarked in Barcelona (most passengers) and others in Marseille (some passengers).   Our embarkation and debarkation in Rome was a breeze, no crowds at all, I think that arrangement is best for everyone.   One slight drawback is the entertainment has to be generic... no welcome aboard show, and no farewell show, etc.   But since NCL hardly has any entertainment left from what I can tell, not really a drawback.  

Your grandson is a lucky young man!

Yes, I agree Dubrovnik is a good place to save your excursion money and walk on your own.   Of course Venice as well, can walk on your own during your couple there day stay.

In Malta we hired a local for a walking tour of Valetta with an included van ride to Mdina and a walking tour there.   I thought it was money well spent and it was not a real long excursion not was it overly pricey from what I remember.   

There is a very similar thread about difficulty in getting the Scavi office to reply.   I couldn't put my hands on the thread to repost, but I know it was recently posted in the last 3 months or so.

When we were there, we noted that the Scavi office and staff seemed to be  completely different than the Vatican museum staff (which is very large) .   From our experience, the Scavi tour staff seemed to be small in number, very friendly, not great english and maybe too casual with email reply promptness. 

Keep trying, it is an excellent tour if you can secure a spot, it is very limited in availability due to the close quarters underground.  

Our last few cruises have had the booked excursion passengers meet at some point on board (such as the theater), then they release you with your individual excursion group and you disembark with your group and head straight to the bus, etc.

Not sure if all cruiselines do this, but all of ours have been like this the last few years.

In Juneau we took the tram up and then hiked further up from the top of the tram.   The hiking is free (at least when we were there) - it has spectacular views, you are hiking way above sea level.   Although the tram was crowded the trails are not.   There are a lot of trails up there you could hike a long while or a short while, whatever you want.   Only drawback is that it was quite windy, there are not a lot of trees or windbreaks up there.

Lake Bled is spectacular, I thought it was one of the most beautiful lakes I have seen.

We were on a ship's excursion.   We did have a lot of traffic and were delayed exiting the lake, there seems to be a single road through the valley which was backed up and we were late to return.

That said, given your tour operator's experience and the fact that your next stop is close, I think it is a reasonable risk to take.

My only other thought is that this excursion is the type where a ship's excursion and independent excursion may not be that different, essentially they are both transportation.   So a ship's excursion may not be a bad option given the tight schedule if one is offered.  

I would say they are pretty equal, yes Cunard has 2 long fjords, but HAL has  Bergen which would be a shame to miss if you are going to Norway.     How about the embarkation city, have you been to both London and Amsterdam?   If you have not been to one of those, then a pre cruise stay of a couple nights would be my plan and that would be the deciding factor between the two cruises. 

They both look like great cruises, have fun.

For sure if you have only one day, you want to stay in Old Quebec.  It is very hilly but not that large.   You can see quite a bit within a few blocks.   As princeton says, Chateau Frontenac would be a great central point to work from.  

We did a walking tour through Tours Voir Quebec, which starts at the visitor center near the Frontenac.   I remember it being a pretty slow moving walking tour and doesn't cover a lot of distance.  I am wondering if it makes sense to try a walking tour and just drop off if the group moves too fast, you wouldn't be out much $ and you won't ever be too far from starting point.  The tour guide may work with you a little bit allow you to wait on a bench and skip the farthest stop or something like that.

30 minutes ago, CCJack said:

sure, let me do some checking on my past emails with them and their current website and make sure it is one in the same, etc.  

Our tour was in 2018 and Chris (owner) handled the emails with us and he found us a guide who was willing to work on xmas day.   Their current website shows the same owner and also has a photo of their tourguides and our tour guide is in the photo, so she is still associated with the company.   

It was a great tour given most all businesses were closed on xmas day.   Ours was a 1/2 day walking tour of Valletta and Mdina (with a short van ride between the two).   Our specific tour I don't see listed on their current website but they could change the tour names from time to time.

I think the fact they are in business in 2018 and still in business now is a good sign.  Not sure why you are not seeing a lot of reviews, maybe they don't go through viator, etc.  

Malta is very interesting.. enjoy your trip.

38 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

@CCJack, we are thinking about booking a half-day tour (Blue Grotto + Mdina) with this company because of your suggestion. I'm looking for some reviews on them but unable to find any. I'm guessing because their name is so generic the search term has gotten me everywhere but specific reviews for them. Would you say more about what tour you took and what it included? Thanks lots!! We'll be in Malta in about 4 weeks' time. Really excited!

 

sure, let me do some checking on my past emails with them and their current website and make sure it is one in the same, etc.  

Agree, go to roll calls and ports of call.

One very general tip, if you have not been on a Med cruise..... some of the ports are not nearly as "walkable from ship" as you may find in the Caribbean or Alaska, etc.   Some stops in the Med are large cities and the ship may dock in an industrial area.   As such, you are going to want a plan for each.   Not necessarily an excursion but give some thought to transportation ahead of time.   A few may be walkable from ship.

Also, you may experience more traffic problems in large cities than what is typical for other cruises.  Something to keep in mind in planning excursions.

Have fun.  We have really enjoyed our Med (and Adriatic) cruises.

this sounds troubling..   I would first check to make sure who the merchant is for the $500 charges to your credit card.   If it is indeed Viking, then I would call and ask to speak to a manager at Viking and try to get it sorted out.  

Well between Budapest, Venice and Rome, you have a great start on a nice vacation... those 3 are all great cities to visit.

I like at least 2 nights in Venice first, in that way you have one full day.  Venice can be crazy crowded mid day but mornings and evenings it can really empty out.  I would suggest a hotel in Venice proper so you can walk in the morning and evening.

3 nights in Rome post cruise would be good.

We have been on all 3 of those cruiselines in Europe and they are more similar than different. I would base my decision on itinerary and price, all 3 of those would work for me.    Celebrity maybe a step up in food quality, etc.

If you are considering 7-10 day maybe do the 7 day cruise and use those other days as land based stays on the front or back end.  

Have fun...

re-reading this thread, I am surprised no one has mentioned the book "the day the world came to town".... this is about all of the jumbo jets coming from Europe that had to land in Gander Newfoundland on 9/11 as the U.S. airspace was closed.   The  small town had to deal with thousands of passengers for many days.    So much you don't think about.... Local Pharmacists overwhelmed trying to fill all of the Rx as people's luggage was on lockdown in the planes cargo holds for days due to terrorist concerns.... also local vets trying to rescue the dogs that were in those cargo holds.   Plus, feeding and housing all of the visitors.    Very interesting true story.  

1 hour ago, EliseL said:

I’ve been checking and nothing yet. My aunt who is a travel agent told me to keep checking.  I’ll let you know if and when they pop up. 

Thank you.   I am concerned there may be something else going on such as NCL considering dropping the port altogether.    Let's hope not.