luvnorway

Here's the website http://www.articoicebar.com/?type=6

Just Google "Ice Bar"+Honningsvag and you'll find more info

Just took another look at it and noticed the orientation has changed. Hope my previous post re what the webcam shows didn't confuse anyone.

For anyone interested, here's a webcam showing the exit from Honningsvag harbour.

http://www.ogp.nu/siste.jpg

The town is out of sight beyond the height of land on the left.

Honningsvag is on the island of Mageroya, off the tip of Northern Norway - now joined to the mainland by a highway tunnel. North Cape is across the island on the Northern side.

Not all cruise ships sail by North Cape - some include it in their itinerary and state the time they will pass by it, which is very helpful.

Others reveal nothing until the Captain's departure announcement when leaving Honningsvag. I suspect they do this because they want to make it look like an added bonus thrown in for passengers' enjoyment, and/or because, if the seas are rough or fog is bad, as it often can be in that area (remember the stories about the conditions experienced by the merchant navy on the Murmansk Run convoys in WWII

http://www.acc-vac.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=feature/murmansk/history), they don't have passengers complaining that they didn't get what they paid for.

You can tell if you are going to pass by the North Cape if your ship turns left when leaving Honningsvag. If it does, North Cape will be on your left side in a couple of hours. If you have binoculars, look along the top of the cliff and you'll spot the globe on top near the edge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Cape,_Norway

If your ship turns right when leaving Honningsvag, you will sail right over the highway tunnel that links the island of Mageroya to the mainland.

Also, there are great hiking trails with incredible views up the hill/mountain behind Honningsvag. We've often seen reindeer grazing up there and the tiny, fragile tundra wildflowers are beautiful.

Was very disappointed that this was closed the last time we were on a cruise that visited Liverpool.

Having visted war rooms in Dover Castle and Malta, and just recently seen where convoys departed from (Halifax and Sydney) on 'our side of the pond', we're really looking forward to visiting the Liverpool control centre of the Atlantic Convoys.

http://www.liverpoolwarmuseum.co.uk/

I was browsing through this forum, looking for posts relevant to the cruise we're doing this summer, and came across this thread asking about tours from Cobh.

This is what I posted after our visit there in 2007, but I checked the company's website and the tours still appear to be offered - I didn't read the details on the website, so some info from this prior post may have changed, but I thought it might be of use to someone:

If you're looking for one that departs from Cobh (though it doesn't focus heavily on Cork City), I strongly recommend you consider this

http://www.butlers-buses.com/cobh-shore-excursions.htm

I found the information about it and several good recommendations posted on this board by just using the 'Search this Forum" function. You can do the same to verify my recommendation.

We took their tour to Blarney and Kinsale from Cobh last summer and thought they did a great job for the very reasonable price of 15 Euro each.

At the time, we were on a HAL ship and they offered separate shorexes to Blarney and Kinsale (morning and afternoon) for about 50USD pp each, but no combined, full day tour.

We were picked up right on the pier at Cobh (very handy for anyone physically challenged) and right at the time scheduled, and driven in a van with 3 other couples directly to Blarney where we had enough time to visit the castle/kiss the stone etc. (at our own expense) if we wished, or as we chose, to wander the village of Blarney and enjoy an Irish Coffee.

We were then driven, via Cork, to Kinsale. We first visted the fort at the harbour entrance and then drove along a beautiful, narrow waterside road to the town of Kinsale. Here we stopped for several hours, lots of time for lunch and shopping and exploring the village on our own.

We returned to Cobh and Kevin, our driver/guide, who lives in Cobh, gave us a tour of the town and took us up to see the impressive church which looms over the harbour.

As other posters mentioned in the posts I read which convinced me to investigate this tour, Kevin has a great sense of humour and was very knowledgeable about all the places we visited.

Some of the advantages of the way this tour works are:

1) the earlier you book, the lower the price

2) unlike many private tours/guides, you book and pay per person, not by the van load - so you don't have to try to find others to go with you if you are travelling as an individual or a couple

3) the van is small enough that it can get down narrow roads that large coaches can't -> see more, and less walking necessary if physically challenged

4) you're only paying for what you use (ie guide's commentary and transportation)

- eg. a) we weren't interested in going to Blarney Castle - if we had taken a ship's shorex, the price would be inflated to include admission to the castle regardless of whether we went in

- eg. b) we weren't interested in spending our time sitting in a restaurant in Kinsale, but preferred to walk around there - others in our group chose to go to a restaurant - they could pick their own place and chose their own meal (there are lots to choose from - and many recommendations on internet websites)

All in all, we had a great day - I only wish tours orchestrated this way for this price were offered in more ports!

Hope this helps.

Estebofarr - Suggest you go over to the Northern Europe & Baltics forum and use the "Search This Forum" tool - there's lots of info on DIY from Warnemunde there and lots of posters who are doing Baltic cruises this summer who may have done some research and be able to offer advice.

You won't be docked in Villefranche - it's a tender port. Make sure you allow time for tender ticket lines when planning your day.

We've been to Reykjavik many times, and, without hesitation, I'd also recommend taking "The Golden Circle" tour if you think a visit to Reykjavik is going to be a "once in a lifetime" experience. Take the tour even if it means missing seeing Reykjavik itself if your stop is a "short port". You haven't seen Iceland if you haven't been out on the land - it's spectacular.

NPB - this thread was posted last year and should provide you with some useful information

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=304552

Also suggest you start new threads asking for DIY advice for each port individually, by name, and also use the 'Search' feature of this board to look for info on each port by name.

Bottom line - if you are willing to put in the time req'd to do the research (and there is tons of useful information on this website), you can do most ports on your own for a lot less $$ and get a real sense of accomplishment from doing so.

We have toured it twice, first time on a ship's shorex, 2nd time we just took a local bus from the main street of Waterford (took 15-20 min IIRC) and got off at the Crystal Factory and took the tour on our own. The 2nd time the tour seemed longer and more detailed - when we asked one of the staff organizing the tours, we were told that the cruiseship tours are often abbreviated on busy days. Also, if you go on your own, although you may have to wait for half an hour or so for the next tour to start, you can use the time to browse through the showrooms/shop and, unlike on the ship's tour, you have all the time you want or need to make your selection of purchases. Furthermore, it goes without saying that doing it on your own is much less expensive. Check the Waterford Crystal Factory website for more info.

A few other points re "trying things on your own" vs shorexes (= ship's tours) that I haven't seen mentioned on this thread and that are worth considering:

1) the length of the shorex as described by the ship is not the amount of time you actually get to see things - the longer the scheduled trip, the more bathroom stops and, of course, the larger the vehicle you're travelling in , the more people there are to use the facilities (why is it that people going on bus trips load up on coffee before leaving the ship and then again, every chance they get while on the tour?). Be prepared to spend part of your tour time lined up to get into the toilets and/or hanging around in areas that aren't very interesting (eg. highway rest stops) waiting for others to do so

2) don't reject a tour that interests you because of one stop that doesn't - instead, do your research and find out what else is close by that you could see while the tour group is (an example only - don't take my head off) in the church or museum that doesn't "grab" you - or use the time to have a relaxing drink and people watch

3) similarly, just because lunch is included in a tour doesn't mean you have to stay with the crowd and eat it - if you are on an all day tour, and/or are not a "lunch" person, you may prefer to just grab a snack and use the extra time to sightsee or shop on your own

** in the case of 2) and 3), just make sure you tell your guide your plans and confirm when and where you need to re-connect with the tour to continue on it and/or return to the ship

4) walk and use public transit - the former is excellent exercise after cruiseship meals and distances in many European towns and city centres are very short compared to those we're used to in suburban North America. When using either of these methods, you get to see and experience more of the "real" place from which you are insulated on regimented shorexes and when using private guides

5) we have always found local people to be friendly and helpful as long as we treat them with respect, are polite (learn to say at least please and thank you in the local language - AND USE THEM in every conversation), and have local currency. Even if the people don't speak English, they want to understand what you are trying to say and will pantomime directions, write down prices etc.

Bottom line, reiterating what others on this thread have said: sometimes a shorex is the right choice and sometimes (in my opinion, usually) it makes more sense to sightsee on your own so you can spend the time seeing and doing what interests you - but don't limit yourself to shorexes only because you are afraid to try things on your own - remember - the difference between an ordeal and an adventure is your attitude toward it!