jrmende63

On 12/13/2019 at 2:32 AM, donaldsc said:

 

Simple Google search

 

https://www.hurtigruten.com/inspiration/experiences/northern-lights/?gclid=CjwKCAiA58fvBRAzEiwAQW-hzXWrcOh-ZADg0O26iyxrgEXAv2zgsOcbmtm31S9rrQyipq5237oGfRoCDncQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

DON

Ever so helpful. Thank you Don. 

On 12/13/2019 at 12:28 PM, majortom10 said:

There are cruises to see Northern Lights in October 2021 sailing from Southampton with P&O cruises and I should imagine they will be repeated in 2022.

Thank you for the info. I hadn’t thought about P&O. 

3 minutes ago, victravellers said:

We had an overnight in Alta, we did a ships tour called search for the Northern lights. The first tour on the Friday unfortunately didn’t see the lights due to cloud. We went on the Saturday night and the sky was clear. It was -8 degrees celcius with a wind chill of -12 so rug up.

You could see the lights from the ship and many people got great photos on the upper decks.

 

Love the picture. Thank you so much. Fingers crossed we are able to book this one for 2022 next fall. 

22 hours ago, victravellers said:

I have just returned from a cruise Search for the Northern lights. I think it was the first time it was offered. It was very cold but fantastic. We did see the Northern Lights but there is no guarantee of course.

We had snow on the decks, which was fun.

That is so exciting that you did this cruise. Could you tell me what excursions you did? And where did you see the Northern lights? From the ship or on an excursion?

I want to book a cruise to see the Northern lights in October of 2022. I see that Princess has this cruise for 2021. I am wondering if anyone here knows if this is a cruise that is offered each year? I can't find any other cruise line that sails this type, except Viking. I would rather do it with Princess.

Thanks for any information. And if you have done a cruise like this, please feel free to share the details.

Thanks!

 On my back to back, I was only platinum the 2nd leg. ( I was turning platinum on the second leg)

 So you will only be platinum for your 3rd leg.

I came back to post thank you  all for the information, but we have canceled this cruise. We booked a cruise to Iceland and two trips to Europe 3 months apart is not doable. 

We dressed formal for both of our chef tables. We were the only ones who dressed formally.

Everyone is being so helpful! I am enjoying learning what we might like to do. We definitely will be going as I paid off the cruise today! I am very happy to have that out of the way. Now to wait for flights and reviews..

18 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

The ports you have selected are interesting with lots to see and do.

 

Rotterdam usually makes passengers very welcome with a small market with local products set up in the cruise terminal and a shanty singing choir if you are off the ship early enough. The terminal is only about a 20 minute walk from the main town centre but the port normally offers a complimentary shuttle bus.

 

In the centre is the massive food market, sounds boring but it is huge and you can find some interesting food and drink products there. The cube houses are also near the shuttle drop off and I would recommend a visit inside the cube which is open to the public if you have an interest in architecture (but you need to be fit as lots of steps).

 

You can organise your own tour of Rotterdam harbour https://www.spido.nl/en/tochten-cruises/rotterdam-havenrondvaart.

 

in Hamburg there is lots to do as well. You can book your own round tour on the Alster lake, just go to the booking huts which are obvious at the side of the lake. There are lots of hop on hop off bus tours just along from the shuttle drop off (you are likely to need a shuttle as big cruise ships are berthed further out of the city).

 

You can book a tour of the impressive Town Hall. It do want to do that book whenever you arrive as they are popular, and there are only a couple in English. You. To only hear all about the Hamburg, the art inside is amazing.

 

Hamburg has some great places to eat and if you want to do the traditional beer and sausage experience with staff in costume then there are places right in the middle that are open for lunch. It is also a great place for shopping with lots of quality shops eg the Alsterhaus right on the lake.

 

Brugge is in my opinion one of the prettiest places in Europe. The ship berths nowhere near the city so you will need transport. P&O offer tours or Brugge on your own. The shuttle takes you to Blankenburg where you then need a train but that takes time and on a first visit you are probably better getting straight onto the city to maximise time. 

 

There is is so much to see in Brugge that your can just wander around. You can however get a boat trip on the canals, a horse drawn carriage tour, mini bus tour etc which give an orientation. You also need to try the excellent chocolates, some of the literally hundreds of beers they produce and the chips and mayonnaise which are a local speciality along with mussels in wine and garlic or rabbit.

 

As others have said just come back with any questions you have.

Thank you so much for this information. Brugge will be on our 40th anniversary. I love the idea of a boat trip on the canals. Also I think I need chocolate after 40years! Beer is right up my alley as well. This is going to be a wonderful cruise. 

4 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Totally agree, we have 'accidently!' booked 3 more trips to Hamburg and are really looking forward to all of them. 

Andy

I love that you accidentally booked 3 more trips to Hamburg 🙂 

4 hours ago, Spike11 said:

Just come back from a mini cruise to Hamburg and it’s an amazing city - so much to do and the sail in and out was fascinating. First time we have been and would like to sail there again - we simply ran out of time to do all the things we wanted to do. Cant see why anyone would call in mundane!

Spike11 what all did you do in Hamburg? 

8 hours ago, panamapd said:

We too are booked onto this cruise (2 adults and 1 ten year old).  I agree about the itinerary but the sail into Rotterdam is just fabulous and I'll never tire of it.  Added to this, we will be sailing over Easter so the ship should be decked out accordingly.  It is the school holidays as well, so expect there will be a lot of children and a lot of Easter themed events.

That is good to know about the sailing into Rotterdam. Having never been to any of the ports, I am studying up on what to do there.

16 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Norway is a stunning country, I am sure you will have a fantastic time. 

National Express run a coach service from Heathrow to Southampton which takes about 1hr 20 mins, traffic permitting. 

Trains and private transfers are also available, but the coach is an affordable, comfortable option that arrives a short taxi ride from the terminal and hotels. 

Andy

 

I can't wait to see Norway. We just sailed Alaska for the second time this past June. I love Scenery.

I will look into the National Express. 

eddie11...I enjoyed the link to the Britannia.

AndyMichelle and eddie11...Thank you for your help! We are really excited to be sailing in 2020 ...Dover to Norway and this cruise in 2021. 2020 will be my first time to Europe. ( Hubby used to live in Italy, but as a child.). The information about dress and hotels was exactly what I wanted. Harbour Hotel looks amazing and just the right touch for our 40th anniversary pre Iona stay. 

I do have a question about how to get from Heathrow to Southhampton. 

I am sure I will have more questions as time goes on. I will be looking for reports and posts on Iona as folks start to sail her in May. 

16 hours ago, wowzz said:

Just a few, more or less random thoughts in general, rather than giving specific advice on a ship that none of us have yet cruised on.

Firstly, the only Iona April 2021 cruise currently available in the UK market, is a fairly mundane 7 day cruise to Rotterdam, Hamburg etc. Not sure that I would fly from the US for that particular cruise. Perhaps you have booked a cruise that is not currently on sale in the UK.

On board currency on P&O ships is GBP. So you should investigate getting  a credit card that does not charge for foreign currency transactions. A contactless card would be preferable.

If you wan to participate in formal nights, you will probably find the dress code is stricter than on the lines you have cruised with before. For a man, a jacket [preferably a suit] and shirt and tie would be the minimum required. However, as Andy has said, there will probably be more informal options available than on current P&O ships if you prefer to stay casual.

If you go to the Ports of Call section on CC and drill down through Europe to the British Isles/Western Europe forum, you will find lots of advice and information about transfer options and hotels.  

Finally, in pedant mode, you will be cruising from Southampton [one word].

I for one, would be interested to know the exact details of the cruise you have booked, if it is not the 7 day cruise I mentioned earlier.

I am sorry it was not clear. I am not looking information on Iona, as I know she is still being built. I was looking for information on P&O as a US cruiser coming into the UK to try a different line.

As to what you call mundane and what I call mundane are two different animals. The cruise is the one on 3 April 2021. We are very excited to sail to Rotterdam, Hamburg , Bruges. This is our 40th anniversary sailing and we are looking forward to it. We will have a post cruise land tour so it will not be flying just for the cruise. 

 The information you gave on Formal nights is very helpful. Although, hubby has been wearing a tux or suit for several years on cruises so dressing up is not new for us. We enjoy dressing for dinner. 

Finally, I apologize for my iPhone changing Southhampton to South Hampton. I did not notice the mistake until tonight.

18 hours ago, eddie11 said:

Hi!

Sounds like a great anniversary cruise.

 

Are you seasoned travellers?  Have you visited U.K. previously?  If so, you will know the ‘cultural’ differences and be aware of areas where these will affect you.  So, you transfer those onto cruising.  It’s still cruising.

If it will be your first time in Europe/U.K. then it may come as a culture shock.  

But we’re all human and all cruise enthusiasts, so there will be lots more similarities than differences.

 

I think you will find P&O much less ‘party’ than Carnival, which doesn’t mean to say nothing happens, just that it may not be as ‘in your face’.

 

As Andy says, no-one has any experience of Iona, seeing as she’s not completed yet.  It looks like she will be shifting more to the US model of more extra-cost features.

 

There’s lots of info on the P&O website and across the web and you have lots of time to research.  This forum will, I’m sure, be happy to answer any specific questions or worries.  It’s a bit difficult knowing where to start with so general a question as yours.  Rest assured cruisers are a friendly bunch and you will meet nice people.

 

 

We have never sailed P&O and that was the information I was looking for. I am aware that Iona is still being built. I wanted info on what to expect on P&O. We have not yet been to the UK but will travel there in June of 2020. I look forward to sailing a new line and ship. We are not "party" people. We do enjoy a beer now and again, but have outgrown the party atmosphere of Carnival. 

18 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

There are many great hotels in Southampton to suit all budgets. 

As you are booking well in advance, you should get a good deal. 

The Harbour Hotel is our only 5 star hotel and is just a few minutes from Ocean terminal where you will sail from. The Premier Inn West Quay often has bargains available and is also conveniently located, but there are many others. 

As for Iona, nobody knows how traditionally P&O it will be yet, my suspicion is it could be quite different, so it is difficult to advise what to expect. 

I am hoping it keeps the British feel and dress codes, but I am not so sure it will.  Have a fantastic time. 

Andy

 

Thank you for the information. I appreciate it very much.

We are booked on IONA In April 2021 for our 40th anniversary. We have only sailed Royal and Carnival. What do we need to know to sail  P&O?

Any tips appreciated. Also where to stay in South Hampton?

<<<<<<<This is huge — our complete lineup of 2020-21 sailings now open to book<<<<<<<Royal sent this email to me. NOPE! No Europe 2021. It said so but when I went to the website (clicking under Europe 2020-December 2021) only 2020 stuff. Sigh...thanks for getting my hopes up Royal!

We just did Radiance of the Seas this past June, 7 day Northbound out of Vancouver, BC to Seward AK. We absolutely loved the cruise. We Flew into Seattle and took Amtrak to Vancouver. We also did a 5 day land tour with Royal Caribbean. We were the ONLY folks on the tour. ( Hubby, me, Daughter in law and Son). Royal ran the tour for the 4 of us. We Did Tour 10 A. This tour goes all the way into Denali, and we stayed at Kantishna Roadhouse ( in Denali.) We absolutely loved our cruise and our balcony. *yes get a balcony if you can* We spent lots of time on our balcony. The kids had an inside room and really only were there to sleep. They were on our balcony every second they could. We loved the balcony! We saw whales and orcas from our balcony. 

We saw Bears, Fox, Eagles, Moose, Caribou, Ptarmigan, Everything but a wolf and lynx while in Denali. We saw Denali it's self. ( It is covered in clouds about 70% of the time.)

We would go back in a skinny minute to Alaska. And actually are thinking of doing a winter trip to see the Northern lights. 

Alaska is not cheap but is so worth going.

2 hours ago, polymedia said:

I've done 6 Chef Tables on RCL and the last one a few weeks ago on Radiance was the best of all. There was a new menu that everyone loved. If you're a person who's into wine this might not be for you, but remember that's only half the experience. Frankly, I'm always happy with the wine selections but it's the food and company I go for. You should be able to get at least 20% off when you board.

Would you happen to have the menu?

3 minutes ago, RoperDK said:

Do you mean on the "mainland"?  I googled Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach with no results.  If we could find one, we could drive through on the way down.  I grew up in Florida and those bugs have always been a huge problem.  They would clog the intake and eat the paint off of your car back in the day. 

You are googling Port Canaveral which is the PORT. I just googled car washes in Cape Canaveral and there were 3 that popped up.

On 9/15/2019 at 4:51 PM, Ourusualbeach said:

Here’s Januarys port schedule.  Only two days with 8 ships.  None over that.

http://m.cruisett.com/p/Mexico/155-Cozumel/January_2019/

This port schedule has been changed. At least our cruise is scheduled to stop at Cozumel on 13 January 20. We were supposed to go to Cozumel on 17 January 2020. But RC changed it.