SanDiegoSue
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Posts posted by SanDiegoSue
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i'm going on a Danube River cruise this summer with my husband. I have early ALS and can still walk, but I get tired. I've read the posts about how difficult it is to use a wheelchair or scooter on cobblestones. One thread talked about using a rollator, instead. That way I could sit when I get tired from walking, and my husband can even push me...I think.
I would love to hear your comments and recommendations.
Thank you,
Sue
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Thanks Thom!
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thanks for the comments. I hadn't thought about the high river problems.
What are the best times to cruise? How about late May or early September? We like going to Europe during the shoulder season, but maybe we need to stick with June-July-Aigust...
Sue
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What time of year - Spring, Summer, Fall - is the best time to cruise the Danube to avoid low water levels? I've been reading the horror stories about having to be bussed, instead of enjoying a river cruise, with terrible, low levels this past Fall.
Sue
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Hello and thank you for helping us all with information.
Our trip will give us 2 nights in Bergen...arriving on a Sunday (June) and spending the afternoon hopefully on the waterfront area and the funicular/hikes. The next day I will either have the NIN booked to do the 3 hour ferry/bus/train/Flam train then back to Bergen (that wasn't particularly in order) or we will do a similar route via rental car.
Wondered what you thought of renting a car to travel from Bergen to Flam train and doing the trip that way instead of the mass transit bus/train way with NIN? Thank you for any thoughts, concerns or suggestions you might have :).
We just returned from Norway. We did NIN and absolutely loved it. I believe you'll see things from the Flam railroad and the cruise that you wouldn't see by car.
Sue
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Danish Viking or others....
We just got through our arrival at Copenhagen's airport. That place is huge and difficult to navigate. We came in on SAS and had considerable trouble finding the baggage area. we thought we were following the signs, but got lost anyway.
Could someone familiar with the airport give us newbees some tips on how to navigate our way around the airport_
Thanks
Sue
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We just got back from Copenhagen and did a one-night, pre-cruise stay at the Wakeup Hotel Borgergade. It's not a luxury hotel by any means, but for us it was a 5-star experience because we got more-than-value-for-money.
The rooms are similar to what you will have experienced on the cruise ship--small and spartan, but all the basics you need. The hotel and the room were spotless. The bed was comfortable. The water in the bathroom was strong and hot. The surroundings were quiet. What more could you want? But wait, there's more...
Amenities included a large breakfast buffet (for an additional 70 DKK pp), storage facilities (for a small fee) if you need to leave luggage, a business center in the lobby with 6 computers, Wi-fi, and a nice outdoor courtyard area.
The location just a few blocks from the Kongen Nytorv station was excellent. We were within walking distance of all the major city sites--Tivoli, the Little Mermaid, the palaces, Storget shopping and Nyhavn.
The staff answered my emails promptly (and in perfect English) and treated us so well once we got there. The rates vary by room level, how far in advance you book and if you want a refundable rate. We could not have been happier with the Wakeup Hotel Borgergade.
Yes, but.....
Clean and spartan. We stayed one night pre-cruise and it was good value for the Money. However, there was no closet and the room is much tinier than typical cruise rooms...much smaller. Just be ready for that.
Sue
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Does anyone know if the Sweater Wall vendors take credit cards?
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According to weather I've been tracking, it has been raining continuously in Bergen And, the forecast is for rain when we'll be there, Aug 12 (evening) through August 17.
What is it usually like ... Rain all day, is it on and off, sprinkles or heavy rain?? do we have any hope?
sue
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We were in Bergen in May and took an afternoon excursion to the Fantoft stave church and then onto Troldhaugen which was the home of composer Edvard Grieg (it is now a museum).
Troldhaugen is in a beautiful position by a lake on the outskirts of Bergen and it was a lovely drive through the suburbs to get there from the city centre.
Daily music recitals are held there at 1pm during the summer months and the museum runs a bus out to Troldhaugen from the tourist information office in the city between 1 June and 30 September.
Thank you. I like this for a Sunday, when the stores will be closed. Also, we could see the Stave church on a Sunday.
Many thanks to all who have shared tips. We leave in a week!!!
Sue
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thanks everyone.
One of the days we plan to do Norway in a Nutshell. After our 4 days in Bergen, we're going to Ballestrand for 2 nights.
After Ballestrand, we return to Bergen and fly to Copenhagen to start our 11-day Baltics cruise.
I'm still looking for more Bergen ideas if anyone else.wants to chime in.
Sue
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If you will be visiting Berlin and like WWII history, I recommend In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson -
http://www.amazon.com/In-Garden-Beasts-American-Hitlers/dp/030740885X
It is the true story of the US ambassador to Germany and his family during Hitler's rise to power.
thanks for the recommendation. I read this for our book club; it was excellent.
sue
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Hi everyone,
I posted this on our roll call, and thought others planning on a Baltic cruise might be interested as well.
I just finished reading a very insightful, well written book about the countries Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
I highly recommend you read it.
"The Almost Nearly Perfect People" by Michael Booth.
Sue
Note: These reviews are on Amazon.com
Bill Bryson goes to Scandinavia. (Christian Science Monitor (Ten Best Books of January))
Outrageously entertaining...Like members of a family, each of these five nations, despite a strong shared resemblance, has its own character, and Booth really is the guy you want to explain the differences to you. The Almost Nearly Perfect People offers up the ideal mixture of intriguing and revealing facts. (Laura Miller, Salon)
Booth's project is essentially observational; it aspires to a comic genre that might be called Euro-exotica. The form was well established by the time Twain published The Innocents Abroad in 1869, and it has been carried through the twentieth century by writers as varied as S. J. Perelman and Peter Mayle....In this sense, Booth's book is as much about Anglo-American power as it is about the Nordic way. (The New Yorker)
Part travelogue, part cultural history, Michael Booth's book about Nordic countries is crammed with some truly bizarre facts. (Entertainment Weekly)
The result of Booth's ethnographic snooping is this insightful, entertaining and very funny book. Booth also happens to be a terrific ambassador to the often insular and sometimes baffling behavior of the Nordic peoples....Anthropological research has never been this much fun. (Chicago Tribune)
A lively exploration that's part ethnography and part travel guide…at its core, The Almost Nearly Perfect People is driven by genuine curiosity and appreciation for a singular part of the world most Americans know very little about--and could stand to learn a thing or two from. (The Daily Beast (Hot Reads))
A humorous deconstruction of the belief that the Scandi nations are each a social paradise while affirming that life in one of the five can be quite congenial. Finally, an answer to the pressing question, how can Danes be so happy while paying such high taxes? (The New York Daily News)
An entertaining, authoritative, and often funny travelogue. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
It is said that most people can't tell one Nordic country from another. Maybe so, but what they do know is that these nations are exceptional. This collective exceptionalism is worth studying up close and Michael Booth's book is a good place to begin. He writes with irony and charm and in the end, much affection for his adopted home in Denmark. (The Huffington Post)
Booth is often funny, and he keeps us engaged. (The Week)
With his tongue never too far from his cheek, British journalist Michael Booth takes an ironic scalpel to what seems to be the modern obsession with the so-called perfection of life in the five Northern European countries in his The Almost Nearly Perfect People....a truly interesting and enjoyable piece of writing. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
[booth's] dry wit permeates the book...He has written an immersive, insightful, and often humorous examination of a most curious culture. (Publishers Weekly)
If, like many, you may never make it to Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, or Sweden, this is your book, and Booth is your guide. He is congenial, game, funny, and observant. And he tells it like it was… (Booklist)
Booth brings a deliciously droll sense of humor to his mission. (BookPage)
An enjoyable, funny romp through the region. (The Telegraph (London))
Booth offers an affectionate, observant, engaging look at Scandinavia, where trust, modesty and equality proudly prevail. (Kirkus Reviews)
I laughed out loud . . . A lively and endearing portrait of our friends in the north, venerated globally for their perfectly balanced societies but, it turns out, as flawed as the rest of us--or at least only almost perfect. (The Observer (UK))
A rollicking travelogue . . . [and] a welcome rejoinder to those who cling to the idea of the Nordic region as a promised land. (Financial Times)
Sorry, liberals, Scandinavian countries aren't utopias. (The New York Post)
Entertaining stuff and very readable. (The Independent (UK))
Booth is an assiduous excavator of entertaining facts. (The Times (London))
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Could you fill in the blanks?
We'll have four days in Bergen.
Sue
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Has anyone taken a helicopter of the archipelago in Stockholm? How long was it, did you like it, and how much did it cost?
Sue
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We'll be on the Regal Princess, coming into Stockholm on Aug. 29. We're scheduled for Nynashamn, but a couple of times this summer the Regal has docked at Stadsgardskajen, weather permitting and availability of an appropriate docking space.. Unfortunately, Stadsgardskajen already has another ship scheduled for Aug. 29, but Frihamnen looks to be available (on the Ports of Stockholm site).
My question is: Is Frihamnen as large as Stadsgardskajen, since the Regal is pretty big? If it's not, at least I'll know to not get my hopes up for cooperative weather....
Thanks
Sue
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Could be but could also be allot warmer but the "summer" so far have been very rainy and quite cold.
The weather is expected to continue to be dominated by low pressures moving in on Scandinavia from the North Atlantic.
I've been following the weather and have noted all the rain. Did you say that it is expected to continue? For how long?
We'll be in Norway Aug. 12-19, cruising Aug. 20-31, and in Copenhagen Sept. 1-4.
Sue
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They won't be providing the "excursion" so you will not be charged. No need to cancel something no longer offered.
We are scheduled with Alla, based on the Nynashamn port. I read in a previous post that when the Regal changed and went into Stockholm, both Alla and other private tour operators were there waiting for them. that's why I've pretty much decided to keep the Alla tour, but stay in Gamla Stan after it, so we can see additional sites, then take a taxi back to the ship...if we dock in Stockholm.
what do you others who have arranged private tours plan to do?
Sue
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Not that bad? Holy cow, I'm praying the Regal can sail through the archipelago and dock right in Stockholm when I'm on it in September! That would be so much better than Nyn! SBP and Alla will keep appraised on where the ship will be so you don't need to worry about them not being at the pier. I see your point about not needing to book an excursion from Stockholm, but that would never equal hoping for Nyn instead of Stockholm for me!
I agree. I would be overjoyed to sail through the archipelago and hope we do so. We'll just go ahead with the Alla tour, if that happens. and, if they don't show up, I'll assume they will reimburse us.
Sue
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Its very easy
Just take any metro line towards Vanløse and get off at Nørreport.
From here you take S-train line E towards Holte, this train departs every 10th minute.
After 21 minutes you get off at Sorgenfri station and walk to Frilandsmuseet from there.
If you rent a car there is a office next to Vesterport station but I cant remember the brand.
Danish Viking,
thank you for all your help on this site.
could you also comment on whether we need a car to travel around Frilandsmussert, or is it all walkable?
Sue
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thanks Louise!
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I usually wore nice black slacks with a fancy top. I did find a light-weight stretchy knit black skirt with elastic waist and asymetrical hemline that can also be worn with my fancy tops.
I've now got horrible arthritic feet so shoe options are limited.
What kind of shoes do you wear?
I can't wear heels anymore, and I don't really miss them, even tho' they do look nice. Do you wear flats? loafer-type? laced walking shoes?
Sue
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I know he started this thread, but all his links are gone. Someone was kind enough to send me his pdf file on the Tallinn walking tour and I have just been passing it along. It seems to be a wonderful tour and I am anxious to try it when we are there. I too will be going for the first time at the end of May.
Sending the file to you and MCazer. :)
I'm late to this post.
Could I also get a copy of the Tallin walking tour in pdf format?
Thank you!!
Sue
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We booked SPB tours in Stockholm, thinking we were not going to dock directly in Stockholm. Lo and behold, we did--and we regretted booking the tour. Knowing we docked directly in Stockholm, we would rather have gone self-guided.
OK...this worries me now. I believe, at least I read on the Princess site, that the Regal Princess docks at Nynashamn. Like you, we arranged a tour with a private company - Alla Tours - because Nynashamn is one hour from Stockholm.
Are you sure Regal Princess has changed it's docking site? How did you find out? Our cruise docks in Sweden on August 29, 2015.
Thanks
Sue
Scooter on a River Cruise?
in Disabled Cruise Travel
Posted
We will be on a Danube River Cruise with AMAwaterways this summer. I have heard that the boat's are too small to have a scooter on board (hallways, doorways). Also, I'm told that the buses or vans that take people on excursions do not allow scooters brought on.
Have any of you taken a scooter on a river cruise? What have you heard from anyone who has?
Thanks,
Sue