Scottishclover

Just checked on my cruise planner. Full price is £288.70 per person but there is a 15% off at the moment. Hope that helps!

We booked with Nordkapp Bilservice. They are a local mechanics firm who also do car rentals. As far as I am aware they are the only ones to rent from. I will report after the cruise how we got on. We used this strategy of renting a car when we were in Skagway in Alaska and loved the freedom we had to stop when we wanted. We booked Flam railway with Norways Best, one way only as we are cycling back down. You need to be in quick as they do sell out quite quickly. You can also get tickets from Norwegian railways about 60 days out too.

We are going on this cruise in July. I can tell you, I thought the Celebrity shore excursions were extortionate but then I am Scottish and a bit of a cheapskate😂 We also are paying for 4 as our adult daughters are travelling with us. Plenty folk must think otherwise as most excursions are sold out and have been for a long time! As an example, Celebrity are charging £ 172 for one person for a transfer only to the North Cape. We are hiring a car for the whole day for that price. Also they have a big up charge for things like hikes, kayaking, Flam railway, RIB boat tours which are easily accessible from the port independently. We are very comfortable booking independently but I understand not everyone is. Celebrity do have flash sales where you can get money off excursions, so keep that in mind. A caveat to this is that even booking independent tours in Norway is expensive. Last time we were in the Fjords we did a lot of hikes and as they say the best things in life are free. This time we are mixing it up a bit with tours/hikes. It really does depend what your interests are and how much you are willing to spend. In summary, if you book independently, you will save money in comparison to booking with Celebrity.

That’s a shame about the EasyJet flight- we are travelling back up on a Saturday. Can’t help with luggage storage but usually train or bus stations have some facility. I’m sure I also read that the Premier Inn in the city centre has a storage facility even if you are not staying there.

Your report is giving off some great energy😀 I love the photos - they’re helping me relive our cruise last year. We also spent some time in Rome pre- cruise and did the Walks of Italy tour. I thought it was fantastic too but it was fast- paced. There was someone on the tour who couldn’t keep up or cope with the heat and he ducked out half way through. Looking forward to reading more.

Assuming you live in Scotland and are travelling home, I’m going to suggest an EasyJet to Glasgow. It’s a new route this year. That’s what we’re doing ( although Edinburgh airport is handier for us) and flight time is around 11am, so perfect. Ryanair also flies from Bournemouth to Edinburgh, not sure of timing. Although 4pm is a bit of a hang about, I’m sure you could fill the day by going for a nice brunch/ lunch/ drink somewhere and reflect on the great time you had on your cruise. I can see how you might be tempted by the earlier flight. I don’t think Southampton Airport is huge so you probably could make it. Locals with experience could confirm. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you miss it. There’s plenty other ways to get home.

Seriously, no need to stress about taking the train. It takes just over an hour from Hamburg Main Station to Kiel on a regional train and there’s at least 3 an hour. Just get your ticket on the day, you can’t reserve seating on regional trains anyway. Go on to the Deutsche Bahn and look for timings. Then taxi from station to the port in Kiel.

You could DIY and take the train from Warnemuende on your own. Check Deutsche Bahn for train times and ticket prices which vary acc to the train. A regional train is €44 Rostock to Berlin. ICE is a bit quicker but most likely more expensive. There’s the occasional direct train from Warnemuende but most of the time you would change in Rostock ( it’s an easy change). Then in Berlin take one of the “free” walking tours. I find Berlin one of the least expensive capital cities, so it can be visited without breaking the bank. The journey is around 3 hours each way, only you can decide if it’s worth it. To make the most of the day, you would need to do a lot of forward planning, as some of the sights in Berlin are quite spread out. If it were me, I would stay and go to Rostock in the morning and wander round Warnemuende in the afternoon. It’s quite charming. My daughter is currently living in Rostock and any friends she has had over have absolutely loved it. There’s lots to keep you interested, especially all the Hanseatic architecture. It would make for a much more relaxed day. If this is something you’d be interested in, let me know and I can provide a more detailed itinerary- I lived there many moons ago and have been twice in the last 6 months so know the town well. Going to the castle in Schwerin is also a possibility ( not Mondays) but be aware that depending when your cruise is, there is some work going on the train line Rostock- Schwerin so the normally 1 hour journey is much longer. Hope this helps with your decision making.

You may want to rethink the order of your day. The last few times I have been on Victoria Street, it has been jam packed with tourists. Shoulder to shoulder and I had to weave in and out to get down to the Grassmarket. I couldn’t imagine being able to take a decent photo without someone else in it. You might want to think about going there really early on to avoid the crowds and get the best photos. Same goes for Royal Mile. Calton Hill is a large area so crowds would not impact your views there so perhaps that might be the last stop of your day? I am not a photographer so I’m not sure if afternoon sun would impact your photos. Of course, it’s Edinburgh so afternoon sun is definitely not a given😂

On our Baltic cruise in 2022, the only place we got caught out with no cash was when we travelled on a local bus on the island of Bornholm. It was partly my fault - had I been more organised I could have had the app downloaded for tickets. We did one of those free walking tours in Stockholm and the guide even took her tips by card payment😂 On that particular cruise we didn’t stop in Warnemuende ( many Baltic cruises do) but I have visited a lot as my daughter lives there. Germany is the one place that you need cash, not everywhere takes card and some places only take German EC cards!! My daughter says she would never go to Berlin without cash as lots of places don’t take cards so it may be handy to have some Euros if your cruise stops in Germany.

Just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your review. I love the balance between ship information and your port activities. And I also appreciate the gluten free food photos. The gluten free rolls at breakfast are new I think! My sister lived in New Zealand for 5 years and we didn’t go to visit as my nervous flyer husband couldn’t face the long flight from Scotland. Looking at your photos I wish we had taken the opportunity. Thank you for taking the time to review. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

We were in Kotor last July and did THAT hike. I echo Edinburgher’s sentiments. We were up early to beat the rush and walked straight onto one of the first tenders (Celebrity). It took us a bit to find the start of The Ladder of Kotor but we had started by 8:30 am which was our goal. The hike goes way higher than the fortress - it’s probably a quarter of the way up to put it into perspective. While it is steep, the switchbacks help and if you are a regular hiker you would have no problem managing it. In fact we found the ascent fairly easy.The views are amazing - my 20 year old kept using the word “insane”. After around 2 hours uphill we found a plateau which seemed a good turning point. However, we found the way down very difficult as the temperature was getting so high, and I was very grateful to be off the mountain at 12:30. To let you know how hot it was, my top was so soaked with sweat, it was practically transparent. On the way up there was some shade but on the descent the sun was brutal. Saying that, it was one of the best hikes we have done and we’ve hiked all over the world. We were so glad we did this hike as although Kotor is postcard pretty we found the streets completely overcrowded. Definitely aim to start as early as possible, bring more water than you need ( we were out well before the bottom) and wear sun protection. But do THAT hike!!

Definitely do this tour! Takes you a bit off the beaten path. Only one of the villages is what I would call touristy and wasn’t crowded at all. The villages feel authentic and the scenery was just stunning. Like Edinburgher, we did this through the ship ( Celebrity) so can’t comment on the tour company you mentioned. There was just enough information about The Godfather but I found the information about the actual mafia more interesting. However the scenery is the highlight. We were so glad we chose to do this excursion.

Just know the bus from Edinburgh to St Andrews stops at every wee village and town on the road and takes 2 hours, which is double the usual driving times. My daughter is at uni there and takes the bus because she gets it for free (under 22). It would be a bit shorter for you getting on near Forth Road Bridge but it is really a slow route. So that’s around 3 and a half hours travelling for you with just a few hours in St Andrews. The train is quicker and the local buses from Leuchers go every 15 mins. Leuchers is just a few miles outside of St Andrews. Shame about Rabbies schedule - that wa my go to suggestion as I often see their tours when I am up in St Andrews.

Due to a change in port times in Flam, our original plans to get the train up the valley and bike down won’t work. We are thinking in booking the bus to the trailhead with Norways Best and doing the hike up Mt Prest. Has anyone done this? Would love to hear your experience. Thanks.