kcbmarek

12 minutes ago, aroundtheworld96 said:

I was casually browsing RCL cruises as my husband and I (early 30s) have been discussing a Europe trip for next/spring and came across this cruise to Norway that was offered for what seems to be a very good deal (I am seeing 1000USD per person with all taxes and fees on Anthem of the Seas). However I have not done that much research into Norway and am wondering if this is a good itinerary? Would we be missing any major cities/sights by choosing this itinerary? Bonus for us is the start/end location in Southampton is a much cheaper flight from Canada than flying into Norway, the dates work, and Norway is of interest to both of us.

 

We are both very active and outdoorsy so I am just trying to get a sense of what there is to "do" in these places and if this would be a good trip for us. My initial google searches are showing lots of fjord cruises and nice towns to walk around but I am hoping someone better versed in Norway travel could provide input on this itinerary. Thanks in advance for any input! 

 

 

Sun, May 12:	Southampton - England
	(Depart 5:00 PM)
Mon, May 13:	At Sea
Tue, May 14:	Bergen - Norway
	(11:59 AM - 7:00 PM)
Wed, May 15:	Olden - Norway
	(7:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
Thu, May 16:	Geiranger - Norway
	(9:00 AM - 4:00 PM)
Fri, May 17:	Haugesund - Norway
	(11:59 AM - 6:00 PM)
Sat, May 18:	At Sea
Sun, May 19:	Southampton - England
	(Arrive 5:30 AM)

It is okay, but I would want to go to all the big fjords - Flaam, Stavanger and Geiranger and nix Bergen.  Norway is about the scenery (like Alaska) and not the cities IMO.  If you do go, have a great time.

11 hours ago, FionaMG said:

 

Guarantee cabins can be assigned at any time, from the moment you book the cruise until you turn up at the pier. It's totally unrelated to when you check in.

 

The benefit of checking in as soon as possible after it opens is that you get the widest choice of boarding times which, in turn, means you can be among the first to board, giving you the best shot at stuff that needs to be booked on board, such as shows and speciality dining.

Awesome! Thank you!!

Thanks everyone!  I found it and have marked my calendar to remind me.  😁😁

Awesome thank you!  Where on the app is the day given?  I have looked and do not see it.  😔

How far out does RCCL open online check in?  I read that guarantee cabins are assigned based on when you check in.  Anyone with insight?

Kim

Unfortunately, no one knows as of right now.  We are booked on a Baltic an are just crossing our fingers right now.  

I hope it is for you guys!  We are booked on a Baltic for May 18, 2022.

We have had to cancel our Baltic cruise this year and are looking at late August / early September 2021 to reschedule.  What is weather like around this timeframe?  
 

TIA!

Kim

4 minutes ago, srh_leh said:

My husband and I are also looking at Norwegian cruises that  go all the way up the coast in summer of 2021. Our current choices are Princess and Hurtigruten, two very different experiences. I am not seeing the NCL offering. Can you tell he how you found this and the name of that cruise?

The NCL itinerary that I had posted was from this year’s itinerary in June 2020. NCL has yet to put their itinerary out for 2021 and I have called several times requesting when it will be put out. No one seems to know.

12 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

The environmental rules are getting stricter over time. Is it possible that some of the places they really want to go won't be accessible in 2021, and so they decided not to sail the itinerary at all?

 I have confirmed with Holland America that they are not doing the itinerary next year. 

1 minute ago, westcoastcruiser said:

We did Holland for 21 days last July cruising north of the Arctic Circle and we consider it to be our most favorite cruise to date...and we consider ourselves well traveled.  Eidjford was probably the most beautiful place we have seen.  Bergen and Flam were nice, too.  It helped that we had no rain and were on a very new ship Nieuw Statendam.  Norway is not to be missed.  

I called Holland and the gal I talked to said they are not doing the Arctic this year.  Hard to believe as that is one of their most popular routes.  Hmmnm .....

4 minutes ago, just_dont said:

I can relate. We did the Midnight Sun cruise with Viking last summer and really enjoyed their casual elegance. It was a great cruise which I highly recommend. They sail it both ways between Bergen and London. We did Bergen to London and spent some time in Norway making our way from Oslo to Bergen on our own before the cruise. It was a great vacation.

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I was making the assumption Viking was out of our price range.  Maybe I should check them out.

Just now, dexddd said:

While we probably would not have booked NCL, it certainly doesn't help releasing so late.  MSC released round two of theirs last week of December and we booked B2B for three cabins.

NCL is getting ready to lose our business because of this!  They should know that for a cruise like this that only runs once a year to release rates early along with all the other lines.  Stupid on their part for sure!

17 hours ago, just_dont said:

Do you already have the Baltic cruise booked? Where does it end?
If you want to splurge, Viking has a 29-day Baltic Jewels and Midnight Sun cruise from Stockholm to London in June 2021. It includes Geiranger and Honningsvåg. The Midnight Sun half (15 days) is available separately from Bergen to London.

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Our Baltic is on NCL Escape and starts / ends in Copenhagen.  We did find a cruise on Holland America that does Norway and the Baltic but I am  not sure that it includes the Cape.  As for Crystal, that is a bit to formal for us.  We are laid back and easy cruisers.  If my husband does not have to dress up, he is much happier.

2 hours ago, rocklinmom said:

Yes NCL usually doesn't release their summer Norway/Iceland cruises until the spring prior (about a year out). It's way too late. The other cruise lines released theirs months ago. I am also interested in NCL's Land of the Midnight Sun cruise for June 2021 but can't wait until April or May to see what the offerings are. So I have already booked the same cruise with Princess for June 2021 and will wait until NCL releases theirs to compare. 

We are now also looking at Holland America for their Midnight Sun cruise.  We do not want to wait either as I know we are going to have to jiggle our Baltic cruise around.  

 If we wanted to do a seven night cruise then Garringer and Flam are on the itineraries. Since we want to go all the way to the north they are not. Is it worth going to Garringer and Flam versus going all the way north? 

When will NCL release their rates for the Norwegian Fjord cruise in June 2021?  We have decided to do this cruise but I am antsy and want to see what the pricing and date will be so that I can jiggle our Baltic cruise on the NCL Escape currently scheduled for departure on June 6, 2021.

Thanks!

Hubby and I have decided to piggy back a Norwegian Fjords cruise to our Baltic cruise in June 2021 as this is our trip to celebrate hubby's early retirement.  So I think we have narrowed down to itineraries that go above the Arctic Circle.  Problem is, we do not know which is a better choice.  Any advice? (Note:  the check indicates a port visited on the itinerary by that line.

TIA!

*****************************************************************************

Has anyone used TJ Travels for their excursions in St. Petersburg and other Baltic ports?  Looking for insight before I book them.  Thanks!

Will be stopping in Kotor and Dubrovnik on our Greek Isles and Croatia cruise.  Any shore excursion recommendations for these two stops?

TIA - Kim

33 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

If you enjoy history, I recommend visiting the Doge's Palace. (I like the regular tour or just do it on your own; was not a big fan of the "behind the scenes" tour as to me it is a bit contrived.)  The ticket for entry to the Doge's palace comes with included entry to the Correr Museum (opposite end of St. Marks' from the Basilica), which is well worth walking through for history buffs -- the rooms were once used by Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth ("Sissi") of Austria and some have been restored to that era. Others house Venetian history from the Romans to the era when the Doges ruled an empire of their own. (Don't miss great views down on the piazza.)

 

Also, you probably visited San Marco on your first visit, but if you didn't go to the museum upstairs, it's worth doing. Inside the entrance there is a narrow set of stairs on the right leading up to the first floor museum where you can see the real bronze horses, close up views of the gorgeous mosaics, and a killer terrace view of the piazza and piazetta.

 

My other recommendation would be to take a vaporetto to Torcello. It's a lovely small island and was the precursor to Venice itself. There is a gorgeous old church (or three) there to visit, plus a small museum and a very quiet, peaceful place. Go on a nice day and have lunch at one of the few restaurants there. If you don't want to spring for the pricey but chi-chi Locando Cipriani, I very much enjoyed the Osteria Al Ponte del Diavolo (near the "Devil's bridge -- read the history of it; many of the bridges in Venice were originally like this one, no hand-rails required...)  I would skip touristy Murano, but Burano is also worth a visit to see the colorful houses.

 

 

Awesome ... thank you and definitely will put these sites on the list.  We are huge history buffs so these locations will fit us best for sure.  

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I'd suggest that since you know your interests and touring style more than we do, it might be better to look at a few guidebooks to get ideas. Most will lay out the top 10 or 20 highlights and you can then pick and choose based on what appeals to you.

 

A history fanatic (me) will have an entirely different list to someone who is into architecture, the arts, or maybe Venetian glassmaking.

 

 

Very true.  We are big history buffs as our favorite travel locations so far have been Rome, Athens and Egypt.  I know that there is so much in Venice and was looking for some recommendations on what people thought was good.

30 minutes ago, sunewlsu said:

I recommend Tom's Port Guides.  https://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html  He provides great detail about every port with maps, GPS coordinates, transportation options, and what to see.  Based on his port guide, we are choosing to do Mykonos on our own. 

 

Enjoy the planning,

Susan

Thanks Susan!  I will definitely take a peak.  I have read in other places that these ports are easy to do solo, but you want a personal opinion sometimes.  

Kim

DH and I will be departing on a cruise to the Greek Isles and Croatia from Venice and returning to Venice.  Our plan is to spend 2-3 days in Venice after getting off the ship.   We were in Venice for one day in 2017 and all public transportation was on strike that very day which made things a bit tough, hence we did not get to enjoy the city.  What are some must-do items in Venice?  

TIA - Kim

DH and I will be cruising to these ports soon and I was wondering if you really need a tour guide or are they easy enough to just walk on our own?  Any insight would be awesome and if you have the name of a great tour guide, that would be awesome too in the event we go that route.

TIA - Kim