I-Cruiser

On 2/25/2022 at 8:53 PM, csto said:

I spoke with Azamara today and the Onward voyages after Nov 12th until March are considered "code red" which means no new bookings can be made.  They would not elaborate any further.  They did say it does not mean they are canceled.  Likely due to regional disturbances but who knows.

Good to know as we are  booked on the February 8 cruise to Egypt/Israel. The only thing to do now is to wait for that email from our ta.

I would imagine the Black Sea/Eastern Med cruises for this year  would have been taken down from the Azamara website as well,  but they are very much bookable.

This is very sad news.

We received our refund for our cancelled June 8 cruise today.

Less than 1 month after we asked our agent to get the refund.

Excellent and  efficient  service from Azamara as usual !!!

(....and before anyone ask. Yup, I am in Norway and our agent is in the US ;-))

I got the email to. I thought it was a very nice escape from all the bad things happening in the world.

But, I guess it's all about how we see things. Someone must complain to feel alive.

We are booked on the Quest June 8. FIngers crossed the world is back at almost normal by then.

If not we will take the FCC and spend it later this year or next year. I really dont get why everyone are so negative.

We are very blessed and fortunate to be able to cruise. We are working hard and look forward to our time away on Azamara,

We will keep on booking cruises and enjoy them all 🙂

I believe AZ has handled it as good as  they can. Not easy when governments makes changes hourly.

I doubt very much AZ will go under because an "entitled" few do not get any information the minute  they demand it !!! 😄 😄 ....

Only suspended in the US !

But cruises in Europe are still going as planned even tho they will not let anyone board who has travelled from/to/transit via Europe....!! ...ok then.

I am sorry to tell you this but Aalesund, Stavanger and Bergen has closed their ports for cruise ships.

I am not sure how long for except Ålesund, which is closed until 1 May.

3 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

You might want to re-check.  The old format only allowed 20 posts per page, new format allows 40 posts per page.  Making previously long threads shorter.  Chances are all the posts are there, just on a different page than they were before.

Hi there - Nope, they are gone. Our roll call is only on one page now.

All posts posted this week are gone.

almost half of the roll call posts are missing .

•  
• MSC Splendida Roll Calls 
•  
• 12th January 2019 Dubai

To everyone reading this thread.

I feel all answers to what to do in the Ålesund area has been answered within these pages.

I will no longer update this thread.

Its been a fun trip.

Lars

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Thank you so much for the wonderful words.

I am glad you all had such a fantastic day.

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Hi I- Cruiser Lars

Can you help me too, I know that Bergen is not in this thread but I asked in another one a no one knows/replied.

Are there any places in Bergen where we can dress up as a viking and have our photos taken, the kind of thing you do in a theme park (hope that makes sense)

 

Tia

Susan

Not that I am aware of unfortunately.

Your best bet would be to contact the tourist information as they are better equipped to answer this question.

Many many thanks Cruiser Lars !! for the info regarding Flam/Skoulden. Will most probably decide then on Flam with the railway trip among other things to do.

Sounds like a very sensible thing to do. I know you cant go wrong visiting Flåm.

Hi I-Cruiser Lars,

 

In your view which of these ports in Norway is worth a better visit - Flam or Skolden ? What would I be missing in each of these ports as my cruise ship itinerary/choice does not include both ports in their route? Your knowledge will be important for me and my party to decide which cruise ship to take, - thanks

Well, no pressure;p:'):'):')

Skolden is a relatively "new" cruise port. Flåm is a very established tourist machine.

Both offer spectacular scenery.

Flåm has the most to offer in regards to sights, things to do, tours etc.

Hi I- Cruiser Lars.

I'm loving this thread. I've read quite a few of the questions and answers, but forgive me if this has already been covered.

I'm going on my first ever cruise with P & O

Azura in early September calling at Stavanger, Flam, Olden and Bergen. I have mobility issues and we're taking my 84 year old mum. So far I've looked at the Loen Skylift, the Flam railway and the funicular in Bergen. Would I be better off going with the cruise ships organized tours or going independently? I would love any further suggestions you may have. Thank you.

Thank you for your kind words.

By going with a ships organized tour you are sure to get help if needed.

Going on your own you will have to rely on the the goodness of others.

As far as the sights you have looked into, I think they will give you a very interesting experiance. They are all spectacular.

You will have to navigate some steps at all the sights but as long as you are ok with that I am sure you will have a great time.

We are in Oslo from 2:30pm to 6:00 pm the next day, do you think there is enough time to see any of the beautifl Fjords? If so, any recommendations?

Honestly, I think that will be to rushed.

If you plan on driving it is a 5-6 hrs drive (one way) from Oslo to the nearest fjord - Sognefjorden and the village of Flåm.

Of course you can take the 1 hrs flight from Oslo to Ålesund and then rent a car to explore the area.

The easiest would be to hire a helicopter to take you from Oslo straight to the fjordland.

Hello

I have read several pages of the post....and enjoyed it greatly. However I'm taking the lazy way out (instead of reading each page) and wanted to ask your help in both Tromso and Trondheim. I am cruising on Princess August 12th and looking for non cruise excursions or activities in these ports. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Well, not to familiar with those 2 ports.

I cant remember the last time I was in Tromsø.

But always trust Google to find the easy way out;)

https://www.visitnorway.no/reisemal/nord-norge/tromso/

https://www.trondheim.no/

Hi everyone

This thread is great, thank you for all the information, especially you Lars :)

 

We are going on a Northern Lights cruise with CMV in October. I'm just wondering if we are likely to see the lights from the ship or if we should book a Northern Lights land tour aswell. Any advice?

 

Cheers, Susan

The northern lights are known to happen in October but your best bet is further north then Ålesund. I would think the best place would be in northern Norway.

If you are so lucky to get to see the Aurora Borealis I would think you also could see it from the ship. However, the best would be on a tour, on land in total darkness.

Hi again Lars!

Well our 2nd trip to Norway is soon to begin and I am hoping I can get some more ideas and help since you have been so helpful in the past. This trip we have booked a local tour to Giske and then stopping at Sunnemore Museum and Mt Aksala. We are going to walk back from the viewpoint on our own. Can you give some advice on what to see and where to stop for a drink. Also since we will have 2 hours before the tour we plan on walking around the other side of Alesund in the morning. We are avid photographers and so your ideas will be most helpful to us to capture the town . I see that there is a lighthouse is it worth the walk? A place for a morning snack? Thanks so much again. Karen

The walk to "moloveien" is a must with a visit to the lighthouse. (its actually a hotel room now).

Also walking in the area of Apotekergaten which is just behind the canal that runs through town is a good place for taking photos. Head up to the church and the school (a huge yellow building) the views to the islands are super from there.

My favorite places for beverage are "Racoon coffee and more" - situated in at the beginning of the pedestrian road (Kongens gate).

A snack is best had at "Invit" - they have the best seating in town as they have a small barge right in the canal.

So glad to find your post, I-Cruiser. I shall be doing a NCL Cruise visiting Bergen and Alesund only insofar as Norway is concerned :). Am wondering how I should best spend my days in these two beautiful cities. Specifically, if I wish to see your country's wonderful fjords, which City would you recommend me to do it from, realizing I would then miss the opportunity to see the City itself......?? Any advice you can give me in how best I should spend these two shore days (about 8-9 hours shore time available in each City) will be greatly appreciated!!

You will find the answers within these pages;p;)

But the best place to catch a fjord is from Ålesund.

in 8-9 hrs and by renting a car you can manage to visit the Storfjord and possibly also Geiranger (however briefly)

Expect to use 2,5 hrs without stop each way to Geiranger. Stay in the village for 2 hrs or less and then back track to Ålesund.

If you stay shorter time in Geiranger you can still explore Ålesund for a short while after delivering the rental back.

You could also do a circle by taking the ferry from Geiranger to Hellesylt and then back out to Ålesund. This route will take you at least 6 hrs without any stops. It will be a fantastic day but maybe to rushed?

Backtracking will for sure allow for a more relaxed tour.

With S-class ships offering more options in most areas, and Edge class coming soon -- the M-class ships will never appeal to the young trendy crowd Celebrity is now courting. They would have been better off keeping them "classy" and deploying them for adventuresome itineraries to appeal to the more mature folks [like us!] who have time and money for longer cruises outside the same-old-same-old. But they have moved on, so we must consider doing the same.

I concur !!

Hi Lars-

 

The Avis/Budget locations in town by the terminal are sold out for our date (7 Jun). Do you have any experience with the Hertz location located ~10k east of the terminal? What method of transportation would you recommend other than the obvious taxi? Any buses? It's always frustrating trying to secure a taxi to go 6 miles when most of them are hoping for all day fares. And might have similar issues trying to return after dropping off the car after a long day's drive.

 

We did look at Europcar which was only ~2k east, but they were $100 more expensive.

The Hertz location is really not easy to get to using public transport.

You would have to take the bus to a suburb approx 20 minutes outside Ålesund. The it will involve a 10-15 minutes walk.

The best and easiest would be to take a taxi to the location.

Eurocar is a 20-30 minute walk from the cruise terminal. Only a minute or two with a taxi.

Will the rental companies not deliver the car for you?

The roads to Trollstigen and Mt. Dalsnibba are now open for the season.

This means all the tours will be able to run.

Thanks for the advice on the cinnamon buns! We had some with delicious coffee in the Racoon Bar! Expensive, but very good. The free wifi was useful, as was the clean, free, restroom!

Had a very enjoyable visit to Alesund, a very pretty town.

Glad you enjoyed Racoon and the cinnamon buns:) I go there all the time for my coffee fix.