TheOldBear

One source is the Port of Tromso web site https://tromso.havn.no/en/traffic/cruise-calls/ I believe that "Kai 8" is the pier for smaller ships [e.g. MS Maud] downtown, while "Kai 21" is the one north of town [the "Breivika Cruise Havneterminal" ]

I've booked our upcoming sailing as a NYC round trip - but passengers will be leaving or joining at several ports each marking the endpoint of a segment that may be booked as its own sailing - NY, Southampton, Hamburg, Southampton again, LeHavre France and finally back in NY where we disembark. There is no special obligation for in-transit passengers to do anything while other folks leave and arrive - we can even have room service breakfast delivered [not an option for disembarking passengers]. The ship will have been 'zeroed out' in NY before we embark, and again as we disembark.

The details will vary slightly with the ship's schedule. For example, Cunard's QM2 will typically have an overnight in Quebec city, and 'in transit' passengers [the folks making a round trip from NY] can come and go freely while the ship is docked.

Last year, 26 nights [eastbound crossing , Norway, westbound crossing] it was one allocation - and Mrs Bear's WC credit went unused.

Sometimes you have port calls where a passport is required - that will be posted in the ship's newsletter. This also changes with time. As an example in 2017 my passport acquired stamps from the UK border force, arriving and leaving LeHavre on a shore excursion, and again in Brooklyn when disembarking. Passport stamps were a bottleneck in LeHavre as there was only one port official stamping passports. In 2019 all the 'stamps' were electronic - and no one at LeHavre was interested in passports, the ship's card was sufficient when arriving with the folks from a tour.

Last November on a couple of 'smart attire' nights, I wore black jeans, with a dress shirt, vest [waistcoat], and tie - that seemed to pass muster with the fashion police 😉

If you are planning on using the spa 'thermal suite', I was wondering if they have fixed the locker room shower drains. [yes I know, I keep repeating the request 🙂 ]

Spa area - including if the locker room showers drain [no need for locker room photos 😉 ] Illuminations - have the seats been upgraded, replaced?

On eastbound crossings, there is a five hour time difference between NYC and Southampton. On QM2, five of the crossing days are shortened by an hour at noon [the afternoon is an hour shorter] allowing for a normal night's sleep & wakeup time. Crossings are a good way to arrive _without_ jet lag, as you will have had a week [or more for repositioning cruises] to adjust to the time change - not all at once as your plane lands.

There was briefly a 'login' link on the US site. It was picky about credentials, requiring a strong password. Once you signed in - all you could do was update your marketing preferences. No World Club / Past voyages functionality.

We we last onward November 2022 [and have commented on previous 'wish list' threads for this past availability]. What I would be please to see on post refit reports would include: - Illuminations seating replaced [so all the reclining planetarium section seats work] - Spa locker room shower drains actually draining - A few of the deck 2 leaky windows [by voyage sales, and port side Britannia] re sealed (it looked to me like welding was needed, not just sealants)

Under the pre lockdown, minute by minute, plan I've received a fresh allocation at any separately bookable segment [nyc-sou; sou-ham; ham-sou; sou-lehavre-nyc in 2019] Last year, the entire multi segment 26 night cruise was a single allocation - and buying for the 'entire cruise' meant that only on WC credit could be applied.

One of the differences between a 'crossing' and a 'repositioning cruise'

One trouble with applying wold club credits - if you buy the package, only one set of credits can be applied [not both passengers in the room] We will use some sort of [bugsBunny]stragety[/bugsBunny] to optimize applying our CEC credit to day by day purchases

QM2 crossings typically have no stops between Southampton and Brooklyn There are exceptions - I understand that 2025 has a crossing where the North American landfall is Halifax, and there are the occasional crossings from LeHavre in Normandy.

Apps like FaceTime are not peer to peer - they need to connect to one of Apple's iCloud servers to at least start the call.

There is a corkage charge for wine brought to a dining room. [same charge for bottles, magnums and even a double magnum 😉 ] Your cabin steward will provide appropriate glasses when requested - no corkage charge for in room consumption. When we board in Brooklyn, my carry on rolls along filled with wine bottles padded with socks and underwear.

As mentioned, layers - one of them something windproof and water resistant. Deck 7 access to the promenade may be closed [along with access to 'the Lookout' & the Observation Deck], but usually there is an attempt to put the wind on the bow where possible. Hardy souls are seen on the promenade, as the deck 8 & deck 6 access by the pools is available [with some hardy souls attempting the hot tubs]

You meet them in the luggage hall - they are displaying credentials, and will have a luggage cart. Since we are over-packers we tend to tip generously [$50-60 ]

My most recent experience is November 2022 - from a deck 5 Britannia cabin - things may be different later this year and next. Typically arrival time pier side is before 0700, with self disembarkation available before 8. (subject to change due to port / weather conditions.) Britannia passengers do not have room service breakfast available on disembarkation day. Grills folks _might_ have room service available, but I don't recall seeing this as an option. Breakfast in served earlier than normal in the dining rooms on disembarkation days. What is supposed to happen is you wait in your room/suite until a designated time, then walk off with your cary-on luggage. Assigned times are from the top down, with exceptions to meet Cunard arranged transfers. [In transit folks going on shore excursions are also mixed in] If all goes well, there are no lines (ha!). What experienced last year was a long line, plus a wait [about 90 minutes worth] in the Golden Lion for the stalled line to start moving. I don't know if any Grills pax were in the line. Luggage is grouped by tag color and room - we have not had problems finding ours. We do engage a porter to help with the luggage (Mrs Bear has mobility problems) and to get a faster pass through customs/immigration.

QM2 - M432B 4-25 October NYC roundtrip to Hamburg 7 Oct - Red & Gold 11 Oct - Masquerade 14 Oct - Gala (Optional) 19 Oct - Black and White 23 Oct - Roaring 20's

We had last year's Norway sailing changed in mid cruise, due to predicted inclement weather [sleet] in Stavanger and Alesund - we had a extra sea day then a Zeebruge port visit

I was told [November 2022] that the work was originally planned for an availability scheduled [2020?] during what turned into the COVID lockdown - and since that availability was canceled, the selected vendor went out of business. I believe that all Illuminations seats are to be replaced - not just the reclining planetarium seats.

My modest hope is to get the locker room showers draining

We've done three round trip crossings so far, with a fourth booked for 2024. We've had trips with only a single 'extra' port aside from Southampton, others have had ports before [Hamburg] and after [LeHavre] the second Southampton stop, and last year a 12 night Norway 'side trip'. Next year, with the Brooklyn schedule adjustment - we will have stops in Newport and Boston - so the crossings are Boston to Southampton, and LeHavre to Brooklyn