TheOldBear

2 hours ago, hallasm said:

I know of Norwegian fjord cruises where ports of call have been canceled for reasons I am not immediately aware of. In contrast to Iceland and the Faroe Islands, it is extremely rare for port calls to be canceled due to bad weather. Most cancellations are often due to reasons over which the cruise line has control.

 

You’ll probably see replies from people who have done the Railway from Oslo til Bergen with overnight and fjord cruise in Flåm when starting (or ending) a cruise in Bergen but probably none for the tour you have linked to - you might want to create a separate topic with you land tour question.

 

This past November we missed two scheduled ports [Alesund, Stavanger ] due to an inclement weather forecast [never did check how bad the weather actually was]. QM2 diverted to Zeebruge instead where it was warm and sunny, but only a single port day.

2 hours ago, Sea-n-Ease said:

Any recommendations for the best small-scale software for modifying backgrounds?  Specifically selecting the subject from a photo in order to replace the entire background.  I have Photoshop Elements, but find it difficult to use for getting that dotted line around the subject, especially if the subject is not well delineated from the original background...

ON1 has tools to assist in tasks like this [has lots of other stuff so it is not 'small scale'] you can download a time limited copy and play with it.

We were on board last November first when the late seating transitioned from 'open dining' on decks 2 and 3, to assigned tables on deck 2 & open dining on deck 3.

For the preceding eastbound crossing we were able to secure a fixed table [#355 next to the podium] on deck 2 and bypassed the long pre-dinner line. Deck 2 remained well populated for the rest of our sailing. The lines for the deck 3 open dining seemed to diminish for the Norway segment and the return crossing - after the first couple of nights, open dining folks gravitated back to a 'usual table'.

As far as the Britannia dining choices went, out of the 26 nights we were only unhappy with one soup offering [almost entirely unlike lobster bisque]. We did avail ourselves of the 'always available' menu several time for tomato soup starters, and I think twice for entree. 

21 minutes ago, dargor5 said:

One thing I can tell you is in the 5 cruises I've been to, none tell you that you must leave the ship with your passport. It was usually your driver's license and the seapass or roomkey, 

That's a requirement that will vary by the port and year.

In 2017 we needed to present passports in LeHavre at the beginning and end of the shore excursion - and collected an actual stamp for each. That was our last year for actual stamps in the passport.

In 2019 we were told to carry a passport, but it was not examined or stamped [LeHavre and Hamburg].

Last year [2022] for visits to Norway and Belgium the passport stayed in the safe.

We have the advantage of not having an air leg in our cruise planning [QM2 sailing from Brooklyn] so we end up modestly overpacking. We bring clothing for about 10 days, and plan on laundry room visits.

All clothing & luggage is stowed away in about half an hour after we [or our checked bags] arrive in the room [usually the bags are waiting for us]

Here's another view - with a 'dramatic tone' effect selected in the camera - no glass beyond the railing

This is the QM2 promenade - mid Atlantic, on a wet day

Cunard QM2 - the entire promenade deck, the stern terrace decks [but not their sides], the Observation Deck, and other places - e.g. the rubberized top of deck 14 staterooms.

If you are heading south to north [e.g. Bergen to Tromso] when not between islands or in a fjord - the coast will be somewhere off the starboard [right] side of the ship. The scenic parts will be in fjords or in or passages between islands.

1 hour ago, mskaufman said:

Looking at this for next summer.  If a cruise starts in Tromso, to where do we fly?

Have you checked with your cruise line for suggestions ?

How about the 'cruise air' forum here on CC?

There is an airport serving Tromso, so local connections from Bergen or Oslo may be available.

See https://www.visittromso.no/travel/getting-around for info on the airport transfer bus - and likely there are links from there to the carrier(s) at the airport.

Did a bit of peeking - the airport website has a list of airlines https://www.tromso-airport.com/airlines.php you may be able to find a suitable connection from these choices.

There are also some surface transportation alternatives to consider, including trains and the coastal ferry service.

1 hour ago, BruceMuzz said:

Playing it conservatively, anything over 100 MPH will keep you off your balcony.

That might test the limits of a QM2 'sheltered balcony' - but other locations on the same ship will likely have a reduced relative wind.

The personalizer may present some oddities for shore excursions - for example for my sailing is presenting New York City excursions that are not applicable for folks boarding in Brooklyn [only for in transit passengers continuing on to the eastbound crossing]. 

On 9/6/2023 at 6:07 PM, lisad63 said:

 

If we can disembark any time that morning, that would be perfect!  

How do they handle collecting the first leg card and issuing the new one for leg 2?

If you are back to back, and in-transit between cruise segments on the same ship - you are not disembarking. All your stuff stays unpacked in your room [assuming you have the same room for the next segment].

We've done several transatlantic round trips.

As an 'in transit' passenger there were no customs / immigration formalities - likely due to passport screening [UK Border Force] during the eastbound crossing to Southampton.

The only exception was in LeHavre in 2017 - the overworked French port official needed to stamp passports before and after shore excursions. Passports were not checked on our 2019 visit.

Passports were not checked in Hamburg.

At all the ports (Southampton, LeHavre, Hamburg) where there was a mix of disembarking, embarking and in transit passengers - presenting the ship's card and saying you were 'in transit' allowed you to bypass terminal lines. (still needed to go through security)

its never too early to research your options. Try the 'ports of call' forums here, or information resources for each port [e.g. for ports in Norway, there is a visitportname.no web site like visittromso.no for each port, run by a local tourist agency].

If you are looking at private tour companies - use your sailing's "Roll Call" thread to see if anyone else is interested in joining you. That keeps discussions relating to a particular sailing off this forum.

For my October 2024 sailing, Cunard has had tours from LeHavre available for purchase  for over a month - and should have the rest of the tours posted by the 1 year to departure date. [Cunard also shows inapplicable tours, like a bunch for in transit passengers in New York]

400

(We do tend to plan and book far in advance)

54 minutes ago, VIRGINCRUISER1066 said:

Thanks for the info.... How much is the shuttle to Macys, Herald Square ?

The 'Transfer to Macys' shows as $59 - duration is 7 hours

The personalizer for my upcoming trip next October shows excursions that would only be applicable to in-transit folks from the preceding trip. These include a shuttle to Macys Herald Square and another to the Woodbury Outlets. I can log back in and get a list if anyone is interested.

1 hour ago, Dunvectrin' said:

Hello...and apologies if I am posting in the wrong thread              (apparently I have history). 

 

My wife and I are travelling from Southampton to NYC in November. She suffers from asthma which is well controlled by inhalers. 

 

Very rarely she might need steroids. 

 

Is the medical centre able to prescribe these? 

 

Thanks in advance.

Back in 2019 the med center was able to prescribe and issue a steroid 'dose pack' when I had an unpleasant sinus infection. This was on my third visit, with escalating treatments.

I wonder why they are making the packages less and less attractive ?

We've used uber a couple of times - had to switch the payment method from Discover to Visa to get it to work [both cards were alerted to travel dates, I guess Discover was just not acceptable].

I now get 'uber eats' mailings for deals near Southampton - most unlikely I would ever respond to them 🙂

Just checked my in box - and its there

My carry on is mostly wine bottles [750 & magnum] padded with socks.

I think 2 magnums & 4 750s [one of them bubbly]

7 minutes ago, NE John said:

I was looking at the extreme northern borders of Norway and see that Norway borders with Russia. I trust that good tour guides would not lead us astray!

Some of the northern lights 'chase' tours say in their description that you should bring your passport. The Cunard bus tour did not leave the Troms island [but we did drive through the tunnel complex under Tromso]

Check the phase of moon for Tromso [or other northern lights port visits] 

Last year, I did the Cunard bus tour [7 November] but the moon was near full so you never really got dark adapted, even away from artificial lights. Cameras were not impacted, so it was common to take a photo, then review to see if it was a moonlit cloud or aurora.