buffy9678

Thank you. Any idea how available or reliable public transit is in Leknes? I had the impression that I had to plan ahead for this port.

Thank you for the suggestion.  I've already reached out to two car owners on Getaround to see if they can deliver to or near the port. I'll see what they say. Have you used Getaround before? I'm also still considering the one rental company that does deliver to Port. Upon further evaluation of their reviews, it seems like they were either spammed or targeted by bots.

Does anyone have experience or recommendations on renting a car in Leknes? We'll be in port on a Sunday in the summer. Most rentals are from the airport, which is not walking distance. Furthermore, Hertz and Avis are closed on Sundays. Sixt is open on Sundays and at the airport and they want $500-$1000 for a single day rental. There is one local company (Rentacar Lofoten) that will deliver to the port and it costs around $350 however the Google reviews are pretty wretched, with many people saying that the cars are in a horrible state of disrepair. I'm waiting to hear back from another company on whether or not they can deliver to the port.  I had reserved a bus tour for our family of four, but it's over $500 and with teens I think we'd have a better time exploring on our own as we have 12 hours in port. 

Thank you, I did know about Alta taxi but some reviewers said that they are unreliable.  Do you have experience with them?

Did you ever figure out if there is reliable taxi service in Alta?

37 minutes ago, kitkat343 said:

We did this cruise with a  3.5 year old, so it is a little different.  We DIY everywhere except St. Petersburg and there's a lot of info on traveling with kids in the Baltics in my review in my signature line.  I'd recommend considering a private tour for just your family in St. Petersburg if you can afford it, so you can take breaks whenever the kids need it and stay longer whenever they are interested in something (Stolle is all over the city and has great quick food).    We didn't visit the train museum since I booked the trip 6 weeks in advance and didn't know about it ahead of time, but if your kids would like model trains that's something to look into.  IT's a great trip for families and I hope you have a wonderful time!

Ah nevermind, I am looking at your review and see that you did the Molli. We are also there on a Monday and I would have preferred Schwerin. 

26 minutes ago, kitkat343 said:

We did this cruise with a  3.5 year old, so it is a little different.  We DIY everywhere except St. Petersburg and there's a lot of info on traveling with kids in the Baltics in my review in my signature line.  I'd recommend considering a private tour for just your family in St. Petersburg if you can afford it, so you can take breaks whenever the kids need it and stay longer whenever they are interested in something (Stolle is all over the city and has great quick food).    We didn't visit the train museum since I booked the trip 6 weeks in advance and didn't know about it ahead of time, but if your kids would like model trains that's something to look into.  IT's a great trip for families and I hope you have a wonderful time!

Thank you. I think we'll be DIY most of the itinerary too. We've booked a 2 day tour in St Petersburg with a company that tells me it's kid friendly (not specifically kid-oriented) and although it isn't private it isn't a coach bus size either. Did you stop in Warnemunde? Wondering what you did there. We were thinking to DIY Rostock and maybe the Molli train. 

21 minutes ago, tyrannosaur said:

Hello Buffy, our ship changed port for the good, instead of docking in Nynashamn it docked right in Stockholm Frihamnen, so we ended up taking a short bus ride to Vasa, then walked around Gamla Stan, but no time for palace/museum (we had a short time in port until early afternoon).  Enjoy your trip!

We will be on the Escape which is taking over that itinerary this summer. How far in advance did you find out that you would be docking closer in Stockholm? I'm wondering how commonplace it is to change from Nynashamn to more central Stockholm.  Also, I see you were on the Epic Western Med in June 2017 - we were on that itinerary that month too 🙂 

On 2/10/2019 at 2:24 PM, tyrannosaur said:

Traveling in Norwegian Getaway, will dock in Nynashamn on a Sunday in June.  Norwegian transfer costs $50 pp (#30 children), but we also have a $50 cruise excursion credit, so total after the credit would be $130.  For a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 teenagers), what would you recommend, Norwegian transfer or DIY train to/from Stockholm?

Thanks in advance!

Michael

Tyrannosaur, Just wondering what you ended up doing in Stockholm - did you DIY it from the port or something else? We are traveling in June with our two tweens and are considering taking the train. Any tips? I think I'd like to see the Vasa, the Palace/museums and walk around Gamla Stan. Thanks Desdi for the links and info. 

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Cruises simply do not go to Israel in those hot summer months.  There are some decent options in late May such as on Oceania or Regent.  We would not suggest Regent if there are any young family members.  The May 25 Oceania Sirena is a pretty decent itinerary which includes Cyprus and 3 days in Israel.  

 

Hank

Thanks. I'm starting to think we'd either have to skip Israel or just do a land tour based on our kids school schedule. Cruises continue in the Caribbean throughout summer, so I guess I just don't see why it's too hot in Israel. I'm in FL and our summer highs appear hotter than the Israel highs. But I get it, I guess it just isn't the desirable time of year to go. Thanks for your input. 

9 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

We just returned from an NCL Spirit cruise from RT from Rome to Israel and it contained quite a few other nice ports. They have a cruise from Athens next year in Oct that does many of the same ports but also adds some in Turkey.

Thank you. I'm sure fall is a lovely time to travel there, unfortunately we are bound by the school schedule and are limited to either summer or winter break. 

38 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Israel (along with Egypt) are not generally offered on cruise itineraries in the summer due to the extreme heat. I just took a look with a search tool from a major travel agency and there is only one cruise I found during the June-August period calling in to Israel, on Regent Seven Seas Splendor, which is a luxury line and probably not what you have in mind (plus the itinerary only has one call in Greece, to Rhodes).

 

If you were able to go in December, there is an MSC (Italian line) cruise departing Rome on Dec 16 (or you can also board in Genoa on Dec 17, but Rome would be easier logistically and also -- as it would be roundtrip to/from Rome, you could plan to spend a few days before or after sightseeing in Rome which I'd think your son would also like.)

 

The ship has a good itinerary:  Rome, Genoa, Katakolon (for Olympia), Athens, Rhodes, an overnight in Haifa, Crete (Heraklion) and then return to Rome. 11 nights in all; ship is MSC Magnifica.

 

That's the only good option I can find based on your criteria. This will only give you the smallest taste of Israel though, and as JB points out ports in Israel are often cancelled and replaced with other ports (or not replaced at all) if there is any significant event there that could lead to unrest.

 

 

Thank you, that is very helpful. I didn't know that Israeli ports are often canceled, that is good to know. We live in the subtropics and are accustomed to heat but I suppose the warm months are not ideal for most. I'll continue to investigate December as an option. We have been to Rome before, but I loved Italy and can always find more to see and do there!

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

There are some, but comparatively few, cruises that visit Israel during these months.

 

The two main cruise ports are Haifa and Ashdod.

 

Here's the port website for Haifa

https://www.haifaport.co.il/en/cruise-schedule/

 

Couldn't find cruise information on the Ashdod port website, but there are plenty of independent websites by googling something like "Ashdod cruise port" 

Here's one

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruises-to-ashdod-israel.html

 

You can then work backwards using the ship's name.

 

But a couple of words of warning

- websites aren't always up-to-date, and some are simply inaccurate. So check several of those websites.

- because of the political situation, Israeli ports - most especially Ashdod - are more frequently cancelled at very short notice than ports elsewhere in the world. For years we put off cruising to Israel, waiting for a period of political calm, then realised that if we did that we'd never go. So we took the plunge - a cruise which included a day in Haifa and two days in Ashdod. All worked out well, thoroughly enjoyable. We returned last month, the itinerary included two days in Ashdod, but when we joined the cruise it was announced that instead of Ashdod we'd be porting in Haifa, which threw our land arrangements into chaos. The switch was due to unrest in Gaza, close to Ashdod.  In the north of the country, the Israelis and Palestinians live in relative harmony.

 

If the whole purpose of your proposed cruise is to visit Israel you should consider a land-based vacation instead of a cruise.

 

JB 

 

 

Thank you for the information,  it is much appreciated and I will look into it further. I'm considering just a land tour, but since my son is interested in both Iarael and Greece I thought a cruise might be a good option. I'd like to plan a trip to celebrate my son's bar mitzvah, since he doesn't want a party but a trip instead (and we like cruising). 

2 hours ago, Mrs f. said:

It's actually  Africa and Middle East....first listing on PORTS OF call

I considered posting there,  however cruises that sail to Haifa and Ashdod are on Mediterranean itineraries, which is why I decided to post here. The itineraries I am looking at originate from Civitavecchia. 

Hi, I am looking for family friendly cruise lines that have port stops in Israel during the months of June , July, or early August. I'm having a hard time finding anything in these months. As my kids are in school we can't go in the spring or fall which is when I'm seeing these cruises. Does anyone know if any major cruiseline stops in Israel in the summer? Winter break (Christmastime) would work too. Thanks.

2 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

No - we did not take a tower tour.  Info on tower tours can be found here:

http://www.marienkirche-rostock.de/index.php/english/visitor-information 

Thanks, I've been looking at that site. 

38 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

The church with the astronomical clock is St. Mary's Church (Marienkirche). It is the largest of the 3 churches in Rostock and, imho, definitely worth a visit (the High Altar & organ are also pretty impressive). 

Yep, that's the one. Did you go up the tower? It seems that they have guided tours (in German) to the vaults/bells at 11am on the day we'll be there, and that the organ is played at noon. I'd love to coordinate this but not sure how that would work when planning the Molli...I suppose even if we did the Molli past 2pm we should still have time to get back to Warnemunde as we don't leave until later at night.

10 hours ago, hisleepy said:

 

I ended up rented a car and went to Scherwin Castle and IGA park.  Scherwin town is pretty nice, but the Castle was under renovation and wasn't as stunning as the ones in France or St Petersburg.  

Thank you for the update. I have considered Schwerin, but we'll be in port on a Monday when the castle is closed. I didn't know if it was worth the trek since we could only see it from the outside. And like you said, there are other grand castles and residences that we will see on this trip and past ones. I think I am leaning towards visiting Rostock a bit then taking the Molli train. Thanks to everyone for helping me narrow it down!

2 minutes ago, Sauer-kraut said:

 

I haven't done the toboggan there, but since its in one of station towns where the Molli stops it might be a lot of fun.  There is also a Molli museum at the other end station in Heiligendamm.  The train trip takes about 40 minutes between the two towns.

Thanks! Do you think there is time see the ruins/minster at Bad Doberan, take the Molli train round trip, maybe spend a little bit of time at the Molli museum and the beach there and still see a bit of Rostock (I'd like to see the church with the astronomical clock). We're in port something like 14 hours. 

Thank you both, I will check out that website! By any chance has anyone done the summer tobaggan at Bad Doberan? 

On 4/11/2017 at 3:24 PM, hisleepy said:

Thank you everyone for your advice and suggestions. I will go to Molli as I am not planning to rent a car. =)

I know this is an old post, but I was debating between the Molli and Karl's as well and am wondering what you decided and how it worked out. Our kids are a bit older, 8 and 11. Thanks! 

7 hours ago, Danish viking said:

A small update on the Euro 2020 schedule.

 

Denmark will play at home against Russia so it means that Denmark will play all 3 games at Copenhagens Parken stadium.

 

Hopefully it means less pressure n the hotels.

 

As posted earlier in this thread the games will be on the 13th, 18th and 2nd of June. 

 

The opponents will be before mentioned Russia, Belgium and then either Wales or Finland.

Each team (Denmark included) will get around 5000 tickets each for their fans and then UEFA gets 28.000 tickets for their sponsors and general sales. 

 

The runner up´s from group D and E will play the round of 16 games at Parken Stadium on the 29th of June.

 

The draw for these groups will happen on the 30th of this months but we now that Group D contains England and group E contains Spain, but they will most likely win their groups and will probably not play in Parken Stadium.

Thanks! We'll be in Copenhagen for one of these dates. My son would probably love to go. Do you have any idea how much tickets cost and when they go on sale?

Is Schwerin Castle worth traveling to on a Monday when the inside is closed? 

4 hours ago, frederik123456 said:

 

There is no programme out yet, but usually the street party on Vesterbro is on Thursday afternoon/evening during the festival. There will be disturbances like noice, drunk young people roaming around etc. But it depends very much on your exact location. I live close to the event on Nørrebro and is not affected very much, it's easy to avoid. But people who live just above a stage feel differently. There is music at various small stages on Istedgade, Sønder Boulevard usually, but they generally close down at midnight. The festival has become better at managing noice and garbage though, so the neighbourhood should be back to normal the next morning. Distortion usually also has other events during the festival, like classical concerts, stuff for kids etc, so the programme is worth checking out even for you. And most of it is free.

 

 On June 5th, some museums and many shops are closed. Restaruants are open. Just plan ahead and check opening hours beforehand, you will find a lot of stuff to do on June 5th as well.

Thank you so much, Frederik, that is very helpful. My son plays piano and violin, if there is some classical performances he may enjoy it along with any activities they may have for kids. I realize that the schedule for next year is not out yet, but looking at past year's stage locations it is relatively close to my hotel. Thanks again! 

Could someone who lives in Copenhagen please advise me on this?. Our pre-cruise visit to Copenhagen coincides with two events that I hadn't realized. First, June 3-7, 2020 is Distortion Festival. We're booked at a hotel near Central Station in Vesterbro for those exact dates. Can you tell me how disruptive the festival is regarding late night noise/sleep disturbance, street crowds, transportation cancelations/closures, general things that may negatively affect residents and tourists--that sort of thing? We're in our early 40s with kids, I don't think the festival is our sort of scene. I realize that the venues change by day but some of the street parties are right around the block from our hotel. Is the festival easy to avoid or is it a constant for those days? Additionally, I now realize that June 5 is Constitution Day. Would one expect museums, restaurants and such to be open or closed? Thanks in advance.