Jemery

DW and I are considering a  Pacific repositioning cruise with Carnival.  Our last long, out of the Caribbean Carnival cruise (2012) was a disaster, but in fairness, our subsequent Carnival cruises in the Caribbean have been fine.  If it weren't for that last long cruise with them that went badly, we would have booked already, so here is the question.  We have gone on several repositioning cruises with Holland America and we love them, so we know about the extra sea days; how are repositioning cruises with Carnival?    Are on board activities similar to Caribbean or do they change?  How are the shows and comics?  What are the on board demographics?  Thanks. 

-John

Does Holland America do any type of ceremony when crossing the Equator, Arctic Circle, International Date Line, etc., and if so what are they?  Do they present any type of certificate to passengers who cross any of these lines?  DW and I are curious.  

Thanks

-John

Thanks.  I look forward to your comments after you return.  

-John

I wondered if any of you have experience with the Smyril Line's Norrona between Denmark and Iceland and back via the Faroe Islands.  DW and I have their brochure and it looks intriguing, but I know nothing about them.  

Thanks,

-John

Has anyone cruised with the Smyril Line's Norrona from Denmark to Iceland via the Faroe Islands, and back to Denmark?  I got their brochure, and it looks interesting, but I haven't seen much online about the experience.  

Thanks,

-John

I normally send between 50 and 75 postcards of the ship per cruise to friends and fellow travelers. On a recent Fascination cruise, I found out that Carnival has not offered them since about 2012! It used to be that you could get them from your cabin steward (free), the front desk (free), or from the gift shop (nominal charge). Now, they are nowhere to be found. Is that just the Fascination or is it fleet wide? Our last Carnival cruise before this was the Breeze in 2012, and they had postcards. Does anyone else miss them?

Thanks,

-John

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this thread was about Carnival's bread. For the record, I could live the rest of my life on Carnival's bread and butter. Maybe with some jam.

If you or anyone in your party is a disabled veteran, it would be worth your while to park at one of the official Port of Galveston Parking Lots. Make sure you have proof of the VA disability when you park before the cruise, not after you get off the ship. They do have some brief paperwork for you.

-John Emery

We have done Royal and Carnival. Comparable product and the same passengers, though the ones on Royal tend to look down on Carnival. Carnival has group fun and Royal has individual fun. DW gives a slight nod to Carnival; I give a slight nod to Royal, but there's little to choose between them. We both prefer HAL.

Thanks Travelingla, that's exactly what I need to know.

-John

Is there a taxi stand in the Maho Beach area to take a taxi back to the cruise port, or do you have to make arrangements beforehand?

Thanks,

-John

I think Carnival is being pretty generous on this, and I'm not normally a great Carnival fan.

-John

DW and I have enjoyed the MDR food on Carnival, although we like some things more than others. We also use the opportunity to order things we normally wouldn't eat. Cold fruit soups and the breads are high on the list of things we really like.

For the worst! I don't remember the ship, but I remember our table mates, and the lobster bisque was universally reviled. Listening in on the conversations at neighboring tables, and our view of this ocean going abomination was not unique.

-John

The people are the same demographic on both lines. The food is comparable; the service is comparable. We even found the prices are comparable. Carnival is great at group fun. Royal is great at DIY fun. DW gives a slight edge to Carnival; I give a slight edge to Royal. Neither of us is wildly for one over the other. Both give good value for the money and an excellent cruise experience.

-John

DW and I did an entire seven day stay aboard cruise. At Cozumel, we got off and bought a bottle of vanilla on the pier, and got right back on. Stayed on at Grand Cayman. Got off in Montego Bay and walked from one end of the pier to the other, and got back on board. We found it very relaxing. It goes without saying that these are standard ports that we have done many times before. it is a relaxing change of pace.

-John

I will also express our great satisfaction with Alla Tours. My wife and I took their two day tour of St Petersburg when we were there on the Zuiderdam. From the initial inquiry through the booking to the farewell, it was a great experience. Alex was our guide. They gave us very clear instructions on passing through Russian customs, and we had no problems. We heard from others on our cruise who had excellent experiences with the tours they took with other providers, also. We didn't have any little children on our tour, so i can't speak to that.

-John

We took the Alla Grand Tour and were incredibly happy with it. I highly recommend Alla, but based on the reviews and comments I have read, SPB is also a quality product.

-John

I also think contacting John Heald on his Facebook page is the way to go. He won't say Carnival did anything wrong, but he frequently gets results.

We just booked our first interior cabin in many years, too. On one of these boards, someone suggested keeping the TV turned on to the bridge cam to duplicate a porthole. We're going to try that.

-John

A taxi would cost around 400-450SEK (~50-55USD) for 1-4 people in a regular sized car for a oneway journey.

There are no airport shuttles anymore since the airport have closed (Aeroseum is still open though) and all commercial flight activity have moved to the bigger Landvetter airport.

Public transport will work but requires atleast one change as well as pre-purchased tickets.

http://reseplanerare.vasttrafik.se/bin/query.exe/en?SGID=9021014001950000&ZGID=9021014002745000&date=2016-06-13&time=08:00&timesel=depart&start=1&jsEnabled=yes

 

Directions from bus stop to Aeroseum:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Granh%C3%A4ll,+417+46+G%C3%B6teborg/Aeroseum/@57.7737614,11.8820882,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x464f8afbdd1aa2c3:0x10d196905ddb1d39!2m2!1d11.8920229!2d57.7752282!1m5!1m1!1s0x0:0x85da3f819c88cb18!2m2!1d11.881156!2d57.7714294!3e2

Thank you; this is exactly what I need. The info you posted for Bowie Meme is helpful, too.

-John

We will be in Gothenburg in June on the Zuiderdam. What are the different ways to the Aeroseum, and how much would a taxi cost? Is the airport shuttle an option? I read of one fellow who took the city bus and wandered around after he got off because there were no signs pointing to it. We don't want to waste time just wandering around looking for it.

Thanks for any help you can give.

-John Emery

Supposing you will call at Ostsee Terminal you can take a short walk to "Seegarten" bridge terminal and take the Ferry boat to "Laboe" by line F1

 

http://www.sfk-kiel.de/en/ferries/fjord/

 

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Thanks.

-John

Thank you. This is exactly what I need.

-John

What are the different ways to get from the cruise port to the aviation Museum in Vantaa? A taxi would be the last way I would choose, but would if necessary - how much are taxis from the Railway station in Helsinki to there? We will be there June 4 on the Zuiderdam.

Thanks,

-John

Kiel Question. What is the easiest way from where the cruise ships tie up in Kiel to the Laboe Monument? We will be there in June, and that is a place I want to visit again. My last visit was over thirty years ago when a lot of walking was no problem for me.

Thanks,

-John