hallasm

Yes, Aarhus is easy walkable- from the pier to Den Gamble By is 20 minutes - entrance fee to Den Gamle By is $20 - same for Aros. So 50$ is a good deal. 

For one day in Aarhus I’ll not consider Moesgaard except if they do have an exhibition of certain interest to you.

I have not been sitting at row 60 - doubt  there is more space - Seat Guru is rating row 60 as bad seats -

51 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

We will stay 1 nt post cruise in Dubai and would appreciate any recommendations on a good area to stay in Dubai. 

I prefer to stay close to the old souks and the Creek in the Deira area. Usually at the JW Marriott.

52 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

Also any private tour recommendations are appreciated.

I normally book ship excursions in that ‘part of the world’ - have experienced being delayed return  - don’t want to have that experience at a private tour.

I do always explorer Dubai on my own - taxi, walking and crossing the Creek by the Abra’s

Unfortunately “married to Marriott” so I have not stayed at Hotel Flora - however, should be a great hotel located in a nice area. Recommended to study the instructions well - easy to get lost in the very narrow straits.

Even better. Yes, 1:20 from San Marco - we did once take the Waters Bus from Ospedale  - missed the 'bus' at San Marco - 20 minutes walk from San Marco - then it was only 40 minutes to airport - might be too long with luggage after a cruise.

Enjoy Venice. Don't miss a Traghetto ride across the canal.

On 2/27/2019 at 4:22 PM, ApolloBeachRetiree said:

I have pretty much decided to take an Alilaguna.

My preferred way of travel - just remember that it will take 1 hour 45 minutes. Alilaguna stop is next to the cruise terminal 

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

And, no, cruise line excursions will not always get you back on time. They can be late as well, and the ship will make every effort to wait. But they aren't "always" on time.

We were almost two hours late at a Lombok excursion - one of the first cruise ships to visit Lombok at a day with extremely bad traffic.

I have also been several hours delayed out of Santos,, Brazil due to a late tour.

45 minutes ago, sumiandkage said:

but unless there's a mechanical emergency, you can't just get a quick permission to reroute to the north in their territory. 

As long as there is an armed conflict between India and Pakistan and fighters are being shot down in the area, I do not expect civilian airplanes to overfly the conflict areas - i hope they have learned the lessons from  when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down on 17 July 2014 while flying over eastern Ukraine,

It’s an easy  walk from airport arrival to the pier - if you hotel is located close to a Alilaguna water bus stop it might also be an option - quite fun ride for €15 pp.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

Know that waters - Stadthavet Sea from Måløy to Torvik and  Hustadvika Sea between Molde to Kristiansund - just south and north of Ålesund can be rough if stormy weather - for planning it's good to know what the consequences of stormy weather might be.

3 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Not really, I would think.

 

Flights are already avoiding Afghan airspace, and the Pakistani closures shouldn't really be affecting flights into BKK or SIN.

 

You might want to look at the Great Circle Mapper for more info on great circle routings between points on the globe.  Very informative and entertaining.

 

www.gcmap.com

 

 

I'm soon flying to SIN myself and would not rely on gcmap information in the current situation. My advise is to contact the airline if you are flying from Europe to either BKK or SIN (or other Southeast Asia airport) today or during the weekend.

Below some Singapore and Thai Air examples from February 27 - sure airlines will resume operation to/from Europe very soon however some delays could be expected.

Singapore Air to London
SQ308 operating from Singapore to London on 27 February 2019 will stop in Dubai for re-fuelling before proceeding to London.
SQ318 operating from Singapore to London on 27 February 2019 will stop in Mumbai for re-fuelling before proceeding to London.

Singapore Air to Frankfurt
SQ326 operating from Singapore to Frankfurt on 27 February will stop in Mumbai for re-fuelling before proceeding to Frankfurt.

Thai Airways

Three flights operate though Pakistani airspace February 27 areas as follows:

- Flight TG916 from Bangkok-London
- Flight TG974 from Bangkok-Moscow
- Flight TG926 from Bangkok-Frankfurt

The above-mentioned flights were returned to Bangkok and arrived safely at Suvarnabhumi Airport February 27.

The following flights from destinations in Europe to Bangkok on 27 February 2019 have been cancelled:
-    Flight TG911 from London-Bangkok
-    Flight TG921 from Frankfurt-Bangkok
-    Flight TG931 from Paris-Bangkok
-    Flight TG941 from Milan-Bangkok
-    Flight TG945 from Rome-Bangkok
-    Flight TG971 from Zurich-Bangkok
-    Flight TG951 from Copenhagen-Bangkok
-    Flight TG961 from Stockholm-Bangkok
-    Flight TG955 from Oslo-Bangkok
-    Flight TG925 from Munich-Bangkok
 

All Pakistani airspace has been closed forcing many international flights between Europe and Southeast Asia to be re-routed.

Flights might be cancelled or delayed from February 27 - flights might also make refuelling stops en route before proceeding to their destinations.

Check you flights if flying to/from Europe and primarily Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

In view of the closure of Pakistani airspace, flights between Europe and Southeast Asia might be cancelled or delayed from February 27 - flights might also make refuelling stops en route before proceeding to their destinations.

Check you flights if flying to/from Europe and primarily Thailand and Singapore.

If you are leaving the Schengen Area to visit a country outside Schengen the clock will be stopped when outside the Schengen Area.

Remember that you’ll need a multiple entry Visa (if Visa required for Schengen)  if you are leaving Schengen and want to go back into the Schengen Area.

The 26 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The Schengen visa allows the holder to a total stay of up to 90 days within a period of 6 months for tourist or business purposes - you may leave and return any number of times within the 180-day period, but the combined stay within the region must not total more than 90 days.

An option might be to purchase a SIM card for data roaming - can be used all over Europe when ashore and great for WhatsApp- you - might also buy a Cruise ship WiFi plan.

in many locations you’ll also find WiFi available - cafes and cruise pier.

Vesselbo Emergency Codes is standardized to a certain extent 

• Alpha Team, Alpha Team, Alpha Team is the code for a fire emergency aboard Carnival Cruise Line ships.
• Alpha, Alpha, Alpha is the code for Medical Emergency aboard Royal Caribbean ships.
• Assemble at Muster Stations, seven or more short blasts on the ship's whistle and general alarm, followed by one long blast.
• Bravo, Bravo, Bravo, used by many cruise lines to alert crew to a fire or other serious incident on board without alarming passengers.
• Charlie, Charlie, Charlie is the code for a security threat aboard Royal Caribbean ships and the code for upcoming helicopter winch operations aboard c-bed accommodation vessels.
• Code Blue usually means a medical emergency.
• Delta, Delta, Delta is the code for a possible bio-hazard among some cruise lines.
• Echo, Echo, Echo is the code for a possible collision with another ship or the shore aboard Royal Caribbean ships. On board some cruise lines this means danger of high winds while at port. It alerts the crew responsible for the gangway, thrusters etc... to get into position and be ready for new maneuvers.
• Fire and emergency, continuous ringing of the general alarm bell for ten seconds and a continuous sounding of the ship's whistle for ten seconds.
• Kilo, Kilo, Kilo on Royal Caribbean is a general signal for crew to report to emergency stations.
• Mr Mob means man overboard. Man overboard can also be signaled with three prolonged blasts on the ship's whistle and general alarm bell (Morse code "Oscar").
• Mr Skylight paged over the PA system is an alert for the crew on board and means there is a minor emergency somewhere.
• Oscar, Oscar, Oscar is the code for Man Overboard aboard Royal Caribbean ships.
• Purell, Purell, Purell followed by a location is for cleanup (vomit) on Celebrity ships.
• Red Parties, Red Parties, Red Parties, used by Disney Cruise Line over the PA system to alert the crew of a fire or possible fire on board the ship. The message is immediately followed by information about where the fire is.
• Star Code, Star Code, Star Code is a code for Medical Emergency aboard Celebrity ships.
• Zulu, Zulu, Zulu is the code for a fight aboard most cruise lines.

The Schengen Treaty is fully applied in Canary Islands - the clock will start when you reach Canary Islands.

Both Eidfjord and Skjolden are located in unique natural environments and does provide scenic sailings - Hardangerfjord and Storfjorden.  Both Bergen and Ålesund is a very picturesque cities.

Renting car might be an option for Ålesund - not sure about that option for Eidfjord and Skjolden. Bergen city does offer enough for a day in the city. Taxi will be a very expensive option. You should book excursions in advance.

Here are some links for more research:

https://en.hardangerfjord.com/eidfjord/

https://www.visitalesund.com/

https://en.visitbergen.com/

https://www.norwayexcursions.com/en/destinations-in-norway/

https://www.cruise-norway.no/

https://www.visitnorway.com/
 

Yes, April can be fine - I do prefer June or beginning of July - but primarily because of the Midnight Sun incident the Arctic Circle - but make sure you’re properly dressed even in june

more information on ports in Northern Europe forum 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forum/116-northern-europe-amp-baltic-sea/

1 hour ago, readingfast said:

We are cruising in August. Can anyone suggest any excursions for the following places: Haugesund, Stavanger & Skjolden? 

2 to 3 hours would be an ideal time.

One person has walking difficulties so, nothing too physical please.

Many tours in Norway might involve physically activities .

in Haugesund I'll suggest a Panorama tour, in Stavanger could be a Boat trip on Lysefjord  - the main attraction here is the Pulpit Rock but physically strenuous - a visit to the old Stavanger and the Cathedral might also be a possibility. Skjolden has the National Scenic Route and the UNESCO World Heritage, Urnes Stave Church -  the scenic Sognefjord sailing into Skjolden is nice - the longest fjord in Norway - you might want to be up early in the morning when the ship is entering the fjord.

Please note that you might not be able to purchase tours at the pier (maybe for Stavanger) - You should book your tours in advance.

8 hours ago, dadroy said:

Any recommendatios for a good lunch spot in flam?

You might want to try 'Ægir microbrewery' - very close to the pier. A bit further away 'Bakkastova Cafe'

Enjoy Flåm

3 hours ago, Sallyandtex said:

they generally travel at night and during the day there are lots of scenery when "scenic cruising "

Remember you'll have long days - actually Midnight Sun - so not dark at all during night.

I have attached two videos - on is the sceneries as you will see them from a cruise ship  - both early mornings and late evenings - the other is Hurtigruten midnight sun.

Norwegian Fjord sceneries from a cruise ship

Hurtigruten - Midnight Sun - most of the video is at midnight.

Difficult to compare - A cruise line with few longer ports stops versus a coastal service with 35 ports , most very short and few a bit longer stops from Bergen to Kirkenes.

While the Hurtigruten itinerary is the same everyday around the year with small and not that luxurious ships ( total of 11 very different ships) the answer will also depend on the actual HAL Itinerary. 

HAL does offer much more cruise ship luxury as well as entertainment.

I have never sailed HAL but an 8 days RCCL Norwegian Fjords as well as Hurtigruten.

I did chose Hurtigruten primarily for the Midnight Sun and the scenery along the route during Summer and Northern Lights during winter while I did choose the RCCL cruise because of the Itinerary and the ‘cruise line luxury’.

The food at Hurtigruten is good - buffet for breakfast and lunch while a set menu for  dinner - food is traditional Norwegian food - each day from the area the ship is passing - primarily fish and lamb - fresh fish and meat loaded in the port the same day as served in the restaurant. 

Book you tickets at This site if any available for the desired departure - most train s are sold out in the morning on busy days  - at nsb.no you can only purchase 90 days in advance.

1 hour ago, fabnfortysomething said:

Alesund has a funicular railway up to a viewing point which is recommended

The Funicular is In Bergen - Ålesund has the Aksla viewpoint- either walk from town park or take the ‘city train’ to restaurant Fjellstua.

Yes, you need to book train tickets in advance at the web for Flåm.  For Honningsvåg you must book the North Cape In advance - tours not available at the pier - maybe a taxi but highly recommend  to book In advance.