MNfamilycruiser

We are meeting a young friend from Europe while we are in Copenhagen pre-cruise. I would like us to spend as much time a possible before we get on the ship.

I was considering going to the ship early, dropping off the luggage, visiting something until 3pm or so and then returning to check in.

Our Check-in time is listed as 11:30-3:30, but I am wondering if we would actually be able to drop the luggage off earlier without going through the check-in process. We are on Royal Caribbean, but I know the port workers are not cruise ship employees, so I am thinking it would be the same no matter which line we were on.

We always bring our own pillow cases. Both my daughter and I are sensitive to something the hotels and ships use for laundry (my guess is bleach). My eyes get all red and weepy and eventually the skin on my face gets reddened and irritated.

We just stick them on right over the top of whatever is there. But make sure to pick a bright color if you do use your own....makes it easier not to forget them :eek: BTDT

Hi Linda - I wish there were some method in the madness.:D

 

We can have rain in the early mornings then it clears up for a few hours just to rain again in the afternoon....or not..... :-)

Its just to unpredictable.

I wish I had a better answer for you.

No problem, we were already planning on bringing waterproof jackets - I will just make sure we have adequate shoes if there is a high chance will be out in the rain some. :)

I'll check the forecast right before we leave...maybe we will get lucky, but we are sure to enjoy ourselves no matter what!

I have been looking into the expected weather for our visit in August - I noticed looking at the almanac that the majority of the days have some rain.

Do rainy day follow a typical pattern? Here in the summer we will frequently get rain in the evening to overnight. Sometimes stretching into the morning. But the afternoons are typically dry.

Of course there is always the chance of a day-long downpour - but I am wondering if the Norwegian Fjords might follow a similar pattern?

Anyone know about the kids offers?

And if the teen is over 18 - do they get the adult offers or the kid offers?

Any bar, yes.

 

I would assume that they use a normal clock, i.e., buy after midnight and then that is your Day 1.

Thanks all, I guess I will just ask that night and wait after midnight if we are still out and about (time change and long travel - I have no idea if we will be recovered/adjusted)

I am guessing even the specialty coffee bar sells the packages?

I am considering the Royal Replenish package, but not purchasing until the 2nd day. We sail from Copenhagen and I don't think we will be on board super early.

My questions:

Where do you purchase on board, if it is not the first day when you arrive? At any bar?

I know the packages are per night, if I purchased after midnight on the first night would I be charged for that day?

We are first time cruisers and just trying to get our feet wet. Doing 3 night cruise on Majesty of Seas and stopping at Nassau and Coco Bay.

 

What excursions or activities there are worth the money

and which are not?

 

We are cheapskates...I mean frugal.. Can we bring our own inflatable raft?

Towels?

 

thanks

A & B

There are Ports of Call boards here on Cruise Critic - lots of information. Coco Cay (I assume that is what you mean) is one of Royal Caribbean's private islands - it is a beach day. :D You can also look for that on the Ports of Call boards.

A bit late but coverage should be 4G until right after Valldal.

In the past the stretch to Trollstigen and Trollstigen itself has very little coverage.

I have always got "E"/edge.

 

I know the tele companies are extending their 4G network in the area but no news as to when it will happen.

I seem to remember here in the US, that once we had downloaded the directions on the phone, even when we lost coverage, the map was still there. I don't think turn by turn directions,and you couldn't see your current location, but you could still access the map and tell where you were supposed to be going

.

As pointed out already, lines such as Seabourn and Silversea allow their guests to take wine and spirits on board. We've done so on both lines. Haven't cruised Regent but they allow it also.

I don't believe that OP is considering any of these lines, but it's not true to say 'there are no lines' allowing it.

 

Also johnbull mentioned P&O. While I'm not familiar with any of their policies, knowing jb's posting history here at CC I have no reason to disbelieve him.

Yes, sorry - I was answering based on what I read as the "intent" of the question. This specific question, not generally. :D The OP was asking about the types of lines that allow wine, but no liquor. The ones that you would need to sneak a bottle in your luggage and hope to not get caught. I should have said there are no lines where sneaking a bottle of liquor on has a good chance.

Thank you. Now anyone want to share stories of bottles making it to room. I know all bags are screened, but say 2,000 passengers 2 bags each. That's 4000 bags screened in a short time. My question was which lines are odds higher to receive bottles in room.

I am guessing you are not going to find the answer you are looking for. The answer is none - there are no lines that will have good odds on a bottle of liquor making it to your room. Even a very quick scan would reveal a glass bottle. And in this age of terrorism against soft targets, they likely do more than a very quick scan.

Why would people use things like rum runners if there were a good chance that they could just bring a bottle?

I am in the same situation now planning the cash for our Reflection cruise.

some cash for toilets (sometimes there is a charge of NOK 5 or 10), coffee, tips, lunch. I like to pay in cash for those.

You can charge 95% of your purchases on your card. But, will you not get a transaction fee/exchange fee for every time you use it?

 

What we do when we travel (on our upcoming cruise) is to take cash. We calculate to use Euro 50 or Euro 100 per port. In some ports we spend less and in some more.

We never get souvenirs or anything like that. We are not into shopping that much when we are travelling.

We will spend money on coffees, lunches, private tours, transfer etc..all in cash.

 

Its funny really; when we travel we use cash at home I cant remember the last time I had cash in the wallet as we always use cards.

There are several American credit cards with no foreign transaction fees - and there are even a few that are chip and optional pin to use in Europe.

On that basis, it is irrelevant what the sign ever says, or looks like :eek:

It might be ;)

It is not some bare sign that has the words "Gold Only"

 

It is a sign with a PICTURE of a gold card. The SeaPass of a gold C&A member does NOT look like that picture.

 

 

But surely you know that many people don't really bother to read...anything!

:rolleyes:

If you are truly catching a cold each time, and it is not allergies or dry air, my biggest tip is DON'T TOUCH the hand rails! If you are touching the hand rails, it is very difficult to remember not to touch your face at all. You might be washing your hand before you eat, but if you have itched your eye or rubbed your nose after picking up something from the hand rails the hand washing before dinner is too late.

I'm struggling with the same questions for a cruise out of Seward May 20.

Celebrity's online advice reveals that the 2 FORMAL NIGHTS have been replaced by EVENING CHIC "which is slightly dressier than SMART CASUAL." DUH! Can I have that in English please? Ties/jackets optional for men. I'm hoping a pair of black silky slacks, a few sparkly tops & shiny short-heel sandals will be OK for me. I plan to layer but question how heavy my warmest garment should be as I hope to spend time outdoors on the ship where I expect it to feel colder. I have a hooded, mid-thigh parka made of sweater-knit poly that is very lightweight. Too much?

Evening clothes are probably exactly right - we did closed shoes instead of sandals.

Warmest layer - is the parka wind/waterproof? That is what I would consider as a top layer. We did lightweight fleece with a waterproof jacket to layer on top. The actual temperature isn't that cold except by the glaciers, but with the wind/movement of the ship it will feel colder.

But bear in mind - we are from Minnesota :D What feels fine to us, might feel cold to you. We looked up normal temperatures for the time we were going to be there and tested out how we "felt" at those temperatures with the clothes we were bringing. That probably isn't possible for you now - but think back to winter ;)

This will be our first cruise and we're wondering what kind of clothes to pack. Not really sure about the temps on and off ship. Also, how dressy do we need to be for the main dining room. I'm thinking it's pretty easy for a guy, but my wife is pretty concerned and wants to do this right. Any help will be appreciated! Thanks!

Which cruise line? We found our Alaskan cruise on Royal Caribbean to be less dressy than most Caribbean cruises. Far more slacks and top on women than dresses. We went earlier in the season when there were more older people on board and less families. The temperature on board is normal indoor temperatures. Outside? Layers!

As suggested, go to the Alaskan ports of call board - you will find lots of information on clothing and things to do.

Thanks to everyone for their advice. I started to look at rental cars in Alesund today and had one more question... Are all rental cars manual transmission? I'm a little embarrassed to stay that might be a deal-breaker for us... Though maybe I just didn't look at enough rentals?

We got an automatic. There are only 2 locations - so it might be possible they are all reserved?

This thread has been very helpful, but I have to admit, I think I've missed a tip or ten after 65+ pages.

 

I hope you'll indulge a few questions regarding ports of call - and I apologize if these have been covered previously.

 

To give some context, we'll be cruising the Norwegian fjords via Holland America in June of this year. As we're a group of 4 - two adults, two children - we'd like to avoid the high prices of the ship excursions completely.

 

I am looking for reassurance that we'll be able to DIY at each of the following locations.

 

Eidfjord (June 14) -- Our plan is to go to the tourist office with the intent of visiting Voringfossen. It looks like there may be buses you can book that run every 30 minutes or so when ships are in port. Is this correct and is it definitely something we can book on-site at the tourist office?

 

Alesund (June 15) -- We thought the kids would enjoy the aquarium, and we'd also like to visit the museums in the art nouveau area. I'm not sure the 400+ steps are for us - but we would like to make sure we see the view from Mt. Aksla. I am figuring the hop-on/hop-off bus is our best bet - and I am assuming we can buy tickets at the tourist office here. Is that correct -- or are there other local/recommended tours we should investigate?

 

Geiranger (June 16) -- Our plan here is to do either the mountain highlights bus or the panorama bus (http://www.geirangerfjord.no/bus-turer-i-geiranger-2), as well as the waterfall walk and maybe fjordcenter. Can we wait and by bus tickets on site? I feel like our selection may be weather dependent, so I would prefer to wait until day-of -- unless these commonly sell out.

 

Our other stop is Bergen (June 17). Our plan there is to do the funicular, walk around the wharf, fish market and generally take in the sights. The one question here is whether this boat tour - http://www.rodne.no/fjord-cruise/from-bergen/ - would be a better option? I am not very familiar with the area, so unsure of whether getting a small taste of Bergen would be more memorable than this fjord tour.

 

Aside from the questions above, any opinions on whether we're really missing out on something spectacular at any of these ports? I know the big "attraction" we're neglecting is the trollstigen -- but I am not sure I can talk the kids into 8 hours on a bus.

 

Thank you in advance for your help and opinions. This will be our first family cruise and we're more than excited.

You can rent a car to do the Trollstigen - that way it is not an 8 hr. bus tour, you can stop when you need and want to. Also VERY economical for a family.

I'm not going to attack for this as people can do what they want, BUT I will gently point out that the gratuities also cover people who work behind the scenes (especially in food services), so when they are removed those people are penalized. Yes, in theory servers who receive cash are supposed to turn it in so that it can be distributed as the auto-grats would, but even though they could face termination if caught not turning it in I'm sure they've figured out ways to get around it.

 

You can always do as you wish. Just pointing out something that many people don't know.

I really don't know if this is true. I have read posts here from someone who appears to be pretty much an expert in maritime matters ;) Chengkp75. According to his posts the wages of the cruise ship workers are governed under the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention (adopted? in 2013).

That means the workers are guaranteed a certain minimum amount, if it doesn't get covered by tips, RC has to make up that difference. So.... my guess would be that RC has set the wages of these behind the scenes workers so that if they get ALL the expected auto-gratuities they will reach the required minimum wage. If they don't get all the expected auto-gratuities RC has to make up the difference.

In your scenario - the wages of these behind the scenes workers are already at the minimum wage, and whatever they get from the auto-gratuities is extra above the minimum. In this case, they would get penalized anytime someone removes the auto-gratuity.

I leave on the auto-gratuities, I consider it a service charge and tip extra for extraordinary service...BUT I don't think anyone really knows which scenario is the truth.

It will never be a "sale" like a retail store. People need to stop thinking about it in that way. There is not one "price" for an item when it first appears, then a sale will decrease the price.

The pricing trend would generally be - they start with a certain number of "items/staterooms" at a certain price. Every day as more and more of them sell off - the price goes UP. The general price trend is to go up over time. Until the sailing gets put on "clearance".

Layer on top of that general pricing trend - RC evaluates how each sailing and each category is selling. Are they doing as expected? Or a little worse that expected. If a little worse - discount! As expected or better? - raise the prices for the "sale" so the revenue remains the same or increases.

Finally - we have the "clearance" section. They get to a certain point - just before or after final payment date when they ACTUALLY decrease the price to sell out the category/sailing etc.

I believe the "sales" are pretty much irrelevant. Unless you have a situation that it better under one sale vs. the next (3-4 people, single etc.) the price is driven by the number of staterooms filled rather than the current sale.

Looks like like me and a lot of other people will be ordered the tag holders from Amazon! Maybe we should buy stock in the tag holder company! :D

Yes, the tag holders make it very easy - no craftiness required.

45 more days until we leave and after researching for a year and excited beyond words I'm getting nervous the closer it gets. lol. 3 days in Copenhagen and 2 days in Oslo on our own is making me nervous. My husband leaves all this researching and getting around up to me--friends tell me be grateful as then you get to see what you want to see. The thought of getting around by public transportation scares me. Us americans are spoiled and use our cars. I have found the applications Rome2rio and FetchMyWay applications for tablet and considering getting a sim card so we will have international access. The application tells you exactly how to get around--which bus--where to catch it--where to get off---etc. I think this application will take my fears away. Anybody else get nervous or get the sim card in order to have the application? I can't believe this vacation is now getting down to the end before it's a reality. I've waited for this for so long.

 

Linda

Thanks for the app information - those sound wonderful! I will get them as well.

I don't know anything about getting a sim card. I am planning on using my phone for maps and getting information I need. I would think most phones are capable of being used internationally these days - and most carriers have an international plan that would work for you. Verizon has a monthly plan and a daily plan.

yeah, I think that jerk-spotting could become a thing here. code phrase JSA

What is the A for? Attempt? Action?

I want to be of the "in crowd" - knowing all the references and codes ;)

At least for the next few months.

Hope you have a great cruise, Bon voyage!