Stockholm HOHO

We disembarked Insignia in Stockholm yesterday. The Baltic season is about over, but here is a tip on transfers in Stockholm for those who may go there:

When we got off, the taxi queue was about 75 yds long. I noticed the Stockholm HOHO (hop-on-ho-off) sitting there, and spoke to the driver ... they make special trips to the dock on arrivals days.

1. For the price of the HOHO, 190 SEK, they take you to the hotel (major hotels) with your luggage.

2. The ticket is good for two days of HOHO.

3. You get to bypass the taxi queue.

This is a good deal.

We were on the same cruise. We had no trouble getting a taxi - there was someone there who made sure we only had to pay a certain price, since some of the drivers were asking more. Apparently, they don't use the meters (if the cabs even have them). But we didn't have to wait in line. And we didn't see the hop-on hop-off bus or we might have used it.

Anyway, since it was Sunday morning, we were at our hotel in about 20 minutes, well before we could actually check in. But we could leave our bags and go on out.

And may I highly recommend the Arlanda Express, the train from the City to the airport. Our hotel was only a few feet from the entrance to the Express (which we appreciated since it was raining the day we left Stockholm). It's a 20 min ride from City to airport. And this summer, they had a special - 2 adults for 220 SEK rather than the normal 200 SEK per adult.

Peggy

What hotel did you stay in in Stockholm? We need one for a pre cruise night.

We stayed at the Sheraton, which was good with large rooms ... the plaque outside says they are a 5-star, but I don't think this is deserved.

The advantage of this hotel is that it is right around the corner from the central train station, where you can catch the Arlanda Express airport train. The Radisson is right next to the train station.

Both are within a block or two of the pedestrian street that goes to the old town ... also very handy. The HOHO stop (#13) is across the street from the train station.

A guy on the bus quoted (from his Frommers) that the taxis are among the most costly in the world ... we never took one. My wife received some advice from on of her friends to "never take a black taxi" ... here's the rub: 95% of the taxis are black :-)

We stayed at the Nordic Sea Hotel which was just a few steps from the Arlanda Express entrance of the train station, which was lucky for us since it was raining when we went from the hotel to the train. It was quite a nice hotel and probably less expensive than the Radisson, but I'm not really sure. My husband selected and booked through Hotels.com. We were quite satisfied with the location and our room.

Another thing that I appreciate about many European hotels, is that they provide a computer with free internet express for their guests. Since we didn't want to lug our computer with us and Oceania internet charges are very high, this was quite a help to us.

Have a great cruise.

Peggy

DH and I have booked our 2nd O cruise and will be disembarking in Stockholm on 6/2/2007, 7:00 AM on a Saturday morning. Have never visited Sweden before, so this thread is very helpful. Would other former pax please give advice on hotels and transfers? I know I can go to tripadvisor or other sources, but only Oceania pax know where the Regatta will dock and I would truly appreciate feedback, both good and bad, on mid-priced hotels and trip to airport. We were ripped off by a taxi driver in Rome a few years back and swore we would never be pigeons again, but got "stung" in Athens this August in a different taxi scam. Train to airport sounds great! IMO, people on these boards give honest advice, and I'm hoping someone will point me in the right direction. Thanks.

China Addict: I would appreciate any info on the taxi scam you experienced in Rome. My wife & I will be flying in 05/2007 and will need transportation to our hotel. I've located two web sites in Rome that provide transportation from the airport, but don't have any idea how honest they are.

Leonid: When we booked our hotel in Rome, we asked about pick-up service at the airport. While some hotels provide a shuttle bus service, ours does not. But they said they would arrange for a car to meet our flight and take us to the hotel for 55 euros. I think the price sounds competitive, and am hoping that booking through the hotel will ensure that we will not be left waiting "at the gate".

I, too, am wondering where Regatta will dock in Stockholm. Thanks to all for the info on the HOHO bus and the taxi queue. And for the good reports on the train to the airport. Bob and Peg: How much was the taxi to your hotel? Marsha

:eek: This is embarrassing. A few years ago DH and I flew into Rome FCO and joined the taxi line with our bags and dozens of other passengers, a bit jet-lagged and not speaking any Italian. There was lots of commotion in the street with three lanes of taxi's picking people up, horns blaring, etc. We must have looked American and had good luggage. A car swooped down on us and the driver asked in English which hotel we wanted. I had the name and address on a card, so he pulled us out of line, loaded us up and roared off towards Rome. This all happened in a split second and suddenly we realize we are sitting in a gleaming black Mercedes with leather seats, not a taxi, racing away from the airport. We immediately asked what the cost would be because we only wanted a taxi and were told something ridiculous like 120 Euros. When we said no way, he slammed on the brakes and asked us if we wanted to get out right there and then on the highway! He told us if we could afford to stay at that hotel, we could afford his fare! We continued the ride in stony silence, and when we reached our hotel he added a generous gratuity for himself on top of the outrageous fare! As new arrivals, we only had large bills so were at his mercy. That guy sure knew how to pick suckers out of the line!

:eek: Flash forward to our trip to Athens this year where we considered ourselves much wiser. We were approached by a taxi driver in Piraeus but this time negotiated a very reasonable rate for a private tour to the Acropolis, Olympic Stadium, changing of the guard at the Royal Palace, the Plaka, etc. The driver was very Greek and also very colorful and we were impressed with our whirlwind tour crammed with information and insights into everyday life in Athens. Could never have done it without him and loved every minute. But wait! The sting comes next. About 2:00 PM we are returning to the Nautica where a free lunch awaits us, but we come across a waterfront restaurant that he highly recommends. We decide to stay for an authentic Greek salad and invite him to join us but he says he'll come back later and take us to the ship. We don't speak Greek and are not shown a menu but through sign language and pointing to other people's plates we tell the waiter we want beer, 2 Greek salads and a plate of shrimp. The beer was good, the one salad delicious but small, and we were given three platters of shrimp that we couldn't finish. Despite lots of arguing that they got our order wrong, we were stuck with a staggering lunch tab of about 150 Euros. Of course the scam is that later the taxi driver returns to the restaurant for his "cut".

We are wondering what taxi-delights await us in the Baltics! Now that I've bared my soul for Leonid's benefit, is anyone else willing to share their stupid travel blunders with me? We can actually look back on both experiences and laugh at how naive we were, but at the time it hurt to see our Euros go poof! Those darned Russians are sure to get us somehow!!! LOL

My husband and another couple are booked on this cruise. My step-sister is booked on the August 25th, 2007 cruise as well. We are recently back from the Barcelona to Athens cruise on Oceania. Great time!! We are planning to arrive a few days early into Stockholm and would love to hear from anyone who has been there with information regarding places to stay and places to see. :)

We did not have any trouble in the Baltic but plenty of problems with Taxis in Spain and Portugal. We always asked at the ship what the "normal" fare was to where we were going and told the taxi driver that is what we would pay. Usually it would work. They are entitled to extra charges for cruise terminal trips but it should all be on the meter. The favorite we found was at the end of the trip the driver putting his hand over the meter so we could not see the fare and then demanding more. We had a struggle to try and get his had off but finally he pushed the button that cleared the meter.

Two tips:

1. Try and save small bills so you can not have to worry about getting change back and

2. get everyone and everything completely out of the taxi before you pay so the driver cannot drive off with people or possessions. It puts you in a better bargaining position.

Again as to the Baltic we found no problems.