Iceland/Norwary Explorer cabin question

[Kybabe]

DH and I are REALLY thinking about the Iceland/Norwary TA Cruise starting Sept 5, 2016. I love having a balcony, love watching us come into posts in the mornings but given the weather and temps for this cruise if a balcony is a good idea. Difference in balcony and OV could pay for several excursions. Need some opinions!

[Colo Cruiser]

DH and I are REALLY thinking about the Iceland/Norwary TA Cruise starting Sept 5, 2016. I love having a balcony, love watching us come into posts in the mornings but given the weather and temps for this cruise if a balcony is a good idea. Difference in balcony and OV could pay for several excursions. Need some opinions!

 

 

Rain/snow/ice/shine, we spend ours on our balcony all bundled up if necessary. :D

[bcnvcanada]

We like balconies, but remember even that late September you will have

a lot of daylight. This cruise sounds great, but if you can handle it

I would go for a cheaper cabin. The cost of Iceland ports, Norway tends

for be higher than almost any place in the world for side trips. Save the money, you can always find a place to sit outside.

[Working 2 Cruise]

If you can afford a balcony, Norway is spectacular!

[paul929207]

We did a b2b TA on the Ocean/Tahitian Princess a few years ago. Yes, it was chilly, but I used our balcony a lot over the 36 days. I was glad I got it.

[LewesBeach]

We've done a OV on Emerald deck for some cold weather cruises to save $. It's only 1 flight of steps down to Promenade if we want to go out.

[Renmar]

As some already said if you can handle the lower catagory cabin you will have more money to spend on excursions and you will need the extra money because Norway & Iceland are expensive. We did this same cruise in September 2014 and visited Bergen-Norway---Shetland Islands and Iceland. We rented cars in Iceland and on the Shetland Islands and even then we spend a lot of money. Just to give some examples;

Iceland--toilet use $ 1.80 (credit card accepted).

Iceland--beer about $ 12.00

Norway--Icecream ( McDonalds sundae) $ 4,25

On the other hand the scenery is fantastic so a balcony might be well worth it. Ofcourse we had an obstructed view cabin.

 

Theo

 

Sent from my GT-P7510

[seafish]

DH and I are REALLY thinking about the Iceland/Norwary TA Cruise starting Sept 5, 2016. I love having a balcony, love watching us come into posts in the mornings but given the weather and temps for this cruise if a balcony is a good idea. Difference in balcony and OV could pay for several excursions. Need some opinions!

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Just booked this Sept 5 Caribbean Princess Iceland/Norway/TA. IMO a balcony is the way to go - so much to see on this itinerary and you'll be prepared for the changing weather so if the $ work out - Go For It!

[Dididi]

Another vote for oceanview. Although we prefer balconies, we were in an oceanview cabin on a Norway and Iceland itinerary last summer, and it was a good choice because: 1) it was very cold and extremely windy on the days at sea on the way to, and back from, Iceland; 2) no (or less) light peeking through the sides of our window to keep one awake; 3) plenty of places on the ship to see the breathtaking scenery, such as on the promenade; 4) excursions, whether the ship's or privately arranged, or car rental can be extremely expensive so use the savings for them because in most ports you have to make plans to explore further, and 5) you need the money to buy an Icelandic sweater or a beer in Norway or a spa treatment at the Blue Lagoon!

 

One afternoon, while enjoying a cup of hot cocoa in the buffet, we were treated to postcard-pretty views of villages and farms on the fjords, one better than the next. Did not need a balcony to enjoy those wonders.

 

Wonderful itinerary, btw. Enjoy!

Edited March 22, 2015 by Dididi
typing mistakes

[Kybabe]

You folks aren't making this any easier! It is 4 - 4 right now on balcony vs oceanview! Waiting to talk to a Princess Travel Planner. Never have used one before. Thought they might be helpful with information concerning flights, etc.

[FritzG]

Rain/snow/ice/shine, we spend ours on our balcony all bundled up if necessary. :D

 

We feel the same way. I once sat out in the sun in the North Sea wrapped in the duvet from the bed because it was so cold, but the sun felt great.

 

We did a similar itinerary in the fall of 2012 and 2014, and we used our balcony every single day. We had room service breakfast on port days so that we could take pictures from the balcony as we sailed in, and we were usually on the balcony at sail away, too. Last fall when we were leaving Southampton the weather was so beautiful that we sat on our balcony watching the scenery for over an hour. We missed dinner, but it was so lovely and relaxing.

 

We're taking the port intensive British Isles followed by the ta on the Royal this fall, and we're looking forward to many hours on our balcony no matter the weather.

Edited March 22, 2015 by FritzG

[Colo Cruiser]

You folks aren't making this any easier! It is 4 - 4 right now on balcony vs oceanview! Waiting to talk to a Princess Travel Planner. Never have used one before. Thought they might be helpful with information concerning flights, etc.

 

You may have better luck here. :eek:

[LewesBeach]

You may have better luck here. :eek:

 

Agreed. I would see what they had to say, they are certainly good for some aspects of a cruise. But I trust the comments here from people who have actually done the trips over a travel planner who may or may not have been on this itinerary.

[jpj39]

We like balconies, but remember even that late September you will have

a lot of daylight. This cruise sounds great, but if you can handle it

I would go for a cheaper cabin. The cost of Iceland ports, Norway tends

for be higher than almost any place in the world for side trips. Save the money, you can always find a place to sit outside.

 

Agree, the iceland explorer cruise (sept 5, 2016) is the most expensive trip booked as a single

I usually book obstructed ocean view between lifeboats

I was debating between interior

or obstructed ocean, view price difference of $999

 

I booked the obstructed ocean view

emerald deck is close to everything, my favorite deck

 

Several yrs ago in july I had a stopover in iceland for 3 days before flying on to LGW. landed with sleet falling , was extremely cold at this time

and prices were high . it cost me $37 for a sm pizza and glass of wine.

 

BUT Iceland is a beautiful place

[Dididi]

OP,

 

If you want advice on the ports and what to do, please check out the Northern Europe and British Isles ports of call forums. You'll find a lot of information from people who have been there, and from locals (such as I-cruiser, who offers advice about Alesund but also replies to questions about other ports of call in Norway). You'll find information on how to buy tickets for the Flam train -- something you can do by yourself these days, so you don't need to get a group of ten together or buy the ship's excursion -- and on how to get to Southampton from the London airports -- someone named John Bull is quite the expert on all of your options.

 

We visited Akureyri, Isafjordur and Reykjavik last summer. In Akureyri and Reykjavik, we took small bus tours with FAB Tours, which offered a discount if you booked both tours. There were a dozen people tops, and some of them were from a small German cruise ship that was in port the same days as us. We all greeted each other as old friends when we re-met in Reykjavik! We had all visited a thermal bath (similar but less build up than the Blue Lagoon) in Akureyri together and had a fantastic time. Because we had experienced that bath, we could spend the whole day in Reykjavik doing the Golden Circle route without feeling like we were missing out on the Blue Lagoon. So, something to consider.

 

Since you're from Kentucky, you might love horses, in which case, consider going on a ride on Icelandic horses. There are a number of outfitters you can find online. We made arrangements through West Tours in Isafjordur to go on a two-hour ride in Dyrafjordur. Not only was the place we rode in breathtaking and the horses surefooted and fun (and if you're experienced riders, you can have spirited ride), but getting to Dyrafjordur was very interesting: we took a tunnel to cross one of the fjords but had to do a long u-shaped loop around another fjord we could not cross over/under.

 

Regarding how to get to Southampton, last year we decided against going into London and went instead to Bath. Heathrow Airport, Bath and Southampton are all west of London, so by spending a couple of nights before the cruise in Bath, we were moving in the right (to the west) direction toward our ship. We followed Rick Steves' advice and took the two-hour bus from Heathrow to Bath, spent two nights at the Bath Hilton (walk or very short ride from the bus/train station -- many options but this hotel has an elevator and we had points), took a tour to Wells (easy do your own tour by train) and other villages with a local company, and then took the train (1.5 hours, no changes) to Southampton on the day of embarkation. Got to see a bit of glorious English countryside, spent a bit less than had we gone to London, and felt like a Jane Austen heroine.

 

Regarding your cabin, whether you chose an oceanview or balcony, you'll have a fantastic time. I suggested an oceanview because weather can be iffy in the North Sea, among other reasons set forth in my previous post.

[Kybabe]

Wow, thanks DIDIDI! and everyone else. Lots of good info and lots to think about. Still waiting for a travel planner to call us. Have sent an email and left a voice message. I do love all the advice (and opinions) from these threads!

[Kybabe]

So excited now! We booked the Norway/Iceland TA for 2016 and we got the balcony! Thanks for all the great suggestions. Only 532 days until the cruise so I am just going to put it in the back of my mind for now. NOT! :D Lots of research to do!