My husband thinks I'm crazy.....

[RoperDK]

Looking at a cruise to Greenland!  It is a 16 day round trip from New York.  Along with the stops in Greenland, it also visits Halifax, Sydney, and St. John's Canada.  How will this compare to Alaska views, glaciers, and wildlife?  That was our favorite part of Alaska cruising.  What are the best things to do in those ports?   I did look at the ports of call forums and didn't find any info. Thanks! 

[Level six]

We did the same cruise on Caribbean Princess(I don't recommend that ship it is so bad and over crowded).  The cruise was nice, but  many people did not like the ports.  We just hiked and enjoyed the scenery, but there is not much to do.  They are just small villages really. 

 

IMO, it nothing at all like Alaska, but it was fun to see a different place.   The Canadian ports are awesome!!  I would probably not go there again, but it was fun for the one time. 

[bobontheblue]

 Did the same cruise also, yes there were issues with the Caribbean Princess but not bad enough to stop from booking the same trip again. Do not expect an Alaskan style cruise, anything but. No Diamonds international here or even an abundance of organized touristy things to do. Put on your nature hat and shoes and explore. The Canadian ports are fantastic and well worth the visit. A voyage l worth the effort if you leave all expectations of ports of call geared for a tourist onslaught. 

 Looking forward to going back August 2022.  

[LACruiser88]

We were on two TA's (Copenhagen to NY) that were supposed to stop in Iceland, both times bad weather prevented the ship from going there.

[RoperDK]

Thanks for the quick replies!  I am glad it's not touristy, that would be a plus for me.  I was interested in what you do see while cruising.  Ice flows? Whales?  I didn't see any "scenic cruising" days in the itinerary. I can do some walking, but heavy duty hiking is not for me anymore.  Are beautiful landscapes visible close to shore?  

[cruzsnooze]

27 minutes ago, RoperDK said:

Looking at a cruise to Greenland!  It is a 16 day round trip from New York.  Along with the stops in Greenland, it also visits Halifax, Sydney, and St. John's Canada.  How will this compare to Alaska views, glaciers, and wildlife?  That was our favorite part of Alaska cruising.  What are the best things to do in those ports?   I did look at the ports of call forums and didn't find any info. Thanks! 

I'm on that sailing after having it cancelled last year. I've done Alaska 4-5 times and until I see Greenland I can't compare. There is a roll call started for this cruise. When it gets closer we'll decide on private tours and what to do.

[cruzsnooze]

7 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

We were on two TA's (Copenhagen to NY) that were supposed to stop in Iceland, both times bad weather prevented the ship from going there.

Iceland is not Greenland.

[LACruiser88]

1 hour ago, cruzsnooze said:

Iceland is not Greenland.

True, but very close to each other...

[Level six]

1 hour ago, RoperDK said:

Thanks for the quick replies!  I am glad it's not touristy, that would be a plus for me.  I was interested in what you do see while cruising.  Ice flows? Whales?  I didn't see any "scenic cruising" days in the itinerary. I can do some walking, but heavy duty hiking is not for me anymore.  Are beautiful landscapes visible close to shore?  

IMO there was not any scenic cruising.  You can go on excursions, but even sailing into port was not great.  We even got up at 5 am one morning to watch sail in and literally did not see anything.  No icebergs, no whales, nothing.  Just the island. 

 

I loved going to Greenland, but it was not as I expected it to be. There is a lot of poverty and problems there. So, it is hard to enjoy yourself seeing all of the poverty. 

 

 We hiked extensively but most of the ports are not really for tourists and the last one Nanortalik was a tender port and most people waited hours to even tender in because only one tender can be docked at a time.  We were on the first tender, but had to wait to get back to the ship.  There were lots an lots of complaints on the ship.  In that village there was a lot of injuries because they don't even have a sidewalk from the pier to the town, about a mile and no other transportation options that I saw. 

 

Would I go again?  Nope, but I am glad we went and saw a place we have never visited.  I enjoyed not having the "regular" port experience seeing so many shops, etc.  I would compare it to visiting Icy Strait in Alaska without the cruise center part.  Just small towns that are lovely in their own way. You should go, but really research each place and go on an excursion that you might like or have something to do in your mind.  As far as private tours, there may be some on Nuuk, but the other places........I doubt it.

 

 

Edited September 22, 2021 by Level six
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[nini]

We did the East Coast cruise twice and went to the Canadian ports you have mentioned. This is not a wildlife, whale, glacier cruise unless Greenland offers something

We really did enjoy the Canadian ports as well as the ports in USA.

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, RoperDK said:

My husband thinks I'm crazy.....

 

Your husband may well be correct but that's no reason not to book the cruise! 😁

Edited September 22, 2021 by Thrak

[Hlitner]

Iceland is a nice place to visit (on a cruise or as a land trip) and has quite a few areas with lots of natural beauty.    Greenland  (we have been there twice) has much less to offer the cruiser.  And I will warn that if you are going to Greenland on a large Princess ship and stopping at the small tender ports you might want to reconsider.  It can take 4--6 hours to get everyone tendered ashore which does not make for a happy ship.  When we did it on the Caribbean Princess it was a real disaster with many cruisers finally giving up on getting off the ship.  Those stops in Qaqortoq and Nanortalik are just wrong!  One of those ports is only able to handle one tender at a time on a dock that is also used for local excursions.  At one point there were 3 Caribbean Princess tenders just sitting out to sea (some for over an hour) waiting their turn to get to the pier.  

 

My advice on Greenland is if you want to visit then do it on a smaller cruise ship (we are talking fewer then 1000 passengers).  The infrastructure is just not suited to large ships with the exception of Nuuk which was able to handle our vessel.  On the other hand, there is not much in Nuuk...even though it is the Capital and largest city in the country with a population of about 19,000.

 

Hank 

[hapster85]

Sounds like an awesome cruise to me! We've been to Halifax and Saint John but would like to go back. Especially Saint John. Had a great time there. Greenland is definitely on my list of places I'd love to visit. Not sure about my wife. She turns her nose up at any place she associates with being cold, yet she loves Alaska. Go figure. Lol

[donaldsc]

5 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

True, but very close to each other...

 

Actually it is ~900 miles.  Not that close.

 

DON

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Your husband may well be correct but that's no reason not to book the cruise! 😁

I opened this thread to find out why the husband thinks the OP is crazy and come to find out it's questions about cruising to Greenland.  Wish the title was more fitting the subject.  LOL.

 

BTW, thanks for the posters complimenting the Canadian ports.  We have visited our Maritime provinces on our own air/land trip(s), and appreciate them to be seen and experienced.

[Steelers36]

6 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

Actually it is ~900 miles.  Not that close.

 

DON

Closer than Vegas to Florida and Toronto to Florida.  LOL.  Pretty close in terms of the Earth as a globe.

[wowzz]

Princess "sell" their September/October cruises to the East Coast of Canada (including Quebec) as an opportunity to see the Fall foliage. Given the lack of scenic cruising, is it actually possible to see any trees at all on these cruises? 

[matamanoa]

7 hours ago, wowzz said:

Princess "sell" their September/October cruises to the East Coast of Canada (including Quebec) as an opportunity to see the Fall foliage. Given the lack of scenic cruising, is it actually possible to see any trees at all on these cruises? 

You are not guaranteed to see any fall colouring on any given week as the changing of the leaves depends on rainfall and temperature.  We liken it to going to Alaska with the promise that you will see wildlife.  It's all a matter of chance.  With the changing of the leaves, Mother Nature is in charge.  We took a cruise out of New York going to the Maritimes and ending in Quebec City in early Sept.  a few years ago and there was no colouring to speak of.  On the other hand, it was one of our favourite cruises and we would do it again.

 

Barb

[wowzz]

8 minutes ago, matamanoa said:

You are not guaranteed to see any fall colouring on any given week as the changing of the leaves depends on rainfall and temperature.  We liken it to going to Alaska with the promise that you will see wildlife.  It's all a matter of chance.  With the changing of the leaves, Mother Nature is in charge.  We took a cruise out of New York going to the Maritimes and ending in Quebec City in early Sept.  a few years ago and there was no colouring to speak of.  On the other hand, it was one of our favourite cruises and we would do it again.

 

Barb

Thanks - I know it is a bit of a risk. The problem we face is that the cruise we are considering has 6 sea days from Southampton, and obviously 6 more back. That's a lot of sea time if we don't even get to see a tree !! 

Even if the colours are not in full swing, would we at least see some scenery from the ship?

[Steelers36]

36 minutes ago, matamanoa said:

You are not guaranteed to see any fall colouring on any given week as the changing of the leaves depends on rainfall and temperature.  We liken it to going to Alaska with the promise that you will see wildlife.  It's all a matter of chance.  With the changing of the leaves, Mother Nature is in charge.  We took a cruise out of New York going to the Maritimes and ending in Quebec City in early Sept.  a few years ago and there was no colouring to speak of.  On the other hand, it was one of our favourite cruises and we would do it again.

 

Barb

Early SEP is early for leaves.

[bobontheblue]

• Iceland is not Greenland, oh how true. Having done both, Iceland just may be the better choice for our OP. Do some serious  contemplation of both, I found all the ports in Iceland to be really interesting.  There is a thriving art community and cultural aspect as well as a natural beauty to be appreciated in every port. 
• The Greenland voyage offers a whole new kettle of fish so to speak. The three ports are incredible in a whole other fashion. There is not the infrastructure to support a average North American cruisers expectations. Throw all those ideas out and get ready to enjoy and immerse yourself in a totally different way of life. Explore the grocery stores, eat at an asian cafe with a Greenland perspective on Asian Fusion. Explore a interactive local museum, or just take the time to expand your inner soul and enjoy the silent beauty. It was incredible and that what draws me back again in 2022.
• So it might be that your husband thinks you are crazy. Do some research and decide if it right for your style and if you can handle the challenges. You both need to be of one mind for this one. Otherwise he will not get any joy from Greenland as a destination.   

[busterfla]

Understand that Greenland is nowhere near a "guaranteed" port. We took a cruise across the Northern Atlantic on the Star Princess and made it to Greenland, the Captain was so excited that after 11 attempts to get there he was finally successful. But at the time we went there, no excursions were available. Just tender to the town, walk around, see the homes, people and some  buildings. The most interesting thing was a small iceberg (growler?) had beached itself in the port area. Glad we made it in.

 

Now Iceland was a different story, many great excursions.

 

My view on the two as we saw them ..... Iceland has no ice, Greenland has no green

[dreaminofcruisin]

...and if the OP is looking for something similar to Alaska...

How about Norway?

[RoperDK]

3 hours ago, bobontheblue said:

• Iceland is not Greenland, oh how true. Having done both, Iceland just may be the better choice for our OP. Do some serious  contemplation of both, I found all the ports in Iceland to be really interesting.  There is a thriving art community and cultural aspect as well as a natural beauty to be appreciated in every port. 
•  
• So it might be that your husband thinks you are crazy. Do some research and decide if it right for your style and if you can handle the challenges. You both need to be of one mind for this one. Otherwise he will not get any joy from Greenland as a destination.   

Thank you for the perspective!  I think we have decided to let this cruise go.  If we would have had tons of scenic cruising, with an abundance of wildlife, I would have pressed the matter.  My first choice actually would have been Iceland and I think my husband would jump on that trip, also.    

[RoperDK]

6 minutes ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

...and if the OP is looking for something similar to Alaska...

How about Norway?

Yes, that would be a great cruise!  We don't care to fly much anymore, so that is a problem.  We could have driven to the Greenland cruise embarkation port.