Rare Vampiress88 Posted July 12 #1 Share Posted July 12 Has anyone been to these? idea on what to do there? Also important for me is info on public toilets/restrooms etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted July 12 #2 Share Posted July 12 You might want to look through these postings https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2705-iceland-and-greenland/ 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted July 12 #3 Share Posted July 12 I just read these ports were cancelled due to ice build up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Vampiress88 Posted July 12 Author #4 Share Posted July 12 44 minutes ago, 1025cruise said: I just read these ports were cancelled due to ice build up. oh gosh. We go in a month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingsoon Posted July 12 #5 Share Posted July 12 (edited) I was there five years ago on the Pacific (690 passengers) and we totally overwhelmed the very, very small settlements. The majority of the locals seemed to hide indoors. I'm returning on a substantially larger ship and am not really excited about that part of the cruise beyond watching the ice from the ship. If I do go ashore it'll probably be as part of a tour for a hike or boat ride. Tendering ashore and wandering just doesn't appeal to me. Sorry if that sounds negative. The landscape is indeed attractive and a transit through Prins Christians Sund makes for a great day of scenic cruising if you ever get the chance. There is an open air museum in Nanortalik, very modest and expect it to be crowded. There's a fur store in Qaqortok if smuggling endangered species' products home appeals to you. Regarding public toilets, I recall a really long line for the one and only available one in Nanortalik. It was a problem. Maybe things have changed. I actually am probably going to have to pass on one excursion, a five hour hike that would otherwise have been quite attractive to me, but for the warning that there would be no facilities available for the entire tour. Not going to work with my old guy prostate after hydrating for a hike. I suspect most of the other people on the excursion just didn't read that detail. Again, I'll apologize for expressing my probably unpopular opinion. Greenland is great. The big cruiseship and tendering version might disappoint, however. Edited July 12 by walkingsoon ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torfamm Posted July 12 #6 Share Posted July 12 (edited) We were there in the August. In Nanortalik, we walked around on our own. There were restrooms at the outdoor museum. In Qaqortoq, we took this iceberg tour by RIB boat, it was absolutely fantastic! The weather was cold and rainy, but since they give you survival suits to wear, we were warm and dry. We also planned to walk on our own in the afternoon but the weather was so bad that we went back to the ship. https://sagalands.com/tour-item/icebergsafari/ I've included my walking paths for both places in case you find it helpful! Edited July 12 by Torfamm 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosevew Posted July 13 #7 Share Posted July 13 23 hours ago, Vampiress88 said: oh gosh. We go in a month It was the current Island Princess stops that were cancelled. Anything can happen between now and a few weeks time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosevew Posted July 13 #8 Share Posted July 13 23 hours ago, walkingsoon said: I was there five years ago on the Pacific (690 passengers) and we totally overwhelmed the very, very small settlements. The majority of the locals seemed to hide indoors. I'm returning on a substantially larger ship and am not really excited about that part of the cruise beyond watching the ice from the ship. If I do go ashore it'll probably be as part of a tour for a hike or boat ride. Tendering ashore and wandering just doesn't appeal to me. Sorry if that sounds negative. The landscape is indeed attractive and a transit through Prins Christians Sund makes for a great day of scenic cruising if you ever get the chance. There is an open air museum in Nanortalik, very modest and expect it to be crowded. There's a fur store in Qaqortok if smuggling endangered species' products home appeals to you. Regarding public toilets, I recall a really long line for the one and only available one in Nanortalik. It was a problem. Maybe things have changed. I actually am probably going to have to pass on one excursion, a five hour hike that would otherwise have been quite attractive to me, but for the warning that there would be no facilities available for the entire tour. Not going to work with my old guy prostate after hydrating for a hike. I suspect most of the other people on the excursion just didn't read that detail. Again, I'll apologize for expressing my probably unpopular opinion. Greenland is great. The big cruiseship and tendering version might disappoint, however. I would agree with you. Tendering is always so painfully slow at the best of times and I refuse to pay extortionate prices for Princess excursions. I'm hoping our stops get cancelled and replaced with some scenic cruising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaSickCecil Posted July 13 #9 Share Posted July 13 Currently on sea day 3 after Q and N were cancelled making our way to an early morning docking at the capital, Nuuk. It has been rainy, foggy, windy and cold until about early afternoon each day. Nothing to see due to the fog. Hoping the fog lifts early as we cruise into Nuuk so we can have some scenic views. In a month things can change. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cr8tiv1 Posted July 13 #10 Share Posted July 13 I wonder what the percentage that Greenland ports are missed (compared to actually getting there). You hear a lot about missed ports. I'll take any port in Greenland, just to say that I got there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoaster Posted July 13 #11 Share Posted July 13 I really enjoyed both Nanortalik and Qaqortoc. We stopped at Nanortalik on a Trans-Atlantic that also included several stops in Norway and Iceland, and the Greenland stop was our favorite of the whole cruise. We also stopped at both Nanortalik and Qaqortoc on a Greenland cruise a couple of years ago (we missed Nuuk due to a storm). We really enjoy just walking around and exploring places, so both ports were perfect for us. Both a quite hilly (Qaqortoc more so), and there were lots of great views of the town and the surrounding scenery. There were several large icebergs very close to shore in Nanortalik, so that was cool to see. As mentioned by others, there is an interesting outdoor museum at Nanortalik which is worth a visit (you can also go inside several of the buildings). The locals also put on a small cultural festival in the community center, with crafts, dancing, food, etc. when we were in Nanortalik. Qaqortoc is a bit larger than Nanortalik, and a bit more modern, but still very interesting. There is a nice walk around the lake. The fish market was also great. Tendering can be a bit slow. We got off the ship early and had no problems, but returning in the afternoon, there were big line ups. The first time we were in Nanortalik, tendering had to be suspended for an hour or two due to heavy fog, so we had to wait a long time to get back to the ship. How much you enjoy these ports will really depend on your personal tastes. We really enjoyed them, as did many others we spoke with. However, we also heard other people say that they weren't impressed (often due to the lack of shopping opportunities and limited shore excursions, neither of which are important to us). 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crawford Posted July 13 #12 Share Posted July 13 1 hour ago, westcoaster said: I really enjoyed both Nanortalik and Qaqortoc. We stopped at Nanortalik on a Trans-Atlantic that also included several stops in Norway and Iceland, and the Greenland stop was our favorite of the whole cruise. We also stopped at both Nanortalik and Qaqortoc on a Greenland cruise a couple of years ago (we missed Nuuk due to a storm). We really enjoy just walking around and exploring places, so both ports were perfect for us. Both a quite hilly (Qaqortoc more so), and there were lots of great views of the town and the surrounding scenery. There were several large icebergs very close to shore in Nanortalik, so that was cool to see. As mentioned by others, there is an interesting outdoor museum at Nanortalik which is worth a visit (you can also go inside several of the buildings). The locals also put on a small cultural festival in the community center, with crafts, dancing, food, etc. when we were in Nanortalik. Qaqortoc is a bit larger than Nanortalik, and a bit more modern, but still very interesting. There is a nice walk around the lake. The fish market was also great. Tendering can be a bit slow. We got off the ship early and had no problems, but returning in the afternoon, there were big line ups. The first time we were in Nanortalik, tendering had to be suspended for an hour or two due to heavy fog, so we had to wait a long time to get back to the ship. How much you enjoy these ports will really depend on your personal tastes. We really enjoyed them, as did many others we spoke with. However, we also heard other people say that they weren't impressed (often due to the lack of shopping opportunities and limited shore excursions, neither of which are important to us). What! No Diamonds International at either port? LOL! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torfamm Posted July 13 #13 Share Posted July 13 4 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said: I wonder what the percentage that Greenland ports are missed (compared to actually getting there). You hear a lot about missed ports. I'll take any port in Greenland, just to say that I got there. I think I remember reading that it’s more common than not to miss at least one port on a Greenland cruise. The only one I think is missed more often is the Falklands. Getting there sounds like it’s like buying a lottery ticket 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosevew Posted July 14 #14 Share Posted July 14 Shopping isn't for us, so we won't miss the lack of opportunities! Maybe it's our lucky year, as we got to the Falklands in January, and got a little sunburnt! Or maybe we've had our luck, guess time will tell 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldtraveller Posted July 14 #15 Share Posted July 14 We were there a few years ago (sounds like the same cruise as Westcoaster with Nuuk being canceled due to weather). In Nanortalik, besides at the museum there was a public toilet in the tourist office and then a toilet if you paid to go to the event in the community center. I don't recall one either way in Qaqortoc. While waiting in line, more so in Nanortalik where the long line was steady, they handed out hot chocolate. In Qaqortoc the line to get back on board seemed to be up & down so if you timed it right you didn't have to wait long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRoot Posted July 14 #16 Share Posted July 14 Where there mosquitos? Did you need a net? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosevew Posted July 14 #17 Share Posted July 14 27 minutes ago, HotRoot said: Where there mosquitos? Did you need a net? Nets are recommended. They only cost such a small amount so better be safe than sorry. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRoot Posted July 14 #18 Share Posted July 14 1 minute ago, rosevew said: Nets are recommended. They only cost such a small amount so better be safe than sorry. Curious to know from people who have been there. We have our nets, but our private tour guide told us we will not need them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZaTaz Posted July 14 #19 Share Posted July 14 I am on the Island right now just spent morning walking around Nuuk. Cute little town no mosquitoes. We missed Qaqortoq and Nanortalik due to ports being iced up but saw some ice bergs over last couple of days. Glad we got into Nuuk so can say we made Greenland. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keksie Posted July 14 #20 Share Posted July 14 We have a Greenland cruise later this year on a different cruise line. We have a RIB boat booked in Nanortalik and will walk around in Qaqortoq. We also have priority tender passes so hope that helps getting onshore. In Nuuk we have a fjord trip booked. Keeping our fingers crossed that we can make all ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler60plus Posted July 14 #21 Share Posted July 14 I was on Norwegian Star and we docked in Nuuk. Both Qaqortoq and Nanortalik were cancelled. I highly recommend a boat tour. A guy from Tupilak was selling them in the information/store at the Nuuk pier too. https://tupilaktravel.com/fiord-safari/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WisCruiser2 Posted July 14 #22 Share Posted July 14 @AZaTaz what are the temperatures like? Seriously looking at booking this for next August! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoaster Posted July 14 #23 Share Posted July 14 59 minutes ago, WisCruiser2 said: @AZaTaz what are the temperatures like? Seriously looking at booking this for next August! When we were there in August 2022, it was around 8-9 C (upper 40s F). I was also there in September 2013, and it was around 5 C (low 40s F). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railman Posted July 14 #24 Share Posted July 14 We were there in August 2022 and missed Nuuk due to weather. We did visit Qaqortoq and Nanortalik. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldtraveller Posted July 16 #25 Share Posted July 16 In Nanortalik our tour to the hot springs was canceled so we did an hour boat trip to see ice burgs plus did the museum and visited the community center (no dance show). In Qaqortog I did the trip to the church ruins of Hvalsey but despite the description there would be a guide when we arrived it was all DIY with a few signs. Then I walked around town, went to the museum and the old church. Some people took the local bus around town and it was a very inexpensive way to see the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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