onyx007

I don't agree alserod that Montserrat is overrated; but of course I spent several hours there and did two walks used the airial car higher up and visited the church and the museum with the so called Transmonserrat Ticket Deal (and even had the opportunity to hear the boys choir) on my own and not with a tour and limited time...

Unfortunatly they stopped going to Greenland (or Arctic in General) since Covid, would have liked to go with them again to the North...

Good for you, I did it in February 2020 with G-Adventures and a ship called "G-Expedition" and yes including Falklands and South Georgia (I was more impressed with South Georgia) and some landings in the Antarctic IT WAS a trip of a lifetime...

I would have taken the refund AND writen at the same time the review...

Why would you visit a "Waterpark" if you usually already have a waterpark on board ? Maybe look for something which you cannot find at home or on board or (in my eyes) you don't have to go to cruise at all... maybe google "Le havre pour enfants" (which means Le Havre for Kids in French)

Don't think you get something in that price range...or only if you have time to spend a week or two in Ushuaia to wait and book last-minute-berth on ships where people didn't show up or cancelled...

Just to give you a comparison; the Guggenheim in your own New York City has an entrance fee of 30 US, now that is a hefty fee (the same fee is also applied for the Philadelphia Museum of Art ...)

What did you end up doing and was there a mere shuttle from NCL to Bordeaux City Center for the 25 US, as I will do the same in November 2024 with the "Star"... and need do decide what to do there,,,

Hefty fee ? As I see, the general admission is only 15 Euros, which is nothing in compare to entrance fee's to other sights...

@alserrod no Problem. can do that myself, now I know what to look for...

Thanks any other tips you might share what one shouldn't miss when in Bilbao ?

Thanks, my question was mainly to know if I should go on my own or go with an expensive Shorex...I plan therefore to walk the 20 odd minutes to the Metro Station or be surprised if there is even a free Shuttle at the port entrance...I'm pretty sure with NCL they will also have a semi-expensive shuttle and of course will tell nothing about any other means of transport...(experienced that already in Alta and Hammerfest/Norway, where there was a cheap public bus, while the Cruise-Shuttle was 25 US)

Thanks, that's actually the main reason I like to see it and of course I am also a bit interested what is inside...I am more a movie enthusiastic then a Guggenheim...

Will be with NCL Star this year in Bilbao and I like to visit at least the Guggenheim. Has anyone already been at this port and can tell me if they have usually Shuttle buses available and where they will drop of / pick up people ? Will they just go the the nearest Metro-Stop or the whole way into the city centre ?

I have returned from the Norvegian Star and was in Isafördur last week on the 22nd of June; we had to tender as someone already pointed out by showing the port activity on that day and there was the Viking Saturn, a much smaller ship at the pier... While in Akureyri (the second biggest town in Iceland after Reykjavik) tons of local tour companies where at the pier looking for customers, there where none at the pier in Isafördur and just inside the town a small booking agency which sold out very fast....the bord tours from NCL are often double the price which they should be and run with 50+ big busses. So no need to book anything in advance for Akureyri but if you like to go out of Isafördur (which is a really small place with not much to see and do) you should book your tours in advance but as you might have to tendering always with a good start after arrival...if your ship arrival is 9 am as ours was, you would either have to get up really early for tender tickets (if you need to have them) or choose a departure of your tour not earlier then 10.30 am...

Yeah, we had the Shaka Guide as well and it was great...

If the tendering is "rough" then there is no tendering at all...

Yes, Polar Plunge is like any other activity and landing in the Antarctic only doable if the conditions are right, as are the overnights on land. When I did Antarctica with G-Adventure in February 2020 for example, the overnight on land was postponed due the snow condition on land and we did it at another place later on. The Polar Plunge we did was jumping of the ship (where we usually board the Zodiacs) on a leash, where we could be brought back just in case and it was a far niecer experience as we got a shot of whiskey and could go stright away in to the Sauna to warm up...it was the very last activity we did before we were heading back to the Drake passage...

Jougla Point, better known as the "Waiting Room" of Port Lockroy is a little peninsula with a small population of Gentoo Penguins, and it's just across the Island of Port Lockroy (only about 100 Meters as the bird flies) Therefore an Expedition-Ship can have three groups at the same time out of the ship; one visits the base, one is in the Zodiacs doing a cruise and the third is in waiting on Jougla Point nearby... Or better said about three Zodiac-loads are at the base, 5-6 Zodiac-Loads are on Jougla Point and there might be some loads on the water...and as the number is that limited of course a bigger ship might not be able to do the landing as they would need the whole day for all the people...

Depending on the company - I travelled with G-Adventures in February 2020 and they provided boots and you got a comfie parka, but bring along waterproof pants and if you need cloves and a hat... And yes, with many of the small expeditions (Quark, G-Adventures etc) you can book a room to share

No idea if you did go or not; first of all it's true, that you have to be on a ship with only 250 passenger max even to be able to visit Port Lockroy, but Antarctica is one of those places where you never have a guarantee beforehand to make certain landing points. So no ship can tell you for sure, that you will land at Port Lockroy, it might be another open base or no base at all...

As VMax1700 pointed out; Cobh use to be called Queenstown.... Didn't know that before I visited myself...

I cannot recommend out of my own experience, but the place at the main square (opposite Titanic Experience, right beside the monument for the Lusitania victims) looked quite nice.

I did MSM (with an overnight) and Normandy shortly after the 70th anniversary of D-Day. MSM is during the day always packed with visitors and not really a nice experience. I would recommend the Normandy Beaches and Sights, which I did within 4 days and I have not seen everything, but they will pick out the most amazing sights, probably Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery, and some more places

Yeah, agree. If there is a choice I would rather go and see the Normandy Beaches and Sights then MSM, which is a sight but the streets are very narrow and almost always packed...I spent a night on MSM some years ago and had the place in the evening and morning almost to myself... But depending on the tour to Paris provided by your company you might see more than just the Eiffel Tower...if it's only a transfer and you will have time for yourself to wander, I recommend to head to the tower of Montparnasse to get to the top without the waiting time at Eiffel Tower and best thing, it's much a nicer view from there.