lyndatimberlake1

Does anyone know any reasonable Port parking for Newcastle?

 

I am going on Balmoral on the 26th April for 7 nights and we want to park our car as close to port as possible, we have done it in Southampton last year and ABparking was so convenient but i cant find a website that does this.

 

Thanks

There is a very well organised car park at the port, not sure how much it was cos we got it free when we went TUI dont know about Freds. Our car was in a loced up secure area, no problems

We sailed to Iceland going up to the Arctic circle and then back down to Iceland itself. When we were in Reykjavik we took a flight - pre arranged with cruise company Thomsons - and flew over the Volcano, glacier, waterfalls and tectaonic plates. Apparently you can go direct to airport and hire a helicopter to do this trip and also to land on the volcano at a cost of £150. A couple of fellow passengers did this after not being able to secure a place on the trip we had booked which was supposed to be a helicopter but at last minute was changed to a light aircraft. The whole trip lasted roughly 2 hours and it was fantastic, the views from above are stunning and breathtaking well worth doing if you have the time.

You get statements posted under your door after the first 7 days showing you what you have spent on each of the cards assigned to your credit/debit card. Its always good to let your bank know you are going to be using your cards while you are abroad. hope you enjoy your cruise!! :)

I have just come back from the Icelandic Encounter cruise in may and to be honest there isnt much except for the beautiful scenery. In Reykjavík we did do the flight over the volcano, geysir, glacier and waterfalls which was the hightlight of the cruise. The tour bus took us through the city, it was so clean and tidy, we werent really interested in seeing the shops so as the flight was what we really wanted to do we just went straight back to the ship. In Iceland all of the shops take debit/ mastercards but if you pay in sterling they will give you change in krona. Acup of coffee was £1.80 it came in a small cup and was so strong my partner didnt need his afternoon nap lol. Akureyri was just a small town with the usual shops you can go on a whale watching trip for £50 each. Ísafjörður is so small only 3.500 people live there and we only saw 2, hardly worth the bother of calling there. We couldnt go to the Blue Lagoon as i am allergic to sulphur but after speaking to others it took several showers to get rid of the smell from your skin. Its worth noting that if anyone has breathing problems or allergic to sulphur that even the water tastes of sulpur so we took our own flask with water from the ship. I also wore a face mask as the cyclists do in major cities to avoid breathing in any sulphur particles in the air as i have lung disease. Handy notes for anyone who has the same problem.

Dont say that Jakanne1 i had the same worries as im only 57 and had the impression Freds was a floating nursing home but another critic has told me there is a varied age range including children. So unless it just suits you to sail from Newcastle etc dont think its just for your age group. I will be looking out for a bargain with them for next year as we want to see St. Petersburg and as thomsons is not sailing from the Uk next year and i dont like the american cruise lines Freds it is.

Thank you guys, i wont have a choice but to go with Freds if i want to sail from Newcastle so its nice to know its not as bad as i thought. We like the informal dining, go as you please type of dining, like the Lido on the Spirit, does Freds have a buffet dining room like that on their ships? Also do they have a casino on board as we dont really like watching the entertainment shows and prefer to do our own thing in the evenings. We do prefer the more casual type of holiday and dont 'do' the formal dinner or anything like that. Also do Freds allow mobility scooters now the EU regulations have changed? I know the american liners dont let you take them and as i need one i dont want to resort to being pushed around in a wheelchair again and lose my independence.

Hi Linda. We also went to Norway on the Thomson Spirit on the myths of the fjords cruise two years running, it was amazing and sp pretty. As for Iceland, check with who you are sailing with if you are going up into the Arctic circle and if you get a certificate to confirm it. We did and its beautiful so serence and almost still daylight at just after midnight, then we went to Akureyri which is a small town with plenty of shops, we found the shop where you can book a whale watching trip if you want to do it independetly of the cruise line. It cost £50 each but its hit and miss if you see any whales or not. Next we went Isafjordur to be honest there isnt a lot there, we went on a sunday and only saw 2 people in the coffee shop. Coffee was extremely strong but only cost £1.80, the small town only has 3.500 people and hardly any shops. The ship docks a fair walk away from the town and ofcourse its windy so wrap up warm, we went as far as the church in the middle of town with the cemetry attached to it then went back to the ship. The capital city of Reykjavik is clean, modern and we saw most of it while driving through to the airport, there is a shopping district but we didnt see it as flight trip took up much of the day.

Im a disabled person and use a mobility scooter and you are catered for mostly in the large towns regarding ramps down on the pavements but all ways be aware this isnt always the case. I wouldnt bother changing to kronas as the shops all take english money but you will get change in krona. If you are going to Belfast as we did on this trip everything is in euros ofcourse. Also as a point just incase you or anyone you are travelling with use oxygen most ships will let you take your own supply from home if you sign a disclaimer. All that means is if anything went wrong with the tubes of oxygen you wouldnt ask the dr for any help but obviously you are still covered with your insurance if you take ill. The oxygen suppliers charge up to £400 to take the oxygen to the ship for you which just makes the holiday even more expensive but no one tells you about the other way. i hope all this helps you in some way. Enjoy Iceland its beautiful scenery, we took 412 photos and so serene. We sailed through two days of storms when we went from Liverpool which was great for us but not for passengers who suffer with sea sickness.

We have just come back from the Icelandic Encounter which takes in the 3 places in Iceland that you are going to as well. If you are thinking of doing the flight over the volcano in Reykjavik which we did with Thomsons, be aware that you can get a taxi to the airport and do it that way We booked the shore excursion before we sailed as we thought it was only going to be a once in a lifetime thing for us so were looking forward to it. At the last minute it was changed to a light aircraft instead of the helicopter and two fella passengers on the cruise went to the airport themselves and hired the trip on the helicopter for £150 which was considerably less than what we paid. Nonetheless it was still a beautiful sight and we are happy we did it. If i can give you some tips just let me know as i dont want to spoil your cruise by just telling you.

The last minute bargains on Thomsons are really good, we sailed in May to Iceland for less than half the book price in September with 4 weeks notice. You have to be on the watch for the bargains as they are generally to fill up the cabins within the last month of sailing. I prefer english cruise ships as they dont charge ridiculous amounts of tipping, its normally all in which it isnt on the american lines ie P & O theirs is a10%. Have been recommended by another person on here to try Fred Olsens so i will keep looking there.

Thank you. I always think of the as the floating nursing home as the passengers all look over 75. yes i watched the programme about the vicar who sailed with them for 4 months. It was on tv couple of years ago and there didnt seem to be anyone under the age of 75. What is your experience of them? They sail from Newcastle which is about 10 minutes from where i live and i can actually see the ships from my window.

the cabins do have twin beds as i have just come back from the Icelandic Encounter in may and we had a twin cabin. there is new carpet and new bar in the raffles and casino and other areas of the ship. The Spirit may be a bit old but she is clean, comfortable and has a friendly crew who are so helpful. As far as we are concerned we would rather sail on this ship than some big american ship that holds too many passengers. There are not tea making facilities in the cabins but you can buy an element on ebay for 99p and make your ow if you remember to take tea bags, milk and sugar. Sorry to hear that thomsons are not sailing from the UK aft this year.

the prices are so cheap that is why they dont offer a loyalty scheme.

Thomsons arent buying new ships as they do not own the ones they have just lease them as far as i know, they are also not sailing out of the YK for the foreseeable future aft the end of this season. which is not good for those of us who do not like the american ships. the tips are 10% on them which is scandelous, beside i personally dont like ships that carry over 1,200 people, you wouldnt get to see the same person twice with 3.500 on a ship.

they have refurbed parts of the Spirit for the last 3 years which is how long we have been sailing on her. But as Thomsons are not sailing from the UK next year im sure they will refurb more of her old stock rather than purchase new.

We have just come back from a cruise to Iceland we docked at Akureryi which is a small town with the usual amount of shops basically a one street, we did our own thing but you can go on a whale watching trip which was £50 in UK sterling. The shop where you book it shows the rates in other moneys. We then sailed on to Isjafjorduh and basically it was a barren land, there is only 3.500 people who live there and because it was a sunday only the coffee shop was open. We went as far as the church in the middle of the town with attached cemetry and then returned to the ship. We then sailed on to Reykjavik where we had booked a flight - originally meant to be a helicopter - we were flew over the volcano / glacier / geysir / and waterfalls. It was quite expensive at £265 each but we were in the air for nearly 2 hours with a pre flight guide by the pilot who gave a running commentary while flying. When we go back to the ship we found out that one of our fellow passengers had gone to the airport themselves and paid £150 each for a helicopter flight which actually landed on the volcano which was what we thought we were supposed to do. All in in 3 days we had a brilliant time there, found it to be not too expensive i would say Norway was more so, very cold as expected and windy but as there is little to see we woulnt go back again.

Thomsons dont have a loyalty scheme for repeat customers which is shame and also they are not departing from the uk next year from what i can see on their brochures/websites. We know the Spirit is only departing from Turkey in 2015 sad to hear as she may be old but she is clean and comfortable and the only ship we have sailed on 3 times

Hi im just back form my 3rd cruise on the Spirit, you cant take irons on board i bought a steamer which does the job perfectly on ebay, as for hairdryers they do supply them but they are not very strong i have my own small travel one from argos instead. have fun on your holidays.:)