peteM3

Thanks for the post !

Looks tremendous - really looking forward to it !

As a matter of interest , what time of the year was your trip ?

On 6/3/2023 at 3:20 PM, tring said:

 

We generally align with the cautious group of passengers, but we have taken trains at times from other ports as long as we know we are not so far away to get an affordable taxi back to the port if problems arise, but only in quieter areas - not something we would do to get to Rome for instance though, (when many other cruise passengers would be competing for far too few taxis and the roads likely jammed as well), if the trains stopped running).  That does happen in Italy at times due to sudden strikes.  Also, we have hired a car in La Gomera and El Hierro.  We would always make sure we were back, fairly near the port, at least a couple of hours before we would need to be back on the ship as well though, for an extra safeguard..

 

Yes, some people do take such trips and it works successfully the vast majority of times, but as you have suggested, that does need thinking about regards how you could get back to the ship if you did not get back to the port in time.  The extortionate cost of a taxi to the next port is one potential cost (sounds like that is still in Iceland, but I do not know where), though you may be able to find public transport, or in Iceland, a one way car hire may be a better idea, if you could arrange that.  You also need to consider a hotel cost for a night or two though - even meals are very expensive in Iceland.  As a previous poster has said, costs in Iceland, like Norway, are very high and that shows in the cost of the excursions, even with reliable private operators, so possibly not a lot to gain in the overall holiday cost IMO, but only you can decide if that saving is worth the potential risk for you, even if that risk is a pretty remote one, in terms of not getting back to the port.  

 

I agree with the "ice fjord trip" in Greenland - it is Narsarsuaq where Fred operates that - you go on small boats right up to and sail in and out around large grounded Icebergs at the mouth of an Ice Fjord which you pass in the ship just before you get to the port.  You will can see those icebergs from the ship, but at a greater distance, so the effect is nothing like as good.  You need to keep an eye on excursions being released for that cruise as that trip usually sells out very quickly.  It will cost about £100pp, but an experience not to be missed IMO.  Not much advantage in any other excursions in the Greenland ports Fred visits, so I would not particularly recommend anything else there.  I contacted the company who run the  ice fjord trip before we first visited Greenland and all the local boats were contracted to the ship that day through him, so it could not be booked privately.  That was on a ship half the size of Fred's current ships, so the same will almost certainly be the case now. 

 

Hope you enjoy the cruise no matter what you decide,

 

Barbara

 

 

 

  

Thanks for the very comprehensive reply - the next port of call after Reykjavik is ÍSAFJÖRÐUR !

After considering all the very informative replies in here ( may thanks  ) , decided to do the Fred excursions on this occasion . For the costs involved , simply wasn't worth the costs / hassle if things didn't go to plan , even if the chances of that happening were remote . 

Also decided to do the ice fjord trip after all the recommendations in here .

Cheers ,

Pete

Thanks for all the replies - much appreciated and good information .

Although I'm sure I could arrange an independent tour without a problem , there's a slight nagging doubt about whether it's taking too much of a chance .Apparently , if for some reason we did miss the departure , a taxi to the next port is likely to cost a small fortune ( 5.50 hours by car). .

Certainly food for thought and some great tips .

Have booked this cruise in August for the itinerary - really looking forward to it .

First time cruising with Fred , and checking out the excursions costs they seem to be very high ( double the cost of locally arranged tours ), so considering arranging our own tour in Reykjavik ( Golden Circle ) .

Question is , is it too risky to arrange our own tours ? The ships arrival and departure time that day is 7am docking and departure 6pm . We can probably fit in a 7.50 hour tour , but a bit worried if any problems may arise on getting back to port in time  .

23 hours ago, hollyjess said:

Can anyone give us some advice regarding what clothes to pack for Christmas and New Year cruise to Canaries.

Guessing this is the Oceana cruise which I'm also on .

I'm guessing the 1st and last 2 days of the cruise will be freezing , getting milder as we reach southern Portugal . I've spent a few holidays in The Canaries over Christmas , and apart from a rain shower on 1 visit , the weather has always been around 20C in the daytime to 15C low overnight . Just checked the BBC weather for Tenerife which is forecast to be 24C high and 15C low for Dec 23rd , which is above the norm for that time of year .

This will be my first 2 week cruise , so having a think on what best to pack , especially considering the variances across the cruise.

Thanks for all the blackjack advice chaps .All top notch advice , so glad i asked the question .

Now when I hit the Casino , I'll come across as a serious player( and maybe not ) but I'll still be useless - haha !

Are the blackjack rules in the Casino easy enough to follow ?

Wouldn't mind a flutter on an upcoming cruise on the Oceana , but last time I played was many moons ago and still called it Pontoon !

Thanks very much for the repiles .

Although booked Club dining , still pondering whether to change it to Freedom dining . Will likely stick with the Club dining , but good to know there is flexibility without causing problems  if we do fancy a change .

May seem like a daft question , but if you are on club dining and decide not to use it on any particular night , do you have to inform anyone so the sitting can be given to others ?

8 minutes ago, brian1 said:

We thought that a few weeks ago.The rear port gate is next to the HI where we stayed,but closed to pedestrians.We decided to walk anyway and it turned out to be a mission,trundling along a dual carriageway for half hour with 4 bags.Everyone driving past must have thought,tight sods.

Thanks for the heads up Brian . Always thought that might have been the actuality , and so it seems .

Look on the bright side . It was not all in vain - you've saved us ( and probably others ) from going through the same experience !

12 hours ago, indiana123 said:

Its the Leonardo Royal for us too.. same date 22nd December.   It seemed a very good deal.  We checked and double checked and it was correct.

 

Nice way to start a cruise, no worrying about motorways etc.

Oh absolutely .

Was checking the various parking options and when I saw this was pleasantly suprised .

21 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

You threw me there Pete, didn't recognise the name. 

It was the Grand Harbour. 

Nice Hotel and very well set up for pre cruise. 

A lot of the cruise entertainers do shows in there, so a great start to your holiday. 

Have a fantastic time. 

Andy 

Thanks Andy !

Taxi transfers to the port are also included , but looking at maps and depending on terminal it may just be better to walk over .

We're doing the P&O cruise from Southampton to the Canaries leaving on 22nd December . Checked out the various options and decided to go with 1 night at the Leonard Royal Hotel fro £153.50. This includes parking for the duration of the cruise .

Seems like a really good deal and the rerviews appear to be fairly good .