cymrucat23

6 hours ago, tring said:

 

That cabin will have a nice big window and is fairly central so should be relatively stable in rough seas and you will not have engine noise there (the cabins low down and to the rear of the ship have a lot of engine noise), but maybe I would not have chosen a cabin next to an exit or under prom deck as you can sometimes get disturbance from those locations, despite it being quite a high grade cabin.  If booked, you may as well leave it for now as it could be fine and always a chance they may upgrade you, but do not let them upgrade you to the A grade cabins which are both at the very front of the ship (so will be very rocky in bad seas) and are over the theatre which can be noisy by day when they have rehearsals as well as during performances.  A rough guide for choosing cabins is often mentioned as cabins above, cabins below and cabins either side - though always a chance you could get a noisy neighbour so nothing foolproof and other cabins can be fine, even if in locations which some would not want to choose.  The important thing is to tell reception of you are getting noise, since they will move you if somewhere else is available.  

 

Enjoy the cruise,

 

Barbara

 

 

 

Thank you again Barbara, yes already booked, spent a lot of time deciding on the cabin position and yes thought the mid position would be most stable and possibly fairly quiet. So as you say, will leave it as it is for now.....thank you for the advice on the A grade cabins 🙂  Only got just under a year to wait now!  

Many thanks.

Carol

17 hours ago, tring said:

 

No big deal to book early if you are not bothered about sharing a table, but the cheapest prices nearer sailing date are normally guarantee fares, so you would not be able to book a specific cabin either, though you could choose your dining time with a very small payment (currently £2 pppn).  Having said that if you have a problem with a cabin, (e.g. one which is noisy) Fred will do their best to move you to one which is better, if available.

 

Regards excursion prices, Norway is unbelievably expensive, so everything, even a cola or coffee on shore will cost a lot.  You will not want to be drinking alcohol ashore there.  Other countries will have much better priced shore excursions as well as costs ashore.

.  I am not so sure the excursions will vary much, if at all, from P&O as a UK based cruise lines since the tours are contracted from onshore companies (often the same one).  The US based lines do charge a lot more for everything though, including excursions and Cunard is marketed in the US, so probable that they will charge a lot more, but I have no personal experience on that so may be best checking elsewhere.  Onboard costs are tending to go up a fair bit though for all cruise lines, probably to try to make up for losses over covid.  Previously Fred was a tad cheaper than P & O, but I have no idea if that is still the same.

 

If going to Norway it is well worth taking some water and soft drinks on the ship when you board for cabin use, as prices will add up on the ship and you cannot just pick up a couple of bottles cheaply when in port, like you can on the.Med..  Fred will not allow alcohol to be brought on, even for cabin use, will just store it and return it to you by at the end of the cruise

 

Thank you for that tring 🙂 I have now booked for 1st March with Fred. on Balmoral. Will take water, but not really a drinker of anything else other than tea and coffee.......so as mentioned, alcohol is not of interest (probably just as well, given Scandinavian prices)! Bit difficult deciding what might be the best cabin for us (that is affordable) gone for 6061 - here's hoping its relatively quiet. I may be asking more questions in the future.  Thank you to all for your advice and help. 🙂 

13 hours ago, Izzywiz said:

Hi Cymrucat23,

I have quite a lot of information that might be of use to you. I write a diary with basic information for each port that we visit to use for future reference.

 

We did a cruise with a very similar itinerary to the on that you are interested in on Balmoral from Newcastle in February 2022. Our cruise was 14 nights because we travelled up to Alta but it visited all the ports on your itinerary.

I will share the ship and port information in separate posts because there is a lot of it and I’ll start with the dog sled tour.

 

My husband did the Husky sledging tour when we were docked in Tromso on our P&O cruise in 2017. I wasn’t able to do it as I have some mobility issues which mean that I can’t sit on low seats or walk safely in very slippery conditions. He loved the trip and this is what he wrote when he got back.

 

27^th 2017. P&O excursion

Husky sledging.

The bus left the port terminus at 16.30 and took about thirty minutes to reach the Tromso Wildlife Centre. The journey was during sunset and the views were quite dramatic. The centre was out in the countryside and we were taken first into a large wooden building for coffee/tea, cake and to meet our guide. This building was comfortable with tables, chairs, fire pit, toilets and a small shopping area.

The guide was excellent and explained everything about the dogs' working life whilst we walked around the site visiting the kennels, breeding area and sleight boarding area. All of the dogs were very friendly and people were allowed to cuddle the puppies.

I was on a sleigh by myself with the driver.  The ride took about thirty-five minutes over undulating ground and at times you could see the lights of Tromso in the distance. The ride out in the deep snow was a wonderful, although bouncy, experience.  We got back to the ship at 20.00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It all looks fantastic, thank you Izzywiz, makes me want to book straight away now! So much information and detail, invaluable. Yes I was fully aware that Norway (like most Scandinavian countries) is very expensive, but your photos and experience makes me feel it is worth it.....and we may only be able to afford to do it once 😞. 

1 hour ago, 1160451 said:

Hello. We did the Northern Lights Cruise three or four years ago out of Newcastle.

We are booked again in 2024.

On the last cruise we did three trips. 
A full Day Tour to the  Artic Circle Area, Reindeer Farms and meeting the local Sami People. A superb tour.

Another trip was Dog Sledding. Met all the dogs in their kennels then a 30 Min or about on a sled. Entertaining.

Can not  remember the other trip.

We were booked on a trip on a Train but it was cancelled.

In 2024 we hope to go on the Train Trip and will do the Dog Sled again.

We saw the Lights twice, both at 2 in the morning. So be prepared for out on the deck thro the night. Take warm clothing.

We are on the Balmoral in 2024 which is our favourite Fred Ship.

P and O have a wider generation of passengers.

Fred more of a Country House atmosphere. Although not stuffy and always have a great time.

We are keen Dancers and Fred caters for us. Ballroom and later in the evening modern.

Cruised with Fred 10 times and Food, Service and Entertainment always good.

Any more questions just ask.

 

 

That sounds great, Fred. is sounding much more appealing to me now in contrast with the others (though Saga looked quite interesting....until I saw the prices)! Can I ask 1160451, were the excursions expensive...though of course prices will change for 2024, guessing you need to book in advance too? Many thanks, I may ask more questions later 🙂

Thank you tring, yes I was aware of the table for 2 booking and the possibility of sharing tables (we are not that antisocial 😂), just not so keen on the very formal stuff, don't mind trying the odd 'dress up' evening!  Don't drink alcohol, so not bothered about costs of that (much prefer a nice cup of Earl Grey, would probably bring my own supply). I have read all the advice in this forum regarding extreme cold weather gear as well, so anticipate being prepared for that. Have to agree the itinerary with Fred. is much more appealing, but it seems pretty expensive for the 9 night cruise in March.  I have noted that prices can come down sooner to the departure date....maybe I should wait a bit?  Many thanks for the info and advice.

Totally new to considering a cruise, but thinking of the Northern Lights March 2024. Really want to do Northern Lights and Norway, especially interested in doing a dog sled. Looked at P&O and Cunard. It would be easier from Southampton, but would rather go to Newcastle for a better itinerary (and a shorter cruise and smaller ship).  P&O and Cunard don't seem to have such interesting itineraries, plus a lot of 'at sea' time (I'm not interested in spending lots of time onboard having 'gala' dinners and dressing up) although the accommodation on Cunard looks nicer! I realised Fred. does not seem to be having great reviews lately...but P&O look even worse!  Any advice/opinions welcome, have already gained a good insight from reading posts, thank you.