mcpepe

11 minutes ago, BeignetBoy said:

We also were booked on it and are very disappointed.  We had already booked our air as part of the return from the Eastbound crossing departing this weekend, and it will cost us about $5,000 per person to make the changes per American Airlines.  

Travel insurance! I had already booked our flights as well. 

Just now, p18750 said:

We are booked on an Antarctic cruise in Feb 20 and it appears the majority of the cabins are still available. Does anyone know if Hurtigruten will offer cabin upgrades for a reasonable price to those currently booked as the departure approaches?

Who are you sailing? I know when I just sailed Fram in Greenland there was a sign at reception that said to "ask about available upgrades." Not sure about doing it ahead of time.  Worth a try!

Just got word today the April 7, 2020 Seadream 2 transatlantic from Puerto Rico to Lisbon has been cancelled. 😥

Our options are to sail Seadream 1's TA, which doesn't work for my work schedule or a full refund of monies paid.

Mom and I are so disappointed. 😥

On 10/12/2019 at 12:56 AM, clo said:

Holey moley.  I heard about this but had no idea it was that expensive.

For me worth every penny. 🙂 It's done by lottery since so many people want to do it and it's only offered once per voyage and limited to 30 when I sailed. Looks like it says limit to 24 now?

6 minutes ago, Travel2? said:

Good to know; how was information related to the team-lead hikes communicated? 

Onboard during the excursion information meeting and in daily programs. Some cost money, some are simply free hikes led by the team.

1 hour ago, Travel2? said:

The views look incredible and reviews of the hike itself point to it not being to difficult. We are looking forward to the information the expedition team members will provide; We're hoping there are additional hikes offered by the team like Torghatten!

In 2016 On Nordnorge there were many hikes led by the team. I enjoyed them very much!

Snowshoeing, kayak and camping extra. I did them all. 🙂 All landings and cruising on zodiacs included on Midnatsol as of November 2018.

22 hours ago, hallasm said:

I’m not aware or any excursions to Torghatten but it might be if the ship has an expedition team that special excursions could be arranged.

Torghatten is located 14 km (10 miles) from Brønnøysund. Hurtigruten has a 2.5 hours stop In Brønnøysund on south bound voyage during October - so technically it should be possible to visit the mountain during the stop.

You’ll be able to see the mountain when sailing from Brønnøysund to Rørvik - however close to sunset at approximately 6 pm.

Apparently this is something offered now since I've seen lots of photos of it over on FB. Not sure how it's advertised or when it's offered. But it's pretty cool seeing photos taken standing at the hole in the mountain!

Many questions already answered but I'll just give my experience.

Regarding excursions, unlike most above, I took every excursion I possibly could. I loved every one and felt they added so much to my enjoyment of the cruise, getting out and into nature and the thick of things. I did a long review of that coastal cruise where I talk about what excursions I chose.

I was there mid September 2016 and saw Aurora 5 nights out of 11. Was pretty magical.

The tap water on the table is perfect. 

Here's the link to my review

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2330054-trip-report-ms-nordnorge-sep-25-oct-5-2016/

I booked my two Fram cruises on the Norwegian site with substantial savings as well. Had no problem. When the excursion forms were sent in Norwegian, I simply asked they be sent in English.

There was a safe on Fram inside cabin. I honestly don't remember if there was one on Midnatsol or Nordnorge. I dont' use them.

5 hours ago, franski said:

Count down is on!!  We leave for Bergen in less than 3 weeks!! 

 

Starting to look seriously at clothes...  How warm is the interior of the ship?  (We are sailing on the Kong Harald...)  I tend to like my environment on the cooler side, so don't want to get there to discover that I have packed too many warm clothes.

 

I have a coat that I think will be ok for the dry days (not expecting really cold weather the beginning of October) but need to find something that is water-resistant.  And thinking about taking my rain jacket although it isn't for winter weather - and just layering underneath.  

 

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

 

Fran

Hi Fran, the ships are very warm, too warm for me. I wore tshirts in Antarctica on the ship! 

The waterproof shell is key with good layers (wool) underneath. The wind is what you'll need most protection from when the ship is moving. I also found it very windy at Nordkapp

5 hours ago, franski said:

A question re: amenities in the bathrooms...

 

Am assuming that the bathrooms are fairly utilitarian.  Will I need to bring a hair dryer?  What about shampoo/conditioner/body wash?

 

Also - what plug configuration is used in Norway - and on the boats?

 

Fran

Hi Fran as a woman with long hair i found the hair dryers on the wall on Nordnorge inadequate. I brought my own on Midnatsol and am glad i did because they had the same dryers. I plan on bringing my own on Fram as well. 

I love the Arctic Pure hand soap, body wash, shampoo and conditioner. I did bring a travel size heavy duty conditioner to use every few days since my hair is long. 

The plugs are typical 2 prong European plugs. 

19 hours ago, Paul S said:

Midnatsol carries 500 pax on Antarctic expeditions. How are landings on the ice organised on Midnatsol? I would have expected that some form of shuttle rota would operate, meaning that, for example, over 10 hours everybody would have 2 hours ashore

I sailed Midnatsol this past NOvember. We had @ 420 passengers. We had one landing and one cruising per day. Yes we all rotated which group was first each day. I felt I had enough time per landing given I was walking in deep snow and everything seemed uphill. :) 

I will be on Fram at the end of the year and will see the differences then. Can't wait!

I did Midnatsol to Antarctica and loved every second. I will be on Fram twice coming up...first to Greenland and second to Antarctica/S.Georgia/Falklands.  I've toured the Fram twice and have seen the cabins. They are about the same size as a standard cabin on Carnival or HAL.  

I had an inside cabin for the first time ever on Midnatsol and didn't miss a window. I truly was rarely in my room. 

17 minutes ago, HokiePoq said:

Oh, Maria!

Thank you so much for your wonderful review and pictures.

We just booked this cruise for March 2020.   

Now I'm looking forward to it even more!

Aww you're very welcome!! I'm heading back to Antarctica on Fram in January, but this time also going to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island. Will have lots to report back then as well. You will love Midnatsol!

3 hours ago, clo said:

Have you been on Lofoten?  About 100 pax.  We loved the RT Norwegian coastal so much that we're doing the one way next April.  It's her last season doing that kind of sailing.

No. I did Nordnorge for my coastal voyage from Bergen- Kirkenes-Trondheim in 2016. I have a review up here on CC. 

36 minutes ago, clo said:

As I mentioned we did Patagonia.  f you can add that it was as incredible as Antarctica.  I am curious why you would go again.

No time for Patagonia. I work. That would be a separate trip. I loved Antarctica. I loved the nature, the kayaking, the camping. Plus South Georgia Island and the Falklands are bucket list items for me. Looking forward to seeing the different penguins and other sea life. . And I'm looking forward to experiencing Fram which is alot smaller than Midnatsol.

8 hours ago, clo said:

Our trip started with a tour of Patagonia, Argentinian and Chilean, and we boarded the ship in Punta Arenas and did the Chilean Fjords at the beginning and the Falkland Islands at the end.  We were gone almost a month.

Sounds great! Im returning to Antarctica on Fram doing the Ultimate Antarctica to include the Falklands and South Georgia! 

On 6/14/2019 at 11:09 AM, clo said:

I haven't been on CC for some years as our travel generally isn't cruise-oriented.  But we did this trip in January 2018 and it was a wonderful as you described.  Our might have been even better 🙂 because we started in Buenos Aires and then did a Patagonia trip through a tour operator.  That added to the glory!

 

Aren't their soups simply incredible.  And really all the food was exceptionally good.  And my husband, the bread lover, raved over their bread.

 

I never thought I would have a favorite iceberg or whale but here ya go!

 

Loved all the food for sure! And yes soup every day I did eat. :)  I spent a week after the cruise in Ushuaia and did so many great activities there: hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, 4x4. Really loved Ushuaia!

sorry didn't mean to post twice!

https://seadream.com/cuba/

Important Cuba Announcement

On 6/1/2019 at 1:38 PM, Jim Avery said:

 Featuring the Arctic is not, in my thinking, the right place for this ship.  I have worked ships in the Arctic and can tell you emphatically that I would never pay someone to take me back there!  And for most I think the Arctic will be one and done.

As one who has gone to the Arctic (Norway) and Antartica on Hurtigruten, I can tell you people who are bit by the polar bug are happy to return. I'm doing just that. Greenland/Labrador in September and back to Antarctica in January. There are many lines out there that are filling their Arctic and Antarctic voyages quite nicely.  Many of us are happy to return many times!  It would be wrong to pigeon hole Seadream passengers as only liking the Caribbean. It just so happens Seadream hasn't offered it yet, until now.

But yes the competition is fierce in the expedition category and prices are high across the board for those cruises. It will be interesting to see where Seadream will fit in there.

Unfortunately they won't have my business for this as I'm a solo traveler. I only travel with Mom here on Seadream.  There are many lines that realize we solo travelers are a growing segment and offer either no solo supplement or pair you with a same sex room mate. 

I really do wish Seadream luck with Innovation. 

From what I understand the seas determine whether or not Saba is doable. I've been lucky enough for us to be able to anchor at Saba twice and loved it. I've done the Crispeen Track hike both times with James, a local guide. A highlight for sure. You go through rainforest and beautiful scenery which you wouldn't imagine there would be by seeing the imposing rock of an island from the sea. 

Anguilla is a great place for a day. Having stayed twice as a land based vacation and twice with Seadream, I love it.

4 minutes ago, JES4845 said:

 Certainly a U.S. citizen cannot go from the U.S. to Cuba after tomorrow as a tourist or people-to-people, but I don’t think the U.S. Government can stop SeaDream or any other non-U.S. registered ship from going to Cuba.

The USA is the only country that has ever prevented its citizens from going to Cuba. Other countries and many cruise lines have been going there for years. And US citizens also have gone there but only via another Caribbean island. It's a real shame because clearly it's been a great boon to the Cuban economy getting so many American visitors