bowbiter

Absolutely right, but I believe I read in one of these threads that was a common practice!!!

 

 

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Not outside of the Caribbean. Even then it usually isn't a positive thing.

There were plenty of chairs in the panoramic lounge. Seat saving isn't a thing outside of the Caribbean. There are also plenty of outside chairs available but they are usually stacked. And we just dresses in layers to go outside. It was fine.

The fact that you willingly choose to spend your holiday in a freezing place is enough to make people look at you funny. The Circle usually doesn't mean much.

Haha I do agree. I got those looks for my November trip to Iceland and Norway. I wanted to see fjords and northern lights.

And the larger part is me wanting to go to Antarctica. Circle is more a personal goal. If we didn't make it I would be sad but fine.

And this is definitely helping my decision. Thanks again everyone!

Thank you to everyone that has responded to the circle or not post. Sounds like I can't go wrong whatever itinerary is chosen so timing, length and cost will be the deciding factors. :)

I really want to say I have gone past both extreme circles....but it isn't like people who have gone to Antarctica greatly out numbers those who haven't when you consider how few get there at all.

Thanks for the input!

We were on Midnatsol in October. I wore my indoor clothing to the dining room and was quite comfortable. I did the same in the lounge, although I usually had another layer with me, most often carrying it in a light cloth tote along with my book, water bottle, small pocket size camera, etc. I often would want to go out on deck for a few minutes and it was a bit too chilly with just my indoor clothes.

 

Have a grand experience! m--

I was on her in November and agree. I was fine in outdoor clothes (removing stuff like jackets) and fine w indoor clothes. I tend to be cold though and almost always have a hoodie.

Since this thread is occasion ally active...any thoughts on crossing the circle vs not? I was on the Midnatsol I'm November and crossed the Arctic circle....now I'm kinda wanting to do the same in the opposite direction. But the circle crossings don't do anything other than Antarctica. I'm torn between an itinerary with the circle or one with something like the Shetland or falklands. Tips? Suggestions? Choose for me? Lol

Just booked my train tickets and got the cheap "Minipris" price. One way in Komfort for $41. Saved $70 by booking early.

Just back last night from my fabulous trip! I flew to Oslo (on Norwegian Air...excellent) on 5/14 and stayed overnight (AirBnB).

 

Took the train to Bergen on 5/15 AM, and stayed at the Scandic Neptun (which was fine, large good breakfast). I did sightseeing in Bergen on the afternoon of 5/15 and all day 5/16, then checked in at the Trollfjord about 6PM. I did take the shuttle from the hotel to the pier (90 kr). I had booked an inside cabin (439) which worked very well for me, and was fairly spacious. Keep in mind that the room power only is on when your key card is in the slot inside the room. This means you cannot charge your electronics when you are not in the room. A minor problem, which I solved by just charging everything at night. The only downside of the cabins is the lack of a bridge cam picture on the TV (with air temperature and wind as in many cruise ships), although you could see this in the bars and reception. I would have liked to know when getting dressed in the AM if it was rainy or sunny, etc. with no window in my cabin.

 

Going north there were a lot of Americans, Canadians, and a few Australians along with many Norwegians and Germans. Coming south, not very many Americans or others who spoke English. I was at a dinner table with Canadians and Americans going north, but the first night coming south two couples from Germany who spoke not a word of English were put at my table. I talked to the dining room staff, and they went out of their way to find me a table to share with a nice couple from Australia for the rest of the trip south.

 

We had Norwegian National Day on our first full day, with a morning parade on deck after a ceremony with the captain and officers, and many of the Norwegian guests dressed in their native costumes. We were in Alesund later that morning, but the parades were pretty much over; people were still walking around in their costumes, and there was definitely a party atmosphere! We were blessed with mostly fair weather going north, but of course it was cold out on deck with the wind. Best place for taking pictures is on the deck 6 promenade. We say many lighthouses (I'm a lighthouse freak) during the whole trip.

 

We were able to go into the Trollfjord (weather dependent) on a glorious evening going north and south (although it was iffy coming south due to winds and rain).

 

I was traveling by myself, but took a few tours. I just walked around town in Alesund on my own. I took the Tronheim city tour just to save time walking to the cathedral, and also to see the very interesting antique musical instrument museum. No photos allowed inside either place though. I also took the city trip around Bodø and out to the maelstrom. It was a nice ride, and way too far to walk. In Tromsø I took the city tour as well, but this was a bad choice. The Polaria was very disappointing...other than the film "Svalbard - Arctic Wilderness". They way overbooked this tour, and it was VERY crowded in the aquarium. I'm short and never could see anything over the other people. You can't compare this to other world-class aquaria such as in Atlanta, Baltimore, or Monterey. You can walk here easily from the ship. Don't miss the nearby statue of Ahmundsen and the house he lived in when in Tromsø. Some people took the city bus to the Arctic Cathedral, which was easy and much cheaper. The Cathedral was nice, but I was somewhat underwhelmed. In most ports I just walked around the port area. Easy to buy sodas, etc. ashore to take back to your cabin (bar staff on the ship were happy to provide a glass of ice nearly always). I did not take a trip in Kirkenes. Going south, I took the Breakfast at the Nordkap trip, which I really enjoyed even though we had a miserable rainy day. Meet on the dock at 0530 for that one though! I added the Sea Eagle trip (which actually boards from the ship in mid-fjord just outside the Trollfjord) and we met the ship again in Svolvær. We saw about 5 pairs of sea eagles, which came right up to the boat for the fish thrown out by the crew. They also took us into the Trollfjord (so you don't miss this) just ahead of the ship.

 

The food was excellent. I did not try the new "a la carte" (extra charge) restaurant, but I must say that all our dinners were wonderful, and the breakfast and lunch buffets were more than you could possibly ask for. Try some new things. Cod tongue was excellent! I did get the tea/coffee package (tiny insulated mug for this). For water at lunch and dinner, I must admit that I bought a bottle the first evening, and then partially refilled it in my cabin and took it back with me to the rest of my meals and no one batted an eye, so that was my "work around" for the "no free water" at lunch or dinner.

 

You need to pick up your daily schedule/program in the activities center (they don't deliver to your cabin). The next day is usually available by noon daily.

 

I spent the night in Bergen on 5/27 (again AirBnB) and then took the 0845 train back to Oslo. I did not have time for the full "Norway in a Nutshell" trip, but I was able to take the Flam train from Myrdal to Flam and back on my return trip and still get to Oslo by 1930PM.

 

I spent all day 5/29 and 5/30 and the morning of 5/31 sightseeing in Oslo. I bought the 48 hour Oslo Pass (which gives you all the museums and free bus/trolley/boat passage) and took public transportation everywhere, including out to dinner with an Oslo friend. I thought it was a pretty good deal.

 

I flew back again on Norwegian Air (Oslo direct to LAX) which was a 10 hour flight; it was weird leaving Oslo at 1840 and arriving in LAX at 2000 on the same date!

Thanks for the report!

We went dog sledding in March and there was loads of snow, but I'm not sure the same would apply in November.

I would recommend visiting Mount Aksla if the weather is fine, it's a terrific viewpoint. You can walk to the top from the ship in about 1/2 an hour - but there's 416 steps. We walked up in the morning (best time of day as the sun is behind you when looking at the view) in June and visited there again by coach after seeing the aquarium. It was a blazing hot day then and we enjoyed the aquarium, especially the feeding of the penguins.

Which port is this? Trondenheim?

I'm not on this trip but I just booked the Midnatsol from Bergen to Tromso in November. I'm interested in the Oslo to Bergen travels :) Well and anything else that can help with planning :)

And I just booked this! Thank you all for the helpful responses. We decided seeing more of Norway(even if for a very short time) was better than 5 nights in tromso.

Not as elaborate as medieval times, but yes, as far as the quality of the food. It's not really a show. The staff act as a Viking family and we were guests in their home. Enjoyable, especially if you like things of this sort.

We would definitely be going more for the experience. Touristy type thing is expected. I don't think we would miss much on the ship other than dinner so might be a good change of pace????

We have done Bergen to Tromso and we prefer the northbound trip. Most ports, including Alesund, can be walked on your own. We took the Trondheim trip as it included the drive the cathedral and further out for a view of the city. Not strictly necessary though.

 

We saw the northern lights on three nights and got the call from the bridge to announce them.

 

We stayed an extra night in Tromso to match available flights home and took the opportunity to take a dog sledding trip at Vilmarkscenter (sp?): recommended!

So the dog sledding via hurtigruten is worth it? Originally we were going to stay in tromso 5 nights but now just 2. The ship gets in at 1430 and I think their excursion is shorter. It may be the only one that works with a northern lights hunt.

Viking feast wise I sorta expect a medieval times quality dinner/show for those who are familiar with that.

Northern Lights? ;)

Personaly I would overnight in Oslo and leave for Bergen the next day.

That was what I was leaning towards partially to see some of oslo, partly to be a bit less rushed. Ecxploring Bergen in the dark isn't a dealbr3aker since it is expected that time of year.

Thanks!

 

For most of the ports while tours are offered you do not necessarily need to join an official tour to see the cities. Hurtigruten usually docks either pretty much in the city center (Ålesund) or in walking distance (Trondheim). With a minimal amount of preparation you can do most of the tours yourself in Ålesund where you should have a 3 hours stop (http://www.visitalesund-geiranger.com/en/) and Trondheim where you should have a six hour stop (http://www.trondheim.no/engelsk). If I remember correctly you can't walk to the aquarium but there is also a bus you could take (614 or 618, Skarbøvik/Hessa)

 

The train ride from Oslo to Bergen is lovely :) especially in winter.

We spent two nights in Bergen as Oslo is our "go to" vacation spot for weekend trips but both cities are really lovely. If you can, make sure to spend at least one full day in each.

Good to know about the length of those stops. I saw the lengths of time but remembered reading excursions were recommended so was torn. I normally wander on my own or book on my own so this makes me feel better (about doing it on my own).

If you had to choose....which would you choose for an overnight? Our flight into oslo arrives around 730am. I believe trains are 825 and 1230. I figured the 830 would be best given the time it gets dark in november. An overnight in bergen means either rushing to get the the station upon arrival or the 1230 train with half of the ride being dark out. But full day in bergen the next day to explore. Alternatively, sightsee and spend the night in oslo. Take the early train to bergen and have a few hours in the afternoon to see stuff in the dark. Unfortunately when we booked our air we had different plans which involved a few days in oslo and tromso vs "cruise" and a night or two in tromso.

I have talked with several people on various trip who have done the Viking feast excursion and the unanimous advice is that it can easily be skipped (there is a lot of bus ride and very little time actually in the viking museum, many people were disappointed).

 

They do have Northern Light calls during the night but on your journey you can mostly expect the Northern Lights north of the Arctic circle so basically just during your last night (but who knows, you can get lucky).

Good to know. Thanks! The Viking thing would be more for the experience. It takes place when everything is dark so I don't think I would miss much otherwise.

thanks for the review!

I have a few questions.

Has anyone done the northbound trip? We are thinking of booking Bergen to Tromso with 2 nights in Tromso after. We would spend a day in Oslo before taking the train to Bergen the day of the cruise.

Has anyone done the northbound excursions? Most of the threads I've seen are southbound or are for ports north of Tromso.

And they have northern light wake up calls right?

I know several ports we are only there for a short time and people recommended the excursions. The ones offered for this trip are Alesund Art tour (city tour basically) or Aquarium/mountain, Trondenheim history tour (city tour again) or Olympic tour and the viking dinner in Lofoten. We would probably opt for the Alesund Art tour, olympic and viking.

Also, while price shopping I found that a mock booking through the UK version of the site offered a "tour" called Taste of the Arctic which includes 1 hotel night in Tromso. Adding in the tours it ends up being almost the same price as booking the same trip (bergen to tromso), with dinner and excursions WITHOUT the hotel via the US version of the site. Does anyone have experience with this? Has anyone booked via UK to save $? I started researching booking/cancellation policy but decided to post here first. I got as far as 20% nonrefundable deposit for UK booking. NOt sure about the US (yet).

Thanks and any answer (partial) would be appreciated :)

I'm not Da-Painter but was on the same sailing. Laundry was day 3 and 7 I think. Dinner before the late show should be 7 or earlier. Speed varies so leave extra time. Reservations for specialty are usually suggested for later dinner times. It is usually pretty open early. Reservations tend to fill up faster closer to the end of the cruise. My flight out was 930am. We left around 6am and got there plenty of time (too early). Walk off on your own to make sure you get off on time. Taxi fare is per 2 people plus luggage.

Is Monserrat accesable to wheelchairs? Are the trains, funicular,cable cars?

Dh can walk a short distance, uses a scooter. Since there have been so many recent visitors I thought someone might have noticed .

Thanks

Karen

I think so? At least the main part but even that is pretty hilly. We took the cable car up which I believe used ramps but the size of the actual cable car is relatively small. You would probably be better taking a tour since the bus can drive to the top. Also I don't know if the top top is accessible because I think there are stairs to load onto the funicular. I don't remember if there is an elevator at the top...definitely some stairs though. (But I wouldn't have taken the elevator so didn't look).

When I say "Easter weekend" I mean on Saturday. So I assume that's not a normal workday for most correct?

 

Where exactly do you park around there? On the street? In a garage? Cost?

 

I would just like a place to park and be able to walk around and look at the White House and get some pictures of the grounds. Then maybe head over to the zoo (which I did see that parking there is $22)

Saturday you should be fine. I have no idea how much parking is since I always take the metro in.

The zoo is in a completely different area than the white house though. Just keep that in mind while planning

What about Easter weekend? Would we run into the same thing? (Plenty of parking, not a lot of traffic)

Traffic might be lighter but not by lots. Some schools may be out but normal workday for most. Traffic is fine Saturday and Sunday unless there is an accident.

Just beware there is typically a lot of traffic around here in general. What seems light to us might not be for others. And traffic around here sucks if there is even a tiny bit of precipitation.

I haven't been on a European cruise before but know that when I take a cruise from the US, I am able to check my luggage for a fee while on the cruise ship and not see it again until I reach my home city, making self disembark a breeze. - Is this service offered on European cruises. I will be on RCCL Allure and it looks like an 11am flight home is my only non-stop option without staying another night in Barcelona.

Pretty sure that is only a US thing

I'll be cruising out of baltimore in sept. And please someone tell me if any of the info I've found is off base. But a train for us, from Philly would be at least $80 each way. And I figure a taxi from the station would be another $20. We've called shuttle services and most are in the $300 range, one way. So we've determined our cheapest option is driving and parking. Figured $20-30 for gas roundtrip. And I believe the two tolls are the bridge and the MD/DE border. Both $4 each way for a total of 16. Parking at the pier I've heard is quite easy and close to the ship. It's $15 a day. So it would be around $140-150 total to drive down and park, including gas and tolls.

Driving would be easiest. Tolls roundtrip to Philly from Baltimore is $22 now? I just know it is over $20 now because of increases. Just leave plenty of time to get down. Traffic on 95 is usually OK but sometimes it can be very bad.