smarks

Love lido deck.

Thanks for the reply. I am really looking forward to my new adventure.

Sandra

We tried a Lido cabin and found it to be a great location. Wouldn't hesitate to book there again.

Thank you. That's good to hear.

You will have more movement up there. It’s a great location and I would book there in a heartbeat. I always say book forward of the elevators as the foot traffic heading to/from the pool area/buffet etc can be an annoyance.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thank you for the reply. I will go back and check if I am forward of the Elevators. Thanks for the tip.

We were on the Lido Deck on the Crown, L304, for our very first cruise which was to the British Isles in 2011. Since then, we have taken a few more cruises and have decided that we like the Lido Deck the best given its location to the pool, hot tubs, buffets etc....yes, it can get a bit bumpy but the location to us outweighs the negatives. Just our opinion of course but we love it there

Thank you for the reply. OK, I can handle a little bumpy. That's good to know.

We have been in cabins on the lido deck on a few ships and have enjoyed them. Just like any cabin it depends on what is above or below you. Above you on the sun deck is the Lotus Spa and you are directly below the massage area. So depending on what time the Spa opens and closes you may have a little noise in your room.

Thanks for the response. I think if I would prefer the Spa over the gym. Thanks again.

Lido deck is an awesome location on the grand class ships - we really enjoy it as we enjoy being close to the pools, hottubs, and Lido. I don't think you'll feel significantly more motion there than say the Riviera or Aloha deck if thats what your concern is. It doesnt look like you are under any treadmills so thats good. Also, if you hate the shower curtains in the room, the spa/gym showers up one deck are bigger.

Thank you for that info. I was a bit concerned about the movement in the front of the ship. I have never been across the pond and not sure what to expect.

sharks: Go to cruisedeckplans.com. Look up the Crown Princess. You can find your cabin, see deck plans, pictures of it or similar cabins, public areas, etc. You can also find warnings and the cabin checker tool, that shows the decks above and below your cabin to see what may make the cabin noisy.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank You for that information.

Sandra

Hi everybody, I booked a 27 day transatlantic cruise with the British Isles on the Crown Princess for April 2019. I booked cabin L238 forward. I did look the cabin up and love the Lido deck cabins, but after reading about the North Atlantic, I am wondering if I booked the wrong cabin. Have any of you cruisers out there ever been on the Lido Deck on the Crown Princess. Not my first cruise but first time on Princess. Thanks for any feedback.

I am trying to decide which tour to take also. I am leaning towards the on your own for 4 hrs. I would love to do the canal tour but don't care to do lunch. Can I just walk up and book a canal tour? If so, any idea how much that cost. Thanks for any info.

Sandra

Some ports have begun assigning times to check in. If this is the case I would go at my assigned time. If no assigned time, you can go as early as 10 or 10:30 and take a zone ticket and wait till they call your zone. The best time to go without a long line and wait time would be after 1:00. Have a great cruise.

Thank you for your time and information. I am a walker but others in our group of 4 have bad knees. We may need to save them for St. Petersburg. Thanks again.

Sandra

We will be docking in Stockholm Sweden in May 2019. I understand there are two ports where ships dock. I am trying to plan my tours. Could someone please tell me which port the P&O Aurora docks at? Thanks for any information.

Sandra

Yes, very walkable. I would say where the ship docks is about a 1/2 mile or so walk to the Cathedral or the Fortress (different directions).

Thank you for the reply. When you say in different directions, would I be able to walk to both or are they to far from each other. Are taxis available? Thanks again for your help.

Sandra

I just finished a 7 night cruise on the Koningsdam and visited 4 Norwegian ports: Flam, Stavenger, Kristiansand, and Oslo. I thought I would tell people what I did in each port and give some suggestions if you are planning to go there soon.

 

FLAM - This port is very small and there isn't much to do in the main town. The most commonly suggested shore excursion is the train ride from Flam to Myrdal and back again. This only takes about 2.5 hours. I booked my tickets on the Norway Rail site weeks before the ship was on in port. However, I decided to take the train from Flam to Vatnahalsen and walk down half way. Vatnahalsen is one stop before the end of the train There is a sign directing you to the walking/biking path back to Flam. Warning: There were many more bikers than walkers so be careful if walking. I walked to Blomheller, which takes 2-3 hours walking. I stopped at a goat farm on the way down and had cheese, flat bread, and apple juice. That was refreshing. I thought the view was good but not awesome. It had not rained for many weeks here and you could tell the ground was very dry. The trees were only a little green. There is a small unmanned station in Blomheller. You must wave the train down or it will not stop automatically.

 

STAVENGER - I walked off the ship here fairly uncertain what I would do. I had decided not to do the Pulpit Rock hike but wanted to do some sort of tour in the city. I saw a sign saying Viking Tour, 2.5 hours, 490 Kroner. So, I booked it. This tour is not available through the cruise ship. You can book at the port or in advance on the tour company website. Just search for Viking Tour Stavenger. This tour was awesome. The guide made it quite fun for all ages. We went to the Three Swords Monument, the Iron Age Farm, a Stonehenge-like structure, and the Museum of Archaeology. The tour leaves at 10:30am. I finished the museum at 2pm and easily walked back to the ship. If you like history, book this tour!

 

KRISTIANSAND - I booked the Kristiansand Highlights tour, which is available from Shore Excursions Group. This tour lasted four hours but was just average. The first stop was the open-air museum (Vest Agder Cultural Heritage Museum). This museum is worth seeing. You get a good sense of rural life in Norway pre-1900. Then we were driven to Sogne. We were given 15 minutes to walk around a boat dock and convenience store and then driven around to see the ocean view. I thought this part of the tour was worthless. The tour concluded with a one-hour walking tour of the old town. It did not start off well. After we got off the bus, the guide said to us, "What do you want to see?" We told her that we really didn't know. That was why we booked the tour! She did go to the Cathedral and fortress. She read off some information that she had written down on a piece of paper.

 

OSLO - I booked the Oslo All-Inclusive tour. It is listed on Shore Excursions Group and Viator. It lasts almost 5 hours. We visited the ski jump, the Vigeland Sculpture Museum, the Fram or Kon-tiki Museum (pick one), and the Viking Ship Museum. You pick the tour up right next to city hall on the left side (when you look at the city hall from the harbor). Many people had not booked ahead and paid directly to the guide in Oslo. It only costs 470 Kroner if you book directly with them in Oslo. The tour leaves at 10:30am every day. I would arrive by 10am because the buses filled up fast! The tour was great for a first time visitor. You also have narration about Oslo as you go from place to place.

 

I hope this information is helpful for other people.

In Kristianstan, is the Cathedral and Fortress walkable from port? If not, are there taxis to town? Thanks for your help.

Sandra

Tip on the guide portion only. Not necessary to tip on the admissions portion of the trip. When six of us did a two day tour, the guide and driver were 1170 and the admission costs were 1505. We were given this breakdown by our guide and we paid her separately for the two. Thus we tipped only on the tour portion.

Thanks. I haven't thought about that. Good info.

That's why we did the shuttle bus they had right there when we walked off the ship. It was I think 20 Euros/person for the R/T ride and they had buses leaving about every 20-30 minutes from the train station. I'd much rather do that way, if it's just for transportation, then a taxi. I just worry that a taxi driver will kind of "hold you hostage" with a change in fare... Sorry they did that to you guys though! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Cindy for your post letting us know there's a shuttle at the port. I didn't know this.

They probably do have larger vehicles, but you would need to request one and probably pay a little more. Best to email and enquire.

Thank you for the reply. I contacted the taxi company a few days ago. Waiting to hear back from them.

Even with self assist you still have to wait on the Diamond, Platinum and FTTF. Then they go by decks. For those that do just head on down, you may or may not get turned back. I have seen employees turning people back especially if the Diamond, Platinum and FTTF have not exited yet.

Do you know if the taxis are sedans or vans. I would be interested in seeing the country side also. I don't think you could get 4 large people in a sedan. Would much prefer a van. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

I had a cabin under the galley and it sounded like a bowling alley above our ceiling. Love the cove balcony but you have to choose wisely. Good luck.

I usually use the trainline website (https://www.thetrainline.com/m/results/outbound?from=urn%3Atrainline%3Ageneric%3Aloc%3A182gb&isSGP=false&journeyType=single&outbound=after&outboundTime=2018-07-10T13%3A30%3A00&passengers=%5B%7B%22age%22%3A27%7D%5D&to=urn%3Atrainline%3Ageneric%3Aloc%3Asou5932gb) which shows that the last train for Southampton leaves London just after 11.30pm so should give you plenty of time

:D.

Thank you for that link and the information. That will help a lot with my planning.

Hi, I think there are three things that are definitely worth doing while you are in London and both of them are free!

 

Firstly, about you can book to go to the sky gardens - they release the booking availability three weeks in advance and they run out fast so it may be worth putting a reminder in your calendar to check their website http://skygarden.london/plan-your-visit.

 

The other recommendation is to check the tower bridge website for when the bridge lifts take place - it’s just something nice to see and only takes about ten minutes. The website is http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/lift-times/ and more bridge lifts are added nearer the time.

 

 

Last of my top three free places but definitely not least is a visit to a tiny park called Postman’s Park. It’s very close to St Paul’s Cathedral and the website is https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/city-gardens/visitor-information/Pages/Postman's-Park.aspx - the main thing to see there is the watts memorial.

 

Finally, if you only have a couple of days in London, I’m not sure the London eye is worth a visit because as well as being pretty expensive, it involves a lot of queueing and waiting around - unless, of course, you want to queue because that’s what the uk is famous for! You can get a similar 360 degree view from the top of the Sky Gardens( just take your time and walk all the way around the gardens) for free. You could also get a different view from the emirates cable car https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/emirates-air-line/.

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions and links. The Sky Gardens look amazing. We are staying in Southampton for 4 nights waiting for our next cruise out. Can you please tell me if the trains run at night from London to Southampton. I hope so. That would give me more time in London. Thank you again.

I love the cove balconies. Just try not to get under the galley. I have done that and it was a very noisy experence. Stay away from the cabins under the galley and you will be fine.

We were nearly caught by a taxi driver when in Southampton. If you are getting change from the driver make sure they don't give you the round £1 coins which can no longer be spent, make sure you get the new 12 sided ones.

Thank you. If I am slipped one I will just save it as a souvenir.

There are almost always taxis available when cruise ships dock at Southampton. The problem you have with disembarking Crown Princess and embarking Aurora on the same day is not restricted just to distance between where the two ships are berthed. In my opinion the bigger problem is the time gap between getting off one ship and getting on the next with all your luggage. If you get off the first ship at 9am, which is quite late, and get on the next at 1pm, which is early, there is a four hour gap. You could get to the new terminal at noon and put your cases through the hole in the wall but then it's only a three hour gap. If I were doing this I should book a "Cruise Lounge" package at the Grand Harbour Hotel Southampton (no need to be a resident) and take the taxi to there. Deposit my luggage and book my transfer time to the next terminal for say 2.30pm and head off into Southampton to look round, shopping etc. you can just walk into town it's next door to hotel. The cruise lounge opens at 7am and closes at 7pm and you book alcoholic or non-alcoholic places, sit in the lounge have complimentary snacks and drinks, they look after your luggage and concierge take you to your ship.

 

Regards John

Thank You John. This sounds like what I need to do. I will google Grand Harbour Hotel and see if they offer the lounge package online. We don't go until next year.