auntdot

1 minute ago, hamrag said:

The UK Government website, and the MSC website are your friends. In our experience onboard recently, it is futile to accept what others might say....or write! We did our own research, followed the advice, and had no issues whatsoever.

1 minute ago, hamrag said:

The UK Government website, and the MSC website are your friends. In our experience onboard recently, it is futile to accept what others might say....or write! We did our own research, followed the advice, and had no issues whatsoever.

Thanks, hamrag.  We are not sailing with MSC, but I was just trying to get general info.  I have checked UK website and will keep following it and the cruise line website closer to sailing.

auntdot

14 minutes ago, Last Lion said:

Does anyone know what MSC charges for a PCR test? Royal Caribbean does it for free as a comparison.

Hi Last Lion,

I am trying to get information about the requirements for sailing out of Southampton.  Are there different rules for entering the UK and additional rules for boarding the ship?   Are you planning to sail out of UK on MSC? Or another cruise line?  
 

Any info would be appreciated.  Right now it’s confusing for Canadians!

Thanks,

Auntdot

Thank you for your thoughts on missed ports.  I just hope we make them all as there are so many interesting activities offered in all of the ports!

D

9 minutes ago, D C said:

You'll read on CC that Guernsey is a 50/50 port.  but that's a gross exaggeration.   Based on data I received from a friend working in the Ports of Guernsey, the success rate for tendering is in the 80-90% range.  That's for the entire year.  The edge seasons (spring and fall) do tend to be stricken with more foul weather than the summer, but mother nature is a bit fickle when it comes to weather in the English Channel. 

Thanks, D C.   I guess we just need to wait and see.  We can book with the ship if we are really worried.

22 minutes ago, ducklite said:

Check with your travel insurance.  In many cases they will refund the non-refundable tours if the ship can't port.

Thanks, ducklite.

 I personally have travel insurance that will cover sudden and unforeseen events, but I am trying to put some groups together and am wondering about how often we might miss ports in case other people ask.

d7

I am hoping to get some idea of which ports are commonly missed due to weather, wind, tendering or other reasons.  
 

We are sailing near the end of August and our itinerary includes such ports as Guernsey, Falmouth ( both tender ports) Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands ( docked).  How much of a risk is there in booking private tours where payment is non refundable?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Auntdot

The excursion blurb mentions this ship https://www.tallshipadventures.com.au/the-vessel/

Thank you! Not sure how I missed that.

I would still be grateful to anyone who has had experience on this tour / this stall ship with regards to the physical demands of the excursion.

Thanks,

Auntdot

I am wondering if anyone can give me more information about the Princess Tall Ship excursion out of Airlie Beach? Which tall ship or company? Does it pick you up at the same dock as the tender drops us off? How physically demanding is it?

I cannot seem to be able to speak to a shore ex rep at Princess and I need information about the excursion before I book. Any help would be appreciated.

Auntdot

that's a bit like going on an alaska cruise and popping over to nyc to catch a broadway musical

lol

We've stayed twice at the Marriott in Santiago and will likely stay there a third time next year. We prefer the tried and true and are never disappointed with Marriott properties.

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. Which Marriott and was it close to the main sights? Do they offer transportation to Valparaiso? And if so, do you recall how much it was?

Thanks,

Aunt dot

I see the copthorne which is right on the waterfront and was very popular with cruise passengers is undergoing a complete rebuild so would be unavailable.

 

Rydges is pretty popular and is a mid - range hotel and close to pretty well everything in the centre city.

Thank you, roscoe, and everyone who offered suggestions for my stay. It seems the Hilton is way above my budget, and the waterfront serviced apartments require more than a one night stay.

I have checked the Rydges website and think it might be just fine. Because I have some mobility issues I would need to take a taxi to the hotel, but the location looks very central.

Many thanks - and any other suggestions are welcome!

Auntdot

Good evening,

I will be staying an extra day in Auckland post cruise in January. I am looking for recommendations for moderately priced hotels that would be convenient to get to from the ship AND to the airport. As I will be on my own, safety is a priority.

Any ideas appreciated!

Thank you!

auntdot

 

I like to be organised as well and try to have a plan for each port we visit.The train journey from Flam to Myrdal will take an hour.This includes a stop half way up at Kjosfossen waterfall for ten minutes where you can get off to take photos.The train will also stop at the waterfall on the way back down so if you missed getting photos the first time, you will have a second chance.Note that the weather can be very different in Myrdal. When we left Flam the weather was fine but at Myrdal there was heavy snow on the ground and it started snowing while we were there.

The Flam railway museum is also worth a visit if you want to hear the story of the Flam railway.It is situated in the building next to the railway station.The front of the building is a shop. Walk through the shop to the back to get to the museum.There is no charge for the museum.

There is also the land train which will take you around the area including the Flam church.

Many thanks for your help and suggestions! we leave home tomorrow!!!!

Dot

auntdot

 

I assume as you are part of a CC group, there are at least 10 people in your group and you booked on the flam railway website. One of the group should go to the ticket office to pick up the tickets.The girl at the ticket office will give you info.There is a separate line at the ticket office for group reservations.

Many thanks for the info. Yes, we are part of a group of 10 or 12 and plan to meet to pick up the tickets about 45 minutes prior to departure time. I'm sure it will all work out!! I just like to be organized!!!

Dot

auntdot

 

Are you doing an organised ship excursion or DIY? If a ship tour, the cruise line will have reserved carriages.There will be stickers on the outside of the carriages so you know which ones are reserved for the cruise line.If doing a DIY tour get to the platform about 30 -40 minutes before the departure time and when the queue starts to move get on quickly. We sat on the right hand side facing forward and managed to get a window seat with one of the windows that opens.On the return trip everyone remained in the same seats but were quite happy to let you take a photo if there was some thing of interest on that side.

Thanks, Ecuador!

We are on a CC group - not a ship tour. i appreciate this information! So there will be some indication where to queue up for the DIY people?

auntdot

Good morning, Lars,

Do you know anything about the Flam Railway? Are the seats reserved? Do you have to switch sides of the train when you get to Myrdal for the ride back? (In Alaska, you switch sides when you get to the top of the White Pass so everyone gets to sit on the cliff side!!).

Is it better to be on one side or the other going up, or coming back?

We are sailing next Monday and so far the long range weather forecast is looking not bad!! We are excited!

Thanks,

Dot

What fabulous photos! i can hardly wait until we arrive in mid- June!

Thank you for posting these!

Dorothy

Dear Lars,

Thank you so very much for helping us out with all this information. You are very kind and generous to put so much time into helping tourists! That says a lot about how proud you are of your country and how much you want your visitors to enjoy their short stops.

Many, many thanks!

Dorothy

:)

Hi Dorothy,

 

You will be able to find small galleries in all the ports you are visiting. I would suggest you visit Geiranger Gallery.

 

Here is a link.

http://www.geiranger.no/index.php/nb/museum-galleri-opplevelsessenter/296-geiranger-galleri.html

 

I hope this help a little:)

Lars

Thank you, Lars! This helps a LOT! I will keep your list of souvenirs in mind!

You have now got me re- thinking our tours. We had planned to take the full day tour from Hellesylt which ends in Geiranger, but that leaves us almost no time in Geiranger to go to the gallery you mentioned.

The tour we have picked starts in Hellesylt and goes to Mt Dalsnibba, StrynLake, and Buldrefossen Falls. It ends in Geiranger. The description says the road to Mt Dalsnibba might not be open in June because of snow! I think choosing this tour also means that we will miss a very scenic sailing in the Geiranger Fjord between Hellesylt and Geiranger, if I understand the itinerary? Or maybe we would see this after we leave Geiranger on our way to Trondheim?

Would you think a better choice might be to stay on the ship at Hellesylt ( you can only disembark there if you are going on a tour ) and get off in Geiranger instead? We could then choose a half day tour to Mt Dalsnibba and Flydalsjuvet or a tour to Herdal Summerfarm and Eagles Bend, which includes views of the Seven Sisters waterfall.

One more thing I did not mention - I am not able to walk too far or stand too long due to mobility issues; that is why we have chosen ship tours - to make it easier to see as much as I can. So any options that require a lot of walking are not good choices for me.

So many choices! And being unfamiliar with the area I have no idea what to choose!!

Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated!

Thank you!

Dorothy

Hi Lars,

Thank you so much for taking your time to answers so many questions about Norway. We will be on a Norwegian Fjord cruise in mid June and can hardly wait! I will pack three questions into this one email!!:)

We stop at the usual ports - Bergen, Flam, Hellesylt / Geiranger, Trondheim, Honnigsvag, Tromso, and Stavanger. Would you know of the best places to look for some small paintings or water colours done by a local artist? I have a place on my wall that is begging for something like this and it would be a wonderful reminder of this trip! My travel mate is also wondering what the best 'Norwegian products' to bring home would be? Beautiful knitted articles and ???

I am also thinking about 'layers' for clothing, hoping that most of our days will be in the mid teens! As it will be daylight for so many hours I would think we would need a jacket out on the deck in the early mornings and evenings; is that your opinion too?

Many thanks for your help!

Dorothy

If you have mobility issues, by all means do take a panorama tour. There will be many taxis waiting down at the dock for ship arrivals. I would venture to guess that English is spoken by all of them, perhaps not perfectly but enough. I have heard taxis do charge from 200 to 300 Croatian Kuna for a drive tour. That being said, you should do some research and make a reservation prior to your arrival, especially during high seas. Many taxi and tours services have websites in English, you can set an itinerary and have a quote which can be printed and carried with your documents.

I do regret that I cannot recommend any specific company, but there are many and you may find reviews on other travel forums. Do not just take the change of getting a taxi at the dock who is knowledgeable with the local history. Take the time to find someone who fits your interests.

Thank you, once again, for your good advice. I will look for a taxi company online and see what they offer.

Best regards,

auntdot

Dear Dubrovniktravelady,

Thanks for taking the time to share your wealth of information about Dubrovnik. I have read many of the posts on this thread (but not all!) and I still have some questions. Your response to Putterdude gave me some information - but because DH and I will be walking (and not using a wheelchair) some other questions come to mind. We both have some mobility issues (we cannot walk too far or stand too long without a rest) and I am wondering if it would make sense to simply hire a cab and see whatever we can manage. Sadly, I know we will not be able to do the wall or a lot of walking in the old town. But I would love to be able to get to the fabulous viewpoint and take in any other sights that we can.

If a cab would be possible - are they plentiful at the dock? Do they speak English so we can explain what we want/need? What would an approximate cost be?

Many thanks for any help you can give me!

auntdot

We used TJ Travel for St Petersburg and were VERY happy!

I contacted several companies to plan our 2 day tour and Olga at TJ answered very promptly and seemed the most willing to customize the tour for us. We were a group of four with some physical limitations so could not follow the set plan that all the tour companies do. They did the Visas for us so we had no problem at the passport control.

Our guide was Alla and she was fabulous - extremely informative, kept us on track and yet was considerate of our need to pace ourselves, she looked after all our tickets etc and even had rubles which we could exchange with her for US dollars so we didn't have to buy any currency. Alla even brought two little fold up chairs that we could squat on when we were in the Palaces, cathedrals, and Hermitage.

The place she took us for lunch was a local 'pie shop' that had the most delicious meat and fruit pies I've ever tasted!

TJ was very responsive, prompt, and answered as many questions as we had before hand. Highly recommended!

My husband is getting nrevous as he sees me reading here and making notes!!! Thanks for the great suggestions in all price ranges!

Dot

We will bring you a magnet...

Karen

LOL Karen! Like you I couldn't stop reading until I reached the end of the thread... and that was long before it got to 15 pages! You must have missed the post where Gixer said PLEASE! NO MORE MAGNETS!!!! I think with the number she received it should affect ships' navigational systems or something!!

Dorothy