chocchic

Going to have to read the fine print I think. Thanks

No Reason was given for 2 of the 3 changes - could have been anticipated weather that didn't happen but we never really heard.

We're booked on Sirena Hamburg to Oslo in August. I'm running into excursions that will only give refunds if provided anywhere from 48 hours to 1 week notice of cancellation. I'm a little nervous since we cruised Oceania in New Zealand January 23 and had 3 ports cancelled. I'm wondering if it was Oceania or New Zealand ? They were not necessarily weather related. Any thoughts on whether I can be confident about Sirena making it to ports in August?

Has anyone visited Flor Fjaere Gardens in Stavanger. It gets rave reviews on Trip Advisor. It looks like maybe it an excursion for Princess passengers. But we are on Oceania and I'm a bit concerned about the cancellation policy. When I asked the gardens about policy if ship didn't make it into port they said it was cancellable up to 7 days in advance. Last year Oceania changed ports in New Zealand with a very free hand. I think we lost 3 or 4 ports. I'm wondering if it is worth the gamble.

We're going to be on Oceania's Sirena cruise (Norway, Denmark ) in August and looking for something a bit more individualized than what I'm finding on the cruise sites. We would love to take a cooking class or go fishing. We'll be in Stavanger, Kristiansand, Skagen , Copenhagen and Gothenberg. Any experiences that anyone can recommend? Pam

So If we have already booked and paid for our reservation I was assuming the sales were irrelevant. Can I ask for the sale price if it is lower than what we paid? Pam

It is definitely an issue - I did find one that said it was an afternoon trip but when I clicked on it to get more information it reverted back to the 9 hour journey.

so it appears that my best opportunity to see fjord would be taking excursion from Alesund so Geirangerfjord. Do I have that right? Someplace I thought I saw an excursion on a RIB boat - I'm not terribly nimble but would love to do that or would a drive up be better? I'm not excited about a big coach bus tour. Our cruise is August so should have plenty of options.

thanks for good suggestions. I'm also wondering if we will see fjords from our ship on our way from one port to the next or is it necessary to take a separate fjord cruise from one of our port stops?

We are booked on Oceania Sirena Hamburg to Oslo - I'm trying to figure out if we are likely to see fjords from ship or if we have to book a separate excursion. I can't seem to find any real details about the cruise other than just a listing of the ports. Maybe given this new emission issue we just need to look at a separate excursion?

We are planning our cruise on Sirena with stops in Hamburg, Germany Haugesund, Norway Alesund, Norway Nordfjordeid, Norway Stavanger, Norway Kristaiansand, Norway Skagen, Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark Gothenburg, Sweden Oslo, Norway Wondering if anyone has must - do's for these ports. I have some mobility issues so long hikes are not an option. We do love visiting gardens and have done cooking classes on a number of our travel stops on previous trips. Even though we will be on a cruise ship are there boat trips we should do? Or maybe fishing trips? (My husband would love me even more if I found one for him). Thanks so much

When I asked for diet no caffeine cola (of any kind) on a recent Oceania cruise I was informed I needed to make such a request 3 months before cruise date.

Pur O experience was disaster. P books tickets on group..so we were not even able to access our tickets on line. We couldn't check our luggage all the way thru to Sydney. Had to claim in Dallas then walk it over to International. Could not upgrade. We are not happy customers

We ended up booking Chefs Tour in Burnie and the Viator Private Foodie Delights Tour - which will allow us to have some input on stops. I will definitely have to ask about Porno Donuts. Any specific winery tours anyone want to suggest? If any fellow cruisers are interested we can share this tour. Looking to share Foodie Tour from Wellington - It is a private tour from Viatour We'll have our own dedicated Driver/Guide and 'Memory Creator. Enjoy a 7 hour private tour from Wellington to the South Wairarapa covering majestic scenery, visit to an Artisan Chocolate factory, visits to Gladstone and Martinborough Wineries including a spectacular platter lunch at one of the wineries we visit and local cheese and craft beer tastings. We also visit the beautiful town of Martinborough well recognised for the 'Capital' of Pinot Noir of the North Island. If you have any particular winery you wish to visit this can be arranged in advance. Please get in touch if you would be interested in sharing this tour. Pam chocchic@wi.rr.com Read more about Private Martinborough Foodie Delights Tour from Wellington - https://www.viator.com/tours/Wellington/Private-Martinborough-Foodie-Delights-Tour-from-Wellington/d399-301552P4?mcid=56757

I"m not familiar with SHORE EXCURSIONS GROUP. Is it on Cruise Critic? Pam

Darn.... that is exactly the type of thing I'm looking for but we are doing a pre-cruise extension - spending 3 days in Great Barrier Reef so not much extra time in Sydney. How did you find the Chef's Tour? Maybe there are similiar offerings in other ports. Yes, We will be cruising with Patti and Steve. It's a small world.. made smaller when we travel. Pam

I'm looking for something food oriented in a few of the following ports. Burnie, Timaru, Christchurch, Wellington, Napier, Gisborne, Bay of Islands. Our last few major trips have been to Italy where we did some amazing clases, meals, trips to markets or multi-stop tastings so we're kind of spoiled. We're open to all suggestions. I would especially appreciate some that focus on local foods. thanks Pam

Loved you description of your visit to Bonorong. But I'm having trouble (and admittedly I'm geopgraphy challenged) figuring out exactly where this is and whether we will be in a port that might allow be convenient for us to visit. thanks Pam p.layton90@gmail.com

I can't seem to open link - it says unavailable? I agree - tour looks great. Some of the tours seems to be priced by vehicle and then it is just divided up by however many people are on tour. You might want to post on the Roll Call listing for this cruise. So far I have not had anyone respond but maybe with a specific option it will generate some interest.

Thanks for the input. Appreciate you sharing your experiences. We had such a good time with the small groups that we formed lasting friendships - people I still keep in touch with years later.

Hi Elgin 5 Yes, we might be interested. This is our first (and given the flight time and expense) quite possibly only visit. Have you been there before? Please send details. Pam

I did a bunch of small independent tours using Roll Call on Oceania a few years ago and it made the cruise way more enjoyable that boarding a huge bus and the waiting for everyone to get on and off the bus and having no input about what you would like to see or do or when to stop for a break.We made friends with the people who we did tours with. And most of all it totally eliminated waiting for that one rude passenger that kept everyone else waiting on the bus while he took time buying a cup of coffee. I have posted an invitation to roll call for January cruise and not received much feedback. If I have to depend on Oceania excursions it will be disappointing.

Elgin we Would love to do same. Did a number of small group excursions on Mediterranean Cruise a few years ago and they all worked out great. I haven't done much research at all but suddenly got an email from Oceania that it was time to book with them - I'm really resisting that idea. Have you any thoughts on which ports you would like to do small groups? Things you definitely want to do or see?