MeHeartCruising

2 hours ago, milolii said:

Thinking of using  the train from the airport to Oslo central station.  Our hotel is Clarion Collection Hotel Bastion.  The walk doesn’t look too bad, can we do this with suitcases?  Are there any hills?  Ty 

The Flytoget trains are very easy to use and, in my opinion, the best way to get from the airport into central Oslo.  I used the train both directions a couple weeks ago.  I purchased my tickets in advance on the website.  I could not get the phone app to work from the US.  But there were also self-serve kiosks to buy tickets if you prefer.  With a valid ticket, you just scan it as you enter the train platform area.  It’s well signed after you leave secure part of the airport.  If you are taking the return trip from the city to the airport, you scan the ticket as you leave the train upon arrival at the airport. 
 

I just kept my luggage with me.  There may be some other service that I did not use.  But most people seemed to have their luggage with them on the train.  There was ample room to store it in the car with me. 
 

Upon arrival in Oslo, the walk is easy and flat, as long as you can manage your luggage.  

14 hours ago, ColoradoMom!! said:

@kaisatsu  Wow I just found a video - gorgeous.  Are we really allowed to just hike along the trail next to the farm and animals?  Do the owners mind?  

 

The video continued on to an overlook, but the trail looked very rugged and through a stream. I wonder if it is one in the same.  I'll keep investigating but really appreciate the suggestion - I'm glad we can combine it with seeing the Fjord Center.  I'm thinking we should walk the road up to the Fjord Center and on past the Hotel Union, and take the water lined staircase back down from the center when we are done for the day.  Any flaw in that thought?

I don't see an advantage to hiking up the road to the Fjord Center.  Just use the staircase by the waterfalls both directions.  It's a nice walk.

I can't help with the rest of the hike up to Flydalsjuvet.  Our tour took us up there and back by bus.  We had the option to walk back down via the staircase, which I did.

Watching Deal or No Deal can be a lot of fun.  It is free to watch. I've never played along (and probably never will).  I haven't seen the Wheel of Fortune yet.

I prefer hotels in the County Hall area, just across Westminster Bridge from Parliament.

I recently spent 2 1/2 weeks in Norway.  I got about $45 in Kroner out of an ATM upon arrival.  I never touched it.  I used my contactless credit card and/or ApplePay from my phone for everything.  Even packs of gum and a pay toilet.  

7 minutes ago, Keith1951 said:

I have been looking at a certain NCL cruise for 3 months.  Every day I go to the NCL website and check the price.  Price has been the same, on the same date and same itinerary.  Now they have a 70% off the second guest promo, but yet, the price is still exactly the same.  How is this possible???   Where is the 70% off for the second guest???   I wish someone would explain.  Thank you.

The price you were watching for 3 months was the result of a different promotion that had different math, but the same end result.  It’s been this way for years with NCL.  And to be fair, most cruise lines do this.  
 

That’s not to say the price will never change.  They may reduce the base price if the cabins are selling slowly.  Or they may raise base prices if demand is high.  But the promos layered on top of base price will fundamentally not change their terms. 

5 hours ago, rnjennifer3 said:

My group has an excursion to Florence and Pisa reserved with GetYourGuide and the meeting point is at Piazza dell’ Arsenale which is within the port of Livorno, but I can’t figure out how to get from our cruise pier to that area. I’ve presented the inquiry to get your guide and and the tour operator but I’ve yet to hear response. From what I understand, the shuttles only go from the cruise pier directly into town at Piazza Municipale in town. I’m wondering if anyone who has been to this port would have any information on this? 

When I was in Livorno years ago, the ship-supplied shuttle into town dropped off (and picked up) at Piazza Grande.  That looks to be about 4 blocks from the start of the street that Google Maps labels as Piazza dell’ Arsenale.  I consider that to be walking distance.  But Arsenale appears to have some distance to it, so it could be further, depending on where your tour operator wants you. 

I am from the US.  Over the years, I have printed many, many European tickets that said to use A4-size paper.  I always have used our standard 8 1/2” X 11” paper to print them.  I have never had a single issue using my tickets. 

4 hours ago, Jack1980 said:

Thanks Asawi; where do you get the 'free' stuf - at bars or only restaurants when open ?

For Free:

The buffet provides coffee, water, flavored water (usually strawberry or mango), milk, and lemonade out of dispensers all day long.  There is also hot water for tea.  In the mornings, orange juice and maybe another juice is available.

If you go to a bar, I think the only free drink you can get is water out of their dispenser.  I don't believe they even have lemonade.

I don't know what restaurants can get you for free other than water and coffee.  Probably milk. Probably tea.

 @ThomAndRach  I did the Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri excursion on my very first cruise.  I would recommend you not do it.  It was just to rushed to enjoy.  It was drive-by sightseeing.  Not enough time at any of the locations to really get much out of them. And definitely not enough time to do anything significant on your own.  We had like 30 minutes free time in Sorrento.  That was it. I would suggest you go with an excursion that gives you more time in Pompeii.  Then maybe explore some things in central Naples upon return from the excursion.  There are a lot of things within walking (or a short metro ride) from the ship. 

I just spent over 2 weeks in Norway (Oslo, Bergen, and then a multitude of smaller towns that were stops for the Havila Coastal Express up to Kirkenes and back down to Bergen).  I used my iPhone's ApplePay contactless for every single purchase -- from a bag of chips up to my hotel bills in size.  I never took my credit card out of my pocket.  My ApplePay is linked to a Well's Fargo credit card with no foreign transaction fees.  It worked flawlessly every time.  No ID was ever asked for by a merchant.  I did get asked for my Passport at 2 hotels when checking in, I think.  I honestly can't recall.  I'm confident that since contactless with the phone worked so well, that using the physical card in the same manner probably would have been fine too.

When I arrived in Oslo, I pulled 500 Kroner (about $45) from an ATM just in case I needed it.  I never used it for anything.  I ended up converting it back to US dollars at the airport when I was leaving Oslo.

Your ship will be ready to disembark you shortly after 8:00.  You need to reserve a later flight. 

I also would vote to explore Naples.  I’ve done 3 of the 4 things on euro cruiser’s list above and will add that I found them all enjoyable too.  I have not been to the theatre.  Perhaps next time. 
 

If you want more archeology, a visit to Herculaneum is also very well worth it. 

I was in Portland in late 2022 (I think).  For us, the shuttle bus was free and available shortly after we docked.  As mentioned above, it stops at Portland Castle and then in Weymouth.  These stops are offered in both directions.  So I went into Weymouth first, just as it was waking up and then stopped at the Castle later in the day on the way back to the ship. 
 

Walking around Weymouth was quite nice.  I enjoyed the waterfront and marina area and the nearby Fort.  
 

This makes a lovely day for people who just wish to relax and saunter about at a leisurely pace.  

Last summer on Royal Caribbean, I took their Delos excursion.  We were docked in the new port.  We left our ship and walked a short distance to a ferry boat that took us to Delos.  The ferry left after dropping us off.  While we did our guided tour on Delos, the ferry returned to Mykonos and picked up the regular  passengers.  We were the only one touring Delos at that time.  The ferry returned to Delos with a full load of passengers and they got off and our excursion group hopped on.  We were then taken to Mykonos Old Port and dropped off to explore the town on our own.   We were also given a free ticket for the shuttle boat that runs between Old and New Port.  We could go back to the ship in the New port at any time we wanted.  Our ship was docked just a few feet from the shuttle boat dock. 

11 hours ago, Jayhoaps said:

Hello everyone, looking forward to my cruise. One of our ports is Kusadasi Ephesus Turkey. I hear they have great prices on designer bags even knock offs. Does anyone know if they sell these bags near the cruise port? I would love to buy some bags for great prices. Thanks in advance. 

There are lots of shops selling various good within walking distance of the ships.  You can probably find such bags in the same stores that have signs out for their "Genuine Fake Watches".

4 hours ago, getawaygirl said:

We will be arriving in Santorini on the Odyssey in late May. We are docked from 1pm til 11pm and it appears there will be 3 ships in port. We plan to do our own thing (no tours are available /sold out of things of interest to us) We would really like to catch the sunset from Santo Winery and I saw we could actually catch a bus there, or maybe even walk (we're in ok shape) My question is, for the way back, do they have the steps coming down "lit up?" I know the sunset will be a little later (8:30ish) but I'm worried about walking down steps in the dark if cable car line is too crowded. Thanks for any info.

I couldn't find any now, but I have seen online pictures of the donkey path/steps lit with lights at night in the past.  I would call it "dimly lit" in the pictures.  Like one light on a pole at each switchback turn.  But as for current conditions, I'm afraid I don't have personal experience.  Maybe bring along a little LED flashlight to help out too.

Edited to add:  I found the pic I had seen.  These lights look awfully bright.  Perhaps they've updated them or it's just good photography.  You can read the entire thread on the topic using the link.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2951301-santorini-donkey-trail/?do=findComment&comment=65809584

I went to hertz.com and started a reservation for car pickup in Messina, Italy.  It looks like their location is at Via G. Garibaldi 128, Messina,98122, which would appear to be very close to the port.  I would try other international car rental company websites directly rather than using Google.

I would agree with cruisemom42 on this.  I've never heard of a cruise ship needing to tender in Piraeus.  I have to believe that listing is an error by NCL.

9 hours ago, Jayhoaps said:

Also, just saw an excursion offered by Carnival entitled Mykonos Town Walking Tour, It's a 3 hour tour and costs $79.99. 

 

I will post the details from the Carnival Site

 

"Mykonos was once a peaceful fishing village, but it has now become the most famous town in all the Greek islands that attracts not only tourists, but also film stars, artists and the jet-set celebrities. Starting from the Old Port, walk into the heart of town to discover the authentic spirit and atmosphere of the narrow alleyways. Whitewashed houses strike a sharp contrast against their brightly painted doors and shutters as well as with the vibrant colors of the bougainvillea and geraniums of the courtyards and balconies. If you feel lost in this labyrinth of little streets, there is a reason: the town was designed in this way to confuse invaders and prevent pirate attacks. Every corner of the town is worth photographing including the typical Cyclades’ cubic architecture, the numerous chapels and the whitewashed pavements, which make the town so truly unique and special. Lurking in some alleyway you may also meet Petros the Pelican, the island’s mascot. Do not miss a visit to Little Venice, a distinctive district in the town, where the houses are built right on the water's edge. It is said these buildings were used to quickly load and unload ships to avoid pirate attacks. Today, this area has numerous restaurants lining its seafront. The walk continues toward the promontory south-west of Little Venice to admire the famous windmills, a symbol of the island of Mykonos, once a major trading center between Venice and Asia. Dating back to the 16th C and situated near the old port in a strategic position to exploit the wind, the windmills were used to mill wheat. At the end of the guided tour, feel free to stay in town and return to Tourlos Port with the shuttle at your own expense."

 

Just wondering if anyone has taken this tour, or what are any thoughts of people about the tour, just wondering if it's worth it or not. Thanks in advance. 

 

Best Regards,

I would not recommend paying anyone to walk you around the town of Mykonos.  It's very small.  Just walk around, you'll find everything you've read about.  Or Follow other people and see where they are going.  

I'll agree with CruiserBruce here.  In Europe, unless tendering, I have never been held back from leaving the ship while waiting for the excursions to leave the ship.  In fact, I'm often one of the first 20 people off the ship.  I watch from an upper deck as they set up the exit ramps and safety rails and such and then once they are just about done with that, I head down to the gangway.  I'm often down there shortly before, or just after, they announce that you may go ashore. Most of the time, excursions are still gathering in the theatre at that point.

In Naples in particular, I did find the walk from ship to terminal exit to be a little longer than some stops.  They make you walk thru a fairly large shopping mall of sorts before you can get to the street.  But still, it is no more than the 10-15 minutes advised above for the casual walker.  Maybe even less.

As noted above, some ships tender directly into the center of town.  If you dock, there will be a water taxi (a shuttle boat with many people on it) that goes back and forth between town and the dock for a few euros.

Great advice above from the locals.  I took a departure day London Waterloo to Southampton train for a cruise with zero issues.  I arrived in Southampton around 9:30am and there were taxis waiting to take me to the ship.  It was a very easy and pleasant trip.

You didn't finish your second paragraph, but I assume you mean they wouldn't accept it as the full down payment amount since it wasn't a full-valued CruiseNext certificate.

I'd be asking why it wasn't credited to your account as $346 if it was supposed to be worth that much.  This should have been asked within days of when it was credited to your account.

Given your current situation, if it is a valid CruiseNext in the eyes of NCL, then perhaps you will be able to use it when they run a special that permits 2 certificates to be used on a cabin.

I can confirm that the easiest way to access the pedestrian path is via an exit at the back of the station.  Toward the water.  You will then be on the path.  I have done the walk twice this way.  The walk is easy enough assuming you're able to walk that distance.  The surface is smooth enough for rolling luggage.

I see the pedestrian ramp you refer to going to the Bumhuis.  I really don't recall that being there when I was there a year and half ago.  But perhaps I just missed it.  I cannot confirm whether it allows for hotel access or not.  I use the other ramp that takes you down a little further and makes you U-turn back to the hotel.

Google Maps seems to show a gate between the Bumhuis and Movenpic after crossing the ramp.  It looks like you'd have to go inside the Bumhuis building and use an internal connection between the building, if that exists.  Someone else will need to confirm this.