genegri

Cunard is building 3 more ships by 2022 and I wouldn't be surprised their dress code will come down further as they try to fill their new ships.

No cruise line will be loyal to you, so why be loyal to any of them?

In order:

Free internet minutes

Balcony discount

Diamond lounge

Two thoughts:

1, If I were booked on this cruise I surely would have canceled; I am genuinely puzzled why so many who are seemingly selective about ports didn't simply cancel and reassess.

2, Nevertheless it would be a nice PR move if NCL were to extend free cancellation deadline for a few days.

Queen Anne would be my guess. I also see a Queen Catherine in the not too distant future.

In short, yes.

I am partial to R ships and S ships. Well designed layouts with a strong connection to the sea, and just the right size to be able to access interesting ports, thus nice itineraries.

If you are a woman it is fairly easy to satisfy the dress code. There are very few difficult hard rules.

I am usually one of the least dressed up persons, if not THE least dressed up person in a Cunard dining room but I am always compliant, per se. DH and I always have a good chuckle about that.

Oceania tends to be less expensive off the gate so for us (we are not big drinkers) that is an advantage.

Itineraries are by far the most important consideration to us so we decide on a sailing to sailing basis.

That's unfortunate but that's par the course these days for cruise lines, even some higher end ones.

And Royal is definitely an American company.

OP, is it still before final payment date? If so, I strongly advise you to cancel, even if it might mean losing a desirable cabin. If the itinerary turns out to your liking you can always rebook after the final payment date. Chances are you will save some money too.

Like you I cruise for ports and usually book way outside hurricane season to lessen my risks. But alas, Mother Nature proves to be too strong this year.

We did it last Christmas and loved it but I tend to love cold weather cruising so I might be a little biased.

Have to agree that the first and the last day should not be called warm, but if your cruise is longer than 7 days like ours was I would still think there is a good number of warm days vs cold.

And I especially enjoyed the gradual warming up going south. So much fun and excitement.

Unfortunately I no longer trust the government to regulate corporations. Nowadays too often I see them in bed together.

I quite agree, OP. I find HAL's current practice very questionable to say the least.

Hi All,

 

Trillion-ton iceberg breaks off from Antarctic ice shelf

 

Published July 12, 2017

 

 

A massive iceberg that’s twice the size of Lake Erie has completely separated from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica, researchers announced Wednesday.

 

 

 

 

In a blog post from Project Midas, a UK-based Antarctic research project that has been investigating the warming climate and its effect on the Larsen C ice shelf in West Antarctica, researchers said NASA satellite imagery has confirmed that the iceberg had calved sometime between Monday, July 10, and Wednesday, July 12. :eek:

 

 

This thing might just slip into the Caribbean... or not!

If you are interested, I thought this was a decent article on why this matters.

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/the-larsen-c-crack-up-in-antarctica-why-it-matters-w491929

Read a few articles about this huge iceberg size of Delaware after a few years of cracking finally broke off Larsen C. Very interesting. I wonder if an Antarctica expedition that goes to Weddell Sea next year will be able to catch a glimpse of the tabular iceberg. Highly doubt it but one can still hope.

Personally I think neither sounds very satisfactory. I echo the suggestion to look into MSC, which I understand offers a few great Cuba itineraries.

If I had to pick between the two presented I would go with the Sky, but that is mostly because I really would like to steer clear of older Carnival ships. But then the Sky is all inclusive so it could very well attract a slightly more affluent booze cruise crowd.

I would suggest late September rather than late October. You get beautiful autumn colors on the mountains, still long days for landscape, good enough nights for a chance of Northern Lights and the ship sails into Hjordunfjord which does not pale in comparison to Geiranger. Late October the leaves may have already fallen in the North and days are shorter.

 

If you want the full winter experience with snow on the mountains, March is a good season because days are getting longer again (but still enough night for NL).

 

 

Be aware in any case that NL are always a bet, particularly from the ship, as you need both solar activity and clear skies above the ship to see them. So choose a season when you know you would enjoy the trip even if you don't see NL.

 

I have dione this trip at various seasons and if you are interested in comparing you can see the trip reports and pictures on my blog http://voyageterremer.blogspot.com/

Thank SarniaLo, I will keep that in mind. Late September probably won't work for me this year but definitely doable next year. I think right now my realistic options are late October this year or late September next year or March the year after.

You will be in fjords a good amount of a Hurtigruten cruise both going north and south...much more so that traditional cruise ships because of the small town/ports at which Hurtigruten stops which are not included on those cruise ships' route. You won't see a couple of the most spectacular of these (Trollfjord or Geirangerfjord) in the middle of the winter, but those are just a few hours out of the many that you will be traveling through Norwegian fjords with Hurtigruten, and I don't believe most other cruise ships include the Trollfjord at all.

Fall.

The ships go into Hjørundfjorden until the end of October. You can be lucky and have lights late in August, September/October are definitely dark enough. If you want to go into Geiranger pick a late August departure (as late as possible), it's dark enough to see lights at the end of August (if you are lucky). KP4 yesterday... of course a KP-index of 4 doesn't help if it's too bright in July.

Thanks, guys.

I am also leaning toward fall, most likely the last week of October since the timing and logistics will work out well. I normally don't mind rain or the cold but do have some concern that cloudy skies might hinder visibility. :confused:

September to October a good compromise. The polar night starts mid November.

 

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Thanks!

This is a dilemma! If you want to see a lot of scenery such as fjords, mountains, and quaint fishing villages, you would do better to go in late spring through fall, with the Midnight Sun really being best from June-August. Of course prices are higher during these times too. You are very unlikely to see any Northern Lights during that time of year. If your main priority is to see the Northern Lights, then November-early March is best, but you will have the most dark hours daily, and miss out on some of the most beautiful and spectacular fjords such as the Trollfjord and the Geirangerfjord.

 

I agree that if your main goal it to see Northern lights that you might want to consider a trip to Iceland in the winter instead, and do the Hurtigruten spring/summer/fall coastal cruise to see the most beautiful scenery.

Thanks!

I thought I might plan our first trip around late October but wet season and cloudy sky would not provide the best backdrop for either scenery or northern lights. So maybe Feb to March.

Too bad Alaska Marine Highway doesn't run their cross gulf route this week or it could be a really interesting and different way to see Alaska.

That route connects Bellingham to Whittier in 5 to 6 days, visiting many more ports than any cruise ship. The downside is it does not sail into the glaciers, and the amenities are very spartan in comparison.

I feel for your friends but in this case the call center reps are correct. The itinerary and the law as they currently stand will not allow boarding.

Does the ship alternate northbound southbound Alaska cruises? If so and if time and money permit, add a southbound leg and that way, their itinerary effectively becomes Ketchikan to Vancouver, a US port to a foreign port, and see if Celebrity will accept that.

If time or money does not allow a southbound leg, don't waste time trying to get on board. Their energy would be better spent on figuring out other ways to salvage their vacation and on working with Celebrity for refund and maybe some compensation.

Wish them best luck. Please keep us updated how it turns out.

I'll say January to March. It must be dark and clear sky in order to see the Northern Light. But also cold and because of dark all day you will not see a lot of the scenery.

An alternative is Midnight Sun - also amazing and then you will see the scenery. In my mind a full 12 day trip for Northern Light might bee too much in the dark and cold climate. Just my opinion.

Another great place for Northern light is Iceland. Not a cruise but good chances. I have seen the best Northern Light in Iceland and have done the Norwegian fjords by June. Southern part by 'conventional cruise' and the northern part with midnight sun by Hurtigruten. Even during summer I'll still argue that a 12 night Hurtigruten might bee too much of the same.

My reviews http://norwegianfjordscruise.blogspot.com and http://midtnightsuncruise.blogspot.com.

 

 

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Thank you! Love your blogs and videos.

So far according what I read around various travel sites:

Best time for northern lights - Jan to March

Best time for Geirangerfiord - June to August

Best time for Hjorundfjord - September to October

Best compromise of both fjords and a chance for northern light - late September to early October

Does it sound right?

June through August (September?). It was wonderful the first week of June!

You can also include May but beginning of June when still a lot of snow at the mountains.

 

 

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Thank you both for the advice. It's hard to find a good time for both fjords and northern lights. Guess I may just have to come back a few times. ;p

If it's important for you to see Antarctica but not particularly important to do landings the HAL is better as it gives you a couple more days around the peninsula. Besides it also visit Chilean fjords which are beautiful in a different way. The big advantage of the celebrity itinerary is it is shorter and requires less time off work but that might not be a factor to you.

If you do decide to do an expedition including landings, ideally you would want a ship carrying about 100 people. Any ship carrying more than 200 may be considered too big by some but then you also have to consider comfort level. Chances are it will be a compromise of several factors.

I don't fly. I am too claustrophobic. The thought of being shut up in a plane with no way off is just too much for me. So that limits me pretty much to my home port of Galveston.

 

This is why I wish there were no cut backs. For me, I can't just go try another line. RC and Carnival I think (maybe also Disney??) are the only ones sailing out of Galveston.

 

 

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Sounds like you are looking for a higher level of service. Fortunately and unfortunately these day good service is the most expensive item to provide and to ensure. Consistency and details usually come at a premium.

If Disney is close by, I'd give it a try. They still have an edge in service and they cater to adults very well. I much prefer RCI over CCL, however it is not because of their service level, nor their food.

CCL also have their own target market. But seems like you might not be part of it anymore.

If we go between Feb and March, does it mean we will not be able to sail in and out of any fjord? So which month would be the best if we would like to maximize our chances of sail into a fjord?

Thanks!