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honeymooncruiser6

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Posts posted by honeymooncruiser6

    Le Harve to Rouen? Private Tour or On Own?

    in France Ports

    Posted

    We rented a car in Sept. There is a car rental office (Rentacar) at the dock where the Oceania ship docked. However, we rented from National Car Rental because we were able to get better insurance coverage. I could see the National office from our veranda but it is on the other side of the dock lagoon -- an 8 Euro taxi ride, as I recall.

     

    There is a tourist information office on the dock where we were able to get good maps of Le Havre and Rouen. The drive took about 45 minutes. There is an underground parking lot about half a block from the cathedral.

     

    We took the express highway to Rouen and returned on a non-express road through pretty farming country.

     

    The National agent drove us back to the ship when we returned the car.

     

    Very easy and a delightful day.

     

     

    Did you rent from the cherbourg port? I don't see a national in Le Havre

    Southampton taxis upon disembarkation?

    in British Isles/Western Europe

    Posted

    Yes, you can. But it's the most expensive way to do it.

    If you have no choice, ask the drivers (starting from the front of the line, you don't want to start a taxi war :D) for a fixed price - they are allowed to negotiate fares for journeys beyond city limits. Some may decline, others will want a high price - try to get one to agree around the £100 mark. (pre-booked are £75 upwards).

     

    But since you have time in hand there are other options.

     

    OK, you don't have a device. But many of your fellow-cruisers will be Brits who will have cell-phones (we call them mobile phones) with no charges for local calls, so don't be afraid to ask. Even folk you've never seen before - I've always found fellow-cruisers very obliging.

    So jot down these phone numbers:

    West Quay Cars 02380 999 999

    Smiths for Airports 023 9283 1111

    Aqua Cars 023 9265 4321

    Southampton Taxis 02382 182183

    Or Uber

    If they have a car available (or can get one to you by a stated time) they'll almost-certainly be cheaper than a taxi from the line. Journey time to Heathrow about 1hr 45 mins, down to 75 minutes later in the day.

     

    Or take a taxi from the line to Southampton Coach Station, fare about £6. The coach takes about 2 hours to Heathrow& costs under £25. Double-check for your particular date, but coaches at 7.45am, 9.45am, 11.30pm, 1.15pm, 3pm.

    Coaches may be fully-booked, consider phoning from the quayside for availability 0871 781 8181

    Coach service is direct, drivers load & unload your luggage.

     

     

    Last resort, the train. This involves a train to a station near Heathrow, then a RailAir shuttlebus to Heathrow.

    Total journey time about 2 hours, costs over £40 (including the shuttlebus), and you have to get your luggage from train platform to shuttlebus (no high steps between train & platform as there are in the States). But the service is frequent (every 30 minutes or so), no worries about any train being over-booked, so it's better than missing your flight.

     

     

    Mebbe taxi to the coach station, check if there's availability on a suitably-timed coach, continue in the taxi to the train station (under half-a-mile further) if there's no coach availability.

     

     

    So there's Plan B.

    And C.

    And D.

    And E.

    Good to have those back-ups, but I'm sure you won't need them. :)

     

     

    JB :)

     

     

    Hi there. You seem very knowledgeable about this area! Do you have suggestions for a family of 7 to get from London hotel (downtown) to SouthHampton? Then from SouthHampton up to Edinburgh scotland?

    Port of Southampton

    in British Isles/Western Europe

    Posted

    We are taking a cruise out of Southampton. For the port of Southampton, do we fly into London-Heathrow? Also, how far is it from Heathrow to the port? How long does it take to get from airport? Thanks so much

     

    I believe we are taking the train from London to SouthHampton

    Can help with Ålesund & Norwegian Fjords:-)

    in Northern Europe & Baltic Sea

    Posted

    I live in Ålesund and are more than happy to help you with any questions you might have visiting Ålesund and the Norwegian Fjords.

     

     

    There are some really informative threads already on the board and I have compiled a few here.

     

    http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1781806

     

    http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1965567

     

    http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1350812

     

     

    Hit me with those questions:D....either here or start another thread.

    Lets start planning your perfect stay in Norway.

     

     

    We are in Oslo from 2:30pm to 6:00 pm the next day, do you think there is enough time to see any of the beautifl Fjords? If so, any recommendations?

    Can help with Q for Oslo if someone needs it;)

    in Northern Europe & Baltic Sea

    Posted

    My recommendation would be to start with Vigelands Park in the morning, since it's open 24 hours, and the sun will be behind you as you enter (if it's early enough in the morning or late enough in the season), which can be good for photos.

     

    Then head to the Bygdøy museums by taking the bus 20 (direction Skøyen) from Vigelands to Olav Kyrres plass and switching to the bus 30 (towards Bygdøy). Get down at the Folkmuseet stop and visit the open-air Norwegian Folk Museum. Spend a few hours exploring the grounds and checking out some of the exhibits inside the historic buildings. Be sure to visit the iconic wooden stave church on the grounds.

     

    Then head around the corner (either catch a 30 bus if it's there or walk 5 minutes) to the Viking Ships. This is a fairly small museum but worth a visit, given the fame of the Gokstad burial ship.

     

    Hop back on the bus 30 (or walk 15-20 minutes) down to Bygdøynes, home to the Kon-Tiki and Fram Museums. The Fram is well worth a visit for a look at polar exploration and the chance to explore inside the ship that carried Roald Amundsen part of the way to the South Pole. If you have an Oslo Pass and are not suffering from museum fatigue by this point (or if you're an avid Thor Heyerdahl fan), you can also pop into the Kon-Tiki Museum to learn more about his voyages.

     

    The Oslo Pass covers the Bygdøy ferry, so you can catch it at the pier next to the museums and ride straight back to the city center.

     

    If there's still time before closing, I would then recommend either the Nobel Peace Center (across the plaza from the ferry pier, closes at 6pm) for an interestingly high-tech presentation of the prize and its laureates, of the National Gallery (closes between 5 and 7pm depending on the day) with its collection of Norwegian painters, including a room of Edvard Munch and his famous The Scream. If it's close to 6pm, you can make a quick stop into the Rådhus (city hall) to see where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded and to enjoy the murals.

     

    In the early evening, explore the grounds of Akershus Fortress for the history and the views over the harbor (and straight into the shoreside balcony cabins of your ship), and for modern architecture, take a stroll up onto the roof of the Oslo Opera house, which was designed to be an open public space for people to enjoy the Oslofjord views.

     

    Head back west down the central street of Karl Johans gate, passing the Oslo Cathedral, Stortinget (parliament), Oslo University, and National Theater. Then head on to the Royal Palace, or turn left back down towards the harbor for an expensive waterfront drink (or a free stroll) around Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen.

     

     

    Thanks for the itinerary suggestions! We would really like to see the Fjords while we are there. Do you think this is possible? We get in at 2:30pm and leave at 6:00pm the next day. Any suggestions are appreciated! We are traveling with 7 people, three of which are kids

    Can help with Q for Oslo if someone needs it;)

    in Northern Europe & Baltic Sea

    Posted

    Hello CC!

     

    We are living in Oslo, Norway. So if someone has questions for Oslo and needs help whit planning feel free to ask. We ask you when we go somewhere new, so we can share from the homeport:cool:

     

    Quicklinks for Oslo and some regional:)

     

    TRAVEL GUIDES

     

    Visit Norway-Official travel guide to Norway.

    http://www.visitnorway.com

     

    Visit Oslo-Official travel guide to Oslo

    http://www.visitoslo.com

     

    Oslo Pass-Touritscard that covers local transport and entry to more than 30 museums.

    http://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/oslo-pass/

     

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Cruise piers

     

    http://www.visitoslo.com/en/trade-media-cruise/cruise/the-port-of-oslo/cruise-piers-and-facilities/

     

    If you don´t know were you will be docking or wondering if another cruise will dock at the same day.

    Open the PDF and find your sailing in the list.

    http://oslohavn.no/no/cruise/

     

     

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    TRANSPORTTATION

     

    Oslo Airport Gardermoen OSL-main airport for Norway.

    https://avinor.no/flyplass/oslo/

     

    NSB- Train in Norway. Local and regional trains.

    https://www.nsb.no/en/frontpage

     

    Ruter#-Local transportation Oslo and Akershus. Bus, Tram, Train, Metro and Boat

    https://ruter.no/en/

     

    SAS- Domestic and international flights. Together whit Widerøe they cover the small airports in Lofoten, Helgeland and Finnmark.

    https://www.flysas.com

     

    Widerøe- Domestic flights that covers small airports around Norway(Lofoten, Finnmark etc)

    http://www.wideroe.no

     

    Norwegian- Domestic and international flights. Do not cover the small airports in Norway. Low-cost carrier.

    http://www.norwegian.com

     

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    APPs

     

    Ruter# There is 2 app´s. One for tickets and one for departure times.

     

    Ruterbillett

    This app is just for buing tickets to the local transportation in Oslo/Akershus.

     

    Ruterbillett IPHONE. For bying tickets if you dont have OsloPass.

    https://itunes.apple.com/no/app/ruterbillett/id581486486?ls=1&mt=8

    Ruterbillett ANDROID. For bying tickets if you dont have OsloPass.

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=no.ruter.mobile&hl=no

    Ruterbillett WINDOWS. For bying tickets if you dont have OsloPass.

    https://www.microsoft.com/nb-no/store/apps/ruterbillett/9nblggh0873c

     

    RuterReise

    This app is for departure times and for finding routes to destination.

    RuterReise IPHONE

    RuterReise ANDROID

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=no.ruter.reise

    RuterReise WINDOWS

    https://www.microsoft.com/nb-no/store/apps/ruterreise/9wzdncrdc89j

     

     

    VisittOslo

    http://www.visitoslo.com/en/oslo/apps/

    Gives you offline map of Oslo, event calendar, museums, cafes etc. Can be used when dataroaming is off. IPHONE/ANDROID

     

    OsloPass App

    http://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/oslo-pass/oslo-pass-app/

    You can buy the pass at home and activate it on arrival in Oslo. No need to pick up cards. IPHONE/ANDROID

     

    VisitNorway App

    Gives you information about museums, hotels, nature walks, mountains, restaurants etc.

    IPHONE

    https://itunes.apple.com/app/id391468072?mt=8

    ANDROID

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=makingwaves.in.vn.android.app&feature=search_result&hl=en

     

    NorwayLights App

    Northern lights (Aurelia Borealis) forecast.

    IPHONE

    https://itunes.apple.com/no/app/norway-lights/id717106363

    ANDROID

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.visitnorway.norwaylights&hl=en

     

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Places of interest in Oslo, a small list of what you can do.....

     

    The Royal House of Norway

    Guidet tours in the castle during the summer season. Nice walk from the pier.

    http://www.royalcourt.no

     

    The Vigeland Museum

    Offers guidet tours and you can walk free inn the park.

    http://www.vigeland.museum.no/en

     

    Norsk Folkemuseum

    Here you will find old norwegian houses and a stav kirke. Open air museum.

    http://norskfolkemuseum.no/en

     

    The Viking Ship Museum

    Viking ships

    http://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/

     

    Kon-Tiki

    Thor Heyerdahls rafts and tours.

    http://www.kon-tiki.no/en/

     

    Opera

    http://operaen.no/en/

     

    Edvard Munch

    Famous painter, Skrik

    http://munchmuseet.no/en/

     

    Astrup Fearnley

    http://afmuseet.no/en/hjem

     

    Ekebergparken

    http://ekebergparken.com/en

     

    The Ibsen Museum

    http://norskfolkemuseum.no/en/Related-units/The-Ibsen-Museum/

     

    Akershus Fortress

    http://www.forsvarsbygg.no/festningene/Festningene/Akershus-festning/English/

     

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    TIP

    In Norway the salary is higer then in the US. So there is no need to give lots of tip. If you have a sit-down lunsj or dinner and you are very pleased then you leave some tip. But there is no need to tip 18%.

    If you are on a guidet tour and your guide is super, feel free to give some tip but you dont have to tip according to price of the tour.

    If you buy take-out coffee and pastery, no need to tip.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Debit/Creditcards

    Most places in Norway take cards (99%) All norwegians cards have pin+chip.

    You must have pin-code to your card. Prefer to have pin and chip.

     

     

    Hope this give you a quick introduction for Oslo and Norway. If you have questions, feel free to ask.

     

     

    Hi there! Looking for "excursion" options for when we are in Oslo in October. We have 3 kids and 4 adults and are active. We like to have fun like more of the "local vibe". Also, is there a Fjords? We are there for a day and a half.

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