Choozin Croozin

On 5/18/2022 at 3:02 AM, Scottishclover said:

Before getting in, completely smother your hair in the conditioner provided and tie it up to keep it out the water. Also be aware you need to shower naked then put your swimming costume on. There’s not a whole lot of privacy. I was worried how my teens would react but they just got on with it. When in Iceland…… 

So there are no private showers? 😝

3 hours ago, Stockjock said:

Me too. They said they could see the outline in the x-ray machines.  I think he said the plastic caps show up.

Interesting. Thank you for posting that. Sorry you had such bad luck. That was a lot to lose. 😞

1 minute ago, Stockjock said:

I took this pic on Carnival 5 years ago.  I tried to sneak booze aboard using Rum Runners.  They flagged my bag and then smiled as they poured it out.

That hurt.

Wow, I thought those were pretty safe. 

9 hours ago, tring said:

 

Kristiansand is to the south of Norway and is a seaside resort for them, though it is a very pleasant, unspoilt little place with a nice seafront.  Not majestic mountains, but fine as a relaxed stop.  There is about a two hour sail in and out of Akureyri and suggest you spend at least some of that time out on deck or in an suitable place on the ship as you often see whales there.  We saw a Blue Whale when sailing out, which caused much excitement to both us and the wildlife expert on the ship, who had not seen one previously.  I do suggest you consider excursions from both Akureyri (the jewels of the North) and Reykjavik (the golden circle) as the main points about Iceland is the bubbling mud pools, geysirs, waterfalls and general landscape - though you may have seen similar elsewhere.

 

The Greenland ports are not where you will see lots of icebergs, but the remoteness of the community is special to us.  Our small ship arranged for various things to be available in Nanortalik and we enjoyed the day immensely.  We also went to the (?folk) museum there, which was a collection of older houses (a short walk from our tender drop off point), showing how the community used to be.  You should be fine doing everything on the day.  Not an awful lot in Qaqortoq, but we did the Kaffemik which we did enjoy.  There are a couple of Greenland threads further down this board, so worth having a look at that, can also get better advice on how the ports work with bigger ships (max 700 pax on ours).

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise, which gives a lot of variety,

 

Barbara

 

Thank you so much for your advice. I am making notes of all these suggestions.

6 hours ago, ljandgb said:

With an overnight port stop, you may have time to do a south coast tour the first day. Not sure when the cruise is, but there's a good chance you'll have very extended daylight.  You may have time to do an abbreviated Golden Circle tour the next day, depending on departure times.  You could also do the Blue Lagoon, or new Sky Lagoon.

Thank you so much!!!  We are in Reykjavic 2p on one day to 3p the next day. Maybe Northern lights too? will be there Sept 15 & 16.

Thank you so much, both of you. You have confirmed I made the right choice to switch. 

7 hours ago, tring said:

 

The big thing in Greenland is the big icebergs as well as the remoteness, which is very different to more commonly visited ports/countries, so depends on if that is of interest to you, but you will not see many icebergs in all ports.  What Greenland ports are in your cruises?  Also have you been to any of the non Greenland ports previously?

 

In both Iceland and Greenland I would suggest excursions to see the things if real interest and the better Greenland ones often sell out early as well and are pricey so another point to consider.  One day in Norway will not take you up a fjord, but Bergen would be a good port if visited, which along with Copenhagen, are good, easy DIY's.  I do not know N America that well, but think both ports would be easy DIY's as well.

 

Let's just say we loved Alaska. I did end up switching to the Iceland and Greenland tour .These are the ports: 

There is an overnight in Reykjavik. 

Thank you for your insight. 

16 hours ago, TheOldBear said:

The standard description for days on a transatlantic crossing is “nothing to do, and not enough time in the day to do it”.

It depends on the ship for what is available during the day - there may be dance, fencing or watercolor lessons, enrichment lectures, concerts and other organized activities. On QM2, there are planetarium shows, a large library, mixology classes, wine tasting. 
If the ship has a promenade deck, just being outside with a visual connection to the ocean draws in many passengers (even when the wind is fairly brisk force 11).

 

Kind of like being retired? LOL..  How did I ever find time to work? Thank you for your response. 

1 hour ago, ljandgb said:

All things being equal, I'd choose the second so I could spend time in Scandanavia pre/post (whichever segment those ports involve.)

Thank you!

44 minutes ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

A very good question for a transat newbie.  When DW and I were young we wanted to see everything at every port.  This is the natural inclination of most cruisers.  As time went on we were much less disposed to commercial tourism…seen it, done it and been there.  Now we rarely leave the ship.  We now prefer the larger ships because there is more to do onboard.  Our sea days are organized around meals, exercise, afternoon activities and evening entertainment.  I usually frequent the casino in the late hours when my wife likes to read and sleep.  We spend a lot of time together and sometimes we just find a quiet spot to sit back and watch the sea go by.  You will find your own schedule on a transatlantic crossing and you will not be bored.  There is something to do every minute of the day or night.  So much so that sometimes I need an afternoon nap…lol.  You I’ll have lots of activities to do…you will not be able to do them all.

Thank you. I definitely agree with the been there done that, and as we age, we aren't quite able to do the things we used to. Thank you for your response. 

I know this is a silly question but, I usually travel port intensive cruises and I'm looking at a couple that have 7 or 8 days at sea out of 14. One has 3 in a row, the other 4. So those of you that have done this before, do they have more activities to do on the ship? I could see it getting very expensive if you spend you time playing bingo, drinking or in the casino. LOL I love the idea I just am curious as to what you do? THank you

Neither one is port intensive and both are 14 day. I'm just not finding a lot of information on what to do in Greenland. One cruise is 3 days in Greenland with Halifax and Newfoundland. The other is 2 days Greenland, 2 days Iceland, 1 day Norway and Copenhagen. 

Can anyone give an opinion? One I have booked but thinking I might want to change.

25 minutes ago, bkazzz said:

Trying to decide if we should go, cancel, or delay our upcoming Harmony cruise. Just want to make informed decision. If someone in your family becomes ill, or an unvaccinated small child tests positive do all family members have to quarantine? Our cabins are not adjoining but we would have eaten and traveled together. As 2 adult grandparents traveling with daughter, son in law, and two small children.  We would be fine but mom dad and 2 wee ones confined in one cabin would be very tough. Also if it turned out we all had to quarantine do you get any type of future credit? Hate to pay so much money for a possible awful vacation. Any help from someone who has experience with this would be much appreciated. Love crusing and am already partially packed for a cruise 3 wks out.

You have a legitimate concern. I am curious too. 

On 2/24/2020 at 9:02 AM, PORT ROYAL said:

 

Another vote for Milano, it's a fun place to eat.   But for a long, relaxing fine dining experience then Marmalade with one of their wine pairing menus (book well in advance as popular with locals and visitors)

I have looked at Marmalade's menu online. It looks like you get to choose one from each course and they only have the tasting menu ? That is $125pp and if you want to pair a wine with each course it is $69 more?  It sounds just wonderful 

1 hour ago, Starry Eyes said:

That’s probably how I’d feel, too.  On most cruises we don’t spend enough time on our balcony to justify that amount more to lock in a rather average balcony cabin.  Since you have thought it through, you should be fine.  There are many ways to enjoy that $950 price difference….if not on this trip, it is a good start toward yet another cruise.

Agreed!! 🙃

On 4/22/2022 at 3:39 PM, Starry Eyes said:

So, do you want to pay the extra $950 to avoid the chance you will get a cabin with a small balcony like that?  Or one in a location you do not like (noisy or just too far forward/aft or too close to elevators or wrong deck or other personal preference)?

 

I have had  good luck with my gty cabins, but I go into it with the assumption that I will get the worst balcony cabin…I make sure I can live with it for the price.  If the worst happens, I’m satisfied; if anything better is assigned, I’m happy.  If I get a great assignment or can swap into a great cabin, I’m delighted.  The key is making sure you are satiric the worst happens… if not, maybe you should just pay the higher price now.

Yes, I hear you. I think my problem is there aren't any really great cabins available to justify the extra $950 when I'm already paying over $5k for a cruise. Thats's why I was just curious as to what people's experiences have been. When I book a cruise, I am always right there when they first open up and grab an aft or a hump. This cruise wasn't even on the radar and I just happened to stumble on it, apparently too late. LOL I will accept what I get, though I probably won't be thrilled at first (if its undesirable), but I will realize that that $950 will go very far as opposed to securing a balcony cabin. If we weren't on a fixed income I might've splurged. 

23 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

FWIW, today there is only a $200 difference btw guarantee and pick your own.

 

Boy, at these prices, I never would have booked!

Thank you. Unfortunately I just checked (been gone all day) and still $950 more that what we paid. This cruise IS ridiculously priced. My only justification is I don't have to pay big $$ to fly overseas and we don't have to fly overseas. My husband hates long flights. 

1 minute ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

 

I assume that you mean the small hump BALCONY that can barely fit chairs.  Like 7606.

 

It depends on HOW unhappy you would be with one of those cabins.  Would you be $950 happier without that?

That's exactly the ones I mean. I saw a video from a guy who had one of the those cabins last night,  when I was trying to make a decision. You couldn't even get to the other chair because the table was in the way. That is teeny tiny. 

I just booked a balcony guarantee on the Jewel for the 14 day Greenland cruise for Sept'23. That was all they had at the time. They have since opened up some balcony cabins for $950 more than what I paid. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to get any of the balcony cabins we like. What I am wondering is, what are some of the experiences of those that have booked balcony cabin guarantees? Are they always the less desirable balconies or are there decent ones too? I just don't know whether I should spend the large amount to choose a cabin (on an already pricey cruise) and know what it is or just hold out and see what happens. I'm thinking I would not be happy with the small hump cabins that can barely fit chairs. Thank you for your comments.

13 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

 

no more taxi tour sign. in fact, no taxis whatsoever at the pier. 😮
(but i left the ship about an hr after docking)

 

before covid, there were plenty of taxis lined up (and i usually leave the ship at least an hr after docking to avoid the mad rush of people going ashore.)

so i just walked around the pier in about a 3block radius and back on the ship 😞

 

Hmmm, that's too bad. Hoping and things ramp up to full swing that will change. 

18 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Small local small bus/people carriers still run from Back Street.  

Just seek one out with your required destination on a board in a front windscreen.  Allow one to one and a quarter hours there and two hours to return because of heavy traffic.

 

 

 

Thank you. I do remember traffic being crazy and a long trip. 

Quite a few years back we took a bus I think from somewhere around the Guavaberry Emporium in town. Is that still an option?

Just curious, what did you end up doing? 

Thank you

On 2/20/2022 at 2:08 PM, GotMINI said:

For Sand Castle resort - does anyone know what cost would be for 3 people?   I'd assume/hope it would be $60, however they make a point of stating $40/2 and didn't know if we'd have to pay $80...   

 

I'm reading it as $40/person.  So $120 for 3 people. 

So I wonder if this will change as I am sure this was made to spread people out. Hmmm. I think I like this better than prior to Covid, but not cruising until next year so just wondering. Will wait and see. 

Could someone please refresh my memory of the alcohol perk for diamond? I remember you could go to the Diamond Lounge during a certain time or? get drinks on your seapass card around the ship? Can't remember the details. It's been longer than Covid since I cruised. Covid didn't help.

I have been doing a lot of reading but wondered if i could get some personal cruising testimonies. Thank you .