Joanne G.

Thanks for the information - though it’s not very encouraging. I’ll just keep hoping the issue gets fixed soon.

I’m onboard now and staying onboard for the next cruise. I am disappointed about missing the port today, but 2 sea days in a row isn’t the worst thing. However, I am extremely worried about the next cruise. This morning it doesn’t feel like we are moving. Oh well, nothing I can do except hope it gets fixed. I’ll share any info I hear.

I was able to use OBC (received as a promotion for booking) towards excursions booked in advance of the cruise.

Interesting. Thanks. For me, 27,000 steps would be more than 10 miles. According to my phone, I did 12,300 steps on my walking tour, after the bus ride from the ship. Walking from the ship would have been exhausting and time consuming for me! Enjoy the the sea day today. 😃

Hi, jimbo, I’m on this cruise, too. As we sailed away yesterday from Stockholm and during our ride into the city, I thought the landscape looked liked Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, not a surprise as many Scandinavian immigrants settled in my part of the country. I want to ask your opinion about something regarding Tallinn. I had originally planned to follow Rick Steves’ walking tour of Tallinn, including walking to the old town from the ship, which he describes as an easy 15 minute walk. Ultimately, I picked a Carnival walking tour excursion instead, and I’m glad I did. From where we docked, it sure looked like quite a hike into town, judging by our view of towers and steeples. I am terrible at judging distances. Would you consider that an “easy 15 minute” walk? I think it took about 15 minutes on a bus. I wonder if we docked somewhere further out than wherever Steves was on his cruise.

I’m on a Baltic cruise now, and yesterday in Stockholm we had lunch in a casual pub-style restaurant. We had no Swedish currency and paid with a card. The card reader showed options for a tip in percentages - 10%, 15%, 20% - just as we see in the U.S. Service was fine, not “exceptional” - we ordered food, the waiter brought food. But the expectation of a tip was obvious. Perhaps because we were in a busy tourist location rather than an area frequented by local residents?? I had no problem tipping as we are used to doing so, and I was glad the % options were offered so I didn’t have to do any mental math with unfamiliar currency. We have been taking Carnival excursions, and we have tipped a couple of the guides who were particularly good. They seemed appreciative, and others were tipping also. But I don’t feel the obligation to tip tour guides in Northern Europe as I do in the Caribbean. Our guide in Denmark was outstanding - informative and entertaining. I did not have any Danish currency, but he told us he frequently visits the U.S., so I tipped him in dollars.

I am curious how that flight works out for you. I often fly American, and they also have a daytime flight to London that arrives about 10:30 pm. So, arriving at bedtime seems like a good idea - except it won't feel like my bedtime. I pictured myself tossing and turning and losing a night's sleep anyway So, I booked a typical redeye tomorrow evening and am staying near Victoria Station, where I am getting on the Carnival transfer on Sunday.

I am on this cruise, my first since 2019, with several covid cancellations and postponements (and land vacations) in between. I booked it after St. Petersburg was dropped, because even before the current situation, Russia made me nervous. I am doing the next cruise also, 9 days around Great Britain. I have been on several Conquest class ships, the Sunrise, and the Splendor, but I have never been on the Pride. I have also never cruised solo before, so this will be an adventure. I am not so good at writing trip reports, so I’ll be following this one instead!😄

And the cruise my friend and I are booked on is/was scheduled to sail out of Southhampton and end in Copenhagen. With incredibly bad timing, we booked our flights the day before this thread was started. I haven't found any alternative on any cruise line that would fit into that schedule! And London and Copenhagen aren't particularly convenient combined as a land vacation. Thankfully, we'll be able to change flights without a change fee, but we will pay current fares. Nothing to do but wait. Very frustrating.

Excellent point. As frustrating as it is, my friend and I just going to wait for official word of cancelation or change of ship, or for our cruise to reappear as available for booking.

Thank you! That's "the other side of the story" that my business law professor explained to us in class. At the time, McDonald's coffee was kept at a temperature that was hotter than the norm for restaurants. She had blistering burns on her inner thighs, and I don't think any of us expect that from a cup of coffee.

Our observation after our first few Carnival cruises, mostly on Conquest class ships, was that without the amusement park features of Royal Caribbean or the newer NCL ships, the Carnival cruise director and his or her staff made a particular effort to get people involved in FUN activities - dance lessons, pool games, passenger talent show, and so forth. I remember one cruise director saying, "We want you to do something you've never done at home." While other cruise lines may have similar activities, we were struck by the strong focus on passenger involvement on our Carnival cruises. (Our previous cruises had been on HAL and older NCL ships.) One of the funniest things we ever watched on a cruise was on Carnival - an impromptu competition between a team of men and a team of women to choreograph a water ballet around and in the pool. 🤣

A few weeks ago a 2025 cruise around Ireland that I had booked disappeared as an option to book but then reappeared a few days later, much to my relief. Now this one - a friend and I are booked on the May 13 2024 Getaway northern Europe itinerary, which seems to have disappeared, along with everything else for a few months. And OMG just yesterday, we booked our air. We like to plan early. 😨 This doesn't look good, though the cruise still shows up in my account.

I recently returned from an 8-day vacation in Paris, my first visit, and I was solo. The day I landed, I decided to walk from my hotel to the Orsay museum, and I ended up feeling overwhelmed by the crowds, the traffic, and the streets angling every which way, which caused me to go off in the wrong direction a couple of times. Google maps had said it was a 24 minute walk, but it took me twice as long. Google must time it with local speedwalkers in the middle of the night when there is no traffic. I would not recommend an on-your-own excursion to Paris for your first visit, especially since you haven't been able to find out where you would be dropped off. As for visiting the Eiffel Tower, you would need to buy a timed ticket in advance, and they sell out quickly on the day they become available. It is a memorable experience, but it would be difficult to know what time to pick. Even with a timed ticket, security lines can be long. Waits for the elevator coming down are unpredictable. Personally, I would be a nervous wreck doing this on a cruise stop from Le Havre. However, there is a recent post on the ports of call board by a woman whose family did it last year, and she called it a glorious experience. As of the time of my visit in late May/early June this year, the major museums required or recommended timed tickets. It would be hard to know what time would best work with the timing and drop off point of the excursion. Even with a timed ticket, allow for security lines, especially at the Louvre. I used public transportation during my visit, but I had time to learn it. I didn't use taxis, but I did pass taxi stands occasionally, often with a small group waiting, so who knows how long you might wait to get one. It didn't appear that taxis could be hailed from the street as in New York, but I could be wrong. A taxi can be easier than figuring out the Metro on a first visit, but with the traffic, walking may almost be faster. If you heart is set on seeing Paris, the river boat cruise sounds like a good idea if it is available. If it is full and you go ahead with the on-your-own excursion, I will suggest the Batobus. It's a hop-on hop-off unnarrated boat ride. The full route takes about 90 minutes, lets you see the Eiffel Tower, some of the famous bridges and other sights along the river, costs 20 euros, and can be picked up in various locations. Check their website for which locations sell tickets; most do, but not all. I also did the HOHO bus, but it can be crowded to the point where you are not able to get on when you want and have to wait for the next bus. The Batobus always had lots of room, but of course I can't predict the situation on the day you might be there.

On my 3 upcoming European Carnival cruises this summer, excursion prices went up considerably, like 22-28%, between when I booked most of mine about 8 months out and when I decided on the last couple about 3 months out. And one that I wanted was sold out. 😟 I do not recall any Black Friday sales, but occasionally I have seen a discount of 10% if booked at the same time as an internet package. I have no idea what might happen with excursions on the OP’s particular cruise. But for me going forward, I will book early. I did cancel a couple when something more appealing became available, and the refund was processed within a few days.

Thank you! I do plan on going into the city after touring Britannia in the morning. I appreciate the directions.

Is the royal yacht walkable from the Newhaven tender port? Google maps says it is, but I don’t always trust them. Sometimes the distance isn’t great, but roads are not suitable for pedestrians. Thanks.

My sister and brother-in-law boarded yesterday and said it was pier 88.

Carnival announced its 2024 European itineraries just a few months ago, in March, I believe. That's much later than the other major cruise lines. I was interested in a Norway fjords itinerary, but eventually gave up waiting and booked Royal Caribbean. I have no idea if they will be as late this year, but I suggest being patient or looking at other lines if you like to plan early.

Thank you, both. I got to wondering because I recently returned to Chicago from Paris, and the announcement on the plane before landing was that everyone had to go through passport control/immigration/customs at this entry into the U.S. and retrieve their bags. Those continuing on from Chicago then had to recheck their bags. I thought that sounded like a pain that I would like to avoid if possible, but I had no idea of the regulations and procedures in other countries. Any of those layover options from Copenhagen seem manageable. I appreciate the information.

A friend and I are on a cruise next year that ends in Copenhagen. The return flights on our preferred airline have layovers at LHR. Will we have to retrieve baggage and go through passport control before re-checking bags and continuing on to Chicago? If so, it's hard to estimate what's a reasonable length of time for a layover. Would a flight from Copenhagen to Chicago with a layover in another EU country be simpler by eliminating passport controls during the layover? Another airline has layover options in Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, and some others. The only airline flying nonstop from Copenhagen Chicago is SAS, but they don't have a non-stop to Heathrow, which we need as our cruise departs from Southhampton. Thanks for any insight. I am not familiar with procedures between airports in Europe. I hate layovers, but if there is no other choice, I prefer a layover on the way home rather than on the way to my vacation, and I would like to be able avoid passport lines until I return to the U.S., if that's possible.

I periodically check my reservations and cruise planners for my upcoming Pride July cruises in Europe to make sure everything in order. This morning, I saw in one port where I had booked morning and afternoon excursions, Carnival had me on the two excursions departing at the same time in the morning. I checked the current descriptions of the two excursions, and the afternoon time I had chosen for one of them was no longer an option. Carnival took the liberty of putting me on that excursion with a morning time, without regard to the fact that I had already booked a different excursion for the morning. I have no record of any notification of the change. I had to cancel one of them. I then checked my other booked excursions for my B2B cruises, and almost all of them are now at different start times from my original bookings, anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours difference. These time changes are mostly insignificant, but they may affect independent plans I might have had, even if that just meant exploring a port on my own before or after an excursion. I get that the changes may be out of Carnival's hands and dictated by the tour companies, but I feel a notification would be a courtesy. And there is no excuse for putting me on two excursions at the same time in the same port. At least I noticed it now and could cancel with a refund to my credit card. So, I advise everyone who has booked Carnival excursions to periodically check their cruise planner if they aren't already doing so!

Boomer here. I learned in 1968, not from my parents. In a dorm at UW-Madison. From other boomers. Sometimes no other words will do! But I have always been careful when and where to let loose, which is not in general conversation with others around. Maybe that is the generational difference. Since all generations and types take cruises, I have to be prepared for behavior I might not like. Rather than expecting Carnival to take on the nearly impossible tasks of policing everyone's behavior and language that might bother me, I would ignore them or remove myself from them.

That's great you can do it on the website, assuming a refundable deposit, of course. I had to call to cancel a Princess and a Royal Caribbean cruise, with a fair amount of time waiting on hold and then give a reason why I was canceling.

Good suggestion. Another idea, if you have a post-cruise stay, is to use remaining currency towards the hotel bill. Or - the best idea - plan more European cruises so you can use the currency on subsequent vacations. 😁