Help from Northern Europeans with weather in July!

[prettybeth]

I posted this within another topic but am afraid people who might be helpful won't read it so here goes: my cruise leaves 7/17 for Northern Europe. We will go from England, to Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Norway. Anybody out there from those destinations who can tell me what sort of high temperatures to expect at that time of year? Preferably in Farenheit if possible since I still don't know how to convert (I can look it up if necessary). I don't know if I need shorts and swim suits or pants and jackets! Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!
Beth

[jsea]

Average highs will be in the 60s and 70s with average lows in the 50s.

We did a Norwegian fjords cruise a couple years ago in July and the weather certainly wasn't cold, but brisk. Think layers. And people definitely swam... some people that is. The hot tubs were always welcome.

Oh, and also be prepared for rain.

Have a great cruise.

[prettybeth]

Thanks, all I could find was "average temps." of 65 degrees but that could mean 45 at night and 85 in the daytime so I wasn't sure what to expect. So, having done this cruise (same one to the Fjords) did you find the balcony/veranda a good thing or was it too cold to enjoy much? I have an FV right now and everyone keeps telling me how much I will enjoy that large balcony but I wonder if it will be too chilly to sit out and utilize?

[north-bound]

You should definitely bring shorts and swimsuit AND pants and jacket! A nice warm sweater and a raincoat may also be wise to bring, even if hopefully you never need them.

Scandinavian weather in July is usually warm and nice (or even hot) if it is a sunny day. But when the sun disappears it may turn chilly. And most of the time (but not always) the evenings will be cool. And be prepared, it may rain, and if it does it will also be rather cold. Average temperatures don’t tell you much since the weather varies a lot, both between day and night, and from day to day.

As said before, layers is the way to go.

[Jings]

Beth
July in the UK usually mid 60s to mid 70s. Warmer in the south (eg London) than the north (Edinburgh).
BTW an easy conversion of C to F is double the C and add 30 eg 20C x 2 + 30 = 70F. You will get within a couble of degrees.
Enjoy your trip.

[Lois R]

Beth[img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] your cruise sounds wonderful...one day I hope to be able to do that itinerary too!

Next up...HORIZON Sept 18th to Bermuda!

See My Century and Mercury Pictures at:
[url="http://community.webshots.com/user/lovescruising"]http://community.webshots.com/user/lovescruising[/url]

[prettybeth]

thanks Jings for the conversion. The one I was originally taught involved fractions and was too much work to do in my head. Of course my husband, being a scientist knows all the "other" stats (grams, liters, C) but I never had to learn. Nowdays they are teaching the kids both. Also, thanks for the weather input. I already thought I would have to pack 2 suitcases for the 14 days, wonder how I will squeeze even more clothing in to cover my bases! Lois, it sounds great and from what I have been reading, is one of the best cruises X has to offer which I didn't know when I booked it a yr. ago. That makes me even more excited about the whole trip! I hope you can go sometime too.

[8-2-much]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jsea:

We did a Norwegian fjords cruise a couple years ago in July...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jsea-

Did you by any chance get to Scotland on your itinerary? Any tours you can definitely recommend? We'e going on the Connie this July to Northern Europe/Norwegian Fjords and think we have all the tours picked out, except for Scotland. I wish we had 2 days there! So, Edinburgh or the countryside (Scottish Lochs, Stirling Castle)?

Any advice you can share would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

[Jings]

8-2-Much
If I can help with anything specific email me at [email]gcummings24@aol.com[/email]
I am off to south of France tonight but will catch up with it when I get back on 28th
Gordon

[jsea]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by prettybeth:
So, having done this cruise (same one to the Fjords) did you find the balcony/veranda a good thing or was it too cold to enjoy much? I have an FV right now and everyone keeps telling me how much I will enjoy that large balcony but I wonder if it will be too chilly to sit out and utilize?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

When we cruised to the fjords we were actually in a category 1B, (what is now 1A, I think). We had an FV for a Hawaii cruise and we did use the balcony quite a bit. Does your cruise include any fjords? If so, having an FV for those areas would be great. And sure, having a large balcony for the other destinations will be nice, too, but if it's pretty chilly I don't think you'll be out there that much. On our fjords cruise we mainly used the balcony to check the weather in the morning before going ashore and rarely would sit out there. But we aren't normal balcony cruisers. We don't order coffee or eat breakfast out there, which is why many people love the balconies. However, we do read on the balconies and an FV will be great for that. They will have blankets for you and if it's not too windy/cold you can just sit on one of the chaise lounges reading if you want, or just looking at the scenery.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by 8-2-much:
Did you by any chance get to Scotland on your itinerary?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No, our itinerary did not hit Scotland. Sorry I can't be of any help, but I am sure Jings can!

[gkm]

Beth,

My DH and I took this cruise on the Constellation last July and it's a wonderful cruise. In Scotland, we took the Loch Lomand and Inverernay Castle excursion. The scenery was incredible, with a lot of waterfalls and made us say that some day we were coming back to Scotland to spend more time.

One "must do" excursion is the Norweigan Overland excursion in Geiranger. The scenery is so beautiful that you almost get to the point where you can't absorb it in anymore. Make sure you have lots of film, or you have a fresh card for your digital camera (and back-up battery). [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

As far as the weather, when we landed in England they were having a heatwave, but as we cruised north, we needed long sleeves and jackets. It's really hard to predict. I am including a weather site that I have found useful for more than one cruise. It gives averages for all over the world by month and also has highs/lows/rainfall. Hope this helps. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[url="http://www.weatherbase.com/"]http://www.weatherbase.com/[/url]

If I can answer any other questions, fire away! I love remembering this cruise. It ranks up there as one of the best ones we've ever taken.

Garry

click <a href="mailto:gkm278@comcast.net">here</a href> to send me an email

[prettybeth]

thanks for the link, we will keep checking it. Everyone says to do that overland excursion, will have to definately sign up for that one. Do you remember if people were swimming on the ship (since we won't be in London very long, it would seem silly to bring suits)?

[jsea]

I second the motion for the overland excursion. It is one of our all-time favorites taken on a cruise.

Here are some images from our tour...

[img]http://homepage.mac.com/tismfu/.cv/tismfu/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/Fjords%203/ImageDSCN0296.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg[/img]
[url="http://homepage.mac.com/tismfu/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/Fjords%203/ImageDSCN0296.jpg"]Click here for full-size image[/url].

[img]http://homepage.mac.com/tismfu/.cv/tismfu/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/Fjords%203/ImageDSCN0284.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg[/img]
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[img]http://homepage.mac.com/tismfu/.cv/tismfu/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/Fjords%203/ImageDSCN0275.jpg-thumb_202_269.jpg[/img]
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[img]http://homepage.mac.com/tismfu/.cv/tismfu/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/Fjords%203/ImageDSCN0292.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg[/img]
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[img]http://homepage.mac.com/tismfu/.cv/tismfu/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/Fjords%203/ImageDSCN0294.jpg-thumb_202_269.jpg[/img]
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[img]http://homepage.mac.com/tismfu/.cv/tismfu/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/Fjords%203/flower.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg[/img]
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[B]Constellation waiting to pick up excursion passengers[/B]
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[Ma Bell]

Thank you, what beautiful photos.

[prettybeth]

I second that, what amazing photos! my husband is a nature lover anyway so he will definately want to do this excursion. Is it too difficult (walking, climbing) for my 9 and 5 yr. old to join us?

[jsea]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by prettybeth:
Is it too difficult (walking, climbing) for my 9 and 5 yr. old to join us?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not at all... you will actually be on a bus for much of it, stopping at scenic areas to get out, walk for a bit, and take photos. There is also a really great Norwegian lunch at a hotel along the way.

[prettybeth]

Thanks, just made a note for myself so that I won't forget. I can't plan any excursions until I tell my husband about this cruise and that isn't until May 25th so I have been keeping extensive notes with all this great info. I know if I go to a search for this thread, I will never find it again since the search option here is so bad. So, what exactly is Norwegian food anyway?

[jsea]

A lot of seafood... we had salmon, and it was some of the greatest I have ever had. I honestly can't remember what else was served, it's only been two years but my memory has faded fast.

(So is this cruise a surprise for your husband? I bet he'll be happy come the 25th of May.)