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biggerbearmom

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  • Posts

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About Me

  • Location
    Sonoma County, California
  • Interests
    Travel, Gardening, Reading, Family, Vintage Pyrex
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Hurtigruten, Viking,
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Europe, Scandinavia

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biggerbearmom's Achievements

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Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. On our first trip to Amsterdam we used the city tram/bus. It was inexpensive, easy to use, efficient and was not as limited in stops and coverage as the HOHO.
  2. The boat ride from Flam to Gudvagan is reason enough to go. The village is just an added interest. The boat ride is just beautiful, and the bus ride back to Flam is interesting as well. We booked it on our own while in port. There’s a tourist center in the Port of Flam with all kinds of excursions offered. It’s much less exspensive to book it on your own.
  3. This is one of the reasons we have exclusively switched to Viking. No formal nights, and another good reason, no children under 18.
  4. Absolutely, the train is popular. We did Flam to Myrdal in 2013 and bought our tickets through the vy.no website. So much cheaper than the ship excursion. On this trip this past summer we spent two nights in Flam and then took the train back to Bergen to pick up our Viking cruise.
  5. We were in Skjolden in June 2013 on Celebrity. It was one of our favorite stops, it’s just a tiny village. We took an excursion that took us through the countryside to the Urnes Stave Church. The narrow, one way roads, on a tour bus were an experience. Our guide was a local college student and it was so interesting and memorable having her point out to us her grandparents farm and talk about life in Skjolden. The Stave church was so interesting and is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. We have since been back to Norway many times and have another trip booked on Hurtigruten for this coming September. Norway and Sweden are truly my happy place.
  6. We were in Flam this past summer and had sailed through the area on two other occasions. On this trip we took the ferry from Bergen to Flam, such a different experience being on a small boat and looking up and at the scenery. Once in Flam we took a RIB boat on a fjord excursion. It was fabulous, and again, it was scenery we had previously seen, but getting in close and seeing it from the water level is quite different.
  7. Give Hurtigruten strong consideration. Our first trip to Norway was June 2013 on a two week Fjord cruise with Celebrity. We feel in love with Norway and have returned numerous times since. In December 2019 I did a Hurtigruten Coastal cruise from Bergen to Kirkenes with my daughter. It was a fabulous experience, the Northern Lights showed up, the stops at the small villages were so interesting, the scenery was spectacular, and the excursions were great. Very different than a traditional cruise but we felt like we got more of the essence of the Norwegian culture. We just booked the southbound Kirkenes to Bergen for September. Norway is my happy place. ❤️
  8. It was an 8 hour tour, and we were a group of 20 on a large bus. We went to the gardens after having lunch and visiting the monastic site. After the gardens we finished up with a whisky tour and tasting. You very well may have a better experience with a different tour operator.
  9. We did the Discover County Wicklow last September and we were disappointed. It was expensive and it did not meet our expectations. The lunch was good, the gardens and grounds of Powerscourt were beautiful but rushed. Also, we had very little time to explore the monastic settlement in Glendalough. I personally would not recommend it.
  10. After most Viking trips in Europe/Scandinavia we will extend for two weeks to a month to visit family in Gothenburg, Sweden. The first time we did it, the Viking rep told me my options were either Copenhagen or Stockholm. So when we are using Viking Air, we buy our own air for the flight from where the cruise ends to Gothenburg, and then do the same or take the train to get the Viking flight home from Copenhagen. It works well for us, most of the time we are able to use points to purchase the inter Europe flights. We pay a deviation fee but not Air Plus.
  11. The tripinsurancestore.com is awesome! We have been using them for years, and Steve is knowledgeable and honest. He is the one who told me to initially just insure the deposit, which gives you preexisting coverage and then up the insured amount at final payment. And, if for some reason you have to cancel your cruise, and aren’t making a claim against the policy you can put what you’ve paid towards another vacation as long as it’s within 12 months.
  12. @wine-wine-wine we were on this sailing too, it was our 8th trip with Viking and we too had an absolutely wonderful trip. We made use of the amenities on the ship because we actually had the time to do so, and we met some wonderful people and made some new friends. Nightly before dinner we would have a drink in the Explorers Lounge and listen to Alan. He is incredibly talented and has such a deep repertoire of songs. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the cruise director. She is talented but I found her voice to be loud and somewhat annoying.
  13. You could have just climbed over the railing and knocked on the door.
  14. I near what you are saying. We are currently on the Sky too, we also have a PV1 on deck 6 with a fixed window and door. Our biggest gripe is our neighbors who constantly let their door slam, it’s not that hard to hold on to it as you close it.
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