dixieagle

Thanks! I love good historical fiction. I am almost done with the Outlander series if that helps. I also like Kristen Hannah (of Fire Fly Lane fame) and I never say no to a good YA novel.

Another Outlander fan!!! Love those books; you should check out the series on Starz if you haven't already.

I liked the Into the Wilderness series, by Sara Donati, set post-Revolution in the wilds of what is now New York state. (There's even a brief reference, though not by name, to Jamie and Claire Fraser, and Ian Murray.)

Also - the Exit Unicorns series by Cindy Brandner is exceptionally good; I think her writing comes closest to Diana Gabaldon when it comes to great relationships and wit. It's set mainly in Northern Ireland at the time of the Troubles. The author is working on the fifth and final book in the series now. I highly recommend them.

Thanks........can't believe they only offer ONE entree at the Cirque Show.....not much choice there! Hubby is much of a beef eater. ugh!

Perhaps he could request double "surf" and tell them to hold the "turf." ;)

We will be on the Getaway Cruising the Baltics August 14. I have a couple of questions if anyone has insights....

1) we arrive in Warnemunde at 7:30am but have no intentions of going to Berlin. What time would the rush of folks heading into Berlin be over so we could leisurely walk off the ship without waiting?

2) there are many currencies involved in this trip. Will credit cards work for any purchase in all ports?

3) the itinerary shows us in the port of Stockholm and touring through the Archipelago. I have also heard though that this ship is too large to mKe it through this area and would have to dock at port at least one hour outside Stockholm. Does anyone know if Getaway is able to sail through Archipelago to Stockholm?

THanks!

We're on the Getaway June 3 Baltic cruise and dock at Nynashamn. I found this very disappointing, as it cuts into the limited time in Stockholm. We are therefore taking a private tour that will pick us up at the port. I'll have to check our itinerary to see if we cruise the archipelago; I don't remember seeing that.

i also want to understand more about teh metrics.

 

for example, does a Platinum person placing a good bid have a better chance than a Bronze person placing am excellent bid?

Call me cynical, but I'm going with the $$$.

Then in my opinion, the contract needs amending. I simply think that the cruise lines should penalise anybody who cancels. It is just too easy to cancel willy nilly. BTW,I have no idea as to what a "cable modem" actually is.

I think we can be sure that, if the cruise line had a big problem rebooking cabins after cancellation MONTHS out, they would change the terms. If it doesn't bother them, it sure doesn't bother me. Life happens.

Thanks GradUT - I agree! There's a company - Airluggage - that offers port pick up of luggage so we are going to have them pick up and deliver our luggage to our hotel and then we are free to sight see until we check in. That's our plan right now :)

I looked at the Airluggage website, and there wasn't any mention of picking up luggage from the cruise port - just from hotels and Airbnbs; did I misunderstand? I'd love to have them pick up our luggage from the port and bring it to our hotel.

This information is so helpful. We're on the June 3 Getaway Baltic cruise, and I am SO happy we didn't book a same-day flight.

I think we'll just plan to wait out the mad rush to get off the ship in Copenhagen (unless we end up getting an upgrade to the Haven and get streamlined disembarkation.) We're heading to a hotel and have no real time constraints; anything is better than waiting in an interminable line.

We're on the 6/3/17 Getaway Baltic cruise, and have booked a two-day tour with SPB tours, as it's our first time in St. Petersburg. My husband actually can read the Cyrillic alphabet (Eastern European background) but we chose the tour, despite the fact we generally far prefer to explore on our own.

The visa is expensive (moreso if you use an agency to obtain it for you) and we have heard too much about tourists having their pockets picked; even in a group you have to be very careful. We just weren't comfortable with what we've heard and want our St. Petersburg experience to be memorable, but for the right reasons. There are several top-notch tour companies in St. Petersburg (SPB, Alla, others) and they receive excellent reviews. Good luck with your choice!

I just noticed your question when looking for info re: various Baltic port tours. We are booked on NCL Getaway in early June, and have chosen SPB for the two-day St. Petersburg tour. Friends of ours have used them, and raved about how good they were. I have also heard good things about Alla. I've done a lot of research, and it's clear that the non-ship tours I've mentioned are of the highest quality, and at a considerably lower price than the ship's excursions. It's a no brainer for me.

For our 9 night Mediterranean cruise last June + 3 days in Rome pre-cruise, I got everything in a 21" carry on and backpack. My husband the same. No interest in cruising "with just the clothes on my back" though!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We're doing a 9 night Baltic cruise this June, and have learned, from frequent experience, just how much easier life is when you pack lightly. We'll each take a 21-22" carryon (which we will check) plus a small backpack/daypack. I'll have a purse, as well. I purchased something called a Scrubba last year; it's a wash bag in which you can do about a day's worth of clothes at a time. I found it does a better job than washing things in the sink (there's a video you can watch - just Google it) and it allowed us to travel with one suitcase each for a two week trip. (This is much easier to do if it's a cruise on which you do not need formal clothes.)

For me, the hardest thing is narrowing the shoes down to two pair (maybe tucking in a pair of dressier sandals, for evenings, as well.) Just make sure everything goes well with everything else, and dress in layers. I think we will invest in some Ex Officio travel undies this time around.

I would think that on a warm-weather cruise, you could pack really lightly. Not the case with us this time, but we WILL make one suitcase each work.

We're on the Norwegian Getaway on June 3, and booked with SPB for their deluxe 2 day St. Petersburg tour with some other folks from the cruise (connected through the Roll Call.) SPB limits the number in the group to 16-24 people.

Good friends took this same tour last summer and raved about how wonderful it was. There are a number of licensed tour companies, and most of them get very good reviews. Check out Trip Advisor.

I sailed from New Orleans back in 2010 or 2011 on the Spirit. I have cruised on NCL from many ports both before and after then and it is the one that stands out most for being a disorganized shambles at both ends of the trip. I am sailing again in Jan 2016 and based on this thread I am not expecting it to have changed much if at all. I think a lot of the problems back then were caused by the shoreside aspect of the port operations not being able to handle the volume of people and vehicles in what is a short amount of time. I don't think that has changed much and if a ship is late arriving there will be problems as there will be people arriving to board as soon as they can sharing space with those getting off trying to get to their parked vehicles and other transport and get away from the area. Couple this with a government agency and it is always going to be a recipe for chaos.

 

NCL does need to control disembarkation better on all of their ships and giving timely information is a big part of this. There are times when this appears to be a big fail and coupled with 2000 people who are wanting to be somewhere else right now, and could not care less about anyone else, this is what always happens at every port to some degree.

 

The Captain is in charge of his vessel and the safety of the thousands of guests and crew are on him. They never want to put any of that in any jeopardy and always have a pilot on board advising them as they enter the river and commence the approach to the port. I suggest the late arrival was due to river conditions and local advice not just because he wanted to piss everyone off.

Oh, I'm sure you're right about weather/river/wind conditions (it was a rough ride Friday-Saturday night) being the reason for the delay yesterday.

This poster does nothing but post semantics about how you used a word, and that means this and that, and never actually answers the question you've asked. Don't let him get under your skin.

 

I'm really sorry you had do deal with such a mess leaving and also the mess of those boarding. Communication is something that NCL is not very good at. Hopefully you had a great cruise otherwise!

Yes, I realized quickly that the poster had a "don't confuse me with facts, my mind is made up" mindset. ;)

Believe me, I know disorganization when I see it, and that's what we endured. Communication could have cleared up a lot of the confusion. Otherwise, the cruise was lovely; I will certainly think twice about booking NCL again, however, as we've never had issues like this with other lines.

Sorry, I can't help people who are frustrated and don't know what to expect. A little research goes a long way.

 

How crazy is it that now the story changes to how people had to wait in a line...like its the first time that's ever happened, right.

 

Still...anyone who can start late and still manage to accomplish all tasks and depart on time simply cannot be labeled as disorganized.

I beg to differ, having been on this cruise. While the ship may have left on time today, that doesn't negate the confusion on board this morning and the lack of communication; this was certainly the case for the Suite passengers, who were told little or nothing while waiting in the crowded Star Bar for our supposedly "priority disembarkation." No one knew what was happening, if our luggage would be waiting for us, etc. This, combined with the equally chaotic embarkation last week, will certainly make us think twice about sailing NCL - especially out of NOLA - again.

My husband and I were on the 11/29 Dawn cruise that arrived late into Nola this morning (12/6). Last week, embarkation was ridiculously slow, as the ship arrived late and disembarkation was delayed. We heard it was due to fog but no one ever explained. It took about an hour to get to the luggage drop-off point, We had just recently upgraded to an Owner's Suite and had been told about priority boarding, etc. (we've sailed NCL once before, so weren't too familiar with their procedures) but if we hadn't inquired, we'd never have found the Suite Check-in. Very poor signage and communication.

Last night, we were told at the end of the magic show that disembarkation wouldn't start until about 9 am. We had breakfast in Cagney's at about 8:15, all the while hearing announcements about the ship not yet being cleared. We headed to the Star Bar to wait for priority disembarkation. Finally, at about 9:40, there was an announcement that the ship was cleared, and they were calling for Yellow (!) tag holders to make their way to the gangway. The Suite passengers in the Star Bar finally just formed a line and were slowly escorted to a service elevator to avoid the lines at the regular elevators. There was supposed to be delineation between those suite passengers walking off with all their luggage in tow, and those of us who had set our luggage out last night and had gold priority baggage tags... not a word, nothing, nada. Everyone just got in the same line, having no information about whether our luggage was waiting for us or not. There was a total lack of communication, and "priority disembarkation" was anything but. We finally got off the ship and through customs/immigration at about 10:45. The cars/taxis/buses bringing in today's passengers were already backed up.

As a previous poster mentioned, there is a real need for better, consistent communication. Let us know what's going on, and follow through with what has been promised. We can understand delays in the ship's arrival which delay disembarkation, but please just let us know what's going on.

I am interested in knowing more about the Dawn. I am booked for November 29, which will be my second NCL cruise. Went on the Jewel last year and was greatly impressed and am considering the Jade for next year.

We're on that cruise too! It's just our second NCL cruise (formerly on the Spirit a few years back.)

It's just been announced that the Fantasy will be coming to Mobile in November, 2016, following an extensive refurbishment.

http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2015/09/mobile_city_council_approves_a.html

Did they tear down the old terminal, it was a disaster ..Horrible to get into and horrible to get out. I've sailed into there twice and it was horrible getting out. I won't sail from there again unless they have built a better terminal

They're certainly not going to be building a new terminal anytime soon. They will, I hope, work on a better embarkation/disembarkation experience. The current mayor is a very savvy businessman and will do everything in his power to ensure that this next venture is a success.

Hopefully NO state funds are being used for this..

I don't think the state has a penny to spare at the moment.

I think that Mobile will be well positioned for cruises that include a stop in Havana when that opens up to cruise lines; lots of work on infrastructure and the amenities American travelers will expect needed, though.

Mobile (I live here) has always been on the cusp of something big. I think the area is finally about to realize some of its potential, with Airbus, the new GulfQuest Museum about to open (very near the cruise terminal), and new hotels popping up.

I am frankly astonished that Carnival is coming back; most folks here thought that ship had sailed, pardon the bad pun. The previous administration booted it big time by not having an ironclad contract with Carnival, and that omission allowed them to pull out at will - a devastating blow to the area. I will be very interested to hear what ship, what ports, whether year-round or seasonal. Great news, whatever transpires.

According to the Oslo tourism website, the ferry is no longer covered by the regular transit passes, but it is still covered by the OsloPass:

http://www.visitoslo.com/en/product/?TLp=181623

This is excellent news! Simplifies things considerably.

Last year the ferry was included in the Oslo Pass and we bought our pass at ferry booth a 5 minute walk from the ship.We used the Oslo pass as well for all the museums at Bygdoy and the Resistance museum,there was so much to see we are back this year to see Oslo and especially Vigeland.The 2 ferry stops were good as we saw all the museums as we walked from one stop to the other.

Apparently that ferry is not now included, sadly. I really like the idea of the Oslo Pass that covers (virtually) all transportation and museums. I thought it was very reasonable, as well. We are very excited about this trip!

Thanks, all! I think we'll likely get either the 24 hour transportation pass or the Oslo Pass, which works on all transportation except the ferry to Bygdoy (Viking Ship Museum), so we'll take buses, except possibly back from Bygdoy, depending upon time. It doesn't seem an efficient use of time to head back to the ship for lunch; we'll probably do take-out somewhere.

We will be in Oslo on June 15, 10-6, on the Ryndam. We would very much like to see the Resistance Museum (very near the cruise terminal, I understand), the Viking Ship Museum, and Vigeland Park. I'd also love to see the Folk Park, but am afraid time is too limited. I figure that we will have a maximum of about 6 hours in which to actually see things.

What is the best way to get to Vigeland Park and the Viking Ship Museum, and then back to the Resistance Museum? I know there is a ferry to the Museum, but I have read that it's better to take a bus there, and the ferry back.

I've seen some awful reviews of the hop-on-hop-off buses lately. Are there other bus alternatives? Thanks for any suggestions!!!

We decided to take the regular train with the change at Manningtree, and received our train tickets in the mail today. The price was absurdly low, done in advance as we did. I just couldn't justify the cost of the cruise bus. We'll make sure that we pack as lightly as possible (glad that HAL has self-serve laundry facilities!) in order to negotiate the stairs at the station more easily.

Thanks for the info.

I've been talking about this issue with my husband, as we have a week-long Norway cruise on the Ryndam coming up in mid-June. We've decided that he'll take a nice blazer and dress slacks, with dress shirts and a couple of ties for formal nights. I'll likely bring a travel-friendly black dress with pretty wrap or dressy sweater, and a long (but not formal) maxi-dress. We like to dress nicely on formal nights (and actually dress well for dinner every night) but we're through taking or renting a tux and bringing very formal dresses. Afterwards, we'll be touring around Scotland on our own for a week with no need for anything but casual clothes and don't want to lug any more than absolutely necessary.

We're all about packing light, and love the fact that HAL has self-service laundry facilities. We enjoy our trips and cruises so much more when we're not dragging heavy luggage; I hope to do this trip (gone 17 days) with a rollaboard suitcase and a lightweight backpack.