janetcbl

We have traveled in late spring and early summer and have really enjoyed having a balcony. If I did the trip in Fall or Winter I would not book a balcony because the days are so short. There are a few perks: fruit bowls, a refrigerator in your cabin, wireless in the cabin and complimentary coffee package. Going through the Trollfjord at night, standing on the balcony, enjoying a glass of wine will always be a special memory. On the other hand, we enjoy travel with Lindblad/Natl. Geo. and have never considered booking a balcony. It is just personal choice, I guess.

According to the Hurtigruten Norwegian webpage, most of the ships were affected by the storm. Ports were skipped and the ships remained in port during the main part of the storm. It appears that only the Kong Harold was damaged and returned to Bergen.

I agree with SarniaLo....do give the Hurtigruten another try! We traveled in the Summer (24 hour days) and the Fall (beautiful weather and fewer people). The Spring is so beautiful along the coast in May when the apple trees are in bloom. Do go again!

oooooooboy, now I'm getting worried.

I thought I'd actually figured this all out. Formal means a tux for John and something "dressier" for me. I was hoping I could get away with a long black skirt, a good silk blouse, lovely jewelry and a pretty wrap. Now, after reading this, I'm not so sure. I don't do sequins and glitz very well. I don't own (nor want) a ball gown. I'll never use a cocktail dress unless it's the "little black dress". I've got those and will bring them, but from the sounds of this the dress code strong arms are attempting to dictate.(another name comes to mind but I won't use it here). We truly like Cunard and admire their holding the line on dress, but now I'm worried that they're going in the other direction, or folks on CC are........not sure.

Anyway, we'll be testing it all out in another week or so. John will be in his tux on the formal nights and I'm bringing the long skirt, the good jewelry, little black dress and they'll have to deal with it. Also good shoes for Axel....hahahaha!

Oh boy, did I stir up a hornets nest! Of course we let our table mates know if we are planning to dine elsewhere. On two of the crossings, often the other couples dined elsewhere as well; on the last cruise everyone "clicked" the first night, and we all dined together, sometimes at one of the alternate restaurants.

We tend to stick to ourselves as well, and view a cruise as a time to disconnect from the world/etc. We book a table for 6 and enjoy the company (we always seem to get great tablemates!),but often elect to eat elsewhere or order room service. Personally, we do not enjoy the formal evenings and often choose those evenings for dinner in our cabin or balcony. I.E. It is your vacation and your choice.

"Now, we ended going to the optional Mozart concert as we'll, and I know many people enjoy it, but if you are serious about music, or a snob like me, I would recommend that you check out what is available at the Opera House and get tickets before you leave on your cruise. Alternately, if you have the stamina, there are always standing room only tickets available for that night's performance. The Viking Mozart concert is charming but definitely geared to entertain tourists. The venue is a room often used for balls or ballroom dancing events, it's not an acoustically correct concert hall."

I agree with ticonderoga about obtaining Opera tickets in advance for a special evening. I would skip the optional concert in Vienna - the room was so crowded and warm, difficult to see over the person in front of you, and with people jammed so close together that I had to leave....very claustrophobic and I normally do not have this problem. The Opera would have been a much better idea, and it is in walking distance from the ship, via a main street.

What are some suggestions for tipping for special services? For example, dining in your cabin? Any other special circumstances?

Just remember that Basel is in Switzerland and uses Swiss Francs, not Euros. Most places will accept euros, but the charge is usually higher.

How much time does it take to get from the ship in New York to LGA? I remember it takes awhile to get off the ship, so I am thinking that with the ship docking @630 am, noon or later is probably a good idea. Your opinions....?

It is my understanding that the Cunard Line ships depart from the Port of Los Angeles in Long Beach. CA. Can anyone give me information about where this is located, nearby hotels, transportation to the ship. etc? We will be flying into Long Beach (LGB), not LAX. Thanks!

Thanks for the advice--not interested in a balcony particularly, just a little ore room. The smallest cruiseship stateroom we've had is 200 sqft so the cabins on these ships seem dauntingly small to us, although I'd love to save the money and see if we could cope.

 

Is the lounge space indoors adequate, for times when you just want to relax and read? And both these more modern ships have indoor observation lounges, right? That would be important to us.

 

You mentioned crowding, Janet--how crowded does the ship feel going north? Does it depend on the type of ship?

The ships never seemed crowded. The forward lounges on the Midnatsol and Trollfjord are 2 story and there is plenty of room and great views. The outside deck was always adequate. The only time I really noticed the difference in the number of people was in the dining area; fewer tables were used at dinner, and the buffet lines (which were never really long) were shorter on the Southbound trip.

Hope you are having a great time, and thanks for the update. Where did you buy your wine? I'm thinking if we fly from Canada to Norway, we'll be buying whiskey in the duty-free at Heathrow, since I know liquor is very, very expensive in Norway. But if there is wine available locally at reasonable cost, that would be a plus.

Check out vinmonopolet.no Bergen on Google, using the translator device on the Google site.

That is the only place to buy wine or liquor in Norway. There are 2 stores that I know of in Bergen, one very near the train station and one in the center of town.(I think there was one near the Hurtigruten pier, but I can't find it listed.) There are stores in all of the Norwegian cities, a couple located very near the spot where the ship docks. Figure on paying twice what you would pay in the US; wine, etc. is heavily taxed, in part, to pay for the problems associated with alcohol....not a bad idea when you think about it!

If you are really interested in booking a suite, those with a balcony need to be booked over a year in advance; there are some suites that do not have balconies, but have a small extension over the side of the ship(Trollfjord and Midnatsol). I believe there is one other ship with balconies. We have always done the round trip; I think the north trip is more interesting, but the trip south is usually less crowded.

"Bowtharbunga" maybe to pronounce it? I asked an Icelandic person, and even he wasn't totally sure. The earlier one was referred to as E-16 (I think, for the number of letters in the name. Much easier!).

After reading your incredible review, I have the same almost-sad feeling that I do after the end of one of my trips....but I have the Viking Rhine to look forward to in June 2015. Thanks to you, I have no more questions about the cruise! Thank you so much for all of your time and trouble to post this....it was amazing!

No idea what the cruise lines will do....but, if you want to keep track of the volcano yourself, check out mbl.is (there is "News in English") to get the latest, or check out http://www.livefromiceland.is and pull up the Webcam page...there is a cam on Barbarbunga (not the correct spelling; I don't have the Icelandic letters on my computer).

The Lindblad/NG DER reports of this trip have been fascination! Check them out. Go to www. expeditions.com and click on DER reports and follow the directions. The west - east passage has been incredible....almost like being on board!

When was your last trip? This used to be the policy, but it has changed recently (beginning of 2014 I think). I would be really glad to hear that they have changed it back (I'm taking a trip in just over a month) so if you trip is recent your experience would be encouraging. ;)

September 2013, the earlier was 2009. Both times we had to request tap water and, after a couple of dinners, a carafe of tap water was on our table for the remaining dinners. Anxious to hear what your experience will be. The tap water is fine; it seems a shame to have to pay for filtered water.

North Cape on the Southbound trip when you will be the only ship there. Don't know which date you are sailing in May; it is usually offered from sometime in May - October.

Tap water is available in the dining room but you must ask for it. They try to sell the filtered or bottled water, but you can simply ask for it. After a couple of dinners, a carafe of water was always on our (assigned) table. No problem.

We are taking this same trip in June 2015 and I am so thankful that you are posting your journey with so many great pictures and details. You have already answered many of my questions....and I am enjoying the cruise right along with you! Many thanks!

My friend & I are booked on Viking Legend next April for Danube Waltz. We paid extra for Viking Air Plus.

 

Anyone have advice on which airlines are best, best connecting cities, minimum connecting times, should we book economy plus, ...

 

We are flying home from Budapest.

 

Thanks for all insights!

We avoid Frankfurt, as it can take up to 3+ hours to clear immigration. I prefer Copenhagen, Zurich or Geneva, or Amsterdam to make a connection. We have used Viking Air and pay the extra, and have been able to choose our flights, connecting airports, etc. Arriving in Prague is easy; small airport, good signage. etc. If you have the time, a few extra days in Prague is worth it. Great city- sights, art, food, people, etc.

The only change I would like to see would be to list the reviews as are done for the Cruise Lines, i.e. A - Z. "Avalon - Viking" for the major lines and "Other River Cruise Lines" for the others.

Re: the transfer from train to ship: Call the Hurtigruten office and they can arrange it.

Regarding some of your other questions, Komfort Class is worth the extra money if you are traveling during a busy season, drink lots of coffee and can read a Norwegian newspaper; otherwise not necessary.

It is hard to tell you what seats are best as the cars are sometimes switched around so you don't know which end is the front. There are forward and backward facing seats in the cars.

There is a shop as you enter the station that sells sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, etc. that is better than what can be purchased on the train.

The gates to the tracks are usually opened about 20-30 minutes before the train departs.

Hope this helps.