geogal

Hello,

Our NCL Norwegian Sun cruise departing on 2/2/19 from Buenos Aires has added a port after our first port at Montevideo, Uruguay. We dock the next day at Punta del Este, which is only a 1.75 hour drive from Montevideo. I fortunately have a cousin in Montevideo who has volunteered to be our guide. We are thinking about maybe overnighting with her and rejoining our cruise when we depart Punta del Este. Thoughts? Would NCL get upset? Would we need to notify them in advance of our plans?

Thank you in advance if anyone can share their wisdom.

BermudaBound2014, Thanks so much for posting. We're on the Aug. 9th sailing from Southampton. That will be us "waving" at you when you depart!

Interested in your bus excursion in Haugesund. We wish to take the public bus from downtown to Skudeneshavn (end of the Karmoy peninsula). What I've read is that the bus to catch is the 10 or X10 (which also stops in Avaldsnes). Did your bus continue further south? We want to do our own "walk-about' in the harbor town (DIY option from the ship's excursion). If there is more than one bus line that goes that far south, we will have more options for there and back. We dock at 8:00 and depart at 4:00.

Following your posts. All packed and ready to go. We, too, are spending a few days pre-cruise in Amsterdam and flying directly to Southampton. Keep those tips coming.

Thanks again,

Marcie

Hi Bermudabound2014!

We'll be in Haugesund on Tues. August 15th. Maybe we're on the same sailing? We are thinking of taking the city bus to Skudeneshavn on Karmoy, then bussing back or taking a taxi. The buses only run 1xhour and the trip takes between 1 hr. 15 (there) and 1 hr (back). A scooter would be ideal and give us more flexibility. I have an inquiry into a taxi company for costs one way. If we're there the same day, always looking for ways to "share" transportation. Thanks.

Hello,

I have searched the threads for info on Haugesund to see if there are places one can rent a moped or scooter in Haugesund for the day. Nothing found. I've e-mailed the TI office as well. Does anyone know if there are places to rent these? If not, would we expect to find taxis for hire at the port? Just checking what the options are in advance of our August cruise on Norwegian Jade.

Thanks so much.

Maybe... Depends if you have to be connected to WiFi or data use. I turn my phone OFF when I cruise, just for emergencies!

KeithJenner, I believe you might be on the sailing we booked on for Aug. 9th 2017 out of Hamburg. We were really looking forward to this itinerary, as it included the port of Kirkwall, Scotland. That has been dropped now that the ship is round-trip from Southampton.

Hmmmm. What to do. Will probably stick with the revised itinerary, maybe fly into a different gateway city (Amsterdam??) pre-cruise for a few days, then get ourselves to Southampton instead of Hamburg, Germany.

Oh, well. Although I don't like surprises, what are you going to do about it?

Hello,

I couldn't help but add my 2 cents worth. We were here a couple of years ago, and cruised into Klaksvik no problem during rainy weather ... No - I take that back, we DID have a problem, when the communications tower of our ship (RCL) hit the power cable strung between 2 of the islands on our way in! The local harbor master was on-board, and the ship had previously cruised in the prior month with no problems. I gather that the tide was exceptionally high that day. But our ship was able to be repaired in Iceland, and we WEREN'T stranded in the Faroe Islands!

I coordinated a group tour through our roll call participants with 62N Tours. I did a LOT of research in advance, and this was just when cruise ships were starting to visit the Faroes. The tour company owner created a full-day tour (which I gather is now sort of a "standard" tour for cruisers.) Same policy, non-refundable deposit unless no docking. You won't be disappointed. Great tour, lots to see, avoided the cruise ship busses, and our tour included lunch at a traditional restaurant. The weather was rainy that morning, but it cleared up later. The rain contributed to lots of waterfalls cascading down the cliffs to the sea and we got some very dramatic photos. Most of the folks on my tour raved about the entire experience!

I hope you enjoy this port. You can search for my posts here that might answer your questions about our particular tour and what was visited.

There is a myriad of shops in the tender dock area (secured) that cater to the cruise ship passengers. The pharmacies there sell many items that require a prescription in the US. I bought some topical pain reliever cream for sunburn. You can buy just about anything (use your imagination...).

Just back from the Norwegian Sun, and snorkeled at both West End in Roatan AND Costa Maya.

Two different experiences for sure. Roatan has more diversity, BUT the live conch shells in the sea grass just offshore from Costa Maya were really cool! We brought our own snorkel gear along for the cruise, and had a blast.

The water is very shallow off the beach in Costa Maya, with areas of sea grass that I gather most people want to avoid. But that is where the conch shells are. Very easy surface diving to pick one up for a photo opportunity. Beware of touching the sea grass though, as there are some irritating stinging things that will get you. The clear sandy areas don't have a lot of fish, but you can occasionally see turtles.

The beach is good for snorkeling all along the village of Mahahual in Costa Maya. It is very easy to DIY there for a snorkel trip.

The water in West End was choppy the day we went out (husband scuba'd while I snorkeled off the dive boat), and visibility was down from a major storm, and I actually got sea sick while snorkeling there! That was the first time that has happened to me.

Enjoy!

Just back from the Norwegian Sun cruise and excursion independently booked with cavetubing.bz.

No problems with tender times. I think the cruise lines like to "scare" folks into thinking they have to book a ship's excursion in order to get "priority" tendering to the dock. Our ship docked at 8:00 am and we got tickets to the first tender, and boarded by 8:30 am.

We were met by a myriad of staff people wearing the CaveTubing.bz yellow shirts at the exit of Terminal One, as directed. We were quickly loaded into a 12-person van for the 45-minute ride to Caves Branch National Park. We opted for the longer tubing excursion with lunch included for $50/person, and it was a wonderful day. Did not have to carry our own tubes, and the lunch and unlimited rum punch was delicious. Guides were safety conscious and knowledgeable. We were back in plenty of time to browse the shops and pharmacies before taking the 4:00 tender back to the ship.

Hint: wear good hard-soled water shoes for the hike to the cave. NO flip flops are allowed. They rent water shoes for $3.00. There are changing rooms at the park, and you can leave your belongings in the locked van with the driver. Do NOT wear scuba booties, as the path the to river is gravel. Husband learned this the hard way. Also, no water bottles are allowed in the park!

Tip generously, as they folks really earn it! You can tell they love what they do.

It is too bad that this cave system has been publicized so much, as it was crowded with lots of other ships' tours and outfitters. My husband was afraid that the water would be cold, but our tubes had "bottoms" to protect you from touching the water with your rear. But, the water was warm enough for swimming and cliff jumping. We even saw some bats as we floated out into the sunlight.

Go and enjoy!

Just back from the Norwegian Sun cruise and excursion independently booked with cavetubing.bz.

No problems with tender times. I think the cruise lines like to "scare" folks into thinking they have to book a ship's excursion in order to get "priority" tendering to the dock. Our ship docked at 8:00 am and we got tickets to the first tender, and boarded by 8:30 am.

We were met by a myriad of staff people wearing the CaveTubing.bz yellow shirts at the exit of Terminal One, as directed. We were quickly loaded into a 12-person van for the 45-minute ride to Caves Branch National Park. We opted for the longer tubing excursion with lunch included, and it was a wonderful day. Did not have to carry our own tubes, and the lunch and unlimited rum punch was delicious. Guides were safety conscious and knowledgeable. We were back in plenty of time to browse the shops and pharmacies before taking the 4:00 tender back to the ship.

Hint: wear good hard-soled water shoes for the hike to the cave. NO flip flops are allowed. They rent water shoes for $3.00. There are changing rooms at the park, and you can leave your belongings in the locked van with the driver. Do NOT wear scuba booties, as the path the to river is gravel. Husband learned this the hard way.

We just got back from a cruise on Norwegian Sun, and stopped at Costa Maya.

Once you get outside the gates of the "port village", you can really enjoy this port. Take the shuttle to the village of Mahahual for $3 per person, $2 for the trip back, and get off at any of the 3-4 stops. We decided to wing it at this port, and it was a very relaxed beach day. The locals along the boardwalk will try to seduce you to plop yourself at their establishment, but we found a no-pressure place next door to "Ya Ya's", got ourselves 2 beach chairs and umbrella for the price of our lunch. The beach here is very nice for snorkeling, and there are areas of very shallow water between the shore and the reef. In the sea grass beds there are plenty of live conch shells, which are fun to surface dive for (and then returned to their home). The village is a short walk from the port (about 30 minutes) if you care to walk. Locals are selling a myriad of products along the boardwalk, and the prices are all negotiable and MUCH cheaper than within the confines of the port village. If you are shopping for silver jewelry, be sure to inquire if it is .925 silver and not just plated, which affects the cost. Look for the .925 stamp, not just "MEXICO". The silver and opal jewelry is just gorgeous, and reasonably priced for a souvenir or a gift. No need to book a "beach break" package with any of the local establishments, unless you like to spend money and drink alcohol. Beers are offered everywhere for $1 apiece. I don't think going to the trouble of getting pesos is worthwhile, as everyone accepts US dollars.

Regarding massages, they are offered at several establishments, and we saw one couple get 2 hour-long massages on the beach for a total of $35. Going rate seems to be $20/hour. Can't beat that!

We had our own snorkel gear and brought towels from the ship. Remember to wear a shirt or rash guard when snorkeling to avoid sunburn on your back.

Thank you, Denverite, for posting your travel details. We'll be spending 2 days in Venice pre-cruise next March and want to visit both of these islands. Last time we were in Venice we did all the "main" sites and did so much wandering around.

I'll add your notes to my travel file!

The Faroe Islands and specifically Klaksvik haven't really prepared for the new cruise itineraries that are now stopping here. We'll be there on Jewel of the Seas in Sept. 2012, and I've done quite a bit of research. I have spent hours corresponding with the owner of 62N Tours about options for our cruise. He was able to develop his web-page to accommodate cruisers on specific ships, so everyone can book their tour and pay for it independently (as opposed to coordinating a giant private tour). This worked well for us. In fact, the sooner you book, the cheaper it is. Our cruise date is already fully booked, which has left many on our role call out of options. There is Green Gate Tours (not that impressed with their tour options - just my opinion), and also the Klaksvik Tourist Office supposedly coordinates tours near the port. I was in contact with them over last summer and they were going to e-mail me a tour option brochure, but they never did. Here is their web-page: http://fitg.sansir.net/Default.aspx?pageid=9819 or www.visitnordoy.fo Towards the bottom of the page is a list of possible excursions and the e-mail for the Tourism Office directly.

I think part of it is a language barrier. The price for the full day tour from 62N is very reasonable and includes lunch and "tea". It covers a lot of territory and that is why I helped develop the tour itinerary along with the owner. Having said that, I've never been there before, but when I was stuck at home last spring with a broken ankle, I had LOTS of time researching this particular port.

Hope you enjoy your day there! Good luck.

Marcie