BuckeyeMark

They have dropped some Med Sea cruises already but apparently more to come.

Fabulous! What a treat to see that!

The Flam Bakeri is a MUST stop. Sun buns rule!

Did I miss who you booked for the Santorini water taxi? Missing the donkey steps would be a big plus! Is this the folks you used? https://www.santorinitravel.com/santorini-water-taxi/

Can verify that this is exactly what happens. I have seen 5-6 paper cup "shots" sitting on the counter waiting for a customer...

I saw a LOT of cribbage on a recent Norway trip but they all looked like personal boards. Didn't check to see if there were any boards available from the ship though.

Find out when the ship will be in the fjord AND BE ON DECK FOR IT. It will be quiet and wonderful ... and it's why you went to Norway. In various port towns there may be chances to get back out in the fjord on a smaller boat and that can be good too. We did RIB boats in Geiranger and that was spectacular. There's really nothing like Norway's fjords. Get all the fjord you can get!

Go Bobcats! Enjoy BOTH trips. My cruise report is over in the Celebrity pages - lotsa pics and talk about Norway. It'll make you want to go NOW! Here's the Seven Sisters (from a RIB boat tour).

We had a cruise that started in Rome, went to Athens, AND Istanbul for 2024 but the Beyond got moved to the Caribbean. Since then there are no cruises that do "the big three" in the Med Sea. Why not? How about an itinerary in 2026 that goes to Rome, Athens, and as a bonus, Istanbul?

Just back from Norway in May (we did Flam and Geiranger). I'd do everything I could to get there before they stop the ships from coming in. To say they were spectacular sail-ins is a major understatement. We were on deck by 4:45 the morning we went to Flam and were just absolutely stunned by the scenery. Thought nothing could ever top it. Then the next day we got up early again and sailed into Geiranger and were just blown away. I love Alaska and have been three times. Norway is far, far superior to Alaska. Those fjords are incredible. We were there in May and the waterfalls were just thundering. And there were so many! It was fantastic. If it were me (and it's not but if it were...) I'd cancel Hawaii, eat the lost deposit, and get on a boat to Norway ASAP. Hawaii isn't going anywhere. Getting to Flam and Geiranger may well become much more complicated in the future. Just my thoughts ... but you asked for 'em!

You can do a RIB boat tour - it takes about 90 minutes. Well worth it! Must book ahead of time.

I have a review of my recent Norwegian cruise over in the Celebrity forums ... we did BOTH and it was tremendous. Honestly, there is NOTHING like the RIB boat tour. Being up close to the 7 Sisters was unbelievable. Yes, you'll see them from your ship but seeing them when you're 8 to 10 stories above the water (and hundreds of feet away) does not compare to seeing them up close and being ON the water looking up at the falls. Again, we did both but if I had to choose one ... that 7 Sisters waterfall (and the Suitor across from it) was very special in a RIB boat. Just my opinion. YMMV.

Here's who we used: Katy Parker Office Manager 07740 197148 (Mon to Fri) - 07774 693720 (Sat & Sun) Cotswold Tours & Travel www.cotswoldtoursandtravel.com office@cotswoldtoursandtravel.com They were excellent. They did what we asked - which in the Cotswolds was to "we want to see the Tolkien Tree and the famous row of houses that everyone takes pictures of (LOL) and then we want to be given the taste and tour of the Cotswolds." And that's exactly what we go. We didn't even know what to ask for and we had a splendid day. In Oxford we said "we want to to see the CS Lewis sites, plus anything else that is good, and we'd like a run into the Ashmolean museum too if we can manage it to see some ancient coins." They managed it! A splendid splendid day. Mark guided Cotswolds and David in Oxford. They were superb.

We docked at 8 but we had tickets for the 9:30 train so we were not in a big hurry. Don't think there was any kind of big delays but we weren't rushing to get off so can't really say. Sorry.

We love Alaska, have been three times, and will go again next year. I just got back from Norway, and I have to say ... it's even more impressive than Alaska. It doesn't have the wildlife, but it absolutely cannot be topped for the most incredible and out-of-this-world scenery.

The last night of our recent Norway cruise the cruise director spent 10 minutes pleading for a ten. He went on and On and ON AND ON AND ON about it. It was ridiculous. And what's the point of sending surveys if you let employees "rig" the results? How much more effective would a survey be that said, "We hope your experience with us was a 9 or 10 and you will cruise with us again soon, BUT CAN YOU PLEASE SHARE ONE OR TWO WAYS WE COULD IMPROVE?" Now that would show a commitment to being the best!

Really good review. Making me think about a trip to Denali ...

Thank you very much for your kind words! And I love "sleepybluegiraffe" - there has to be a story behind that name!

They had a double decker bus allocated to us. They kept telling me "We've got a bus for you and your group" and I was thinking "A bus, like one? There are 90 of us!" and then we got there and they put us all on this double decker monster bus. Amazing. The bus ran us to a parking lot across from that park and the red bridge. The park had pay toilets - it sounds like you know exactly where this is.

Yes, we pre-booked. We had a big group (90) and we were with Legends Tours https://www.legendstours.be/ in Bruges. Nicolas of Legends recommended them. They take you a parking lot by a city park and a big red bridge. From there you walk into Bruges about 5-10 min. Easy peasy. They picked up our group at the end of our time in the city with plenty of time to spare but they were running buses every 30 minutes from that parking lot for everyone else using them.

We did Cruise Express and it was wonderful. Nice bus. Very easy.

Did International Friends from Southampton to Bath and Windsor, drop off at our hotel in London. Big win. Well done and very professional. A good day.

LAST ONE - A THANK YOU AND SUMMARY Here is my last post. We disembarked and enjoyed two great days in London (the Roman baths in Bath and Windsor Castle, and ended with a unique, personalized spy tour and seeing Agatha Christie's “Mousetrap”!). Thanks to all who have commented with kind words. A couple of quick notes if you don’t want to read everything: * Norway weather is very undependable. Our weather was perfect but I can’t guarantee that, of course. lovesthebeach2 said “layers” and “rain jacket” (which is not hijacking the thread) and that is 105% accurate. * The fjords are amazing and you want to be out on deck (not in your room where you can only see one side of them) for the sail-in. * You can’t see the Northern Lights in Norway in the summer because the sun doesn’t go down (or doesn’t stay long enough for it to get dark enough). Plus you really need to go further north than we did to see them at their best. * Norway is more impressive than Alaska in many ways. It doesn’t have the wildlife Alaska has but the topography, mountains, fjords and waterfalls are unmatched. It’s not even close. Sorry, Alaska - I love you and have been to see you 3x, but them's the facts. Norway wins. If you’re telling yourself, “I’ve been to Alaska, so I don’t need to go to Norway,” you need to rethink that. * The Infinite Veranda staterooms are wonderful and should be experienced personally before you decide that all the online criticism is correct. No, they aren’t for everyone. No, they aren’t a true balcony (and no, you can’t start up that argument here). Yes, it’s a really cool idea that works super well for many people. * What Celebrity is doing with its Edge class ships is incredible. For a certain demographic (raises hand - it’s me!) this is exactly what you’d want in a cruise ship. * The best gadget I’ve ever bought for my wife (who hates gadgets and never uses them) is a cell phone tether. She has a tendency to set her phone down in stores and especially in the restroom and then walk off and leave it (like in Yellowstone NP and not realize it until we were a half mile down the trail and it was snowing). She started with the Koala tether (google it) but this trip she used this simpler version. I used one too. It is a game changer. It eliminates that business of “where’s my phone?” and the constant pat down of all your pockets to find it. Talk about eliminating some stress! We will not travel without one ever. * We don’t have another cruise sked for a while, so I’ll probably taper off checking Cruise Critic in the next couple of days. But I don’t want to miss your question - so if you need me, just send me an email, and I’d be glad to do my best to assist you. So many helped make our Norway trip special so I’m glad to “pay it forward” by helping you. Again, my thanks to Cruise Critic. The boards here make a world of difference in your preparation for a cruise. And let me say one final time: there is no place on earth like Norway. You must go see it for yourself!

That is super helpful. We did Bath and Windsor and had enough time at both (though a little rushed at Windsor). But this is very helpful info. Thank you.

We weren't cold but then again - most days it was in the mid 60s and sunny. I used a t-shirt or sweatshirt (depending on the forecast) and a Heat Gear puffy jacket and that was enough. Thought about bringing lined jeans and was glad I didn't. Just didn't need them. Geiranger was really the only place it got cold and that was up on the Mount Dalsnibba overlook (5000') where it was snowing! A good beanie cap helped a LOT on the Geiranger RIB boat excursion. If your ears are warm you're warm. If they're not, you're miserable. I don't have a list of tour guides - maybe I need to put that together - but I think they're all mentioned in the reports. Thanks for reading. You'll love Norway. It's absolutely unfathomably beautiful. Remember, the ports aren't the point. Get on deck for the entire fjord sail in!