markfull

We've done a few cruises over the years but are new to Fred. and have a couple of questions!

We have always opted for 'flexible' dining but this is not currently an option of Bolette. When we booked only the 8.30pm sitting was available and, depite feeling this is a little late for us, we preferred it to 6pm - far too early for us. My question is, are the theatre shows repeated later in the evening or is it a case of catching the show before dinner?

Also, does anyone have any experience of using a small drone (sub 250g) either from on the ship or on excursions? I have registered as an operator & pilot with the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority and have full public liability insurance, so should be OK from a Norwegian Authority point of view but wondered if anyone knows of Fred's stance on the issue?

TIA

On 12/26/2022 at 12:21 PM, Izzywiz said:

We have done 2 ‘Northern Lights’ cruises and these are notes from my diaries that may be of help. Our cruises were in late February so it may be slightly warmer when you go in March. Layers of clothing is definitely the right way to dress when outside.

This is a list that I made after our first trip

Brought/forgotten - used/not used.

Forgotten

Highlighter pens

Polo shirts

Casual, thin day wear for around the ship

 

Brought and used.

Thermal vests, long johns, socks.

Water/wind proof jacket

Fleeces to layer

Scarf

Neck warmer

Thick hat with ear protectors 

Thermal gloves

Silk glove liners

Camera tripod

Snow/lined waterproof boots

Crutch/walking stick ice spike

Hand/foot warmer gel pouches

Brought and not used

Ski goggles

Crampon studs

 

 

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We have visited all of your ports so here is some info that may be useful:

Trondheim Port

• the port is quite industrialised.
• There isn’t a terminal building 
• It is a 2km walk into the town centre
• Ship’s tour busses are parked a short walk from the gangway 
• I didn’t see independent tours or taxi tours being offered at the port

Trondheim Town

• There are plenty of shops and food outlets

• the town centre is quite picturesque with a river bordered by historic, colourfully painted warehouses.
• The cathedral is attractive and the wooden bridge is almost Chinese in its design.

 

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Alta.

Alta Port

• The ship docks at an industrial pier on the outskirts of the town.
• There isn’t a terminal building 
• Tour busses and shuttle busses are parked about 100m from the gangway.
• I didn’t see any taxis or independent tours being offered.
• The town is approximately 3 miles from the port.
• It is a 15-minute journey and a 5km walk.

Alta Town.

 

·         The town is small and 'modern' with 60s style architecture.

·         There is a regular free shuttle service from the ship to the town square.

·         There is not a lot to see in the town except for the tourist information centre by the bus drop-off point, the cathedral and the shopping mall which is opposite the bus park.

·         The shopping mall has a food court, a variety of shops and a supermarket. I thought prices were very high.

 

 

 

 

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Tromso Port

• the port is industrial
• It is situated about 2 miles out of the city centre.
• There isn’t a terminal building
• The shuttle busses and ship’s tour busses depart from the bottom of the gangway
• I didn’t see any taxis or private tour companies but couldn’t see all the parking area so there may have been some.
• There was a shuttle service into Tromso town centre which was free for us but £10 for those on a saver fare for unlimited journeys.

Tromso City

• the city centre has a wide variety of ships and eating outlets
• There are walkways along the harbour area.
• There appeared to be boat trips and sightseeing tours being offered but I’m not sure if they were running while we were there

Cable car

• I had done my research online at home so I knew that it was possible to get a bus from the town centre to the cable car.
• The Bus stop for bus #26 was quite close to the shuttle bus drop off point.
• Busses were quite frequent
• Tickets must be purchases from the ticket machine (Instructions can be accessed in English) by credit card before boarding. Unfortunately, this machine wasn’t working so we bought our tickets at the shop across the road… NOK40pp = £3.30pp
• Tickets must be validated on the machine on the bus.
• The journey takes about 20 minutes and the driver will call out when to get off.
• There is a short walk to the lower station where the ticket office is situated.
• Tickets are NOK280PP = £20.  or NOK220pp = £18 or pensioners
• Each car holds about 20 passengers 
• At the top there is a cafe, toilets, a viewing platform and access to open space where people were skiing etc.
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Bodo Port 

• the port is small and situated close to the town centre.
• There isn’t a terminal building so tour busses were waiting at the bottom of the gangway.

Bodo town

• the town centre is a short walk from the port.
• It is a typical modern small Norwegian town with plenty of shops, a harbour and marina, good quality housing and some rugged countryside.
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and lastly some Borealis pictures. these were taken on my iphone from the ship's deck

 

 

 

I hope tou have a wonderful time

Thanks for all your effort - great information that will come in handy! I'm sure we'll have a great trip!

2 hours ago, hallasm said:

it is actually not that cold in Alta in March. The average temperature in Alta in March for a typical day ranges from a high of 35˚F (2˚C) to a low of 13°F (-10°C). 
But looking for the northern lights is a stationary and prolonged stay under the open night sky.  On open ship decks it can also feel much colder due to wind.

Best way to dress for the cold is dress in layers.

Use many thin, warm layers rather than a few thick layers. It will insulate better and allow you to strip off layers if the temperature rise.
Also remember to wear more than one layer on your legs. 

Use water proof and insulated boots and wear  warm socks. Wool is best, alternatively good synthetic fleece socks. You can also layer socks.
Personally, I don't like shoe grips.  In snow and ice, I use hiking boots with a good grip.

Use a good quality coat, parka, or jacket. For the coat, the thicker the better,. Can either be synthetic jacket, a wool pea coat, or a down jacket. 

A warm hat is a must as well as  comfortable, warm gloves or mittens. Fingers and hands are very vulnerable to the cold, so keep them covered.

If necessary, use a scarf to cover the face.

Thanks for the tips!

1 hour ago, twotravellersLondon said:

 

We've been in Norway, Finland or Sweden during winter over 10 times over the last 20 years and most of these trips have been cruise based. Essential the weather varies tremendously both from day to day but also depending on latitude and distance from the coast. Think what it was like in the UK a week ago and what it's like now.

 

By the end of March you should expect temps between about freezing to somewhere up as high as 10˚C in the south and below freezing in places like Alta in the north. Roads and paths will normally be free of ice and snow and are usually well gritted... but in places you may be walking over compacted snow. The really cold bits are on deck where wind chill will pull temperatures down to well below freezing, tripping off to see the Northern Lights and standing in the freezing cold for several hours and getting on or off the ship... especially if a wind is blowing.

 

We've a full range of arctic gear having been of a number of expeditions towards the poles so we're spoilt for choice. 

 

The essentials that we would take are full body thermal base layers, thermal socks, a couple of pairs of thermal water proof gloves and under gloves, We use thermal snoods that double as neck scarfs and face coverings and, because we spend a lot of time on the deck, thermal/fur hats and under caps. In addition we pack thermal fleece lined trousers arctic/alpine parkas. To be honest... you might not need so much stuff in March and it may just feel like a winter day at home... many people manage with less... but on the other hand we've gone on a Northern Lights trip with Fred and a good number of people have stayed in the bus until it went back because they were just too cold. The best sighting of the Northern Light that we've seen have always been at night and from the ship at sea... two or three hours doing that can be really bitter. 

 

We do have ice grips and they can be very useful... we've been in Tromsø in March with a foot of ice on  the quay but... ice-grips need to be taken off when going into most buildings or back onto the ship so we tend to use thermal snow boots instead. We always feel a bit silly if we've taken too much but would never forgive ourselves if we missed out on something sensational because of the cold.

 

I attach some pics taken while on different Fred cruises in March to give a better idea of what you might expect.

 

We're up there again this year about the same time as yourselves but not with Fred this time.

 

Good luck with the lights and have an enjoyable holiday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for the info - very helpful. Hopefully we will get photos as beautiful as yours!

We are booked on a Fred Olsen cruise (In Search of The Northern Lights) in March 23, going as high as Alta in northern Norway.
This is the first time we have done an Artic cruise and would like advice as to what clothing to take for the excursions we have booked! Obviously warm stuff but has anyone under, or over, estimated what they would need? Are shoe grips necessary, face coverings etc?

My wife feels the cold a lot more than I do (I have a lot more natural insulation, if you see whet I mean! But then again, a greater surface area through which to lose heat!!) and is begining to fret about what to take!!

TIA.

Thanks all!

We are considering a Northern Lights cruise from Newcastle in March '23 , sailing on Bollette.

We've not sailed with Fred before and have a few questions that I hope someone can help with!

• There's the possibility of getting a free drinks and tips package if we book soon - is it worth it (a 9 night cruise) or are we likely to get a better deal nearer the time?
• Does anyone know the sort of price one pays for the speciallity dining?
• I hear that there are Terrace Cabins, where there is  patio door to the deck - does anyone have experience of them? Not sure I'd like the rest of the passengers wandering past our cabin!
• Is 'freedom dining' available?
• Does the retractable roof cover the pool area?
• What currency is used on board?

I think that's it - for now!

Thanks in advance

We have in past cruised several times with P&O and Thompson/TUI and are considering a Northern Lights cruise with Fred Olsen, mainly because they sail out of Newcastle; a lot easier to get to from Yorkshire than Southampton!

We will both in in our early 60s when we plan to sail and neither of us is a 'party person' but we do enjoy freedom dining and good entertainment.

Of the ships we have sailed on, Britania was a bit too big for our liking!

The FO ship we're looking at is Bolete, one of their recent additions.

Any comments welcome! TIA

Is it possible to download the App prior to leaving th UK or do we have to wait until on-board?

Thanks

We're on Explorer 2 in 10 days for a 1 week cruise.

Does anyone have any idea of the prices charged for the speciality restaurants, even better if you have menu details? 😀

We're doing the Mediterranian Gems cruise on Explorer 2 from Naples 9th Oct.

This is the 1st time we've done the Med and are wondering what the weather is likely to be like at this time of year, so we know what to pack!

We're looking forward to it (except the reported chaos at Naples airport!!). Normally do the trans-atlantic with P&O but have done TUI once before (before the Marella days) to Norway and we fancied a change!

Thanks!

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I might be wrong, but I think you have to be Mediterrean or up to get the magazine? Anyway, it only gives the team up to November of this year.

We're on Britannia sailing from Southampton 26 Oct. Any details would be welcome!

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The reason I ask is that, on the 2 P&O cruises we've done so far the difference between the Cruise Directors was marked!

The 1st was absolutely brilliant, always seen about and getting involved, humorous announcements etc. The 2nd, whilst seemingly very competent, just wasn't as engaging!

Ditto the captains, to a lesser extent.

I feel that because of this my posting is quite valid. If my enquiry seems pointless to some people (which they have every right to think) then maybe they should just ignore it!

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Yo need to check your Moments magazine (from Peninsular Club). The list is usually towards the end

Can it be downloaded?

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Does anyone know how we find out who's on the senior team for a particular cruise (particularly Captain and Ents Manager/Cruise Director?

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Moments magazine is published by P&O twice per year. You neeed to be a member of the Peninsular club and on your Cruise Personaliser have opted in to receive post.

Thanks

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According to Moments magazine Neil Oliver is Ent. Manager until 26 Oct.

Unfortunately we join on 26th!

(By the way, what is 'Moments' magazine?)

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Can anyone let me know how to find out who will be the Cruise Director/Entertainment Manager on our cruise?

We're on Britannia late October.

Thanks

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Thanks for your replies, I’ve played safe and booked organised excursions but I will be doing some searching on the advice given to see what else may be available as it has turned out very expensive but does include a submarine ride and a tour over a rain forest canopy [emoji846]

 

 

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We've done 2 TA Caribbean cruises and about to do our 3rd!

Have done quite a few PO excursions and a couple of private ones. Have been looking at private ones this time but most seem more expensive than PO (unless I'm looking in the wrong places!).

St Lucia - did the full day By Land and Sea tour and really enjoyed it.

St Maarten - did snorkeling with PO and organised a private scuba trip the 2nd time.

Dominica - Aerial Tram through rainforest - brilliant

Antigua - snorkel with stingrays. Really good, so much so that we're doing it again this time!

We tend to do half day tours and then explore the locale in the afternoon, or grab a taxi to a beach.

Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

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Even if you upgrade your chartered flight, as we have, you still have to pay extra and can’t book seats until 14 weeks before the flight. We are flying from Manchester so extra £100 each and to upgrade to Premium on TC another £199 each + £50 each to book seats making a total of almost £700 on top of the cruise cost.

 

 

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Having said all that, we did the 15 night TA on Ventura (our 1st cruise) in 2010 and total price on this one is less!

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Hi Mark

 

It refers to the date you fly back so should be available on Saturday 4 August I think :)

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