gumby_ng

We've done Corsica and Toulon.

If you are at Ajaccio, then the ships docks right near everything. If you want to see other parts of the island then transport is needed.

For Toulon if you are docking at Villefranche, then the ferry to Toulon is about a 10 mins walk from the dock, very easy. There is a shuttle organized by the cruise line that leaves from the cruise dock but I think that costs 20E vs 2E for the ferry.

Because there are many factors that help us decide which cruise to pick. The actual ship is only one of them. We look at cruise line, itinerary, cost, cabin availability/location as a start. Everyone has different priorities.

1 hour ago, Joseph2017China said:

I don't carry anything valuable.....that stays home.  I'm on vacation, and my clothing is insured against loss with an annual travel insurance.  

 

But if you really want to carry expensive stuff, board after 1:00 and you can drop it off

 

Valuable does not always mean an expensive item that can be left at home. Medical items are the first thing that come to my mind. Valuable can also mean critical and irreplaceable.

2 minutes ago, Wineaux007 said:

We always check out our table when we first board, and if we don't like it, immediately see the Maitre'd to get it changed.  Why wait until it is time to dine?

True, I wasn't one of those in the line.

Just got off Visions where on the first night, everyone in line told everyone else that if they were ok with their table assignment to walk in. Everyone in line was requiring a change or additional help.

On 8/21/2022 at 1:32 AM, Flight96 said:

So happy I found this thread. I am very new to the photography stuff. I recently bought a Nikon D3500. I have the kit lens (18-55mm - 3.5-5.6) I did buy a 35mm 1.8 prime lens and a 70-300mm 4.5-6.3 telephoto lens.

 We are going on a river cruise in Sept on the Danube (Hopefully... :-} ). What lens(s) would you all recommend to take?

 Thanks in advance for your help !

Really depends on what kind of pics you like to take. In a place like Europe I just leave my 10-18mm on all day because that's what I love to shoot with. With previous cameras what focal lengths did you use most?

If you've never spent 4 or 5 days in Rome, I would choose Rome for the simple fact that there's more to see there in my opinion anyways. Yes, the transfers are more effort but so worth it to be in Rome pre or post cruise.

On 5/20/2022 at 8:40 AM, Oviedo32765 said:

For panoranic photos, I use my everyday lens (18-300mm) by taking a series of overlapping portrait photos to stitch together in post processing.

 

Of course before I take the final shots, I do a dry run of the sceen to guage how much of a focal length I want, and to find an exposure setting that will work for the entire pano. 

 

Here is a 13 frame panorama using a focal length of 190mm on a crop-sensor camera.

 

Google free stitching software if you need a program.

 

I assume here the post processing does some work here with the movement of the water? The advantage of an ultrawide vs stitching is where movement in the photo is involved.

This is too late for OP but for me a place like Alaska requires an ultrawide, especially for the pictures that I love to take. This would mean a mirrorless or DSLR, something with interchangeable lenses.

14 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

It worked really well.  It is not fast, but seems to get clothes cleaner than washing out in the sink.  Follow the directions exactly, don't over fill, don't use too much detergent, etc.  I carried the filled bag out to by the desk, and used my feet to swish all the clothes around for about 15 mins.  I found that easier than bending over using my hands.  Rinsing out was fairly easy using the shower, filling the bag, swishing without being latched/closed.  I did that twice b/c I hate soap residue.  Overall I will bring it again on a long cruise for a few things as needed.  

For those who can't get one or want a cheaper option, a dry-bag works too and comes in many different sizes and is more readily available. The one thing that the Scrubba I believe has is nubs in the inside of the bag to help with the scrubbing.

My biggest (un-obvious) tip if you wash clothes in the sink, squeeze/wring out the wet clothes in a towel before hanging. It will dry a lot faster. Other than that the obvious is to bring clothes that dry fast. I realize this is harder on a cruise for dinners, events, etc. so that's more of a personal decision.

Some ships don't have laundry facilities, so if you don't want to wash in the sink or send out for the cruise to do it (cost, special handling), you will need to make some sacrifices.

We one-bag carry-on backpack (< 35L) travel so pack all quick dry clothing. Never done it for a cruise but will be my first try in August as we'll be traveling around by train in Spain for 2 weeks before a cruise. Plan is to pack pants, polo and shirt (all quick dry) for dinners. So yes, it'll just be a shirt and tie for me on formal nights.

As you probably already know they've been having issues with security lines at Pearson lately. That being said, everyone's experience is going to depend on when they were there. If you are able to, I would get that earlier than normal so you have more time to deal with delays.

For me, my vacation starts as soon as we leave home for the airport. If you've got extra time after getting through security, just enjoy the time off.

On 5/15/2022 at 5:31 PM, MMMCruiser said:

I realize the temperature in Geiranger, Bergen, etc. will be cold in early May.  Does that also mean windy?  Are the seas very rough?  Looking at a RT from Amsterdam that has a very nice itinerary but concerned about the weather. 

We have been to N. Europe before and know how to layer our clothes, but I'm questioning whether standing outside on the ship for a couple of hours to watch the views in the fjords is really reasonable.  Do people do this?  Has anyone here sailed to Norway in early May?

Considering people around the world are outside for longer periods in lower temperatures, it surely is reasonable. Of course, that would depend on the person's tolerance and dressing warm enough. "Cold" is all relative. If you've experience similar temperatures either where you live or on trips, you should have some idea of your ability to do this. Personally I would be out there as much as possibly for this once in a lifetime type experience. But I do come from Ottawa, so I know what cold can be like and can tolerate being cold fairly well. Also, as you are on the ship one knows you are literally seconds away from being able to warm up.

7 minutes ago, Florida32 said:

So because it’s a third adult we are paying a lot more? 
 

I’ll check once the kids sail free is over. It seems like it’s almost every cruise I’ve looked at. 

Have you tried to just book 2 separate cabins?

This was the case of my recent booking on Vision for Aug 25th although I did book on another site with a group rate. The group rate only applied for categories with maximum 2 passenger. Adding a 3rd or 4th changed the category to a much more expensive base rate. Still got a very good rate so I'm happy the kids can have their own room. It will make things so much easier with more space and 2 bathrooms.

7 minutes ago, lasnev said:

Is this correct? On the MSC itinerary it shows two dots for Hellyselt/Geiranger stop with excursions departing from both ports/stops.

You're right, on the MSC USA website it says both which is good. I was on the cruise.com website which only showed Hellyselt.

37 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Just a thought---if you wait for next year, you will have a baby with you. That's a lot of work and will definitely crimp your cruising style.

I believe poster was talking about this year, beginning of May vs end of May.

That being said (although next May their child will be older), I think six months is a perfect time to travel with a baby. It's easier than when they start walking and get into their terrible twos.

53 minutes ago, goonerbyron said:

Hi all,

 

Looking for some advice as hoping to book a Norway cruise in May. Not something we’ve done before and we were originally planning for the very end of May but my wife is pregnant and would be over 24 weeks by then so not allowed so we are now looking at the beginning of May.. 

 

The beginning of the cruise is the same (Stavanger, Olden, Innvikfjoreen, Nordfjord) but it varies a lot on the 5th day..

 

- Early May Day 5 (Alesund only)

- Late May Day 5 (Hellesylt, Geiranger, Geirangerfjord, Sunnylvsfjorden cruise-by, Storfjorden cruise-by)

 

My question is will we be missing out on a lot by going on the Early May one instead? It seems like it from the itinerary but I haven’t researched all the stops yet. Wondering if we are just better saving it until next Summer…

 

Thanks for any help!

I've just started looking too and one of the thing I researched first was the ports. Alesund is basically the port that is at the mouth of the fjord in which Hellesylt and Geiranger are in. Geiranger was one of the stops I was hoping to make as the cruise into there is spectacular. So yes, you would miss something significant cruise wise. But, I believe you can take a separate boat trip from Alesund into the Fjord. The other more experienced posters can comment on this more and whether there is enough time, etc.

On the Canadian website they mention cancellation insurance but the US website only mentioned coverage for medical ($25000) and evacuation ($50000). I emailed to clarify but would the specific requirements listed on the US website be the requirements for all passengers? The Canadian website doesn't go into specific detailed requirements.

5 hours ago, JohnAlleb77 said:

 

For the opportunities in Nordfjordeid check out www.portofnordfjordeid.no and www.fjordex.no.. 

 

A very nice port with a great variety of excursions, both local and with a bit of traveling... But not in a deep fjord, only around 50km in from the coast. 

 

You can reach Geiranger from Nordfjordeid by bus.. www.fjordex.no 

It's not often a ship will stop in Hellyselt but not go on to Geiranger but from what I can see on the MSC site, this is the case. But I also see now that there is a public ferry that take about an hour so that is an option. With this stop on the MSC itinerary we could do both Flam and Geiranger on the same trip.

11 minutes ago, hallasm said:

Your  top four ports are located in long deep fjords.  Eidfjord and Nordfjordeid are at somewhat shorter fjords.
You should also consider what opportunities there are for activities in the individual ports - many are quite small and some have very limited activities on your own like Skjolden Hellesylt, Eidfjord and Nordfjordeid.
 I also think the choice of cruise line is important - personally I'm not a big fan of MSC.

Thanks for the info. I'm trying to find a cruise that does 2 of the top 3 of Flam, Geiranger and/or Olden but the only one I see is a P&O cruise during that month. The MSC one comes close visiting Flam and Hellesylt and yes they are a risk in terms of what to expect. Their price is hard to resist as I have 2 kids that would sail free or almost free. We would certainly go into it with lower expectations than other cruise lines. Sounds like we may have to make some compromises for port itineraries.

Planning a trip this August and wanted to do some Fjord cruising. From what I see in this thread and other threads, these are some of the ports with cruises into a fjord.

Would this be a reasonable order of choice for scenery and end port? Are there other ports I should be looking at?

Flam

Geiranger/Hellesyt (side-trip from Alesund)

Olden

Skjolden

Eidfjord

Nordfjordeid

Currently looking at

• MSC Grandiosa for Aug 14th (Copenhagen, Hellesylt, Alesund, Flaam, Kiel)
• Sky Princess for Aug 20th (Southampton, Haugesund, Skjolden, Olden, Trondheim, Honningsvag, Tromso, Gravdal, Alesund, Bergen)

Thanks!

Will be in port 8-6.

Are there any boat excursions I could book to visit beaches, caves, explore, etc.?

Even for just half a day as there are things in Corfu itself we would like to do.

Anyone else having issues with the website to book Accademia tickets? I choose the date and can go no further.

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On the Oosterdam August 12 to 18.

Looking for recommendations in Corfu.

Maybe a chance to get on a yacht for a tour?

2 adults and 2 kids (12and 10)

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