StillGoinStrong

We are going on the Homelands trip later this summer.  Would like some information about what folks did in Stockholm and Bergen because we have extensions to our cruise in both cities.  We are not "foodies," so we don't want to spend priceless time eating when you could be seeing historic sights.  We enjoy learning from a museum, but don't enjoy spending lots of our time inside a museum.  Also would like to know if anyone has visited the Stutthof Concentration Camp instead of a Gdansk tour.  Thanks in advance for any information.

On 8/4/2019 at 8:23 PM, Coral said:

Perfect - could you tell what company the guide you had through out the trip worked for?

We are considering the Classic Italy 6 Day Princess Cruisetour, as opposed to doing a Princess Med cruise, and spending two or three days in Rome prior to boarding ship on our own.  If anyone has taken this cruisetour, could you please tell us if you have time to actually go into Vatican City, actually tour and see the Sistine Chapel, as opposed to a drive-by.  Not being able to spend time in the Vatican St. Peter's Square/Museum area/Sistine Chapel would be a deal breaker.  Thanks in advance for any advice.

We are interested in visiting the Mediterranean; trying to see as much as we can in one visit.  We are especially interested in visiting the buildings of antiquity, so are interested in Rome and Athens for sure.  We've been to Europe and have seen many cathedrals;, so cathedrals aren't a must for us.  We're trying to visit the Mediterranean in one visit, so are looking for at least a 14 day cruise, with a pre and post in Rome and Athens.  Some cruises  itineraries include ports in Turkey, which also sounds intriguing.  Most importantly, we want to experience the scenery of the Med, see the Amalfi Coast, walk the cobblestone streets of the most scenic ports.  Any suggestions would be most appreciated.  As yet, have not found what we're looking for.  Back to back 7 day cruises would also be a possibility.  Also would like to know if Rome and/or Athens are doable in one day, if they land in the middle of a Med itinerary.

Both cities have walkable areas as well as more remote sights that require public transit. Since you have at least one day in Bergen either way, the choice is more a matter of preference. Oslo is a much bigger city, which means there’s more there, but it also means that it has a bit less character. Whereas Bergen is a small historic Hanseatic port, Oslo is more like the other Scandinavian capitals.

 

If you like museums or art, I would do the 2 days in Oslo, so you can see more there. You can see a lot of Bergen in one day, so you wouldn’t be missing out on too much.

Thank you for the information. We're not familiar with Scandinavian capitals (this is our first time to Scandinavia). However, we have been to Bruges and we enjoyed everything about the history and charm there. We like to visit historic buildings, walk the city to really get the "feel" of the place, and also like to be able to see some of the countryside, if possible. We're not really interested in museums, as such. We're getting the feeling that Oslo is more museums, art, and cosmopolitan; whereas Bergen may be more walkable and scenic. Is this correct?

We are considering the Viking Homelands cruise with a post extension. Viking offers two choices: 2 nights in Oslo OR 1 night in Bergen & 1 night in Oslo. Which would be recommended? The last port of call is Bergen, so you would already have had 1 day in Bergen. There are no tours included with the 2 nights in Oslo extension. There is a tour in Bergen and a tour in Oslo included in the 1 night I Bergen & 1 night in Oslo extension. We don't know which to choose. How much time do you need to see each city? Are they walkable cities; since there are no tours offered in one of the extensions.

We are going on a Princess cruise to the British Isles with ports of call: St. Helier, Milford Haven Wales, Edinburgh Scotland (we are going to the Military Tatoo), and Dublin Ireland. We are only interested in booking an excursion through the ship. The excursions are quite expensive and so would like some advice on which to excursion to book at each port. Since we will probably not ever be back to the British Isles, we would like to see as much as possible at each port. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

We are going on a river cruise later this month. We are doing a post-cruise two day in Lucerne. The optional excursions in Lucerne are very expensive and require good weather. My question: If we wait until we arrive in Lucerne, will we be able to book the Titlis Rotair for the next day (to be sure the weather is cooperating -visibility), or will it be fully booked?

We're going on the Regal Princess in October, Canada/New England. The purpose of any excursion would be to see as much of the "must see" in each port. These are the ports and the names of the ship-sponsored excursions we're considering:

in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Peggy's Cove & Hop on Hop Off

in St. John's, New Brunswick

St. John Highlights, Baby of Fundy, Light Lunch (worth the $130/each?)

in Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor Highlights & Lobster Bake (worth the $130/each?)

in Boston, Massachusetts

Harvard, Lexington, Concord & Boston Highlights (leaves no time for exploring Boston on our own)

OR

Historic Boston & Cambridge Scenic Drive (leaves about 4 -5 hours time to explore Boston on our own)

in Newport, Rhode Island

Newport Cliff Walk & the Breakers

We're not going to be renting a car - not that adventurous when on ship's time frame.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Thanks for all the great information. Yes, it is the Regal (thanks, no telling what would have happened when we got to Red Hook and were looking for the Royal :-). Our plans are to fly in on Friday, go directly to the hotel (hopefully an early check-in (late AM), or at least leave our luggage at the desk), go to the Memorial/Museum, back to the hotel for the night, leave for Red Hook cruise port Saturday. Looks like lower Manhattan is the best bet. Would like information on the cost of taxi (we're not interested in subway/bus.etc.) between these places. Also, a place to eat lunch and or dinner (American cuisine, but not break the bank; what to expect to pay?).

In early October, 2015, we are going to be flying into (probably) LaGuardia, landing early morning, 9AM. We will be sailing on the Royal Princess leaving from Red Hook the next day. We would like to go see the 911 Memorial and Museum the afternoon of the day we fly in. We would like to know what affordable lodging, in a safe area, you would suggest in Brooklyn. Also, any information on public transportation between these three places would be greatly appreciated.

Will be in Nassau in Feb. 7AM to 2PM. Would like to see sights in Nassau: Gov. House (change of guards, time?), climb Queen's Staircase, Ft. Fincastle & Ft. Charlotte. Also see the Dig and Predator Lagoon in Atlantis. Considering the RCL-sponsored excurs. to Atlantis: is it worth the $59pp to book thru the ship? Is it worth our time to see Atlantis? The ship's excur. takes from 9:30 - noon. Does that leave any time to explore the sights in town? If so, can we do it on foot? Or can we do it all on our own? Two couples. Thanks