MS Fram...

Hello....

I'm wondering if anyone out there has stayed in one of the MS Fram's aft cabins/suites with large balconies.

We're planning a trip for late 2008 and I'm curious if the better views are from one of the curved but slightly smaller balconies or from the larger center balcony...looking straight out the back of the ship.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's been on the ship already.

Thanks very much.

murphysmum;)

The Fram is a new ship to Antarctic - this will be her first season.

So if somebody has sailed with her, it will have been in some other destination...

Hard to say which is the best view, but if you are facing the stern you might enjoy the ballet of the sea birds that follow the ship during the Drake passage. On the other hand, my guess is that you will not hang around your cabin all that much, but I could be wrong...

Hello...

Thanks for the quick response. I didn't realize that she hadn't sailed to Antarctica yet.

I'll try another location for a response. Actually, I do like to spend a fair amount of time in the cabin. I enjoy the solitude and watching the wildlife and the sea.

Warmly,

murphysmum (Janed)

Hello murphysmum

From what I heard, she inaugurated on the Artic, and she is doing the first "Arctic to Antarctic" cruise!

The review is pretty good.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=406

Hope it helps!

Just checking out the Fram for late 08 .

Did you decide on a suite ??

Hello...

Yes, I booked an aft suite for December '08. However, this was about nine months ago before prices had been finalized for end of '08. I was told to expect an approximately 25% increase in price from the price at the time which was about $7500 pp....don't have the figures right in front of me.

I left my credit card for deposit and have called a couple of times asking for final pricing and confirmation. I'm quite anxious to take this trip and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced a "time lag" with reservations for the MS Fram.

Thanks for any feedback anyone can give me. I'm a little obsessive and like to have airline tickets purchased about nine months before a trip....like to use AA miles.

Are you thinking about booking in December as well?

Best,

murphysmum (Janed)

Just saw the "new" offer of embarkation in the US.. which may suit us.

I'm having a bit of trouble working out the "grading" of this boat...

I/we would prefer to be quite comfy (in between penguin poo adventures)..... and there are a lot of things that I need to discover .

I'm just plain allergic to nickel and diming.. much happier to pay a bit more and then forget the cost and enjoy.. so for the longer run from the US we would probably shell for a suite...

Compared to ... Corinthian II and Explorer (now Minerva)....

Wine with meals .. all 3 ??

Coffee whenever (incl room service) .. CII/ Min yes .. Fram ???

Bubbly ..ditto

beer ( I am an aussie after all ... ) CII/MIn yes / Fram ??

Internet.. CII/ Min ???? / Fram ( 60norkron/hr)

Other add ons CII/ MIn .. none ?? Fram ???

Fram may have nicer (easier) tenders .. but no mention of who /when or in what language the talks are disseminated (tried to use a simpler word but failed)..

Big list of kweschins sending to ta asap ..

thanks for the reply.. you must have subscribed to the thread

Cheers

Just finished the 2/8 sailing and the New York Hurtigruten Office is slow to respond.

We were upgraded to a Q class suite as we were bumped from an earlier trip and they come HIGHLY recommended. The suites have beds instead of 2 singles. We did see folks on the stern decks and I think the view would be spectacular but do remember that the ride can be rough and the bow/stern can move if you're prone to seasickness.

As for food, there was always coffee/cakes/cookies/tea, etc available in both the coffeeshop and in the observation lounge. The food was hearty and you will be looking for ways to work it off, good thing you have some evercise eq and a sauna/hot tub. Our suite came with some champagne but we carried our own excellent wines on board. Prices are NOK which can shock the unwary but they are not out of line with other cruises w/good accommodations.

40% of our sailing were German; lectures in German/English and easy to comprehend onshore. The tender ops were slick, safe, excellent. Would not hesitate to sail on her again; planning on Greenland next year. Anything I can add?

Hi again...

I'm curious what the smoking policy is on the Fram. I just got off of the Azamara Quest. They had two designated smoking areas in convenient areas and the rest of the ship was smoke free. Everyone seemed pretty happy with this arrangement.

I prefer a cabin and dining area that are smoke free, although I'm not fanatical about it. Any info?

I've called the New York office for the 3rd time and they're now trying to find the reservation for which I left a deposit months ago. I see that someone was "bumped" due to over-booking? Is this usual for this cruise line? I've never been bumped from a guaranteed reserved cabin before.

Thanks for the info.

murphysmum:rolleyes:

Well, most cruise lines don't operate in Iceberg Alley. When Fram hit the glacier there was no damage mechanically but the two canceled cruises made for some interesting stories on board. We had a good travel agent specializing in Hurtigruten and she was able to run interference for us but they seem to be pretty confused in NYC.

I am violently allergic to smoke and the interior of Fram was no smoking as far as I could tell, with designated areas outside. There was some joking that 25' off the stern would be a good smoking zone and it was a bit disconcerting to go out on deck thru the blue cloud in that stunningly pristine environment. The smoking seemed to be less noticeable as the cruise wore on.

Other posters have discussed gear. Wool does work better for insulation and the single best thing I brought were liner gloves with grip palms for the railings. Their were sufficient for most of the landings as well.

I've called the New York office for the 3rd time

We found dealing direct with the Norwegian office was best with prompt sensible replies.

In Jan. 08 we stayed in suite 543 of the MV Fram. It is very large and smack in the center of the stern. It is larger than all of the other suites, except for 601 (which we didn't see). The ship is magnificent and we thought that suite was great. But, before you book the trip on the Fram, however, please read our "Critique on Our Antarctica Cruise on Hurtigruten’s MV Fram January 26, 2008 to February 3, 2008 by ALEDM" on the Antarctica Board. ALEDM

From what I understand, there are designated smoking areas on board the MS Fram.

From the information packed I received for our trip: (translated from Norwegian not verbatim)

"Smoking is only allowed in designated areas on board. No smoking in any of the cabins!

Please use the ashtrays placed on deck. Throwing cigarettebutts/stubs overboard is stricktly forbidden".

Hello Murphysmom

I had the chance to visit the Fram in Ushuaia.

She is a lovely ship, well designed and VERY confortable.

Their lecture halls have state of the art equipment, they have an internet cafe with WiFi (a friend who worked there as lecturer even managed to skype us from the ship). We met one of the Cruise Directors, Kerstin (or something similar) and she took us on a guided tour of the ship.

For the history buffs, the ship has some original artifacts from the original Fram in concession from some museum.

The only area big enough to acomodate all passengers is the restauran on the forward of the ship, and some of the briefings that require obligatory presence are held there.

The EL was not too enthusiastic for the new tenders, she said she would prefer a few old fashioned Zodiacs, but then, expedition staff tend to be biased this way.

We couldn't visit any cabin, but it they follow the same standart as the public areas we did visit, they must be very confortable indeed.

Just saw the "new" offer of embarkation in the US.. which may suit us.

 

I'm having a bit of trouble working out the "grading" of this boat...

 

I/we would prefer to be quite comfy (in between penguin poo adventures)..... and there are a lot of things that I need to discover .

 

I'm just plain allergic to nickel and diming.. much happier to pay a bit more and then forget the cost and enjoy.. so for the longer run from the US we would probably shell for a suite...

 

Compared to ... Corinthian II and Explorer (now Minerva)....

 

Wine with meals .. all 3 ??

Coffee whenever (incl room service) .. CII/ Min yes .. Fram ???

Bubbly ..ditto

beer ( I am an aussie after all ... ) CII/MIn yes / Fram ??

Internet.. CII/ Min ???? / Fram ( 60norkron/hr)

Other add ons CII/ MIn .. none ?? Fram ???

 

Fram may have nicer (easier) tenders .. but no mention of who /when or in what language the talks are disseminated (tried to use a simpler word but failed)..

 

Big list of kweschins sending to ta asap ..

 

thanks for the reply.. you must have subscribed to the thread

 

Cheers

We are going on the Minerva next February. It is pretty much all inclusive with wine and colas (premium drinks are extra). The price includes 2 nights in BA, and becomes really all-inclusive when you add the $600.00 internal air (includes all transfers). It is supposed to include all gratuites but I think the smaller ships still like money for their crew/party fund etc. I do not think they have room service.

Take no notice of Tia's post that expedition leader would prefer old fashioned zodiacs. I can guess why that might be (less work for them at the landing beach, ie scamble out of the zodiac yourself). As I have said in several posts & my review, the polarCirkel boats are far superior from a passengers point of view to a zodiac.

We decided that we should see South America and leave the antarctic for another time.

In January go to the Galapagos with celebrity , then have a stay at the Salto Chico in Torres Del Paine NP .. and finish it off with four nights on the Via Australis.. hopfully setting foot on one of my boyhood dream icons .. Cape Horn

Thanks for the info

Just finished the 2/8 sailing and the New York Hurtigruten Office is slow to respond.

We were upgraded to a Q class suite as we were bumped from an earlier trip and they come HIGHLY recommended. The suites have beds instead of 2 singles. We did see folks on the stern decks and I think the view would be spectacular but do remember that the ride can be rough and the bow/stern can move if you're prone to seasickness.

As for food, there was always coffee/cakes/cookies/tea, etc available in both the coffeeshop and in the observation lounge. The food was hearty and you will be looking for ways to work it off, good thing you have some evercise eq and a sauna/hot tub. Our suite came with some champagne but we carried our own excellent wines on board. Prices are NOK which can shock the unwary but they are not out of line with other cruises w/good accommodations.

40% of our sailing were German; lectures in German/English and easy to comprehend onshore. The tender ops were slick, safe, excellent. Would not hesitate to sail on her again; planning on Greenland next year. Anything I can add?

Friends and I are sailing in Feb 09 in the Antarctic. When you say you took your own wines on board, presumably for consumption in the cabin? I have no experience of NOK, so wondered what they charged for drinks, roughly?Also, any tips for this type of cruise would be most welcome. Thanks