28 days to go wowsers

Arcadia cruises in 2014

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bellybee
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28 days to go wowsers

#1

Post by bellybee »

When we got off of our cruise last year I never dreamed we would be going back a year later but here we are with less than a month to go before we get back on arcadia for our cruise around Iceland. I am very excited and a little apprehensive as there are a lot more sea days on this cruise with a chance of rougher weather but we didn't have any sickness before so hopefully we will be fine. We did have trouble getting our land legs back though it took about a week so if anyone knows anything that helps with this we will both be grateful.


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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

#2

Post by Quizzical Bob »

bellybee wrote:
When we got off of our cruise last year I never dreamed we would be going back a year later but here we are with less than a month to go before we get back on arcadia for our cruise around Iceland. I am very excited and a little apprehensive as there are a lot more sea days on this cruise with a chance of rougher weather but we didn't have any sickness before so hopefully we will be fine. We did have trouble getting our land legs back though it took about a week so if anyone knows anything that helps with this we will both be grateful.
My wife takes Stugeron, available from Boots and others, but the movement never bothers me. We are on this cruise with you so I suppose we should start looking at tours :)

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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

#3

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Trish swears by Stugeron too, and also has wrist bands. Although she too is not a good sailor with the combination she's never actually been ill.

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

#4

Post by Dark Knight »

we are off to Iceland in August, I look forward to the reports of the country
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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by bellybee »

Thanks everyone we will try sturgeon. We never suffered on board only after we got home :(

QB - have you been Iceland before we have booked the golden circle and jewels of the north tour. Pricier than I was hoping but thought with going to such an amazing dramatic place want to see as much of it as possible

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by Kenmo1 »

Hello Bellybee

your post made me realise it was time to start thinking about what dresses to take to Iceland. Because I have been on Onelife's diet I have lost weight and a lot of my clothes no longer fit well. I found a size 16 dress in the wardrobe which I bought about 8 years ago and only wore it for a couple of formal nights. I took it to a dressmaker but she is under pressure doing wedding dresses for June brides so couldn't help me so I have tried doing it myself. Bearing in mind that I hate needlework (years ago at school we had to make some night clothes and it took me a full school year to do what everyone else did in a term) you will understand that it is a long and painful experience with lots of swear words, especially when I am taking about 10 minutes every time I have to thread a needle. But finally tonight I finished the alterations. I have asked my daughter-in-law to call round tomorrow to see if she thinks it is all right and if it looks OK in daylight then hopefully any mistakes won't show up in the dark dining room.

So hopefully that is one dress ready. Now for sorting everything else. Have you started thinking about what to take yet?

Maureen


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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by Quizzical Bob »

bellybee wrote:
Thanks everyone we will try sturgeon. We never suffered on board only after we got home :(

QB - have you been Iceland before we have booked the golden circle and jewels of the north tour. Pricier than I was hoping but thought with going to such an amazing dramatic place want to see as much of it as possible
No BB, we are Icelandic virgins :) I don't suppose we shall go their again so I suppose we shall just have to book all the obvious tours. As for Kirkwall we are up near Thurso next week and I have booked a day trip from John O'Groats with a coach tour of the sights. That should take the pressure off when (and if) we get there with P&O. At least we won't have to brave the early scram for the tenders.

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by oldbluefox »

I found Iceland absolutely fascinating and quite unlike anywhere else we have been. I marvelled at its lovely waterfalls, huge lava fields and its mud pools and geysers. There was one place we visited which resembled something from another planet, devoid of vegetation, steam billowing out of the ground, mud pools and the ever present smell of sulphur. I'm sure you'll love it although you may not be so keen on the prices. Expensive? Oh yes!!

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by Kenmo1 »

oldbluefox wrote:
I found Iceland absolutely fascinating and quite unlike anywhere else we have been. I marvelled at its lovely waterfalls, huge lava fields and its mud pools and geysers. There was one place we visited which resembled something from another planet, devoid of vegetation, steam billowing out of the ground, mud pools and the ever present smell of sulphur. I'm sure you'll love it although you may not be so keen on the prices. Expensive? Oh yes!!
Quite agree OBF so we are going back for a 2nd time. We did the two trips which Bellybee has booked and we had no regrets as we saw some amazing things. This time we are just going to amble round the towns as we didn't have time to look round when we did the trips last time. Just hoping we see some whales as we are not prepared to pay £75 each with the risk of not seeing any.

Maureen

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Dark Knight
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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

#10

Post by Dark Knight »

we have contacted a highly recommended local tour company in Iceland to book their whale watching tour, which is identical to that offered by the cruise lines
and it is half the price of the trip from the ship, most cruise lines have a 40-50% mark up on all tours
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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by Boris+ »

That a good idea, but whilst I believe that a ship will wait for all it's own official tours to return, what is the situation if you are doing your own thing (if you're late for whatever reason, will the ship go on witihout you?).

Does this less costly outing involve land transport too?

Em

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by Kenmo1 »

Dark Knight wrote:
we have contacted a highly recommended local tour company in Iceland to book their whale watching tour, which is identical to that offered by the cruise lines
and it is half the price of the trip from the ship, most cruise lines have a 40-50% mark up on all tours
I have looked at some private trips from Akureyri as that area sounds quite good for sightings but my concern is the early departure times on this particular port because it says afternoon departure which I think is about 3pm ish. It is also marked as a possible tender port so that causes its own problems. I must admit these early departures are becoming a bit of the norm with PO and are not doing PO any favours.


Maureen

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by oldbluefox »

We did the Iceland trip which included Greenland as well. I remember the couiple of days across to Greenland being in dense fog - couldn't see a dicky bird and all you could hear was the foghorn from time to time. All very Marie Celestesque. However once the fog did clear the icebergs around Greenland were absolutely magnificent but in the whole trip we didn't see one whale (and I've yet to see one) so for all you whale watchers out there I hope you have better luck than I.

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by Kenmo1 »

oldbluefox wrote:
We did the Iceland trip which included Greenland as well. I remember the couiple of days across to Greenland being in dense fog - couldn't see a dicky bird and all you could hear was the foghorn from time to time. All very Marie Celestesque. However once the fog did clear the icebergs around Greenland were absolutely magnificent but in the whole trip we didn't see one whale (and I've yet to see one) so for all you whale watchers out there I hope you have better luck than I.
Luckily we had some close up sightings when we joined a whale watching trip out of Tadoussac in Canada - nose freezing weather but quite an experience and we also saw some Orcas from the back of Arcadia as we sailed from Costa Rica up to San Francisco. There were some sightings in the distance on the last Iceland trip but not close enough for that incredible feeling when you get a fairly close view.

I would love to visit Greenland but it is another of those places which seem to have disappeared from the PO itineraries.

Maureen

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

#15

Post by Dark Knight »

Hopefully we will get to see some whales from the ship and also on the tour, Lady D is looking forward to whale watching more than the cruise :crazy:
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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by Quizzical Bob »

We have seen whales many times from the ships but you have to look at the sea to see them! I've spoken to many experienced cruisers who say that they've never seen dolphins or whales and when I ask where they are looking they admit that they never go outside.

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by david63 »

Boris+ wrote:
That a good idea, but whilst I believe that a ship will wait for all it's own official tours to return, what is the situation if you are doing your own thing (if you're late for whatever reason, will the ship go on witihout you?).
You are quite right Em that in normal circumstances the ship will not wait for passengers who are late back and it will then be incumbent upon those passengers to get themselves to the next port of call at their own expense (I have known of instances when the cruise line have done this - but it was exceptional)

However any reputable local tour operator will, if he wants to stay in business, ensure that you are back to the ship before it sails - effectively no different from any other form of diy at a port, and arguably more reliable.


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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

#18

Post by Boris+ »

We've seen whales from the ship when we did the outing in Hawaii. I just wish I'd booked on a whale watching trip then, because although what we saw was awesome, it would have been more so from sea level. We were sat on our balcony on deck 7, so quite high up) having breakfast, and we were so entranced by the whales that breakfast was left to go cold.

Anyway, I hope that your trip is wonderful, and that when you've done the whale watching excursion that you'll be full of really fabulous memories of a great trip.

Em


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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

#19

Post by bellybee »

We are really hoping to see whales too and have borrowed my father in laws binoculars just in case. I wanted to book whale watching tour but was so pricy and the two ports it goes from are the two we have planned out.

I got my last dress sorted recently so I have four formal dresses, I struggle with semi formal and casual I will just wear what I do in the day. I have a packing spread sheet as I am that sad lol

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by jacksparrow »

I did Iceland, Norway and Ireland on Artemis, it was a 15 night cruise and was brilliant…. I have been looking at doing this one but cannot decide. :crazy:
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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by Dark Knight »

I just got an e mail from the Icelandic tour company
their whale watching trip is exactly half the price of the cruise company one, so guess who we have booked with and they guarantee that you will be back in plenty of time for the sail out, they put this in writing

so no unfounded worries about missing the ship and no reason to book with the cruise line
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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

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Post by Kenmo1 »

Dark Knight wrote:
I just got an e mail from the Icelandic tour company
their whale watching trip is exactly half the price of the cruise company one, so guess who we have booked with and they guarantee that you will be back in plenty of time for the sail out, they put this in writing

so no unfounded worries about missing the ship and no reason to book with the cruise line
Pleased for you and your wife, DK. Any idea at this stage if you are mooring or tendering in and what time you leave the port?

Any thoughts of us doing any type of excursion in June have just gone out the window today as we have just agreed to have the old garage door and frame replaced - it started off just being a replacement lock and some rubber or such along the bottom of the door to stop the rain blowing in and part of the wooden frame being replaced but by the end of the conversation we had agreed to a new garage door and metal frame being put in just before we go on holiday. Suckers :roll:

Maureen

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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

#23

Post by Dark Knight »

We are mooring and arrive at 08.00 and leave at 17.00, so plenty of time to do the tour plus a bit of a stroll round Reykjavik

Maureen, Pm me and I will send you the name of the company we are using, the trip is £45 each, so might be doable
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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

#24

Post by Kenmo1 »

Dark Knight wrote:
We are mooring and arrive at 08.00 and leave at 17.00, so plenty of time to do the tour plus a bit of a stroll round Reykjavik

Maureen, Pm me and I will send you the name of the company we are using, the trip is £45 each, so might be doable
Thanks DK for the offer. We looked at Elding Tours and Viator in Reykavik, both around the same price as you have been quoted Elding has tours 2.5 hrs to 3.5 hrs starting 9 am and 10am and 13.00 but the itinerary on the cruise personaliser only says arrive morning (no specific time) and depart early evening. Akureyri says arrive early morning plus possible tender and depart afternoon. Very vague timings but I looked on a port site for Iceland and Arcadia is shown as 8am to 18.00 for all three Icelandic ports which is not necessarily what PO are saying. We really wanted Akureyri for whale watching rather than Reykavik as we would like to have a good look round Reykavik this time as we didn't look round last time. We will possibly take pot luck in Akureyri when we get off the ship and know exact departure time.

Just a word of advice - when we saw the whales in Canada my husband spent so long videoing them that I felt he missed out on actually enjoying the spectacle just looking through a screen - he might as well have just seen them on TV. Maureen


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Re: 28 days to go wowsers

#25

Post by Quizzical Bob »

Kenmo1 wrote:
Just a word of advice - when we saw the whales in Canada my husband spent so long videoing them that I felt he missed out on actually enjoying the spectacle just looking through a screen - he might as well have just seen them on TV. Maureen
This is quite common. If you're not careful you'll miss the moment. At my daughter's graduation I was starting to take photographs and then I remembered that I ought to see her actually receive her degree so I stopped and watched instead. At the D-Day 50th anniversary flypast over the Solent I was starting to take photos and once again I realised that I could wither enjoy the moment or try to look at the photos later. When we went to the Hermitage with P&O there was a large group of people crushing to see the only two Leonardo da Vincis that they have there and we had a few seconds each in front of them. Almost everybody insisted on holding their cameras/phones up in front of them in order to take a photo. What on earth is the point of that? You can get a photo anytime with a quick bit of googling.

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