Back from kind of a crazy trip

[Micca]

DW and I have just returned from our cruise on the Disney Fantasy. Lots of planning for months in advance for flights, port excursions, etc. It was a British Isles cruise--LIverpool, Scotland, Ireland...until it wasn't.

We flew to London a few days early and late on a Saturday afternoon prior to a Monday departure, we are notified by DCL that due to a big storm in the Irish sea, we weren't going to any of our planned stops, but would instead be making three stops in Norway, one in Belgium. We were given the opportunity to cancel, but because we were already in England, we decided to roll with it and take the revised cruise.

First step: Cancel all the port excursions for the original itinerary, and try to book something at the new destinations. Next, we had to do some shopping for clothes suitable for the change in climate for going to Norway. Norway was a bucket list item for us, and we had already been to most of the places on the original route, so this was only a minor disappointment.

We had a really good time, and due to cancellations from many of the passengers, the ship wasn't jam packed with people. Cruising through the fjords of Norway was awesome, and our visit to Brugge in Belgium was also
a treat. Needless to say, a substantial supply of Belgian chocolate is now in our pantry

As is my tradition on long trips, I have returned home with some kind of a bug, so I'll be paying a visit to my doctor later this morning

 

[kdonnel]

Did you have travel insurance?

I have read stories of people with travel insurance and missed port clauses getting large amounts of money back when there are last minute changes like you described.

Glad you rolled with the punches and had a great time.

 

[slo]

Good for you for continuing with the cruise after the changes. I probably would have canceled because I don’t do well with quick changes like that, which is something about me I’d like to change.

I’m glad you had a good time, and I bet it was nice having a ship with less people on it. It’s a bummer you’re feeling under the weather now, but hopefully that will change after you see the doctor. Sending a little PD your way to feel better soon

 

[Kitty 34]

Glad you could make the most of these changes, Ron.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

 

[ronandannette]

I’m sorry, but glad to hear you are not sorry. Looking forward to hearing a little about how Norway worked out, when you’re feeling up to it.

 

[leebee]

Go with the flow, Ron! Sorry to hear you are unwell (happens to me, too, after almost every flight) but glad to hear that the cruise worked out so well! Feel better soon!

 

[hardcorestitch]

I’d rather have ANY cruise than NO cruise at all… even if it meant a slight deviation. Who would want to turn down a Disney cruise? Of course, some contractual obligations like work/school are always understandable…

 

[Dan Murphy]

Lemonade from lemons. Good for you and Kitty, Ron. You guys did well. Now, shake that bug you picked up.

 

[John VN]

.....................................
As is my tradition on long trips, I have returned home with some kind of a bug, so I'll be paying a visit to my doctor later this morning

Glad to read that the trip turned out OK and just a good luck at the doctor's this AM.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Feel better! So glad you had a great trip

 

[Micca]

Looking forward to hearing a little about how Norway worked out, when you’re feeling up to it.

Norway is beautiful, this was essentially a fjords cruise, not sure the scenery gets much better. We weren't really able to arrange for any excursions due to the last minute nature of the port stops. In Olden we did this skylift experience which was cool. https://en.loenskylift.no/

Brugge was a highlight, so many historic sites. We did a walking tour and had a canal boat ride.

Otherwise we basically wandered around the villages, it was cool if not particularly exciting Stavanger was a more substantial stop, some historic sites and churches. Although we were very happy to experience Norway, we probably wouldn't go back. Maybe Oslo would be better?

And I'm back from the doc and it seems I have covid. It's weird after all we went through for 5 years and I never tested positive, now having spent the past couple of weeks on planes, on a ship, and Heathrow airport. I'm guessing this would have been more serious a few years ago, right now it's like I have a really bad cold. I'm all up to date on covid vaccinations, so this was essentially unavoidable (I mean, I could have stayed home, but what fun is that? Got some OTC meds and an ample supply of bottled water. Waiting to hear from the doc if there's anything else I need to do.

 

[soccerdad72]

I wonder if that storm is the reason our weather has been so crazy this week in Ireland? Even the locals are commenting on how much rain and wind they’ve been getting the past few weeks.

 

[Micca]

I wonder if that storm is the reason our weather has been so crazy this week in Ireland? Even the locals are commenting on how much rain and wind they’ve been getting the past few weeks.

We have friends doing a back-to-back cruise which was supposed to be basically the same as what we experienced. The weather was so bad it has wreaked havoc on the itinerary. Enjoy Ireland even with the lousy weather

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I wonder if that storm is the reason our weather has been so crazy this week in Ireland? Even the locals are commenting on how much rain and wind they’ve been getting the past few weeks.

Yes, storm Amy is also affecting Ireland. Im in Dublin and the last week have been very high winds and lots of heavy rain.

 

[mmouse37]

Glad you still cruised and had a great time. Sometimes the unexpected is more enjoyable than the planned trip!! We had a similar story a few years ago when Hurricane Matthew was coming up the east coast. We had a DCL cruise out of New York and DCL did not tell us anything until the night before that our Bahamian cruise would now be a Canadian cruise. We live very near the port so switching out clothes while a pain, was not a huge deal. I really felt for people who flew in from other destinations and did not have any cold weather clothing.

DCL did offer a full refund if you decided not to cruise but we decided to still go. We got a nice discount and onboard credit and the ship was pretty empty due to many cancellations. So empty in fact that they did away with the two dinner seatings and combined everyone into one sitting about 7:00 pm which was great!!

MJ

 

[Dan Murphy]

Norway is beautiful, this was essentially a fjords cruise, not sure the scenery gets much better. We weren't really able to arrange for any excursions due to the last minute nature of the port stops. In Olden we did this skylift experience which was cool. https://en.loenskylift.no/

Brugge was a highlight, so many historic sites. We did a walking tour and had a canal boat ride.

Otherwise we basically wandered around the villages, it was cool if not particularly exciting Stavanger was a more substantial stop, some historic sites and churches. Although we were very happy to experience Norway, we probably wouldn't go back. Maybe Oslo would be better?

And I'm back from the doc and it seems I have covid. It's weird after all we went through for 5 years and I never tested positive, now having spent the past couple of weeks on planes, on a ship, and Heathrow airport. I'm guessing this would have been more serious a few years ago, right now it's like I have a really bad cold. I'm all up to date on covid vaccinations, so this was essentially unavoidable (I mean, I could have stayed home, but what fun is that? Got some OTC meds and an ample supply of bottled water. Waiting to hear from the doc if there's anything else I need to do.

Sounds interesting, Ron. Unexpected can sometimes be good too.

And good to hear your COVID is a mild case, as it should be if you are up to date on your vaccines. I had my 10th shot about six weeks or so ago, will get my next one before end of year. Moderna now has one for seniors, similar to the senior flu shots they've had for a number of years. Relax and hydrate.

 

[Micca]

Relax and hydrate.

Thanks Dan! This is something at which I actually excell