Just off Caribbean Princess - Fjords of Norway & North Cape...ask any questions

Just disembarked the Caribbean Princess this morning in Southampton, UK. We sailed the 15 day North Cape and Summer Solstice cruise (Fjords of Norway including the North Cape). I can answer any questions that you have about the ship, ports of call, excursions, etc. We are in London right now and I will be in bed soon with an early morning flight tomorrow (Sunday, June 28) which will have me out of pocket for a while as I travel back.

All in all, the cruise was life altering.....Norway is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and even though we did quite a bit of research before going on the trip, there was nothing that could quite prepare us for what we actually saw on this cruise.

Ask away if you ave questions.

do you have picture of the fjords do they speak English or kinda broken

Norwegians for the most part speak excellent English.

do you have picture of the fjords do they speak English or kinda broken

They speak perfect English so all is good. I will upload a photo or two when I land.

There's been a lot of discussion on CC regarding the condition of Caribbean Princess and the crew. Any comments you'd care to make - considering you have recent, first-hand experience?

There's been a lot of discussion on CC regarding the condition of Caribbean Princess and the crew. Any comments you'd care to make - considering you have recent, first-hand experience?

Great Question.....So the last two ships we have been on were the Royal Princess and the Regal Princess. So here goes:

Look and Appearance:

The Caribbean Princess is 14 years old if I am correct, but it is still in great shape. Everything worked perfect in our room, and everywhere we went on the ship. Are there some small rust stains on the balcony, etc....sure there are...I mean, 14 years of salt water will do that to a ship....but nothing really bad at all.

The Crew:

They were absolutely fabulous....probably one of the better crews we have sailed with in our 20 cruise history. Always smiling, always willing to help, and always willing to strike up a conversation with you.

The Food:

The food was OUTSTANDING. This was a 15 day cruise, so during that time we ate in the Main Dining Room (excellent each time), Lido (very good...especially during the seafood lunch which was incredible), Prego Pizza (really good), Sabatini's (meh), and The crown Grill (excellent...we ate there 4 times). THe pastries and other sandwiches in the International Cafe were also really good, and there were several times where we were in between excursions and didn't have time to eat in the town we were in, so we would run onto the ship, grab a quick sandwich from IC, and then jump right back off to our next excursion

The Common Areas:

Compared to the Regal and Royal Princess, the Piazza area is a bit smaller, and since this was a Fjord of Norway cruise, the population of passengers was much older than we had seen on previous cruises. This meant that the Piazza seating around the International Cafe was ALWAYS FULL...sometimes we could find seating in Vines, but that was a challenge. Also, because the climate in Norway was quite cold, none of the outdoor seating was used on Lido which made for crowded lunch times during sea days. What we would do on those days was to secure a table first, then each one of us would go individually to get our lunch or dinner.

The Itinerary:

Honestly, I believe now, that anyone who is able should at least cruise the Fjords of Norway once in their lifetime. I am not sure that there is a more majestic place on all of the planet, and my wife and I have been to many, many places. The only fjord of the must see fjords we didn't sail through was Graingerfjord which we will do at another time. However the added bonus of going to the North Cape (Honningsvag), and the Lofoten Islands (Gravdal) made this journey extra special.

We are currently at 32,000 somewhere over Greenland, so I will check back every so often and answer more questions. I will also post a photo or two tomorrow.

Please to share with us, what you did in each port and about the sail ins

and sail outs. Thanks.

I did this same cruise last June and I agree with you about Norway. This was the most scenic I have ever taken and yes, more scenic then Alaska. You see waterfalls everywhere with green hills, sparkling blue water, homes perched on cliffs and super friendly people. Can't wait to see some of your pictures.

Hi

Hope you have a good flight home. We will be embarking on 14 day Baltic cruise on the Caribbean princess in August and any further info you have would be most welcome. Many Thanks.:)

OP;

Thank you for your comments regarding your just completed cruise. We did the Fjords on X back in 2006. You are correct when you say they are a sight to behold. Thanks also for your comments about the CB. Since we are sailing on her in September I was also a little worried about the negative comments.....:):):)

Bob

So I have a packing question for you, since I am starting that now (we board our Norway cruise on the CB in Southampton in less than 2 weeks). We will have two balcony cabins, so if you had something similar, can you tell me if they had US electrical plugs, and if so how many per cabin? Also if they provide lotion? I read somewhere that there are pump bottles of conditioning shampoo and shower gel in the showers.

I was on that cruise too, but unfortunately due to a sudden illness, I was unable to go ashore in the Lofoten Islands or Andlasnes as I was confined to the medical centre and my cabin. They were talking about evacuating me in Norway but thankfully I improved and completed the cruise. Now I have to wait for the insurance payout. But like you say, the scenery is out of this world.

Sounds like a great cruise! :)

Please to share with us, what you did in each port and about the sail ins

and sail outs. Thanks.

Day 1: Sea Day - it was a sea day with nothing to see

Port#1: Stavanger

THis was the kickoff port, and if you want to know about the oil industry, there is a lot to learn. It is a quaint little town. This was our first introduction to the Fjords as we took an excursion that was a boat ride up the Lysefjord. This fjord is not that impressive from the beginning, but as you move in, it gets quite dramatic until they stop you at the "Preacher's Pulpit" which is a rock outcrop roughly 100 feet by 100 feet.....it's just that it is 1982 feet straight up a sheer cliff....and the water below you is over 2,000 feet deep. If you look closely at the top with a zoom lens or binoculars, you will see what looks like trees...well they are not trees, but rather they are actually people...some actiually sitting on the edge. It was a good start.

Port #2: Olden

This is where the dramatic landscapes began.....we were surrounded by towering snow capped mountains on either side of us. We visited Lake Olden, took a cruise up another lake, and hiked up to a glacier. the scenery was incredible....little did we know.....

Port #3: Flaam

BOOM - The sail in and sail out is INCREDIBLE as you sail through the Sonjefjord which is the longest flord in Norway (like 100 miles long). We went up into the Aurland valley, and then took a cruise down Naerfjord (the Narrow Fjord) which is a UNESCO world heritige site.

Port#4: Andneses

ANother incredible sail in and sail away. the key here is to make sure you visit Trollsteigens (an amazing drive down 13 hairpin turns as well as a view down the valley that is INCREDIBLE), and you have to visit the Troll wall.

Port#5: Trondheim

This port was a little more meh.....just make sure you visit the Love and Luck Bridge.....but the sail in and sail away was INCREDIBLE

Day 7: Sea day...make sure you are on the starbord side of the boat sailing up, because even though you are miles off shore, you see massive snow capped mountain ranges the whole day.

Port #6: Tromso

This is an absolutely beautiful city. We visited the Arctic Cathedral, and took a ride up the cablecar across from the bay. It puts you up about 1000 feet, and the views of the city and surrounding snow capped mountains are simply breathtaking

Port #7: Honningsvag

This port is interesting because it is the farthest north you can get in Europe....There is not a single tree on the entire island....just a bunch of reindeer, rocks, and moss...and mountains. However, most people come here to see the North Cape Cliffs (which are stunning)and to actually stand at the North Cape. As you look over thee horizon, you know that just 1200 miles from you is the North Pole

Port#8: Gravdal in the Lofoten Islands

Once again, another incredible sail into and sail away. This place was the surprise of the trip because it was so beautiful. Once you get into the island, the scenery is quite majestic.

Day 11: Sea day....nothing dramatic...it was a sea day

Port#9: Alesund

This also has a dramatic sail in and sail away.....a little short but still dramatic. If you visit both Aldalsnes and Alesund on the same cruise, be careful when you book your excursions. We wound up seeing the exact same things we saw in Andalsnes (Trollsteigen and the Troll Wall)..the tour just had a different description.....that being said, it was cool to actually drive down the troll road twice.....

Port #10 - Bergen

We were only in ergen for a short period of time...make sure you do the Funicular...or whatever it is called up to the top of the mountain...the views are incredible. We did a 5 mile hike in the mountains because we ate way too much on the cruise and needed to do some exercise. :-)

Day 14: Sea Day - Last day....they had the seafood buffet for lunch on Lido, and they brought out the REALLY GOOD stuff.....Lobster, Shrimp bigger than my hand, salmon, scallops, etc....and there was no cover charge.

I can get more specific on the ports if someone wants to know...this was kind of a generalization, But I must say again over and over again....the sail in and sail outs are simply INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!

I did this same cruise last June and I agree with you about Norway. This was the most scenic I have ever taken and yes, more scenic then Alaska. You see waterfalls everywhere with green hills, sparkling blue water, homes perched on cliffs and super friendly people. Can't wait to see some of your pictures.

My wife and I have officially named Norway:

The Land of 1000 trolls, 1 million waterfalls, and a whole bunch of sheep

There is no other scenery on the planet quite as impressive....we will go back again.

So I have a packing question for you, since I am starting that now (we board our Norway cruise on the CB in Southampton in less than 2 weeks). We will have two balcony cabins, so if you had something similar, can you tell me if they had US electrical plugs, and if so how many per cabin? Also if they provide lotion? I read somewhere that there are pump bottles of conditioning shampoo and shower gel in the showers.

Ok, we were in a Mini Suite. there were two electrical plugs on the small desk next to the bed with the mirror...it would be like the place that a lady would put her makeup on. there were two plugs up by the LCD tv as well. Not very convenient locations. I have two very small power strips that I bring to increase the outlets....they are all US 115 outlets.

I was on that cruise too, but unfortunately due to a sudden illness, I was unable to go ashore in the Lofoten Islands or Andlasnes as I was confined to the medical centre and my cabin. They were talking about evacuating me in Norway but thankfully I improved and completed the cruise. Now I have to wait for the insurance payout. But like you say, the scenery is out of this world.

Sorry to hear about your experience....I hope you get to feeling better soon!!!!

So I have a packing question for you, since I am starting that now (we board our Norway cruise on the CB in Southampton in less than 2 weeks). We will have two balcony cabins, so if you had something similar, can you tell me if they had US electrical plugs, and if so how many per cabin? Also if they provide lotion? I read somewhere that there are pump bottles of conditioning shampoo and shower gel in the showers.

Sorry...I forgot to answer the shower question....Yes, it is pump bottles of Shower Gel and Shampoo. We were in a mini suite, and there is no amenities basket either...in case you forgot something.

Since you are packing there is one other thing I will recommend.....pack so you can dress in layers.....there are some places where it was quite cold as they received more snowfall this year than they have in like the last 50 years and it is not all melted yet. I had a very warm jacket, gloves, as well as a ski cap....and believe me, we needed them ALL. there were times, however, when I needed to take my jacket or hat and gloves off....but we wore them more than we thought we would...as a matter of fact, it was most of the time. Also, once you move above the Arctic Circle, be prepared for 24 hour sun....it really messes with your mind and sleep patterns :-)

hansi were you the person that took ill around 1.30am? There was a call over the ships system at that time for medical team to attend deck 11. Thought it must have been serious . Glad you are better. It was a great cruise. I have not felt like eating since I stepped off the ship on Saturday. 15 nights of the great food has filled me up for a while. First time on Princess as I usually do PO and RCL. Main difference I felt was they spent the budget on food at the expense of entertainment. The food on PO RCL not as good as princess however entertainment better and more of it. Kids club on Princess not as good as PO and RCL. But overall a great cruise and the Fjords are certainly worth doing for experienced cruisers looking for something different.

Ok, we were in a Mini Suite. there were two electrical plugs on the small desk next to the bed with the mirror...it would be like the place that a lady would put her makeup on. there were two plugs up by the LCD tv as well. Not very convenient locations. I have two very small power strips that I bring to increase the outlets....they are all US 115 outlets.

So there are no UK or Schuko plugs then?

So there are no UK or Schuko plugs then?

For the life of me, I cannot remember seeing any....then again, I didn;t look for them either. I know on Royal and Regal, they are right next to each other. Maybe someone who has been on CB before and noticed can comment.

hansi were you the person that took ill around 1.30am? There was a call over the ships system at that time for medical team to attend deck 11. Thought it must have been serious . Glad you are better. It was a great cruise. I have not felt like eating since I stepped off the ship on Saturday. 15 nights of the great food has filled me up for a while. First time on Princess as I usually do PO and RCL. Main difference I felt was they spent the budget on food at the expense of entertainment. The food on PO RCL not as good as princess however entertainment better and more of it. Kids club on Princess not as good as PO and RCL. But overall a great cruise and the Fjords are certainly worth doing for experienced cruisers looking for something different.

no, that was not me. I fell ill in the lofoten islands

I saw two types of electrical outlets by the mirror in front of the desk. One had two small holes in it like the ones for European appliances. I don't know if the outlet would fit British appliances, though, and I did not check to find out what type of outlet it was. I was very sad to learn from a crew member that the passenger with the medical emergency passed away on the ship.

Oh that is very sad to hear somebody passed away on the ship. I thought it must have been serious for them to put out a message over the speaker system when everybody is sleeping.

I did a 14 day cruise on the old NCL Norway way back in 1999. It was the 1st and last time the ship had actually stopped at most of the ports and we got a fantastic reception. I agree the scenery is spectacular. Visited a couple of the ports again on a TA but would sure love to do the cruise again but the Northern Europe ones all seem to expensive now