PurpleTraveller

I have only eaten at the Crown Grill on the Majestic and the food was excellent however the whole experience was not. We were seated at table 14 which is right next to the divider between the restaurant and the Crown Bar. It was extremely noisy with the bar full of people talking and we asked to move but the restaurant was full. The people next to us got up and left as it was so noisy. People constantly squeezed between our table and the divider, which was a gap of about 60 cm or 2 feet, so they didn't have to walk the extra few feet to the restaurant entrance. We even had people sitting in the bar ask us about our meal. If you go to the Crown Grill it would be a very good idea to ask to be seated well away from the Crown Bar.

How disappointing for you! I don't think we'll have cruising here until well into next year. Our borders won't open until most of us are vaccinated which can not come soon enough.

If only I was young! Unfortunately in the country there are not many vaccine doses available unlike in the city where there are major vaccine hubs. There are far more people wanting to be vaccinated than there are vaccines but the vaccine rollout is ramping up and at least I have an appointment. We can't wait to reopen to the world not only so that we can travel (I have travel withdrawal symptoms - watching the Tour de France even though I don't follow cycling, looking through my travel photos and even rereading my reviews) but so that families and friends can reunite and also welcome you and other visitors back with open arms. 😊

Thanks! I hope your cruise goes ahead and that you have as wonderful a cruise as we did. 😊

It would be wonderful if you could! We have been doing really well in Australia with our death toll still under 1,000 however we currently have an outbreak of the Delta variant in Sydney, caused by a Limo driver taking an overseas cargo plane crew to a hotel. Sydney is in lockdown but unfortunately many are not taking it seriously with beaches and parks packed and picnics, parties and markets all happening. It should be a full lockdown to nip this outbreak in the bud as we don't want the outbreak to get worse. Our vaccination rollout has been a bit messy and slow but about 40% of the adult population have had their first dose and more vaccines are becoming available. It is more difficult to get vaccinated in the country where I am and I have an appointment for my first Pfizer vaccination in mid August which I made as soon as I was eligible. Hopefully we can all get vaccinated as soon as possible so that Australia can reopen to the world and we can travel again and also welcome back visitors. 😊

Definitely! I have so enjoyed your reviews and would love to read another! 😊

Thank you so much. I'm glad you're enjoying my little review and photos. So maybe a Norway cruise may be on your horizon sometime in the future? 🚢

I did a cruise that included Geiranger in June 2019. I did not do a tour from Hellesylt so can not comment but I cruised from there to Geiranger. The cruising is very scenic and you cruise past a number of waterfalls including the Seven Sisters and Suitor waterfalls. However, when you leave Geiranger you sail back the same way, past the same waterfalls. As you will be cruising in July there may be enough light for you to see the scenery when you leave at 10pm, so you could check to see what time sunset will be when you are there. We did a bus tour which included Mt Dalsnibba where the view was spectacular and Lake Djupvatn which was still frozen in June and beautiful. The scenery in the area is simply breathtaking!

Thank you! I loved Malta so much and I really want to go back there. It must of been wonderful to live there. Like you I have been reading past reviews and Ellie's reviews have been fantastic to read during lockdown and while we are unable to cruise. Hopefully there will be another Ellie review when this one ends - please Ellie! 😀

You definitely should put it on your bucket list! The scenery was fantastic and we loved every minute of our cruise. I'd happily do another Norway cruise in the future. If you are interested I did a review of my cruise (nothing like one of your reviews but some nice photos). 😊 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2678142-norway-land-of-the-midnight-sun-on-sapphire-princess-june-15-2019/

I only knew the answer to the currency of Norway as that was the last cruise I did, a wonderful 14 days "Land of the Midnight Sun" cruise on the lovely Sappire Princess in June 2019. I think you all did well to get 16 correct! 😊

2. Men take part in a Decathlon. Women compete in a Heptathlon.

Here are a couple of photos of the outside of the Iolani Palace. When I visited you were not allowed to take photos inside the palace so this is a photo of a postcard I bought of the State Dining Room.

On our June 2019 Norwegian cruise we went to Stavanger. We did a great cruise to Lysefjord and Pulpit Rock with Rodne. They had a booth on the dock very close to our ship which made it very easy to buy tickets and hop on their cruise boat. In 2019 the tickets were NOK550 for an adult. Highly recommend the cruise and we still had time after the cruise to wander around Stavanger which is a pretty town, particularly the Gamle Stavanger area. In Geiranger we did the Panorama Exclusive Bus tour in a 16 seat mini bus. This was our favourite tour of the entire cruise. We went to three viewpoints including Mt Dalsnibba where the views were spectacular. In 2019 the tickets were NOK495. You need to book the Panorama Exclusive Bus tour in advance as it books out very quickly but they also have tours in full size buses. Again highly recommend. (geirangerfjord.no/panorama-exclusive-bus) In Alesund we walked around by ourselves and up to Mt Aksla so can not help with a tour. Hope you have a wonderful cruise! This is the view from Mt Dalsnibba at Geiranger.

Thank you, my mini Tardis arrived this morning complete with instructions. Today we are expecting a cool and rainy day so I will fire it up and travel away to the wonderful Regal Princess on the Mediterranean. Absolute heaven! How about we meet up at Bellini's for a pre-dinner drink? 🍸