highplanesdrifters

Last time fishy and rubbery. This time I didn't go in till others gave it a thumbs up. Tasted like really good flank/skirt steak.

Well, the Scandis do like a good time when the sun is shinning. When I did business there in the 80s and 90s I could never keep up! It's been 6 years since I've been to Stockholm so things may have changed. It was just the music inside the hotel till 4 am. No hallway drunks or street noise. Fyi, I thought the rooms were pretty tired then. In Oslo our room was just lovely with a view of the square. Nice Juliette balcony. There were protests in the square every day, but that comes with the territory. I could live with that. What a shame about the other noise. Great hotel otherwise, and perhaps OK in early part of the week. Jet lag is hard enough. With the added Covid airport chaos sleep takes on new meaning. Our TA sent us this lovely treat! The hotel did a great job

Just a few of the wines from the Grillmarken tasting. All worth a purchase! Sorry about the fuzziness.😁

Belated Food Porn Oslo Grand Cafe Halibut with enoki and Beurre Blanc Sublime I don't remember😀 Muscles for days Lofoton Fish Restaurant Lobster Salad- I'd like 10 to go please. Oysters- small briny and sweet. Just they way I like them. Lofoton Fish soup Deceptively simple but yet oh so complex. Butter Flounder Lofotons Bouillabisse with tomato and black garlic. I could live on this. Rooftop Bar at Center Arnarhvoll. Grillmarkaourinn There are more courses than pictured. Insane. They also did a great job for our GF friend. Tiger shrimp tempura with kimchi, lemon and yuzu Beef carpaccio with chili pepper jam, candied almonds, herb pesto, and rock Salad Minke Whale - don't judge me🤫 Some over the top Fish thing. Things were getting pretty fuzzy by then. Grilled Flank steak with shishito pepper in Wasabi nuts and lemon oil. Kimchi and truffle yuzu dressing. Dessert Special GF Dessert GRAZZIE TRATTORIA Be still my pizza loving heart! Something light after the Grillmarken gorging.😂 Included Tea at Blue Lagoon Now we're starting to tone it down.

Pre and Post Cruise OSLO First timers and just loved the city. Very walkable with lots if interesting museums and great restaurants. Good Hop on bus. Get the Oslo Pass. Grand Hotel - 4* in the beginning, but quickly slipped to 1*. Raucous roof top band till 3:30am every night starting on Thursday. Drunks in hallway and lots of street noise. On my NA list. Interesting that we also had the same problem with Grand Hotel in Stockholm. Positives- Breakfast, room and staff were awesome. FOOD Lofoton - Fabulous Fish on the warf. Grand Cafe, historic Cafe in the hotel. Conveniently delicious! Uchi - Great Asian find. REYKJAVIK A bit of a fun foodie town, YAY! Very walkable with some interesting attractions. Getting slightly more like some Alaska towns catering to the giant cruise ships in terms of Disney type attractions. There are still plenty of tacky tourist shops. On a positive note we did feel that there were less and replaced with higher end stores since our last visit in 2019. Reykjavik has a long was to go before it reaches theme park status. We finally did the Phallological Museum. Well....even though it was a very scientific presentation it creeped me out. Our friends did spend a bit more time and enjoyed it. Center Hotel Arnarhvoll Great location, views and delightful rooftop bar. Sadly rooms were closet tiny and tired. Tough transition from Seabourn. Doable for one night. We prefer Pearl Apartments, but they were booked a year in advance. The day after we left at least 2 ships coming into port with 2,000 and 4,000 passengers. Our driver told us they expect a 30 % increase each year. Oh my. Food Great Asain options. Kara Thai is a fave but it was closed.on Sunday. Ramen Momo, yummy - next to Pearl. Lots of these litte hole in the wall places. Don't be afraid. Vietnam Reataurant- New to us and lucky find. Extensive menu. Grillmarken- High end famous place. Our second time doing the tasting and wine paring. Really delicious and fab wines. Just way too much food. By course 4 I was over the limit. 😀 Grazie Trattoria Heavenly Pizza!!! Chared puffy yeasty crust. Quality toppings. Yes please. Seabourn take note! The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Grindavik, Iceland Twenty minutes from Reykjavik, and twenty minutes from KEF. This place is Heaven on Earth. See my earlier post. We will return to Iceland just to hang out here.

Yikes! That arrival doesn't sound like the warmest welcome. Glad it's working out and you're rolling with the punches. I just love that little Polar Museum. When reading reviews about it a few years ago someone gave it 1*.....because there was too much to read. 🤣

Thanks so much. Very helpful!

Congrats on the negative! Always stressful. Looking forward to you posts. Contemplating NW Passage, but not sure about all the ice days. Thanks for the pictures of Tromso on a clear day. Now I know what it looks like.😂 Fair winds!

Please share your Canadian Maritimes adventures! And of course have the best of times.

Speaking of debauchery.... Seriously though, it is possible to eat healthy on board. We try and keep it together for breakfast and lunch , get some exercise, and then indulge. Just ask when you board and put in a standing order for your favorite healthy thing. Fyi, on the new Venture the 9th floor walk including the bow stairway curves is about 6 laps for a mile. Bonus if you do the stairs to the 10th floor. My knees said no.😉 And yes, R&T a good time was had by all.

Yes, new thread please!😁

Thanks for keeping it together while I was gone guys and girls. Market is right where I left it Aug. 1. 😂😂😂

Gee, I always thought I was just smarter after the second Martini.😂

Hey SharkB8, finally got the time and bandwidth to watch all your videos. Crikey, some kinda critter extravaganza! Great shots, great videos. Thanks for the ride.

Thanks to all for posting on this thread. We have this itinary for November next year. I'm still on the fence. I like the idea of less crowds though.

Oh my, oh my, oh my. Just fabulous. Keep em coming.

Let the recap begin FOOD and BEVERAGE MDR 4 Aft Dinner Lovely design and elegant feel. I did not think the ceilings were too low. We thought the food was standard Seabourn fare. Always tasty and well presented. Nothing terribly exciting. Chef did an Indian night for our table of 6 which was really yummy. Lamb, chicken, beef curries along with rice, naan, papodoms, chutney, and riata. Quite delicious and we were all thrilled. We asked if another Indian night would be possible with more veges. They had just lifted table hosting restrictions and also asked if we could invite 2 of the expedition staff who love Indian food. No problem. Well, perhaps we asked to much. Second time Chef phoned it in. We missed the TK nights where food seemed to be ramped up a bit. Service was always good with a few minor slow spots. Wines on offer also quite good. Breakfast - Excellent. My kryptonite is Eggs Benedict and they delivered. Their Sewdish pancakes also spot on. They have a small buffet area with fruit, pastries etc. Nice option. Shout out to Igor and Alex, great jobs. Colonnade 5 Aft The one and only EDDIE is there. Seems like a larger buffet area, but not enough indoor seating for polar trips. Often too tight at lunch. Dinner The TK nights were replaced with Earth and Ocean offerings. These were often quite good. I still missed the TK fried chicken, Ribs, and Seafood boil. Very disappointed. Other nights often had a theme, Chinese, Thai, Indian, etc. Which were pretty good once you got some sambal to help. Lunch Again, classic Seabourn fare. Usual burger, hot dog, and featured entree to order, all good. Large Buffet. Salad bar quite good. Pizza was extremely disappointing, stab in my heart as it is my other kryptonite. Lunch also had a theme and the offerings were varried and pretty good. Lots of vege options. Soup was the highlight, and the best food on the ship. Wished it was a dinner option. Service was also good with a few minor misses at peak time. Breakfast- sorry, no report, it was either room service or MDR for us. Room Service Usually a light breakfast every day. Always fast and excellent. Thanks you Igor for your speedy service. The Patio 5 Aft It seems to be an extension of The Colonade. Not sure how it will play out in warmer climates. There were two iceberg parties out there that were stunning and fabulous. More under cover area, smart. Seabourn Square 6 Aft Everything you know and love is there, including Grandma cake. Nice outdoor seating. The Pantry 6 Bow A really nice addition in the Bow lounge on 6. Coffee, tea, non alcoholic drinks, consomme, goulash, and varried lite bites. The lite bites were often wraps, little sandwiches, and salads. Very tasty. Perfect for those days you want to skip a big lunch or if the wildlife viewing is too good to leave. Sushi at the Club 9 Aft We liked this concept. A very nice lighter dinner option which opened at 6pm. We thought the sushi was good, fresh, and well presented. Service also very good. More saki options would be nice. Some folks would meet for drinks and apps here. It was quiet at the beginning of the trip but word spread rapidly. Seating is a bit tight, and it has the only uncomfortable chairs on the ship. Not good for large groups. The Sky Bar 9 Aft Great Hidey Hole potential The Constellation Lounge 9 Bow They really did a great job on design. Seems like more room than sister ships. Large wrap around windows and deck with direct access to the entire top deck. Great access for running all around when watching wild life. Tea - just lovely. Drinks - Now we're talking. Excellent service and cocktails. Shout out to Leroy and Alesandro. Apps - tapas was not really tapas but still fine offerings. Expedition Lounge 4 Mid ship Beautiful lounge space with bar and fireplaces next to the Discovery Center. Nice place to grab a drink before briefings or lectures. Martin is often at the helm delivering perfect libations. Discovery Center 4 Mid ship Very comfortable seating with a drinks ledge or table for drinks. Wait staff often available before lectures and briefings to bring you a refreshing beverage. Notes One of our friends has celiac. As in the past, Seabourn has done a great job for her. This trip, little touches like GF cookies at an onshore offering, always GF breadsticks, and GF scones at tea. Staff always working hard to make sure her dishes were GF. Well done Seabourn! The food was always good to very good with an occasional excellent. In the last year we were on Silversea Muse and found the food very disappointing. SIlversea Cloud delivered the best cruise food we have ever had, thanks Chef Pia. Seabourn Venture did a fine job but there is room for improvement. Cruise ship food is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. But it's still chocolate and some else is cooking it and doing the dishes. 😁

FWIW, I thought the passenger make up was excellent except for a chosen few. A great mix of seasoned veterans who didn't need to brag about everyplace they have been to and some 'happy to be here' newbies. Folks generally closed ranks around staff when the unrulies acted up. One woman always insisted on being at the front of the zodiac, complained about the speed, insisted on returning to the ship because she needed to pee. When she put her feet up on the drinks ledge behind me, dirty looks got them down. They must have done quite well selling their trailer park. One man berated staff because Sub tours were full, insisted HE should have a spot. Bizarre. We had fantasy plots of chucking them overboard. 😃

I didn't see the trip either. I remember hearing something about Venture not doing Svalbard because of difficulty getting permits and more restrictions in the area. Nothing verified or firsthand. Shame to miss the pack ice and polar bears, but for me the trip to Scoresbysund was a major highlight. Take a look at the trip which includes Scoresbysund, King Oscar, and Skoldungen. You will be blown away.

@SLSD Will do a recap in next few days. In general thought they did a pretty decent job with food. Never had any trouble with service. Fyi, There were a few pretty big entitled complainers on board.

Great minds!

Hey PA, great pics. Where did they land you on Snaefellsnes? Did they bus you to those spots? Thanks. Looks like you're doing Scoresbysund and King Oscar. Jackpot!!!

Hopefully you'll make it back! Dang Covid. Moss was closed when we were there. Next time.😉

Room view Stunning Architecture, reminds me of Àmangiri...without all the concrete.😄 Hiking in Lava Fields

We are in heaven! Perfect end to a power packed trip. Hiking through the lava fields capped off by a long soak and Champagne. Ahhh. Sleept 11 hours. Make sure you book The Retreat. Far away from the maddening crowds. Pricy but worth it. Quiet, sleek, and a bit dark. Tips: We got a Lava view.suite second story, ask for North view in case there are Auroras. There is a viewing terrace also. Do not forgot your complimentary drink. You order through a window from the pool. We got Giant glasses of Heidesick! Explore all the nooks and crannies towards the back for ledges to hang out on. We didnt try the complimentary SPA ritual and opted for a bob around and second glass of bubbles. We never ate at Lava! A bit busy with the BUS people. Moss was closed (Monday/Tuesday) when we were here. But, The Spa restaurant was delish. Breakfast buffet also has an order menu. Sometimes you need to ask. Complimentary coffee, wine, and drinks in the room.