PinonNoir

If interested, here is my blog post for Geiranger, Norway.

I'm glad to see you booked a cruise, but does that itinerary include Geirangerfjord?? If not, I would attempt to find one that does. I'm writing my blog post about it right now, and will finish shortly, but this fjord is definitely the most beautiful one we've been in, and ranks up there with the most beautiful places in the world, IMHO. You can't go wrong with Norway though! Every spot we have visited has been beautiful. I don't think SIlversea promotes S.A.L.T. properly. I thought it was a cooking class venue until after we boarded. Interesting to note that the Head Somm told me they had special included wines in S.A.L.T., but bottom line, if you want any included bottle anywhere on the ship they will get it for you. It might take 5 minutes, but they'll find it. I just wish they had better stemware for red wines, like Oceania does. They use Bordeaux glasses for all the reds, and we prefer Burgundy glasses. I know, I'm picky, but wine is a major hobby of mine.

We had one French wine from the Rhone region, and it was OK. We've opted for the inexpensive included wines versus the premium wine list, mostly because there are a few hidden gems among them. The best white so far is an Alvarino from Portugal, but we had a decent German Reisling last night.

I will definitely be writing about it in my blog, so please feel free to check it out. Thanks!

We've been to several Michelin star restaurants, and have yet to walk out of one where we weren't either full or absolutely stuffed. We've eaten at Arpege in Paris twice, and actually had to tell them to stop bringing us courses because we couldn't eat any more! We go for the food and the experience. The chefs in these places are true artisans. Yes, it's expensive, but so is cruising on Silversea, and I seem to see a lot of people on this forum willing to spend money on that. Remember, you can't take it with you.

Thanks! We did get into Geranium on September 6, and that is currently considered the best restaurant in Copenhagen. I will cancel it for Noma though!

On a positive note, here is my blog post for Trondheim, Norway

It's late, and we had a full day. Quick comments, the Sognefjord Railroad Experience was incredible. I don't think it's named correctly. We stopped for lunch halfway through and the hotel we were at called the same tour we were doing as "Norway in a Nutshell". That's exactly as I would describe it. If it's an option for you, do it! Dinner at Atlantide was disappointing tonight. They didn't seem very busy, but our table was neglected twice for long periods of time. Not good form Silversea!! The food was still good, but being ignored for 15 minutes while others had their orders taken (while seated after us) was disheartening. Having to chase down a waiter to get wine, and then take our order, was not something I've come to expect.

Before I head to bed I wanted to give another shout out to S.A.L.T. Dinner there tonight was excellent! The Halibut with seaweed sauce was really good! It was interesting to note that I had turned in my mid-cruise comment card yesterday, and the head Somm sought me out to discuss my concerns about not having a list of included wines. He said the wines change frequently, which is why they don't keep a list, but that every wine person is supposed to be well versed in advising you about other wines they had available. I let him know that was not the case, and that most of the wine stewards just offered the two bottles of the day. He said he would look into it, but wanted to know specifically which stewards I had dealt with. I honestly couldn't remember at the time, but I also don't want to throw an employee under the bus. He did mention their best Pinot Noir was from New Zealand, and poured some for us, but it still doesn't beat the Barbera D'Asti for best included red wine on the ship. Bottom line, they do read your comment cards! I have no idea if my butler Vamil has received a raise or not, but that was also on my comment card! I'll have to ask him tomorrow!

All the products on our current cruise on Silver Dawn are Bvlgari. I don't follow trends like this, just responding, as we are well past July 1st.

Here is my blog post for Alesund, Norway.

We hit Geiranger today. Oh my God!!! What an incredible spot! This may be the most beautiful place in the world, and we've been around! We had two excursions booked today; a RIB boat ride on the fjord and a hike to Storsaeterfossen Waterfall. Please note, the waterfall is listed on the excursions as "Hiking Westeras". Westeras is the region you are hiking in, but not the destination, and that's an important distinction. The RIB boat ride (I know that the B in RIB stands for boat, but saying RIB ride wounds weird) was well worthwhile, particularly in Geirangerfjord! You get up close and personal with the Seven Sisters, Bridal Veil, and several other waterfalls. The fjord is also incredibly calm, so the boats running at speed are quite a bit of fun! The "Hiking Westeras" was excellent!! Stupendous! Do this hike! We were warned it was harder than Sugar Lump in Alesund...I call ****. While it was steep in some parts, with a lot of stairs, the trail is easy to follow and the hike is only 1.8 miles round-trip. It also comes with an incredible reward, Storsaetorfossen Waterfall (I'm doing the double word thing again, since Fossen means Waterfall, sue me). Not only is the waterfall gorgeous, you can actually hike behind it for some excellent photos! There are also excellent views for pretty much every step of the hike. If you are trying to decide between hiking Sugar Lump Mountain and Westeras, pick Westeras. Trust me! The hell with the Lump! You are welcome! Our ship departed at 1630, and this is when you want to either be in the Observation Lounge (actually crappy for photos), the deck above it (nowhere to sit), or on your stateroom balcony (now you're talking). Since we did the RIB ride (told you it sounds funny) we stuck to our stateroom veranda, with a pizza and a bottle of Barbera D'Asti (this is the best included red wine...IMHO). Being on the Starboard side helps, as the sun is still hitting that portion of the fjord on departure (keep that in mind for booking). We haven't finished this cruise yet, but I can't imagine beating Geirangerfjord! Here is a shot as we exit one of the most beautiful spots of the fjord. Just gut-wrenchingly gorgeous!! I hope Cruise Critic shows these in full resolution! It's doesn't look like it from the preview. These will be on my blog in full resolution...and I'm way behind on that with these full days!

I'm 62, my wife is 61. We are twice daily walkers at home...due to having an active dog. We also hike a lot. We did a much tougher hike on Vesteralen Island, and that one pushed us to realize we can't just tackle these big hikes with ease anymore. https://petersontravels.com/index.php/2024/08/23/vesteralen-island-matind-viewpoint-hike-and-andenes-norway/ If you are hike regularly you should be fine, but there is some scrambling you may not care for, particularly if you have balance issues. The one couple that made it halfway still got some excellent views. You don't have to make it to the top for it to be worthwhile. Be advised there is a short hike with great views that will be walkable from the dock, so if you skip Sugar Lump you can still hike that one. I will send a link to my blog post once it's completed. Chris

We really liked the Trondheim visit. We took the Northernmost Tram tour, which was very cool, and then visited a ski jump hill, where there were Norwegian Olympic jumpers actually practicing! I will post videos in my upcoming blog post. We also had an excellent overview of the city, and then we toured the inside of the stunning Nidaros Cathedral! Again, I will post the photos when I write the blog post. So, we ate at Kaiseki tonight along with the mostly jacketed folks. There were 3 of us without jackets, so I wasn't alone! No issues whatsoever. Excellent meal, well worth the upcharge!! Here is a link to my blog post of Stavanager, Norway, our first stop of the trip!

I'm happy to share. I write a travel blog so my wife and I can keep track of stuff we've done. I just finished uploading photos for the first part of the cruise, but if you are curious about our first 17 days in Norway the blog for that portion starts here: https://petersontravels.com/index.php/2024/08/10/oslo-norway/ This post has our travel map for this trip: https://petersontravels.com/index.php/2024/08/02/norway-and-denmark-trip-august-september-2024/

I can advise you in advance there will be at least one!

I complained vociferously to our butler about my dissatisfaction, and he just called me back to advise that Kaiseki does not participate in formal nights. This is news to me...I just thought it was The Grill and Spackleilnappoli. He said no jacket required at Kaiseki...ever. Guess I got all pissy for nothing! 🤐

So, I knew things were going all too well and something negative had to happen. So be it! Let me clear up front, I don't do formal nights. We spent 17 days traveling before the cruise, and will be traveling for 14 days post cruise, and I'm not bringing a jacket that I will wear for 30 seconds to and from a table two times on a cruise when my suitcase is already quite full! So we knew well in advance, 3 months out, when the formal nights were. Great, nice to know....I will plan to eat at The Grill or the Pizza place on those nights. I booked our restaurants with this knowledge well in advance of the cruise, because reservations fill up fast. Lo and behold, they changed the formal nights on this cruise!!! We just found out that tomorrow night, where I had booked Kaiseki 3 months ago, is now a formal night, versus the night after that, that was listed as a formal night for months!!! Yes, I'm pissed. Why would they list the formal nights for months in advance only to change them?? Why?? This is why we have always liked Oceania...no silly formal nights! Sorry, I needed to rant. I'm sure all the Silversea folks on this forum love formal nights and wish the entire cruise was formal, but that's just not me!

Today we are in Alesund. We had a bit of rain but nothing too bad. We hiked up the hill near the cruise dock and got the excellent view over the city. Lunch in La Terrazza was good....the Spaghetti Bolognese was good but a bit al dente. The chocolate gelato was outstanding as usual! Our excursion today was a hike up Sugar Lump mountain. This was rated as a "moderate" hike, which checks out with the All Trails app, but this is a little more than moderate for folks in their 60's and 70's. If you are visiting Alesund be warned that there is quite a bit of hiking on uneven boulders and a lot of muddy spots. I'd do it again no problem, but a few people seemed surprised at the difficulty level, and one couple only made it halfway. Dinner tonight at the Pizza Place, unless we decide to hit S.A.L.T. again. It's raining right now, so the Pizza Place isn't that inviting. We've settled into the ship and still think this is the best cruise ship we've ever been on. If anything my opinion just keeps going up! The crew has been amazing! Really outstanding experience so far! Sorry for the excessive use of exclamation marks!!!!

I've not seen her onboard so far. I'll ask my Butler about her. Thanks for the photo!

Thanks Clint!

Nah, it's bad enough she has to live with her sorry self.

Thanks...this spot is definitely one people should consider!

Tonight we ate at S.A.L.T, the regional restaurant. We got there shortly after they opened, at 1905. There were already quite a few tables taken, so if you want to eat here try to show up before 1930. We both had their Noma inspired Veggie Patch, which was good, but I'd not repeat it. My wife had the Venison Tenderloin which was excellent. I had the Fish of the Day (Turbot), which was outstanding! I also had the sides of Danish caramelized potatoes and the charred carrots....both really fricking good! We both had the Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie....absolute yum! We like this restaurant!! It really wasn't on our radar pre-trip, but we'll definitely be eating here again at some point. Well done Silversea!!

Some guy set up a list for people to play Bridge. I'm not sure if it's sanctioned by Silversea or not. We were up there early on the first night working on the puzzle when they descended and starting asking about the two tables we had set up for the rather large puzzle, that was there when we showed up. I think it was the same nasty woman as today. During the day today somebody showed up and threw all the extra puzzle pieces in a box and moved the extra table. I of course moved it back and they had the gall to get nasty with us about it yet again. We basically ignored her. We finished the puzzle so I moved the table back. Mrs Nasty can now play her Bridge....but I'm not sure who would want to play with her based on her less than stellar attitude.