cruising sister

Good morning! I am back from a wonderful vacation. It was made more special with meeting fellow CC members and knowing you all were behind me on this adventure. It was a long but smooth trip home ( after my Olympic performance getting to the airport). I have my first load in the washer and I am catching up on what I missed. The DGK’s will come later and bring Molly back home. I am sure she is ready for old lady quiet. My thoughts on the cruise are very positive. I wish they had guest speakers to talk about the history (Vikings) and landscape of Norway. It is not the same having the cruise director reading off a piece of paper describing the magnificent scenery. I had some awesome tours and very knowledgeable guides to fill in the blanks. I had watched the History Channels series on the Vikings so I was set. Others were disappointed though. The food was very good. I was surprised how good the Lido was at dinner time. I had sailed Celebrity Edge in December and the OV cafe it was pitiful with only a few people eating there at night. This cruise the Lido was very busy at dinner. Club Orange was a hit. I booked an Amazon cruise for 2025 and paid for 2 FCC deposits. I guess I need to start shopping for some more cruises. Thanks again for everyone’s support. Prayers for those on care lists and others in need. I will catch up in the next few days.

Just a comment on Dive In and NY deli. You do not have to order in app. You can walk up and order. Also, make sure you visit the Dutch Cafe. Yummy.

I woke up to an email that flight over booked and to call this number between 8am and 5 pm CST. Well that won’t work as I will be in the air. At 9 AM I got a call from United begging me to switch. I said ok as long as I still had business class. Problem was I needed to be through in an hour. I was at the Hilton and willing to try. They said to meet the at the ticket counter and they would escort me through security and passport control. So I rushed over there to find out they did not have a business class seat!! Long story short I am on original fight. At least I got a great workout in this morning.

I got my bag

I found the Lido was very busy at dinner time ( I went up there for a crepe dessert). From reports the MDR was not very busy which surely helped the speed of the dining room. The food worker who talked about this with me said there were a lot of long excursions and people did not want to change to eat. Some nights it was hard to find a place to eat my crepe. So lucky for those in the MDR.

Ok, one more post. I spent the day in Amsterdam. I had pre booked a 2 hour canal tour that had a max of 12 passengers. It ended up being about 1 1/2 mile walk to where I needed to board but was worth every step. While I was waiting for the tour the french fry restaurant opened up and a huge line formed within minutes. People waited patiently looking at their phones to get the fried delight. I went to the cookie store next door. I found the city kind of dirty and the canal had trash floating in it. We sailed past the zoo and the giraffes were visible from the water. I enjoyed the day and will come back when I have more time to explore the area. I hope the nightmare of an airport does not materialize and I will have no problems tomorrow. I am staying at the Hilton connected to the airport so hopefully that will help.

Club orange was worth it for me. As a solo traveler they really took care of me. Meals were quicker and a great small environment. On a pinnacle class ship I would do it again.

I did not get club orange tote bag.

Good morning, We had a rainy morning in Bergen yesterday which is normal for them. Our guide on the walking tour said it rains 280 days a year. I am glad it was only a 2 hour tour as the rain got old fast. At least my new waterproof shoes and jacket worked great. I found a little artist gallery and met the artist and bought a couple of miniatures that reflect my time here in Norway. The colors will go great in my house. Now the task of packing. I packed way to much even after taking several things out. I was not in the right frame of mind going into the trip and was not on my packing game. I am so glad I did this cruise as I met some very nice people who I am sure I will see again. I am staying one night in Amsterdam before heading home. I have a canal tour booked and I will walk around the rest of the time. Thanks everyone for coming along with me on this trip! Lorraine

Good morning, Internet was not the best yesterday so no report from me. I had a great day in Geiranger despite the cold and spitting moisture. The scenery was magnificent and pictures do not do it justice. Of course I did some more shopping and wonder if all will fit in my luggage to go home. Today we are in Bergen and I have a walking tour. I think the rain will hold off until later this afternoon. I have really enjoyed meeting people on the cruise and have only encountered a few curmudgeons. I would have no hesitation doing this itinerary again.

I have had a wonderful time and you will too. How fun to do this last minute. No time to second guess your decision.

I know others have complained about the app. I have had zero problems with it. I agree it’s hard to see several days ahead for the menu. I find it does not vary that much and I M ok missing any if it. Tamarind was just ok for me. There was something off putting to me about the ambience. The service was very slow and the soft spoken women serving were frustrating to understand and I have great hearing. Dining solo I find either I am ignored or they serve super fast to get me out.

Good morning from the NS. We are on day 2 of sea days. We woke up to some fun towel animals around the pool. The seas are rough and I was rocked to sleep last night. Unfortunately the Dutch cafe has called my name and I have responded! The forecast for tomorrow calls for snow. I can’t complain as we have had better than expected weather so far. Have a great day. I know I will.

What another great day in Norway. The weather was perfect and in the high 50s. I took an excursion to North Cape. We saw lots of reindeer along the way. Thank you, Jacque @kazufor the suggestion of Blue Puffin tours. Sebastian was great. We had an incident on the way back where two people did not show up for the bus. We waited 20 minutes and then left. His thoughts were they took one of the other tour buses back to the ship. He said that was a first for him. At one of the small towns on the way to North Cape, we stopped at a small art gallery, where I met the artist who makes pictures out of ripped up colors from magazines. I was the only one in the shop at a time so she showed me what she did. She said she goes and makes her sketches and comes back and finds the colors that she wants in the magazines. I like to buy local art so I bought a picture for me and some small pictures that you can hang in your windows and the light will come through as gifts. We stopped at a small Sami village and I saw a reindeer up close. It was a male reindeer that was growing its new horns. We now have two days at sea before our last two ports. These 22 days are going very fast. Everyone has been so nice and I’m glad I came.

Hello from Hammerfest Norway. They claim to be the northernmost city in the world but they have competition to that claim. Today is Sunday so the town is closed up. The Polar Bear Society/information center was open which was good for me. My DGS loves polar bears and we adopt the polar bear at our zoo every Christmas and I wanted to get him a polar bear from Hammerfest. The polar bear is Hammerfest’s mascot. The city is quaint with cute little wooden houses with a few modern ones mixed in. How great it would be to have a mini waterfall behind your house?! They also have the cutest little boats. There was no one to ask so I don’t know what they fish for. There were reindeer walking down the street this morning and I missed it! We head to Honningsvag tomorrow and I have an excursion to North Cape where thousands of puffins, gannets and cormorants hang out on the cliff. The weather is supposed to be sunny and in the 50”s. We have had the best weather on this cruise. I have been using this cruise as a test to see if I can handle 94 days next winter and as of today I would say yes. I already have some ideas on how to make my cabin more comfortable for that long of a time. I will attach a few pictures. Back tomorrow.

There is another retreat section that you pay for. These are above the lido pool.

Hello from north of the arctic circle. We crossed over at 7 this morning. We are headed to Hammerfest and Honningsvag our two most northErin cities. We were in Trondheim yesterday. I did a walking tour and came back to the ship and relaxed with a massage (using up OBC). The guide told us that after 2025 cruise ships will not be stopping in Trondheim due to new regulations for needing to have hybrid vessels only. The seas are rough but not bad on board. I am on the 10th floor and it is very stable. I want to make one comment about solo travel and specialty dining. They seem to offer the worse table to you. The first two times I took them but tonight I refused. She was abrupt with me but did give me a better table. 6 couples came in after me and not one of them were offered the less desirable table. Why would they think a solo traveler would not want a window or at better spot? After being treated like royalty in club orange I don’t think I will do anymore specialty dining even if it is complimentary. The weather has been good for Norway. We had a few sprinkles yesterday and may have some again tomorrow. No pictures today as my pictures would not load onto my iPad.

Hello everyone, I had another great day on on this voyage. I took a bus trip that I was a little worried about because it was eight hours long. The time really did go pretty fast, we drove through some beautiful scenery, and stopped at the troll wall. We were supposed to be on the troll path, but the snow has not melted and they’re waiting for one more avalanche. I took some pictures, and if you look closely at the stone wall behind the troll statues, you could actually see troll faces. The tour guide told a disturbing story that the Norwegians told their children troll stories to keep them safe. That in itself isn’t bad but the story goes that if you see a troll behind a waterfall, they will bite your head off. They also believe that if the troll sees sunlight it will break into 1 million pieces and that is why they are granite rocks in the streams and rivers. I guess they were desperate in the spring thaw to keep their children safe. We have had beautiful weather. It looks like it may hold for tomorrow as well when we are in Trondheim. For the Harry Potter fans, I took a picture of a bridge that was featured in one of the movies. and water. The the story goes that the trolls hide behind the waterfalls and if they see you they will bite off your head. If the troll comes into sunlight, it breaks into 1 million pieces and that’s why there are big granite stones in the streams and rivers. At one of the stops, I took pictures of the trolls in front of the granite troll wall. If you look closely on a couple of them, you can see some faces of trolls in the wall. Tomorrow we will be in Trondheim, Norway, where I have a walking tour of the town. Tonight we will again slowly sail out of the fjord. It stays light very long and the sun is coming up earlier. We have had near perfect weather. For you Harry Potter fans I have included a picture of one of the bridges they used in the movie. Time to eat again!Hello everyone,I just got back from a long excursion from Alesund, Norway. We were supposed to go on the troll path, but it is closed until the snow melts. It was an eight hour bus tour (very comfy bus) with about two hours off the bus. We drove through through the valleys and up into higher elevation to the troll wall. Norwegians, believe in trolls and told troll stories to their children to keep them safe from waterfalls and water. The the story goes that the trolls hide behind the waterfalls and if they see you they will bite off your head. If the into sunlight, it breaks into

You could feel the rocking on Deck 10. I don’t mind it so not a problem. It did end as the captain said it would around midnight.

Hello from Flam Norway, I am back on board after the Flam Railway, Waffles and Waterfalls excursion. Who knew sour cream along with raspberry jam would be good on waffles. The scenery was beautiful and there were still a lot of snow. There were some waterfalls, but probably not as many as if there has been more snow melt. Today is constitution day in Norway, so it is a national holiday. I saw a few people dressed in traditional clothing, but I have not seen any parade or any celebration here in Flam. I saw a bit of the fjord as we were sailing in and starting around 6 PM they will have narration as we leave. I’m hoping I can hear their narration other than in the crows nest because that will be very crowded. We saw the Huldra (lady in red) and at one of the waterfalls. She moved too quickly to other points on the landscape so there must’ve been more than one. As far as I know, she did not entice any man to go back in the mountains with her. I have excursions booked for the next two days in Alesund and Trondheim. We have a day at sea before two more ports. Other than being a little chilly the weather has really cooperated.

My grandson has been watching Ice Road Rescue on Disney+. The show takes place in the mountains of Norway. He has been excited since he heard I was going to Norway. He has a map at home and has been following the ships progress. I talked to him this morning before he left to school to tell him, I finally made it to Norway.

We are sailing away from Stavenger Norway and a cold brisk breeze makes standing on the balcony very cold. I had a great day, exploring the city. I first went on a hop on hop off bus, and got a lay of the land. I then walked around visiting the sites tI wanted to explore deeper. I loved the little white houses and their tile roofs. We will have rough seas between 6 PM and midnight until we enter the fjord into Flam. I have a tour tomorrow with Holland America on the Flam railway, waterfalls and waffles. I have met a few people who are also on that excursion and some have done it before. My cell service has been great when on land. I get free data up to 5 GB and if I want to make a call to $.25 a minute I have been able to FaceTime the grandkids which helps. Until tomorrow

We are on our first sea day on the second part of my voyage. The sail out of Amsterdam was enjoyable. It took a couple hours as we slowly made our way out to sea. As we approached the lock they were wind turbines alongside the oil refineries billowing smoke, quite the dichotomy. There was a tight squeeze to get through the lock. You can tell by how close the edge is to the lifeboat. Today is foggy and I saw my first orca whale. We had our first cruise critic, meet and mingle. It’s nice to put faces to the names. The ship is full and buzzing with activity. I will go to a port talk this afternoon to learn more about the ports coming up. I do not have excursions booked in every port. Many look walkable, and I enjoy exploring on my own. The celebrity Apex was parked behind us in Amsterdam. I it looked huge. You can see the new passengers getting on the ship.

Sorry I did not post yesterday. It was a long day and we did not get back from our Normandie excursion till 8 o’clock. I ate a quick bite in club orange and relaxed in my room. I was truly moved by the memorial. I was on a small excursion with six other members of the real call which I think was perfect. I looked at the big buses and thought wow it would take a whole lot longer and probably not see as much as we did. Besides going to Normandie we made a stop in HonFleur. I really enjoyed exploring the town. today is our last sea day before reaching Amsterdam tomorrow. I will have to say goodbye to some new friends. Some thoughts on the last eight days which may not be other peoples experience, but it was mine. I did not notice any shortages. I cannot say about the alcohol because I do not drink. They had Sprite zero and Diet Coke so I was happy. I felt the food was good but I mainly ate in club, orange, Dutch Café, and salads in the Lido. I checked my statement daily, and I had no wrong charges. I hope that was other peoples experience on this cruise. There always seem to be something going on. the last music set started at 11:15 PM none of which I made it to. I am an early riser. Yes, there are chair hogs even on cold itineraries. My cabin is on deck 10 and there are those comfy loungers that are divided by curtains on deck 10. I would walk by in the morning before 8 AM you would find books, hats and other things saving chairs. One day it was almost 3 hours before someone came and claimed their chair. The casino was empty most the time. I heard the cruise before this one was a casino offer. The casino was much busier. I really did enjoy the first eight day days. I am looking forward to meeting new people from the rollcall that will be coming on tfot the next 14 days.

They have improved the temp today. It still is a little brisk but not as bad. I would bring layers if you get chilled at all. Walking outside has been cold. The decks unless in direct sun have been cold the aft pool was very cold. I wear layers and remove if I get too warm. I hope that helps.