NORWEGIAN COASTAL VOYAGES - We're going in Aug. I have a few questions.

[glgolfer]

Bob - Congratulations on the booking, Our TA said it was an adventure getting our booking, too. Don't know how it will be in the winter, but there were a lot of Germans on our trip. I think the Trollfjord is a lot like the Midnatsol except for the color scheme and decorations. What cabin cat did you get. We had a U and were very satisfied with it.

 

We were also lucky at the North Cape as it was severe clear and we could see for miles. Almost froze as it was very cold and windy. The ride there is something else. That area defines desolate.

[amusea]

I sailed on the Trollfjord last August round-trip Bergen. IMHO the return trip was more spectacular, especially the Trollfjord which is so narrow that you can almost touch the rock walls on both sides of the ship. We were lucky because the fog lifted just enough to sail to end of this small fjord.

For anyone contemplating this ship from the USA, Continental has summer fare specials that are amazing. Round trip from Newark to Oslo non-stop for about $1800 Business Class. This is really a no-brainer since the economy fare was over $1000. and the difference in comfort on an old 757-200 was amazing. Service and food were excellent. You must book well in advance and the deal extended from May to September.

We also flew from Oslo to Bergen. Very easy and inexpensive. About $100. round trip on the SAS Brathens excursion fare. Airport is excellent and efficient in Oslo.

I had previously taken the train ride but did not want to spend six hours on a train after a long plane ride.

Bergen is worth a day or two prior to embarking although the city gets a huge number of wet days each year.

Loved the Trollfjord. Cabin was simple but comfortable. Food was way beyond my expectations for a "ferry".

The most amazing experience was not having any need to go through any security at each stop. They announce when the boat will leave and expect you to be there. No roll call. Just like the good old days. :)

Any questions - please feel free to ask.

[susan1234]

I think you will have one of the best trips of your life.

 

Indeed! I am already planning to go back! :)

 

Sorry I have not been in touch. (I did have y'all in mind though from time to time.) The internet connection on the ship was slower than snail. A couple of attempts, and the page would go on and on and on and on... still wouldn't load, so I gave up. 900 plus passengers and the computer stations were always empty. Wonder why? ;)

 

Just want to thank everyone here for now for providing plenty good advice and info. I would write more after a good night's sleep about the trip and some tips that I also found useful for the voyage.

 

Sue

 

p/s Thanks to barton497's suggestion of bringing postcards with our address labels on them. We gave out a few to newly met friends. They were quite amazed and thought that was a brilliant idea.

[nowornever]

susan1234, we'll look forward to your report! Sounds like you had a great time! Sweet dreams.

[NHBob]

.... Our TA said it was an adventure getting our booking, too. Don't know how it will be in the winter, but there were a lot of Germans on our trip. I think the Trollfjord is a lot like the Midnatsol except for the color scheme and decorations. What cabin cat did you get. We had a U and were very satisfied with it.

 

 

Just talked with my TA who finally has my booking straightend out. Did have a couple of glitches, however:

 

NCV had informed me that this particular package only included air out of EWR, on SAS. Luckily, I didn't book flight to EWR from Manchester, as a few days later NCV informed my TA that the Tromso - EWR connection doesn't operate in the winter - returning with SAS would have involved about 26 hours of travel, including a lot of time in Oslo and Copenhagen airports. So, they came up with an alternative using Icelandic out of Boston, via Reykjavik with travel times of "only" 10 hours outbound and 13 hours return. Works out great for me - It's a lot easier for me to get to Boston than Newark, and a lot cheaper too because we have express bus service from Concord to Logan Airport, and parking is free in Concord!

 

Second little glitch was of my doing - after looking at the arrival and departure times in Tromso, decided to extend my stay there for a night, as there's so much going on during the festival. So, of course, everything had to be referred back to Oslo. But, as I said earlier, everything seems to have worked out for the best and I'm looking forward to the trip in January.

 

Paul, don't know what cabin I'll have, as these packages are all on "best available" basis.

 

See that NCV is also offering a trip with a stay in the ice hotel. Anybody tried that?

 

I'm off to Rome on Monday for an entirely different type of cruise, a big band theme transatlintic crossing on HAL's Noordam, 16 days to NY. Noordam a bit big for my taste - most of my cruising is on Crystal these days - but I'm a fan of big band music. This will be my 11th tranatlantic - I really like the sea days and rough weather doesn't bother me, althouth it does make dancing a bit challenging!

[glgolfer]

Bob - Sounds like a great transatlantic with the big band theme. I've always like the Dorsey, Miller era music. I worked at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio and every other year they had a Glenn Miller band under the direction of Ray McKinley concert at the AF Museum. Opened up one end of a hanger and did about a 2 hour gig that included the Air Force Band of Flight. Very enjoyable.

 

We wouldn't do the ice hotel, had enough cold. That's why we moved from Ohio to Florida 10 years ago.

 

Glad you got everything worked out with NCV. We were very satisfied with our trip and think they are a first class operation.

[susan1234]

I still wake up in the morning wishing I were still on the Midnatsol.... :o

 

Not really a report, just this and that as a quick reference.

 

Check in: We were the only ones there at 6:00p.m. The agent told us that passengers could check in four hours before sailing. If only we had known. It was raining in Bergen, we had nowhere to go but wait at the hotel lobby the entire afternoon. :(

 

Cabin: Cat. MG Room 822. Much bigger that I expected, the 'suite' has a large, glass floor-to-ceiling bay window. Very nice. Comfortable bed. Walk-in closet. Fridge. Television. Lots of drawers. Fresh fruits everyday. The bathroom has an enclosed shower area, a bathtub, and vanity sink. Heated tiled floor!

 

Dinner Seating: Pre-assigned but changeable. Have to do it asap if you do not like your pre-determined time slot. We did it the first night, changed from 8:00p.m. to 7:00pm, a table for two.

 

Meals: Buffet for breakfast and lunch, set menu for dinner. The dinner menu for the next day is posted outside the dining room and if you do not like it, let the head waiter know asap, it could be changed, no charge. We requested change when lamb was to be served, and we were given chicken instead. No, I did not try reindeer, whale or any kind of pickled fish.

 

Excursions: If you could do only one, I recommend Geiranger. What breathtaking scenery throughout. It is a 7-hour trip on land, make sure you bring water and food (we brought granola bars) because it will be 10:00p.m. when you get back on the ship for dinner.

 

I also very much recommend the zodiac sea safari. It was the funnest adventure we have ever had. No, it was not dangerous at all. Lifesaver suits, rubber boots, hats, ski gloves, goggles were all provided for the ride. A woman on crutches in her eighties was there and she loved it! Everyone that took this excursion was surprised how exciting and fun it was. I will never get on a rollercoaster but WILL do this again in a heartbeat! Oh, go to the toilet and do not eat right before taking this trip, the sea might be a bit bumpy. It was a pleasant surprise as well that hot, buffet lunches were waiting for us upon our return.

 

We also did the Northcape because that was the only way to get there or to send postcards with the Northcape postmark telling folks back home that you have been to the Northernmost point of Europe! :)

 

Internet: Very very slow on board. On the first day, we docked at Alsund for the excursion to Geiranger. Right there near the dock, there was a coffee shop with big internet sign at the front. It is 1 NOK per minute. We had 30 minutes free time before the bus left, so I went in and quickly checked my email. Remember too to go to the toilet before getting on the bus!

 

All in all, this has been one of the best trips we have ever taken. We really enjoyed the low-key, hassle-free, casual atmosphere. The food on board was not spectacular, but not big or fussy eaters, we managed. A retired couple in their sixties told us there was too much down time for them, not enough action/things to do. However there were other like us that couldn't get enough of it and vowed to return.

 

Please post any questions you may have and I will try my best knowledge to answer them.

 

Sue

[glgolfer]

Sue - Glad you had a good time. Too bad about the rain in Bergen. The fish market and the Bryggen area are interesting to walk around.

 

We thought the food was quite good overall, but we like to try new things. Especially the poppy seed rolls. Once I tried them, I got stuck and never got anything else. The whale was very tender and flavorful. Judy & I both like venison, so reindeer was high on our list to try.

 

Hard to believe that there wasn't enough for someone to do. Just watching the scenery was great for us.

 

Did you go from Alesund to Gerainger? We stayed on the ship thru the fjord to Gerainger, then took the bus to Alesund.

 

We also want to take the trip again. Only this time, we'll take a lot less pictures and just enjoy the scenery more.

 

Did you need your new shoes this trip?

[susan1234]

We did not really need our 'waterproof shoes', even for the zodiac sea safari (rubber boots were provided) but we wore them anyway for walking around. I could see why one would need them when trekking in the rain, but during the cruise, there were only drizzles here and there, not enough to get 'wet'.

 

The poppy seed rolls, we couldn't get enough of them. Well, the rolls for dinner were exceptionally good: crispy on the outside, hot and soft on the inside! And they only gave you one. One time, we asked for more, and the server said only if there were any left. A few minutes later, she brought us two from the other table where the pax didn't want them. We didn't mind. ;)

 

While we found that breakfast and lunch buffets were adequate, dinner entrees and desserts were excellent, much better than we expected. During the seafood night, I had THREE lobsters! We were told that those were not from Norway but flown in from Maine! :confused: (No, I didn't eat the crawfish or catfish.)

 

Yea, I agree with you about not understanding the folks for having too much down time on the cruise. There were 34 stops one way, just getting on and off the boat alone should keep anyone busy enough, no? To us, days went by so quickly we didn't even have time to go (even once) to the sauna or the gym!

 

I still miss it, and am really seriously thinking of returning next year, taking the reverse itinerary from Kirkenes to Bergen, where we will stay a few more days this time.

[glgolfer]

We found there was more to do from Bergen to Kirkenes than coming back. Coming back seemed to be "get back to Bergen quick". They did not have any cross the Arctic Circle ceremony, didn't have Troll soup while in the Fjord and very few tours offered. It seemed more of a commuter run.

Anyone doing Kirkenes to Bergen only, misses a lot.

 

We needed the shoes in May as there was rain and snow quite a few places. No heavy rain, just a drizzle that soaked thru everything if you were in it long enough. The North Cape was very cold and windy with a lot of snow.

 

We were wooried about the dinners, but found all of them to be very good. We enjoyed everything we had for the 12 days and they did not repeat anything.

 

Since we like to try a lot of different food, we enjoyed the breakfast & lunch buffets as they had many things you can't get in the states.

After anticipating the cloudberries ever since we read about them before the trip, they were OK, but still a bit of a let down. Not as good as the anticipation as is true of most things.

 

We do want to go back, but will be trying to figure out a way to spend the money to go to Anarctica on one of their ships in the next 3 or 4 years. We hope our new business provides enough extra income to travel to some of the places we have yet to see.

[NHBob]

Bob - Sounds like a great transatlantic with the big band theme. I've always like the Dorsey, Miller era music. I worked at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio and every other year they had a Glenn Miller band under the direction of Ray McKinley concert at the AF Museum. Opened up one end of a hanger and did about a 2 hour gig that included the Air Force Band of Flight. Very enjoyable.

 

Glad you got everything worked out with NCV. We were very satisfied with our trip and think they are a first class operation.

 

Paul-

 

Got back from the transatlantic big band cruise about a week ago. Good band and lots of dancing, although dance floor space on most of HAL's ships is very limited and the Noordam is just too big. I'll post a review of the whole trip one of these days, in case you're interested.

 

If you're interested in a big band cruise, strongly recommend you take a look at Crystal Serenity's November 2007 LIS-MIA crossing. Although they haven't confirmed it yet, Crystal usually books the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra led by old timer Buddy Morrow - best of the several bands I have experienced on cruises. There is a review of my April '06 MIA-Lisbon crossing on Crystal Symphony in the CC members' review section.

[glgolfer]

Bob - Sounds like the big band cruise was a hit. I've always liked the big bands. We had the Dorsey band for homecoming one year in college in the very early 60s.

 

We have enough scheduled for next year with the Jewel 12 night in June and the Splendour 14 night transatlantic in December. Both of those are taking us to new places except for the stops in Norway.

The Serenity cruise sounds interesting, but too close to the Splendour.

 

We're looking at Antarctica in late 2008 on NCV. I see Princess is taking one of the big ships there and stiring up a lot of controversy. I tend to agree that the 2000+ PAX ships shouldn't go there.

 

Judy has also always wanted to go to Iceland, so we may try that in the summer of 2008, too. Either as part of a transatlantic or with NCV.

[NHBob]

Judy has also always wanted to go to Iceland, so we may try that in the summer of 2008, too. Either as part of a transatlantic or with NCV.

 

Iceland is a great place. I've been on three cruises that called at Reykjavik, and one of which also visited Akureyri on the north coast. Only problem is with the limited times in port, you don't get to see a lot of the country, although I did take some interesting shore excursions from both cities.

 

I'm trying to interest my brother and his wife in flying over and renting a car to explore at our leisure, but failing that I'm considering Vantage Travel's 11-day land tour in 2008. Have never traveled with Vantage, but acquaintances who have were very happy with them.

[glgolfer]

Thanks - We'll have to look into that.

[NHBob]

Looking at the deck plans for these ships, it appears that there may be a dance floor on deck 8, which leads to my questions:

• Are there really dance floors? I can't tell from the brochure and website photos.
  
• I don't expect live music on these working ships, but do they normally have recorded music in bars and lounges?
  
• Does anybody dance?

Still interested in hearing if there are any other crazies out there planning a January holiday north of the Arctic Circle!

[glgolfer]

Bob: There was an entertainer on our trip. He played the keyboard and sang. Surprisingly, he sang all songs in English. There was a small area that could be called a dance floor in the area beside the bar that had tables and chairs set up.

We didn't spend much time there as we were more interested in the scenery.

 

I sent an email to Vantage asking about any Iceland tours in 2008. Just got a brochure with info about 2007 trips that does include an Iceland tour. If we weren't already doing a British Isles/Norwegian Fjords 12 night cruise in June with some time in London, I think my wife would have already signed up.

[GARY1227]

Hey Paul

 

Good To See Your Ok. I Was Sending You Posts On The Ok Floridian Site . I Was In Your Area Last Weekend.

 

Gary

[NHBob]

Final documents for the Northern Lights Festival package are here, so except for some packing decisions, I'm ready and excited to be on my way on Saturday.

 

Many thanks to posters who have answered my questions about NCV. Also received an e-mail form lady in UK who just completed the Christmas cruise on Midnatsol. She had nothing but praise for the program, the ship, and the crew. Says the Norwegians really know how to party on Christmas Eve. Only negative she mentioned was how expensive Norway is, which most of us know.

 

Paul, you asked about my cabin assignment. Still don't have specific cabin number, but it will be a Cat. N on Deck 4. Looks fine to me - I'm never in cabin anyway except to sleep.

 

Was a little concerned that my air tickets only allowed 55 minutes for my connection in Oslo, pretty short for international-to-domestic transfer. However, TA assures met that even though the international and domestic flights are separately ticketed I will be able to check my baggage through to Bergen. Actually missing the connection won't be a major problem, as there is a flight to Bergen almost every hour.

 

Will try to post a review when I get back.

[glgolfer]

Bob - Have a great time. Glad it's you going to freeze and not me.

Remember the bathroom floors in the cabins are heated.

Tilt an aquavit for Judy & I onboard.

 

We didn't see much of the Oslo airport. Got off the plane, got our luggage and made it to the train to downtown. Can't help with how easy connections are.

[glgolfer]

Bob- Just curious how the winter Norway cruise was.

[NHBob]

Bob- Just curious how the winter Norway cruise was.

 

Finally got around to submitting a rather lengthy review of my cruise tonight - it should appear on the Reviews page in a few days. Great trip!

[glgolfer]

Great - I'll look for it.

[NHBob]

Review has been published. Link is:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=26214.

 

A few line breaks were dropped, but readers can probably follow it ok.

 

Bob

[amusea]

Norwegian Coastal Ferries has a brand new ship which just specializes in cruising through Greenland.

[glgolfer]

The MS Fram will be cruising Greenland/Iceland. It will then do a 66 day from Iceland to South America. Then do 13 day cruises to Antarctica.

 

We need to start printing money so we can get on the 66 day one.