Brilliance OTS, 2 June 2012 Trip Report - the Norway, no, Denmark, no, Norway Cruise

[Cotswold Eagle]

Welcome aboard... I just booked the same cruise a couple of weeks ago.. .when you get settled in , please do drop on by the M&M Thread . .... in the meantime.. back to your review.... ... I just thought it to be a hoot that I am reading your review of Brilliance, as I was on her Sister Jewel a few years ago and I like that itinerary... and then you go and jump on my cruise... lol... .I look forward to meeting you in person after all these years .....

 

Hi, I'm already on that thread :) But just lurking, as any time I have to post I have been working on this review. Look forward to meeting you in December.

 

David

[Cotswold Eagle]

I walked into town along the road by the waterfront, passing several offshore support vessels along the way. Bergen is an important commercial and shipping centre, as well as being a tourist destination. The first tourist site I reached was the Håkonshallen and Rosenkrantz Tower, part of Bergen's fortifications (you can see the walls as you leave the dock, and in my photos above). I did not stop here, but did have a quick look round on my return in the afternoon. It looks interesting and with more time I would have explored properly. The buildings are mostly restored, following major damage in an explosion in the harbour in World War II.

 

 

It is then a short walk along the harbour to reach the famous Bryggen. Here's what you need to know about this place - it's a historical con! It is the site of an old Hanseatic wharf and merchants' buildings, but the old timber originals were destroyed by fire in 1702 (I'm not sure Norway should be trusted with fire, they seem to burn down most of their towns and cities!). The buildings we see today, which are listed by UNESCO, are replacements built then, "in the Medieval tradition". Still it is one of the iconic sights of Norway, although I was a little disappointed that the buildings are almost entirely populated with tourist souvenir shops these days. There is also an extensive renovation project underway as the buildings are apparently subsiding.

 

 

 

At the end of the harbour there is an open air market - primarily the Fish Market, but also some souvenir and crsfts stalls.

 

 

A little beyond this is a very smart modern buidling, apparently opened just this year, with more of the Fish Market underneath and the Tourist Information Office on the upper level. Just outside there are stops for the two HOHO bus services that run here, in addition to the "train" I had seen earlier. There are also tables to sit out and enjoy a drink or some lunch bought from the market.

 

 

[Cotswold Eagle]

You will have noticed that the weather was pretty good, in fact incredibly good for Bergen, which has over 300 days with rain per year. It was mostly sunny and quite warm, I would say definitely more than the forecast 66 degrees. Even though I had remembered to put on some sun lotion in the morning, I did actually get a little sun burn!

 

Because it was so lovely, I did not visit any of the several museums in Bergen, or take a tour, but instead spent the morning just wandering on foot in the general area of the Fish Market/Bryggen, and taking photos. The city was crowded with tourists, but I managed to find a few quiet streets and alleyways, as well as the buzzing water front. I returned to the market at lunch time and perused the offerings (sandwiches, baguettes, hot and cold plates, all with a variety of seafood- ranging from 50 NOK for a half sandwich to about 150 NOK for a more substantial plate), before buying a simple scoop of shell-on prawns for 70 NOK, grabbed some mayonnaise and sat by the harbour in the sun enjoying one of life's simple pleasures....

 

 

 

 

 

[Cotswold Eagle]

A "must do" here in Bergen is to take the Fløibanen funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen, where there is a view point (and restaurant and souvenir shop). Unfortunately, it is a "must do" for all cruise passengers, and appears to feature on most tours of the city. I had passed the base station on my morning wanderings and the queue was stretched down the street.

 

 

From where I was sitting to have my lunch, I could see to the top of Mount Fløyen, with the route of the funicular clearly visible. Although I generally dislike queuing (but do it very politely when necessary , being English, of course), I decided I could not leave without making the trip.

 

 

When I returned, about 1 pm, the queue was much reduced and I stood in line to buy my ticket (tip: the ticket office is to left, there may be two queues, with those already in possesion of tickets to the right), before making my way into the waiting hall, which has interesting panels dispalyng some of the history of the funicular. There are then gates to regulate the right number of passengers for each trip and you wait for the car to slowly appear from above.

 

 

There are two opposing cars operating on one track (with a passing place in the middle of the climb, fortunately) and the journey takes around seven minutes. The cars are crowded, but it is possible to get good views, as there is a lot of glass.

 

 

When you reach the summit you leave the station and immediately find yourself on a large viewing platform. You are unlikely to find yourself alone, but at least the steps mean you have a chance of getting the view!

 

 

[ebk2795]

 

We were the second ship to arrive. Waiting for us was an old RCI stalwart, Pullmantur's Empress, formerly Empress of the Seas, formerly Nordic Empress. We were later joined by the Costa Fortuna and in the afternoon one of the Hurtigruten ships paid a call on Geiranger.

 

An old friend for some.

 

 

Beautiful pictures. Great to see the Empress at sea. We sailed her a few years back out of Philadelphia and loved it. Thanks for posting.

 

Eileen

[C Cruise Dude]

David, this is a wonderful review. Your photos are the best, enough to convince to consider the expense of a Fjord cruise. I would like to take more than 7 days though. Add one more insolvency (just kidding, I’ll just skip the Caribbean for a while). One question, what was the temperature like? I just returned from Alaska and it appears to be a similar climate. Thanks :cool:

 

What an awesome picture, it looks like a painting.

Edited June 25, 2012 by C Cruise Dude
correction

[Booking It]

Like I have said before, I am LOVING your review. I have taken tons of notes.

 

Question... Was the funicular a walkable distance from the ship? I'm traveling with my 62 year old mother. She is very healthy and fit, but her ankle is made up of plates and pins due to a nasty break a few years ago. Seeing as Bergen is our 5th and final port, I think her ankle might decide it's had enough by the time we arrive ;). I'm wondering if I should arrange for transportation.

[villauk]

David,

 

Just thought I'd add for those that were considering walking to the top of the mountain, it takes a good hour to reach the peak viewing area. While we were standing in the queue for the funicular, we discovered that they only accepted payment in NOK or credit cards. So, having put all our Norwegian money together and noting the price per person, we realised we had insufficient funds for all 7 of us to use the funicular. Being very thoughtful, my DH offered to walk and meet us at the top. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the ticket office to pay, the lady informed us we could purchase a family ticket - and guess what? Yes, we would have had enough money for us all to travel on the funicular. My DH was absolutely exhausted when he reached the top (which was before us, by the way! Shows how long the queue was). He was extremely relieved when we informed him we had enough money for him to travel back down on the funicular;) You are able to buy a one-way ticket from the top. There are also a couple of stops along the way.

 

Wanted to inform others of the payment arrangements. We also saw a few people with prepaid tickets. The two queues were split, one for those with prepaid tickets and excursions, the other was a general queue for purchasing tickets. Both queues fed into one once you were near the main entrance. We waited for well over an hour and a half in the queue.

[Cotswold Eagle]

Thanks, Jenny - really good information (an hour and a half in the queue - wow!) I hadn't realised they only took NOK and ccs, well worth knowing, especially as so many shops took $ and € as well.

 

Prices were 80 NOK adult return, 40 NOK one way (children half price). The family ticket was 200 NOK, I think?

[Cotswold Eagle]

Like I have said before, I am LOVING your review. I have taken tons of notes.

 

Question... Was the funicular a walkable distance from the ship? I'm traveling with my 62 year old mother. She is very healthy and fit, but her ankle is made up of plates and pins due to a nasty break a few years ago. Seeing as Bergen is our 5th and final port, I think her ankle might decide it's had enough by the time we arrive ;). I'm wondering if I should arrange for transportation.

 

It depends slightly on where you dock, of course, but the base station is only 150m from the Fish Market, so once you are in the centre you are right there - say 15 or 20 minutes walk to the centre from either dock. But also remember you may have to stand in a long queue. You can just see the base station in my photo showing the route of the funicular up the mountain - it's the white building with the dark roof between two taller buildings at the bottom left (to the left of the leftmost tall flagpole)

 

I hope you both have a great cruise :)

[Cotswold Eagle]

David, this is a wonderful review. Your photos are the best, enough to convince to consider the expense of a Fjord cruise. I would like to take more than 7 days though. Add one more insolvency (just kidding, I’ll just skip the Caribbean for a while). One question, what was the temperature like? I just returned from Alaska and it appears to be a similar climate. Thanks :cool:

 

What an awesome picture, it looks like a painting.

 

Thanks for your kind words. The west of Norway has a relatively mild climate for its latitude - we had temperatures in the 50s and 60s (and possibly higher in Bergen, I reckon - it got hot in the afternoon :)) It depends what altitude you are going to, of course, but I was fine with a shirt, light fleece and light rain jacket, and I'm not sure I wore them all at once, other than out from Molde early morning. In fact, I'd say wind and rain proof is more important than warmth as far as clothing goes, but bring layers!

Edited June 25, 2012 by Cotswold Eagle

[Cotswold Eagle]

Beautiful pictures. Great to see the Empress at sea. We sailed her a few years back out of Philadelphia and loved it. Thanks for posting.

 

Eileen

 

Cool - an excuse to post another picture of the old girl. She looks good :)

 

[tiggerman101]

Great review. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[Cotswold Eagle]

Meanwhile, back on top of Mount Fløyen... Because I did this after lunch and all aboard was at 4 pm, I hadn't left much time to explore - there are hiking trails and a park with a lake to enjoy, but I concentrated on elbowing myself to the front (not really, but it can be a squeeze) to take some photos.

 

 

You get some awesome views of Bergen from here, which illustrate that it is by far the biggest place where we have stopped this week. This poses a dilemma, and is actually one reason I have shied away from cruises in Europe - there isn't enough time to really "do" a place this big, so do you pick one or two things to do in depth, or try to see everything quickly? I had chosen to do a bit of both - wander in the morning, the viewpoint in the afternoon. I would not recommend trying to do too much. I will be easily able to come here again for a weekend or a few days touring on land, but I know it's not so easy for others. Do your research, pick what you want to do and plan! Oh, and ask questions on Cruise Critic.

 

A view of the "rest" of Bergen

 

 

Another view of the centre, which gives a sense of scale for the city sites and sights. The lake you can see in the middle forground is Lille Lungegårdsvann - on the far side of this you will find the cultural quarter, with the various Bergen Art Museum buildngs and the Grieg Hall. In front of the road bridge above that you will find Johanneskirken and other museums, including the Maritime Museum. The aquarium is on the tip of the peninsula between the two cruise ship docks at right centre of this photo.

 

 

I did a little souvenir shopping in the quite large shop at the top station, eventually finding the hat I wanted (89 NOK) and a fridge magnet (40 NOK). I forgot to mention that I bought a Norway mug in Geiranger, which was 79 NOK. I didn't find these prices too horrendous, given the cost of living here.

 

Then it was time to queue for the return journey - the queue started to build-up, so I left in plenty of time. I bumped into Kathleen and George, the older couple from my dining table. As first-time cruisers, they had booked a package of ship's excursion, and I think were a little coach tour weary! They had been very late departing on their afternoon tour of Bergen, because the morning ones had been delayed by the queues at the funicular, and they only got about 10 minutes at the viewpoint themselves.

 

 

I walked back to the ship, browsing the shops along the way. I bought some postcards (from memory 7 NOK each), but it seems you can buy just about anything here!

 

[Cotswold Eagle]

If you like ships and boats, you will enjoy Bergen. It is clearly a city of the sea, with docks and wharves right in the centre. You can see...

 

Tall ships...

 

and cruise ships...

 

and big ships next to small boats...

 

and funny looking working ships...

 

and, my favourite, ships with extensions! I can imagine the conversation. "So, where's the helipad?" "You didn't say you wanted a helipad" "OF COURSE we want a helipad!" "OK. Erm. We'll stick one on the front, then"

[BillOh]

No sooner had I finished my treat, than I was heading to the top of the ship for our Meet & Mingle, held in the Starquest lounge (the forward portion of the space more generally known as the Viking Crown Lounge). My invite had been in my cabin on arrival and was of a form I had not seen before - a colour printed effort, with a name tag and ticket to enter a draw for prizes.

 

 

 

I hope that is something new and spreads fleet wide. Perhaps they read the recent criticisms of meet and mingles.

[TPCRUISER2]

Awesome pictures! And thanks for the pictures of the good old girl!

[chickadee1]

I have only been on Caribbean cruises but find your review and photos very inviting!! Wondering how Brilliance is as a ship? Glad to hear the food is good. We will be sailing on her in November from New Jersey to San Juan, PR. Hope we have a good a time as you evidently had!!

[critterchick]

No sooner had I finished my treat, than I was heading to the top of the ship for our Meet & Mingle, held in the Starquest lounge (the forward portion of the space more generally known as the Viking Crown Lounge). My invite had been in my cabin on arrival and was of a form I had not seen before - a colour printed effort, with a name tag and ticket to enter a draw for prizes.

 

 

I hope that is something new and spreads fleet wide. Perhaps they read the recent criticisms of meet and mingles.

 

That's the invitation we've been seeing for the past few years now.

Edited June 25, 2012 by critterchick

[chickadee1]

Yes - that was my invitation, too, on EOS in May 2009!

[Cotswold Eagle]

That's the invitation we've been seeing for the past few years now.

 

Interesting, thanks, it's the first time I have seen one. And I notice on another current (and very interesting, by the way) review that they got their M&M invite on one of the invitation cards used for most functions, which is what I have seen before:

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=34239569&postcount=15

 

But I don't suppose any of us sail RCI for consistency in all things across the fleet:)

 

Hope you are enjoying the review!

Edited June 25, 2012 by Cotswold Eagle

[BillOh]

 

 

 

That's the invitation we've been seeing for the past few years now.

 

My only 7 day cruises that I signed up for the M&M, we just got a typed letter saying when, where. I think they handed out tickets for you to put your name on for raffles in both cases, including the most recent one on Allure. Though looking at this pic, I assume this wasn't a sticker you could wear, so you would have to carry it and show it?

[Cotswold Eagle]

My only 7 day cruises that I signed up for the M&M, we just got a typed letter saying when, where. I think they handed out tickets for you to put your name on for raffles in both cases, including the most recent one on Allure. Though looking at this pic, I assume this wasn't a sticker you could wear, so you would have to carry it and show it?

 

All the sections are perforated, so they come apart. The free gift was a sort of combination lanyard/note pad and pen thingy, and the name badge fits in the clear pocket on that.

 

Can't believe of everything in this review, the M&M invite has had so much attention :D

[Cotswold Eagle]

I have only been on Caribbean cruises but find your review and photos very inviting!! Wondering how Brilliance is as a ship? Glad to hear the food is good. We will be sailing on her in November from New Jersey to San Juan, PR. Hope we have a good a time as you evidently had!!

 

I'll be doing a round up of things about the ship after completing the day-by -day. I realise I haven't talked much about her - short version, I thought she was in fine shape :)

[chickadee1]

Oh no - your review is wonderful. I did ask how the ship was because I will be sailing on it but since you had such a wonderful time, I bet the ship is wonderful, too!