LIVE REVIEW - 18th to 26th May - Norway - Independence of the Seas

[Indy_Girl46]

Thanks for the review - its really interesting and great fun to read. Just a quick question (sorry!), we have 2 balcony cabins with interconnecting rooms in July (cabins 8380 and 8382). Do you happen to know or can you find out if a) the door between cabins can be kept open and b) the balcony dividers can be opened? I have had mixed messages when I have asked in other places. Thank you so much.

[GWRNigel]

What is the weather/temperature like as I am on the 1st June sailing?

[marielco]

Thank you for doing this review it is great. I am looking forward to hearing about Olden, Alesund and Stavanger as they are all on my Adventure cruise at the beginning of June. I hope you feel better with a little rest.

[Glad Trimble]

Brilliant review, really enjoying it, thanks so much for posting :D

[cardes]

On Indy June 1....your reviews are a highlight of my day.

[Iceman's Mum]

""At 5pm me and my buddy went to the Diamond Lounge until 6.30pm and then met our friend for dinner at 7pm. Me and my friend ate red lentil soup, roast beef and cappuccino chocolate cake. My buddy ate shrimp cocktail, roast chicken and pecan tart. Everything was fresh and hot. We are in My Time Dining and have asked to always be seated in the section of Noriel (waiter) and Edgar (asst waiter) as they are excellent at looking after us.""

 

 

 

we loved Noriel and Edgar when we were on the 2-day trip - so attentive and friendly. get Edgar to show you his "trick" questions - good fun!! :D

[ticktoneer]

Day 5 - Wednesday 21st May 2013 - Olden, Norway - Arrival 7am

 

I've just realised that I have forgotten to comment on the weather. On Monday it was overcast with sunny spells with a mid day temperature of 18oC/64oF. Tuesday was a lovely day with blue skies and bright sunshine - mid day temperature of 21oC/70oF. In the afternoon it clouded over and became cold. Today was a grey misty day with low cloud and a lot of rain - mid day temperature of 8oC/46oF. We've all got our fingers crossed that it improves tomorrow.

 

I met my friend for breakfast in the MDR at 8am as we were going on the Cruise on Lake Loen that I mentioned yesterday. My buddy was still in bed snoring his head off - lol.

 

At breakfast we saw that Cunards Queen Elizabeth was anchored in port. They were tendering their guests on and off as we had bagged the only pier. Ha ha ha! It might be a beautiful ship inside but from the outside it looks like a cheap ferry.

 

We met at 9.15am in the Alhambra Theatre for the excursion and were escorted off and to our coach at 9.30am. We had a 1 hour coach ride through Kjenndat Valley, which was beautiful and stopped at a small berth on Lake Loen to get on the boat. The boat was like one of Amsterdams canal boats. The weather was very wet so everyone sat inside. It would have been amazing sat on the top of the boat outside if had been dry and warmer. We saw some stunning views and got some great photos.

 

After the boat cruise we had waffles and coffee/tea in a traditional Norwegian cafe. It was a traditional wooden building. Next we were picked up by the bus again and taken to a glacier area. After a 10 minute walk we were quite near to take some good photos and video. The mountains and waterfalls were so gorgeous. Apparently for the last two weeks it has been very warm so all the snow is melting and making the rivers, streams and waterfalls very active.

 

Back on the bus - next we stopped at a traditional wooden summer farm for a photo opportunity and we next stopped at a viewing point where we could see the fjord, the lake and the glacier. Again, great photos.

 

We arrived back at the ship at 1.45pm. The tour was just over 4 hours in length and WELL WORTH the time and money.

 

We met my buddy and ate lunch in the Windjammer as the MDR had closed at 1.30pm.

 

This morning, the fresh air and cold had taken it out of me (I'm 41yrs old but feel like 91yrs old - ha ha ha!). I decided to have a rest in my stateroom, read a trashy novel I had started and order some milk from room service.

 

At 4.45pm I met my buddy for the Michael Jackson music quiz in the Schooner Bar. He is a BIG Michael Jackson fan and I expected we'd win the quiz and coveted, valuable RCCL prize of a RCCL wallet.

 

Hooray !! We did win. Lol. We scored 14 out of 15 and gave our priceless wallets to two children we saw nearby.

 

From 5.45pm to 6.45pm we went to the Diamond Lounge and then met our friend for dinner at 7pm.

 

The show this evening was 'Once Upon A Time'. It really was very good. I know I have said it on a previous day but the whole cast are excellent, especially the 6 singers.

 

When we sail on transatlantic or Caribbean sailings you can walk into the theatre for most shows right up to the start time and get a seat. It is strange and British culture that on UK sailings people get to the theatre 30-45 minutes before the show starts to "get a good seat". We had to get to the Alhambra Theatre at 8.30pm for a 9pm start to ensure we could get 3 seats together due to how busy it was.

 

The British - we are a strange nation ! Lol

 

10pm we went to The Labyrinth for the Michael Jackson hour and then retired to our stateroom at 11pm.

 

In November 2012 we had a cruise on IOS with many problems. Reading Cruise Critic through November and December, many people seemed to not enjoy IOS and many said something was "off" on the ship. This cruise has been totally different.

 

I ended the night by writing an e mail to Adam Goldstein (copying it to Jennifer Imbruglio the Guest Services Manager) saying how positive this cruise has been and how much more helpful all the staff are, how much better organised operations seem in many areas and how the atmosphere and feel of the ship is much nicer.

 

More review on Day 6 - Alesund

[twinkle1980]

WAIT!

 

You havent told us what you had for dinner! ;) :D

[motif]

Thank you for responding and for the updates! Have a great time! :)

[mcd1411]

thanks for review, really enjoy it and cant wait till the next update. I am sailing on the 1st of June 14 night sailing and i have a couple of questions if you dont mind. Can you tell me if they have Hendricks gin on board the ship, not been on royal for a few years now! and my other question is what is the standard of dress like in the evenings on board. I was reading your review and thinking of you being treated as crew/ staff was this because not many people were wearing dinner suits.

thank you for your assistance in advance Barry.

[iaconno]

In which ports did you found a wifi connection close to the cruise dock?

And which is the best option to breakfast and avoid lines?

Thanks a lot

[boingboingbaggy]

Hi

Well done on your reviews.

We go on the 1st June so it's great to hear what's going on.

Could you please find out if Captain Teo is getting back on shortly?

The listings show he's about due to return.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Regards

Daz

[ticktoneer]

Day 6 - Thursday 22nd May 2013 - Alesund, Norway - Arrival 8am

 

Well, only 2 days left now. I'm starting to get withdrawal symptoms already. I can't believe I have to wait until November to do the Transatlantic on Navigator. How can I cope without cruising in the near future :-(

 

I read the posts and want to apologise profusely for not letting you know what we ate for dinner last night. Ha ha ha. I can't remember now so you're never going to find out.

 

Weather today was quite cool this morning and overcast - 9°C/48°f. It did warm up mid morning and after lunch we had a lot of blue sky and sunny intervals. It was 16°C/60°f.

 

I didnt get up early this morning (praise be to whoever) as my buddy got up to meet our friend for breakfast at 8am. I was up this morning at 9.30am to get showered and dressed, ready to eat my breakfast in WindJammer and then meet my friend to go on our excursion at 10.45am.

 

Our excursion was timed to get back at 3.30pm and the all aboard time was also 3.30pm.

 

The excursion today was Alesund - Saga Islands & Atlantic Sea Park.

Firstly we had a bus tour around Alesund. The population of Alesund is 45,000 and it is made up of 7 islands and therefore has water on all sides. In 1904 on the same day the date I can't remember) the town had a great fire that destroyed half of the housing and then that night a major hurricane causing further mass damage and death. Norway now has a stone law which means that buildings in town or city centres can't be made of wood.

 

It's a lovely large town to just get off the ship and explore. The ship docks right in town.

 

All the islands are joined by bridges and a sub sea system which was opened in 1986. The first tunnel we went into was 3km long and it took us to a depth of 152m/450ft under the sea !!!

 

Firstly we visited a church on Giske Island which was 900 yrs old and made of marble.

 

Next was Godøy Island to visit a lighthouse in a fishing village called Alnes. In this area during February & March there are hundreds of fishing boats fishing for cod.

 

We the drove through 3 sub sea tunnels and over a bridge back into town to stop at the Aksla viewpoint. This view was stunning and well worth a visit.

 

(A small town centre blue and white holiday resort type land train leaves from outside the port if you want to get up to the viewing point. Also the city sightseeing hop on and hop off bus)

 

The last visit was to the Atlantic Sea Park Aquarium. This was 'ok' but not a lot to do.

 

The excursion covered a lot of ground and what we did and saw we enjoyed. However we were on the coach driving more than visiting places. When we did get to the places to visit we had very little time at them to take pictures and see everything properly (esp. the aquarium). There were also 2 other full coaches with us and made seeing things even harder due to the number of people. I wrote to the Excursions Manager, Sarah tonight asking for a 50% refund.

 

As I said earlier, all aboard time was 3.30pm and we arrived at the ship at 3.28pm. Lol. Phew !!!

 

There had been refreshments provided on the trip so we met my buddy in the Windjammer for afternoon tea at 3.30pm.

 

After tea our friend went to have a rest and 40 winks and we went to the sauna and steam room.

 

My buddy felt really poorly as the afternoon wore on so he went to bed and decided not to come to dinner. Me and my friend at on deck 5 MTD at 6.30pm. We both had creamy mushrooms on puff pastry, I had prime rib (with mash instead of mashed potato) and then grand mariner soufflé. My friend had chickpea curry and baked Alaska.

 

The cooks and chefs did their parade tonight which is quite cool. The ship has over 200 cooks and chefs.

 

After dinner my friend decided to get an early night ready for our last excursion tomorrow- Stavanger - City Sightseeing with Iron Age Farm.

 

I went to the Diamond Lounge from 8pm to 8.30pm for my obligatory gorgeous scrumptious vodka cranberry and then went to get a seat in the show at 8.30pm

 

The headliners tonight were 'Grafitti Classics'. They were a funny string quartet. I didn't fancy this show at all but I have to say it was one of the best headliner shows I've seen since sailing with RCCL. They received 2 full theatre standing ovations.

 

After the show I was flagging a little and felt quite tired. I retired to bed at 10.30pm and did my days review.

 

More tomorrow - Day 7 - Stavanger

[TOM CRUIZES]

Hi

Well done on your reviews.

We go on the 1st June so it's great to hear what's going on.

Could you please find out if Captain Teo is getting back on shortly?

The listings show he's about due to return.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Regards

Daz

 

 

Captain Teo is due to return on 1st of June Cruise when Captain Remo gets off.

 

Enjoyed reading your review and comments thanks again, we get on on 1st June.

[Shelley61]

Graffiti Classics were on our Med Cruise on Indy 2 years ago. I dragged my boyfriend along as it's really not his cup of tea usually, but boy was he wrong! They were fabulous!

 

Glad to see the weather in Norway is warmer than here (though that's not difficult at the moment!) as we're headed there in a week or so.

[NorbertsNiece]

OMG.

I just saw this thread!!

Will read the whole thing.

Dammit.

 

Dave

[drarill]

Great live review!! I'm enjoying reading your review!!:):)

[Lady_Bird]

Fantastic review. We're on the Indy in just over a week's time and this is really helping to raise the excitement levels. Thank you. :)

[Maizie_Mouse]

Just been reading your review & it is amazing, we are getting on, on Sunday when you get back, it will be our 1st time on Indy.

 

Could I be cheeky ;) & ask for a comment or 2 on the balcony cabin as this is what we have ( sofa bed option rather than bunks didn't want my 5 yr old bouncing out if one!!) & what your thoughts are between the ocean view versus the balcony (apart from the noise you had on dk2).

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise & thanks again for such a fab running commentary :)

[Zhane's mum]

My question is what type of clothing should I typically pack for a Norwegian Fjords cruise... My guess would be to dress for British weather?? Thanks

[ticktoneer]

Day 7 - Friday 23rd May 2013 - Stavanger, Norway - Arrival 9.30am

 

The weather today is beautiful. Totally blue skies (not a cloud in sight) with sunshine. It was 9°C/48°f in the morning but warmed up by lunchtime to a lovely 20°C/68°f.

 

Me and my friend were doing our third excursion today - Stavanger City Highlights & Iron Age Farm. We met for breakfast at 8am then made our way to the Alhambra Theatre for 9.15am to 'check-in' for the excursion which was due to leave at 9.30am.

 

We didn't actually depart until 10am as we were late docking in Stavanger due to needing to let P & O Arcadia in and also wait for a ship called 'The World' (i think that was the name) move from our berth.

 

We found out that 'The World' was a ship for very rich folks. They buy a suite on there, design it how they want and the whole ship sails to where the majority want to go whenever they want to go. i.e. they have a destination vote and if 20% want the Caribbean, 35% want Norway and 45% want Australia, they will go to Australia.

 

The excursion ran from 10am until 1pm. First we called at the cathedral built in 1125. It was one of the oldest buildings in Stavanger.

 

There were many houses and shops with Norwegian flags - this was because on 17th May it had been Norway day when everyone celebrates being Norweigian and there are many parades and street parties.

 

Next we drove through the suburb of Ikanes. This is an affluent area that houses a royal residence, built in 1760.

 

We called at the 3 swords monument which commemorates the unification of Norway after the battle of 872 which was won by King Harold Fairhair. At this battle he conquered the last kingdom of Norway and married Gida. The monument was built in the mid 1980's and is 10 metres tall.

 

Next was Ullandhaug Hill where we visited a re-construction of an Iron Age Farm from 300-500 AD. The lady of the house and chief ran the house where up to 25 lived. The animals also lived in the house and horses were sacred animals. These people were the forefathers/mothers of the Vikings who settled around 800 AD. It might not not sound very enthralling but this was really really interesting.

 

Lastly we called at Ullandhaug tower. This was on top of a small mountain and was 63metres high. It gave awesome views of the whole of Stavanger.

 

When we arrived back at the ship at 1pm we ate in the Windjammer.

Activities were pretty much non existent from 2pm until 5pm so we we slept for the afternoon and re-charged.

 

5.00pm was time for the Diamond Lounge to enjoy more vodka cranberry and my buddy had gin and tonic (they have bitter Gordon's gin, not Tanquerry on UK sailings).

 

We ate at 6.45pm in MTD. We all ate Garlic soup, lasagna and tiramisu. It was a really nice evening dinner.

 

At 9pm it was the production show 'Center Stage'. This was really enjoyable but seemed to go on for a long time. We were with some friends, one of whom fell to sleep and was snoring during the show. Ha ha ha !!!!!!

 

Remember yesterday about me contacting Sarah the excursions manager . . . . When we got back to our room at 10.30pm there was a message from her saying that she had refunded 50% of the cost of our excursion as she agreed (after investigation) that if was not satisfactory.

 

Good night !!!!!

 

More tomorrow - Day 8 - At sea

[ticktoneer]

My question is what type of clothing should I typically pack for a Norwegian Fjords cruise... My guess would be to dress for British weather?? Thanks

Dress for British weather :-)

[ticktoneer]

OMG.

I just saw this thread!!

Will read the whole thing.

Dammit.

 

Dave

Glad you found it Dave.

 

Hope you're OK :-)

[ticktoneer]

In which ports did you found a wifi connection close to the cruise dock?

And which is the best option to breakfast and avoid lines?

Thanks a lot

Breakfast was good every morning in either MDR venue and we didn't find any wi-fi venues in the ports.

 

Hope that helps. :-)

[ticktoneer]

Just been reading your review & it is amazing, we are getting on, on Sunday when you get back, it will be our 1st time on Indy.

 

Could I be cheeky ;) & ask for a comment or 2 on the balcony cabin as this is what we have ( sofa bed option rather than bunks didn't want my 5 yr old bouncing out if one!!) & what your thoughts are between the ocean view versus the balcony (apart from the noise you had on dk2).

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise & thanks again for such a fab running commentary :)

I don't really know what to say apart from you feel much free-er in a Balcony cabin due to the option to open the doors and be 'outdoors' or let fresh air in.

 

After my experience of my oceanview I would never do another. It was very small.

 

:-)