MSC Orchestra, June 6th 2015 | Fjords, Norway & Northern Germany

[Elmartellama]

We liked the Flam train a lot, but I think we would have it enjoyed more had it been the first thing we did that day. After the surreal Voss - Myrdal part, we were harder to impress.

 

But it was very nice anyway, just not the highlight of our day as I thought it would be.

 

 

 

Crossing with the train going up.

 

 

 

According to the Norwegian mythology, the rocks in the middle of the river are Troll heads exploded by the sunlight.

 

 

Arriving to Flam, where the station is very close to the ship

 

[Elmartellama]

Love this picture

 

 

I did some gym upon arrival, enjoying the sail away views. Still many people using it.

 

 

After the gym I indulged in magical Jacuzzi time again

 

 

This time I tried the more open and exposed one, since it was not that windy and it had better views. Again, I was on my own and did not have to share. My ex was in the room (his loss!) but I was lucky enough that two young Dutch women were about to use the Jacuzzi nearby. They were very friendly and I asked them to take a picture of me in the Jacuzzi, I took a picture of them and everyone was happy!

 

It is my favourite picture of the whole trip. I was really happy and fulfilled at that moment. It was perfect.

 

 

The rays of sun started illuminating the Fjords again. Just so perfect!

 

 

We skipped the show again that night, the two Spanish ladies we had met told us it was a good show afterwards, something with a good dancing couple. About dinner times, we usually were done in 75 minutes or so, 90 minutes in Italian and Gala nights, good timing. Dinning while we sailed the Fjord was a nice memory as well.

 

We were still in the Sognefjord when we went to bed. This was 22:46, and after two intense days when we had woken up very early, we were longing for a good night sleep.

 

 

The next day was Stavanger, and we did not arrive there until 12:00, so plenty of time to unwind and rest. This was something good from the itinerary, the mix of intense and relaxing days worked really well.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Elmartellama

[Elmartellama]

Day 7 (Cruise day 6) Stavanger

 

After several days of cold weather, we were blessed with almost 20ºC and sunshine in Stavanger :)

 

It was a nice change, and it made a big difference since we had a Lysefjord excursion for the day. We would be seeing the Preikestolen from bellow, and enjoy the scenic navigation in a old vessel. It was a great day, and much better than expected!

 

[Elmartellama]

Since we were arriving in Stavanger at 12:00 and we were gathering for the excursion soon after, we took it easy in the morning.

 

The morning was a bit overcast, but it got better by midday.

 

 

I believe we arrived in plenty of time since navigation around Stavanger bay was very slow.

 

 

Stavanger is Norway's old capital. It's a wealthy industrial city and one of the most expensive of the world. Beers were rumored to cost between 10€ to 12€ o_O We weren't crazy enough to buy anything there.

 

You could see the Oil-platforms being built, pretty cool

 

 

The port is in the very centre of the city, which makes it convenient. Actually the best views are from the ship! You could see curious vessels all over the place.

 

 

 

The old town and the old Sandnes anchored at the old port. We did not know it then, but that was the ship that would taking to the Lysefjord

 

[Elmartellama]

More of the old town

 

 

There was a world series beach-volley event going on, so the atmosphere was great and festive!

 

 

And another picture of the Sandnes from above

 

 

The excursion was organised by MSC, so we were escorted out of the ship and went walking along the old port to it. There is an alternative to the Lysefjord provided by the Rodne company, it was a bit cheaper but no so much. The difference was that the MSC excursion took around 4 hours with an iconic ship, while Rodne has fast small ferries and it takes them only two hours.

 

All in all, I was satisfied with the MSC excursion, the day was great and you had time to see many things from the slow relaxing Sandnes. Also in the end the guide, who was quite good, offered a tour around Stavanger, which we declined since it was already past 16:00 and we were hungry.

 

The problem was that the last part of the excursion -the Stavanger town tour- was not announced, and also the whole excursion was not supposed to take that long (maybe they use faster ships other times), so we did not bring any food along.

 

Had we known the excursion was 4 hours, starting at 12:30, we could have picked several things from the buffet and eat on the Sandnes, taking the Stavanger city tour afterwards... You could also buy food and drinks on the Sandnes anyway.

 

Also, that excursion was fully booked by day 1. We were so lucky, since after the first dinner we passed by the Excursion desk and they told us that demand was very high and the would see what they could do... I flipped out, since that was not a cheap excursion. We received the excursion tickets by day 2, and then we saw a sign saying it was sold out.

 

So, if you're interested, book soon enough.

 

 

Sandnes had the colors of the flag of the spanish region of Andalucia! well, more an independence-like flag of Andalucia, it was funny to us.

 

This is the Petroleum Museum, which seems to be a good visit if you have more free time in the city.

 

 

And a posh neighbourhood across the bay

 

Edited July 14, 2015 by Elmartellama

[Elmartellama]

 

 

 

 

 

[Elmartellama]

The day was fanstastic, and the slow navigation took place in between salmon factories and little islands.

 

 

I forgot to put solar protection on, and got a bit burned. Even that north it's best to protect your skin, I did not take into account we would spend so much time onboard!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 14, 2015 by Elmartellama

[Elmartellama]

Approaching the Lysefjord

 

 

 

So green and nice

 

 

The Lysefjord bridge in the distance

 

 

And finally in the Fjord of light. That day was the Fjord of light indeed!

 

[Elmartellama]

 

 

With smaller boats they access this cove and you can touch a small waterfall

 

 

We were getting closer to the Preikestolen and the walls were getting higher

 

 

It was amazing wherever you looked

 

 

Wow!

 

Edited July 14, 2015 by Elmartellama

[Elmartellama]

And there it is, the Preikestolen!

 

 

The pulpit rock rises 604 meters above the Fjord. I had been there on my first visit to Norway. You have to walk two hours to get there, and more to come back. It's an impressive view from above that you remember forever.

 

This time there was no time to go up and hike, yet the day was so clear that you could even see a little bit the people sitting on it!

 

 

At that point the ship turned and headed back to Stavanger port

 

 

And again the bridge uniting both sides of the narrow Fjord

 

 

Lovely isolated houses

 

 

[Elmartellama]

This was the moment I realized our time in Norway was coming to and end. It is without doubt one of most beautiful countries of the World, and a place I need to come back soon enough ^_^

 

 

 

 

 

Back in the port. The MSC Orchestra is a lovely ship, would'nt mind sailing on her soon either.

 

 

Wealthy people filling up the terraces, never-minding the price :-D

 

[Elmartellama]

See you soon Norway!

 

 

Back on the ship we had late lunch. For sail away I went to the Jacuzzi, I had to share with the local fauna, and then after a while with an Italian couple. Jacuzzi time was never the same in good weather, some things are best enjoyed on your own!

 

 

This was gala night 2 and the mood was good, everyone having enjoyed the last four days and with an extra sea day to relax.

 

 

Thank you MSC Orchestra crew, I can honestly say you rocked!

 

 

The sun shining along and the sea very calmed. At last.

 

 

The traditional Baked Alaska parade, yummy yummy!

 

Edited July 14, 2015 by Elmartellama

[Elmartellama]

I would like to mention and thank our great waiter Agus, and also his assistant waiter. They did an outstanding job. Obviously we gave them and excellent rate.

 

 

Gala singing

 

 

And back to bed

 

 

That's it for today. Guess what's up now? Oh yeah. Sunset swimming! The only way to survive this perpetual heat wave we're under.

[hockeyguru32]

And at 19:00h we started sailing away. The Lido deck was rather empty. Many people had arrived very late, and others were already dinning. We had second seating at 20:30. The first show was held at 19:15h, and it was a Sinatra show. We missed it for our second consecutive year in order to enjoy the sail away. Sorry Frank, we did it our way.

 

I believe the boat below was not saluting us, but the Mein Schiff 4, since it was either her maiden voyage or her first time in Kiel, it had entered in service very recently.

 

 

Mein Schiff 4 (English: My Ship 4) is a cruise ship owned by TUI Cruises. Built by Meyer Turku Shipyard in Turku, Finland, she was floated out on 10 October 2014, delivered to TUI Cruises on 8 May 2015, and christened by former Olympic swimmer Franziska van Almsick in Kiel, Germany, on 5 June 2015.

 

Service history

 

On 14 May 2015, Mein Schiff 4 entered her first port, Kiel, from where she was scheduled to operate a series of short inaugural cruises. She returned to Kiel on 5 June 2015.

 

That afternoon and evening, TUI Cruises held a ceremony at Kiel's Ostseekai (de) cruise terminal, to celebrate the ship's entry into service. Around 1,000 guests were present inside Mein Schiff 4* '​s theatre; an estimated 25,000 spectators watched the event from outside. At 9 pm, following performances by a number of singers, the ship's sponsor, Franziska van Almsick, was raised above the foreship, wearing a 15 m (49 ft)-long christening robe weighing 300 kg (660 lb) and with a diameter of 20 m (66 ft). Van Almsick then christened Mein Schiff 4, by smashing a bottle of Pommery champagne against the ship’s side. The ceremony later concluded with a late-night fireworks display, accompanied by an electro and house set from DJ Tanja La Croix.

 

The following day, 6 June 2015, Mein Schiff 4 departed from Kiel on her maiden voyage, to the eastern Baltic. She will be home ported in Kiel for the 2015 summer season, and will then operate seven-day voyages to the Canary Islands, Morocco and Maderia during the winter.

[Elmartellama]

 

Stavanger is Norway's old capital. It's a wealthy industrial city and one of the most expensive of the world. Beers were rumored to cost between 10€ to 12€ o_O We weren't crazy enough to buy anything there.

 

You could see the Oil-platforms being built, pretty cool

 

I have to quote myself to clarify this mistake. Stavanger's is Norway's Oil capital, not Old Capital!

 

Stavanger is actually a very modern town, it boomed only several decades ago thanks to the discovery of oil in the North Sea.

[Elmartellama]

@ hockeyguru32

 

Thanks for the explanation! I did research about the Mein Schiff 4, but I read it had entered service in May, that's why I did not get why was the fuss about, and if it was her Maiden Voyage why was it afterwards! Isn't that a bit strange?

 

Anyway, she's a beauty and we must forgive her for bizarre inaugural procedures :D

[hockeyguru32]

@ hockeyguru32

 

Thanks for the explanation! I did research about the Mein Schiff 4, but I read it had entered service in May, that's why I did not get why was the fuss about, and if it was her Maiden Voyage why was it afterwards! Isn't that a bit strange?

 

Anyway, she's a beauty and we must forgive her for bizarre inaugural procedures :D

 

Agreed

[Elmartellama]

Day 8 (Cruise day 7)

 

Sea day 2 was very relaxing and uneventful. That was exactly what we needed. We were fortunate enough to enjoy splendid weather. Temps were around 20ºC and according to a Danish customer of mine, that was one of the only sunny and warm days of June in that area

 

You could see the nearby Danish coast for several hours. It's very flat and hard to distinguish, but there it is!

 

 

I tried the outdoor swimming pool. It was acclimatized and warm enough for me to swim, so I used it for a long time, that's me in it actually.

 

 

The lido deck was full for the first time during that cruise

 

 

We enjoyed many drinks that day, enjoying the weather and using the many coupons that we still had.

 

 

You can play the game, where is my ex? in here ^_^

 

 

Had some lovely time in the balcony as well, here with two delicious caramel coffee specialities

 

Edited July 15, 2015 by Elmartellama

[Elmartellama]

And the last BBCs :D

 

 

The show that night was Grease, which we loved.

 

 

The last sunset on-board the MSC Orchestra, and one of the few we saw, since up north in Norway the sun sets very late in June.

 

 

Things were really coming to end. Not only were we finishing the cruise, but so much more. Still we had two more days to go before returning home and starting a new life.

[stuart2468]

Have absolutely loved reading this review and look forward to reading about the remaining few days you have. I want to visit the Fjords at some point, and no doubt i will, but i keep filling up my years with other holidays. Never enough time off work sadly. lol

 

Oh and your ex's loss is a lucky mans gain. (I have a soft spot for Spaniards. lol)

 

Stu

[Elmartellama]

D-day (Trip day 9 / Cruise day 8)

 

We arrived in Kiel on time and soon we started the debarking procedures. Here we are in the Kiel Fjord again, passing by the Kiel - Hamburg Canal

 

 

 

We were among the last to debark, not too bad, around 10:00 I believe. We waited on the Lido deck taking something.

 

And finally exited the terminal where a free shuttle takes you to the station

 

 

Upon arrival at the station we took the first train to Hamburg that was just leaving. After arriving in Hamburg we crossed the city eastwards and went to the hotel, where our room was ready. We stayed at the Volkschule Hotel, which was quite cool and not expensive

 

 

We then went to city centre. It's an interesting place, Hamburg. We both liked it.

 

 

[Elmartellama]

We wandered a bit the streets

 

 

 

Then had a more or less typical German lunch at a quaint terrace

 

 

 

 

[Elmartellama]

It was very hot and humid, I wished I had put short pants on instead of jeans!

 

 

 

It's impressive how many canals there are in the city!

 

 

Discreet cars

 

 

Nice panoramas

 

 

And lovely streets

 

 

We had a nice time

[Elmartellama]

For the first time during the trip, it started raining (so far only a little snow!)

 

 

We took refuge in a cool bar/ chill out restaurant, were we had a natural juice and a pretty good and strange kind of sandwich

 

 

After the storm had passed we continued towards the Hafen City

 

 

 

 

The warehouse district has just been declared World Heritage Site by Unesco

 

[Elmartellama]

The controversial Hafen city district is next to it

 

 

It's quite cool actually, even if the ultra-expensive Opera House still U/C

 

 

Strange stuff on boats

 

 

Hamburg is a very wealthy city, and this district is very expensive as well