Live from Emerald Princess - Norwegian Fjords and North Cape 6th August 2016

[Frflatt]

Tuesday 16th August 2016 - At Sea

 

Apologies for the tardiness of posting this update and for not responding to questions; I will try to do better but I'm running short of internet minutes so may end up replying to some when I get home.

 

Today is our third sea day and as I said previously we have nothing planned except catching up on laundry and the Captain's cocktail party.

 

This morning we decided to forgo our usual coffee in the Piazza and instead go for breakfast in Botticelli dining room. It was the first time we had been to an MDR breakfast on this cruise and it was a welcome and pleasant change. Geoff started with oatmeal and stewed apples and I had bran flakes and stewed prunes. We followed this with what was described as Spanish tortilla but it wasn't like the ones we are used to - it was thin and very oniony - at home, we make tortillas that are 2 inches thick and full of potato and thinly sliced fried onions. As an accompaniment, Geoff had sausages and English bacon and I had ham. It was an enjoyable start to the day despite the disappointment of the tortilla!

 

Next we put the laundry in the machine; there's a laundry just up on deck 10 that is easier to access for us than the one at the end of our deck. And then up to the Calypso pool to stake out our lounger for the morning. Not that we needed to as chairs were generally empty as the weather was slightly overcast but not too cold if you wrapped yourself in towels! The movie on MUTS was 'Inside Out' and it was a pleasant thing to watch between trips down to the laundry. Towards the end, a light drizzle began and I watched the final 20 minutes or so sitting under the overhang on deck 15. Geoff braved it out ensconced in an increasing number of towels.

 

As we were feeling a little cold by the end of the movie we went down to the Piazza for a warming cup of coffee - this area tends to get very crowded on sea days during inclement weather. Afterwards, we decided to have a burger for lunch from the Trident Grill - well Geoff had a slightly undercooked burger and I had a hot dog! And then back to Calypso pool area as the sun had come out and the afternoon looked promising. The afternoon movie was 'Pitch Perfect 2' and this was good fun in that I embarrassed Geoff by singing along to the songs!

 

At 4.30 we headed inside to get ready for the evening - the third formal night. We both enjoyed luxuriating in the tub (one at a time I hasten to add as we wouldn't fit in together) with a gin and tonic. We hadn't intended on dressing up for the last formal night as my suit only just fitted when I got on the ship and I'm sure I've put on at least half a stone; but as it was the Captain's cocktail party and we wanted to experience it we didn't have a choice.

 

At 6.30 we went to Club Fusion and were initiated into this new experience. The drinks were meant to be cocktails but I think they were flavoured water and the Captain rambled on for 15 minutes about... well I'm not really sure what he was talking about. All I remember is that there are 393 Elite and 860+ Platinum passengers on this cruise. The most travelled passenger wasn't present as they 'had elected' to attend one of the two later cocktail parties that evening but I know they had 1700 days at sea with Princess. Lucky them!

 

One of the things that I have noticed on this particular cruise is that folk take formal night very seriously; I would estimate that well over 90% and probably 95% of men who are dressed formally wear tuxedos. Having mainly cruised in the Caribbean formal night isn't such a big issue and open neck shirt and smart trousers are acceptable. We chose to wear dark suits but it seems that our fellow countrymen like to wear a tux. Our next cruise is on P&O's Britannia and we are expecting the passengers to be mainly British so we probably need to invest in two dinner suits!

 

After the soirée we went to the Wheelhouse Bar for a real drink before heading to Da Vinci for dinner. We have had to wait a number of times for a table for two but never for an overly long time - 10 minutes or so at most. For dinner I started with my favourite, escargot (snails) and Geoff started with the veal ravioli, then we both had tomato soup - I think it is one of the best tomato soups second only to Heinz, and I'm an expert in tomato soup - then we both had beef Wellington. My beef was cooked perfectly - very rare - but Geoff's that he'd asked for medium was medium well. Tonight's menu is not one that Geoff enjoys but tolerates just so that I can have the escargot. For dessert Geoff had cheesecake and I had floating islands. Not our favourite meal but it was okay.

 

After dinner we decided to venture up to Skywalker's where the DJ was playing music through the decades; well mainly from decades long ago. Despite an early start in the morning, we ended up staying there until well after midnight and probably drinking a little too much - but we are on holiday. Tomorrow is Alesund and we have an excursion that starts at 8.15 - so to bed.

[debs246]

Hi Stephen

 

Thank you so much for taking us with you on this cruise! I have loved reading your blog and you have inspired me to make a much greater effort with my own diary when we are onboard the Emerald at the end of September. This will be the longest cruise that I have ever done and to detail it as you have will help to bring the memories flooding back at a later date.

 

Safe journey home.

 

Debbie :)

[Geoffa30]

Just back from an extremely short stop in Bergen. Docked at 7 in container port. Numerous other ships including the bigger P&O Brittannia docked elsewhere in better location. Had to get shuttle to port exit but they didn't start giving out shuttle tickets until 7.10. All aboard at 1.30 but Patter said last shuttle at 12.45 so 5 1/2 hours in Bergen. Set sail at 2. Cannot comprehend why it takes so long to go back to Southampton. I think Princess needs to reconsider the scheduling for future sailings of this itinerary.

 

On a more positive note, Bergen is beautiful. Even managed to catch a free open air performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. It was stunning and brought a lump to my throat.

Edited August 18, 2016 by Geoffa30

[Frflatt]

Wednesday 17th August 2016 - Alesund

 

An early start today as we had an excursion booked with a meeting time of 8.15am! The day was off to a promising start with sun breaking through an early morning mist. None of our usual start of the day coffee in the Piazza but I instead collected two to go from the International Cafe together with, unbeknownst to Geoff, two cinnamon and raisin doughnuts to sustain us on our travels.

 

After the obligatory wait in the Princess Theatre, we were out and on our motor coach heading for our first destination of Giske Island and the beautiful 900 year old church. The drive was fun going at speed through several tunnels but we managed to arrive in one piece. The sun by this point was set in a blue sky and the warmth felt good on our poor frozen bodies. The church was beautiful and the church warden did a good job in explaining the history of the building and the magnificent carvings adorning the altar piece and pulpit. Then ten or so minutes of free time to take photographs both indoors and out. The church is located next to a quaint harbour in which the blue sky and numerous boats were reflected. On returning to the coach, I produced the doughnuts from my pocket and Geoff commented that he had been able to smell doughnuts when we were in the church and had thought it strange. He now knew why!

 

Back to the coach for more tunnels before reaching our second stop on the island of Godoy and the Alnus lighthouse. Before we were allowed to explore the lighthouse we had coffee and cake (a sort of pancake covered in sugar) then just as we were getting up to ascend the lighthouse they brought out (potentially recently defrosted!) chocolate covered sponge cake with vanilla cream. Once freed from cake prison we all trooped up the lighthouse round the top and back down again banging heads once or twice on the journey. The lighthouse afforded good views across the local country side and adjacent beach and the insides acted as a gallery to some very good works of a local artist - all for sale. Outside the lighthouse is a new restaurant that they have built but can't use until a local farmer clears a piece of land in front of it - they have been negotiating for this through their lawyers for two years so far!

 

Back on the coach and off to our third destination - a viewpoint overlooking the city. The journey took us back through tunnels and over bridges then up a mountain. The views over the city and surrounding islands was spectacular and well worth the journey. Our guide on this expedition was a very knowledgeable retired seaman who apart from a year had lived in Alesund all his life; his stories were fascinating. Like many cities built of wood (particularly those in Norway it seems), Alesund has burnt down several times, the last in 1900. The final part of our journey was a trip through the city to particularly look at the Art Nouveau houses built after the last fire, which was fascinating. Overall the excursion was good. We just wish it was slightly longer so that more time could have been spent at each stop.

 

After being delivered back to the ship, we quickly changed into shorts - it was quite warm by this point - and set out to wander through the city on our own. The cruise terminal is right in the city centre and so getting there is very easy. We spent a pleasant couple of hours wandering around, Geoff taking photographs, admiring the architecture of the houses and the boats in the harbour. We stopped at one point in a glass blowing workshop and enjoyed watching a talented artisan and his assistant making bowls. They drew quite a crowd. We later found their showroom in the town and purchased a beautiful blue and green bowl for 1000 NOK; it will look lovely in our home and remind us of this beautiful city.

 

After returning to the Emerald Princess, we watched sail away from the terrace pool area, but first we stood on the promenade deck and cheered the 'bing bong' people. During sail away, the local fire boat followed us out and saluted us with their water cannons which was a lovely sight, creating rainbows in the water droplets. Other boats also followed us for a short while. Then back to our stateroom for a leisurely bath before getting ready for dinner which was tonight was in the Da Vinci dining room; I had game terrine (it was actually a pâté), gnocchi (slightly stodgy) and a trio of lamb chop, veal breast and chicken skewers and Geoff had the same but substituted the terrine for twice baked goats cheese soufflé. For dessert I had amaretto ice cream and Geoff had a chocolate lovers pudding.

 

This evening we decided to relax in our stateroom before an early night in preparation for a 6.30 start in Bergen in the morning. So, after visiting the International Cafe to pick up what Princess claims to be a hot chocolate and another dessert for Geoff (Tiramisu), that is exactly what we did!

 

(As an aside, I intend to post some of Geoff's photos once we are home and have worked out the best way of doing so.)

[Frflatt]

Thursday 18th August 2016 - Bergen

 

It was an up and at 'em morning today; Emerald Princess was due to dock in Bergen at 7am and we wanted to be off the ship as soon as possible to make the most of this all too brief stop in Norway's second city. For reasons best known to themselves, Princess had decided to dock in the container port when other cruise ships had berthed in the cruise terminal in the heart of the city. As we were in the container docks we had to get a shuttle for a one minute ride to the dock gate; at just before 7am we were waiting out side Michelangelo dining room to get our shuttle tickets - it opened at 7.10.

 

We were on the first shuttle (at about 7.19) and within a minute reached the port gate. Geoff commented that he could have stayed on the coach much longer as it seemed brand new and was quite luxurious. The city was shrouded in low cloud and the air was damp but we decided to take the funicular up the mountain in the hope that the cloud would soon burn off. The journey to the station is fairly simple; we were there in about 10 minutes thanks to Google Maps and, if it hadn't have been for a tour group from the ship, we would have been the first people to arrive there from the Emerald. Go us! We paid our 90 NOK each for a return ticket and were soon on our way up the mountain. About half way up we entered the cloud and visibility reduced to just a few feet. On top of the mountain you could barely see your hand in front of your face but at least we beat the crowds!

 

We spent a pleasant hour or so wandering about; Geoff taking photographs of trees emerging from the mist, the lake and graffiti painted on cling film between trees. At about 9am, we wandered back to the station in the hope of getting a coffee but none of the shops and cafes open until 10am. Despite this there were visitors like locust swarming through the shop - but they couldn't pay for anything for another hour. At 9.30 with no prospect of the mist lifting to reveal the panorama we decided to go back down to the city - after all we were time limited. We managed to snag the two seats right at the front of the carriage facing down back to the town. This was much to the annoyance of others as they swarmed around us with no regard for our personal space.

 

Our first stop after descending was at Starbucks for a coffee and a roll - 230 NOK or about £22 and worth every penny - then a few yards along the road to the Bryggen, a collection of wooden shops and houses that Bergen is famed for and that form a Unesco world heritage site. We walked among the houses and the old harbour area - stopping for a few minutes to admire the P&O Britannia (which we will be sailing on in February to mark my 60th birthday) and a stunning two mast yacht that was all gleaming metal and varnished wood. At the point we were walking past, two men were hanging aloft one of the masts before abseiling down shortly after. Rather them than me.

 

Next our walk took us to the town square where we were delighted to find the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ed Gardner, rehearsing for a concert they were giving that evening. We heard Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, complete with pyrotechnics, plus Grieg's In The Hall of the Mountain King; both were magnificent. Then up the hill to St. John's Church which has an impressive wooden interior that Geoff delighted in photographing. The time now was 12.30 and the last shuttle back to the ship was 12.45; this despite a journey that took under a minute with an all aboard time of 1.30! So off down through a tangle of wooden dwellings to get the shuttle back to the Emerald Princess. It is a great shame that we couldn't have stayed longer in Bergen, I think Princess need to rethink this itinerary to give a much longer time in this splendid city. It was a tricky journey out but with the late evening sun, it would have been possible to stay until much later. The reason for the early departure was given as being the distance to Southampton and strong adverse currents. Perhaps it would be better to stop at Bergen going North rather than South early in the itinerary. (My recommendation just in case Princess are reading!)

 

Once back on board we found a comfortable spot in the Calypso pool area to settle down for the sail away. It is ironic that the low cloud finally dissipated and the sun came out just before it was time to leave this port. We spent a couple of hours soaking up the sun until it disappeared at about 3.30.

 

We decided to try the afternoon tea in Botticelli dining room and enjoyed a pleasant and delicious experience - it is the same afternoon tea that we enjoy in the Sanctuary on the Royal and Regal. Following tea we headed to Club Fusion for trivia where we got a disappointing ten, our worst score yet. Geoff thought we were on a roll after the first ten questions but alas it turned out that most of our answers were wrong! Then off back to our stateroom to relax and get ready for dinner.

 

After enjoying a gin and tonic (we brought Fever Tree tonic from home as we don't like the variety available on board) we went to Da Vinci dining room for our Italian night dinner. After a 15 minute wait we were seated and discovered that it was very busy and the staff in our section seemed especially stressed, which didn't make for a very comfortable dining experience but they did a good job all the same. For dinner we both had melanzana parmigiana (delicious), followed by minestrone soup (very good), meatballs and spaghetti (really delicious). Then I had beef in Barolo (scrumptious) and Geoff had chicken (very cheesy). For dessert Geoff had tiramisu - his favourite pudding - and I had semi-fredo with candied fruit that seemed to be tinned mandarin segments which I do quite like.

 

Following dinner we rushed to claim our seats in the theatre for tonight's show 'Magic To Do'. The Princess Theatre was packed to the rafters by 10pm and it was standing room only. The show was so so. I don't think it came anywhere near as good as Fiera on the Regal but it was ok. There were some songs that we knew already and some new ones but they were let down by the quality of the singers who are quite frankly terrible. The show I'm sure had a story but it was difficult to follow and some parts were a little disjointed. I wouldn't rush back to see it again. All this cruise they have been doing surveys following the shows - not sure what this is all about? Geoff commented that future shows should include more lasers.

 

After the show it was off to bed - we had had an early start today and our luxury bed was calling. Tomorrow is a sea day and we can have a lie in!

[Geoffa30]

We have arrived back in Southampton. Captain came over the tannoy last night in our stateroom to say he had been advised to expedite the journey back due to worsening conditions. He said that we would be arriving about an hour earlier than originally expected.

 

Looks like we've brought the poor weather we had in Norway back with us.

[Fletch1]

Steve,

 

Thanks for taking us along on your Emerald cruise. I have enjoyed reading your daily blogs. We hope to do this exact cruise maybe next year or the year after, so have enjoyed your opinions and thoughts of the ports.

 

Happy and safe future cruising.

 

 

[Frflatt]

Friday 19th August 2016 - At Sea

 

This morning we enjoyed a lie in - it was 8am before we emerged from between the covers. The day was partly cloudy with a chilly wind blowing at about 20 knots. After dressing we wandered down to the Botticelli dining room for breakfast - it had been such an enjoyable experience a couple of days ago.

 

Well, it was so different today. The service was shocking, it felt like we were abandoned - though the waiter did keep apologising for the delay. The head waiter was fawning over one couple who came in after us; they were given the best seat by the window and he served them personally - he seemed to be speaking in their native language, Italian. Geoff had ordered huevos rancheros but what was presented to him was two eggs sunny-side up, some re-fried with a sprinkling of Monterey Jack and two tortilla chips. It was completely inedible and didn't resemble anything we had had before with that title; he ended up eating just a couple of slices of toast. My bacon and eggs were fine but the coffee tasted no better than water and they didn't bring the tomato juice that I ordered until reminded. No one bothered to come over to ask how our food was despite Geoff's meal remaining untouched - and all along the head waiter was laughing and joking with the couple by the window.

 

After the disappointing start we decided to cheer ourselves up with a decent cup of coffee from the International Cafe and sit in the Piazza watching the world go by. Once revived we were off to the Princess Theatre to see the culinary demonstration - a last day ritual of ours - it wasn't as funny as usual as there wasn't the same comedic rapport between the head chef and maitre d' that we're used to seeing; but it was a good demonstration. We didn't go on the galley tour as we've done it before and there seemed to be hundreds of people wanting to do it.

 

We decided to venture up to Lido deck and see what the weather was doing; it was still windy but the sun was out and it was warm in the sheltered areas. We spent a good couple of hours soaking up some sun until the clouds returned and we descended to Explorers for the final art auction. We didn't go intending to buy anything, though we have in the past, we just enjoy the theatre of the event! Strangely the first artwork sold for approximately $20,000 although we never saw anyone actually bid on it. Something similar happened on a past cruise too.

 

After an hour or so we decided to make a visit to the Piazza for a sandwich (Cubana for Geoff and barbecue beef for me) and salad at the International Cafe. It was now 3pm so we toddled off to the Wheelhouse Bar for the last happy hour there and the raffle draw - we didn't win anything but enjoyed a drink in preparation for our last trivia. Club Fusion was the venue for this and it was a lively affair; we managed to score 16 out of 21, our best yet! It would have been more if I hadn't persuaded Geoff that a couple of his answers were wrong. Oops! Still, we wouldn't have won as the winners got 20.

 

Well, the inevitable had to be faced and the packing was not going to do itself so off we trotted back to our stateroom to stash our belongings in suitcases, attach labels and put them out in the hallway - always a sad chore! As we were getting ready for the evening, Captain Kent came on the tannoy to inform us of bad weather on our way into Southampton and that we would be arriving early to avoid the worst of the approaching storm. He had said at the Captain's cocktail party earlier in the week that there was bad weather forecast for our arrival and while we would be OK getting into port he might have problems departing.

 

Once dressed for dinner we stopped at the Wheelhouse Bar for a G&T - using the last of our tonic - and then off to Da Vinci dining room for our last supper; this is a meal that Geoff tolerates as there's not much on the menu for him. I had sweetbreads (very tasty) pepper pot soup with tripe (nice despite chewy tripe) and New York Strip (cooked perfectly); Geoff had aubergine and rice timbale, chilled curried pumpkin soup (room temperature and inedible) and burger with extra fries. For dessert he had his last cheesecake and I had my last creme brûlée - predictable if nothing else. We also enjoyed the antics of our neighbouring diners including a couple who both sat using their iPads during dinner and another who both ate their ice cream with a fork.

 

Entertainment in Princess Theatre tonight was provided by an instrumentalist called Gregory - he was a very proficient violinist who played popular tunes. It was pleasant enough but nothing to write home about. Geoff enjoyed it makes more. By the end of the show my eyes were drooping and I was ready to turn in for the last night on board the beautiful Emerald Princess.

[Geoffa30]

Testing photo uploads - please ignore

Edited August 21, 2016 by Geoffa30

[Shogun]

Hi

 

For up loading photos you need a third party host like photo bucket or similar,

 

yours Shogun

[Frflatt]

Saturday 20th August 2016 - Disembarkation and Round Up

 

Well, it was a bumpy night last night but nothing like when we left Stavanger! I heard the thrusters kick into action well before 6am and by the time we had opened the curtains at 6.30 we were alongside in Queen Elizabeth II terminal in Southampton. The weather was overcast and when I looked over the balcony I could see it was very blowy from the struggle that the men were having moving the luggage to the terminal building.

 

We had chosen to be in the early group of passengers with independent arrangements to leave the ship and were allocated orange two group with a disembarkation time of 8.20 am. Our departure lounge was the casino or, being platinum Captain's Circle members, could use the designated PES area of Club Fusion. After a leisurely shower and final packing and then rechecking of drawers, safe etc., we bid farewell to our lovely mini-suite that had served us so well.

 

7.40 am found us seated in the Piazza with final cups of coffee - we got through two and a half coffee cards this voyage - (vanilla bean latte for Geoff and skinny latte for me) watching people scurrying about their business. We made use of the final opportunity on board to purchase two future cruise credits; I know we will want to book something else very soon. Probably somewhere in the Caribbean after the cold wet weather we had on this cruise.

 

At 8.10 we made our way to the casino and waited 15 minutes to be called. Our cruise cards were scanned for a final time and we were off the Emerald Princess and back in England. We found our cases with no problem - Geoff commented that it was strange that whilst our group had only just been called most of the group's luggage had already been claimed; do people ignore the system and does no one check?

 

We were out of the terminal within 2 minutes and after collecting our car keys from CPS we went to retrieve our vehicle. Strangely, our lovely car, along with most of the others in the CPS garage was covered in a thick red dust that looked like tiny fibres. When challenged the attendant said that it was caused by a Saharan sand storm - we do get these occasionally but when looked on the internet couldn't find a record of one in the last two weeks; there will be a letter of complaint.

 

The drive home was uneventful and took less than two hours - we then had to go and get the car cleaned before we began on the joyous task of unpacking. Most of the laundry is washed and some is dried and put away, we've been shopping and are sitting, relaxing and reliving the happy memories of our Norwegian adventure on board the beautiful Emerald Princess.

 

Round Up

 

The ship - Emerald Princess is a beautiful vessel and is in very good condition for her age. The public areas, apart from the Piazza and the buffet, are well laid out and flow very well. The Piazza and buffet are difficult areas, poorly designed, and we prefer the ones on the Royal class ships.

 

The food - on the whole the food was very good, there were some exceptions to this but we were overall pleased with quality and choice on offer. The two speciality restaurants we visited - Share and Salty Dog were both very good but Share wasn't good value for money and we probably wouldn't return. The Salty Dog on the other hand was very good value and we will definitely be back.

 

The accommodation - our stateroom was of a good size, possibly a little narrow, and it was fantastic to have the bath tub as well as the shower. The balcony was a very good size but didn't get much use because of the weather. The bed and bedding were amazing, even the the pillows were perfect and almost as good as ours at home.

 

The staff - there were some miserable and ignorant staff but the vast majority were wonderful. They are such hard working and cheerful folk and without them our holiday simply wouldn't happen - we are ever grateful to them all, those front of house and those behind the scenes.

 

The entertainment - this was a mixed bag. The production shows would have probably been better if it were not for the poor quality of the singers and dancers; these were the worst we have seen on any cruise. The other entertainers were ok but the stand out was Jayne Middleton who was excellent. Paul Chandler-Burns is a good, if somewhat annoying Cruise Director; there was always something happening around the ship. Trivia is always a fun way to pass the time and we were relatively happy with our efforts.

 

The Internet - I'm glad the Internet minutes were free as I would not have been happy paying for it. The Internet is very slow and the system kept throwing us off and logging us out. I would have liked to have answered more of your questions and comments as I went along but sometimes it was all I could do to post the daily updates! Apologies for not having more of a dialogue as we went along.

 

The itinerary - the weather aside the itinerary is good but not perfect. A longer stop in Bergen and missing either Stavanger or Olden would improve things immensely. Norway is a beautiful country and the people are so kind and welcoming; we will definitely return.

 

The excursions - these were on the whole good but very expensive and restrictive. We spoke with a number of people who did independent trips out - either on their own or using a tour company - and their days out were cheaper and they were much more in control - we will definitely do more independent excursions in the future (we just have to be brave).

 

This is the completion of my 'live from'; it's been fun writing it. Thank you to everyone for your kind words of encouragement - it was a great help to know that there were folk out there travelling along with us and enjoying the ride! Geoff will post some photos of our adventure and I will go back through the thread and pick up your questions and comments. Thank you again.

 

Stephen

[Geoffa30]

Hi

 

For up loading photos you need a third party host like photo bucket or similar,

 

yours Shogun

 

Thanks Shogun. Have signed up to Photobucket and am currently uploading photos. Will posted over the course of the week

[Shogun]

Hi

 

Thanks for an excellent live from, having done this cruise this summer it was

 

fun to do it again with you, our weather was amazing it was such a shame

 

that you did not get better weather, Norway is expensive as such I find cruising

 

gives the best value, doing private tours are cheaper but are hard to find

 

even local tour companies can be expensive.

 

yours Shogun

[downsmead]

We were on this cruise and I have just read your live blog which bought back so many memories of this trip, thank you. It provides great insight to those who have booked this cruise in the future. I grinned at many of your comments (Caribbean Princess :) - I think the whole ship noticed this). We thought the same as you re the Production shows (we are in the group that felt Magic to Do was poor!) and the food in the Horizon Buffet. Again like you we took advantage of the PES in Skywalkers and enjoyed it.

 

As a heads up for future cruisers, we only did one Princess excursion - the visit to the Husky Farm as it could not be arranged privately (I did try). In Stavanger, we had finished looking round the town in a couple of hours and rather than return to the ship, booked a trip on the pier offered by Rødne Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord since it offered the opportunity to get into the dry and also do some more sightseeing. There were two different companies offering similar trips and plenty of seats were available at 420 NOR each, cheaper than a similar Princess trip.

In Olden, we booked a 3 hour trip at the office on the pier, a trip up to the Glacier. Thirty minutes travel each way and 2 hours to climb up to the Glacier and back for 350NOR They also offered an hour trip which took you in viewing and photograph proximity to the Glacier albeit at a distance (250NOR if I remember correctly).

In Honningsvar, we booked a trip at the Tourist Office (4.5 - 5 hours) for ~729NOR each which included a visit to the North Cape, a fishing village, a king crab place and to meet a Sami leader and his herd of reindeer. Excellent value for money and a great guide.

I think that all of the above could have been booked in advance. The only trips I did book in advance was for the Flaam railway and a fjord cruise that day, which due to the weather we could not take as Flaam was cancelled (the one downside of privately arranged trips - luckily we are covered for cancelled ports which will cover the outlay for the trips).

In Alesund we took the HOHO bus, which is relatively expensive (260NOR) but does take you up to the viewpoint (481 steps up otherwise) and also goes out to the Aquarium, which is a lovely place, the only transport that covers both (you get 10% discount for entry to the Aquarium).

In the Lofoten Islands, we were part of a group of 14 doing a privately organised tour for ~5 hours costing 50 euros.

In Trondheim and Bergen we just wandered around the town doing our own thing. I would just like to add many thanks to the blog from the June Norway cruise which proved very useful in helping sort out what to do in each port.

Edited August 21, 2016 by downsmead

[Shogun]

Hi Downsmead,

 

We did Husky camp in June, I posted link to their site, when I spoke to them

 

they said we could book direct might have been a minimum tour size size,

 

did they still have puppies :)

 

yours Shogun

[ekka49]

Thank you for all the great information on this thread

We are on the Sea Princess World Cruise 2017 out Sydney Australia

our ports in Norway include

Honningsvag, Tromso, Gradval Therefore following this thread

has been very informative and of great intrest.

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review. Thanks

[KYteach]

Thank you so much for your review. It made us even more anxious to take the Norway cruise we have booked for June 2017.

[Shogun]

Hi KYteach,

 

Have been to Norway now a few times, to get the best out of your cruise,

 

do your home work before you go, there is so much to see and much

 

history, that if you do not know about will sail right past,

 

like the giant U boat pens at Trondheim etc

 

yours Shogun

[slw6130]

Thank you for you "live from" My sister and I had to cancel due to a medical problem. All fixed up now and we have now booked same trip next August on the Crown. Can't wait and with everyone posting we are getting quite a bit more info about "must sees"

Thank you and glad you enjoyed your latest journey.

[Geoffa30]

Photos from mine and Stephen's trip. Some are taken with an iPhone 6s whilst the majority are taken using a Canon DSLR.

 

Unfortunately there are no photos of Stavanger (weather was awful) or Flaam (as we never actually got there!).

 

The first photos are Olden where the weather wasn't great either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Geoffa30]

Next is Trondheim. All pictures taken with an iPhone 6s as the weather wasn't great again and we didn't get the proper camera out of the bag!

 

 

 

 

[Geoffa30]

Cruising past the Lofoten Islands which were very dramatic jagged peaks. As you can see the sun had come out to play.

 

 

 

[Geoffa30]

Next up - Honningsvag and the North Cape. The first picture is Stephen and I at the North Cape. I'm on the left and he's on the right.

 

 

 

 

 

[Geoffa30]

A walk around the harbour in Honningsvag.