Mike's solo Norway adventure!

[unseemlygamer]

I don't know why I didn't get around to this until now, but it's better late than never. I will be reviewing a cruise that I took on Independence of the Seas back in July to Norway - specifically Bergen, Geiranger, Ålesund, Skjolden and Stavanger.

 

My name is Mike. I was only 20 when I was on this cruise (turned 21 a few days after), and I did it solo. Some people were surprised about that, especially considering I'm all the way from Pennsylvania. Could I have been the youngest solo passenger on this sailing? Probably.

 

I really don't know why I didn't let my parents go with me, because Norway is just so beautiful.

 

Last month, I posted videos about this adventure on my YouTube channel - MichaelsiCast. You're more than welcome to check those out. Now it's time to get around to posting all these pictures. There could be pages and pages of them. Tomorrow we'll get started.

[Tee & Chilli]

Looking forward to your review

[MrFunInTheSun]

Solo cruises are the best. Nice videos of your trip.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[unseemlygamer]

Pre-cruise day in London

 

My head was pounding the whole flight, so it was hard to sleep, despite being in the premium cabin. I did take Excedrin after getting to my hotel though. After landing in Heathrow and going through passport control, I got my luggage within seconds of going down to the baggage reclaim. When going through the customs lane, I thought I was doing something wrong, but I was assured that I was doing it correctly.

 

I looked everywhere for somebody holding up my name, but it took a while for my transfer to get to the airport. My hotel was the Grosvenor House in the Mayfair district of London, which we had booked through Royal Caribbean.

 

 

 

My room was already ready by 9am. It was small, but efficient. Here are some pictures, in no particular order.

 

 

 

 

Though I didn't take anything from the bathroom, I just had to take these with me.

 

[unseemlygamer]

Mini-bar. I didn't take anything from there either.

 

 

I also could see the London Eye right from my window.

 

 

 

After going down for breakfast, it was time to start walking around London.

 

 

The first place I wanted to see was Buckingham Palace. It was early enough that I could've seen the changing of the guards, but I missed it by at least a few minutes because I started walking in the wrong direction from my hotel. I got to the palace around 11:10AM.

 

 

[unseemlygamer]

 

 

 

I also walked along St. James's Park.

 

 

 

[unseemlygamer]

 

 

The palace, as seen from this park.

 

 

Around noon, I got to Westminster. No, I did not go on the London Eye.

 

 

Westminster Bridge

 

 

Now for Big Ben - I mean, the Elizabeth Tower. Thankfully before I came to London, I read up that this was what I would be seeing of it. It'll be a few years before all this construction is finished.

 

[unseemlygamer]

I think this is Lambeth Bridge.

 

 

County Hall?

 

 

I then decided to walk back to my hotel. Because of my sense of direction and not wanting to use up all my data roaming, it took me almost two hours to get back there from here. I was ending up all over the place.

 

Did I mention it was about 90 degrees that day? I didn't take my water bottle out of my room either. Didn't put sunscreen on, so my nose was sunburned. Everybody in the parks was eating outside, buying ice creams and water bottles, but not me.

 

When I finally got to my hotel, I felt so dizzy that I thought I was going to die or pass out. Thankfully, hotel staff gave me some water bottles. I went back up to my room, showered up and drank probably as much water as I had on me.

 

Wow...90 degrees is still 90, no matter how far north you are. Lesson learned: if you're going to explore a major city on foot, bring a water bottle or at least buy one somewhere, especially in the heat.

 

The rest of the day wasn't very eventful. It rained in the evening, cooling everything off, and temperatures throughout the trip were much more tolerable.

 

 

At least I got to see a few sights of London in a day. But tomorrow is what you really wanna see - the cruise!

 

Stay tuned!

[Tree_skier]

Looking forward to this review. We planning on booking this one in 2020

[Saman]

Im looking foward to reading your review ,we are booked on Norway Cruise in may 2019 so no doubt we can pick up some tips!!

 

Nice to see your pics of St James park ,one of my favourite places !

[unseemlygamer]

First day on the ship!

 

Now for the beginning of what you've really been waiting for.

 

The morning of the cruise, I was up by 6am and down in the lobby by 7. I believe it was around 8am when staff escorted me to my transfer. There wasn't much traffic, and it was about 9:30 by the time I got to the pier.

 

 

Waiting outside, it was quite windy and only in the 60s. Usually we carry our suitcases on with us, but for some reason, I had them bring my suitcase up to my room instead. I was checked in and issued my SeaPass about a half hour later. While waiting to get on, I met some of the people from the Facebook group I was in, and after getting on, I hung around with some of them in the Royal Promenade.

 

The Windjammer opened at 11:30.

 

 

A big sheet cake was set out front.

 

 

Other pictures I took around the Windjammer, in no particular order.

 

 

 

[unseemlygamer]

First plate - stir fry.

 

 

Second plate - mashed potatoes, carrots and fatty pork chops! 😋 One thing to know about me - I love meat fat.

 

 

Of course, rooms were ready by 1pm. I booked this cruise just about 11 months ahead. It made more sense for me to stay in a standard cabin (#6377), since I was traveling alone. I didn't want a balcony or ocean view, because the sun barely sets in Norway during the summer. There were times when I would forget that fact. I could be going outside after an evening show and the sun would still be out.

 

 

I don't know why that hat was on my bed, but I didn't keep it. 2pm, I decided to go swimming and ride down the water slides for about 45 minutes. I wasn't sure if I could do that, because it was in the 60s and gusty out, but a lot of people were swimming, so what the heck.

 

The wind made it feel cold to be standing in line for the slides, but to my surprise, they were warm enough, and so were the pools...until you stepped into the hot tubs. I think the water's heated on this ship.

 

It was time for the muster drill soon after I came back and showered. More importantly, at sailaway, I met up with more people from the Facebook group at the pool bar. Time to sail to Norway!

 

 

 

[MzShae]

Following

[unseemlygamer]

Those in the Facebook group who ordered lanyards that were made for the cruise would be given them here. £1 each.

 

 

Name tags were also made. I didn't order one, but was given one right on the spot.

 

 

Like I said, some people...oh, who am I kidding, everybody I met up with here was really surprised that I would be on this cruise myself.

 

I spent some time at the pool bar, and after 5:30, I made my way down to dinner.

 

 

 

Dinner with an ocean view! :D

 

[unseemlygamer]

Tonight the waiter recommended chicken marsala. I'm of Italian origin, and I think marsala is usually veal in Italy, but I feel terrible for the veal and the lamb :(, and I'm not even a vegetarian. I've had veal before, but is this an irrational feeling?

 

Not to mention I ate those mashed potatoes with a fork since I didn't see my spoon...

Still good though.

 

 

For dessert I ordered the Royal Chocolate Cake with some vanilla ice cream. The cake was a bit on the dry side, and never on the cruise did this ice cream taste like vanilla at all - it tasted like cake batter or something. I like cake batter, but the only tastes of vanilla ice cream I ever got here were those cones near the pool.

 

 

Tonight there was an ice show - Freeze Frame - at 8:45. In the meantime, I spent some time exploring the ship a little more.

 

Well, there's the front of Studio B.

 

 

Boleros Lounge

 

[unseemlygamer]

Playmakers - added during the refurbishment.

 

 

 

Royal Promenade

 

 

I think if you're on the Freedom, this bridge flashes rainbow colors. But not here.

 

 

The front of Vintages can be seen from these signs.

 

 

[unseemlygamer]

 

 

 

 

[unseemlygamer]

Sugar Beach - coming from the US, I was disappointed to see that it was all American candy except for Maltesers and Aero bars.

 

 

 

However, the general store offered its fair share of European goodies.

 

 

 

Huge chocolate bars.

 

 

[unseemlygamer]

I wouldn't have been able to bring this back home.

 

 

I just had to buy a box of chocolate covered Oreos too - here, I only see them on store shelves during the holiday season.

 

 

And then I took a walk over to the bow of the ship.

 

 

 

 

My camera was running low on battery at this point, so I'm putting it away for the night and switching to my phone for the ice show.

[Tree_skier]

Great stuff Mike, keep em coming!

[unseemlygamer]

 

 

 

 

 

[unseemlygamer]

 

 

 

 

 

 

And so tomorrow will be our first day at sea. Thanks everyone for reading along so far!

[Virtopia]

Really enjoying this review and so nice you picked such a fascinating destination for your first solo cruise!

[Cruisin' Along]

I’m enjoying your TR. We are cruising to Norway next year (different cruise line) but stopping at a couple of the same ports. Looking forward to seeing your photos of Norway.

[Tin can]

You don’t see many Norway reports so this is great, thank you.