June 9, 2019 Arctic cruise on the Serenade

[HereWeGeaux]

My DH and I booked this cruise 18 months in advance as we wanted to cruise the Norwegian fjords and cross the arctic circle (and Royal only does it once/season). We did a lot of research on these forums and wanted to pay it forward with hints and advice and lessons learned. We are seasoned travelers and like to use cruise critic, Rick Steves and the Roll Call to gather information and plan ahead.

 

We had sailed the Serenade before and were very happy to return. We spent 2 days pre-cruise in Iceland, rented a car (Hertz, picked up at the airport) and drove the "Golden Circle" the first day and to the south coast with the black beach the second. We had beautiful weather and found it very easy to drive to as many highlights as we could fit in. Including Pingvellir National Park, Geysir Geothermal Field, Gullfoss waterfall, and Kerio Crater on the Golden Circle and Seljalandsfoss waterfall, Dyrholaey promontory (hiked up to the lighthouse), and the Reynisfjara black sand beach with the stunning basalt formations.

 

Pingvellir Church and Residences                                                                                                                 Gullfoss and Lower Viewing Area

 

Kerio Crater                                                                                                                                                      Viking Ship on Reykjavik Harbor

        

 

Harbor Panorama

 

 

Basalt Formations on Black Sand Beach near Vik                                                                                   Black Sand Beaches from Dyrholaey Promontory

 

 

Skogafoss and Steps to Viewing Platform                                                                                                                                                     Flatey Pizza -- Most Tasty Conclusion of a Long Day

 

 

A local bartender steered us to Flatey Pizza in downtown Reykjavik near the Viking Museum and it was great! It was in a small enclosed food court filled with more locals than tourists enjoying the restaurants, bars and bakeries and we thought the pizza was tasty and reasonably priced. We then flew to and spent 2 more days in Copenhagen before embarking on our cruise. Since there are lots of reviews with photos out there I'll spare you even more Tivoli Gardens and Little Mermaid pictures. We did a lot of walking in Copenhagen in addition to using the "small city pass" that we purchased at the airport kiosk which was good for the metro into the city (walking distance to our hotel) and the bus and train for 48 hours. The timing worked out perfectly to use it (as recommended by the Moovit app on our phone) to take 2 buses (5C to Norreport then 25 to the Oceankaj Terminal 1) and a very short walk across the street to the terminal. I guess I should point out that we try to travel light, so we each had a backpack and one rolling suitcase for ease of getting around. The buses had room to put your luggage and we didn't find them too crowded. *The Moovit app was extremely helpful in planning the best routing and which public transportation to use! I believe it took about 50 minutes or so from the Marriott hotel to the port. Embarkation was easy, we had uploaded our photos when we did the check-in 90 days ahead so once we dropped our bags we were on the ship in minutes. One of the first crew members we met as we boarded was Robert Taggart the hotel director and he set the tone of friendly and attentive service that we would see throughout the cruise. He was always out and about and very accessible. He also got extra bonus points with me for being a Saints fan!

 

Our cabin was 1538, a junior suite and it was plenty of space for the 2 of us. Our room attendant Arjul was friendly and efficient. I did hear some noise early in the morning from chairs being moved in the Solarium/Park Café but I am a light sleeper.

Our meet and mingle was on day 2, we had over 50 members on our roll call and it was good to put faces to names (special thank you to "Steve from Philly" for organizing the group). It was held in the Crown and Castle lounge and run by Enzo (the activities director). He was fantastic and had us in stitches, it was one of the best M&Ms we have been to. Many people stayed after the raffle prizes were drawn to get to know each other. My DH and I enjoyed playing trivia and using the fitness center/ walking track. We prefer to eat dinner in the Windjammer so we can go when it suits us. We are Crown and Anchor Diamond Plus and spent a lot of time in the Concierge lounge. Mario was great, he assisted the bar staff (Haniff, John and Srdan) during happy hour (it was usually very busy). We met so many fun and friendly fellow passengers from all over it really did add to the enjoyment of the cruise.  The crew were all friendly and happy and our weather was amazing. We were told how lucky we were at every port to have sunshine and moderate temperatures.

Geiranger was our first port of call. We did the RCCL kayak tour of the Geiranger fjord in the morning. The 4 young men who were our guides were from 4 different countries, spoke perfect English and made sure our group had a beautiful 3 hour adventure. When we got back to town my DH and I took the walking path up alongside the waterfall and stairs up to the Geirangerfjord Center to enjoy the views and find a couple of geocaches. We made it back to the ship in plenty of time and as we were heading out Captain Aris turned the ship 360 degrees to give everyone amazing views of the Seven Sisters waterfalls and the Suitor.

 

Geiranger Waterfall Walk and Church from our Cabin                                                                   The Serenade (and Mein Schiff) from on top of the Waterfall Walk

 

 

Kayaking in Geiranger Fjord                                                                                                                          The Trolls are Everywhere!

 

 

Seven Sisters                                                                                                                                                                  The Suitor

 

The next day was when we officially crossed the Arctic Circle and we participated in the Blue Nose ceremony on the pool deck. It involved standing in line for a chance to have the Captain and crew pour a ladle of ice water on your head/down your back and have a dab of blue paint put on your nose... photos taken and the video shown on the RCC channel for all to see.  It was windy and chilly, but we thought it was a fun way to mark the occasion. Later in the cruise everyone got an official crossing certificate delivered to their stateroom. 

Tromso was our next port. We took the ship provided shuttle bus into the city and walked through town and crossed the bridge towards the Arctic Cathedral and up to the cable car. We waited in line to purchase our tickets (about $18 each for a one-way trip or $25 round trip). The views of the Lyngen fjord were amazing. There was still snow in places at the top. We chose to hike down (a well- marked path and not too strenuous, except for some steep areas at the very top that we had to go through snow).  We hiked down to the city center and found the "World's Smallest Bar" and an open-air market with all manner of Norwegian crafts, food and goods. 

 

Tromso Arrival View from Cabin                                                                                                          Arctic Cathedral                                                                   Cable Car Price List

 

 

Cable Car Line (moved "quickly")                                                                                                                View of Tromso, Serenade and the Cable Car

 

 

Looking up on the Hike Down                                                                                                                                         Time for Refreshments from the Rocket Bar (Universe's Tiniest Bar)

 

 

Honningsvag was next. We prearranged a North Cape transfer tour through Blue Puffin (North Cape Sightseeing) online. The owner, Monika, was our guide and I can't say enough how wonderful she was! She gave a lot of information, was friendly and accommodating. Our first stop was to see King Crab in a fishing village, then a brief photo stop at a Sami tepee with some reindeer, then on to the North Cape Hall. It was cold and very windy and there were several tour buses there. We did get out and take pictures of the globe monument and Children of the World exhibit before heading in to tour the center. The time went by quickly and we were back on the coach and heading towards Monika's fishing village. It was all very scenic and she gave everyone a sample of dried reindeer meat as we headed back to the port.

 

Sami with Reindeer                                                                                                                                  Monika at the Crab Aquarium (she's the one in the pink hat)

 

 

Nordkapp Globe                                                                                                                                                                   The Real Northernmost Point in Europe

 

 

 

Fishing Village                                                                                                                                                              Dried Rock Hard Cod 

 

 

 

The next day was a sea day and we experienced a Chef's table for the first time.  We signed up for it earlier in the cruise with several couples we met in the CL. Vitalii (the sommelier) did an outstanding job of choosing wines to go with each course and he and the chef explained the pairings and meal preparation. They joined in with our laughing and joking and we had a night to remember (over 4 hours)…. so much so that most of us signed up for another one later in the cruise with a whole new menu!  I don't think that Vitalii will forget our group. The people in the Safari Club said they could hear us laughing and were wondering what was going on.

 

A New Drink for Every Course!                                                      Dessert Ball                                                                                            The Table Gang

 

 

 

 

 

We capped the night off with some selfies showing the midnight sun. On the deck 5 promenade you can position yourself under the ship's clock to see the time with the sun in the background.

 

Midnight Sun Selfies without the Selfies and the Clock

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was Alesund, a very charming city that we toured on our own. We walked through town to the start of the path to hike Mt. Aksla, a well-marked moderate intensity trek with gorgeous views of the Sunnmore Alps and Borgundfjord. We stopped at some old German bunkers built into the hillside as we made our way back down to the town. We also headed to the harbor to see the Art Nouveau houses.

 

Alesund Harbor                                                                                                                                                                                                             Looking up to Mt. Aksala

 

 

 

Looking Down from about 3/4 the way up Mt. Aksala

 

 

The following day we were in Flam. We had pre-purchased tickets for the Flamsbana online to ensure a morning departure (9:45am) since we planned to hike down from the top. We enjoyed another beautiful day of sunshine and amazing views of the mountains, valleys and waterfalls. The train ride up to Myrdal took about an hour (including a stop for a performance at the Kjosfossen waterfall). The hike down was a little steep at the top, but it was a gravel path and we had our hiking poles. We passed many more beautiful waterfalls, villages, sheep, rivers, churches on the 4.5 hour hike (12.5 miles with lots of picture stops) back to port. We were able to take a restroom break about half- way down in a small train station right next to the trail with a clean bathroom.

 

Flam Harbor                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Flamban

 

 

 

?????                                                                                                                  Myrdal Station                                                                                                   Flam Valley from Myrdal Station

 

 

Goats on the Trail!                                                                                                                  Home Stretch

 

 

Our last port was Stavanger. We wanted to hike Pulpit Rock so we decided to play it safe and go with a ship's tour to assure we would make it there and back in time.  It was drizzling during our bus ride through town on the way to the ferry terminal. There was a short wait for the ferry and we stayed in the bus for the 10 minute ride across to continue the drive to the starting point. By the time we got there the rain had stopped and the sun came out.  Our weather luck continued! There were 3 tour busses from our ship in addition to day trippers and campers. The paths were crowded with waits at choke points. It was a strenuous hike over slippery rocks and boulders and big stone steps in points. We took about 1.25 hours to hike up and were treated to beautiful views of the Lysefjord  below. We ate a picnic lunch we had brought with us (made sandwiches in the Windjammer that morning at breakfast) before we started the trek back down. We were able to take more time to enjoy the views on the way back because we weren't as pressed for time. (the tour guide said to give ourselves 2 hours to get up and 2 to get back down so we had some cushion). Once again I was very happy to have my hiking poles for those steep areas. The tour lasted about 8 hours from leaving the ship to our return. I would recommend being prepared with proper hiking shoes and water. 

 

Way Up                                                                                                                                                                         Lysefjord

 

 

 

Pulpit Rock from the Trail                                                                                                                                             Way Down

 

The last sea day was spent relaxing with our newfound friends, enjoying more trivia (the activities team of Joon, James and Gabrielle ran fun and entertaining trivia games), and packing to head back home. We were pleased with the friendliness and service of the crew and blessed with amazing weather and unforgettable sights. Disembarkation went smoothly and Robert Taggart was at the gangway to wish everyone a safe journey home.  We collected our luggage and had a short wait for the bus at the shelter across the street from where we were dropped off and used our Danish krone to buy a 3 zone ticket (36 Dk about $5.50) for the trip from Oceankaj to Norreport and from Norreport to the airport on the M2 metro. We purchased the tickets when we boarded the 25 bus (you have to use Dk to buy a ticket on the bus, no foreign currency or credit cards, but we knew that ahead of time so saved the correct amount before we boarded the ship). We had plenty of time before our flight back on Iceland Air to Keflavik and then to the States. We learned that we had to go through a special screening in Iceland for flights to the US which involved waiting in a line in the terminal to speak to an Iceland Air agent and answer security questions. We weren't notified ahead of time, we just noticed a short line of people near our gate and figured out we had to be screened before boarding. 

Hope that helps those planning a Norway cruise in the future! I'll try to answer any questions you have.

 

Happy Sailing!!

 

 

[irishgal432]

Thank you for your time doing this review. It is one of my bucket list cruises. 

[HereWeGeaux]

Sorry about the photo captions being messed up... I spent a lot of time putting this together and it was perfect when I previewed the document.  Hope it is easy enough to figure out which goes where.

 

[allentownahoy]

We did this cruise in June 2018. Thanks for taking me along this year. Such fabulous ports and a great ship and crew.

[shopaholic6]

Your pictures are absolutely beautiful and definitely make me want to do this cruise in the future! 😊

[I_r_a]

Thanx for sharing, HWG

 

Lovely report

 

Ira