Anthem of the Seas - Norwegian Fjords - A trip report

[FionaMG]

Your pics of Geiranger are beautiful. What a shame you didn't get to go ashore.

[Tree_skier]

I'm loving this... It's been almost 10 years since I've been in Norway.  I loved our cruise up the Gerainger Fjord.  My Father's home town was Aalesund. I plan on doing one of these Norwegian cruises soon. 

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

I'm loving this... It's been almost 10 years since I've been in Norway.  I loved our cruise up the Gerainger Fjord.  My Father's home town was Aalesund. I plan on doing one of these Norwegian cruises soon. 

 

Don't put it off for too long. The Norwegian government is planning on introducing new environmental measures that are set to put an end to large cruise ships in the fjords. At the moment, it looks like the 2025 summer season could well the last.

[little britain]

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

 

Don't put it off for too long. The Norwegian government is planning on introducing new environmental measures that are set to put an end to large cruise ships in the fjords. At the moment, it looks like the 2025 summer season could well the last.

Just booked Anthem for next summer to see it again before rules change! 

[jjsparkles]

11 hours ago, FionaMG said:

Your pics of Geiranger are beautiful. What a shame you didn't get to go ashore.

 

Thanks, yes I know it was a disappointment definitely. 

 

6 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

I'm loving this... It's been almost 10 years since I've been in Norway.  I loved our cruise up the Gerainger Fjord.  My Father's home town was Aalesund. I plan on doing one of these Norwegian cruises soon. 

 

Glad you're enjoying it - hope you get to go back soon 

 

3 hours ago, little britain said:

Just booked Anthem for next summer to see it again before rules change! 

 

That's great, hope you have a great time

[jjsparkles]

Thursday 25 May – Olden

We had enjoyed the view so much last night that we kept the curtains open slightly so we would be able to see the sail into Olden in the morning. However, we had the roughest night’s sleep ever. I woke up several times throughout the night with the ship rocking and rolling all over the place. At first I thought I was dreaming because I was rolling from one side to the other. I promise I am not exaggerating when I say that John had to grab hold of me to stop be rolling out the bed! There were also noises aplenty the whole night, doors creaking, something opening and closing in another cabin or in the hallway. I don’t know what it was but it was a bit of a crazy night. Thankfully I didn’t actually feel sick.

 

I was awake around 4:30 and with it being so light outside, hoped it was time to get up. I managed to doze off but did get out of bed around 5:30 as my back was so sore. I sat for a while, had a cup of tea and then got back into bed. Thankfully managed to doze off but was woken around 7:30 with room service letting us know breakfast was on the way. Oh, I could actually have slept another few hours. Isn’t that always the way 🙃

 

A peek outside and we could see we'd docked in lovely Olden.

 

 

 

It looked like it had been raining but could have been worse.

 

Room service breakfast arrived and the toast was freezing cold and could have been used as a doorstop. Never mind, we had our tea and got ourselves together for the day ahead.

 

When I’d been planning our trip to Norway, one of the things I’d wanted to do most was the hike to the Birksdal Glacier. I watched so many videos about this and hoped we’d have decent weather to enjoy the day.

 

 

 

We were off the ship around 9ish and just into the port was the desk for Olden Adventure who we’d booked our excursion with. It cost us £76.92 for both of us and included return coach transfer to the glacier.

 

 

We were soon on our way. The drive took around 30 minutes. The views again absolutely stunning.

 

 

 

The sun was starting to poke through the clouds.

 

 

We were dropped off at the foot of the glacier where there is a shop, café and some toilets. Just after 10am we were on our way up the mountain. Our driver said the return journey would be at 12:00 so we had 2 ours to get up and back down.

 

I am going to admit here that I am not fit. At all. I have put on a good amount of weight in the past few years and was quite worried that I wouldn’t be able to do this. The first part of the hike is very steep and after about 10 minutes I seriously questioned if I could actually do this. John said it would be fine to just go back down but I knew I’d be annoyed with myself if we didn’t do it. So, we plodded on, taking frequent breaks.

 

 

 

The beautiful scenery definitely spurs you on 

 

 

Proof that I'm there, lol

 

 

Once we passed this waterfall and got up the next part of the mountain, it flattened out a good bit with only some shorter peaks along the way.

 

Here are the sleeping trolls....(one for the Frozen fans)

 

 

 

 

We rounded a corner and caught our first glimpse of the glacier - nearly there!

 

 

Signs along the way told us how the glacier used to come to - it would have been in around 1800

 

 

This photo taken from the same spot - it has receded so much

 

 

 

I've checked the time of our photos and from this point it was another 15 minutes to get to the glacier lake.

 

We did it!

 

 

 

 

The water was so clear and this is the first time I've seen ice that is actually blue, amazing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The estimated time to reach to top is 45 minutes and we did it in 50 minutes, so I wasn’t that much longer than I initially thought. I was so proud of myself but it’s made me resolute in getting myself into shape again.

 

There is an option to book Troll cars to take you up but there is still a decent bit of walking to do once they drop you off.

 

We started our decent and enjoyed some more of the spectacular landscape around us

 

 

 

 

 

We got down much faster, in about 30 minutes I think and popped into the shop where we got a nice magnet to remember the day. Our bus was waiting for us and we enjoyed the views on the way back.

 

 

There is a small shopping area in Olden where the bus stops first. We got off here and enjoyed the 10 minute stroll back to the ship. You can just stay on the bus if you want to and it will take you right back to the port.

 

 

 

 

 

We did consider getting tickets for the Loen sky lift. These can be purchased in the port. The bus journey is only 5 minutes so it is doable to do both in the same day. We were tired and getting hungry now so decided not to do the sky lift. It was around 13:00 by now. 

 

Back on the ship we put our coats and stuff back in the cabin and headed to Café 270 for lunch. We both got the beef sandwich again, but this time the meat was so raw you couldn’t even bite into it. Neither of us could eat it. I should have asked for side/end pieces when it was being cut but with the light shining on it, it was difficult to see the colour. We left here and went to Sorrentos and ordered a cheese pizza for us both. Delicious. We didn’t have our cups with us but I went to the pub and got us some drinks instead.

 

 

After this I picked up a latte and John got a hot choc sachet from Café Promenade. We took them back to our cabin and rested up, both tried from our busy day and lack of sleep the night before. I actually slept for an hour or so and felt so much better when I woke.

 

We stayed in the cabin and I had a bird’s eye view from our balcony of all the latecomers back to the ship. I’m amazed at the nonchalant attitude of people wandering around a good half hour after all aboard time. The people I saw were very lucky that the ship waited for them.

 

About 40 minutes late, we were soon leaving beautiful Olden. This has got to be one of the best sailaways ever – the pub on the dock set up their speakers and played us out with some Rod Stewart,  Sailing, Time to say goodbye (not sure who is singing in this version) and for some crazy reason, Rockin' all over the world by Status Quo!

 

 

Everyone on the dock was waving flags, cars beeping horns and even people in their houses were waving things. It really was fantastic and we were so lucky to be on the starboard side of the ship to see it all from the comfort of our own cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

[jjsparkles]

We’d worked out that by now our cabin would be cleaned between 5 – 6pm so we left the room around 5ish and went to the Music Hall for some drinks and to play cards. We managed to nab one of our favourite tables again. There was also a quiz of some sort going on downstairs.

 

 

 

We had a wander around windjammer but nothing took our fancy so went back to the cabin to change for the dining room.

 

 

It was around 7pm and we got seated with minimal wait, another lovely window seat.

 

 

 

It was Italian night tonight so we ordered the lovely mozzarella sticks again – wait, oh no we didn’t! They weren’t on the menu, on Italian night! So John had the minestrone soup and I had the caeser salad.

 

 

John enjoyed the soup but the salad was not good at all. I don’t know if you can tell from this photo but the cheese had stared to curl and had a bit of a sweaty glaze over it. The lettuce was completely limp and there was no crunch at all. I didn’t eat much of it.

 

 

For mains John had lasagne and I had the chicken parmesan. Both were again piping hot and absolutely delicious.

 

 

 

For dessert I had a chocolate/hazelnut pudding and John played it safe with vanilla ice cream. With the exception of my salad, this had been another enjoyable meal.

 

 

As we were eating and looking out the window, the waves were getting really high and the other diners near us were talking about how rough it had been the night before.

 

We finished up in here and headed into the Music Hall to play name that tune Queen songs. We got a very respectable 18/20 and again enjoyed the fun and atmosphere in here. As we were right next door to the theatre we headed in here once we'd finished to watch the show with a singer from the We Will Rock You cast and comedian Mick Miller. He's an old school British comedian and I’m sure many of the jokes went way over the heads of the non-brits. Anyway it was a nice way to finish the evening.

 

 

The ship was rocking and rolling again and we staggered back to our cabin. As we walked along the corridor to our cabin, John was behind laughing at me banging into the walls. It turned out he was videoing me and as I reached the door and turned round I burst out laughing when I realised. Then the joke was on both of us when we realised there had been a guy behind John who was laughing his head off at both of us 🤣

 

 

In good spirits, after such a bumpy start, the day had turned out to be fantastic and we were both still on a high after seeing the glacier. Off to bed happy we were looking forward to tomorrow where we’d be in Stavanger.

[smokey01]

1 hour ago, jjsparkles said:

Thursday 25 May – Olden

We had enjoyed the view so much last night that we kept the curtains open slightly so we would be able to see the sail into Olden in the morning. However, we had the roughest night’s sleep ever. I woke up several times throughout the night with the ship rocking and rolling all over the place. At first I thought I was dreaming because I was rolling from one side to the other. I promise I am not exaggerating when I say that John had to grab hold of me to stop be rolling out the bed! There were also noises aplenty the whole night, doors creaking, something opening and closing in another cabin or in the hallway. I don’t know what it was but it was a bit of a crazy night. Thankfully I didn’t actually feel sick.

 

I was awake around 4:30 and with it being so light outside, hoped it was time to get up. I managed to doze off but did get out of bed around 5:30 as my back was so sore. I sat for a while, had a cup of tea and then got back into bed. Thankfully managed to doze off but was woken around 7:30 with room service letting us know breakfast was on the way. Oh, I could actually have slept another few hours. Isn’t that always the way 🙃

 

A peek outside and we could see we'd docked in lovely Olden.

 

 

 

It looked like it had been raining but could have been worse.

 

Room service breakfast arrived and the toast was freezing cold and could have been used as a doorstop. Never mind, we had our tea and got ourselves together for the day ahead.

 

When I’d been planning our trip to Norway, one of the things I’d wanted to do most was the hike to the Birksdal Glacier. I watched so many videos about this and hoped we’d have decent weather to enjoy the day.

 

 

 

We were off the ship around 9ish and just into the port was the desk for Olden Adventure who we’d booked our excursion with. It cost us £76.92 for both of us and included return coach transfer to the glacier.

 

 

We were soon on our way. The drive took around 30 minutes. The views again absolutely stunning.

 

 

 

The sun was starting to poke through the clouds.

 

 

We were dropped off at the foot of the glacier where there is a shop, café and some toilets. Just after 10am we were on our way up the mountain. Our driver said the return journey would be at 12:00 so we had 2 ours to get up and back down.

 

I am going to admit here that I am not fit. At all. I have put on a good amount of weight in the past few years and was quite worried that I wouldn’t be able to do this. The first part of the hike is very steep and after about 10 minutes I seriously questioned if I could actually do this. John said it would be fine to just go back down but I knew I’d be annoyed with myself if we didn’t do it. So, we plodded on, taking frequent breaks.

 

 

 

The beautiful scenery definitely spurs you on 

 

 

Proof that I'm there, lol

 

 

Once we passed this waterfall and got up the next part of the mountain, it flattened out a good bit with only some shorter peaks along the way.

 

Here are the sleeping trolls....(one for the Frozen fans)

 

 

 

 

We rounded a corner and caught our first glimpse of the glacier - nearly there!

 

 

Signs along the way told us how the glacier used to come to - it would have been in around 1800

 

 

This photo taken from the same spot - it has receded so much

 

 

 

I've checked the time of our photos and from this point it was another 15 minutes to get to the glacier lake.

 

We did it!

 

 

 

 

The water was so clear and this is the first time I've seen ice that is actually blue, amazing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The estimated time to reach to top is 45 minutes and we did it in 50 minutes, so I wasn’t that much longer than I initially thought. I was so proud of myself but it’s made me resolute in getting myself into shape again.

 

There is an option to book Troll cars to take you up but there is still a decent bit of walking to do once they drop you off.

 

We started our decent and enjoyed some more of the spectacular landscape around us

 

 

 

 

 

We got down much faster, in about 30 minutes I think and popped into the shop where we got a nice magnet to remember the day. Our bus was waiting for us and we enjoyed the views on the way back.

 

 

There is a small shopping area in Olden where the bus stops first. We got off here and enjoyed the 10 minute stroll back to the ship. You can just stay on the bus if you want to and it will take you right back to the port.

 

 

 

 

 

We did consider getting tickets for the Loen sky lift. These can be purchased in the port. The bus journey is only 5 minutes so it is doable to do both in the same day. We were tired and getting hungry now so decided not to do the sky lift. It was around 13:00 by now. 

 

Back on the ship we put our coats and stuff back in the cabin and headed to Café 270 for lunch. We both got the beef sandwich again, but this time the meat was so raw you couldn’t even bite into it. Neither of us could eat it. I should have asked for side/end pieces when it was being cut but with the light shining on it, it was difficult to see the colour. We left here and went to Sorrentos and ordered a cheese pizza for us both. Delicious. We didn’t have our cups with us but I went to the pub and got us some drinks instead.

 

 

After this I picked up a latte and John got a hot choc sachet from Café Promenade. We took them back to our cabin and rested up, both tried from our busy day and lack of sleep the night before. I actually slept for an hour or so and felt so much better when I woke.

 

We stayed in the cabin and I had a bird’s eye view from our balcony of all the latecomers back to the ship. I’m amazed at the nonchalant attitude of people wandering around a good half hour after all aboard time. The people I saw were very lucky that the ship waited for them.

 

About 40 minutes late, we were soon leaving beautiful Olden. This has got to be one of the best sailaways ever – the pub on the dock set up their speakers and played us out with some Rod Stewart,  Sailing, Time to say goodbye (not sure who is singing in this version) and for some crazy reason, Rockin' all over the world by Status Quo!

 

 

Everyone on the dock was waving flags, cars beeping horns and even people in their houses were waving things. It really was fantastic and we were so lucky to be on the starboard side of the ship to see it all from the comfort of our own cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

John in particular always looks cold outside, so is it wise to take a winter coat in May, June or September (or earlier/later)?

[alexgtp]

Bummer about Gerainger! But at least you managed to go down this log Fjord on  Anthem and enjoy the scenery,  was RCL giving out blanket's, to stay warm?

[jjsparkles]

7 hours ago, smokey01 said:

John in particular always looks cold outside, so is it wise to take a winter coat in May, June or September (or earlier/later)?

John is always cold, lol. It was colder first thing but as we climbed up higher even John took off his hat and gloves. Layers are the key I think. The wind can be cold but it changes very quickly. 

 

3 hours ago, alexgtp said:

Bummer about Gerainger! But at least you managed to go down this log Fjord on  Anthem and enjoy the scenery,  was RCL giving out blanket's, to stay warm?

Didn’t see any blankets. Don’t think it was cold enough for them. It was only when the wind caught you that you felt the cold. I was fine in my lighter jacket, light hoodie/jumper. 

[Cherful59]

@jjsparkles Beautiful pictures of Olden.  I am cruising the fjords next year, so I am enjoying your review.  
 

P.S. I agree with you about the Caesar salads.  Mine was just as pitiful when I had it in February!

[jjsparkles]

19 hours ago, Cherful59 said:

@jjsparkles Beautiful pictures of Olden.  I am cruising the fjords next year, so I am enjoying your review.  
 

P.S. I agree with you about the Caesar salads.  Mine was just as pitiful when I had it in February!

Thank you. The salad really was terrible 🤭

[Jasukkie]

Apparently a fleet wide problem with the Caesar salads. It's like they dress them and hold them in a warming tray before serving.

Thanks for sharing your cruise, love Anthem. So many nice nooks and crannies to spend time in if the weather isn't cooperating.

[teddie]

@jjsparkles, I am thoroughly enjoying your report, and your photos are wonderful!  Thank you so much for taking the time to create this.

 

Teddie in NJ

 

PS My husband requested vinegar for his fish and chips, too 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sarah1974]

Loving your review.  It's a few years since I've cruised but my friend and I are looking at the Anthem for this year if we can find dates that work for both of us.

[little britain]

20 hours ago, Jasukkie said:

Apparently a fleet wide problem with the Caesar salads. It's like they dress them and hold them in a warming tray before serving.

Thanks for sharing your cruise, love Anthem. So many nice nooks and crannies to spend time in if the weather isn't cooperating.

The Caesar salad on Enchantment was limp and soggy too. At least it’s consistent fleet wide! 

[vjw1218]

Your trip journal has been so enjoyable to read! Thanks for sharing. We'll get to experience the Anthem in all her glory in August and we're looking forward to it. 

[zap99]

On 6/1/2023 at 10:08 PM, jjsparkles said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sat up here for a bit enjoying our drinks and phoned the kids to check all ok at home. 

 

 

Then we headed to Cafe 270 for the roast beef sandwich. It was really delicious and we enjoyed some drinks in here whilst we waited for our room to be ready. 

 

 

Just before 13:30 we headed to the lifts before they got too busy. Loved all the art work in the lifts, lol

 

 

Our room was 13616, mid-ship and right under the pool deck. I'd seen lots of videos and photos and the room was just as expected.

 

 

 

We liked that the bed was beside the balcony and I loved all the storage. Looking into the hall our cases had arrived but were further down the hallway. We had a good view over Southampton port. The car park is so close to the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we were getting ready to leave the cabin, I noticed my sunglasses were missing from my bag. I pulled the cabin apart and could not find them anywhere, looking under the bed, around the cushions on the sofa etc. We'd only been in the room 10 minutes so I must have lost them somewhere else on the ship. 

 

Back out to try and retrace our steps, we went into Café 270, then tried to remember which toilets we'd used near the pool. We still didn’t have our bearings and were round and round the deck a million times, lol. Anyway, I didn’t find the sunglasses.

 

We popped to guest services but no-one had handed them in. I was so annoyed with myself. I’m usually really careful with stuff. I still have £10 M&S sunglasses at home that I’ve had for about 15 years, never lost them – but I’d treated myself to some nice sunglasses a year to two ago so was absolutely gutted to have lost them.

 

Time now for something sweet so we had a mooch around Windjammer and also picked up our cups for the drinks package. I picked up a white chocolate mocha and John grabbed a coke. I love that you can get speciality coffee from the Windjammer - great to have in different locations unlike Harmony. 

 

We sat outside at the back of the Windjammer to enjoy our treats and the sunshine.

 

 

After this we wandered the pool deck again and picked up an ice cream as we passed - need to make the most of this nice weather before we hit Norway!

 

Into the solarium and it was absolutely packed out. It was also incredibly hot in here so we didn't linger. 

 

This became our guide as to where our room was, lol

 

 

Back to our room, we met our lovely room attendant, Tahinta. We asked if we could please have some robes and a mattress topper if possible. She said she'd definitely try and would be back soon. We opted for evening service for our room, between 5-8pm as we knew we'd want some lazy mornings. As we were unpacking Tahinta came back to our room and re-made the bed with the topper and left us some robes. She really was lovely. We put our feet up and enjoyed the sail away from our cabin.

 

 

We didn't feel like going to the main dining room tonight so headed to Windjammer and enjoyed a simple dinner of macaroni and chips. Then we wandered to the shops and bought our obligatory ship magnet, lol. I looked at some sunglasses but didn't really like any that much so didn't bother buying anything yet. We headed back to the room because we'd forgotten our cups.

 

 

John fancied a slice of pizza at Sorrento's. The cream soda from the machines is really nice. I also picked up a couple of bottles of water at the pub. 

 

Then we went into Music Hall and enjoyed the band playing for a bit. They were called the Billboard band and were really good. 

 

 

I enjoyed a virgin pina colada - lovely

 

 

We also took part in a music diva quiz in here and enjoyed the fun of it. Then we went into the theatre for the welcome aboard show. Soon it was late and we headed back to our room.

 

 

It would be a sea day tomorrow and although we hadn't done much today, we were very much looking forward to doing nothing tomorrow 😁

Nice review. We were on Anthem last year and are deciding what to do with RC next year. That must be the most photographed giraffe at sea.🤣

[jjsparkles]

On 6/3/2023 at 9:59 PM, dani negreanu said:

 

Same here.... "Riiiiichard !!! mind the bicycle...."😉

 

So glad you've found your glasses. Really annoying when a favorite item gets lost.

 

Sorry I missed this earlier! I was over the moon to find them 😍

 

On 6/5/2023 at 8:26 PM, Jasukkie said:

Apparently a fleet wide problem with the Caesar salads. It's like they dress them and hold them in a warming tray before serving.

Thanks for sharing your cruise, love Anthem. So many nice nooks and crannies to spend time in if the weather isn't cooperating.

 

Yes, it seemed to be a tad warm. We really liked Anthem too 🙂

 

 

On 6/6/2023 at 1:16 AM, teddie said:

@jjsparkles, I am thoroughly enjoying your report, and your photos are wonderful!  Thank you so much for taking the time to create this.

 

Teddie in NJ

 

PS My husband requested vinegar for his fish and chips, too 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you. They need to up their vinegar game 😆

 

On 6/6/2023 at 4:01 PM, Sarah1974 said:

Loving your review.  It's a few years since I've cruised but my friend and I are looking at the Anthem for this year if we can find dates that work for both of us.

 

Thank you, hope you find something 🙂

 

On 6/6/2023 at 5:20 PM, little britain said:

The Caesar salad on Enchantment was limp and soggy too. At least it’s consistent fleet wide! 

 

Ha, ha, yes at least there's that 😁

 

On 6/6/2023 at 5:20 PM, vjw1218 said:

Your trip journal has been so enjoyable to read! Thanks for sharing. We'll get to experience the Anthem in all her glory in August and we're looking forward to it. 

 

Thank you, glad you're enjoying it. Hope you have a fantastic time 🙂

 

On 6/6/2023 at 6:33 PM, zap99 said:

Nice review. We were on Anthem last year and are deciding what to do with RC next year. That must be the most photographed giraffe at sea.🤣

 

Ha, ha, yes, got to get a photo of the giraffe!

 

 

 

Apologies for the delay folks, next installment coming soon.....

[jjsparkles]

Friday 26 May – Stavanger

Well, would you believe it if I told you we’d both had a good night’s sleep? Well we did! Amazingly we’d managed to stay in the bed and slept so well. I was so relieved to actually feel rested when I woke up.

 

A peek outside and we were right beside beautiful Stavanger old town.

 

 

We didn’t have any excursions planned today and were going to explore Stavanger on foot. With no rush we didn’t want to be out too early, but we also didn’t want room service breakfast or to battle the windjammer so we made our way to the dining room around 9am.

 

 

We both had the express breakfast with some toast and tea. It was all piping hot and delicious.

 

 

 

 

Back to the cabin we grabbed our coats and got organised for the day ahead. By now we were realising what a great location our room was in. Up one deck was the pool deck and windjammer which was great for grabbing a drink quickly if needed. The lifts near us took us directly to the gangway on deck 2 and also the restaurants/music hall on deck 4. It was a really handy spot.

 

We wandered out into Stavanger, again we were lucky with our cabin on the side of the ship that overlooked the port. It was a bit of a grey day but wasn't too cold. 

 

 

Stavanger is really easy to explore on foot, mostly flat and beautiful buildings all around the harbour. We took our time and enjoyed the surroundings.

 

 

 

 

We made our way into the town and along to Ovre Holmegate, a beautiful street with colourful buildings

 

 

 

 

Then time to say hello to Mr Troll

 

 

 

 

We could see some folks getting ready for a rib boat tour. Brave people, the wind was getting up again!

 

 

 

I wanted to pick up some souvenirs for the kids and a Norway Starbucks mug, so we headed into the shops and I managed to get a lovely Stavanger mug in the Starbucks there. We also stopped by a small outdoor market and got a lovely hand painted picture of the beautiful white wooden houses in the old town. Everywhere was asking that payment be made by card, even the market stalls, so there's no need to have cash.

 

On our way back to the ship we explored the old town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was really beautiful and we'd had a lovely morning exploring.

Back on the ship I got a latte and John a drink from windjammer and we headed to music hall to play cards. We really liked it in here. The bar didn’t seem to open until the afternoon, but the pub was right next door so really easy to pick up a drink from there. Then we went up to the top deck and enjoyed the views over Stavanger.

 

 

 

The solarium was quieter with lots of people still out exploring, so we grabbed some drinks and put our feet up for a while. 

 

 

 A bit hungry for food now, we did try the solarium bistro but it was closed for some reason, so headed to windjammer.

 

 

After our lunch we grabbed some cookies, another latte and headed back to the cabin to enjoy the balcony for a bit of a rest.

 

 

 

 

 

We headed to the Music hall to do a Netflix quiz around 4pm which was actually really difficult. I think the winner got something like 15 out of 30,  we only got about 9! Then into the Schooner bar for another quiz, this time Cher vs Prince. Then we watched a bit of the sailaway from deck 5 and up to the top deck to enjoy the views.

 

 

 

 

We did a facetime with our youngest son to check he hadn’t wrecked the house, lol, and enjoyed an ice cream. We did go back to the room to put our feet up, but it was being cleaned so we popped to deck 5 and sat outside Vintages for a while. Back to the room, we got ourselves organised for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

[jjsparkles]

Soon we were off to our reservation at Izumi. 

 

 

We had a nice outside table overlooking the Royal Esplanade

 

 

 

We shared our starters, vegetable fried rice and crispy chicken kara-age

 

This was absolutely delicious and we both said we could have ate this as a main course. 

 

Next we both had Chicken Teriyaki, again really nice.

 

We also ordered a crispy philly roll to share

 

 

This was good too, but actually it was too much food so we didn't finish it. The Chicken Teriyaki was deceiving as the rice was really filling. Full up we didn't order desert and left feeling very satisfied.

 

We strolled around the Royal Esplanade having another look around the shops, but nothing much we wanted.

 

We finished our day in the music hall listening to the band.

 

 

They always did a great job of creating a good atmosphere and we enjoyed a few hours listening to them. 

 

Another great day over, we landed in bed around midnight and were soon rocked to sleep. Was it really our last day tomorrow already 🥹

 

 

[zap99]

We got the troll as well. You know how something puzzles you and you think..oh well ?. Our first RC cruise was on Indy a few years ago.  By about Wednesday,  I realised why, on boarding  the elevator was called Saturday

[zap99]

On 6/4/2023 at 11:17 AM, jjsparkles said:

 

Thanks, yes I know it was a disappointment definitely. 

 

 

Glad you're enjoying it - hope you get to go back soon 

 

 

That's great, hope you have a great time

We visited again last year on Silhouette .Perhaps another visit next year, before any ban.

 

 

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, jjsparkles said:

 

 

No English bacon on a English cruise?  😞

Edited June 8, 2023 by Another_Critic

[wolfcathorse]

do you remember who your captain was? Capt Srecko Ban or Iv Vidos?