Copenhagen to Copenhagen June 11-25 Sailing The Coast of Norway

[nancygp]

8 minutes ago, LMB01 said:

His name is Rajeev and he is wonderful

He is wonderful…met him in april

 

Nancy

[nancygp]

55 minutes ago, bizinsider said:

Somebody must've heard the comments because a number of us have commented on the quality of the service, and how generally good it is. And the guy who runs the Colonnade (sorry, name escapes me at the moment) ranks with the best in that position, in that venue, I've met on any cruise.

Absolutely…a couple of months ago, Rajeev (colonnade Maitre D) and the other managers were working hard on the training and service aspects…it vastly improved over our 2 Weeks.  Fully concur regarding Rajeev.

 

keep enjoying.  Can’t wait to board the Odyssey soon.

 

Nancy 

[texanaust]

14 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Waldo and Corne 

Are they comedians or musicians.

 

Mr Luxury, I'm surprised-how could you miss him!!!  You and I were on Encore last summer for the Ephesus concert with Handre, etc and Corne was the Maitre'd at the Colonnade.  He is excellent, so too his younger brother Waldo. 

 

They work on separate ships and Waldo is/was a TK waiter, but very ambitious, so I imagine it won't be long before he moves up too.  

[bizinsider]

11 hours ago, LMB01 said:

His name is Rajeev and he is wonderful

Yes! He's fantastic. Extremely high on hospitality.

[SLSD]

I have a few minutes this morning to make some comments.  Yesterday, was one of our two reservations for the TK Grill.  It was a reservation for two.  We decided it would be fun to expand our reservation to four and include some friends we have met on this cruise.  I went to guest services to request the expansion. Because it was so early in the morning, there was no one at the maitre d' station at the TK Grill.  I think it is important to go in person and ask for the expansion of a reservation (or an additional reservation) face to face.  When I did this, I was asked the name of the other guests and was told that they would check with the manager of the grill and get back to me. The guest services representative told me that the grill was fully booked, but he would ask.    Within 20 minutes or so, we got a phone call in our suite telling us that they were expanding our reservation to four people.  My point is that I think it may be more effective to ask about a reservation at the TK Grill in person rather than by just calling Guest Services on the telephone.   If there is someone manning the desk/podium at the grill--it is even better to ask in person there.  And of course, it is important to be cheerful, polite and not demanding.  

 

We have a second TK Grill reservation tomorrow evening.  We acquired this reservation while on board.  Mr. SLSD asked for this additional reservation in person at the grill.  

 

Last night as we were leaving the TK Grill at about 9:05 pm, there was someone talking to the maitre d'.  As I walked by I could hear the conversation which went something like "Yes, Mrs. _______, we DO have you on the wait list. "  It was evident from the tone of voice that the maitre  d'  was familiar with this passenger and talked to her many times before.  And, you guessed it--it is the same passenger who brough a canine on board! (And from the same group who had reserved for themselves a table at tea time by using a jacket draped over a chair for almost an hour when no one was sitting there) She did not have her service canine with her.   As a matter of reporting--the canine has been on quite a few excursions with us--and its owners do not follow directives--such as "no dogs off leash" etc.  That's all I'm saying here--but much more has been observed.  

Edited June 23, 2023 by SLSD

[PAZE]

16 hours ago, SLSD said:

The other highlight of the long excursion to Lom (from the port of Skjolden) was the Mountain  Center  in Lom.  This museum houses Norway's largest exhibition of glacial archaeological discoveries.  As the glaciers are melting, more and more finds are being made.  Remarkably, the artifacts are in pristine condition as they have been frozen in ice since the 900s.  This exhibition was astonishing--and was also worth the long trek through the mountains.  

 

These artifacts come from the early Viking people.  There was an early pair of skis, arrows, a sword, cloth, a mitten, knives, a bow, shoes  and so many other things.  I photographed most everything with the exception of a  dog skeleton which was wearing a leather collar.  The thought is that the owners of these items were caught in a blizzard and perished on the mountain along with their dog.  

Thank you for sharing. Given my own aversion to long day trips as well would you recommend this highly??? 

[Mr Luxury]

6 hours ago, texanaust said:

 

Mr Luxury, I'm surprised-how could you miss him!!!  You and I were on Encore last summer for the Ephesus concert with Handre, etc and Corne was the Maitre'd at the Colonnade.  He is excellent, so too his younger brother Waldo. 

 

They work on separate ships and Waldo is/was a TK waiter, but very ambitious, so I imagine it won't be long before he moves up too.  

I can't recall but I never ate in the Colonnade on that trip at all.

Are you away this summer with Seabourn 

[texanaust]

9 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

I can't recall but I never ate in the Colonnade on that trip at all.

Are you away this summer with Seabourn 

Well that would be why!  We are doing Iceland on the Ovation in late July, but (for a change) are also going on Silversea in the Med in just over a week from now.  

[Mr Luxury]

6 minutes ago, texanaust said:

Well that would be why!  We are doing Iceland on the Ovation in late July, but (for a change) are also going on Silversea in the Med in just over a week from now.  

How lovely,have a great time.

I like Silversea also.

[lincslady]

Notice how everyone is being restrained about the canine situation - it did get out of hand before.  However, it seems pretty appalling to me, and owners must be very, very, very important people to Seabourn if allowed to get away with this.

[SLSD]

3 hours ago, PAZE said:

Thank you for sharing. Given my own aversion to long day trips as well would you recommend this highly??? 

It all depends on what you want to see.  I particularly enjoy seeing artifacts discovered in archaeological digs.  These discoveries were  especially important because they are recent and so well preserved.  Some people wouldn't give a fig about this kind of thing--but it is  my very favorite kind of thing to see.  So--the combination of the artifacts I photographed and shared here-- AND the 12th century Stave Church made this LONG excursion very well worth it for us.  I will tell you that it is a LONG trip over the mountains and back again.  I overheard passengers griping about it as not everyone cares about this kind of thing.  But, for US, this was one of the highlights of the entire trip.  I also have an aversion to long day trips--and we have taken THREE of them on this cruise.  I've groused a bit about it--but would not trade the experiences and would do them all over again knowing what we saw and experienced.  I'll post about this later, but we cruise for the itineraries--not for the ship.  Yes, we prefer a luxury cruise with a small ship, but our memories are primarily related to the itinerary.  

Edited June 23, 2023 by SLSD

[SLSD]

40 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Notice how everyone is being restrained about the canine situation - it did get out of hand before.  However, it seems pretty appalling to me, and owners must be very, very, very important people to Seabourn if allowed to get away with this.

Yes, I am purposely being very restrained about the canine experience.  

[SLSD]

Yesterday, we were in Stavanger which we have been told is the center of the oil industry in Norway.  Among other things, Stavanger is known for its proximity to the famous Pulpit Rock.  Some hiked to the Pulpit Rock, others viewed the Pulpit Rock by helicopter, but we chose to take the Lysefjord Cruise to Pulpit Rock.  We cruised via a ferry which we boarded very close to where we the ship was docked.  We had an expansive guide and we enjoyed the cruise very much--especially after having very long excursions on previous days.  It was relaxing.  There is only one thing which puzzled me.  Our guide never publicly announced when we had reached the Pulpit Rock...  Perhaps it was obvious to everyone but me (and I had previously looked at photos online), but I am not at all sure I got a photo of the famous rock!  A friend from the cruise has promised to send me a photo.  In addition to the rock, we saw caves where Sea Gypsies had plied their trade in the 1970s, lighthouses, beautiful waterfalls, sailing boats, and islands with weekend homes.  We also made a stop at a charming shed where we were served traditional Norwegian waffles with strawberry jam and whipped cream.  Coffee and tea were also served.  I recommend this excursion in Stavanger--just make sure you ask the guide to announce the famous rock.  

[highplanesdrifters]

3 hours ago, SLSD said:

Yes, I am purposely being very restrained about the canine experience.  

Let loose. Enquiring minds.

[SLSD]

12 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Let loose. Enquiring minds.

I may have to do that in a separate thread so that people who do not want to read it can scroll by.  It would be a shame to have this thread hijacked on such a topic.  Stand by for more info in a separate thread.  

Edited June 23, 2023 by SLSD

[SLSD]

Today, we are in Farsund Norway.  It's a town of 6,000 including the entire area, not just the city center.  We walked through the town on this Friday morning and everything was surprising quiet.  We walked up to the high point of the town which happens to be a cemetery planned by a Scottish designer.  After searching in vain for a cozy spot for lunch, we settled on a snack from a bakery before returning to the ship for lunch.  There were other excursions from Forsund--one to see lighthouses, another to see an WWII fort built by  Hitler's Germany and some zodiac excursions.  

Edited June 23, 2023 by SLSD

[Mr Luxury]

8 hours ago, SLSD said:

I have a few minutes this morning to make some comments.  Yesterday, was one of our two reservations for the TK Grill.  It was a reservation for two.  We decided it would be fun to expand our reservation to four and include some friends we have met on this cruise.  I went to guest services to request the expansion. Because it was so early in the morning, there was no one at the maitre d' station at the TK Grill.  I think it is important to go in person and ask for the expansion of a reservation (or an additional reservation) face to face.  When I did this, I was asked the name of the other guests and was told that they would check with the manager of the grill and get back to me. The guest services representative told me that the grill was fully booked, but he would ask.    Within 20 minutes or so, we got a phone call in our suite telling us that they were expanding our reservation to four people.  My point is that I think it may be more effective to ask about a reservation at the TK Grill in person rather than by just calling Guest Services on the telephone.   If there is someone manning the desk/podium at the grill--it is even better to ask in person there.  And of course, it is important to be cheerful, polite and not demanding.  

 

We have a second TK Grill reservation tomorrow evening.  We acquired this reservation while on board.  Mr. SLSD asked for this additional reservation in person at the grill.  

 

Last night as we were leaving the TK Grill at about 9:05 pm, there was someone talking to the maitre d'.  As I walked by I could hear the conversation which went something like "Yes, Mrs. _______, we DO have you on the wait list. "  It was evident from the tone of voice that the maitre  d'  was familiar with this passenger and talked to her many times before.  And, you guessed it--it is the same passenger who brough a canine on board! (And from the same group who had reserved for themselves a table at tea time by using a jacket draped over a chair for almost an hour when no one was sitting there) She did not have her service canine with her.   As a matter of reporting--the canine has been on quite a few excursions with us--and its owners do not follow directives--such as "no dogs off leash" etc.  That's all I'm saying here--but much more has been observed.  

Have you not spoken to the dog owner directly to find out why they bring it and why they feel elevated enough to not be part of the rules and guidelines.

[lincslady]

You are having some gorgeous weather.  I did think the pulpit rock would be very obvious to see, but clearly not so, from below anyway.  Suffering a bit from vertigo these days, I would be terrified to go anywhere near the edge anyway.  Everything looks so lovely in the sunshine,  I have seen Norway both ways, and blue sky is certainly preferable.

 

A very good idea to keep the other subject separate, IMO.

[galeforce9]

45 minutes ago, lincslady said:

You are having some gorgeous weather.  I did think the pulpit rock would be very obvious to see, but clearly not so, from below anyway.  Suffering a bit from vertigo these days, I would be terrified to go anywhere near the edge anyway.  Everything looks so lovely in the sunshine,  I have seen Norway both ways, and blue sky is certainly preferable.

 

A very good idea to keep the other subject separate, IMO.

Or with lots of snow ❄️

[skybluewaters]

3 hours ago, SLSD said:

Today, we are in Farsund Norway.  It's a town of 6,000 including the entire area, not just the city center.  We walked through the town on this Friday morning and everything was surprising quiet.  We walked up to the high point of the town which happens to be a cemetery planned by a Scottish designer.  After searching in vain for a cozy spot for lunch, we settled on a snack from a bakery before returning to the ship for lunch.  There were other excursions from Forsund--one to see lighthouses, another to see an WWII fort built by  Hitler's Germany and some zodiac excursions.  

 

Looking at these pictures, a perfect day for us would be strolling through that town, along the pier, and up the hills.  Quiet, peaceful, at our own pace, no group to contend with, just perfect.

[SLSD]

34 minutes ago, skybluewaters said:

 

Looking at these pictures, a perfect day for us would be strolling through that town, along the pier, and up the hills.  Quiet, peaceful, at our own pace, no group to contend with, just perfect.

It was lovely. 

[SLSD]

I've fallen behind in commenting about the cuisine on Ovation.  Hands down, our favorite restaurant has been Earth and Ocean.  We've dined at Earth and Ocean four times--the last time being tonight--the last night it will be open on this cruise.  We like the innovation of the recipes, the freshness of the ingredients and the taste of the foods.  

 

Each meal starts with slices of bread with various spreads--a tapenade, a tomato based spread, butter, and, best of all, a smoked chicken spread.  Bacon encrusted bread sticks are served alongside.  

 

Each night's offerings at Earth and Ocean include two main dishes (perhaps one is really considered an appetizer) to be chosen from three choices in each category.  Then, there is a dessert.  

 

 

[SLSD]

My next favorite dining venue was The Restaurant at lunch.  I know that might sound strange, but the combination of the white tablecloth serene place and a short menu of delicious offerings was very enticing.  Today at lunch I had a fish which is similar to tuna called Wahoo.  It is the first photo here.  Mr. SLSD chose a tasty pasta with shrimp.  A couple of days ago,  I had a Mongolian wok made beef dish.  I'm still thinking about it.  

Edited June 23, 2023 by SLSD

[labonnevie]

Really enjoying your posts. I hadn’t been thinking about a return to Norway, but this thread is making it very enticing. Thanks for all the posts. 

[texanaust]

11 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Have you not spoken to the dog owner directly to find out why they bring it and why they feel elevated enough to not be part of the rules and guidelines.

 

Gutsy move, but not worth the potential backlash that might ruin ones zen cruise vibe.