Live from the Norwegian Fjords May 5-13, 2024 - Silhouette

[debfed65]

9 hours ago, kk20 said:

Yes! This is why we decided to do this cruise this year

 

9 hours ago, Bexpo said:

 

Norway is banning larger ships to go thru Fjords…. Starting in 2026, only cruise ships powered by alternative fuels will be allowed to visit the fjords in Norway. Lawmakers want to protect the unique natural environment and stop marine diesel oil and mass tourism from damaging the ecosystem.

Thank you for posting this! The Fjords are on my bucket list so I am very excited to follow your report!  I better start looking at booking. Can I ask why you chose Silhouette over Apex for this cruise?  

[mac_tlc]

Following along. Our trip to the fjords last year was a lasting memorable experience. I hope the weather cooperates in Olden, the sky lift was unforgettable:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 7 by mac_tlc

[kk20]

8 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Question regarding your time in Amsterdam. When you used transit, had you bought a OV card or did you just tap on and off with your credit card? I’m hoping to use my ApplePay from my phone..

Cathy

When we arrived at the Central Station in Amsterdam we purchased a 48 hour transit pass outside of the entrance to the subway station. It cost €15 each and we just tapped it on the scanners each time we got on and off. I did see people using their phones as well, but they needed to hold their phones under the scanner and this way seemed to take more time & cause more issues with the system vs tapping the passes. You also need to tap/scan for each person getting on and off. 

 

We downloaded the 9292 app ahead of time and used it along with apple maps (you can change the view to show transit routes) to figure out where we were and where we were headed

 

 

[kk20]

4 hours ago, debfed65 said:

 

Thank you for posting this! The Fjords are on my bucket list so I am very excited to follow your report!  I better start looking at booking. Can I ask why you chose Silhouette over Apex for this cruise?  

For us, it was a timing issue. This sailing worked out better for us vs the later dates that the Apex has

[kk20]

4 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

Following along. Our trip to the fjords last year was a lasting memorable experience. I hope the weather cooperates in Olden, the sky lift was unforgettable:

Your pictures are stunning!!! We have our fingers and toes crossed that we get a clear day as well 🤞

[kk20]

We just got back from our celebrity excursion ‘destination highlight: explore Haugesund by foot’ it was advertised as 2.5 hours but was less than 2 hours as our tour guide needed to be back before 11am for her next tour. Not a big deal, as she gave us the option to stay behind and explore the town on our own instead of trekking back with her. We ended up ditching the tour when the hubs saw a record store on the way back 😹

 

the ship docks in an industrial area, but you can walk or take shuttles into town

 

these houses were built in the early 1900’s to house oil company employees but now are used as Ukrainian refugee housing

boat houses along the inland waterway

 

traditional house made from local timber. Notice the sexton details below its peaks.
Fun fact: Captain Kate’s first tattoo was a sexton on her foot!

 

sheep and fur pelts outside a local shop

 

Why does Haugesund have a Marilyn Monroe statue? Her dad was born in Haugesund and was a baker here before he immigrated to America

 

This statue is one of hope as it has two fishermen and one is pointing out to the sea and telling the other one that the herring are coming back. There was a time that the town almost died off due to lack of herring 

 

[Saab4444]

On 5/6/2024 at 4:53 PM, Bexpo said:

 

Norway is banning larger ships to go thru Fjords…. Starting in 2026, only cruise ships powered by alternative fuels will be allowed to visit the fjords in Norway. Lawmakers want to protect the unique natural environment and stop marine diesel oil and mass tourism from damaging the ecosystem.

Olden does not ban cruise ships from 2026 and this is the only real Fjord port your cruise is going to. Significant Fjord ports that ban ships from 2026 are mainly Geiranger and Flam but size of shops does not matter, it is the fuel used. Port cities like Oslo, Stavanger, Haugesund, Trondheim, Tromso and Alesund stay open.

Edited May 7 by Saab4444

[Bexpo]

We went through the largest locke in the world last night!!!

It is located at the mouth of the North Sea Canal with a view of Fort Island: IJmuiden Marine Lock. The lock is 500 metres long, 70 metres wide and 18 metres deep.

Our captain is super delightful and charming. Captain Nigel Smyth - He has an Irish lilt accent.

[Bexpo]

16 hours ago, debfed65 said:

Thank you for posting this! The Fjords are on my bucket list so I am very excited to follow your report!  I better start looking at booking. Can I ask why you chose Silhouette over Apex for this cruise?  

We chose Silhouette because this ship allows access to the outside terrace at the front of the ship on two levels - Edge class ships only allow  front of ship access to people in retreat class or first class! There was no access whatsoever on Edge class!

[H2OH!]

Great pictures and commentary....following along. We are on Apex 12 day fjord cruise in June 2025!

[Freeguy]

Great photos kk20! So much to see so little time!

 

[debfed65]

1 hour ago, Bexpo said:

We chose Silhouette because this ship allows access to the outside terrace at the front of the ship on two levels - Edge class ships only allow  front of ship access to people in retreat class or first class! There was no access whatsoever on Edge class!

I thought Silhouette was revolutionized and had the Retreat only areas at the front of the ship now?  I understand that the sky lounge is still there (inside only), but I thought they changed the two outdoor terraced areas in the front of the ship for Retreat only.  Perhaps I'm mistaken.  That is one drawback from Edge class for sure, unless you go into the gym and then you can have an inside view at the front!

[debfed65]

kk20 - great photos and I appreciate all the description so we know what we are looking at! Can't wait to see more.   

[mac_tlc]

15 hours ago, kk20 said:

Your pictures are stunning!!! We have our fingers and toes crossed that we get a clear day as well 🤞

Thanks! I was like a kid in a candy store snapping all those pictures. I must have over 100 from the top of the mountain. 
 

mac_tlc

[kk20]

We had dinner last night in the mdr. They had a chef’s special appetizer that was a beef ragu with gnocchi and it was delicious. We also had their sirloin steak (not from the everyday dining menu) and for a mdr steak, it wasn’t bad 😉. They came with fingerling potatoes, asparagus, beets and some other veggie that I didn’t eat. 

We then spent the evening at the martini bar and enjoyed the entertainment in the main foyer as well. 

We’re enjoying this sailing’s live music options much more than our last cruise on the Reflection in November! 
 

Below is a sampling of Kuta Beat Party Band

 

 

Yopi makes the best cosmos 🍸

 

Milroy adding some flair to the evening! 

 

 

 

 

 

[kk20]

This morning I woke at 4:30am up for our ships arrival into the fjord leading to Olden. We ventured out onto our balcony just after 5am to snap some pics. It was very brisk! The navigation channel had our temperature at 7° but there was quite the wind chill coming off the cold water 🥶 We didn’t last long on balcony and decided that most pictures would be taken from inside the room with just enough of the balcony door open wide enough for my camera 🫢

 

I’m in awe of the natural beauty of this fjord and amazed at how deep the water is too! The deepest sea depth that I’ve seen listed on the nav channel is 574m

 

Here is a sampling of this morning’s pics (most of these are compressed images, as my actual pics take way too long or cause freezing issues when trying to upload them)

 

 

Edited May 8 by kk20

[kk20]

The sounds of waterfalls get their own post! (Turn your volume up)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cruisestitch]

23 hours ago, debfed65 said:

I thought Silhouette was revolutionized and had the Retreat only areas at the front of the ship now?  I understand that the sky lounge is still there (inside only), but I thought they changed the two outdoor terraced areas in the front of the ship for Retreat only.  Perhaps I'm mistaken.  That is one drawback from Edge class for sure, unless you go into the gym and then you can have an inside view at the front!

There is still a terrace outside the fitness center and it is open to all. Deck 12.

Edited May 8 by cruisestitch

[debfed65]

5 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

There was still a terrace outside the fitness center and it is open to all. Deck 12.

That's good to know...thank you for clarifying this 🙂 it is always nice to be outside in the front for sail ins.  

[floridatravelersforlife]

21 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

Olden does not ban cruise ships from 2026 and this is the only real Fjord port your cruise is going to. Significant Fjord ports that ban ships from 2026 are mainly Geiranger and Flam but size of shops does not matter, it is the fuel used. Port cities like Oslo, Stavanger, Haugesund, Trondheim, Tromso and Alesund stay open.

I am not familiar with Norway regs.  If they are similar to the Antarctic water protections, then Celebrity has the Infinity  that will be compliant with the world water quality convention.  Infinity burns kerosene (light diesel)and has Co Regeneration gas turbines, upgraded from the jet turbines, that were installed when we sailed sailed to the Antarctic in 2010, Much cleaner.  

[Jordanyaya1]

Thanks so much for posting pictures of your cruise. We were supposed to be  aboard but had a medical emergency and had to cancel. Thankfully we had good trip insurance and already have our refund but we so miss this trip. 
 

[kk20]

Olden officially has my 💞

 

This little town is so beautiful! My pictures don’t do it justice! 

 

We went to the Olden Skylift and spent about 1.5hrs exploring and taking pictures when the clouds broke. It was so neat to literally be in the clouds (but bad for picture taking)!

 

We even saw some crazy base jumpers who launched themselves off the side of the mountain in their flying squirrel suits and then open their parachutes and eventually land on a paved area that was about 10’ wide by 20’ long

 

at the base of the skylift

 

the cable car

 

 

 

 

Edited May 8 by kk20

[kk20]

Having issues witb Elon Musk’s internet connection. Will post more pics asap

[kk20]

55 minutes ago, Jordanyaya1 said:

Thanks so much for posting pictures of your cruise. We were supposed to be  aboard but had a medical emergency and had to cancel. Thankfully we had good trip insurance and already have our refund but we so miss this trip. 
 

Sorry to see this! Hopefully you are able to rebook for a later date

[JeanieC,Aston]

Hi

Does the hotel on the dock still play Bocelli singing ‘Time to say goodbye’ when ship leaving Olden,,,makes the hair on your neck stand up.