Rare jaycruising Posted July 18 Author #51 Share Posted July 18 Tuesday, July 16, Skjolden (pronounced Sho-olden) We took our time rising and shining this morning as we weren’t in a big rush to get off of the ship. We had breakfast at the International Cafe. I love the chia seed pudding and usually the egg bites, but I found these to be very dry. Honestly I found everything I have ate from the International Cafe dry We then meandered our way off the ship until we found the Norway Adventures tent, where I had an excursion booked for 10:15. Love mossy rocks When we booked this cruise I had originally booked us to go to the Stave church via Princess, but about 2 months ago they cancelled it as the church was no longer allowing guests inside. Which I totally get, BUT the only real tours left were pay $300 and sit on a bus for 7 hours and we will stop for a few minutes at a couple places, if you live that kind of tour cool, totally fine, but those don’t work for us. DM got us on the waitlist for the Rib boat excursion through the ship and then I found 1 seat available externally, so I booked that. We kept checking Princess and Norway Adventures and nothing opened up, someone else on the ship got a ticket after being on board and after I had spoke with the shore excursions team. And since she was only on the waitlist for one time she didn’t get on an excursion in Skjolden. I did feel bad and offered for her to go. But not super impressed with Princess Shore Excursions for this one. I got suited up and we boarded the boat. There are 12 people per boat, this is our guide Daria, she is from Finland, I found that a bit funny Some of the areas we passed along the fjord This church is 700 years old We went as far as to where you could sort of see the glacier, but it was quite far. And Daria told us more about the area. We learnt the 98% of their electricity is hydro electric. Then we saw this stunning waterfall It is the longest free falling waterfall in the area, I believe she said it is 270 feet and that the most off of it can make it hard to breathe. This white building high in the mountain used to be a sanatorium for tuberculosis, and I guess all the fresh air did help a lot of people. Then it became a mental hospital and now they are trying to turn it into a hotel The tour was good and lasted about one hour and 15 minutes. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 18 Author #52 Share Posted July 18 This was the boat I had gone on, but I wasn’t on this boat Then we walked into the village, first stop was at the kafe I had to have a waffle with brown cheese, it’s my favourite and I usually only get it at Christmas as a small block is $20 at home (I can get a big block here for less, and yes one will be coming home with me) DM got one with jam! It was so good! Only thing missing was lefse! They had a few tents set up selling some local goods, the coop was also really busy as there were 2 ships in port in this tiny village This sculpture marked the end of the Fjord We just wandered around some more and I took photos of interesting things or at least I thought so 😉 these rocks kind of look like a fish I found it interesting that this dandelion was growing out of the cement Hello again Sky Princess 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoMom!! Posted July 18 #53 Share Posted July 18 Your pictures are wonderful and worth waiting for! Thanks for all your effort to share them with us!! You mentioned the RIB boat being a bit disappointing. I have one scheduled for Stravanger that I independently booked. Can you tell me a bit more about what you thought? TIA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 18 Author #54 Share Posted July 18 On 7/14/2024 at 11:45 PM, phabric said: Did they give a paper with what food is being offered at the Platinum/Elite lounge each night? Sorry, just saw this and no they didn’t, only the buffet one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 18 Author #55 Share Posted July 18 7 minutes ago, ColoradoMom!! said: Your pictures are wonderful and worth waiting for! Thanks for all your effort to share them with us!! You mentioned the RIB boat being a bit disappointing. I have one scheduled for Stravanger that I independently booked. Can you tell me a bit more about what you thought? TIA Thank you! We did one independent in Stavanger and loved it, it was through fjord events, I actually booked through Viator… would recommend 100%. I did enjoy the one in Skjolden, the Stavanger one was just more. It’s a really fun boat to ride on and has an amazing perspective! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird19 Posted July 18 #56 Share Posted July 18 Love your photos! We’re those red & black things on the ice cream cones a type of berry? Looked interesting. Also, if you get a chance can you comment a bit on the weather on land and on board if outside. Trying to figure out what clothes to pack for an upcoming trip. Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 18 Author #57 Share Posted July 18 10 minutes ago, Thunderbird19 said: Love your photos! We’re those red & black things on the ice cream cones a type of berry? Looked interesting. Also, if you get a chance can you comment a bit on the weather on land and on board if outside. Trying to figure out what clothes to pack for an upcoming trip. Thanks. Glad you are enjoying them! They were a licorice, raspberry flavoured, it was very interesting! We have been beyond lucky with weather from what I heard prior to our arrival I was cloudy and rainy for quite some time. For the most part I have found that dressing in light layers to be my best option, with a raincoat in my bag. I have worn mostly my lulu leggings for excursions, with a tank and then a hoodie and by most afternoons I have had to take off my hoodie. On board temperatures have varied, some areas of the ship are much cooler than others, but tonight for instance I wore a sleeveless dress all evening and just carried my sweater around. Hope that helps and feel free to ask more questions if you have them! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 18 Author #58 Share Posted July 18 We went back up to the cabin to watch railway from our balcony This farm used to be a trading post, but someone forgot raspberries and they decided to make juice for the next time the ship came in and it was so popular that they continued making juice, added jam and now have an actual factory nearby This was also my queue to go upstairs if I wanted more unobstructed views for photos I thought this place looked neat back to the cabin And this is why I had to go upstairs for views. We are on deck 15 and this overhang is appearing in all our photos from the balcony… I crop them or point down to shoot By then it was time to head to the dining room for our 6pm reservation I started with the vol-a-vent For main I had the chicken scallopine For dessert I had the sugar free coconut cake. Just cause this says sugar free don’t let them trick you, it is amazing After Dinner we went to the thermal spa for a bit, but I really wanted to go to the game show and DM was feeling a bit tired so I grabbed a few more photos and headed off It did get more cloudy After the game show, Rock the Room (which I snuck out of a few minutes early) I went to the theatre to get a seat, and it was packed in there, for 5 Skies. I really enjoyed the show, but show up early if you want a decent seat Time for bed as we have another busy one ahead of us… to bad I slept like garbage and only got about 4 hours! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arizonaperson Posted July 18 #59 Share Posted July 18 @jaycruising I am enjoying following along & your photos,very nice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltd Posted July 18 #60 Share Posted July 18 On 7/13/2024 at 3:23 PM, jaycruising said: After we dumped our bags DM headed down to guest services to get her replacement medallion, I made my way down a bit later as I knew it would take a while. Grabbed a photo of the officers on my way. Once she was sorted we toured the spa… the sure push the upsell there. We did decide to go ahead with a pass to the thermal spa for the week, it cost us $149 each. Then we toured around the ship some more as we haven’t been on this class in many years so not sure where everything is. And found some interesting things to take photos of Need a car? This boat is so full of people We sailed away pretty much right on time, we just enjoyed it from our own balcony, while I unpacked (was so looking forward to that) I love a wake view I also appreciate that they have these in the elevators and throughout the ship to help you find your way! Going past Portsmouth Looks like the old Crown or Regal Princess. How Cool. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gettingwarmer Posted July 19 #61 Share Posted July 19 11 hours ago, waltd said: Looks like the old Crown or Regal Princess. How Cool. It is the old Regal Princess. Now called Ambiance and sails for Ambassador Cruises. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Norwaylady Posted July 19 #62 Share Posted July 19 Lovely to follow your adventure and Ken❤️ Seems like the weather is partly cooperating😎 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 19 Author #63 Share Posted July 19 53 minutes ago, Norwaylady said: Lovely to follow your adventure and Ken❤️ Seems like the weather is partly cooperating😎 Thanks for following along, even though I’m a few days behind. The weather has been amazing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 19 Author #64 Share Posted July 19 I am having trouble synchronizing photos between my iPhone and my big camera… so just going to use my iPhone photos for now and may add some from my big camera at the end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 19 Author #65 Share Posted July 19 Wednesday, July 17, Olden We arrived into Olden at 8am, but I slept through our arrival, we didn’t have to be off ship early and I am really lacking in sleep on this trip! While we were getting ready we had a ship coming into port to join us. Turned out to be the Queen Mary 2 We went to International Cafe for breakfast and then made our way off ship We wandered around the shops a bit and then found a bench to camp out on for a bit. We had booked excursions to Briksdal Glacier via Olden Adventures. I was going on the 11am trip which was just transport to and from. DM went on the noon trip which included the troll cars. I was able to check us both in and then we had to walk to the gas station to get our bus. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 19 Author #66 Share Posted July 19 (edited) It took almost 45 minutes to get there, not cause it is far, but because it is a one lane highway and we had to keep pulling over. Once we arrived we were given 2.5 hours to go off and explore. Im not going to say too much and let the pictures do the talking for me. I will say it is one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done. These are the troll cars If you can I highly recommend this hike. The route I took was about 5km and had an elevation gain of about 200 meters. The first part is the most difficult. If you can’t do the hike the troll cards are a great option and you walk the final 700 meters to the glacier. Edited July 19 by jaycruising . 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 19 Author #67 Share Posted July 19 I got back to Olden around 2:45 and walked into town to look around the shops, but I wasn’t really in the mood (to be honest, like most cruise stops, it is the same stuff from town to town) and it started raining so I put on my rain coat and headed back to the ship. I sat out on the balcony and enjoyed the views until DM got back I I was not super interested in tonight’s dinner menu So we decided to Alfredo’s for pizza. We split one tonight. Dm got the Princess on her half and I got one with seafood (can’t remember the name) it was ok, but not as good as the other day spent most of the rest of the evening in the cabin, caught this commercial fishing operation outside the ship After a bit I went and sat down by the piazza trying to get my photos done and listened to the band… they are so good! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 20 Author #68 Share Posted July 20 Thursday, July 18, Stavanger It was a good morning to wake up in Stavanger, the weather looked lovely and it was DM’s birthday today! The ship was ready for disembarking slightly before 10, however local authorities held it until 10. We had our breakfast up in the buffet and then made our way off of the ship closer to 11. I think this photo is mandatory when you get off the ship in Stavanger We wandered around the area for a while until it was time to check in for our excursion 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 20 Author #69 Share Posted July 20 (edited) I had booked us on a Rib boat excursion via Viator. It cost us $305 Canadian, I believe the ship excursion was about $200 US per person. They were super easy to find from the ship and it was about a 5 minute walk. We got suited up, had our safety briefing and made our way to the boat. I snagged the seats right at the front. The ride starts out nice and relaxing… Until we got to this bridge As soon as we passed under it he kicked up the throttle, cranked up the music and we hit it! It was the most fun, our Skipper was great and gave us a ride, he was twisting and turning and crossing other boat’s wake so we would fly, I got air more then once! It was a lot of fun. Couple words of advice, either use the provided googles or wear your sunnies! Also if you have trouble with your ears I recommend something to cover them, it gets very windy and you are going very fast. It is quite a distance until the first stop and I’m sort of a bonus, it is very hard to hold the phone steady to take photos so I just enjoyed the scenery! I did get a couple along the way! The first stop was vegabond’s cave, can you spot it? It was interesting what the water line did to the rocks Edited July 20 by jaycruising Sp 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 20 Author #70 Share Posted July 20 These cliffs were jaw dropping, the size, scale and beauty of them. Next we stopped to visit the goats. They were on their summer vacation! Seriously, the farmer drops them off there for the summer! Ot was only a short distance to our next stop? Can you tell what it is? 1,800 feet above us is Pulpit rock! It looked like not much from down there, but I prefer the view from down here, my fear of heights has me thinking I’ll never make it to the top! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 20 Author #71 Share Posted July 20 Our final stop was at this stunning waterfall called Whiskey Falls, in the Rib boat they can get you almost right underneath, my glasses were covered in water! Where the mountains meet is the end of the fjord This is our skipper Goose! He was fantastic, DM loved his dry Norwegian sense of humour One last glance at the waterfall before we made our way back to town! We may or may not have done a doughnut just outside of the marina on our way back in I would definitely recommend this company to anyone looking to do a Rib boat excursion in Stavanger (I might even do it again), they were professional, safe, on time and most input whole lot of fun. Like I said I booked on Viator, but the company’s name is FjordEvents AS. Also book ahead! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 21 Author #72 Share Posted July 21 Just as we got back to Stavanger my phone died 😞. Lucky for me the ship was near by so DM found a bench to hang out on and I ran back to the ship. I managed to get my phone charged up a bit and grabbed my big camera and headed back out. And we made our way to Fargegaten. Which is a street of colourful houses and buildings and unique shops Love this one! The street art in Stavanger is also fantastic 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 21 Author #73 Share Posted July 21 From there we took around the shops and wandered around some more. The flowers were so beautiful! There were quite a few jellyfish in the harbour, I find them fascinating to watch. More sights and street art 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 21 Author #74 Share Posted July 21 DM decided she wanted to go back to the ship and I decided to go and walk around Old Town. These two were the first I met upon arrival I I think they are cute. I just wandered around the streets for a while. I love photographing flowers and they have an abundance of them. It’s such a charming area! I really enjoyed Stavanger. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jaycruising Posted July 21 Author #75 Share Posted July 21 I made it back on board shortly after 4:00, all aboard was at 4:30 and you could tell by all the ship people pacing that we were missing a number of people, turns out an excursion was running late. We hung out watching pier runners from our balcony. Though there was not much running! Old town looks very cool from above! Our railway was around 5:30 and it was quite nice! There are some nice condos and houses along the shore! One of the Aida ships was in port with us, but they were so far out I would guess they had about a 30 minute bus ride to the centre of town. We watched railway for a while and then it was time for dinner. We kind of got put in a corner and sort of forgot about, it wasn’t the best service. It was also formal night, and I saw quite a mix of dress, there were tuxedos and dresses to jeans in the MDR I started with the escargot, they are so tasty Then I wanted to try the seafood deviled eggs as I thought they would mix the seafood in, they didn’t, it was served on the side And of course for my main I had surf and turf… very tasty For dessert I went with the cream puff, it was neither creamy or puffy, but was ok. After dinner we headed to the spa for our regularly scheduled soak. I really loved having it as an option! Except some people do need to learn what a spa voice is! Then I really wanted to go to tonight’s show, Spotlight Bar, and I wanted to make sure I had a good seat so we were there for 9:30 I loved this show, it was my favourite for the week! After a very busy week of ports, excur, walking back and forth on the ship and eating way more then I am used to I was ready to crash so back to the room it was for the night! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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