Day 47 - extra pics only

 

Day 47 - Or half a day in Bergen, half a day at sea

 

Due to the early arrival in Bergen (see previous post), we opted to set the alarm for 6:40am – but we were awake anyway.

We berthed on the starboard side – but see note below.

Free port shuttle to the gates.

Two Ho-Ho bus companies at the port exit.

A reasonably easy walk to town.

As is usual in Norway, no photo ID required and just an easy walk off. 

We’d opted for an early wake up as with such a short stop and some dispute as to the viability of the shuttle, we didn’t want to be queuing fur ages and we did want to do the funicular railway.  We were off the ship at a smidgen after 8am and at the port gate exit by 8:05!  Several shuttle buses in operation. 

We’d docked at the Jekteviken wharf which is effectively in the commercial area, so the shuttle was the only way to get to the port gates.  In town, at the main terminal, and an easier walk to town, there was the Queen Elizabeth, the Pacific Princess and a German ship, Aida.  Presumably we drew the short straw - or our need for an early getaway dictated our berth.

The Ho-Ho bus options were our traditional red (Gray Line) double decker at 260NOK, or the smaller single decker Blue bus at, we think, 200NOK.  We stuck to the red bus and managed an upstairs front seat.  Incidentally, it was 2760NOK each on the credit card, or 275NOK for cash.  Seems to be the opposite of what normally happens

This bus took about an hour for the complete circuit – which isn’t very long, so we had plenty of time to hop off at stop 12, the funicular railway.  As the railway at the city end is effectively underground, it would be very easy to miss it, situated as it is in a white fronted building.  We paid 90NOK for a return, but anyone doing a longer stop and in fine weather might want to consider getting the ride up and walking back down.  The queue wasn’t at all long, with each train taking 80 passengers - though several Princess tour groups were the only delay, as they already had tickets… Boo!  One bit of misinformation from the ship was that it was cash only.  Credit cards were accepted with ‘tap and go’.

This is well worthwhile as at the top is a real recreational area, children’s playgrounds, a troll garden (the Norwegians love their trolls), a café, restaurant and some wildlife, though all we saw were goats and a bird.  You can even rent bikes at the top to go exploring, which could be fun, though we have no idea of cost.

Back down again and mindful of the need for a prompt departure and a loathing of excessive dockside queues, we just stayed on the Ho-Ho until we were back at the dock.  Whilst travelling through town, with a total of four cruise ships in, it did look rather busy anyway in places and the fish market was apparently worth a visit.

All aboard was 12:30 and thankfully, everyone was back on-board on time, so the captain was able to effect a prompt getaway.  Lunch was just a chunk of what was labelled as cottage pie or shepherd’s, but was really a meat stew (ie. not mince) topped with mashed potato.  We managed to chat to a couple of the production dancers, who were extremely friendly and they were also very interesting.  Tiffany from Brighton and Jonathan from Cornwall.  

After another losing quiz – which we did enjoy, as one of the regular winners was in a heated debate with Assistant Cruise Director Paul afterwards, (which the know-all passenger lost!), much to the amusement of one or two others who cannot stand these smart Alecs, who just have to win every time.  By the way, it wasn’t Paul getting heated.  I think we did finish second, though we had no idea which star paid $21,000 for an advert in the New York Times, ‘claiming that both he and his wife were heterosexual’.  We were happy enough with our score, though there were 4 wacky questions worth 2 points each.  We got one of them, but I am not divulging which, as I figured it out and it might come up again next year.

Formal night again, plus our invite to the top 40 most travelled passengers, cocktail do at 7pm.  Sadly, the Captain couldn’t make it as he hands over command on Saturday, so was busy – though with the nautical equivalent of the ship’s speed, ‘pedal to the metal’, (‘full ahead both’?) maybe he had his hands full on the bridge, playing with his joystick?

We enjoyed the meet, with Paula talking to a really nice Australian couple who had been on the ship for no less than 5 consecutive cruises.  Pity we didn’t meet them earlier.  (The most travelled passengers – from Scotland - have in fact done 1,768 days…)

Plied with some really nice cocktail nibbles on a very regular basis, including coconut fried king prawn, mozzarella and tomato (caprese), scallops (twice), small Frenched chicken with a soy sauce, apple and melon with mango and for me, a small crème brulee, (and a Strongbow cider).  By the time we made it to dinner, I had certainly done well.  So just a soup and then the Beef Wellington (and again, a lobster tail), added to a glass of bubbly, as it was Hugh’s birthday and yet I didn’t feel bloated or over full.  Maybe my stomach has expanded internally as well as externally?

The production show was ‘Encore’, which was a bit too classical for me, but was exceptionally well done, with excellent backdrops and lights.  There was a guest singer flown in specifically for this show, which seemed a bit of an extravagance for three or four numbers and two shows.

The balloon drop in the Atrium was a noisy affair, though the party band, Atomic, played well as usual.

The ship was now beginning to move around just a little, though it wasn’t much of a problem.  Having now set an arrival time early, they do have to make it on time, otherwise it will be absolute chaos.

So, that is almost it - as far as the cruise goes anyway, and the next instalment of this drivel might be delayed, due to time and internet constraints.

*I have to split this email due to the number of pics and the internet is not only slow, but keeps dropping out.

Day 46 - Sun, snow Skjolden, siesta.

This was our last fjord day and it turned out to be one of the very best.  Another tiny settlement at the head of the world’s longest navigable fjord.  Luckily, we’d managed to get on a bus tour, otherwise there was very little to see or do, though others did walk a couple of kilometres up the narrow road to a café.

The ship’s pier was a tiny structure, large enough for just one gangplank (we berthed on the port side) and we met at the Explorer’s bar.  Just two coaches, doing the mountain trip.

This was a great run in bright sunshine (weren’t we lucky!) up into the impressive Jotunheimen National Park, to 1434 metres above sea level, through a series of very tight hairpin bends that would have been great fun in a Mini!  On a brand new Volvo coach, there wasn’t an inch to spare on either side, on yet another single lane road.  

We were first slowed by a group of skiers keeping fit by roller skiing – uphill.  Getting past them wasn’t so easy.

We had several photo stops on this tour and our guide, Sabine, (from Germany!) was excellent.

At one stop, we had the opportunity to stand on snow, a new experience for many.

Just past the summit, we had a coffee and comfort stop.  As is often the case, there was a queue (for the comfort stop) and by the time Paula managed to get her cup of tea, I was already on my second (warm) waffle, with strawberry topping this time - and sour cream.  Waffles seem to be a Norwegian favourite and can be served with savoury toppings, including reindeer meat and a local speciality, brown cheese.

All along the roadside were long poles, marking the road edges and apparently, the snow ploughs are now guided by GPS.  This section of the road is usually closed in winter.

At one point, there were skiers galore training on what looked to be a graded circuit/track.  Graded by snow ploughs that is.

The sun was much warmer than we expected and people were peeling off layers, when we thought that we might be adding them.

Back at the ship, there was nothing to really see so we did what we usually do.  We ate.

Somewhat surprisingly, for our siesta, it was too warm to relax on our balcony.  A perfect day really and once again, we managed to vacuum pack some of the heavier stuff and pack it.

Our luggage tags for Saturday arrived so we can certainly see the end approaching fast.

Ding dong . “This is the Captain”.  Oh deep joy. This usually heralds a hiccup of some sort.  “As the Cowes/Isle of Wight yacht race is on Saturday, the main shipping lane will be closed from 5:30am to 7:30am.  That means we will be arriving in Southampton at 6am instead of 7am.  However, it means we have to leave Bergen promptly at 1pm instead of 2pm, so we will be arriving there an hour earlier, also 6am…”

As this is the shortest stop in the busiest place on the cruise, with shops not normally opening until 9am or 10am, some people were a little grumpy.  There would be a free shuttle bus from the ship, but from our given map, notoriously hopeless, it didn’t look very far, with town a bit further away.  We have no tour booked but would like to do the funicular railway.  Will we have time?

Dinner was enjoyable as the table has settled down into some good humoured ribbing so we are now getting a laugh or two.  For once, I am not the chief culprit.

Paula was once again eating very lightly as her systems seem to be affected by a change of diet a lot more than mine.  I’m just eating too much…  (Mainly the bread rolls at dinner, not to mention having a lunch as well as breakfast.)

We weren’t keen on seeing the entertainer, as she was on two weeks ago, but Huw and Pauline went.  For our entertainment, we spent some time (but not long) with the Country and Western hoe down, before once again watching the same people throwing $100 bills into Princess’ coffers.  One guy lost $200 in about 20 minutes (again).  Reckless Roulette I call it.  Nothing measured and no system, whereas another player was doing quite well.  Paula lost her theoretical bet so opted to not pay for real.

So, just Bergen to go now, also our last formal night and the Captain’s top 40 passengers cocktail do; a day at sea then that is it.

 

Day 45 - Another sea day

 

With sunrise now at 2:10am, there is some semblance of night again – but not a lot.  As with most sea days, no alarm clock required but we were still up at a reasonable time.  At breakfast, in the Horizon Court, chocolate doughnuts, but before you all cheer, they were more plain chocolate than milk – but I had one anyway.

No win to report for trivia, so it hardly seems worthwhile mentioning it.

Once again, some nice grilled salmon for lunch, along with some pasta with chicken and ham in the sauce.  As is often the case on sea days, particularly during the day time, a reliable internet collection was impossible, so I seemed to spend ages just waiting and getting nowhere.  I should have waited until bed time to post the blog (which is what I eventually did).  In the past, it was emailed straight through, but now I have to connect to ‘blogspot’, to publish it.

After trivia, plus cabin time, we got changed for the ’Captains Circle’ welcome.  Whereas the Baltic’s cruise had us at number 4 for most travelled passengers, a 600 Elite influx pushed us well down the rankings, as the top 3 each had over 1,000 days to their credit.  That is 3 years spent on Princess ships.  The dress code on the invitation quite clearly said ‘smart casual’.  So our non-Welsh table mate had on a 3 piece suit… Nice one Ben! On the way to dinner, we caught Paul wearing his 70’s gear.

It was Italian night in the dining room so an opportunity to take a pic of our table waiters, Rocky and Jelena.  We headed off early enough this time get seats for the production show ‘Disco - Blame it On The Boogie’, but it should really have just been called ‘Disco’.  Plenty of bright lights, electronic images bags of colour and the cast of 11 dancers and 4 singers making a good show.

We had a sunset!  We’ve managed (just) to get on a tour tomorrow, having changed our minds twice, but a sensible start time.       

Day 44 - Lofoten Islands - on a bus!

Thankfully, the Captain’s warning about rough seas and maybe high winds, that could prevent us tendering ashore, came to nought (the pessimistic weather forecasts have thankfully been just that – pessimistic).  First pic shows him on the bridge checking!   We’d booked on a ship’s tour ‘Easy Lofoten Islands Drive’.  Sounds odd, an islands (plural) drive, without a boat.

Breakfast buffet on this ship consists of the main Horizon Court – both sides, plus the Caribe café at the rear. It has taken until now to realise that the options in the Caribe are fewer than the Horizon Court, which explains why at times, there was just one sausage choice in Caribe and three in HC!  Equally, grilled kidneys only in one and not the other.

A fairly late meet of 9:30am, by which time, the tenders were going well.  On the tender to shore we sat opposite great American couple from New Jersey.  No doubt we won’t see them again either.

Once ashore, we found that there was a shuttle bus to the nearby small town of Leknes – we didn’t know about that beforehand. The port, or to be more precise, the dock, is Gravdal. 

We headed for the fishing village of Ballstad, but the stop was just 10 minutes for a photo opportunity and to be honest, there wasn’t much to see and no sign of any locals at all.  The local claim to fame is for salted cod, which is hung outside on drying racks - but not at this time of the year.

On then to the white sand beaches of Haukland and Utakleiv.  This was posted as an ‘easy’ tour, which for us, it was.   For the lady with a wheel chair, trying to get to the public toilets which were across a short stretch of sand, it was far from easy.      

The picture inside the door of the gents was worth a photograph.   Despite the temperature that away from the wind and the coast, was no more than 15c, there were hardy souls camping.  Not swimming.  These beaches were reached via an 880m long tunnel – single lane road.  In fact, most of the roads were single lane, with an occasional passing bay.  At one house, I saw a Pontiac TransAm muscle car parked, but quite where he’d be able to give that any stick is anyone’s guess.

The second of the two beaches, was not too far from a house and presumably, it was their friendly cat greeting visitors.  Several sheep around too, often just sitting or lying on the road.  According to our guide, Lofoten lamb is the best in the world and commands a high price in the export markets.  So now you know.  Not NZ lamb, nor Welsh lamb.

There were some interesting rock formations to be seen and this was a pleasant 2 hour tour, but at $80US each, not exactly cheap.  Our guide was fine though his English was sometimes a little difficult to understand, but at least he didn’t talk non-stop.  Back at the dock, the souvenir shop had Wi-Fi access – but it wasn’t free.  As the whole of this cruise has been in Norway, souvenirs at each tend to be the same, so Paula has limited it to a postcard or two.

Back on board, we hit the Horizon Court and actually had a meal rather than just soup.

Cabin for blogging and nana nods were the afternoon’s activities – or lack of and we didn’t even make Trivia.

Dinner wasn’t the best we have had and the beef stroganoff was more like an Asian stir fried beef than the creamy dish we prefer.  Paula did manage a Bailey’s and another shot glass.

We weren’t keen to see the female singer in the theatre, so headed for the Explorer’s lounge and the game show ‘Fill In The Blanks’.  The success or otherwise of these shows depends on whether the crew play it sensibly or for laughs.  We could have done with more laughs, but it passed the time.  To kill more time, another casino visit to watch people throwing their money away, but this time, the caps table was deserted and we watched the roulette for a while.  Not very exciting.

As we are now heading south, we are away from the midnight sun, so sunrise tomorrow is listed as 2:10am, sunset, 11:30pm.

A sea day tomorrow with a forecasted high of 12 degrees.  It will probably be the last day for sending our laundry, so time to send everything we have worn that will need ironing and time to restrict ourselves to easy wash gear!  We have already started cramming some of the vacuum packed items into the sports bag, so our thoughts are definitely geared to packing and the end of the cruise, even though it is still a few days away.

Just two ports to go now and we are on a wait list for Skjolden, having changed our minds – again – having cancelled earlier.  Bergen we’ll do on our own, but as mentioned before, it is the shortest port day of the whole trip, with the scheduled times, 7:00am arrival and all aboard 1:30pm.  A bit mean, given that it is one of the largest places, if not the largest, on this trip.

The positive news for the day which will no doubt fill the NZ newspapers, is that NZ won the America’s Cup race series, so NZ will be hosting the next one.  No doubt our NZ friends who are on their Baltics cruise about now, will be having an extra drink to celebrate.   

Day 43 - So that was Tromso

 

Still in the arctic circle so still with midnight sun.  Ironically, we seem to be sleeping well and certainly much better than on previous cruises.  Not once have I been up at 5:30, escaping to deck 5 and doughnuts, clutching a book.

Sunday in any port is a bit of a gamble, so it was somewhat disappointing that Tromso was effectively closed for the day.

We berthed on the port side again

No HoHo bus system and the little train in town was apparently disappointing.

A $5 each way shuttle to the harbour in town.

As is usual in Norway, no photo ID required and just a walk off.

From our balcony, we could clearly see that boarding the shuttle seemed to be a very slow process, even though there were three or four coaches in.  We suspect that was because many passengers had opted to not pre-purchase tickets.  Probably waiting to see what the weather was like.  (Warm and they might have walked into town.  Wet, use the shuttle.)  Sadly, the shuttle people, instead of dealing with this well down the queue, left it until the coach door, so passengers were stuck in the drizzle, and boarding was slow.

Later, a ship’s crew member obviously approached them and moved him down the line and boarding was so much quicker.  After a relaxed full English breakfast, we just hung around until the queue had shrunk.  By the time we went down, it had all but gone but people were already returning to the ship.  No wonder.  This was not exactly a highlight stop.

The damp and drizzle was bad enough, but hardly anywhere was open.  A pleasant enough place had the day been different.  The only photo highlight was the statue of Admussen - with a disrespectful seagull.  Some cruisers walked the bridge towards the cable car, but we haven’t found anyone who thought it was worthwhile, due to the low cloud.  Maybe this is a port where a tour might be the best option.

Somewhat disappointed, we headed back to the ship but it was too busy deck 5, so we headed for the buffet and I managed with just a bowl of soup.

Back at the cabin, trying to keep up with progress of the F1 GP from the sports news channel (it wasn’t being shown live).

Robert was there for afternoon trivia but still no win.    

A lively discussion at dinner as the two other couples had got stuck into politics last night (well, the men anyway) and it rolled over.  Huw is from a dedicated Labour area – and votes Conservative, Ben from one of the strongest conservative electorates and is strongly Labour!  To talk to either of them generally, ignoring the politics and you’d swear it would be the other way around.

We had seen the production show before so didn’t go and Hugh and Pauline did go and had to stand.  With just over 3,200 passengers, a theatre capacity of maybe 800, they can’t seem to schedule it so that most people can see the popular production shows.  Whilst many will skip so called comedians, singers, magicians and musicians, the majority will give the production shows a go, especially on these 14 day cruises.

We wandered into the casino and this time, it was watching the roulette and the way people play.  More $100 bills going to the benefit of Princess Cruises.  Huw and Pauline stopped on their way back and we chatted to them for a fair time before another midnight light bedtime.

We’d  booked at the last minute for tomorrow’s coach tour from Gravdal only to have the Captain announce not long after, that it might be a rocky night with expected winds of 30km, 82% chance of rain tomorrow and the possibility that this, our only tender port, might not be possible.  We’ll just have to wait and see, but as at bedtime, the seas still looked fairly smooth.    

 

Day 42 - Long daylight but a short day ashore.

 

As before, the land of ‘The Midnight Sun’, but now inside the arctic circle and even though they have more sun than NZ, it was colder than any Auckland winter’s day.  I think that overall, there is no doubt whatever that NZ’s climate is more to our liking.  Today, Honnigsvag and for some, a planned trip to the actual North Cape, the most northerly part of Europe.

Ship berthed on the port side.

Simple walk ashore, no ID required.

No HoHo or tourist bus.   

We looked out of our window when we woke to see – not a lot.  Honningsvag really is tiny and there is virtually nothing to see in the town itself.  Some took an ATV tour up and over the hill opposite and there was a zodiac type boat doing trips.  The ship’s tours were expensive (most are in Norway) and not too exciting, but at least the day was dry, but rather nippy..

We strolled as slowly as we could around the harbour as this is the longest day ashore of the whole trip.  Rather ironic given that the shortest day ashore will be Bergen.

There weren’t any places selling decent bakery items to attract us, so a cheapo day ashore and back on board for a warming bowl of pumpkin soup before relaxing in the cabin – again.  We have done a lot of relaxing on this trip.  At least the short days mean this blog is up to date, but Paula is missing her dancing/exercise and neither of us have ventured into the gym or the pool(s).

We surfaced in time for quiz and managed 16, but we should have got more, as the ones we got wrong, we have heard before.  My memory recall for trivia answers isn’t what it was.  So much for the fish being brain food, as I have eaten plenty. 

As we wrap up well, half our cruising friends are Alaska bound and the other half are enjoying the sunshine in the Med.

We missed the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Murder Mystery’ on the Baltics and as is often the case on this ship, scheduled times do not really favour the 8pm diners.  Just to complicate matters, they had the chicken tikka masala on the dining room menu, so having checked the buffet menu and there was no curry there, we made a decision.  We’d abandon our regular 8pm fixed dining and headed for the deck 5 ‘anytime’ dining restaurant at about 6:30pm, so that we could get a seat for the 9pm show.

We were happy to share; no queue and on a table with two Americans from Wisconsin and two English people from Lincoln.  It all worked very well, even though it was a large table (for 10) and there was a large gap.  A double helping of chicken curry and we shared a black forest gateau.  Nice!

Off to the Explorer’s Lounge in plenty of time for a seat, as planned. 

We’d obviously seen this way back in 2011 with Alana being the narrator and then it was one of the funniest shows we’d seen.  I’m not sure why, but this wasn’t quite as funny and the parts of Sherlock and Watson were played by female entertainment staff members.

Afterwards, we headed for the theatre for the 10pm show – Tony Lewis with a Robbie Williams tribute show.  Not being Robbie Williams fans and never having seen him perform before, we could only judge him on the show itself.  It started a bit slow (for me) but then it ramped up a gear, especially with a couple of ladies from the audience on stage, then 4 guys taking off the initial group that Robbie Williams was part of.

Obviously the overall audience loved the show, given the ovation at the end and it was a very professional presentation.  The orchestra, sound and light were also top notch.  The orchestra seems very well balanced.  It is in the theatre that the more modern ships score so well over the smaller, older ships.

Although there was a deck party that started at 10:3pm, scheduled to go beyond midnight, we opted for the warmth of the cabin instead.  We must be getting old.

Sunday tomorrow and one of the larger towns on this trip – Tromso.  We purchased shuttle tickets at $5 each way and the shuttle is scheduled to begin about 9:30am so no doubt, there will be huge queues first thing.  No need to set the alarm - again.

We are now physically heading towards home, having reached the turnaround point, so already, our thoughts are drifting towards actually being home – and winter – and decent coffee.  Maybe a little warmth on the way too. 

  

Day 41 - Fill stomach, full theatre, full sun

Another fine day at sea though a bit nippy in the shade.

Nothing of note during the day with no breakthrough trivia win as yet.  We live in hope.

Another formal night and the repeated crawfish vol-au-vent, but Ben and Sally ended up with two mains of crab cakes and lobster, for their starters.  Ben wanted the crab cakes and Sally the lobster, but she couldn’t eat two, so I had a lobster to go with my 1^st starter.  I’d also asked for a lobster to go with my chateaubriand beef, which was perhaps as well, as the meat portion was delicious, but quite small.

We headed off for the theatre at 9:45, but we were too late.  Standing room only for the Production show – ‘Sweet Soul Music’.  Fortunately, we’d seen it before, so we joined Huw and Pauline in the Wheelhouse bar instead.  The reason for the packed theatre was fairly obvious – the so called comedian was in the Explorer’s Lounge and I doubt very much if that was full.

The guitarist/singer in the Wheelhouse Bar was pretty good and not too loud, as the late evening sun streamed in.  We are now in the arctic circle and the sun never sets, so at midnight, the sun was still streaming into our cabin.  See photograph and yes, this was taken at midnight.

A pleasant enough sea day, but nothing planned for our most northerly stop tomorrow – Honningsvag.  Also the half way point so we’ll be heading back afterwards.  A last minute decision to do a Princess tour was thwarted, as they had sold out.  A longer stop than normal and a small port, so it will be a long relaxing day tomorrow.