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Beyond the Arctic Circle


uktog
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Great video Odd.

 

And here is our take on Stavanger

 

It is a beautiful day in Stavanger and as ever Azamara has a perfect dock right beside the beautiful harbour restaurants.

IMG_5559_zpszhdqlenm.jpg

Although it's a hilly town (you could use the hop on hop off bus at 200nkr) despite feeling the effects of our more strenuous climbing yesterday we managed to walk enabling us to see delights such as the painted houses.

IMG_5538_zpsmt7mh9nk.jpg

There are many old houses in Stavanger, some original wooden ones

IMG_5546_zpsadiuk6pi.jpg

And others that have been reconstructed.

IMG_5561_zpseggjin9f.jpg

From a high spot above the harbour ancient cannons guard over the ship.

IMG_5544_zpshb2fr8le.jpg

And behind the cathedral (currently having much of its stonework restored) is this beautiful little lake (about 8 mins from the ship) lots of seats to sit and watch the world go by.

IMG_5552_zpsny0s3tb4.jpg

 

Although they are geographically close Bergen and Stavanger are quite different cities other than along the wharfs. Stavanger seems a place full of coffee bars, restaurants and to us felt more bohemian than Bergen. We were of course blessed with seeing Stavanger on a blue sky day and a relative gentle breeze whereas Bergen wax the monsoon and certainly no pavement cafes operating so we may be misjudging things.

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Great video Odd.

 

And here is our take on Stavanger

 

It is a beautiful day in Stavanger and as ever Azamara has a perfect dock right beside the beautiful harbour restaurants.

IMG_5559_zpszhdqlenm.jpg

Although it's a hilly town (you could use the hop on hop off bus at 200nkr) despite feeling the effects of our more strenuous climbing yesterday we managed to walk enabling us to see delights such as the painted houses.

IMG_5538_zpsmt7mh9nk.jpg

There are many old houses in Stavanger, some original wooden ones

IMG_5546_zpsadiuk6pi.jpg

And others that have been reconstructed.

IMG_5561_zpseggjin9f.jpg

From a high spot above the harbour ancient cannons guard over the ship.

IMG_5544_zpshb2fr8le.jpg

And behind the cathedral (currently having much of its stonework restored) is this beautiful little lake (about 8 mins from the ship) lots of seats to sit and watch the world go by.

IMG_5552_zpsny0s3tb4.jpg

 

Although they are geographically close Bergen and Stavanger are quite different cities other than along the wharfs. Stavanger seems a place full of coffee bars, restaurants and to us felt more bohemian than Bergen. We were of course blessed with seeing Stavanger on a blue sky day and a relative gentle breeze whereas Bergen wax the monsoon and certainly no pavement cafes operating so we may be misjudging things.

Ann, Stavanger is a very nice city, and has many of the same qualities as Bergen. It is quite smaller and doesn't have the mountains. We lived there for four years and had a 5 minute walk down to the lake Breiavatn and the church. You might say it is more bohemian, but I guess it's partly due to the size of the centre and that everything is so close. A lovely city. Have a beer at Dickens.

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Looking for information if anyone knows.

In 1997 on a Fjords of Norway trip we took a tour on a boat out of Stavanger to Lysefjord

The boat was called ? "The Clipper".

I was wondering if anyone knew if this twin 905 diesel boat was an old PT Boat. I just recently road the PT-305 and that boat seemed similar to me of this boat in 1997. We cruised the 15 miles to Lysefjord at 25K so we didn't take long. It sure rode like a PT Boat and was a great shore trip.

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Ann, Stavanger is a very nice city, and has many of the same qualities as Bergen. It is quite smaller and doesn't have the mountains. We lived there for four years and had a 5 minute walk down to the lake Breiavatn and the church. You might say it is more bohemian, but I guess it's partly due to the size of the centre and that everything is so close. A lovely city. Have a beer at Dickens.

 

Glad to read other opinions of Stavanger.

 

We thought it the least interesting of the ports we visited but, by then, the bar was very high indeed.

 

Reconsidering, it seemed more cosmopolitan and functioning on a modern economic model. But, of course, that is the assessment of only a one-day visit.

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Looking for information if anyone knows.

In 1997 on a Fjords of Norway trip we took a tour on a boat out of Stavanger to Lysefjord

The boat was called ? "The Clipper".

I was wondering if anyone knew if this twin 905 diesel boat was an old PT Boat. I just recently road the PT-305 and that boat seemed similar to me of this boat in 1997. We cruised the 15 miles to Lysefjord at 25K so we didn't take long. It sure rode like a PT Boat and was a great shore trip.

Some info here.

http://www.rodne.no/about-us/boats/en-clipper/

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Earlier in the cruise a decision was taken to move White Nights from Honningsvag to Stavanger. There were some concerns even Stavanger might not work but the weather gods this time loved us. We certainly did the right thing ensuring the most perfect weather by taking our earlier soaking in Bergen. If you stayed in the sun it was as warm as any White Nights and warmer than our experience off Jordan last month.

IMG_8148_zps1wdnhyae.jpg

We were happy to enjoy an evening of lobsters on the barbie and the most tasty poached salmon. We had seen the fresh salmon being delivered dockside when we came back onboard earlier in the afternoon. It was then simply poached and was one of the tastiest things we have ever eaten on an Azamara cruise. It's created a taste memory I won't forget I'm a hurry. So my White Nights was salmon, lobster and simple salads, followed by Norwegian cheeses and crepe Suzette much less fattening than others we have indulged at!

Then we were able to say farewell to this wonderful crew, hope the panoramic is ok and favourites can be spotted.

IMG_8151_zpsh6zdrgvh.jpg

 

As Captain Johannes has said, he's never in all his years of cruising Norway had weather like this. We were tempted to consider this cruise for 2019 but not at the current prices. An OV would cost us 35% more than we paid for a balcony this time, the combination of the current pricing (which from the onboard rebooking record level is not a deterrent for many) coupled with sterling pits Brexit snuffed out that very short dream unfortunately. We maybe can look at a possible purchase through the USA if sterling improves next year.

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Thanks for that. I think that was the boat. We were out on the bow and I don't think it was an old PT Boat since the PT Boats have an open bridge. We did sit out on the bow area and got a lot of wind but it was a very beautiful memorable trip. The engines felt as powerful as the PT Boat.

On that other link, looks like I will have to book a third Fjords of Norway trip to do that cable car. It might out shine Mt. Dalsnibba tour.

Thanks for both those links. They were very nice and I thank you very much for your efforts. I apologize for barging in on your thread.

We have just booked the Azamara Quest Jan 4, 2018 out of Miami through the Canal. Apparently this is a popular cruise since it spends 2 nights in Havana.

Regards,

Dr.Joe

Edited by scapel
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You nailed it Ann! Thanks for the pictures to remind us of all the Norway beauty. And we completely agree about under-rated Hamburg--very pleasant surprise.

 

Here are a couple other comments about places we visited on this trip:

 

In Olden, we did the Kjenndalen Glacier & Loen Lake shore excursion and it was excellent! A beautiful bus ride along Lake Loen with beautiful mountain and waterfall views, then a short 10 min flat walk to the glacier viewpoint. Both Kjenndalen and Briksdal glaciers have receded a lot so you don't really get close to either, but you have good views. After the viewing area, we drove back to a cafe at the head of the lake for Norwegian waffles and coffee/tea. Then we boarded a very nice boat for a scenic cruise back to Loen and then the bus back to Olden (very close). Unfortunately we did not have time to do the new Loen Skylift which has great views of the fjord, lakes and valleys. In Olden most of the concentration was on Briksdal with plenty of buses, mini-trains etc going up to the head of Lake Olden. But then it was a 45 min walk to glacier viewpoint. I think the Loen trip was better.

 

 

One unsung thing to do in Tromso is the amazing Arctic and Alpine Botanical Garden. Its free and one of the best we've ever seen for northern plants, layout, and information. It's near the university, about 3.5 km from the city dock, or maybe 1 km from the newer cruise port.

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One unsung thing to do in Tromso is the amazing Arctic and Alpine Botanical Garden. Its free and one of the best we've ever seen for northern plants, layout, and information. It's near the university, about 3.5 km from the city dock, or maybe 1 km from the newer cruise port.

 

 

 

We visited it last summer and totally agree with your assessment.

 

Well worth a visit,

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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As Captain Johannes has said, he's never in all his years of cruising Norway had weather like this. We were tempted to consider this cruise for 2019 but not at the current prices. An OV would cost us 35% more than we paid for a balcony this time, the combination of the current pricing (which from the onboard rebooking record level is not a deterrent for many) coupled with sterling pits Brexit snuffed out that very short dream unfortunately. We maybe can look at a possible purchase through the USA if sterling improves next year.

Ann,

We did this trip last year with Captain Jose, Russ and Phillip. Our weather was even better than yours. We had rain in Bergen, but only a little. I wore short sleeves to the North Cape! The temperature was about 72F/21C.

 

We've booked the 2019 trip b2b with the repo to Greenwich. Admittedly, they are very expensive but I am ever hopeful that there will be a sale at some point for one or both of them. We'd love to see you and Charles again. If you don't take the cruise perhaps we could meet for a drink or dinner as we will overnight in Leith. Is that a long drive for you?

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Ann,

We did this trip last year with Captain Jose, Russ and Phillip. Our weather was even better than yours. We had rain in Bergen, but only a little. I wore short sleeves to the North Cape! The temperature was about 72F/21C.

 

We've booked the 2019 trip b2b with the repo to Greenwich. Admittedly, they are very expensive but I am ever hopeful that there will be a sale at some point for one or both of them. We'd love to see you and Charles again. If you don't take the cruise perhaps we could meet for a drink or dinner as we will overnight in Leith. Is that a long drive for you?

 

Hi Bob

Good to hear from you. We have not fully ruled out 2019 yet, time will tell - I need sales and a good year financially! Leith is a very quick drive from our where we live - we can even get a local bus there using our free bus passes (who said we are not good Scots!)

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Thanks for the commentary and the photos, Ann! I've read so many positive comments about the Fjords cruise, but it didn't really hit my radar until seeing how beautiful it truly is. Perhaps 2020 will be the year we go!

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Ann, beautiful descriptions of a dream cruise! I too made my dinner the fresh poached salmon on White Night, and will long remember it. It seems everyone just went out of their way to make this the perfect cruise, but that's just what Azamara does, isn't it?

 

On a couple of personal notes: my large (brand new) suitcase was badly damaged by the airlines on the trip overseas. It had a gash easily a foot long parallel with but not aligned to, the stitching. One quiet query to Heike about maybe getting a strap for the trip home...and voila! Suitcase was whisked from my cabin, put into the hands of a joiner, and magically reappeared two days later in perfect condition. I couldn't even tell which side of the suitcase the gash had been on. Amazing service.

 

Many may not know that I lost my husband suddenly in April. Since this trip was booked and already paid for, I decided to go anyway. Everyone in the Azamara family took such good care of me, it is hard to describe. I truly felt loved, embraced and protected by my shipboard friends. Many thanks to them all.

 

And thanks to all of you onboard who came out to support Eric at his CD launch party. He was thrilled with the response. Hope everyone enjoys "To Where You Are!"

 

Holly

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  • 2 weeks later...

We might book an Azamara Journey cruise around Japan when I read the title of this thread. I was in Geiranger Fjord on a different ship at the same time as the Journey. Interesting how the Journey's itinerary is different from the one we did on the much larger ship.

 

Anybody here who who went to Japan on the Journey? We cruised on her many years ago in the Caribbean.

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I decided to compare the two cruises around Japan, on Azamara Quest and Regent Mariner, from a North American pricing perspective, trying to compare apples to apples. Complicated by the fact that Azamara insists on quoting me in Canadian dollars, and Regent in US, so I've converted at today's rate, which presumably would approximate the US rate--check it online if you like, I can't. Here's what I found:

 

Mariner, 12 nights Tokyo-Tokyo

H minimum standard balcony cabin, 301 sqft, $13,999 pp

In North America this includes return Business Air, unlimited wifi for one login at a time, free flowing liquor and most excursions included. If you knock $6K off for no included air, you're down to $8K

 

Quest, 13 nights Tokyo-Tokyo

minimum Club Verandah, 175 sqft + balcony, ~$6,825

Club Continent Suite, 266 sqft + balcony, ~$10,600

No included air, no wifi, house brand liquor and wine, no excursions

 

So here in North America at least, Mariner is cheaper compared to the CC suite on Quest. I believe I could get Business Air to Tokyo for about $4K, so I would take the discount.

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I decided to compare the two cruises around Japan, on Azamara Quest and Regent Mariner, from a North American pricing perspective, trying to compare apples to apples. Complicated by the fact that Azamara insists on quoting me in Canadian dollars, and Regent in US, so I've converted at today's rate, which presumably would approximate the US rate--check it online if you like, I can't. Here's what I found:

 

Mariner, 12 nights Tokyo-Tokyo

H minimum standard balcony cabin, 301 sqft, $13,999 pp

In North America this includes return Business Air, unlimited wifi for one login at a time, free flowing liquor and most excursions included. If you knock $6K off for no included air, you're down to $8K

 

Quest, 13 nights Tokyo-Tokyo

minimum Club Verandah, 175 sqft + balcony, ~$6,825

Club Continent Suite, 266 sqft + balcony, ~$10,600

No included air, no wifi, house brand liquor and wine, no excursions

 

So here in North America at least, Mariner is cheaper compared to the CC suite on Quest. I believe I could get Business Air to Tokyo for about $4K, so I would take the discount.

 

you have internet in the club suite-235 minutes times two people. how much are you planning on being online. you get a bad of laundry-think two. you can always ask for another bag or two. late nights or overnights on Quest. .docking costs money.

 

 

i have sailed regent to test the waters and prefer AZ. doing Regent again for the ports. then changed two already.

 

guess oyu need to look at [port times and compared then vs cost and size of the cabin.

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you have internet in the club suite-235 minutes times two people. how much are you planning on being online. you get a bad of laundry-think two. you can always ask for another bag or two. late nights or overnights on Quest. .docking costs money.

 

i have sailed regent to test the waters and prefer AZ. doing Regent again for the ports. then changed two already.

 

guess oyu need to look at [port times and compared then vs cost and size of the cabin.

 

I'm not planning to take this cruise at all, just was curious about the cost comparison. We did have a CC on our Journey trip last fall, and the internet time was used up almost instantly. With two of us checking mail, googling, posting to Facebook, and reading Cruise Critic, that amount is not much better than nothing.

 

I get a bag of laundry on Regent too, didn't know they did that on Az.

 

I do like the overnights on Azamara, I admit. On our Norway trip, ours is the first night, in Edinburgh.

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I'm not planning to take this cruise at all, just was curious about the cost comparison. We did have a CC on our Journey trip last fall, and the internet time was used up almost instantly. With two of us checking mail, googling, posting to Facebook, and reading Cruise Critic, that amount is not much better than nothing.

 

I get a bag of laundry on Regent too, didn't know they did that on Az.

 

I do like the overnights on Azamara, I admit. On our Norway trip, ours is the first night, in Edinburgh.

Wendy

 

Did not realize you were not doing Japan. Thought you were cruise shopping

 

All suites. Get a bag a laundry .. if correct. Many get the LCV laundry bag. Just means free.

 

I had a 14. Night cruise and did not use it all. I did Facebook and email daily. Only on CC rarely on ship. Rare I run out and use daily

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Wendy

 

Did not realize you were not doing Japan. Thought you were cruise shopping

 

All suites. Get a bag a laundry .. if correct. Many get the LCV laundry bag. Just means free.

 

I had a 14. Night cruise and did not use it all. I did Facebook and email daily. Only on CC rarely on ship. Rare I run out and use daily

 

Keeping in touch with home runs through more minutes than they give us. We now trade our minutes for the discount off the unlimited package.

It is a little unfair IMHO that you do not get to double up your loyalty laundry bag and your suite allowance, also it is one bag per suite/room not per guest .

Never been offered more

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