DachshundJ

I just got off the Zuiderdam a few weeks ago if you have questions

How do you book something like this? I probably won't do it -but I love to read about it . I hope you will post some kind of review when you get back

So sorry about the plumbing -that would be a big deal for me.

So the white water rafting was loads of fun. You go into a little lake type area and learn the rules. Then you all pick up the raft and move it to the rapids part. You do a short but intense section twice.

There is lots of splashing and a bit of horse play. This might not be everyones cup of tea. You have to kneel quickly and then spring back up again. We really enjoyed it though. It was a little rough on my hands -you grab the rope that runs around the edge of raft. If you have some kind of sports gloves laying around I would think about bringing them.

If you haven't been there -look at the Trollaktiv website -you can see pictures.

Thanks for the tips and link. And the reminder what a treat it can be to visit "thrift shops" which I assume you are calling "charity shops". (used -second hand sales for a local non-profit).

 

Great places to pick up some extra wardrobe items too if the weather was not as planned when originally packing. I still get compliments on a jumper I got in New Zealand for a few dollars in such a shop, when the weather turned colder than expected. Hope your daughters found some fun cook books, and for the rest of us from the US also a place to pick up a set of metric measuring spoons and cups so we can translate the recipes.

Yes - I think that the store used the words charity shop -so I did too. She did get a few fun cookbooks. Metric spoons are a great idea -wish I had thought of that.

Welcome back! We'll board Zuiderdam in 10 days. I've noticed a bit of critical comment about the condition of staterooms, common areas, etc. Of course, she's going into dry dock in the fall. What was your experience?

Our stateroom had a few dings on the wall. Everything worked fine and looked good overall. No issues with climate control (it was cool though -so not using AC) No issues with plumbing except one day I had to wait a few minutes for hot water.

One day we had some pretty serious rain and the retractable roof over the pool was leaking. They had a few buckets out for that. As you probably know the decor is a bit all over the place- but we kind of liked it. It has a funky disco meets 1980s public transport vibe.

Public bathrooms were spotless.

We were so tired from our touring that in the late afternoons/evenings we would usually find a spot by the pool or at a bar and have a drink and read. They were all clean. Crows nest was always full during sail away. I was impressed with all the people that could manage to tour and still do things in the evenings. We were just beat every night.

The hike was one we found online

https://www.isleofskye.com/skye-guide/top-ten-skye-walks/scorrybreac

It also had a memorial on the trail to a family who partially lives in Atlanta. We are from GA so appreciated the connection. There were a few steep parts where we were huffing a bit.

We saw sheep! and rock walls and streams. Lots of people out with their dogs. Several locals said hello.

It took us about an hour and had great views. Afterwords we walked around Portree and also went into a restaurant called "The Granary" and had tea and cake.

Then did some shopping.

My daughters (19 and 22) enjoy shopping. :) We also went into a couple of charity shops. My oldest enjoyed looking at old local cookbooks.

Scotland -

Lerwick -we did a nice walk that included Clickimin Broch. There was a Tesco (grocery chain) close by -so we got some candy and a few other things to take home. The walk wasn't exactly strenuous -but it wasn't a stroll either. We also walked around town a bit.

Portree -again we did a walk. This time it was more of a hike. With amazing views. After that we went into town and had lunch and did a little shopping

Invergorden (I think it says Inverness in the cruise description -but you are actually over 30 minutes from Inverness) We did the ships excursion to Dunrobin Castle. It was very nice. Bring a candy bar or something in your bag here. There are super long lines at the tea rooms at the Castle. There are lots of stairs.

After the ships excursion we wanted to find a bit to eat in Invergorden -but there wasn't much selection that we could find.

Edinburg -we did the National Gallery and the Castle. The castle was nuts with tourists.

Not our best day. It was a weekend and you had to wait in line to walk down the street. If I had this to do over I would find some quieter less touristy type things to do on the Edinburgh day.

Newcastle. Again -I am think it is a bit of a misnomer to say Newcastle. We were actually in Tynemouth. We did the ships excursion to the Alnwick Gardens. They were fabulous. However the Gardens people made us wait around a bit after we got there -getting a guide arranged and our group tickets. It was a bit frustrating. When it was time to return there were a couple of latecomers to the bus by about 20 minutes. Grr

Afterwords we went to a street market in the train station in Tynemouth

Then we had one sea day before returning to Copenhagen. It was a great trip.

I did want to comment on one thing. For both the Kayaking and the rafting excursions we wore wet suits. HA did not do a good job of letting you know ahead of time what you need to wear under them.

You need a swimsuit. If it is cold then maybe a Rashguard with long sleeves or a technical shirt with long sleeves and some exercise tights. Afterwords something dry to put on including dry underwear. You do not want to wear jeans underneath a wetsuit.

They provided water shoes for both excursions. Everything smelled kind of mildew-ish -so all of our things needed washing after.

My favorite ports were Kristiansand, Flam, Lerwick and Portree.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Oslo - Sculpture Park and walking around on our own. We got really tired here -maybe we should have done a cab or hop on hop off bus.

Kristiansand -White water rafting -awesome. Not for the inactive person. Lots of splashing and some serious rapids. We wore wetsuits. Afterwords we walked around town for a few minutes.

Stavanger. We were supposed to hike Pulpit Rock -but it was canceled because of the weather. So we did hop on hop off bus. Looked at a few historic houses and a small art museum

Flam -my favorite. We did Kayaking at Gudvangen.(booked through the ship) It was amazing. Breathtaking views. A few in the group struggled with getting in and out of the kayak. If you cannot bend your knees then this may not be activity for you. We had time before to do a little shopping and walk around

Bergen- Hop on Hop off, Funicular and the Rib boat ride. We could have skipped the hop on bus here.

We mostly hung around the fish market. The Rib boat we booked on our own. So much fun and lasted about an hour.

More to come later -I will tell you about Scotland after I get a little work done. As you can imagine lots laundry to do:)

Any questions ?

We did the 12 day Highlands and Fjords. Had a great time. We didn't look at this as a cruising type experience so much as room and board while we were touring. We didn't do much in the way of activities on the ship.

Food was fine. Ship was clean. Crew was amazing. Cruising the Fjords was the best. Truly breathtaking.

Happy to discuss what excursions we did -etc... if anyone is interested

Thanks everyone ! Very helpful

Thanks!!!

One of our excursions (River Rafting Norway) requires a towel. Will there be some available to take with us off the ship?

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks so much for giving me so much info!!

Pre and post cruise I we are spending the night in Copenhagen. We are planing on taking taxis to and from the hotel to the airport. Can we wait till we get there and use and app to book the cab? Or is that something we need to do well in advance?

Thanks!

Baked Alaska -I am doing the Zuiderdam Fjords and Highlands in June -I would love to hear any advice, comments you have to give. We are doing a night in Copenhagen pre and post cruise

Thanks!!

Hello

My family of 4 (parents and young adult daughters) are interested in rafting at TrollAktiv

Wondering if anyone has done this before and about getting transportation from the ship.

This is available through the ship -but was very expensive and we wanted to explore the idea of doing it on our own.

Thanks!