karatemom2

I'm saying this as someone who loves a balcony, and we did have one on our British Isles cruise. But, and this is a major but, if I was trying to conserve funds, the one cruise I feel like I could totally do without a balcony is a British Isles cruise. We did see some nice landscapes arriving and leaving port, and got a distant view of the White Cliffs of Dover as we passed on our way from Edinburgh to Le Havre. But that was about the extent of scenic viewing. You can still go out on deck to get fresh air, and will be out all day on your long port stopes. A British Isles cruise is so incredibly port intensive, the weather can be changeable which can make a balcony less usable, and honestly after these really long and often physically demanding port days, often I just looked forward to a cozy room for a great night's sleep. My advice would be to see if you can book one of the insides on the Lido Deck where you are very close to the outside area and can quickly be in a space where you can enjoy views when there is something worth seeing, or just to get some fresh air, and save the money for your other traveling priorities.

Olden and farewell to Norway: At the beginning of this review, I commented that no cruise is perfect, but this one came close. However, I do believe there is such a thing as a perfect day and if that’s true, then I think our day in Olden came as close to perfect as a day can ever be. After all of the beauty we had already seen, I felt like I was on sensory overload and couldn’t imagine anything getting better, but Norway was about to surprise me again. We woke up early and were ready to get off the ship just after the 8 a.m. all clear in order to meet our tour scheduled with a local company, Olden Adventures. It was a chilly and cloudy morning, so we bundled up and crossed our fingers for a return of the sun that had blessed us in our last two ports. After two consecutive days of walking for miles through cities, we were very excited about returning to nature on our Loen Lake and Kjenndal Glacier excursion. We checked in at the Olden Adventures kiosk at the pier and were directed to two buses that would be taking our groups to Loen Lake, also referred to as Lovatnet. After a short drive through the beautiful area, we arrived at Loen Lake and boarded our boat for our scenic trip across the lake. The boat offered inside seating, but we wanted to be able to get a full view so proceeded right to the top deck and found seats in front where we could see in all directions. The trip across the lake takes about an hour and we were rewarded with incredible views. The lake itself is an almost indescribable color of turquoise and surrounded by towering mountains with more cascading waterfalls in all directions and some farms along its banks on the way. However, as we got closer to the other side, any sign of farms disappeared and the lake narrowed to a small passage that the boat navigated where a terrible landside in 1936 had created a bottleneck, filling in a large section of the lake and causing a devastating wave of water that killed a large number of people and destroyed all the homes and farms in that area. It was sad to see some of the remnants along the shoreline of what was once a thriving farming area. As we approached the other side, we got our first distant glimpse of Kjenndal glacier, a hanging glacier high atop the mountain, as we approached the cove and small restaurant there where we would be stopping. Entering the charming restaurant, we took a seat and enjoyed a nice break for tea and coffee with warm waffles, topped with sour cream, and strawberry marmalade. Our Norway waffle quest remained intact! Afterwards, we had some time to explore the surrounding area which was very scenic. A few brave souls even took off their shoes and socks and dipped their toes into the freezing cold glacial lake water. I wasn’t feeling that brave! We boarded another bus for a short ride to the trailhead in Kjenndalen Valley where a brief hike would take us to the viewing point for the Kjenndal Glacier, one of the Josetedal Glacier’s lowest hanging arms. From the moment we stepped off the bus, we knew we were in for something very special as just from this vantage point we could see the glacier and surrounding waterfalls in all directions. As we walked the path along the rushing glacier fed creek, over a couple of bridges, surrounded by trees and flowers, it was already a beautiful setting, but as we cleared through that into the viewing area at the base of the valley it was like nothing I had ever seen, even in Yosemite or any of our trips to Alaska. The sheer natural beauty was incredible. After a nice amount of time to take it all in and take plenty of photos and video, we made the brief hike back to our bus where our guide shared the old story that many of us were told as children of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, who outsmart an evil troll under a bridge. This old folk tale originated there in the Kjenndalen Valley, and we crossed the actual bridge on which the story is based. One thing we learned in Norway is that they take their troll culture and stories very seriously! Once back at the lake, we reboarded our boat for the trip back across the lake and now the sun was shining and we opted to sit outside on the lower deck on the way back to get a different perspective closer to the water which made the surrounding mountains seem all the more imposing. Once again, I was so happy to have brought along our binoculars. We got back to the dock just after our scheduled arrival time of 12:30 p.m., and still had a few hours before our 3:30 p.m. all aboard – just enough time to fit in the Loen Skylift. We had left the decision on whether we would attempt this until today to make sure the weather would cooperate, since heavy clouds obscure the view, and the crowds can sometimes make the lines at the entrance both at the base and on top a little daunting. But today the skies were clearing, the sun was shining, and the crowds were minimal since we were the only ship in port. Since the attraction is run by the same company, they were able to sell us tickets on the boat as we headed back, and the bus dropped us off at the Skylift entrance which was only a few minutes away. From there, we could catch the shuttle buses that were running every 15 minutes back to the ship. Thanks to the lack of any real line, we were able to jump right on a gondola for the approximately 7-minute ride up to the top of Mt. Hoven on one of the steepest cable cars in the world. The views from the top are absolutely amazing in every direction. Our ship, docked at Olden, looked like a child’s toy in the distance. It is definitely not for those with any qualms about heights, but if you embrace it, the lean against glass at the edge offers a real sense of looking over the edge of the world. We even got to watch a daring wingsuit jumper leap from the cliff and literally fly down the side of the mountain. It was incredible! I would have loved to spend more time here but given our early embarkation time and the need to catch the shuttle back to the ship, we headed back down and as it turned out got back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. DH headed back onboard while I did a little shopping at the stores near the dock and then reluctantly made my last walk in Norway to rejoin the Sky. However, the wonderful people of Olden have a tradition of sending ships off in the most spectacular manner – waving the Norwegian Flag and playing “Con te Partiro” aka " Time to Say Goodbye”. As we were sailing away, residents in the homes and businesses near the port also came out to wave at us, wave flags, and even giant waving hands and we even got treated to a rendition of Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life”. It was such a glorious and joyous way to part with our last Norway port as we began our long trip out of Njordfjord under a shining sun and brilliant blue sky. I must admit that I may have shed a tear or two. But there was still more to come because, knowing it would take us nearly three hours to fully traverse the fjord back to the open ocean, this was the night I had scheduled our Balcony Dinner. This was a first for us and I had really taken pains to try to pick the right day – but one never knows what the weather will offer when making plans. Fate was on my side, though, and I honestly could not have picked a better evening. Our wait team arrived right on time at 5:30 p.m. and immediately went about setting up the table on our spacious balcony and serving us our cocktails – we opted for the 24k Gold Margaritas. Soon we were comfortably seated at our lovely table sailing through the sunny fjord and enjoying amazing personal service and course after course of wonderful food and champagne. It was beyond anything I had even imagined when I first conceived the idea and a great birthday gift for DH, who would get even more celebrating in the next day on his actual birthday. We finished our dessert just 15 minutes or so before we finally reached the end of the fjord and started our sail back out to the ocean, so the timing worked out perfectly. Our cups were truly running over – filled with wonderful food and drink, spectacular scenery all around, and capping off nearly two weeks of exploring one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been. How blessed we are that this Norwegian adventure had given us all we could have asked and more! Next: Sea Day and Bruges

Alesund and a change of plans: As cruise lovers, we all know the great advantage of cruising is having your floating resort take you far and wide, covering highlights across a wide range of travel destinations. That is the supreme advantage. The downside, which we all face, is that at many of these wonderful destinations, you can’t possibly do all you might want to do in a single port day. When we were planning our cruise, the port of Alesund presented us with one of these dilemmas. I could tell doing my research that this picturesque city had a lot to offer with its interesting history and beautiful Art Nouveau architecture. But just a tour away was the draw of the Trollstigen, or Troll Road, with its 11 hairpin turns down the famous road to the towering cliffs of the Trollveggen, or Troll Wall, below. The opportunity to drive that famous road was a huge draw as well, but the nearly 8-hour bus trip meant that we would not get to spend any time in Alesund. Ultimately, the draw of the Troll Road won out and we scheduled with Norway Excursions. We were content with this decision and looking forward with excitement to getting the chance to experience such a unique drive. The first inkling that there might be a hitch in that plan came on our port day in Geiranger when our tour guide mentioned as we were climbing the shorter, but equally as winding Eagle Road, that it was nice we were experiencing this since the Trollstigen had just been closed. When I asked her for further information, she shared the closure was due to concerns over falling rocks along the road and had been in the news that morning. Living in Southern California, we know all about road closures due to rockslides, and in most cases, they are addressed quickly and are short lived, so I rationalized that since we still had almost a full week before our port day in Alesund, the road would surely be open by then. But sadly, that was not to be the case. Within a couple of days, we received an email from the tour operator informing us the road had been closed for the entire summer season. So, not only would we not be driving the Troll Road, we also would not make it to Trollveggen to view the enormous cliffs. In all honesty, those were our two main reasons for booking the trip. We appreciated that they were moving forward with an altered tour, spending time at some of the other scenic sites on the way and the overlook of the road, but in the end we just couldn’t justify giving up our entire day in Alesund and spending such a long time on a bus without the main attraction. Instead, we opted to pivot, cancel that tour, and once again, as in Trondheim, become our own tour guides. With high hopes and a beautiful blue-sky day, we were off the ship bright and early ready for a self-made adventure. Our first stop was the Atlantic Sea Life Park, a wonderful aquarium located seaside in a gorgeous setting that may just rival the Monterey Bay Aquarium for its surrounding natural beauty. We easily caught an Uber over and arrived shortly after the 9 a.m. opening in an effort to get ahead of any crowds. We had ample time to leisurely enjoy all the different tanks and exhibits, and weren’t even put off by the very exuberant group of young local children who were running amok, virtually unattended by their teen camp counselors who seemed content to let them do as they pleased as long as no one was bleeding or throwing their chums into a tank with the sting rays. We particularly enjoyed the king crab tank, large main tank featuring multiple species of local fish, and of course the penguin enclosure. After spending a couple of hours enjoying the tranquil sea life and high-spirited children, we caught an Uber back to the harbor in Alesund for our next stop at the Fisheries Museum. Full disclosure, my DH owns a fishing business and runs two commercial lobster vessels in California, so whenever we travel, we are always very interested in the local commercial fishing scene and history. The museum was housed in an old fish processing warehouse at the docks and was very interesting and worth the visit. After spending some time there, we took a walk along the harbor to the small lighthouse and then headed into town, wandering the cobblestone streets admiring the beautiful architecture that resulted when the city had to be almost completely rebuilt after a fire burned it to the ground in 1904. It was as a result of this they chose to use the Art Nouveau style for all of the architecture. These stunning buildings lining each side of the canal running through the town create an exceptionally beautiful panorama, especially on such a sunny and picture-perfect day. We found a lovely spot along the canal to eat outside at Jafs, which boasted it serves “Probably the World’s Best Fish and Chips”. They were in fact quite good but given we haven’t tried them all over the world, we can’t quite determine if it is a true statement. A large number of our fellow ship passengers who were Brits seemed to be enthusiastically enjoying the food here as well, so that seemed a good sign. After lunch we caught the tiny train in town that tours around the city, but most importantly takes passengers up to the Mount Aksla Overlook where you can see for miles and get incredible views of Alesund and the surrounding islands. It was nice to hear the commentary that provided more information on the town’s history, particularly the devastating fire that ended up creating the lovely city that exists today. After the train ride and a bit more exploring through the local shops as we meandered back to the ship, we felt fully satisfied we had made the right call for our day and truly created a tour that will leave us with lasting memories of such a charming and unique destination. The Troll Road will just have to wait for another visit someday. As we sailed away, we enjoyed another excellent meal in the MDR with our fab wait team and then finally saw our luck change with a trivia win at the Broadway/West End trivia challenge. As a lifelong theatre nerd who raised a musical theatre actress, this subject area tends to be my best odds and sure enough we managed a perfect score and walked away with some prized Princess notepads. All around a winning day. Next: Olden and a fond farewell to Norway

Have to agree with this. Seems like much more variety and I really don’t remember hot items prior to COVID, but on all of our recent cruises there has been sausage rolls and deep fried breaded shrimp in addition to all the cold items, crudités, cheeses, and other small bites. I love how they are putting some of the offerings in small individual serving containers as well. Definitely feels a bit more upscale of late.

Yes, RSV feels like a likely call on this one. There were plenty of people coughing and sneezing in all directions. A few people wore masks, but most did not. I considered bringing some along - mainly for the elevators and theatre which feel like high risk areas. The theatre was pretty packed for every performance we attended. And of course we were on some tour buses as well where it is also germ central. Feeling much better today - just a little residual cough. Knock on wood, DH seems to have avoided it so far. Fingers crossed!

Sea Day and Trondheim: After our day in Honningsvag, we enjoyed a beautiful sail away under the midnight sun. After dinner, we spent time on our balcony searching for whales and were rewarded with a few sightings – mostly blows and backs, but still fun to see some wildlife. We always bring binoculars with us on every cruise – sometimes we use them more than others, but we were very happy to have them on this trip. As we moved into our next sea day, we got another gentle warning from Commodore Nash that we would once again be experiencing some high seas on our way to Trondheim the following day. Let the rocking and rolling begin! Sea days are always a nice chance to relax, and we did plenty of that, along with the usual trivia, tea, and casino fun. But we were really looking forward to Trondheim and experiencing a different type of port day where we had no tour booked, but just a plan to explore the city on our own. We put on our best walking shoes and set out, map in hand, ready to see all this lovely city has to offer, and it didn’t disappoint. The old saying goes that even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes, and today we were the squirrels and Trondheim offered us a basket of nuts. As elders born on the cusp of Gen X and Baby Boomer eras, one would think we had maintained some basic map reading skills, but after years of using our devices our map expertise was rather rusty. Good thing we weren’t on the Amazing Race. But thankfully, Trondheim is a very nicely planned and intuitive city, and we just kept running into the very landmarks we were seeking starting with the charming flower and umbrella lined avenue of buildings and shops close to the beginning of our walk into town. It made for some lovely photo opportunities. We then ran right into Stiftsgarden palace, a royal residence that is one of the largest wooden buildings in Northern Europe. It is certainly not Buckingham Palace, but quite lovely and we strolled through the garden and admired the building and fountain. Unfortunately as it is closed on Mondays, we were unable to go inside. But we checked another box on our list of things we wanted to see on our self-guided tour. As we strolled on from here, we managed to stumble into the large central square featuring a monument honoring King Olav Tryggvason, the city’s founder. It’s quite an impressive site at the top of a towering obelisk. The city had hosted a large summer solstice festival over the weekend, so we got to see the remnants as the workers were clearing out the square. Looks like a great time was had by all – so impressive how clean it already was after what must have been a very crowded event, but we had come to see in all of our ports how much pride and care is taken in all of these communities. And then, lo and behold, as we continued forward, the main goal of our ramble appeared before us – Nidaros Cathedral. What a beauty! There has been a church on that site since 1070, although rebuilt multiple times due to fires. It’s built over the burial site of King Olav II, patron saint of Norway, and is the location for the coronation of Norwegian kings. Once again, luck was with us as we happened to arrive just in time for the morning “tour” in English – which was really more of a historical talk and guide through the highlights around us, but very informative. It always helps to have some perspective on everything you are seeing around you. Inside and out, the cathedral is quite impressive. We then walked next door to the Archbishop’s Palace and museum which was also very interesting, and we got to view the Crown Jewels of Norway. All in all, this stop was a highlight of our day in Trondheim and we appreciated the nice café there where we continued our waffle and pastry tour of Norway. Heading off in our same hapless fashion, we managed to point ourselves in the right direction to run into Gamle Bybro, or the Old Town Bridge, which dates back to 1681. It is a lovely bridge that offers wonderful views in each direction and leads you over into an older section of town lined with shops, restaurants, and cobblestone streets. We wandered happily here before crossing back over on another bridge and heading back into the main area of town. At this point, we had basically given up on even trying to follow the map and just decided that we were destined to find our way by magic. And that we did, hitting the square with the government buildings and music museum next, followed by the Church of Our Lady, which dates back to the 12th century. All of this guided us right back to the main thoroughfare where we casually made our way back to the ship, shopping at the numerous vintage stores along the way and picking up a couple of treasures to remind us of our day. As we approached the entrance to re-board the ship, DH realized that his medallion had mysteriously disappeared from the pocket of his jeans where he keeps it, being much too cool to wear a lanyard or wristband. We searched his jacket pockets and backpack, but it was gone – no doubt somewhere on the kind streets of Trondheim that had guided us so thoughtfully all day. I was not amused and offered to leave him one credit card and meet him back home, but came around and offered to own him at security where he had to report like a naughty schoolboy and be guided through by a very nice guard who helped him get back on the ship where he immediately went to Guest Services and replaced his medallion. As it turned out, this was his third one as the first we replaced on the second day when the battery appeared to be failing. As we trudged our tired feet back to our room, he checked our step counter and realized we had gone over 20,000 steps for the day. Woo Hoo! Full dessert tonight, baby! Sailing out of Trondheim was another lovely experience through a small fjord lined with charming hamlets all along the way and ending with a couple of lighthouses and beautiful sunset. Another great day in Norway! Next: Alesund and a change of plans

It really was an wonderful cruise. Definitely one we will count among our very favorites. I'm so sorry you got the dreaded C bug! I myself woke up the day after getting home with a fever, congestion, and cough. I was certain it had got me again - the other two times both being immediately following cruises. But I tested negative over several days so it must be some other garden variety virus circulating onboard, but still no fun. I'm feeling better now - hope you are too!

Thank you! I love taking the opportunity for myself to preserve my travel memories and hopefully help others who may be considering a similar itinerary. This one definitely merited commemoration!

Thank you! I always enjoy your reviews as well!

Honningsvag and North Cape: We finally reached our northernmost port, the quaint small town of Honningsvag perched at the northern end of Norway. It was a clear, but very cold morning as we exited the ship ready to meet our tour operators, Blue Puffin, for our trip through the frozen tundra to North Cape (Nordkapp), the northernmost point in Europe. It was definitely a layer up, warm cap and gloves kind of day, but thankfully no rain or wind. We met our tour guide in the designated parking area just adjacent to the port and boarded our comfortable bus for our 45 minute drive to the North Cape. Our tour guide was excellent – a local resident she really provided great commentary on the area and everything we were going to see during our tour. She was very excited to get us to North Cape as soon as possible as the sun was out and the weather was clear – I would understand this better later in the morning. On the way we passed through beautiful landscapes of frozen tundra, icy lakes, and spotted several reindeer herds. Once we arrived at North Cape, we were told we had 90 minutes there to enjoy the sites and visitor center. We headed right to the point where the famous globe is situated for the requisite selfies and photos of the globe and the towering cliffs surrounding the area. It is absolutely mind boggling that the first Europeans to discover the spot trudged up those cliffs for tea and champagne at the edge of Europe – the women in big heavy dresses! The views were beautiful and as promised it was clear and we could see for miles in all directions. After spending some time at the point, we headed inside the visitors center to explore the exhibits, watch the movie about the North Cape, and also visit the northernmost chapel in Europe in the basement of the center. Much of it is built underground to protect it from the intense winds that have demolished previous structures there. When we came back upstairs to the main area where the shop and café were located, we were stunned to look outside and see – nothing! The cloud cover had rolled in so heavily that visibility was practically zero. Now I understood the urgency to get us there while the sun was out and sky was clear. We picked up a couple of items in the gift shop, including a few postcards that we mailed from the special postal box there and then sat down for a warm waffle and hot chocolate in the café. We ventured out once more to experience the point in the now almost complete cloud cover and it was an entirely different experience as you can see from the photo below. Back on the road toward Honningsvag we made a few stops along the way. First, at the Sami encampment where we learned more about their culture and how they raise reindeer and bring them there to graze each summer. The gentleman in traditional costume is the grandson of a local Sami family who comes back every year to help with the business. The rest of the year he is a dentist! We made a small purchase there that was locally crafted and supported the local community which is always the best kind of souvenir. Our next two stops were at small local fishing villages where we got some insight into the importance of the commercial fishing industry locally – particularly the harvesting of King Crab which is actually considered an invasive species in Norway. It was a great tour and we left with such appreciation for the local people and culture. Back in Honningsvag, we took a nice walk around the town which was pretty easy since it is quite small. We enjoyed some traditional pastries at a local bakery and just generally enjoyed the sunny weather and small-town charm of the area. It’s a hard-core existence there in the winter and you can tell there is a real sense of community and neighbor helping neighbor which was very refreshing and we appreciated the warm and friendly welcome we received at each stop along the way. And choosing Blue Puffin, a locally owned and operated tour company was definitely the right decision. Next: Sea Day and Trondheim

Yes, by all means! Edit away! Haha! Commodore Nash is a gem. We have sailed with him on several previous cruises and it is very nice that as the senior officer in the fleet he has been recognized with the commodore title. Like you say, he is old school in the best way and I was so pleased when I learned he would be our captain for this trip!

Sea Days, High Seas, Midnight Sun, and Fine Dining: After three consecutive port days we were really looking forward to a couple of sea days as we headed north into the Arctic Circle. Our captain, the wonderful Commodore Nick Nash, issued a warning that we were in for fairly rough seas ahead due to some stormy weather and advised everyone to batten down the hatches and watch their step around the ship. As he so put it in such a lighthearted way, we were going to be a bit “roly poly”. Now, personally, I love high seas. It makes me feel more connected to the fact we are far out at sea and the rocking and rolling is soothing. The higher the seas, the better I sleep! Given that we were at the bow of the ship, it truly was pretty sensational for about a day and a half as we passed into the Arctic Circle. I felt for the people onboard who suffer from sea sickness. There were a few unhappy people, but overall, it seemed most of the passengers weathered it quite well and Commodore Nash kept us all updated. We of course didn’t spend a lot of time on our forward-facing balcony during this rough patch, but there was never a moment when we couldn’t go out for a short time before getting too cold and windblown. I managed to get a few photos of the choppy seas ahead. We enjoyed relaxing days, played a bit of trivia, went to afternoon tea and just lounged. We dressed up again for our second formal night and made a stop at the Elite cocktail hour in the Vista Lounge on our way to dinner – I enjoyed my favorite, the Deep Sea cocktail, and DH had the Port Lemonade. It was a particularly nice spread that evening – my favorite was the breaded shrimp – Yum! Our dinner was especially good – I broke away from my fish choices and enjoyed the Beef Wellington. It was fantastic – best I’ve ever had on any of our Princess cruises. So tender you could cut it with a butter knife! And of course, Bananas Foster for dessert is always a win! We also enjoyed a meal at Crown Grill on our next sea night – again really excellent. We were somewhat disappointed with our last dinner at Crown Grill on Discovery in January, but everything this time was delivered to perfection. The French Onion Soup was divine, my filet was cooked perfectly, our sides were delicious, and the service was wonderful. We were treated to this dinner by the Casino, and we discovered when we arrived that they had actually scheduled it for the following night which wouldn’t work for us due to our port plans. They were so accommodating about working us in and seating us, even though we showed up on the wrong evening. Such excellent food and service! As we continued north, the weather improved and we were able to enjoy the midnight sun as we traveled on towards our next port of Honningsvag, the most northern stop on our trip. We also got our certificates showing that we had officially become part of the Arctic Circle club, although there was no special ceremony. The certificates are a nice keepsake though! Next: Honningsvag and North Cape

Here is a thread that includes a photo of the menu. It's always the same menu each night. My favorite is the Deep Sea. DH likes the Port Lemonade.

Geirangerfjord: This was one of the days I was most excited about. Geirangerfjord is a UNESCO World Heritage site, home of the Seven Sisters waterfalls, and when my DH showed it to me on videos before we booked this cruise, it was one of the things that convinced me I had to go to Norway. This is especially true now that within a year, most large cruise ships will not meet the new environmental requirements to operate in these areas, so time was of the essence. Seeing it in person exceeded every expectation and truly highlighted why Norway is known as the land of waterfalls. We entered the fjord very early in the morning and made a brief stop midway at a town called Hellesylt just to drop off passengers doing a specific Princess tour from that location. I was up early and out on the balcony taking in the incredible views of towering cliffs and waterfalls. We reached Geiranger at Noon where we had originally been scheduled to use the port’s special Sea Walk gangplank that connects to the ship. Unfortunately, early weather forecasts predicted high winds for the afternoon, so port authorities made the decision to cancel the Sea Walk, which meant the team onboard had to scramble to switch over to a water shuttle service. Some people were quite unhappy and impatient because it did cause delays, but I think the staff on the Sky really did a great job pivoting and trying to get everybody off as soon as possible. Ironically, the winds never really materialized, so it probably would have been fine to use the Sea Walk but understand the need to be make safety the top priority. This was the other port where we had a Princess excursion booked. Since our meeting time wasn’t until 2 p.m. we had originally planned to walk off the ship and maybe have lunch and a little explore on shore, and then come back onboard to meet for our tour. But given the change to a tendering situation, we opted just to eat lunch onboard and then head for our tour meetup in the dining room. The tour we had scheduled is called the Herdal Summerfarm, Eagles Bend, and Scenic Drive. We drove up the scenic Eagle Road, with its hairpin turns to the overlook for the most incredible views of the fjord below. We then proceeded on to two different farms – the first high atop the mountains that has now been transitioned into a café and inn where we enjoyed a tour, incredible views, and traditional Norwegian pancakes with butter and sugar, or with the local brown cheese. The owner was the 13th generation to live on the farm that his family had owned for over 400 years. He was so welcoming and gracious. What an incredibly beautiful place – although his description of the winters definitely provided another perspective on the realities of living there. Our next stop was the herdal goat farm where I got to live out my “Heidi” dreams as we interacted with and fed the goats, and met the owner and his wife who produce a variety of goat cheeses, including the brown cheese we had sampled earlier. We got to tour the farm and see a demonstration of the very tedious process of creating the brown cheese from the whey of the goat’s milk – and then time for more samples and buying some to bring home. Unlike our tour the previous day, this one went off seamlessly and was worth every penny. And thanks to the fact we were with a Princess tour we didn’t worry at all that we were getting back late to a tendering deadline. We ended up being on the second to last shuttle back to the ship, with basically only crew following behind us. We opted to skip dinner in the dining room this evening because we wanted to enjoy every second of the trip back out of Geirangerfjord. It is almost hard to comprehend the jaw dropping natural beauty in every direction. After we moved out of the fjord, we headed up to the buffet for a light meal and DH headed to the Casino for his nightly fun while I watched a movie in the cabin and looked forward to the two relaxing sea days ahead. Next: Wild Sea Days and Arctic Circle Ahead

Sognefjord and Flam: I was so excited to sail into our first fjord on the way into the port of Flam. I was up bright and early out on the balcony enjoying the views. We only booked two Princess excursions for this cruise and our Flam port day was one of them. It was an extended tour that took us to Voss and then two train rides back, one from Voss to Myrdal, and then from Myrdal to Flam on the famous Flamsbana railway. Originally when I booked online it was scheduled to run from 8:45 to 3 p.m., but imagine my surprise when we got our tickets with a letter explaining that due to scheduling issues our time had been moved up to 7:30 a.m. and our tour would be ending at 12:30 p.m. So now a 6 hour tour was suddenly only 5 hours long. But I was still very excited to do the tour and get into the countryside to see the beautiful scenery around Flam. And it certainly was beautiful. As we sailed into the port it was like looking at a painting. We reported promptly to the Soleil dining room where our tour was gathering and were soon escorted to our bus. Our first stop was supposed to be the small town of Gudvangen, but due to the early hour absolutely nothing was open. Things don’t tend to open until at least 10 a.m. in Norway ports we discovered, even with a ship in town. So, we only passed through on our way to what would become our first stop at Tvindefossen waterfall. This stop really made up for some of the initial disappointment as it was one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen, and you were able to walk right up to it. We were given a good amount of time here, which I appreciated. But again, due to the early hour, the small souvenir shop and promised bathrooms there were not open yet. People were beginning to grumble. We headed on to Voss which is a very charming town. We were supposed to have 45 minutes here but were informed we only had 30 minutes and again, virtually nothing was open except for a small supermarket and gas station with a coffee shop across the street from the train station. At least we finally got access to bathrooms in the train station, but the lines were long. There was a very pretty church there next to a lake that we were able to photograph, but very quickly we had to be going to our platform to catch our train. It all felt very rushed. The train ride from Voss to Myrdal was exceptionally beautiful and relaxing. And then we changed trains in Myrdal for the final ride into Flam with a brief stop at Kjosfossen Falls, the famous waterfall where Huldra performs at the castle on the hill. Our groups were in the last two cars and our guide encouraged us to move fast as we only got 10 minutes at this stop, which actually turned out to be more like 5 minutes because it took time to exit, run all the way down to where the falls were visible and then run back. This was disappointing because it was absolutely beautiful. I wish I could have taken it in for more than a few moments and seen the Huldra sing her song. But I did at least get a few good photos. Back on the train, we continued through such beautiful scenery that it mostly made up for many of the small disappointments along the way, but when we pulled into the station at 11:40 a.m. and realized that a 6 hour tour had now become a 4 hour tour, I was really kind of annoyed given how expensive this excursion had been. But we made the most of our extra time exploring the small area of Flam at the dock and enjoying a waffle and hot chocolate, taking a nice walk along the waterfront, and doing a bit of shopping, Back on board, I couldn’t shake a nagging sense that we didn’t really get what we had paid for, so instead of just letting it go, I decided to send a crew chat outlining my concerns and noting what had been eliminated from the promised tour outlined on the Princess excursion site. I was super impressed that I got an almost immediate response from Guest Services promising that she would share my concerns with the Shore Excursion department and ask them to follow up. I’m guessing I wasn’t the only one complaining as we did hear others expressing similar concerns. I was pleasantly surprised when we got a phone message from the Excursion department the next day informing us that due to the issues we experienced they would be crediting us back with a 25% discount that would go on our account as onboard credit. I felt this was a very fair and appropriate response and was pleased with the outcome. Overall, even though the tour didn’t quite live up to expectations, we still enjoyed much of it and were very happy with the resolution offered. We enjoyed a beautiful sail away through the fjord on our balcony that evening, heading on to our next fjord and port. Next: Geiranger

Not sure where it is on the Emerald at the moment, but last time we sailed on her it was in Skywalker's Nightclub. On our more recent cruises on the Sky, it has been in the Vista Lounge. It is basically a cocktail hour with reduced price drinks and a small buffet of light bites. Generally, starts at 5 p.m. and you can just walk in and help yourself to the nibbles and order an $8 cocktail. There is a limited menu of cocktails available, but several are quite good. We enjoy it as a predinner stop some evenings.

We are just off the 6/15 cruise on the Sky as well, and our laundry service was so great this trip. We sent a bag almost everyday, and in almost all cases it was returned by the next evening. Only on one day did it take two days to come back. We found the food, service, and overall experience really wonderful - and the itinerary was amazing!

Haugesund: Our first Norway port was Haugesund, and the day started off well. Cool, but overall nice weather. As I mentioned, we had a great roll call – lots of shared excursions planned and today was one of them. A member of our group arranged a small group tour with Viking Adventures that picked us up promptly at the ship and we set off to see some of the highlights of the region. This included the Copper Mines at Visnes, the place where it is said that France got the copper for the Statue of Liberty, hence the small reproduction there. We then stopped at Åkrasanden known as the most beautiful beach in Norway. It was stunning – freezing cold, but beautiful with the softest sand and clear waters and small seashells everywhere. This was followed by a visit to the quaint fishing village of Skudeneshavn, also known as the White Lady due to all the old houses being painted white. It is a historic landmark and so beautifully maintained. We had time to walk the narrow streets, visit the museum, and pick up a cinnamon bun at the tiny local bakery. Finally, we visited St. Olav’s church at Avaldsnes, an ancient church that sits next to a needle shaped monolith, the only one remaining of what used to stand around the area of the church. It is leaning toward the building, and legend has it when it touches the building, that will mark the end of time. I must say it’s looking uncomfortably close! The grounds are beautiful and we ran into our first free roaming goats who were quite friendly. But then the weather took a sudden turn. Black clouds rolled in so quickly and the skies literally opened up and poured on us. Thankfully this was our last stop on the tour, and we were getting ready to re-board the van. But that pretty much ended our day. We had planned to walk into town and do a bit of touring on our own there in the afternoon, but it was raining cats and dogs. The poor people from the ship who were walking back were absolutely soaked. The tour was great though, and we felt like it provided a nice first exposure to Norway and its culture, so we were satisfied to take our wet selves back to the ship and spend a nice afternoon, warm and dry enjoying the onboard atmosphere and another great dinner that evening. Next: Sognefjord and Flam

I think the confusing thing is for those who are used to getting Casino deals, there is a precedent in the past with Princess throwing in the package on certain promotions. So it is reasonable that someone could see that and think it is part of the Casino perk for that particular sailing. They have a bunch of different packages going all at once, and some of the vary from sailing to sailing, so I was definitely thinking it was part of the benefit. Of course, had we booked I would have double checked, but I don't think based on past history of getting the benefit free before from the Casino it was unreasonable to assume that might be the case here.

Embarkation and first sea day: Our taxi arrived right on time at 10:15 a.m. Just a note that these small inns in the UK rarely have elevators – so be prepared if you want the charm to trade that for lugging suitcases up and down stairs. We managed fine, but it might be difficult for some people. Both inns did offer to assist if we needed it, so there usually is help available, but we were fine. We hopped in our taxi and were at the port by 10:30 a.m. departing from the QE II terminal, same as last year. It was super easy – we dropped our luggage on the conveyor belt, whisked through security, and were checked in and on the ship in 5 minutes. We did get our medallions in advance which saved time, but it appeared that the line for people picking up was moving quickly as well. We found a nice spot in the Piazza and settled in with a refreshment and snack since we skipped breakfast at the hotel. While we waited, we both watched our safety videos. As soon as the clock hit Noon, we headed to the dining room for our traditional embarkation lunch. I had my favorites – the chickpea soup and spinach ravioli, and DH stuck with the Antipasti plate, and beef tenderloin. It never disappoints. We finished it off with the souffle and headed to our cabin as they had just announced rooms were ready, stopping at Princess theatre on the way to complete our Muster process. Our bags were at the door when we arrived. Our cabin was M103, one of the forward-facing balconies we have grown to love on the Royal class ships. We were especially excited to have this for all of our scenic viewing opportunities in the fjords and it was the best decision. We managed to get the very last one available when we booked, and I can’t even begin to describe how much having that space and panoramic view added to our enjoyment. And to make it even nicer, somehow, we ended up with one of the nice wood tables and wood end tables to go with our chairs. I had preordered 24 waters which had been delivered to our cabin and the certificates were there for our three canned beverage packages and our balcony dinner. We had only been in our room about 10 minutes when room service called to confirm the date and time for our dinner, as well as our cocktail and menu choices. While I had them on the phone, I ordered the diet cokes with our beverage package, and requested a switch out of our Elite mini bar for soda and water as well. We really don’t drink much at all, so we don’t do the package, but preordering the sodas and waters ensures we have cold drinks available in our fridge all cruise. In total, we had a couple of cocktails over the course of the cruise, and I ordered wine with dinner a handful of times, so a good decision for us. We also snuck this Wi-Fi purchase for this cruise in right before they raised the prices, so still got the half price of $7.50 per day. It came right up on Medallion Net and worked wonderfully the entire cruise. I had no problem checking in with work and monitoring my emails. I guess I can tolerate paying more going forward if the service stays this good on future cruises. We unpacked and rested up and enjoyed a beautiful sail away out of Southampton before heading down for our standing 6:20 pm dinner reservation at Soleil. Our hope was to find our same two top table in the back with our same wait team from last year and reserve that for our cruise again. The good news was our table was still there, and they kindly reserved it for us for all of the other nights. It was a new wait team, but Sandy and Charlotte were wonderful and provided outstanding service. I was determined to eat more healthfully this cruise, so pretty much stuck with a single appetizer and fish dishes most evenings, and usually left part of my dessert on my plate. As it turns out we did so much walking I ended up losing a few pounds! But the food was really excellent all two weeks, with the exception of only one dinner where my fish was pretty dry and overcooked. There was a hypnotist show the first evening – just ok. He was really struggling to get people under, and it was pretty clear a few were faking. I honestly felt bad for him. Not sure embarkation day when people are jet lagged and tired is the best night for this effort. After, I headed up to relax and DH headed to the Casino to get the dice rolling and introduce himself to the host. All around a great first day! Day two, we lost an hour and, in our jet, lagged fog, we didn’t realize our phones weren’t updating while on airplane mode so we missed our 11 a.m. Meet and Greet with our roll call, which was disappointing because it has been a fabulous group. But we ended up meeting many of them onboard over the next two weeks anyway. The MDR lunch menu was not spectacular, and DH wasn’t too hungry as he caught a late breakfast at the International Café, getting his favorite, the egg bites. Very good for his low carb diet! We just grabbed a snack up at the grill and buffet and then went to tea at 3 p.m. It was as good as I remember from our previous Southampton trips – definitely they do a better job with the quality of the tea on these UK trips. We hit up a couple of trivia’s but quickly realized we were going to be at a big disadvantage due to the nearly 500 B2B cruisers onboard. People were consistently getting 100 percent, which raises a few eyebrows knowing the questions likely don’t change from trip to trip. As usual, though I do love the Sky, Princess Live was often full to overflowing and hard to get a seat for many of the popular trivia’s and games. I did manage to trip and fall on one of the steps and completely embarrass myself, fully bruising my dignity, but thankfully nothing else. It is a poorly designed venue and I do always miss the Explorer’s Lounge! Tonight was formal night, and since we still make an effort – DH put on his suit, and I got out my sparkly blouse and velvet pants. We were looking sharp! Dinner again was excellent, and we were already loving our new servers. We went to see Rock Opera in the theatre, even though we have seen it several times before – it is always enjoyable and Max Himmelreich is the best tenor in the fleet. So incredibly talented! It was time for DH to get in is Casino time and for me to pull a few zzzz’s before hitting our first port the next day. Next: Haugesund

Wow, we were looking at options for next summer and saw this too and we assumed it was part of our Casino promotion. Very confusing indeed!

Just returned from our amazing bucket list 14 day Norwegian Fjords and Land of the Midnight Sun cruise on the Sky Princess. I’m sure there is no such thing as a perfect cruise, but this sure came close. I opted not to do a live thread because I really wanted to focus my time and energy on enjoying every second of the cruise, but now that we are home, I will share a review of our trip and be happy to answer any questions that I can about the Sky or the itinerary. So much to share! I’m going to break this down over a series of posts to make it a little easier – on you to read and on me to type! Pre-cruise stay in Portsmouth/Southampton: This is our third consecutive summer taking a cruise out of Southampton – a port I have grown to love! We live in the greater Los Angeles area and took a direct overnight flight again this year with Virgin. It was great – I really enjoy flying with them and find their service excellent. The overnight flights from LA work well for us as we sleep on the plane and then hit the ground running when we arrive in the UK to counter the jet lag. This year we decided to spend a couple of days in Portsmouth taking in the Maritime History there. We were picked up by our Blackberry car service and delivered directly to our charming BnB – the Florence House Boutique Hotel which is a grouping of hotels in several old Victorian buildings in Southsea. It was as lovely and quaint as it appeared in the photos and the staff was so nice, and the restaurant on site provided wonderful breakfasts. I had a combination of Avocado toast with poached egg and the Greek yoghurt with granola and honey each day, and DH tried to different versions of the Eggs Benedict. Everything was delicious. We jumped right in soon after arriving and settling in our room, taking a long wander around Southsea, by Southsea castle and the D Day Museum to one of the two recreational piers locally. Since it was midweek, the pier was fairly quiet, but we launched our vacation with fish and chips at Deep Blue – Great British Fish and Chips. It was yummy and a nice way to start our trip and then we headed back for a great night sleep out our hotel. The next day was a full day of sight seeing in Portsmouth, focused primarily on the ships and museums at the historic dockyard. We bought the combined ticket which gave us access to all the attractions, including our top priorities – the Mary Rose, HMS Warrior, and HMS Victory. We spent the better part of the day here touring each of these and the museums and really enjoyed it immensely. For me, the Mary Rose Museum was absolutely the most fascinating – seeing it as it looks pulled from the sea and also all the incredible artifacts they have recovered from the time of Henry VIII. I found it to be on of the best museums I have visited and was so grateful to the incredible docents who really take time to talk to guests and provide incredible context and knowledge. My DH loved it as well, but for him the HMS Victory was the favorite – even though at 6’7” tall, he smacked is head at least a dozen times navigating the low ceilings and tight passages. It was really quite amazing to stand right in the spot where Lord Nelson was shot and where he took his last breaths. The HMS Warrior was also very interesting and worthwhile to tour, especially given that since it has barely been used it is so well preserved. The performers there added a sense of the reality of the times. After touring the museums and ships, we walked over to the Spinnaker Tower and took the elevator to the top for an afternoon snack – the tea service looks lovely there – I just got a single scone, but if we ever go back, I will invest in the full tea in the clouds service. The views are amazing! We enjoyed a nice dinner in town and headed back to our hotel for our last night before transitioning to Southampton. Originally, we had planned to stay all three nights in Portsmouth, but when we discovered that the West End tour of Wicked was at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, we decided to get tickets and move over there for our last night before the cruise. We have seen Wicked a few times in LA, San Francisco, and London, but we loved seeing it again with the absolutely stellar cast! We Ubered over to Southampton after our breakfast and went directly to our hotel there – the Elizabeth House Inn. It was very charming, and our room was beautiful with an amazing bay window and tiffany chandelier. Not an issue for us, but for those traveling by car to the port, this hotel offers a car park for cruise passengers which it seemed many people were using. We requested that reception schedule a taxi for us at 10:15 a.m. the next morning, and we slept soundly in our comfortable room dreaming of our upcoming cruise. Next: Embarkation and first days

Depends on how it is sold - if it is back to back, they repeat the same menus second week generally. It it is truly a 14 day cruise, like the Sky cruise we just took, there is a new menu each of the 14 nights.

Just want to say that YMMV by ship on the quality of afternoon tea. On our cruises from Southampton we have found it overall quite good. The sandwiches and sweets are better. They even had little traditional Victoria Sponge Cakes each day. The scones are warm and flaky, and they serve both clotted and whipped cream with the jam. But we have also never been disappointed by the tea service on any of our Princess cruises. We always request a table for two - no problem at all. You do not have to sit at a communal table unless you want to. And DH always orders his preferred orange tea and they bring him his own pot - no trouble or disruption at all. Yes, it is not a traditional afternoon tea with the tiered stand, but all components are there - sandwiches, scones, sweets. You can even do it yourself in the buffet if you like. I love that Princess keeps this tradition going and we always find it very enjoyable. On most sea days I opt to do tea instead of lunch.

What ship are you on? We just finished 14 days on the Sky and French Onion soup was still an option every night on the menu.