Needhamite

Terry, Japan has been on my to do list for decades. The Noble Caladonia cruise seems like the ideal way to see the more remote (and beautiful) places without the hassle of land travel. South Africa has also been on my list for a long time. I hope that you will share your experiences from your African trip next year and I will be happy to do the same for my sojourn to the Orient in late May. -Peter

Terry, thank you so much for continuing to make posts to this board. We journeyed the Norwegian coast on Silversea the year after you did and, like you, have maintained a strong interest in the unique life style we saw there. Therefore, this Wall Street Journal article is very interesting. As you say, it is a very special place.

My wife and I are looking forward to a small ship cruise around Japan next year. I am certain it will make every bit as strong an impression as the Norwegian coast did. Best wishes for all your future voyages. -Peter

pattiemc,

My wife and I took the Norwegian Coast trip (on Silversea) in 2011 - the year after Terry in Ohio. It was one of the very best trips we have ever taken. Our itinerary did not include Longyearbyen but we did stop in Gravdal and Honningsvåg so I can comment on those two ports.

Our trip was scheduled to stop twice in the Lofoten Islands - in Gravdal on the way north and in Svolvær on the way back south. However, due to a port strike the day we were to dock in Svolvær, both our landings were in Gravdal. This turned out to be a very fortuitous complication. Since we had booked a cruise line excursion in Svolvær on the southbound stop, the buses picked us up in Gravdal and we had a bonus 45 miles sightseeing excursion between the two ports. The scenery on this connecting passage was jaw-dropping gorgeous. (I admit that we were fortunate to have absolutely beautiful, clear weather.) I was sitting in a window seat on the bus and took several hundred shots - each one more striking than the one before. I recall that on his trip Terry rented a car and drove south from Gradval to the town of Å. He also reported magnificent scenery. The lesson, I think, is that for your stop in Gravdal either take an offered excursion that travels at least 20 miles from town or rent a car. Both Gravdal and Svolvær are nice place to see but neither would give you any reason to believe that the Lofoten Islands are THE vacation destination for Norwegians themselves. Find some way to be able to see the natural landscape. (The trip back from Svolvær to Gravdal was just as beautiful It was so nice I was glad we got to see it twice.)

Our excursion included a stop in a tiny village called Henningsvær. If you need a destination for your outing this will certainly do - it is about 35 miles northeast of Gravdal. This place was as picturesque as it gets. Lovely fishing cottages in bright colors reflected in glass smooth crystal clear water. There also is a one man art museum (occupying three floors) in town well worth seeing.

The only reason for a cruise to stop in Honningsvåg is to take the bus trip to Nordkapp (North Cape), claimed to be the northern most point of Europe. Your cruise line will certainly offer this excursion. NorthKapp is at the point where the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean meet. We were very much looking forward to the chance to look down from the 1,000 foot high cliff for our first sighting of the Arctic Ocean. Unfortunately, this was one of the only bad weather days of our cruise. The Cape was completely fogged in. There were about twenty bus loads of tourists in the parking lot (and this was at midnight) but no one could see more than about 50 feet in spite of the fact that the sun was shining brightly above all the fog and clouds. Nevertheless we certainly could say that we were there and the Visitors' Center had plenty to see that was unique to this unique point on the globe. After re-boarding our ship our route took us past NordKapp (at about 3 AM) so we could see most of the face of the cliff. The very top was still in fog as we sailed by.

-Peter

Thanks to you both for clearing this up. The older I get the less I want to have to lug around a lot of baggage.

Peter

Debbie,

I have seen conflicting info on this question. Since you just got off the vessel, can you tell me if there are washers and dryers available to passengers? If so, is detergent provided and would it be difficult to find a machine available when you need it?

Thanks,

Peter

Thanks, Debbie. Have a safe return to New Orleans.

Peter

Debbie,

Thanks for the quick response. We are traveling with another couple and when we booked (last January!) our travel agent "requested" second seating. Our documents arrived yesterday and, apparently, 11 months was not sufficient advance notice. 5:15 seems like an awfully early time to sit down to dinner, but if I just tell my body that we are still on East Coast time and it is really 6:15, it won't seem too odd.

We have really been looking forward to what will be for us a completely different vacation experience. I am glad that so many people have reported having a wonderful trip.

Have you experienced any impact of low river water levels on your trip? (skipped ports, changed schedules, etc.)

Peter

Debbie,

DW and I are also looking forward to our first trip on the American Queen in just a couple of weeks so I am hanging on every word of your reports. Thanks for sharing your experience. You mentioned being in the second dinner seating. Can you tell me what time the first and second seatings take place. Also, do most passengers all show up together or do they come in a more staggered pattern?

Peter

Well a full year had gone by so I guess I have to admit to myself that I am not going to get around to preparing the full-fledged review I planned for the Silver Whisper Norwegian Fjords cruise of June 2011. I do feel obliged, however, to report that my wife and I both feel that it was probably the most satisfying cruise we have taken to date. As magnificent as all of Terry-in-Ohio's pictures are from his trip in 2010, they really don't do the place full justice. We were amazed by the vistas, particularly on the Lofoten Islands. Due to a limited maritime strike, we made both of our Lofoten calls in Leknes. That meant that on our second call, we were over an hour away from Svolvaer, but that bus trip was the happy opportunity to see some of the most spectacular scenery we have ever encountered.

Our delight with the trip was certainly due in no small part to the spectacular weather. In sixteen days we had almost no rain and most of that was while we were at sea. Even Bergen was dry and sunny. The only unfortunate weather was at North Cape which was completely socked in with fog when we arrived at around 11:00 pm on June 25. There were dozens of buses which had converged on the parking lot but their hundreds of passengers did not get to look up to the Midnight Sun nor down on the Bering Sea from the cliff edge. A few hours later, however, the fog had lifted enough that we got to look up to the cliff top from the water level as sailed past Nordkapp as the beginning of our return journey. Also, we did have four nights above the Artic Circle so that gave us three other opportunities to experience the Midnight Sun and all three were clear and very photographable.

Of the various excursions we enjoyed on this voyage, the "Overland to Gudvangen" from Flåm and the "Thamshaven Railway/Løkken Mines" in Trondheim were particularly well worth the time and the money. We also had no problem navigating cities on our own. Bergen and Ålesund are two places where we got to see everything we wanted without having to be shepherded around in buses. Note: If the weather is clear enough to take the Fløibanen train up the mountain overlooking Bergen [highly recommended], buying your ticket at the Tourist Info Center near the Fish Market is the right thing to do. With tickets in hand we were able to walk right by the hundreds of tourists waiting in line to buy their tickets at the doors to the station. This easily saved us at least 30 minutes of slow shuffling in line.]

The cruise portion of our vacation was pretty much as expected from Silversea. That is to say, mostly "Excellent" with a couple of "Outstandings" and a couple of merely "Very Goods". Although this particular itinerary is fairly relaxed and, of course, Silversea accommodations are more than comfortable, we still were very happy that we arrived in the embarkation port (Copenhagen) several days in advance of the cruise. This ensured that we didn't have to worry about travel delays causing us to miss the ship and gave us time to fully adjust to the time change. Copenhagen is a gracious and intellectually stimulating city to visit. Like in all of Norway, we didn't encounter a single person who did not speak English.

If anyone has any specific questions, I would be happy to respond as best I can.

Terry, I believe you, with your enthusiastic and succinct postings and magnificent photos, will be single-handedly responsible for an upsurge in SilverSea booking for the Arctic cruise next year!

 

What a magnificent journal! Bravo!

Terry,

I completely agree with Basedow. Your reports and photos will certainly drive interest in Silversea and particularly in this itinerary. I am very glad that I booked the 2011 North Cape trip (on the Silver Whisper - my favorite ship) three weeks ago!

Thanks again for your dedication and thoroughness. Have a safe trip home.

-Peter