Live/Silver Cloud: Norway Coast/Fjords July 1-16 Reports

[mrspaper]

Terry

Thanks for all your pictures and live thread. It makes me want to take the trip. I'm sure when DH looks at the food pics, he'll want to take the same ship. You did a wonderful job

 

Linda

[duct tape]

Terry, your 15 minutes of fame has turned into an hour! Greetings from the Shadow.

[nzchick]

This is a large flock of white birds with their different coloring at the top. We haven’t yet checked for their official name. Any suggestions from those with bird books handy?:

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Terry,

 

I am no bird expert, but these birds look like Gannets to me. :)

(An Australasian variety lives in the area of New Zealand where I grew up (Golden Bay)). They are closely related to the Boobie.

 

I am thinking about booking a Silversea cruise for hubby & I next year (for his 40th birthday), and as part of my investigations I happened across your wonderful cruise report - I am in awe!

 

Thank you for spending the time to write it all up for us to enjoy. :)

 

From Ann in Christchurch, NZ (new here on CC!)

[Emtbsam]

Here is a shot of a town along the Amalfi coast. We were on the ferry between Salerno and Capri. What an incredible place to visit.

 

 

Happy cruising....Joanne

 

The town is Atrani, walking distance east of Amalfi. If you walk north in the town into the ravine, there is a path with steps up to Ravello. What a great part of the world. Atrani was featured in a National Geographic photo a while back. It is not at all touristy as is its neighbor Amalfi. I highly recommend a pizza and a Nastro Azzurro in the little town square.

 

Sadly, there was a flash flood last September which did much damage to the town and killed one person.

[Sailing Again]

In order to take advantage of our American Airlines’ Frequent Flyer miles, we needed to travel through Heathrow in order to reach Copenhagen. Kind of a hassle, plus the flight timing options available when booking eleven months ahead were not perfect. Problem? NO! We adapted to make things work.

 

I know what your talking about. I wanted to use my AA miles. I was able to get a flight to Heathrow but the only flights returning would have had me stay overnight at JFK or a shuttle from JFK to Laquardia or change at O'Hare in Chicago. I finally paid for the direct flight to RDU.

[NJ Cruiserman]

Terry, as usual your pictures are fabulous and give me a taste of things to look forward to. I've looked at most of your posts, but haven't yet figured out what guide you used in St. Petersburg. There are lots of tour companies, but many favorable reviews are by people with one Tripadvisor post, which is quite suspicious as they must have gone to at least one other port on their cruise. There was even a period of time about two years ago when we were first contemplating St. Petersburg as a destination when all of the reviews for A tour company said similarly that they met and exceeded the posters expectations. As a precaution I booked the tours offered by the Whisper but am looking for something more personal. Are you willing to share with slutzkym at hotmail dot com?

[TLCOhio]

Terry, as usual your pictures are fabulous and give me a taste of things to look forward to. I've looked at most of your posts, but haven't yet figured out what guide you used in St. Petersburg.

 

Sailing Again: I know what your talking about. I wanted to use my AA miles. I was able to get a flight to Heathrow but the only flights returning would have had me stay overnight at JFK or a shuttle from JFK to Laquardia or change at O'Hare in Chicago. I finally paid for the direct flight to RDU.

 

I am no bird expert' date=' but these birds look like Gannets to me. I am thinking about booking a Silversea cruise for hubby & I next year (for his 40th birthday), and as part of my investigations I happened across your wonderful cruise report - I am in awe! Thank you for spending the time to write it all up for us to enjoy. [b']From Ann in Christchurch, NZ[/b]

 

duct tape: Terry' date=' your 15 minutes of fame has turned into an hour! Greetings from the Shadow. [/quote']

 

mrspaper: Thanks for all your pictures and live thread. It makes me want to take the trip. I'm sure when DH looks at the food pics' date=' he'll want to take the same ship. You did a wonderful job. Linda [/quote']

 

THANKS for the nice comments on the pictures and postings!

 

For NJ Cruiserman, I sent some added info on our guide in St. Petersburg. It was through Anastasia in late July 2008. She merged her firm with another and might be operating separating these days. Not totally sure on her current status. I'm a real believer on having a personal, custom tour for St. Petersburg. Why? A personal guide is best and ideal, especially if you can have pre-tour communications and establish that "connection" for what you need and seek to fit your travel style and personal interests. We love having a "CONVERSATION" with our guide. I like to ask lots of questions. Take many pictures. Those factors make all of the positive difference to enjoy and experience things in the best manner. I like to learn the history, how real life works there, the current events, etc. A personal, custom guide/tour is much better than being "forced marched" through a great museum or place in a group of 25-35 people with a guide barking out details to us as we walk quickly by these great treasures. Also, in a large group, it can be hard to hear and understand everything that is being shared, asked. But, personal tours/guides are not always possible, affordable, needed, etc., for all port stops.

 

For Sailing Again, YES, it's a challenge these days to get those Frequent Flyer miles to work out. BUT, it does save real money. Clearly being flexible is important in making those schedules. Maybe you have to use the miles for half of the flight and pay for the flight back.

 

For Ann in NZ, another person had mentioned that those shown birds are Gannets. Appreciate that confirmation. Good luck on the cruise planning for your husband's 40th.

 

For duct tape, YES, I'm surprised that there's still interest in this posting. Thanks to many of the pre-cruise great tips and suggestions, plus your presence on our cruise, it helped make this an even better "great adventure". Those checking it out might be continuing as many are now planning and preparing for their 2011 and 2012 Norway coast trips.

 

For Linda, hope your husband loves the food pictures. It was fun, both taking the pictures and tasting the great food results.

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[NJ Cruiserman]

THANKS for the nice comments on the pictures and postings!

 

For NJ Cruiserman, I sent some added info on our guide in St. Petersburg. It was through Anastasia in late July 2008. She merged her firm with another and might be operating separating these days. Not totally sure on her current status. I'm a real believer on having a personal, custom tour for St. Petersburg. Why? A personal guide is best and ideal, especially if you can have pre-tour communications and establish that "connection" for what you need and seek to fit your travel style and personal interests. We love having a "CONVERSATION" with our guide. I like to ask lots of questions. Take many pictures. Those factors make all of the positive difference to enjoy and experience things in the best manner. I like to learn the history, how real life works there, the current events, etc. A personal, custom guide/tour is much better than being "forced marched" through a great museum or place in a group of 25-35 people with a guide barking out details to us as we walk quickly by these great treasures. Also, in a large group, it can be hard to hear and understand everything that is being shared, asked. But, personal tours/guides are not always possible, affordable, needed, etc., for all port stops.

 

 

For duct tape, YES, I'm surprised that there's still interest in this posting. Thanks to many of the pre-cruise great tips and suggestions, plus your presence on our cruise, it helped make this an even better "great adventure". Those checking it out might be continuing as many are now planning and preparing for their 2011 and 2012 Norway coast trips.

 

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Thanks for the information, and I agree regarding private tours. We used a combination of private tours and ship's tours on our Black Sea cruise last year and we certainly got more out of the private tours. We used the ship's tours where we thought that we would get enough out of the ships tours. However we were traveling with friends and they had friends on the cruise so it was easy to get our group of six or four together for a private tour.

 

It will be more difficult in this trip as we don't know anyone going, although we have met up with another couple through roll call here.

 

As to your surprise that there is continuing interest in this thread -- you linked to it from a thread on the real story about St. Petersburg tour companies, so anyone interested in the facts as opposed to the reviews may land on this thread.

[Pasty]

Hi Terry

 

Iabsolutely adore your photos & have seen them on several threads. Can I ask what camera you use?? I'm in need of a new camera for our cruise to the Fjords in June & am wondering what to buy.:confused:

 

Keep up the good work & well done again on your stunning photos:)

 

Many thanks

 

Pat

[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry, I absolutely adore your photos & have seen them on several threads. Can I ask what camera you use?? I'm in need of a new camera for our cruise to the Fjords in June & am wondering what to buy. Keep up the good work & well done again on your stunning photos:) Many thanks. Pat

 

NJ Cruiserman: It will be more difficult in this trip as we don't know anyone going' date=' although we have met up with another couple through roll call here. As to your surprise that there is continuing interest in this thread -- you linked to it from a thread on the real story about St. Petersburg tour companies, so anyone interested in the facts as opposed to the reviews may land on this thread. [/quote']

 

THANKS, Pat, for the nice comments on the photos!

 

My camera used on past travels has been a Nikon D50 SLR. Good, but not at the super-pro, high-end level. Lots of people have cameras at and near that quality or comparable. These days, the digital technology has improved so, so much that nearly everyone can take good to great pictures. In early October, I upgraded to a new Nikon D3100. It does high definition, 1080p video, plus its still pictures are done at a much pixel level and the viewing screen is much larger and sharper. Plus, this camera has many other improvements, etc. That camera is around $600 now. Below you can check some of my tips, secrets and suggestions for getting better pictures. It's titled: Baltics/Picture Secrets! Key Tips, Ideas, etc. Check this summary out and let me know your feed-back, questions and comments.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=977864

 

There are lots of very good "point and shoot cameras". They can work fine. They are simple and easy. Very compact and small. What type of budget range do you have and how "GOOD" do you want to be with your pictures??? Tell me more!

 

Since I have an "SLR" or single lens reflex camera, that bring up the question of lens. SLR's allow more that you can with your pictures and the quality. Maybe needed. Maybe not. I have a 10-20 mm lens that gives a wider angle view than average. That really helped create some picture "drama" without being too wide and distorted as can happen with a fish-eye lens. This wide-angle lens does especially well for the interiors of great churches and historic buildings. There are cases where my longer lens (have a Nikkor 70-300 mm zoom) can really help. In many cases, my basic Nikkor 18-55 mm zoom covers the middle range very well and is used the most. It's nice to have only one lens that covers all needs, but then you lose some in the desired picture quality.

 

On such trips as recently to Norway and the Baltics, I download my pictures most days to the MacBook Pro laptop that I usually bring along for such trip. Today's technology makes it easier to straighten pictures, adjust the cropping, improve the exposure, fix color balance, etc. By taking the laptop along, downloading and checking the pictures as I travel, it helps to know what I'm getting and improve my "focus" as I travel in such great, scenic places. Playing with the pictures on the flight back while I listen to the "tunes" on my computer also helps pass the time quicker. Many laptops also have great programs to put these pictures into nice “slide shows” with various great visuals tools to add titles, do dissolves, etc.

 

I found taking cruise and travel pictures is fun, plus much, much cheaper than shopping for souvenirs. It also keeps these memories "fresh" as you can re-live your experiences, share them with friends, post on the web, etc.

 

For NJ Cruiserman, yes, hooking with others on your cruise, in advance, really helps for the trip, your advance planning, etc. We traveled on this cruise with our good friends/neighbors from Columbus. That helped in sharing car rentals and trips. Had a number connections through these boards/rollcall and that made things even better. Doing the small link/info on other posts has made others aware of this thread and has worked well. Appreciate those who have tuned in, made comments, asked questions, etc. Keep it coming!

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[LauraBK]

Hi Terry,

 

As you know, we'll be going on this cruise in June of 2011, we're finally ready to be making our excursions and misc reservations for the trip. I wanted to tell you what we're planning and get your thoughts - if we're missing anything, etc.

 

We'll be arriving in Copenhagen the day before the cruise, I've booked 1 night at the Nimb Hotel (it's actually pictured in your first post:)). We arrive in the early morning and plan to do a Canal Cruise, walk along the Stroget, go to the National Museum, then to Tivoli at night. The next morning, we will do a Segway Tour of Copenhagen and see Amalienborg Palace before boarding the ship.

 

As far as excursions, we just booked the following:

 

Flam/Gudvangen: Overland to Gudvangen - this includes the Flam Railway to Myrdal, Voss, lunch at the Park Hotel, Tvindefossen Waterfall, Stalheim Hotel, then White Caves of Norway, before joining the ship in Gudvangen.

 

Tromso: Musk Ox Watching by RIB Boat - RIB boat to Ryoya Island to see wild musk oxen, then to Håkøya Island & Tirpitz Monument - to see the sunken German battleship

 

Honningsvag: The North Cape - Sami Camp, North Cape Plateau, and the North Cape Hall

 

We are considering the following, but have not booked them. We're not sure if we need to do an excursion in these cities, or if we want to do one everyday. Alesund Acquaintance, Local Colors & Traditions in Leknes, and City Sights by Cable Car and Granåsen in Trondheim. We also didn't book anything in Bergen - it seems like we could do the funicular and walk around the city on our own.

 

As far as on the ship we would like to eat at all of the different restaurants, including Le Champagne and Hot Rocks (we're on the Whisper). We would not do the wine pairing at Le Champagne as we are not wine drinkers. As far as Hot Rocks, we're unsure if it will be warm enough to eat outside for dinner (I believe all of the tables are outside).

 

Sorry for the long post, if there is anything you think we're missing - I'd love your opinion (and anyone else's). If it helps, here is some information about us - we're in our late 30's, celebrating our 15th anniversary, from NJ and this will be our first cruise, and first international trip (except the Bahamas).

 

As always, thank you so much for your time and help!

 

Laura

[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry, As you know, we'll be going on this cruise in June of 2011, we're finally ready to be making our excursions and misc reservations for the trip. I wanted to tell you what we're planning and get your thoughts - if we're missing anything, etc. We'll be arriving in Copenhagen the day before the cruise, I've booked 1 night at the Nimb Hotel (it's actually pictured in your first post:)). We arrive in the early morning and plan to do a Canal Cruise, walk along the Stroget, go to the National Museum, then to Tivoli at night. The next morning, we will do a Segway Tour of Copenhagen and see Amalienborg Palace before boarding the ship.

As far as excursions, we just booked the following:

Flam/Gudvangen: Overland to Gudvangen - this includes the Flam Railway to Myrdal, Voss, lunch at the Park Hotel, Tvindefossen Waterfall, Stalheim Hotel, then White Caves of Norway, before joining the ship in Gudvangen.

Tromso: Musk Ox Watching by RIB Boat - RIB boat to Ryoya Island to see wild musk oxen, then to Håkøya Island & Tirpitz Monument - to see the sunken German battleship

Honningsvag: The North Cape - Sami Camp, North Cape Plateau, and the North Cape Hall

We are considering the following, but have not booked them. We're not sure if we need to do an excursion in these cities, or if we want to do one everyday. Alesund Acquaintance, Local Colors & Traditions in Leknes, and City Sights by Cable Car and Granåsen in Trondheim. We also didn't book anything in Bergen - it seems like we could do the funicular and walk around the city on our own. As far as on the ship we would like to eat at all of the different restaurants, including Le Champagne and Hot Rocks (we're on the Whisper). We would not do the wine pairing at Le Champagne as we are not wine drinkers. As far as Hot Rocks, we're unsure if it will be warm enough to eat outside for dinner (I believe all of the tables are outside). Sorry for the long post, if there is anything you think we're missing - I'd love your opinion (and anyone else's). If it helps, here is some information about us - we're in our late 30's, celebrating our 15th anniversary, from NJ and this will be our first cruise, and first international trip (except the Bahamas). As always, thank you so much for your time and help! Laura

 

THANKS, Laura, for your follow-up and good questions. It looks like you've got a great plan and approach with what is already booked.

 

YES, you can do lots or most on your own in Alesund, Bergen and Trondheim. For Leknes and the Lofoten Island, I would strongly encourage you being able to see more of great landscapes and variety on these spectacular islands. I would push for "more" at that location, especially as you are so young and celebrating your 15th. Make it special!! We had a rental car there and for the four of us, it was super great to have that "adventure". Getting and exploring this wonderful area is really important.

 

If you're into birds, you might consider their "Bird Watching by Boat" at Honningsvag. We did that area with a private, smaller boat. Don't know about "Hot Rocks" as the Silver Cloud didn't have that option. Chat with the excursion staff and tell them more on your interests and travel style. They might have some added suggestions to consider. Let me know any other questions or reactions. Look forward to hearing how your trip works and happens.

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[daddyo]

Laura,

 

We were on the same cruise as Terry last year. It was an unforgettable experience. By far, our best Silversea adventure.

 

Terry's pics are wonderful. But even he will admit they don't do it justice!

[TLCOhio]

Laura, We were on the same cruise as Terry last year. It was an unforgettable experience. By far, our best Silversea adventure. Terry's pics are wonderful. But even he will admit they don't do it justice!

 

Agree with daddyo that pictures cannot capture it "ALL". Or, even come close!!! One of the best examples is cruising along the fjords or coastline early in the morning, sitting on the back of the Panorama Lounge and just soaking up the fantastic scenery and sights. Seeing it "ALL" is so special. We were very fortunate with our great weather and the chemistry between the passengers and crew. Very, very special.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[diane1964]

take a shore tour?

thanks terry for the detailed and interesting posts.

diane:p

[TLCOhio]

can you see seven waterfalls from cruiseship or must you take a shore tour? thanks terry for the detailed and interesting posts. diane:p

 

THANKS, Diane, for the kind comments!

 

Do you mean the "Seven Sisters" waterfall that can be seen coming into and/or out of the fjord near Geiranger? Below are several pictures below related to that fjord and these super great waterfalls. Don't think you can really get here by any type of land tour. Need to be on a ship or to be a great swimmer in cold water in order to see these two great waterfalls that face each other.

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

After being tendered from Geiranger, we sailed out and passed by two super famous waterfalls. YES, yes, we saw lots and lots of waterfalls on this trip, but these two were among the “best of the best”. First is the “Seven Sisters”. Next shown is directly opposite in this narrow fjord and is called several names, including “The Suitor”. The majesty for these feats of nature is pretty amazing.:

 

 

 

 

 

This is the super scenic view from immediately above Geiranger that shows the Silver Cloud and Costa ships tendered. A little before this picture, we were to go to Mt. Dalsnibba as a photo stop from this 4,920-foot vantage for the snow-covered surrounding mountains, icy glaciers, crystalline lakes and Geirangerfjord far below. We went there, but it was totally “socked in”. It was so thick, you could barely find your bus on this day on top of the big mountain crowded with lots of buses from the Costa ship. But this view, at a lower level, makes up for that problems and provided a wonderful vista.:

 

[Oakbank]

Terry,

Thanks for directing me to here. I have thoroughly enjoyed your photo's and comments, and now can't wait to experience Norway for myself!

[newlondon]

We took this cruise before Terry and were on the Wind. His story telling and pictures are fabulous, but as a previous poster said don't do it justice. IMHO you are lucky to do this on the Whisper. We just finished the Chilean fjords on her and despite some bad weather absolutely loved the ship and the trip. I wish we had had the opportunity to do a musk ox excursion-but let me say the other two you have chosen imo are terrific. We found the cost of doing independent trips-at least with a guide-way too expensive compared to SS's prices.

[LauraBK]

We took this cruise before Terry and were on the Wind. His story telling and pictures are fabulous, but as a previous poster said don't do it justice. IMHO you are lucky to do this on the Whisper. We just finished the Chilean fjords on her and despite some bad weather absolutely loved the ship and the trip. I wish we had had the opportunity to do a musk ox excursion-but let me say the other two you have chosen imo are terrific. We found the cost of doing independent trips-at least with a guide-way too expensive compared to SS's prices.

 

Thanks for the update! We are so excited for this trip. Since you are familiar with the itinerary and the Whisper - do you think it would be warm enough to eat at the Black Rock restaurant? I believe it only has outdoor seating - we were wondering if it would be too cold.

 

Also, is it possible to pack for this trip in 1 50lb suitecase each? With all of the different dress codes and temperatures we could experience, I dont see how it is possible.

 

What are your thoughts?

[newlondon]

Eating outside will be a function of the summer you get. We were exceptionally lucky, temperature wise, but there was plenty of rain. My best guess is don't count on it. I can't comment on dressing with-in 50 lbs. as we travelled business and so had over 70. We also adhered strictly to the dress code with a tuxedo and more than one formal outfit for DW. I don't blame you for being excited; it's a wonderful trip and a terrific ship!

[cruisin cubbie]

These photos are beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing

[TLCOhio]

These photos are beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing

 

Oakbank: Terry' date=' Thanks for directing me to here. I have thoroughly enjoyed your photo's and comments, and now can't wait to experience Norway for myself! [/quote']

 

THANKS for the super nice comments on the pictures! Give Mother Nature credit for creating such a beautiful part of the world.

 

Agree with NewLondon that eating outside is so wonderful, whether on the ship or in a port area. We had some nice picnic lunches in certain scenic area while exploring on our own near the North Cape and on the Lofoten Islands. Good luck to Laura on packing. On a longer cruise like this one, it is challenging. But even for us on this Silverseas trip, the fellow passengers were pretty down-to-earth and not trying to put on a "fashion show". Everybody was "relaxed" and enjoyed the experience. Pack for comfort and what works in a practical manner.

 

Getting ready in three weeks to take my camera to Barcelona and the Med. With good friends, we're trying out a larger ship that gets a sampling of Kotor and Dubrovnik along the Croatian Coast, plus some favorites in Italy and southern France. Silversea didn't have any offerings that really fit our timing and needs in this area.

 

This posting is now over 40,000 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[ging466]

we're trying out a larger ship that gets a sampling of Kotor and Dubrovnik along the Croatian Coast, plus some favorites in Italy and southern France. Silversea didn't have any offerings that really fit our timing and needs in this area.

 

Hi Terry

 

Good to hear u r going on another cruise. What ship are u going on? I'll take a look on its roll call to make sure I don't miss your lovely pics. I haven't been to Kotor or Dubrovnik. I travelled through the 'old' Yugoslavia many years ago but didn't make it to the coast so am keen to see it through your excellent photography.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[newlondon]

Terry, I'll bet you're doing Regent. We took their Venice to Istanbul which stopped at both Dubrovnik and Kotor. Kotor is fantastic and the cruise up the fjords to get there, while not Norway or Chile, is great. Regent is not SS but we had a very good time. Be careful, though, about their shore excursions as they don't compare to SS.

Dubrovnik was a big disappointment, not as a location, but because of the crowds. Hope you do better.

Waiting to hear on your return.

[Conte Di Savoia]

THANKS for the super nice comments on the pictures! Give Mother Nature credit for creating such a beautiful part of the world.

Getting ready in three weeks to take my camera to Barcelona and the Med. With good friends, we're trying out a larger ship that gets a sampling of Kotor and Dubrovnik along the Croatian Coast, plus some favorites in Italy and southern France. Silversea didn't have any offerings that really fit our timing and needs in this area.

 

Hi Terry! It's been some time since we talked on Silver Cloud during that fantastic fjord cruise last July. I finally was able to discern that you will be aboard Celebrity Solstice for your up-coming cruise in the Med. Great time of the year to be there! The Solstice class of ships are beautifully decorated, but oh that size! And all those people! It's going to be very different from the club-like atmosphere aboard Silver Cloud. We were aboard Queen Victoria in February for a two week cruise to Hawaii from LA. We enjoyed the trip and the interesting folks we met aboard, but the size made it a very different experience than SilverSea. Our next cruise is scheduled for late October aboard Silver Explorer, ex-Prince Albert II which we were able to explore when we were in Norway. I couldn't resist a ship with its own mud room!

Edited May 16, 2011 by Conte Di Savoia