North Cape and Norwegian Fjords Detailed Trip Report (Photo heavy)

[cruise pup]

I totally agree.. on our Crown British Iles cruise, the Patter also had mistakes daily.

The worst offender was Wales spelled as Whales.QUOTE]

 

On my Norwegian Sun cruise last January the captain introduced one of the staff, a Scotsman, as being from England. Ouch!

[wickesy]

Day 12 - At Sea

 

Today’s Patter (click for full size)

Disembarkation Information is in my Photobucket album - http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/wickesy/Norwegian%20Cruise/Day%2012/

 

It was another lazy morning today with us not getting up until 8:30. We went up for breakfast as usual, after which we went and sat in the Wheelhouse Bar.

 

 

At 9:45 we made our way into the Princess Theatre for the culinary demonstration and afterwards went for a ‘tour’ of the galley, which was more of a walkthrough.

 

[wickesy]

 

 

 

 

 

[wickesy]

 

 

 

 

This is the exit from the galley to the Boticelli dining room where we ate every night.

 

After the galley we went up and bought the last of our photos and collected the DVD of the cruise that we had pre-ordered.

 

From there we went upstairs for a drink and some lunch - Dad went to Horizon Court and I went to the Trident Grill for a knockwurst - then I went for a wander and bought a Princess Cruises photo frame and a hoodie.

 

By now it was about 1:30 and time for the worst part of the cruise - going back to the cabin to tidy up and pack.

 

After packing we went down to the casino where I had a little flutter on the slot machines with a $5 bill I found in a wallet stuffed in the side pocket of my hand luggage but although I had a couple of little wins I didn’t make the cost of the cruise back! From there we went to the Wheelhouse Bar for a whisky and ginger each then down to the Internet Café where Dad ordered himself a Kindle from Amazon to be delivered on Saturday evening.

 

As we were waiting for the lift to go back upstairs we noticed that according to the display above one of them it was at deck 31, which is quite a feat considering the ship only has 19 decks!! We then went back to the cabin for a while.

 

Cocktail time was early tonight as the early show time was 7:15 so we were down in Crooners at 5:00 for our usual cocktails. At 6:45 we made our way down to the Princess Theatre, where the acts tonight were Thom Peterson, a comedy magician and Siobhan Phillips a comedian/singer - if these were anything to go by we hadn’t missed much by missing the other shows through the cruise.

 

Once the show was over we went down for dinner. Dad started with the fettucine, I had melon and feta cheese, then we both had the Philadelphia Pepper Pot soup, meatloaf and rum and raisin ice cream for dessert. We stayed behind after dinner to watch the baked Alaska parade.

 

[wickesy]

These are our waiter and junior waiter – Eduardo from Mexico on the left and Michael from the Philippines on the right.

 

Then we were just in time to see the sun set over the White Cliffs of Dover, although you can’t really see them in this picture.

 

 

Finally it was time for brandies then bed at 10:40, although the clocks went back an hour so it was really 9:40, giving us an extra hour In bed before our disembarkation tomorrow morning.

[wickesy]

Day 13 - Disembarkation

 

No patter today but we did get this cruise log instead

 

 

 

 

Today was the day that nobody really wants to see on their holiday - the last day and time to go home. After gaining the extra hour last night I was awake early and so I got up at 6:30 for one last wander around the ship. The first groups were already leaving.

 

 

[wickesy]

 

 

 

 

 

[wickesy]

 

 

 

 

 

[wickesy]

 

 

 

 

As I wandered through the Explorers Lounge I heard that they were ahead of schedule with the groups getting off so I went back up to the cabin at 7:15 and Dad and I went up to Horizon Court for breakfast. By the time we had finished it was just before 8:00 and time to vacate the cabin so we went down, grabbed our hand luggage and made our way to Gatsby’s Casino, which was our meeting point for disembarkation - although we weren’t due to be allowed off until 9:30. As we were waiting Dad checked his emails and there was one from Amazon saying that there was a problem with payment for his Kindle. A quick phone call to the card issuer revealed that their security team were being cautious and had blocked the transaction. Unfortunately that meant there would be no Kindle being delivered tonight..

 

At 9:05 we were cleared to go ashore so we made our way down to deck 5 and off the ship for the last time. We found our luggage in the hall within a few minutes and by 9:20 we were outside, car keys had been collected and our car had been loaded up with our luggage. First stop was again the West Quay shopping centre as he had promised me he would buy my iPad there rather than waiting until Florida in September

 

We were soon at the Apple shop and back out again with iPad in hand. From there we went to Marks & Spencer to get some sandwiches for lunch and dinner tonight and tomorrow and by 10:20 we were back on the road with course set for home. As usual the London traffic was awful and despite the sat-nav initially predicting we would be home by 12:25 we actually finally walked through the door at 1:05.

 

So that’s the end of another great trip and has cemented one thing in my mind - I love cruising!! It’s a relaxed lifestyle on board and, unlike the coach tours we have done in the past, you get to see loads of different places but only have to unpack once. Our next cruise is the maiden voyage of the Disney Fantasy in March next year but I am already considering the possibility of an Alaska cruise in the near future.

 

As always thanks to everybody who has read my ramblings and thanks to those who have left comments – even if I haven’t responded to them every one has been read and appreciated. An extra special thanks goes out to JamelUK of The DIBB who, unwittingly, provided the inspiration for this cruise through his trip report - thanks James, it was everything I expected it to be and more.

 

I hope I haven’t bored everyone with too many photos, and if there is anybody who would like to see the ones I left out please feel free to explore my Photobucket albums for the cruise - http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/wickesy/Norwegian%20Cruise/

 

Until next time…..

 

 

 

:D

[WeBeGone]

LOVED your photos and review. Thanks so much for taking the time to share.

[Lanark Lass]

Great review, thanks for taking the time to put it together

 

Lanark Lass

[cal56girl]

Thank you so much for your travel log. I began to look forward to each day. Sadly there won't be any more installments. But again, thank you. We will be in the Norwegian fjords in a little over a week-Yippee!

[wickesy]

LOVED your photos and review. Thanks so much for taking the time to share.

 

Great review, thanks for taking the time to put it together

 

Lanark Lass

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Thank you so much for your travel log. I began to look forward to each day. Sadly there won't be any more installments. But again, thank you. We will be in the Norwegian fjords in a little over a week-Yippee!

 

Thanks! Have a great time - the fjords are so much better when you see them in person rather than photos. :)

[west2000]

Thank you so much for your travel log. I began to look forward to each day. Sadly there won't be any more installments. But again, thank you. We will be in the Norwegian fjords in a little over a week-Yippee!

Totally agree have loved each installment and can't wait for our turn on July 28th. Happy cruising:)

[cal56girl]

but I am already considering the possibility of an Alaska cruise in the near future.

 

My suggestion would be to do it! We did a land tour up to Denali then cruised south to Vancouver on Princess. And have also done a roundtrip on Holland from Vancouver. I believe that Princess and Holland have a "lock" on Glacier Bay. Have seen Glacier Bay in sunny weather and overcast-still beautiful-just my opinion.

[Ibrasu]

Thank you so very much!

We shall raise a glass to you both when we too board on 28th.

 

Cheers,

Ibrasu

[rdsqrl]

Thank you so much for a fun and thorough review. I really enjoyed reading it, and your photos were amazing. I'm excited to do this itinerary sometime soon (something I seldom say about cold-weather travel!). Hope you have as good a time on the Mouse as you did on Princess.

[wickesy]

but I am already considering the possibility of an Alaska cruise in the near future.

 

My suggestion would be to do it! We did a land tour up to Denali then cruised south to Vancouver on Princess. And have also done a roundtrip on Holland from Vancouver. I believe that Princess and Holland have a "lock" on Glacier Bay. Have seen Glacier Bay in sunny weather and overcast-still beautiful-just my opinion.

 

Thanks for the info. Trans-Atlantic air fares are killing us at the moment though so I'm not sure when we're going to be able to afford another one.

 

Thank you so very much!

We shall raise a glass to you both when we too board on 28th.

 

Cheers,

Ibrasu

 

Ah, that's very kind, thank you. Have a great cruise!

 

Thank you so much for a fun and thorough review. I really enjoyed reading it, and your photos were amazing. I'm excited to do this itinerary sometime soon (something I seldom say about cold-weather travel!). Hope you have as good a time on the Mouse as you did on Princess.

 

Thanks, I'm sure we will. :)

[cruise pup]

Thanks for the info. Trans-Atlantic air fares are killing us at the moment though so I'm not sure when we're going to be able to afford another one.

 

Then fly over the Pacific instead. ;)

[cal56girl]

Our fares from the US west coast to Britian aren't that cheap either-so I guess we are all experiencing the same problems.

 

Thanks for the info. Trans-Atlantic air fares are killing us at the moment though so I'm not sure when we're going to be able to afford another one.

 

 

 

Ah, that's very kind, thank you. Have a great cruise!

 

 

 

Thanks, I'm sure we will. :)

[GrumpyOldWesty]

Wickesy

 

Thank you so much, really enjoyed your blog and pictures, with great memories of the cruise we did on GP to the same part of the world in May/June. Brought back lots of great memories.

 

Will read your Disney blogs and will look for your future ones

 

Best wishes, and thanks again

 

Peter & Linda

[hiworldtraveler]

Aloha Wickesy,

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your beautiful photos and detailed descriptions for your trip. I really enjoyed reading about your adventure. Norwegian Fjords has been on my bucket list of cruises to do and hopefully it will be possible in the next year or two. I look forward to your future postings.

 

When you decide to cruise Alaska, also consider doing a land portion in the interior with the 7-day cruise. Princess has many options and lodges throughout the 49th state. The combinations are endless. Personally, I prefer to do the land portion first and then the cruise.

 

What type of camera did you use? If you did purchase it from QVC, I am a QVC fan. :D

[travelerbr]

Great log and great pictures. I enjoyed it so much. As already stated, some of your pictures reminded me of Alaska as well and we plan to sail to Alaska again soon. I loved reading about your daily adventures. I have been keeping trip logs since I was very young. Now they are priceless!;);)

[Bimmer09]

A picture says a thousand words....how true in your case. Thank you both for all the effort that went into this review/photo journal. I feel I've been on the Crown to Norway and I haven't even left my comfy chair thanks to you.

 

Norris

[cnd crsr]

Wickesy

 

Thanks for sharing your adventure and fantastic photos. It brought back great memories of our adventures in Norway a few years ago. One of my favourite excursions ever was the Lysefjord and of course we enjoyed the surprise at Kjossfossen.

 

Enjoy your next cruise wherever it takes you!:)