Ryndam Rules! (A completely unbiased report)

[madera1]

I am enjoying your review. The photos are wonderful. Thank you.

[Vict0riann]

Thanks for all your kind words. I thought I would talk a little bit about the cruise itself, but not too much! Everyone needs to see Norway at least once. It seemed to me to be a very expensive country, so a cruise was a wonderful way to see a lot of it, at US dollar prices! It was very well organized - first a sea day, then 3 ports, another sea day, 3 ports, sea day, 3 ports and a final sea day to recover before disembarking in Dover. When I first started looking at cruises again, it was because we had been to Antarctica last year, and it seemed appropriate to go to the Arctic this year. But it really was so much more. We had the Midnight Sun part, the Arctic Circle part, and also the Norwegian fjords part. Three for the price of one! DD had been with us to Antarctica, and immediately said she wanted in on this one, too.

 

One last photo of the ship - the Lido area while they were setting up for the dessert extravaganza -

 

[Vict0riann]

We left Dover on Saturday, July 20, sailing past the White Cliffs and Dover Castle. We had had three days in Dover before the cruise, so had explored the castle, walked along the cliffs, and spent time in the town - including buying a few bottles of wine in M & S. After the Mariners' lunch, we spent the afternoon checking out the ship and our suite. We wandered around on the Seaview pool deck during sailaway, and then sat on our verandah. After dinner in the DR, we went to a suite cocktail party in the Neptune Lounge and met the Captain and others of the crew. Everyone seemed very friendly and approachable. It was a busy day, and we were tired, so I don't think we stayed up too late! Good beds!

 

[Vict0riann]

Sunday was a sea day, but we were awake early, so we went to Mass at 8 in the Wajang Theatre, and then had breakfast in the Pinnacle. Typical sea day - very easy going. There was a talk on the future ports, then a light lunch, then we had our CC roll call Meet & Greet in the Crow's Nest. After that very intensive part of the day we sat on the verandah until nap time, and then the first formal night. We went to the late show and Captain's greeting. The show was excellent - "Aces High", and it seemed to have a real story line, which I find HAL's shows often don't have.

 

Monday morning early, we arrived in Stavanger. It is a port on the coast nestled among islands, not up a fjord. We wandered off the ship on our own after breakfast, and walked around the "old town", very near the port. It's a place I've always wanted to visit - more than 50 years ago, my first china set when we married was called Stavangerflint "Mountain Blue". I loved that set - it's all gone now, but I kind of kept my eye open to see if I might see it in a shop window! No luck. We walked around the new part of town too, and the port, which were interesting. Everything was very neat and clean.

 

Arriving in Stavanger:

 

[RuthC]

Nice day in Stavanger; you were fortunate.

Was there scenic cruising up Lysefjord after you sailed away? That's always neat, especially if the weather cooperates.

[Vict0riann]

Hi, Ruth. I lost track of all the fjords! They were all so beautiful. Actually we had amazing weather for the whole cruise, only one day with rain, in Molde (even the Captain called it Moldy!) The Midnight Sun cruise before ours had evidently been mainly fog and rain, so we were really lucky.

[Vict0riann]

This is old Stavanger that's me, trying to take a picture, and DD walking on ahead. Everything was very clean and white, away from the water, more colours closer to the water.

 

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They had lots of flowers, especially roses. Evidently a sheltered eco-system.

 

[Vict0riann]

Great parking in a crowded port!

 

[world~citizen]

You've gotta love it when a cruise comes together. :D

[Vict0riann]

This is a newer part of the port.

 

 

Leaving Stavanger:

 

[world~citizen]

Nice day in Stavanger; you were fortunate.

Was there scenic cruising up Lysefjord after you sailed away? That's always neat, especially if the weather cooperates.

 

Weather is a real game changer in Norway. We have seen it come down in sheets ...on us. Still we'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[RuthC]

Hi, Ruth. I lost track of all the fjords! They were all so beautiful. Actually we had amazing weather for the whole cruise, only one day with rain, in Molde (even the Captain called it Moldy!) The Midnight Sun cruise before ours had evidently been mainly fog and rain, so we were really lucky.

Lysefjord is the one with Pulpit Rock, frequently seen in pictures from the top, on a glorious day, with lots of people out sunning themselves.

The ship has to turn 180º on a pivot to be able to head back out. You're sure it's going to hit :eek:, but they make it every time.

 

My only visit to Molde was on one of those glorious days; sorry yours wasn't. I have fond memories of that port, greatly enhanced by the weather.

[RuthC]

Weather is a real game changer in Norway. We have seen it come down in sheets ...on us.

Don't I know it! I've been there when it was snowing---in June. :D

[Vict0riann]

Lysefjord is the one with Pulpit Rock, frequently seen in pictures from the top, on a glorious day, with lots of people out sunning themselves.

The ship has to turn 180º on a pivot to be able to head back out. You're sure it's going to hit :eek:, but they make it every time.

 

My only visit to Molde was on one of those glorious days; sorry yours wasn't. I have fond memories of that port, greatly enhanced by the weather.

 

You're right - I would have remembered that! No, we did the Sognefjord and the Geirangerfjord, plus cruising around the North Cape.There were shore excursions which went all the way to Pulpit Rock, but we didn't take one - next time!

[Vict0riann]

The next morning, bright and early, we cruised into Flam. We wandered into the town in the morning, and took a HAL-sponsored train ride in the afternoon up towards Myrdal, with beautiful scenery. It was hot! It went up to 24 that day (about 75, for your fahrenheiters!) We met our first troll - evidently Norway is riddled with them, so I had to collect them, plus sod-roofed buildings. (I actually didn't even buy a troll - none appealed to me, but there were big cuties in each town to photograph.) We left Flam to cruise the Sognefjord for over 6 hours. It was wonderful. We ordered dinner in, and ate on the verandah while watching the scenery float by. Magical!

 

 

Troll alert!

 

 

Kjosfossen waterfall from the train

 

[Vict0riann]

Dinner and scenery!

 

 

 

[Vict0riann]

Early the next morning we cruised up the Geirangerfjord to the small town of, guess what, Geiranger! Another beautiful day - up to 22 degrees. We went ashore by tender, after breakfast in the Pinnacle, and found internet, trolls, and sod roofs.

 

Approaching Geiranger.

 

 

 

Ryndam in Geiranger.

 

 

 

 

Friendly trolls!

 

[Vict0riann]

Those wonderful sod roofs!

 

 

Vikings ahoy! This was one trip I wanted to go on, but we missed the boat...

 

 

Another fjord.

 

[Vict0riann]

It was another beautiful evening to have our dinner on the verandah and enjoy the scenery.

 

 

[Vict0riann]

Out at sea, after the Geirangerfjord, we headed into a dense fog. The foghorn was sounding about every 45 seconds all through the night, and into the next morning. We had a good Captain and felt safe. Around 11 a.m. the fog suddenly lifted, the sun shone and the air warmed. At 2:30 a crowd assembled on the aft deck around the pool to prepare for the polar bear plunge! We had to greet King Nerthus, the Norse god of rivers and seas, and ask permission to cross the Arctic circle. Tubs of ice were thrown in the pool and daring passengers (not us!), various crew dressed as Vikings and their maidens all jumped in. King Nerthus watched.

 

 

After all that excitement, a nap was in order, and then a formal dinner.

 

[RuthC]

At 2:30 a crowd assembled on the aft deck around the pool to prepare for the polar bear plunge! We had to greet King Nerthus, the Norse god of rivers and seas, and ask permission to cross the Arctic circle. Tubs of ice were thrown in the pool and daring passengers (not us!), various crew dressed as Vikings and their maidens all jumped in. King Nerthus watched.

Ah! The joy of an aft pool! Can't do this on the Rotterdam or Veendam anymore. The Arctic Swim is such fun. Glad I got to do it before my cardiologist would have said "NO!". :D

 

You had a beautiful day for it.

[Vict0riann]

Yes, Ruth, we had a wonderful lot of good days!

 

As we sailed further north towards Tromso, the Captain announced that he was having to change course because of fog, and we would not arrive until afternoon, but would stay in port later. There was a shuttle into town from the dock, but huge lines, so we walked to the Botanic Garden instead. It contained mainly alpine plants, but quite a few that we have here in Victoria, too. When we returned to the dock, the lines for the shuttle were still long, so we took a taxi instead. We walked around the very pretty town and also found internet in a Burger King!

 

 

Arriving in Tromso.

 

 

At the Botanic Garden. (There's Ryndam in the background.)

 

[Vict0riann]

Beautiful downtown Tromso!

 

 

A shopping street - with stuffed reindeer...

 

 

We left Tromso about 7 - heading north!

 

[AlohaPride]

Polar Bear Plunge looks like so much fun! For sure something I would do ;) I'll have to add this cruise to my bucket list :D

[Vict0riann]

Not quite Hawaii - something like crossing the Date Line, but colder!

 

Then the next big thing was our first Midnight Sun - really eerie. This is 12.00.06 on July 27. We were at Latitude 70 deg. 28.50'N and 021 deg. 8.44'E.