Scandanavia/russia july 6-17 royal review starring florence the tiny zebra

[bluenoser2]

How does this sound - OOR HOOS ??? :)

 

Well, there seem to be multiple ways of saying it, and after studying Rik Steve's guide, his way was different than Princess's Chris Roberts. I've heard OAR hoos, and ARR-hoos....maybe it depends whether you're a pirate or not.

[bluenoser2]

Aarhus, oh, Aarhus, what can be said about you?

 

Oh! Wanna see another picture from Oslo?

 

 

 

 

Arrrrrrrrrrr.......hooossssssss mateys

 

And while we’re on the subject of Denmark, can anyone tell me what this says? I would have ordered it, but I got the frankfurter instead.

 

 

 

Oops, this was Aarhus day wasn’t it? Right….on with it….

 

Oh, and what I Learned On Royal Princess for Day 2…… (Because I forgot to insert it before….) I HIT THE WALL. Literally. Around deck 8. That blasted staircase that just stops at a wall. I think that’s just plain mean. At least have a sign there that tells you – “You’re going to look really stupid if you go up this flight of stairs…” – but nooooo….there’s nothing like that – probably just a hidden camera for the crew to enjoy. If so, that’s ok, I don’t mind being their entertainment. So I learned to not try that again.

 

Aarhus…..yes. Docking wasn’t until noon, so we had a part-sea day. DH was up early for his walk on Deck 17. I was up early writing. I do love the Royal, but oh how I miss the full promenade deck. That was my favourite walking spot. However, that being said, the walking track up on 17 is actually very nice - I just didn’t make it there much. Breakfast with DS, let the girls sleep in, and then, hold on, it doesn’t get any more exciting than this, I ironed. Oh sure, you say, you’ve ironed as well on a cruise. I ironed on TWO decks. First it was up to 9 to do DS’s formal wear shirts (which probably have never been ironed before), and then back down to 8 to do DH’s. No wonder the room stewards all knew me. And during all this festive activity, the technician arrived and fixed our TV. We decided not to chance any more port lectures.

 

We attended the $10 sale, found the library, got puzzles and a book, and then to the Vista Lounge for the “30,000 years of Art in 30 minutes”. I don’t want to nit-pick, but it was NOT 30 minutes – it was 45. However, I will forgive the speaker since she was very interesting and I believe DH stayed mostly awake for the whole thing. (It WAS early in the day.)

 

Since today required the use of (free) shuttle busses, we opted to stay on board, take our time and let the other cruisers get off first. So we had a leisurely lunch in the almost empty dining room. I had a lovely chef salad which I didn’t have to feel one bit guilty about, and followed that with an equally lovely piece of chocolate fudge cake (and not the sugar-free kind). By the time we were ready to go, the ticket system for getting a bus was done, and we could just walk off, get on a bus and be on our way immediately.

 

The famous Wood Chips of Aarhus:

 

 

 

Note that I am wearing my raincoat. It is NOT raining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We didn’t attempt much here, the cathedral was lovely inside and after losing and finding DS, we navigated over cobblestone pathways and the girls shopped at H&M. (Yes, that’s just what I was hoping for – go to Europe and investigate EVERY H&M store in every country….). A highlight was finding a department store with washrooms, and noticing this was the best price yet for 6 cans of coke ($8). We passed, since we really didn’t want to carry them, walked back to the bus and enjoyed a treat at the International Café before relaxing in our rooms or playing ping pong…

 

We got our lovely secluded table in the back corner by the window, with Narin from Thailand and Natalia from the Ukraine. Loved not being in the middle of everything. After dinner, we browsed through the hilarious pictures of our family in the photo gallery – now THIS is entertaining! – and purchased a few magnets (I know…wild and crazy….getting funky…..party on…).

 

Our kids never want to miss Showtime in the theatre, so we went to the early Sweet Soul Music production which was good – anything that keeps me singing Earth Wind and Fire is alright by me. Again, will someone please give me a good reason that people come in when it’s 2/3 over and climb over everyone – a group of 6 did that in our row, and another big group even later in the row in front of us.

 

We climbed up to Lido for pizza (disappointing – I’m sure I used to LOVE Princess pizza) and the “Princess Watercolor Fantasy” light show at the fountain. All I’ll say about this is it needs to be done when it’s dark – it was getting close to dark, and you need to know which way the wind is blowing or cover up really good with those blankets they give you! There’s a lot of spray!

[Thrak]

The sign you asked about is advertising a Roast Pork Sandwich with Red Cabbage. :)

 

Roast Pork and Red Cabbage (Flæskesteg med Rødkål)

 

 

Edited July 22, 2014 by Thrak

[Mom33]

We sailed on that ship in Oslo. It was cold and rainy but interesting. :D

[lovelyr]

so I'm waiting to hear more, and hopefully before we leave on our ship July 28.

Princess provides a free shuttle into the center of Aarchus?

[bluenoser2]

The sign you asked about is advertising a Roast Pork Sandwich with Red Cabbage. :)

 

Roast Pork and Red Cabbage (Flæskesteg med Rødkål)

 

Thank you! Hey, I would have had that if I could have SAID it! There were pictures, but I couldn't figure out what they were. So I had the frankfurter instead.

 

 

[bluenoser2]

so I'm waiting to hear more, and hopefully before we leave on our ship July 28.

Princess provides a free shuttle into the center of Aarchus?

Yes the shuttles were free and running continuously, so it was easy to get in to Aarhus, and back. See, here's Florence in the coach, with The Famous Wood Chips of Aarhus in the background as well as the Royal Princess!.

 

[Pia1913]

Marla: try the pizza in Alfredo's. I don't care for current Lido pizza either.

[ggprincess2004]

We were on that ship in Oslo, too and in that museum....please keep writing. It's so much fun to read. :D

[Grammyluvs]

Loved your day in Oslo...it was the mirror image of ours. We had torrential rain and wind while visiting the outdoor museum and arrived back at the ship soaking wet. Interestingly enough, it was one of our favorites as well.

Anxiously waiting your next installment....keep them coming.

[maggieq]

Thanks for doing this review. Can I ask what airline you use for heathrow to Copenhagen ? Wondering about the cost and carryon/checked bag cost.

 

Thanks!

[bluenoser2]

Thanks for doing this review. Can I ask what airline you use for heathrow to Copenhagen ? Wondering about the cost and carryon/checked bag cost.

 

Thanks!

We used SAS - there was no charge for one checked bag per person I believe. On Iceland Air it was no charge for 2 bags per person, but we would never have fit that much in a taxi with all of us! No charge for carry-on. It was the least expensive flight available at the time.

[bluenoser2]

Thanks Pia! And we did....but that's still to come of course!

[bluenoser2]

In the Things I Learned on the Royal Princess category – they have lemonade! We love lemonade. We were very happy to know we could ask for lemonade. (We’re pretty easy to please- especially if we can have lemonade!)

 

So maybe Aarhus got a bad rap for not being incredibly interesting, but it was a good resting day to have before this VERY busy day! We were up before 5:30 a.m. to get ready to hit the buffet by 6:00 a.m. and it was a bustling Horizon Court if I do say so myself. Kudos to my kids for being ready EARLIER than we asked – I’m so proud of them (voice trembles, wipes tears from eyes). The ship docked before 7:00 and we were able to go off as soon as we were ready.

 

We had booked all our organized tours independently with SPB tours, and they did not disappoint. As soon as we came off the ship, their orange sign was easily spotted, as were their tour people since they usually wore orange somewhere. (Our tour guide had orange nail polish, but I’m getting ahead of myself again, she wasn’t even at the port, only the drivers and tour organizers were there.) We actually could have left early, but were waiting for 2 people. However, at the dot of 7:30, the driver left without them (we were to be there at least by 7:15 to be ready to go at 7:30). Norbert. The driver. We would hear that name a lot during the day. It’s a well-known fact (to my friends and family and anyone who’s read one of my previous reviews) that busses have the same effect on me that the Princess Theatre does to DH. Yeah. I slept. I took a window seat so I wouldn’t topple into the aisle and I dozed for some of the trip. A 3 hour tour. (C’mon, you know you want to sing the song…go ahead, I’ll wait…….)

 

Anyway, after a .50 Euro stop for anyone who needed to use the WC or get refreshments, or both if they were quick, we finished the 3 hour trip (stop singing now) and met our American tour guide Heather at the Olympic Stadium.

 

 

 

 

She was an excellent guide, with so much information so interestingly given. After the initial typical bored teenager looks from the girls, they settled in and enjoyed the tour, and remembered much of what she told us. And when she changed from speaking English to us, to German for Norbert, the change in her voice was hilarious, and a bit scary the first time I heard it – made me jump (I was probably dozing….) “NORBERT!”

 

The old Berlin wall is marked by a narrow row of bricks in the roadways, that wander the modern streets in a seemingly unorganized fashion. Highly disturbing if you have any tidying tendencies.

 

 

 

(It was a rough day for Florence....)

 

 

We stopped at the Charlottenburg palace for photo ops and WC breaks if anyone needed them, and then went to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and its neighbouring new worship sanctuary. The old church has been left as it was after being bombed in 1943 as a reminder (except for what needed to be done inside to keep it safe), and the new building beside it, while pretty uninspiring to look at on the outside (they call it the egg carton building) is pretty impressive on the inside. Well worth the stop.

 

 

 

 

 

We saw and were told the history of many of the older government buildings we passed, and then got out at the Reichstag building, and ordered our lunch via Heather. Nothing like trying to get 25 or so people to decide on their order quickly and efficiently – I greatly admired her patience and ability to get us all on task.

 

 

 

 

 

[bluenoser2]

That done, we walked to the Brandenburg Gate, and joined the masses there. With the FIFA cup in full swing and Germany having just advanced to the finals the night before, there was a lot of extra apparatus around for the “Fan Park”.

 

 

 

Then it was on to the Holocaust Memorial, very close by. I have no words for this. Easily the most moving monument I have ever experienced, and pictures and word descriptions cannot possibly do it justice. You simply have to be there, in its midst to “get it”.

 

 

 

 

]

Our lunch place was just across the street from the Memorial, and having pre-ordered our meals, Heather proceeded to serve all of us – a great tour guide AND server. The kids really enjoyed their chicken schnitzel, and DH enjoyed his “free” trip to the WC that he got with the receipt from the restaurant! We had a very short time there, but there were enough souvenir shops to get the job done, and everyone got the souvenirs they “needed” before finding “NORBERT!” and the bus again.

 

 

 

 

Then it was off to East Berlin to see the remains of part of the wall, and Checkpoint Charlie. So many tourists!

 

 

The next stop was the one the girls appreciated the most – the square where one of the book burning events of **** Germany happened – 20,000 books burned, and the memorial that is underground, with enough empty shelves to hold the lost books visible through a clear window in the ground. They are big fans of The Book Thief novel so this meant a lot to them. Across the street we stopped at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

 

 

(If you read German, this quote will be very meaningful to you.....any translators in our midst? I actually do know what it says, but this is the interactive portion of the review....)

 

It was a very full day, and of course I know that one should spend much more time in Berlin to properly appreciate it, but I’m so glad we had the opportunity to see as much as we did in such a short time. We all got on the bus and said our goodbyes to Heather, before returning on our ….3 hour trip. And then, lightning, thunder and pouring rain. And I didn’t have my raincoat! But I was inside! Yay! Off we went, and of course, I slept.

 

 

We arrived back at the ship by 8:00 (needed to be back by 8:30) and headed up to the buffet for our suppers. Well, let’s be honest, it was really more about the desserts, since there was SACHER TORTE – my very favourite dessert in the whole wide world. DH went back for seconds, but I just treasured every mouthful of my only piece.

 

 

We went to the 10:15 show of “The Magic Hotel” with David Cats – very entertaining and well done.

 

We called it a day and attempted to finish watching Blue Jasmine in our room, which we had started a couple of nights before, but we keep falling asleep – this movie could take months to watch.

[Pia1913]

Translation:

 

In the center of this square burned on 10 May 1933 **** students the works of hundreds of freelance writers, journalists, philosophers and scientists.

[bluenoser2]

Well done Pia! I had a feeling you'd be first....of course, since I was posting that at some ungodly hour (hey, I slept until almost 5:00 a.m. this morning!) I managed to put the wrong picture up. Translate the other side, that's the part that made me cry.

 

[Pia1913]

I can't translate perfectly, but in essence it said:

 

There where I burn books I will also burn people.

 

What a horror. Try me with Italian; might do better. ;)

[ggprincess2004]

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale........loving it!

 

What memories your last post brought back! I haven't been to Berlin since I was a teenager, and the wall was still up. So Checkpoint Charlie and going through it is burned in my mind. So is the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Kirche....so moving. I do not recall the Holocaust Memorial, perhaps it wasn't yet built, but I do remember, most vividly of all, our visit to Dachau. To this day I close my eyes and see it in great detail.

 

Please give my best to the long suffering Florence. This trip must have taken a toll on her, as I don't believe she has had a single bite to eat on the entire trip so far. The rest of you seem to be doing just fine!

 

Please keep writing - real soon! This is such a great read.:D

[hubofhockey]

Our lunch place was just across the street from the Memorial, and having pre-ordered our meals, Heather proceeded to serve all of us – a great tour guide AND server.

 

Ha!! I remember Heather asking us to tip the woman inside the restaurant. After having more order being taken by Heather and then having her physically serve us, I decided not to tip the restaurant at all and increase the guide tip to Heather at the end. Here she is, a young lady with a masters degree from Brown University, serving us lunch as well as being one of the best guides I have come by anywhere.

[bluenoser2]

What I Learned on the Royal Princess Today: There is no need for the balcony dwellers below the Seawalk to worry about me seeing them in their rooms or on their balconies. DD1 wouldn’t even venture out there, and the 3 times I detoured to walk there I couldn’t see anything – try as I might. OK, I didn’t try, but it’s really not a big deal. The Seawalk. Not the balconies. Well, they’re not such a big deal either. Except if you have E109. That’s a big deal. To us. Oops, there I go again, loving my cheap balcony.

 

 

 

Oh, and this quick shot as we passed by – do you know how hard it is to arrange Florence’s coif in time to get a picture with her matching vehicle as the coach/bus stops for a red light?

 

 

And speaking of traffic lights, aren’t the Berlin lights just the cutest things?

 

 

 

 

Where was I? Oh yes, sea day. Clocks went ahead again, but since it was a sleep-in day that was forgivable. Another festive morning spent..... wait for it……doing laundry. I like the token system on the ship instead of having to collect American quarters for months beforehand. And the clothes – DRY – really dry after just one try. (oooh, another rhyme….I should do my next review in iambic pentameter….or not.) Sorry no pictures of that. I know. You’re terribly disappointed. I’ll just move along.

 

We visited the $19.99 watch sale, and then all of us, yes, all of us, trooped to the Fruit and Vegetable Carving demonstration in Princess Live theatre. I can’t remember the name of the crew member who led it but it was the funniest, most entertaining Fruit and Vegetable Demo I’ve been to. (And I don’t know why, I attend them on every cruise….getting funky in the Baltics….it doesn’t get any funkier than this).

 

 

 

We girls had lunch in the dining room and the guys opted for the grill up on Lido. While they enjoyed the sun above, we went to David Cat’s Magic Tricks Explained event and found it a lot of fun.

 

 

 

Later, DH and I attended the Captain’s Circle “event” in the Princess Theatre, came away with our free drink vouchers, and got ready for formal night. Picture taking ensued, and if only it was allowed, a video of our photographically dysfunctional family posing for pictures, would be a hit on YouTube.

 

Dinner was lovely – my crabmeat quiche, Cornish game hen and oreo crusted chocolate peanut butter pie all scored my highest number of stars for the cruise. (You’ll notice I haven’t been boring you with every single item I ate this time, I’ve bored you with plenty of other things, but not with my food choices.) We strolled through the piazza to see the champagne waterfall, and I made it to the far staircase before blissfully getting out of the high heels and returning to the room barefooted.

 

After a change out of our party duds, we attended the Colours of the World production show, and for the first time ever, a song that the Princess singers did brought tears to my eyes. Good tears. Not the tears I shed when I’m wincing because a note is off. The good kind when 4 great male singers get it just right for “Time to Say Goodbye”.

 

 

Up to the Lido deck for more lousy pizza - I chose the warm apple crumble with vanilla sauce instead – not because I was hungry, but because I got cold out on the deck while watching the Frank Sinatra inspired fountain/music/lights show. Again, with the sun never really setting, this is less than spectacular but the music is fun. Here it was 9:45 and the sun was still high in the sky.

 

 

(I'm probably in big trouble for posting THAT one.....)

 

 

For anyone who was concerned, we finally finished the movie.

[riansgrammy]

I am having so much fun reading your review. We leave in 3 weeks for Copenhagen and our Baltic cruise. Can't wait!!

[Mom33]

We felt the same about the tenors singing "Time to Say Goodbye".The four men were well matched for it. Whenever I hear that song it brings tears.:)

[maggieq]

We used SAS - there was no charge for one checked bag per person I believe. On Iceland Air it was no charge for 2 bags per person, but we would never have fit that much in a taxi with all of us! No charge for carry-on. It was the least expensive flight available at the time.

 

Thank you!

[bluenoser2]

WHAT I LEARNED ON ROYAL PRINCESS TODAY: A lap around the halls of Emerald deck is .57 kilometers. Therefore if it was inclement weather, I could get a 5K done in less than 10 times around….and given the recent talk on the boards about carts in the hallways, I could get bonus points for doing an obstacle course (they never bothered me).

 

Tallinn was like a birthday gift that comes in a little ordinary box and when you open it up you’re amazed by its beauty and delighted by its treasures. Tallinn is like when someone makes you go to a party you don’t really want to go to, but you get dragged there anyway, and it turns out to be the best ever time (cue funky music….). Tallinn is like the little tiny jewel in a gigantic crown that sparkles and makes you want to focus on just it. Enough with the similes….on with Tallinn.

 

After breakfast in the dining room, we headed out for our little private walking tour with Rick Steves. Well, with the pages we ripped out of his Scandinavia book…close enough. I could still hear his voice in my head. It was a beautiful day, just right with jeans and a light sweater, and VERY GOOD WALKING SHOES. Lots of cobblestones to walk on. DS commented that “it would be nice if they could just make them more uniform in size and shape….”, to which I replied that they (1) weren’t new, and produced by our 21st century standards, and (B) they weren’t all from the same year, or century.

 

 

 

We LOVED this city –walked through all the old streets with their beautiful buildings. The musicians, in particular this one:

 

 

 

were playing beautifully (and can someone tell me what that instrument is? Interactive time…c’mon…) and the acoustics in the walled alleyway were amazing. I got all teary again. (It doesn’t take much musically to tear me up….I’m a rock otherwise, really, just ask my kids…..well except for watching The Notebook….)

 

 

 

We stopped at a tourist info place with free Wi-Fi and got caught up there before going to a café for cokes (our first in 6 days….trembling fingers, palpitations…), but mostly going there for the washroom.

 

We visited the Russian Orthodox cathedral …one word….WOW.

 

 

The girls found their souvenirs, I later pulled the same stunt of “oh, it’ll be in another shop later” and missed out on my chance to get the linen items I liked….I just never learn! We went through the market in the town square which was a bustling wonderful spot with the vendors dressed in traditional costumes, and selling all sorts of interesting things that we didn’t want to carry. Basically, there was something around every corner to enjoy and enjoy we did!

 

 

We were back at the ship for a late lunch and had a restful afternoon, gearing up for our dinner at the Crown Grill. We normally wouldn’t splurge for this with our 2 semi-vegetarian daughters (they’ll eat meat only if they feel like it and it isn’t tough, or icky, or weird, or……so basically chicken nuggets for DD2 usually…..) but it was part of the 3 for free deal we had gotten when we booked. So it was our first time experiencing a specialty restaurant. Oh my. I had to try the black and blue onion soup because I had heard so much about it on the CC boards, and it was good. When ordering, my family had all looked at me in part horror and part confusion – we don’t have steak a lot, so all I could tell them was that the filet mignon was the smallest cut (thinking of the girls….). Next thing I know the entire family has ordered filet mignons – the guys added lobster tails to that.

 

 

She finished it all. Yep. Words like “I don’t want to like this, but I doooooooooo….” Kept coming out of DD1’s mouth. And DD2 actually ordered beef in the MDR 2 more times after this, so I think she was impressed too. Dessert was an opportunity for Princess to redeem itself to our CSKs. (Carnival Snob Kids). The chocolate volcano cake was bigger than the chocolate melting cake on Carnival but we were all so full, who could finish that? DH and I shared the platter of all 4 desserts – in mini form – I liked that – I like anything where I don’t have to decide – you do not want to be with me in a mall food court.

 

At 8:30 we waddled to Showtime with Jonathan Ansell – a young tenor that our girls had actually heard of. They sat down front and narrowly missed being chosen to be sung to. One more time to change the clocks ahead AND a very early morning to come. Yikes! It’s time for St. Petersburg, RUSSIA!