Hello from Bergen

[Peregrina651]

3 minutes ago, Marianna49 said:

I don't remember if I asked already 😕, how is the internet speed? Thanks.

 

As on all sailings, it varies but because the ship is so far north of the equator, expect it to be slow or even nonexistent when the ship is not in direct line of site of the satellite, which orbits at the equator--like when in the fjords.

[retiredman]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Chef's Table menus are not tied to the itinerary. You should be able to see the  Chef's Table offerings for your sailing on MVJ, where you made your reservations. And, yes, you should be able to make changes to your reservations once you board.

 

 

Thank you, I have checked out those menus. Do you know if all four variations would be offered during a 12 night trip?

[Peregrina651]

25 minutes ago, retiredman said:

 

Thank you, I have checked out those menus. Do you know if all four variations would be offered during a 12 night trip?

 

The 4 menus will each run three nights in a row. You could even get 5 different menus on a sailing if you happen to board on night 3 of the first menu. The kitchen schedule is separate from the comings and goings of passengers. CT works its way through its featured menus (I don't know how many there are these days), changing every three days regardless of the length of the current itinerary and when they have gone through them all they start again--3 days, change, 3 days, change, ad infinitum. The main kitchen also has its rota of menus that change every night over a longer interval so that unless you are on a very long cruise you will not repeat menus. Manfredi's menu is a fixed menus with a special or two each night.

[Little Monty]

10 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

As on all sailings, it varies but because the ship is so far north of the equator, expect it to be slow or even nonexistent when the ship is not in direct line of site of the satellite, which orbits at the equator--like when in the fjords.

Thanks Peregrina651 .. correct. 2 hours ago we had none, now it is pretty good. Generally it has been ok for emails and reading the news etc.

[Little Monty]

Re the Captain’s welcome .. we boarded on Monday and the welcome was at 9.25pm on Tuesday. Too late for us 💤 

[Little Monty]

Tried to upload a photo on DW’s phone but wi fi couldn’t handle, so maybe wi fi not so good right now. It might post later once we have mobile phone coverage. Gotta go 👋

[molymoo]

On 5/29/2019 at 1:47 PM, Little Monty said:

My Floyen was better than Ulriken .. more to do once you get up there in our opinion. And you can walk back to town.

 

A cruise on the fjord in the sunshine is fantastic (leaves from in front of fish market).

 

Bergen has the most wonderful Christmas shop (on the Bryggen wharf).

 

Lovely home made wares for sale in the alleyways behind the Bryggen.

 

Just take your time, walk around, and enjoy. 😀

 

We love Bergen and have been a couple of times.  Our preference is to take off on our own ... agree that Floyen is a nicer trip than Ulriken but we have enjoyed both ... we purchase tickets for Floyen before our trip to save time standing in line. 

 

We love the fish market!  It is amazing and they have stalls that cook the fish as it comes in ... we have had a delicious lunch there more than once!  There is also a nice sausage stand that sells a lot of local specialties served "hot dog" style with local mustards and trimmings.  This is just up the street from the McDonalds ... just look for the line! 

 

There is a wonderful "small plates" restaurant that we hope to visit this summer when we return to Bergen via Into the Midnight Sun.  It has somewhat modernized versions of traditional Norwegian cuisine and it is delicious!  I married a Norwegian and have had many, many "opportunities" to "enjoy" Norwegian cuisine (fish balls, lutefisk, plukkfisk, gravlox, etc) but none can compare with what we truly enjoyed at Bare Vestland!!

Edited May 31, 2019 by molymoo

[Little Monty]

6 minutes ago, molymoo said:

 

We love Bergen and have been a couple of times.  Our preference is to take off on our own ... agree that Floyen is a nicer trip than Ulriken but we have enjoyed both ... we purchase tickets for Floyen before our trip to save time standing in line. 

 

We love the fish market!  It is amazing and they have stalls that cook the fish as it comes in ... we have had a delicious lunch there more than once!  There is also a nice sausage stand that sells a lot of local specialties served "hot dog" style with local mustards and trimmings.  This is just up the street from the McDonalds ... just look for the line! 

 

There is a wonderful "small plates" restaurant that we hope to visit this summer when we return to Bergen via Into the Midnight Sun.  It has somewhat modernized versions of traditional Norwegian cuisine and it is delicious!  I married a Norwegian and have had many, many "opportunities" to "enjoy" Norwegian cuisine (fish balls, lutefisk, plukkfisk, gravlox, etc) but none can compare with what we truly enjoyed at Bare Vestland!!

Thanks molymoo, I should have asked you for recommendations myself ! 

 

Today in Geirangerfjord we had low cloud and a little light rain but it was still glorious. We did the included excursion and then had lunch in town.  

 

The included excursion was fine as it hit the spots we wanted.

 

Remembering of course we come from a warm climate and the sight of snow capped mountains above beautiful fjords is a treat we don’t get very often.

 

If you live in the Rockies or other locations with similar outlooks you might want to do something different.

 

Unfortunately the excursion was cut 30 min short as there was a small landslip on one of the high roads which closed that road this morning.

 

It was cold but quite ok with appropriate layered clothing .. although I did wear two pairs of socks and two beanies just in case 😀

[Peregrina651]

4 hours ago, Little Monty said:

It was cold but quite ok with appropriate layered clothing .. although I did wear two pairs of socks and two beanies just in case 😀

 

No such things as bad weather, only bad clothing choices.

 

This is a good reminder that even it is warm when we leave Boston, we will need to have cold weather gear just in case.

 

Also, if you are planning to go up to Mt. Dalsnibba while in Geiranger, it will be at least 20°F colder with a wind-chill that will make it feel ever colder.

[Nonnie1975]

Thank you Peregrina for the heads up for Mt. Dalsnibba!  We are going there and now will take gloves, a beanie and a scarf.  Coming from Texas this will be a shock to our bodies, it is in the low 90's here.

[Nonnie1975]

Thank you Molymoo for the hints on what to do and where to eat in Bergen.  Soaking in all of this information and writing it down.  It will be a busy day when we are there.  So much to do and not enough time.

[iluv2cruztoo]

While on a Princess Norwegian Fjords cruise in July, 2017, we were in Bergen and did a Segway tour. The guide took our group on a tour of the city, through the fish market and along lots of back roads.  The highlight was traveling up a steep hill -- almost as high as the furnicular -- where we enjoyed a breathtaking view.  It was the most fun ever!

[Peregrina651]

44 minutes ago, Nonnie1975 said:

Thank you Peregrina for the heads up for Mt. Dalsnibba!  We are going there and now will take gloves, a beanie and a scarf.  Coming from Texas this will be a shock to our bodies, it is in the low 90's here.

 

Don't buy tickets for Mt. Dalsnibba until you get there because if it is a cloudy day and you can't see back down the valley to the fjord, you will be disappointed at how much money you have spent for so little return.

[Nonnie1975]

Periegrina, we have already booked a tour.  Hope the weather gods will be nice to us. Thanks for the info.

[Dauntless]

On 5/30/2019 at 4:53 PM, retiredman said:

 

Thank you, I have checked out those menus. Do you know if all four variations would be offered during a 12 night trip?

 

 Our experience last year at this time, was the menu changed every other day.  I think Viking has 8 or 10 different variations but not all are available on every ship.  Under old policy we had 6 changes on 14 night cruise in '16 and '18 on 12 night cruise there were 6 changes and no repeats.

[Little Monty]

Afternoon all. We are enjoying a sea day ahead if our visit to Faroe Islands tomorrow (Sunday). It’s cool and there is a little rain about, but conditions are quite good with just a gentle rocking side to side.

 

A couple of FYI’s ..

 

Our Captain is Tony Fast. We have been told by a staff member he was 2nd in command during the emergency situation in March. We have also been told the Captain during that situation is on leave but returns to work next month - on another ship - to relieve another Captain who is taking leave. Again, just what we have been told.

 

Because it is cold and wet everyone had lunch inside today. It got a little crowded but was manageable. The staff work very hard to keep things moving ( clearing and resetting tables, for example).

 

As it is a sea day I assume wi fi usage is high, nevertheless I have been reading the news, sending emails, reading Cruise Critic etc without any problems.

 

We went to a show last night performed by Asst Cruise Director Brian Rodriguez. It was excellent. This guy has a great voice and is very entertaining. If you get the chance I encourage you to go to one of his shows.

 

We like a cup of tea to start the day. We are not coffee drinkers so we haven’t tried the coffee machine in the cabin, and it is too far to go and get tea from Explorers Lounge or Cafe. So what we do each morning is ring Room Service and ask them to bring a large pot of hot water, 2 English Breakfast tea bags, a small cup of milk and two cups. The water arrives hot and we think it it a great option. I always give a small tip to show our appreciation.

 

 

Life on board is very comfortable and whilst nothing is ever perfect, we couldn’t be more happy with our cruise experience so far.

 

It is our first time ever in The Chef’s Table tonight, I’ll let you know my thoughts tomorrow 🍷

 

Cheers, LM

 

[xstemboatr]

Yes, we have already planned on gloves, warm hats, neck warmers, rain proof clothing etc. (the waterfalls in Iceland should be amazing and the spray from those could be soaking, we predict !?  We used to live in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, so are all too familiar with cold conditions. 

[xstemboatr]

19 hours ago, iluv2cruztoo said:

While on a Princess Norwegian Fjords cruise in July, 2017, we were in Bergen and did a Segway tour. The guide took our group on a tour of the city, through the fish market and along lots of back roads.  The highlight was traveling up a steep hill -- almost as high as the furnicular -- where we enjoyed a breathtaking view.  It was the most fun ever!

This looks like sooo much fun !!  Thank you for all your valuable info.  !  Enjoy the Faroe Islands.  We have been told from a gentleman who lives in Iceland that they are absolutely beautiful ! 

[Liz Masterson]

I did a Segway Tour in Scottsdale AZ with my 79-year-old father. We loved it.  I am enjoying hearing about all your adventures! I have to pay for my cruise this week for 2020... so it's making me feel better seeing all the fun!

[Dauntless]

6 hours ago, Little Monty said:

 

We went to a show last night performed by Asst Cruise Director Brian Rodriguez. It was excellent. This guy has a great voice and is very entertaining. If you get the chance I encourage you to go to one of his shows.

 

 

It is our first time ever in The Chef’s Table tonight, I’ll let you know my thoughts tomorrow 🍷

 

Cheers, LM

 

Brian was our Asst CD on the Star for MO last year.  I mentioned to him he should sing "Bigger Isn't Better' during the show he did last night for you.  I have the music if he'd like a copy I could get it to him.  Check with him please and we can work out details.  His voice is fantastic and his personality is great but due to his size and that voice it doesn't always seem to go together.  Kind of like the Jim Nabors/Gomer Pyle set up.  He needs some more fun numbers and let the operatic stuff be more show stopper.  Stop the show he does.

 

I really like Chef's Table.  Not like my normal night out but then I'm not normally on a ship having dinner.  It's vacation so do the things you don't normally do.  I hope you become a fan too.

[bobolz]

LM

 

thanks for posting updates. Getting very excited for our trip that immediately follows yours. So it sounds like there is no eating outside for this upcoming cruise. How about the pool deck and the retractable cover? Is anyone using the pool deck, or is it inside activities only? I’m trying to decide if I should bring turtlenecks even though we are bringing a down jacket that we can roll up and pack easily. I’m assuming he temps inside dining rooms are comfortable? I’m trying to limit bringing too many bulky items since we are DV room, which looks like it has limited storage.

 

thanks for your feedback.

 

Liz 

[Little Monty]

Just catching up .. I’ve been busy 🙂

 

Chefs Table was great and we have booked again later in the week. There were a number of spare tables so if you didn’t get the bookings you wanted before you board, keep checking.

 

16 hours ago, bobolz said:

LM

 

thanks for posting updates. Getting very excited for our trip that immediately follows yours. So it sounds like there is no eating outside for this upcoming cruise. How about the pool deck and the retractable cover? Is anyone using the pool deck, or is it inside activities only? I’m trying to decide if I should bring turtlenecks even though we are bringing a down jacket that we can roll up and pack easily. I’m assuming he temps inside dining rooms are comfortable? I’m trying to limit bringing too many bulky items since we are DV room, which looks like it has limited storage.

 

thanks for your feedback.

 

Liz 

 

Hey Liz .. correct, very little if any eating outside. They set up an extra service point in the pool area to compensate. The pool has been covered all week and it is a popular area where people relax ... and eat and drink 🍷

 

I find the temperature inside a little cool at times, but I am a wimp and wear a sleeveless pullover most of the time even when others are in short sleeves. 

 

Today on Faroe Islands it was cold and windy this morning and cold and raining from midday onwards. Nevertheless the landscape is quite remarkable and you just have to get out and see it.

 

I am running late so will be back tomorrow with my thoughts on our excursion and some other comments.

 

The Captain has just advised us we are heading into bad weather. Instead of a sea day tomorrow and arrival into Iceland on Tuesday we will now arrive late tomorrow (he is going to step on the gas tonight). 

[Peregrina651]

50 minutes ago, Little Monty said:

They set up an extra service point in the pool area to compensate.

 

Actually, this added service point seems to be fleet wide now. We had similar on our Med cruise at New Year's. I like it but it just makes it harder to decide what I want for lunch and drives DH crazy as I check out everything before deciding.

[retiredman]

This will be our first VO cruise so I don't know if it is something new, but I selected our dinner reservations and for the Chefs Table they let you know what the menu will be for each evening. 

[CharTrav]

On 5/30/2019 at 3:59 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

Chef's Table menus are not tied to the itinerary. You should be able to see the  Chef's Table offerings for your sailing on MVJ, where you made your reservations. And, yes, you should be able to make changes to your reservations once you board.

 

Learn something new everyday -- didn't know that when you reserve Chef's Table from MVJ the menu is given too.  That certainly was NOT the case when we did a Carib cruise on the Sky back in 2015 for a January 2016 sailing . It was like you were taking a complete gamble on food you'd get.  Nice to know!