Live from Journey Norway Cruise

[Alsun]

Lovely photos. Brings back great memories of our cruise last August on Pursuit which was a first in many ways (first cruise, maiden voyage, first time Norway etc).

 

We are returning to Norway later this summer and hopefully will also be joining Azamara in 2020.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[LuAnn]

We thought Oslo was just super...and loved the park with the sculptures. Glad you are having such a great time...thanks for the report!! LuAnn

[mchell810]

16 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

We has decided that we wanted to see the Fram Museum which has the original Fram ship that was used by both Nansen and Amundsen in their polar expeditions.

 

HGC -- Now I've got to add Norway to my wishlist!  Lovely photos. Thanks for taking us along on this cruise.

Edited July 2, 2019 by mchell810

[Doh15]

Thanks for the report and pictures!   Wonder if you think there's anything to pick between port and starboard cabins on this cruise?

[Grandma Cruising]

I’ll tell you later - we’re on the starboard side, but we’re out at sea today. 

I’ll continue posting properly later today.

[KazLoudspeaker]

And we are on the port side! Some movement overnight, my bedside table draw kept going in & out by itself.

Karyn

[Grandma Cruising]

38 minutes ago, KazLoudspeaker said:

And we are on the port side! Some movement overnight, my bedside table draw kept going in & out by itself.

Karyn

You can say that again - it got pretty rough in the early hours and we’re still ‘rocking & rolling’ a bit, 

[Grandma Cruising]

 

To continue!

Monday 1 July

The taxi arrived on time (11:15) to take six of us to Filipstad cruise terminal. It was an unusual check in process.  Apparently there is no proper cruise terminal at this Quay, so first of all we went into a hanger like building to have our passports checked by immigration, then we were bussed to the ship where we first of all went through the ships security - interestingly, even though we had uploaded photos onto the website, we still had our photos taken. We then went to the Caberet lounge where we were checked in and left one item of hand luggage to be delivered to our cabin later.

 

Next stop was the Patio where my DH had his favourite Greek Burger and I had a chicken skewer and fries - delicious as ever!

 

We were able to go to our cabins just after 1:30, and found one suitcase and our hand baggage already there, and our other suitcase followed very shortly, so by 2:30 we were all unpacked. The muster drill was at 4 and then the Cruise Critic social (Meet & Mingle) was at 6. There was a great turn out for this and it was a really nice event. We were delighted, and surprised, that it was hosted by Eric, as we thought he was leaving the ship at Oslo. It turned out that Alicia was unwell, so Eric was staying on for an extra week, during which time he will be mentoring his ACD, Danny Turner, who will take over as CD when Eric leaves the ship.

 

We ate in Discoveries, sharing a table. As always a lovely meal - we both had the chef’s special which was Filet Mignon. 

 

We went to see the show in the Cabaret lounge. It was a selection of song and dance items from the entertainers - the Signature Singers & Dancers - Anna Baker, Michael Bradley, Lacy Smith,  Marielle Frey, Connor Bermingham & Michael Matthew Sakelos, plus the comedian/magician Mel Mellers and, of course, Eric. It was a really good show - some wonderful voices and a really good mix of music.

 

During the afternoon Captain Johannes has warned us that we would encounter some fairly high seas overnight and he was right. As we went to bed we could feel the movement, and at 3-4am it got pretty rough, but had eased quite a lot by breakfast time.

 

Today (2July) is a Sea day so we plan just to rest and relax - probably inside, as the maximum forecast temperature for today is 43F/6C!

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 2019 by Host Grandma Cruising

[Grandma Cruising]

2July contd.

We had a quiet morning reading in the Living Room. The Journey Orchestra was supposed to play on the Pool Deck stage from noon, but it was too cold, so instead they played in the Living Room. Likewise we had intended to eat lunch at the Patio, but the icy blast soon made us change our plans. We went instead to Windows at 12:30, which was not a good idea - it was very busy and we struggled to dine a table.

The cooking station was making Moules Marinieres, with fresh crispy bread buns - they were lovely.  I also had some chickpea curry with jasmine rice and popadoms.

 

In the noon announcement Captain Johannes told us that he got permission for the ship to take on a pilot and go through the inner passage towards Flam, which would be calmer and more spectacular. We expect to take the pilot on at 3pm, so the late afternoon and evening Cruising should be great.

[cinnamon]

 Sounding wonderful..... but cold!  

[KazLoudspeaker]

Yes, as Denise has said it is a bit cooler today. We have had to dig out our jackets, etc. We slept in til 10.30am. Our first real sleep in since we left home back on May 9th! We really enjoyed it. Up for a destination enrichment lecture given by Dr Short on Norway. Then we braved the cold and had lunch out on the patio. Chicken soup and lamb skewer, was yummo. We had to chase up our shore excursion tours tickets, as they were not left in our cabin (same happened the previous cruise too) and give our CC for this cruise (was too busy every time we went to the desk yesterday). After this we went down to the cabin to enjoy the vistas passing the window. French buffet tonight in windows and a comedian Mel Mellers, Gemma Rose on the piano in Spirits and the Captain's welcome toast. Arriving in Flam at about 6.30am tomorrow and currently weaving in and out of islands scattered along the coast. Some pics of the houses we have passed, position on the map and one of the bridges we have gone under. 

Karyn

 

[uktog]

Captain Johannes always seems to use that route, we did it at night and it was lovely seeing people waving to us even in the pouring rain.

Gemma Rose in Spirits is so good, she made our cruises in May.

Looks like you will be keeping the cold weather for the next few days but then after all it is Norway

[Grandma Cruising]

And on top of the bridge was a friend of Johannes waving a Norwegian flag!

 

Here’s a few more photos of the scenery we went past his afternoon.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Host Grandma Cruising

[Grandma Cruising]

I forgot to say that we had breakfast in Discoveries this morning for the first time, despite our previous 7 cruises and really enjoyed it. We just had items from the buffet which was good, though not quite as extensive as in Windows. Wefound it really relaxed, very good service and plenty of available tables

[excitedofharpenden]

12 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

I forgot to say that we had breakfast in Discoveries this morning for the first time, despite our previous 7 cruises and really enjoyed it. We just had items from the buffet which was good, though not quite as extensive as in Windows. Wefound it really relaxed, very good service and plenty of available tables

I really like the MDR for breakfast. Especially if it's chilly outside and you don't want the buffet. 

 

A tip I discovered for breakfast there. If like me you have cooked after your cereal and/or fruit, they have in the past on my cruises obviously plated the hot stuff as soon as the order is received in the kitchen and put it under the food warmer which means if you take your time with the starters, by the time you get the main course the plate is baking hot and any food on there is still cooking. Not so good for eggs which were literally stuck to the plate. So now I await the first course and then order the hot stuff which comes out fresher. Might not be an issue on your cruise, but it's worked for me. 

 

Phil 

[uktog]

That friend is always there- at least it wasn't torrential rain for him this time! I have just seen the video the friend took, weather looks lovely

[Bloodaxe]

25 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

I forgot to say that we had breakfast in Discoveries this morning for the first time, despite our previous 7 cruises and really enjoyed it. We just had items from the buffet which was good, though not quite as extensive as in Windows. Wefound it really relaxed, very good service and plenty of available tables

 

Discoveries is always our first choice for breakfast if we are not in a hurry to get off the ship.

[uktog]

2 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

Discoveries is always our first choice for breakfast if we are not in a hurry to get off the ship.

A lot of people are "discovering" there though and it was getting pretty crowded and slow in June and a lot of the hot food was coming of the serving dishes so not quite as good as it used to be.  If the cat is out of the bag, be a little less attractive going forward

[Bloodaxe]

2 minutes ago, uktog said:

A lot of people are "discovering" there though and it was getting pretty crowded and slow in June and a lot of the hot food was coming of the serving dishes so not quite as good as it used to be.  If the cat is out of the bag, be a little less attractive going forward

 

It was fine on Pursuit a couple of weeks ago, just has good has always.

[Grandma Cruising]

12 minutes ago, uktog said:

That friend is always there- at least it wasn't torrential rain for him this time! I have just seen the video the friend took, weather looks lovely

It was lovely and sunny, but a very cold wind. The forecast seems to be showing nothing higher than 10C (50F) for the next week or so.

[Lottie A]

I hardly ever go to Windows for breakfast. I much prefer the quiet and calm service of Discoveries. Hope it's not very busy on Pursuit in two weeks. 

[bbqoug]

I am really enjoying reading along as you enjoy your cruise.

On Journey in April the Chef's Special was also Filet Mignon on our first night and it was fantastic.

I also really like the Greek Burger at the Patio.

 

Thank you to those on the cruise for your descriptions and photos.

 

 

[excitedofharpenden]

22 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

I hardly ever go to Windows for breakfast. I much prefer the quiet and calm service of Discoveries. Hope it's not very busy on Pursuit in two weeks. 

I must admit that I've never had an issue on Pursuit. It does depend upon itinerary and passenger mix. If it's port intensive then my experience has been that it's very quiet in there. Sea days are busier, but not a problem. If Joe is there (and I think he is) then ask to be seated at his station. He is an absolute star!

 

Phil 

[Lottie A]

5 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

I must admit that I've never had an issue on Pursuit. It does depend upon itinerary and passenger mix. If it's port intensive then my experience has been that it's very quiet in there. Sea days are busier, but not a problem. If Joe is there (and I think he is) then ask to be seated at his station. He is an absolute star!

 

Phil 

Thank Phil, I will ask for Joe. Only one sea day in 10 nights so most people will be getting off pretty early for tours I should think. I won't be! 😂

[Cool Fool]

Grandma, so glad you’re doing a “live from Journey”. Our first Azamara cruise begins when you get to Edinburgh but I feel like we’re already on board!