Celebrity Silhouette, Norwegian Fjords Sept. 1 2019

[lola2013]

WOO HOO...Bimmer and Carol's Excellent Adventure has begun.  I had my calendar marked so I could join in.

Now I have you guys on Silhouette along with another Chicagoan, Paul, currently doing a transpacific on Millennium.  Guess where you'll find me for the next two weeks.....

Susan

[Jasperdo]

I checked my calendar this morning and it said "Norris Celebrity Norwegian Cruise". So I mosey on over to the Celebrity board, and lo and behold, there it is. I've pulled a deck chair up to the railing and I'm ready to sail the Fjords. ( I hope you found Polly Parrot while you were there. I heard she was pinning for them.)

Edited September 10, 2019 by Jasperdo

[andyfriend80]

We were on this cruise too - looking forward to reading your thoughts.

[deladane]

Norris!!  I've been looking forward to this review,!!  You're already off to such a great start with beautiful photos (as always!).  I just finished posting my Paris/London trip report so now I have lots of free time to focus on reading your review.  Can't wait to read the rest!!

[PhillyTravelBug]

Can’t wait to read this review! Norway is at the top of my bucket list.  Did Alaska this year and have to convince the others to do another colder climate destination.

[Walt fan]

You were on my calendar Norris!  Already on page 2 with amazing photos.  I will have a glass of wine each night and enjoy this adventure through your prose and lens.  What a hotel!!!

[Bimmer09]

As is my custom I like to give you some photos before replying to the many posts you so kindly

offer. I love the feedback and it urges me write everyday but I don't want you to have to read long back and forth texts of me saying thank you. I thank everyone who clicks on this post.

 

A river cruise? What a capital idea Miss Carol! (I call her "Your Grace" as we have both been watching Game of Thrones a lot lately-starting at episode 1 from 2011)

She, who always has Rick Steves guides open on her phone, led us to the Thames River Services booth adjacent to Westminster Pier where the boats tie up.

 

 

We want a nice long ride to Greenwich which is dear to me as I used to use a rehearsal studio there when getting a band together to join Royal Caribbean's Song of Norway back in 1986, which led me to do 44 cruises as a musician. Woodwharf Studios on the Thames and I would see it from the water today.

 

Carol buys the tickets

 

The boat leaves in 30 minutes so we go to the waiting room

 

A competing cruise line boards first

 

We are onboard and I have picked us seats with no humans directly  ahead of us

 

My dad was a ship's Captain so I am always curious on boats

 

Out on the blue, er, brown waters of the Thames is where everyone wants to be

 

The bosun does whatever it is bosuns do and we are away from the pier and heading towards some dashedly handsome ancient and modern architecture!

[Bimmer09]

3 hours ago, Walt fan said:

You were on my calendar Norris!  Already on page 2 with amazing photos.  I will have a glass of wine each night and enjoy this adventure through your prose and lens.  What a hotel!!!

 

Welcome back! 

The hotel was wonderful and Carol will never let me forget how wonderful it was. Quiet, elegant and above all-free minibar in the room! Hooray! Nespresso machine too and so well situated for us. You will see us having fine breakfasts outdoors on their terrace and having High Tea when we get back from Norway. 

 

We are not "modern" hotel fans-we like classic hotels with more wood than glass and with uniformed staff. A little history doesn't hurt either....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Horseguards_Hotel

 

Norris

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

8 hours ago, Joeghartman said:

Can’t wait to read this review! Norway is at the top of my bucket list.  Did Alaska this year and have to convince the others to do another colder climate destination.

 

Well it will be a while afore we get to Norway but I would love you to stick around as Norway was...nah, I am a slave to chronology and you'll have to wait and see. I took a lot of photos in Norway....might give you a hint. 

Alaska? Been there on 3 cruises and it is worth a 4th. Norway doesn't have that much wildlife

unless you count the man-eating sheep I have heard about. Oh, I've just been told it was a man eating lamb at a restaurant in Bergen...I sometimes don't read things very carefully. 

 Thanks for coming aboard!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

9 hours ago, deladane said:

Norris!!  I've been looking forward to this review,!!  You're already off to such a great start with beautiful photos (as always!).  I just finished posting my Paris/London trip report so now I have lots of free time to focus on reading your review.  Can't wait to read the rest!!

 Dana, you are most welcome here.

To those who aren't familiar Dana is an ace CC reviewer/photographer who has just finished a must-read review of a land trip to Paris and London which everyone should read before visiting either city. It's in the European Ports section on CC.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

9 hours ago, andyfriend80 said:

We were on this cruise too - looking forward to reading your thoughts.

 

And you shall have them!  I tell the good the bad and the ugly (if there is any).

You may have seen me around the ship (but mainly aft) with a big black and green Canon bag

weighing me down (16 lbs)

Thanks for joining us here!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Lovely day out on the water as we sail past our hotel

 

 

Charing Cross Station and the moored restaurant ship Hispaniola

 

Into the great wide open, under the skies of blue...

 

 

One of my favorite buildings

 

More tomorrow...

Norris

[Bimmer09]

15 hours ago, Jasperdo said:

I checked my calendar this morning and it said "Norris Celebrity Norwegian Cruise". So I mosey on over to the Celebrity board, and lo and behold, there it is. I've pulled a deck chair up to the railing and I'm ready to sail the Fjords. ( I hope you found Polly Parrot while you were there. I heard she was pinning for them.)

 

Welcome, friend.

Pining for the Fjords?!

This is a dead parrot. She has shuffled off this mortal coil and joined the choir invisibule (sic)...

I will attempt to bring the Fjords right into your living room so you might want to move the TV and the sofa...

[Bimmer09]

19 hours ago, CRLess said:

Norris....I'm strapped in for the ride.  Let's go!

 

Welcome friend!

I may drop a link on the Princess board...

Norris

[Bimmer09]

19 hours ago, Groovybusybee said:

Pulling up a chair...........been looking forward to your next review.

 

Debbie

 

Thank you Debbie!

Always happy to see some British readers.

All nationalities welcome.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Rollin', rollin,' rollin' on the river

 

 

The Globe theater

 

Wow...

 

 

A young man was busy talking through the PA system but I don't remember what he said, only that there was too much of it. I already knew this was The Shard, tallest building in Europe.

[Bimmer09]

Double deckers

 

 

HMS Belfast and cruise ship Ocean Majesty

 

 

The New

 

and the Old

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Good news is that I now have this Thursday off work and can push this along a bit faster and that Flickr has responded to me with a fix and that I will finally have time to fix my signature which is missing my last cruise on Azamara. No I don't mean it was my last cruise on Az as there will certainly be more with the next already booked for October 2020.

 

Norris

[jimbri]

Looking forward to your review and photos!!

[hockeyguru32]

Into the great wide open, under the skies of blue... Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers

Rollin', rollin,' rollin' on the river....CCR or Tina Turner

[SleepingUgly]

These pictures are bringing back wonderful memories so thank you so much for sharing!  I used to "have to" travel to London for work @ 1-2 times a month , and I hated it because it was - you know - for work.  I never learned to really appreciate the city until many trips in.  Have not been back in a couple of years and have really missed it.  Just goes to show you - you never really appreciate something until you don't have it anymore!  Thanks again for reminding me why I love the city so much!

[JimmyVWine]

I'm thrilled that you have fjound the thime to write this up and post your photos.  So fjar everthing is fjantastic.  I'll be along fjor the full thour!

[mrsgoggins]

22 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

This afternoon, Friday September 30, we will fight the jet-lag with a Thames River cruise down to Greenwich and back.

 

Jet-lag east to west too maybe Norris 😉?

 

I’m delighted to see this review for this was the cruise we should have been on but had to cancel due to a clash of commitments.  I had intended rising at the crack of dawn to seek you out too!

 

We were, however, on the Ireland and Iceland on the Silhouette cruise just a few weeks earlier and loved the ship.  We also had wake views but on deck 11.  Great London photos - you most definitely have a good eye for detail.  

 

Thanks, Moira

[deladane]

1 hour ago, singinalot said:

 

I was thinking of just putting a link in mine to a google doc or something that has the link to all of my reviews...since we have such limited space now...interested in how you're going to update yours 🙂

 

That's how I handled the "signature situation" and it seems to be working well.  I still think it's very annoying that we are so restricted in our signatures as there are many of us who like to keep the links to our old reviews accessible and conveniently located, but such is life!   

[tcmagnum]

LOVE the pictures!!