My first cruise

[bbtablet]

On our first cruise, 2 weeks way back in 2000, we ate more than we normally would in the first week (difficult not to!), and felt bloated and uncomfortable for the second week. Learned that lesson the hard way, so my advice wou;d be to be careful to pace yourselves!

[SarahHben]

We should be in Stavanger today, however the captain and pilot tried several times but decided it was too windy, 🥴 So we are heading towards Olden and might sail into the fjord early depending on conditions when we get there. Disappointing, I just hope we don’t have problems getting into the other ports.
 Silver lining though, it did mean I had an impromptu shopping trip and got 25% off a Radley handbag 😁

We had dinner in the Pearl restaurant last night, very nice food, I had lobster for the first time. Lots of people were in formal wear, the majority of people milling around the ship were dressed up, where we were anyway. I discovered it’s quite hard to look ladylike in a long gown & heels pushing a wheelchair on carpet on an incline 🥴 The only thing my husband was in charge of packing was his suit and dress shirt, he forgot the shirt! He had to wear a blue one but fortunately his suit was blue & tie was grey so it looked ok. 
We then went to the theatre to listen to some country music, the singer, Laura Evans? had a lovely voice.

My husband and I are currently sitting in the Clubhouse waiting to hear a talk on spies/spying by John Mercer.

I hope I’m not boring anyone with my long posts. 
We’re loving it so far. We are pacing ourselves food wise and doing lots of walking. It’s good that the portion sizes are small, you can always have more if you need it but it helps keep me in check.

 

Edited May 23, 2022 by SarahHben

[sandancer]

No boredom here Sarah. Really enjoying your posts. Our first cruise was in 1990 and we were totally overwhelmed by all the food, the entertainment and the service. Way down the line we still get excited every time we board but pace ourselves now. Enjoy. 

[Angel57]

Loving your posts Sarah……

[lincslady]

Not boring at all, Sarah.  Nice to be able to imagine being on a ship, instead of stuck at home!  And your photos are excellent.

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, SarahHben said:

We should be in Stavanger today, however the captain and pilot tried several times but decided it was too windy, 🥴 So we are heading towards Olden and might sail into the fjord early depending on conditions when we get there. Disappointing, I just hope we don’t have problems getting into the other ports.
 Silver lining though, it did mean I had an impromptu shopping trip and got 25% off a Radley handbag 😁

We had dinner in the Pearl restaurant last night, very nice food, I had lobster for the first time. Lots of people were in formal wear, the majority of people milling around the ship were dressed up, where we were anyway. I discovered it’s quite hard to look ladylike in a long gown & heels pushing a wheelchair on carpet on an incline 🥴 The only thing my husband was in charge of packing was his suit and dress shirt, he forgot the shirt! He had to wear a blue one but fortunately his suit was blue & tie was grey so it looked ok. 
We then went to the theatre to listen to some country music, the singer, Laura Evans? had a lovely voice.

My husband and I are currently sitting in the Clubhouse waiting to hear a talk on spies/spying by John Mercer.

I hope I’m not boring anyone with my long posts. 
We’re loving it so far. We are pacing ourselves food wise and doing lots of walking. It’s good that the portion sizes are small, you can always have more if you need it but it helps keep me in check.

 

 

Nothing boring there, Sarah - always good to read blogs, particularly live ones, and even more so when they're from someone cruising for the first time.  Fresh pair of eyes!

 

Don't blame your husband too much - I managed to leave the entire dinner suit behind once. Did have the shirt though!  

 

Glad you're enjoying it - and the Radley shop.  Most, if not all, of our OBC went there and it was a regular post-dinner wander.  My wife's a lover of Radley bags (mine were usually from eBay) and we got to know the staff in there pretty well on a couple of cruises.  One of them very kindly told my wife that some of the bags were going to be reduced right at the end of the cruise and even put one by for her to buy when the price went down.  Might be worth bearing in mind at the end of the week.........I gather you can never have too many Radley bags. 😉

[purplesea]

Sorry to hear you haven't made it into Stravanger, but glad to hear you are enjoying the cruise and you are not boring me either. 

I also know the problem of wheelchair pushing in a long frock. Pushing a wheelchair up the slope to the theatre was a challenge!

Look forward to hearing more of your thoughts and experiences.

[Josy1953]

3 hours ago, SarahHben said:

We should be in Stavanger today, however the captain and pilot tried several times but decided it was too windy, 🥴 So we are heading towards Olden and might sail into the fjord early depending on conditions when we get there. Disappointing, I just hope we don’t have problems getting into the other ports.
 Silver lining though, it did mean I had an impromptu shopping trip and got 25% off a Radley handbag 😁

We had dinner in the Pearl restaurant last night, very nice food, I had lobster for the first time. Lots of people were in formal wear, the majority of people milling around the ship were dressed up, where we were anyway. I discovered it’s quite hard to look ladylike in a long gown & heels pushing a wheelchair on carpet on an incline 🥴 The only thing my husband was in charge of packing was his suit and dress shirt, he forgot the shirt! He had to wear a blue one but fortunately his suit was blue & tie was grey so it looked ok. 
We then went to the theatre to listen to some country music, the singer, Laura Evans? had a lovely voice.

My husband and I are currently sitting in the Clubhouse waiting to hear a talk on spies/spying by John Mercer.

I hope I’m not boring anyone with my long posts. 
We’re loving it so far. We are pacing ourselves food wise and doing lots of walking. It’s good that the portion sizes are small, you can always have more if you need it but it helps keep me in check.

 

Not boring at all, it sounds like you are enjoying it up to now.

Edited May 23, 2022 by Josy1953

[Ardennais]

It’s great to hear from you Sarah. 

[Sarah1974]

keep blogging Sarah. It's always good to get different peoples' views

[SarahHben]

3 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

 

I gather you can never have too many Radley bags. 

Absolutely 😁

[SarahHben]

 

The talk we went to was very interesting, we may well go to his next one too. While we were there the Captain announced we would be sailing into some fjords, there was some beautiful scenery, I took lots of photos on my DSLR, but then it starting raining and visibility isn’t good now so we’re relaxing in our cabin for a while.

 

We had a nice curry in the buffet for lunch and have booked to you to the Opal restaurant tonight, my dad says he likes a restaurant with a tablecloth.

 

Because we couldn’t get to Stavanger the entertainment acts can’t swap over, so Lee Mead is on an extra night, I tried to book quickly but all spaces were gone.

There are times that the ship feels quite busy but it’s easy to find a quiet corner when you want to. We really like the flow and design of the ship, it’s pretty easy to find your way around, I’ve only gone the wrong direction once so far. We like that it’s modern and light.

 

I do think though, that if Iona keeps having issues getting into ports, we would try and come back another time but on a different ship. 

[SarahHben]

A few pics from yesterday. I’m not very good at smiling, I always seem to look concerned lol.

[SarahHben]

[terrierjohn]

Not boring at all Sarah, please keep the blogs coming, and glad you're enjoying your first cruise.

[nicki-k]

Super photos Sarah, shame about Stavanger but it sounds like you're making the most of it and having a great time.

[zap99]

3 hours ago, SarahHben said:

 

The talk we went to was very interesting, we may well go to his next one too. While we were there the Captain announced we would be sailing into some fjords, there was some beautiful scenery, I took lots of photos on my DSLR, but then it starting raining and visibility isn’t good now so we’re relaxing in our cabin for a while.

 

We had a nice curry in the buffet for lunch and have booked to you to the Opal restaurant tonight, my dad says he likes a restaurant with a tablecloth.

 

Because we couldn’t get to Stavanger the entertainment acts can’t swap over, so Lee Mead is on an extra night, I tried to book quickly but all spaces were gone.

There are times that the ship feels quite busy but it’s easy to find a quiet corner when you want to. We really like the flow and design of the ship, it’s pretty easy to find your way around, I’ve only gone the wrong direction once so far. We like that it’s modern and light.

 

I do think though, that if Iona keeps having issues getting into ports, we would try and come back another time but on a different ship. 

We went to the fjords on Britannia. Great cruise but she did seem a bit big for some of the ports. Back in a few weeks, but on Silhouette. Iona isn't our favourite, but will do quite nicely for other itineraries. Enjoy the rest of your cruise. That lobster looked pretty nice.

[Guest ccpm]

Great blog Sarah keep it coming.

[grapau27]

10 hours ago, SarahHben said:

We should be in Stavanger today, however the captain and pilot tried several times but decided it was too windy, 🥴 So we are heading towards Olden and might sail into the fjord early depending on conditions when we get there. Disappointing, I just hope we don’t have problems getting into the other ports.
 Silver lining though, it did mean I had an impromptu shopping trip and got 25% off a Radley handbag 😁

We had dinner in the Pearl restaurant last night, very nice food, I had lobster for the first time. Lots of people were in formal wear, the majority of people milling around the ship were dressed up, where we were anyway. I discovered it’s quite hard to look ladylike in a long gown & heels pushing a wheelchair on carpet on an incline 🥴 The only thing my husband was in charge of packing was his suit and dress shirt, he forgot the shirt! He had to wear a blue one but fortunately his suit was blue & tie was grey so it looked ok. 
We then went to the theatre to listen to some country music, the singer, Laura Evans? had a lovely voice.

My husband and I are currently sitting in the Clubhouse waiting to hear a talk on spies/spying by John Mercer.

I hope I’m not boring anyone with my long posts. 
We’re loving it so far. We are pacing ourselves food wise and doing lots of walking. It’s good that the portion sizes are small, you can always have more if you need it but it helps keep me in check.

 

You are doing a great job on your live review Sarah and the more information on the cruise,food entertainment etc the better.

Pleased you are having a wonderful time.

Graham.

 

[grapau27]

5 hours ago, SarahHben said:

Beautiful photos Sarah.

 

[July morning]

I've been enjoying your updates keep them coming!

Lovely photos of you both and your dress is beautiful 🙂

[silkworms]

Am also enjoying your blogs, such a shame re Stavanger, I am sure

you will visit again now you have the cruise bug!  
Your dress is fabulous and your necklace is a perfect match,

well done.

 

Terri

[SarahHben]

59 minutes ago, July morning said:

I've been enjoying your updates keep them coming!

Lovely photos of you both and your dress is beautiful 🙂

 

41 minutes ago, silkworms said:

Am also enjoying your blogs, such a shame re Stavanger, I am sure

you will visit again now you have the cruise bug!  
Your dress is fabulous and your necklace is a perfect match,

well done.

 

Terri

Thank you! The dress was an eBay buy, Jacques Vert, I had to take it up as I’m short, and because it had sequins I broke several needles doing it.

Don’t tell anyone but the necklace was £3.99 from Amazon 😂

[SarahHben]

Right todays update,

After a relaxing few hours in the cabin yesterday afternoon we had a dinner in Opal, one of the main dinner rooms. It was one of the smaller ones and Dad and my brother in law both said they preferred it over the larger Pearl & Coral. I haven’t been in a restaurant I haven’t liked yet, but Opal did have a more intimate feel.
I had duck pate with date purée, it was delicious but I would say it was a slice of terrine  not pate. Then I had the pork belly with bubble & squeak, Vichy carrots & kohlrabi. My pork was ok, my sister said hers wasn’t great, bubble & squeak was good, carrots were ok but just tasted boiled, not like the vichy carrots I cook. I’d never had kohlrabi before but it was nice, I’d have it again. For dessert I had lemon posset with rhubarb, very nice! 😊

 

After dinner we went to the theatre and watched comedian/magician Manuel Martinez. He was very funny at times and not so funny at others. I hate the thought of being pulled out of an audience so we sat right at the back. He did ask for volunteers rather than pick people at random but some of his humour was around the ship sinking 🥴 

 

After that my husband and I went for a wander and ended up in the SkyDome where 3 singers called the Voxens were performing. I didn’t think that they would be our sort of thing but I was wrong, they were very good singers and we ended up singing along. 

Our cabin is a deck above the Clubhouse and The Quays and pretty much in the middle of the two. In the late evenings we do sometimes hear a slight noise from the music in the Clubhouse, the bass mostly but it isn’t loud at all and doesn’t keep us awake and I don’t go to sleep easily. My parents are 4 cabins further back than us and can hear more Clubhouse noise. 
 

This morning I woke up around 5:45 and immediately peeped round the curtains hoping we weren’t still out at sea and missing Olden but happily we were sailing through a fjord.

 

It was a bit damp and low cloud but really beautiful. I quickly got dressed and went out on deck with my camera leaving hubbie to sleep a bit longer. 
There were quite a few of us out there with our cameras, I’ve probably got 100 shots all the same.

 

After a croissant, Danish pastry & yoghurt in The Quays we got wet weather gear on, collected my parents and went to disembark for our excursion. They announced that we should disembark on deck 3 foreword and mid, wheelchairs would be better to go to the mid exit. We didn’t notice that our aft lifts didn’t go to deck 3 so went to 6 and walked along to the atrium, then down, but waiting for 2 lots of lifts took quite a while. The staff are great with the wheelchairs and they took mum down the ramp. 

Mum & Dad had booked the Birksdal Glacier troll cars with us before she broke her foot. We asked at the excursion desk if the troll card would be suitable and they didn’t think so but Mum & Dad decided they would come with us in the coach but wait at the restaurant. However once we arrived the people driving the troll cars said they could accommodate mum& the wheelchair and said they could go up in the cars, not do the walk to the glacier at the top and come down again as soon as they wanted to which was perfect for them. 

The weather was cold and very wet but it was brilliant, all 6 of us really enjoyed it. The walk to the glacier wasn’t flat and was quite stony, not suitable for wheelchairs so I’m glad mum didn’t try it. Scenery was fantastic, my DSLR camera got soaked, fortunately it’s weather sealed so seems like no harm done.

 

On the way down my husband and I were asked if we’d be happy to go in different cars and we each ended up sitting in the front seats next to the drivers, that was a real treat and I’m hoping I got some good photos and my husband videoed the 10-15 minute ride back. The excursion included tea/coffee and a cake buffet which was very welcome after getting so cold and wet. There was only a restaurant, a cafe and a shop at the bottom but we still managed to have problems finding the parents, I eventually tracked them down and took them for cake.

The coach trip itself was worth doing just for the views but we really enjoyed the troll car trip.

 

We got back to the boat and got changed, we were soaked through to our underwear 😳

By then we were starving so popped one deck down to the Quays for fish & chips, the fish is really good, I recommend it. We then went ashore again but this time the signs around the ship said to deck 3 foreword and didn’t mention wheelchairs, so we went down to 6, along to foreword and down to 3, only to be told we had to go back to mid but deck 3 doesn’t have a corridor so we had to go back up to 4, all along the cabin corridor to mid then back down to 3, I was pretty tired by then, pushing the wheelchair on carpet isn’t the easiest. By the time we got off it started raining again so we took some photos then went to the tourist gift shop. The trouble is my mum has started wheeling herself to where she wants to go even when we’re pushing, she’ll suddenly start scooting herself backwards right into my toes. We did have ‘words’ at one point. She prefers me pushing her wheelchair rather than dad because it hurts his back, so I’ve told her I’ll only push if she keeps her hands off the blooming wheels!

 

Anyway I’m now sitting in our conservatory with a nice cup of tea, writing this while my husband is sketching the snowy mountain in front of us. We are having dinner on our own in Sindhu this evening, really looking forward to it.

 

A couple of things I keep meaning to mention, there are a few rattling noises in the cabin, I had read about them, on here I think. It’s not too bad, doesn’t disturb us at all. The noise of people opening their sliding doors late at night is louder, at first I kept thinking it was thunder.

Also, it might be because our desk/dressing table isnt the window end of the cabin, but the light for doing makeup etc is much better in the bathroom. The lighting over the desk is fine for doing hair but not good for make up.

 

Sorry to go on so long. I’ll see if I’ve got some ok pics on here from yesterday and today.

 

 

[SarahHben]

Last night and the sail in early this morning