Venture - Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland - Aug 7-21 As live as we can be!

[SLSD]

Thank you Highplainsdrifer for all of your great reporting.  I wonder if the noisy hotel is a Scandanavian thing?  We've had the wonderful smorgasbord at The Grand Hotel Stockholm and always thought it would be a good place to stay for a couple of days.  Drunks in the hallway there too?  Most finer American hotels would not allow that for long.  

[highplanesdrifters]

Belated Food Porn

 

Oslo Grand Cafe

 

Halibut with enoki and Beurre Blanc

Sublime

 

I don't remember😀

 

Muscles for days

 

Lofoton Fish Restaurant 

 

Lobster Salad- I'd like 10 to go please.

 

Oysters- small briny and sweet. Just they way I like them.

 

Lofoton Fish soup

Deceptively simple but yet oh so complex.

 

Butter Flounder 

 

Lofotons Bouillabisse with tomato and black garlic. I could live on this.

 

 

Rooftop Bar at Center Arnarhvoll. 

 

Grillmarkaourinn

There are more courses than pictured. Insane.  They also did a great job for our GF friend.

 

Tiger shrimp tempura with kimchi, lemon and yuzu

 

 

Beef carpaccio with chili pepper jam, candied almonds, herb pesto, and rock Salad

 

Minke Whale - don't judge me🤫

 

Some over the top Fish thing.

Things were getting pretty fuzzy by then.

 

 

 

Grilled Flank steak with shishito pepper in Wasabi nuts and lemon oil. Kimchi and truffle yuzu dressing.

 

 

Dessert

 

Special GF Dessert

 

GRAZZIE TRATTORIA 

Be still my pizza loving heart!

Something light after the Grillmarken gorging.😂

 

Included Tea at Blue Lagoon

Now we're starting to tone it down.

 

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Just a few of the wines from the Grillmarken tasting. All worth a purchase! Sorry about the fuzziness.😁

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

6 minutes ago, SLSD said:

Thank you Highplainsdrifer for all of your great reporting.  I wonder if the noisy hotel is a Scandanavian thing?  We've had the wonderful smorgasbord at The Grand Hotel Stockholm and always thought it would be a good place to stay for a couple of days.  Drunks in the hallway there too?  Most finer American hotels would not allow that for long.  

Well, the Scandis do like a good time when the sun is shinning. When I did business there in the 80s and 90s I could never keep up!

It's been 6 years since I've been to Stockholm so things may have changed. It was just the music  inside the hotel till 4 am. No hallway drunks or street noise. Fyi, 

I thought the rooms were pretty tired then.  In Oslo our room was just lovely with a view of the square. Nice Juliette balcony. There were protests in the square every day, but that comes with the territory. I could live with that. What a shame about the other noise. Great hotel otherwise, and perhaps OK in early part of the week. Jet lag is hard enough. With the added Covid airport chaos sleep takes on new meaning.

 

 

 

 

Our TA sent us this lovely treat! The hotel did a great job

 

 

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Minke Whale -

 

What was it's texture?  How did it taste?  (Fishy?  Strong?  Mild?  Like "chicken" 🤣?)

[highplanesdrifters]

28 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

What was it's texture?  How did it taste?  (Fishy?  Strong?  Mild?  Like "chicken" 🤣?)

  Last time fishy and rubbery. This time I didn't go in till others gave it a thumbs up.  Tasted like really good flank/skirt steak. 

[shark b8]

Have gotten home from our own (Odyssey) adventure and now have caught up with yours, *great reporting*!  I'm looking at the Venture in '23 and you've doubled my enthusiasm about it, thanx!

[highplanesdrifters]

9 hours ago, shark b8 said:

Have gotten home from our own (Odyssey) adventure and now have caught up with yours, *great reporting*!  I'm looking at the Venture in '23 and you've doubled my enthusiasm about it, thanx!

Thanks Sharkb8.

And quite an adventure you had. Serious bear action!  I am a bit concerned that you don't know how to have a good time. 🤣🤣🤣

 

It's going to be hard to travel on other ships after the Venture

[fudge]

22 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Belated Food Porn

 

Oslo Grand Cafe

 

Halibut with enoki and Beurre Blanc

Sublime

 

I don't remember😀

 

Muscles for days

 

Lofoton Fish Restaurant 

 

Lobster Salad- I'd like 10 to go please.

 

Oysters- small briny and sweet. Just they way I like them.

 

Lofoton Fish soup

Deceptively simple but yet oh so complex.

 

Butter Flounder 

 

Lofotons Bouillabisse with tomato and black garlic. I could live on this.

 

 

Rooftop Bar at Center Arnarhvoll. 

 

Grillmarkaourinn

There are more courses than pictured. Insane.  They also did a great job for our GF friend.

 

Tiger shrimp tempura with kimchi, lemon and yuzu

 

 

Beef carpaccio with chili pepper jam, candied almonds, herb pesto, and rock Salad

 

Minke Whale - don't judge me🤫

 

Some over the top Fish thing.

Things were getting pretty fuzzy by then.

 

 

 

Grilled Flank steak with shishito pepper in Wasabi nuts and lemon oil. Kimchi and truffle yuzu dressing.

 

 

Dessert

 

Special GF Dessert

 

GRAZZIE TRATTORIA 

Be still my pizza loving heart!

Something light after the Grillmarken gorging.😂

 

Included Tea at Blue Lagoon

Now we're starting to tone it down.

 

Minke whale, you should be ashamed of yourself!!

 

 

 

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Thanks Sharkb8.

And quite an adventure you had. Serious bear action!  I am a bit concerned that you don't know how to have a good time. 🤣🤣🤣

 

It's going to be hard to travel on other ships after the Venture

Exactly,  I think Mr. SLSD and I want to be on a cruise with Shark b8.  No matter what happens, he'll be able to put a positive spin on things.  What a great trait to have!  I'm working on it!

[highplanesdrifters]

5 hours ago, SLSD said:

Exactly,  I think Mr. SLSD and I want to be on a cruise with Shark b8.  No matter what happens, he'll be able to put a positive spin on things.  What a great trait to have!  I'm working on it!

My sentiments exactly! 

 

If you're not happy, you're not happy!

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

  Last time fishy and rubbery. This time I didn't go in till others gave it a thumbs up.  Tasted like really good flank/skirt steak. 

 

I would have expected tough or rubbery.  Maybe, like many things, it depends on the food's preparation.   Thanks for your response.  

[PACruiser5]

Great food reporting! Agree on the assessments of the different venues. Will probably stick to MDR for rest of the trip. A great ship and a wonderful experience overall. But room for improvement!

[jsea]

On 8/21/2022 at 2:23 AM, highplanesdrifters said:

@jsea

And anyone else on this trip.

I've been a bit of a Cheerleader for the Venture. Wondering how others felt about the trip.  Care to chime in?

 

This is delayed (took me longer than anticipated to catch up to the 'real world' upon returning home), but we had a fantastic time.

 

You have done an excellent job of reporting so my comments will be brief. My perspectives are influenced by our Antarctica trip on Crystal Endeavor last year.

 

Venture highs:

- crew (they all seem happy and I hope that has to do with the cruise line allowing them to take zodiac trips, do polar plunges, etc.)

- ship itself (beautiful and well-designed); seemed to handle rough seas well - will be curious to see how she does in the Drake Passage; plenty of outdoor space for viewing scenery; pool deck with hot tubs is wonderful (Endeavor's pool is indoor - which has pros and cons; but major con is that it is a shared space with the buffet with tables nearly right on the edge of the pool - so often you will have an audience dining overhead while you are taking a dip)

- captain's navigating capabilities and getting us up close to wonderful scenery

- sushi option at night in the Club

- high def wildlife / scenery camera beamed to shipboard TVs

- watching the glaciers calve in a zodiac with a very knowledgeable guide in Greenland

- gym (layout and size superior to Endeavor)

- spa (also superior layout compared to Endeavor)

 

Venture neutrals:

- sometimes long lines to get in zodiac; to us, calling three groups at a time but telling them to arrive 5 minutes apart wasn't very successful at crowd management; I did appreciate keeping the life vests in our suite, as on Endeavor you kept them in a locker in the mud room and that led to more crowding in a very tight space

- "hikes" ashore were hardly that - would be nice to have some more active options for those who choose, but I realize with polar bears at some sites that is more challenging

- would be nice for Seabourn Square offerings to continue beyond 6; so you could stop in for a coffee or tea or gelato after dinner

 

Venture lows:

- Longyearbyen boarding day - ungodly early hour, followed by a tour that was two hours too long made for  a rough day which postponed jet lag recovery

 

We look forward to see what itineraries Pursuit will be doing and plan to be aboard a Seabourn expedition ship again in the future. Thankfully for those who like this type of cruising (on newer, more capable vessels) currently we are fairly spoilt for choice with Silversea Endeavour, Ponant, and Viking, amongst others...

Edited August 30, 2022 by jsea
formatting

[highplanesdrifters]

Thanks @jsea for an excellent recap.

@PACruiser5hope the MDR comes through with something noteworthy for you.

[kandylandmo]

On 8/30/2022 at 3:56 PM, highplanesdrifters said:

Thanks @jsea for an excellent recap.

@PACruiser5hope the MDR comes through with something noteworthy for you.

wowowowowow!!! we just booked on the venture while we were on the pursuit. i was vacillating about doing the trip but your blog just decided it for me. you are an amazing human for putting so much effort into this. kudos!!! and thanks!!!!!!!!

[highplanesdrifters]

15 hours ago, kandylandmo said:

wowowowowow!!! we just booked on the venture while we were on the pursuit. i was vacillating about doing the trip but your blog just decided it for me. you are an amazing human for putting so much effort into this. kudos!!! and thanks!!!!!!!!

You are so very kind. Cruise Critic is an amazing place full of so many talented people willing to help and share information with others. I'm pleased I could contribute. 

 

Tell us about your upcoming trip and please post some details post cruise.

Venture and Pursuit are my favorite ships. They spoil you. 

[kandylandmo]

Hi there We just got off of the Pursuit on Saturday after 13 day trip to Antartica. It was an epic trip. The ship is beautiful(lots of brown however!) We found everything to be seamless. The charter service is well run but definitely need a certain amount of patience, esp when we landed back in EZE. Took over an hour and half to get our luggage.  Many of us needed to recheck our luggage into our international flights that we were taking on that same day. EZE departures is minor disaster so be forewarned. Immigration and luggage screening took many people over 2 hours. They do not have have a fast track for business class. Only fast track is for first class, which is one flight  a day into MIA. Other than that for transfers, it was all terrific. 

The Pursuit is identical to the Venture. We enjoyed everything about it.  Our room, owner's suite, was a little dark(they limit windows as it is on the very front of the ship) but had a gorgeous veranda on the front of the ship. We worried that being on the front would be terrible during the Drake but was only bad during one day of the 4 day crossing. The warming closet was wonderful. Everything dried out very quickly. Spacious bathroom, etc. 

The food was good and sometimes great. Not suprisingly since their chef is Indian the ethnic days were the best. Sushi excellent. The daily wines very for the most part were undrinkable unless you found the "secret" items. We had other guests tell us about a white burgundy and an Austrian that was no where to be found on their menu. The sommelier was not great but they have the same wines I think on all of their ships for the most part. We sailed on the Ovation in October and many of the wines were the same. The premium were exactly the same.

The highlight was the expeditions. We loved them all, esp the kayaking. 

We loved everything so much we booked to do a twelve day arctic cruise in June on the Venture. Once again thank you for taking the time to write such a great blog on your travels. Madhavi Kandula

[highplanesdrifters]

13 hours ago, kandylandmo said:

Hi there We just got off of the Pursuit on Saturday after 13 day trip to Antartica. It was an epic trip. The ship is beautiful(lots of brown however!) We found everything to be seamless. The charter service is well run but definitely need a certain amount of patience, esp when we landed back in EZE. Took over an hour and half to get our luggage.  Many of us needed to recheck our luggage into our international flights that we were taking on that same day. EZE departures is minor disaster so be forewarned. Immigration and luggage screening took many people over 2 hours. They do not have have a fast track for business class. Only fast track is for first class, which is one flight  a day into MIA. Other than that for transfers, it was all terrific. 

The Pursuit is identical to the Venture. We enjoyed everything about it.  Our room, owner's suite, was a little dark(they limit windows as it is on the very front of the ship) but had a gorgeous veranda on the front of the ship. We worried that being on the front would be terrible during the Drake but was only bad during one day of the 4 day crossing. The warming closet was wonderful. Everything dried out very quickly. Spacious bathroom, etc. 

The food was good and sometimes great. Not suprisingly since their chef is Indian the ethnic days were the best. Sushi excellent. The daily wines very for the most part were undrinkable unless you found the "secret" items. We had other guests tell us about a white burgundy and an Austrian that was no where to be found on their menu. The sommelier was not great but they have the same wines I think on all of their ships for the most part. We sailed on the Ovation in October and many of the wines were the same. The premium were exactly the same.

The highlight was the expeditions. We loved them all, esp the kayaking. 

We loved everything so much we booked to do a twelve day arctic cruise in June on the Venture. Once again thank you for taking the time to write such a great blog on your travels. Madhavi Kandula

 

MK - Thanks for that great report, very helpful.  So pleased your trip went well, and you got to Kayak.  Not always so easy. Excited for your Arctic cruise, I could go there every year.  You had me at Indian chef. We usually ask to have a special meal prepared.  Glad the Sushi is holding up.   Such a nice break from the Restaurant.  Are they still doing Earth and Ocean nights in the Collonade?  And was Brent on your trip? He's such a hoot. 

 

Just had dinner with friends last night who are on the reposition to Santiago.  I've already warned them about the charter and included wines.  Will give them a heads up about the white burgundy and the Austrian. Very helpful.  I find  the Chilean wines they serve give me a headache, too many sulfites?  When we find something decent on the included list we take a picture to show staff the next time.  Too bad the sommelier wasn't up to snuff.

 

We had that same Owners suite on our trip, and yes dark. Surprisingly we had fabulous weather in the Arctic and used the amazing balcony quite a bit. Even coming back from dinner and laying under the stars with a few blankets when we were in the ice pack, crazy. Our next trips are on Venture and Pursuit, Norway and  Guam to Santiago. All the bigger suites were taken so we're trying a Panorama.   But we finally scored a SS in the back for a Baffin Bay trip.

 

We leave in a few weeks on Silversea Cloud, our second trip to Antarctica followed by Cape to Cape.  Cloud is a little long in the tooth, but great itinary.   Please share a few more of your Antarctica highlights so I can get excited. 

 

Fair winds!

[markandjie]

6 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Our next trips are on Venture and Pursuit, Norway and  Guam to Santiago.

 

So envious. 

 

Have to ask - how many cruises do you typically take a year? Or how many nights?

[highplanesdrifters]

1 hour ago, markandjie said:

 

So envious. 

 

Have to ask - how many cruises do you typically take a year? Or how many nights?

For the last 3 years we've done 2-3 cruises a year.  Length varies from 14 to 40 days not including land time.  2024 will be about 100 nights onboard.  We count our lucky stars every day. 😃

[markandjie]

Thanks for sharing. That is the dream. As I think thru what I'd need to retire I generally think 100 days a year is the goal. 

[highplanesdrifters]

14 hours ago, markandjie said:

Thanks for sharing. That is the dream. As I think thru what I'd need to retire I generally think 100 days a year is the goal. 

You're already pulling off some amazing trips before retirement.  Now that's living the dream!