Live Report: Suddenly, I’m Going to Norway!

[Ellencruise]

Absolutely beautiful pics, going to be there in Aug, can’t wait!

[newtocruiseinblue]

This thread is giving me life! Thank you for taking us on your journey! I feel like I'm reading a little mini-series, not a cruisecritic live posting! Enjoy! ❤️❤️

[Tigrou]

4 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Shall we talk about door bangers?  How have so many people gone through life without learning how to close a door?!   The balcony doors are the worst.  In and out, in and out, in and out.  Make up your freaking mind!!  Is it in, or is it out?  Choose one and stick with it.  Back in the day, our parents made us go back and shut the door quietly until we learned not to do it again.  It didn’t take too many lessons for that one to sink in.  Apparently others are a lot thicker than I am.

 

Thank you! I’m so relieved it isn’t just me that thinks this is unacceptable. Never experienced it as bad as on this cruise, although near me it’s cabin doors rather than balcony. The people in some cabins near me appear to always just let the door slam rather than close it, whenever they go in and out, time after time.

 

Like you, I was taught to have more consideration - for other people and for the door!
 

[bennybear]

Sadly, it seems all basic manners are lacking.   Hope you remain healthy!

[Tigrou]

Another example of lack of manners (and common sense) on this cruise.

 

While I was sitting in Explorations Cafe this morning I saw and heard a woman stop one of the servers and loudly demand, as she gestured out towards Haugesund, “What is there to do here? There was no information on the TV. How are we meant to know what to do?” Unsurprisingly the guy looked a little startled but politely suggested she speak to Shore Excursions or Guest Services.

 

Okay, so it would appear she hasn’t done any research for the port and she expected HAL to provide information. (Which in my experience most cruise lines no longer do, other than trying to sell shore excursions, perhaps because Google and other websites do it so well, along with travel guide books.) But when they didn’t, why did she wait until actually arriving here before she asked? And, with no disrespect to the server, why ask the coffee guy when HAL does provide shore excursions and guest services staff? What did she expect him to do, stop serving coffees and rustle up a personalised shore excursion for her?!
 

It was not a case of a polite conversation, asking him if he’d been here before, could he make any recommendations. She was loud and she was rude.

 

[ExpatBride]

4 minutes ago, Tigrou said:

Another example of lack of manners (and common sense) on this cruise.

 

While I was sitting in Explorations Cafe this morning I saw and heard a woman stop one of the servers and loudly demand, as she gestured out towards Haugesund, “What is there to do here? There was no information on the TV. How are we meant to know what to do?” Unsurprisingly the guy looked a little startled but politely suggested she speak to Shore Excursions or Guest Services.

 

Okay, so it would appear she hasn’t done any research for the port and she expected HAL to provide information. (Which in my experience most cruise lines no longer do, other than trying to sell shore excursions, perhaps because Google and other websites do it so well, along with travel guide books.) But when they didn’t, why did she wait until actually arriving here before she asked? And, with no disrespect to the server, why ask the coffee guy when HAL does provide shore excursions and guest services staff? What did she expect him to do, stop serving coffees and rustle up a personalised shore excursion for her?!

 

This reminds me of the time I was in Krakow and a woman was berating the poor salesperson for not knowing how much something cost in "American money." 

Lady... you're in POLAND. Install a currency converter app on your phone, or Google it 🙄 How does someone travel to another country without at least having a general idea of the conversion rate for the local currency? 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

1 minute ago, ExpatBride said:

This reminds me of the time I was in Krakow and a woman was berating the poor salesperson for not knowing how much something cost in "American money." 

Lady... you're in POLAND. Install a currency converter app on your phone, or Google it 🙄 How does someone travel to another country without at least having a general idea of the conversion rate for the local currency? 

 

You don’t even need to go that far.  Just google it. No app required.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

6 hours ago, Tigrou said:

Another example of lack of manners (and common sense) on this cruise.

 

While I was sitting in Explorations Cafe this morning I saw and heard a woman stop one of the servers and loudly demand, as she gestured out towards Haugesund, “What is there to do here? There was no information on the TV. How are we meant to know what to do?” Unsurprisingly the guy looked a little startled but politely suggested she speak to Shore Excursions or Guest Services.

 

Okay, so it would appear she hasn’t done any research for the port and she expected HAL to provide information. (Which in my experience most cruise lines no longer do, other than trying to sell shore excursions, perhaps because Google and other websites do it so well, along with travel guide books.) But when they didn’t, why did she wait until actually arriving here before she asked? And, with no disrespect to the server, why ask the coffee guy when HAL does provide shore excursions and guest services staff? What did she expect him to do, stop serving coffees and rustle up a personalised shore excursion for her?!
 

It was not a case of a polite conversation, asking him if he’d been here before, could he make any recommendations. She was loud and she was rude.

 

And she should stay home, A cruise is to much for her.

[cbr663]

On 6/3/2023 at 8:30 AM, *Miss G* said:

....

 

We’ve noticed more and more people with debilitating coughs and chest congestion.  I can’t tell you the amount of people who don’t think coughing and sneezing requires covering their mouths.  I suppose it is only a matter of time before I succumb.

 

Oh my.  We noticed the same thing toward the end of our recent Alaskan cruise and started to feel ill also.  You guessed it  - when we returned home we tested positive for COVID.  

 

DW and I booked a cruise to Norway for next year while on the ship and catching COVID on the ship (our first time with COVID) has us seriously considering just cancelling it.  We really enjoyed our cruise and seeing this beautiful pics of yours reinforced that we want to return to Norway.  We just don't want to get sick.

 

Best of luck.  I believe that once it is on the ship it is like so many other viruses and difficult to get rid of.

[Harley57]

Thank you for sharing the spectacular photos of Flam.  

[*Miss G*]

DAY FOURTEEN

Sunday, June 4th

Haugesund, Norway

Weather:  54f/12c - Windy & Sunny ☀️

 

It turns out that everything is closed in Haugesund on a Sunday.  We decide to take the HOHO bus instead of walking into town.  Here we are crossing the bridge on our way to nowhere.

 

 

The tour commentary was, uhh…. interesting.  Everything which was narrated had no relationship to anything we were viewing, which mainly consisted of houses and apartment buildings.  We did pass by a boulder with a nice bronze statue, but that was just a fleeting glance between buildings so no chance for a picture.  Luckily, we stopped at a tower so here is a picture of that.

 

 

Haugesund’s heyday seems to have been in WWI.  Ship-building was the main industry and they were easily able to transition from sailing ships to steam ships.  After that, the story ends.  The people who made money during the war, lost it all when it ended. We recommend a HAL tour for this port, if you arrive on a Sunday, or stay on the ship for some relaxation or a spa treatment. 

[*Miss G*]

DAY FIFTEEN

Monday, June 5th

Sandnes, Norway

Weather:  65f/14c - Sunny with clouds

 

Wow.  What a gorgeous sail-in to Sandnes.  The scenery was spectacular.  Here we are at 5:00 in the morning.

 

 

Today was our first time visiting the Lido.  As I was walking by the Roasting Pan, the server said good morning and I said good morning back.  Turns out I should go for a walk outside and I will feel better.  No idea how “Good Morning” translates into “I feel like crap” but there you go.  Maybe I look sickly in white.  Anyway, that was my first foray into the Lido.  I don’t think I’ll be back.

[*Miss G*]

14 hours ago, cbr663 said:

 

Oh my.  We noticed the same thing toward the end of our recent Alaskan cruise and started to feel ill also.  You guessed it  - when we returned home we tested positive for COVID.  

 

DW and I booked a cruise to Norway for next year while on the ship and catching COVID on the ship (our first time with COVID) has us seriously considering just cancelling it.  We really enjoyed our cruise and seeing this beautiful pics of yours reinforced that we want to return to Norway.  We just don't want to get sick.

 

Best of luck.  I believe that once it is on the ship it is like so many other viruses and difficult to get rid of.

 

Don’t cancel!  It really is lovely.  Now that the worst of covid is behind us, I look at it as just another seasonal flu-type thing.  Unless the government forces me to, I am not shutting myself in and away from people again.  I do my best to protect myself and I am going to live life.  We’re not here forever so I am going to make the most of it!

[Turtles06]

22 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

Wow.  What a gorgeous sail-in to Sandnes.  The scenery was spectacular.  Here we are at 5:00 in the morning.

 

I hope you enjoy your visit!  For the benefit of those of us who will be there next month, could you tell us please whether you were docked at the Somaneset pier in Sandnes (it's about 2K north of Sandnes itself) and, if so, whether you could just walk off the ship and out to the street to meet a taxi?   (Just trying to figure out the best arrangements for a taxi several of us have booked. I'm sure we won't have to go all the way to Sandnes itself.)

 

Did HAL run a shuttle from the ship to the Sandnes train station, or into Stavanger itself?  (Earlier reports indicated the former.)

 

Have a great time!

 

Edited to add: I see from the official port berthing plan that you are indeed at Somaneset pier today.  (So, could you just walk off the ship to the street?  Did you have to go through a terminal or building to do so?)

 

https://www.stavangerhavn.no/en/about/documents/mooringplans/

Edited June 5, 2023 by Turtles06

[*Miss G*]

DAY FIFTEEN - continued

 

Today we went to watercolor class.  Have I mentioned that I am hopeless at art?  Here is my attempt at painting the northern lights.  Before I turned it this way up and attempted to fix it, I called it “Dead Porpoise”.  Now that it’s upside down I call it “Despair”.

 

 

Here is my sister’s version using the same colours and the same instruction.  They’re almost identical, it’s uncanny!

 

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I hope you enjoy your visit!  For the benefit of those of us who will be there next month, could you tell us please whether you were docked at the Somaneset pier in Sandnes (it's about 2K north of Sandnes itself) and, if so, whether you could just walk off the ship and out to the street to meet a taxi?   (Just trying to figure out the best arrangements for a taxi several of us have booked. I'm sure we won't have to go all the way to Sandnes itself.)

 

Did HAL run a shuttle from the ship to the Sandnes train station, or into Stavanger itself?  (Earlier reports indicated the former.)

 

Have a great time!

 

Edited to add: I see from the official port berthing plan that you are indeed at Somaneset pier today.  (So, could you just walk off the ship to the street?  Did you have to go through a terminal or building to do so?)

 

https://www.stavangerhavn.no/en/about/documents/mooringplans/

 

HAL runs a shuttle into town.  It is $20 round trip per person.  Let me go out and take a picture of the port area.  I’ll be right back.

[*Miss G*]

@Turtles06, front page of the daily and a video of the port area.  Maybe google-map the walking distance from the port to the tourist information building to see the distance to give you an idea.

 

 

 

 

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

 

@Turtles06, front page of the daily and a video of the port area.  Maybe google-map the walking distance from the port to the tourist information building to see the distance to give you an idea.

 

Huge thanks for all that info and the video! We aren’t going into Sandnes itself, just meeting our taxi near the ship to go to Stavanger. It was hard to see past the fencing across from the ship — can you tell if we walk along the fence whether we can  get out to the street or that small port building?  (In other words, a cross walk or exit from the fencing?)
 

Really appreciate your help, thanks! 

[*Miss G*]

13 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Huge thanks for all that info and the video! We aren’t going into Sandnes itself, just meeting our taxi near the ship to go to Stavanger. It was hard to see past the fencing across from the ship — can you tell if we walk along the fence whether we can  get out to the street or that small port building?  (In other words, a cross walk or exit from the fencing?)
 

Really appreciate your help, thanks! 

 

I have circled the taxis in the picture.  They do pickups and drop offs within the port area parking lot; outside the boundaries of the wire fence.  You get to them following the fence line to the left (arrow).  Hope this is helpful.

 

[*Miss G*]

DAY FIFTEEN - continued

 

Following watercolor class we went to the Polar Bear Plunge where some hardy souls threw buckets of ice into the Seaview Pool then jumped in after them.  As you can tell in this video, the wind was strong and it was cold.  That made the next part of the initiation even funnier, since they were now wet and freezing and had to do a very long swearing in ceremony, which was all part of the joke.  🥶  

 

Okay, never mind.  I would love to show you the video but the upload speed is way too slow.  Here is a picture instead.

 

 

Today’s Club Orange Special was scallops.  They were delicious, as was the salmon gravlax.

 

Here we are heading back out into the North Sea, leaving Sandnes behind.

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by *Miss G*

[*Miss G*]

DAY SIXTEEN

Tuesday, June 6th

Kristiansand, Norway

Weather:  68f/20c - Sunny ☀️

 

The archipelago reminds me so much of Canada’s Georgian Bay and its 30,000 islands.  Here we are closing in on Kristiansand just before 6:00am.

 

 

And now we are heading off into town to see what damage we can do to our kroners.

[oakridger]

Thanks for posting the pictures along the way!   Have fun!

 

 

~Nancy

[Turtles06]

3 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

I have circled the taxis in the picture.  They do pickups and drop offs within the port area parking lot; outside the boundaries of the wire fence.  You get to them following the fence line to the left (arrow).  Hope this is helpful.

Not just helpful, perfect!  I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to get this info for us. 
 

I hope you continue to have a great time on the rest of your trip!!  And thanks again for sharing it with us!

[ontheweb]

21 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

DAY FIFTEEN - continued

 

Today we went to watercolor class.  Have I mentioned that I am hopeless at art?  Here is my attempt at painting the northern lights.  Before I turned it this way up and attempted to fix it, I called it “Dead Porpoise”.  Now that it’s upside down I call it “Despair”.

 

 

Here is my sister’s version using the same colours and the same instruction.  They’re almost identical, it’s uncanny!

 

Hmmm, maybe I should see if DW could apply for a job as a watercolor instructor. She is a retired art teacher, and watercolors is one of her main interests. If they also did quilting and/or crocheting,she could double up.

 

And BTW, I am also terrible at art.

[bennybear]

8 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

DAY SIXTEEN

Tuesday, June 6th

Kristiansand, Norway

Weather:  68f/20c - Sunny ☀️

 

The archipelago reminds me so much of Canada’s Georgian Bay and its 30,000 islands.  Here we are closing in on Kristiansand just before 6:00am.

 

 

And now we are heading off into town to see what damage we can do to our kroners.

Or what damage they can do to you?   Norway is the most expensive place I have visited 🤷‍♀️