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

[julia]

6 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS

 

Loud movies are now being shown at 2:00pm, daily, at the Lido pool .  HAL has been assimilated.

 

 

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!  So sad to hear this!! 😭

[*Miss G*]

4 hours ago, julia said:

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!  So sad to hear this!! 😭

 

Yeah.  It’s a sad sad day. ☹️  We were just finishing up a pizza from the NY deli, enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air, when a loud booming startled us upright.  First time I’d ever heard a movie played during the daytime so we weren’t expecting it.  It reminded me of being driven indoors from The Retreat when Disney songs were relentlessly blared at us in port from the Goofy ship, as well as a TA on Princess when you couldn’t use the Lido in the afternoon due to the noise.  I thought HAL was more enlightened than that.  I felt let down.

[*Miss G*]

7 hours ago, oakridger said:

Roy, you cracked me up!!  😁

 

That made me laugh too!  😂

 

I enjoy piecing things together and discovering new things, but that can become tedious and tiring when you’ve got other things to do.  Sometimes a tip or two is just what it takes to pique your interests again, so I always appreciate when others offer them, even if I’ve already gone down that road.  You never know when someone has struck gold and are willing to share!  I love that trait in people.

[bennybear]

Thanks for sharing the photos of your cabin, so spacious.   Looks like  it was a nice upgrade 
 

also glad to see you TM’d the fish and chip challenge, lol!  Looking forward to future contributions.  

[*Miss G*]

29 minutes ago, bennybear said:

 

also glad to see you TM’d the fish and chip challenge, lol!  Looking forward to future contributions.  

 

I have a clear winner for the Greek Salad Challenge (Dionysos Zonars , Athens) but it looks like it might be a tie for the fish and chip challenge.  @Turtles06, the best fish and chips we’ve had in Whitby were at Abbey Wharf.  We’ve tried other places there but the Abbey can’t be beat.  Do you recall where you had yours?  Jaf’s in Alesund clearly win the best cod trophy but, sadly, not their chips.  Still have to get to Anchorage though!

 

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by *Miss G*

[Turtles06]

19 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 @Turtles06, the best fish and chips we’ve had in Whitby were at Abbey Wharf.  We’ve tried other places there but the Abbey can’t be beat.  Do you recall where you had yours?  Jaf’s in Alesund clearly win the best cod trophy but, sadly, not their chips

 

In Whitby, we ate at Hadley's Fish & Chips.  We were on a tour (a fabulous tour with Grand Circle Travel), so we didn't get to pick the place.  Still, we enjoyed it very much.   Sorry the chips at Jafs were not up to snuff!   We are supposed to be in Alesund next month.  Since it will be our second visit, we're doing a private tour outside of town, but I hope to have some time afterwards to check out Jafs again.  Maybe the chips will be better!  🙂 

[bennybear]

26 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

I have a clear winner for the Greek Salad Challenge (Dionysos Zonars , Athens) but it looks like it might be a tie for the fish and chip challenge.  @Turtles06, the best fish and chips we’ve had in Whitby were at Abbey Wharf.  We’ve tried other places there but the Abbey can’t be beat.  Do you recall where you had yours?  Jaf’s in Alesund clearly win the best cod trophy but, sadly, not their chips.  Still have to get to Anchorage though!

 

 

Will stay tuned for your Anchorage report, 

 

however I have some contenders for Greek salads….  Crete, Rhodes,  Meteora and Katakalon 

 

now if we are going to talk shrimp salad, Vernazza wins hands down! 

 

[*Miss G*]

5 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

In Whitby, we ate at Hadley's Fish & Chips.  We were on a tour (a fabulous tour with Grand Circle Travel), so we didn't get to pick the place.  Still, we enjoyed it very much.   Sorry the chips at Jafs were not up to snuff!   We are supposed to be in Alesund next month.  Since it will be our second visit, we're doing a private tour outside of town, but I hope to have some time afterwards to check out Jafs again.  Maybe the chips will be better!  🙂 

 

Okay, well now I’ll have to go back because I’ve never eaten at Hadley’s.  😂

 

Don’t apologize for Jafs’ chips!  You scored when you recommended the fish!!  Let us know if you find another contender on your upcoming adventure!

[*Miss G*]

1 minute ago, bennybear said:

Will stay tuned for your Anchorage report, 

 

however I have some contenders for Greek salads….  Crete, Rhodes,  Meteora and Katakalon 

 

now if we are going to talk shrimp salad, Vernazza wins hands down! 

 

 

Omg, I’m drooling.  🤤

 

Okay, now I have to post my picture of Greek Salad in Nafplion because I’m competitive.  🤣

 

 

[bennybear]

30 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Omg, I’m drooling.  🤤

 

Okay, now I have to post my picture of Greek Salad in Nafplion because I’m competitive.  🤣

 

 

Yes!!!    And those fries! 

[SUESEABE]

5 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Okay, now I have to post my picture of Greek Salad in Nafplion because I’m competitive.  🤣

 

 

Yummy, licking my chops! We will be in Nafplion in October...do you recall the name of restaurant where this was served?

[*Miss G*]

12 hours ago, SUESEABE said:

 

Yummy, licking my chops! We will be in Nafplion in October...do you recall the name of restaurant where this was served?

 

Oh you are so lucky!  Nafplion was my favourite port last October!  Sorry, I did not make note of the restaurant but I recall our view overlooked a little indented courtyard across from us.  If you check out This Post, on the fourth picture down you can see the street and approximate area where the restaurant is.  Walk past those chairs, in the opposite direction to where that picture is facing, and it should be right next door.  It will have those lovely stone columns between the open-air windows and door.  (And now I have learned to always record the names of the restaurants we visit.  😂)

[LnWG]

Miss G, I’d like to thank you for such an entertaining series of posts. We are soon taking our first cruise since the fall of 2019, and haven’t been on an HAL ship for quite a number of years before that. We liked our last HAL experience quite a lot and since they have a good back-to-back itinerary for the Norwegian fjords, we chose HAL for this voyage. Although we will be on a different ship, it has the same layout; our cabin will be a little further back than yours was, but on the same deck….we prefer midship and low! So your photos from the balcony of your cabin were great, because we had wondered what our view of the lifeboats would look like. 

Enjoy all your future travel pursuits! 

[*Miss G*]

32 minutes ago, LnWG said:

Miss G, I’d like to thank you for such an entertaining series of posts. We are soon taking our first cruise since the fall of 2019, and haven’t been on an HAL ship for quite a number of years before that. We liked our last HAL experience quite a lot and since they have a good back-to-back itinerary for the Norwegian fjords, we chose HAL for this voyage. Although we will be on a different ship, it has the same layout; our cabin will be a little further back than yours was, but on the same deck….we prefer midship and low! So your photos from the balcony of your cabin were great, because we had wondered what our view of the lifeboats would look like. 

Enjoy all your future travel pursuits! 

 

I am so glad you found the pictures helpful!  We returned to cruising as soon as they opened back up.  It was a pain to have to deal with all the extra covid-related precautions and testing, especially when plans required that you test multiple times in one trip.  That was a burden, in itself, because you never knew if you would be banned from the country, plane, or ship.  I was constantly worried that the hair dryers at the salon were blowing bugs in my direction or the person coughing next to me at the grocery store was going to change my life.  Not to mention having to navigate my parents through all the requirements, processes, and a whole new way to travel.  Sheesh.  I’m glad those days are over.  Sorry for the long run-on.  I didn’t realize what a relief it was for that phase to be over.  😅

 

I would be interested to hear what a return to cruising is like from a perspective such as yours, where you jump right over the covid phase and continue on from there.  Are covid-related incidences noticed (masks, disinfecting, supply chain, services) or does it seem as if covid never happened.  Things like that.

 

Anyway, thank you for your very kind comments and I hope you enjoy a wonderful return to cruising!!

[LnWG]

Miss G, we are wondering ourselves if we will see differences when we next travel. I will make note and if remarkable will be sure to post a thread of observations.
 

Although pandemic precautions are waning, we are essential caregivers for a high risk individual who lives in a congregate living arrangement. So we are still required to mask and have become quite used to it. And only recently had to stop daily testing.  My nose has been swabbed so many times I feel as if it must have developed callouses by now. It will be good to get away to the beautiful scenery.

[rafinmd]

7 hours ago, LnWG said:

Miss G, I’d like to thank you for such an entertaining series of posts. We are soon taking our first cruise since the fall of 2019, and haven’t been on an HAL ship for quite a number of years before that. We liked our last HAL experience quite a lot and since they have a good back-to-back itinerary for the Norwegian fjords, we chose HAL for this voyage. Although we will be on a different ship, it has the same layout; our cabin will be a little further back than yours was, but on the same deck….we prefer midship and low! So your photos from the balcony of your cabin were great, because we had wondered what our view of the lifeboats would look like. 

Enjoy all your future travel pursuits! 

Your view may be somewhat different.   I assume the 2 ships are Rotterdam and Nieuw Statendam, and they use different lifeboat setups.  The boats on the first 2 pinnacles stuck out and were prohibited from using the Panama Canal because they interfered with the pilots' views.  The Rotterdam updated the lifeboat mounting design.  I think they may not normally differ much but they apparently can be retracted closer to the cabin to allow the canal passage.

 

Roy

[bennybear]

Just have to pop in and say again how much I enjoyed your thread!  I am missing it,  we may have to take up a collection for you to go again🤷‍♀️😀

[*Miss G*]

34 minutes ago, bennybear said:

Just have to pop in and say again how much I enjoyed your thread!  I am missing it,  we may have to take up a collection for you to go again🤷‍♀️😀

 

Hahaha, thank you, Benny!  I was only home for a few days when I hit the road, again, back to Canada.  I was telling my sister that all this travel was exhausting and I need to go home for a rest!  She said “You do go home.  You just don’t stay there long!”  😂

 

I had fish and chips at the pub last night but they aren’t a contender for first place.  Maybe top 5.  I shall keep on at this quest despite the obstacles!  It is the people’s right to know!