Copenhagen to Copenhagen June 11-25 Sailing The Coast of Norway

[cruiseej]

@SLSD I've greatly enjoyed you taking us along on your journey, and I'm glad you've had a good trip blessed with stunningly good weather. 

 

Two near misses, though…

 

1) The picture you posted above was not Pulpit Rock. Hopefully you have it somewhere in your photos; here's what to look for. When we did this excursion, it was a cloudy, rainy day, and the top was in the clouds, but here's what it looks like looking up from the fjord: 

 

 

 

 

Notice the face of the rock is sheer and sharply angular. This photo below isn't mine, but shows it under better conditions; see if you have a photo that looks like this rock formation…

 

 

2) On the other front, wahoo is a flakey, firm white fish, very popular in Hawaii (where it is called one) with a taste closer to other white-fleshed fish like halibut or cod. It's related to the king mackerel. Tuna has a bright red flesh and of course can be eaten raw or just lightly seared and still quite red.

 

Enjoy the (too-short) remainder of your trip!

 

[SLSD]

33 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

@SLSD I've greatly enjoyed you taking us along on your journey, and I'm glad you've had a good trip blessed with stunningly good weather. 

 

Two near misses, though…

 

1) The picture you posted above was not Pulpit Rock. Hopefully you have it somewhere in your photos; here's what to look for. When we did this excursion, it was a cloudy, rainy day, and the top was in the clouds, but here's what it looks like looking up from the fjord: 

 

 

 

 

Notice the face of the rock is sheer and sharply angular. This photo below isn't mine, but shows it under better conditions; see if you have a photo that looks like this rock formation…

 

 

2) On the other front, wahoo is a flakey, firm white fish, very popular in Hawaii (where it is called one) with a taste closer to other white-fleshed fish like halibut or cod. It's related to the king mackerel. Tuna has a bright red flesh and of course can be eaten raw or just lightly seared and still quite red.

 

Enjoy the (too-short) remainder of your trip!

 

 I had never had Wahoo and it was said to be close to tuna on the menu!! Perhaps Seabourn needs to make that correction.  You can tell them though.  I am not going to take them to school on it.   I don't consider the cliff I posted as a near miss as I said I did not get a photo of the Pulpit Rock.   I am sure I saw it.  There were many majestic cliffs in the area.  

Edited June 24, 2023 by SLSD

[cruiseej]

You said you weren't sure if you got a picture of Pulpit Rock, so I was just trying to illustrate what to look for in your pictures if you want to see if you have a photo of it. If not, as you say, there are many other great rocks and cliffs, and as long as you weren't hiking to the top, what does it matter which is which? 😀

[SLSD]

21 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

You said you weren't sure if you got a picture of Pulpit Rock, so I was just trying to illustrate what to look for in your pictures if you want to see if you have a photo of it. If not, as you say, there are many other great rocks and cliffs, and as long as you weren't hiking to the top, what does it matter which is which? 😀

I think I do have photos of the said rock but from below and not recognizable as the Pulpit Rock from the angle I was photographing. I do appreciate the great photo you posted.  And you are right--we have had outstanding weather on this cruise.  We have experienced a bit of rain two afternoons--but not enough to affect anything we have done.  

[PAZE]

18 hours ago, SLSD said:

Yesterday, we were in Stavanger which we have been told is the center of the oil industry in Norway.  Among other things, Stavanger is known for its proximity to the famous Pulpit Rock.  Some hiked to the Pulpit Rock, others viewed the Pulpit Rock by helicopter, but we chose to take the Lysefjord Cruise to Pulpit Rock.  We cruised via a ferry which we boarded very close to where we the ship was docked.  We had an expansive guide and we enjoyed the cruise very much--especially after having very long excursions on previous days.  It was relaxing.  There is only one thing which puzzled me.  Our guide never publicly announced when we had reached the Pulpit Rock...  Perhaps it was obvious to everyone but me (and I had previously looked at photos online), but I am not at all sure I got a photo of the famous rock!  A friend from the cruise has promised to send me a photo.  In addition to the rock, we saw caves where Sea Gypsies had plied their trade in the 1970s, lighthouses, beautiful waterfalls, sailing boats, and islands with weekend homes.  We also made a stop at a charming shed where we were served traditional Norwegian waffles with strawberry jam and whipped cream.  Coffee and tea were also served.  I recommend this excursion in Stavanger--just make sure you ask the guide to announce the famous rock.  

Did you use Seabourn or a third party for this tour? Thank you.

[galeforce9]

@SLSDI hope you book and travel on another seabourn cruise soon as I’m going to miss having your reports to look forward to. 

[SLSD]

4 hours ago, PAZE said:

Did you use Seabourn or a third party for this tour? Thank you.

We used a travel agent.  Our flights were booked through Seabourn.

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, galeforce9 said:

@SLSDI hope you book and travel on another seabourn cruise soon as I’m going to miss having your reports to look forward to. 

You are so kind to say that galeforce.  I post about our trip as I really enjoy reading when other people post.  As soon as we get home, we'll start thinking about our next cruise and will probably book within a month or so. We find it a bit challenging to cruise as our "real life" keeps us busy as well--visiting family and traveling domestically with friends.  But, another cruise IS a priority and we will book one.  I would be game to try Silversea (we've cruised with them once before) or Regent, but Mr. SLSD is adamant about Seabourn as it is a known quantity.  

[lincslady]

Thank you for posting about this trip.  I tend to agree with Mr .SLSD on sticking with Seabourn  if you  find the 'ambiance' on board particularly to your liking, as that on both Regent and Silversea are different (have done a few on both in the past), and if that is to a great extent what draws you back to SB, then I personally would stick with it.  Not the most important thing for some, but it is for me.

[SLSD]

20 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Thank you for posting about this trip.  I tend to agree with Mr .SLSD on sticking with Seabourn  if you  find the 'ambiance' on board particularly to your liking, as that on both Regent and Silversea are different (have done a few on both in the past), and if that is to a great extent what draws you back to SB, then I personally would stick with it.  Not the most important thing for some, but it is for me.

Yes,  we generally like the ambience on Seabourn.  We HAVE cruised with Silversea, but it was way back in 2005 and we haven't cruised with them since.  I've told Mr. SLSD that we might try another line just based on itinerary.  One things that bothers me about SB is all the 7 day itineraries in the Med and Adriatic.  We would prefer 21 days and don't love a total passenger turnover every 7 days as the turnover day is not really a normal day.  

Edited June 24, 2023 by SLSD

[PSahoy]

I am currently sitting on Ovation on deck 11 facing the lovely Skagen harbor as crew is setting up poolside for going away party. I’m going to hijack SLSD’s excellent blog—thank you!— to add my unqualified enthusiasm for one of the very best cruises I’ve taken. Norway was a revelation; I knew it was beautiful but not to this degree. For giving me incredible access I thank the destination team as well as the Ventures team for some extraordinary up close experiences and fascinating commentary on my Zodiac excursions. Everything my Ovation traveling partners have said about the exemplary staff, service and food is spot on. The words “no” or “sorry” don’t seem to be in their vocabulary. There’s been a convivial and overall group of very happy passengers of which I am one. This will be remembered as a Seabourn winner and for those who will be visiting Norway soon on Ovation bon voyage. You’re in for quite a treat! Now back to your regularly scheduled programming with SLSD…PS thanks also to jondfk for his commentary as well.

[Utopia1]

I am aware of the repetition of mediterranean ports offered this fall.  The fact that I will be in Barcelona 3 times and Rome 2 times in less than 5 weeks on a SUNDAY bothers me.  The major stores in both cities are closed on Sunday--and although I enjoy the markets having done them numerous times- I would enjoy strolling around when the stores are open. Many of the wine tours are not available on Sundays.

The ship is not the same on turnover days which makes it a great day to be off the ship-- but the ship offers little in tours those days for the remaining passengers.

Fortunately the following 2 weeks there is no port repetition because that is the 14 day transatlantic.

I enjoy Seabourn and definitely chose the ship over the itineraries.  

[nancygp]

22 minutes ago, PSahoy said:

I am currently sitting on Ovation on deck 11 facing the lovely Skagen harbor as crew is setting up poolside for going away party. I’m going to hijack SLSD’s excellent blog—thank you!— to add my unqualified enthusiasm for one of the very best cruises I’ve taken. Norway was a revelation; I knew it was beautiful but not to this degree. For giving me incredible access I thank the destination team as well as the Ventures team for some extraordinary up close experiences and fascinating commentary on my Zodiac excursions. Everything my Ovation traveling partners have said about the exemplary staff, service and food is spot on. The words “no” or “sorry” don’t seem to be in their vocabulary. There’s been a convivial and overall group of very happy passengers of which I am one. This will be remembered as a Seabourn winner and for those who will be visiting Norway soon on Ovation bon voyage. You’re in for quite a treat! Now back to your regularly scheduled programming with SLSD…PS thanks also to jondfk for his commentary as well.

We felt the same way last august on our first seabourn cruise, also a Norway cruise.  
 

really enjoyed SLSD’s posts and appreciate all the time she took to post about her fabulous trip.

 

nancy

[SLSD]

26 minutes ago, PSahoy said:

I am currently sitting on Ovation on deck 11 facing the lovely Skagen harbor as crew is setting up poolside for going away party. I’m going to hijack SLSD’s excellent blog—thank you!— to add my unqualified enthusiasm for one of the very best cruises I’ve taken. Norway was a revelation; I knew it was beautiful but not to this degree. For giving me incredible access I thank the destination team as well as the Ventures team for some extraordinary up close experiences and fascinating commentary on my Zodiac excursions. Everything my Ovation traveling partners have said about the exemplary staff, service and food is spot on. The words “no” or “sorry” don’t seem to be in their vocabulary. There’s been a convivial and overall group of very happy passengers of which I am one. This will be remembered as a Seabourn winner and for those who will be visiting Norway soon on Ovation bon voyage. You’re in for quite a treat! Now back to your regularly scheduled programming with SLSD…PS thanks also to jondfk for his commentary as well.

It was such a pleasure to me PSahoy as we shared several excursion experiences with him.  And everything he says is true--Norway exceeded our expectations.  This has been a wonderful cruise with a fabulous crew.  They are exceptional people.  

[SLSD]

4 minutes ago, Utopia1 said:

I am aware of the repetition of mediterranean ports offered this fall.  The fact that I will be in Barcelona 3 times and Rome 2 times in less than 5 weeks on a SUNDAY bothers me.  The major stores in both cities are closed on Sunday--and although I enjoy the markets having done them numerous times- I would enjoy strolling around when the stores are open. Many of the wine tours are not available on Sundays.

The ship is not the same on turnover days which makes it a great day to be off the ship-- but the ship offers little in tours those days for the remaining passengers.

Fortunately the following 2 weeks there is no port repetition because that is the 14 day transatlantic.

I enjoy Seabourn and definitely chose the ship over the itineraries.  

And we are just the opposite.  We choose itineraries, but I'll write more about that later.  

[nancygp]

@SLSD…thanks for he great posts…brings back great memories and glad the ovation is back to where it should be.  Enjoy your last evening and safe travels home.

 

I agree with your hubby..hope you find another seabourn cruise that works for both of you.  I’m sure you know that we were long time “old” crystal cruisers.  So happy we took the SB plunge last summer.  Overall, we’ve been very happy with our past 3  SB cruises and have several more booked.  While the “new” crystal is starting up again soon, we haven’t booked anything and have a very wait and see attitude.  

 

Nancy

[SLSD]

Today, we are in Skagen, Denmark.  Sadly, it is our last full day of this cruise.  We packed right after lunch--hoping to better enjoy the rest of the day and evening with that done.  

 

This morning, we took an excursion titled (more or less) The Legacy of the Skagen Painters.  This tour revolved around a community of painters who lived in the (then) small fishing village of Skagen in the 1870s through the early 1900s.  The excursion involved touring the excellent Skagen Museum to see paintings from that community.  We also toured two different artists' homes from the community.  The houses were filled with items belonging to the artists.  They were a delight with many details that I loved.  

 

The tour was rated as Moderate and 2.5 miles of walking were involved.  2.5 miles is NOT a lot of walking for me, but our tour guide did it at a fast clip.  We started out with eleven in our group and ended the tour with six.  Two left to do further exploration when we were almost finished with the tour, but I think we may have lost a couple who found the walking to be too strenuous.  I mention this just in case any of you are considering this tour.  It is a lot of walking.  I loved the tour as it included just the kind of thing I enjoy seeing.  The paintings were wonderful and the houses were exceptional.  And, while I am not a shopper, the museum shop at the Skagen Museum was the very best we have seen on the entire trip. 

 

The town of Skagen has a population of 8,000.  The port where we are docked is a somewhat industrial area (maritime, not heavy industry) .  You CAN walk into town (and should if you are able), but it is a hike. The town is quite picturesque.   Our guide told us that there are only about two taxis in town and Seabourn did not provide a shuttle. This would have been a perfect town for a shuttle.   If you do a bit of research and find the names of the artists' houses,  (One is the Ancher House and the other is the Drachmann House)you will see where the most interesting areas of town are.  The area around the Ancher House has a very nice and attractive shopping area with a number of shops and cafes.  While I am  not usually interested in shopping at all, this area appeared to have some charming shops with high quality and artistic items.  

I

I'm including some photos here just to give a flavor  of what we saw.  

 

 

Edited June 24, 2023 by SLSD

[SLSD]

Mr. SLSD has corrected me.  There WAS a bus labeled Seabourn Shuttle.  It took us just a little way toward town to start our tour today.  We walked back all the way ourselves.  So--there was a shuttle and I am glad to know this as the town of Skagen is well worth exploration.  

[Ithikan]

SLSD:  Fabulous photos, I am enjoying them so much and I thank you!  Especially the painted bird door.  Swoon.

FYI:  Wahoo is much loved in the Hawaiian islands, and is known as both Wahoo and Ono.  Which, interestingly, is the word in the Hawaiian language for "delicious," or "sweet-eating food," or, simply, "yummy!"

[bizinsider]

A few additional thoughts to what everybody here said. Now that the cruise is almost over I can confidently say that this has been the best Internet of any cruise we have ever had. With the few exceptions in the fjords, it was outstanding. Fast. Consistent. Surprisingly reliable.

 

The crew/service was outstanding. We had a tour of just six people of the galley by Exec Chef Trevor, who is a wealth of info. We've had other galley tours, none like this. While it wasn't "advertised" we simply asked if they were doing one, and they signed us up. Ditto for a very small bridge tour while at port today... just a small group. (We asked.)

 

@maryogreen and I enjoyed meeting and dining several nights with @SLSD and Mr. SLSD. Ditto tonight's dinner the wonderfully engaging @PSahoy. (If the Colonnade has an Indian Marketplace on your cruise on the last night, don't miss it. Fantastic.)

 

Oh, and despite being in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea, if you were wondering, the waters throughout most (if not all) of this cruise were like glass. 

 

Bottom line: The Ovation is a very well run ship.

 

Thanks for starting this thread, Susan. That's a wrap from me.

 

Herb

 

 

 

[nancygp]

12 minutes ago, bizinsider said:

We had a tour of just six people of the galley by Exec Chef Trevor, who is a wealth of info. We've had other galley tours, none like this. While it wasn't "advertised" we simply asked if they were doing one, and they signed us up. Ditto for a very small bridge tour while at port today... just a small group. (We asked.)

Herb, 

 

How wonderful to read that you and Mary had a stellar cruise.

 

we will be on the odyssey soon and will inquire about a galley and bridge cruise…thanks for aharing.

 

enjoy your last night and safe travels home.   I’ll look for you on Brian’s show. 😀

 

Nancy

[Mahogany]

7 hours ago, nancygp said:

We felt the same way last august on our first seabourn cruise, also a Norway cruise.  
 

really enjoyed SLSD’s posts and appreciate all the time she took to post about her fabulous trip.

 

nancy

On another post you mentioned that you were Diamond and therefore entitled to upgraded internet package. But your first cruise was last August? How did you become Diamond so fast? Stay on board all year? 😀 Sounds great!

[nancygp]

1 minute ago, Mahogany said:

On another post you mentioned that you were Diamond and therefore entitled to upgraded internet package. But your first cruise was last August? How did you become Diamond so fast? Stay on board all year? 😀 Sounds great!

Ha, ha!

 

about a year ago, Seabourn offered former crystal cruisers a loyalty match promo.  One had to provide documentation  on the number of crystal cruises sailed.  Depending on that number, Seabourn awarded the various club amenities.  We were awarded diamond status as we were at the top of the number needed per the status match promo.   I’m glad we took advantage of this lovely promo as we appreciate several of the benefits.  
 

Nancy

[Mahogany]

Susan, may I call you Susan? (Since others have 🙂). Though we've never met, I have enjoyed your posts from other cruises and would love to meet you on a future cruise.

Thank you for all the interesting posts and fabulous photos. I have been to Norway, as far as the North Cape, with Seabourn but am taking a Silversea cruise to Norway in August (my friend's chance to see Norway) which only goes as far north as Trondheim. But it has been enjoyable to anticipate my trip while reading about yours. Oh, that we will have similar weather!

Fiona

[Mahogany]

4 minutes ago, nancygp said:

Ha, ha!

 

about a year ago, Seabourn offered former crystal cruisers a loyalty match promo.  One had to provide documentation  on the number of crystal cruises sailed.  Depending on that number, Seabourn awarded the various club amenities.  We were awarded diamond status as we were at the top of the number needed per the status match promo.   I’m glad we took advantage of this lovely promo as we appreciate several of the benefits.  
 

Nancy

Understood. Is it now going to be hard to choose between the new Crystal and Seabourn? 😀