Live from Sky Princess - Norway Fjords, 8 days, April 27 to May 5

[FancyPants21]

Thought I'd do a report from on board.

 

Embarkation at Southampton was quick and easy for us. Boarding started about 10.30 and we were one of the first on. I did hear that there were waits of up to an hour for those that arrived later.

 

Once on we did the normal stuff... got a drink, visited our muster station and watched the video. I went to book some speciality dining by visiting each restaurant. Then to the room to see if we could drop off the bags there instead of using the allocated MDR. To our surprise the room was ready so we moved in. A PH suite on Riviera.

 

The general feel on the ship is familiar and hasn't changed much but what has changed is the level of service. It isn't bad , just different. Where the bars were mainly waiter/ess served now you mainly need to line up at the bar. That simple change means they have less waiting staff but it has changed how the bars work... not for the better IMO. There are still waiting staff around just very few and if you waited to get one to place your order it would have been much quicker to just line up.

 

Apart from that it is pretty much the same. The MDR service is excellent (Reserve Collection) as is the food. We have eaten once in Crown Grill and I have to say that it was the very best rib-eye steak I have ever had... and I have had a few!

 

However, the biggest disappointment so far for me has been the standard of entertainment around the ship. It is not good IMO. Princess has never been one for doing great entertainment in the piazza or bars but on this trip it has hit a low. Having said that the main theatre entertainment has been superb. To be honest, it isn't a problem for us.

 

The first port in Norway, Haugesund, was cancelled due to high winds so we had a day of scenic cruising around the fjords. Actually, we didn't really mind as Haugesund was not a place we particularly wanted to see. Weather has been mostly cloudy with the odd shower and the odd sunny spell so it made for a relaxing day.

 

We are in port now in Aalesund... oour first chance to get off. 

 

More later

[dickinson]

Looking forward to reading this.  We are going on a seven day the beginning of August. What ports are you going to because so far what you mentioned are not on our cruise?

[EDVM96]

5 hours ago, FancyPants21 said:

The first port in Norway, Haugesund, was cancelled due to high winds so we had a day of scenic cruising around the fjords.

Ah. I saw that yesterday on cruisemapper.com and was about to ask whats going on in your roll call. Too windy was my first guess.

 

Haugesund itself has not much to offer, so scenic fjord cruising was a very good option to spend the day instead. I saw the Sky even went up to Furebergsfossen waterfall and made a 360° for the people viewing from their balconies on both ship sides. 👍

 

[phabric]

Following along as I have taken Norwegian Fjords 3x.

[karatemom2]

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience with us. We are on the Sky in June for the 14 day Land of the Midnight Sun itinerary, so very interested to follow along on your journey!

[JanDay]

8 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience with us. We are on the Sky in June for the 14 day Land of the Midnight Sun itinerary, so very interested to follow along on your journey!

Same with us. Our first time to the fjords after our sadly cancelled Covid 2020 summer Baltic and NorthCape plan. And then our 2021 attempt which we dropped due to Delta variant surge…

This one is lining up, finally!  
@FancyPants21 Eager to hear reports on your experiences as you sail. Thank you for taking us along. 👍 

[FancyPants21]

Aalesund was a nice town but a lot of the shops didn't open until later in the day. 

 

We have been to two shows now... one was sang the soul diva (her words!) classics and the show Spotlight Bar. Both were excellent. The Spotlight Bar was a particular favorite with excellent performances all round. Well worth seeing IMO.

 

Today is in Olden... the place of the Briksdal Glacier and the Loen Skylift. We didn't do either instead opting for the open-top bus tour to a glacier photo point. Not really near the glacier but excellent 1 hour bus trip nevertheless. 

 

The musical entertainment in the Piazza are the same performers each day so we tend to avoid the Piazza when they are performing.

 

Apart from that there isn't much to report. Service remains as it was at the start and food and drink just as good. The weather is being very kind to us and so we are very much enjoying the cruise with no complaints. We do love Sky Princess.

 

Another report if anything crops up or on Friday.

Edited May 1 by FancyPants21

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

Following along, we board Sky in 4 weeks.  Thanks for posting!

 

[BobandLizM]

On 4/30/2024 at 8:21 AM, FancyPants21 said:

Thought I'd do a report from on board.

 

Embarkation at Southampton was quick and easy for us. Boarding started about 10.30 and we were one of the first on. I did hear that there were waits of up to an hour for those that arrived later.

 

Once on we did the normal stuff... got a drink, visited our muster station and watched the video. I went to book some speciality dining by visiting each restaurant. Then to the room to see if we could drop off the bags there instead of using the allocated MDR. To our surprise the room was ready so we moved in. A PH suite on Riviera.

 

The general feel on the ship is familiar and hasn't changed much but what has changed is the level of service. It isn't bad , just different. Where the bars were mainly waiter/ess served now you mainly need to line up at the bar. That simple change means they have less waiting staff but it has changed how the bars work... not for the better IMO. There are still waiting staff around just very few and if you waited to get one to place your order it would have been much quicker to just line up.

 

Apart from that it is pretty much the same. The MDR service is excellent (Reserve Collection) as is the food. We have eaten once in Crown Grill and I have to say that it was the very best rib-eye steak I have ever had... and I have had a few!

 

However, the biggest disappointment so far for me has been the standard of entertainment around the ship. It is not good IMO. Princess has never been one for doing great entertainment in the piazza or bars but on this trip it has hit a low. Having said that the main theatre entertainment has been superb. To be honest, it isn't a problem for us.

 

The first port in Norway, Haugesund, was cancelled due to high winds so we had a day of scenic cruising around the fjords. Actually, we didn't really mind as Haugesund was not a place we particularly wanted to see. Weather has been mostly cloudy with the odd shower and the odd sunny spell so it made for a relaxing day.

 

We are in port now in Aalesund... oour first chance to get off. 

 

More later

Hi FancyPants21

We are also on this cruise, we concur with all your comments.

 

With regard to ‘lining up at the bar’, we are also finding this very strange.  We have 13 cruises on board Princess, including 2 cross Atlantic on this ship, we are used to either sitting at the bar or being served either in person or using the app.   The long queue (lines) are new to us also   We were not sure if it was because there were more Brits onboard, we have never sailed UK-UK before.   Even British people in my experience do not like queuing at a bar, we generally spread out and try and ensure everyone is served in correct order.

 

Entertainment also a bit odd in Vista, no house band etc. 

 

still enjoying ourselves though, had a lovely day walking to a glacier.

 

hope you continue to also have a good time

 

[arizonaperson]

Anyone onboard can you confirm or deny -diet Dr Pepper or regular Dr Pepper available ? Could someone check a few of the bars and ask.

Just curious ,my opinion -I didn’t think Princess offered this but ….

[FancyPants21]

All continues to go well. Just arrived in Skjolden. Boy! This is a small place. Nothing here and a population of just 200-300! And then 3,500 of us arrive! 

Weather is superb.... warmish and sunny. No wind.

I just wanted to comment on the show last night. It was a vocalist Nik Page. He has played Jean val Jean in Les Mis in London so I knew he was going to be good but what a singer... what an entertainer and great drummer too. Loved the show. If you ever get the chance to see him then grab it.

We have decided to spend this afternoon in The Sanctuary. Quite surprised that there are still places 4 days into the cruise.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

PS I'll find out about Dr Pepper 🙂 

[CaribbeanSteve]

PICTURES:

 

Just wanted to see if anyone has already taken (or is willing to take) pictures of daily schedule(s), MDR menu(s), International Cafe consolidated list of daily meal specials, etc. and post them on this board so we can get a sense of what to expect when our Norway journey in mid-June.

 

Thanks/Best,

Steven

Edited May 2 by CaribbeanSteve
Added Title

[BobandLizM]

3 hours ago, CaribbeanSteve said:

PICTURES:

 

Just wanted to see if anyone has already taken (or is willing to take) pictures of daily schedule(s), MDR menu(s), International Cafe consolidated list of daily meal specials, etc. and post them on this board so we can get a sense of what to expect when our Norway journey in mid-June.

 

Thanks/Best,

Steven

I tend to scan in the patter on my phone so daily, so see attached

Tue 30th Patter.pdf Thu 02nd May Patter.pdf 01st May Patter.pdf Sun 28th Patter.pdf Mon 29th Patter.pdf Sat 27th Patter.pdf

[cruise2relax]

Thanks for posting these!  We are on in three weeks.  Am I reading the patter correctly in that two dining rooms are open for breakfast?  If so that is new.

[Rorolopollo]

This is really helpful thank you! We have our first ever cruise on 3 August on Sky to the Fjords. Is Skjolden not worth getting off then? (We have young children with us so will stay on board unless there’s something to see!)

 

Are you able to book the casual dining when you get on board or is it walk in? Is it generally available? Thinking of Alfredo’s in particular!

[BobandLizM]

27 minutes ago, Rorolopollo said:

This is really helpful thank you! We have our first ever cruise on 3 August on Sky to the Fjords. Is Skjolden not worth getting off then? (We have young children with us so will stay on board unless there’s something to see!)

 

Are you able to book the casual dining when you get on board or is it walk in? Is it generally available? Thinking of Alfredo’s in particular!

Really nice walk off ship.  We booked to walk Llamas at a local farm with Princess. The guide/farmer walked us from the ship to his farm.  About 28 of us with 20 Llamas and sheep/lambs.   If not on booked trip I am sure you could walk up the fields where the animals are.  Number 7 on the map.

[phabric]

37 minutes ago, Rorolopollo said:

 

 

Are you able to book the casual dining when you get on board or is it walk in? Is it generally available? Thinking of Alfredo’s in particular!

Alfredo’s is walk in.  Sometimes there is a line waiting.

[CaribbeanSteve]

PRINCESS CRUISE APP:

 

On the Holland America App, as each new day arrives, you can see what is for dinner in the main dining room that evening. In fact, you can also see the menu for breakfast and for all of the dining venues. Does the Princess App have a similar feature. I don’t see a place for it pre-cruise, but wanted to check.

 

Thanks,

Steven

[phabric]

27 minutes ago, CaribbeanSteve said:

PRINCESS CRUISE APP:

 

On the Holland America App, as each new day arrives, you can see what is for dinner in the main dining room that evening. In fact, you can also see the menu for breakfast and for all of the dining venues. Does the Princess App have a similar feature. I don’t see a place for it pre-cruise, but wanted to check.

 

Thanks,

Steven

The daily dining menu (breakfast and dinner) will show once on the ship on the app.  It is not also correct.

Edited May 3 by phabric

[Mark36]

15 hours ago, BobandLizM said:

Really nice walk off ship.  We booked to walk Llamas at a local farm with Princess. The guide/farmer walked us from the ship to his farm.  About 28 of us with 20 Llamas and sheep/lambs.   If not on booked trip I am sure you could walk up the fields where the animals are.  Number 7 on the map.

Thanks for posting this we are there June 2025 looks like an excellent port to walk off ship and explore. 

[FancyPants21]

Skjolden is a quiet place (300 inhabitants!) with little actually near the ship but there is still lots to do and see if you are happy taking excursions or walking/hiking. 

 

Food continues to be good but we had a hiccup with the in cabin breakfast. They don't understand always what we put on the card... we asked for 1 weetabix (they normally come in packs of 2 biscuits... yes, we got 1 biscuit. We asked for 2 milk (there are 2 of us) and we got 4 glasses of milk. The toast was shown the toaster and was really just bread. Apart from that it was OK.

 

Today it has been 22C in Stavanger and so we stayed on the ship and booked The Sanctuary. Crickey! Quiet and peaceful while the rest of the ship decks were heaving with people trying to find a sunbed. Excellent service in there and well worth the $40 each for the day.

 

Tonight we eat in Sabattini's.

 

The weather is looking cloudy bat with calm seas for our sail back tomorrow.

 

Regarding the question of Dr Pepper... I could not find Dr Pepper in the bars I asked at but they do have a root beer in cans that isn't Dr Pepper. It isn't diet.

[FancyPants21]

Just back from the theatre and I had to post...

 

The show was 5-Skies. It is a high-tech, musical show about a person playing a computer game. The object is to pass through the levels to the final goal... to save the Sky Princess.

 

I have been longing for Princess to do shows that had a story and weren't just reviews and with this they have answered my prayers. It is original, it is well done, it is fun and enjoyable. If I were to be critical then some of the songs are a little repetitive but it is a small point.

 

I loved it and this for me marks a new beginning for Princess shows. Let's hope it continues...

Edited May 3 by FancyPants21

[dronnygirl]

We will be on Sky Princess in 4 weeks.  Could you please advise whether there is a kettle and tea facilities in deluxe balcony cabins?  Thank you

[arizonaperson]

@FancyPants21 thanks for checking on the Dr Pepper situation. The only reason why I was asking is because one person on CC stated that there was Dr Pepper and then they further back tracked and said oh it was their cabin mate not them that got the diet Dr Pepper. It was maybe a substitution and maybe only on the Regal etc.

So -thank you so much for your answer. I definitely have never seen it onboard. so this confirms.

[ColoradoMom!!]

On 5/2/2024 at 1:27 PM, Rorolopollo said:

This is really helpful thank you! We have our first ever cruise on 3 August on Sky to the Fjords. Is Skjolden not worth getting off then? (We have young children with us so will stay on board unless there’s something to see!)

@Rorolopollo  Welcome to Cruise Critic!  I hope you enjoy reading up and anticipating your cruise as much as we all do!!

Also -just to double check - I believe the Aug 3rd sailing will have Stavanger but no stop at Skjolden

Edited May 3 by ColoradoMom!!