Live From the Sky Princess, 21-Day Norway-Baltic B2B, Jul 13 – Aug 3

[Ken the cruiser]

This morning since we finished breakfast after the Port Talk had started, we decided to check out the Concierge Lounge, to include meeting Kevin, one of the two concierges and who was super friendly! Since this is our first time in a suite on a Royal class ship, we were curious what it had to offer.

Suite – Suites feature larger televisions, two sinks in the bathroom, accent lighting and a glass-paneled shower. For the first time on a Princess ship, suite passengers have use of a dedicated concierge lounge, an exclusive area to relax or work, with access to full front desk services, plus light snacks and beverages. Here, these passengers have dedicated staff to assist with such things as shore excursions, specialty dining or Lotus Spa reservations. It will also be used as a private disembarkation lounge for suite passengers.

 

  

 
They also offer pre-dinner aperitifs, to include a small variety of complementary cocktails and wine, from 5:30-7:30 pm. 
 

When we later got back to the cabin, we also found out the Olden excursion we were waitlisted on found two more seats, so we get to ride back to the Briksdal Glacier instead of hiking back there! Yay!! What can I say, we’re in our early 70s and would much rather do this excursion driving to the glacier and enjoying the scenery along the way versus walking for 2 hours to get there and back! 😁

 

 

Edited July 14 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

This afternoon due to the UEFA European Championship (EURO 24: England vs Spain) being aired in the Princess Theater, MUTS, and the Vista Lounge tonight at 9 pm, they scheduled three matinee Rock Opera production show performances this afternoon at 2, 4, and 6 pm so that any of the 3,873 guests who might like to see the show will have the option to.

 

 

 
The motion in the ocean has also calmed down considerably, which makes it a lot easier to meander around the ship, and we hopefully we will have calm seas for the rest of our Norway leg of the cruise.

 
 

 
Also, did you know this about the Medallion App? If you launch login.com while onboard from your browser, the main screen of the App will appear. Normally, I use this login option to activate my Internet service.
 

But did you ever notice the Ocean Concierge option in the bottom right corner? We hadn’t until our suite Concierge told us about it’s functionality today.

 

 
When I clicked on Ocean Concierge, our booked excursions associated with this leg appeared.

 

 
There are also other options listed on the bottom of the OC screen. For example, when I clicked on Events, the remaining ones scheduled around the ship for today appeared.

 

 
Just thought it was worth passing along if anyone felt like experimenting the next time you’re on a cruise. 😁

 

Edited July 14 by Ken the cruiser

[Malcolm142]

Ken thanks for all the info on Sky P

We have booked a med cruise next year on Sky and it will be our first time on Princess being, up to now, P&O regulars.

All the information you are giving about the ship is very helpful.

 

On your post 92 you have the position of the ship on a chart, is this from the in cabin screen?

Also the weather pages you show, are these `Princess generated or just an independent website you have accessed? If so what is the website address.

 

TIA

[PATRLR]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

This afternoon due to the UEFA European Championship (EURO 24: England vs Spain) being aired in the Princess Theater, MUTS, and the Vista Lounge tonight at 9 pm, they scheduled three matinee Rock Opera production show performances this afternoon at 2, 4, and 6 pm so that any of the 3,873 guests who might like to see the show will have the option to.

So Ken, I have to ask:  I'm pretty sure you were at the 2:00PM show based on posting time.  And you were on the left side of the venue based on your picture.  Were you by chance down right at the bottom of the stairs on the flat part, left of the aisle with no chair in front of you?  If so, I was right behind you.  The person sitting there was taking a few pictures that I could see plainly sitting right behind him, and the one you posted looks a lot like one of them.    

Would love to meet you at some point and chat about the Africa cruise you did on Jade in 2022.  I really enjoyed that "live" and a cruise like that is definitely on our list.

[cr8tiv1]

If you put on a pigeon hat, Ken will find you.  Actually, he came up to our table to introduce himself.  Very friendly guy.  

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, Malcolm142 said:

Ken thanks for all the info on Sky P

We have booked a med cruise next year on Sky and it will be our first time on Princess being, up to now, P&O regulars.

All the information you are giving about the ship is very helpful.

 

On your post 92 you have the position of the ship on a chart, is this from the in cabin screen?

Also the weather pages you show, are these `Princess generated or just an independent website you have accessed? If so what is the website address.

 

TIA

On my post #1 after the maps I posted these three links:
 

Informative Links:

    Current Sky Princess Location

    Northern Europe Weather

    Wildlife in Norway

 

The first one is a Cruise Mapper link associated with the current location of the Sky Princess. If you do a basic internet search “<ship name> current location”, one result should be a Cruise Mapper link of the ship you are searching for. If you click on that CM link followed by clicking on the CM picture of the ship’s current location, you will get a more useful interactive picture, such as when you click on the above Sky Princess one.

 

The second one is using Windy.com, my favorite weather source when on a cruise, where I chose Stavanger NO as my target area. You can also enter pretty much any city in the world in the upper left hand corner and Windy will take you there. It even has an App! You could also put in your home town and pinch the screen to make it smaller and basically find anywhere in the world to check various weather conditions. For example, you’re on a transatlantic cruise out in the middle of nowhere.

The third link just provides a reference for some of the wildlife we might see in Norway. 🤞

 

Hope this helps. If you need more info, just ask. 😁

Edited July 14 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

So Ken, I have to ask:  I'm pretty sure you were at the 2:00PM show based on posting time.  And you were on the left side of the venue based on your picture.  Were you by chance down right at the bottom of the stairs on the flat part, left of the aisle with no chair in front of you?  If so, I was right behind you.  The person sitting there was taking a few pictures that I could see plainly sitting right behind him, and the one you posted looks a lot like one of them.    

Would love to meet you at some point and chat about the Africa cruise you did on Jade in 2022.  I really enjoyed that "live" and a cruise like that is definitely on our list.

Actually, we were sitting in the two seats at the end of the row next to the wall, with no seats behind us, and where the red lights mark the beginning of the deeper steps going down. We liked those seats because the next two rows in front of us were definitely not blocking our view.

 

As far as meeting up, we’ll be at Princess Live about 30-40 minutes early to get seats to watch the game show at 9 pm. If you would like to meet up then, that would be cool. Otherwise, we can plan some time later on, but timing on each of the next 4 days might be a little tough as we will be on excursions each of those days. Let me know what you think.

[Ken the cruiser]

After a tasty dinner on formal night in the Reserve Dining Area, we went to watch the game show, Strikeout,

 

 

before heading back to the cabin to watch the football (soccer) game being broadcasted all over the ship!

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 3 - Jul 15 - Bergen NO

 

 

 

This was some information about Bergen left in our cabin.

 

  

[cr8tiv1]

The Sky Princess seems to have their act together.  Haven't seen port guides in a really long time.  Good to know they are keeping you well informed.  Leadership from the top down.  Bravo!

[Ken the cruiser]

This was the view around 8 am from our balcony off the coast of Norway.

 

 

But as we made the turn to head inland towards Bergen

 

 
the clouds started to lighten up a bit.

 

 
We are scheduled to arrive in Bergen at noon and once the ship is cleared, we’ll be heading off on our hopefully very scenic 5.5 hour excursion! 

 

 
This is a map of the area our excursion will be taking us through. The red arrow is where the Hardanger Fjord is. Hopefully the sky will be clear enough by then to see the Folgefonna Glacier on the other side! 🤞
 

 
As far as the weather forecast goes, it’s looking pretty good as our tour should arrive in Norheimsund around 2 pm and back to Bergen around 6 pm, with hopefully a beautiful sail away at 8 pm.
 

 

Edited July 15 by Ken the cruiser

[Familycruzer11]

On 7/13/2024 at 10:43 AM, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks! We met Gian and Narendra at lunch today and hopefully will have them serving us there throughout the cruise! You have us interested in the medical pharmacy, as we haven’t booked a Tallinn excursion yet. I found a link to it. Was it part of a PCL excursion you went on or was it simply nearby the ship where you could walk from over to see it?

 

https://discover-estonia.com/town-hall-pharmacy-in-tallinn-estonia/
 

If you see Gian and Narendra please send regards from Michael (vegan -easy to remember. lol) and Adrienne from New York. 
 

the tour was “ultimate Tallin” (TLL-100) from PCL. It included the pharmacy among other sites and we loved it.  Turned out to be our favorite port (which is saying a lot) 

[Familycruzer11]

Some of the birds we saw along the way (magpies are new to us..). Also Ultimate Tallin included the Marzipan shop.  Worth the tour to have the private guide speak about the history of the pharmacy, got to try some goodies and grind our own tea concoction.  Looking forward to seeing your photos!  You are in for a fabulous adventure both on and off the ship.  

Edited July 15 by Familycruzer11

[Ken the cruiser]

Had a fun time on our 5+ hour excursion today where we saw a bunch of beautiful scenery, waterfalls, and the Folgefonna Glacier!

 

 

 

 
Fireweed and Spirea

 

 

 

 

 
Hoverfly. I thought it was a Yellowjacket. I know, who knew! 😂

 

 
Hardanger Fjord

 

 
Large Yellow Loosestrife 

 

 
White Wagtail

 

 
Folgefonna Glacier on top of the mountain across the Hardanger Fjord.

 

 
A zoomed in photo of the glacier.

 

 

 
Folgefonna Glacier seen from Norheimsund.

 

 

 

 
Steinsdalsfossen Waterfall  

 

 

 
You could even walk behind it to take pictures.

 

 

 
Sheep!! 

 
Mason Bee

 

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

And we’re off! Next stop Skjolden, Norway early tomorrow morning.
 

But first we had to do another 180 once we cleared away from the pier, which got a bunch of Herring Gulls excited! 😂

 

 
Then once we had Bergen in the rearview mirror,

 

 
we were off!

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 4 - Jul 16 - Skjolden, Norway

 

 

 

 
So far the internet service has been quite acceptable!

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

After a tasty dinner in the Reserve Dining Room, we headed back to the cabin to chill until it was time to head to the Vista Comedy Lounge to watch an hilarious comedian, Jay Stevens, at 9 pm! 😂

 

 

 

Because our excursion got back after 6 pm, we decided to pass on the evening theater show featuring vocalist Laura Broad

 

 

and the game show Majority Rules, and simply focus on going to the Comedy Lounge.

 

 

Edited July 15 by Ken the cruiser

[cr8tiv1]

I am very thankful that I don't have to pay for this cruise nor the excursions.  Love traveling vicariously with you.

[ringers0815]

Beautiful photos!

[Ken the cruiser]

Here’s where we’re at right now a little after 11 pm. As you can see we are just turning into Sogne Fjord with Skjolden at the other end.

 

 
This is the view from the bow. Unfortunately, we won’t see much of the fjord until we leave Skjolden tomorrow afternoon around 4 pm, heading back out the same way we entered.

 

 
This is the forecast for tomorrow, which looks pretty awesome!

 

 
And this is the excursion we’re going on.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

We have arrived in Skjolden, Norway! Here are some early morning photos as we cruised through the final stretch of the Sogne Fjord.

 
This was at around 5:30 am from our balcony before going back to bed.

 

 
Then when we got up at 6:30 am.

 

 

 

Looking aft from whence we came. 😁

 

 
We then arrived at Skjolden around 7:30 am and took some of the “huge” pier and around it.

 

 

 
Even saw some sheep grazing next to it! 😂

 

 

 

Edited July 16 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

Had a fun morning on our tour driving to the Jotunheimen National Park and back!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Smorstabbreen Glacier

 

 

 

 
Marmalade Hover Fly

 

 

 

 
There are 3 small hanging glaciers in this photo!

 

 
A sheep all by itsself munching on some tasty grass! 😁

 

 

 

 

 

 
Norwegian Fjord Horses

 

 

 
Marmalade Hoverfly (left) and Blow Fly (right)

 

 

 

 

Edited July 16 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

And we’re off! 
 

 

 

 

 
What I find interesting is how populated the shores of the fjords are in certain areas where the shoreline is not so steep.

 

 

 
Next stop is Olden, Norway, which is at the end of the next long fjord, Nordfjord, north of Skjolden, around 8 am tomorrow morning!

 

 

Edited July 16 by Ken the cruiser

[PATRLR]

33 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

What I find interesting is how populated the shores of the fjords are in certain areas where the shoreline is not so steep.

We did a RIB tour up this fjord.  We learned that many of these houses are no longer lived in, some completely derelict, others just used as vacation or holiday homes.  For example, in the picture below we have what looks like a quaint village and indeed for many years dozens of families lived there (I think he said 100-200 inhabitants).  Now, only one family still lives there and many of the "houses" are abandoned or only used occasionally.  The square white building at the far left of the picture is the former school house, long ago abandoned.  

The area is still used for agriculture, just only one family still lives there.  Our guide told us many of the "homes" we see along the fjord are similar situations.  

[Esprit]

Great pictures Ken, and pleased for you that the weather has been kind.

 

It's not the scenery my DW would enjoy. She has to put up with an annual ski holiday in the Alps so to see more mountains and snow with no high street retail therapy available would not make her a happy bunny 😂.

 

Your next 14 day Baltic cruise will have more appeal however (and shopping opportunities)! 🙄

Peter