12 night Norway and Arctic Circle on Apex with Pre- Cruise in the New Forest ( maybe live!)

[hcat]

great review.. talented writing and photography!  thanks for sharing...

[Mom2011]

Just found this group.  Having a blast

[Judyrem]

9 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

 

Olden - Day 4 
 

 

What we did: am Loen Skylift and 8 km hike, pm Hauren 8km hike straight from the ship

Other options: Briksdal Glacier, kayaking, trip to Stryn, glacier sightseeing bus 

Need to know: This is one port you don’t need to have plans in advance for. There are a few vendors at the port selling excursions. The village centre is 10 mins away and tiny.

 

 

Friluftsliv baby! 🌳🍃This is why we came to Norway! I can’t use enough superlatives to describe how beautiful Olden and Nordfjord is. 
 

We woke up to this view.

 

We started the day early and got one of the first shuttles to the Loen Skylift with Olden Adventures. It’s pretty pricey- around £70 a person so I’d recommend waiting to see what the weather is like before getting a ticket. It’s a short 10 min journey to the Skylift and we walked straight on. The Skylift is a real feat of engineering. We have been on plenty cable cars in the Alps so it didn’t haves complete wow factor but you couldn’t help but be impressed by the steepness of the journey. At one point we were practically vertical. It was ear popping stuff. 

 

Once at the top, we set off on our circular 8km hike on Mount Hoven via Skredfjellet. It was probably what we would consider an easy/ moderate hike but remember we are experienced hikers. It was 2km ascent, 4 km downhill then 2km ascent. The trail was quite manicured, you just had to follow the cairns, there was no way you get lost. We walked through a mossy, magical wonderland dotted with minuscule lochans. We were the only ones on the trail and it seemed quite otherworldly. Looking down, the teal fjord was so serene. There  was a slight smirr in the air but everything was so fresh and vibrant. It felt vey much like Scotland when you were out of sight of the fjord. It wasn’t a technical hike at all but there was a rocky downhill for about 20 minutes before the final uphill, which was a bit of a butt buster. As we had made good time( about 50 minutes quicker than suggested), we decided to head back to the ship to refuel before going for our second hike of the day.

This shows some of the possible trails.

 

There were lots of these cairns to show the way.

 

Signage on the trail.

 

There was quite a bit of cloud inversion. 
 

We saw a few moss covered roofs.

Cowbells out- sheepbells in!

View to Olden

 

This second hike was direct from the quayside and was called Hauren. It was 8 km out and back. The 4 km uphill was pretty gradual up a series of switchbacks. It was on a forestry track and was pretty uninteresting, other than a few stunning viewpoints. The last 0.2 km were really muddy but worth it for the view at the top. In Scotland, midges can spoil a good hike in the summer but on this walk it was DD1 who kept on telling us our km pace. We were on a walk, not running a marathon. Anyway, we were up and down in 1 hour 50 mins so we were actually going some.  You have to work off all those cakes somehow😂

The trail is the switchbacks on the map, lower right. 

When the trees opened up, the view was stunning.

 

News flash just in: The sun actually put in an appearance today at 2:35pm!! First time since leaving Southampton. So we hotfooted it to the Sunset Bar for some cocktails. The scene off the aft of the ship was just wonderful. 

 

Currently writing this from Flam. I’ve been up since 5 for the sail in. Off to morning stretch now but will finish day 4 later. This is as “live” as it will get. Any questions, fire away

OMG, this is a fabulous trip report, I love it!🤩

[Scottishclover]

Day 5 - Flam

 

What we did: Flam Railway up, cycle down

Other options: Norway in a nutshell, Stegastein viewpoint, hike to Brekkefossen, kayaking ( if there’s water, the Norwegians love a canoe)

Need to know: You dock in town and the Flam station is literally 100m from the ship. Book the train as early as possible and independently to save some $$$. You cannot get lost and will not miss the ship. 

I took this from Oceanview Cafe. You can see how close the station is.

 

Today had a 5am start for sail in. Forecast was for sun, alas the clouds were down as usual. The weather did improve as the day went on though. 
The scenery in Flam is insane - it’s like the Scottish Highlands on steroids!!! Top tips for the train: arrive 30 mins early to get a good seat and sit on the right- the views are better. We booked with Norway’s Best and the bikes with Cafe Ralleren. The train journey takes an hour with a few stops.

The train is quite vintage inside.

Here’s the stats for all you train nerds. 

 

There was a short stop at Kjossfossen for photos.

 

More on the bike ride later. I really can’t put into words how beautiful the Flam valley is. We are just about to have sail away from the port and the sun is really doing its best to stay out for good. Just in case it changes it mind, I’m going to take advantage😎

[heatherb1958]

Great photos . 

On Anthem recently we had 75F and sunny skies in Olden when I did the hike up to Huaren. For an overweight 65 year old with slight asthma and arthritic hips who only hikes on holiday it was hard going but so so worth it. Did you notice the post box up  there ? Inside was a log for you to enter your details 😎.  Mine are there 😆.  

[Lastdance]

Your hikes remind me so much of South Island, NZ.  We did a 34 mile hike into Milford Sound with some snow, an avalanche into the gorge ahead of our trail, along with some chilling winds.  I went from shorts to long pants and back to shorts.  I really want to make it to Norway and compare it to NZ and AK, but no doubt Norway will be absolutely awesome!  Pulpit Rock looks amazing, not to mention a must-see.  My girlfriend just came back from three weeks driving everywhere a car could go with all the nooks and crannies!

 

Your photos are lovely, along with your commentary.  Thank you so much for sharing your family’s adventures!

Edited July 12 by Lastdance

[hcat]

On 7/12/2024 at 10:33 AM, Scottishclover said:

Day 5 - Flam

 

What we did: Flam Railway up, cycle down

Other options: Norway in a nutshell, Stegastein viewpoint, hike to Brekkefossen, kayaking ( if there’s water, the Norwegians love a canoe)

Need to know: You dock in town and the Flam station is literally 100m from the ship. Book the train as early as possible and independently to save some $$$. You cannot get lost and will not miss the ship. 

I took this from Oceanview Cafe. You can see how close the station is.

 

Today had a 5am start for sail in. Forecast was for sun, alas the clouds were down as usual. The weather did improve as the day went on though. 
The scenery in Flam is insane - it’s like the Scottish Highlands on steroids!!! Top tips for the train: arrive 30 mins early to get a good seat and sit on the right- the views are better. We booked with Norway’s Best and the bikes with Cafe Ralleren. The train journey takes an hour with a few stops.

The train is quite vintage inside.

Here’s the stats for all you train nerds. 

 

There was a short stop at Kjossfossen for photos.

 

More on the bike ride later. I really can’t put into words how beautiful the Flam valley is. We are just about to have sail away from the port and the sun is really doing its best to stay out for good. Just in case it changes it mind, I’m going to take advantage😎

Can't wait for more!

[Scottishclover]

Day 5 - Flam Contd.

 

Trying to catch up a bit. Currently sailing onto Tromso. 

 

Apologies to @Norwaylady and any other Norwegians for the poor spellings of Norwegian place names. I’m sorry but I can’t be bothered to find the proper accents on my phone. I actually learned Norwegian for a couple of semesters when I was studying in Germany so can read and understand a bit, but that was so long ago now….

 

Thoughts on the train: well it was a lovely journey but our family’s general consensus was perhaps a bit underwhelming, when we compare it to the cycle down. In case I haven’t been clear enough already, if you want to go on the train, book early as it sells out very quickly. It is without doubt, the most popular things to do here.

 

That brings me to the cycle.. … it was just an amazing thing to do and we saw far more than from the train. Once you get off the train in Myrdal you will see the bike rental place at Cafe Ralleren. You have to sign a waiver and check the bike is suitable- believe me those brakes need to be in tip-top condition! 

 

The first 30 mins are challenging to put it mildly. It’s a gravel path down hair pin bends. I’m afraid me and the girls let the team down and walked our bikes down the switchbacks. DH had his big boy pants on and cycled it. He said it was treacherous. you  shouldn’t let that put you off as after that it was easy freewheeling downhill through the majestic Flam Valley. The amount of waterfalls was phenomenal, if I had taken photos of every one, I would have no storage left.They were on every corner and actually considering its July, they were in pretty full flow. Glancing up into the brooding mountains you could still see pockets of snow. I felt very privileged to be able to soak in the majesty of it all. After the switchbacks, we were basically freewheeling all the way down to Flam with a short stop to look at the church. If you are able to, I would say you should absolutely do this. It’s a much better alternative to taking the train back down. There is also an option to hike down - but I estimate you would need to give yourself about 5 hours. A good possibility for us would have been to get off at Vatnahalsen, do the zip line thus avoiding the awful switchbacks, then hiring the bikes. I did look at this but it was super expensive.

 

 

 

 

I wonder what the collective noun for waterfalls is?

 

Lots of goats on the path

 

We crossed over the rail tracks several times

Flam church

 

Flam school. I work in a rural school around the same size as this. 
 

Once back in the village, we dropped off the bikes and had a wander around. There was a little market selling local products and food trucks too. You could have had reindeer stew and a goat burger if you so wished. Needless to say we did not partake. But I suppose when you think about it, it’s no different to venison and lamb. 

 

Back on board, we joined the others lining the deck for the sail out along Aurlands Fjord and then Sogne Fjord. It was just stunning and this might be controversial, but I think it was more spectacular than Geiranger, which we sailed along on our last cruise to Norway. 
 

Today’s Sunset Bar view. 
 

 

Some sail out views.

These ferries powered by green energy make their way up and down the fjords.

 

In the evening we went to the show, which was a bit meh. DD1 found it very uncomfortable and offensive but quite a few people obviously found him funny. Then it was onto Night of Adrenaline in Eden performed by the virtuoso violinist. She is a very talented player but I’ve seen this in the past when it has been performed with a lot more energy. I’m not sure some of the songs fit the theme. 

[Scottishclover]

Day 6  - Arctic Cruising

 

Some of the activities we did today : morning stretch, workout of the day ( it was like a HITT class😱nobody needs to be doing mountain climbers at half 7 in the morning), Beyond the Podium : Viking Victuals, cha cha cha dance class with the production cast ( and it was fun, fun, fun), inventions trivia, Juke box Hero with cruise director Alex, walking the track, reading and macrame 101. Quite an eclectic mix!! 

 

We crossed into the Arctic Circle at 4:15. Not that you would know, there was absolutely nothing to mark this landmark occasion. I was expecting some kind of ceremony or a few toots of the horn. Come on Celebrity, you could do better. Especially since this is the inaugural Arctic Circle cruise. This day was also sold as Arctic cruising but was in fact a glorified sea day. There was no land to see until 8 pm at which point I think we could see the Lofoten Island in the distance.

 

Ship Details

 

Since it’s a sea day, I will try to answer a few questions that come up time and time  on these boards.  

 

If you hate chair hogs, this is the cruise for you.

 

There’s blankets on the deck, although it’s debatable if they’re actually required. On brand for me though😀

 

The water is rather disappointingly back to plastic bottles. 

 

As you know there is no library on the Apex, although the area where the Apple I lounge used to be, on deck 3 by Guest Relations,  has a nice selection of reading material. 

 

There is a Taj Indian night. I saw it advertised yesterday. We have an award winning Indian restaurant in our hometown so it would be a waste for us.

 

The captain is Captain Panos, cruise director is Alexander Percival and activity manager is Bethany. 

 

The inside temperature is really comfortable as the air conditioning is not up full blast. The outside temperature is around 16-18 degrees although seemingly yesterday we reached the dizzy heights of 22 degrees 🥵

On my morning walk I wear a running vest and light wind cheater. It really isn’t as cold as you would think. 
 

Dining

No food photos from me . Sorry ( not sorry!!)

 

So far I’ve been impressed by the food. I think it’s better than what we had last year on the Beyond. If you can’t find something for lunch at the buffet, then that’s on you.  

 

Regards the anytime and assigned dining, this is the situation. We had assigned  early. On the first night went to our assigned table in Cosmopolitan. We have just stayed there as it’s easier for our whole dietary situation but we could go to any of the other restaurants at any time if we wanted. With our assigned seating we bypass the queue every night. We like our team of Jay and Djordy so will probably just stick with them throughout the cruise. 

 

 

On this cruise, we have no speciality dining booked. We like Eden but we’re getting out priced. There’s no hard sell for speciality dining which is nice. We’re managing just fine on our classic package, but to be fair are not big drinkers. Although most of the bars’ signature cocktails are in the premium package, we have had no problem getting some common cocktails on the classic. I’d say we are getting our money’s worth in Cafe al Bacio. Curiously, The Martini Bar is the quietest I have ever seen it. I have a martini flight booked and have been told I can get it anytime I want. 

[Scottishclover]

Day 6 Contd.

 

We enjoyed 2 amazing shows today. Cece Teneal doing Aretha Franklin, I mean she sings so effortlessly. See her if you get the chance. We also saw Eden Night of the Arts. The acrobatics were insane🤩 But the highlight of the night was our first ever experience of the midnight sun. We were all a bit emotional. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure why it’s upside down but I wanted you to see how light it was at midnight.

 

[Norwaylady]

🥰🥰🥰

[cruisetonowhere10]

What an awesome trip you are having…love all of it 

[dsa181920]

5 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

 

 

Regards the anytime and assigned dining, this is the situation. We had assigned  early. On the first night went to our assigned table in Cosmopolitan. We have just stayed there as it’s easier for our whole dietary situation but we could go to any of the other restaurants at any time if we wanted. With our assigned seating we bypass the queue every night. We like our team of Jay and Djordy so will probably just stick with them throughout the cruise. 

 

 

 

 

We were on the previous sailing of Apex and had Jay and Djordy for our serving team. They provided great service. Jay can be very funny when you get to know him. 

[Scottishclover]

3 hours ago, dsa181920 said:

We were on the previous sailing of Apex and had Jay and Djordy for our serving team. They provided great service. Jay can be very funny when you get to know him. 

I agree. I think they make a great team. We decided to stick with them as  they are handling the allergies well. I have been ordering the exclusive items from the other restaurants at times too.  It works out well. 

[Blue Eyes]

Thanks for sharing…hoping to do this trip next June…

[Scottishclover]

Day 7  - Tromso

 

Apologies for taking so long to upload the next part of our Arctic Adventure but I just couldn’t get the WiFi to play ball. Posts should come thick and fast now as we disembarked this morning. 

 

What we did: Hiked up the Sherpa steps to Fjellstua and Floyen. Quick look at the Arctic Cathedral then walk over the bridge.

Other options: cable car Fjellheisen, botanic gardens, Mack Brewery, polar museum, husky tours

Need to know: The ship docks at Breivika, about 4 km out of town. Celebrity offered a shuttle at $13 a person return. The public bus costs half of this. Bus 26 goes directly to the cable car. 

 

Well, I forgive the sun for all its misdeeds so far, as it was out in full today. When I say full, I mean wall to wall  blue skies and what we in Scotland call “taps aff” weather. We did get some funny looks today when we waltzed of the ship in shorts but we blended in with the locals who were also showing off their legs and out enjoying the sunshine.

 

The sail in today, started about 9 am and was just gorgeous. It reminded me a bit of Alesund- I really like the combination of rocky islands and sea. Everyone was out taking photos- I’m guessing this weather is quite rare in Tromso. 

 

 

A sunny sail in.

 

We caught bus 26 to Fjellheisen for our hike. The bus was standing room only. It’s a good idea to download the Tromso bus app and buy your tickets on there. I think it’s almost expected. A single ticket cost 44 nok but you can also buy day tickets. When we got to the Fjellheisen stop, we walked left and in the opposite direction to the crowds who were going to the cable car. Remember we are hikers so no ride up for us. We were going to tackle the Sherpa steps. 

 

It was a sweaty affair. The first part of the hike gave me Grouse Grind in Vancouver  flashbacks but every so often there were fantastic viewpoints to make up for the pain. Two thirds of the hike is through forest. Bug spray is useful ( we discovered this a bit too late🙊) and then it becomes more open. After 2103 steps you reach the top of the cable car station where there’s a glass viewing platform that gives great vistas of the mountains. But did we stop there? Of course not, we went a bit further to a small cairn . And did we stop there? No we decided to do a last climb up to the flagpole ahead which was Mount Floya ( I think!) The official timings for the hike up the Sherpa steps is 50 minutes - 1 hour. DD1 - aka  the mountain goat - did it in 29 minutes. It took me about 40. 
 

We had a great view of the Arctic Cathedral from the steps. 
 

The steps had a few inscriptions but I liked this one the most. 
 

 

You could see far and wide from the viewing  platform. 

If anyone is interested in what tartan my buff/ headband is, it is a specially designed tartan for the charity Cancer Research UK. I volunteer on a fundraising group for the charity and a local group to ours in the Borders town of Selkirk had an idea to produce a new tartan to try and raise funds. Selkirk was traditionally a weaving town and produced lots of tartan garments. The committee produced pashminas, wooden scarves and buffs and my group helped them with sales. It was quite a novel idea and was very successful on the fundraising front. 

 

After a quick and easy descent down the stairs, we walked through a residential area to the Arctic Cathedral. The houses seemed to be very upmarket. There wasn’t a lot of manicured gardens, I assume because the growing season is very short. It’s a pleasant 15 minute walk from the bottom cable car station to the Arctic Cathedral. It’s a very striking piece of architecture and can be seen from all over the city. To reach it from the city centre, you can walk over the bridge. According to the signs 1.8 km. As it was Sunday, the city centre was very quiet so we caught the bus back to port. We got the 26 back but the 42 and 20 would also work. Thats something to think about; shops will be closed on Sundays in Norway other than the odd souvenir shop.

 

The Arctic Cathedral. We didn’t go inside. 

 

Once back on board we divided and conquered. DH and DD2 went to the buffet and watched the Euros final in the theatre and me and DD1 went to the dining room, martini bar and then to Jazz at the club. Due to the football it was pretty quiet at the club. It was a pity as the Apex orchestra are very talented. Jazz is not everyone’s thing though. There really is a wide variety of live music all around the ship to suit all tastes. With the light nights, your brain was almost tricked into thinking it was earlier than you thought so we probably stayed up later on this cruise than others we’ve taken.
 

What no swimmers? That’s because it’s midnight!!!

[Scottishclover]

Day 8 - Honningsvag

 

What  we did: hired a car and did our own little road trip of Magaroya Island

Other options: island bus tours, transfer to the North Cape, bird safari, visit Sami camps

Need to know: The ship docks right in the very small centre. You really must get out of town and see the island. After all you are probably only here once! It’s best to book something in advance, although there were guides outside the tourist information office advertising availability on tours.

 

This was the day we were really looking forward to as we knew we would probably never be back in this neck of the woods. We had hired a car from Nordkapp Bilservice AS as it was much more cost effective than paying for 4 tours. You pick up the car from their office which is next to the tourist information. It really couldn’t be easier. We weren’t the only ones doing this as all their cars were booked for the day. So if this is something you want to do, book in advance.  They were pretty relaxed about paperwork ( there was no deposit when we booked in April) and they basically just handed over the keys and off we went. A very different story from Iceland, if you have ever hired a car there! 

View of the town as we docked. The sun came out shortly afterwards. 
 

It’s a one road town, in fact a one road island. You basically drive along the E69 to the North Cape. The road was in great condition with lots of up and downs and long sweeping bends. There were some viewpoints to stop at on the way. The landscape was very barren with no trees, not unlike the North West Highlands of Scotland. It’s a wild and desolate place. We were very lucky with the weather. The sun was out ….. until the last hill before the North Cape. Then we drove into a layer of mist. Typical!! 
 

No need for any GPS. An old school map does the job.

 

 

 

Viewpoints on the way to North Cape.

 

You could see reindeer grazing from the road. 

 

There is a charge to park at the North Cape and use the outside area and then an additional charge for the visitor’s centre. We decided to just wander outside.  It was extremely busy and hard to get a photo of the globe. In truth, I thought it was a bit of a tourist trap but something you have to do if you are in the area. If we had had more time in port, I would have liked to hike to the “real” most northerly point called Knivskjellodden but it’s around  an 18 km round trip. 

 

 

 

 

I’ve worked out it’s the selfies which are upside down 🤷‍♀️

 

Some views of the outside area. 

 

From there we went to the most northerly fishing village in the world, Skarsvag. It really was like a scene from a calendar. It’s hard to imagine living here full time, especially in the winter time. The church was really tiny and unique.

You could do King Crab tours here.

 

Drying the fish on racks.

 

The village was tiny.

The church was very simple. 
 

Reindeer were grazing in pastures in the village. 

 

We were determined to get something hiking miles in so decided to walk to Kirkeporten. It’s a short hike, up and over a small hill then down towards the shoreline. It was pretty rocky and we were glad of our boots. This is not one to do in wet weather. We only met two other families on the trail  to the special rock formation, which is like looking through a window directly to the North Cape. We sat on the rocks for a while soaking in the sun’s rays ( we Scots need to get our Vitamin D somehow) before going back to Skarsvag.

 

The tip of land in the distance is the North Cape.

 

Kirkeporten, which I think might mean church door.

The actual arch was huge close up. 
 

Any geologists would love this area. You could see the layers in the rock.

 

This could easily be a scene from the Scottish Highlands. 
 

As we walked back over the hill we were met by a couple of reindeer grazing by the church. Then we watched them walk along the pier and into the village, where they strolled along the main street like they owned it😂 I suppose it’s just like sheep on our local roads but it was so funny to see.

The trail had markers along the way to help you find the way.

 

The money shot- how lucky were we with the weather!

 

Rush hour in Skarsvag😂

 

Once back in Honningsvag, we dropped off the car and had a stroll through the town. There are a couple of nice shops to browse such as West Side of the Moon Gallery and Artico, as well as some bars and cafes. The harbour area is interesting and I loved seeing the artwork made by locals highlighting all the discarded rubbish found in the sea. The backdrop to Honningsvag is the towering  mountain Storfjellet and we had hoped to hike that too but just ran out of time. We did see some people on the trail and I believe they have installed Sherpa steps recently. But rally, if you didn’t venture out of the town, you would real miss out on seeing the beauty of Mageroya Island. 

Turning rubbish into art.

 

 

Honningvag is a working fishing town. 

 

After another lovely dinner, we went to  see the show “Tree of Life”. It was fabulous. Many of the songs were some of my all time favourites and the vocalists are really strong on this cruise.  All in all, this was a really memorable day, experiencing life in the Arctic circle. It made us feel very privileged to be able to travel to such a special and unique place.

[Norwaylady]

Looks like you had a great day at Mr Norwayladys childhood town🇳🇴🥰👌🏻

So glad you rented a car and did the “grand” sightseeing😎

 

[txtechmk]

Love this report.  Looks like a fabulous trip!  Photos are wonderful.

[Scottishclover]

31 minutes ago, Norwaylady said:

Looks like you had a great day at Mr Norwayladys childhood town🇳🇴🥰👌🏻

So glad you rented a car and did the “grand” sightseeing😎

 

The car worked out well for us. It gave us the freedom to stop where and when we wanted. The only thing is you don’t get to hear any information about day to day life. Maybe you can help us with a couple of questions?
1) Do many young people stay in the area or do they all move away? Our daughters could not imagine living somewhere so isolated.
 2)   I didn’t see a school but I know there must be one in Honningsvag . Are the children bussed in  from other parts of Mageroya?

[Norwaylady]

15 minutes ago, Scottishclover said:

The car worked out well for us. It gave us the freedom to stop where and when we wanted. The only thing is you don’t get to hear any information about day to day life. Maybe you can help us with a couple of questions?
1) Do many young people stay in the area or do they all move away? Our daughters could not imagine living somewhere so isolated.
 2)   I didn’t see a school but I know there must be one in Honningsvag . Are the children bussed in  from other parts of Mageroya?

The majority of the young people move when you go to high school. 
Depending on what line you pick, you need to move either to Alta, Kirkenes etc. 

So it’s a good observation from the young ones😉

So that means they are only home for holidays and maybe a weekend during the school year. 
And if you go to the university, you live away…..

Some people return to Honningsvåg. But the majority lives somewhere else for many years or never move back……
 

The school is in Honningsvåg now. It’s from 1-10 Grade. 
So it’s a school bus for everyone who lives some where else on Magerøya. 
 

When Jarle grew up, it was a school in Kamøyvær. 
My father in law was a teacher at that school. 
He used to bike from Honningsvåg to Kamøyvær every day, unless it was a full storm.

[Scottishclover]

Day 9 and 10 - At Sea

 

Well we’ve made it back home and I’m getting caught up with everyone’s replies. For those of you who are doing this cruise next year, please ask away if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them. 

Also thank you to those who were reading on board and came up to chat. Apologies that it wasn’t quite as “live” as I’d hoped. Please feel free to chime in with your own perspectives. 
 

 I suppose a big question, many prospective cruisers might want to know is what was the weather like on the sea days. Well on both these days it was pretty foggy until the afternoon  when the full force of the sun burned through. Both days were pleasant enough to be on the deck. People were out on the loungers in a variety of clothing. Temperatures hovered around 16 - 20 degrees. I had a fabulous swim in the pool on day 10 at 11am. Believe it or not, I had it to myself and yes, it is heated. On these days people were outside eating, us included. Many had jackets on but it was comfortable enough in a fleece. 

No ….. it’s not the Caribbean, but it sure does look like it! 
 

I really noticed seating was at  a premium in most venues on these sea days. Even the wee nooks and crannies hidden away were occupied. The Oceanview was particularly bad but it really doesn’t help when people sit and play cards. The polite cards on the tables are meaningless for some people who obviously believe they are more entitled than the rest of us.  That is my one rant over! On the whole I found the other passengers very friendly and polite.

 

I know some of you are waiting with bated breath to see if I managed in my quest for that special souvenir. When I was in my late teens( over 30 years ago😭😭) my dad went to Norway quite a lot on business. He owned  a building firm and they got their windows and doors from a Norwegian supplier. Anyway, once after a trip, he brought me back a gift. I was expecting a nice bottle of perfume from duty free, but no he brought me a Norwegian cheese slicer and some brown cheese!! At the time, I was raging but that cheese slicer went with me when I moved out and was used pretty regularly for the next 30 years, cutting the perfect slice of Jarlsberg and cheddar, until the handle broke off a few months ago. I replaced it but it just didn’t cut the cheese the same. So on this cruise I was determined to find the replica cheese slicer. In truth, the search  wasn’t that difficult - there’s a huge selection of cheese slicers in every souvenir shop, in every port. Mission accomplished!

 

After me complaining about the lack of fuss when we crossed into the Arctic Circle , Celebrity pulled out all the stops for an Arctic Party. It was on at half 10 in the Grand Plaza. There was a huge turnout. The Cape Muses played their party set, there were blue balloons everywhere, bar staff were handing out canapés and blue frozen drinks and you could get “blue nosed.” It was nice that it was marked in some way, considering this was Celebrity’s first cruise to the Arctic Circle. We also received a special Arctic Crossing Certificate with the date and exact time we crossed. 

This was the scene in the Grand Plaza for the chandelier show, just before the Arctic party started. 
 

The certificate was a nice touch. 

 

Anyone waking up late the morning after the Arctic Party ( yes I’m taking about you DH and DD2) missed a whale sighting from the Oceanview. I managed to catch sight of water from the blowhole. It didn’t look huge, and I couldn’t  see it well enough to see which type it was. 

Yes, it is there in that great expanse of sea. 

 

I had 2 new experiences on the second sea day. I had ordered a martini flight to try out some different kinds. I got it with 35% pre- cruise and as we just have the classic package, I thought it was a good deal. DD1 came to share it and she got to pour out the flight 🤩 Our verdict: neither of us liked the classic, we both liked the lavender lemon drop and surprisingly I liked the toffee apple one. My favourite was the Lychee and DD1’s favourite was the cucumber one. It was a fun thing to do if you don’t have the premium drinks package. We enjoyed sitting at the bar and chatting to others with the flight. The martini bar has been quite quiet on this cruise, it’s not exactly filled with party people.

Before….

During…..

……and after!

 

Then after dinner we plucked up the courage to go to the casino. It’s something so alien to us but there was a free $5 play so we thought why not? Well lo and behold I actually managed to win big….$39.50😂 My husband is planning to use it to go back and play again to see if he can make enough to pay for the next cruise🤣

 

Seriously though, I just don’t see the appeal with the slot machines and you can lose a serious amount of money in a short time. Plenty people seemed to be playing though. Whatever floats your boat. 
 

DD1 having her first ( and hopefully last!) shot at gambling.

[cricketlover]

21 minutes ago, Scottishclover said:

 

Day 9 and 10 - At Sea

 

Well we’ve made it back home and I’m getting caught up with everyone’s replies. For those of you who are doing this cruise next year, please ask away if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them. 

Also thank you to those who were reading on board and came up to chat. Apologies that it wasn’t quite as “live” as I’d hoped. Please feel free to chime in with your own perspectives. 
 

 I suppose a big question, many prospective cruisers might want to know is what was the weather like on the sea days. Well on both these days it was pretty foggy until the afternoon  when the full force of the sun burned through. Both days were pleasant enough to be on the deck. People were out on the loungers in a variety of clothing. Temperatures hovered around 16 - 20 degrees. I had a fabulous swim in the pool on day 10 at 11am. Believe it or not, I had it to myself and yes, it is heated. On these days people were outside eating, us included. Many had jackets on but it was comfortable enough in a fleece. 

No ….. it’s not the Caribbean, but it sure does look like it! 
 

I really noticed seating was at  a premium in most venues on these sea days. Even the wee nooks and crannies hidden away were occupied. The Oceanview was particularly bad but it really doesn’t help when people sit and play cards. The polite cards on the tables are meaningless for some people who obviously believe they are more entitled than the rest of us.  That is my one rant over! On the whole I found the other passengers very friendly and polite.

 

I know some of you are waiting with bated breath to see if I managed in my quest for that special souvenir. When I was in my late teens( over 30 years ago😭😭) my dad went to Norway quite a lot on business. He owned  a building firm and they got their windows and doors from a Norwegian supplier. Anyway, once after a trip, he brought me back a gift. I was expecting a nice bottle of perfume from duty free, but no he brought me a Norwegian cheese slicer and some brown cheese!! At the time, I was raging but that cheese slicer went with me when I moved out and was used pretty regularly for the next 30 years, cutting the perfect slice of Jarlsberg and cheddar, until the handle broke off a few months ago. I replaced it but it just didn’t cut the cheese the same. So on this cruise I was determined to find the replica cheese slicer. In truth, the search  wasn’t that difficult - there’s a huge selection of cheese slicers in every souvenir shop, in every port. Mission accomplished!

 

After me complaining about the lack of fuss when we crossed into the Arctic Circle , Celebrity pulled out all the stops for an Arctic Party. It was on at half 10 in the Grand Plaza. There was a huge turnout. The Cape Muses played their party set, there were blue balloons everywhere, bar staff were handing out canapés and blue frozen drinks and you could get “blue nosed.” It was nice that it was marked in some way, considering this was Celebrity’s first cruise to the Arctic Circle. We also received a special Arctic Crossing Certificate with the date and exact time we crossed. 

This was the scene in the Grand Plaza for the chandelier show, just before the Arctic party started. 
 

The certificate was a nice touch. 

 

Anyone waking up late the morning after the Arctic Party ( yes I’m taking about you DH and DD2) missed a whale sighting from the Oceanview. I managed to catch sight of water from the blowhole. It didn’t look huge, and I couldn’t  see it well enough to see which type it was. 

Yes, it is there in that great expanse of sea. 

 

I had 2 new experiences on the second sea day. I had ordered a martini flight to try out some different kinds. I got it with 35% pre- cruise and as we just have the classic package, I thought it was a good deal. DD1 came to share it and she got to pour out the flight 🤩 Our verdict: neither of us liked the classic, we both liked the lavender lemon drop and surprisingly I liked the toffee apple one. My favourite was the Lychee and DD1’s favourite was the cucumber one. It was a fun thing to do if you don’t have the premium drinks package. We enjoyed sitting at the bar and chatting to others with the flight. The martini bar has been quite quiet on this cruise, it’s not exactly filled with party people.

Before….

During…..

……and after!

 

Then after dinner we plucked up the courage to go to the casino. It’s something so alien to us but there was a free $5 play so we thought why not? Well lo and behold I actually managed to win big….$39.50😂 My husband is planning to use it to go back and play again to see if he can make enough to pay for the next cruise🤣

 

Seriously though, I just don’t see the appeal with the slot machines and you can lose a serious amount of money in a short time. Plenty people seemed to be playing though. Whatever floats your boat. 
 

DD1 having her first ( and hopefully last!) shot at gambling.

 

[cricketlover]

Just now, cricketlover said:

 

I really enjoyed your posts, we are doing a similar itinerary on The Apex next June.

[DaKahuna]

9 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

I’ve worked out it’s the selfies which are upside down 🤷‍♀️

 

 

For future reference if you open them on your phone, go to edit, click 'crop", click 'rotate', and rotate them around, and then save, they should post correctly.