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I sailed on NCL’s Jade, cruising Norway from Southampton to the North Cape June 29-July 11, 2008. Here is my day by day diary. Note: At the time of travel 1.00 USD = 5.09180 NOK Day 0 We took Delta to London Heathrow. A very smooth on time flight. Day 1 When we arrived at Heathrow, we looked for the coach terminal to take our pre-booked bus to Southampton (National Express) at 1150. Since we arrived at 9AM, this was a great deal of time to get our luggage and walk to the terminal. The directional signs were not rather the overly precise way you an suppose in Britain, so we wound up in Terminal 5, where we waited. Unfortunately, the coach terminal is nowhere near Terminal 5, something we did not find out until 1145, when we asked the bus dispatcher. We missed out 1150 bus, in spite of the best attempts of the bus dispatcher from terminal 5, who called in front to stop of bus from departing. She arranged another bus to take us to the proper coach terminal, where we waited for the 1250 bus, which would have brought us to Southampton just an hour before the scheduled departure time of 4PM for the Jade. We were wait listed for the 1250 and told to come back just before departure. Fortunately, an understanding bus driver permitted us on board, with the faulty tickets. He was masterful at avoiding the traffic pile up on the motorway, and by taking side roads through gorgeous towns, we were capable to get into Southampton early! A taxi, readily available at the coach station took us to the ship in 5 minutes. One vantage of arriving so late was that there were no lines to board, and we were soon on the ship, just in time for the muster call. Before we knew it, we were on our way. The cruise left from City Cruise Terminal A good long nap (we had been up for what seemed like days) meant we had a very late dinner, and missed the shows. Oh well! Day 2: A day at sea with so a great deal of actions in the every day that we had disturb accommodating what we wanted to do in one day. Breakfast, a stretch class, learning to play bridge, entertainment, and more. I am so confused by bridge. I had always thought it was a game played by ladies with too much time on their hands. I have since came upon that it takes a lot of brain power to know all of the tricks. Day 3: Alesund, a lovely little port with Art Noveau architecture and shops. A walking tour on our own included the stone church, and a heap of nicely beautified shops and houses around the harbor. Very manageable on foot. Trolls are primary here, and each one of them appears in the carved ornamentation of the buildings. Spend a great deal of time finding the trolls concealed in the buildings around Ålesund. Day 4: Kristiansund – another nice little harbour. We strolled the area, altho there was rather a bit to do in the vicinity if you wanted a shore excursion. Close to Kristiansund, you’ll find the island of Averoy, a fishing and farming society for generations. You may choose to visit the Milnbrygga – Norway’s National Klippfish Museum. Klippfish is salted and dried cod, which, exported to the Mediterranean countries, laid the foundation of Kristiansund’s growth. Day 4 Svartsien Glacier – our introductory glacier was spectacular! Clear skies and clear blue waters. There was very little snow on the mountaintops – rather a bit less than in Alaska. Day 5 Honningsvag is the stop for Nordkapp (North Cape) most northerly point of Europe. It was cold, even in July. The Arctic Ice Bar – made totally of ice – is a short walk from the cruise ship dock. Sjogata 1A (by the sea, alongside the taxi station). A innovative design made by Laila Kolostyák, it may be visited in summer. All you will see in the inside is made on natural ice from the lakes of Lapland. Bar, walls, seats, tables, ramp with sledge, a map of the Artic, a life-size igloo where you may get in. In the shops in Honningsvag, you meet the local Sami people and their reindeer. If you go to the North Cape by bus, There is a big hall here where you may see a film in regards to the area have something to eat and drink and buy your souvenirs, and see a film. Another warning it was around this northern percentage of Norway that we had the roughest seas, even though they were not bad. Day 6 Cruise The Barents Sea Day 7 Trondheim Trondheim was the old capital of Norway, and the cathedral is where all the monarchs are crowned and if you go to Kristiansten Fort you get one of the best views all over the city. After a catastrophic fire in 1681 destroyed most of the houses in the city, a new city was planned in the Baroque style. The streets were made wide to prevent fires from spreading. Some of the narrow alleys and narrow streets, galore from the Middle Ages, notwithstanding still. Even today Trondheim is spoken of as one of the typical wooden cities of Europe, and the city center has a great deal of particular wooden buildings, a great deal of built as far back as the 1700s. Trondheim is filled with historical sights, museums, and art galleries. Some highlights: Crossing the Blomsterbrua (Flower Bridge) over the River You may walk along the salmon river Nidelven in the city’s downtown district and the old wharves along the mouth of the river The majestic Nidaros cathedral, the biggest in Scandinavia. The Viking King, Olav Trygvason,was buried here in 997. The King was known as St. Olav, the holy king and the Patron Saint of Norway. Pilgrimages to the shrine of St. Olav started soon after his death and grew to great dimensions in the Middle Ages. Work on what was to become the Nidaros cathedral started in 1070 over the grave of St. Olav. -The bright red old town bridge (“Gamle Bybro”) with it is carved gate – The Gate of Fortune If you want an organized tour, take a sightseeing tour of Trondheim and it is outskirts by bus. Daily departures at 11am.You will visit the Haltdalen Stave church at the Trøndelag Folk Museum, pass the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Kristiansten Fortress, the Royal Residence and the Cathedral. Duration 2 hours. Departure from McDonald’s next to the buying goods centre Trondheim Torg. (Crossing Market Square with it is colourful stalls, the statue of the Viking king who founded the city looks down on you from a outstanding height. ) Tickets are sold by the guide and at the Tourist Information Office. Day 8 Hellesylt A 3 hour stop was made here to let passengers take the overland tour to Geiranger, but we sailed rather to Geiranger, passing magnificent waterfalls. Geiranger Day 9 Bergen 8:00 AM 7:00 PM Edvard Hagerup Grieg is from Bergen. (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) He was a Norwegian composer and pianist who composed in the romantic period. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt (which includes In the Hall of the Mountain King), and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces. Day 10 Stavanger European Capital of Culture in 2008. Day 11Thu Cruise The North Sea – - Day 12 Fri London (Southampton) The Ship: NCL Jade – Beautifully designed and maintained. Built in 2006 The each day newsletter was often wrong, even telling us to turn our clocks back on the wrong day. The activenesses were mis-timed. The proclamations from the actions conductor ranged from absurd to stupid young girl musings. Our cabin was not made up on the firstborn night, but things bettered after that. The Food: The Buffet had generous, always varied offerings and was almost always open. The main dining room had slow service when we sampled it. Teppenyaki, one of the premium restaurants was good. The Italian Kitchen, even though was inconsistent, being unable to reproduce the same dish on two successive nights. Different chef, dissimilar recipe perhaps. Entertainment: The shows were purposed at the primarily English passengers on this cruise, which left from Southampton. I missed most of the jokes of the widely known and esteemed comedian, and could not comprehend why he made fun of any person who walked in late. The dancers were just okay. The singers were principally good, peculiarly the gospel singers. The crew show was foolish and required not a bit of talent. Shore Excursions: We did not take any ship sponsored shore excursions. Since this was the Jade’s introductory visit to Norway, it seemed that no one troubled to do any shore excursion exploration in advance, and I found more selective information on the internet than at the shore excursion desk. What to wear: Layers, including a fleece of a lot of sort. It was not warm sufficient for summer shorts, even though we sailed in July. It was sunny, and we never necessitated raingear or umbrellas. Overall: We did have a good time, and I attribute the difficultnesses listed above to the inexperienced staff. I would undertake the Jade again, but at a much later date. after the staff has time to assimilate into a team. |
