Norwaylady

Days before the departure is always a bit slow….. and lots of last minute things to fix🤓 Paperwork, ESTA, eTa, ArriveCAN✔️ Suitcases✔️ Carry-on rucksacks✔️ Cats delivered to grandma and grandpa✔️ Hand luggage✔️ Last crazy days at work✔️ Some words for packing…. We are away for 6 weeks. And the climate is different in Hawaii and Alaska. But, it’s not the first time we are away for a long time or have totally different climate. We have lots of very cleaver clothes that can be used in all types of climate and some really light weight fabric. Jarle is a brand geek for good quality, Klättermusen offers lots of options in this category and is his favourite. But it comes by a $$$. Laundry service on the ship is something that comes in handy and makes it easier and laundry rooms on hotels. We are prepared for 4-seasons in one day🕺🏻💃🏻😎 So last minute price check saved us 350 CAN$ on our hotel in Toronto before departure👍🏻 Good start✔️ MoveUp We have not received an email or being able to log in to MoveUp. Just got a error of more then 21-days to sailing. Even if it’s 21-days and less So I did send an email to the email they give in the error. It was send 15-days before sailing day. No reply when we left Norway. We wanted to see the price before we decided if we wanted to bid. The cruise we want to consider bidding is Hawaii. What I can say, is that a guest from the Nordic is not a priority guest😝🤣 we are always the underdog in guest count’s🇳🇴😂 So not angry or offended🙃 just very clear of the hierarchy🤣🤣🤣

It’s time the get the show started! Technically we have been on tour for almost a week already….. So I will give you a little recap of what we have been doing the last days. But first, it’s time for a little introduction. We are Jarle & Alexandra (JA=yes in Norwegian) from Oslo, Norway🇳🇴 Yes, the Vikings goes on holiday😁 If you want to follow this trip and other adventures from time to time on IG you are welcome to search up: al_be_ra_bo Jarle is from northern Norway and we frequently go north to visit the family. Jarle has also lived and worked on Svalbard for 2 years. So mr Norwaylady really like the cold climate. (So you understand that Norwaylady is interested in warmer climate, that’s why this b2b is perfect to please everyone🙃) So we are prepared for 4-seasons in one day and have packed for all events😉 it’s just like holiday in north Norway😅🇳🇴 We have been living together for 15 years and have in October been married for 12 years. We are in late 30/early40. We love to cruise and our favourite is X. It’s a good fit for our personality and our wishes for holiday. We travel 15-25.nights every year on X + weekend trips in Europe/Nordic region. Our favourite class of ship on X is Millennium class. They are older, but they have a great floor plan and just have something we like❤️⚓️ We have been on Eclipse before, it was actually our first ship/cruise on X, 14-days ultimate Caribbean cruise in 2014. Then we were sold on X. It’s the attention to details and a bit older crowd😅😉 We are young ish, but are old souls inside💃🏻🕺🏻 Edge class is nice, but we are not sold on the infinity verandas. Normal cruise season is Easter (then we like a warmer destination far away, typically 3-4weeks away) and October (Mediterranean and wedding anniversary celebration). So we are kinda into cruising😅😂🥰⚓️ At home we are occupied by work as a technical engineer in security solutions and as a land management consultant ( land tenure, leased land and expropriation). So Norwaylady is a engineer+lawyer specialist in real estate law🤓 So don’t ask me to sell your house😂😂 the real estate agents will be better😉 We have 2 British shorthair cats, they are our fur baby’s🐈🐈‍⬛ We can be anywhere from hiking in the mountains, flying balloon over vineyards, to sipping toddy’s in front of the fireplace and reading books when we are away from home🏡 We have waited and waited for this trip. It’s been a long time since we booked. As everyone, we had lots of cruises down the drain🤥 BUT here we are🤩 Planning is always under sharp control of Norwaylady. Mr Norwaylady just shows up and hope for a beer and a good plan😝 (let me tell you a secret…. Mr Norwaylady packed his own suitcase one cruise, let’s just say that it was lacking… so in Savona he needed to shop a new suit and some clothes for formal and evening wear..) So Norwaylady had no bad feelings for booking a massage in the spa on that sailing😅😅😅 So as the good wife, I always check Untappd app for locations for beers 🍺 Oh boy, Norwaylady is in trouble…. It’s lots of locations and beers 🍻 on our route😝 (Norwaylady don’t drink beer…) If someone wants to follow mr Norwaylady on Untappd app, search for: jarleoddvang Well, back to the travel⚓️ The process for planning started extremely late for our standard. We didn’t know if it would be possible to travel. So everything except for the cruise were not booked until June/July/August this year. Air tickets is a mixture of paid and frequent flyer award tickets. We are star alliance members. So we stick to them ✈️(and Norwaylady worked for SK for several years during university 7years;) So you will get a small review on SAS, Air Canada and United. Hotels are for the moment crazy priced almost all over the world. And I was really shocked to see some of the prices in Toronto and Vancouver. So this was a challenge to find a decent balance on price/location/comfort level. Mr Norwaylady really enjoy a good bathtub. (And unfortunately we don’t have one at home… So its something I try to find when we travel) The cruise b2b was originally booked for 2020…. It was call+wifi included in the booking. I called to upgrade to premium WiFi before departure to be able to get our elite discount. (We need it for some work;) We always cruise in balcony or concierge stateroom. (Price decide if it’s balcony or concierge) We have tried aqua class on one cruise in the Mediterranean, it was same price as balcony. We really enjoyed it, Blu it’s perfect for our taste buds😁 But we just can’t justify the price difference. YES, Norwaylady is strictly on budget and value-for-money feelings🤓😅 But on this cruise, we went all-in (for us) and booked a Aqua class stateroom for Alaska and a concierge for Hawaii. Norwaylady needs the heated loungers to de-frost🥶😝 I like all 4-seasons and know how to get dressed, but my skeleton is not a big fan of colder climate😑 Shore excursions is something we normally always book private and thru cc roll call. We are big DIY fans and walk a lot. But due to the situation, we ended up booking everything thru X. So we will see if we end up happy or regretting this choice. We have been extremely strict and taking precautions to avoid covid for the last 2,5 years. This due to work and health. Unfortunately we went down by covid in July. It was bad for Norwaylady, not like a cold or flu. Mr Norwaylady was like a boiled spaghetti for 2 weeks. But other then that, good. We took pcr test to get it registered in the digital covid passport we use in Norway/Europe and we are bringing COR. We have been careful and will remain careful by using masks and try the best not to stay in crowded areas. Enough talk, it’s time to start the show🤩🤩🤩

Safe travels home❤️ Thanks for taking us along on your journey b2b to 🇮🇸 looking forward to follow your adventure in November🕺🏻💃🏻🕺🏻💃🏻

For cruise/water arrival you must submit the form/ArriveCan app max 72h before sailing AND you can register your first port if call from day 1-30. When you choose Boat/Marine arrival you have the arrival time 1-30days onwards. So fill it out BEFORE you walk the gangway to your ship. Then you are all good to sail. You will fill in your stateroom number. And answer some health questions. When everything is filled out, you will receive your barcode for arrival/sign of proof for arriveCan. As for arrival on air, you only have 72h timeframe.

Go for it!!!!!!! You won’t regret it🤩🤩🤩 If you liked this cruise/ scenery, you will be very happy in Svalbard/Longyearbyen🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻 If someone wants a good cruise, Hurtigruten has a really good cruise next summer. We are counting if we will book. Mr Norwaylady is sold and “begging” on his knee’s for this trip. They offer Svalbard Express and Nordkapp express. Both are good sailings and you will see lots of different nature and weather🤩

🙏🏻 thank you we are in Ali, mountain view for 2 nights and the next booking says 1.night room… So that’s mean’s all locations. I will see if we can get Ali oceanfront or Rainbow oceanfront specifically. We have been in Disney+universal on larger resorts, worked well but we have also tried larger resorts outside of US. Really not satisfied and not a happy camper….. So I just want it to be good🙃

Sorry for “bothering” If you have the chance of Hilton Hawaiian Village or Marriott Waikiki, what will you choose? Base price is the same, but on Hilton we must pay the resort fee, 50$+tax, so close to 75$ per day extra. We will be staying 2+1 night. We have a booking on Hilton now, but I’m not sure if it is the correct choice for us. We are booked in Ali 2.n+1.n unknown.

Ken, since you have a iPhone SE you either need to get e new one:) or you need to download an app for photo. The app will allow you to adjust the shutter speed. NightCap and Slow Shutter Cam app works well on SE for aurora borealis. If your going to get a new phone, the iPhone 12/13 mini has a good camera and the phone is still small,

So happy for your evening/night🤩 🤩

Looks like you had a great day😁 Tonight is good chances of northern lights.... After 21.00 local time time, the Kp is 5.0 so looking promising🙃 We love Iceland and go there during winter primarily. We normally visit every February. Mr Norwaylady is a big fan of colder climate and winter🥶☺️

Hello What size are you talking about? You can ship by Posten, the Norwegian postal service, DHL, Jetpak, Bring. If you are talking about furniture, big things, often the store can help you out for shipping. If you are thinking of sending a box home, Posten will be your best choice probably. They have prices online and you can fix all paperwork to customs and pay online. The reception/concierge at Bristol will be able to help you to print out the paperwork you need to attached the box. And they probably have someone dropping off things to the Posten😉

@Ken the cruiser love your plan🤣 Cheers🍷 The sun is shining in Oslo and I'm comfy seated on my balcony in shorts+t-shirt😎 Working on the last pieces for our upcoming cruise on X...... lets just say that my cruise fever is hige for this trip😅

Sometimes people just need to know that they failed their task/job. Its the only way they can learn. Then they have the choice to: 1. step up the game and learn from it. 2. dont bother, stay on the same road and hope it won't happen again.... (but you know, you might be bitten again later....) I hope he choose the "correct" answer🙃

Good morning! Did you take a stroll outside or had a quiet evening on your balcony to seek for aurora borealis/ northern lights? It was a decent forecast last night 77% chances in your area☺️ if you want a good aurora app, The university in Svalbard has their own. AuroraForecast 3d. Due to the solar storm, we had 2 evenings/nights this week in Oslo🥳🥳 we’re you could see it🇳🇴 That’s extremely early in season for us and it’s not normal for Oslo. Wishing you best of luck if your hunting for northern lights🫶🏻 attached is a foto I took during new year’s weekend in Longyearbyen this year.

Well, I can just say from our experience. Rick, Damian, Sue, Alejandro and Giuseppe (the crazy Italian) they all do a great job(there also others, but some have changed cruise line...). Im very happy when they are onboard. It makes a huge difference for my cruise how the spirit and entertainment is onboard. If the cruise director is "weak" it affect the entire entertainment team and the entire "entertainment" offer onboard. On the 2x Voyager I did in May, the cruise director was non- existing. It was so visible and really not a good experience. Its the first time in history we really was unhappy for entertainment. So it makes a huge difference for your sailing if they are on the ball or long-gone.....

😂 I totally get you on this one😂

I have a feeling it will be Damian from Canada…… he posted a picture on IG from Summit☺️ So either his on private holiday or he is going to send Rick on holiday😎

Looks like you had decent weather😁 Its been a lot of rain this summer💦 Glad that you enjoyed Norway🇳🇴 To all that considers a cruise to Norway. It pays off to take the grand tour all the way to Nordkapp 71`or 78`in Longyerbyen. The 7-days sailing from Amsterdam/England just touches some of the beautiful places you can visit. The scenery is completely different from south to north. And you are passing the arctic circle. So during summer season, its midnight sun. Svalbard/Spitzbergen is special. Mr Norwaylady lived for 2years in Longyerbyen;)

Hello are there any ladies or gentlemen that can take a tour in the perfume/makeup store? Do they have Lancôme products onboard? I’m cruising in September b2b and it’s a risk that my face cleaning foam will last out the cruise or be empty…. So if they have Lancôme onboard, I will not bring extra🙃 Tia🫶🏻

Beautiful pictures🤩 looks like a great day🥰 Beautiful day in Bergen means a walking tour uphill😌 This is from Ulriken😉 if your not in mood for 1331Sherpa stairs, you can take the gondola🙃 it takes you up in 5.min. I earned my ice cream on the top before walking down again😅

Love this view😍 have a great day🤩 Best rgds from sunny Bergen and 18c at 10am🇳🇴

@Jim_Iain how did documents/test/recovery documents go during ckin? Was it a problem or did it go easy? Did you show test+recovery papers?

Love to follow your adventure @abbydancer We will be on eclipse 11.september on the 11-nights Alaska sailing. Can't wait. We have moved this sailing several times..... So it's almost hard to belive, that we are actually so close to sail/departure time. Can I ask you a question. Please tell if they have the helipad open for visit, viewing point during your sailing. And how is the temperature now? (we are used to colder climate and wear layers everyday most of the year..... as you can see, we are from Norway and one of us has been living in Spitzbergen for 2 years;) So the vikings goes on holiday in colder climate🤣🤣 Safe travels onwards❤️

Please give us an update on how boarding went😉 and if you were selected to randomly testing flying into Canada. Safe travel❤️

Bon Voyage⚓️🕺🏻🕺🏻 I’m ready to follow your adventures🤩 Hope all goes well for paperwork for covid recovery❤️ ( me and mr Norwaylady will be on Eclipse b2b Alaska+Hawaii in few weeks and we will bring recovery paperwork… got I’ll 3 weeks ago and we have been totally down until now) safe travels😘🇳🇴