adventuregrrl

Jerry - thanks so much for taking the time to write your review and posting your fabulous pics! We're thinking about doing this next year with the parents and this really helps with that decision.

Tina

Loving your pics. Thanks so much for those and the additional info!

Thanks SixofSeven. We also stopped in Oslo (actually Sandefjord because of a strike at the time)...anyway if you're interested we have some pics of the ski jump museum, the big sculpture park, and the awesome Viking Ship Museum posted at:

Hi,

 

Is it right, that they charge 399 NOK per person in the summer?

Thanks.

We paid $299 NOK per adult for zoo only passes (rather than the combo with the water park). That works out to a little less than $50/USD person.

I wonder if you could share info about what you saw at the Stavanger stop? We're really keen to see Pulpit Rock. I gather that the ship sails into Lysefjord far enough that you can see it from the water? There doesn't seem to be enough time in port to hike up and back to the Rock (because of the ferry ride needed to get to the trailhead), which is a real shame because the view from the rock looks completely amazing.

 

If you have any tips about what to see in Flam, that would also be most appreciated. It looks from your slides like you took the rail trip--was that an HAL excursion or on your own?

Thanks. Glad you liked the photos.... In Stavanger, we too had wanted to hike up Pulpit Rock, but didn't have time. We actually spent the day walking around town and shopping. Stavanger is a really cute town with an interesting medieval church. We toured the church, then went shopping (bought a beautiful sweater) and cool pewter as well as our troll featured in several of our pics, then walked around all the old houses in Gamle Stavanger, followed by a good beer and our first ever Akevitt. Akevitt is a Norweigen liquor made from potatoes and caraway seeds. (It was really strong.)

Our Stavanger and Lysefjord pics are at:

http://www.flickr.com//photos/pierha...77240208/show/

In Flam, we took the train excursion. We really enjoyed the ride and seeing the waterfalls. At the stop at the top, we saw a fox near the wood pile. (We enjoyed the really beautiful scenery and were glad we book through HAL. One of the later trains was delayed by a few hours and our ship waited for them since they were a ship excursion.) We ended the day with some of the best beer we've ever tasted at the Aegir Brygerri.

Our Flam and Sognefjord pics are at:

Hope this helps!

We ended our day with some delicious fish and chips and excellent beer at the outdoor, waterside restaurant Sommermeny.

I am a goofball --- I just learned the "Sommermeny" is Norwegian for "Summer Menu." The name of the restaurant that was so good is actually Sjohuset. :)

Glad you liked visiting the Dyrepark. It's something that not many visitors to Kristiansand know about.

We wouldn't have gone if it hadn't been for your strong recommendation --- it was really a good way to get out and enjoy nature. Thanks again!

We were just in Kristiansand last week and really enjoyed our day in port. The town is cute and is an easy 5 minute walk from where we were docked. There are several cute book shops.

At MacThespian's recommendation, we went to Dyrepark which was fabulous! It is a zoo with huge open exhibits for the animals. The park itself is very large and is like a very nice hike in the woods. Our favorite exhibit was the animals of Norway exhibit --- which is huge and a really lovely walk in the forest. (Simply walk into town and take the M1 or 01 bus to Dyrepark Quality Inn stop - it's a 30 minute bus ride and costs 35 Kroner each way. The bus is super clean and it was also interesting to see what's outside the town.)

We ended our day with some delicious fish and chips and excellent beer at the outdoor, waterside restaurant Sommermeny. We then walked back through the fish market on our way back to the ms Rotterdam.

If you're interested, some of photos from our day in port are at:

Hi,

 

How did you get to the Flam brewery from where the ship docked? I went to Flam a couple of years ago and don't remember seeing it.

The brewery is just outside of the cruise terminal.

We were just in Flam and took the train excursion through the ship. We're really glad we did even though it costs a bit more --- they reserved the first few cars just for the HAL passengers which was convenient.

More importantly, booking through the ship means that you won't be left if the train is delayed. For some reason, the afternoon train tour was delayed for close to two hours...that meant that the entire cruise ship waited to leave port. I'm not sure they would have held the train if those passengers had been out on their own.

Another tip about Flam if anyone in your group likes beer -- there is an excellent microbrewery right there in port. It's called the Aegir Brygerri. The decor is interesting and all made of wood and they had a stout that was so smooth and tasted like chocolate (and we don't even drink dark beers.)

We just came back from a land trip to St John which was fabulous. We took the public ferry back from St John to Red Hook which only takes about 15 minutes. About 20-30 minute into our cab ride, we passed the cruise terminal.

Trunk Bay has the most amenities of the snorkeling beaches and has a place to rent equipment, showers, bathrooms, and a pretty decent burger shack. At the burger shack, make sure to say the customary St Johnian "good morning/good afternoon" and say "please" and you'll get a warm welcome, if not, you may get a service worthy of a Seinfeld episode. Also, the Painkiller is a local favorite rum drink and you'll get a generous pour with a friendly attitude. :)

We really enjoyed our lunch at High Tides Bar & Seafood Grill which is just next door to the public ferry in Cruz Bay. I am wishing I had that jerk chicken wrap right now. There are some really cute shops and we're loving our jewelry purchases from ViBE with the local petroglyph symbol.

We've posted some of the highlights of our trip on You Tube at:

We are kind of limited as to when we can travel due to my work schedule and Olivia has not sailed when I've been free to go.

I know! Most of their larger cruise charters are in shoulder seasons, so our school teacher friends haven't been able to go with us either.

Going on the Sapphire Princess April 30, 2011, spending 2 day and 1 over night in Cabo and 1 day in PV and wanted to know if anyone knows of any gay/gay friendly place to visit? What should I do!

My better half and I just had a great time in both ports! We were in Puerto Vallarta for 2 days and Cabo San Lucas for one.

Our first day in Puerto Vallarta was really awesome. We went out with a gay & lesbian tour company called Diana's Tours. Diana takes you out on a catamaran to Los Arcos (some people snorkeled) and to Las Animas Beach (beyond road service). The trip includes all meals and drinks and Diana and her team provide outstanding service. We finished out the day at Blue Chairs and she even gave us a drink coupon. Here's our little video of the day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5jhncefCT8

For our second day in Puerto Vallarta and our day in Cabo, my girl and I ventured out on our own and found everyone to be lovely.

On Day 2 in Puerto Vallarta, we walked along the cobble-stone streets, admired the sand sculptures and art work, shopped for Huichol art at the Peyote People co-op, ate amazing seafood enchiladas at Agave Grill, and tasted fine tequilas.

In Cabo San Lucas, the two of us took a 15 minute cab ride ($25 USD) to the Cabo Dreams Resort for the day. We had contacted the concierge before we left on our cruise and he told us that an all-inclusive pass was available. We spent the day watching the waves crash and the whales splash under a palapa. The food and drinks were good and the views were amazing, especially $59 per person.

Videos:

Ports of Call: Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, San Diego - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIpRIr75hf4

Whales, Whales, Whales -

Photos:

Diana's Tours (Puerto Vallarta): http://www.flickr.com/photos/pierham/sets/72157626423255862/show/

Puerto Vallarta: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pierham/sets/72157626297864407/show/

Cabo San Lucas - Whales, Arches & Dreams Resort: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pierham/sets/72157626298601341/show/

I would actually like to try Olivia Cruises at least once in my lifetime.

It really is quiet an experience. Our first 2 cruises were with my parents which was really fun, but the experience of being on a ship with all women is pretty mind blowing. Just imagine: the Lido Deck - all women... the Casino - all women...the dining room - all women...the pool - all women.

We were just on the Mexican Riviera cruise and had a blast. We set up an excursion (outside of HAL) with Diana's Tours in Puerto Vallarta. Eventhough it's a gay & lesbian owned company, we were her first women only trip.

In case you're interested, here are a couple of the videos we posted on YouTube:

Diana's Tours in Puerto Vallarta - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5jhncefCT8

Ship Scenes with Bonus Poolside Sing-Along - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5-JLBbfBj0

I have been on Olivia twice and about 8 regular cruises. Olivia is definitely an experience I treasure. I normally go about my life pretty out and don't worry about whether my good friends are straight or gay. But still Olivia was great for me.

 

EVERYTHING is about being a lesbian. You're surrounded by thousands of lesbians. The dance floor is all lesbians. The entertainers are all lesbian. The entertainers do all the entertainment -- so even when you play bingo, there's a lesbian doing that and because they're comedians, it's very funny as well.

 

Like I said, my regular life, I don't think much about being a lesbian. But the trip was great!

We just came back from our first Olivia experience, having always wanted to do it. I agree with Jackie's assessment. The Olivia experience was a complete blast and we are planning on doing our next cruise through Olivia as well.

For one week our environment completely changed -- we were the mainstream. We weren't looking for "family" to hang out or seeing if the FOD meeting could work on our schedules... it was about us and for us.

The other part of the experience that I wasn't prepared for was what it would look like to the merchants (or the other cruisers) in port to have 1,400 lesbians come off a ship and what a difference we could make in a town. On our cruise, some of the women organized "pay it forward" activities to bring school supplies to Mexican school children and needed supplies for a Roatan orphanage.

On a lighter side, we basically took over Margaritaville and Senor Frogs in Cozumel and the port side pool/beach in Costa Maya (below).

Thanks for taking the time to post these pics! Mahogany Bay beach looks like a great way to spend an afternoon.

BTW....we live in Maui if any of you have any questions or direction we can help you with....Aloha

Wow- You get to live in Maui??? I'm trying not to be envious.

We were planning on renting a car did you do that? I'd appreciate any info that you have!

 

I see you guys are from the DC area. We live in Maryland...small world.

Yes - we rented cars at all but one of the ports. I had fun planning what my better half and parents call "Tina's Tours." This simply means that I did a ton of research on this and other Web sites and read through a stack of books from the trusty Fairfax County Library. If you're interested, I posted our Hawaii itinerary at: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=989068&highlight=

It is indeed a small world! I travel across the Potomac to Maryland every morning for work and we go to the Maryland women's basketball games when we can.

Cool. Ya going on the one with Indigo Girls? I would love to do that one but we are doing HI in April so can't swing that one! We did the Cayamo cruise Feb 08 that had IG and Brandi Carlile and it was AWESOME! Best cruise ever. I highly recommend music cruises if you love music. Have fun on the Olivia cruise. We have never been on Olivia either and feel that they are just too expensive!! You will have to let us know how it went!

Absolutely -- the fact that the Indigo Girls were added, pushed us over the edge to sign up for this Olivia cruise. Over the last 18 years we've traveled to see them...especially in our younger years...so, we figured why not see them on an Olivia Cruise. Plus, our overall trip costs were cut because we got super cheap airline tix on Southwest ($98 RT).

We went to Hawaii earlier this year on Celebrity. It was awesome!!! You can see my pics linked below in my signature. It was my first time to snorkel and I loved it. My wife described it best "She put her face in the water and her world opened up." We took some amazing underwater photos with our Olympus point and shoot. Let me know if you have any questions about Hawaii.

ChapinDog - can't help you with that, but we've met other lesbian couples on our past cruises usually on the excursions.

Our next up will be our first cruise with Olivia -- the Western Caribbean in early March. Can't wait!

We created a soundrack for our Hawaii trip, primarily with downloads from I-Tunes. Here's what was on it (song, performer, album):

Wonderful World - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (IZ), Wonderful World

Wipeout (Re-Recorded) - The Surfaris, 100 Years of Surfing

Volcano - Jimmy Buffett & Henry Kopono, Live In Hawaii

Tropical Hawaiian Day - Ka'au Crater Boys, The Best Of Ka'au Crater Boys

Tiki Bar Is Open -Jimmy Buffett, Live In Hawaii

Take Me Home Country Road - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Facing Future

Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Alone in IZ World

Slicin' Sand - Elvis Presley, Blue Hawaii: Collector's Edition

Rock-A-Hula Baby - Elvis Presley, Blue Hawaii: Collector's Edition

Pineapple Princess - Annette Funicello, Hawaiiannette

My Little Grass Shack - Annette Funicello, Hawaiiannette

Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett, Live In Hawaii

Luau Cha Cha Cha - Annette Funicello, Hawaiiannette

He Mele No Lilo - Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus & Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu, Lilo & Stitch Soundtrack

Hawaiiannette (Hawaiian Love Talk) - Annette Funicello, Hawaiiannette

Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride - Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus & Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu, Lilo & Stitch Soundrack

Hawaii Five-O (Re-record) - The Ventures, 60's Rock Instrumental Collection, Vol. 1

Grapefruit Juicy Fruit - Jimmy Buffett, Live In Hawaii

Elvira - Ka'au Crater Boys, The Best Of Ka'au Crater Boys

Cheeseburger In Paradise - Jimmy Buffett , Live In Hawaii

Brown Eyed Girl - Ka'au Crater Boys, The Best Of Ka'au Crater Boys

Blue Muu Muu - Annette Funicello, Hawaiiannette

We traveled to Alaska on the Carnival Spirit last year and they were very nice to us. We met another lesbian couple and several gay couples. Our waiter in the dining room and our steward were fabulous.