BuckeyeMark

Can verify that this is exactly what happens. I have seen 5-6 paper cup "shots" sitting on the counter waiting for a customer...

I saw a LOT of cribbage on a recent Norway trip but they all looked like personal boards. Didn't check to see if there were any boards available from the ship though.

Find out when the ship will be in the fjord AND BE ON DECK FOR IT. It will be quiet and wonderful ... and it's why you went to Norway. In various port towns there may be chances to get back out in the fjord on a smaller boat and that can be good too. We did RIB boats in Geiranger and that was spectacular. There's really nothing like Norway's fjords. Get all the fjord you can get!

Go Bobcats! Enjoy BOTH trips. My cruise report is over in the Celebrity pages - lotsa pics and talk about Norway. It'll make you want to go NOW! Here's the Seven Sisters (from a RIB boat tour).

We had a cruise that started in Rome, went to Athens, AND Istanbul for 2024 but the Beyond got moved to the Caribbean. Since then there are no cruises that do "the big three" in the Med Sea. Why not? How about an itinerary in 2026 that goes to Rome, Athens, and as a bonus, Istanbul?

Just back from Norway in May (we did Flam and Geiranger). I'd do everything I could to get there before they stop the ships from coming in. To say they were spectacular sail-ins is a major understatement. We were on deck by 4:45 the morning we went to Flam and were just absolutely stunned by the scenery. Thought nothing could ever top it. Then the next day we got up early again and sailed into Geiranger and were just blown away. I love Alaska and have been three times. Norway is far, far superior to Alaska. Those fjords are incredible. We were there in May and the waterfalls were just thundering. And there were so many! It was fantastic. If it were me (and it's not but if it were...) I'd cancel Hawaii, eat the lost deposit, and get on a boat to Norway ASAP. Hawaii isn't going anywhere. Getting to Flam and Geiranger may well become much more complicated in the future. Just my thoughts ... but you asked for 'em!

You can do a RIB boat tour - it takes about 90 minutes. Well worth it! Must book ahead of time.

I have a review of my recent Norwegian cruise over in the Celebrity forums ... we did BOTH and it was tremendous. Honestly, there is NOTHING like the RIB boat tour. Being up close to the 7 Sisters was unbelievable. Yes, you'll see them from your ship but seeing them when you're 8 to 10 stories above the water (and hundreds of feet away) does not compare to seeing them up close and being ON the water looking up at the falls. Again, we did both but if I had to choose one ... that 7 Sisters waterfall (and the Suitor across from it) was very special in a RIB boat. Just my opinion. YMMV.

Here's who we used: Katy Parker Office Manager 07740 197148 (Mon to Fri) - 07774 693720 (Sat & Sun) Cotswold Tours & Travel www.cotswoldtoursandtravel.com office@cotswoldtoursandtravel.com They were excellent. They did what we asked - which in the Cotswolds was to "we want to see the Tolkien Tree and the famous row of houses that everyone takes pictures of (LOL) and then we want to be given the taste and tour of the Cotswolds." And that's exactly what we go. We didn't even know what to ask for and we had a splendid day. In Oxford we said "we want to to see the CS Lewis sites, plus anything else that is good, and we'd like a run into the Ashmolean museum too if we can manage it to see some ancient coins." They managed it! A splendid splendid day. Mark guided Cotswolds and David in Oxford. They were superb.

We docked at 8 but we had tickets for the 9:30 train so we were not in a big hurry. Don't think there was any kind of big delays but we weren't rushing to get off so can't really say. Sorry.

We love Alaska, have been three times, and will go again next year. I just got back from Norway, and I have to say ... it's even more impressive than Alaska. It doesn't have the wildlife, but it absolutely cannot be topped for the most incredible and out-of-this-world scenery.

The last night of our recent Norway cruise the cruise director spent 10 minutes pleading for a ten. He went on and On and ON AND ON AND ON about it. It was ridiculous. And what's the point of sending surveys if you let employees "rig" the results? How much more effective would a survey be that said, "We hope your experience with us was a 9 or 10 and you will cruise with us again soon, BUT CAN YOU PLEASE SHARE ONE OR TWO WAYS WE COULD IMPROVE?" Now that would show a commitment to being the best!

Really good review. Making me think about a trip to Denali ...

Thank you very much for your kind words! And I love "sleepybluegiraffe" - there has to be a story behind that name!

They had a double decker bus allocated to us. They kept telling me "We've got a bus for you and your group" and I was thinking "A bus, like one? There are 90 of us!" and then we got there and they put us all on this double decker monster bus. Amazing. The bus ran us to a parking lot across from that park and the red bridge. The park had pay toilets - it sounds like you know exactly where this is.