LIVE from the CARIBBEAN PRINCESS 6/19/12 - Norwegian Fjords & Scandinavia

[coo359a2]

　

 

The port lecturer did what I expected him to do. Read. That’s all I can say. The graphics and background music however are nice. He did give some information regarding Honningsvag, which makes me happy that we cancelled the shorex.

 

 

　

 

Does this mean you are not going to see Nord Cape? What did the lecturer have to say? We really enjoyed the exucrsion to Nord Cape even with the bad weather.

P.S. Glad Mike got his glasses fixed.

[srpilo]

It has no meaning. Do not waste time on the synopsis.

 

Could not agree more

 

 

 

 

I still regret the $7.00 I spent seeing it :confused:

Srpilo

[wineforhealth]

Pia

 

Loved Norways west coast, the two weeks in June we were there it drizzled or rain most the day.

 

It was tough sleeping at night couldn't get the rooms dark enough to sleep, can you get your aft cabin dark or do ya need an extra glass of wine?

[PunkiC]

Are they still showing "Beginners"? It is an autobiographical film written and directed by a friend of our daughter. We saw it on our crossing and I know a lot of passengers didn't "get it".

 

We thought Christoper Plummer was fabulous.

[Love.II.Cruise]

This sounds like a great cruise! We've done the fjords in Chili, New Zealand and will be doing Alaska (both of us together) in two weeks.

 

However, I've been to Alaska without my DH and I can say I had a severe case of insomnia. I came home and had never in my life been so exhausted from a cruise! I went to bed late, and recall being awoken at 3 something in the morning with a bright light in my room thinking I slept in. I would look at the clock and could not believe the hour! And of course, I could not go back to sleep!

 

We'll see how I (and my DH) do on this trip coming up. But I guess no matter the result we still want to do a cruise like Pia is doing. ;)

[Feelin' Nauti']

As always Pia enjoy reading your adventurous live post.

[jrzebird]

I'm thoroughly enjoying your reviews, Pia. Thanks so much for taking the time to write and post these.

 

I have a friend who is a head waiter on this cruise and this as his first time to Norway. He said he can't believe how beautiful it is. It sounds wonderful. I look forward to continuing to travel this journey with you, Pia.

[c-legs]

Hi Pia,

just out of interest ,re above, ...What time is the sun setting up there?

Will you be going far enough North to have the "Midnight Sun" ?

 

They'll be in '' land of midnite sun'' for next 3 days at least. Honningvag is quite a ways north of the Artic Circle....so are Tromso and longyearben (sp????).

We did that run in 2008....daily platters, under the heading ''sun rises today at'' and ''sun sets today at'' ,stated ''non applicable'' for 4 days running.

Quite a splendid awesome experience.

Just looked at the bridge cam....03;58hrGMT '' on the way to Honningsvag''...bright daylight with sun rays shining on what appears to be a near millpond sea. Fantastic !

Cheers

[jrzebird]

They'll be in '' land of midnite sun'' for next 3 days at least. Honningvag is quite a ways north of the Artic Circle....so are Tromso and longyearben (sp????).

We did that run in 2008....daily platters, under the heading ''sun rises today at'' and ''sun sets today at'' ,stated ''non applicable'' for 4 days running.

Quite a splendid awesome experience.

Just looked at the bridge cam....03;58hrGMT '' on the way to Honningsvag''...bright daylight with sun rays shining on what appears to be a near millpond sea. Fantastic !

Cheers

 

It's actually 7:00 a.m. there right now. I had the most difficult time getting accustomed to the winter months in Sweden. Very odd. I kept wanting to go to sleep at 5:00 pm!

[Pia1913]

Good Morning. It’s Sunday, it’s cold and the sun is shining. We are due to arrive in Honningsvag at noon. This will be another tender port and we’ll be there until 9:00 PM. This is the top of Europe; the gateway to the North Cape. The northernmost point in Europe before the cliffs drop into the Arctic Sea. And we’re not going up there. We were forewarned that it’s extremely cold and extremely windy and this we can live without. We had originally booked a sedentary 2 ½ hour tour to Christmas and Winterhouse, but decided that we didn’t really need to look at knitwear, pottery, crafts and ornaments. The only other thing that could have been of interest is possibly seeing some reindeer. So, we will go into town; whatever there is to see is ok with us. I understand that it’s a short walk after getting off the tender.

　

We did nothing last night except have dinner at Café Caribe and watch Mission Impossible in our cabin. Lazy days and nights are what cruising is all about, so I guess that’s part of why we do it so often. That, and trivia, in which we haven’t yet indulged. Somehow it’s always at the wrong time, conflicting with something else. And since we aren’t traveling with friends, it just makes it easier not to have to choose trivia over another venue. Not so many laughs though.

　

Today on board are three things at 9:00 AM; poor choice of time allocation. There’s On Deck for the Cure, and Interdenominational Church Service and a lecture - The Norse Seafaring Kings. The old movie Summertime, with Katherine Hepburn and Rosano Brazzi will be on MUTS and channel 34 at 10:00. I loved that movie; might watch it again. Our illustrious port lecturer is not doing Tromso, but there will be info on it on TV in the afternoon.

Afternon in Explorer’s is Sarah’s Key and MUTS is showing Footloose. At 6:00 MUTS is featuring Sherlock Holmes and showtime, 3 performances, of Piano Man. It looks like another ensuite movie or book for us tonight. MUTS also will show Euro 2012 Quarter Finals at 8:45 - England vs. Italy. We have no clue what goes on with soccer and really have no interest in it. I know. Boo to us.

　

Will check later; satellite permitting. We’ve been warned about geographic positioning having possible internet outages.

Jim: no trouble sleeping and today we start bottle number three. :D

[Princess Cat]

This is the top of Europe; the gateway to the North Cape. The northernmost point in Europe before the cliffs drop into the Arctic Sea. And we’re not going up there. We were forewarned that it’s extremely cold and extremely windy and this we can live without.

 

　

. MUTS also will show Euro 2012 Quarter Finals at 8:45 - England vs. Italy. We have no clue what goes on with soccer and really have no interest in it. I know. Boo to us.

　

Oh yes, I can definitely vouch for the freezing cold and the wind as in my last reply:eek::eek::eek:

Mind you, it's not much warmer here and all we are getting is torrential rain day after day so make sure you order the good weather for when we join you.:D

Neither of us are interested in football (soccer) either, and we're English:rolleyes:

Jackie

[cruisedreamer17]

Thanks Pia, I love reading your posts. So you miss seeing Santa Clause. To think you are at the top of the world--

See you in a week,

Laurie

[Pia1913]

There’s nothing like misinformation. Honningsvag, a tender port? No. We docked. We, and three other ships. In port with us are two Thomson ships and a Norwegian ship. So what do you think happens when 4 ships with a total of approx. 9000 passengers come into port on a Sunday? Right. Everything is closed. It’s a small town, but then again, there isn’t a large population. Open is one souvenir store, a combination candy, newspaper, cards, etc with souvenirs store, and the gift shop at the Ice Bar. Everything else is closed.

　

Ice Bar: admission is 135 NOK (approx. $21.50) which includes warm clothes and 2 non-alcoholic drinks. Artico Ice Bar is the northernmost ice bar in the world and each winter it is rebuilt using the purest ice from Lapland’s lakes. Of course we didn’t go into it, but we did visit their small 2 storey gift shop where we bought a coffee table book.

　

Everything in Norway is very expensive, so we pick and choose judiciously. A small cup of coffee is $7.00. No thanks. Our only other purchase was a cap for Mike which is different. Says North Cape, has a globe and Latitude markings. (My keyboard won’t allow me to show you the 71 degrees, etc.)

　

It was nice to walk around; the weather is absolutely wonderful. We heard that visibility could be poor, but skies and views are perfectly clear. No wind at all. I wore a light sweatshirt under my parka and ended up carrying both. Back to the ship for a light lunch at the IC and Americano for me and hot chocolate (two) for Mike.

One of us (not me) decided to nap out on deck and the other (me) decided to stay indoors and watch Footloose.

See you tomorrow in Tromso. Hi Laurie and Jackie. See you next week. :D

[SoBaycruiser]

Pia,

 

Anything so far that you would have done differently or didn't think to pack? If you were in Honningsvag on a day other than Sunday would you have a lot to do? Our trip next year shows arriving at 9am and leaving just before midnight. That seems like a long time if there isn't much to do.

[CruzinNoony]

Pia, did you dock right in town? When we were there in February, we went to North Cape and it was in the teens and yes, very windy, but certainly something to see. We were on a Hurtigruten ship (Nordkapp) just from Tromso to Kirkenes (2 nights). Besides for going to North Cape, there isn't a whole lot to do in this tiny town.

 

Tomorrow, you will be in Tromso. There we went dog sledding (at night) also in February. We docked in town there also. Let us know where you dock.:cool:

[Pia1913]

Good Morning, and we’re in Tromso. Of course it hasn’t gotten dark yet; third day. I have no clue as to when we will actually have darkness and you know………….I don’t really care. It’s just nice to see daylight and sun and days that are warmer than we anticipated. Tromso is well inside the Arctic Circle at 70 degrees north latitude and is built on a small, flat island six miles long.

　

Now hear this. I am going to lose my credibility. We went to see Piano Man last night. Desperation, I suppose. We went because it was going to be shorter than usual and it was very short. Only half an hour. And then we went back to the cabin and watched the end of An Affair to Remember (you know that’s a given on Princess TV), followed by the movie New Year’s Eve. If you’ve seen it, fine. If not, don’t bother. Good cast, though.

　

When we came back to our cabin after dinner, hanging on our door was a plastic bag with a water bottle, a lanyard and a carabiner, together with a note from the CD stating I was getting one of each prize. Evidently he liked my submission to this morning’s Wake Show question and didn’t even wait to announce it on tomorrow morning’s show. It’s hard to explain, so please don’t ask. But now I know that there are no new prizes, so haven’t missed a thing by not playing trivia.

　

We have no plans for Tromso; nothing offered interested us. The highlights here seem to be museums; all closed on Mondays. A cable car; no thank you. The Arctic Cathedral; 11 soaring triangles of glass, steel and concrete, whose interior has stained glass window and elaborate chandeliers. I’ve seen photos. Also, the Polaria Center which has an IMAX film and an exhibit simulating the actual conditions found in a polar bear den. We haven’t yet decided whether or not to go into town, which is 3 miles from the port. Princess is running a shuttle at$8/pp each way. A bit exorbitant, I think.

　

On board today are lots of movies. MUTS has Big Miracle in the morning, War Horse in the afternoon and the Vow (3 showings of it) tonight. Afternoon movie in Explorer’s is The Rum Diary. At 5:15 there will be a Runway @ Sea Fashion Show; something that they started doing a few months ago. It’s a no smoking night again

in the casino and featured in the theater is vocalist Emily Reed.

　

CD Dan announced this morning that he is in the 7th day of his special diet. All he eats is soup and one apple. Time for my breakfast, so signing off for now.

No, to answer the above question, there is really nothing to do in Honningsvag. Meredith, we are docked at a pier beginning with the letter B.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

From the bridge , and from a port cam at Tromso..

 

 

 

[Kiwi Kruzer]

 

Just on the edge is Brilliance of the Seas , also there today

[Pia1913]

HELLO from the 2nd floor of the library in Tromso. Free internet, so of course I needed to use it. Also free restrooms here and in Burger King down one street. It is very windy today, so makes the air feel colder. We are dressed warm enough, but also using gloves. You cannot walk from the ship, but there is a city bus nearby. Shuttle better.

 

Off to explore. Later.

[margord]

Enjoying your "live from" thread.

[cboyle]

Pia,

 

Anything so far that you would have done differently or didn't think to pack? If you were in Honningsvag on a day other than Sunday would you have a lot to do? Our trip next year shows arriving at 9am and leaving just before midnight. That seems like a long time if there isn't much to do.

Actually, there is plenty to do if you are willing to get out of town. Here is my review of a similar itinerary on the Ocean Princess in June 2010.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=69933

 

We did a private tour in Honningsvag with two of Pia's (Hi Pia!) good friends, donahcbrown and coo359a2 (Hi Donna and Tina!), plus another couple from the CC roll call.

 

One of Pia's other friends, Dorinda (Hi Dee!), and her husband were even more adventurous; they took the public bus to and from Nordkapp.

[coo359a2]

Actually, there is plenty to do if you are willing to get out of town. Here is my review of a similar itinerary on the Ocean Princess in June 2010.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=69933

 

We did a private tour in Honningsvag with two of Pia's (Hi Pia!) good friends, donahcbrown and coo359a2 (Hi Donna and Tina!), plus another couple from the CC roll call.

 

One of Pia's other friends, Dorinda (Hi Dee!), and her husband were even more adventurous; they took the public bus to and from Nordkapp.

 

Hi Carolyn

 

Will second what you posted. We really enjoyed the tour even with the off and on rain/sleet and strong winds. JJust awesome to think that we were standing up on the Nord Cape.

[Pia1913]

Back again with my afternoon report. I think we choose to see the worst movies made. Today we saw a real “winner;” The Rum Diary. Can’t understand why this one was made. :rolleyes:

　

OK, back to Tromso after we left the library. We walked the entire shopping area; both main streets. Storgata and Grannegata. We went to a supermarket and a pharmacy, something we try to do everywhere. We were within a stone’s throw of the Polaria Arctic Center but chose not to go there. We also could see the cathedral from afar, but Mike was not up to that walk, so we just admired it from a distance. We did go to Perspektivet Museum which you will miss unless looking for it. It’s located in the old house (1830) of a famous writer from Tromso and is a photo museum about Tromso and the famous people from here. Entrance is free.

　

　

We had intentions of visiting the Mack Brewery, but just yesterday they moved it. I found this out when I asked a local young man where it was. It seems that the building is there, but all the machinery, etc. has been relocated to the other end of town. Didn’t look for it, and had a nice conversation with this guy about when he worked for a year at the Norwegian exhibit at Epcot in Orlando.

　

　

Earlier I said the dock name started with a B. It’s Breivika and you really need to take the shuttle or a bus to get into town. You need to get to the bus area using a walkway under the road to get to the side where you take the #42 bus to the city center. I know from there you can take the #26 bus to get to the cable car.

　

A little bit of Tromso information is that it’s known as the Paris of the North and is the largest town in the polar region of Scandinavia. It’s located 186 miles inside the Arctic Circle, on the same latitude as northern Alaska. You know the name Roald Amundsen I’m sure. Well, he and F. Nansen started their polar expeditions from here.

　

Back to the ship for lunch and to the aforementioned yucky movie. No plans for tonight as yet, and tomorrow we actually have a Princess shore excursion planned. More about that tomorrow.

Hi Tina. Hi Carolyn. :D We are still very lucky with weather. Shhhhhhhhh........

[coo359a2]

Hi Pia and Mike

 

Glad the "you know what" so far is good for ya'll. If it holds for Flaam, ya'll will have a beautiful train ride there. My fingers are crossed.

[coo359a2]

　

A little bit of Tromso information is that it’s known as the Paris of the North and is the largest town in the polar region of Scandinavia. It’s located 186 miles inside the Arctic Circle, on the same latitude as northern Alaska. quote]

 

Also for garden/flower enthusiasts, Tromso has the most northern botanical garden which is located in back of and up the hill from the bus stop across from the dock area.