Arctic Circle/Fjords on Constellation June 14-26

[cruisinsusin]

We just returned from the Connie Norwegian fjords/Arctic circle cruise. It was overall an excellent experience. We had several cold rainy days (it was snowing while on the cable cars in Tromso) but some cool and sparkling clear days as well. Outside temperatures ranged from the mid to high 30s to the high 60s,perhaps 70 so multiple layers were in order!

The ship was in great condition and we found the staff to be welcoming and friendly. The Captain is quite personable as well as professional and he gave several very educational but also very enjoyable talks.

Food is always very subjective but we found the food in the San Marco main dining room to be very good. I had beef most nights and all but one entree were tender and cooked to the temp requested. DH had fish/seafood most nights and also enjoyed it. We chose select dining and continue to be pleased with that option.

The Ocean view buffet food was good with good selections but it was frequently frustrating trying to find a table both at breakfast as well as lunch. Partly due to the cool temps limiting use of outside tables and partly because of groups of guests "camping out" even when they were finished eating, it could be a search to find a table. The coffee continues to be poor in the Ocean view altho not bad in the main dining room.

Coffees in the elite breakfast and at Cafe Al Bacio were good.

We ate at Bistro on 5 once and it was good as always. No new selections had been added to the menu.

We had room service breakfast once and it was as ordered,delivered on time and the food was appropriate temperatures.

Ocean Liners was excellent as always. We asked if there were any "specials" being offered at the time of making a reservation and we were given a discounted price. We did not visit Tuscan grille.

We only attended a few of the shows so cant really comment on most of the entertainment.

The lecturers were enjoyable- we particularly liked naturalist Don Enright and attended all of his lectures.

The gym area appeared smaller than we remembered from a previous trip on the Connie a few years ago - seems that some of the space was taken over by the spa. There were about 10 treadmills and on a few days some were out of service. There were ellipticals and recumbant bicycles also.

The ports on this cruise are overall spectacular. The sails in and out are often even more beautiful. Stavanger, Tromso, Molde and Bergen were easy to do on your own. While we frequently arrange independent tours, we chose to go with ship sponsored tours in Geiranger, Alesund and Honnigsvag and were glad that we did. The roads were full of hairpin curves, narrow passages and amazing scenery that would have been missed while concentrating on driving. The guides in Geiranger, Alesund and for the bird safari in Honningsvag added so much to our knowledge and enjoyment. I know that it is often the luck of the draw when it comes to the quality of the guides but we were very pleased. The sailout from Geiranger was gorgeous and the Captain did a 360 rotation of the ship between the 7 sisters and suitor waterfalls- very cool!

The sailout from Molde was also very beautiful, and there were local townspeople along the way cheering and several sent up fireworks as we went by.

The prolonged daylight allowed these sailouts to be enjoyed as we did not have sundown until well after 11 most nights and several nights above the Arctic circle there was no sundown ( it was overcast on many of those so no problems sleeping).

We highly recommend this itinerary - truly beautiful scenery!

I would be happy to answer any questions.

Susan

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[cruisnpat]

We were up in Alaska and had daylight most of the time. It never really got dark, Loved it. I would love to go up there again. Maybe some day.

[C 2 C]

We just returned from the Connie Norwegian fjords/Arctic circle cruise.

I would be happy to answer any questions.

Susan

 

Thank you for posting your experience. We have had the good fortune to cruise along Norway as well. Stunning scenery.

 

Was there a "House Band" on board (formerly called the Party Band)? There used to be a band designated to play in Rendezvous as well as an additional band elsewhere (pool deck). I just wonder if there is now only one?

[drarill]

Welcome back! Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us!

[cruisinsusin]

Thank you for posting your experience. We have had the good fortune to cruise along Norway as well. Stunning scenery.

 

Was there a "House Band" on board (formerly called the Party Band)? There used to be a band designated to play in Rendezvous as well as an additional band elsewhere (pool deck). I just wonder if there is now only one?

 

Hi-It was pretty cool/cold most days so we didnt sit out at the pool after Stavanger-there wasnt a band out there that day. Day 1 sail off had DJ Denkoff and Lady Sax pool side- they played indoors other times as well and were pretty good. The house band was "Emily and the Nightcaps" and there was a dance band called "Ocean band".

[C 2 C]

Day 1 sail off had DJ Denkoff and Lady Sax pool side- they played indoors other times as well and were pretty good. The house band was "Emily and the Nightcaps" and there was a dance band called "Ocean band".

 

Thanks for the response.

[EvelynAlexa]

Thank you for the review.

Did you shop? What kinds of souvenirs?

 

Eve

Edited June 29, 2014 by EvelynAlexa

[cruisinsusin]

Thank you for the review.

Did you shop? What kinds of souvenirs?

 

Eve

 

Hi- we did a bit of shopping in Amsterdam before embarking and some while in port. I always get a Christmas ornament from our trips and did find really nice ones in Honningsvag. I purchased a doll from a Sami woman who had a tent set up outside the port in Tromso. She had lovely items, many of which were hand made.

There were a lot of the same souvenirs at each port (magnets, trolls,figurines and Viking items). Woolen items (sweaters, hats,scarves, mittens) were also very prevalent but the handmade ones were extremely expensive. There were craft booths at several ports (I remember Stavanger, Bergen, Geiranger for sure) as well as lots of small shops ( in Molde there was a mall and in Bergen and Stavanger many larger stores). The chocolate store in Geiranger has really delicious chocolates with varieties not seen around here.

Hope that helps!

[TLCOhio]

We just returned from the Connie Norwegian fjords/Arctic circle cruise. We highly recommend this itinerary - truly beautiful scenery! Susan

 

EvelynAlexa: Thank you for the review. Did you shop? What kinds of souvenirs? Eve

 

Appreciate from Susan this update and report. Glad that things worked well. YES' date=' Norway can be spectacular[/b'], especially along that coastal western areas.

 

For Eve's question about souvenirs, yes, they are there, but most are not cheap. Norway can be very costly, especially with their high labor costs, tax add-ons, etc. As noted below, we did a full trip up above the Arctic Circle up to the North Cape, etc.

 

We found some of the better values while exploring Bergen in their open shopping area near the Fish Market area. See an example below with some of the woolen items. And, at another nearby location.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 146,636 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Where do you shop in Norway? Here is an example in Bergen in looking for woolen items in the charming area right near the Fish Market. As you can tell by the friendly smile, our friend, Sharon, was enjoying herself. :

 

 

 

In the Bergen market area, here’s one of the sales tent offerings for local woolen products.

 

[shipfriend_max]

Hi,

 

welcome back from my favourite country!!! :)

A really dreamful itinerary for me, on top of that with Constellation! Great that you had an enjoyable time.

Would be glad to see some photos of your Norway cruise!!

 

Too bad that Constellation or another M-class-ship will not sail to Norway in 2015... :(

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your report.

 

Keith

[DaKa2002]

Your post-cruise report is right on! We sailed along with you, however, we ate most of our meals (dinners) in Blu and breakfasts in the Spa Cafe behind the pool in the solarium. Food in Blu was very good and service usually good. Ocean Liners was tops for a meal on board (dinner or brunch), with the Tuscan Grill close behind. We did not eat in the MDR; comments on the Oceanview Cafe (buffet) for lunch was correct - finding a seat could be difficult. Overall - an excellent cruise and super itinerary.