Norway Fjords and TA Review

[July4]

My 1st trip across the Atlantic. DW has been twice before we met 45 years ago. Glad I went. Finland, the Fjords, Copenhagen, and Iceland were all excellent counties to visit and site see. We are looking forward to our next cruise in Northern Europe, The B2B cabin change was easy- but next time I will try to book them both at once. We did all private tours or on our own.

 

Here is review I posted about the Serenade:

 

We originally booked the TA cruise because we wanted to see Iceland and try a TA. Six months later we decided that is we were flying across the pond we would add the Norway Fjords cruise to it. We enjoyed both locations. Unfortunately because of this addition it was necessary to change cabins mid-cruise. We flew to Helsinki first too see DW’s relatives and then spent 2 days in Copenhagen before cruise. We stayed at Scandic Palace which we enjoyed as it was close to everything. We took a taxi to the port. Checking in was easy and fast at about 11:30 am. Only a couple people ahead of us as we put our luggage on the conveyor belt then in-line to check in and get sea pass cards. Took less than 30 minutes after arrival at port.

 

We went right to Park Café and were able to find a table where we enjoyed lunch and our 1st beverage. Around 1:00 they said cabins were ready. We put our carry-on in cabin and then explored the ship some more. By mid-afternoon the luggage was in the main hallway. We waited a bit to see if the room steward would deliver the bags but soon discovered that we were supposed to get our own if. We brought them to our cabin and unpacked. We had AFT cabin 8672, for 1st leg, then moved next door to AFT 8670 for the TA. We enjoy the AFT cabins and the view. Our room steward finally showed arrived before we left port. When I wasn’t on Deck 12 taking pictures of the fjords, I was on our balcony taking pictures of both sides. We booked our own excursions or just walked around or used the Hop-On – Hop-Off (HOHO) bus at ports. We enjoyed the fjords scenery very much and all the waterfalls in Norway and Iceland. The 4 days in Iceland was very enjoyable and glad we went. Overall we had warm weather and really no rain out days. We were very lucky. We discovered in Iceland that at all the power plants had their own blue lagoon. While not all were available to the public there are other lagoons to use besides the highly advertised ones.

 

The ship was in pretty good shape, there were some areas that needed painting, but the crew was working on that. The cabin and bathroom was what was expected and I found the bed comfortable. The cabin steward was good, he did what we expected and made the towel animals most nights. The maître de in MTD on the port side (Raul) was very slow. We had the same table and tablemates for 24 days, and he never remembered us and had trouble using the computer. The waiter (Neil) was ok but slow, 4 or 5 nights he said sorry but I am very busy tonight. Only half a dozen times did he say what was going on the next day and to have a good evening. The assistant waiter (David) was energetic and good and did his best to take care of us. The 1st week we had a good drink server – who knew what we wanted after a couple days and took care of us. On start of TA he was moved downstairs and his replacement was terrible. Mid-cruise the original drink server came back and things were improved immensely. While the food was ok, we found the menus limited and a lot of repeats, some times dry, same sides, and very little taste (except for excess salt- they used a lot in their cooking). WE DID have lobster on the last formal night of the TA.

 

We ate breakfast in the main dining room most mornings, while good the service was slow. Most lunch’s we ate in Windjammer, and usually shared a table with someone, as it was crowded. I could find a salad and something else to eat, but DW sometimes had trouble. On the 1st leg we did the chefs table (5 courses with wine for $85 each) – said that night would give us 50% off if came back next week, but when booked –said manager would only offer 30 % off. The 6 of us did do it again, as well as we all bought the 3-night dinner package for $75.00 each. We enjoyed the specialty restaurants even if I cooked my own dinner in Izumi on a stone. Went to the Schooner bar before dinner and after some shows for a cocktail, where we found the waitstaff (especially John) and bartenders to very friendly and helpful. Since we are not yet Diamond Level we purchased the drink package (at discount on-line before cruise). I am sure I got my $$ worth, but not sure about DW, but she tried some different drinks and didn’t have to sign receipts. The piano player/singer was good in the evening.

 

We did go to over half the shows and enjoyed the ones we saw. On the sea days they did have one or two talks a day, afternoon shows, as well as trivia, movies etc. DW enjoyed all the trivia. Since this was our 1st TA, DW and I did do the King Neptune event. Hit in the face with a fish, raw eggs broke on top of your head, then spaghetti and sauce poured on you and finally flour. It was messy for us and many others but a lot of fun. The cruise director and his staff did a wonderful job. The only place we really smelled smoke was in the casino when we walked thru after the shows (to avoid back-up in the shops) and a little in the Centrum outside the casino. I did see some smoking on the pool deck.

 

When we arrived in Boston there was a long line for immigration - a 45 minute before they called the 1st group of numbers. We went to Main Dining Room and enjoyed their “slow” breakfast. After breakfast the line was down some. We went back to cabin to pack our carry-off etc. They called our number (19) just before 9am. Went to Main Dining Room for immigration and no line and went thru in less than 5 minutes. People should wait in cabins or designated areas for their turn and not stand in long lines ahead of time. We headed to the theater to wait for our number again but ended up in a line that had us off the ship with our luggage by 9:30 am waiting for our ride to arrive. Less

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.