Sailing to see Santa (almost) —- Jewel of the Seas Arctic Circle voyage - June 17, 2023

[michst8alum]

Thank you so much for taking the time during your incredible vacation to share it with us!  JEWELL has one more trip then it is our turn!  Can’t wait to see all the beauty in person!  Safe travels home! 

[ecslady]

Thanks for taking us along.  Safe travels home.  EWR has been a chaotic mess the last few days because of all the thunderstorms in the area, so hope it doesn't affect you coming in.

[travelling8]

Thanks for your wonderful review. We will be doing a similar itinerary in May and am very much looking forward to it.

[mac_tlc]

Mid-travel update. All is smooth so far. Sitting on the plane in Iceland bound for Newark. Flight from Amsterdam was uneventful and made connection in Reykjavik with time to spare. Due in at 7:20pm EDT,  a 6hr 20min flight. 
 

 

Both airports today have been mobbed but the signage is good so you can find your way through the masses.
 

mac_tlc

 

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by mac_tlc

[Cherful59]

On 6/28/2023 at 9:01 AM, tomcherv said:

I'm also on the July 5, 2024 Arctic circle cruise on Jewel.  Seeing your comments and pictures has made me excited - I can wait, but it's going to be tough.

 

I had read about the ban on cruise ships entering the Unesco fjords - that's why I'm doing this one in 2024.  

I agree with the above, I am on the July 5, 2024 cruise as well with DS & DBIL.  Thank you @mac_tlc for all of you wonderful pictures and insight.  

[Jimbo]

On 6/26/2023 at 3:55 PM, A&L_Ont said:

I have to say Mac’s photos have peaked my interest in going. Have watched many travel vlogs on Norway it has peaked my interest even further. 

We will be on Jewel ( A itinerary something like Mac's) , then we are heading to Barcelona after this cruise to jump on Celebrity Equinox on June 13th

MAY 30, 2024 Thursday	Amsterdam, Netherlands		4:00 PM
2	MAY 31, 2024 Friday	At Sea
3	JUNE 1, 2024 Saturday	Geiranger, Norway	10:00 AM	7:00 PM
4	JUNE 2, 2024 Sunday	At Sea
5	JUNE 3, 2024 Monday	Tromso, Norway	10:00 AM	7:00 PM
6	JUNE 4, 2024 Tuesday	Honningsvag, Norway	7:00 AM	5:00 PM
7	June 6, 2024 Thursday	Cruise Arctic Circle	4:00 AM	TBD
8	JUNE 6, 2024 Thursday	Alesund, Norway	11:00 AM	6:00 PM
9	JUNE 7, 2024 Friday	Flaam, Norway	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
10	JUNE 8, 2024 Saturday	Stavanger, Norway	8:00 AM	7:00 PM
11	JUNE 9, 2024 Sunday	Kristiansand, Norway	7:00 AM	6:00 PM
12	JUNE 10, 2024 Monday	At Sea
13	JUNE 11, 2024 Tuesday	Amsterdam, Netherlands	6:00 AM

Edited June 30, 2023 by Jimbo

[bunzini]

Loved your review!  Thanks for sharing with us!

[Bailey & Sophie]

 

Thanks for your review. Very informative.  Unless I missed it, what kind of clothing did you pack? It looks like it might be quite chilly up high. Layers? Long unders? 

We'll also be doing Iceland and British Isles so we might have a range of weather patterns. Not sure yet what's needed.

Safe journey home!

Edited June 30, 2023 by Bailey & Sophie
Typo

[goldfish65]

Thank you for the travelogue, great weather you had. I am so envious, love Jewel for the open views. Captain Mike is so cool. Hope to do this bucket-list intinerary, I have heard that at some point, ships won't be allowed into some areas. So it's wonderful that you got to do it. 

[perfect match]

On 6/25/2023 at 11:51 AM, Norwaylady said:

Loen Skylift is 🤩👍🏻 

If I ever manage to get to Norway, and I certainly hope I do, the Loen Skylift will most definitely be on my to do list. I doubt I’ll be able to manage the hiking part at this point in my life, but a much younger me would have been right there with you doing that hike. Now, not such a good idea, but I really enjoyed your pictures! Thank you for sharing them.

[perfect match]

@mac_tlc, Thank you very much for this wonderful review and pictures! I appreciate the time you’ve taken to share your cruise with all of us. I’ve always had Norway on my list of places I’d like to visit, but it has now moved way up on my list!

 

I hope the rest of your journey has gone well and that you’re now safely back home in CT, our former home. 

[mac_tlc]

6 hours ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

 

Thanks for your review. Very informative.  Unless I missed it, what kind of clothing did you pack? It looks like it might be quite chilly up high. Layers? Long unders? 

We'll also be doing Iceland and British Isles so we might have a range of weather patterns. Not sure yet what's needed.

Safe journey home!

You would think Norway, Arctic Circle, chilly? Not for us. Every day seemed to be historically high temps, with the peak being 84 in Flam. We packed long sleeve T-shirts, jeans and sweatpants. Even brought wool hat and gloves— imagine. Also brought some shorts and short sleeve tshirts, mainly for ship days — so we thought. Last few days that’s what we wore ashore, especially in Olden/Loen. 
 

We are D+ so the free laundry bag helped — and we could use it any day, so that gave us two per room. 
 

I think you need to pack for all possibilities and probably will have too much of one type of clothing. 
 

mac_tlc

[mac_tlc]

3 hours ago, perfect match said:

@mac_tlc, Thank you very much for this wonderful review and pictures! I appreciate the time you’ve taken to share your cruise with all of us. I’ve always had Norway on my list of places I’d like to visit, but it has now moved way up on my list!

 

I hope the rest of your journey has gone well and that you’re now safely back home in CT, our former home. 

Thanks Nancy, 

 

We have safely arrived back in CT— it was a 24 hour day from waking up on ship in Amsterdam to pulling into the driveway in CT. 
 

One of the things we miss most are our cats, we have two . Here is quick picture of the older one (14). She does not like it when we leave and woke me up way too early today!

 

 

[mac_tlc]

So as Ferris Bueller once said,

 

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” 

I guess flying at 500mph qualifies as fast, so when I opened the shade on the flight from Iceland to New Jersey yesterday I saw this!

 

 

 

Here are a few more. It was stunning!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to my camera, it was the Bernstoff Isfjord in Greenland. Lasted about five minutes and then it was all clouds again. A fitting photographic end to 16 days of great memories!

 

I need to make multiple backups of these pictures!😜.

 

mac_tlc

Edited June 30, 2023 by mac_tlc

[Dorh]

2 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

So as Ferris Bueller once said,

 

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” 

I guess flying at 500mph qualifies as fast, so when I opened the shade on the flight from Iceland to New Jersey yesterday I saw this!

 

 

 

Here are a few more. It was stunning!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to my camera, it was the Bernstoff Isfjord in Greenland. Lasted about five minutes and then it was all clouds again. A fitting photographic end to 16 days of great memories!

 

I need to make multiple backups of these pictures!😜.

 

mac_tlc

Amazing Photos!!  Thank you so much sharing with us.

 

[Bailey & Sophie]

15 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

You would think Norway, Arctic Circle, chilly? Not for us. Every day seemed to be historically high temps, with the peak being 84 in Flam. We packed long sleeve T-shirts, jeans and sweatpants. Even brought wool hat and gloves— imagine. Also brought some shorts and short sleeve tshirts, mainly for ship days — so we thought. Last few days that’s what we wore ashore, especially in Olden/Loen. 
 

We are D+ so the free laundry bag helped — and we could use it any day, so that gave us two per room. 
 

I think you need to pack for all possibilities and probably will have too much of one type of clothing. 
 

mac_tlc

 

It gives me an idea. I ALWAYS bring too much.

I think we'll be D+ by then, and with a b3b we should do OK with Royal's laundry.

[batoryfirst]

ALMOST think I don’t need to sail this itinerary due to your superb review. Felt like I was there with you. Thank you so very much. Enjoyed every minute of it. 

[Murray&Vivian]

On 6/29/2023 at 5:44 PM, Jimbo said:

We will be on Jewel ( A itinerary something like Mac's) , then we are heading to Barcelona after this cruise to jump on Celebrity Equinox on June 13th

MAY 30, 2024 Thursday	Amsterdam, Netherlands		4:00 PM
2	MAY 31, 2024 Friday	At Sea
3	JUNE 1, 2024 Saturday	Geiranger, Norway	10:00 AM	7:00 PM
4	JUNE 2, 2024 Sunday	At Sea
5	JUNE 3, 2024 Monday	Tromso, Norway	10:00 AM	7:00 PM
6	JUNE 4, 2024 Tuesday	Honningsvag, Norway	7:00 AM	5:00 PM
7	June 6, 2024 Thursday	Cruise Arctic Circle	4:00 AM	TBD
8	JUNE 6, 2024 Thursday	Alesund, Norway	11:00 AM	6:00 PM
9	JUNE 7, 2024 Friday	Flaam, Norway	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
10	JUNE 8, 2024 Saturday	Stavanger, Norway	8:00 AM	7:00 PM
11	JUNE 9, 2024 Sunday	Kristiansand, Norway	7:00 AM	6:00 PM
12	JUNE 10, 2024 Monday	At Sea
13	JUNE 11, 2024 Tuesday	Amsterdam, Netherlands	6:00 AM

We are joining you on this cruise - staying on board for the British Isles.  😊 

[maggieq]

On 6/27/2023 at 5:16 PM, dani negreanu said:

 

@A&L_Ont Second that, Andrew. The best itinerary ever --

 

13 Days Scandinavia & Fjords

Royal Caribbean Int. • Jewel of the Seas

Amsterdam, Geiranger, Molde, Honningsvag, Tromso, Arctic Circle, Flaam, Alesund, Olden, Bergen, Amsterdam

 

Beside, Helen and Marty are booked too 😉

High on our bucket list. Pictures are just amazing 🤩 

[perfect match]

On 6/30/2023 at 5:56 AM, mac_tlc said:

Thanks Nancy, 

 

We have safely arrived back in CT— it was a 24 hour day from waking up on ship in Amsterdam to pulling into the driveway in CT. 
 

One of the things we miss most are our cats, we have two . Here is quick picture of the older one (14). She does not like it when we leave and woke me up way too early today!

 

 

Thanks again for a great review! I’m glad you got home safely after your very long day. Days like that used to be no problem for me. Now as I get older I find that they’re not such a good idea any more. 
 

I love your cat in her fancy cat house! We have two cats, too, who hate it when we go away. Ours don’t have a fancy cat house like yours does. They have to make do with cardboard boxes! 😂😻 They’re both rescues so we don’t know their actual ages but their vet’s estimate is that they’re both around 11 or 12. They wanted to pop in and say hi so here they are. 

[wolfcathorse]

On 6/17/2023 at 3:16 PM, mac_tlc said:

For those keeping track, such as @wolfcathorse and @DELTABLUE : 

 

 

 

 

 

thank you, my chart for once was correct

[bigeck]

On 6/30/2023 at 1:44 AM, Jimbo said:

We will be on Jewel ( A itinerary something like Mac's) , then we are heading to Barcelona after this cruise to jump on Celebrity Equinox on June 13th

MAY 30, 2024 Thursday	Amsterdam, Netherlands		4:00 PM
2	MAY 31, 2024 Friday	At Sea
3	JUNE 1, 2024 Saturday	Geiranger, Norway	10:00 AM	7:00 PM
4	JUNE 2, 2024 Sunday	At Sea
5	JUNE 3, 2024 Monday	Tromso, Norway	10:00 AM	7:00 PM
6	JUNE 4, 2024 Tuesday	Honningsvag, Norway	7:00 AM	5:00 PM
7	June 6, 2024 Thursday	Cruise Arctic Circle	4:00 AM	TBD
8	JUNE 6, 2024 Thursday	Alesund, Norway	11:00 AM	6:00 PM
9	JUNE 7, 2024 Friday	Flaam, Norway	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
10	JUNE 8, 2024 Saturday	Stavanger, Norway	8:00 AM	7:00 PM
11	JUNE 9, 2024 Sunday	Kristiansand, Norway	7:00 AM	6:00 PM
12	JUNE 10, 2024 Monday	At Sea
13	JUNE 11, 2024 Tuesday	Amsterdam, Netherlands	6:00 AM

Me 2

[reney313]

Thank you for this review.  It brought a smile to my face and realization that I haven't looked at our Norway cruise pictures for quite some time (we went in 2015).  We didn't go above the arctic circle - one of these days I'll make it back for that experience!  But we did enjoy a few of the same ports (Alesund and Geiranger). 

[mac_tlc]

18 hours ago, perfect match said:

 

 Beautiful tuxedos! 
 

We lost our 12 year old tuxedo last September— heartbreaking to this day. She was a beauty!

 

 

[Laurie JJ]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences!  We are doing a similar trip on Jewel July 2024 and can't wait!  I do have a question for you.  You mentioned tendering once.  Sounds like you got on an early tender but was this a big deal?  Did you tender in many ports?  The Key is on sale and we are trying to decide if it is worth the extra money.  For us it sounds like the main advantage would be getting priority on tenders so we can easily make any non ship excursions and maximize our time in port.