Island P Northern Europe Ju 27 Jy 25 live

[Waynetor]

"Cruuuuiseday!!!" has arrived.  Let the good times roll!

Welcome to my “Live From” travelogue from home away from home, the Island Princess for the next 28 nights.

 

My wife and I were on this ship for 58 nights doing a circle of South America just as the first reports of Covid hitting North America was happening.  That was a great cruise and we are hopping for another great experience.

 

This cruise is made up of 2 14-night voyages

Segment 1- ports are:

Southampton Ju 28

Bornholm, Denmark Jy 1

Visby, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden Jy 3/4

Tallin, Estonia Jy 5

Riga, Latvia Jy 8

Klaipeda, Lithuania Jy 9

Gdansk (Gdynia), Poland Jy 10

Copenhagen, Denmark Jy 12 – end segment

Segment 2

Skagen, Denmark Jy 13

Haugeesund, Norway Jy 14

Alesund, Norway Jy 15

Shetland Is, (Lerwick), Scotland, Jy 16

Seydisfjordur, Iceland, Jy 18

Akuretri, Iceland, Jy 19

Grundarfjordur, Iceland, Jy 20

Reykjavik, Iceland, Jy 21

Glasgow, (Greencok), Scotland, Jy 24  – changed from Liverpool a few months ago

Southampton Jy 26

 

We have around 850 days at sea (mostly Princess) but this cruise is special in that every port is new.  The only country I have been to before is England and I was only 6 years old – my mother left England in 1930 when she was 10 years old and we visited her old home down in the Land’s End area.  I don’t remember very much about that trip.

 

My wife (Freda) is full time in a wheelchair and has poor eye-sight so will not be able to enjoy most of the ports, but hopefully will be able to enjoy her time on the ship.  We are in an accessible cabin down on deck 5.  We are both life time residents of Toronto.   

 

Flight: From Toronto it was scheduled to be 7hr 10 min flight time to Heathrow.  With delays in the terminal and then once in the plane as they last moment changed to scheduled runway, we left 2 hours late – the only good part was flying time tuned out to be 40 minutes shorter.  Neither of us got much sleep.

 

Freda needs special help getting off the plane and it took an hour from the time passengers started disembarking to get her off.

 

We had arranged the Princess transfers and through the Princess accessible office were assured there would be wheelchair access for us, so once we got our luggage and were met by the Princess rep who had a record that she was in a wheelchair but not that she could not climb bus stairs.  They were able to get us a van but that was another half hour wait. 

Bottom line our flight should have arrived at 10 am and I was hoping to be at the ship by 1 but did not arrive until just before 4pm – still very glad to be onboard. – Very glad we did not take a flight scheduled to arrive at noon.

 

We had not done anything pre cruise on the medallion app – at the terminal I just handed in our passport and within a minute we had our medallions and were on our way to the ship.

 

We set sail at 5:15 -not a lot of special viewing as it was cloudy and a bit hazy.

 

We caught part of a game show -Strikeout -new to us – They pay a part of a song and give 2 years that are 2 years apart and you have to guess which year the song was out.  One wrong and you are out for that round.  We caught the late show in the theatre – comedian Rikki Jay.  The room was about ¾ full – He was very good.

 

The cruise director noted there are 186 from last cruise still on and 1,800 new passengers, so we are about 90% full.  The are 24 passengers from Mexico, 32 from New Zealand, 176 from UK, 185 Cdn, 207 from Australia and 1,111 from the US.

 

I will try to answer any questions but will not be using the spa, gym, sanctuary or specialty dinning rooms so can’t help with those.  We do not have a drink package.

 

At dinner we arranged to share a table for 6 each night. 

 

Have not noticed anything special that is new since we were last on the ship.  This is a perfect cruise to be on the Island P as it has an indoor pool area that will come in handy on some of the cooler days that will come on the 2^nd segment.

 

Cabin – We are in an Inside, accessible cabin.  The area between the bed and closets is wider that in a normal inside cabin as this gives a wheelchair space to turnout.  The space between the wall and the bed in only the width of the night stand which is not enough to get Freda’s wheelchair in so she can transfer into bed. (Her chair is 2” wider than the standard chair)  I had to turn my nightstand sideways and push the bed over to make room.  There was no elite bathroom items.  We had to ask for an ice bucket.   First time ever there was no welcome aboard phone message.  Paper work in the cabin included some advertising, a list of Captain Circle vents, (lounge is in Explores from 4:30 – 6:30 daily) and the Captain Circle party on JY 7.  I was hoping to get an invite to the most travelled lunch but no invite

 

I will end each days’ post with a thought or quote of the day -

Today’s thought of the day - One of the gladdest moments of human life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of habit, the leaden weight of routine, the cloak of many cares and the slavery of home, man feels once more happy - Richard Burton 1821-1890  

   

 

[PacnGoNow]

Have a great trip, Wayne.  

[phonejock]

Great start to your cruise review. Looking forward to your next post. God bless and travel safe.

[phabric]

What airline were you on?
 

You were lucky with all your delays to make the cruise.  Taking a Princess transfer, they would know you were on your way.

 

I will be on the Island Princess in Nov during Mediterranean & Israel.

 

Does the pool area have a retractable roof?

[Waynetor]

Ju 29 Day 2 at sea

We had a 1 hr time change last night so nice to have 2 sea days to start the cruise – helps to give us a chance to make the 6 hr time adjustment.

 

One thing I missed in the first day report was a note in the cabin for the buffet   In horizon court each night there will be a special item at the Action Station – Yesterday was Ramen Noodles and tonight will be Tossed Buffalo wings.

 

Today was overcast all day, some light rain in the morning and only in the low 60’sF so no one was lounging out-side or in the pool but I did see several using the hot tubs.  I have not seen many very young children but there are a fair number of people in their teens.  School must be out for most now.  Seniors are still the major group onboard but there are more younger people than we normally experience.  This is the first time we have cruised in the summer as we previously had a home with a nice garden/pool so we wanted to be home for the short Toronto summer period.  

 

Lecture – Besides presentations on our first 2 ports, today there was a presentation on ‘The battle of the River Plate December 1939’

 

We did trivia twice today.  Morning session started at 10 and afternoon at 3:30.  There was some room at the morning session but it was very full in the afternoon. 

A couple debatable questions – What is the largest island in the world.  I was taught in school it was Australia.  I’ve had this question a few times on Princess before so I know they are looking for Greenland because according to them Australia can’t be considered an island because it is also a continent.  What is the largest fresh water lake in the world?  The Caspian Sea is considered a lake by some definitions so it could be the correct answer.   Lake Superior has the largest surface area but Lake Baykal has the highest water volume so which is larger?  They were looking for Superior.  Not worth debating as there was no prizes, not even the mention of them.  

 

Tonight was the first formal night and Captain Welcome aboard party.  The captain is Pau Slight.  His welcome was short and to the point – I doubt it lasted 30 seconds. 

Our tablemates tonight were a couple from Sydney.  They have been on the ship since early March and won’t leave until sometime in Sept.  If they had no Princess voyages prior to this, they would build up enough cruise days to be elite in a single holiday.

I will be doing a mix of tours (by myself) of the local old town learning about the cities enjoying its architecture and hopefully some gardens as well as in some places getting out in the countryside and enjoying the landscape and wildlife.

 

We have 3 wheelchair accessible tours booked for Freda – We will do one and then decide if its is worth doing the others.

 

Re question on the pool – one is outdoor and the other has a glass roof that does not move.  – nice lounge chairs in that area.

 

Todays quote of the day - A journey is like marriage.  The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it. - John Steinbeck 1902-1968

[milolii]

Thanks for this Wayne, we meet you in Copenhagen. 

[UT-Volsfan]

Wayne, enjoy the cruise.  You will love the ports you are visiting.

 

Hope you hear on the most traveled luncheon.  We left the ship Wednesday.  The cutoff for the luncheon on our cruise was around 675 days.

 

You have a new Loyalty Manager on board.  Sam that was over future cruise sales was in training during our cruise and was taking over those duties on your cruise.

 

Regarding the Captain, you will hear him make announcements from the bridge. But he was not at the Captain's Circle party we had - we got the staff captain instead.

 

Trivia in the Wheelhouse Bar was pretty crowded on our cruise. They brought folding chairs in and had them near the forward exit for extra players to use. Surprised there were no prizes; they had a few wine stoppers, some of the cheap backpacks, some of the blue books with blank pages,  and said the coasters they had onboard were all they would get of them. We were hoping that meant they might finally get some new prizes since they have not changed for several years.

[Waynetor]

Ju 30 Day 3 at sea

 

Very cloudy day with the odd sunny break.  Dry but a cool breeze and temp in low 60’s – about 16C.  We are in a very busy shipping channel – seemed every time I looked out we were passing another ship including one named Artic Princess.  The weather cleared just before dinner as we entered a narrow shipping channel between 2 Danish islands.  Our table is near a window so we had a view of one of the shores – verily flat and no sign of large building.  We passed under the largest bridge in Denmark and I made a dash up to deck 7 and snapped a few photos.

 

I noticed after today’s trivia they quietly gave out the black string bags to the winning team.  After 4 games we have played, one team has won 3 games and came 2^nd the other.  We played with another couple this afternoon and came in tied for 2^nd.  For afternoon trivia you need to be there by 3:10 to get a spot or the 3:30 start or at least have someone on your team arrive early.

 

Sales/loyalty – There has been recent post on CC about the elimination of the Captain Circle rep – On the Island P there is an office described just as ‘Future Sales Specialist’ on deck 8 and a ‘Future Cruise and Loyalty’ located in the deck 5 atrium.  Every time we have gone by the office on deck 5 there has been a line of people waiting except as we were heading into dinner no one was there so I asked about the Most travelled passenger luncheon and the cut off is 575 days so we will get an invite in a couple days.

 

Forecast for the next 3 port days is rain, rain and rain with cool temps.

 

Today’s thought for the day - The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them. -Amelia Barr

 

 

[luvtravel]

Thanks for posting about your trip. We’ll be following your posts.  Our friends, also from Toronto area, are on board with you somewhere right now and we will be joining all of you in Copenhagen on July 12!    Enjoy your cruise!

[Micahs Grandad]

Thanks for the blog. We go on when you go off.

[lorrfarms]

On 6/29/2023 at 4:32 PM, Waynetor said:

Our tablemates tonight were a couple from Sydney.  They have been on the ship since early March and won’t leave until sometime in Sept.

Their names wouldn't happen to be Jeff and Anna, would they? If so, tell them Rod and Lorraine say hi! 

[Waynetor]

Jy 1 day 4 – Roenne, Bornholm Is., Denmark – 8am – 6pm - Introduction

Before booking this cruise, I knew next to nothing about most of the ports so did searches and made notes in order to decide what to do.  For each port I will post an introduction to the port that is a combination of various web sites – hopefully accurate and hopefully helpful for anyone planning a future similar itinerary.

 

Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.  It has been a Danish possession since 15222.

Bornholm is also called the “Pearl of the Baltic Sea” – because of its shiny white sandy beaches, because of its rough cliffs in the north, because of its cozy and picturesque small fishing villages, the unique and unspoiled nature, the high quality gourmet food, the rich outdoor sports possibilities, the famous arts and crafts and much more.  Bornholm inherits all of that and much more – the island in the middle of the Southern Baltic Sea is a perfect destination for cruise ships.

Fishing, agriculture and tourism are the leading business.

 

Cruise ships dock at the port of Rønne  The Rønne cruise terminal is located in the heart of the city.  You can easily reach the town on foot.  The port is industrial and does not offer many services.  A shuttle bus is offered to get to the center of the city.  Free Wifi is available at the port.

 

Rønne is a Baltic Sea cruise port, the principal port and largest town on Bornholm Island.  The town has population around 14,000 and land area approx 29km2.  Bornholm has total land area 588km2, total population around 40,000 and highest elevation point (Mt Rytterknaegten) 162 m (531 ft).

Bornholm has 15 medieval churches, four of which contain unique artwork and architecture.  History buffs will delight in the ancient site of Rispebjerg, with pieces of sun temples from the Neolithic era.

 

Two streets (Laksegade and Storegade) contain most of the Rønne 's historic houses - former trade buildings and homes of noblemen and merchants.  Best-known landmarks include Bornholm Museum where you can learn a lot about daily life on Bornholm in different historical periods.  Defence Museum (themed on the island's military history), Ronne Lighthouse (built 1880), Custom House  (Toldboden) built 1684, Post Office (1900), Rønne Teater (Theatre) 1823 and St. Nicolas' Church, St Nicolas was originally built in the 12th century and fully refurbished in 1918.  The whitewashed building rises well above the surrounding houses and is therefore probably the first building that catches the eye when entering Rønne harbour.  While some of the church's artefacts are in the Bornholm Museum, many of the original items remain onsite, including The Mariaklokke (Mary's Bell) dating back to 1434 and a large chandelier made in Lübeck in 1620.
The historic Old Town Gamie Stan has cobblestoned streets flanked by cross-timbered houses, many of them brightly painted.

The island is made up of dramatic rock formations, forests, farmland, and sandy beaches,

 

There are places that bicycles can be hired for those to who want to explore that way.  There is a car rental next to the welcome center near the ferry docks. 

Several areas of the island have dramatic cliffs and there are many beaches – the best are at the northern and southern tips.

From May to Sept bus 7 leaves from the ferry terminal every 2 hours between 10 and 4 and travels anticlockwise around the island, stopping at Dueodde Beach and all major costal villages before terminating at Hammershus.  The circuit takes 2 hours 40 minutes.

1 Danish Krone = .13 Euro  or 100 – 13 Euro

[Waynetor]

 

 

 

[luvtravel]

Sounds like an interesting place - glad to se it’s not raining!

[Woodside Lady]

My cousins are aboard your ship on the B2B.  Thanks to your blog I can follow along.  

[salabc]

thanks for your blog  really interesting and helpfull

we are boarding in copenhagen next week

may i ask how formal are the formal evening, shall i bring the tuxedo?

Edited July 2, 2023 by salabc

[Waynetor]

Visby Sweden Jul 2 Sunday intro

 

Avg high temp 23c, 19 ships in July – Sky Princess likely the largest

 

In 2018 a new cruise pier was opened that can handle 2 large ships.  The walking distance to the Old Town is 1.2km (bit less than a mile) or pay to take a shuttle.

 

Facing the Baltic Sea, the town of Visby on the West Coast with it's 22,000 inhabitants has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1995.  It is mostly well preserved, beautiful and unique.
People have been living in Visby for over 5,000 years.  Previously a Viking trading post, developed into a leading commercial centre for trade across the Baltic Sea, and one of the most important towns of the Hanseatic League.
The over 3 km long wall that surrounds the city is one of the best preserved in all of Europe.
About 2,000 people live in the inner city and about 20,000 outside the wall.
Within the wall, there are large numbers of small shops, restaurants and pubs.
Supermarkets and shopping malls are located to the newer parts of the city outside the wall.
Gotland, the island itself is home for 58,000 people of independence and drive, whose inclinations across the centuries have lain as much to the East as to the West.  The island is special, it's definitely not as the rest of Sweden and in fact did not become Swedish until 1645.  This had a strong influence on culture and traditions.
The countryside is magnificent and often spectacularly beautiful.  Monuments to enduring nature and rugged symbols of the island itself, the dramatic sea-stacks (Rauk) standing guard over beaches.
Gotland is a unique blend of old and new, natural beauty and a cultural heritage, culinary excellence and clean recreational environment.

 

Free Walking tour – 10 sites - Have to join through facebook – limit 20

1 -S:t Hans and S:t Per are two built-together church ruins in Visby, Gotland. The now standing churches were built in the 1200s and were consecrated to the evangelist John and the apostle Peter, respectively. The oldest St. Hans was probably the first stone church built on Gotland, on the site of the former pagan viet (sacrificial site).  This has happened around 1060, when Christians outmaneuvered and expelled the Old Believers and it is not unlikely that the church was preceded by a pagan temple. 2 - Gotland Art Museum is an art museum on Sankt Hansgatan. 3- Packhusplan, is a square in Visby inner city and was once the city's centerpiece.  Includes fountain.  4 - Saint Catherine(s) church ruin, also called Sankta Karin(s) church ruin, is a church building (ruin) in Visby diocese.  It was originally built by the Franciscan Order of the Visby Convention which was founded in 1233. 5 - Saint Lars Church ruin is located in the central part of Visby 6 - Visby Cathedral, formally Visby Saint Mary's Cathedral is a cathedral within the Church of Sweden, seat of the Bishop of Visby. It lies in the centre of Visby.  It was built as the church of the German traders in the city during the 13th century.  The very first church was probably a wooden church, which was later replaced by a stone building.  Originally built as a basilica, it was successively expanded and rebuilt during the Middle Ages.  At the end of this period, it had been transformed to a hall church, which it still is.  In 1361, Gotland and the church became part of Denmark.  Following the Reformation, it was the only medieval church in the city left in use, and in 1572 raised to the status of cathedral.  Since 1645 Gotland and the cathedral have been part of Sweden.  A major renovation was carried out in 1899–1903 7 - Drotten's church ruin is the common name for the ruins of St. Trinitatis or Trefaldighetskyrkani 8 - Visby botanical garden is near the sea and the promenade in Visby.  The garden was built in 1855.  In the early 1930s, a comprehensive renovation of the garden was done and it was then given its current design. 9 The church of Sang Knikolai Church is a sage building (ruins) in a sage pin. The church had several different stages of construction, with the first being built between 1215 and 1220 and named after Saint Nicholas of the Sea Guardian 10- Sankt Görans kyrkauin is a church building (ruin) in Visby diocese.

Don't Miss in Visby

The Botanical Gardens to the northwest of Visby (walkable from the port).  They're crammed with roses (which also climb up the walls of the city's medieval ruins) and simply lovely.  At the south end of the gardens, you'll find the ruins of the Romanesque church of St Olof, which dates from around 1200 AD.

The Burmeisterska Hus (Burmeister House) which lies near the Donnersplats (main square) just inland from the harbour.  Built in 1652 for local merchant Hans Burmeister, it's one of the best-preserved Baroque burgher's houses in Sweden and often hosts art exhibitions featuring the work of local and Swedish artists.

The ruined medieval churches of St. Per and St. Hans, which stand side by side at the south end of Donnersplats.

The Museum of Antiquities (Golands Fornsal), which also lies near Donnersplats (just along Strandgatan), contains displays of Viking and medieval artefacts including runic stones, arms and armour, furniture and art.

Visby Market Square (Stora Torget), which contains the ruins of 13th Century St Catherine's Church.  It also has a good selection of bars, cafés and restaurants if you've had enough of sightseeing.

Visby's limestone city walls, which date from the 13th Century, circle the old city and cover 3.5 km. They are studded with 44 towers, each around 60ft high. The Powder Tower (Kruttornet) overlooks the sea, while the Maiden's Tower (Jungfrutornet) is at the north end and is so called because legend has it that the daughter of a Visby goldsmith was walled up alive in it.

St Mary's Cathedral (on St Hansgatan) dates from 1225 and is the only one of Visby's old churches which is still in use.  It contains a spectacular walnut and ebony pulpit from Germany and a 13th Century red marble font.

Visit Lummelunda, a series of spectacular stalactite caves about 1mi north of Visby.  En route, stop off at Krusmyntogarden, a garden containing more than 200 different types of herbs.  It lies 5mi north of Visby.

 

HOHO Bus – Experience Visby and some of Gotland’s most popular sights and attractions at your own pace on one of our Hop On-Hop Off buses.  

Pick up at the cruise terminal

Are you coming to Visby by cruise ship? Our Hop On-Hop Off buses are always on-site just outside the terminal, ready to show you and your company Visby. Visit and see the sights at your own pace – get on and off the bus as many times as you like.  All our Hop On-Hop Off buses pass through the cruise terminal as long as the ship is in port.

[Waynetor]

Today did not go as planned - we were to arrive around 8am and at that time the captain made the announced that he had been working with the pilot to find a safe way to dock but both felt due to the 30 knot winds that were expected to increase to 40 knots, plus the current light rain and forecasted thunderstorm it was best not to dock.  The waves were coming over the dock the is not very sheltered.  The decision was made to skip Visby and continue with a slow tip to our next port.  The result was a quick revised Patter and a light day for many staff became a normal sea day.  It was busy in the dining room at lunch and the shops and casino opened around 10am.

 

The Captain made another announcement just after 5pm noting conditions for Stockholm should be better for docking tomorrow. We will pick up the pilot around 2am to make the long trip into the port.  Winds are expected to be 20 - 25 knots which is below the max safe limit of 30.  Rain is expected but future ports look better. 

 

t see anyone in tux or formal gown - of course I did not see a high % of passengers. Men were around 50 - 50% with and without jackets..

 

As far as wearing face mask - i say at most it is about 1% wearing them.

 

We but in laundry the first morning for what we wore on the flight over and just got it back tonight.  Considering not many people would have submitted laundry that early, I was surprised it took that long. 

 

Today’s thought for the day - Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark:
One: Don't miss the boat.
Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.
Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Six: Build your future on high ground.
Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
Nine: When you're stressed, float a while.
Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[salabc]

thanks very much for the information

sorry for your missing Visby  from the description it seems an attractive place

[JennySwea]

Hi Cruisers.  I'm looking at a small group (6 to 16 max) Trollstigen Road tour from Alesund on July 15.  It is by Royal Tur, and the cost is 1700 NOK, which I think is about $160 USD pp.  9 stops in route in a "luxury van".  Poster attached.  I've been emailing Rolf.  He said they don't usually work Saturdays but will do the tour if a minimum of 6 sign up.  Small bag lunch included on bus.  Message me if you'd like to sign up or with questions.  He shared the attached poster (tour at 8:30 am, 6-1/2 hours).  They have a Facebook page where you can find photos of the van's interior. 

This is a link I found:    https://www.fjordnorway.com/no/se-og-gjore/alesund---trollstigen-rundtur?fbclid=IwAR24qIwWuqyXD8VYdjV5v3wpz4LixxH25ZAGhGcbvpcRYuYSrEOiou4VVww

[Teechur]

The offer above should be posted on your roll call.

[Waynetor]

JY 3 4 Mon Tues Stockholm intro

Stockholm has one of the worlds most beautiful cruise ship approaches.  Ships navigate the archipelago of 24,000 islands that stretch for 80 km (50mi) east of Stockholm, a mix of rocky outcrops inhabited only by sea birds and islets bosting stylish wooden summer homes. 

 

Stockholm is a major Baltic Sea cruise port and Sweden's capital city.  The city covers a total area of approx 190 km2 (73 mi2) and has a population of around 935,000 (metro around 2,3 million). Port Stockholm is located on the meeting point of Salt Bay and Lake Malaren (the country's 3rd-largest freshwater lake - after Vanern and Vattern).  The city (established in 1252) is spread across 14 islands and also on mainland Sweden (at the mouth of Lake Malaren).

 

Stockholm is Sweden's political, economic and cultural center.  Located here are the seat of Sweden's government, most Gov agencies, the country's Parliament, also the official residencies of Sweden's Prime Minister and monarch (Stockholm Palace is his official residence).  Drottningholm Palace (UNESCO Site) in the outskirts serves as a private residence of the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte.

With its flourishing business life, the region alone accounts for over 1/3 of the country's GDP and is one of Europe's top 10 regions by GDP per capita.  In Stockholm are some of the top-ranked European universities, such as Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institute and Royal Institute of Technology.  The city is also famous for hosting the annual Nobel Prize award ceremonies.  Stockholm metro (inaugurated in 1950) is famous for its stations' decorations and has been named "world's longest art gallery".  

Stockholm has retained its history and natural splendor.  Stockholm itself is a city of culture.  You have tons of options on what to see and do.  Visit 1 of the 70 museums in the city, learn about their history or simply take in Stockholm’s legendary city atmosphere.  Every single island in Stockholm is unique.  They all have their own identity and style.  The narrow cobblestone streets and medieval buildings of the Gamla Stan (Old Town) area sit near the modern harbour and office buildings and hotels.  Many of the best-known tourist attractions are in Old Town.  Situated on the island of Riddarholmen lies one of the best preserved medieval city centers in Europe.  It is filled with lots of museums, beautiful houses, shops attractions, restaurants and cafe’s.  Attractions include attractions like the Nobel Museum, the Stockholm Cathedral, and the Royal Palace with its Royal Armory.  Guided tours are available.

Djurgarden is nowadays a recreation park with museums, amusement parks and the famous former hunting grounds of the king.  Sodermalm is where you’ll find the charming older neighbourhoods of Stockholm.  Norrmalm is where you find the modern business district and shopping area.  

89% of Swedes speak English.  The people of Stockholm are extremely nice and you will notice that most of them are very well educated.  

 

Taxis - You can recognise the taxis in Stockholm by their taxi sign and have a meter.  Sweden does not regulate prices: they might vary greatly.  It is the customer’s responsibility to check prices beforehand. Usually on the rear door window you will find a yellow label that has a fare on it.  This is the fare based on a 10 km (6mi), 15-minute journey.  You can pay by cash or credit card.

 

Public Transport in Stockholm is widely available.  The one thing you need to know though is that you are not able to buy your ticket on the bus or tram.  You need to pre buy your ticket at a tourist information point, Pressbyra convenience shops, bus stop ticket machine or SL Centers.

The Stockholm Pass gives you free entry to 75 museums and attractions, free travel by public transport, free sightseeing by boat as well as several other bonus offers.  Options are available for a card that is valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours from first use. 

 

City Hall (inaugurated in 1923) is one of the best known and important buildings in Sweden.  It is famous for its grand ceremonial halls, unique architecture and striking interior.  Take a guided tour inside and get the inside look where the yearly prize banquet is held in the Blue Hall followed by a ball in the Golden Hall.

 

Sweden has some of the best shops in the Europe.  If you are in the shopping mood make sure to kick off at Drottinggatan.  This is the largest pedestrian shopping street in Stockholm.

 

ABBA museum (2013).  These Swedish supertroupers are known world wide for their many hits in the 70’s and 80’s.  Visit the museum for a trip down memory lane.  Make recordings with the group, dance to the music and test your ABBA knowledge!

 

Vasa Museum (on Djurgarden Island) is one of the most visited museums in Scandinavia.  It houses the famous Vasa ship.  This Swedish warship was built in the 1620’s and sank on her 1628 maiden voyage to the bottom of the Stockholm waters.  After 333 years it was raised to the surface again, restored and nowadays you can find it in all of its full glory in the Vasa Museum.  One of its most prized museums -

 

Nobel Museum - This grand museum in the middle of old town Stockholm tells the story of the Nobel Prize and its founder.  The museum features the award's history as well as its recipients throughout the years.  It aims to spread knowledge as well as to create interest around natural sciences and culture.

 

National Museum of Sweden - on display are collections of arts, paintings, sculptures, graphics, drawings and handicrafts.  You will find works of Rubens, Rembrandt, Renoir, Degas, Goya and local artist like Bruno Liljefors, Hanna Pauli, Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn.

Fotografiska: contemporary photography place, one of the world’s largest. Annually there are about 4 large and 20 small exhibitions.

 

Moderna Museeet (Museum of Modern Art) was designed by one of the world’s most distinguished contemporary architects, Rafael Moneo, the museum is regarded as one of the most interesting buildings worldwide.  It houses one of Europe’s finest collections of modern art -free entrance.

 

Founded in 1891 Skansen is the world’s oldest open-air museum.  It features some 150 cultural-historic buildings from all over Sweden.  It includes a zoo with wild and domestic Nordic animals and is the venue for traditional annual festivities, markets, folk dance displays and other celebrations.  You can learn about traditional Swedish handicraft and folklore.   

 

Royal Palace is 1 room bigger than Buckingham palace.  It is the official residence of His Majesty the King of Sweden.  Many parts of the palace such as the State Apartments, the Royal Armoury and the Treasury are open to the public and you can visit one of the museums inside.  You can also meet the royal guards that have been guarding the palace since 1523.  The changing of the guards is also a popular attraction.  This free 40-minute changing of the guard event in front of the King of Sweden's residence takes place every day of the year.  They start at the Cavalry Barracks and than march to the Army Museum.  The Royal Guards Ceremony at the Royal Palace of Stockholm lasts about 40 minutes.  It starts at 12:15pm in the palace outer courtyard on weekdays.

 

If you want to escape the crowds of the city Drottingholm palace is the perfect place to go to.  This UNESCO world heritage site is a well-preserved royal castle from the 1600’s.  Inside you will find lots of rooms in their original interior telling you about the times of the international royalty and nobles.  Visit it by taxi or take the ferry from the city hall in the city centre.

 

The Tyska Kyrkan is one of the many churches in the old town Gamla Stan.  This building dates back from the 1500’s.  Visit the church between 11 am and 5 pm to witness the 350 year old pulpit and much more.

 

Royal national city park: take a walk in the forest surrounding the city. You can meet hares, deer, moose and foxes.  There are rare bird species, insects and beautiful butterflies.  Don’t miss the Ekoparken.

Stromma boat sightseeing: take voyage under Stockholm’s bridges. It will take you from an hour to two hours and a half to take a different look at the city.  You can combine a boat tour with an open bus tour.

 

Several groups offer free walking tours.

[Waynetor]

 

We arrived in Stockholm on time. 

 

The weather was very overcast, just a few moments of sun.  Up until around 2pm there were short periods of rain and later the rain was more frequent.  Temp around 17C.

 

We were docked at Viking Line Cruise berth.  Next to us was a vehicle caring ferry that was about ¾ the size of the Island P.  A shuttle to the old town was $19.50 return – charged to your cabin.  Here was a Viking cruise ship here also.  Passengers had to tender but their short tender ride was only a short walk to old town while we had about a 3km walk for those doing that.  

I had scheduled a free walking tour in the old town for 10am but slept in too late and missed it.  I took a shuttle bus to town and spent about 3 hours there.  Very enjoyable.  Many of the signs of what buildings/statues are include English.  I watched part of the changing of the guards at the Royal Place.  If you want a great viewing place you need to be there very early.  I saw 3 people in their 20’s come up to one of the waterways and strip down to their bathing suits and jump in – they only stayed about a minute but I talked to them and they said the water was 22C while the air was 17C so it was not too bad – They were Swedish so don’t likely have much choice for finding warm water to swim in. I saw at least 3 groups that appeared to be walking groups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Waynetor]

Jy 4, day 7 Stockholm, Sweden depart 2pm – our day

Today was the best day weather wise – about 50 – 50 for sun vs cloud.

 

I had been thinking of trying to get Freda to the ABBA museum but based on talking to passengers that went there yesterday, it opens at 10 and only allows so any in at a time.  They had prepaid and booked for 10 but said there was long line of people w/o reservations waiting for a chance to get in.  The people we talked to took a taxi from the port but that would have been difficult for us and ferries were not a great option either so with the 1:30 all-aboard we decided for her to stay on the ship and I went back to the old town to explore more for about 3 hours.  Got to see places I had missed early and a better look at others.

 

All the time we were in Stockholm a local law disallowed and outdoor movie/music on the ship due to noise.

 

There were a number of American aimed events on board including a deck party once we were 3 hours outside Stockholm.  It took 4.5 hours to reach the open sea.  The sailing channel is full of island, many lined with beautiful homes.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the chance to be out on the open deck.

 

A couple more questionable trivia questions – 1 – how many times does the Liberty Bell get rung on July 4 – every team but 1 said 0 as the real bell is never rung but she said the answer was 13 and called people rude for arguing with her.  2- what is the largest US airline – dos not say based on what – can be different answer if $ revenue, $ profit, # of planes, # of flights, # number of passengers etc.  It’s nice to learn something at trivia but they seem to make that hard.

 

During dinner the captain came on with an announcement – After tomorrows port of call we were to have 2 sea days to reach the next port after that.  Princess has decided to but the gas pedal to the floor and make up enough time that the second sea day will be a port of call at Visby, Sweden making up for our missed call there – We will arrive and leave an hour earlier than the previous JY call that was missed but people are happy with the update.

 

Today’s thought of the day - "Well done is better than well said.” – Ben Franklin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Teechur]

What is your impression of the ship? Condition? Food? Entertainment? Indoor pool area? Cabin?

We will be aboard her for an Iceland cruise in September.