Live from the NCL Star July 23-August 15, 2023. Will I survive 23 days without the beverage package?

[YVRteacher]

You get wind burn where you really don’t want it!

[www3traveler]

2 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

You get wind burn where you really don’t want it!

How are you doing?

No fun right now where I live,  smoke, smoke, smoke, wind, wind, wind.  At least it is a little cooler.  Several new wildfires in the past 24 hours.

Stay safe

[mkcurran]

34 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

How are you doing?

No fun right now where I live,  smoke, smoke, smoke, wind, wind, wind.  At least it is a little cooler.  Several new wildfires in the past 24 hours.

Stay safe

Yikes. I'm headed up that way in 10 days. Guess I need to stock up on allergy meds so I can breathe when I get there. 

[www3traveler]

4 minutes ago, mkcurran said:

Yikes. I'm headed up that way in 10 days. Guess I need to stock up on allergy meds so I can breathe when I get there. 

Where I live in Southeastern Washington State, in 10 days it could be a very diferent story IF we get some rain.

The Canadian wildfires across many of the Western Provinces may NOT be put out completely until there is some very heavy rain or better yet SNOW!!  Been a very very bad wildfire season in Western Canada this year.  In the Northwest Territory, officials are beginning to evacuate entire communities.

 

[mkcurran]

15 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

Where I live in Southeastern Washington State, in 10 days it could be a very diferent story IF we get some rain.

The Canadian wildfires across many of the Western Provinces may NOT be put out completely until there is some very heavy rain or better yet SNOW!!  Been a very very bad wildfire season in Western Canada this year.  In the Northwest Territory, officials are beginning to evacuate entire communities.

 

I can hope the rain comes between now and the start of the Walla Walla County Fair. I'd like to not drown while watching the Beach Boys.

[westcoasttech]

Thank you, fellow Vancouverite, for your wonderful and honest "no holds" review!  While all reviews are helpful, the "it was great ... everything was great" reviews are a little less helpful! 

 

NCL Star is (was?) on a short list for a cruise I'm looking at for the end of the year.  While food is not a deciding factor for me, it is a consideration, so NCL has dropped down the list a little!

 

Thank goodness you were on a port intensive route and could have the option of your bakery search ... imagine endless sea days with only those onboard food options to consider ... [shudders! 😉]

 

I know it is possible to still have a great cruise (port-wise) with "not good" onboard food ... my own experience of this was MSC Orchestra, Genoa to South Africa ... I would do the route again in a heartbeat, but just bring a suitcase full of snack options!

 

My personal theory is that the "usual" cruiselines' need for corporate consistency across their whole fleets is a contributor to decline of food quality.  They appear to want any one dish to be the same no matter what side of the planet it is being produced, rather than letting the chefs do what they are good at, with ingredients that are plentiful and available in that area, as opposed to ingredients that have been shipped over great distances!

 

I too would have been annoyed at the constant apologies (and hugs).  I try to subscribe to the "fix the problem, not the blame" way of thinking.  Their apologies translate to the fact that they know they messed up, but then they go ahead and don't actually fix the problem.  The fact that you had occasional good meals, almost makes it worse, as they "can" fix it, they just "don't" fix it consistently!  It comes across that not everyone is buying in to how to fix it or even that it needs to be fixed!

 

Were you aware Penguin and Club biscuits are sometimes available at some of the local "Brit" stores in the Vancouver area?  I see them in a Brit store I visit in Steveston, and I believe there is still another Brit store in the Langley area ... I'm sure you know where both those areas are 😁!

 

 

 

 

 

[Travelicious]

20 hours ago, Mrhubbabubba said:

So what I’m hearing is we should all start in September and all be out by the end of May. I mean, to be fair and equitable and all that. 

That is the way it was when I was in school.  I wouldn't want to have to go back to school in mid-August like many do in the US.

[YVRteacher]

@westcoasttech I agree with everything you wrote!

I think there is a British import store in the Dunbar neighbourhood. I should google it. There is one in Parksville on the island too. I just wanted to buy Penguin biscuits in Lerwick because the memory was such a sweet one.

[YVRteacher]

5 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Where I live in Southeastern Washington State, in 10 days it could be a very diferent story IF we get some rain.

The Canadian wildfires across many of the Western Provinces may NOT be put out completely until there is some very heavy rain or better yet SNOW!!  Been a very very bad wildfire season in Western Canada this year.  In the Northwest Territory, officials are beginning to evacuate entire communities.

 

The rain will put out the fires before snow occurs.

[YVRteacher]

Remember the boat photo from Alta, Norway?

I turned it into a digital watercolour.

 

[www3traveler]

2 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Remember the boat photo from Alta, Norway?

I turned it into a digital watercolour.

 

WOW!!!  That is amaziing!!

[YVRteacher]

August 14

Grundarfjördur

 

I don’t know a lot about Grundarfjördur because this is our last port and I ran out of research time before going on the Alaska cruise. I booked an NCL shore excursion and didn’t even pay attention to what I booked. This turns out to be important later in the day.

 

Grundarfjordur has waterfalls, mountains, glaciers and zero Starbucks. There is a library, a liquor store, one grocery store, a coffee roaster, two cafés and a photography exhibit in the information centre. Golfers rejoice! There’s a golf course here too. 

 

 In 1786 Grundarfjordur was certified as one of 6 official trading markets in Iceland. Archaeological evidence indicates this was the first place in Iceland that was inhabited by people. The average year-round temperature here is 0 degrees Celsius so I hope they sold some nice woolly socks and toques back in 1786. Today the main industries are fishing and fish processing. Not surprisingly, it smells fishy here. 

A recent population surge brought the population to 872. 

 

Grundarfjordur is on the north side of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Mt. Kirkjufell, which means church mountain, is the most photographed mountain in Iceland. She is majestic, pointy and visible from anywhere in Grundarfjordur. Besides the mountain and the waterfalls, Grundarfjordur is home to the artist Liston. Liston carves swirls into rocks. Like this:

 

 

 

 

 

[bluesea777]

On 8/16/2023 at 9:58 PM, YVRteacher said:

It was so hot here while I was away that all the water in my toilets evaporated!

 

Laundry is washed, dried and put away. 

Suitcase is unpacked and chocolate is in the fridge.

 

I made a shopping list:

Here in Bermuda a few supermarkets sell these, and I wonder if you’ll be able to find one in Vancouver that sell these ….

 

 

 

 

Our dessert just now ….

 

 

We’ve been eating that for on and off for some years since they brought in Siggi’s yogurt. 
 

Disclosure: I’m 1/2 Danish and we have been to Denmark loads of times (ymer) and Iceland several times (skyr). 
 

 

[westcoasttech]

7 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

Here in Bermuda a few supermarkets sell these, and I wonder if you’ll be able to find one in Vancouver that sell these ….

Yes, you can get Siggi's here at most large foodstores ... Canadian Superstore, Save On, Whole Foods all carry it that I've seen - in the large pots only though.  My "go to" is the Vanilla Cinnamon flavor ... when I can find it in stock!

Edited August 18, 2023 by westcoasttech

[YVRteacher]

I found some Skyr (made in Montreal) at the second store I went to yesterday. Had it for breakfast today! Not as good as what I had in Iceland, but it still made me happy.

 

My search for Norwegian flatbread continues! I wish I had brought some home.

[YVRteacher]

Siggi’s is sold here, but both stores I went to were out of that brand. Supply chain issues.

[YVRteacher]

For Grundarfjördur, we arrived at 9:00am. At 10:30 they were still calling tender group ticket numbers. Do not expect to get off the ship early without a Shore Excursion or latitudes priority or Haven and Suites Priority.

At the tender dock there is a bus available which will take you to the waterfall and the base of Mt. Kirkjufell.

 

 

This was the port where I got all teary knowing it was the end of a spectacular trip.

 

The evening before we arrived in Grundarfjördur a friend I met on the first leg sent this text:

 

 

I knew I had an excursion in Reykjavik and wouldn’t be able to get to a grocery store there and I didn’t know what would be available at Keflavik airport so I wanted to get to the grocery store in Grundarfjördur early since it was a three ship day.

 

 

The store, Kjörbúdin, had 16 bars of rainbow Omnom. This is the caramel bar. I figured a box would travel better than individual bars so I bought a whole box for my Ottawa pals.

 

Keep in mind this was in the morning, I had a town to explore and I had a shore excursion. These Omnom bars had quite the journey in Grundarfjördur!

 

[YVRteacher]

The chocolate bars and I walked to the school

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

took a detour to see the photography exhibit and library in the visitor information centre

 

then the church 

 

 

 

 

Then I crossed this street

 

to see where the Viking re-enactments take place (none today, sadly)

 

 

 

and ended up meeting the divine @TrumpyNor and her sparkly-eyed hubby at the very lovely cafe. The cafe is also the wool shop and the book shop. It wasn’t time for cake yet, but it was time for a free little library!

 

 

I asked @TrumpyNor to help me translate (it’s Icelandic and she speaks Norwegian plus a whole bunch of other languages!) She said it means

“It’s good for the mind to sit down, turn the pages of a book and daydream for a while.”
She told to write more flowy than that but I think those words are perfect. Someone, please get this as a tattoo!

 

[YVRteacher]

So…

sometimes you come home from a trip and everything is fine.

 

Sometimes you come home and the pipe in the upstairs bathroom bursts the moment you turn the water back on at the source and you have water damage all through the walls and the downstairs bathroom ceiling and the downstairs bathroom walls.

 

 

 

[Ottawa Lynne]

8 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Sometimes you come home and the pipe in the upstairs bathroom bursts the moment you turn the water back on at the source and you have water damage all through the walls and the downstairs bathroom ceiling and the downstairs bathroom walls.

Oh no! I hope you were able to quel the damage and it's not too extensive!

[lgdesign]

34 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

So…

sometimes you come home from a trip and everything is fine.

 

Sometimes you come home and the pipe in the upstairs bathroom bursts the moment you turn the water back on at the source and you have water damage all through the walls and the downstairs bathroom ceiling and the downstairs bathroom walls.

Sigh... no words.  So sorry to hear about your plumbing catastrophe!

[SenatorsFan]

@YVRteacher I'm so sorry to hear about your plumbing troubles. That's not nice to come home to. 🥲

[TrumpyNor]

5 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

So…

sometimes you come home from a trip and everything is fine.

 

Sometimes you come home and the pipe in the upstairs bathroom bursts the moment you turn the water back on at the source and you have water damage all through the walls and the downstairs bathroom ceiling and the downstairs bathroom walls.

 

 

 

Dear newfound friend! 

And at difficult and troubled incidents like that , after taken care of the problem, it is important to again turn your focus to the amazing memories you have been making over the last few weeks. And scroll through all these amazing photos and only remeber the good times! 🩷

 

I am already looking forward to hopefully meeting you again on a cruise in a not too distant future! 

 

 

 

[Norwegianprincess]

6 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

So…

sometimes you come home from a trip and everything is fine.

 

Sometimes you come home and the pipe in the upstairs bathroom bursts the moment you turn the water back on at the source and you have water damage all through the walls and the downstairs bathroom ceiling and the downstairs bathroom walls.

 

 

 

Oh, no!! Sending lots of good thougts to you, all the way from south-east Norway ❤️

[www3traveler]

OH WOW!!!  BIG BIG BIG BIG BIGHUG

Love and prayers always