Live from the Norwegian Fjords May 5-13, 2024 - Silhouette

[kk20]

We had heard that the Rotterdam cruise terminal is quite small and can get a bit hectic during disembarkation (what a dirty word! 😅)  so we had planned on doing the self disembark.
 

This letter was waiting outside our cabin this afternoon encouraging people to do the same

Edited May 12 by kk20

[lexmiller]

On 5/6/2024 at 11:02 AM, Bexpo said:

We went through the largest locke in the world last night!!!

It is located at the mouth of the North Sea Canal with a view of Fort Island: IJmuiden Marine Lock. The lock is 500 metres long, 70 metres wide and 18 metres deep.

Our captain is super delightful and charming. Captain Nigel Smyth - He has an Irish lilt accent.

Sorry, you said the Captain is Nigel Smyth?  This is the first I've heard of a Celebrity Captain NOT being Greek - or an American woman, Captain Kate McCue!  Interesting, and a news flash to me!

[kk20]

In bottled water news….the ship is now serving Sawell bottled water instead of the True brand for those on the Classic beverage package. 
 

Don’t stress about this change people….it still tastes just like water! 😉

 

 

Edited May 12 by kk20

[sdrobin]

Thank you for sharing, we are going on the May 24th sailing from Amsterdam as well. Would love to hear your thoughts on the weather and temp and packing layers.

[kk20]

11 minutes ago, sdrobin said:

Thank you for sharing, we are going on the May 24th sailing from Amsterdam as well. Would love to hear your thoughts on the weather and temp and packing layers.

We had temps between 6°-19°C. The only time I needed my heavier coat was in Alesund when it was extra windy and raining and while on deck during our fjord cruises. The chill off the water while cruising up the fjords was also noticeable on our balcony.

We did however see lots of people bundled up in each port. Everyone’s weather tolerance is different. Me: I drive around town with my convertible’s top down when it’s 10° & sunny at home, so I might not be the proper person to give advice on this 😎

Layers and waterproof clothing are always a good idea though

[STLCRUISIN]

8 hours ago, kk20 said:

 

IMG_2601.mov 56.38 MB · 7 downloads

Normally we’re not Celebrity show goers, but I heard Jayne Curry practicing/doing a sound check yesterday afternoon and decided that we needed to go see her show! She did not disappoint!

While not all of her songs were what we normally listen to, we couldn’t help but be in awe of her voice and quirky showmanship. 

Here is a snippet of her performance 
 

IMG_2601.mov 56.38 MB · 7 downloads  

We sailed on a TA pre Covid with Eddie Jenkins and he had Jayne onboard. He gave her free reign to organize entertainment in the theater with other guest entertainers, musical acts from around the ship as well as some of the talented staff. That turned out to be the best cruise for us in terms of entertainment. 

[cruisin lady ca]

On 5/6/2024 at 10:42 AM, kk20 said:

We just finished another great meal in Murano. We had our usual lobster bisque and tomato salad for apps, followed by chateaubriand for two with murano lobster. We were both too full for dessert but I did indulge in a few glasses of my favourite Cattier champagne 🍾 

 

IMG_2109.mov 29.32 MB · 2 downloads  

Thank you for sharing photos of your dinner in Murano. We purchased a specialty dining package, and are hoping to book our dinners in advance or as soon as we get on the ship. 

 

Can you share the details re: Chic nights on your cruise and which night was lobster night in the MDR?  We are boarding on 6/17 for a 7 night itinerary, with two sea days (day 2 and day 7. 

[mtnlvr53]

I was hoping for Northern lights? No luck with that?

[kk20]

2 hours ago, cruisin lady ca said:

Can you share the details re: Chic nights on your cruise and which night was lobster night in the MDR?  We are boarding on 6/17 for a 7 night itinerary, with two sea days (day 2 and day 7.

Our two chic nights were on day 2 (sea day) and day 6 (Stavanger) but our sailing has been 8 nights. I’m not sure which night was lobster night, as we ate in Murano on both of these dates

 

[kk20]

34 minutes ago, mtnlvr53 said:

I was hoping for Northern lights? No luck with that?

We didn’t see them but I read on another site that they appeared to other passengers as grey streaks in the sky and the colours only showed up when taking pictures on their phones.

 

I grew up in northern Ontario and have seen the aurora borealis & light pillars several times, but I still wish we could have caught a glimpse of them while onboard 

[Book bug]

Just to pop onto say lobster night was the second Chic night in MDR

[kk20]

The worse day of the cruise. The morning they kick you off and you now have to fend on your own for food and transportation 

We walked off with our own bags at 7;30am. One of the reasons that we like booking cabins on the 6th floor is easy access to al bacio each morning and we can easily carry our bags down the steps and not fight for space in the elevator.

Once outside we hopped in a cab as the sign out front said €27.50 for 2 people to Rotterdam Central station. However it wasn’t a flat fee once we were on our way. It was metered and our ride ended up costing €38. Next time we will just wait for an Uber.

We purchased tickets for a direct train and got on the 8:10 train. We were done checking our bags by 8:50 and got through security and passport control and made the long hike to our gate around 9:30. Plenty of time to wait for our boarding to begin at 11:30

 

Rotterdam cruise terminal

 

our view of the gangway from our balcony

 

 buses waiting for transfers

 

Rotterdam Central

[kk20]

Random pics from around the ship

 

The bridge crew docking us in Oslo

 

lawn club

 

love this shot

 

 

lounge area around the corner from the sunset bar (this area was still grass and used for bocce ball on the Reflection)

 

pool deck - we could find chairs every day! 😉

 

 

grand foyer

 

 

pool bar

 

 

love the suspended trees on the s class ships

 

sushi on five

 

 

I have no idea why they did this

 

our last day chocolates from belgium 

 

 

[Lena11033]

5 hours ago, kk20 said:

We didn’t see them but I read on another site that they appeared to other passengers as grey streaks in the sky and the colours only showed up when taking pictures on their phones.

 

I grew up in northern Ontario and have seen the aurora borealis & light pillars several times, but I still wish we could have caught a glimpse of them while onboard 

 

That's what happened here, I'm around Windsor ON area. The sky looked just dark with some grey but once you took pictures there were some colours.

However friends who normally get the Northern lights in Alberta they had some really impressive colours showing for them.

[cruisestitch]

On 5/12/2024 at 8:49 AM, lexmiller said:

Sorry, you said the Captain is Nigel Smyth?  This is the first I've heard of a Celebrity Captain NOT being Greek - or an American woman, Captain Kate McCue!  Interesting, and a news flash to me!

You must have missed Captain Jerry. I believe he was Norwegian.

[Beachlover1989]

Captain Nigel has been around quite a while.  He was the Staff Captain on our AU/NZ cruise on Solstice in 2017.

[Freeguy]

Kk20 love your photos! And your posts from the best martini bar on any ship! Silhouette is a treasure, takes you back to the glory days of cruising.

this is Freeguy signing off until next time!

[cruisin lady ca]

On 5/9/2024 at 8:23 AM, kk20 said:

We booked directly with Rodne Fjord Cruise company for Stavenger. 

Is this tour that you booked? Stavanger: Scenic Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord and Preikestolen - We booked this for our Stavanger stop in mid-June.

[cruisin lady ca]

17 hours ago, Book bug said:

Just to pop onto say lobster night was the second Chic night in MDR

Thank you for the info. We don't want to miss lobster night. 

[cruisin lady ca]

Do you have any feedback on the specialty restaurants? Trying to decide whether to use our 3 dinner package on Tuscan Grill, Murano and Lawn Club Grill, or double up on Murano and skip Lawn Club Grill.  

[kk20]

7 hours ago, cruisin lady ca said:

Is this tour that you booked? Stavanger: Scenic Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord and Preikestolen - We booked this for our Stavanger stop in mid-June.

Yes!

[kk20]

Now that we’re home and trying to integrate back into our everyday life, I thought I’d post some of our overall thoughts on this cruise.

 

After our 2023 sailings, I was a bit hesitant about sticking with Celebrity moving forward. I’m happy to say that this cruise brought us back on the Celebrity bandwagon! The staffing level issues we’d previously encountered are gone and the food in the mdr has returned to what we experienced prior to last year. The offerings in the oceanview cafe were plentiful, hot and well prepared. 

We were also commenting that even though this cruise was almost sold out and the pool deck was basically bare on sea days, the ship never felt crowded and we never had an issue finding a spot to sit and relax, eat our food or get an adult beverage. Another huge plus, and pleasant surprise was that people remembered their manners when using the elevators!!! We only saw one couple storm their way into the elevator outside the ovc before allowing the passengers to get off first. We also loved the abundance of different nationalities onboard vs doing Caribbean itineraries.

 

This was our smoothest sailing that we’ve ever had! Two thumbs up for mother nature cooperating for our eight nights onboard. And speaking of mother nature, she created something magical when she designed Norway! My (many) pictures don’t do her beauty justice! Norway blew us away and all I can say is that if you are considering a Norwegian cruise, just book it!! You will not be disappointed.

 

Now I need to return to telling and showing these two how much me missed them 🫶

(What I won’t mention is that we’ll be leaving them again in another 159 days, when fly back over to England for our transatlantic cruise on the Apex)

 

 

[Missusdubbya]

Wonderful trip report! Thanks so much

[lexmiller]

On 5/13/2024 at 10:34 AM, cruisestitch said:

You must have missed Captain Jerry. I believe he was Norwegian.

Yes, missed him as well!  40+ cruises with Celebrity but for us, there've only been Greek men and one American woman😂

[Lastdance]

4 hours ago, lexmiller said:

Yes, missed him as well!  40+ cruises with Celebrity but for us, there've only been Greek men and one American woman😂

I just read this as “Geek Men.”  What is wrong with me?  Please do not answer that question!