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Category Archives: Norway
Norwegian Fjords Cruise Packing Tips
Sailing the fjords of Norway is amazing. The scenery is stunning and there are many excellent excursions. But….“WHAT DO I PACK!”. We have sailed the fjords several times. I use a modified version of my What To Pack For Alaska list. This list also works well for Iceland cruises. First off remember….it’s not the middle of winter! Just because you are heading to the great northern region of Norway, that does not mean it will be snowing and cold. Sure, it could rain and/or be windy (and therefore be a tad chilly) and you may get chilled while sailing into the fjords. BUT….once the ship stops, if the sun is shining, it can be very warm. If you are sailing in May or September, be prepared for cooler temperatures. Later in the summer, it can be warm and humid. The most useful suggestion I have is layers, layers, layers! Bring a lightweight waterproof jacket….heavy down coats are NOT required! Neither are UGGS! Seriously, light weight layers is the answer. The dress code onboard is generally “smart casual” during the day and most evenings, with optional “Evening Chic” nights where guests can dress up a bit more, though formal wear is not required. Ultimate Guide to Celebrity Cruise Dress Code Here are the items that have worked for me. Norway Fjords Packing List: 2 pairs jeans or other long pants (in case one gets wet) Leggings are very popular and are perfect for travel. Fleece lined and water resistant are a great option if you are sailing early in the season or later…or if you easily get cold. I recently sailed Norway in late May and was fine wearing regular leggings. 3-4 shirts to wear with jeans/pants/leggings. one or two pairs casual pants to wear onboard 1 nice outfit for formal/dress up nights 1 or 2 skirts and/or nice pants and shirts/sweaters to wear with them – choose colors that work well together to create more outfits (think capsule wardrobe). 1 or 2 hooded sweatshirts – pullover or zip up 1 waterproof jacket or warm vest… or poncho. This jacket is waterproof, lightweight and good for hiking and travel. It keeps you dry when you need it and packs down small. I have worn a vest under a rain coat for additional warmth. A waterproof poncho would also be very useful. This one folds up into a small packet, is lightweight, has a front zipper and pockets and is available in several colors! A good travel size umbrella can also be very useful. scarf, hat and gloves (for sailing into the fjords) 1 or 2 pair dress shoes/sandals 1 pair sandals for pool deck swimsuit and coverup (Many are probably thinking…seriously? a bathing suit? Yes! The ship’s pools will be open and the hot tubs will be running….enjoy them!) 2 pair good walking shoes I recently purchased these trail inspired slip-ins by Skechers for our active travels. Men and women styles. I use this waterproof spray on my shoes. Hint…wet shoes can be smelly. I use these to remove odors, you get enough for 3 pairs of shoes. They also work really well in your suitcase to remove odors and keep the it smelling fresh. It’s also smart to protect your clothes from dirty shoes with shoe bags. Good sunglasses – the glare off the deck will be very strong. You will definitely want some good binoculars while cruising the fjords. Most ships provide some in your cabin but the quality is usually not very good. We bring a good travel size with us. Just discovered these amazing mosquito/bug repellent patches…so much nicer than using bug spray! Socks and underwear (duh) Workout clothes – if you plan to hit the gym When going ashore, it is nice to have a good bag. I like to use a crossbody bag, Protect your valuables from pickpockets and thieves. This bag is also RFID protected. Sunscreen (glare off boat can be strong) A travel first-aid kit .is a necessity. Pain killers (ibuprofen, aspirin, etc.) and a few bandaids…easier (and cheaper) than going to the ship’s doctor. This is a great first aid kit for traveling. Magnetic chip clips to keep papers organized…cabin walls are metal, so magnets will work. Stonger magnetic hooks are very useful to hang up coats and hats. Keep the cabin organized! After sailing many times and finally having our luggage go missing due to luggage tags being torn off, we now use cruise line luggage tag holders. Highly recommend. Many stores are not providing free bags with purchase in an effort to reduce waste. I take reusable grocery bags. Cabins have blackout curtains but light can still sneak through the bottom or sides. In Norway, the sun sets very late and rises super early. An eye mask is very helpful. Are you prone to motion sickness? These sea sick patches will make your cruise more enjoyable! AND….they are Captain Kate approved! These are the exact same ones she uses onboard, while flying and when in the car. I love these adapters by Hero. They have them for several different countries and are made in the US with a 100% money back guarantee and lifetime warranty. The ship will have US and EU outlets but for any hotel you stay in pre or post cruise, you will need one. Most cruise ship cabins have only a few electric plugs. You’re going to need additional outlets to charge electronic items like phones, computers, tablets, kindles, etc. USB ports are also useful. VERY IMPORTANT – Cruise lines don’t allow a regular surge-protected power bars from home (they will confiscate them). I recommend using one that plugs directly into the outlet without a cord. Many ports are confiscating those with cords, as they consider them extension cords. This is the one we travel with. Be sure to bring printed copies of travel documents – while most cruise guests rely on digital versions, it’s always a good idea to carry a printed copy of your itinerary, travel insurance details, and any booking confirmations as a backup. What cruise documentsContinueContinue reading “Norwegian Fjords Cruise Packing Tips”
Norway Fjord Cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse!
In August of 2017, we visited our daughter in Hove, England and family friends near Sheffield. After spending several days traveling around the country, we boarded the Celebrity Eclipse in Southampton and headed to Norway! We had visited two of the ports on a previous cruise and were looking forward to seeing them again and to exploring several new ones. This was a special cruise for the Eclipse…they only visit these ports twice per season…once in the spring and once in late summer. First stop was Bergen, where we had been before. This time, it was pouring rain and windy, but we went ashore and walked around the Hanseatic port. Bergen is very walkable. The hop-on-hop-off bus is also a great option to explore the city. Be sure to visit the outdoor fish market and try some of the local sausages, which include reindeer, elk and whale. After returning to the ship and drying out, we received a lovely surprise in our cabin from Captain Leo and enjoyed a delicious dinner in the main dining room. The next morning we arrived in Flam. Flåm is a village in southwestern Norway, in an area known for its fjords. It sits at the end of Aurlandsfjord, a branch of the vast Sognefjord. The dramatic Stegastein viewing platform juts out high above the Aurlandsfjord. South of Flåm Harbor, the 17th-century wooden Flåm Church lies in the valley. The Flåm Railway offers valley and waterfall views as it climbs to a station on the Hardangervidda plateau (wikipedia). We opted to not take the railway and instead hiked to the Brekkefossen waterfall. It was a pretty steep and strenuous hike, but the views from the top were 100% worth it. On the way back to the ship, we passed the Aegir Brewery. It is the local brewery in Flåm and has received several awards for their delicious tasting beer. The brewery opened in 2007 and has been named “Norway’s BrewPub of the year” three years in a row. The brewery produces a wide range of varieties of beer and offer many types of different flavors, with seasonal varieties. Be sure to visit the Gilde hall which was built in the Viking style, with walls marked by driftwood dragon heads and a 9-meter-high chimney. You can also purchase a pint in the historic hotel, Freitheim Hotel or the Bakkastova Cafe. Both are located very close to the fjord and provide great views of the ship. After our adventures, we were exhausted and returned to the ship to enjoy the evening with another wonderful meal in Silhouette, the main dining room. Geiranger was our next port of call. We visited this port in 2014 and were excited to be back. We chose to walk up the stairs alongside the Fossevandring waterfall. It is an easy walk with metal steps and hand rails. On the prior visit, we visited the Union Hotel, which we decided to do again. We enjoyed a quick glass of wine for me and a beer for my husband. After visiting with the front desk, we decided to do what they described as an “easy, 20 minute hike” to the local farmhouse. Let me just say….boy, were they wrong! An hour later, and another straight up climb, we reached the Westerås Farm and Restaurant. Even though the climb was tough (especially after the climb we did the prior day), the view was once again amazing and totally worth the effort. The restaurant is housed in a building dating from 1603 and has panoramic views of Geiranger. We met some wonderful English ladies on the way up and joined them for another beer and some Norwegian waffles with homemade strawberry sauce. Delicious! We decided to walk back down to the ship via the road….SO much easier! And the views were just as stunning. Geiranger has a really cute port area with shops and food stalls. A favorite of the crew is the coffee shop just across the street from the main shopping area. It was hard to believe we only had two ports left. Alesund was next on our agenda. Ålesund is a port town on the west coast of Norway, at the entrance to the Geirangerfjord. It’s known for the art nouveau architectural style, in which most of the town was rebuilt after a fire in 1904. It is a very walkable town with cobblestone streets and is surrounded by water. Many tourists visit the Aksla viewpoint, the Sunnmore Museum, or walk through the Art Nouveau district (many buildings have numbered plagues that correspond to a map that is available at tourist information). We found the Miracle House. About ten thousand people became homeless when 850 homes were lost during the great fire in Ålesund on January 23rd, 1904. One house in Grensegata remained standing among the ruins. Anders Nor, who lived in the house, was visited by an angel the day before. The angel promised that his home was going to be spared. Furniture that was removed from the house lit up in flames but the house stood unharmed when every other building in the eastern district burned to the ground. The house was built around 1870 and has been the property of the Walde family. In 2012, the Pentecostal Church Filadelfia Ålesund aquired the house. It has since been restored and is now open to the public free of charge. There is a small kitchen were you can purchase a tea and cake to enjoy either in the house or on the patio. That evening, we were invited to the helicopter deck for sail away. As we left the port, a tug boat gave us a nice send off. Our final port was Stavanger….another city we had never visited. Stavanger is a city in southwestern Norway. In the center of town, Stavanger Cathedral dates back to the city’s 12th-century founding. Stavanger Museum chronicles the city’s history and displays preserved wildlife. The Norwegian Petroleum Museum illuminates the oil industry with submersibles, a large drill bit and an escape chute.ContinueContinue reading “Norway Fjord Cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse!”
Bergen and Geiranger Norway
The final two stops of our cruise were in Norway….Bergen and Geiranger. Geiranger is a small tourist village in the western part of Norway. It lies in Stranda at the head of the Geirgangerfjorden. Home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, the Geirangerfjord area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site sine 2005. The Seven Sisters waterfall is located just west of Geiranger. Since we were there in July, the falls were not flowing very heavily…still…they were amazing. I can only imagine what they must look like in the spring! The entire fjord was lined with waterfalls. I have a weak spot for them, so took lots of pictures! This is third biggest cruise ship port in Norway and receives 140 to 180 ships during the four-month tourist season, which runs from May to early September. A floating dock has been installed to help cruise passengers get ashore quicker. These photos were taken from the dock. Geiranger is a very walkable town. There is a river that flows down the mountain, straight through town. They have built a walkway with stairs right next to the river. The climb is steep, but the views are incredible. After our day in Geiranger, we sailed to Bergen. Bergen is the second largest city in Norway. We docked in the industrial port area and had to take a bus to the city center, where we purchased the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus. It is a great way to see the city and get the lay of the land! We drove past some really cool buildings, which have been preserved and now have new roles. The city of Bergen was traditionally thought to have been founded by King Olay Kyrre, son of Harald Hardrade in 1070 AD, four years after the Viking Age ended with the Battle of Hastings. Modern research has, however, discovered that a trading settlement was established already during the 1020s or 1030s. In the middle of the 14th century, North German merchants who had already been present in substantial numbers since the 13th century, founded one of the four Kontore of the Hanseatic League at Bryggen in Bergen. The buildings of that time period still remain on the docks in Bergen, a great place to walk and discover some of the history of Bergen. There are other old building still standing, such as this church we came across. The designs of the cobblestone streets were also intriguing. Bergen has a wonderful outdoor seafood market….Torget Fish Market. We were able to purchase several types of sausages…whale, elk and reindeer. There are several stalls selling these items, plus salmon caviar and a product called Kaviar. (The merchants are happy to give you a free sample!) Kaviar is a paste consisting mainly of lightly smoked cod roe that has a salty/sweet/fishy taste and a lurid pink/orange colour. Kaviar can be eaten at anytime, although it is typically consumed for breakfast or lunch on slices of knekkebrød (crisp bread), with perhaps some slices of boiled egg. Most people never spread kaviar with a knife; they just squeeze it straight from the tube and make satisfying arcs of pink goodness on pieces of crisp bread. Norway is a fascinating country. We have been to Oslo in the past, but never this side of the country. Next on the bucket list is to make it above the Arctic Circle in June, for the Summer Solstice. I hope you get a chance to explore Norway and discover all it has to offer.