Norwegian Fjord Cruise Vacation - 06/26/24 (Olden, Norway)

 

This is the view from our balcony this morning.  It's hard to believe how close we are to this town, given the ports we've been to on this cruise.  Mind you, we are still docked at a typical pier.  But this port seems much smaller than the ports we've been to in the past.  

Our plan for the day would be to eat a leisurely breakfast, take a shore excursions, then go back to the ship for dinner.  This would be our last day in Norway, so if we wanted to buy souvenirs, this would be the last chance to do so.  But who wants to buy overpriced Chinese-made tchotchkes just to have something that says "Norway" on them?  So we skipped the souvenir shop again and decided to go straight to the tour bus that would take us on the "Easy Nordfjord" excursion.

The Easy Nordfjord shore excursions is best described as a half-day bus trip through some of the most picturesque sites reachable from Olden.  There are several photo stops, as well as a snack provided at mid day.  Since the description can not do this excursion justice, I'll include a few of my photos taken while on this trip:

None of these pictures do the trip along "Panorama Drive" justice.  One could easily get hypnotized by the scenic beauty along the road, as the views were captivating.  Sadly, we had to return to the ship before 3:30 pm, and we made it with 15 minutes to spare.

Once back on the ship, we received a message - our Alaska cruise has been booked.  One problem: It was booked with the wrong fare rate.  Instead of being booked with a Princess Premier fare that includes a better drink package, a better internet package, and a slightly better dining package, we got the Princess Plus fare.  So, I tried to call the Future Cruises desk - with no success.  No one on the ship knew who we were trying to reach, and continued to send us to the wrong department.  (So much for people who do not speak English as a native language.)  So, I walked down to the department, and the gentleman there apologized for his error and sent in a request to Princess's main office in California to fix the reservation.  Of course, we'll end up seeing him again before the end of the cruise, as we both want a better explanation of the concierge package we bought while on the ship....

  

Getting ready to book a Norwegian Fjord cruise.

 

Norway, land of Fjords.  This country's natural beauty draws me to see it before several of the fjords are closed to conventionally powered cruise ships.  Having cruised Alaska when I was younger, I know the value of seeing a land with much awe inspiring scenery.  On this trip, RQS will be with me, and I will have someone special with whom I can share this experience and the memories that it brings long after the cruise is over.

Right now, RQS and I are finalizing key details for this cruise.  We expect to be able to spend a day with my niece before our cruise.  It will be the first time either of us has left North America (save for my trip to Hawaii), and I am a little bit nervous.  Europe is foreign to me, and cruising provides enough hand holding for me to see the sights where we're going without limiting my choices to an excessive degree.

One port that I intend to visit is Flaam. The main attraction for me is the railroad.  As I like to remind RQS, I've been interested in trains since I was a wee little child.  I can't wait to go on this train and see the sights. But there is so much more to see. So our task is to determine which shore excursions we really want to go on, and purchase them well before the cruise.

We've budgeted approximately $7,000 each for this trip.  Like many "Bucket List" journeys, it is expensive.  We could have chosen a cruise that starts in Southampton, sails for several days in Norwegian waters, and then goes to Iceland for a few days before returning to Southampton.  Instead, we've chosen a cruise that sails directly from its home port to Norway, and then oozes its way along the Norwegian coast and through its fjords before returning home.

Luckily, both of our passports have several years to go before renewal.  However, we do not yet know whether we will need UK and/or EU entry permits.  We asked our Travel Agent about this, and he has no answers yet for cruisers.  I figure that I'll pay the small price for both entry permits and drop a $20 bill to be safe....