July 24 -- en route from Copenhagen to Trondheim. A day at sea!

I am going to "play" with the idea of posting random notes as I have time and pass by the club.com room. I will also work on a more detailed log/review and post those in the Reviews section.

I guess since I originally coined "NorFjor723" it is ok if I rename the cruise for this week only "NorFjorNOW."

Thanks to Phil and the notes on Ken Jennings ... our son, Oz, is MOST appreciative to know that his new hero continues to dominate.

Speaking of Oz, I am VERY proud that our 15 (soon to be 16) year old son was willing to go to the "Teen Reception" last night. That can be an awkward setting, especially with only a handful of other teens on board. The "youth counselor" spotted Oz as we checked in and made the instant contact and invitation ... maybe it helped that she is young and attractive!

Meredith continues to make us proud with grace and charm that belie her age of 19. She can (and does) converse with anyone of any age from anywhere about anything.

We love our family time on vacations, and cruises are the best for such time, but cruises also allow us independent enjoyment (or "couple" time for Paula and me) and our kids do not need to be tethered to us (and we know that is not the case with all kids their age, especially on an upscale cruise).

My parents appear to be taking quickly to sea travel ... in fact, they have appointments at the spa this a.m.! Quite different from their last cruise 50 years ago in an inside cabin on the America ... kind of like comparing a flight in 1954 to flying first class on a 777 today.

We are enjoying the "Voyager Contrast." You see, our most recent cruise was in 2002 on Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas with 3,000+ of our closest friends. That was actually a wonderful cruise and perfect for our kids at the time (I retreated to our acre-sized aft balcony!). We are blessed to have kids who enjoy the varied activities of "that" Voyager, and yet "appreciate" the class, excellence, and grace of THIS Voyager.

For those of you who have never seen the fitness room, I can vouch that it exists and the treadmills DO work. I did not lift any of the free weights, but they "looked" to be marked accurately with the correct weight (if I see someone lift a weight I will ask them -- my lifting is limited to wine glasses).

Ed and Pamela were wonderful blackjack tablemates last night and they are VERY good players ... we were stunned, however, by the play of some other passengers (splitting 10s ?!?!).

Betty is the life of the party as we have always heard. What a pleasure to be in the company of someone who enjoys each person she encounters. j As I mentioned on an earlier posting, we three Davis males have the same name, "Ozro Luke Davis" ... we are "Jr." (O.L.), "III" (Luke), and "IV" (Oz). Betty has already tabbed Dad and Oz as "Big O" and "Little O."

John and Priscilla are delightful and warm "neighbors" ... yes, we only live a few blocks from each other. I am sure that we will have to arrange a standing dinner date to relive this cruise and dream about future itineraries.

Ed and Laura have never met a stranger and we know that there are endless conversations ahead.

Until later ....

Luke
NorFjorNOW

My anticipation of this being a GREAT cruise was confirmed last night when we saw our RSSC embarkation photos ... they were ALL great (my folks, our foursome, and our entire Davis sixsome)! That is a first!

Luke
NorFjorNOW

Luke:

Your report makes me want to jump aboard. Sounds like you have marvelous shipmates, related and otherwise. We look forward to hearing more.

Keep up the posts, Luke! Great beginning!

Masaki

Luke - it's so great when you hit it off with others on board. Glad to hear the embarkation pictures are so good - they are treasures. Is Oz engaged in tea time trivia so he can keep up with his superhero? :D Thanks for taking the time to post - it is most appreciated. See if Betty gets any new ideas for Marcie's BAIL wardrobe. Cheers, Anne

Hi everyone from somewhere off the coast of Norway. I love the Voyager - having only sailed the Diamond which I still adore - I love the separate shower stall & walk in closet. Our LCT group is absolutely the best & Jim in CLeveland has added a new couple to the group a couple from Santa Monica. A little overserved last night starting with the arrival champagne, then to rum punches, then to dinner, as the wine kept flowing & finally the Bailey's I had ordered for the room. Today I will be good.
Oh yes, I think I will have to retire the wine drinking trick. A "little" accident in Copenhagen - it won't work with cheap, thin glass. Ed (storkdoc) & myself were lucky enough to take a red wine bath due to my antics. So I must reclaim a sense of southern ladylike behavior for at least a few days.
Will post later in the week.

Sounds like you are having a really great time - how is the weather? That makes such a difference in Norway. Having met most of these people I can vouch that this is really a lovely group. Wish I was there - dont we all.

Luke and Betty, thanks for the updates!

Luke, from the sounds of it, I bet you make an onboard booking before the weeks up!

Betty, I am saddened to hear that you are retiring your wine drinking skills for the week. I was looking forward to a picture!!

The weather has been a bit iffy today. Cool with intermittent clouds, but no rain so far. Sea is relatively calm. NOTHING that would get in the way of a good time. A couple of polar bears were in the pool and a number of folks were in deck chairs, most with blankets to fight the chill but they were making the most of the fresh air. Looks like a chance of rain in Trondheim tomorrow, but that will not slow us down!

642 passengers and 440 crew this week. Even the staff is surprised at the "international" make-up of the passengers. Only about 60% Americans, with 20-25 countries represented. We find it to be a great mix.

Regarding the aft cabins, a couple on their 50th anniversary moved out of vibration-ville at midnight last night due to the conditions.

Karen, not sure if we will make a booking this week, but I had done plenty of itinerary-stalking before we came. Our decisions may depend on my folks' thoughts on a follow-up cruise, the kids' schedules (Meredith will be studying in Europe next Spring), pricing deals, and the effectiveness of Gudrun's presentation tomorrow a.m.

Luke
NorFjorNOW

Thanks for the updates. Sounds like a wonderful cruise so far!

Claudia

My ONLY disappointment with this cruise is that this is the only day at sea. However, several days in the fjords should more than compensate for a day of the open sea.

Seas were choppy this afternoon and several folks were a bit under the weather ... the Davises, and the entire LCT crew (as far as I could tell), pushed through to make sure they made the most of the afternoon tea, champagne, Captain's welcome, formal night, etc., etc.

My family reported that the show (Broadway tunes) was well done. I made sure that the blackjack dealers were not bored and I am still "up" for the cruise. Meredith had her first hand at "real" gambling and hit her number on the roulette wheel with a $2 bet ... $70 never looked like so much money!

Time for a family movie as we head to Trondheim ...

Luke
NorFjorNOW

July 25 - 10:45 a.m. - Trondheim

We have just docked in Trondheim after a VERY smooth sailing from the coast.

HOWEVER, it appears that the SINFUL cruisers used up all of the "chamber of commerce" weather! We have steady light rain with fairly cool temperatures. BUT, remember that some of us are from Texas and you may find us sitting in deck chairs soaking up the cool and wet, smiling with images of summer heat back in the Lone Star State.

Time for an early lunch onboard (heck, it's already paid for) and then off for a few hours in the city. Sail away is at 5:00.

Luke
NorFjorNOW

Hello from Tronheim

That is a great web cama shot - unfortunately my cabin is on the ocean side, facing the Norwegian version of Alcatraz(SP?) so can't wave from my balconey.
Rain in Tronheim this morning & now it is beautiful. Everything closed due to it being Sunday so the Davenports & I walked around a bit - the cathedral is fantastic & the Kings home really is yellow. We then just stoppped at Mcdonalds & sipped on cokes in the town square. The flower & produce stand aren't even set up today. But no one is complaining. So far it is a great cruise.
And even Capt Knut & Gudrun remembered me. I must start behaving myself better on these Voyages.
Off to take a short nap before the activites fire up again.
More tomorrow.

Betty, how about rounding up the gang and standing on deck for us??? :hyper:

This may be my favorite port of all time! Weather became a dream (thanks to all for the prayers) AND, as Betty said, stores were closed! This may not be Paris shopping, but ANY shopping is a lure for the Davis women ... heck, I may have saved enough to book another cruise.

Up to the pool deck for some SUN!

Luke
NorFjorNOW

Luke, next time you run into one of the computer room people, could you ask if RSSC ever plans to add webcam views for us people at home? I wonder if it would be complicated since they already have the bow view that airs on the cabin tv's.

Karen,

Your question is already on my list of Qs and a comment for the suggestion form. I'll let you know what I hear ... also sounds like a note to Mr. Conroy.

By the way, we have Latitudes tonight and Signatures tomorrow. What I now need is another cruise for the time necessary to write the rview of THIS cruise!

Luke
NorFjorNOW

We are in between fjord days, so a quick note while we have internet access.

I can sum up the Geiranger day with my Dad's quote .... "this is one of the BEST days of my life." The cruise could end tomorrow and my dreams would have been more than exceeded; HOWEVER, we still have a lot to see, do, and eat!

The fjords are as spectacular as we remembered, and viewing them from the Voyager is a delight. The LCT crew is safe and smiling. Ed (StorkDoc1) ventured out in a sea kayak today, and our immediate family will do the same tomorrow.

Latitudes was a VERY good meal, but Signatures was "TO DIE FOR" (another Davis family quote).

The ONLY suggestions so far ... we need a webcam; the closets could use more hooks for caps, jackets, etc.; the RSSC and Voyager logo wear in the gift shop is pitiful. So, if that's all we have to complain about, this MUST be a great ship.

I hope to send a post-Flam post tomorrow night.

Until later.

Luke
NorFjorNOW

YOu must have had a good day weather wise in Geiranger. It is a fantastic spot. You will love Flam too. Dont let any of those maidens who hang around the waterfalls get you!!!
I wish you sunny skies.

Another wonderful day the fjords. Geiranger was a tough act to follow, but Gudvagen & Flam held their own. Our foursome joined 22 others for a sea kayak excursions. For 2+ hours we were at water level surrounded by magjestic cliffs and enthralling waterfalls. PLUE, the excursion included grilled salmon, pasta, etc., etc. cooked/served by our guides on the beach! Paula is SO glad that she reconsidered and joined us!

Then a motorcoadh to Flam where we caught the train for the amazing roundtrip to Flam. We returned to the ship happy and sore enough for the hot tub.

On to Bergen tonight ... more later.

Luke
NorFjorNOW

Sounds wonderful, Luke! I am enjoying your posts. Keep them coming.

Betty

Yeah, ditto what B said!

R

Wow!

Masaki

Spectacular day in Bergen today. The city is as charming as our memory from a visit 25 years ago. The sun was shining brightly so we headed straight to the funicular for a stunning vista of the entire Bergen environs. The shopping was:

A. Disappointing - if you were looking for much other than fish in the market or sweaters for VERY cold temperatures.

B. Outstanding - if you are a male in charge of paying for purchases.

C. Quick - if you wanted to return to the ship for lunch and time at the pool.

Speaking of which, I better return to my chaise lounge for some extra time in the sun before our sail-away to Kristiansand.

Then, a Texas dinner in the Compass Rose for the Davises joined by Betty and Priscilla & John.

More soon.

Luke
NorFjorNOW

Hieveryone

Beautiful in Bergen. Xmas shopping totally finished. So nice to seethe sun. Big Texas dinner at Compass Rose & Oklehoma get together at Oberation lounge tonite I order Cosmos , Todd, butnot up to your quality.
They are going to make me get off this ship tomorrow. Totally unfair. My newest plan for job iwht RSSC
Cookie lady on the elavators. Guest say great idea
Mr Conroy probablycould notgo for it.
Look for us tomorrow in Kristenstaad(sp?) who knowa spelling it is in Norway.
Wine trick survive that evening. Compass Rose wait staff very impressed.
I am overserved. I must go to bed.
Nighty nite!!!!

I just tried to post a note to the "cookie lady" and the board said I couldn't use that term...this is a test...because I think Betty would be perfect for the job!

We all know that terrible "back to reality" feeling when they give us the "boot" and we have to get off the ship! ...Maybe Betty could expand her horizons and be the "Cookie Lady" by day and the "Cosmo Queen" by night!

Be sure and check out the 2 photographs of RSSC Voyager departing Bergen taken by Eric Ask. Great photographer!

Kroooz-Forums Stalk of the Day

jeff

Jeff, WOW!!! Beautiful pictures Eric got of the voyager!!

Betty

Great pictures, worthy of being on a Radisson brochure or their web site!

That guy is great! As I remember, he has the same camera I do...Fuji FinePix 5000.

Bravo, Bravo! Fanstastic pictures! I think I want that camera now!

Luke - great shopping description! (still laughing)

Betty - you SHOULD go for the cookie lady job. I'll even write Mark Conroy to support your position!

Jeff - great photo of the Voyager! Tell Eric thanks for us.

Masaki