Sorry for not posting earlier a combination of time constraints and the internet being down while we were inside the fjords.

What GLORIOUS weather we are having. Yesterday in Olden it was overcast in the morning but no wind. By about 10.00 am the sun was out and it has stayed that way ever since. Today it was brillant clear sky, warm short sleeve weather. Olden is as wonderful as I remember it and this time I did a new tour and I am going to write a report and I will post it from word later. This is a fabulous port of call.

Today we were in Trondheim a delightful city. Third largest in Norway. Trees everywhere, incredibly clean and some interesting sights. We were VERY bad and stayed up way too late last night visiting and we did not wake up until 11.00 am. So we had lunch and then went into town. We were scolding ourselves for doing a "Lawrence" and being so rushed in such a beautiful town.

Now we are sailing out of Trondheim on absolutely calm glass like waters with brilliant sunshine.

Last night we all got together and had a cocktail party and it was nice that everyone met each other. Then I had dinner with two couples (not LCT people) that I have known for over 20 years and have sailed with multiple times before. It was nice to catch up.

Tonight I have an invitation to Captain Dag's table so of course I am really looking forward to that. Always a wonderful experience.

Tomorrow I need to figure out what I am doing in Gradval. No tours I will be doing my normal "winging it".

Hope I can stay on long enough to read the posts.

Hi Ngaire!
Thanks for the report! I am glad you are having such wonderful weather!

Glad you are having a wonderful time!

Claudia

Has the rest of the luggage arrived? Glad you're having such a great trip. Lawrence would be proud of you! Cheers, Anne

Thanks for checking in and the update. Sounds lovely.

R

You are certainly whetting the appetite of those of us on NorFjor723! Any glacier climbing in Olden?

Luke

Sounds like a great time!! Any luggage update?

Ngaire,

It all sounds wonderful! Hope you got your luggage by now.

Ginny

Good weather really makes a cruise! I am glad to hear Mother Nature is on your side. Thanks for the updates!

Can you stroll aft sometime and update us on the "vibration", please :) ?


Greg

Now Lynn is really sorry she cancelled out on that cruise! I told her the weather wouldn't be cold, but she wouldn't listen. Such is life! Please give our best to Habib(Compass Rose) and his lovely wife. Hope the rest of your cruise is fantastic!

Sounds like a beautiful cruise and a wonderful time. Keep having fun!!

I too hope that the luggage situation has resolved itself. Thanks for updating us ...wow, what WONDERFUL weather you're having!

Masaki

Quick question on Lattitudes:

How often do they change the menu?

Glad you are having great weather. Norway is truly beautiful.
Hope the luggage arrived.

Doug

Ngaire -- Glad to hear about the wonderful weather and how much you liked Trondheim. By the way, our documents arrived today for Norfor723. Yea!!!! As you can imagine, I'm hanging on your every word as we anticipate following in your footsteps in just about three weeks!

Congrats Priscilla on the docs!!

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Masaki

Thanks, Masaki. :D I'm about to sit down and begin going through them in depth. Amazing how exciting that can be! <img border="0" alt="[vhappy]" title="" src="graemlins/icon_vhappy.gif" /> My husband is laughing at me, like I am a little kid with a new toy.

Ah, but it IS a new toy. :D Nothing ramps up the excitement more than your docs showing up ...

Masaki

Ngaire:

We're all glad your having a good time. Must feel like a kid to be sleeping in 'til lunch!

Masaki,

I think that the excitement starts when you make that final payment! Then you know it's sure thing! Waiting for my Amex Bill to arrive next week: Past Cruise incidentals on it; Post Cruise stay in NYC on it; Deposit on PIP on it and the balance of Sept 22nd!

Yikes Kathy....be sure to sit down before you open that AMEX bill!

Ngaire: Your cruise sounds wonderful. Please keep tantilizing us with details.

Kathy - I don't know if excitement is the word I would have used when making the final payment. It's more like a big swallow and fluttering in my chest. :) We just went through that as well with our AMEX.

Masaki

Yet another absolutely glorious day. This is incredible scenery and is so calm the water is mirroring. We are in Gradval looking forward to going ashore. Fred, Pat, Ken and I are going to make an attempt to find a taxi - a slim possibility but we are going to try.

Fred and Pat are in a Horizon C cabin 877. They said Yes, there is vibration but they love that cabin and would book it again in a heartbeat. The vibration is the same as it has always been I personally dont think it is that big a deal in all the aft public rooms.

It could bother some in the actual cabins of course when trying to sleep.

If you were a regular passenger and not in an aft cabin I really doubt you would even be aware of it at all. We went out on deck last night at the rear outside the Horizon lounge which is low down where the vibration should be the worse. It was really not bad at all.

This is the same thing as we have always said. It depends on (a) the seas and how they waves hit the ship (b) a person's personal tolerance for vibration.

Ngaire,

Thanks for your post. Very interesting, about the vibration.
Did your luggage catch up to you?
Enjoy and post when you have time.

Betty

Ngaire,

I'm so glad to hear that you are having another wonderful cruise. Yesterday I took my mother-in-law to purchase a new walker. Her cruising days are over, but when I told her that my TA was on a cruise of the Norwegian Fjords she said that her son and I must do that some day. It was her favorite trip (and she wasn't even on RSSC).

We're all still wondering if your second bag of luggage caught up with you.

So good hearing from you and that your trip is going so well.

Hope your missing luggage has caught up with you by now.

Continue to have a great time!

So once again after staying up late we dragged out of bed around 11.00 am. We had just arrived in Gradval.

We just got back from our day trip in Gradval. We left the ship a little late 1.30 pm and by then all the taxis were gone. However, the little gift shop called us a cab that would come at 2.30pm. So we wandered about and waited. At 2.45 still not taxi then "three" taxis drove up. However, no one was willing to take us as we had "called" for a cab. Probably not willing to steal someone elses fare. At least we think that is what was going on as we dont speak Norwegian we could not be sure. In the end we piled into a taxi and took off. Price was 600 NOK an hour about $100 but divided by four it is still a good value. We actually had a van and four other people wanted to join us so we could not say no and they came along as well. So it was a very inexpensive way to see the island.

These islands are truly gorgeous. Tall craggy mountains similiar to Moorea and the the blue waters, very green meadows with wild yellow buttercups and quaint Norwegian homes and little fishing boats everywhere. It was a great tour we were gone for about 2 hours.

At the end we went up to this little red church that Fred and Pat had seen and the driver said it was closed but we wanted to there anyway. We drive up and there are a bunch of women standing outside doing some type of exercise. We thought it was a local exercise class. Then they broke into song. It was like a group of angels singing they were REALLY fantastic. The acoustics were remarkable as we were outside it sounded as if it was in a hall built for concerts.

Afterwards one came to talk to us and she said they were a choir doing a concert in the church that night. The church was opened and we got to go inside. It was absolutely charming.

While inside one of the girls started singing to test the acoustics. She honestly had the most remarkable voice I have ever heard. Turns out she was one of three professional singers in the group the rest being amateurs.

It was a remarkable end to a lazy morning and a delightful afternoon.

Tomorrow the North Cape!!!

Ngaire - glad to hear you've been reunited with all of your luggage. Gary says to tell Fred & Pat to take good care of his cabin. Cheers, Anne

What a fabulous day!! The singing at the church sounds so nice, you were in the right place at the right time. I love hearing you mention "Fred" and "Pat" too as this was my parents names!

It is windy today, but the seas are not rough. The sky is blue with patches of clouds. We are on our way to the Northcape and will sail in front of it in about one hour. Tonight we are staying onboard when everyone leaves to go to the cape so we expect to have Signatures all to ourselves.

Last night Mary Ellen, Jim, Ken and I sat in the observation lounge watching the sun just touch the sea and then rise again. It was so calm last night with the brillant sunshine at 1.00am it was mesmerizing. It is daylight 24 hours now and it is so unique you just dont feel like sleeping.

Glad to hear the rates are out for the Mariner. I knew they would arrive just as I left town. Seems to happen everytime. I have someone who will get the rates on the web while I am gone but the office is closed over the weekend for July 4th of course so it will be next week.

Ray said he has been trying to post but cant log on. Perhaps Ken can help him as everyone else seems to be able to get on. I think he has had trouble in the US as well so it may be a problem with his log in for some reason. Ray and Penny are a lovely couple and a lot of fun.

Be back later.

What a GREAT post for #500! Ejnjoy the Arctic Circle and the Reindeer.

Luke
NorFjor723

My parents and I used to live in Norway. I was very young, so I don't remember it much. But my mother tells the stories of sitting in front of the picture window watching the sun dip to the horizon and pop right back up again! It's hard to even imagine! What a neat place to watch it do that Ngaire!!

We just rounded the cape. Brilliant sunshine, waters a little more choppy but not "rough".

Going to take a nap now. Life is tough!!!!

We really feel for you Ngaire! ;)

I did the North Cape many years ago on Royal Viking on the last day of the midnight sun...a truly remarkable sight to see the sun hit the horizon and then come back up...pictures were awesome...

Ngaire,

What are your thoughts about the new internet charges? I just read on another post that RSSC now sells blocks of hours. Have you been on board long enough to make an assessment? Also, can you please ask if the charges are per person or per suite?

Thanks --- AND THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT REPORTS !!!

We are on the 7/23 sailing.

Jim

Jim - it's a block of time that you purchase. You can share the account and password with other people though don't know if you can be on at the same time with the same account. So the charges are neither per person or per suite.

Ngaire - fantastic! I've always wanted to be somewhere where the sun never set. And another place I need to get to one of these days.

Masaki

When Jes and I were on the Voyager last month, I used her password, and we both were on at the same time. But that was under the system of charging for upload/download time only.

Masaki, Ngaire has a group going back next year in June!

Olivia - don't tempt me. I'm already committed to too many cruises already!

Masaki

Well, you can shift some of them around if others seem more enticing, within the cancellation period, of course! Or, you can just go for it, with the justification that once the babies start coming it won't be so easy to get away! I wish I could get on the Voyager later this month for Norway, but it overlaps the DABS cruise! Sigh, have to wait another year for that one.

Now I have to start saving for that safari ... :)

Masaki