NORWAY IN JUNE 2017

We thought the ship was very very nice. Good decorations and ambiance. The Staff were incredible. Friendly, polite and quick. Our inside cabin on deck 10 was very comfortable and well looked after by Rose our Stewardess. The food and Medina dining room were to die for. The Chef and staff very inventive with great style, small portions and excellent presentation. Beautiful fresh linen serviettes for each meal and the Waiter service made one feel very pampered. We would have liked a few more vegetables where appropriate though. We did not appreciate the Black tie nights as whilst these are easy for the ladies it is expensive for retired Gentlemen or young men to buy a dinner suit or dark lounge suit that may only be worn a few times. It is rather out dated now and we would have thought a blazer, shirt, tie and dark trousers and smart shoes would have been good enough. We felt like 2nd class citizens having to do with the self service. Although quite good, it is not the same as being in the Medina. We also understand that the people on these dress nights were having free drinks and lobster etc., on the menu. We had paid the same or more than them but had to make do with a much less expensive dinner. We are not the only ones who felt like this. The irony is that couples with ball gowns and dinner suits were appearing in the Horizon buffet and when asked why they said they did not like the special dress night menu!! Whats not to like in beef Wellington or Lobster and Champagne. This put us off a lot.

We found the trips off ship were not very exciting and the better Fjords misses out. The 3 islands trip was very good with coffee and cake provided for us on arrival at the light house.. However at Geiranger not enough time was given at the Center to have Coffee and their famous Waffles after the film and Museum experience.We had to rush to the coach to go to a photo shoot area, stand for 30 minutes with nothing to do after takings photos for 10 minutes. There is a beautiful Glazier in this area why was a trip to this not investigated?

The evening entertainment was not to our taste except the pianists and the Jazz night was not repeated whereas quizzes and others were. One other complaint is that one of the tenders was not properly maintained and belched exhaust fumes all over us while boarding and sitting waiting to go. The fumes reached as far as Reception. Even your Staff were having to cover their mouths to try and keep out this poison and the cloud of it was hanging over the beautiful village where we anchored. Result – headaches and nausea. We give our experience – our first cruise since 1964 – only 80%. We are not sure now about the Baltic cruise we had planned for next year.