9 Foot Market Umbrella
Cruise Review NCL Jade Norway Cruise by Ellen Mc Nulty
I sailed on NCL’s Jade, cruising Norway from Southampton to the North Cape June 29-July 11, 2008. Here is my day by day diary.
Note: At the time of travel 1.00 USD = 5.09180 NOK
United States Dollars = Norway Kroner.
There are a lot of sightseeing ideas on the official tourism site: http://www.visitnorway.com
Day 0 We took Delta to London Heathrow. A very smooth on time flight.
Day 1 When we arrived at Heathrow, we looked for the coach terminal to take our pre-booked bus to Southampton (National Express) at 1150. Since we arrived at 9AM, this was plenty of time to get our luggage and walk to the terminal. The directional signs were not quite the overly precise way you an expect in Britain, so we wound up in Terminal 5, where we waited. Unfortunately, the coach terminal is nowhere near Terminal 5, something we did not find out until 1145, when we asked the bus dispatcher.
We missed out 1150 bus, despite the best efforts of the bus dispatcher from terminal 5, who called ahead to stop of bus from departing. She arranged another bus to take us to the proper coach terminal, where we waited for the 1250 bus, which would have brought us to Southampton just an hour before the scheduled departure time of 4PM for the Jade. We were wait listed for the 1250 and told to come back just before departure. Fortunately, an understanding bus driver allowed us on board, with the wrong tickets. He was masterful at avoiding the traffic pile up on the motorway, and by taking side roads through pretty towns, we were able to get into Southampton early! A taxi, readily available at the coach station took us to the ship in 5 minutes. One advantage of arriving so late was that there were no lines to board, and we were soon on the ship, just in time for the muster call. Before we knew it, we were on our way. The cruise left from City Cruise Terminal
A good long nap (we had been up for what seemed like days) meant we had a very late dinner, and missed the shows. Oh well!
Day 2: A day at sea with so many activities in the daily that we had trouble accommodating what we wanted to do in one day. Breakfast, a stretch class, learning to play bridge, entertainment, and more. I am so confused by bridge. I had always thought it was a game played by ladies with too much time on their hands. I have since discovered that it takes a lot of brain power to know all of the tricks.
Day 3: Alesund, a lovely small port with Art Noveau architecture and shops. A walking tour on our own included the stone church, and many nicely decorated shops and houses around the harbor. Very manageable on foot. Trolls are important here, and every one of them appears in the carved ornamentation of the buildings. Spend some time finding the trolls hidden in the buildings around Ã…lesund.
Day 4: Kristiansund – another nice small harbour. We strolled the area, although there was quite a bit to do in the vicinity if you wanted a shore excursion. Close to Kristiansund, you’ll find the island of Averoy, a fishing and farming society for generations. You may choose to visit the Milnbrygga â