Guy Gadwa

Once back of board, dinner was in CK. It was lobster night and our server took care of me🤣 five lobster tails later, I was stuffed! 
 
After dinner we also went to WWRY. I second everything about this show that @Lovetocruise2002 said. If you have not sailed on Anthem and seen this show, stop reading here, go book a cruise on Anthem then return to keep reading this blog, don’t worry, I’ll wait…………

As was eluded our day was exciting for a few reasons, good and bad. 
 
Our day started as per the usual, with our early AM North Star appointment. I really like getting the birds eye views of the port. 
 
We followed this up with breakfast at Cafe270. We lost track of time, and forgot CK breakfast ends at 9:30….lesson learned.
We headed off the ship for some shopping and got a few things before our excursion.
The excursion was really fun. I didn’t mind the not so great weather. I was also glad I didn’t do the hike to pulpit rock because it would have been pretty miserable today. The waffles were delicious today as well. We all sat at a nice big table and enjoyed each other’s company.
Following the excursion we also headed off to explore more of the area around the port. This is where our day went off the rails a bit.
 
My daughter suddenly realized she lost her seapass card. She was pretty sure she dropped it when taking off her sweatshirt while walking around. With this in mind we hurried back to the ship to get a new one. Thankfully, I’m sure she isn’t the first one to do this. At the first security stop the officer just asked our stateroom number and he called to verify she was a passenger, and to deactivate her current card. We also had her passport with us so he took a brief look at that. Once at the gangway, we told that officer our tale of woes. He was able to look her up on his console, and we were allowed on board. Two minutes later we had a new card at guest services. I had a message to Leroy ready to go in case there were any troubles but didn’t need to send it. Moral of the story, parents, hold onto your pre-teens seapass cards, and if lost, it’s easy to deal with.
With new card in hand we ventured back off the ship to continue exploring but didn’t get too far because we lost some time dealing with the lost card. 

What a day! This has been a whirlwind of a cruise. Since we did the same excursion as @Lovetocruise2002i won’t add photos because they will be essentially the same. 
 
I agree, it’s been tough to keep up with this one because there isn’t much down time, but that’s what this cruise is about. It’s more for the adventure. I feel like if you come to Norway to relax, you are doing it wrong. 
 

I think @GregD and the Boss had a way more interesting and entertaining evening than we did. We are now back in the room. I am writing this up and Hubby and D13 are streaming Star Wars again. D15 is once again chatting with her friends back home because like typical teens, they are awake now back in EST lol. 
 
I was commenting to Greg today over waffles that I have not been able to maintain this blog as I normally do due to the itinerary. I realized last night that I have barely been around the ship, and I have barely discussed anything star class related.
Tomorrow is a sea day, if anyone has anything to ask that we have not covered, or if you want me to find out something for you around the ship, please let me know, this is assuming I can stay upright tomorrow. Sailing in the North Sea is no fun 😕

Dinner brought us back to Jamie’s again. And then a second showing of WWRY. I have now watched this Royal version of the musical 4 times and I could watch it many more. This is by far my most favourite musical of all the ones on Royal ships!
 

Back to why the kids were drenched after the boat ride…
This ride takes you not only to Pulpit Rock but also takes you right up to some of the rock formations and waterfalls. One waterfall in particular the boat was able to get really close to. So close that a crew member takes a bucket right up to it to fill, then they pass out cups so they you can have a sample drink if you wish.
 
My kids decided that they would sample the water too, in the form of a shower. They went to the front of the boat and pretty much got right under the water. Had this teacher been on supervision duty, she would have cared. But I am on vacation, so if they wanted to sit in wet clothes, well their problem, not mine lol.
 
D13 did manage to get some pretty cool pics before the shower though. 
 

Hubby went back out to walk around the port area after having some cake. We stayed behind as we like our afternoon chill time. Here are some photos he took while walking around. 
 

The cruise was about 3 hours long with a 30 min stop for waffles right before the boat enters the Lysefjord. The kids were drenched from the boat ride so we headed back to the room after the cruise so they could clean up. This is what we came back to. Leroy has been so thoughtful along the way. D15 almost 16 loved it and she wore the necklace to dinner already! 
 

Another whirlwind of a day, where do I start? Left off this morning with us getting ready to go on the Lysefjord cruise excursion. The weather was not on our side today. Had it been, it would have been even more impressive.
 
The walk from the ship to the boat (for the Lysefjord cruise) is a quick one. Less than 5 mins. If one ever does this excursion, try to sit on the left side of the boat, that is where most of the sights are. Or go up top.
 
Because it was wet and raining on and off, The Boss and I sat inside, @GregDand Hubby braved the elements and went up top, and the kids roamed around most of the time.
 
Some photos from the ride down Lysefjord. Somewhere in the mist/clouds is pulpit rock. 

📸Hubby
 

Good morning Stavanger!
 

Good morning from Stavanger, Norway. This is our last port for this this cruise. Off to do a Lysefjord cruise excursion shortly. 
 

Dinner brought us back to Jamie’s again tonight. Great food as usual. We saw WWRY tonight and we have plans to see it again tomorrow.

Joff Eaton has been hilarious so we decided to give The Love and Marriage Show a try and it did not disappoint as usual. 
 
Off to bed now finally! Lots of motion again tonight. While I still love cruising, I am not sure if cruising the North Sea is for me in the future. 
 

After riding the train, we walked around the port area for about an hour. Hubby had an amazing time at the Mall of Norway 😆
 

This morning we had arranged with Leroy to have breakfast delivered to the room to avoid the fiasco of Hubby and the kids scrambling at the last minute to find something to eat before we headed off. This turned out really well as it gave everyone a chance to watch the sail into Flåm and eat at their leisure. 

Shortly afterwards, we were off to meet Leroy and @GregD and the gang to ride the Flåmsbana train. Not going to bother to describe it as Greg already did in an above post. The train ride was a good way to see many sights but agreed that it goes by quite fast. There is only one opportunity to get out and take pics (at the waterfall). These pics were taken from inside the train.

 

After Hubby returned from his sunrise photos we were deep into the fjords and by about 7am, I stepped out onto the balcony and was greeted by these sights. Quite breathtaking. We spent about an hour taking photos. This was one of those times that I was actually glad Hubby brought a tripod. We ended up with some really beautiful family shots. As it got closer to 8am, the lighting was perfect!
Another massive photo dump ahead. Photos all by Hubby. 
 

Flåm is gorgeous. The more I look at the view, the more it reminds me of Lake Louise on steroids and train ride is like a super version of the drive down the Icefields Parkway or across the Trans-Canada Highway from Alberta to BC. 
 
In a surprise turn of events this morning, Hubby actually woke up with @GregDto catch the sunrise sail into the Fjords. Pics from a different perspective though as Hubby wandered all around the upper decks.
Massive photo dump ahead 
📸all Hubby, no real filters here 
 
 

Per the usual, snacks were waiting for us in the room. Coma status is setting in nicely.

Dinner brought us to Jamie’s Italian. While tasty I think I prefer Giovanni’s. I mean, who thinks tartar sauce goes with Calamari??? Oh, that’s right a Brit cooking Italian food. (Sorry, not sorry)

The rest of our food was pretty good.




 
 

After we got off the train we had lunch in one of the port restaurants. We were pressed for time and ended up in the buffet restaurant. While the food was good, it was expensive for what it was, but hey, I was able to get a flight of local beers. They were okay. If we had more time there were better options for food. I guess that means we have to come back! Next up was the Panoramic Stegastein excursion.
 
The beers

Do you think Johnny can pass for a Viking?

Our next excursion brought us to the Stegastein Viewpoint. This is an observation platform that projects of the side of the mountain. The viewpoint is 650 meters above the Aurlandsfjord. To get there we boarded a large tour bus and headed off. What we weren’t expecting is that the road to the view point is a one lane road that handles traffic in both directions. This made for some tight obstacles and our driver had nerves of steel. There were multiple switch backs and many times I thought we would go tumbling off the side of the mountain. This car like many others had to back up to small areas to pull off to let larger vehicles go by.

 
Headed up one of the switch backs.

Once there, the views were amazing!



the platform 

 
some had more fun than others🤣

Unfortunately, while at the top it was a bit of chaos. There were so many people pushing and shoving to get to the end of the platform and nobody was patient, or used any logic to make this process smoother. Oh well, we still had fun. We had about 30 minutes up there so, plenty of time. 
 
once back on the bus we headed back down the same road to Aurlands Village for a little bit of wandering. We stopped in a small bakery and got some cookies. 
 
This church here in the village was over 300 years old

The docks in Aurlands

 
We had about 20 minutes here as well and headed back to the ship. All aboard was 4:30. We got there at 4:35, as well as a few hundred other passengers. There were multiple tours that arrived back in port all at the same time.
What a day!

Today was BUSY! As we all know I got up early to watch the sunrise, and ended up staying topside all morning until we arrived in flam which was around 8. Leroy then had me in the North Star again for my early morning ride. I made it back to the room for our Starbucks and breakfast delivery. 
We then had our first excursion of the day which was the Flam railway. This is a short 20km section of railway that goes from Flam to Myrdal where you can connect to the Bergren-Oslo Line. This section is the steepest railway in Europe and a great way to see some scenery. Along the journey you pass picturesque villages with a church from 1667, amazing waterfalls and steep escarpments. You climb 864 meters with an average gradient of 1:18, passing through 20 tunnels including one that turns 180 degrees. 
 
View of Flam from the North Star. Flam has a full time population of about 400 people, and it’s main industry is tourism.

Our own little Vikings we’re ready to go.

On the way up, here is the church from 1667

So many sights.

We even spotted an elusive Lulubot outside of her natural habitat! 

 
The train does make a stop for pictures at the Kjofossen Waterfall. These falls have a free fall of 305 feet. While there you must try not to become under the spell of the Huldra who will try to lure you into the mountains for good. She can be seen here…..I was tempted to stay, but a stern look from The Boss set me straight and I quickly returned to the train. 

 
Once at Myrdal Station, the train stops briefly before heading back down the mountain. 


The ride was fun and a good way to see a lot of things quickly, but we all remarked, that you do see them quickly before you pass them by. The total journey is about two hours.

A couple more, totally worth getting up super early for! This is the final approach into Flam.

And even more? Lol Some videos on IG as well. 
Simply gorgeous sail in this morning! 

Who wants more pictures?
 

Arriving into Flam. Today brings us deep into a fjord. I woke up at 4:10 to catch the sunrise
 

After dinner we headed off to see the Headliner magic show (Jamie Allan). D13 wanted to go, she likes that sort of thing. It was entertaining. The ship is moving quite a bit tonight again and we are (or at least I am) planning for an early wake up to watch the sail into Flam tomorrow. It is supposed to be “quite dramatic” as Joff (our CD) describes it. Headed off to bed. These European cruises are pretty exhausting lol. 
 
With that, I will leave you with two “Behind the Scenes” shots to prove the “Lulu Bot” is indeed real (but dressed in my standard Lulu as usual lol) and not a shadow as some describe it 😉
 

After resting for a bit we got ready and met up with @GregDand The Boss for a quick drink at the Schooner Bar before dinner. Greg brought his laptop down to show us his pics from their excursion and we were throughly jealous. I really wish I would have not hesitated and booked that excursion early on. 
 
Dinner brought us to Chops tonight. It was actually my first time to Chops on a Quantum class ship. Much nicer venue than Chops on Oasis class, but shame because the lifeboats completely block your views of everything.