bethr_20

@FionaMG yes - the glacier was beautiful! Hoping that your holiday was as magical as ours was!
As for the repositioning, we're currently half-tempted to do the Dubai-Singapore leg (as that's the itinerary that most interests us). Our youngest daughter isn't very happy though because she'll be doing her alevel mocks at the time of the cruise so she wouldn't be able to join us - this is ironic as she's the one who books our family holidays! Our son will be in his doctorate programme, and our other daughter will be in university, so it might just be my husband and I on the cruise, but we'll have to wait and see whether it's financially feasible before we confirm anything...
 

Your pics are beautiful! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. 🥰
We had an amazing time too and are seriously considering going back again next year, at which point the glacier will be on our "to do" list.
If you and hubby do do the Dubai-Singapore cruise, I guess you'll have to "compensate" youngest daughter with another cruise later on that she can join you on! 😂

@FionaMG yes - the glacier was beautiful! Hoping that your holiday was as magical as ours was!
As for the repositioning, we're currently half-tempted to do the Dubai-Singapore leg (as that's the itinerary that most interests us). Our youngest daughter isn't very happy though because she'll be doing her alevel mocks at the time of the cruise so she wouldn't be able to join us - this is ironic as she's the one who books our family holidays! Our son will be in his doctorate programme, and our other daughter will be in university, so it might just be my husband and I on the cruise, but we'll have to wait and see whether it's financially feasible before we confirm anything...
 

I wonder whether there would be a 'discount' for booking all 3 legs, as currently they have to be booked seperatly. Had been waiting with bated breath for this itinerary to be released after our cruise on Anthem at the start of July because we had such an incredible time onboard - ironically we were sat right behind @FionaMGat the captain's corner when you asked about the repositioning! 
£4,702 in an inside cabin for 38 nights does seem like a lot of money for a repositioning, especially as the cruise isn't during peak season or at a feasible time for families or most employed people. The difference in price is crazy between this cruise and the TA cruises at the same time...

Yes, it really does! We were excited before but now we're constantly watching itinerary videos of YouTube and looking at photos of the beautiful Fjords. 
Also thank you so much, his first operation is tommrow and his second one is scheduled for the start of June so we're all a bit anxious at the minute but he should (🤞) be feeling ready by the time that we travel

Yes, it really does! We were excited before but now we're constantly watching itinerary videos of YouTube and looking at photos of the beautiful Fjords. 
Also thank you so much, his first operation is tommrow and his second one is scheduled for the start of June so we're all a bit anxious at the minute but he should (🤞) be feeling ready by the time that we travel

It's taken us a while, but we've finally booked our excursions!
 
Unfortunately, it now seems like my husband has to have 2 major operations in the weeks' prior to our cruise (7th July), so we've had to amend some of our plans to cater to his mobility issues. We had intended to hike to Briksdal Glacier (so we'd just pay for the bus segment), however we decided that it'd be better to get the troll cars instead. We went with Olden Adventures in the end, following many thoughts about booking the RCL itinerary, as it was a lot cheaper and the departure time was 10am so we wouldn't have to be rushing in the morning to leave for the excursion as early.
We also wanted to hike one way up to Mt Fløyen in Bergen but, again, we've now booked the funicular both ways to ensure that he'll be able to manage the rest of the cruise. Worst case scenario, he'll just stay on the ship when we're in port (we've made no plans for Geiranger or Haugesund just yet as a contingency).
 
Thank you all so much for your help 🙂
 

It's taken us a while, but we've finally booked our excursions!
 
Unfortunately, it now seems like my husband has to have 2 major operations in the weeks' prior to our cruise (7th July), so we've had to amend some of our plans to cater to his mobility issues. We had intended to hike to Briksdal Glacier (so we'd just pay for the bus segment), however we decided that it'd be better to get the troll cars instead. We went with Olden Adventures in the end, following many thoughts about booking the RCL itinerary, as it was a lot cheaper and the departure time was 10am so we wouldn't have to be rushing in the morning to leave for the excursion as early.
We also wanted to hike one way up to Mt Fløyen in Bergen but, again, we've now booked the funicular both ways to ensure that he'll be able to manage the rest of the cruise. Worst case scenario, he'll just stay on the ship when we're in port (we've made no plans for Geiranger or Haugesund just yet as a contingency).
 
Thank you all so much for your help 🙂
 

We are NEGATIVE! I am so relieved and feel like the enjoyment can now really begin. After all this time, money and planning we are actually going. 

I’m already in NYC for a trip with my sister. Trying out posting some pics from my phone real quick. Enjoy!
 

Geiranger should be one of the real highlights of our cruise, weather willing. 🤞
I have read that you should be up on the top deck around 4.30 am to enjoy the sail into the fjord. I'm not sure I'll make that but perhaps I'll make the effort. You get the same scenery sailing back out again in the afternoon but of course the light will be different and that can be significant especially for anyone looking to do some serious photography.
This site here has some gorgeous photos and videos, just to give you all a taste: https://www.visitnorway.com/places-to-go/fjord-norway/the-geirangerfjord/
The town itself appears to be very walkable from the ship, as you can see from this map.

The website shown on the map above has lots of helpful information, including another great map for anyone thinking of doing some independent hiking. It's a two-page PDF file that you can download here: https://www.visitgeiranger.com/hiking-map. DD and I are thinking of hiking up to Westeras Farm on our own. This site here offers a number of suggestions and photos: https://www.komoot.com/highlight/219354. It looks like it is perfectly doable without paying Royal $89 each to do it as an excursion.
Geiranger Fjord also has its own official website here: https://www.geirangerfjord.no/english. It has lots of suggested activities, including tours at considerably cheaper prices than our Cruise Planner. Just to give one example, the Mount Dalsnibba Summit tour, which looks great if you want to enjoy scenery from a high-up vantage point but don't want or aren't able to walk far, is currently selling in the CP at $92.99 per adult. You can book it on the Geiranger Fjord website for 430 NOK, which is about $38. I checked the timetable for the date we are in port and there are two departures, the first of which, at 10 am, would work nicely.
There are also a couple of panoramic bus tours that look to be very similar to Royal's offerings and, again, at much cheaper prices. I couldn't see any indication of whether or not they were accessible, though, so anyone needing that facility would be best to contact them and check.
 
 
 

Here are some ideas for Bergen.
There is lots of information on their visitor site here: https://en.visitbergen.com/visitor-information/brochures, including a brochure about the port itself, here: https://en.visitbergen.com/dbimgs/Port-of-Bergen-Cruise-info-2018-brochure.pdf
Although this is out of date (2018) but it does have maps and suggestions of things to do. There are other guides on the site that you can also download.
If you're looking for an easy day, the pretty town centre is within walking distance of the port.
One of the main attractions in Bergen is the funicular to the top of Mount Floyen: https://floyen.no/en The site has details of the various activities that can be done on the mountain and there's food and drink available too.
It's in walking distance from the port too and you can do a round trip or one-way up/down, walking the other way. It's wheelchair accessible and you don't need to buy tickets in advance.
I also found this useful blog post with details for a suggested self-guided walk (again, it's from 2018, but it looks like everything will be still be relevant to our dates): https://navigatethejungle.com/europe/norway/bergen-city-walking-tour/
 

Continuing with Olden, here is a useful blog post from UK blogger Emma: https://emmaonline.co.uk/olden-port/
I mentioned the Loen Skylift in one of my earlier posts and I have to admit to being rather surprised that Royal aren't offering an excursion to it. Maybe they will add one at some point. But in any case, this is the link to the Loen Skylift's own website: https://www.loenskylift.com/
There is lots of information on there, including how to get there. The same people that do the Briksdal shuttle also run a shuttle bus service to the Skylift: https://www.oldencruise.com/shore-excursions/loen-skylift-including-transfer/ It's a bit pricey but the ticket includes transport from the port and back, as well as the tickets for the Skylift itself and the bus appears to run continuously throughout the day.
The distance between the port and the Skylift is to be about 6 km (a bit less than 4 miles), so it's really a bit too far to walk. My research suggests that there may not be many taxis around so even if it might be cheaper by taxi than by taking the shuttle, it could be a bit of a risk if you can't get one to bring you back.
Delving further into the website, there are details of several different hikes that can be done from the cable car station at the top, so this might be a good option for anyone who wants to combine scenic sightseeing with some physical activity. There is also a shop/bar/restaurant facility at the top.

So, finally have a bit of time to share my thoughts.
Starting with Olden and the Briksdal Glacier since that was @bethr_20's original question.
I said in my original reply that Briksdal might not be the best bet for a July trip. This is because the glacier is reportedly shrinking and while it might still be quite impressive early in the season by mid-summer it could be disappointing. I haven't been there myself yet but these are taken from another board:
"Don't visit the Briksdal Glacier. After a long and exhausting walk we saw it across the valley and there was hardly anything to see." (Hampshirelad on CC).
"Olden offers some more fjord sailing in/out, and the skylift has replaced the climate-change-decimated Briksdal Glacier for scenic shore excursions." (kaisatsu on CC).
"Here’s the Briksdal glacier (what’s left of it):" (plus photo) (gumshoe958 on CC)

However, if you do still want to do it, the Olden Adventure people should be reliable (their livelihood depends on it). From what I can gather, they're right there by the dock, so the 9.30 departure should be feasible, assuming you can get your teens out of bed that early.  However, since the total length of the trip appears to be 3.5 hours, you would still be back in time to do a bit of exploring in the town.
One thing I did notice on their website is this: "There is continuous service throughout the day when the cruise ship is in port.", which would suggest to me that you may not be strictly limited to the 9.30 and 11.30 departure times and, consequently, probably don't even need to book in advance.
There is also a local bus to the glacier which is reportedly much cheaper. Last year's timetable is listed on Briksdal's own tourist site here: https://www.briksdal.com/travel-here but I couldn't find an updated one or a price list. From what I can gather, being a local bus, you wouldn't book in advance but this summer's information doesn't appear to be available yet on the bus company's website. So far, they're up to the 15th of May:

As well as mentioning the local bus, Briksdal's own website https://www.briksdal.com/briksdal-glacier provides a wealth of information about the glacier and the surrounding area, including the troll cars, if that's something that might interest you. Those come at an extra charge and look like fun but unless someone in your group is mobility-challenged, would probably not be necessary. And, of course, you can purchase the same food and drink at the lodge as that included in Royal's excursion and likely still come out ahead.

We are also sailing on July 5 2024, and looking for option for excursions.  We have always booked thru royal, but based on the start of this thread we may want to rethink that here.  We have also visited glaciers in the summer before and they were still awesome to see, looking forward to hearing thoughts on other ideas!

@FionaMG we're also on this cruise, waiting for your input! 🙂

@bethr_20
Just wanted you to know I've not forgotten. I'm simply snowed under at work right now. I promise I'll be back to you soon to share my pre cruise research 🙂

Thank you so much, there's no rush though! 

Hi @bethr_20 and welcome to the boards.
It looks like you're on the same sailing as my daughter and me (7th of July).
I don't have access to my stuff at the moment, but I can tell you right now that you absolutely don't need to book Royal's excursion to do Briksdal. It's definitely DIY-able. That said, it may not be your best option given the time of year, as the glacier shrinks in summer. Take a look at the Loen Skylift as a possible alternative.
I'll try and get back to you tomorrow to give you some suggestions.
And feel free to ask any other questions you might have. There are loads of very knowledgeable peeps here who simply love to share. 🙂

I can't speak to Norway specifically, as we are doing that cruise in 2024, but we frequently book with private companies, especially in Europe.  Good general practice is to email directly with a rep for the company rather than just booking the online form.  Often they can have a guide pick you up at the cruise port.  They will be able to advise the best time to book as well.  You will want to find out if they have a "back in time" guarantee, and you will want to read reviews on trip advisor and/or yelp to make sure no cruisers got stranded by them. 
Generally in Europe, we feel it is worth the very small risk of missing the ship (very small because cruise tourists are their life blood and they don't want to mess that up)  because it is relatively easy to get from one place to another so in theory we could meet the ship at the next call if absolutely necessary.  Obviously, we would never want to do that, and thus always book with companies that promise to have us back in time, and have the reviews to back that up.  But it is a tiny risk, versus the cruise excursion, where they will wait for you.  We don't often feel that this one thing is worth the extra cost of booking through the cruise line.  
 

Oh wow I didn't even think of that! We have $500 onboard credit so I'll definitely be cautious if I try to request it. That said, we emailed our TA and they did say that the likelihood is that they can't change anything, so we're probably just going to stick with where we are; the cabin isn't bad at all and we're still very happy with it, so it's no real loss! 
Thank you all for your help 🙂

That's unfortunate. UK rules offer very little leeway and mostly don't allow switches like this, I'm afraid. There's no harm in asking though; the worst they can do is say "no". If they say "yes", make sure they're not going to charge you any extra before you tell them to go ahead and make the switch.

You're not "annoying" them. It's their job; that's what they earn commission for. Plus, you won't be able to deal with Royal direct because you booked through an agent.
It's best to act quickly, though, while there are still options available to you.

Day 12 - our last day... 😭 Don't you just hate it when you come into the room and see these things on your bed?



We were at sea for our last day. I always prefer a sea day as the last day because you don't feel you're missing out on a port because you have to do the P-word.
The weather was not the best, heavy grey skies but admittedly quite mild and only a light breeze. However the lack of sunshine meant that the vast majority of guests forsook the outdoor pool area in favour of indoor venues. Front poolside lounger anyone?


We always like to go to Captain's Corner, which is normally held on the final morning. For some reason, they scheduled it really early - 9.15 am! Since it was to be held in Two70 we decided to have breakfast there. This was our first ever breakfast here and while the food was fine the fact that you have to ask for it and wait for it to be prepared instead of serving yourself can quickly lead to queues forming. I definitely prefer the buffet where you can just pick what you want and be on your way.
Quite a few other people had obviously had the same idea as us so even though we were well in advance of the start time for a change the decent seats with tables were already taken. We managed to snag the last of the tall ones over to the side where we still had a reasonable view.
Captain's Corner information sheet:


In the past you would have been given an officers' biography sheet at this event too but they have not been a thing since the restart. However, earlier in the cruise, precisely with this notion in mind, I had gone to Guest Services to ask for one. The senior GS lady, Alina, went well out of her way to get us one, albeit a shorter version than in the past. She explained to me that they were discontinuing them because it was so hard to keep them updated and, in fact, the one that she gave me was due to become largely obsolete within days because the Captain was leaving the ship at the end of our cruise and the CD and Hotel Manager at the end of the next one, immediately prior to the Trans-Atlantic.
Anyway, for what it's worth, here it is:

The questions asked and answered were largely the same as at any Captain's Corner, so nothing really worth reporting. However, they did say that "from tomorrow", i.e. the day we would be leaving the ship, masks were to become optional for crew members, and that news received a hearty round of applause.
With the weather not really conducive to outdoor activities and having already used up our free D internet days, we bit the bullet and bought a one-day pass for DH to keep him entertained for a bit. Of course, it being the last day, they'd bumped the price up from the normal $26.99 to $32.99. 🙄
Having done a bit of surfing on the net, we decided it was time for another little wander and we found a few very hardy souls braving the elements on the flowrider. They admitted to us that they were a bit cold... 🥶.
We then headed back inside to go to Guest Services because we'd been given tags for an early departure time despite having filled in the form saying we wanted the latest one. For once, there were actually a few people waiting in line but the crew member at the entrance told us not to worry, we didn't need new tags and could just get off at our leisure as long as it was after our tag number had been called. Nice. 😁
Patience is definitely a virtue. For the first time, on the very last afternoon of the cruise, we managed to get two comfy cushioned loungers in the solarium. We couldn't have cared less how dreary it was outside, you still can't beat a view like this:

We had actually considered going to watch Perry Grant's matinee show in the theatre this afternoon but there was no way we were going to give up those loungers! If you've not come across Perry before, he is an amazing entertainer. We only caught a few bits of his shows in the Schooner Bar during the cruise but he is definitely worth seeing.
With the packing all done, it was time for our last dinner.

These are the green bean croquettes off the vegan menu, which you'll find in the app. I don't think they have a paper version of the vegan menu. It's always worth checking it if you're struggling to find something you fancy on the main menu. I had had these before on Harmony and Odyssey and really liked them. There were actually three of them on the plate but I had already demolished one before I remembered to take the pic, so I hastily rearranged the remaining two.

DH had the cream of broccoli, also from the vegan menu, but I didn't get a pic of that at all. Still, it's not hard to imagine a bowl of green soup. In fact, it looked pretty much like the green dipping sauce that came with my croquettes, just in a bigger bowl! 😁
Garlic tiger shrimp, another of our regular favourites.

Tiramisu and a final slice of the Royal chocolate cake to tide me over until April next year.


We didn't make the farewell show, as it was at 9 pm and we weren't out of the restaurant in time.
Disembarkation on the final morning was very smooth. There was no buffet breakfast in the MDR this morning, only à la carte so we went to the WJ, which was busy as expected but not a complete zoo because by that time quite a lot of people had already left.
Our flight home from Bournemouth was not until 5 pm so we were heading back to the pre-cruise hotel where we would be able to store our bags for a few hours. Anybody can use this service at the hotel - Premier Inn Westquay - in exchange for a donation to a children's hospital. They have a tin at Reception for you to put your donation in. We hadn't booked a taxi to get us there as we weren't sure what time we'd be off the ship and I assumed (🙄) that there would be a quick turnover of taxis at the rank (wrong). It took a good half hour before we were able to get in a taxi for the 2-minute ride to the hotel.
With the weather being even less friendly than the day before, we were glad that there is a big indoor mall right next to this hotel, where we able to have a wander and some lunch before our pre-booked car from Westquay Cars picked us up promptly at 2 pm for the ride to the airport.
All in all, this was another great cruise, much more relaxing than the one we did in May on Odyssey because this time round we didn't do any excursions. No early starts, no visits to museum, churches and the like. We enjoyed our ports of call and we enjoyed the ship. I would be bound to say that since Odyssey is newer we preferred her over Anthem. I particularly liked what they did with the upper floor of the seaplex on Odyssey and I thought the entertainment was much better on Odyssey.
These were our first two experiences of Quantum class ships and I have to admit that, overall, we prefer Oasis class. We both missed the promenade (the esplanade really didn't compare), Central Park, the Boardwalk and the Aquatheatre. However that is just our personal preference and would certainly not prevent us from sailing on this ship or class of ship again. In fact, as I've already mentioned elsewhere on the boards, our next one is precisely on Anthem again, but this time from Bayonne as we recoup a trip to the Big Apple that got covidated early on in the pandemic.
Thanks to everyone who's been following along as I write this. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Time to start getting all my ducks in a row for the next one.
Until then, happy cruising and safe travels everyone! 😊
 
 

Muster stations are assigned based on the physical locations of the cabins.  Muster stations are basically the gathering point for your lifeboat in the event the ship needs to be evacuated.  If something were to happen overnight (when most everyone is in their cabins), there should be a fairly direct route from your cabin to your muster station so that everyone could get there quickly and efficiently.  Then, you would be led from the Muster to the lifeboat if necessary.  If something were to happen during the day when people are all over the ship, it would obviously be more chaotic to reach your muster station.
Each lifeboat only holds a certain number of people so it is not possible to reallocate your children to your muster station.  In fact, if the lifeboat capacity has been reached for a muster station, they will stop selling empty cabins in that section of the ship and prevent you from adding passengers to existing cabins even if there is an empty bed.
Since you have been assigned your cabin so early, it is possible you will be able to swap one of your cabins for a nearby cabin that is in the EXACT same category as the assigned cabin.  Just because you booked a balcony guarantee does not mean you can move to ANY balcony.  If you were assigned a E4 balcony cabin (for example) you would have to move to a different E4 balcony cabin.

We're book in a suite on this one. My husband and I and my two boys, with my sister, brother in law and nephews in a separate room. I'm so excited for it. We're doing the cruise to Norway before this as well. Can't wait til next summer 🙂