Note: I cannot add one photo due to the poor WiFi signal aboard the ship. Once we arrive in Nevada in early September, we can post our photos from Edinburgh and this cruise. Of course, we’ll continue to try to add photos each day! We are sorry for the inconvenience. Perhaps, when this cruise ends, we can start posting photos while on the upcoming Celebrity cruise in 13 days. We’ll continue taking photos and writing text daily, if possible.
Again, this morning, I attempted to download one photo from our main page Alas, no such luck. Although, as we write here now, situated comfortably in the Mosaic Cafe on Deck 5 with my big mug filled to the brim with delicious iced coffee. (Tom just finished his caramel macchiato) and we’ve already been off the ship to see the village of Olden, Norway.
The ship’s brochure describes Olden as follows:
“Olden, Norway, a picturesque village encircled by awe-inspiring fjords and glaciers. Surrounded by natural beauty, it beckons travelers to explore the enchanting Briksdal Glacier and immerse themselves in Norwegian traditions. With warm hospitality and outdoor adventures, Olden is a captivating destination for nature lovers and culture enthusiasts alike.”
We realize these ship-generated comments about each location are becoming redundant, but with the poor WiFi signal on the ship, any help I can get to complete a post is worthwhile.
This morning, after breakfast, we boarded one of the ship’s lifeboats, used as tenders to get us from the bay to the port, which only has a dock sufficient for one cruise ship, which was already occupied with the Costa Fascinosa, in the bay as described:
“Olden is a village and urban area in the municipality of Stryn in Vestland county, Norway …Olden by the shores of Oldebukta, a terminal bay in Nordfjorden.”
Once we arrived on land, we took a shuttle bus to the center of town. But, the small village had little that appealed to us. There were a few tourist shops and tiny cafes, but nothing prompted us to stay long. We took several photos, and in no time, we were back on the bus and headed back to the tender and then the ship.
Upon our return, it was quiet on the ship, with so few passengers on this smaller ship. Stephen, the cruise director, sent me some information on the ship’s demographics for this specific cruise which stated as follows in this email he sent a few days ago:
“Hi, Jessica and Tom,
Lovely to meet you yesterday, and I found some time today to poke around the website – very cool and impressive! Looks like you’ve had a lifetime of adventures
I’ve attached a breakdown of the demographics for this voyage to use as you’d like. Let me know if there’s anything else you would want – metrics or basic ship information.
The average age for this voyage is 70 and probably a touch higher than our typical, which I would put around 67 – itinerary and length of voyage always play a factor; longer and more unique itineraries tend to pull in a more experienced crowd.
The current guest count is 562 after a few late arrivals, and the max capacity is just under 700 – 694 if I recall correctly.
Fun fact – the Journey is one of 8 identical ships originally part of Renaissance cruise lines that were only around for a couple of years in the early 2000s. The ships were numbered R1-R8, and the Journey was R6. Azamara now has 4 of that fleet, and Oceania operates the other 4.
I’m sure I’ll see you around more, so feel free to ask anything else!
Cheers,
Stephen Millett / Cruise Director”
We appreciate Stephen’s quick response to our inquiry and this interesting information. It’s been lovely sailing on a smaller ship of this size with its small number of passengers.
Last night after dinner, we experienced some rough seas that continued well into the evening. We were seated in a lovely bar, The Living Room, while the live band played a wide array of current music and many oldies. The ship was rocking and rolling, but we decided to get up and dance anyway. It was quite fun and funny as we hung onto each other while dancing to keep from tipping over as the ship rocked and rolled during the rough seas.
After the band stopped around 11:00 pm, we had little interest in heading to bed. We returned to the Spirits Bar, where we ran into Cheryl, John, and several other couples we chatted with for a while. We didn’t get back to our cabin until 1:00 am! We are having such fun we hardly worry about getting to bed early.
Although we’re carefully monitoring how much we drink, I continue to be thrilled not to have a headache and facial pain for five days in a row. Wow! This is so exciting; I feel like dancing! Duh, which we’re also doing!
Be well.
..Photo from ten years ago, August 5, 2013:
