Category Archives: Disney Cruise Line

Disney’s Magic in Norway – Bergen

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Bergen-sceneryOn Thursday, June 11th, we arrived at our final port of call, Bergen.  All ashore time was scheduled for 7:45 am and we were to be back aboard by 5:15 pm.  Our family intended to make the most of the time we had in this incredible city!  Of all the things we’d done and the amazing places we’d visited on this vacation, Bergen was my favorite port.

We were up, had eaten breakfast in Cabanas, and were waiting at our assigned group meeting area in Fathom’s for the day’s excursion:  Walking tour of Bergen (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) with a visit to both the Hanseatic Museum and the overlook on Mount Floyen. Bergen-Ship-in-Harbor Bergen-Norway-Waterfront Bergen-Norway Bergen-Norway-Buildings We love history and Bergen has wonderfully well-preserved buildings dating back to the 18th Century in the Bryggen area of the wharf.Bergen-tour-guide

Our group headed off the Magic and found our guide, Elena, waiting for us on the dock.  Elena, originally from St. Petersburg and married to a Norwegian, was cheerfully enthusiastic and full of interesting facts about Bergen’s past and present.  She was a wonderful guide and took time to answer questions and make sure everyone had plenty of time to take pictures of all the amazing things we saw that morning.  Bergen-TowerWe walked from the ship to the museum, stopping along the way to learn about Bergen, which was originally founded on a Viking settlement in 1070.  We walked past the Bergenhus Fortress and Rosenkrantz Tower and learned about Bergen’s medieval history before making our way to the Hanseatic Museum.  Bergen-Hanseatic-Museum-ExteriorHere we were able to see how the German merchants who ran the sea trade in Bryggen lived and worked.  One building,  Finnegården, originally owned by merchant J. W. Olsen, gives visitors an excellent look at living and working conditions during Bryggen’s heyday.  Bergen-Hanseatic-Museum3 Bergen-Hanseatic-Museum2 Bergen-museum-old-photo Bergen-museum-seals If you’re into history, this place is incredible!  Norwegian fishermen supplied the stock fish for the merchants, cod being the most popular.  The fish, once dried, had a shelf-life of 4-5 years and was shipped all over Europe.  Cod liver oil and other fish products were also produced. Bergen-Hansiatic-Museum1 Bergen-Museum-artifacts

Moving on from the museum, we walked a short distance to the building where we would catch the funicular to Mount Floyen and end our tour with a spectacular view of Bergen.  The crowds were heavy and Elena did her best to keep us entertained while we waited for our turn to board the funicular.  Bergen-funicular-viewBergan-to-Mt.-FloyenThis enclosed tram runs up and down the mountain all day and is a popular mode of transportation for the people who live on Mount Floyen as well as tourists.  The view was spectacular, but it was cold and windy on that mountain!  Thanking Elena, we headed back down to Bergen to find the fish market and lunch!Bergen-View-from-Mt-Floyen

This was such a treat!  At the fish market, customers can check out the different vendors’ fresh fish, select a meal combination, and wait at a patio table for the selected fish to be cooked and served.  Bergen-fishmarket-counter Bergen-fishmarket-selectionThe choices were amazing!  Cod, shrimp, whale steaks, oysters, crabs, salmon, and much more – cooked while you wait.  Our seafood was served with potato salad, a green salad, and a couple of slices of rye bread.  Bergen-fishmarket-display Bergen-fishmarket-seatingWe ordered what our server called “light beer” (due to the low alcohol content street vendors are restricted to serving) to enjoy with our meal.  As we placed our orders with the sweet young lady at the counter, she had one question for our family, “Are you from the Disney ship?” When we told her we were indeed sailing on the Magic, she wanted to know what was a Disney ship? We had fun explianing it to her!  Bergen-fishmarket-tableI feel terrible for not taking a picture of our food for you!  One minute we were waiting for our meal, then the server brought our plates, and the next thing I knew, I was scraping up the very last bit of potato salad with my last bite of bread.  Delicious!!!Bergen-Street

Until reaching Bergen, we really hadn’t done much shopping for souvenirs.  Fortified by our excellent lunch, we had plenty of time to explore Bergen’s shops – and explore we did!  The shopping in Bergen was really fantastic – we were glad we’d waited.  (No, we didn’t purchase any Disney dolls, but there were plenty to choose from!)  Bergen-Window-Shopping Bergen-shopping-area Bergen-Moose-Leather-shopCraftsmen and artists had workshops attached to small shops selling everything from jewelry to moose-leather goods.  We shopped in antique stores, Christmas stores, clothing boutiques and the artists’ shops.  Bergen-manhole-cover Bergen-cobblestones

Dried Fish Statue

Dried Fish Statue

Megan and Joseph went one way and Raymond and I another – we had as much fun exploring as we did picking out our souvenirs and even had time to relax over beers in an Irish pub.  When we found the giant dried fish statue, we were able to tell some puzzled tourists what it was and its significance to Bergan’s history.  Bergen-Irish-Pub Bergen-Pub-interiorOn the way back to the ship, I stopped trying to resist the lure of the bakeries!  Megan and I selected treats to munch on while we walked.  Bergen-bakeryI can tell you this:  Skolebrod (School bread) in Norway is incredible!!!  Dense, moist, loaded with custard and generously sprinkled with coconut, it was the perfect snack and a wonderful way to end the day.Bergen-Skolebrod-wrapper Bergen-Skolebrod

Ahead of us that evening would be the Freezing the Night Away deck party and the next day would be our last at-sea day – our vacation was winding down, but we felt like we were getting to see and do so much fun stuff!!!  I’ll be back to let you know how we ended this fabulous vacation.  Thanks for reading!DCL-Frozen-Menu

As always, if you have any quesions about this trip (or any of our other ones), I’ll be happy to tell you what I can.

Links to the other parts of this trip report:

 

 

Disney’s Magic in Norway – Geiranger

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Disney’s Magic in Norway – Geiranger

This particular day of our vacation was so bazaar!  Commodore Tom had made it clear – the ship’s arrival in Geiranger was NOT to be missed and strongly recommended we make our way to the ship’s upper-most deck at 5:30 am.  Yes, 5:30 IN THE MORNING!  On vacation!  But we were completely swept up in the excitement and did indeed rise (certainly without one whit of shine), bundle up, and make our way up-top to see the famous Seven Sisters waterfall on one side and another waterfall named The Suitor across from them.  RM-Geirangerfjord-WaterfallIf it had been sunny instead of raining, the view would have been absolutely breathtaking.  Even in the rain, it was pretty darn amazing.

What we loved about crowding at the railing to see the ship make her way along the fjord toward Geiranger was the number of familiar Cast Members we saw – their excitement was contagious!  RM-GeirangerfjordAs we approached the quaint and tiny town at the end of the fjord, the excitement built and so did the number of people on deck to watch the show.  Finally, the ship actually spun around – seemingly in place – to be in the right spot for the floating dock to come out and meet her.

We were exhausted.  Exciting excursions, early starts and late nights were taking their toll.  Luckily, our excursion for this day in Geiranger was not until after lunch.  While we normally are the family who does not slow down on vacation, we needed to be more rested for our Sky to Fjord bicycle adventure – I got some strange looks when I suggested a nap, but nobody disagreed that it would be a huge help.  At about 7:00 am, we headed back to our cabin and promptly fell asleep.  Three-and-a-half hours later, we were feeling much better and ready to get out there and discover what Geiranger was all about.Geiranger-Guide-Bicycle-Tour

We met our group in Fathoms at 12:45 pm, bundled in layers.  Our guide was waiting on the pier to lead us on a short walk to the bicycle tour headquarters where we would get our helmets, vests, and gloves.  Bicycle-Tour-PrepIt was cold and misting, but we were genuinely excited about the adventure ahead of us.  Once we’d received our gear, we boarded a bus for the trip up the mountain above the town.  Geiranger-Street-Signs Geiranger-RoadwayAs we made our way along what felt like an endless series of switchbacks on the narrow roadway, our guide (I know, I should know his name, but I don’t) filled us in on the history of Geiranger – which happens to be such a popular vacation destination that the 250 year-round residents are nearly all employed in the tourism industry.  During the short summer months, the population swells with seasonal workers and tourists.

Our guide was excellent and sprinkled his history lesson with safety information – if we see a bus coming as we’re bicycling down the mountain, we should stop well before any switchback as the bus will take up the entire road to make the turn.  Hmmm- Good to know!  We were also informed that due to the steep grade, our bicycles were equipped with hydraulic disc breaks rather than the usual ones.  This was the first indication that this adventure might be terrifying extra exciting!Geiranger-Bus

We kept getting higher and soon, we were above the trees in a wide-open, completely frozen landscape.  The snow walls along the roadside were incredibly tall!  RM-Geirangerfjord-Snow RM-Geirangerfjord-Bicycles Geiranger-Sky-to-Fjord-Frozen-Lake There was a frozen lake right next to the area where our bicycles were set out.  Our first task was to find a bicycle the right size for each of us.  This took a while – long enough for us to start getting very wet from the sleet that was falling.Geiranger-Meg-on-the-MountainThen we were off.  At first, in spite of riding into a stiff wind, I was doing a pretty good job of keeping up with Raymond and Joseph.  Megan was not far behind me.  This lasted only a short time.  I was shaken by the warning signs along the road about the steep grade – I rode very conservatively, breaking regularly to slow my speed on the slick roads.  Especially after that first stop where I learned that Joseph had wrecked and would be sporting a bit of Norwegian road rash as a souvenir.  Geiranger-Family-PhotoStill he was thrilled about this excursion and later announced that is was the best and most fun vacation adventure we’d ever had.  As we rode down that mountain, my attention was completely focused on two things – how hard I was shivering and how much I did not want to plummet to my death.

When we finally reached Geiranger, I felt elated (and traumatized) – Raymond, Megan and Joseph were waiting for me in the bicycle barn.  We spent a few minutes in town looking around in some shops.  We found the merchandise heavy on the cheesy souvenirs with  “made in China” labels.  We decided to wait until the next port to do our shopping.  Soaked to the skin and still freezing, I left everyone else behind and ran the length of the floating dock all the way back to the ship, visions of a hot shower in my head.

Luckily, we managed some first aid for Joseph’s poor elbow (the worst of his injuries is under the Band-Aid) before we left our stateroom for the evening.  Geiranger-Road-RashWe were back in Carioca’s for dinner which was the “Captain’s Gala” and very delicious.  The show that night, The Magic of Light, featured a dance act that had been featured on Italia’s Got Talent called Evolution. Carioca's-Captain's-GalaShow-Magic-of-LightLobster-TowelHonestly, we were too tired to enjoy the show as much as we might have otherwise.  The next day we would reach our final port, Bergen, for yet another big day of excitement and adventure.  Stay tuned!

I was too nervous to even try to film with my GoPro as we rode, but I did manage to film some of our stops.  You can see that video on YouTube here.

Links to the other parts of this trip report:

 

 

 

Disney’s Magic in Norway – Alesund

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Note:  This post is part of a series of articles detailing our adventures aboard Disney Cruise Line’s inaugural cruise through the Norwegian Fjords.  Follow the links at the end of this post to read about other parts of our trip.

Our second port in Norway was Alesund.  After our incredible, but exhausting, experience on the previous day’s hike to Pulpit Rock, we were not 100% – Luckily, the kayaking excursion we’d booked for Alesund wouldn’t begin until after lunch.  Of the four of us, Megan was the one feeling the worst.  She was battling a vicious head cold that began the day before with a sore throat and was gaining traction with every passing hour.  Initially, we thought maybe she was having an allergic reaction to something – we are a pretty hearty bunch and are rarely sick.  Even a cold would be unusual.  By the time we were up and about, the situation was undeniable.  With plenty of time to spare before we needed to meet for our kayaking excursion, we decided to see if we could find a drug store in Alesund and pick up a decongestant and some cough drops.

The weather was, big surprise, chilly and cloudy.  We left the ship and made our way into town.  Easy to navigate on foot, Alesund was a tidy and welcoming with a handy drug store not far from a small indoor shopping center we’d explored first.  Alesund-Walking Alesund-Street Alesund-Shopping Alesund-MallA helpful shop clerk was kind enough to direct us.  A wonderfully kind woman in the drug store was sympathetic and eager to assist.  In no time at all we had everything from a multi-pack of travel-sized tissues, to nose spray, cough drops, and Carmex (cherry flavored).  We made our way back to the ship to get ready for the day’s main adventure and by the time we met in Fathom’s at 1:15, Megan was feeling much better.

From the description of our Kayak Adventure in Alesund, we were expecting to explore the town along the fjord where it ran between the city’s colorful buildings.  Alesund-Fjord-ViewThe kayak tour’s headquarters was located right on this waterway.  Instead, we met our guide, Matt, and after receiving some basic kayak instructions and suiting up in our life-vests and kayaking “skirts”, we walked back to the area where the Magic was docked to board our kayaks.  That was the first of several things we found odd right away. (Notice the look of suspicion on Joseph’s face.)  Alesund-Kayaking-Prep Alesund-Kayak-Demo Alesund-Kayak-Guide Alesund-Kayaking-Equipment Alesund-Kayak-AdventureOur guide was from…you’ll never guess….Australia!  AND he’d been in Norway only a couple of weeks.  We realized that we would not be learning about Alesund’s history and culture from an Alesund native – or even a Norwegian.  Our group was very large – so many guests on the same excursion made us worry about how much (or little) we might actually see.  Lastly, the age limit for this activity seemed very low.  Too low, as we would soon discover.Alesund-Norway

This tour was supposed to last about three hours.  We’d already spent 30 minutes on the safety instructions, equipment distribution, and walking to the dock.  There were so many of us, it literally took another hour to get everyone into their 2-person boats.  Since we were among the first to leave the dock, we spent this time sitting in one place, in a holding pattern, among an ever-growing group of kayaks.  We were spending our valuable tour time floating in place.Alesund-Sea-Kayaking

This is where we first notice that we had, in our midst, a loud, obnoxious child who made Dennis the Menace seem like an angel.  He wasn’t just annoying because he yelled everything he said (and spoke incessantly), he was a trouble-maker of unimaginable talent and spent a great deal of our excursion trying to cause problems between his mom and “Uncle Steve”.  Clearly, mom and Steve did not get along, this kid knew it, and fanned the flames of family drama in any and every way possible.  After a while, it became clear that this child, who shared a kayak with his dad, was a chip off the old block.  The whole exercise proved much too difficult for father and son – poor Matt-from-Australia ended up having to tow them back to the pier.  Subjected to the son’s manipulative commentary the entire way.

Once our tour was finally able to get moving, we didn’t manage to go very far.  Our guide was frantically trying to keep everyone in a tight formation as we made our way down the fjord.  To keep us together, we were instructed to stop and wait – over and over.  The water grew choppier as we paddled along, and soon we were spread out over quite a distance.Alesund-Norway2

Megan and Joseph were in one Kayak, Raymond and I in another.  Guys were in front, leaving Megan and I in charge of steering – which involved a definite learning curve as the rudder was operated with our feet as we tried to make sure we paddled in sync with our leaders.  We worked hard and were moving well, in spite of the zig-zag pattern we made.  We were trying as hard as we could to keep up with Matt so we could hear what he was saying about Alesund’s history and what we were seeing along the shore.  Matt’s frustration grew, we were running out of time, and there were too many boats to keep up with.Alesund-Dock

It took an extremely long time for the huge group to cover a short distance.  Then it was time to turn around and head back to the dock.  This (could have been such fun!  Instead it felt like a waste of time and money.  A Cast Member who happened to take this excursion with us) later asked me what I thought about it.  I immediately offered that while the excursion had lots of potential, the group was too large and the age limit too low.  I suggested 16 as the minimum and she replied that she was thinking 18 and would be making a note to suggest a change.

All in all, we had a good time exploring Alesund both before and after kayaking.  We had fun on the excursion because we were together and visiting someplace new.  Sure, we wished we’d booked a private tour in this case, but we still got to have an adventure of sorts.  Dinner that night was in Animator’s Palate and we ran into Viking Goofy along the way.Lisa-and-Raymond-Animator's Joe-and-Meg-Animator'sViking-Goofy

Next up?  The scariest adventure of all!  Mountain to Fjord Biking!!!  Thanks for reading.

Links to the other parts of this trip report:

 

 

Disney’s Magic in Norway – Hiking to Pulpit Rock

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Stavanger-Title-PicThe evening before reaching the port of Stavanger, Norway, we received a note in our stateroom:

 “Dear Guests, 

Thank you for booking the SV05 Hike to Pulpit Rock in Stavanger.  As you are aware, this is an ACTIVE Hiking tour and we want to remind you to keep hydrated and please ensure you have all the appropriate outerwear and shoes to participate in this port adventure.  Thanks so much and have a great Hike! 

Kind Regards, Port Adventures Team / Disney Magic”

Interesting!  Our first warning from Disney Cruise Line that we’d booked an ACTIVE tour!  We thought it was funny…until…

Disney’s Magic in Norway – Hiking to Pulpit RockStavanger-Port-Norway

Remember, I tried to book interesting, action-packed port adventures.  After being criticized by my offspring for some “boring” excursions on the 2011 Wonder-in-Alaska cruise, I was NOT booking anything remotely mild.  To kick things off, I booked a full day’s activity – an 8-hour tour that started with a motor coach ride to a ferry, ferry ride to more motor coach action, and finally, a 4-5 hour hike up to the world famous Pulpit Rock (and back down again).  This hike was not for wimps!  The stateroom warning card was proof!!!  It was not a cheap undertaking, this port adventure, but if I booked through Disney Cruise Line, I knew I was paying for peace of mind – if we returned later than the all-aboard time, the ship would not leave without us!Stavanger-Norway

If I remember correctly, we were to meet sometime around 8:15 am in Fathoms.  We got up early, bundled in layers and hiking shoes, and hit the Cabana’s Buffet for breakfast.  We were really excited and ready to go on time.  Once the ship had been cleared for all-ashore, we headed out with the other members of our tour group to meet our guide, Paul.  Paul was kind, easy going, and very welcoming as he ushered us along the pier to our very comfortable motor coach.  We’d packed the new backpack we’d received as a Castaway Club gift with trail mix, nuts, granola bars, and water.  We’d actually brought the snacks with us from home, having read that we’d have a long day ahead of us and would want the extra food.Pulpit-Rock-Guide-Paul

By 10:00 am, we’d reached the starting point for our hike.  In the parking lot, Paul distributed our box lunches (included with the excursion and he took this responsibility very seriously) – these were large-ish Styrofoam containers holding an unwrapped sandwich, apple, candy bar, and bottle of water.  There was absolutely no way we could carry these with us, so we left them in our seats on the bus – hoping they’d keep until we returned.  At around 10:15, we started the hike to Pulpit Rock – it was around 52-degrees out and overcast.

Paul was very clear with his pre-adventure warning – it would take us the same amount of time to reach Pulpit Rock as it would to hike back down.  The goal was to reach the plateau by noon (or so) and begin the trip back down by 12:40 pm at the latest.  No pressure!  Personally, I was feeling ultra confident at this point – my family is in excellent shape!  We would have absolutely no problem making the hike in the allotted time period – Paul would need to worry about those other families, not mine!  THEN we started the hike – walking up a wide, gravel path…and it felt like we were walking straight up! (See elevation map a the top of the page.)Pulpit-Rock-Slope

I was out of breath immediately.  Surely this was due to the fact that I was carrying the full backpack, right?  Or maybe it was the altitude in Norway (Louisiana is extremely flat and mostly at sea level).  Raymond took a turn carrying the snacks.  Megan and I were walking together and, for a short time, we could see Raymond and Joseph ahead of us.  They were getting farther and farther away, then we lost them completely.

After the gravel path ended, the real work began.  We were on an extremely rocky, sometimes very narrow upward path.  The rocks were of an amazing variety of shapes, sizes and texture.  Some were slippery where water ran in streams between the stones.  It was like climbing up an endless flight of stairs – where each individual stair was of a different height and angle.  The only way to take in our surroundings was to stop completely for a look around – otherwise, all we did was watch our feet to make sure we stepped carefully!  Every time we stopped, the view took our breath away…or maybe it was the climb.  No matter, we were working hard and had amazing things to see.Pulpit-Rock-Hike-Selfie

Occasionally, we’d get a break in a valley with a wooden walkway or on a flat plateau, but ever mindful of the time constraint, we pushed onward and upward.  We couldn’t help but notice when the path became extremely narrow along the edge of a cliff – one wrong step and…View-Hike-to-Pulpit-Rock

After an hour and a half, we were nearing Pulpit Rock – Megan and I were feeling a great sense of accomplishment.  Coming so close to the edge of disaster over and over completely desensitized us…when we reached the incredible Pulpit Rock, we were able to walk right up to the edge and have a seat!  Pulpit-Rock Pulpit-Rock-Hike-View Fjord-View-Pulpit-RockUnfazed by the danger of falling, we were euphoric!  We’d made it and the final destination was worth every bit of the effort it had taken to get there!

Sure, we were happy, but also really thirsty and starving!  It was time to find Raymond and Joseph and, more importantly, the backpack.  We had about 50 minutes to relax and enjoy the views before we had to head back down.Raymond-and-Lisa-Pulpit-Rock

Now, logic would dictate that going up would be harder than going down – not so in Norway!  The trip back down to the bus was, to me, more difficult than the climb.  Rocky-Slope-Down-From-Pulpit-RockThe rocks were slippery and I fell onto my bottom more than once.  I counted myself lucky – I was well-padded and didn’t suffer anything worse than a little hurt pride.  By the time I reached the busses, the rest of my family had been waiting a little while.  All of us were happy with our first day in Norway.  (Some of us might have been a bit sore the next day.)

We made the reverse trip to the port – back on the bus, the ferry, and the bus again before bidding Paul goodbye.  The next day would bring a new and completely different adventure – Sea Kayaking in Alesund, Norway.

Thanks for following along!  Watch this adventure’s YouTube video here.

Links to the other parts of this trip report: