Bucket List Trip ticked all the boxes

Reviews

Seriously......The Best!

My wife had been hankering after this particular cruise for some years. The advertising brochure stated that the Coastal Express journey along the coast of Norway was: "The World's Most Beautiful Voyage." "Yeah!" I thought, "that's just over-stated marketing hype." How wrong was I? it was truly sublime! The food was very varied and tasty. The on-board briefings and lectures were well-researched and highly informative. The scenery was absolutely unparalleled. The air was clean, clear and invigorating. We met some fascinating fellow travellers. Although I'm sure there were some criticisms to be made, I couldn't think of any.

5

Hurtigruten MS Nordkapp

Reviews

Excellent organization and service

Everything I expected and more. Unexpectedly good weather

5

Hurtigruten MS Nordkapp

Reviews

Fantastic food, staff and scenery

Boarding was slightly trying as there was a long queue however after that, it was an amazing trip. The facilities were excellent with a choice of restaurants , although we stayed in the main included one, because the food at every meal was absolutely first class. With a coeliac in the party there was pre-voyage concern, but the staff were very aware, careful about cross contamination and everything was labelled with allergens so it was easy to pick suitable things. There was always lots to eat! At breakfast there was an area with a separate toaster, cereals and bread for coeliacs. The service could not have been better, the staff were exceptionally pleasant and helpful. Trips ashore were well organised and there were interesting talks each day on the ports, wildlife and sights where we were going next. Weather curtailed the trip as we were stuck in Tromso, but Hurtigruten organised flights to take us up to Kirkenes as we were flying back from there. We did get to go up to the Russian border. We took the six day from Bergen to Kirkenes. Altogether one of the best trips we have taken.

4

Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald

Reviews

A dream

What a great voyage with super destinations, very kind, friendly and attentive personnel. Super food and drinks. It was a dream come true!

5

Hurtigruten MS Trollfjord

Reviews

Probably as good as October/November gets

A trip on the Fred. Olsen ship Bolette to The Azores, Madeira, Spain (Cadiz) and Portugal (Lisbon and Oporto). Anyone embarking on an Atlantic cruise in October should be aware that there are likely to be more showers than sunshine weather-wise. However, the friendly welcome and the smooth arrangements for embarkation, lifeboat drill and dining were second-to-none. The choice of excursions and the local guides engaged was also well-planned and interesting, as was the range of talks and activities arranged by onboard experts. We failed to see any whales, porpoises or dolphins - maybe the message that we had arrived on deck clutching binoculars prompted a chain of undersea cetacean communication, "Ok, they're back again - dive, dive!" The evening shows were generally very good, although some singing voices were more tuneful than others! All-in-all a very pleasing cruise experience and value for money.

5

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Bolette

Reviews

The fans won't like me...

The RC loyalists won't like me, but this was an average cruise. The main dining got repetitious. and while usually fine we ended up on the Windjammer and Solarium Bistro often. Service was good - they obviously try to please. What really sucked was the lack of information on the ports we visited. We were very pleased with RC's Arctic from Amsterdam to NYC because a college professor gave talks on the ports, culture, and history of Iceland, Greenland, and Canada. This cruise had one 1/2 presentation that briefly described the excursions offered. The worst example was at the Meet The Officers when a fellow in a wheelchair explained that RC had no way to shuttle him into Akita from the terminal. On his here found out that the port has a cruise ship terminal train that is handicapped accessible and cost $2.00 ( the RC shuttle that he couldn't take was $20). The officer said he was as sorry but it was the first time in Akita. What a terrible excuse! Maybe you could talk to the port authorities for five minutes? Or maybe RC just wanted the shuttle money? Anyway, very poor performance. I got off in Tokyo, where we continue to use the Suica app on our phones to pay for most everything - we watched cruisers taking forever to get train or bus paid, while we breezed through. We luckily did our own research and l will make it a point to put information on Hong Kong's Octopus Card on the Quantum Facebook page - it's super easy to use for transportation, stores and restaurants. And guaranteed RC won't mention it.

3

Royal Caribbean International Quantum of the Seas