I’m off on a Norwegian Adventure

On Friday I head off on my Norwegian Fjord adventure with Royal Caribbean. We are flying from Belfast City as part of a fly cruise package on Independence of the Seas for 8 nights. I have been to Norway before doing a city break in Oslo but never to the Fjords area so we are really excited. Our itinerary is below.

Fri 31Aug2018                    Southampton, England  –              4:30 PM               Boarding

Sat 01Sep2018                   Cruising –              –              Cruising

Sun 02Sep2018                  Bergen, Norway                 12:00 PM             7:00 PM               Tendered

Mon 03Sep2018                Geiranger, Norway          11:00 AM            8:00 PM               Docked

Tue 04Sep2018                  Alesund, Norway             7:00 AM               4:00 PM               Docked

Wed 05Sep2018                Skjolden, Norway            8:00 AM               4:00 PM               Docked

Thu 06Sep2018                  Stavanger, Norway          7:00 AM               4:00 PM               Docked

Fri 07Sep2018                    Cruising –              –              Cruising

Sat 08Sep2018                   Southampton, England  5:30 AM               –              Departure

This will be the first cruise that my brother is coming on with us. He has never been on a cruise before and I know he will be grand when we are in port as there is plenty to see and do but he is a little worried about what to do on board for the two sea days.

This is actually something a lot of first time cruisers ask me so I thought I would share the top five tips of how to occupy yourself on Sea Days below.

Relax at the pool

Whether you are travelling alone or with children the pool area will be an important part of your sea day. Whilst every ship has a pool, some offer much much more in that department so you really will need to take that into consideration if the pool is a big thing for you. Many now come complete with water parks and keep the whole family entertained in splash zones, flow riders and water coaster slides!!

Just as important are the adult only areas and safe havens where those traveling either with more mature passengers or just those who don’t want their relaxation to be disturbed by the shrieks of children or the deadly splash of cold water if you are unlucky enough to have a sun bed too close to the pools edge! These adult only areas get filled really really quickly on sea days so you may need to take a leaf of a certain European country’s book and get up at cock crow and get your towels on those sun beds.

Also bear in mind that if your sea days are going to be of the chilly variety get yourself to the on board solarium early in the morning to get your space to relax in the warmth rather than the freezing outside.

Get Pampered at the Spa

You may decide to take the opportunity to visit the on board spa and treat yourself to be bit of a pampering. Long gone are the days of only having hairdressers and beauticians on board to do make up for the formal nights – now some spas are offering the latest facial peels, vacuum sucking body treatments, Botox and teeth whitening. You can also book in room treatments on many ships and I would seriously recommend booking these in advance as they have very limited slots.

Educate yourself

Sea days are great for enrolling in one of the mini courses offered on board. Some come with a small fee but they are normally free. Courses can include jewellery making, scrap booking, pottery painting, computer classes, digital photography instructions and cookery classes. Again, these are something that get booked up very quick so I would suggest having a look at the programme from the information you are given at check in and making your decision then – you will be relaxing and learning a new skill. What other holiday would this happen on??

Get rid of the children

To ensure you have a holiday when you are on board please please please use the kids clubs on board. All staff are fully vetted and very well trained. All family friendly cruise lines have fantastic child only areas that are strictly maintained and very secure. They not only have the modern technology aspect with play stations, simulators, wii’s, dance mats etc but they also have a huge throw back to how we all entertained ourselves when we were young with board games, toys, arts and crafts, treasure hunts, drama shows etc.

Each cruise line has its own age specific groups with activities tailored towards what they are interested in and what is suitable activities for them to partake in.

Be prepared to not see your children for the complete cruise as they will love the kids clubs from the first day and that also means you too will love the extra freedom it gives you to relax as a couple or with friends.

And last but not least Eat, Drink and be Merry

Eating will probably take up most of your time on board. After a hearty breakfast you may be thinking you don’t have any room for lunch – until you see someone walk past you with some kind of mid-morning cake and your stomach automatically grumbles. No matter what you crave during your stay on board you will find it on board from pizza, steaks, sushi, burritos, pasta, fine dining and kids specials.

Not to be outdone by the restaurants the bars will also try their best to keep you happy with all of the soft drinks, beers, wines, spirits, cocktails, non alcoholic and fantastic frozen specials.

So you will be well fed and watered and all ready to enjoy your days at Sea!!