Life begins at fjord-ty: Day 13 - Disembarkation

[wickesy]

No patter today but we did get this cruise log instead

Today was the day that nobody really wants to see on their holiday - the last day and time to go home. After gaining the extra hour last night I was awake early and so I got up at 6:30 for one last wander around the ship. The first groups were already leaving.

Continued in next post

 

[wickesy]

As I wandered through the Explorers Lounge I heard that they were ahead of schedule with the groups getting off so I went back up to the cabin at 7:15 and Dad and I went up to Horizon Court for breakfast. By the time we had finished it was just before 8:00 and time to vacate the cabin so we went down, grabbed our hand luggage and made our way to Gatsby’s Casino, which was our meeting point for disembarkation - although we weren’t due to be allowed off until 9:30. As we were waiting Dad checked his emails and there was one from Amazon saying that there was a problem with payment for his Kindle. A quick phone call to the card issuer revealed that their security team were being cautious and had blocked the transaction. Unfortunately that meant there would be no Kindle being delivered tonight..

At 9:05 we were cleared to go ashore so we made our way down to deck 5 and off the ship for the last time. We found our luggage in the hall within a few minutes and by 9:20 we were outside, car keys had been collected and our car had been loaded up with our luggage. First stop was again the West Quay shopping centre as he had promised me he would buy my iPad there rather than waiting until Florida in September

We were soon at the Apple shop and back out again with iPad in hand. From there we went to Marks & Spencer to get some sandwiches for lunch and dinner tonight and tomorrow and by 10:20 we were back on the road with course set for home. As usual the London traffic was awful and despite the sat-nav initially predicting we would be home by 12:25 we actually finally walked through the door at 1:05.

So that’s the end of another great trip and has cemented one thing in my mind - I love cruising!! It’s a relaxed lifestyle on board and, unlike the coach tours we have done in the past, you get to see loads of different places but only have to unpack once. Our next cruise is the maiden voyage of the Disney Fantasy in March next year but I am already considering the possibility of an Alaska cruise in the near future.

As always thanks to everybody who has read my ramblings and thanks to those who have left comments – even if I haven’t responded to them every one has been read and appreciated. An extra special thanks goes out to JamelUK of The DIBB who, unwittingly, provided the inspiration for this cruise through his trip report - thanks James, it was everything I expected it to be and more.

I hope I haven’t bored everyone with too many photos, and if there is anybody who would like to see the ones I left out please feel free to explore my Photobucket albums for the cruise - http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/wickesy/Norwegian Cruise/

Until next time…..

​

 

[irongirlof12]

Thank you for sharing a wonderful and informative tr as always what a way to celebrate your 40th birthday. Not too long till your next holiday and plenty more to plan by the sound of it

 

[Pugsly]

Wonderful report, David! Thanks for taking the time to take us along!

 

[Chilly]

thanks for sharing

 

[wickesy]

Thank you for sharing a wonderful and informative tr as always what a way to celebrate your 40th birthday. Not too long till your next holiday and plenty more to plan by the sound of it

Thanks for reading Andrea. Not too long at all now and I think I've got just about everything planned now - just waiting for the NFL players and teams to put their toys back in the pram and confirm this year's season is going to go ahead so I can think about getting tickets for a game.

Wonderful report, David! Thanks for taking the time to take us along!

Thanks for taking the time to read it Sharon.

thanks for sharing

Thanks for reading Claire.

 

[jns]

thanks again for sharing
really enjoyed this report

 

[tony64]

Thanks for posting David
It was good to see somewhere completely new.

 

[Claire L]

Oh sounds and looks like a great trip

Loved all the trip data that was given to you on the last day

 

[mandymouse]

Thanks for sharing your fab trip report David, I have really enjoyed all your lovely photos, but I just have one question .. did you miss the heat ?

 

[Tammy Stringer]

David really enjoyed your report and it cemented the fact that a cruise like this needs to be put on the "to do list"

Kev's Mum boarded the day you got off and thoroughly enjoyed her week's cruise although she would have loved to have gone on the longer one like you did.

We are going to show her the photos on your report at the weekend which I am sure she will enjoy

Thanks again - can't wait to read about the maiden voyage on the Fantasy - I am sure that will be fantastic

Tammy

 

[Kevin Stringer]

Top job David, thoroughly enjoyed your report. Now if only I could gain that elusive lottery win .......

Kev

 

[wickesy]

Thanks again everyone.

Thanks for sharing your fab trip report David, I have really enjoyed all your lovely photos, but I just have one question .. did you miss the heat ?

To be honest Mandy, no we really didn't. Dad and I don't really like it to hot anyway so sometimes Florida can be a bit too much and it wasn't as cold as I expected it to be. With the exception of the North Cape and, I think Tromso, I was generally going out in just a T-shirt and hoodie and was perfectly warm enough.

David really enjoyed your report and it cemented the fact that a cruise like this needs to be put on the "to do list"

Kev's Mum boarded the day you got off and thoroughly enjoyed her week's cruise although she would have loved to have gone on the longer one like you did.

We are going to show her the photos on your report at the weekend which I am sure she will enjoy

Thanks again - can't wait to read about the maiden voyage on the Fantasy - I am sure that will be fantastic

Tammy

Top job David, thoroughly enjoyed your report. Now if only I could gain that elusive lottery win .......

Kev

Thanks guys, I really hope a cruise like this gets to the top of your list soon.

 

[disney_princess_85]

Great report David, I've really enjoyed it.

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Great report David ... pleased that you had such a great time. Thanks for sharing the stunning photos. So how did the cruise compare to DCL ?

 

[wickesy]

So how did the cruise compare to DCL ?

For me it was just as good as DCL but there were a few things I missed - one was the self serve station for drinks. I know it isn't difficult to walk up to a bar and ask for a drink, and there were plenty of servers wandering around, but it's nice to be able to just go up and help yourself. As I mentioned before, it would have been better if we could have seen the shows before dinner rather than after and also, looking back, I kind of miss the rotational dining that DCL has with the 3 different restaurants.

All in all I would definitely cruise with Princess again but if DCL had a similar itinerary I would rather go with them.

 

[m1ckeymouse]

Thanks so much, your trip report was wonderful, makes me want to go even more.

Suzanne

 

[loobzuk]

thank you for such an interesting trip report with lots of photos - I really enjoyed tagging along with you. Hope your dad has his Kindle now!

 

[wickesy]

thank you for such an interesting trip report with lots of photos - I really enjoyed tagging along with you. Hope your dad has his Kindle now!

Yes he does. It came on the Sunday, so only a day later than he wanted.

 

[SusanEllen]

Impressive job of photo journaling, David. Enjoyed your descriptions and comments, too. Of course, it's no surprise you and your Dad had a good time--you always do! Thanks for taking all of us along.