Island Princess - Part 2

16 Day Land of the Midnight Sun & Summer Solstice Cruise - June 12, 2023

Island Princess in Skjolden, Norway.

Welcome to the second half of our Island Princess cruise blog. If you missed Part 1, click here.

Itinerary

Mon - June 12th - Southampton, England, UK

Tue - June 13th - At Sea

Wed - June 14th - Haugesund, Norway

Thu - June 15th - Olden, Norway

Fri - June 16th - At Sea

Sat - June 17th - Tromso, Norway

Sun - June 18th - Honningsvag, Norway

Mon - June 19th - At Sea

Tue - June 20th - Gravdal, Lofoten Islands, Norway

(we’re here!)

Wed - June 21st - At Sea (Summer Solstice)

Thu - June 22nd - Trondheim, Norway

Fri - June 23rd - Andalsnes, Norway

Sat - June 24th - Skjolden, Norway

Sun - June 25th - At Sea

Mon - June 26th - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Tue - June 27th - At Sea

Wed - June 28th - Southampton, England, UK

Gravdal, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Gravdal on Vestvågøy is a tender port. So we met our tour group at Wheelhouse Bar to get our tender tickets, then we all went down to Deck 4 to take our tender (one of the ship’s lifeboats) to shore. It was a very smooth tender ride. We quickly met our tour guide by the bus and we were off to explore the Lofoten Islands.

Our first stop was a Hauklandstranda, a big sandy beach with sheep. Then we visited Flakstad Church on Flakstadøya. The red, wooden church was built in 1780. Next, we stopped at Rambergstranda, another beautiful, sandy beach.

For our lunch stop, we visited the village of Reine on Moskenesøya. We went to the Bringen Kaffe and enjoyed salami and brie sandwiches with a cappuccino. Then it started raining, so we popped into Lofotsportbua, Norway’s smallest sport shop. I found a couple of shirts to buy as souvenirs.

After that, we visited the village of Å, where the European route E10 ends and walked up the the Viewpoint at Å to see “the end of the world.” We turned around and started driving back to Gravdal, with a couple more scenic stops on the way.

Soon we were back at the port and on a tender heading towards our ship, the Island Princess!

After getting back on board, we stopped by the Captain’s Circle Platinum & Elite Lounge for snacks. This evening’s main dining room menu didn’t really excite us, so for dinner we went up to the Horizon Court buffet.

At 7:30pm, we went to the Princess Theater for an illusionist show. Then we went to watch the Rock n Roll dance party at Explorer’s Lounge and just stayed there for the Rock the Room game show. It was a fun way to end the night!

Tomorrow we’re at sea on the way to Trondheim, Norway!

Sea Day #4 (Summer Solstice)

Today was another leisurely sea day on board the Island Princess!

We slept it a little, then went for a late breakfast at the Horizon Court buffet.

Then we spent most of the early afternoon in the quiet Wheelhouse Bar, so Jay could get some work done, while I read. We hung around for two rounds of trivia: Movie Posters and General Knowledge.

I walked down to the Provence Dining Room to check out the Princess Fine Wine Tasting menu, but it was the exact same one we did on Sky Princess, except for one wine, so we decided not to participate this time. Plus, they raised the price and it just didn’t seem worth it since we both have the Premier Beverage Package.

Afterwards, we went back upstairs to the Horizon Court buffet for a quick snack. We didn’t want to eat too much since we have dinner reservations at the Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse tonight at 7pm.

Jay went back to room for a nap, while I walked around and popped into the shops to look around, then ended up at Good Spirits for the Cocktail Experience.

We met back up then went to the Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse for our dinner reservation. I ordered the Sieur de Bienville Oysters, Carpetbagger’s Trinity Smothered Filet of Beef, and Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar. Jay ordered the Sausage Grillades, Toulouse Chicken & Chorizo Jambalaya (for us to share), 22 oz Porterhouse Steak and Fried Yellow Peach Pie. We were stuffed by the end!

After dinner, we walked over to the Explorer’s Lounge for The Love Boat Party. Then we went to the 9:30pm show in the Princess Theater. “A Tribute to Adele” by Becky Porter. She was fantastic!

We ended the night listening to music in the Explorer’s Lounge. When we got back to our room we watched a bit of the sunset, no more midnight sun for us on this cruise.

Tomorrow, we’re in Trondheim, Norway!

Trondheim, Norway

We didn’t book a tour, just chose to do self-guided walking tour. So, we took our sweet time getting up and ready this morning. We ate a quick breakfast in the Horizon Court buffet, then got off the ship.

First, we walked to the Nidaros Cathedral, the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world. Next, we walked next door to the Archbishop’s palace and toured the Crown Regalia and then the museum.

Then, we walked across the Gamle Bybro (Old Town Bridge) to view Bakklandet down the Nidelva river, one of the most photographed spots in Trondheim.

We stopped at a wine bar for a short break, where Jay ordered a local beer and I had a glass of wine. Then we walked by the Trampe bicycle lift, the first of its kind when it was built in the 90s. We were hoping to see someone use it, but it was still closed for winter (in June).

On our stroll back to the ship, we visited the Torvet, or Town Square, with the Olav Tryggvason monument. Jay saw a McDonald’s across the square and wanted to see what’s different on the Norwegian menu. Inside, we decided to order some spicy McNuggets and fries to compare them to those back home, for science of course.

After our little lunch, we headed over to Stiftsgården, the Royal Residence in Trondheim. It is one of the largest wooden buildings in Scandinavia.

We made it back to the port and got back on board the Island Princess. We got ready for the evening, then spent some time at Explorer’s Lounge. We watched sail away as we walked up to the Horizon Court buffet for dinner.

After eating, we walked around the shops on our way back to the Explorer’s Lounge for karaoke. We have an early morning tomorrow in Åndalsnes, so we’re calling it a night after this.

Åndalsnes, Norway

We were in Åndalsnes, Norway today to explore the Land of the Trolls!

It was an early start this morning, so we ate a quick breakfast in the Horizon Court buffet, then met our tour group at Good Spirits at 6:45am. Our ship docked at 7am and we were some of the first off. We quickly met our tour guide and soon we were off to meet some trolls!

Our first stop was at Trollveggen (The Troll Wall), Europe's tallest vertical rock face. Don’t forget to rub the troll’s nose for good luck!

Next, was a stop near the bottom of the Stigfossen Waterfall. After that, we started the ascent up the Troll Road and its 11 hairpin bends. We stopped at the top to look down over the Troll Road and the Stigfossen Waterfall, it was breathtaking. As we were leaving a fog started rolling in, I was surprised at how quickly it engulfed everything.

Our next stop was at Gudbrandsjuvet, a 5m narrow and 20-25m deep, loud ravine. Then we drove through Valldal, famous for its delicious strawberries. Unfortunately it’s too early in the season to taste any. We stopped to see the entrance to Geirangerfjord, the gorgeous fjord we got to visit a week ago. Then we visited Stordal and Rosekyrkja, the Rose Church, built in 1789. Our last stop was at Storfjorden, another scenic view, they’re everywhere in Norway!

We made our way back to Åndalsnes, and our ship, the Island Princess. We spent some time at the Explorer’s Lounge, so Jay could work and I read my kindle.

We liked tonight’s main dining room menu, so we went to Provence for our reservation. Unfortunately, the menu is the dining room was different than what was shown on the app, which was disappointing, but we found plenty to eat.

The early start and long day got to us, and we decided to head to the stateroom and get ready for bed.

Tomorrow, we sail down the longest fjord in Norway on our way to Skjolden, the last Norwegian stop on our cruise.

Skjolden, Norway

Today was the last Norwegian port stop of our cruise, Skjolden. We couldn’t have asked for a better day!

We spent the morning cruising down the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the Bordeaux MDR, then went back to our room to watch as we sailed through the fjord. We met our tour group at 11:45am, and were off right after the ship docked at noon.

We quickly met our tour guide for the day, Maria, and soon we were off to Urnes Stavkyrkje, the Urnes Stave Church. It’s Norway’s oldest and most highly decorated stave church and dates back to around 1130.

After that, we stopped to see the Feigumfossen waterfall and to visit a cafe in Feigom, along the fjord.

Then we drove up the Sognefjellet National Tourist Route. Halfway up we visited a scenic viewpoint overlooking Fortun. Next, we stopped at the Nedre Oscarshaug to see a valley with snow capped mountains. Though beautiful, we were more interested in the sheep hanging out near we parked.

We continued up to Joutunheimen National Park to see the Smørstabbreen glacier, one of the largest in Norway. We visited the Sognefjellet Summer Ski Centre and saw skiers practicing. You can tell it’s summer here, because many were skiing in just shorts!

On our way back to Skjolden, we stopped to see the Åsafossen Waterfall and “The Hand,” a monument to the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, who once lived in Skjolden.

When we made it back to the port, some sheep welcomed us back to the Island Princess. We walked over to the Captain’s Circle Lounge and had some beef empanadas.

We stayed in the Explorer’s Lounge for the Music through the Decades trivia, and did better than we expected!

Knowing we were cruising back through the beautiful Lustrafjorden and Sognefjord (and not wanting to miss the views) we put on our swimsuits and went to the hot tubs on the Lido Deck. We were surrounded by the fjords and got to watch Elvis on Movies Under the Stars!

Unfortunately, the hot tubs close at 10pm, so we moved to the pool (which closes at 11pm). When we got too cold we grabbed a late night dinner of Cheese and Pepperoni pizza slices from Princess Pizzeria.

Then, we headed down to our stateroom to continue watching as we sailed through the fjords. We stayed out as long as we could, not wanting to say goodbye. We both fell in love with this country, and will be back. I don’t know when, but soon I hope!

Tomorrow’s a sea day and our final formal night. Jay’s suit is finally back, so we’re dressing up!

Sea Day #5

Today was all about eating delicious food, then getting dressed up and eating more delicious food! Tonight was the last formal night of our cruise, but first we had our Wines of the World lunch at Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria at noon.

We were seated at a table for 8, which included the couple who told us about this wine pairing experience, so we knew we were in for a good time. We enjoyed tastings of 6 wines, each paired with a fantastic dish. It was intriguing to see how every wine complemented the food. In total, the meal took 2.5 hours. We paid $70 each and felt it was well worth the extra cost. We signed up at Guest Services, but you can also sign up for it at Sabatini’s.

After lunch, we went over to Crooner’s to listen to music and wait for the Great Egg Drop Challenge in Princess Plaza. At 3pm, the contest began and we watched each group drop their egg to the bottom of the plaza in their handmade contraption. It was fun to see what each group came up with. In the end, every egg survived the fall!

We headed back to our room to get ready for formal night. We took a few pictures in front of the backdrops around the ship, then took some of our own on the promenade deck.

Soon it was time for dinner (we found more room) so we went to the Provence main dining room. We savored each course of the Gala dinner. I had French onion soup, while Jay began with the shrimp cocktail. We each had the land & sea entree (aka surf & turf) and we finished with the caramel pecan turtle cheesecake and French vanilla bean crème brûlée.

Following dinner, we made our way over to the Explorer’s Lounge to listen to music and we saw some of our new friends. We ended up talking the night away and closing down the bar.

Back in our cabin we found the dreaded disembarkation information and luggage tags, which means the cruise is really coming to an end soon. Tomorrow, we’re in Edinburgh, Scotland for the last port stop of our cruise.

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

After the late night last night, we were thankful we didn’t have an early tour or excursion booked in Edinburgh, Scotland today. We had a quick bite to eat in the Horizon Court buffet for breakfast, then grabbed tender tickets to make our way ashore.

We had pre-booked tickets for a 10am entry to the Edinburgh Castle. We decided to just take the local busses which were very easy to use. Using Google Maps, we found a nearby stop and hopped on Bus 16 to the castle.

We made our way up to the castle then picked up two audio guides and leisurely walked around learning about the history of the castle and its different occupants.

At noon we made our way over to the Tea Rooms for our pre-booked reservation for afternoon tea + prosecco. There was so much food! We finally got to try real clotted cream on our scones and it was delicious! It was just an overall lovely experience.

Following tea, we left the castle and spent the rest of the afternoon walking down the Royal Mile and popping into different shops. It started pouring rain so we ran into the closest pub, which turned out to be a retro-themed US-style restaurant. 😆

After it stopped raining, we continued on our stroll and bought an umbrella for when it rained again. Turns out it was the world’s luckiest umbrella, because it never did rain.

I really wanted one last meat pie before leaving the UK, so we stopped into The World’s End pub for a pie & pints.

We continued walking on to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and looked around. Then it was time to head back to the ship. We hopped on to Bus 35 and rode back to port.

After getting back on board the Island Princess, we decided to go up to the Lotus Pool for a bit. We watched sail away from up there. Next time we see land, our cruise will be over.

Still full from the meat pie, we ate a small dinner in the Horizon Court buffet before seeing the comedian in the Princess Theater.

We were treated to a beautiful sunset off the coast of Scotland before bed. Tomorrow’s a sea day and the last day of our cruise.

Sea Day #6

Today is the last day of our cruise, and I just don’t want it to ever end. We ate a leisurely breakfast in the Bordeaux main dining room, then went to the Explorer’s Lounge for some trivia.

After trivia, it was time to pack. Throughout the day we’d see more suitcases in the hallway, one of the saddest sights on a cruise.

Once we finished packing, we bought our cruise picture then went to the Wheelhouse Bar for some more trivia. Then we spent time at Good Spirits saying goodbye to one of our favorite bartenders, Karan.

For dinner, we had reservations at Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, one of two specialty restaurants on board the Island Princess. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and it was a fantastic send-off to an amazing cruise.

Following dinner, we went to the Explorer’s Lounge to watch karaoke and found our friends again. It was another late night talking and laughing and saying goodbye to each other and the amazing crew.

Southampton, England, UK

We woke up early and met our disembarkation group in the Provence main dining room. We scanned our OceanMedallions for the last time and exited the ship. We then found our Princess transfer bus to the airport and with one last glance at the Island Princess, we made our way home.