Showing posts with label Stavanger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stavanger. Show all posts
30 August 2022
Carnival Pride 10th June 2022 Part 3
Sunday 12th June 2022
Early this morning we are due in Stavanger, Norway, a popular and busy port town in a beautiful setting. The day looked wet and it was raining outside as we came alongside. Our plans to take our own excursion on a local small vessel to a local sight had to be cancelled but new plans were made over breakfast as the rain seemed to be stopping.
We decided to get off the ship and see what other vessels were nearby, or local sights within reasonable walking distance. The rain had stopped as we set off. We were soon able to take photographs of our ship CARNIVAL PRIDE so that was a good start;
as we rounded the local roadside pavement we saw an unexpected vessel just beside us, obviously constructed with rivets. It was the ROGALAND, a 1929 built Norwegian Passenger ship of 829 gross tons, with big signs on the quayside inviting members of the public to come on board and visit. We needed no second bidding and were soon climbing the gangway and being welcomed.
We enjoyed touring the little ship and hearing about its wartime career, and seeing the many photographs in the various public rooms. Coffee and biscuits were available to buy to raise funds for the ship's maintenance, and I managed to get a few postcard pictures of the vessel. We all enjoyed getting on the forward fo'c'sle (forecastle) deck amongst the huge mooring ropes for more views around.
I was talking with a member of the volunteer crew and asked if it might be possible please to visit the little Bridge whilst we were on here, and the answer was yes so we four enjoyed a private visit there. That was quite a treat for us all. We left the vessel after thanks and handshakes all round.
The rain soon started again so we decided to head back to our ship, and enjoy lunch.
We noticed that the welcome sheet told us there would be a Trivia Quiz this afternoon so we decided to join in with that. With so many passengers back on board here in Stavanger because of the rain, lots of people had the same idea but I'm happy to note in my diary that we came top. We won the amazing CARNIVAL PRIDE TROPHY, and I was sent up to collect it from the quiz master. Oh the honour and glory of accepting it and being part of the winning team! It was suggested I give it house room down in my cabin, so I did. I hope I blushed prettily as I thanked my friends.
The rest of the day passed in a gentle manner until it was time to meet up again for drinks before dinner. Again we went for late dining in the Normandie Restaurant and after the main meal was served we enjoyed watching many of the waiters singing and dancing on small circular tables set amongst the dining tables. They obviously enjoyed it and I know we passengers certainly did.
The show tonight was called The Flying Scotsman, which wasn't a train of course, but an energetic person entertaining us with chat and singing, as he frequently enjoyed twirling around the stage at speed in his tartan kilt. He had a lovely singing voice.
Overnight we will be sailing further along the Norwegian coast, towards our next port of call of Skjolden.
Ships seen: Sandnes, Rogaland, Carnival Pride, Havila Charisma built in 2012
To be continued...
27 April 2014
BERGENSFJORD 2014 Part 4
Monday 24th March 2014
Hooray, sailing day at last, and there was blue sky and sunshine outside, just as the Bergen weather forecast had predicted. My hat had dried very nicely overnight on the hotel bathroom floor, which seemed to have underfloor heating or piping just where it was useful!
The Saturday afternoon snowstorm and Sunday afternoon rain were a thing of the past and, after breakfast and checking out of the hotel, I enjoyed my stroll along Bryggen until I reached the shop with the beautiful purple ‘hoodie’ jacket in the window.
Retail therapy achieved, I could continue my journey to the Fjord Line terminal to check in for the mini-cruise on BERGENSFJORD. I was to sail from Bergen to Hirtshals in Denmark, via Stavanger, and then return to Bergen, arriving back on Wednesday.
I soon checked in but had to wait for the ship to arrive at 1.00 p.m. before boarding at 2.00 p.m.
I had a 4 berth inside cabin, with one berth prepared as a bed and another as a settee, with the other two berths out of sight up in the deckhead.
I had time to look round the ship before going on deck for sailing.
We had to wait as the daily Hurtigruten ship came along – it was the little LOFOTEN, which was a lovely sight in the sunshine.
She was launched in Oslo in 1964 at 2,621 gross tonnage, so the 400 passengers are offered a voyage of real nostalgia. She was refurbished and refitted in 2003 with most of the original style and atmosphere being preserved. She seemed so small, looking down from the lofty heights of BERGENSFJORD’s Sun Deck, but she came alongside the Hurtigruten terminal bow first, without turning, so we were able to sail away from Bergen soon after.
Sailing through the fjords was a pleasure, all within sight of snow-covered mountains as we headed south. I had a late lunch in the Oasis Garden Café midships on deck 7 and then headed forward to the Fjord Lounge, and was so impressed with the views ahead and around. There was raised seating around the Bar (and beside the beach-view floor detail) and ample seating on a lower level around the small dance floor so everyone had a good view forward. I liked the two velvet-covered gold-framed chairs – which proved very popular and were rarely empty during my time on board.
To the starboard side aft of the Lounge was a small Cigar club, then aft again was Reception; beside that was a very small 24 to Go shop selling toiletries, sweets, coffee drinks etc.
Facing Reception was Bungalow Wine and Tapas bar which reminded me of the trivial thought that in the UK I live in a bungalow. At the aft end of this was a small grand piano, where the talented English pianist entertained us on several occasions during the voyage.
Just aft of this is a semi-circular area leading back to the Oasis Garden Café, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the celestial engravings/mapping on the marble-look flooring here.
Further aft again are seating areas with interesting furnishing details,
the children’s play room, the Greig Gourmet Restaurant, and with the Commander Buffet restaurant taking up the whole aft width of this Deck 7 area.
Below on Deck 6 was the Car deck with a capacity of 600, and the Tax free shop;
standard and luxe cabins are on Deck 8, and suites and standard cabins are on Deck 9. Deck 10 was the Sun Deck with Sky Deck Lounge, air-seating, conference area with bar, and the necessary Kennel. Above all this I could see the three LNG bright red painted gas vents, which have been made a feature of the ship.
Fjord Line’s President/CEO Ingvald Fardal said the Fjord Line owners, colleagues and partners shared a dream to build two large modern cruise ferries packed with environmentally friendly technology to serve the market for leisure, business travel and cargo between Denmark and Southwest Norway.
The vessel was designed by Falkum Hansen, to be built at their Norwegian Fosen yard, north of Bergen, with a bulbous bow, and a hull designed specifically for the North Sea wave conditions and height. The hulls were constructed in Poland and then towed to Fosen for outfitting and completion, so this dream seems to have been achieved spectacularly with the 2013-delivered STAVANGERFJORD and now this 2014-delivered BERGENSFJORD.
Last year I read in the Fjord Line house magazine that Falkum-Hansen and his team took their inspiration from maritime history and the Norwegian America Line’s golden era in the first half of the 1900s, where the old liners were very elegant but not always so large, and they wanted to follow that theme. These ships are 31,678 gross tons, with a maximum passenger capacity of 1500, and car capacity of 600.
So this was in my mind as we sailed towards Stavanger, arriving just after sunset. I sat in the Fjord Lounge forward with some new friends and enjoyed their company as we watched the activities in the harbour around us. An announcement was made by the Captain that all open decks were closed as LNG re-fuelling was now taking place but that was soon completed and we sailed at 10.40 p.m. That was another interesting day and I was soon lulled to sleep as we sailed south to Denmark overnight.
To be concluded….
13 April 2014
BERGENSFJORD 2014 Part 2
Part 2 – STAVANGERFJORD of Fjord Line
Sunday 23rd March 2014
Waking in Bergen this morning I could actually see the top of the mountain just at the back of the hotel, so I hoped that was a good omen despite the weather forecast.
After breakfast I walked again to the Fjord Line/Hurtigruten terminal as I knew that Fjord Line’s 2013 new-build STAVANGERFJORD was due in just before 2 p.m. and I really wanted to see the ship arrive. Ship details include: gross tonnage 31,678, maximum passengers 1500, cabin berths 1188, car capacity 600, and service speed 21.5 knots. Last year I had been lucky enough to get a copy of the new brochure about the ship, and then a friend had sailed on her last year and enjoyed the new cruise ferry which Fjord Line described as a lifestyle liner. His fascinating write-up about the trip can be found in the Winter 2014 issue of the Ocean Liner Society magazine ‘Sea Lines’.
I had booked with the Fjord Line Bergen office to sail on her myself on 24th March 2014, doing a mini-cruise from Bergen down to Hirtshals in northern Denmark, via Stavanger. My ticket was e-mailed to me recently, and then the following week another ticket arrived – and this time I was to sail on the very new BERGENSFJORD! I was very thrilled with this, as she had just come into service with Fjord Line, and I wrote back to Fjord line to say so.
Suddenly today I was in for a double treat, as here was one new ship arriving and I could photograph her from a nearby quayside, whilst knowing I would sail on the other one on Monday 24th.
I arrived at the Fjord Line terminal hoping to get a closer picture of the ship but that was not possible. However, the check in staff at the desk included the man from the Bergen office who had made my bookings so it was fun to introduce ourselves and have a quick chat. He then asked if I would like to visit STAVANGERFJORD with him and a new member of staff, for a very short tour, so of course I said yes. He obtained permission for me to go on board, and we were soon on the overhead walkway to board the ship. There was what felt like a ‘meet and greet’ group waiting for us – all gold braid and smiles – and we were then given a very fast walk round some of the main rooms, and outside in the rain to see the Hundehotell with its solitary doggy occupant.
I managed to get a few photographs as we hurried around, and then it was time to go ashore, and thank Kai for his kindness in arranging for me to visit the ship.
The ship was due to leave almost immediately so, as the day’s Hurtigruten ship arrived and berthed on the adjacent quay, STAVANGERFJORD slipped her ropes and set off for her journey to Stavanger and Hirtshals, south through the Norwegian fjords.
To be continued….
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