The Norwegian fjords have been on our to-do list for a while and this was by far the best cruise we've ever been on. The only downside was the excessive exhaust from the Anthem of the Seas.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was good, but Southampton is not the most convenient port to get to.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Scaled back menus. Paper plates and plastic spoons at La Patisserie. Food everywhere was ok, nothing notable.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Entertainment
5 out of 5
"We Will Rock You" was amazing and very entertaining
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As always, the staff and service they provide was wonderful
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The ship was perfect if you could ignore the excessive exhaust filling the naturally beautiful valleys of Norway. I've been on dozens of ships and understand exhaust is part of it, but this was so bad that any picture we took from our balcony was tinted with a blue haze of smoke. When we returned to port from our excursion in Olden, our bus came around the mountain and the entire valley was full of smoke that Anthem of the Seas was chugging out. It was embarrassing and disheartening.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Typical balcony cabin. Nice for what it was.
Ship tip
Until they fix their engine problems, bring a respirator
This port was only for embarkation and disembarkation. Nothing overly wrong with it, but Southampton in general is not very convenient for foreign travelers who 99% fly into London, 2+ hours away. The port is within walking distance of Southampton's bus and train stations though.
Beautiful. We took the Lysefjord Cruise excursion and it was great. the scenery and information was perfect. We walked past 2 new tour boats and were led to an old (1950) green and white boat (MS Sandnes). Thinking we got the short end of the stick, we settled in and by the end of the cruise we were so glad we were on the Sandnes and not one of the new boats. It had so much charm and character and the staff was great. I'd highly recommend it.
The port doesn't have much going on, maybe 3 shops and a coffee house that doubles as a kayak meeting place. We did the Scenic Lake Stryn bus tour that ended up being so much more than just Lake Stryn. Well worth it.
Maybe the most beautiful place in the world. If you want to walk past the small downtown dock area, be prepared to for some heavy duty hiking. We didn't do an excursion because we thought we could walk it (because someone on YouTube did). If you're not in perfect health, plan an excursion. You don't want to miss the beauty of Geiranger.
We didn't do an excursion here. Downtown Haugesund is within walking distance of the port. The city has plenty of shops, cafes, restaurants and some nice architecture.
Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a beautiful itinerary. The next generation of LNG-fired ships (like Utopia of the Seas) should mitigate the exhaust issue greatly.
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