I feel a little naive admitting this, but this cruise is definitely a "for profit " event. Despite that we have drinks packages included, the drinks come with an 18% gratuity (not covered) and despite what non alcoholic drinks are included, water is not! So yip, we have to pay for water. All the Pepsi you can stomach but no water.
But it is no big deal, because honestly we are not here specifically to experience a cruise on a huge boat. Having a room to ourselves for the week and three meals a day is a perk of this mode of travel not our purpose of the trip. We have decided to make the most of the time on land as Scandanavian-culture-ravenous tourists and the ship is for chilling.
However, somehow, despite all the research and brochures we downloaded for this trip, the only travel guide we have with us is the Norway in your Pocket booklet that we picked up at the embassy in Pretoria. So we plan to walk about the towns and see what takes our fancy. Because, there is no way we will fork out the $150 per person at 200% markup fee that this cruiseline is selling city tours and shore excursions for. We would rather be lost in a foreign town and pay for the bus.
So here's our plans, The pocket book says Alesund is an art nouveau town so I guess we'll be there for architecture and galleries, Geiranger is for the fjord and the Seven Sisters waterfall so maybe we'll find a boat ride on a smaller more nimble vessel, in Flam we will hike (since the railway is sold out) and Bergen we will see the aquarium and some museums.
We have been away for three days already and the adventure is only just beginning. Yaay!
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