Category: 08 – Cruise 10 – Iceland & Greenland (Page 2 of 2)

In which we travel to Iceland & Greenland (one of Ben’s bucket list locations), discover that icebergs are huge (and beautiful) and that “old” ships are actually really good.

Prince Christian Sound

August 18, 2023 / / 0 Comments

According to the Captain, we’ll be entering Prince Christian Sound at around 10am and it will take eight hours to transit. We’re also promised a running commentary from the ‘onboard destination expert’ over the ship’s intercom.

We’re up early and spot an iceberg from our balcony which is pretty cool. We then head to breakfast where the buffet and upper deck are already packed by excited cruisers.

Entrance to the Sound

Instead we head back to our own balcony where we stay for the next eight hours. The journey is spectacular, taking in more icebergs, glaciers, mountains and even a tiny village of just 100 people. At some points the waterway is just 500m wide, so you get a feeling for just how tall these mountains really are.

Top tip: The voyage down Prince Christian Sound is dependent on several factors including, visibility, wind and icebergs – hence the reason why it was never mentioned on the cruise itinerary until the last moment. However, if cruising to Greenland via Iceland, consider booking a starboard balcony cabin just in case.

The scenery is incredible and twice the captain performs a 360º spin, allowing us to see both sides of the Sound. However, it is clear that the starboard side of the ship offers the very best views.

The ice is an astonishing shade of blue

The mountains look totally unreal

Spot the village

As we clear the waterway, we can totally understand why the Captain was so excited. For me, Prince Christian Sound beats out any of the Norwegian fjords we have visited.

Qaqortoq

August 19, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Today we finally get to set foot on Greenland but we can’t see a thing through the fog – apart from the Danish warship cruising slowly past, checking us out.

Good morning?

The captain assures us that you can see for miles at sea level, but I’m not convinced. Eventually we head down to the tender and make our way ashore.

The mist lingers for a little while and then suddenly burns off as the sun gets higher in the sky. It’s a beautiful day after all.

Top tip: Despite being a Danish protectorate, Greenland is not part of the European Union. This means that you will not be able to use any roaming minutes or data included in your cellphone contract – even if it includes EU roaming. Expect to pay £2.50 per minute to make calls, £1.50 per minute to receive calls, £0.40 per SMS message and £5 per megabyte to use data services.

Bonus tip: Don’t activate your cellular data on land. And don’t expect to find many free WiFi networks either. You’re better off waiting until you get back on the ship to make calls and share photos.

Qaqortoq is a tiny place, especially with two cruise ships in port. Cruisers outnumber locals by about 4 to 1.

Island Princess is moored behind the Zuiderdam

There are a few shops and the supermarket is doing a roaring trade. Some of the cruisers I speak to are upset that the only coffeeshop in town has not yet opened.

Top tip: The café is in the central square near the famous fountain – and it opens at 12pm (so there’s no need to complain). They also sell beer.

There is a local fish market with two traders, one selling very large fish and the other seal meat.

Lovely fresh seal meat

The locals have also set up a series of small stands, selling polished stone jewellery in a vivid pink colour as well as beaded trinkets and polar bear claws. Behind them, local artists have made a series of carvings into the cliffs, one of the few attractions in the town.

Top tip: The local traders tend to accept payment in Danish Krone, Euros and US Dollars. There is a bank in town with a cashpoint if you need it – look for the large black building.

Despite the massive influx of cruisers, the town is surprisingly peaceful and looks beautiful in the sun. I suspect it is quite bleak here in the winter though.

Top tip: The locals offer plenty of iceberg and whale watching tours departing from the dock. Expect to pay around $100 USD per person.

There is a massive queue for the return water shuttle, but thankfully it moves quite smoothly. Once back on board we are treated to the sight of a helicopter dumping water on the local garbage dump where a controlled burn has got out of control.

I’ve seen more fire and ice in Greenland than in Iceland

Our next stop, Nanortalik, is just 75 miles from Qaqortoq, so we will arrive there around 10pm and anchor in the harbour overnight.

Just before heading to bed, I take my chances on the balcony – and finally get to see the Northern Lights. I’ve managed to tick two items off my bucket list – what a day!

Nanortalik

August 20, 2023 / / 0 Comments

After last night’s light show, there’s not much more Nanortalik needs to offer. Which is just as well because this town is tiny.

There are two surprises when we arrive ashore on the tender. First, there is a sizeable queue of cruisers waiting to return to the ship. Second, it looks like the entire town has turned out to greet us.

This lady just wanted to show off her traditional Greenlandic outfit

There are people selling handmade beaded goods, seal fur, cross stitch and various other trinkets all along the road through the town. It also seems that anyone who owns a musical instrument is putting on their own impromptu concerts outside their houses.

I leave Linda to enjoy the sun and head towards the church where there is a geocache, hidden in a field of massive scattered boulders (GC4JHR9).

There is one pub in town which is doing a roaring trade. Disappointingly they only sell Danish and Belgian beers, so we give it a miss. Out the back, two men are selling local food from a large tent. Sadly I have no cash, so I have no idea what the food actually was.

Top tip: You will need cash for just about everything in Nanortalik – especially if you want to buy something from the locals. Most accept US dollars or Danish Krone. There is a bank in town but it is only open two hours each day (not Sundays) – and there is no cashpoint.

There is also a tourist centre of sorts where you can buy souvenirs, including some awesome looking sealskin boots. They do accept card payments here.

Definitely not cheap, but they look very warm

Otherwise, there is literally nothing here to look at except the scenery.

Once done, we join the queue for the tenders which now extends from the port and up the hill into the town. The dock is so small there is only room for one tender at a time, so the queue takes two hours. Thankfully the cheerful locals continue to sing and entertain, but it’s a very, very long wait.

When we finally make it back on board, we spot a small whale swimming straight towards our balcony which is a nice surprise.

Greenland has been absolutely spectacular and I’m glad we came. The mountains, icebergs and pretty coloured villages have been great and I wouldn’t mind visiting again one day. I just wish I had managed to get a stamp in my passport.

Back at sea

August 21, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Greenland is receding fast and we’re back out in the Atlantic where the sea is getting a little rougher. The pool inside the conservatory is closed as water sloshes all over the deck.

During his daily address the Captain tells us that he and the ice pilots(!) have never experienced three days in a row like we just had. The weather was fantastic – sunny and warm – with clear skies and no rain. We are blessed.

After dinner we go to the Princess Theatre to watch the cast perform The Secret Silk on its debut performance. Set in China, we are treated to a song and dance extravaganza that includes some impressive puppetry, a tale of a man who rescues a trapped crane and later squanders the blessings he receives in turn.

It’s not every day you get to see a giant luminous green dragon onstage. In fact, the cruise director suggests that the performance was nearly cancelled 15 minutes before the curtain went up due to technical concerns.

Although impressed, it’s the kind of show we would only watch once (unlike Rock Opera). So we’ll probably skip it next time we’re on Island Princess.

It’s now a straight sail back to Southampton, a journey that will take four days.

Kitchen tour

August 24, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Today is one of the highlights of Princess cruises – the cooking demonstration. The ship’s head chef and Maître d’ cook some dishes on stage and make a show of clowning around. At the end of the cooking part of the show, some of the chefs and waiters come out for a thunderous round of applause. We are also treated to an absolutely astonishing performance by one of the waiters who belts out an opera tune – and he’s far better than the professional singers we have witnessed in the shows onboard.

Afterwards we get a tour of one of the 17(!) galleys on board. It sounds stupid – and it probably is a little silly, but we love the opportunity to see behind the scenes. We also get to meet some of the crew who work tirelessly out of sight. Despite the long hours and thanklessness of many cruisers, these unsung heroes look like they enjoy their jobs.

It’s not unusual to hear the kitchen staff singing as they work

We discover there is one escalator on the Island Princess – and it is in the kitchen, allowing waiters to serve two dining rooms quickly and efficiently.

Afterwards, we head out on deck to watch Albert, our waiter from the Elite lounge, doing his ice carving show. It’s his last day on board before the end of his contract, so he makes the most of it:

And that is pretty much it. Tomorrow morning we will wake up back in Southampton 🙁

A decent disembarkation

August 25, 2023 / / 0 Comments

As always, the disembarkation process is manic and the cruise terminal is a crazy place. As instructed by the Holiday Inn Express when we left, I phone the taxi company as I collect our suitcases from the baggage hall, quoting the pre-booking reference.

We wait about fifteen minutes before a large Mercedes minibus collects us and out suitcases for the trip back to our car. The queue for non pre-booked taxis at the port is insanely long – those people will be waiting for at least an hour. Probably more.

Impressed by the parking service and taxi transfers, we immediately book the same again for our upcoming trip in October. For slightly less than the CPS rate, we get a night in a hotel and avoid the traffic hassle of driving ourselves to the dock on the day of departure.

Final observations:

  • Concerns about the Island Princess are totally unfounded. It’s a lovely ship with a great crew.
  • The indoor pool area is an excellent place to sit out of the breeze and get some work done – or just have an ice cream.
  • Park-and-ride services from Holiday Inn Express in Southampton are excellent value.
  • Cabin Stateroom PR723 is brilliant – so long as there aren’t any plumbing issues.
  • Greenland is amazing.

We have loved Island Princess – so we’re coming back again in October for a voyage to Norway.

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