Norwegian Fjords Disney Cruise Line Report — Day 7
After an excellent port day in Bergen for Day 6 of the our Norwegian Fjords cruise aboard the Disney Magic, Day 7 was our final day at sea. I’ll wrap up the cruise report with this installment, covering both this day and the following spent in Copenhagen.
Since it was our day at sea, the plan was to sleep in. Naturally, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. Rather than “accidentally” making a bunch of noise in the room so Sarah would wake up, a strategy I’ve perfected over time, I quietly headed up to the deck without disturbing her. Aren’t I so sweet?
Unsurprisingly, no one else was up there. It was a considerably nicer morning than the previous day, albeit overcast. I had a couple cups of coffee, and wandered around for a bit. Finally, I decided to go grab my camera and take some stock photos of the ship for potential future use.
You’ll probably see some of these in future posts about Disney Cruise Line; I’m sure you’re sitting on pins and needles at the prospect of seeing a photo of Cove Cafe without people in it!
Joking aside, I was able to get photos of the atrium lobby without anyone in it. Here are a few of those photos:
After what seemed like an eternity (but was probably more like 30 minutes), I went back to the stateroom to see if Sarah was up. She still wasn’t, so I debated Plan B (the one with accidental noise) but decided to check the Daily Navigator first. I saw that Beauty and the Beast was starting soon, so I decided to go watch that. (Hence my recent Beauty and the Beast 2017 Review months after the movie came out).
Sarah was up once this was over, so we headed up to Cove Cafe, this time for more than just photos.
As mentioned in an earlier installment, this intimate cafe is one of my new favorite spots on Disney Cruise Line. Definitely a place to take a book…or heavily illustrated magazine…on our next cruise.
We finished up there and made our way out to the deck, where the Frozen show that was delayed the previous night was set to begin.
For anyone over the age of 5, this thing was offensively bad.
Didn’t someone wise once say: “You’re dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway”? Eh, probably not.
It befuddles me that Disney Cruise Line can do such a great job with the Broadway style stage shows, but do such an atrocious job with everything else featuring Disney characters. I’d say these scripts are “written” by manatees pushing around idea balls, but I think that’s insulting to manatees.
After that, we went to a magic show. This was not particularly good (…although compared to the Frozen thing, it was a masterpiece). Not because the husband and wife duo were not good at magic (they were quite talented), but because they took themselves way too seriously. I’m guessing that’s not the first time they’ve heard that critique, as there were a few moments of self-deprecating humor, but they quickly back-peddled afterwards with a “…but seriously” type of transition.
At one point, the female magician read this cheesy inspirational quote about perseverance while the male magician rearranged puzzle pieces. This is the type of thing that would’ve been rejected during an Arrested Development roundtable for being too on the nose.
We did some other stuff following that, but nothing of consequence. Later, I decided to go see Born in China while Sarah got ready. Being in documentary showing in late afternoon, I figured it’d be playing to an empty house. Not the case. There were only a few empty seats, and I had to sit in the front row between two groups.
Nevertheless, I managed to fall asleep about 5 minutes into the film. I woke up a couple of times as my head nodded to the side before deciding to leave. Being a dude by yourself–wearing an Olaf sweater and falling asleep–at a movie screening surrounded by families is not a good look.
The most exciting part of the day, for us, was our anniversary dinner at Palo. Sarah surprised me with this the day before we left (so I could pack appropriately), and I was really looking forward to this meal. It had been a while since we had done Palo, and I’m not entirely sure why.
Here’s a look at some of what we had:
For one of our courses, our server brought out a container of truffle oil. As huge fans of truffle anything, this was arguably one of the best things that has ever happened to us.
Truffle oil is basically “pixie dust” for adults, and I would strongly encourage Disney to start serving it as “Liquid Pixie Dust” in their restaurants.
Although it was only supposed to be used on a couple of our dishes, we kept that truffle oil for the rest of the meal, using it as necessary. (AKA always.)
Our meal at Palo was fantastic. Absolutely, unquestionably worth the surcharge. Not as good as Victoria & Albert’s, but I would say the gap between normal Disney Cruise Line rotational dining and Palo is larger than the gap between California Grill and V&A’s. Palo is seriously that good.
We still have not done Remy–the cost has always scared us away–but it’s definitely a must do for our next cruise. So many people have told us that it’s significantly better than Palo, a claim I have a difficult time wrapping my head around, because I think Palo is that good. Still, triple the cost is a tough sell. Is LeBron worth triple the salary of Steph Curry?
The meal was also long and drawn out, which was enjoyable. The downside of this is that we had to rush to the Walt Disney Theatre to make it to “Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic.” I enjoyed this show quite a bit last time I saw it, and was really looking forward to it.
My opinion of it was not quite as high this go-round. New Frozen scenes have been added to it since I had last seen it, and these stretched the show out a bit too much. The show was a bit redundant before, but that’s worse now. There’s nothing wrong with any of the scenes (in isolation, they’re all great), but I had the sense of “c’mon, get on with it” towards the end of the show each time the little girl talks about believing.
And that was more or less how our Disney Norwegian Fjords cruise ended. This final installment has not exactly been the most upbeat, so I’ll end with a few parting thoughts that are. This cruise was absolutely a game-changer for us in terms of how we view cruises. It was the perfect intersection of real world and Disney travel, and offered greater bang for buck than I ever could’ve expected. It exceeded my expectations in most regards, and overall was a very good experience.
While doing this unique Disney Cruise Line itineraries with regularity is not in the cards for us since we’re too frugal, I see this becoming our “big splurge” Disney travel experience, especially in the long term. Forget Adventures by Disney or staying at Deluxe Resorts (well, not entirely since we usually do that via DVC); this is the best big-ticket Disney vacation as far as I’m concerned. We already mentioned that Alaska is on our radar and a cruise we’d like to do sooner than later, but that itinerary is not the only window-shopping we’ve done. We’ll probably end up doing more Caribbean cruises first (because of deals), but it’s still fun to daydream about more of these longer, unique itineraries! On Page 2, we’ll briefly discuss our day in Copenhagen, including a visit to Tivoli Gardens (one of Walt Disney’s inspirations for Disneyland), and more flight troubles on the way home.
Your hotel room in Copenhagen looks lovely. Where did you stay and would you recommend it? I’m looking for somewhere for a few nights pre-cruise so we can explore Copenhagen.
Thank you for the wonderful report. Never thought of going to Scandinavia until reading this. Also liked your thoughts on the ship as a hotel taking you through your travels
I’m giggling to myself as I read about Copenhagen because they were just there on the Bachelorette. However, your commentary and photos gave me a much better idea of what it’s like than they did:)
WOW. That food! I’m planning a trip to Norway next summer and now I want it to be on a Disney Cruise. We just celebrated our 7th anniversary as well… congrats!
I’m glad you enjoyed Copenhagen! We spent a week there in May and stayed at an Airbnb near Stroget. Our daughter was in Copenhagen for 4 months for study abroad and we wanted to see the places she had grown to love. We loved it as well and will definitely return. What a magical city filled with charm and history! We went to Paris after Copenhagen and actually liked Copenhagen more (gasp!) We enjoyed Tivoli and were amazed by those birds. My husband made friends with a guinea who was determined to untie his shoelaces. 😀
For me personally, Copenhagen does not rival Paris, but I don’t think it’s such an outlandish perspective that would cause me to gasp. Now, if you said you preferred Little Rock to Paris, I might gasp… 😉
Loved hearing about your trip. We would definitely consider one of the Disney cruises now–esp. to a more unique (and not so hot, so not the Caribbean) destination. I am with you 100% on the public transportation sentiment–Europe is so much nicer to do lots of navigation in because of the awesome walk ability and public transit (frankly, not just Europe–I’ve found many parts of Canada less populated than US cities also have better public transit). I’m always sad to return back to the states in this regard!
The United States is woefully underdeveloped in terms of public transportation. Even in larger cities–San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc–it’s not nearly as good as it should be, in my opinion.
Hi Tom, wonderful trip report, thanks!
You said “Forget Adventures by Disney or staying at Deluxe Resorts…this is the best big-ticket Disney vacation as far as I’m concerned.” I’d be interested in a blog post discussing your view of the Disney River Cruises. Do those appeal to you? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Agreed, would like to hear more about the river cruises, as it’s my understanding they’re very different (potentially better or worse).
Wow, Copenhagen and Tivoli are both beautiful. I’ve so enjoyed reading your trip report! You’ve really sold me on taking a destination DCL. We’ve only taken two Caribbean cruises and I thought with all the time we spend exploring the ship, that going to a destination I wanted to visit would inevitably mean losing out time exploring one or the other. I think Alaska may well be our next cruise. I should really see if you freelance in finding these DCL deals you’ve taken advantage of!
I have been to Tivoli twice and always enjoy it, so quaint, but it is at its best at Christmas time, the lights are very magical. In Copenhagen I would also recommend the Carlsberg factory and going for a swim in the doughnut swimming pool. And of course the little mermaid statue.
You must travel to Europa Park in Germany and Efteling in the Netherlands at some point. Both are amazing European theme parks. Efteling has the best dark ride I have ever been on.
Great report as always!
After seeing some photos of Symbolica (the new trackless dark ride in Efteling), that park is definitely on my must do list for sooner rather than later. Same goes for Europa Park.
I also enjoyed Liseberg in western Sweden as a European amusement park and Scandanavia trip feature. http://liseberg.com/en/home/
Thanks for sharing your report. I enjoyed reading! Which hotel did you stay at in Copenhagen? That room looked beautiful.
We stayed at Axel Guldsmeden: https://guldsmedenhotels.com/axel-guldsmeden-hotel-copenhagen-vesterbro/
Trendy, chic hotel. Highly recommended.
Thanks 🙂 I’ll check it out!
thanks for these reviews. I’ve been curious about the Norway cruises. Could not help but chuckle at the unnecessary Arkansas dig. 🙂 I grew up there. Have you actually been? If not, try the Northwest corner sometime.
Most of the digs on this blog are unnecessary–no different than the shots I used to take at Indiana when we lived there.
Now that we don’t, I chose a state with a lower population so I’d be less likely to offend its residents. 😉
smart approach! 🙂 enjoyed the review as always.
There’s tons of peacocks wandering around Arcadia. Thanks for the detailed trip report, and sorry to hear about all your flight cancellations. Makes me a little nervous for my upcoming Europe trip.
The flight cancellations were bad luck, plain and simple. I wouldn’t worry about it at all. This is the first time we’ve ever had an issue with cancellations on int’l flights.
“One thing that stuck out was the inordinate number of exotic birds in Tivoli. There were even a couple peacocks just out in guest paths. This was neat to see, although I wonder whether this would FLY in the U.S.” Pun intended?? Lol. Reading this line made me think about the wild peacocks that used to roam around Fort Wilderness by Settlement. I haven’t see them in long time. Do you remember that? They used to have an albino one that would roost up on top of Pioneer Hall. We saw it every trip for years in the 90s, wonder whatever happened to that thing..Anyways, great trip report. You and Sarah are so inspirational with your traveling! Just reading your reports, give us confidence to try our hand at international travel. I hear DCL will be releasing 2019 Winter Itineraries in the Fall. If the price is right…might have to book one! Thanks so much for all you hard work and for sharing with us!
I don’t recall the peacocks at Fort Wilderness, but it continues to surprise me that feral peacocks are a thing. We have them in Los Angeles, too.
I’ll probably never not be surprised by that. Feral peacocks?!
Fantastic trip report, though your Lebrun/Curry comment is no longer accurate (though the answer is yes).
Do you have a go-to source for DVC rentals?
Thanks!
I know LeBron actually has a lower salary, but I think the point stands–with no salary cap, would LeBron be worth triple the salary? I don’t know about that…
We recommend DVC Rental Store for rental: http://dvcrentalstore.com/
Without a cap LeBron might set the new standard for elite players but I wouldn’t expect Curry to receive that much less if all prior salaries were cancelled and bidding open across the league.*
*The Knicks would the pay double LeBron’s new salary but pay it to, I don’t know, Jamal Crawford or Javale McGee because Knicks gonna Knicks.
On topic – have you visited Greece? Do the Disney Mediterranean itineraries intrigue you?
*The Knicks would the pay double LeBron’s new salary but pay it to, I don’t know, Jamal Crawford or Javale McGee because Knicks gonna Knicks.
This made me literally lol. So true.
My sister treated me to a trip to Copenhagen for my 30th birthday and we both loved it! I also highly recommend taking a train to see the Louisiana modern art museum about 30 mn away. Beautiful sculptures in a picturesque landscape and the sea too…Oh and of course Elsinore, also quite close.
Wow! Can your sister be my sister too? The best gift my sis ever gave me was a drawing of my cat.
That sounds like a great gift tho!
I am so glad you have become a fan of the Scandinavian countries!! The only thing that is not great about Norway is the weather….That is the reason we go to Florida every summer. The weather in Stavanger today is rain and 12 degrees C (about 53 degrees F I think)…..
Not a huge fan of rain, but I’d take 53º weather over 90s and humid. I don’t mind cold–can always put on more layers. Only so much you can take off… 😉
The rain I don’t love, but I’ll take 50s and 60s much faster than 90s and humidity of FL in summer!
Did Palo have the Amaretto Soufflé dessert? They added it on the Wonder and it is sooooo good! We think it is better than the chocolate soufflé and that is hard to beat.
As for Remy – we ate there on the Fantasy in 2012 and I would say it was more of an amazing food “show”. Not like a tv show but a beautiful show of food one dish or course at a time…we enjoyed it but felt the meal itself wasn’t as good as Palo.
Thanks again for your trip reports! And all your reviews! They are so informative and entertaining. I enjoy reading them so much!
Yes, they had the Amaretto Souffle, and we had that, too. I just didn’t post a photo of it. I prefer it to the chocolate souffle, but both are absolutely incredible.
I thought day 6 was the last report, so day 7 to me was a bonus. Palo dinner looked scrumptious. Pictures were wonderful. Copenhagen was wonderful, wonderful (sorry for the pun. Sometimes I can’t control myself. Maybe I should explain that as you are much younger than I am. “Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen” is a song from the 1950s, or maybe the 60s. What can I say, it just popped into my head.)
Happy you and Sarah had a good time (aside from flight cancellations, etc). Looking forward to your next report.
I was not aware of the song, but I’m a Danny Kaye fan, so I appreciate the reference (and explanation)!
Also a Danny Kaye fan.
From “The Court Jester”…
“The pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true”.
When the chalice broke, it became, “The pellet with the poison’s in the flagon with the dragon; the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true”.
Only Danny Kaye could do these lines justice.
Absolutely loved reading your report! We loved Tivoli and rode The Flying Trunk about 6 times – never a line. I think you would like it. We also did the antique cars. My husband and I are average sized adults, I should say United States adults and these cars were meant for 2 people – it was hysterical how huge we looked in these tiny cars. We had a blast. We also did the old roller coaster and felt like we were going to die – no safety check and our safety bar didn’t lock – they didn’t care :0 Our ticket package we bought included rides and a lunch. We got fish and chips and a bird came over my shoulder and took my fish…it freaked me out and I dropped my chips. Those birds are well fed! Can’t wait to go back there again some day. Night time there was nice, but not necessary. Thanks for all your trip reports!!
We debated doing a “better” ticket for Tivoli, but there was so much we wanted to see in the city that we decided against it. I regret not doing the Flying Trunk now, but am otherwise okay with the time we spent there. Some of the other rides seemed a bit…sketchy.