Icebergs, Fishing Villages and Farewell For Now

Cruise Specialists Hosts Steve and Wendy are on the road (or high seas in this case) once again with the Voyage of the Vikings. In fact, this is their 7th time doing this particular journey! They started with some amazing sites in Bar Harbor, Norway, Rotterdam, British Isles and now it’s the final trip home.

We’re ready for our return passage through Prince Christian Sound. If you remember, on the way East, we had a nearly perfect day, so all were hopeful for a repeat performance.

We arrived out on deck at about 7:30 AM, just in time to hear the ship’s foghorn and see absolutely nothing but heavy fog. A half hour of this left everyone feeling down, especially those who had not been on the ship for our eastbound trip.
But the weather gods must have been smiling on us since just as we entered the Sound, the fog lifted, and the magnificent scenery came into view. We did have patches of fog throughout the day, which gave it an eerie atmosphere and with temperatures in the mid 30’s and a 25mph wind in our faces, it was cold. We wore double pants, 4 shirts, two sweatshirts and a jacket along with hats, hoods, and double gloves. And the views were spectacular – multiple glaciers, steep cliffs, dozens of waterfalls, and one whale were on view today. We got a good look at the weather station at the entrance to the Sound and an even better view of the one little village that we passed on our eastbound trip.

Our biggest treat was a large iceberg (one of the few we saw today) that decided to roll over and split in two right in view of the ship!

Greenland

The following day, we had a very early morning arrival in the area of Nanortalik. This is the 10th largest city in Greenland with about 1,300 full time residents, but it feels very small and remote. It is actually on an island, so helicopters and boats are the only way on or off. As our voyage winds down, there are always lots of events that get scheduled in the final week. We had three in one day: the Mariner Brunch, the Cruise Specialists final cocktail party, and a small dinner party at the Canaletto Restaurant with friends. It was certainly a big eating and drinking day but we could handle it.

Next day was our visit to St John’s, Newfoundland, always one of our favorite ports. It was quite special as were picked up by our friends Alan and Heather who live here. Along with 4 other friends of theirs who are also on the ship and another couple visiting from the west coast, they had planned a very personal shore excursion for us all.

Goodbyes

The final sea day is always a little sad.

Packing is not anyone’s favorite thing to do. And there are goodbyes to new friends and the exchange of email addresses with promises to keep in touch. And goodbyes to the few staff members we have gotten to know so well.

So we attend the final lecture, the final Chat Time, the last dance lesson, the farewell dinner, and the last show. And before we know it, we’re waiting to disembark in Boston.The Voyage of the Vikings has once again been a unique experience. Breathtaking scenery, fascinating history, diverse cultures, cool weather (a personal favorite), and some of the friendliest people you could hope for. We’re happy knowing we will be doing it again next year.