May '18 - Ocean Cruise

We just got back from a two week Viking Homelands cruise from Norway to Sweden with lots of stops along the way - I'm not going to post each stop but would like to share a few highlights and tips in case you are interested and want to take this cruise...and also because I use these travel posts as a sort of travel journal to help me remember our trips and what happened where!

 
When I saw this cruise went to Norway I was super excited, it's been on my list of places I'd like to see for a long time - also, I'm a cool weather girl and when I think of Norway I think fjords, glaciers, and cold weather. Perfect. Well let's just say that it isn't always like that - naturally we chose to go during a heat wave. Everywhere we went someone said "it's NEVER like this!". It rained for maybe 10 minutes once, maybe twice, but I think once. By the time I got my umbrella out of my backpack and opened it the rain was over. Seriously. I shouldn't complain but c'mon - a heat wave? Sunny every day? In Norway? I packed mostly long sleeves, jackets and a couple coats, pants but no dresses or skirts, scarves, cargo boots, even a knit hat and gloves. I had to be creative to come up with appropriate outfits to wear and not roast to death! Good grief. I wore the hat once and that was mostly because my hair was dirty and I needed to cover it up.

Let's see...how many times have I written about the virtues of traveling light and not overpacking? Once again I blew it and brought too much. When will I learn? And this time I even went so far as to bring a second small wheelie suitcase! I figured since we weren't having to pack up and move hotels it wouldn't be a problem to just stick it all in - we had a nice stateroom with a small balcony, a large bed, couch and a desk but it only had 3 small drawers and a standard closet. Uh yeah, nowhere near enough storage for all the shizzle I managed to pack. Thankfully our suitcases fit under the bed and I used mine like a dresser. If I go on a cruise like this again here is what I'll bring - I promise this will still be more than enough (note: this list is if you end up going when it's sunny and mild temps, if it's really cold and rainy obviously I'd bring different clothing) because each floor of our ship had a self-serve laundromat with 3 washers and dryers, ironing boards and irons, and they provided the detergent too.

Note to Viking management - the dryers are stacked on top of the washers and some of us, ahem, not tall people couldn't reach the back of the dryer and looked like an idiot jumping up and down trying to grab the socks from the back, I'm thinking a stool might be helpful? Not everyone doing laundry was as sprightly and high of a jumper as me, ya know? ;) Anyway, I'm not going to bother telling you what I did bring because it was either wrong or unnecessary! Note: make sure everything goes with each other - and the scarves should match most of the outfits.

• black jeggings
• dark blue jeggings (note: I love Hue brand jeggings - they look like skinny jeans but are thin and super lightweight, more like leggings
• black slim stretchy (but not tight) ankle pants - I have Alfani brand from Macy's that are pull on, stop right at my ankle, don't wrinkle, travel great. 
• one other pant that can go day or night - I brought dark green camo ankle pants
• yoga/workout pants or tight thick black leggings (maybe not necessary but I wore these quite a bit for running to the laundromat and hanging out - not that there's a lot of hanging out time!)
• white or black button up shirt
• chambray blue button up shirt
• 1 black pullover light weight v-neck top
• 2 long sleeved t-shirts - 1 striped, 1 solid
• 1 or 2 short sleeved t-shirts - 1 striped, 1 gray with words
• 2 dressy camisole/flowy tanks - wear under the cardigans or on their own at night
• 2 cardigans - 1 black dressy, 1 black casual
• optional - tank or work-out t-shirt to go with the yoga pants/leggings. Also one long c.y.a. shirt if you want to wear the leggings as an outfit and are pretending that leggings are pants. 
• 2 lightweight scarves that match all of the tops. I brought a light blue/cream/brown/gray one in a map pattern, and a flowered one that has many colors (brown, black, navy, green, rose, cream, white) that I got at Target and is the perfect travel scarf for matching everything. 
• sneakers, combat boots or other comfortable walking shoes (I interchanged the sneakers and boots every day for walking around), silver flats, flat black sandals, ankle booties with a little heel for nighttime (I wore these more than I thought I would). This is probably one pair of shoes too many but the silver flats and flat sandals don't take up much room.
• I took a bathing suit and cover up but didn't wear them once. Your call. 
• hat with a brim for day trips. 
• jazz up all these plain simple clothes with fun earrings and other jewelry - doesn't take up much room and you'll add lots of variety! I found an obnoxiously big pair of earrings drew attention away from the same black pants and black camisole that I wore most nights. 
• optional: lightweight utility jacket or pullover sporty jacket
• packable water resistant hip length coat with a hood
• 1 black medium weight vest - I wore this more than anything. 

Some useful things to take with you: 

1. we didn't need plug adaptors on this Viking cruise - our room had plenty of standard American plugs and a couple USB outlets on each nightstand and at the desk. I still packed them tho for the nights we stayed in a hotel pre- and post- cruise.
2. we always pack an extension cord for when there aren't enough outlets. 
3. I packed one of those hanging plastic pocket/holder things and hung it up in the bathroom - I put my earrings and other things we used a lot in the pockets and it was easy to see and access... things like small sunscreen, lint roller, gum, etc. 
4. a lightweight backpack for day trips to hold an umbrella (even tho I didn't need it!), city maps, water, etc. If you are carrying your passport with you off the ship I wouldn't put it in a backpack tho (not very safe). Dave wears a belt that holds his passport and money under his shirt, I carried a small wristlet. 
5. we didn't take money for each country with us and found that we could use either our credit cards or Euros most places. 
6. they give you a stateroom card when you first get on board that has your name and info on it, you use this card for everything including getting on and off the ship so you have to carry it at all times. Many cruise savvy people hole-punched theirs and wore it on a cord around their neck but alas, I left my hole punch at home (along with my labeler haha). I strongly suggest carrying your card in the same exact place every time because nothing riles up the people waiting in line behind you like you searching for the darn thing cuz you can't remember where you put it. Just sayin'. 
7. spring in Norway and along the Baltic means almost 24 hours of daylight. The first time I woke up and saw sunshine I panicked thinking I overslept - only to check the time and see that it was 3:30 am. I kid you not. Pack a sleep mask. 
8. I wore an anti-motion sickness patch the whole time - a few of the waiters and bar staff made fun of me because it was actually a very smooth cruise but I wasn't taking any chances. Nothing worse than motion sickness! I also packed a bunch of ginger candy just in case. 
9. If you're traveling with friends, or are the chatty friend-making sort, pack a deck of cards. We played most nights before dinner and it was lots of fun. 
10. Lastly, and I realize this is possibly TMI, they take spreading germs and people getting sick on the ship very seriously for good reason - getting sick on a cruise is something that can definitely happen no matter how much hand sanitizer you use. Plan for the worst and bring pepto-bismal and/or immodium and/or the equivalent. And maybe don't eat the crab legs. Don't ask me how I know.