We booked the shore excursions for our cruise before we boarded. Here’s a list of what we anticipated.
Normally, we might just get off the ship and explore the ports of call on our own two feet. But with this cruise, we decided that we would see much more of the local scenery if we indulged in some of the shore excursion packages by Holland America. After all, the whole reason for taking this cruise was to go places that are hard to get to any other way.
July 15: Corner Brook, Newfoundland
Because we have already visited Corner Brook— the first port of call— on a vacation to Newfoundland in 1998, we decided to forego any planned shore excursions. The most intriguing offering is the visit to Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where billion-year-old rocks from the earth’s core bulge above the surface, but we have already been there and can return another time. We will spend the day walking around town on our own.
July 16: Red Bay, Labrador – Lighthouse Journey
We decided to take the coastal drive to visit the lighthouse at Point Amour so we can see some of the seaside villages along the Labrador coast. Rumor has it that we will take a dilapidated old schoolbus and visit a 7500-year-old burial mound on the way.
July 17: Cartwright, Labrador
The trip to Cartwright, Labrador, was cancelled, due to too many icebergs in the area.
July 19: Nanortalik, Greenland
There is no shore excursion offered during the seven-hour stopover in Greenland, but we may be able to take the tender so we can say we’ve stepped on Greenland soil.
July 21: Ísafjörður, Iceland
We may be best sampling the local color by exploring the town on our own. There is a highly rated walking tour we could purchase— but we shall see if it is even necessary.
July 22: Akureyri, Iceland – Lake Mývatn
We plan to take the bus tour to Lake Mývatn. This tour seems to include all the natural geologic wonders of the Icelandic landscape— from fjords, to waterfalls, to steambaths, to lava caves.
July 23: Seyðisfjörður, Iceland – Hike to Hengifoss Waterfall
This one is for Arjan, a five-hour day trip to enjoy a hike to Iceland’s third-highest waterfall, with views of Lagarfljót, Iceland’s third-largest lake, and the Hallormsstaðarskógur Forest, which includes Iceland’s tallest tree. P.J. will enjoy tiny Seyðisfjörður on her own.
July 24: Tórshavn, Faroe Islands – Vestmanna Seacliffs & Streymoy Guided Mountain Hiking
P.J. will take the boat trip to the Vestmanna seacliffs, home of seabirds and weather-beaten cliff formations, while Arjan enjoys a strenuous hike to the columnar basalt formations of Streymoy Sill.
July 26: Bergen, Norway – Sounds of Edvard Grieg & Fantoft Stave Church
P.J. will take a tour to visit Troldhaugen, home of the famous Norwegian composer (including a piano recital of Grieg’s music), and the Fantoft Stave Church, a replica of traditional church architecture circa 1150. Arjan will figure something out. Perhaps (depending on the weather) he will take the funicular to the top of Mount Fløien.
July 27: Stavanger, Norway – Lysefjord: Pulpit Rock
Together for a change, we will take a small-boat cruise through the Stavanger Archipelago to visit Pulpit Rock, a promontory rising 1500 feet above the sea, with the depth in the Lysefjord of almost the same below.
July 29: Amsterdam, Holland
No shore excursion necessary here. We know the territory. We will be picked up by friends to begin the longer half of our vacation— visiting friends and family in Holland and the U.K.