At sea, somewhere off the coat of Sweden, heading for Oslo, Norway. 

3 June 2014, Tuesday

Don't think that the photo at the top of this page isn't the ship we're on - it is!  It' a picture I've taken off the internet of the Royal Princess.  Princess is an almost brand new vessel (its first cruise was less than a year ago). Despite the name, it's is owned and operated by an American company - but it was christened by the Duchess of Cambridge, and so, she's a sort of Princess....

It is a seriously big ship - the 10th biggest in the world (the internet bible Wikipedia says), with a carrying capacity of more than 3,500 paying passengers.. 

Our cabin (or stateroom, as they call it), is very comfortable, with its own (small) balcony,  and I expect we'll feel right at home here for the next 11 days. 

At a rough count, I think there's about a dozen restaurants, a couple of theatres, a casino, nightclubs and even a wedding chapel here. It also clams to have a library, but as one passenger I heard say in an American twang:  "It's just a crappy small room with some bookshelves, and they call it a library". So, I checked it out, and she was right.

So far, the weather hasn't been very kind to us.  I'm sure the decks devoted to outdoor bars and swimming pools are going to be largely unappreciated, unless the weather improves. We won't be using the balcony outside our cabin for a while.  It started to rain before we left Copenhagen, and hasn't improved.   Plus it's cold.  I understand why they don't operate these cruises year-round, and I'm now doubting the wisdom of early June schedules. 

The coastlines of Denmark and  Sweden have disappeared into the mist and light rain an we make our way north towards Norway, and according to a briefing from the Captain over the PA, it's probably not going to improve for a few days.  Any sightseeing we do tomorrow in Oslo may well be in the rain.

above: the line of wind turbines are almost impossible to see, as the light misty rain makes both the sea and the sky a dull grey.

Next:: we see 'The Scream' up close