• Trip: London and Cruise through Norway (RC’s Anthem of the Seas)
• Dates: August 26 – September 7, 2022
• Who: Me (Jess), Lisa (well, for now), Brittany, Rebecca, Gigi, and Rachel

The beginnings of this trip are a bit amusing when I think back on it. It was March 2021, so we’d officially hit the one year mark of Covid and I was feeling antsy. One of the blogs I frequently read posted about Disney’s Fall 2022 itinerary release and was focusing on the Norwegian Fjord cruises. That sent me down a rabbit hole of all sorts of cruise reports and I decided that I *needed* to cruise through the Norwegian Fjords. Thankfully, I have a great group of friends who share my wanderlust and who were also interested. I found a cruise that was similar from Royal Caribbean. We talked about it and just kept dreaming.

A few weeks later, my stepdad was having surgery, so I worked remotely and hung out with my mom in the waiting room. As my mind started wandering, I noticed that they were offering a deal for the cruise. I text my friends and everyone was like, “Go, Go, Go!” It was BOOKED! There were six of us total and we had three balcony cabins in a row. I was rooming with my friend and coworker Lisa. Our friends Brittany and Rebecca were roomies and then our friend Gigi decided to ask a friend from college Rachel.

My mom looked over and goes, “Are you working?” (I was texting back and forth quite a bit)

“Sort of. I am, but I also just booked a cruise through the Norwegian Fjords.”

“You did what?!”

“I just booked a cruise through the Norwegian Fjords.”

“Why?!”

“Why not? There’s a big, beautiful world out there that God gave us and I’ve decided that I want to see as much of it as possible! If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that life is short and we need to seize the day!” (I may have been a tad bit dramatic)

“So, you’re going to Norway?”

“Yep, I’m going to Norway! I told you about this trip and you suggested I should find some friends to go with. So, I did and we’re going to Norway!”

“Send me that information!”

She starts looking at it and was at the checkout. Then, she decided she should probably wait until my stepdad got out of surgery before deciding on anything, lol. He did get out of surgery, everything was fine, and they didn’t really discuss it further. That would turn out to be a good thing, in the long run, but more on that later……

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London/Norway 2022 Trip Report (August 26 – September 7, 2022)
– The Beginning (Wild Hair)
– The Planning Process (England)
– The Planning Process (Norway)
– Pre-Trip Panic (August 24, 2022)
– Day 0: Leave for London (August 26, 2022)
– Day 1: London Arrival and Tour of Countryside (August 27, 2022)
– Day 2: Southampton and Board the Anthem (August 28, 2022)
– Day 3: Sea Day (August 29, 2022)
– Day 4: Stavanger, Norway (August 30, 2022)
– Day 5: Flam, Norway (August 31, 2022)
– Day 6: Olden, Norway (September 1, 2022)
– Day 7: Bergen, Norway (September 2, 2022)
– Day 8: Sea Day (September 3, 2022)
– Day 9: Disembark and Downton Abbey Tour (September 4, 2022)
– Day 10: London: Buckingham Palace and Covent Garden (September 5, 2022)
– Day 11: London: Hop On, Hop Off and West End (September 6, 2022)
– Day 12: Leaving London (September 7, 2022)
– Trip Wrap-Up: Final Thoughts

Related Reviews
– International Friends (Private Tour: Winchester, Stonehenge, and Salisbury)
– International Friends (Private Tour: Downton Abbey filming locations, Cotswolds & Highclere Castle)
– Moxy Southampton Hotel
– Royal Caribbean – Anthem of the Seas
– Strand Palace Hotel