The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Bergen which, in the Spring sunshine proved to be one of the most pleasant port towns around. Dining al fresco in the square overlooking the inner harbour was a lovely way to spend what was, back home, by all accounts a wet and grey Bank Holiday Monday. Norway is expensive though and, as expected, the wallet left rather lighter than it arrived.
The JUPITER left Bergen at 1700 and until the sun set, it was a good chance to grab a sleep on deck as we headed home. Dinner, taken in the cafeteria, was less than historic, but having filled up ashore I wasn't too concerned. The singing waitresses were advertised as appearing once again for the return journey. Somewhat disconcertingly, the trio from our outbound crossing had been replaced by another set – these appeared to be the "original" ones, as they appeared on the advertising posters around the ship. I found them to be much less entertaining though, and they really didn't seem to be having half as much fun as the ones from the previous leg, giving the impression they'd been doing this for so many years that it was hard to summon enthusiasm for the same tired routine. I left for another wander about after around ten minutes, somewhat disillusioned that those young girls from the first night appeared merely to be merely part of a franchise and not doing their energetic performances off their own bat.
Overall it has to be said the return trip on the JUPITER was a bit of a let-down. On the Tuesday as we crossed the North Sea, the cold foggy weather outside meant a full passenger load inside, and our ship seemed cramped and rather unappealing. There was nowhere to go other than the main bar areas, the cafeteria or your cabin and I really wished she had a comfortable lounge where passengers could sit and play cards or read a book in peace. But then they might not be spending money of course… One of the closed-off conference rooms at the front of the ship could perhaps be used as a quiet/observation lounge or equivalent. Instead people could just be found milling around, looking bored and waiting for the 6pm arrival back in Newcastle. We eventually crept onto the Tyne through the gloom and passed the outbound DUKE OF SCANDINAVIA just before we berthed very slightly later than scheduled.
Overall impressions of the JUPITER: the return leg didn't really do the ship justice, but by and large she was perfectly comfortable and seemed popular enough for the most part with her passengers. As with most ships, when it is sunny outside and passengers aren't crammed inside, things seem so much better; but being couped up indoors with 1,000 fellow passengers was ultimately faintly depressing for a mini-cruise experience. A bit of variety in the entertainment offerred would also have helped - the sheer volume of mini-cruisers on our sailing (definitely more than half the load and probably more than 75%) should mean that just a little bit more can be offerred. That said, I don't think the JUPITER fares any less well with a full load than any equivalent ship of her size, and as an all-in package, the Bergen trip is one to be recommended. And if you are looking for a mini-cruise on ship with an interesting history, at the moment she probably can't be bettered from the UK. |
