Let me preface this review by saying that we recognize the challenges that arise due to an outbreak of the Norovirus, and have accounted for those challenges in this review.

My wife and I have taken 7 cruises, all of them on Royal Caribbean. We are in our mid 40s and have been married 23 years. We opted for this 9-night cruise out of Oslo, Norway instead of a 7-night Mediterranean cruise mostly due to price-per-night when airfare was factored in.

Prior to sailing, we stayed at the Thon Munch Hotel in Oslo. It's a great hotel to start a cruise vacation because the rooms are only slightly larger than an outside stateroom. The bathroom fixtures are the same that we have seen in the cabins on RCI ships! The main difference is that the bathroom floor is heated and the bed is more comfortable. The hotel was quiet, clean and comfortable. We booked a room with the breakfast option. The breakfast buffet included scrambled eggs, soft-boiled eggs, a variety of cereals and fruits, cold cuts, cheeses, artisan bread, pickles and one of my new favorites; pickled herring. Free wi-fi was available throughout the hotel. It is a short walk to the "main" downtown area restaurants and sights. It was a nice walk from the hotel to Vigeland Park on the morning before we sailed. It's a 15 minute cab ride from the Thon Munch to the pier. The hotel front desk clerk (never went home?) was kind enough to call the cab company without charge. Read more