CruisingCleo

Thank you so much for this review! I will be on my first HAL cruise in 3 weeks, on the Rotterdam. This has given me a wealth of information, p.e. I do not have to bring a non-slip badmath as I will have a shower with a rough tiled floor. And all the ideas for cocktails and wine pairing are wonderful!

Please ad me to: May 4, 2024, Rotterdam, 8 day Viking Saga to Norway. Thank you! PS First cruise with HAL.

I am in the exact same situation as 3rdGenCunarder described in her answer. Originally I would have been making a trip to Lapland this week ( not a cruise) with a friend, but I broke my foot a couple of weeks ago, so had to cancel. That is when I decided to make a cruise to the fjords. This cruise is leaving from Rotterdam, which is not even 30 miles from my home, so very convenient. I will only book when my foot has healed enough that I can walk some distance without crutches or a walker. Thank you all so much for your kind answers. It has given me a lot to think about. But I already found one solo traveller on the roll call, so who knows how things might go.

I am looking to book my first HAL cruise on the Rotterdam, leaving from Rotterdam on May 4th. Our earlier cruises have been on Oceania. This cruise will also be my first one as a solo cruiser. The one thing I am not looking forward to is dining on my own. So I am looking to share a table. I also prefer to choose my own dining time. Is it in that case possible to do shared dining? If I opt to buy the Club Orange package and dine in the CO dining room can I also ask for a shared table? And I do have the same question for the speciality restaurants. I have heard many good things about them so I would love to eat there as well and share a table with other guests. And my last question: are there special events for solo travellers on board of the Rotterdam? Thank you for your help.

May I ask how much you tipped? We will board Riviera next week in Miami and will have 3 large suitcases and 1 carry-on case.

Thank you so much! I have ordered it and am really looking forward to it. I saw the book on the Riviera during our first cruise in 2015 but did not buy it because its weight was too much for our luggage allowance for our flight back to Europe. On our next cruise in 2018 they did not sell it anymore.

I have been looking for the cookbook for years! How did you order it? Or can you buy it on board?

Now that sounds quite nice. Much better than what we saw on this video: https://youtu.be/jPksFpQsEIs.

We will be on the Riviera for the transatlantic leaving Miami on March 22. The first stop will be Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahama’s. Does anybody have experience with a stop there? Is it nice? How are the restaurants and the bars? We saw a video where the food did not look appetizing at all. Would it be a good idea to just go to the beach for a few hours and then return to the ship? We just want to have a relaxing day, so are not planning any excursions.