rkorchid

Seems I recall DH ordering hard cider on the Rotterdam Voyage of the Vikings - it was a British label -very good. Hard Cider and craft hard cider is showing up more an more in the US now - Atascadero California now has an Annual Cider Fest and Pig Roast - very popular, show cases lots of local cider brewers. http://www.centralcoastciderfestival.com

On our Voyage of the Vikings cruise last summer I had a pear cider for breakfast every morning on the Rotterdam

Not only do we wait in our room, we order a room service breakfast.

They did come to collect the trays without being called as usual.

We tip MDR stewards $50 a week (together for the two of them).

We tip $2 for room service (breakfast).

We also tip bar servers $2 each time we sit down for drinks. Sometimes that may involve more than one drink each.

This is on a 30-day plus cruise where we interact with these people over a long period.

We want to take advantage of our 3* status to save a little money on our wine this time. I've learned from you great people to wait and get this package once we're onboard.

 

I could have sworn that the Navigator package (the cheaper one of the two) used to include all wine that was $29 a bottle or less. Is that still the case, or is it limited to just those listed below (thank you Crew News!)

 

Red Wines

Deakin Estate Pinot Noir, Australia

Los Riscos Merlot, Chile

Deakin Estate Shiraz, Australia

Frescobaldi Remole, Italy

Tapena Tempranillo, Spain

Puerto Viejo Carmenere, Chile

Chateau Des 3 Tours Bordeaux, France

Toro De Piedra Cabarnet Sauvignon, Chile

 

White Wines

Piedra Negra Torrontes, Argentina

Danzante Moscato, Italy

Danzante Pinot Grigio, Italy

Greystone Sauvignon Blanc, California

Caliterra Chardonnay, Chile

Dreaming Tree Chardonnay, California

That's the Navigator package.

We were pleased with the white Torrentes and the red Carmenere.

WE did try the Admiral package once in 2015 but were not particularly pleased and went back to the navigator.

Our Explore 4 package was honored for the Sip & Savor on this summer's Voyage of the Vikings .

Apologies for the dumb question, but I don't want to buy a soda card then find out club soda isn't included since that's all I'd drink.

I ordered club soda in the Ocean Bar last year and there was no charge at all.

I know you can get OBC for balances on the HAL credit card.

I just forget how to do it.

Is it from the CC account or from the booking account?

Where do cruise ships typically dock in Rotterdam?

What are local transportation options.

I mistakenly posted this question on the Northern Europe board. I always forget there is a separate one.

Sorry

Where do cruise ships typically dock in Rotterdam?

What part of the city? What are the local transportation options?

Where do ships dock in Belfast?

I am looking to get to the closest HoHo stop.

A recent post suggests that the shuttles have stopped running.

We were in Geiranger last summer (VoV).

The fjord is stunning. We took the bus tour of the two peaks. We also had a private tour of the Trollststigen road which was wonderful.

Alesund was very interesting especially the overlook and the wonderful aquarium. We used the HOHO.

Bergen has become one of our favorite cities. A fabulous market (fish). It is very walkable from the cruise dock.

We took the HOHO but it's really unnecessary.

We did this on our 35-day Voyage of the Vikings cruise last summer.

There were three different levels of packages. We chose the formal nights for about $350. There were 9 formal nights.

You could also include shore excursion embarking or dining room.

We got unlimited pictures and poses against multiple backdrops.

We did it for a number of reasons:

It was our first cruise ever.

We have no pictures of ourselves.

Our running sick joke was we needed obituary pics (we are 68).

We have a nice collection (huge!) of us in nice dress.

They made nice presents for friends and family this Christmas.

They do try to get you to upgrade to more expensive packages but they were nice and tossed in the few pictures they took at dinner and the dock.

We would never do it again but as a one time thing it was worth it. I am sure private studio sittings at home would have cost at least as much.

We spent 35 days on the Veendam in July and August in the North Atlantic and loved every minute of it.

We had a Lanai cabin.

The friendly service and attention from all staff was exceptional. The laundry service is great.

We enjoyed the food in MDR and breakfast and lunch in the Lido.

The Ocean Bar bartenders and combo were great.

We enjoyed the evening entertainment and the cooking demonstrations.

HAL is said to put it's better people and entertainment on long cruises.

But we enjoyed it so much we signed up for the same cruise (on the Rotterdam) for summer 2016.

Why every two days? Are you expecting them to go someplace else??

This is on a 35-day cruise. I don't like to wait until the last night to tip.

The two-day interval works well for me to tip the main attendant and his assistant in even numbers.

I know this is a controversial topic.

But we tip $1 a drink pp.

We also tip the room stewards and the dining room stewards. $15 every two days.

We asked ourselves the same questions while on the Voyage of the Vikings last summer. Should we lock in a cabin for the 2016 cruise or hope for an upgrade?

We managed a Lanai cabin with a last minute upsell offer just before our 2015 cruise. We loved the room and the cruise and decided to book it again for 2016.

This meant paying full price for the Lanai cabin.

But by booking on the ship for 2016 we got:

guaranteed cabin of our choice

reduced deposit (refundable)

no payment until April for a July cruise

one dinner at the Pinnacle

the beverage package worth $45 pp/pd for a 35-day cruise

OBC of $200/pp (I think) and we got the aftercruise OBC of $200

While I would never purchase the beverage package for ourselves, this amounts to a significant savings since we do drink in the lounges, etc.

There is no guarantee that we would be offered the upsell again at a discount to the Lanai cabin for 2016 if we booked something lower. So I think the security of a known cabin and the extras were worth it.

Thanks for all the great tips, everyone. Good point on the water, odleka! Next time I'll bring water aboard. I was drinking what they offer at the pool which, of course, is the desalinated water.

I agree it is probably salt.

We both had the same experience on a 35-day cruise in the North Atlantic this summer - VoV. So it is not limited to warm cruises.

We use very little salt at home and only in cooking; not on the table.

We do drink alcohol but no more than at home.

I was able to book a reservation for Le Cirque on our August 2016 VoV on the Rotterdam.

I suppose HAL could cancel it if they drop the program.

I also booked a night of La Labrije (sp).

The Voyage of the Vikings 2015 roll call had over 150 passengers participating.

Topics included private excursions, travel tips, shipboard advice, etc.

It was incredibly active for a good 10 months.

The most successful part was the incredible spreadsheet compiled by Paul from Boston.

It kept track of participant's names, home location, cabin numbers in addition to port excursions and activities.

It was a tremendous asset to the cruise.

We used room service for breakfast three times on our last cruise (VoV).

It always arrived within five minutes of when requested.

I called room service and asked the tray to be removed when we were finished.

Since we always left the cabin afterwards I have no real idea what happened. But I assume the same person who delivered it also removed it.

Thanks, Petit!

The Seafood Bar is excellent.

It is just around the corner and maybe two blocks from the Van Gogh museum.

The website makes it look quite elegant but it is really a small, simple place with excellent food.

We shared a plate of oysters and a cold shellfish tower in August.

A nice bonus was the Scrappino dessert - frozen lemon sorbet, grappa, and champagne.

If you would like an "armchair idea" of what this year's Voyage of the Vikings was like, please check out my photos here:

 

 

If you do nothing else, check out the photos and a few videos of our day transiting the Greenland Ice Fields, "one of the best days of sailing ever," said our Captain. This event occurs for only a few weeks a year. Three weeks later, on our return trip, all the ice was gone except for a few of the larger icebergs.

 

My other favorite, was the Faroes, which we've been to before, but this time the sun was shining...a rare event!

 

Hope you enjoy...and book a future Voyage of the Vikings!

I agree with Elsie. It's so interesting to see the same cruise from someone else's pictures. They really are stunning.

Such a great cruise.

I came up Adventure Man which is pretty silly.

But it did suggest HAL as a cruise choice.

I see you asked this on the HAL board. That is the more appropriate location as it really has nothing to do with Europe, rather to do with HAL booking procedures and upgrade possibilities.

 

This is directly related to the "when is it best to book" questions, which are very common here. There is no answer that fits every booking, because upgrades and upsells are not predictable. Every individual cruise has it's own demand and booking issues, so the number of upgrades and upsells, and the categories involved will be totally different every cruise. So, no one will be able to tell you to always book this way, or that way, and you will definitely get an upgrade or upsell. It is just not possible.

 

Rather, the common advice is you book the minimum level of cabin you will be happy with. Anything you might get above that is just gravy.

Sorry, I forgot what board I was reading when I posted this. But your reply and advice is appreciated.

I do not enjoy waiting for prices to decrease.. We book the specific cabin we would be happy with.. I worked for an airline, spent many years on standby & no longer want to do that.. We decide on a cruise, pick the cabin we want & book it.. Sometimes we book a year in advance & other times just a few months in advance..

 

We took an upsell to a lanai once & enjoyed it so much that we're hooked! There are not that many lanai cabins, so if we have a chance to book a lanai, we would pick the one we want & book it.. It's not worth it to us to wait for an upsell offer which may or may not come our way...

 

We booked our Balcony cabin for November just a few weeks ago...If an upsell offer comes in, we at least have the option to take it or not take it.. We will be just as happy with our chosen cabin.. If we are travelling with others, we normally have our Travel Agent mark our reservations, "Do not upgrade"..

Thanks for your response.

Since we haven't sailed yet I still don't know what I think about the Lanai cabin.

But I think I agree with you. The certainty of the cabin is probably worth the potential discount.