jagger16

Mactire, NA is a beautiful ship and the staff will do their best to make your cruise memorable. I agree with the Tamarind suggestion and would like to add taking walks on the promenade. We love the retreat cabanas and Thermal Spa if you are into relaxation. Have fun and try the Drink of the Day so you can compare the daily specials and find some favorites. If they have it, you can also try the daily cordial after dinner and get your free souvenir glass. My husband loves hot breakfasts on our veranda and since I don't like breakfast food, I can always get smoked salmon and a cheese plate.

Related question for POA1... I'm sure that you covered this in your extensive study, but would you mind sharing again your suggested wine carrier for bringing your wine on-board? I think we have officially given up on the wine list and are going to shop in Fort Lauderdale before we embark for our New Year's cruise.

I would encourage you to write a letter to HAL expressing your concerns. I once had a negative experience on one of our HAL cruises. I wrote to them and was pleased with their responsiveness and the outcome. Sometimes one of the best ways to judge a company is to see how they solve problems and respond to their customers.

Tugy, I understand that different people can have different experiences on the same cruise. Some of the things that you mentioned that you were unhappy with; I cannot address as I wasn’t there and didn’t see what you saw. You certainly have the right to your own opinion.

But I did want to mention how people were dressed for formal night. In our opinion, people looked as if they were adhering to the dress code. We don’t recall anyone who wasn’t dressed properly. Overall, the ship looked nice and all four formal nights had a formal feel, especially in the MDR but outside of the MDR as well.

Cbr663, All I can tell you is when in the MDR, everyone around us and all those that we walked past, and those that sat below us on the first floor looked nice and were adhering to the dress code. Of course, we didn’t see every single person who ate in the MDR, but of who we saw, they were dressed in formal attire. There were no glaring stand-outs. And as I had mentioned before, a large number of gentlemen were in tuxes. The passengers looked great, the MDR was festive and the staff did a terrific job of making our meals special.

My husband and I thought this cruise was one of our best. All around, this cruise hit the high notes. HAL’s service is always terrific but this time it was above and beyond. The ports were amazing. The MDR food was very good. The passengers were delightful. Ms. Rotterdam was pleasant and provided an intimate and comfortable environment. Linda’s commentary on the scenic cruising was interesting and informative. Captain Marco was visible and personable. I could go on and on. We had an A+ experience and were pleased with HAL and the Voyage of the Midnight Sun.

My husband and I were on the same cruise as Tugy. I went back and checked our daily newsletter and I can confirm that the Lido opened for lunch at 12 noon.

However, on the dress code issue, I feel that I have to defend the 1400 passengers on-board. As far as cruises go, my husband and I found this group to be dressed very well on most nights, and formal on formal nights. Although not a scientific study, we felt that we saw more tuxes than we usually do on formal nights, all four of them. In fact, people stayed dressed after dinner and people in the lounges and bars remained in their finery until bed.

I am a little confused about the “Hawaiian slippers, sports pants at the knee, Caribbean shirts” comment. Honestly, we never saw anything like that, not once, even during the day. Aside from our first sea day which was quite warm, the rest of the trip temperatures were mostly in the 50s and 60s. Most days on the deck you needed a jacket. It just wasn’t the “Caribbean shirt” kind of crowd in general, let alone in the evenings.

Tugy’s post made it sound as if formal night attire was in a crisis situation on HAL. Whether you agree with formal night dress codes or not, it needs to be said that this cruise and its passengers were in compliance.

Thanks, Amy. I'll give it a try. Apologies for forgetting to sign my name on the last post. This is Mary Kate & Chris. So good to hear from you and see your pictures.

Hi Amy!

Great to see you turn up with pictures from our amazing cruise on the Rotterdam. We've been so busy since we got home that we haven't done a thing with the thousands (no exaggeration) of pictures we took. Think we'll just enjoy your photos instead. :)

We thought Norway might be a once in a lifetime trip but we loved it so much we hope to return someday. Our experience on the Rotterdam was outstanding and we will never forget the friends we made and the lovely, dedicated crew who worked tirelessly to make this a wonderful trip for all.

Say hi to your mom for us!

BTW ... I tried to post a picture on our roll call thread but couldn't get it to upload. Am I missing any tricks?

Thanks to everyone with information on the tux rental. I ordered one today for our upcoming cruise and will report back on the experience when we get back.

POA1 . . . Somehow I think only you can get away with a tux jacket at church! :) I'm sure you wore it well. Thanks for always making me laugh.

Has anyone rented one of the suits from HAL? We are traveling both prior and after - when sports coat will not be used. Thinking about suitcase room....so wondering how that worked....thank you

My husband and I are wondering about this as well. Packing a suit and dress shoes take up a lot of room so he is considering the rental. If anyone has rented before can you tell us a little about the experience and the tux?

Would the tux pass as a dark suit without the cummerbund and bow tie? He's just not a tux guy but usually brings his own dark suit, shirt, tie and pocket square. For us the issue isn't about dressing up but packing a suit and dress shoes when the space can be used for something else.

And personally I love this idea of the two separate areas of the MDR based on how you dress. I would gladly give up my table and scheduled time on formal nights to be a part of the festivities.

Last summer before we embarked on Spirit we stayed on Giudecca at the Hilton Molino Stucky. It was a great location for watching the cruise ships come and go. As an added bonus, the Spirit was docked right across the canal. We joked that we could swim to it! If Spirit does leave from San Basilio it is a perfect location. I would suggest the water taxi. We did not do that but wished that we had. The public transportation from the hotel was a easy, but circuitous as things can be in Venice. We also had to make the dreaded bridge crossing with luggage on the ship-side. Have a great trip. You are going to love the Spirit and Seabourn!

Lars, is there any way to find out if other ships will be with us in Geiranger on 13 May?

You can find out what ships will be in port on Cruise Cal: http://www.cruisecal.com/portal/ItineraryLookup/tabid/2918/Default.aspx

Thank you, Lars. With your help, we are pretty set on which excursions we will choose. We appreciate all of your advice. Thanks again.

Thanks to POA1 and the research team for this superb report. Very helpful for those of us that have a Beverage Package. And even if I didn't have one, I'd still read this scientific study for it's entertainment value. ;)

Thank you, Lars for your information. Based on your recommendations we will do the Atlantic road excursion. One includes taking a Viking Ship to Haholmen Island. Do you recommend that? A review mentions that it is no fun on the ship if it's raining. The other excursion makes a stop in Bud with no ship trip. Any thoughts on that?

Unfortunately we probably won't do the Path of the Trolls because there would be no time to explore Alesund which looks so pleasant. We wouldn't want to miss that town.

Thanks again for your reply.

Dear Lars, Thank you so much for all of your advice. Reading this thread has been on my To-Do List for some time. It was well worth the read! Thanks to all that have contributed. Now I have some questions for our cruise in August. Ports are Flam, Alesund, Trondheim, Tromso, Honningsvag, Molde, Geiranger, Bergen.

1. You mentioned the choo choo train in Alesund. Do any other towns have them? We love the choo choo trains and will get on one in any town!

2. You also said that every town has a Hoho bus. Do you mean every port or just the big ones?

3. We are struggling a bit with Honningsvag. Wondering if the crab tour is worth it or perhaps take the excursion to the North Cape.

Looking forward to your reply.

Thank you to all who have replied. I believe my husband and I have secured a coupon. Happy sailing!:)

Hi,

My husband and I have made our final payment for our first Seabourn cruise on Legend July 22. Does anyone have a coupon that he/she would be willing to share? Thanks so much.

We are still looking for a referral coupon for our first Seabourn cruise on the Legend in July. If you have one and are interested in sharing please e-mail me at mkcandcw@comcast.net.

Thank you!

Hi,

My husband and I have made our final payment for our first Seabourn cruise on Legend July 22. Does anyone have a coupon that he/she would be willing to share? Thanks so much.