Sea42

Mustafa Gulbahar. Hotel General Manager on Nieuw Statendam gave that information about crew members being allowed 15 extra minutes of time off for mentions on the Navigator app while doing a coffee chat program with the cruise director. This was on the May 14th of this year.

I used the app to give a thumbs up to my favorite bartender on Nieuw Statendam. The next time he saw me he thanked me but asked if I might mention the rest of the crew that regularly worked that bar. He said that they worked as a team and the service they provide is only possible thru a group effort. I thought it was great that he would advocate for his coworkers.

I guess I was comparing it to the offers people get that include the cabin, drinks and playing money. But this thread was about the fare discount not the free offers so it wasn't an appropriate comparison. I'm quite happy with the amount of the discount we receive.

I take a pill the night before anything that might trigger my motion sickness.

No you don't

Yes, there is a seat at the end of the shower. In addition to the overhead shower, there is a handheld wand and 3 vertical shower jets on the wall.

Sorry I didn't see your questions earlier. We got off the N.S. on the 28th and were in 4211. We loved it! I know it was smaller than other Neptune Suites and it is a hike to the Neptune Lounge but for us that was not an issue. We had one day/night of moderate, 20ft, seas with a good swell and had no alarming noises, clanking, booming or whatever. We were in Norway so it was cold but we were on that balcony a lot. One side or the other was always out of the wind. On our cruise the scenery was very important so it was the perfect choice for us.

During a coffee chat type of program on the Nieuw Statendam the Hotel General Manager (?) Mustafa stated that every positive mention on the Navigator app that a crew member receives earns them 15 extra minutes of shore time. They can accumulate their 15 minutes to use when they would like. I don't know if this is ship specific but that is an incentive program under this manager.

I ordered mine at the guest service desk. They had a binder of the available choices. I got 2 bow vases and the rectangle one. They make a very nice grouping.

It was! There were a table with 4 chairs, 2 chairs with ottomans and 2 loungers. There is a window washing machine that is parked, beyond the railing on the side portion of ship. It really doesn't interfere with the view but something to be aware of.

@cruising sister or @kazu might be able to answer to answer this better from a solo perspective but I would say yes for the fact that dinning wait time is much better. Also, if there are many tender ports on your itinerary having priority for tendering is nice.

I hope you have a safe, uneventful journey home! I too thought we had better than expected weather for this time of year. I will always remember the amazing waterfalls on this trip!

I thought it was going to be Friday morning. We haven't been on hal recently so that's probably just a faulty memory on my part! It has been a wonderful cruise though I wish you had been here with us!

Some negatives from Nieuw Statendam: 5 out of our 14 days were sea days. It would have been so nice to have guest lectures on board! There is such an opportunity here for talks on history, the environment, the ice age etc. No laundry service for the final 2 days. Thursday evening was the last time we could send in laundry for this cruise ending on Sunday. On these cold weather cruises the ship can be very crowded especially at meal rimes. Hardly anyone is using the outside decks to hang out or eat, so inside seating is at a premium. Related to the prior issue, Club Orange should be open for lunch on sea days! I don't mind background music in the dinning room but IMO it should be instrumentals only. That's about it for my negatives. None are major to me except the first one.

Best wishes for you with your new knee! My husband has had both of his replaced and it has helped him so much.

The last two days have been great! Geiranger was amazing. We took the Waterfall Walk up to the Fjord Center as did many other people. There was another large ship in port with us, so the going was very slow. That was OK though because it gave us plenty of chances to catch our breath on the way up! The Fjord Center itself was packed when we arrived. There were several buses in the parking lot and the line to enter was out the door. We decided to continue walking and try coming back later. There were several trail options to choose from. We chose to walk a few km to a lookout. It was a challenging, uphill walk so unfortunately we didn't reach our end goal but it was a very peaceful walk through the woods. It was a mix of gravel path and stone steps. Back at Center the crowds had thinned so we had a leisurely look at the exhibits. Our visit was complete with a waffle and hot chocolate on the patio.

It did drizzle now and then but a mostly dry day. Over 300 people on HAL tours were late coming back due to a bus mishap (Mein Schiff) on the road back to the port. Of course the captain waited and we had a great sail back out of the fjord. I even talked my husband into experiencing part of it from the aft hot tub!😁

It was a beautiful day! It was the one place I thought maybe I should bring a winter type jacket on the cruise. I had brought along a fleece hoodie and rain jacket and some combo of those has worked everywhere so far. But the rain jacket/wind breaker was all that was needed at Noth Cape. Tomorrow in Geiranger is looking to be our worst weather for any of our ports. 40F with rain. We've been lucky with the weather so far so we were due.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise! I wish we were staying on for the next leg as I would love to see it all again. The ship itself has been a great experience with a very competent staff.

In Honningsvag we booked a tour with Blue Puffin as did several of our roll call members. Sebastián was a fun and informative guide! We were very happy with the ease and speed of communicating with himm. The price was roughly $130pp. We stopped at a fishing village to learn more about making a living by fishing in this remote environment. The colors of the boats and gear really popped. My photos don't do it justice. Our next stop was to learn about King Crabs and the effect that they're having on the local ecosystem. I found some locally made chocolate in the little nearby cafe. That next stop was really just a shopping stop. A Sami couple were there, in traditional dress, and a couple of their reindeer. I did pick up a magnet made from antler with etchings on it They took cash or credit cards. Then it was off to Nord Kapp. We had fantastic weather for our visit but the winds were still brisk and I was happy I had my hat! In addition to wandering the ground, we watch the film and explored the visitor's center. The ride back to the ship was reindeer overload, involving way too many photos on my part! We also passed by a tiny little beach, which of course Sebastián claimed was the northern most bech in Europe. Back in Honningsvag we strolled about, had an adult beverage or two and then made our way back to the ship. Evening sailing took us past Nord Kapp and we were treated to a view of th globe.

I haven't. I will ask around see if I can find her.

Midnight in the Artic Circle

@SusieKIslandGirl it was so nice to meet you today! Ive have been enjoying your posts and they helped pass the time until it was our turn to board!

Hammerfest was a disappointment to many I think. We did enjoy our first reindeer sighting, although today was certainly better! In Hammerfest we walked over to the survey marker and then down along the water to the cannon. There was signage in English so we learned a bit about both. We then took the shuttle to town, $20 pp round-trip.The walk was just about a mile. We stopped in at the Museum and the church. Most things were closed as it was Sunday but I did find adorable little sweater for our granddaughter.

It was a very good tour. I hope the person who didn't return to the bus made it back to the ship! At least he had a few hours to make it before we leave!