bobbisailsolo

I may get beat up for this, but in my opinion... its your vacation... wear what you want. I saw people dressed all different ways when I did a med cruise. When i first starting cruising, I did all the formal stuff, and bought whole new wardrobes.. Now, I would rather spend my money on another vacation than a cruise wardrobe. You can pretty much wear anything you want to the dining room other than very casual shorts or jeans...And yes, you will be the youngsters. but you will be in good company and appreciated for your youth!!!

This sounds rather confusing. I don't get it:confused:

I would choose the new ship for $1500 less, our one Prinsendam experience was not worth the premium per diem paid. Not to mention the ship is very old in the tooth.

Yep, I'm leaning towards that. Why do so many people like the prinsedam?

I see nothing wrong with booking a guarantee, and if they want to move me from the aft to the mid section of the ship... why not? but I really dont care where i am so its worth just booking the guarantee. Ive never been moved from an inside to an outside, or a outside to a balcony. Being retired and single, I try to get the most for my money. I would love to be able to afford a suite, but its out of the question for me.

This is just my opinion, but if you book thru a travel agent, you may get an upgrade up front. If you book thru a HAL agent you may get a minor upgrade on a guarantee. Normally if you choose your own cabin, I dont thnik there are many upgrades. On my guarantees, Ive just been moved to a better position on the ship. Once my upgrade put me in a better position, but it was a handicap accessable cabin, which i didnt care for. I ended up paying extra on board to move to a different cabin...lol

Just booked our first cruise with HAL. Alaska, May 2015. Have been on Princess and loved it. Wondering how the food, service, and entertainment compares to Princess. Also, what is the average age of passengers on HAL? We booked this cruise at a travel show and I didn't have any way of researching, but we were able to get this at a great price. Also, which do you feel is best, port side of starboard side when leaving from Seattle to Glacier Bay? We booked a veranda on the port side. The two travel agents we worked with couldn't agree as to which side was best or if there was a better side. We are booked on Westerdam.Thanks!

Ive only been on one princess cruise, which was a Caribbean, and two HAL cruises, Alaska and the Med. I liked HAL much more. Its definitely an older crowd... you will probably see a couple of scooters, though there are some younger folks too. I felt the ships were tidier. I also found it to be a quieter cruise.. but nothing wrong with that. Im not much into ship entertainment so I reallly can't comment on that..to me its all pretty much the same. I did find the cabins larger on HAL.

still undecided but i did eliminate the 2nd cruise... northern isles on the prinsendam... i looked at pics of the spitsbergen ports and they just didnt appeal to me. So now Ive narrowed it down to the North cape on the Prinsendam, which Im partial to for the scenic cruising.... and the northern isles & viking sagas on the Koningsdam which is about $1500 cheaper (equating to 7 excursions)... so its sounding better and better. Both ships have single outside full view cabins, which is a plus...

I have a northern lights roundtrip cruise booked for next winter on Hurtigruten, but I know norway will be totally different in the summer as opposed to winter. So what would you do?????

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6K21S&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=K636A

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6N20S&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=P632

Great review of the Hurtigruten cruise. I have booked for Mar 2, 2016 on this same ship. Really looking forward to it. I booked a obstructed view cabin on deck seven. Just wanted a little natural light, and to be a bit higher up. One question about water... Do they serve tap water? What is the cost for a soda? Is there a package that would cover water and soda? Im not much for wine and beer...

Bobbi.

btw, they've sent me a list of shore excursions. in both us dollars and euro. With the stronger dollar, it seems more sensible to pay in euro, and the us dollar prices are significantly higher... if you booked on board, were you able to get the tours you wanted, and did they charge you in euro?

I believe there is only one single inside cabin on the Dolphin (deck 5) deck on the Prinsendam. I have seen a couple of inside cabins that seem to be a bit larger than the ocean view cabins. I will be on the Prinsendam in April and this will be the first time with an inside cabin so we will see.

Be sure to check back and let us know how your found the inside cabin. I am going to book the outside single.... i know it will be smaller, but it does have a full view...

Those are all great cruises. Two thoughts: Weather can be a factor. There is a chance that you may not be able to land at every one of those ports. Second, while I love the Prinsendam, I don't recommend booking an inside on her as they are really, really small.

I was able to secure an outside single. Its smaller than a regular outside, but has a full view. They are located very forward on the main deck i believe.

Congrats on booking your trip. I'm a solo traveler also considering a Hurtigruten trip in "northern lights" season of 2015 or 2016.

 

Some on the Holland American board wrote a great review of their trip, which is what really got me thinking about doing it myself:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=45150499&postcount=21[/quote

 

You should come join me! Mar 2, 2016...

Debating two cruises on the Prinsendam and one on the new Koningsdam for next summer (2016) I can't make up my mind, and I can't afford both... Looking for some thoughts on which might be more interesting and scenic. I will be traveling solo, so unless I hook up on some tours on the roll call, I will be pretty much have to do the shore excursions through HAL($$$), or just walk about the ports on my own(which is fine if there's enough to see). Here are links for the itineraries. I really like the Koningsdam itinerary, because it has both norway and iceland, plus some Scotland, which Ive not yet visited, but it's a large ship with 2500 passengers. I know its not going to get in close to the ports, like the Prinsedam can, and I would expect the scenery up the coast of Norway would be beautiful. Can anyone share some thoughts on this?

Bobbi

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6K21S&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=K636A

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6NS20&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=P640

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6N20S&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=P632

Debating two cruises on the Prinsendam and one on the new Koningsdam for next summer (2016) I can't make up my mind, and I can't afford both... Looking for some thoughts on which might be more interesting and scenic. I will be traveling solo, so unless I hook up on some tours on the roll call, I will be pretty much have to do the shore excursions through HAL, or just walk about the ports on my own(which is fine if there's enough to see). Here are links for the itineraries. I really like the Koningsdam itinerary, because it has both norway and iceland, plus some Scotland, which Ive not yet visited, but it's a large ship with 2500 passengers. I know its not going to get in close to the ports, like the Prinsedam can, and I would expect the scenery up the coast of Norway would be beautiful. Can anyone share some thoughts on this?

Bobbi

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6K21S&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=K636A

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6NS20&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=P640

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6N20S&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=P632

(Will be posting on the northern europe forum as well)

RSF... Looks like midnastol will be in Tromso again this year. I seriously thought of booking it, but I would have to leave here Christmas Eve.... I didn't want to miss my granddaughters 2nd christmas... So I went with March...

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No. I pulled up the number... It was Priceline...and I couldn't find hurtigruten on their site. I just booked it myself

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Well, I did it. I booked for early March 2016 on the Midnatstol. I had read that the lights are best when there is little moon light, so I looked up the moon phases to choose my date. I wasnt quite sure about the cabin. I decided to go with the outside obstructed view. I thought it might be a bit larger than the inside, and allows a bit of day light. Plus it put me on deck seven..Has anyone stayed in one of these? The agent I spoke with assured my I was getting a good rate by booking in advance. He said by the time they have a sale, the rates will be higher, but I will keep my eyes open. I also booked the north cape tour and a trosmo dog sled tour. Wasnt sure which would be better, Tromso or Kirkernes. Please share any thoughts you have on any of this btw I also put a deposit down on a 20 night north cape cruise on the Prinsedam, in June 2016. So well see how this plays out.

Im looking at a cruise on the prinsendam. Both inside and outside single cabins are available... as either a guarantee, or assigned. Has anyone seen the single cabins? Are they really tiny? If I go with the guarantee single oceanview which it is the furthest forward cabin. I realize I might be upgraded, but then I could end up with an obstructed view, rather than a full view on the single oceanview. or of course I could just do the guarantee on a inside single and see what happens. Any thoughts on this?

Hi. I need some help here. Trying to determine whether this cruise is for me. Im considering a 20 day north cape on the Prinsendam for summer 2016. The ports are Oslo, Copenhagen, Kristiansand,Stavanger, Bergen, Geiranger, Narvik, Tromso, Hammerfest, Honningsvag, Bronnoysund, Trondheim, Alesund, and Flam! Quite a few! Im wondering which ones i should plan on doing an excursion, and which ones might I just wander around on my own. Ive already read about some of the excurisons available. Some sound good, some not so much. btw I am traveling solo.. if that makes a difference.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Enjoyed reading your trip report! Just a question... Hope you see this...

I'm debating on inside vs outside vs obstructed view. Traveling solo, size is not an issue, and traveling in winter, so I know there may not be much of a view. But I do like knowing what the weather is.. Are there announcements in the morning? Or are there cruise news printed up? Do I really need the window? I'm pretty sure I will be on this ship...

Thanks!!

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I've only been on the Hurtigruten in December/January, so I can't compare my trip to a spring one. My trip was fabulous, and I will do it again someday in March. I can't imagine doing the trip in the summer - with so much magnificent scenery, I'd find it hard to sleep :-/

 

To answer some of your questions: yes, we took some ship excursions and booked them ahead of time to make sure we got them-

 

dog sledding in Kirkenes. My favorite excursion. I'd been dog sledding before in Alaska on a glacier. The experience in Kirkenes was around a frozen lake and was surreal. The sky was light, although the sun was below the horizon. There also is an ice hotel you can tour, and you can view the dogs and some reindeer from the fence. If you dress in layers, you can keep warm.

 

Midnight concert in Tromso - beautiful music in a beautiful setting.

 

Viking Feast in the Lofoten Islands. The feast was a reenactment of visiting a viking's castle and having dinner with the King and his wife. The food was good and it was fun, if you like that kind of activity.

 

The highlights of the trip were the fireworks in Tromso on New Years Eve and seeing the Northern Lights. I have never seen so many fireworks for such a long time (hours) anywhere. It was a great way to ring in the New Year. And we were fortunate one night to have several hours of the Northern Lights. We saw faint Northern Lights other times, but one night they were out in all of their glory.

 

I know for me, no matter what season I would have gone in, I would want to go back in another season. I'm thrilled I got to be above the Arctic Circle for so long when the sun never got above the horizon. I've watched the sun march across the horizon and never set, but for me, repeating the coastal trip in March is my next trip to Norway. You get more sun than we did, there will still be lots of snow, and there might even be some Northern Lights on display.

 

RSF... Did you view the fireworks northbound or southbound in Tromso? Did you travel agent help you to pick the right dates?

 

 

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Hi,

 

I enjoyed reading all your posts on this thread. We hope to do the light trip someday. We are currently booked for the Antarctica trip this coming winter.

 

 

 

I was wondering if the mugs you bought can be brought back on subsequent trips and used for the coffee and tea, or do they change the design for each voyage? If your are a Starbucks fan, you will know that when you buy their mugs or cups, you get a discount on refills. Just curious...

 

 

 

Also, I have a great agent in the e states who has become familiar with Hurtigruten. When you book with him you will also gets airline miles added to your frequent flyer program, and he may also be able to add shipboard credit after full payment is received. Let me know if you want his contact info.

 

Adrienne in Atlanta

Adrienne, yes, who is your travel agent?

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Thanks so

Much for your response! It was very helpful.

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I am been thinking about a Norwegian coastal cruise for some time. Having been on numerous mainstream cruises, and not really into all the hype and dressing up anymore, I decided to go with Hurtigruten. I have several questions I'm hoping to get some advice on.

Primarily, Im debating between the midnight sun and the northern lights. Traveling as a solo, the summer cruises are very expensive for me, not that the winter is cheap...lol. But Im wondering if there is a consensus as to which is more enjoyable. I am leaning to the northern lights, as I've never seen them before. I'm looking at a early march sailing of the Finnmarken and Im trying to time it with a new moon is Tromso, which I believe is 5 days into the cruise.

So what should I expect? Will the ship be full? Are people friendly? Ive heard very few europeans sail the winter months. Is that true? Are the excursions worthwhile in the winter since its so cold... Do you wait to purchase them on board? Does any one have any favorites?

Or should I just go for it and book the midnight sun. Should I wait to book for March 16... or best wait for a sale. And is there any advantage going thru a travel agent such as crusie norway....

I know thats a lot of questions, but all advise is welcome.

(i think Ive made my mind up to go for the northern lights..is march a good month, or should i go earlier....)

One more question, I saw on their site that have a coffee mug with all the coffee you can drink for $70. Is that worth it?

I had just about made up my mind to do a northern lights cruise. But then I thought about my experiences taking ferries when going to the Greek islands. These too transport people and cars, both locals and foreigners. Though no one stays on them to "cruise" the islands, they do have long routes stopping and various islands. I really did not care for these, found them boring and people not very friendly. Wondering if anyone one here has taken a Greek ferry and how Hurtigruten differs from it, assuming it does. Is the experience a lot better? Is it more of a cruise?

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Interesting folks say they are out on deck rather than in the lounge. Isn't it awfully cold in March?

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