genegri

Having been to just about every Caribbean island by now Caribbean itineraries matter little to us, therefore we prefer the Thanksgiving week to get away while conserving vacation days.

If itinerary is important I'd say November after Thanksgiving till April or May, sans Christmas week. Good weather, plenty of ships and routes to choose from, yet still reasonable priced.

If neither itinerary or time off work is a concern, go for September and October for best prices. Just watch out for that hurricane. :eek:;p:D

We are looking to book our first Hurtigruten cruise, the 12-day Classic Bergen to Kirkenes to Bergen round trip.

Now we understand it is very different from mainstream cruises and to us that is a great thing. We are hoping for spectacular scenery, mountains and fjords, northern lights, quaint villages and a bit of culture. Shipboard activities are not very important.

Just would like to hear which month or what time of the year you think might be the best for a couple of first time Hurtigruten cruisers? Any suggestion and advice is highly appreciated.

Thank you!

These days the cynical side of me is dreading the word "refurbishment" because seemingly too often all they do is to squeeze in more rooms and ruin a beautiful ship. Hopefully this won't be the case as 12 days are not very long so let's hope the dry dock is just maintainence, upgrades and touch ups.

Loved Zaandam. Lovely little ship.

They are quite similar with Azamara being a little more inclusive with alcoholic drinks, excursions and some perks. In theory Oceania might fit us slightly more since we are not heavy drinkers and we always prefer booking our own excursions, but then we also like the "intensive" themed itineraries offered by Azamara.

You can't go wrong with either. :)

OP you will fit right in. I have found Azamara (and Oceania) cruises to be very friendly and relaxed. Fellow pax tend to be itinerary oriented cruisers like ourselves and have a genuine love for traveling.

On a second note, I didn't realize asking about where folks are from and do might be uncomfortable to some. I will adjust my small talks and ice breakers going forward.

We like to tag a TA at the back of a port-intensive Europe cruise. Now you may laugh but we usually do some real work on the TA to occupy time and to ease back into real life. For some reason, the same work seems much more fun when you do it on a ship. :D

If you cruise to enjoy being on a ship at sea there is nothing wrong with any B2B. If you are port person though, for the same number of days you could have a 14-night cruise, which tends to have more interesting ports.

I tend to like B2Bs where a repo is involved. For example a port-intensive Europe cruise followed by a relaxing transatlantic. :cool:

I am very skeptical (and cynical) about this sort of "standards" from work experience but it is what it is.

Ponant certainly has some of the most beautiful cruise ships that are basically super yachts.

I enjoy the Haven as well as small ships offered by Azamara, Oceania, Crystal etc.

Amenity and service wise, I think the Haven offers more than Azamara or Oceania, and is in fact competitive with true luxury lines such as Regent or Crystal. In some aspect such as entertainment it has them all beat.

However what a large ship cannot offer is exotic destinations, and that is the reason I often opt for small ship cruises since I am not a "ship is the destination" cruiser. Also many cruisers prefer the quiet small ship ambience.

May to early June - most ice and best scenery

Late June to early July - longest day time

Late July to early August - warmest weather

Late August to September - most wildlife

In another word, there is no bad time to cruise to Alaska.

I am by no means a Cunard fan girl, nor do I have much nostalgia toward the past, but I consider a TA on Cunard QM2 a personal bucket list item.

Among Cunard ships QM2 to me is particularly fascinating, being the only modernized ocean liner. It's sharp hull, high promenade and sloped aft are all quite unique among modern passenger ships and appeal to me deeply. I have done TA's on all three lines mentioned and enjoyed them all but the TA on QM2 was indeed special.

That being said, I do not find QE and QV necessarily more interesting than any other Vista class ships.

Personally I find TAs a hassle and not worthwhile for most popular cruise lines. Unless they can offer a good chunk of OBC I much rather do my own bookings. The only time I use TAs is when booking expedition type of cruises.

Maybe I am weird but I love having a balcony much more in cold and rough seas.

I do not use the balcony for the sun or even the view. There are top decks for those. I go to the balcony to be alone with the sea.

I agree with some previous posters - look into the Haven, I think that is your best bet for a relaxing time on a ship of that size.

I am very much like you in that I love promenade decks, quiet spots out of the sun, set time dinners with a glass of wine, traditional shows, etc. But in addition, I also really love exploring ships and finding out every nook and corner of every ship. And frankly that last one is the main reason I am able to enjoy most large ships. I like staying in a suite on a quiet deck and exploring the rest of the ship at my leisure.

Not sure if this has been posted but I came cross this article on CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/06/travel/cruise-ship-quantum-of-the-seas/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

I think the price increase has more to do with that overall economy has improved rather than X has improved. I see similar pricing in comparable lines.

For those of you who are interested the post dry dock deck plan of Oasis seems now to be available. Better get a glimpse before the website crashes. :p

Enjoy.

I enjoyed all my Azamara cruises. Just remember if you go with Azamara the focus is on the itinerary, not the ship. While I like R-ships a lot and they are lovely, they are also inarguably smaller and cannot compete on amenities.

Cam I wear a shirt and tie. ..No jacket? ?

The short answer is "yes".

The long answer is this thread. ;)

Enjoy your cruise.

A 15-night transatlantic. It was my first RCI cruise. Loved the large ship experience on a transatlantic crossing.

Love Mosaic Cafe! From the name to the venue to the coffee to the snacks! :p I especially enjoy popping up my laptop there and doing some work on sea day afternoons.

Sometimes it's the smallest things that make us happy. :)

I remember that the Quantum class is based on Celebrity Solstice class. That would explain the profile.

No need to be disappointed. The first ship of every class always casts some doubts. But that's the novelty of being the first. :cool:

Had I planned better I could've done this Maiden Voyage instead of the so called "Inaugural" to the Bahamas. It would only cost me 2 more vacation days.

But had I truly planned better and known of the deployment changes earlier I would have cancelled everything and rebooked her in China. It would use many more vacation days but being able to sail from Beijing would be worth it.

Oh well. :cool:

It is all relative.

I am traveling in Moscow Russia right now (not on a cruise) and while the local protocol is 5% to 10%, I have noticed service people kind of expect Americans to pay more. :cool: