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Voyage of the Vikings


trixiee
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I'm also interested in this cruise! I can't go away for 35 (or so) days right now, and I don't fly, so I can't do just one way. However, we are going to do the Iceland cruise (24 days) next year.

 

But I'd still love to hear what the highlights of the Voyage of the Vikings are!

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Since I love long cruises, cooler weather, and the north countries, this cruise was a natural for me. I did it three times, with a little variety in the ports each time.

One thing that is great is that there will be a day or two of ports, followed by a day or two at sea. Not so many ports in a row that you get overtired without a chance to rest, and not so many sea days in a row that you get bored. There's always something to do, or watch. The sea is fascinating to watch, as are the oil derricks in the North Sea.

Greenland isn't very developed for tourism, so what you do see is how people really live. There are places where it is a touch life, too.

You can see how stark it is in places in Iceland, where it is so lush and green---but there are no trees. This is also especially true in the Faroe Islands.

Depending on the ports in Newfoundland, there are also some interesting Viking settlement ruins there. Not to be missed.

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I'm also interested in this cruise! I can't go away for 35 (or so) days right now, and I don't fly, so I can't do just one way. However, we are going to do the Iceland cruise (24 days) next year.

 

But I'd still love to hear what the highlights of the Voyage of the Vikings are!

 

Is the 24 day Iceland cruise with HAL? If not, who? I'd love to do that one.

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We did the first half of the VoV in 2015 as transport to Amsterdam. It was wonderful - loved every port stop. Cruising through through the Greenland iceberg field was a highlight, Iceland and Greenland stops were gorgeous and Norway stops were amazing. Prince Christian Sound was stunning.

 

Are you a hiker? If so, one of the most beautiful hikes we have taken was in Geiranger, Norway.

 

Our stop in Djupivogur, Iceland was cancelled due to weather.

 

We rarely repeat cruises, but will probably repeat this one and do it round trip next time.

 

 

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The VOV is a fascinating cruise from may perspectives (we most recently did this cruise last August). Lets start with a great plus in that its round trip from Boston (or Rotterdam) which means, for North Americans, that you avoid the expense and hassles of a transatlantic flight. Iceland and Greenland are considered, by most, the highlight of the cruise. But when you add the Canadian/New England ports, Norway, and the other European ports (the itinerary varies slightly year by year) it is a fantastic itinerary...especially for those looking for scenery and unusual ports.

 

For us there was a downside and that was the condition of the Rotterdam (ship) on last year's voyage. But the Rotterdam did have a major drydock in late October, so hopefully some of the issues (like water leaks in the Lido) were repaired. We also enjoyed having a BB King group aboard our cruise...but HAL has now removed this entertainment from the smaller ships (including Rotterdam). Another downside is the pricing. This is a popular itinerary, only done once per year, and its on one of the smaller ships. This all means that HAL can charge relatively high prices which some folks find a real big negative.

 

One interesting tidbit about this cruise are the number of folks who have done the VOV many times. For these folks it is one of the best of all itineraries. Even some of the crew are proud to have done this many times...perhaps led by Barry from Boston (the piano bar entertainer) who I believe has done it 5 or 6 times (and will be on the VOV again this year).

 

Hank

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My DH and I went on this cruise from Boston to Amsterdam with some family members. Two of us were not retired yet and had to return to the real world after 17 days. We were on the Veendam in a Lanai cabin and really liked it. The lecturers were good and there was a lot of activity on the sea days. We all felt the ports were outstanding and would repeat this trip at some point. It remains my favorite cruise and next time I would do the full trip.

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To Sue from Canada, We are doing the 24 day Boston to Boston cruise in September 2019. We were originally going to do VOV Rotterdam to Boston in July2019,but then someone mentioned this cruise on CC board & we changed our booking. We liked the idea of Labrador & Newfoundland plus Greenland x2 & Iceland. The only thing that worries me a little is all the negative reports of the ship Rotterdam

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Port/tour highlights for me: Greenland's ports and cruising Prinz Christian Sund, Reyjkavik (try Icelandic Chocolate), ports in Labrador, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Dublin, Belfast (don't miss visiting the Titanic Museum), the opportunity to take a tour to The Hague from Rotterdam, and Rotterdam itself was very interesting. It's a great cruise and as others have said, on a per day basis, it is expensive. But, it is worth it.

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Thank you all so very much for taking the time to post! I'm hoping I can talk DH into it - he loves the unusual ports and likes the cooler weather in the middle of the summer, prefers smaller ships - so there is some hope! The cost is a bit prohibitive, particularly since we'll have the additional cost of a one-way transatlantic flight, hotels, etc... Best get back to work to pay for it!

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........................................but HAL has now removed this entertainment from the smaller ships (including Rotterdam). ...........................................

Nope! Rotterdam was HAL's only "smaller ship" the B.B. King All-Stars ever performed on, before that experiment was ended not too long ago by the powers to be

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I'm also interested in this cruise! I can't go away for 35 (or so) days right now, and I don't fly, so I can't do just one way. However, we are going to do the Iceland cruise (24 days) next year.

 

 

 

But I'd still love to hear what the highlights of the Voyage of the Vikings are!

 

 

 

We’re also booked on the 24 day canada iceland cruise in 2019. I started a roll call.

 

When we did VOTV, I said I was interested in an itinerary Iceland from US trip, day one, so I’m delighted they have it. We did the oh canada small group tour in halifax. I’d also suggest anything with Peggy’s cove. We’ve done Peggy’s cove several times. In Reykjavik,we did Luna landscapes. We did Arctic foxes and avalanches in isafurjur, and taste of akueryi in akueryi. Sorry about my bad spelling. We were a little limited, with mobility issues. We loved cruising Prince Christian Sund. We had a vista. Suite and ordered room service on scenic cruising day. We also did the concert in Sydney.

 

We’re hoping to do more water falls this time.

 

With a 24 day cruise, we’re hoping we’ll stay healthier. We’ve gotten sick on both of our 35+ day cruises. On VOTV, we missed a week, but the crew took good care of us.

 

 

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  • 5 months later...
Hello, I cannot find the Icelandic HAL voyage for September 3, 2019, could someone post the link please? Thanks in advance.

Unfortunately, this cruise was cancelled due to the sale of the Prinsendam. There are several replacement cruises, but none with the exact itinerary. People are choosing between the Voyage of the Vikings round trip, 20 day Icelandic Fjords and Greenland (round trip out of Amsterdam) and a Viking Crossing or something similar which is 17 days from Rotterdam to Boston.

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