I just booked my first HAL cruise

[SnowshoeCat]

I just put a deposit down on a Norwegian Fjord cruise for next May! I've never cruised HAL before and I don't think I have any specific questions right now, but I'm open to any information you may want to share. I've sailed on Carnival, Royal, Norwegian and Celebrity.

 

I've traveled in Europe many times, but have never cruised from there. I've been to Norway twice this past year on land-based vacations and looking forward to going back. I'm in my late 40's, traveling solo, sailing out of Rotterdam, and I have a partially obstructed view cabin.

 

Just wanted to say hi.

Edited July 26, 2015 by SnowshoeCat

[dfish]

Congratulations on booking your cruise. You'll have a marvelous time.

 

Debbie

[Vict0riann]

We really enjoyed our "Midnight Sun" cruise to the Norwegian fjords on the Ryndam in August. Stunning scenery! You'll have a wonderful time.:)

[OlsSalt]

I think you will find it somewhat like your prior Celebrity cruising experience. Celebrity-Princess-Hall always seem to be grouped together. Which ship are you on?

[SnowshoeCat]

Rotterdam, out of Rotterdam. Makes it easy to remember.

 

Silly question, I guess, but will most of the passengers be Dutch? Or a good mixture from all over?

[sppunk]

We were on this cruise last September, you can find my live from there here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2095784

 

It was around 95% Dutch, there were 115 or English speakers on board. Announcements were in English then Dutch. It was not an issue at all.

[OlsSalt]

We did a Rotterdam out of Rotterdam too and it did have a lot of Dutch - one of them said they hate to fly so they love taking cruises from their home ports. Hey, who doesn't. Great people to cruise with.

 

If you get bi-lingual Glen as your cruise director, then you get the best of the best. He makes it work without being tedious, and is funny and quick-witted in any language.

 

What was it they always said when they signed off on the daily bi-lingual announcements --- tut zeit? (?????)

[SnowshoeCat]

"tot ziens" means good-bye, so that may have been it.

 

95% Dutch? That's a lot more than I expected. Maybe that's why there isn't a roll call.

 

And thank you for the link, sppunk. I'll look at it tomorrow.

Edited July 27, 2015 by SnowshoeCat

[OlsSalt]

"tot ziens" means good-bye, so that may have been it.

 

95% Dutch? That's a lot more than I expected. Maybe that's why there isn't a roll call.

 

And thank you for the link, sppunk. I'll look at it tomorrow.

 

Yes that was it, thank you for that phrase. We were all saying it by the time we got off the ship.

 

Ours was more 40-50% Dutch. Hard to tell, their English was sooo good.

 

Our favorite treat leaving from Rotterdam harbor was seeing the historic godowns with all those exotic names from far away places that do keep calling, calling me: Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Celebes .... and the now Hotel New York that was the old HAL -headquarters building, as you leave the dock area.

 

http://www.fadingad.com/fadingadblog/2013/02/03/lowlands-correspondent-gaia-son-pakhuismeesteren-celebes-borneo-java-sumatra-kop-de-zuid-rotterdam-nl/

Edited July 27, 2015 by OlsSalt

[SnowshoeCat]

We were on this cruise last September, you can find my live from there here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2095784

 

I just started your review and I'm looking forward to reading it in more detail. You have a wonderfully entertaining writing style. One of the things I love about northern Europe was the breads. Well, bakeries in general ;) And the breakfasts. I love the breads, cereals, cheeses, meats. It was just all so wholesome and satisfying.

Edited July 27, 2015 by SnowshoeCat

[sppunk]

We were on this cruise last September, you can find my live from there here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2095784

 

I just started your review and I'm looking forward to reading it in more detail. You have a wonderfully entertaining writing style. One of the things I love about northern Europe was the breads. Well, bakeries in general ;) And the breakfasts. I love the breads, cereals, cheeses, meats. It was just all so wholesome and satisfying.

Thanks for the kind words.

Edited July 27, 2015 by sppunk

[Krazy Kruizers]

Congratulations on booking your first HAL cruise.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Thanks for the kind words.

 

We are seriously thinking of booking the exact itinerary you did for June, 2016 also on the Rotterdam. We are taking a Rhine river cruise and this 7 night cruise fits perfectly before the 7 night river cruise. One air fare, such a deal!

 

Loved this review. We are also active DIY'ers so appreciated your comments about touring. The scenery looks so beautiful! We had an aft balcony for our recent Baltic Cruise on the Eurodam (actually we splurged on a Neptune Suite upsell so had an aft wrap suite ;)) and agree that the views from the aft are gorgeous!

 

thanks again for a great read!

[SnowshoeCat]

Thanks for the kind words.

 

Absolutely! I almost made a comment about your Red Sox avatar, but I'm no longer in that battle so I let it go. Your comment about Wegman's caught my attention, since they're from around here, but that Red Sox thing threw me.

 

I love the Netherlands and Norway, so it looks like I'll get to enjoy the flavors of both on this trip. I, too, enjoy doing my own things, so thanks for that information as well.

[bonvoyagebites]

Congrats... I am Jealous. It sounds like a great trip. We also just did our first HAL trip and enjoyed it very much... although ours was a much less magical itinerary...

 

Have a great time!!!!

Cheers!

[jagger16]

SnowshoeCat, We did the Norwegian Fjords on Rotterdam out of Rotterdam last summer and it went beyond expectations. I highly recommend spending some time in Amsterdam pre-cruise, it's an easy and short train ride from Amsterdam to Rotterdam.

 

Bring layers of clothing as temperatures change throughout the cruise, and hour by hour once in port. You definitely need a warm jacket if your cruise goes to the North Cape. I was actually sorry that I didn't have gloves. Prepare for rain as well. Anything goes with the weather.

 

My husband and I do a combination of DIY, private tours and ship excursions but on this trip any excursion that we took was through HAL and they were all great.

 

Sail away out of Rotterdam is really neat, we were on deck the entire time and I even got up really early to be awake as you come back into the port which was something I'll never regret.

 

We loved the Rotterdam. There were a lot of special events in the dining room like Dutch night, Indonesian night and I remember some of the crew played one evening. Because the ship is smaller, the crew really got to know us and we just loved our time on the ship. Bring binoculars, get on deck when you are experiencing the midnight sun and take walks on the promenade no matter the time! Experiencing the midnight sun and the long evenings of light was one of our favorite parts. We hardly slept because the light was invigorating! Have fun planning and enjoy your trip. It's going to be a memorable experience for sure!