Approaching final payment and still undecided

[SnowshoeCat]

I'm booked on the Rotterdam for an early May Norwegian fjord sailing. I am truly undecided. I've never been on HAL and as of now, there is no roll call. I'm not active on roll calls in general, but follow them just to see who's on my ship. I'm guessing there will be a high percentage of Europeans on the trip (either that or the lack of a roll call indicates I'll have the ship to myself). I'm solo and can usually keep myself busy, but it would be nice to be able to meet people for conversation, as well.

 

Even though I got a reasonable fare, I'm still concerned about "value." I love visiting Norway, but with a 7-night cruise, there are two sea days and 4 ports. So after traveling and sailing, my 9 day trip will only have 4 days in Norway. And I haven't even purchased airfare yet. I'm looking at the ship as part of the destination. What kind of activities might there be?

 

So I'd really like to gather information to make my decision. It's ultimately up to me, of course, but maybe there are some good bits of info you can share to ramp up my enthusiasm, or convince me to wait.

 

Thank you - and happy sailing!

Edited January 7, 2016 by SnowshoeCat

[Scrapnana]

Your post reads like you are not really enthusiastic about this trip. Sounds like you are trying to talk yourself into it (rather than out).

[RMLincoln]

You will be able to meet people at dinner, at the Lido tables, at trivia, on excursions and many other places onboard if that is what you want to do. The scenery alone should keep you plenty busy!

 

A 7 night cruise rarely has more than 4 ports. If you want to experience more of Norway maybe you could spend a few nights pre-cruise, seeing that you haven't purchased air tickets yet (not sure where you begin or end). Norway is interesting but also expensive so factor that into your budget.

 

Roll calls are often not active until closer to the cruise, maybe in a couple of months it will pick up.

 

Norway in May should be a beautiful time! We were there in October (chilly and rainy but we did see Northern Lights!) on Hurtigruten which is a very different experience. I would like to try it on a HAL ship where you have long port calls instead of the very short but frequent visits on the ferry run.

 

I would definitely want at least an extra day or two upon arrival wherever you will embark to have a chance to adjust, have some contingency time in case of delays, and especially to explore a new area and culture. m--

 

I can't talk you into it or out of it but either way I hope you come to peace with your decision.

Edited January 7, 2016 by RMLincoln

[Krazy Kruizers]

There are many itineraries that do not have Roll Calls. Remember that members of CC make up only a small portion of the passengers who sail on cruises.

I agree -- it sounds like you want us to tell you whether we think you should cancel the cruise or go on it. Only you can make the final decision.

[Barrheadlass]

Like Maureen above, I enjoyed Norway on a Hurtigruten cruise last year, and am sailing with HAL this summer just to see Norway a little more. The scenery is gorgeous. I say "go."

[kazu]

No roll call? why not start one?

 

There could have been one and no one kept it active and it dropped off the first page?

 

Back a few decades ago I did my own land tours as a single. There were no roll calls but I met lots of great people. I went for what I was going to see.

 

A few years ago, I discovered roll calls and yes, I enjoy them very much but our cruises before that were great too.

 

I think you need to decide if this is something YOU want to do or not.

 

No roll call can "make" your cruise for you. Yes, you will most likely meet a lot of great people - but you can do the same thing on the ship if you are so inclined.

 

The question is....do YOU want to do this cruise?

 

Do what's right for YOU and I am sure you will have a good time.

[VMax1700]

If you are doing the early May 7-days (sail May 7th) could you consider doing a B2B with the 14th May sailing? It does another 4 different ports.

[HarR]

You can expect at least 80% of the passengers to be Dutch on this cruise. Not that many Dutch are on CC so don't expect an active roll call if any.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[iancal]

Understand your thoughts. We have been in the same space a number of times. We defaulted to land trips and were so glad that we did.

 

If you are truly interested in seeing Norway you will be spending a great deal of money for essentially four one day tours. Those four days will be expensive if you divide all of your vacation costs by four! And chances are that on at least one of the four days you will wish that you had more time to spend.

 

You might want to consider an escorted land tour that will give you much more time in the country. My guess is that you will get more days, see more places/possibly even countries, for the same price. Really depends on your preferences,

 

In any event, if you are not sure simply cancel prior to final payment. Chances are you can re book if you change your mind. We decided against a cruise to Asia next month for exactly the same reason and looking back are now glad that we did. The cruise was relatively expensive and had little time in the ports that we wanted to see. Our desire was to experience the area rather than have six short day trips.

Edited January 7, 2016 by iancal

[SnowshoeCat]

I realize I'm the only one who can make my decision. Maybe I wasn't clear, or maybe I wasn't sure what I was asking. It's just that everyone has different experiences and then I can decide what's important to me.

 

 

 

Understand your thoughts. We have been in the same space a number of times. We defaulted to land trips and were so glad that we did.

 

If you are truly interested in seeing Norway you will be spending a great deal of money for essentially four one day tours. Those four days will be expensive if you divide all of your vacation costs by four! And chances are that on at least one of the four days you will wish that you had more time to spend.

 

 

Exactly! I usually take land based vacations for these reasons (I went to Norway twice last year on my own). My cruises are usually getaways to let someone else take care of me for a week. I think Bermuda was my only "destination" cruise. I travel a lot, all different styles, so it's a matter of finding the right type of trip for each destination. The enthusiasm on this board can be contagious.

Edited January 7, 2016 by SnowshoeCat

[colonialinnkeeper]

Have you looked at some of the 14 day cruises that would stop at more ports and give you a wider experience? There are several ships that do this including the new Koningsdam. If I was not really excited about a trip and ports, I would cancel and rethink what it was I wanted to do.

[SnowshoeCat]

Have you looked at some of the 14 day cruises that would stop at more ports and give you a wider experience? There are several ships that do this including the new Koningsdam. If I was not really excited about a trip and ports, I would cancel and rethink what it was I wanted to do.

 

Your last sentence (and considering your screen name and location): My original plan for May was to go to Boston and/or Cape Cod. I used to live there, and love to go back and visit. I throw my bike in the car, visit some historic sites (this year was to be the Concord area) then down to the Cape to visit friends and do some riding - off-season. I get a warm fuzzy feeling just thinking about it :D

[sppunk]

We did this cruise in September 2014 and I live blogged it here.

 

Norway is most economical via cruise. It is prohibitly expensive if you plan to stay on land and travel.

[crystalspin]

I realize I'm the only one who can make my decision. Maybe I wasn't clear, or maybe I wasn't sure what I was asking. It's just that everyone has different experiences and then I can decide what's important to me.

 

Exactly! I usually take land based vacations for these reasons (I went to Norway twice last year on my own)... I travel a lot, all different styles, so it's a matter of finding the right type of trip for each destination. The enthusiasm on this board can be contagious.

 

A year ago, I booked a 2016 Panama Cruise with Princess based solely on schedule. Although I did start the roll call, I never did work up much enthusiasm and when one of the things we THOUGHT we had scheduled around, changed to be in conflict -- I looked at 2017 and found a HAL PC cruise with a much more interesting itinerary, 5 days longer, 5 more ports, and FOR SURE not overlapping February commitments (as it is in March). With 4 days to go to final payment, I cancelled the Princess cruise and booked the HAL one, and I am already more excited about 2017 than I ever was about the 2016.

 

My thought in lieu of that experience is:, you should be feeling mostly anticipation and not so many doubts. But that will depend on your own personality; perhaps you second-guess many things?

[iancal]

We do cruises and land tours. When we do cruises it is more about the cruise and the ship than it is about the ports. If only because the port time is so limited.

 

If we want to tour we do land trips. From our perspective there is absolutely no similarity between six hours in a port vs a land based visit that can be anything from overnight to several days.

 

If you are not sure cancel and then go back to the drawing board. Norway is not going anywhere soon.

 

Or, cut your costs. Book air and plan a land trip. Then jump on a last minute cruise for part of the time if one is offered at a good price. If not...continue on with the land tour. We often do this. It takes a little flexibility but it can add a little excitement to a trip. We are doing exactly this next month. If we get a cruise or a river cruise fine, if not that is fine too. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Edited January 8, 2016 by iancal

[OlsSalt]

Rotterdam is one of our favorite ships - love the color, layout and the decor. 7 day trips are pretty condensed anyway. Port-port-port-port trips are what we think are demanding so this sounds like a good pace - a few sea days, some accessible Norway ports and some lovely cruising among the islands.

 

We were up that way last June (on another line) and it was cold but looked like a flowery burst of late spring -lilacs, rhododendrons, still lots of snow in the close in mountains, but a quite wonderful trip.

 

Plus you get those longer days by then too. I think the pace is fine and agree probably lots of your fellow passengers will be Dutch who we have always found to be wonderful fellow passengers.

 

My guess is you will enjoy the trip, the ship, the ports and the passengers. And probably be glad to have some breathing time in-between and then it is time to pack up again and leave. Whoosh, where did the time go!

Edited January 8, 2016 by OlsSalt

[TheCalicoCat]

I'm booked on the Rotterdam for an early May Norwegian fjord sailing. I am truly undecided. I've never been on HAL and as of now, there is no roll call. I'm not active on roll calls in general, but follow them just to see who's on my ship. I'm guessing there will be a high percentage of Europeans on the trip (either that or the lack of a roll call indicates I'll have the ship to myself). I'm solo and can usually keep myself busy, but it would be nice to be able to meet people for conversation, as well.

 

Even though I got a reasonable fare, I'm still concerned about "value." I love visiting Norway, but with a 7-night cruise, there are two sea days and 4 ports. So after traveling and sailing, my 9 day trip will only have 4 days in Norway. And I haven't even purchased airfare yet. I'm looking at the ship as part of the destination. What kind of activities might there be?

 

So I'd really like to gather information to make my decision. It's ultimately up to me, of course, but maybe there are some good bits of info you can share to ramp up my enthusiasm, or convince me to wait.

 

Thank you - and happy sailing!

 

I've been on a cruise with one of the most active roll calls ever - & we barely saw those folks on the ship...

The percentage of cruisers on CC can't be that high & those that are truly active is even smaller, so don't let your roll call be your rationale...

[colonialinnkeeper]

Your last sentence (and considering your screen name and location): My original plan for May was to go to Boston and/or Cape Cod. I used to live there, and love to go back and visit. I throw my bike in the car, visit some historic sites (this year was to be the Concord area) then down to the Cape to visit friends and do some riding - off-season. I get a warm fuzzy feeling just thinking about it :D

 

May can be a beautiful time of year to visit here. We live in Concord and love watching all the flowering trees burst into bloom. It's funny--you are thinking of coming here and we will be on board ship in July for 14 day cruise in Norway! Let us all know what you decide to do.

[iancal]

We very much enjoyed our European cruises.

 

Having said that, after doing numerous extended land trips we realize just how much one can really miss by taking a cruise. You do get an overview albeit a brief one. So now, we typically consider a cruise at the conclusion of a land trip as a way of unwinding or relaxing.

 

You might want to consider doing some research and put together your own Norwegian 'cruise' using local ferry services, multiple stops, and B&B's, pensions.

 

We did something similar in Croatia because we could not find a cruise that appealed to us. We took a local ferry from Italy( Ancona) to Split and then more local ferries hopping down the Croatian coast to Dubrovnik and then back across to Italy. It was a far better experience that we could find on any cruise line. We stayed in some places for several days, did car rentals, etc. and got to see the sights and experience the locales.

 

We did an independent tour this past Sept/Oct using local ferries to visit travel through Greek Islands. It was a far better experience for us than any of our previous eastern Med cruises. This would definitely be our plan were we ever to decide to go back to Norway (we were there 40 years ago on a driving holiday)

Edited January 8, 2016 by iancal

[lcand1923]

I learned years ago to pay attention to my feelings when anticipating a trip. If I don't feel "good" about the trip, I cancel.

 

I wouldn't pay attention to the Roll Call. Many people don't know about them, or if they do, don't post.

 

I've never done a European Cruise on HAL, so can't speak to activities that are offered. I've done other cruises on HAL and have found that you can easily meet people once onboard.

 

I can offer two other suggestions for your research since you are a solo traveler.

 

My dentist is a solo traveler. She has been using Tauck for many years since she says they do the best job caring for the solo traveler. I don't know if they offer trips to Norway.

 

I took a European cruise on Regent Seven Seas last year. Regent has someone like a Social Director onboard. This person sent invitations the first few nights to a Solo Traveler Get Together. This was a way for the solo travelers on board to meet and dine together if they wished. Since the ships are smaller, you can also easily meet other guests by going to Tea or playing Trivia. It was a very friendly solo traveler experience. (I asked the Social Director if she could share a rough breakdown of the passenger nationalities. If my memory is correct, it was something like 15% American, 25% British, 40% German, 20% other European.)

[kazu]

I learned years ago to pay attention to my feelings when anticipating a trip. If I don't feel "good" about the trip, I cancel.

 

I wouldn't pay attention to the Roll Call. Many people don't know about them, or if they do, don't post.

 

I've never done a European Cruise on HAL, so can't speak to activities that are offered. I've done other cruises on HAL and have found that you can easily meet people once onboard.

 

I can offer two other suggestions for your research since you are a solo traveler.

 

My dentist is a solo traveler. She has been using Tauck for many years since she says they do the best job caring for the solo traveler. I don't know if they offer trips to Norway.

 

I took a European cruise on Regent Seven Seas last year. Regent has someone like a Social Director onboard. This person sent invitations the first few nights to a Solo Traveler Get Together. This was a way for the solo travelers on board to meet and dine together if they wished. Since the ships are smaller, you can also easily meet other guests by going to Tea or playing Trivia. It was a very friendly solo traveler experience. (I asked the Social Director if she could share a rough breakdown of the passenger nationalities. If my memory is correct, it was something like 15% American, 25% British, 40% German, 20% other European.)

 

good point on the Solo traveller activities.

 

HAL usually has Solo get togethers as well. ;)

[sammiedawg]

If you have doubts and can cancel with no financial loss I would cancel.

There are so many choices out there.

On a couple occasions I took trips that were against my better judgement, including one cruise. Other people were involved so I didn't feel I could cancel. My better judgement was correct both times.

[SnowshoeCat]

This is what's so fun about an open discussion. Just when I think I'm leaning one way, someone mentions something that swings be back the other way!

 

I do a fair amount of traveling, and need to remember that I can't do everything at once. There will be other opportunities. Everyone has brought up good points. My gut instinct is to cancel. That's why I started the thread. I have this way of second guessing myself, researching every option, then, after all that, sticking with my original choice. Maybe it's a hobby.

Edited January 8, 2016 by SnowshoeCat

[iancal]

Go with your gut.

 

CANCEL.