2018 Voyage of Midnight Sun choices

[vicd1969]

I'm considering a cruise beyond the Arctic Circle in 2018, and see that there is one on the Rotterdam (out of Rotterdam of course) in May and one on the Koningsdam in June (out of Amsterdam). Not counting Prinsedam, which is a bit out of my budget. The itineraries are slightly different, with the Rotterdam having more of the "northern" ports like Trondheim and Hammerfast while the Koningsdam stops at more of the "southern" stops like Bergen and Eidfjord. Both do stop at Honningsvag. For you experienced Arctic cruisers out there, which one would have a better itinerary? I read that the Amsterdam cruise terminal is very convenient and cheap to get to by train from the airport, don't know much about Rotterdam.

 

A few more general questions on these HAL Voyages of the Midnight Sun:

 

- Is there any special ceremony activity when we cross the Arctic Circle?

- Is there still snow in the mountains around the southern fjords in mid-June?

- What is the earliest time we can embark for non-suite passengers? The ship departure time seems to be at 5 PM instead of the usual 4 PM in US Ports.

- Is HAL allowed to have those theme dinners in the outside spaces when sailing in Europe? They did for my Med cruise last year but I understand the practice has stopped for cruises sailing from US Ports.

 

A lot of people may prefer the Rotterdam over the Koningsdam but if the itinerary differences are not significant, I am leaning on taking the Koningsdam because I've already been on a R-class ship but not a Pinnacle one yet.

[RuthC]

I would take the itinerary with the more northern ports, for the simple reason that these ports aren't as generally available, so go while you can. You can always see the southern ports on a later trip. Trondheim has a lot to offer.

I've never seen a ceremony when crossing the Arctic Circle itself, but there is usually a 'Swim Across the Arctic' swim in the pool when north of the Circle (it has been known to happen south of it, after crossing back). There is a certificate awarded to participants.

You should see some snow high in the mountains, especially on the north side in the fjords, in June. It won't be at sea level.

Embarkation generally begins at 11:30, for all passengers. Pinnacle/Neptune Suite passengers, and those needing wheelchair assistance board first, followed by boarding number. Those numbers are given in order of arrival.

We didn't have any Lido cook-outs on my Norway or Baltic cruises this summer, which is a change from prior times. Since I was on the Prinsendam, and it is in the US so seldom, then I am presuming HAL has eliminated those across the board.

[vicd1969]

Thank you for the detailed responses Ruth!

[VMax1700]

You receive a certificate, signed by the master, that you have crossed the Arctic Circle.

 

Rotterdam is easy and inexpensive to access from Schiphol airport. Express train runs directly from train station under the airport to Rotterdam.

 

We did Rotterdam 14 day North Cape cruise last May and really enjoyed it. We would do it again. The smaller ship made the fjords seem even more impressive.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I agree about seeing the northern ports. The bigger ships can't access all those northern ports.

[DeepWaterMariner]

Spot on Ruth.

 

We were at the North Cape near the longest day of the year this June and there was plenty of snow on the way to the Cape. The tour guide said they had an exceptionally snowy May. The last time I was there, about the same time of year, there was very little snow.

[ski ww]

Some questions & answers. We're also looking at doing this cruise in the future, as this is one of a couple on our bucket list which we have not done.

Allan