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Voyage Of The Midnight Sun???

doone

By doone,
in Holland America Line

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doone

doone

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thinking back to the Mighty Cruise Ships showcasing the Koningsdam, that Norway cruise looks beautiful...............sitting here dreaming and wondering who has done the Voyage of the Midnight Sun and their thoughts?  I am putting it on my bucket list and would love to hear the do's and don'ts of this cruise.

 

Looking forward to reading your experiences...........

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dfish

dfish

Posted
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I did it in 2017 on the Koningsdam and it ranks up there as one of my favorite cruises.  We were booked on Nieuw Statendam for June of 2020 to do the same itinerary.  That didn't happen.  Now we're booked on the Rotterdam to do the best of Norway - 14 days of mostly southern Norway ports.   I'm not sure that one will take place so we'll move over to 2022.  

 

What might keep me from doing the Midnight Sun again is the change in some of the ports.  I loved Flam and Geiranger, but they weren't on the itinerary.   I'm pretty sure that the substitute ports will be equally fascinating.  

 

It was exciting when the Captain made his noon remarks on a Saturday and said, "Tonight's sunset will be next Tuesday."  I did get up and go out on the aft deck at midnight to see the sun.  It was as bright as noontime.  

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dfish

dfish

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I should have labeled the pictures.  The first two are the midnight sun.  The third one is the ship in the fjord from the viewpoint up in the mountains.  The fourth is Alesund from Mt. Aksla.  I thought that one would make a great puzzle.  What do you think @Cruising-along?  

 

Looking at the itinerary, there are a number of new ports.  But..........

Eidfjord is a cute fjord town.  There is great hiking in the area and I had booked us a RIB adventure for 2020.  If you get the chance to do a RIB, do so.  It is amazing.

 

In Honningsvag I went out to the North Cape.  It was all fogged in so the view outside was not inspiring.  The Visitor's Center was quite nice.  If we go again, we are going to do the King Crab excursion.  

 

In Bergen if you want to go up Mt. Floyen, you can get your passes on your own for $13 rather than what HAL charges.   Do get them in advance as that allows you to jump the line past those who need to buy tickets.  There is some good hiking at the top and a restaurant.    The best shopping of the trip is along the Bryggen.  I'd do that after you come down from the mountain.

 

In Stavanger we did the Pulpit Rock cruise, but we did it independently for about a third the price of the ship.  

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trixiee

trixiee

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25 minutes ago, zelker said:

We're doing the voyage roundtrip out of Rotterdam in July 2022 on Volendam, as the second part of a B2B. 

II was looking at that one too... I've never stayed in a Lanai Cabin... that makes me a bit hesitant.  Thoughts on that anyone?

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zelker

zelker

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3 minutes ago, trixiee said:

II was looking at that one too... I've never stayed in a Lanai Cabin... that makes me a bit hesitant.  Thoughts on that anyone?

 

We've never stayed in one either but friends stayed in one on the Volendam (same ship) when we did a Panama Canal full transit at the end of 2018 and really liked it.  It's definitely smaller than the Vista suites but if that's out of your price range, I think it's probably a good alternative vs. an oceanview.

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dfish

dfish

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8 minutes ago, trixiee said:

II was looking at that one too... I've never stayed in a Lanai Cabin... that makes me a bit hesitant.  Thoughts on that anyone?

I stayed in one on the old Rotterdam.  It was ok since I was traveling solo for that cruise.  It would have been a bit cramped for two, but doable.  Not only is it smaller than the Vista Suite, I thought it was smaller than an ocean view cabin a friend had and the inside cabin I had the summer before.  

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RuthC

RuthC

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4 hours ago, dfish said:

Not only is it smaller than the Vista Suite, I thought it was smaller than an ocean view cabin a friend had and the inside cabin I had the summer before.  

It was. Smaller than both, that is. The inside cabins on that size ship are 186 sq. ft., while the outside cabins on the lower two decks are 196 sq. ft. I don't know the square footage of the outside/lanai cabins on Lower Promenade, but it is less than 186 sq. ft. by a similar amount. 

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rkacruiser

rkacruiser

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My North Cape Cruise was aboard Royal Viking Sky in June.  We left Copenhagen just before the Summer Solstice.  Being at the North Cape where the Midnight Sun was bright enough that my traveling companion could photograph me standing on a deck of the ship, under a clock that registered just a couple of minutes after Midnight, was one of those "cruising wow" moments.  

 

On the evening of Summer Solstice, I remember seeing bonfire celebrations of the event (the significance of those bonfires, I don't recall) as the ship sailed along the Norwegian coast.  

 

Such a cruise experience was a memorable one for me and which I have--and do--recommend.  

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vicd1969

vicd1969

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38 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

There’s a nice one on May 15/22 and a nice Collectors 😉 

 

 

Yes, the May sailing on Volendam from Rotterdam has a superior itinerary as it visits both UNESCO sites - Flam and Geiranger. The later July Midnight Sun on the Rotterdam (ironically from Amsterdam) visit neither. So trade off between better ports versus more amenities and dining options. I'd guess most long-time cruisers would select the  Volendam but newer HAL passengers coming from like Celebrity or Princess may prefer the Rotterdam.

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Cruising-along

Cruising-along

Posted
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2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

There’s a nice one on May 15/22 and a nice Collectors 😉 

 

 

We're actually looking at July 3 on the Volendam, it includes some of France and Belgium.  The May 15 itinerary looks very nice but duplicates so many ports we've been to in the not too distant past (although it seems longer lol!!)  May is also a hard month for us to be away 😞  Thank you though!!

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rkacruiser

rkacruiser

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9 hours ago, vicd1969 said:

Flam and Geiranger.

 

Scenic delights!  The Seven Sisters Waterfall in Geirangerfjord and the sailing into/out of the fjord and Flam's railway excursions into the interior of Norway!  Take a tour that includes a trip on the train into the interior with a bus ride back to Geirangerfjord.  It is a tour that you will remember, IMO.   

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