Zukini

Day 7, Main Dining Room m14-day14-_mdr_north_europe_2023.pdf

Day 6, Main Dining Room m13-day13_-_mdr_gala_gold.pdf

Day 5, Main Dining Room m5-day5-_mdr_north_europe_2023.pdf

Day 4, Main Dining Room m3-day3-_mdr_north_europe_2023.pdf

Day 3, Main Dining Room culinary_council_menu_winter_2023_en_-_v1_1_.pdf

Day 2, Main Dining Room m2-day2-_mdr_gala_150th_2023_v.3.pdf

Time for some menus. Day 1, Main Dining Room. m1-day1-_mdr_north_europe_2023.pdf

Didn't work

I did see them, thank you for providing them.

Thanks for the videos. Certainly wish we hadn't missed Bergen on this trip. Yes, that's the Hardanger Bridge on our way into Eidfjord.

Thank you. In retrospect, some of our dissatisfaction was probably based on overblown expectations vs reality, as well as the sour taste regarding the port changes. Nevertheless, I think there really is room for improvement in the HAL product. It may be that after spending so many years traveling independently as well as occasionally vacationing at all-inclusive resorts where there are no up-charges, we've simply lost our taste for large-ship cruising (which sounds odd, given that this size ship is hardly huge by modern standards). Our next attempt will be on the Oceania Riviera next year. With less than half the passenger load and a reputation for good food, it may be more to our liking, though we will miss the entertainment offerings available on HAL.

Highlights from the RIB tour we took with FjordGuiding in Geiranger.

I'll do you one better. Here's our 12 minute highlights reel.

Buckle in, this is a long one. I'll also be posting it to the cruise reviews section. BACKGROUND This is coming from the perspective of a couple in their sixties who used to cruise quite a bit (Royal Caribbean, Princess, even 1 Carnival cruise (ugh), up until we caught norovirus during a Princess cruise which included Egypt back in 2011 and swore we would never cruise again. This is a review of the 7-day Norse Legends cruise departing July 26th. We booked the Nieuw Statendam specifically for the Norwegian Fjords itinerary, since we know that Norway is starting to clamp down on large cruise ships coming to the fjords for environmental reasons. Initially, this cruise included Eidfjord, Geirangerfjord, Alesund, and Bergen. Some months prior to sailing, Bergen was dropped, Gothenburg, Sweden was added (not exactly a "Norse Legend"), and the order of the itinerary was shuffled around. We considered cancelling at that point, since Gothenburg did not appeal to us at all, but because airfare was already booked we decided to go ahead with the cruise. PRE-CRUISE We spend a couple of days pre-cruise at the Scandic Norreport in Copenhagen. I think this hotel is underrated in favor of the more popular Scandic Palace, but we found it to be a really idea location, right on the metro line and very centrally located to a lot of sites in Copenhagen, especially if you're a walker as we are. On arrival day, we dropped our bags at the hotel and ventured forth, eventually finding ourselves in Nyhavn. It was drizzling a bit, but we decided to take the Stromma canal boat tour. Note that two competing companies run canal tours, and the other one is 1/2 the price of Stromma, but we found the multi-lingual pre-recorded narration to be quite informative, and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour. For lunch, we found ourselves in Torvenhallerne, not far from our hotel, where I enjoyed a Danish hot dog, and my wife had some Argentinian empenadas, washed down with beer from a craft brewery. As soon as our room was ready we retired to it and crashed until the next morning. Note: if your hotel advertises air conditioning or air cooling, it is likely NOT what you would expect. Cooling is provided by a water cooling system without a forced fan, so it will take your room quite a while to cool down. While this normally wouldn't be anything worth mentioning at all, we happened to get some pretty warm weather, and our southern-facing room did heat up during the day. Once we closed the blackout curtains and exercised a little patience, the room cooled down nicely. The next day, we walked down toward the city center, and spent quite a few hours at the Danish National Museum. This was quite well organized, tracing the history of Denmark and it's colonies and explorations from the stone age to modern times in a very easy to follow room-to-room fashion. The lunch spot here was great, offering Carlsberg 1883 Lager, a beer brewed from the original yeast strain found in an old bottle of Carlsberg beer. BOARDING On our final day, we took a cab to the port using the DANTaxi app. Although we arrived earlier than our assigned time, we found boarding to be smooth and simple. We were at first confused at not receiving our cruise cards at check-in, as we were not familiar with the practice of having the cards waiting for you outside the room. We found our stateroom, a VB on deck 11 starboard to be quite well laid out. Plenty of storage, a much larger than expected shower in the bath, and a small but functional balcony. A mini-fridge was provided, stocked with for-pay items, no kettle or coffee maker, but that was not unexpected. We headed up to the Lido for our first lunch, and were impressed with the size and variety, but a bit frustrated that the dishes were not adequately labeled, and the procedures for obtaining beverages was not quite clear (we had the Have-It-All package, with included gratuities). We enjoyed a decent lunch, but were not extremely impressed. We learned that it's best to find a table and sit down, wait until someone shows up to take a drink order, and only then head to the food stations. Hand washing stations were prevalent, but not often used by patrons, and sometime were either out of soap or out of paper towels for extended periods of time. One of the items that annoyed us throughout the cruise was the way tables were cleared in the Lido. Frequently, a server would setup station at the end of one of the table rows, and begin gathering plates from surrounding tables, scraping them and stacking them. This was rather nauseating, seeing piles of uneaten food from multiple tables being scraped off of plates within our visual orbit. Kind of gross while trying to eat. MAIN DINING ROOM We ate in the main dining room on our first night. While our servers were quite nice, we felt that the meal service was optimized to rush you out of the dining room as quickly as possible. Your entire meal, from appetizer to dessert was ordered at the very start, which seemed peculiar, and the courses were brought whether you were ready for them or not. The dining room had no ambiance, and was quite noisy. We didn't enjoy the dining room experience, and didn't go there again through the cruise. LUNCH VENUES We found ourselves most often grabbing lunch from the Dive In burger joint. Food prep was usually pretty quick. You were given a beeper to let you know when your lunch was ready for pickup. Orders were filled correctly, and food was well prepared. We tried the Lido several times but there seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to which side and stations would be open at any given time, and many tables were taken up with guests using them to play card games rather than eat. We had the same frustrations identifying what food was available at any given station due to inadequate labeling, and drink service was difficult to obtain. SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS We ate at Cannaletto one evening, paying extra for the privilege. While the food was fine, and our server was an absolute delight, the food ambiance was certainly not what you would expect in a specialty restaurant. It's really just a sectioned-off part of the main Lido, so it felt like you were eating in the Lido. It was loud, and people traipsing by the restaurant in bathing suits and robes really made it feel like a somewhat less than premium experience. Incidentally (and this goes for all of the venues) if you're a wine drinker, you won't be happy with the standard wines, especially the reds. They are harsh and reflux-inducing, and I'm not a wine snob by any stretch. Our specialty dinner at Tamarind, the Asian-fusion venue, was MUCH nicer and more like we would have expected, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. LIDO MARKET (Dinner and Breakfast) Aside from the other issues I've already mentioned about the Lido, we were continuously puzzled by trying to determine what stations would be open at any particular time. During what seemed to us to be prime hours, entire sides of the Lido Market would be mostly closed down, with isolated stations open. We would have to make several circuits of both sides of the ship to determine what was available to eat, and fighting the crowds for the open stations was frustrating. DUTCH CAFE The much-hyped Dutch Cafe was a frustration at any hour. Long lines, poorly prepared foods, and no place to sit. I ordered a triple berry Pannekoek one day...instead of a warm pancake with berries, it was ice-cold, as if it had been refrigerated. After waiting on line for 20 minutes to order it, it was a big disappointment. PORT TALKS The cruise director, Clare, held informative talks, usually at rather inconvenient times. Incomprehensibly, these talks were never repeated on the TV in the stateroom, with the excuse that it would violate copywrite. Thus, if you weren't present in person for the talks, tough luck. That, to me, was a major issue. PORTS - EIDFJORD Eidfjord was a wonderful port stop, if not a little too brief. We really wanted to experience the step-bridge at Voringsfossen, which is not visited on any of the HAL excursions, so we pre-arranged a taxi with a 30 minute stop. We had hoped to pay the driver extra for a longer stay at Voringsfossen, but that was just not possible. The taxis are shared and on a very strict pre-booked schedule, so a longer stay is just not possible, no matter what you are willing to pay. The step bridge was breath taking, but our time there was too short to truly appreciate all it had to offer. PORTS - GEIRANGER We used the floating SeaWalk pier at Geiranger, eliminating the need to tender. My understanding is that Geiranger does not want large ships mooring with their engines running in the fjord and is requiring the use of the SeaWalk. Here, we had pre-booked a RIB tour of the fjord with FjordGuiding at literally half the price that HAL was asking for the same excursion and tour operator. After suiting up in survival suits, the tour was exhilarating and breathtaking, with up-close views of the Seven Sisters and the Suitor waterfalls, as well as explanations about the various historic mountain farms. Only thing I'll say negatively is that the survival suits could use a little spritz with a deodorizer. I felt like I needed to return to the ship to shower and change my clothes after we returned. Afterward, we walked up the long stairs along the Fossefandring waterfall to a magnificent viewpoint near the Union Hotel. PORTS - ALESUND Here, we opted for an "Art Nouveux Kayak Tour" with Uteguiden, booked independently. This was both disorganized and overbooked. While the sights were beautiful, and the kayaking was fun, the guide left a lot to be desired, often racing ahead of the guests. These are sea kayaks, including spray skirts and rudders, and were quite difficult for the older/stouter folk (me and my wife) to board and exit from. When we returned to the dock, my wife had great difficulty exiting the kayak to the considerably higher dock, and would probably be still stuck there were it not for the assistance of a fellow from a Disney cruise who helped me uncork her from the kayak. Much thanks to this nameless individual! I'll also note that we visited on a Sunday, so the majority of shops and restaurants in Alesund were closed. PORTS - GOTHENBURG When we docked in the horribly ugly Arendal pier at Gothenburg, I'll admit that the weather was so grim and the surrounding so depressing that we decided to stay in bed rather than trudge onto a crowded HAL tour bus for the "West Coast Islands and Taste of Herring" excursion. From photos posted by other cruisers, the city of Gothenburg is perfectly nice, but it is hardly a "Norse Legend" and was a particularly poor choice as a substitute for the scenic walk-off port of Bergen. As it turns out, the Rotterdam docked in Bergen on the day we were originally supposed to be there, so why we were denied that port is a mystery. To add insult to injury, rather than providing free shuttles to the historic center, HAL thought it wise to charge passengers $20 per person for a round-trip shuttle. ENTERTAINMENT This ship featured the Music Walk concept, with BB King's, the Rolling Stone Rock Room, and Billboard Onboard. We very much enjoyed the band in the Rock Room, and were there most every night. This competed with the shows in the main theater, so we never did see Cantare, the Step One Dance Company, or Stephen Barry. BB King's also featured great musical performances most nights, but Billboard was (in our opinion) the worst sterotype of cruise-ship entertainment, though people certainly seemed to love it. We enjoyed interacting with the bartenders in the Rock Room, who were two of the best on board, as well as the other patrons. THERMAL SPA We pre-paid for week long access to the thermal spa. This seems to be an afterthought as far as the spa personnel are concerned, since it's not making them any money. They don't care that the the electronic lockers don't work, that the keycards don't open the doors, that equipment is broken, or that people are camping out in the area featuring the ceramic heated relaxation loungers for hours at a time, either sleeping or laughing at full-volume TikTok videos on their phones and tablets. It was not a spa-like atmosphere, and the staff had no desire to even enter the area. Equipment, including the horizontal shower, that was reported as broken on day one was still broken on day seven, without anyone even bothering to place an out-of-order sign on it. OTHER OBSERVATIONS There were far more children and teens on this cruise than I would have ever expected on HAL. They took over the pool area, the sports areas, and the Crow's Nest, making it impossible for adults to either use the pool or relax quietly in the Crow's Nest (which became game-central for the kids). There was a HAL Club on this ship, but I honestly never saw it in use. The staff did little to police their own policies, allowing parents to take infants clad in diapers into the hot tubs and pool, a clear violation of all sanitary policies. SUMMARY We enjoyed the fjords immensely, and loved the ports of Eidfjord and Geiranger. Alesund would have been better had we not visited on a Sunday. Gothenburg was a major disappointment. The entertainment on board was great, as were most staff members. Everything else about this cruise had us regretting that we had booked with Holland America.

We too were just on the Nieuw Statendam. While I missed that port talk, I do recall the captain saying that we were using the Seawalk instead of tendering, as Geiranger no longer wants ships to be using their engines for powering the ship while in the port. We had considered cancelling our trip when Gothenburg was substituted instead of Bergen, but figured that time is running out to visit the fjords with the onset of the new environmental regulations. I wasn't crazy about the NS myself, as I shared in the Roll Call thread. That "scenic cruising" never made sense, given the distance between Alesund and Gothenburg, and I wrote it off from the beginning as an error that crept in when they changed the itinerary around which never got fixed rather than a bait & switch. It just never made sense that we would go back into the fjord after just having exited it the day before.

Just checked with my travel agent about changing our existing booking made during the 20th Anniversary sale to Simply More. While it would only cost $100pp more to do so, we would lose our $300pp OLife onboard credit AND our $300pp 20th Anniversary credit, a total loss of $1200 in credit. For us, with a desire to upgrade to/purchase the Prestige beverage package, it's definitely not worth it to switch.

Just a quick update. I finally heard back from the tourist bureau in Eidfjord. The e-car business is no longer in operation. Regular auto rentals are available. Taxi tours can be arranged, but not pre-booked, though drivers may extend their waiting time at the falls if you are willing to pay extra.

Just checked that link for our Nieuw Statendam stop at Geiranger and found that it lists us as being there on July 29th 2023, with our previous port being Eidfjord and our next port being Alesunde. According to our HA itinerary, we're in Alesunde on the 29th and Geiranger on the 30th. I wonder if this is early warning that our itinerary is being rearranged, or if the port site has the wrong information.

I can't comment on those particular excursions, as I've never taken them. I have however spent a considerable amount of time on land-based vacations along the Amalfi Coast, so I'll offer what insight I can. Cruisemom42 has given you excellent advice in another thread, and I think her thoughts echo mine. I don't know when you're cruising, but during high season a coach from Naples to Salerno will likely be far longer than one hour due to traffic. You would want to sit on the right for the best views. A boat from Salerno to Amalfi will indeed take about 45 minutes, and it is a beautiful trip. Be aware that since you're stopping in Amalfi, you won't see the stretch of coastline between Amalfi and Positano, which is quite stunning. Amalfi is small but charming, and one of our favorite places, but you likely won't be spending much time there before returning to Salerno. Sorrento is a nice tourist town to wander around in for a lunch stop. All told, assuming traffic, you'll be spending about 2.5 - 3 hours on the coach, and 1.5 hours on the boat. As much as I like Pompeii, you're only going to spend about 2 hours there on most cruise-ship tours, which, depending on your tolerance for dust, heat, and crowds may be enough. It's certainly an experience, but if you're really interested in that I would suggest you would be better served by doing it on your own from Naples instead of as a cruise ship excursion, and dedicating your day to Pompeii and Herculaneum. Plenty of threads around here to tell you how to do that, if you're confident enough to venture out on your own using public transportation. The first time I visited Naples was on a cruise, and we skipped all of the cruise excursions and instead visited the archaelogical museum and the Capella San Severo on our own, but that was because those were sites we especially wanted to see. My best advice is to do what you feel YOU would enjoy, and not to see a site just because someone said it's a "must-see". What excites you about this part of Italy? I think many typical cruise excursions try to cram too much into a single trip instead of giving you the time to savor and experience.

While I've yet to travel there on Oceania, I have had land-based trips to Amalfi many times and visiting ships always anchor offshore and tender into Amalfi. The pier there is both sized for and busy with ferries. Amalfi town has ferry connections to Positano and south to Maiori, Minori, Vietri Sul Mare and Salerno during tourist season. It is also the hub for buses that run up and down the coast as well as up to Ravello and over to Bomerano (for the Path of the Gods).

No smoking in the casino is good (for me). I thought I had seen a YouTube review that mentioned that smoking was permitted, but I'm probably mistaken. Lifeboat noise doesn't bother me, unless they're doing drills at midnight.🙂

We're considering a first-time Oceania cruise on the Riviera and looking at the Oceanview staterooms, midship on Deck 7. I see from the deck plans that these cabins are directly above the casino. Is anyone aware of issues with noise or smoke infiltration? I would hope that you can't hear the ding-ding-ding of all those big cash payouts in the wee hours, but it's worth checking before I commit. It's a cool-weather cruise, so I don't feel like a Veranda is justified. Tried to search the forum before asking, but couldn't find anything relevant. Thanks in advance!

Thanks, Turtles06. I've seen that article before, and it's probably the one that originally piqued my interest about the step bridge. Unfortunately, all of the cruise excursions I've been able to find that stop at the hotel really only allow a short time at the adjacent scenic overlook and not enough time to hike down to the step bridge. Best bet is likely going to be a rental or a Twizy, but I suppose I'll need to be patient until the local businesses start returning emails when the dark season ends.

Spurlady, I still haven't had any luck finding info here or on TripAdvisor. I did find a company that rents tiny Twizy e-cars in Eidfjord, but they haven't replied to any of my emails, so I'm not sure if they're even in business any more, or if Eidfjord is just so small that the tourist-oriented business close down for the winter. If I ever find anything definitive, I'll post back on this thread. Our trip is at the end of July 2023.

I've been looking around to see if any excursions from Eidfjord (cruise line or independent) would allow us to visit the Voringfossen Step Bridge. Many mention viewing Voringfossen, but are a little vague about where they go and for how long (I'm presuming they go to the observation platform above the falls near the Fossli Hotel). Does anyone have any info on an excursion that would allow us to see the step bridge, or would we be better off renting a car and viewing it on our own?