RuthC

I think I remember some back in the 1970s. But nothing much lately. There is an Orange Night once per cruise, where there is a party in the evening, and everyone is supposed to wear something orange. But that's about it.

HAL pays the TA commission after you sail, not after you make final payment.

Wasn't that originally the dining room? I think so. Doesn't help answer your 'why the step down' question, but there could be a reason related to that use when Royal Viking had the ship.

Maybe. Maybe not. It has happened that the person now sailing solo has to pay the single supplement. Doesn't matter that the roommate has paid in full, with no reimbursement. HAL can, and has, ended up getting 250% fare for the cabin. No need to introduce a possible problem if you don't have to.

It doesn't always work that way, unfortunately. Which is why, when you check in, you would keep your mouth shut about the whereabouts of your friend. If anyone were to ask, you say the friend made different arrival arrangements and you expect to meet him/her onboard.

Yes. Blankets should be available on Lido aft, and the promenade deck (except on the Pinnacle ships, which have no seating out there), every day. Pea soup is served while scenic cruising Glacier Bay.

Usually you can expect the bookings to open in June, a year and a half before the January World Cruise. So, figure 6/23 for the 2025. The itinerary and pre-bookings may be out in May.

Has geo-caching for rubber duckies replaced daytime activities? Nature abhors a vacuum, I guess.

If yours specifies which restaurants are covered, then no, you cannot change. You can book another visit to the Pinnacle on your own, however. If I wanted to go to Pinnacle again, then I would while I had the chance.

No BB King. The Zaandam has never had a Lincoln Center Stage, but has had the Explorers Lounge since it arrived. In the evening a classical group has always played in there. To my knowledge, there is still music in there at night. You should also find a music/dance band in the Ocean Bar.

I could get dizzy looking at those zebra pictures!

To my knowledge, every cabin on every ship has a make-up mirror. Look in a drawer at the desk; there should be one in a blue, draw-string bag.

There may be a more recent edition of the list, but this is a fairly recent one I found. It is updated periodically with only the date changed, so you can search for a more recent list if this one doesn't answer your question: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2911622-february-2023-update-hal-dry-docks-charters-groups-onboard/#comment-64858305

Excellent, vswan! I wish you well taking this big step, and know having your grandson with you will be a comfort. Congratulations. Please let us know how it all went after you get back.

They aren't. Is was another couple who happens to be blogging from the ship, but not on CC, or Facebook (to my knowledge). The blogger did blog about it and identified themselves.

Correct. The scenic cruising through the archipelago takes a few hours, and is a spectacular ride. IIRC, on my first trip out we had a party on the bow around 4:30 (? not sure on the time). After everyone left I stayed out there until almost 8:00 when I had to get to dinner. We still had a way to go. One of the loveliest rides I have ever taken.

Yes, yes, and yes. You could use the points for any of those purposes. When you want to redeem the points you can also just select to pay down the HAL expenses on your bill, which is the only way I have ever done it. I build up my points until I have several thousand, and either book a cruise or make final payment, then use the points when the bill comes in. Paying for the cruise that way is a little less painless. I don't know if Barclay is still doing it this way, but in the past the higher the number of points, the better return for the points---higher numbers of points were worth more money than lower numbers.

I miss the intimate Piano Bars, with musicians who knew music that covered many eras, in various genres, and played until 2:00 AM every night. Without a break. Someone who somehow made a party every night, and wasn't there to 'perform'. I miss the 'Dutch Girl' with her basket of flowers who greeted every embarking passenger. I miss the Rosario Strings. I miss the chilled soups, made with fine ingredients like sherbet, and tapioca, as thickeners. I miss the great dance bands in the Ocean Bar, who played for every cocktail time, right up until the chimes called us to dinner, then again until 1:00 AM. Every night, without a break. I don't miss the days when there was no TV in the cabin. I don't miss needing to go to the Radio Room to place a call home, as there were no phones in the cabin at all.

I got a paper Daily Program on the Nieuw Statendam, along with two pillow chocolates every night. I will say that I didn't find the Daily Program was always complete, though. There were times I would wander into a public room to find an activity going on, which was not on my Program.

There's plenty to do on your own in Bergen and Alesund; Geiranger is small, and you can walk around the town, take a HO-HO bus, or a tour. I don't remember Ulvic. In Bergen and Alesund both I have always been docked very close to the downtown area, and it was a fairly easy walk to the Bryggen area, formerly a setting for the Hanseatic League. It's full of shops now. Very nearby is the entrance to a lift that will take you up the mountain for a delightful view. There have been tours to Grieg's home outside of town, which is a lovely spot, especially for people who appreciate his music. Alesund was a stop on The Amazing Race, if you have ever watched the show. There is a trolly that will take you to the top of a high hill for views of the area. There is (or at least was the first time I was there) a really good aquarium on the outskirts of town. I hope shore excursions for your cruise appear soon. In the meantime, why not check out the ports of call forums on Cruise Critic? There should be plenty of information there. Norway is one of my favorite countries to cruise to; I have been been there more times than I can count, and would be ready to go back any time.

Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm are two entirely different experiences. Glacier Bay is exactly that---a bay, filled with glaciers, with mountain scenery in the background. The eye is assaulted with visions of snow and ice, with ice floes floating away from the glaciers. Tracy Arm is a fjord, that happens to have a glacier at the end (actually two, at different turns). It is narrow, making you feel enveloped by the majesty. The glaciers themselves are fairly small, compared to those in Glacier Bay (and even more so compared to Hubbard Glacier). In the smaller catamaran you can get much closer, though, than the large ship will get to the glaciers in Glacier Bay. Both experiences are worthwhile. I have been up Tracy Arm on the cruise ship, and only managed to get a glimpse of the Glacier in the distance. I once did book the Volendam for the sole purpose of taking the small boat excursion. It was well worth it.

HAL, unlike some other cruise lines, doesn't pocket the difference when there is a decrease in port charges.

Sorry, double post. It seems when you quote from a post on one page, then post to the last page, it doesn't appear on your screen. Oops.

Not in my experience. Since my husband's death I have cruised on HAL for over 700 days (not counting bonus days), most of them alone, and most of them in inside cabins. I won't guarantee I never paid less than double, but if I did, it was rare enough that I didn't even notice. I do know that at least most of the time I have had to pay double the cruise rate, plus the additional taxes and charges for one.

Have a great time, Lorna.