RuthC

I don't know anything about the size of the ship or its desirability for a cruise, but this is a fabulous itinerary. Better than either of the two HAL itineraries you posted above.

Each time was a HAL tour. I don't remember if I did the tour two times or three. It's an easy tour for me, which I do enjoy. Changes in the weather changes the experience, too.

That's possible. I am sure that was done on the Prinsendam as I used to see a parking lot of them near the aft elevator. But there was a large area there that was out of the lanes of anyone walking. There was also good reason to need a parking lot for scooters on that ship as cabins were at the end of a short passage which ran off the main passageway; one on each side of the corridor about half the length of the cabin (made for very quiet cabins). There was no way to turn into the cabin even if you could turn in to your semi-private passageway.

Someday you may find out the hard way that not all passageways have the same width. A little consideration of others goes a long way. I know on the Pinnacle ship I was on my scooter cleared the stewards' cart with very little room to spare. His cart was much narrower than a wheelchair. I have had trouble getting past a parked wheelchair on other classes, too.

What a shame the bathroom hairdryers were disconnected. They came in handy for clearing off the mirror after a steamy shower. I also used them to help dry my knit gloves in Alaska. Hope you continue to feel all right, and pass the next covid test on the first try.

However, you can purchase the HAL plan, and then purchase a separate medical and repatriation only policy. It's wise to compare the price of the HAL plus the separate policy (determining what else you may be giving up, too) compared to a full coverage policy without the HAL plan.

Those mirrors were in the inside cabins with tubs, too. Weird? I would say closer to horrifying.

It may depend on which class of ship a scooter is left outside whether or not there is room. On one cruise there was someone a few cabins down who routinely left a wheelchair outside their door during the day. I could not get by in my scooter, as there wasn't enough room. Same is true when people leave their meal trays in the passageway---not enough room to get by in a scooter. You may not have heard any complaints, but that doesn't necessarily mean no one was inconvenienced.

Yes, the 18% service charge is included in the price of the Pinnacle meal. Also, your drink under the Signature Beverage Package (or the Elite Package), whether under Have It All or purchased separately, includes the service charge.

I've done that excursion a few times, and enjoyed it each time, under different weather conditions. It was in an excursion type boat, similar to ones I have taken in Alaska. On each cruise the ship also did the cruise up the fjord, and it gave a very different perspective than the smaller boat did; I was glad to have the different views. The boat stopped at a waterfall, and collected water we could take a drink of. There was also a spot where some mountain goats came down to the boat to check us out. Fun! The boat stopped and let us off for a break where we got some of the Norwegian thin waffles, with jam--- a frequent snack on tours in Norway. One time was a sheltered spot in the woods, another time was more like a rest stop on the highway kind of place. You will get a good perspective of Pulpit Rock, just from below.

There are three different choices of booking each cruise, with different prices of each. You will see two of them on the HAL website, and have to call HAL, a PCC, or your TA to get the third. The most expensive is the one with whatever Have It All package is being offered at the time. Less expensive is the Advantage Fare, which has no extra goodies, like the Signature Beverage Package, gratuities, Internet, etc. Both of those choices come with refundable deposits. The least expensive fare is the Best Price, and is the one with a non-refundable deposit.

Is there room in the shower to store it overnight? Could the one who doesn't use it keep it in the aisle on that side during the night, then move it out of the way as needed? You might also be able to make arrangements for the non-disabled person to have the Front Desk keep it overnight. Just bring the disabled person to the cabin for the night, bring it to the Front Office, then pick it up in the morning when the disabled person is ready to leave. Inconvenient, perhaps, but it would leave room inside the cabin. Remember, though, even when the disabled person goes to the cabin during the day, the wheelchair cannot be left in the passageway.

I sailed on Royal Viking once, and didn't fully appreciate how truly elegant that line was at the time. It was my first cruise to Alaska, over 14 days. Simply wonderful time. I am curious, which incarnation of the Sun/Prinsendam did you prefer? And why? Or were they too much like comparing apples and oranges to be able to make a fair evaluation?

I understand precisely where you are coming from. I had barely decided that from that point forward I was going to concentrate on making Prinsendam by ship of choice, and would sail her every opportunity. I would choose that ship over any other, regardless of itinerary. The ship would be more the destination than the itinerary (although her itineraries were fantastic. And then HAL announced her sale. So much for that idea. 😞

The outside cabins on Lower Promenade are smaller than the outsides on the other two decks. If I were to book and outside on Lower Promenade, I would choose one between the forward and mid-ship elevators/staircases, and on starboard side. The outside cabins on that deck are actually smaller than the insides on the same deck. Lower down the outsides are 10 sq. ft. larger. Between the two elevators mentioned you are under a quiet area; heading aft until the aft elevators you are under the galley, and there can be noise at night. One time friends were in that area, port side, when we hit extremely rough seas during the night. They listened to dishes for the Pinnacle Grill as they crashed and smashed. I was fine over on starboard (and slightly forward of them). The outsides on Main Deck are between two passenger cabin decks. However, they are also under the promenade, so there is always the danger of hearing a 'herd of elephants' overhead as people don't know enough not to jog above a cabin area.

It's still the middle of the night there, considering the time difference. Give him a chance to sleep, wake up, and get some coffee.

Not a lot newer, as both ships are among the older ones in the HAL fleet. But you are right that the Zuiderdam will have different entertainment options. Personally, I would choose the Zaandam. The outside cabins are larger than on the Vista ship. The ship is smaller, making it easier to get around, and meaning fewer passengers. You will run into the same people over again. Either ship will offer a good cruise.

Based on my most recent cruise, not very. There were people who didn't even bother to change out of their daywear. However, there were plenty of people who did look nice, dressed up, and a few in formal wear. If you want to dress up, with the female in fine jewelry, remember: your nice clothes like to go out and play, too.

The 'indoor' pool is under a sliding roof that is open in good weather. There are plenty of seats there that will be in the sun, allowing that as the sun moves, the particular seats will change. On the Pinnacle Class ships, there is another level above the 'indoor' pool with plenty of seating in the sun.

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The problem isn't only room to store the scooter in the cabin, there's also a problem with getting it through the door, and past whatever comes next before you get into the larger part of the cabin. Many cabins have the door (which the scooter barely fits through), then comes the outside wall of the bathroom on one side, and a wall of closets on the other. It is much too narrow to maneuver a scooter through, let alone drive one. Then, there would be the problem of turning it around. There are a few cabins on some ships that will accept a scooter, however; I have been using one for years. The two R-class ships, and the Vista and Signature class ships all have some cabins that will take a scooter; all the ones I know and have used are insides. If your friend is looking at any of these, I will be happy to direct you to possible cabins. Obviously, an accessible cabin will accept a scooter, but those do sell out quickly, and since you didn't mention it, I didn't go into it. I assume an accessible cabin has already been ruled out, for whatever reason. He could also have his TA check into the possibility of having his scooter taken and stored, then returned when he needed it. In the past I have heard of that being done, but don't know if HAL does that now. Good luck.

Oh, I know I wrote it in. It was specific as to what I wanted, so free-form was the only way to say what I wanted. There is always room to write something in. Sometimes you just have to work at finding it.

Bring 'em home and mail them to me, eh? 😉

The area is, but it's for Lido dining. It only becomes Canaletto as a separate restaurant with its own menu in the evening.

It must vary from ship to ship, and steward to steward, then. On my recent cruise there was a form left on my desk asking about special requests. I noted that I wanted 2 milk chocolates left every night, which is precisely what I received!