hallasm

January and February are great months for a Caribbean cruise. 

My recommendation would be a 7 or more days Caribbean cruise.

to reduce travel you can consider a Caribbean cruise out of Cape Liberty, NJ - might recommend - 8 or 12 days Anthem of the Seas Cruise.

Sure you’re well prepared. Just make sure you have the right clothing - and no formal nights - only casual  - and layers.

Hurtigruten has three different price structures, basic, select and platinum - from you order confirmation you can see what is included in the fare - they do not refer to basic, select or platinum on the confirmation.

- this is Hurtigruten description of platinum:

Full board is included and with PLATINUM you can choose our a la carte dining experience whenever you want. Our drinks package is included with dinner. Two exclusive shore excursions are also included on our 11- and 12-day voyages. One excursion is included for 6- and 7-day voyages. Airport transfers to and from the ship are included in Bergen, Trondheim and Kirkenes. Enjoy daily turn down service and a welcome basket on embarkation day. 

Regarding cash - you’ll probably not need more than few 100 NOK -  NOK 2.500 per person is IMO far too much in cash - normally I do not spend a lot of money ashore - credit card widely accepted. Exchanging money in Norway is however expensive. A debit card for ATM might be the best solution?

-  enjoy your trip - long travel from CA to Norway.

Here you have some inspiration for Aarhus - just ask for more details.

Moesgård museum is outside the city - you can easily either go by yourself by bus or taxi.

The main attraction in Aarhus is ‘Den Gamle By’The Old Town Museum, a National Open Air Museum of Urban History and Culture. This is absolutely my recommendation 

You can walk to Marselisborg Castle and the park.

Othere things to do: Central Aarhus with ‘The Latin Quarter’ and the old part of the city surrounding the Cathedral and ‘Skt Clemens Torv’ is very nice and very walkable. You can walk to the attractions

Also well worth a visit: Aros art museum, Women’s Museum, the Steno Museum, the Viking Museum, Town Hall and Concert Hall Aarhus. and the Botanical Gardens

Very close also Magasin and Sally g  department stores.

enjoy Aarhus

Valletta is walkable and very close to the cruise pier. There is an elevator from the ‘pier level’ to the City

I always book airfares as soon as they are available - normally the best rate and I do get tickets with my preferred airline, best routes and the dates I want. 

Somtime cheaper tickets does mean more stops and longer travel. 

When I have booked my cruise I do not want to save few $$ on airfares - I want to ensure the best possible holiday.

If only Prague and Budapest do not Exchange to Euro - bring US$.

The currency in Hungary is Hungarian Forint (HUF). However you can pay with US$ or  Euros at several places. The hungarian banks offer better exchange rates than the foreign ones, so it's better to exchange money in Budapest than getting Hungarian Forints abroad.

The currency in Prague is the Czech (CZK), Euro or US$ are not widely accepted, however some hotels, shops and restaurants accept Euros as well, but the exchange rate may not be very good. The best option might be to exchange money in Prague.

3 hours ago, tonyd285 said:

We are booked in a category "U" on the Fram next year.  What an we expect in amenities, cabin size, etc.?  Any input would be helpful.

Category U is ‘Arctic Superior Outside’  Oceanview Staterooms.

Street art In George Town, Penang is facinating - watch my video. Then you’ll also see the rest of the town - very walkable. Also some DIY tips on my Penang blog 

Totally agree with Ashland - Southern Caribbean.

Thank you for the clarification - I was referring to the area behind reception.

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Caveat Emptor.

Yes, and many does use flight search engines to find the cheapest possible flight - select what they believe is the best option ending up paying a high price.

It’s my understanding that Fram does have a bistro.

7 hours ago, SAS21 said:

Has anyone used Norwegian Airlines? Prices are really good.

Also check the cost of seat reservation, booking, and luggage. Also check luggage weight allowance - excessive weight might be very expensive at check in.

Welcome to cruise critic - it might help if you tell which ports - also it might be better to ask the question in the Asia forum:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/43-asia/

Norway/Sognefjord In a Nutshell is a great way to explorer Norway by train, bus and tour boat but it is not a cruise. You will stay at hotels for the nights. Many different providers of the tours - most offerings are Individual traveling.

Hurtigruten is primarily a Costal Voyage, however you will sail through Storfjorden to Geiranger and also Trollfjord.

Norway in a Nutshell from Oslo to Flåm by train and To Bergen combined with Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes could be an alternative.

Price for wine  by glass starts at  NOK 95 to 130  (USD 11 to 15)

Price per bottle starts at NOK 550 to 700  (USD 65 to 90)

Packets are available - I do not have the price - expecting round NOK 400 per bottle

Much more expensive wines by glass/bottle is available.

I am hoping to start an on-going conversation about Hurtigruten. This is not meant to be a roll call, but a never ending Q&A thread focusing on the details of the Hurtigruten vessels, offerings, excursions and itineraries.

Please post your questions!  - Members having sailed Hurtigruten will add their experiences, thoughts and answers.

Hurtigruten is very different from other cruise lines - it's primarily a Norwegian cruise, car-ferry and cargo operator with small ships serving 35 harbours on the Norwegian west coast.
Hurtigruten do offer two different type of cruises: Norway Coastal Voyage (cruise, ferry and cargo) and Exploration Voyages.
Eleven vessels are sailing the 'Norway Coastal Service' with daily departures from Bergen to Kirkenes and back. Four ships are operated as expedition ship - e.g. sailing to Greenland, Svalbard, Iceland, Arctic Canada, and Antarctica. Two new ships in order for exploration voyages.

From January 1st, 2021 there will be two operators sharing the Norwegian Coastal Service from Bergen to Kirkenes - Hurtigruten with seven ships and Kystruten (Havila Shipping) with four ships.

Hurtigruten Ships:

Twelve Hurtigruten coastal ships: MS Midnatsol, MS Trollfjord, MS Finnmarken, MS Nordnorge, MS Polarlys, MS Nordkapp, MS Nordlys, MS Richard With, MS Kong Harald, MS Vesterålen, MS Lofoten, and MS Spitsbergen

Two Expedition ships only: MS Fram and MS Nordstjernen - MS Midnatsol and MS Spitsbergen are also operated as expedition ships.

New Expedition ships on order: Roald Amundsen (2019), Fridtjof Nansen (2020)

Yes, there is a cafe on all the ships.

Food is included. In addition to the ‘Torget’ main dining room there is a ‘fine dining’ restaurant with a la Carte menu for additional costs.

Coffe/tea included in meals - depending on the fare coffe ad tea included all day (not included in basic fare) - juice only for breakfast, water included for all meals.

There are tour operates providing Island tour and Pink Beach - I'm not aware of operators providing tours to Kampung Komodo - limited numbers of visitors per day so cruise line might be the only option. Or try to get on the wait list as soon as you board.

Enjoy Komodo

Yes - make sure that you have a time scheduled for disembarkation no later than 8:00 am - alternatively self assist departure.

A pity that YouTube links from the ‘old version’ are not working!

Amsterdam Central station is in walking distance - 1.3 km - 15 to 20 minutes. Or 5 to 10 minutes by taxi.

Just for inspiration - the menu for 11 day sailing - autumn 2018

Hurtigruten Main Dining restaurant:

Breakfast: Buffets with hot dishes, freshly baked bread, fresh salmon, smoothies, yogurt, fruit, and locally produced cheeses. Coffee, tea, juice, milk and water included.

Lunch: Traditional local dishes, meat, fish and vegetarian dish. Freshly baked bread, locally produced cheese, large salad bar and a selection of seafood. Desserts and cakes as sweet finish. Coffee, tea and water included.

Dinner: Three-course dinners or buffet based on locally produced food.  The menu includes meat, fish and vegetarian dishes.  see - autumn 2018 menu

Water is included. Wine menu, local drinks and non-alcoholic beverage available for purchase.

I have no experience with Hurtigruten offerings - I would not expect the different offerings to be very different -- dog sledge or snowmobile tours are very similar from all tour providers. 

You will for sure have much more snow and colder weather in Kirkenes.

My recommendation will be to choose the tour based on the description of the tour and how it best fit into your program.