WisRiver

We were on the Fram in 2018 for an Antarctic Expedition.  There were about 300 passengers on board.  We were broken into 8 groups, A-H, of about 35 people.  Two groups would leave the ship about every two hours.  If I remember correctly, each group was to spend about 2 hours on shore.  Each group would have a chance to be first.  Once you were on shore no one kept track of when you should return.  On some stops two hours were enough, while on other stops (e.g., Deception Island), we stayed on shore for 5 or 6 hours.   If you are in the last group for the day, you on shore time could be as little as 2 hours.  Some of the stops, Port Lockroy,  were only worth the two hours.  One of the stops the weather was terrible, cold rain and wind, so an hour on shore was enough.  If I remember correctly, many people chose not to go on shore. 

In September, 2019 we were on a Holland America Cruise that stopped in Iceland.  We arranged for a DIY in Isafjordur with WildWestFjords to see the Dynjandi Waterfall.  I think they are still in business.  In Akureyri we arranged for a Lake Myvatn tour with SagaTravel.  We had good experiences with both companies, other than the cold, rainy weather in Isafjordur.  

Our cruise did not stop in Sefdisfjordur.

We are 4* Mariners and have been using HAL's laundry services for our lengthly cruises.  Whatever we are going to take we first wash in our home machine and use the dryer.  If the clothes survive, then they get packed.  We have noticed little or no shrinkage.  I take a blue blazer that I send out for pressing after we board the ship.  We have had no problems with the ship's laundry services.

Explaining cricket to the uninitiated is like explaining baseball to an Englishman.  The understanding of the infield fly rule is like knowing why someone is out LBW. 

Unlike most Americans I have watched live cricket (county) and even swung a cricket bat a couple of times.    County cricket was slow and relaxed except for brief moments of excitement.  I am interested in the IPL because of its made for TV rules, 3 hour matches and what appears to be loud, raucous crowds.  

We are going to be in Mumbai for two nights in May, 2023 on a Viking Ocean cruise.  I would like to see an Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket match.  I know there are at least two IPL teams in Mumbai and two cricket grounds.  Can anyone give me some help or insight into obtaining tickets?

We were traveling in Europe in September and October, 2021 and never had the chance to print our boarding passes or luggage tags for the Rotterdam transatlantic sailing from Amsterdam.  We showed up at the cruise terminal on the afternoon of departure.  We had done the online checkin, so HAL had our credit card information and we knew our cabin number.   The baggage handlers filled in the luggage tags and affixed them to our bags.   We presented our passports at the check in desk.  Our room keys were in our cabins.  If we had our luggage tags and boarding passes, we might have saved a few minutes.  I do not think the lack of a boarding pass will be a problem.

Which cruise line?  If you are traveling on Hurtigruten, you will be at Skarfabakki or the New Harbor as it is sometimes called.  It ia about 3 km from the center of the city.     There is another terminal, but I do not know its name. We like to stay at the Radisson Blu, a comfortable, centrally located hotel.  Like all lodging in Reykjavik, the Radisson is pricey, but is convenient to shopping.  The City Walks tour meeting point is about 200 meters from the Radisson.  

We are considering a Viking Ocean cruise in April, 2023.  We have sailed with Viking River before, and booked our cabins 60 to 90 days prior to departure.  I understood that our trips had to be paid in full at the time of booking.  No problem.  

Viking  told  us that our final payment is due in June, 2022, nine months before departure.  We are not worried  about cancellation, but for tax reasons, I would prefer to pay in 2023, 90 days before departure.  Do people have any experience with Viking working with you to extend the final payment date?  I understand Viking wants our cash ASAP, I would prefer to delay final payment.  

In 2019 we did the round trip Voyage of the Vikings on HAL's Zuiderdam.  There were four stops in Iceland (two eastbound and two westbound including an overnight in Reykjavik).  In addition there were three stops in Greenland.  I think there are reviews of this cruise when you look for Zuiderdam.  Last year (2021) we did a three week driving tour of Iceland, because after what we saw on the cruise, we needed a longer look at Iceland.  

We made arrangements for private tours in Isafjordur and Akureryi though Westfjords tours.  In Reykjavik we used the HOHO bus for one day and a private Golden Circle tour though Nordic Visitor.  

Weather in August is variable.  We had warm sunshine, rain and mist, and cool weather (sometimes all in one day).  We obtained some ISK at the airport on arrival for our 2021 trip and used credit cards for the 2019 trip.  We had very little use for cash.  We spent out our remaining ISK while waiting for our flight home.

We had very little time for restaurants on our cruise.  Usually we had quick lunches.    The best food was in towns where the cruise ship did not stop.  On the road trip we tried to end each day with a hot soak in a pool or hot spring.  We did not go to Blue Lagoon.  

We are 4* Mariners.  We mainly go to the MDR because they serve dinner after 8 PM.  We like late dining, but the Lido is supposed to close at 8 PM and buffet starts to wind down at about 7:30 PM.  We like the Tamarind and Pinnacle, but over time have been disappointed with the Canaletto.  The New York Deli and Pizza (not available on all ships) is a good alternative to the Lido.   We have sailed on Celebrity,  and found them no better or worse than HAL.

We are arriving in Bergen on the Coastal Express in August, 2022.  The ship is supposed to arrive at 2:30 PM and the train to Oslo departs at 3:45 PM.  I think it is about a 15 minute taxi  ride to the Bergen station.  I assume there will be taxis available as we get off the ship and the ship will arrive as scheduled.  Any problems with trying to catch the 3:45 PM train?

DH may have to suffer with Diet Coke.  My travel partner prefers to drink Coke Zero.  When we were on the Koningsdam three years ago and the Rotterdam in October, 2021, no Coke Zero.  In both trips we were leaving Europe for the US, and Coke Zero is not common in many parts of Europe.   Who knows what they will stock for a San Diego departure.  We are leaving San Diego on the Noordam in October, 2022.  Hopefully there will be some Coke Zero on board.  

In October, 2021 we boarded the Rotterdam. at Cruise Port Amsterdam. 

https://sea.cruiseportamsterdam.com

The terminal is in the same building as the Mõvenpick hotel near the Central Railway Station.

Nami is the sushi bar in the Tamarind.  You sit at a counter across from the the sushi chefs.  When we ate in the Tamarind in October, I saw people ordering off a menu at the sushi bar.    

In October, 2021 on Rotterdam's transatlantic, there were no ATM's or bank machines on board.  You could obtain Euros and UK pounds at the the front desk or shore based ATM's.  

We did a three week driving tour of Iceland in August, 2021.  We had no problems.  For the most part we were on paved, well marked roads.  The few times we were on gravel roads, they were well maintained.  Road signs were understandable.  The cost of rental cars is high as is the cost of fuel.  Do no be shocked if car costs are $200-300 US per day (including insurance).  Unless you are going off the main highways, a passenger sedan is probably adequate.  

We had an aft Neptune with the wrap around balcony.  We were a group of 10 traveling with our 4 adults and 4 grands, but we were the only ones in a Neptune.  We had the sailaway in our cabin.  The balcony was large enough for our group.  I talked to the concierge in the Neptune Lounge and ordered hor's d'oeurveres  for six people.  The Neptune lounge staff was more than helpful.  Our cabin attendants brought extra glasses.  We were traveling in August, 2019 so we could bring on board a bottle of wine or sparkly for each adult.  The teenagers had discovered the pizza kitchen on the Lido deck and the Dive-In was still open at 5.  One group got pizza and the other group got fries from the Dive In.  A sailaway party can be done in a Neptune, but it may not be a refined, classic cocktail party.  

We were on the Noordam transatlantic many years ago.  I remember some people wore costumes and there was some sort of costume party.  We did not costume. 

Last year we were on the Rotterdam transatlantic.  Again some people were in costume, and some decorations.  There were 900 passengers on a 2700 passenger ship, so it did not seem unusual for a low key Halloween.

We were on the Rotterdam transatlantic in 2021.  We like aft cabins.  It seemed that all the aft cabins on the Rotterdam were Vista or Neptunes, so we booked a Vista (Category AS).  We liked our cabin, and it seemed like it had more room than a regular veranda on other ships.  If you want the view of an aft cabin, then the Vista suite is worth it.  

The TV was fixed to the wall.  You had to be in bed to directly see the TV.  There was a small couch in the cabin, and you saw the TV from an angle.  

It sounds like you are on a repositioning cruise.  We have done several transatlantic repositioning cruises, most recently on the Rotterdam in October, 2021.  On the Rotterdam there was a bridge organizer who offered bridge lessons in the morning and duplicate in the afternoon.  In previous transatlantic crossings on the Noordam and Zuiderdam, there were duplicate boards on the ship and sometimes passengers organized the games.   There was always a time and place for party or rubber bridge.    On the Rotterdam as with other HAL ships there were also mah jongg sets available.  

I will echo Psoque's recommendation for Basel.  In October, 2021 we spent three nights in Basel before boarding our Viking River cruise.  We stayed at the Hotel Basel near the Marketplatz.  When you stay in a hotel in Basel, you get a Basel card which gives you free rides on the tram and bus system.  https://www.basel.com/en/baselcard  Since Marketplatz is the hub for most public transport in Basel, you have quick, convenient tram rides to most of Basel.  Several times we rode out to the end of a line, explored the neighborhood, and rode the tram back.   We had excellent lunches at the both museum's restaurants.  

The Kunstmusem is great.  I would also recommend the Foundation Beyeler for a modern art collection. 

https://www.fondationbeyeler.ch/en/home 

The Beyeler is easily accessible by tram.  The Basel Card gives you an admissions discount at both Museums.  

We arrived in Basel by train from Paris and went from our hotel to the Viking river dock.  In both cases we took a taxi, since we did not want to carry our luggage.  Taxis are expensive.  Both trips cost us about 20 Euros for a 10 or 15 minute ride.  

Enjoy Basel.

We were on the Rotterdam transatlantic in October, 2021.  We talked with our waiter in the MDR who was trying to entertain us with magic tricks.  He said he started practicing magic during his ten day quarantine before the beginning of the cruise.  We asked him if he was quarantined in the crew cabins on the lower decks.  He said crew were quarantined in balcony cabins on Deck 4 and 5.  He said it was a lonely experience, but HAL provided free internet and iPads to crew who did not have their own.  He was learning tricks from YouTube.  

When we did HAL's Voyage of the Vikings in 2019, we made independent arrangements in Reykjavik, Akureyri, and Isafjordur.  In Reykjavik and Akureyri we used Saga Travel.  For Isafjordur we used Wild Westfjords.  We were a group of two couples so we were able the customize the Golden Circle tour to include a stop at Laugarvatn Fontana geothermal spa and the end of the day.  https://www.fontana.is. We brought our own towels from the cruise ship.  Our tours were more expensive that the local companies group tours, but cheaper than the ships tours.  

We were on the Rotterdam transatlantic in October, 2021.  Our experience may be unique since the ship was about ⅓ of capacity.  We like to start dining at about 7 PM so we had anytime dining.  We would show up at 7 PM and ask for a table for two.  The first night we enjoyed the wait staff for the table, and we were able to get the same table for the remainder of the trip.  You cannot reserve the table like you can for fixed dining, and we do not like sharing a table with strangers.  We were a group of four and had the same experience on the 2019 Voyage of the Vikings.  

We have been on the Koningsdam and Rotterdam.  No deck chairs on the promenade deck.  Deck chairs are at the back of the Lido,  the Sports deck and the deck above the Crows Nest.