mattduke1

6 minutes ago, Jammu2 said:

Hey Matt, did you notice could you order a can of coke or were they only serving fountain?

For us, it was always a can.  We had the quench package (me and my wife) and whenever we asked for a Coke or a Sprite, we were given a can.  We would order several of them and then took the unused ones and put them in our mini-fridge for use while in our room.

23 hours ago, Skicruiser55 said:

Thanks for the info - I love the aft cabins and we have sailed in them many times.  I don’t mind the motion but a constant vibration would bother me.  If it’s just when pulling in/out of port that’s not a problem.  My fav’s have been aft cabins in Alaska and we had a wrap-around balcony.  Thinking it would be much the same with this itinerary - we aren’t going to the far North part of Norway.    Were you on port or starboard side?  Did you smell cigarette smoke?

We had port side this time.  The only smoke we smelled was from our neighbor on the side who felt smoking on the balcony was a cool thing to do.  If you did well with the aft cabins in Alaska then you'll be fine with them in Norway.

23 hours ago, Skicruiser55 said:

I has questions about your cabin - what deck were you on?  Did you feel a lot of motion/vibration.  I am looking at deck 4 or 5.  

 

Thanks - 

 

 

We were on Deck 6.  The aft-wrap cabins are the only ones we book, so we're quite used to them.  Yes, you do feel motion back there.  We did have one night out in the North Sea where it got pretty rocky, but for the rest of the time, no bother at all.  Many times it's also noisy/vibrating back there when pulling into ports while the ship is docking.  But, for this particular cruise, that wasn't an issue at all except for when we were docking back at Rotterdam to end the cruise.

Deck 4 has a super wide side section but don't forget it also has the wiper contraption that kind of just is "in the way".  It's also not covered, so if raining, not good.

Just got off the Rotterdam (fabulous cruise...had Aft Wrap-Around Neptune Suite) and thought I would post the drink packages and their inclusions since that was something I was wondering about before we cruised.  So hopefully the attached image will help those like me.

Another worry of mine was the craziness of the Schiphol airport and the port moving to Rotterdam.  Our worry was completely unwarranted.  Ship docked at 6am and disembarkation started around 6:30am.  We were off the ship and on the way back to Schiphol (had set-up private taxi service in advance) by a little before 7am.  Arrived at the airport around 7:45am, got through all the mess (we did have Sky Priority on Delta which helped a lot) and was eating breakfast in the KLM Lounge by 8:30am...easily making our 11:30am flight.

If anyone has any questions about the ship, experience, or some of the Norway ports, just ask and I'll try to answer them as best as possible.

On 4/21/2021 at 1:43 PM, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Just finished the Webinar for Travel Agents, here are the key takeaways:

• Three basic rate codes: Have it All (with perks), Advantage (without perks, refundable deposit), Non-Refundable deposit (without perks).  There will still be limited time sales promotions, but they will all stack on top of Have it All (sort of like Princess recently did with Best Sale Ever and Princess+)
• Group rates do not include Have it All perks, but they can be added for $45pp/day by agents inputting a code when booking.
• The same is true for any other existing booking or pricing point that does not include the Have it All perks with the exception of Non-Refundable deposit rates which do not combine with Have it All (or any other promos).
• Pricing difference between Have it All and Advantage fares was not addressed (it seems to vary by category and sailing and is not a flat pp/day rate like Princess Savers/ Princess+).
• Gratuities were intentionally left out so that HAL can still offer as a limited time booking incentive on all bookings, or periodically offer as a perk through specific travel agencies/consortium's, or allow travel agents to add as a value add on their own as a way to close sales.

Could you email me please sir....mprivette2 @ nc.rr.com....just remove the spaces

Thanks to all for your suggestions and advice.  It truly is appreciated.  I'm sure I'll have other questions as I move through this process.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post such a thoughtful response.  You didn't have to do that and I appreciate it.  Sounds like I need to start researching agencies in my local area that specialize traveling to this part of the world.

I need some advice on how I should go about planning my first Paul Gauguin cruise and all the logistics that go with it.  Do you recommend I specifically go through a Paul Gauguin customer representative to set all of the details up or should I make contact with a local travel agency and go through them to handle all of the specifics?

This will be a very important occasion, so I just want to make sure I do things in the best way.  I would think going through a Paul Gauguin customer representative would be the easiest way, but I'm just not sure.  We'll need flights (from the East Coast), pre-stay ideas, and cruise help.  

Thanks for your time and expertise.

When I go under My Bookings ( we're booked for a 14 Day in June on the Ryndam ) the little picture that used to show the Ryndam as the ship still shows the ship but now has Rotterdam as the name.  Hmmm.

HAL directly...the first agent I spoke with confirmed the price decrease and then sent me on to a price specialist.  That person apologized that he couldn't take the $550 off of my current cruise, but was more than happy to offer it as a future cruise credit.  

Our final payment was about a month ago and I just noticed the fare for our category (Neptune Suite) had gone done about $550 since that final payment date.  Just called and got that $550 as a future cruise credit.  We're extremely satisfied with that.

I have listened to the advice of the experts in this thread and have looked at Princess for some possible fjord sailings.  For the time we're looking to travel, I have found one itinerary that could work.  I'd like to run 2 scenarios by you guys to get your opinions.

#1 (Holland America) - Amsterdam, Eidfjord, Molde, Geiranger, Bergen, Amsterdam, Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Flam, Amsterdam

Pros:  3 outstanding fjord settings...14 Day cruise...new ship Nieuw Statendam...large corner wrap-around aft suite for great fjord viewing

Cons:  Having to return to Amsterdam mid-trip...really looking for just fjord scenery so not really all that interested in several of these ports...$5,000 more in cost compared to #2

#2 (Princess) = Southampton, Bergen, Alesund, Olden, Hellesylt/Geiranger, Stavanger, Southampton

Pros:  $5,000 less than #1...no return mid-trip...corner aft suite...would be able to spend a few days in London pre or post cruise

Cons: only 2 outstanding fjord settings...only an 8 Day cruise...much smaller balcony that doesn't truly wrap-around

OK, experts...what kinds of opinions do you have for these 2 itineraries.

Thanks everyone for your expertise and advice.  This information is fantastic.

If we stick with Holland America for this trip, I think we're leaning towards #1.

Thanks everyone for your expertise and advice.  This information is fantastic.

If we stick with Holland America for this trip, I think we're leaning towards #1.

Hi experts!  I posted this in the Holland America section, but I thought I'd ask the experts here as well.

My wife and I (early 40's) will be completing our 4th trip to Alaska this summer.  We just love Alaska and Holland America.  But we now want to plan a cruise to Norway for summer 2020 (14 days).  We've learned that Geiranger is not to be missed, but we'd also like to cruise above the Arctic Circle to the North Cape.  Unfortunately I can't find a cruise that incorporates both of those.

If you guys could be so kind, I've found 3 cruises that would work for our schedule that I'd like to have some input on.  Basically, which itinerary do you think is best for first time Norway cruisers.  Cruise 1 and 2 are on the Rotterdam and cruise 3 is on the Veendam.  Any advice offered would be greatly appreciated.

#1 - 14 Day North Cape (Rotterdam, Stavanger, Flam, Sognefjord, Molde, Trondheim, Trondheimsfjord, Hammerfest, Honningsvag, North Cape, Olden, Alesund, Rotterdam)

#2 - 14 Day Viking Sagas & Norse Legends (Rotterdam, Flam, Sognefjord, Stavanger, Kristiansand, Oslofjord, Oslo, Rotterdam, Eidfjord, Hardangerfjord, Alesund, Geiranger, Geirangerfjord, Rosendal, Rotterdam)

#3 - 14 Day North Cape & Gems of Norway Explorer (Amsterdam, Eidfjord, Hardangerfjord, Bergen, Tromso, North Cape, Honningsvag, Harstad, Leknes/Lofoten, Bronnoysund, Trondheim, Molde, Alesund, Amsterdam)

Thank you for your time.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.  You guys are great.

Do any ports have excursions to Geiranger if I choose an itinerary that doesn't actually dock there?

Hi experts!

My wife and I (early 40's) will be completing our 4th trip to Alaska this summer.  We just love Alaska and Holland America.  But we now want to plan a cruise to Norway for summer 2020 (14 days).  We've learned that Geiranger is not to be missed, but we'd also like to cruise above the Arctic Circle to the North Cape.  Unfortunately I can't find a cruise that incorporates both of those.

If you guys could be so kind, I've found 3 cruises that would work for our schedule that I'd like to have some input on.  Basically, which itinerary do you think is best for first time Norway cruisers.  Cruise 1 and 2 are on the Rotterdam and cruise 3 is on the Veendam.  Any advice offered would be greatly appreciated.

#1 - 14 Day North Cape (Rotterdam, Stavanger, Flam, Sognefjord, Molde, Trondheim, Trondheimsfjord, Hammerfest, Honningsvag, North Cape, Olden, Alesund, Rotterdam)

#2 - 14 Day Viking Sagas & Norse Legends (Rotterdam, Flam, Sognefjord, Stavanger, Kristiansand, Oslofjord, Oslo, Rotterdam, Eidfjord, Hardangerfjord, Alesund, Geiranger, Geirangerfjord, Rosendal, Rotterdam)

#3 - 14 Day North Cape & Gems of Norway Explorer (Amsterdam, Eidfjord, Hardangerfjord, Bergen, Tromso, North Cape, Honningsvag, Harstad, Leknes/Lofoten, Bronnoysund, Trondheim, Molde, Alesund, Amsterdam)

Thank you for your time.

Have a SB (5191) on the Westerdam for an Alaskan cruise in August. Previously was under the View and Verandah promotion. Now I'm under this new Anniversary promotion. Saved $450 on the cabin fare for the 3 of us, plus now have free gratuities, the $100 beverage promotion, the free 200 minutes of internet, and was able to keep the $300 of onboard credits I already had with the previous promotion. Awesome deal!

^

Interesting that you mentioned Pam Gaffin in your post. My wife and I are going on a private tour of St. John by Pam on Monday. We're very excited about her showing us the hard-to-find and unknown treasures that make up St. John.

Try Carson Moore at hoppa91@hotmail.com. My wife and I have a private tour set-up with him and he responds very quickly.