New Itinerary Possible?

[amster65]

I think they should have some overnight stops in the caribbean. Would me nice not to have to rush back to the ship. Just a thought...:cool:

[RuthC]

If only HAL would consider Montreal - Quebec City - Newfoundland - Greenland - Iceland - Montreal

Yes! I would take that cruise at least a few times. Possibly the first one to sign up.

Or, more likely, from Boston or NYC. Any of those embarkation points would work.

[Mar56]

If only HAL would consider Montreal - Quebec City - Newfoundland - Greenland - Iceland - Montreal

 

I would take that cruise in a heartbeat! The only reason our next cruise is with RC is because of the itinerary - it includes Newfoundland and HALs didnt.

[cruz chic]

If only HAL would consider Montreal - Quebec City - Newfoundland - Greenland - Iceland - Montreal

Sign me up for that cruise too. HAL, are you listening:D?

[m steve]

but I felt the city was quite dirty. I would like Guadaloupe, St. Croix, Progresso, Nevis, and other small islands. They should use some of the smaller ships in the Caribbean rather than the NA, Westie, Euro and Noordam.

[sail7seas]

HAL's Caribbean itineraries have really gone downhill since the Vista class ships came out. Basic 7 day itineraries.

 

Years ago HAL had the Zaandam and Volendam doing 2 different 10 day itineraries -- wonderful. Now those ships have been moved out of the Caribbean leeaving not many choices for ships for longer cruises.

 

 

I remeber the ten day sunfarer/wayfarer cruises. We did them many times and enjoyed them.

 

Maasdam has some good Caribbean itineraries this year but, of course, will be in South America next winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think they should have some overnight stops in the caribbean. Would me nice not to have to rush back to the ship. Just a thought...:cool:

 

 

We would LOVE an overnight in San Juan and/or Curacao. We'd have a blast. As it is we always go ashore for drinks and dinner if we have a late sailaway.

 

[sail7seas]

Our stop and excursion in Martinique last year, from the Noordam, was the surprise of the cruise. The tour was excellent-great guide Yves, and people in general were friendly. We did the St. Pierre, Balata Gardens tour.

 

 

Later, we wondered why there aren't more stops in Martinique and why very few to Guadeloupe.

 

 

 

Has anyone here been to Guadeloupe?

 

We would like to see Tortola and St. Kitts on more Caribbean itineraries.

 

 

We've been to Tortola about 4 times and always enjoy ourselves. There's a beautiful Marina there that I enjoy looking at all the private yachts/boats. We also like Pusser's. :) We like to walk and feel very safe walking there, pass some beautiful flower beds I like to admire, people are friendly, lunch is good....... It's a nice stop. IMO

 

The first three or so times we went to Guadaloupe we liked it the but last time we were very uneasy. We had a sense of an undercurrent that we did not feel previously. We didn't feel as safe as we would like so spent a short time ashore and went back aboard.

 

Martinique has become 'less so' in recent years IMO

I don't know if economy hit them hard, if they had hurricanes, if there's a political situation but there were lots of closed up, shuttered buildings that used to be stores, the people weren't friendly to us as they had been in the past. It was a less favorite stop for us the last time we visited.

 

[cruiseapril]

Also like the idea of overnights in San Juan and Curacao- for us also Barbados. So much to see and do on those islands.

[michmike]

It really opens up possibilities as you don't have the time involved sailing down from and back to FLL. Our very 1st cruise 11 yrs ago was out of there on Celebrity and we went to Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, Martinique and one other island (can't remember now, maybe St Thomas). Was perhaps a bit more ambitious in 7 days than what we would enjoy now that we're 11 yrs older, but still is an example of the options that open up if you don't waste 2 of the 7 days just getting to the area.

 

Don't know who besides Celebrity sails out of San Juan, but if it's making sense for them (with ships bigger than most of HAL's) it's hard for me to understand why it wouldn't make sense for HAL.

[lcand1923]

If only HAL would consider Montreal - Quebec City - Newfoundland - Greenland - Iceland - Montreal

 

What a wonderful cruise! I would sign up for this in a heartbeat.

[realnurse2]

That sounds fantastic- count me in too! :)

[sail7seas]

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue from Canada

If only HAL would consider Montreal - Quebec City - Newfoundland - Greenland - Iceland - Montreal

 

 

I love that but would like it even more if it embarked and disembarked in Boston. I'd like the more days and for us, the ease of boarding. :) They could make that a 14 - 17 day cruise, couldn't they?

 

[Friend100]

If only HAL would consider Montreal - Quebec City - Newfoundland - Greenland - Iceland - Montreal

 

Like this too, especially I can just take a VIA train to Montreal.

[bob brown]

I love that but would like it even more if it embarked and disembarked in Boston. I'd like the more days and for us, the ease of boarding. :) They could make that a 14 - 17 day cruise, couldn't they?

 

Or even better, start from New York. Bigger market, and HAL sorely needs to maintain some service here. I would love a cruise that would vary each year like the Voyage of the Vikings out of Boston, but would turn around in Greenland or Iceland rather than all the way to Europe. There are so many interesting ports possible, perhaps even up to Goose Bay, Labrador among them....

[bob brown]

Our RSVP charter next February does that: Port Everglades, Key West, New Orleans (on Mardi Gras) and Half Moon Cay (the foreign port).

 

Many RSVP regulars are not thrilled by the itinerary; they feel they can visit those places on their own and that it may be a bit cooller than the usual February Caribbean itinerary about two weeks later that this Mardi Gras cruise.

 

I wonder if it would be maiden port calls for the Eurodam in Key West and New Orleans?

I am thinking of booking an NCL Dawn repo this October that starts in Quebec City, and calls at Portland, Boston, New York, Norfolk, Baltimore, Charleston, Miami, Key West, and finally, Tampa. I only wish the Maasdam or Eurodam would do similar, instead of their current itineraries on their repo that I have done already.....

[DutchByAssociation]

Maasdam has some good Caribbean itineraries this year but, of course, will be in South America next winter.

 

Maasdam has the winter crossing to Europe and back and the trip to Brazil during Carnival, but there are most certainly several Caribbean sailings as well. Veendam is still the ship doing the full and uninterrupted South America season

[DutchByAssociation]

I love that but would like it even more if it embarked and disembarked in Boston. I'd like the more days and for us, the ease of boarding. :) They could make that a 14 - 17 day cruise, couldn't they?

 

 

We do that, but it's called Voyage of the Vikings and it's 2 different 17/18 day 1 way cruises... but I suspect you're already aware of that.

[cmdchiefthom]

Personally I'd get on any ship with a stop in the San Blas islands!;)

[Mar56]

We do that, but it's called Voyage of the Vikings and it's 2 different 17/18 day 1 way cruises... but I suspect you're already aware of that.

 

But the voyage of the vikings is a long cruise, whereas the suggested Montreal to Iceland one would be more accesible to those of us who are not yet retired. Also, the VofTV is quite expensive, while the suggested itinerary might be more within reach of more HAL cruisers - although I would expect it to be more than a similar length Caribbean cruise etc.

 

I fully intend to be on the 35 day Voyage of the Viking in ten years from now - it will be our retirement celebration cruise BUT I would STILL take this shorter one if it was available now for two reasons: i think it would be an amazing cruise and who knows what the years until my retirement will bring - i would so much prefer to have the chance to see those ports now.

 

JMHO

[Friend100]

I am thinking of booking an NCL Dawn repo this October that starts in Quebec City, and calls at Portland, Boston, New York, Norfolk, Baltimore, Charleston, Miami, Key West, and finally, Tampa. I only wish the Maasdam or Eurodam would do similar, instead of their current itineraries on their repo that I have done already.....

 

Good idea. And to extend on this thought. Maybe this could be an option for Maasdam and Veedam in the summer with both are in Boston (ex Veendam out in July doing the Viking) ... somehow mixing it up the Boston-Montreal-Boston route with a longer Boston-Tampa-Boston route, which it probably has to go all the way down to Southern Caribbean. Something like this to/from Boston/NewYork:

 

 

or even this ...

 

 

I am still new to HAL but all these smaller ships (compared to other lines) definitely allows people to be more creative. :)

[sail7seas]

Or even better, start from New York. Bigger market, and HAL sorely needs to maintain some service here. I would love a cruise that would vary each year like the Voyage of the Vikings out of Boston, but would turn around in Greenland or Iceland rather than all the way to Europe. There are so many interesting ports possible, perhaps even up to Goose Bay, Labrador among them....

 

 

Eurodam sails from New York. :)

 

 

 

Maasdam has the winter crossing to Europe and back and the trip to Brazil during Carnival, but there are most certainly several Caribbean sailings as well. Veendam is still the ship doing the full and uninterrupted South America season

 

 

"Several Caribbean sailings" being the operative words..... in the not so distant past, she did the whole season in the Caribbean.

 

 

We do that, but it's called Voyage of the Vikings and it's 2 different 17/18 day 1 way cruises... but I suspect you're already aware of that.

 

 

For people who are not retired, VOV is not viable. We were to have done half VOV last summer, Amsterdam to Boston, but had to cancel due to DH's professional responsibilities.

 

The proposed itinerary discussed in this thread is a length we would be able to do. We don't want the whole round trip to Europe, 35 days.

 

[cruz chic]

But the voyage of the vikings is a long cruise, whereas the suggested Montreal to Iceland one would be more accesible to those of us who are not yet retired. Also, the VofTV is quite expensive, while the suggested itinerary might be more within reach of more HAL cruisers - although I would expect it to be more than a similar length Caribbean cruise etc.

 

I fully intend to be on the 35 day Voyage of the Viking in ten years from now - it will be our retirement celebration cruise BUT I would STILL take this shorter one if it was available now for two reasons: i think it would be an amazing cruise and who knows what the years until my retirement will bring - i would so much prefer to have the chance to see those ports now.

 

JMHO

I so agree with you. I know that I brought up this itinerary at a small meet and greet that I got invited to with ships officers. I got told the same thing, that they do a 35 day voyage. That seems to be their stock answer for anyone that brings it up. I too will not be retiring for another 10 years at least and would be very interested in this "shorter" cruise. I seems to fall on deaf ears. HAL suggests they will listen to their pax but it sure feels like lip service to me.

[sail7seas]

Most people who are still employed cannot be away 35+ days. Surely they can understand that? Many of us can go 16-18 days but not 35 and more.

 

My impression is HAL wants out of the Caribbean as much as they can get 'gone'. They are configuring these long itineraries which are incompatible with young families and folks still earning a paycheck but they know that.

 

 

[VermeulT]

Or even better, start from New York. Bigger market, and HAL sorely needs to maintain some service here. I would love a cruise that would vary each year like the Voyage of the Vikings out of Boston, but would turn around in Greenland or Iceland rather than all the way to Europe. There are so many interesting ports possible, perhaps even up to Goose Bay, Labrador among them....

Sounds lovely!

[Roz]

J'adore Martinique, mais je parle francaise.

 

La Petite Roz