What would you do..Star/Owner's Suite or HAL Konigsdam Signature Suite in Norway

[jvalentine]

So I'm researching Norway itineraries for next year and I've narrowed them down to 2 possibilities. I almost went with Celebrity/Eclipse..but wow, that was really more than I wanted to spend...plus it doesn't include airfare and I know that will be a chunk of change. It's a 10 yr anniversary cruise for us and I'd like to splurge a bit, but still keep things within our budget.

 

Option 1: NCL Star in a Owner's Suite with two balconies

Copenhagen, Denmark (EMBARK)

At Sea

Alesund, Norway

Geiranger, Norway

Flam, Norway

Bergen, Norway

At Sea

Copenhagen, Denmark (DISEMBARK)

(I think this is the one I'm leaning towards. It includes specialty dining, drink package, shore ex credit (although that's minimal), and an internet package. Which the internet, as slow as it may be, would be nice to check in on clients while I'm away for a few minutes each day...actually makes the trip a little less stressful for me. Copenhagen also seems like a cool place to spend a day or two before the cruise. Also with NCL I get a friends/family discount...so it's much less expensive and leaves room for upgrades on flights/excursions.)

 

Option 2: HAL Konigsdam in a Signature Suite

Amsterdam, Holland

At Sea

Eidfjord, Norway

Alesund, Norway

Geiranger, Norway

Bergen, Norway

At Sea

Amsterdam, Holland

(This one is definitely a contender...it's a new ship and the itinerary is nice...plus the Sig suites are a great size. Wouldn't get the suite perks we'd really want like Neptune Lounge, laundry or breakfast in the Pinnacle...though breakfast in the Lido isn't bad and we could pay extra for dinners in the Pinnacle or a couple of their other specialty places. We've never been on a new ship and that might be a great experience.)

 

What do you folks think?

[FreestyleNovice]

Koningsdam, it probably will be top notch as it is sailing it's inaugeral season from Holland.

[TrumpyNor]

Here is a response from a Norwegian living in Norway:

The itineraries are almost identical when it comes to the ports in Norway, and personally I would choose Flam (Flåm in Norwegian) over Eidfjord any day (there is a reason why Flam is the famous tourist destination that it is).

 

The reason to choose Copenhagen over Amsterdam as embarkation port, is that it would make your cruise an all Scandinavian adventure. But I love Amsterdam as well.....

 

I do not know the suites on HAL, but I have spend 7 days in an owner suite with NCL, and that was like being in heaven... And when you are in a suite you may enjoy your breakfasts and lunches in Cagney's (only available for suites and "VIP's") - just mentioning it since you wrote something about breakfast in Pinnacle on HAL.

Edited September 10, 2015 by TrumpyNor

[Sauer-kraut]

The poster in this thread sort of compared HAL suites to NCL ones. Her review is actually on the HAL board but she cross posted here.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2248241&highlight=sail7seas

[jvalentine]

Thank you for the comments! TrumpyNor...any hotel recommendations in Copenhagen? Any must do items I can't miss while I'm there?

 

I have to admit the photos of the NCL Owner's Suite with double balconies do look super nice...and the added benefits would be a plus.

[sgmamabear]

I've stayed in the OS and it is INCREDIBLE!!!

[CruiseMan1970]

I have stayed in the Owners Suite on a Mexico/Pacific Costal Cruise and had the best time I have ever had on a cruise. I'm probably the worst cruiser to some because I just love to hang out in the room and on the balcony for hours. Don't really do much on the ship or in the ports as I have been to Mexico and California ports many times. Yes I'm lazy but I'm on vacation.

 

I have never cruised on HAL but what I have read and heard from others is that it's a more 'upscale' line and they even have a dress code not only for the dinning rooms but also the ship. This does not sit with me well as I am on vacation and wear board shorts and a tee shirt all day long. Please let me know if I am wrong about this. I just like to be relaxed and not thing I'm at work on casual Friday.

 

All that being said I would book the NCL cruise. Plus the port of Flam sounds interesting.

[littlelulu01]

I have sailed both lines but neither ship. I came very close to booking the Konigsdam after our Epic sailing was canceled.

 

My take on the line differences though are: Much better entertainment on NCL. Officers more visible on NCL. Ncl speciality dining more choices and very good food but Hal has good dining too.

 

Ship feel: Hal nicer touches, their pool area was similar to the Haven pool with retractable roof, much nicer chairs, not the disco blaring music and good food choices near pool deck. The promenade deck with wood simulated decking also much nicer for walking on Hal. Hal also much less smoking in public areas.

 

If you don't want to dress for formal nights on Hal there are other choices.

 

I enjoyed both lines very much with an edge to Ncl if in a suite. But Hal's new ship and sailing in the Med would be hard to pass up.

[wilmingtech]

We did the Norway cruise on the Star this past June and it was unreal.

 

We had ultimate dining and a bit of OBC (350) and that made it worth it. I think the specialty dining on the Star is going to be hard to beat on any ship. We liked the MDR as well for lunch. If you get UBP as well its a no brainer.

 

The ports were amazing. Flam is a must see port.

 

Have not been on HAL but I think this cruise is more for the ports than the ship.

 

I think an owners suite on the Star will give you the best views on the ship as you go through the Fjords.

 

I think Amsterdam and Copenhagen are a toss up. Both are amazing cities. So be sure to book extra days on the front and back.

 

Either way it will be the trip of a lifetime. Enjoy.

 

-Sean

 

[TrumpyNor]

Thank you for the comments! TrumpyNor...any hotel recommendations in Copenhagen? Any must do items I can't miss while I'm there?

 

I have to admit the photos of the NCL Owner's Suite with double balconies do look super nice...and the added benefits would be a plus.

 

We did a 14 days Norway cruise on the Star last June (not in OS...), and stayed at First Hotel Kong Frederik the night before the cruise. Very nice hotel, situated close to the city hall and Tivoli. We chose this hotel because of the close location to Tivoli and the central train station, but my favorite part of the city is Nyhavn with its colorful old houses and lively ambience (just google it to find more information). A visit to Nyhavn is a "must" in my opinion, and another "must do" is taking one of the canal cruises through the city (departing from Nyhavn). I have just been to Copenhagen twice, and both times just stayed one night before a cruise - so I am definitely not a Copenhagen "expert". :)

[SwissLe]

For me Copenhagen and Flam swing it. Copenhagen is on my bucket list of a city to live in I loved it that much, especially things like Tivoli Gardens. The port of Flam is also very special and the railway something very unique. One of my favourite days out was a trip on the railway, waffles at the top, then walking back down.

[ighten]

HAL - no competition for this one. Better Itinerary IMO plus if you have points with them some of the upgrade and bonus deals for the first year on the Koningsdam are pretty good (free restaurant upgrades and tips included).

And its a new ship (though as we know thats not always a good thing early on in its life)

[jvalentine]

I think we're going with NCL on this one. I'll definitely want to try out the Konigsdam though, but the price savings/perks seem a little better this go around on NCL. We really enjoy both lines...and there really wasn't a bad choice in the bunch.

 

Now I'm going to go shed some tears at how much airfare is going to cost. :eek:

[Paulchili]

I think we're going with NCL on this one. I'll definitely want to try out the Konigsdam though, but the price savings/perks seem a little better this go around on NCL. We really enjoy both lines...and there really wasn't a bad choice in the bunch.

 

Now I'm going to go shed some tears at how much airfare is going to cost. :eek:

 

Look into Norwegian airline - very reasonable costs, especially if booking early. You may have to fly to a near by hub city with Southwest or another US airline.

Very pleasant flight as well.

Edited September 11, 2015 by Paulchili

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I think we're going with NCL on this one. I'll definitely want to try out the Konigsdam though, but the price savings/perks seem a little better this go around on NCL. We really enjoy both lines...and there really wasn't a bad choice in the bunch.

 

Now I'm going to go shed some tears at how much airfare is going to cost. :eek:

 

I think over all you made a good choice, I have been a HAL Fan for years but in recent years now prefer NCL but will choose either line and still claim them both as favorites. Just want to make some corrections and suggestions.

First HAL no longer really pushes formal nights, they call them Gala nights and the only dress requirement is that men wear a collared shirt and no shorts tot he dining room.... this is extremely lay back compared to last years so dressing up should not be a concern.

next you may want HAL or your TA to give you an Air quote with the cruise. HAL Air pricing can and often is much lower than you can find on your own where pre cruise hotel is higher with HAL NCL pricing is actually better if you go with them but NCL Air is crazy high.

I will be going on the Inaugural Koningsdam in April, I like my suites but the suite perks on NCL are much better than HAL and NCL just knows how to do it. With that being said HAL cabins over all are larger and very nice amenities. But kind of hard for any HAL person to tell you what the new Signature Class Suites will be like because they are totally changing them. That was actually my favorite lay out of a suite on the Vista Class although have had their Neptune Suites many times you just get more sq ft bank for you buck. From what anyone can tell they have messed up the lay out of the new Signature Suites so until we actually see them hard to say how great they will be. The deck plan does not look great so far. You would not really have much for Suite perks in the Signature suite compared to the NCL Suite but in my humble opinion you are not missing much. Pinnacle Breakfast is nothing special same menu as the Main Dining Room. I much prefer Cagney's.

But the new ship will be quite nice and I am looking forward to April. But if money is a concern before you make the final choice do check and see what HAL's Air will be, their air department is also much easier to work with than NCL.

[wilmingtech]

Now I'm going to go shed some tears at how much airfare is going to cost. :eek:

 

When we booked our air we looked at buying one ticket an using Delta miles for the other. For us it was cheaper to book 2 tickets through Iceland Air than a single ticket through Delta. So I would at least tke a look at Iceland Airs prices. On top of that we managed to book the flights so we got into Iceland in the AM and then fly out in the early evening on the layover bck to the states. This allowed us to go hang out at Blue Lagoon for a day. Definitely worth doing if you can swing the time. Blue Lagoon was amazing. It might cost you a few dollars more in the long run as my wife made me promise to take her back there every year now.

 

-Sean

 

Volcano Heated Hot Tub @ Blue Lagoon

[wilmingtech]

Now I'm going to go shed some tears at how much airfare is going to cost. :eek:

 

When we booked our air we looked at buying one ticket an using Delta miles for the other. For us it was cheaper to book 2 tickets through Iceland Air than a single ticket through Delta. We ended up using our Delta air miles to book hotels which worked out beautifully as hotels were not cheap at all. The cheapest hotels that we would stay in were about 200$ a night.

 

So I would at least take a look at Iceland Airs prices. On top of that we managed to book the flights so we got into Iceland in the AM and then fly out in the early evening on the layover bck to the states. This allowed us to go hang out at Blue Lagoon for a day. Definitely worth doing if you can swing the time. Blue Lagoon was amazing. It might cost you a few dollars more in the long run as my wife made me promise to take her back there every year now.

 

-Sean

 

Volcano Heated Hot Tub @ Blue Lagoon

[jvalentine]

I'll definitely check out Norwegian and Iceland Air. Thank you for the suggestions!

[ighten]

Another vote for Iceland Air here.. Great pricing (though the 757s seem a little cramped after a few hrs) and pack your swimming gear in your hand luggage if your there long enough :rolleyes:

[watchdiva]

Friends flew Norwegian air last year FLL to Copenhagen and had nothing but good things to say about the price, amenities in flight, etc. check them out...they are NOT affiliated with NCL.

[jvalentine]

All great suggestions...thank you! Has anyone done a Norway cruise in early May?

 

I've got it held in early May (way better pricing)...I know it'll be cooler, but hoping the fjords will still be great scenery. It's a lot of money to spend even with the great rates...but just wanted to see if others had done it at that time and what their experience was.

[wilmingtech]

Our crises was the first week of June. Expect cold and rainy days. Especially in Bergen. It will still be snowing in the mountain passes and many will be closed so you won't be able to do the excursions that take you over the hills.

 

I think if you go prepared to deal with cold rainy days anything else will be a bonus. Not that you won't get a day or two or maybe all of good weather.

 

We packed shorts, pants, t-shirts, sweaters, pullover jerseys and jackets, hats and gloves. On our hike in Gerainger I started out fully clothed along with pullover, raincoat, hat and gloves and by the time we got back to the boat I was in shorts and a Tshirt and sweating.

 

Others we met on that same day of the cruise said that they had a bus excursion up over the pass at what was touted the highest point in Gerainger and they said when they got up there the wind was blowing and snow was coming down sideways and they couldn't see anything.

 

So go prepared and you will be fine.

 

-Sean

[ighten]

May/June can be a bit better in someways.. You can get crystal clear days (though colder) perfect for the scenery - As it gets warmer in summer a side effect is it can be hazy and misty and wet..

 

As always in Norway though its a bit of a roulette game ;).