Most interesting 2-week itineraries offered by HAL?

[cruisemom42]

For various reasons, I've had to cancel an upcoming 2019 Spring cruise on HAL. I'm looking for something to take its place, either in the Fall of 2019 or in early to mid-2020. I want to go with HAL due to having a large credit to use.

 

Since I still work, I generally look for cruises in the vicinity of 2 weeks; anything much longer gets problematic. Ship size matters to me only if that is a factor in where the ship ports. (I don't want to go to Bangkok and dock at Laem Chabang, which is two hours away, for example, when smaller ships can dock at Klong Toey...)

 

I'm just in the browsing stage, but I'm interested in hearing about itineraries that I might not stumble upon just searching casually myself, or that might be more interesting than meets the eye. Any recommendations or past favorites?

 

(I'm not interested in the Caribbean, Trans-Atlantics or other voyages with a lot of sea days, and not Australia/NZ at this time. Anything else I would at least consider.)

 

 

[OlsSalt]

Please give us some actual months to work with when you mean Spring and Fall.  Makes it easier to target the search. Thanks.

 

We found some great unique itineraries during the re-positioning "shoulder season",  but after they did their long haul at-sea voyages and before the start of the "bus load" full summer or winter season.

 

One of the best was called 'Northern Strongholds on the Rotterdam but I have never seen it done again. However that is the general time zone we like to look at.  I think you would have really enjoyed that one -Gdansk, Bornholm Island, UK and Scandinavia - Rotterdam to Rotterdam - it was our second HAL cruise and it certainly hooked us for more. But always seeking out the unique ones which one has to stay alert to find. 

 

What is the new Maasdam programing doing during that time frame? Are you starting on the east or west coast to get to a starting/ending destination or does it matter?

Edited December 1, 2018 by OlsSalt

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Please give us some actual months to work with when you mean Spring and Fall.  Makes it easier to target the search. Thanks.

 

 

I was trying not to be too directive. But mid-September 2019 through mid-December 2019, and mid-January through end of April 2020.  Pretty wide windows at this point...

[OlsSalt]

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I was trying not to be too directive. But mid-September 2019 through mid-December 2019, and mid-January through end of April 2020.  Pretty wide windows at this point...

 

We get inundated with Oceania mailers and they always get tossed because they never have anything that we have not already done. Except last night i saw a September 2019 itinerary that looked really good -again a unique offering - only once - Montreal to Miami via Bermuda - when you include the airfare and the amenities sometimes Oceania can make sense at the lower cabin grades. Single supps? I don't know. 

 

However, that does nothing to help you spend your onboard credit - just tossing out this concept of always looking for the cruises "inbetween" the bus trips. 

 

BTW - my own favorite quick and dirty cruise search engine works best with specific months which is why I asked.  I gave up trying to use  the HAL website to search HAL cruises - even ones  I am already booked on. (!)

Edited December 1, 2018 by OlsSalt

[cruisemom42]

1 minute ago, OlsSalt said:

 

We get inundated with Oceania mailers and they always get tossed because they never have anything that we have not already done. Except last night i saw a September 2019 itinerary that looked really good -again a unique offering - only once - Montreal to Miami via Bermuda - when you include the airfare and the amenities sometimes Oceania can make sense at the lower cabin grades. Single supps? I don't know. 

 

However, that does nothing to help you spend your onboard credit - just tossing out this concept of always looking for the cruises "inbetween" the bus trips. 

Oceania rarely offers any sort of single supplement. Add to that a rather unsavory conversation I had just a few months ago -- I was considering what looked like a good deal on paper but once I started talking to their rep it got less and less attractive. (Cabins I was told were available were suddenly not available when I wanted to proceed with a deposit -- only much more expensive ones; onboard credit and amenities offers kept shifting...)

 

Anyway, as you say, my main objective is to find a HAL cruise at the moment.

[OlsSalt]

Sept-Dec 2019: two week or so itineraries - ones we have enjoyed:

--New England - Montreal to Florida

--Rome to Rome - Adriatic , Malta and Greece

--Maasdam - Sydney to Auckland

--Cuba on the Veendam  RT FLL

Edited December 1, 2018 by OlsSalt

[OlsSalt]

5 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Oceania rarely offers any sort of single supplement. Add to that a rather unsavory conversation I had just a few months ago -- I was considering what looked like a good deal on paper but once I started talking to their rep it got less and less attractive. (Cabins I was told were available were suddenly not available when I wanted to proceed with a deposit -- only much more expensive ones; onboard credit and amenities offers kept shifting...)

 

Anyway, as you say, my main objective is to find a HAL cruise at the moment.

 

Agree, the bait and switch  Oceania marketing has been our experience too. But my goodness they could have given us a free cruise if you add up all the glossy brochures they keep sending us several times a week. 

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Sept-Dec 2019: two week or so itineraries - ones we have enjoyed:

--New England - Montreal to Florida

--Rome to Rome - Adriatic , Malta and Greece

--Maasdam - Sydney to Auckland

--Cuba on the Veendam  RT FLL

 

Thanks; I will investigate. 

[OlsSalt]

Spring 2020 Jan to April 

--Zaandam - Chile to Argentina around the Horn -always fabulous

--Rotterdam - a Norway cruise - late April - late winter still (early dark) up there but always magnificent even if  deep snow and well before the summer tourist crush. 

Edited December 1, 2018 by OlsSalt

[*Miss G*]

Oh darn.  I was going to tell you about this one until you mentioned specific dates.  (But I guess I’ve already told you about it now, haven’t I?)

 

[DaveOKC]

We just signed up for a 2 week Alaska cruise (no land portion) in Sept.  It goes to some of the usual ports visited by the 7 day cruises. but also visits several new ones (to us), including Anchorage.  It will be interesting to see the AK ports that are not overrun by the tourists!

 

 

[puppycanducruise]

The cruise we've been thinking about booking is a 12 day cruise, Venice to Civi.

It stops include Kusadasi  and 2 days in Malta. 

I think it's on the Nieuw Amsterdam. May 2020.

[cruisemom42]

39 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

Oh darn.  I was going to tell you about this one until you mentioned specific dates.  (But I guess I’ve already told you about it now, haven’t I?)

 

 

Thanks, looks interesting -- I would consider May in places (like this) where it isn't too hot and overrun with tourists by that time. 😎

[cruisemom42]

44 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Spring 2020 Jan to April 

--Zaandam - Chile to Argentina around the Horn -always fabulous

--Rotterdam - a Norway cruise - late April - late winter still (early dark) up there but always magnificent even if  deep snow and well before the summer tourist crush. 

 re: the Zaandam cruise -- I see it offered both from Chile to Argentina and the reverse. Is one better than the other?

[knittinggirl]

Panama Canal

Southern Caribbean is about 11 days from FLL.

 

I've seen longer Canada/New England cruises that offer more than the three Halifax, Bar Harbor and Portland offerings.

 

Our Princess Alaska + Land Tour was 13  days.  7 days cruise, 6 days land.  

Pacific Coastal (4 days)+Alaska (7 days) We also added a second 7-Day Alaska on the end of this combination by spending the night and boarding the Princess.  This combo let us see Glacier Bay and Endicott Arm for the cost of one round trip plane ride.

 

Other Alaska ideas.

Alaska B2B - Vancouver to Seward and Seward back to Vancouver.

Alaska - 14 days.

Hawaii from West Coast (14-15 days)

 

Once you look into B2B, a lot of other possibilities open up.

Eastern Caribbean + Western Caribbean

 

 

Edited December 1, 2018 by knittinggirl

[sparks247]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I'm just in the browsing stage, but I'm interested in hearing about itineraries that I might not stumble upon just searching casually myself, or that might be more interesting than meets the eye. Any recommendations or past favorites?

Download HAL's  new 4/19-4/20 cruise atlas, available under E-brochures on their website.

Many interesting 14 day itineraries.

[Friend100]

Westerdam April 2020 circling around Japan for 14 days.

 

[cruisemom42]

12 minutes ago, sparks247 said:

Download HAL's  new 4/19-4/20 cruise atlas, available under E-brochures on their website.

Many interesting 14 day itineraries.

 

I will look at the atlas but was also hoping to get personal recommendations from those who've "been there, done that" as sometimes itineraries are much more interesting than they might initially appear on paper....

[cruisemom42]

Just now, Friend100 said:

Westerdam April 2020 circling around Japan for 14 days.

 

This is one that I already had earmarked as having a lot of potential. I love Japan (have been twice on land trips) but this cruise would take me to some new areas.  And I've had good experiences on the Westerdam before, so there's that....

[OlsSalt]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 re: the Zaandam cruise -- I see it offered both from Chile to Argentina and the reverse. Is one better than the other?

 

Some have mentioned the scenery "grows" better going from west to east - that is the way we did it. But I also think this refers more to those going down further into Antarctica and not just around the horn like these shorter ones options. This is a scenery heavy cruise more than anything else.

 

Which direction may depend on what flight connections you can get from arrival and departure cities. Also maybe a review of the weather patterns in the Falklands which can often be eliminated due to high seas.  Do you want this early or late in the cruise. 

 

Leaving from Buenos Aires is one of those notorious departures - often late flights and a long time to kill between getting off the ship and waiting at the airport - plus they used to demand a $75 "reciprocity" fee just to transfer from the ship to the airport - I think they dropped that but that would hit you both directions -either arriving or departing. 

 

If you wanted to add a few days at either end of the trip I would add it in Buenos Aires, but there is a lot of charm to the port city and environs for Santiago too.  Much more low key than BsAs. 

[Storylady]

5 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

This is one that I already had earmarked as having a lot of potential. I love Japan (have been twice on land trips) but this cruise would take me to some new areas.  And I've had good experiences on the Westerdam before, so there's that....

Since I don’t know how to post pictures on CC, as I was typing up this itinerary as the best one for the next year, you had already decided it was the one to do. I have a friend who has booked this one plus the Taiwan and Japan cruise. I have looked at Japan itineraries for years and this is the best one I have seen.

 

You have cruised as much as I have in Europe. With the Prinsendam’s last cruises sold out or almost sold out, there are not as many unique European cruises. So now is the time to do Asia or EXC in-depth cruises on the Maasdam. 

 

I would be be on this cruise if I wasn’t already booked on the Prinsendam’s last cruises. Plus, if you are looking to save money, book a J or K on the Main Deck. Those staterooms are huge. Be sure it is an inside J or K. Except for closet space, the room is larger than a veranda. Happy cruising.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Storylady said:

Since I don’t know how to post pictures on CC, as I was typing up this itinerary as the best one for the next year, you had already decided it was the one to do. I have a friend who has booked this one plus the Taiwan and Japan cruise. I have looked at Japan itineraries for years and this is the best one I have seen.

 

You have cruised as much as I have in Europe. With the Prinsendam’s last cruises sold out or almost sold out, there are not as many unique European cruises. So now is the time to do Asia or EXC in-depth cruises on the Maasdam. 

 

I would be be on this cruise if I wasn’t already booked on the Prinsendam’s last cruises. Plus, if you are looking to save money, book a J or K on the Main Deck. Those staterooms are huge. Be sure it is an inside J or K. Except for closet space, the room is larger than a veranda. Happy cruising.

 

Thanks -- this is really helpful to hear about the itinerary on that cruise. I'm also interested in Maasdam's itineraries but not so much during that time period; they just don't ring my bell.

 

I think I'll call about this one on Monday and perhaps one other.

[Cruizer Bill]

I like the Baltic Cruises, especially the ones on the Prinsedam that went thru the Kiel Canal.

[mjcruise101]

As DaveOKC stated the 14day RT Alaska cruise out of Seattle  goes to ports that the 7 day cruise don't go.  We went in 2017 on the Amsterdam. Anchorage was great, we hiked Flattop Mountain. The cruise goes through the gulf of Alaska to Homer and Kodiak where very few cruise ships go. In Kodiak, we toured an old WWII army camp. Also Homer was interesting. Check out Trip Advisor, there are a lot of 5 star local tour operators in all the Alaska ports . At Icy Strait Point we went whale watching with Glacier Winds. Only 6 people compare to the ship excursion that uses a 50-60 passenger boat.  The glaciers and scenery is spectacular.

[Bescotti]

It’s a pity you have ruled out Australia/New Zealand as I have just returned from a 15 night cruise out of Sydney to Far North Queensland and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Cruise ships have only started going to the PNG Islands 3 years ago so they are pretty untouched - no shops or tours on 2 of the islands, just enjoying the tropical waters and interacting with the locals.

 

One of the other islands we visited was the Conflict Islands, a group of 21 islands privately owned which takes no overnight guests and only 12 ships visit a year. It is number one for marine biodiversity in the world and number two for its pristine coral reefs. 

 

I was travelling with with an extended family group of 6 and we all wanted to return.