Azores, Normandy & Baltic Adventure -28 Days - April 19, 2017

I'm considering booking the Azores, Normandy & Baltic Adventure on the Zuiderdam. It departs Ft. Lauderdale on April 19th. This cruise along with another TA on a different cruise line are in my "final two" before I make a decision to book.

Questions:

1. Has this cruise been offered in the past and if so, has anyone been on this itinerary? I would love to hear your opinion/experience.

2. This will be my first TA. Will there be enough activities on the stretch of sea days to keep me busy or should I bring reading? What activities are usually offered?

3. Has anyone purchased a spa pass for a long cruise? What are your thoughts? Are they even sold for the length of the cruise?

4. Fixed vs. Open Dining - I'll be traveling solo, considering whether if I should select fixed dining or open dining. I enjoy meeting others; however, I'm not certain I want to be at the same table on a 28 day cruise. In open dining, will I be seated by myself or will I be asked if I want to share a table? I enjoy meeting others and would enjoy a share, but also would like to dine on my own timetable.

5. Staterooms- I'm looking at a Verandah which is a splurge for me as a solo. I'm a bit nervous on selecting a guarantee, but it is less expensive for me. I'm going back and forth a bit on this as to whether to spend more and pick a location (the price doubles for me as a solo) or take a guarantee. When does HAL normally assign the guarantees? Any thoughts about the guarantees?

Any other comments you might have about this cruise or ship would be appreciated. All of the ports will be new to me.

Thank you!

I've sailed many trans-Ats, including as a solo, so will attempt to address some of your questions.

You didn't specify your ports, but based on the title, and the length of the cruise, I am betting that it is more than one cruise combined. If so, there will be a significant change in passengers at the turn-around point, which could make a difference in your dining plans.

If you take open seating (which it sounds as if you would enjoy), you will typically be seated with others; if you want to dine alone some night you will need to speak up. You might also consider having fixed seating on one part of the cruise, and open on the other. In fixed seating you won't be able to arrive when you wish, but you will get to know your fellow tablemates.

In my experience, there are plenty of activities on all those sea days. The one time I did have a veranda, I found myself out there most all the time, and didn't get to any of those activities! The ship should still have reading material.

Yes, you can purchase a spa pass for the entire cruise. I've done it in medium length cruises. The price can add up, though, since one person is charged more than half a couple. Try to find someone, perhaps on the roll call, to share a couple's pass with you. There's no requirement that the "couple" even know each other. Failing that, ask the others in line signing up; you may find another single, or the odd numbered person in a group, to share with.

I always select my own cabin, since I don't want any bad surprises in my location. Yes, it is more expensive, but I book what I can afford, and leave it at that.

Ruth,

Thank you for your responses. They are very helpful. After reading your response on dining, I went back to the HAL website and found that this cruise (or portions of it) is offered/sold in many different forms. There is a 14 day transatlantic which concludes in Amsterdam, a 16 transatlantic that concludes in Copenhagen, a 12 day Baltic and the 28 day cruise I am considering which apparently combines the 16 day transatlantic and 12 day Baltic! The ports on the transatlantic are Azores (Ponta Delgada and Horta), Cherbourg, Amsterdam, Zeebruge and Copenhagen.

I liked your suggestion of having fixed dining for part of the cruise and open dining for part. Do you think they would allow me to do that on the 28 day or would I have to book two segments separately? Fixed would be great on the transatlantic portion when there is more free time, the Baltic appears port intensive and I'd prefer to be on my own timetable.

Also, thank you for the suggestion about the spa pass. I wonder why they charge a single more than a couple for a pass. I'd definitely try to find someone through the roll call if possible. If you book the 28 day cruise, would they sell you a pass just for the transatlantic portion of the cruise?

This will likely be my only transatlantic cruise - it's a bucket list trip for me (transatlantic cruise) and also a birthday present to myself - so I want to make the most of it.

Thanks!

We sailed a very similar itinerary on the Prinsendam. It's a great itinerary and full of wonderful ports. I recommend you to research, read the ports boards of CC and, of course, participate in your roll call. You may find some private tours organized that you can join in (if you are so inclined).

For the Spa, they always charge more for singles - not fair, I know, but a "couple" is cheaper for sure. You don't have to be in the same cabin nor do the two of you have to go together. On the Westerdam they were kind enough to charge our individual cabins for our share (I shared with a roll call member).

I am not sure if they will let you book the spa for just the TA portion. It depends upon what they offer. They may offer the TA with lots of people on board doing just that, but if you are booked for the entire 28 day cruise as a Collectors' cruise, they may also say no. You can call shipboard services as it gets closer to the date to see if they are aware of what is being offered and check when you get on board.

Guarantees are not usually assigned until around 10 days out from your cruise date or even later. they can even be assigned at boarding time. I am the same as Ruth - selecting our cabin. On a transatlantic I want a good location so I try to choose carefully ;)

I liked your suggestion of having fixed dining for part of the cruise and open dining for part. Do you think they would allow me to do that on the 28 day or would I have to book two segments separately? Fixed would be great on the transatlantic portion when there is more free time, the Baltic appears port intensive and I'd prefer to be on my own timetable.

Whenever I have taken consecutive cruises, whether back to back or Collectors', I have always had an opportunity to change dining as the new cruise was approaching. Now, I have done fixed seating, so did not ask about changing to open, but the dining room manager has always come around to ask those staying on if they want to change tables, table sizes, and let me request that I keep my dining stewards. I would be willing to bet that a switch between As You Wish types would also be possible.

Also, thank you for the suggestion about the spa pass. I wonder why they charge a single more than a couple for a pass. I'd definitely try to find someone through the roll call if possible. If you book the 28 day cruise, would they sell you a pass just for the transatlantic portion of the cruise?

Please don't misinterpret! A single pays more than half of what a couple pays for the spa, but doesn't pay more than the two people together pay. It's still not fair, I agree, but that's how it is in a Noah's Ark world. :rolleyes:

kazu, thank you for your response. It was very helpful and much appreciated.

Ruth, thank you for the clarification on the spa pass. It is what it is - I'll keep that in mind for my budget and hopefully, I would find someone else who is also interested in the spa pass.

kazu, thank you for your response. It was very helpful and much appreciated.

 

Ruth, thank you for the clarification on the spa pass. It is what it is - I'll keep that in mind for my budget and hopefully, I would find someone else who is also interested in the spa pass.

You are most welcome. In case it helps, I did a live thread on our cruise. So you will see some info on ports, etc. You can skip over the rest ;). http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1845046

Thank you, kazu, for your link. I very much look forward to reading it!

We are booked in a veranda guarantee on the FLL to Copenhagen portion of the this cruise. This will be our fifth transatlantic, but the first to Copenhagen. My wife and I choose open dining because of the flexibility. If you find compatible table mates and dining time, it is easy to book with the same table mates.

Can't help you with Spa questions.

I have booked a seven person excursion from Cherbourg to the American D-Day beaches on May 1. We have six people signed up and I am looking for a single. You can e-mail me at WisRiver2322 at gmail dot com for more information of if you have other questions.

There is a roll call for this cruise. Only ten people have signed up so far, but they may be able to help.

See you on board, maybe.

I'm considering booking the Azores, Normandy & Baltic Adventure on the Zuiderdam. It departs Ft. Lauderdale on April 19th. This cruise along with another TA on a different cruise line are in my "final two" before I make a decision to book.

 

Questions:

 

1. Has this cruise been offered in the past and if so, has anyone been on this itinerary? I would love to hear your opinion/experience. We were on this past April's 29-day Azores, Normandy & Baltic Adventure. It's very port intensive & although we loved all the ports by the end we were wishing for more sea days. Loved the ship & crew.

 

2. This will be my first TA. Will there be enough activities on the stretch of sea days to keep me busy or should I bring reading? What activities are usually offered? We are fairly laid back & mainly relaxed with a book or made contributions in the casino.

 

3. Has anyone purchased a spa pass for a long cruise? What are your thoughts? Are they even sold for the length of the cruise? On our roll call there were two that shared a couple's pass.

 

4. Fixed vs. Open Dining - I'll be traveling solo, considering whether if I should select fixed dining or open dining. I enjoy meeting others; however, I'm not certain I want to be at the same table on a 28 day cruise. In open dining, will I be seated by myself or will I be asked if I want to share a table? I enjoy meeting others and would enjoy a share, but also would like to dine on my own timetable. We had open dining & you can request to be seated with others which we did on some nights.

 

5. Staterooms- I'm looking at a Verandah which is a splurge for me as a solo. I'm a bit nervous on selecting a guarantee, but it is less expensive for me. I'm going back and forth a bit on this as to whether to spend more and pick a location (the price doubles for me as a solo) or take a guarantee. When does HAL normally assign the guarantees? Any thoughts about the guarantees? We had an inside cabin which we booked a particular cabin so can't help on this.

 

Any other comments you might have about this cruise or ship would be appreciated. All of the ports will be new to me.

 

Thank you!

My main suggestion is to join your roll call. All of our tours were put together with others we met on the roll call. We would book private tours for 8 but would only have 6 in our group. A little more expensive but worth the extra room.

If you have any questions about the tour companies we used, please email me at karen underscore kirk at msn dot com

We are booked in a veranda guarantee on the FLL to Copenhagen portion of the this cruise. This will be our fifth transatlantic, but the first to Copenhagen. My wife and I choose open dining because of the flexibility. If you find compatible table mates and dining time, it is easy to book with the same table mates.

 

Can't help you with Spa questions.

 

I have booked a seven person excursion from Cherbourg to the American D-Day beaches on May 1. We have six people signed up and I am looking for a single. You can e-mail me at WisRiver2322 at gmail dot com for more information of if you have other questions.

 

There is a roll call for this cruise. Only ten people have signed up so far, but they may be able to help.

 

See you on board, maybe.

Thank you for your reply. I plan to make a final booking decision by Sept. 1st and if I book, would be interested in the American D-Day beaches, if space on your tour remains available at that time. I'll definitely join the roll call if I book this cruise. Also, thank you for your email. I'll let you know my decision.

My main suggestion is to join your roll call. All of our tours were put together with others we met on the roll call. We would book private tours for 8 but would only have 6 in our group. A little more expensive but worth the extra room.

If you have any questions about the tour companies we used, please email me at karen underscore kirk at msn dot com

Thanks for your reply. It's very helpful and I'm glad to hear from others who have been on this cruise. I am deciding between this cruise and another (another transatlantic which goes to Southampton and then on to the Norwegian Fjords for a week), but I'm leaning toward this one as I think I would enjoy the history and culture offered in the ports on this cruise vs. a scenic cruise.

Sooo...I am a bit closer to making a deposit on this 28 day cruise...I now have a written quote and a courtesy hold. I'm booking through a HAL Personal Cruise Consultant...I'm happy with her assistance so far...

Interestingly, it seems some of the staterooms are not available for the entire 28 day cruise...I suppose because they have either been booked or maybe they hold some of the inventory for each segment...anyway, I am happy with what I selected...I decided not to go with a guarantee...I want to be happy with my location for the 28 days...

I have the Explore 4 and like the variety of beverages available in the beverage package, including bottled water...also a Pinnacle Grill dinner...I am assigned to Open Dining which is my preference...I wasn't asked about my dining preference, it showed up on the reservation, but I don't want to commit to eating at a specific time every day...

28 days seems like a loooong time to be on a cruise...hope there will be enough to keep me busy on the sea days...excited about the ports...all I have to do now is pay my deposit....:).

We were on this cruise on the ZUIDERDAM this past April May. Ruth's comments are correct and applicable. Hi Ruth - we still remember you from the MAASDAM Voyage of the Vikings, 2005.

Our cruise in 2016 was our 4th TA - we loved it. A month on the ship was not too long. There was plenty to do, both on sea days and in port.