richwmn

I asked about this two years ago, so things might have changed, and at the time I was told they could only arrange flights from your "home city" to the port of embarkation. I was trying to get from Lisbon to Montreal for a cruise. I ended up finding a very reasonable fare by playing around a bit with how the flights were booked, based on a thread on the flights section of cruise critics.

One thing to keep in mind, a quote from RuthC, from about a year and a half ago:

What is keeping you from booking the service is the time of your flight. Even in Ft. Lauderdale, where the airport is within spitting distance of the pier, the earliest flight allowed for Luggage Direct is 11:30. In Seattle you need a lot more time than this, as the airport is the other side of town from the pier.

Rotterdam has just left Eidfjord, Norway - the last stop on this half of the Voyage of the Vikings. Tomorrow is a sea day, then the name sake city of the ship, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. We will overnight there, then take on new passengers on Aug 5th before starting the voyage back to Boston.

Today's entertainment on the main stage was Dance Fusion, a Latin and Ballroom dance duo. Shows at 8:00pm and 10:00pm.

The movie of the night in the Wajang Theater was Wonder Wheel, set on Coney Island in the '50's

At 9:00 in the Crows Nest we had Dico Fever with Tino, the Assistand Cruise Director

The Adagio Duo has been complete for a couple of days now. I sat and listened for a bit on a couple of occasions and found them to be accomplished musicians. It is very relaxing to sit and listen to the Duo. I am do not know their type of music well enough to say what and from when they were playing, but it sounded very nice.

In the Ocean Bar tonight we have only the piano player Gyuri, another very accomplished musician. I suspect the group that normally plays is performing on the main stage for the Dance Fusion show. His music was also very nice to listen to.

In the Mix, Barry from Boston was doing an all request night of Sinatra hits. He put on his typical good show.

Each of the music venues, Ocean Bar, Explorers Lounge, and the Mix had decent crowds enjoying the music.

A few notes nearing the mid point of the cruise.

The entertaiment on the Main Stage was more to my liking the first 9 days then the last few days. I suspect we will be getting another new group of entertainers in Rotterdam, which I look forward to. YMMV

Whlie we missed 2 ports early on, the ports we made were excellent and I have enjoyed this cruise so far. I am looking forward to Rotterdam, and the ports on the way back to Boston. I hope we have success with all the ports on the way back.

The ship has been in an enhanced virus protection mode for the last week or so, not quite a full "Code Red", but everything being served and constant reminders to wash your hands. I think, and this is my opinion only, that the health department is being proactive and trying to keep the level below the point where it has to be reported and may be succeeding. I don't know of anyone who has been confined to their cabin, but I belive someone a couple of cabins down from me was.

The service I had in the main dining room (2 evenings) was about as good as most of my cruises. The staff in the Lido was as good as ever, maybe a bit above average. I would give them a little better for the first week or so, but with the extra duties required for health, they are not able to do as much as they might want to.

Depending on who you talk to, we are losing either 200 or 400 passengers in Rotterdam. The only number I have heard for new passengers was 100. All these may be just rumors. The Captain has announced more than once that over 700 mariners of 4 and 5 star are aboard, so no priority tendering. I suspect the same will be true when we finish in Boston.

The ship, IMHO, is in good shape and is being cared for by a loving crew.

Very comfortable day in Alesund, Norway today! Beautiful city with picturesque buildings. We were joined in town today by the Norwegian Jade.

Continuing with the 9:00pm activities.

Jul 31st - Gala Dance Request with the Ocean Quartet in the Ocean Bar

Aug 1st - Music Trivia Game in the Crows Nest

Aug 2nd - Call My Bluff Game Show

Movies in the Wajang Theater

Jul 31st - Ready Player 1

Aug 1st - Annihilation

Aug 2nd - Paris Can Wait

Main Stage

Jul 31st - Violinist Greta Salome

Aug 1st - Dance Fusion

Aug 2nd - Planet Earth II in Concert

Rotterdam Explorers Lounge 08/01/2018 around 2:45pm

(I can't tell if the picture has posted, sorry)

Here is the description of the Family Oceanview Staterooms:

With accomodations for five guests, this stateroom includes two lower beds convertible to one queen-size bed and one upper bed—all are our signature Mariner's Dream™ beds with plush Euro-Top mattresses, plus one sofa bed for two persons. There are two bathrooms: one with bathtub, shower, sink and toilet, one with shower and sink.

My husband and I just sailed on our first cruise on the Koningsdam through Norway and had a great time. I'm looking into booking a cruise to include our four kids, probably Alaska next summer. Our kids are currently 18, 15, and 10 year old twins. I'd like to book connecting rooms for us and the twins with an adjoining room for our older kids.

 

Question - is this easier through the HAL site or through a travel agent?

 

Second cruise newbie question - is there a room option for 6 people that makes more sense?

 

Thank you!

First question, you would be better off using a Travel Agent, and not a big box. Pick an agency where you can talk to the same person each time and who will become familiar with your needs. The PCC department at HAL would also be a good place, but not the general reservation number or web site. With the size of your booking, you should have someone in particular you can talk to. Also, a Travel Agency will give you some good perks because of the size of your booking. If you use a PCC to set it up, you could then transfer it to a big box before final payment to pick up some on board spending.

Second question, the Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam have one, or maybe two, family rooms. I don't remember what the maximum occupancy is on them. Other ships max out at 4 per cabin, and that would be crowded, even for your kids. If you can handle it, the setup you propose with 3 cabins might be best. You might also consider a balcony for the adults, with the kids having two inside cabins across the hall if you book early enough to accomplish that.

One other thing to consider. In general you have to have 1 adult (21) in each cabin. You might have to "pull some strings" to get a cabin with just your older two in it. Once on board, you can adjust as necessary.

The assistant cruise director has been having something at 9:00pm each

evening in the Crows Nest along with Happy Hour.

Jul 19 - Hits of the Beatles

Jul 20 - Meet and Socialize with the Officers

Jul 21 - Hits of ABBA

Jul 22 - Majority Rules Game Show

Jul 23 - Music Trivia

Jul 24 - Motown Music Hour

Jul 25 - Secret Identities Game Show

Jul 26 - Classic Rock Hour

Jul 27 - All Request Country Hits

Jul 28 - Music Trivia

Jul 29 - Beatles Music Hour

Jul 30 - Hits of the BeeGees

Movies being shown in the Wajang Theater and on the TV the next day.

Jul 19 - Basmati Blues

Jul 20 - Finding Your Feet

Jul 21 - Pacific Rim Uprising

Jul 22 - The Shipping News

Jul 23 - Same Kind of Different as Me

Jul 24 - Murder on the Orient Express

Jul 25 - Home Again

Jul 26 - The Legent 1900

Jul 27 - The Mountain Between Us

Jul 28 - Autumn Lights

Jul 29 - Journey to the Center of the Earth

Jul 30 - The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Update after two days in Reykjavik, Iceland

I had two good days in Iceland. We rented a car and did a big part of the Golden Circle tour yesterday, featuring a lunch at a family owned restaurant on a farm. Very good food and companionship.

Today was a bit different. We had planned to go the the Seltun Geothermal area. We had a Garmin GPS we were using to find our way around. We typed Seltun into the search box and found something that appeared to be correct. With few problems we drove a little over an hour and ended up at a Senior Living Center. I typed Seltun Geothermal into google maps on my phone and found we were over an hour away. I must say, though, that the scenery was great and we got to pass a Prison, which should be on everyone's list of things to see. The Geothermal Area was great and we had a nice walk. Headed back to the ship and had lunch at another small restaurant. The Fish and Chips was extremely good. We made it back to the ship with about 15 minutes to spare.

Entertainment -

I understand that we got new entertainers here. Yesterday on the main stage they playted the movie "The Great Showman" as the evening show.

Tonight we had a new comic - Anthony Scott. As before the early show had pretty much a packed audience. He was a bit slow starting, but did get his bearings a bit and got somewhat better. If he has a show on another night he might be better.

Adagio is now complete. I listened to the pianist for a bit last night and she was good. As I was walking to the elevator I heard the violin, so I'll have to go back later and hear them together.

We have to set our clocks ahead tonight and tomorrow night, so two short days ahead, followed by Norway.

Hope everyone has a great week!

We are first time cruisers and interested in impressions and reviews from those folks who have taken the Holland America Voyage of the Vikings in the recently. We are excited about the possibility of cruising from Boston to Rotterdam and seeing all the places along the way. Looking forward to getting feedback and thanks. Love2travelworldwide

For your enjoyment and education:

Blogs from the 2018 (Current VoV)

SharonN - www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Nevada/blog-1019688.html

artsycraftsy - https://lanastravels.blog/

HighSeas - https://rovingraconteurs.com/

Reviews and Blogs from Previous VoVs

JackWC - https://www.cummingsfamilyadventures.wordpress.com

jaspersmycat - https://elsiestravelblog.wordpress.com

mrvideo - https://mrvideo1949.com/2015/08/

crusingnut - https://l1ndave.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/voyage-of-the-vikings-july-12-aug-16-2014/

What are the three plans and their prices?

The three tiers are:

Social: Allows access to social media sites, eg Facebook, Twitter. You can only get to social media sites, email and other browsing should not be expected to work.

Surf: Allows general surfing and email, but no streaming or voip calls.

Premium: Allows all of the above as well as some streaming.

All the above is limited by what kind of connection the ship gets which is determined by geography.

For 31 Days the Premium Package was $329.99. I believe the social package was $179.99 and the surf package was $259.99, but I can't get to that page until my current package runs out.

This is a general description, there has been quite a bit of discussion on the unlimited package on the main HAL board

Click.Write.Post - I’m curious to know what the Internet packages are on the Amsterdam. If you could take a photo of that advertisement and post it at your leisure I would really appreciate it. I’m hoping the Amsterdam starts using the “unlimited” plans (and not the minutes packages) since I’m on the 2019 World Cruise. Thanks in advance.

I am currently on Rotterdam for the Voyage of the Vikings (38 days). We were offered the "unlimited 3 tier" plans, but we were only allowed to purchase 31 days at the beginning. We will have to purchase an additional package later if we wish to continue to use the internet.

Thanks Rich for taking us along on your VOV. We will have more discussion in November on the Koningsdam.

Looking forward to seeing y'all again. There will be plenty of time to talk on the 6 sea days on that cruise.

Thanks for your reports and efforts, Rich! Sorry that you've missed so many ports but it sounds like you and others are making the best of it. Hope the GI illness is subsiding.

 

You've actually inspired me to think about doing some short reports like yours on my upcoming 40 night cruise from Seattle to Rio on Zaandam. I really like the format of your reports here.

 

Hope you're getting some cabin photos!

 

BTW, the links to the bloggers work for me....

Thanks for the kind encouragement. Cabin Photos on the way

Rich

Today is an "At Sea" day heading toward Iceland. Prince Christian Sund yesterday was beautiful

The entertainment Thursday night was the Rotterdam Singers and Dancers. The show was called Al La Mode and was entertaining. The cast put a lot of energy into their performance.

Last night (Friday) was a second performance of the Emperers of Soul. Using a different selection of songs, these singers from London did a very good job of the sounds and moves of the Motown bands. Their talk between songs was also good and they again played off each other very well.

Other entertainment.

The Ocean Bar continues to have a crowd with several people dancing to each song. The musicians are accomplished and the crowd seems to be enjoying themselves.

The Mix continues to be filled for Barry from Boston. His first hour is a themed program while the second hour is by request. Again, everyone seems to be satisfied.

I have not run into Adagio yet

Iceland tomorrow!

More on entertainment.

With the port cancelled yesterday, some additional entertainment was provided.

The Comedian Fred Bevill did a talk at 3pm which he called Comedy through the ages. It was very entertaining and very well done.

The normal evening entertainment was a combination show featuring Fred Bevill and Greg Rodman, the first show was again packed. Both entertainers put on a good show.

During his afternoon show, Fred Bevill let us know that the current entertainment would be leaving the ship in Reykjavik, Iceland and new entertainment will be coming aboard.

We made it ashore in Greenland!

Qaquotog, has a sheltered harbour and in addition it is a beautiful day. Tender tickets for an 8 minute tender ride were needed until 10:45 when open tendering started. Nice little town

Are there any bloggers on the voyage? Does anyone have the addresses?

 

Thanks 😁

Hope these links to the 3 people blogging work -

SharonN -- https://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Nevada/blog-1019688.html

ArtsyCraftsy -- https://lanastravels.blog/

High Seas Traveller -- https://rovingraconteurs.com/

Rich

The Captain just announced another day at sea. We were supposed to tender at Paamiut, Greenland today but the seas and wind were too high to attempt it. Safety First!

Update on entertainment.

Last night on the main stage was supposed to be a show by the Rotterdam Singers and Dancers. The seas were too rought and the Magician/Comedian Nick Paul was substituted. He drew a packed audience for the early show. He had a pretty good show, but each bit was a little long so not too many actual tricks.

Monday night was a concert pianist. I didn't go and haven't heard anyone comment on the show.

Day 2 at sea from Red Bay, Labrador toward Greenland.

Yesterday due to extreme fog we were unable to tender in Red Bay. Once the decision was made we set sail toward Greenland. The staff pulled in extra activities so that there were many things going on. The Casino and Shops opened shortly after getting underway.

Last night the Captain announced that the instance of Noro had reached the point that additional measures were taking place. I had thought earlier that this might be happening as upon entering the Lido someone was stationed there to remind us to use the sanitizer. All over the ship crew is reminding passengers to "Wash, Wash, Wash".

Also last night we saw our first iceberg. The Captain announced that it was about 3 kilometers off and that 90% was underwater. It really looked nice sitting out in the distance but the danger is known.

All is going well, the ship seems to be in good shape. As usual, repairs and maintenance are constantly underway.

We enjoyed Barry from Boston when we did last year's VOV cruise. I think this year might be Barry's 8th VOV cruise. But since HAL is using the Zuiderdam for the 2019, we fear there will no longer be a piano bar entertainer. If the OP gets some time we would appreciate if they ask Barry about 2019?

 

Hank

P.S. Put us in the love Barry group

Barry and I have already talked about the future of the VoV and he does not expect to be a part of it.

We were scheduled to be in Red Bay, Labrador but due to extremely heavy fog that was not expected to lift the port was cancelled. Part of the reason is that the tender ride would have been about a mile.

To continue on my previous post on entertainment.

We are scheduled to have an Adagio Group playing in the Explorers Lounge each evening. However due to various problems we have not had the full group aboard yet. I'm not sure if the last member made it aboard yesterday, but if not, it wont be complete for another couple of days due to our failure to tender today.

In the Ocean Bar the Ocean Quartet has played each evening to a nice sized crowd and several couples dancing. I listend to several songs and the group is very talented. Most likely I will continue to stop there each evening for a few minutes.

In the Mix we have Barry from Boston. I know that on this forum there is a bit of a "Love/Hate" feeling about Barry but put me in the love column. He had a night off last night, but the other nights so far he has had a nice sized crowd that participated in the show.

Not exactly entertainment but something that Holland America has provided for this cruise is a full complement of religious leaders. We have a Catholic Priest, a Protestant Minister, and a Jewish Rabbi aboard providing services and support. I suppose it is because I met him early and spoke to him but I see the Catholic Priest (Father Roman) out and about constantly.

We are currently on our way early to our next port of call! I hope everyone, both at home and aboard the ships, has a great week.

Rich

I believe someone asked about the entertainment so here goes:

The first day's programs were only given out in the terminal. I thought there would be one in my cabin so I didn't take one and since I didn't attend the first night's show in the lounge I have no idea what it was.

Thursday, July 19th

Fred Bevill

He was introduced as a comic who had been on stage and TV with many big name acts. I was at the early show and it was packed. Along with I would say about 90% of the audience, I thought his show was very funny. Two of the subjects discussed were marriage (of course) and hunting. The jokes were funny and presented well. Most everyone left the show laughing.

Friday, July 20th

The Midnight Hour - Featuring Rotterdam Entertainers

I didn't attend but many people commented that it was a good show

Saturday, July 21st

Greg Rodman

Again playing to a packed house for the early show, this gentleman played a very good guitar show telling a few good stories between songs. It appeared that everyone in the audience enjoyed themselves.

Sunday, July 22nd

The Emperors of Soul

Four gentlemen from London played like they might have grown up in Motown. I attended the 10pm show and while not packed it was pretty full. They had the sound and the moves that went along with the Motown style of music primarily from the '70's. They really put on a good show.

Monday, July 23rd

Naomi Edemariam

She is billed as a concert pianist, with the notation "An amazing evening of musical talent -- with fingers that dance on thekeys." We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Gala Night was on Friday the 20th, the first sea day. We have four more according to several people at the M&G

Rotterdam in Corner Brook Newfoundland today. It was a beautiful day, temperature moderate and scenery lovely!

Because of a problem with the hoist on lifeboat 4 we are still on our way to Corner Brook. Because we are late we are getting a great view on each side of the ship. The sunrise over the water on the port side is very nice and the land on each side is very pretty and inviting. We are still about 2 hours out.

Yesterday was a very nice day at sea. After the Meet and Greet the crowd dispersed to various areas around the ship. Later in the day they had the slot pull. I watched for a while and understand that they didn't have much success financially it was another good chance to meet everyone.

Today is a drizzly, overcast day in Sydney. It doesn't look very inviting to be out and about.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Rich