Flyinby

Thanks, we're excited too! we fly out Wednesday the 8th from San Luis Obispo to Oslo. 2 nights in Oslo, then the train to Flam for one night, then train to Bergen for 2 nights before boarding the Capella on the 14th. I got a kick out of this, I was searching for some info and this came up: https://www.allertravel.com/arne-og-carlos-knitting-under-the-aurora-borealis Turns out they're on the same ship, same time...so if we find out we didn't bring enough warm clothes, we can just ask them to knit us up some extra stuff 8^). The ship looks great, with the nice front lounge with windows all around, so there's a refuge with a view if it gets too cold outside. We'll hope for some clear or semi-clear nights, and if we get it have some good chances to see the aurora, but we'll be fine either way. The temperatures really don't look too bad, even in Kirkenes, but depending on the wind I suppose. I'm bringing a pair of shorts, just in case...8^). I'll be sure to report back, to give a California perspective on the trip and Havila. Did you ever decide on your booking?

Thanks, Grayjay for the hurtigforum suggestion, I had never heard of it, but there's lots of good information and reviews with photos. The site does offer English as an alternative, but that doesn't make the forum posts in English, only the web page itself. Though I speak some German, I keep running into words I don't know, but I tried Google translate, and it does a pretty decent job of translating the entire pages. There are some limitations, but not bad. I kept wondering why they kept referring to "mountains" as though it were a location (as in "I went from Mountains to Oslo...") until I thought about it...Bergen, German for mountains...no wonder 8^). And, you do have to switch back to the original German to view the photos, or follow links, but that's not so bad, and the members there are definitely well-experienced on the route and also with Havila. Thanks again.

Thanks for the info on your recent experience. Regarding the cafe, do you just go to the cafe instead of your regular table, or do you just order it from your table and they bring it? I'd heard of someone who said they brought it to them from the cafe, which would be handy. I did see some menus online, and, being a somewhat picky eater, would be likely to be saying "I'll just have a cheeseburger" now and then...I like some seafood but oddly enough, not the items considered the most desirable to some... salmon, trout, lobster, oysters, roe, etc. Too bad about the lack fruit for breakfast, but I guess it is Norway and fresh fruit might be more difficult in mid-winter. Did they have Oatmeal, Meusli, granola, or anything similar offered at breakfast? I've heard of the shower temperature issues, but not the 'almost scalding'. Will be sure to leave a quick exit just in case, and I still have enough hair to work for a temporary emergency block of a hot or cold surge 8^). We've booked seven excursions, hopefully none get cancelled, but there's a lot more offered than I'd have thought in late winter in Norway. I can understand the prices being higher than more conventional cruise stops/times, given the smaller number of potential participants. But averaging it in with the cost of the voyage, which I think is quite a bargain even if booking a suite, it seems pretty reasonable. Thanks for your report!

I would suggest you "reboot". Drop the whole issue and forget it. THEN, figure out your most important questions...write them down, keep it to the few important ones, and stick to the script when you call. Try to call at a time when they're less likely to be swamped, maybe early weekdays for example. Don't even mention that you called before. Be polite, don't be demanding, and don't ramble on and on with endless questions or "what if's". If they can't answer something (like, for example, "will I be able to get a 5:30 dining reservation for 7 if I book this cruise?"), don't get mad, just accept that they can't do everything and move on. I imagine you'll get much better results. Or, book your cruise online, put on courtesy hold. Then call them, remembering they are human and they are busy, and discuss any issues or questions before you make your deposit. Then, if you're not happy, just don't make the deposit and look elsewhere.

I booked myself, but since you haven't gotten a reply...I saw a post on TripAdvisor about someone from CO who booked through an agent (I think it was the same person who posted here about the cancellation). However, I don't see anything on Havila's site about a special access for agents, and the website has been a work in progress, though I think they're doing a good job on it as it gains more features. One difficulty is the time difference...from their contact info, their customer service is open our (Pacific US) time weekdays from midnight to 8 AM, Saturday from 1AM-6AM, probably not when most travel agents are at work 8^). Their contact page shows no 800 or US numbers, so you have to use the Norway number +47-7000-7070. Email does work but one time it took a few days for me, other times it was quick. They were always polite and helpful. I booked back in Feb. 2021 from the website, chose the slightly-more-expensive changeable/refundable option, and the deposit was very reasonable, and payment wasn't due until about a month ago, so I had no problems with booking online. BUT, I'm doing all the planning and legwork on this trip so it's a lot more work than using an agent, but kind of fun to discover all the ins and outs. If your agent can't get in, maybe it would work that you made the reservation then turned it over to them for the rest (?) Lykke til!

Sorry to hear that; I heard the Polaris was delayed and they had canceled its first 4 scheduled voyages, back in December but it seems odd that your agent didn't get notification, especially if the booking was paid or he'd been in contact with them. Could the email have been missed or diverted to spam? They're saying now that they expect it to be ready go into service Feb. 11, but if they don't have it yet I wouldn't hold my breath unless they have the ship and it's started operation. Hope you're able to work out the Hurtigruten situation so your trip can still work out, even if it's a day later. If you learn any more, let us know.

Now you've done it. The seed is planted, and there may be no way to avoid it. Looking at the schedule, I think I could do the "lite" version, of getting off at least once in every port, even with the shorter February days, at least long enough to get a few photos. Not necessarily every stop, but at least once in each port. The earliest I'd have to be off would be 5:45AM, (on the last day of the trip), and the latest I'd have to be dressed for ten degrees (maybe) and off-ship would be 10PM, at least if the schedule holds, and only on maybe 3-4 of the days. That sounds do-able, and I'm not sure I'll be able to avoid it now. I'm hoping the northern lights coincide with some late-night stops. The best photos need maybe 10-15 seconds of exposure on a tripod, and a moving ship doesn't work well for that. There are workarounds, which I'll use when on the ship if northern lights appear, but I'd happily get up at 1AM if we were stopped and were treated to a display. So I may have to sleep with one eye open...8^). At least on the nights when the possibility is good.

Yes, the lack of a buffet concerns me, but I'm glad to hear you didn't find it much of an issue. Come to think of it, a couple of river cruises we did had no buffets, and I quickly got used to it. I appreciate the comment about leaving the ship at even very short stops. I'm always taking photos, and now that you mention it, I'm sure there would be some interesting sights near the ship...just as long as we don't get distracted and left behind...8^).

The porter service is https://porterservice.frb.io/ or email at porter@porterservice.no . Sounds like they've been around for some time, and they replied promptly...picking up our luggage both from and back to Oslo, in the morning at the hotel before we leave on the train. The site does say they can deliver to private apartments or airb&b's, so possibly they can take your luggage directly to Havila (?). The cost seems fair enough, considering what they do and how much it will make things easier.

Thanks, we're really looking forward to and getting excited about the trip...now only about 2 weeks before we leave for Oslo. Having booked nearly a year ago, we've had plenty of time to prepare for the winter in Norway...now we just have to sort what to actually take. If we took and wore all the layers we've accumulated, we'd be rolling around the ship like balls 8^) We did find a porter service to pick up our luggage in Oslo and deliver it to our Bergen hotel...we're taking the train to Flam, spending a night, then continuing to Bergen, and so will only need the carry-on for that. With everything booked now in advance, I won't have to be sticking my nose in a laptop or phone much on the trip...except maybe to translate or find our way around. With a half dozen excursions, I don't think we'll be bored, but hated to pass up this opportunity. Gondolas, dog sleds, North Cape, Russian border etc., should be fun. Will definitely report back as soon as I can after we return.

The starboard side is pretty clear here: https://www.havilavoyages.com/about-havila/media/havila-capella-delivered if that's of any help. I can't really tell from the pictures if there are cargo doors there, but when booking our trip for this February, I checked with Havila about which side they generally docked on, since I wanted our cabin to be able to view the towns and mountains as much as possible on the short stops, and was told they dock on the port side (I know that's the origin of "port side" but ships dock on different sides since they don't have "steering boards" now 8^). I should know more in about a month when we return from the trip.

Why push the lower limit? Why not just pop up and change, then go eat? Or eat in the pool area's snack bar if it exists? While the style of bathing suit isn't specified, there's a big difference between board shorts and bun-hugger speedos...so if a "bathing suit" is OK in the buffet, regardless of what it does or doesn't hide, maybe a shirt is unnecessary, and of course who needs shoes in the pool. And if you go by what the "others" are doing, you're going by the lowest common denominator, so that one potbellied guy having lunch in a speedo and his similarly-shaped wife in her string bikini, who are making everyone gag, make it OK for others too? Why not just up the standard a bit, or at least keep it relatively even, so the cruise has some class instead of looking like a cheap booze cruise? Or else just just take a cheap booze cruise. Nothing fancy needed, but just changing out of a swimming suit if you're not around the pool shouldn't be much of a sacrifice...and instead of having some people offended and the other half joining you in their speedos/strings, everyone will be happy. 8^) Consideration and thoughtfulness goes a long way in this world of "ME".

On the Royal in December, we bought coffee packages and each had 15...no matter the price, or the size. I found that the new system is actually better for us coffee card users. Last Princess cruise in 2019 we bought 2 cards, and I'd go down to get a couple of morning coffees and would get a dirty look from the guy when I wanted 2. After I made it clear that there was no reason for my wife to have to walk down there every morning, he backed off and was fine about it. But when that person was off, it again became a hassle. Now with the medallion, it never was an issue...they knew instantly we had coffee cards, and no dirty looks for 2 brewed coffees, which don't count against the number. Then one morning we discovered it was actually faster to just order via room service...they often showed up within 5 minutes, and it was much easier than me carrying 2 coffees back, especially if I added a couple of snacks to go with it.

Yes it does. Our mini-suite had a really bright closet hall light that was bright enough to wake someone asleep on the bed, plus 3 under-nightstand/desk lights that would come on if you, for example, stuck your foot outside the covers. I didn't notice the sensor but taped a brochure over the light, which let it still work but not bright enough to bother anyone. The sensor tape is probably a better idea. For the nightstands, a rolled T-shirt or towel works, just jam it under there. I left the one on the desk alone, it didn't bother us at night because no one walked over there. There were no switches for any of them. So if you're sailing on the Royal, bring tape.

If you're using an Android phone, go to settings...apps, tap on the medallion app, and tap and confirm 'force stop'. In my case on our recent cruise, it always worked fine after that. Any time it hung, no matter where in the app, I didn't waste time looking at the spinning circle if it was more than maybe 10-15 seconds. They seemed to have designed it to not shut down when you use the back button to exit, so instead of getting a fresh start when you return to the app, it keeps all the glitches it has accumulated since it was last shut down. It's a buggy app, but has some handy features (finding travel companions), just too bad it's not more reliable.

They do have a decent selection, but in our case the problem was more with quality. Good cheesecake, for example, should be rich and creamy, not light and fluffy...but then it's not only Princess who pushes off the air-filled version, it's gotten to be quite common. There were some good desserts, some disappointing, and about half the time I opted for the build-your-own sundae, which was made with surprisingly good ice cream or gelato. I've learned to be careful and judicious with starters and other preliminaries, so I don't spoil the main course, which of course comes at the end of the meal 8^). The pastries, tarts, etc. at the coffee place sort of qualify as desserts, and they were mostly pretty disappointing. They all looked nice, but were often stale, flavorless, or an odd combination of flavors. I always liked the tarts with coffee on previous cruises, but both the fruit and pastry this time was just not that good...I'd generally get 3-4 at a time that looked good, and then sort out one that actually tasted good, and left the rest.

It wasn't exactly a complaint, it came bundled with a positive comment: "I'd say the $7 bottled water packages are the best bargain of the whole cruise. We ordered 2-12 packs, and others in our group with "plus' came by often to mooch a bottle; they had to order it and wait around for it to be delivered, which was pretty annoying." Having the 24 bottles of water in our room, easy to grab whenever the need arises or if we're headed out, was great, as opposed to those who had to order it sent individually and/or wait for it in room or elsewhere...hence several found it easier to "mooch" one of ours, or we just offered them one when we were leaving. Even if I did have plus, which I won't, I'd probably still order a 12-pack or two just for the convenience. Our room service for coffee etc. was very good, usually showing up in probably 10 minutes or less, but having the water already there was still more convenient than having to order it.

I didn't ask. They did get water sent to their room (small bottles, large ones cost even if you have plus, apparently), but I'm not inclined to tell someone in my family to "get their own damb water" if they ask for a bottle or I offer them one. Perhaps they didn't know that the bar dispenses bottles of water, or perhaps Princess doesn't make that clear...I didn't know that, but then I don't use the "plus". At the buffet, my daughter (plus) asked for water, the guy asked if she wanted a bottle or glass, she said bottle, and he proceeded to poke at his screen and said it would be delivered. After about 15 minutes we left, sans water bottle.

Having just returned from our 10-day Mexico trip, I'd say the $7 bottled water packages are the best bargain of the whole cruise. We ordered 2-12 packs, and others in our group with "plus' came by often to mooch a bottle; they had to order it and wait around for it to be delivered, which was pretty annoying. I suspect they've lowered the quality of the "ordinary" desserts in order to make the upgrade desserts more desirable. I was not too impressed with the desserts...would rate the buffet desserts at maybe a 2 out of 5. The dining room desserts were somewhat better, but mostly I found myself ordering the sundae, which is good, rather than things like the cheesecake that's more like a cake than a cheesecake. The special pink Princess heart-shaped dessert seemed well-liked among others in our group, but I didn't try it myself. I was happy the buffet was back after Covid, but it was pretty borderline. If you like anything breadlike with breakfast, the buttermilk biscuits are good, but not much else...lots of stale muffins and toast abound. The fruit bowls...cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, and pineapple were often old, soggy, or just not good to begin with, with the exception of the pineapple which was generally OK. We did enjoy the cruise, with our large family group, but the food was not the reason, and it has gone downhill since our 2019 cruises. I'd rather see them improve the quality of what they offer, rather than just add another "premium" layer you need to get something decent.

Nobody said anything about changing cruise lines over a few dollars....and Princess isn't my "exclusive" cruise line anyway. For certain situations, it works out fine, but more often the experience and the destinations matter more, and I'd rather those, or drinking water, or wifi, and so on aren't "extras". Example: 3 of the six rooms we have booked on an upcoming cruise have one person in the cabin that would like drinks...in one, the wife is pregnant, in two others the second person is under age, so that's a total of $3000 spent for "extras" because of their policy that just one can't buy the plus. Now they're raising that, so I don't see that as much of an improvement, and will no doubt look elsewhere if the situation comes up again. Do I want a cheap basic rate and a bunch of upgrade fees, or a line where excursions, drinks, wifi and customer care are included, and there is no "Premier" class or other such nonsense? Do I want a deluxe suite at a Motel 6, or should I just book at a nicer hotel to begin with? We all have choices, I know which mine is.

They're headed the wrong direction by doing this. One of my gripes about Princess and its associated lines is the cheapskate bottle of water they leave on the stateroom desk, which, if you open without reading, costs you. For drinking water. And wi-fi? Maybe in 2020, but now that it's a basic, which even the lower grade hotels mostly provide for free, they raise the price? The increase for Plus doesn't affect me, since I don't drink, but if you have one drinker and one non-drinker in a stateroom, they BOTH have to get the plus if one wants it. It's already ridiculous at $1000, now it will be more? Throw in $10 to ship the medallions, which were their idea in the first place, even more so. I suppose choice is good...one can always book an inside cabin, do without wi-fi, and tell them not to deduct any gratuities, but after experiencing cruise lines where most basics are included...wifi, drinks with meals, shore excursions, gratuities, and they hand out bottles of water as if they were...well...water..., this latest news just makes it less likely I'll be checking Princess when looking for cruises. So it costs a bit more, but not being nitpicked for every cent while on the cruise makes it worth it to me.

We've always had to use 2 tables...usually an 8 and a 6, in the past, but always next to each other so it was fine. That's what I'd hoped to do in the app, but it's not possible, so if the staff can't arrange it when we board, we'll try just showing up at 5 or so and see how that works.

That's interesting about the dressing up. On earlier (2000-2010) Carnival and Princess cruises it was pretty strictly "enforced". Not sure about later, we've tended to skip it and eat elsewhere rather than go to the trouble, but some folks do seem to enjoy it. I agree that it's better to shop for a better experience, even if it does mean fewer of them. But it's nice to have choices that suit everybody. While our previous Princess cruises have been very enjoyable, the changes they seem to be making aren't exactly making me eager for more after this one. Even the "dress to impress, white and gold piazza party" isn't doing it...8^). I've seen some Oceania cruises that look pretty tempting, we'll no doubt be giving them a try also, but our schedule is pretty full for a while.

If you haven't been on a Viking cruise, I think you're in for a treat. Nothing's perfect, but we did a wonderful Viking river cruise earlier this year and now, looking at where Princess has gone is not a pretty sight. I think that's the only way they'll eventually get the hint that they took a wrong turn, by customers choosing other options, of which there are plenty. We have a group of 13 going on a Princess Mexico cruise soon, and it's been nothing but hassles with the medallion app, pre-cruise processes, and poor website information. Now today I get an email that we're supposed to get excited about the "Love Boat Piazza Party", a night of "romance and celebration" where we're supposed to come "dressed to impress" in white and gold (on the formal night). Gag. Yeah, I want to have to pack TWO suits instead of only one... This is supposedly celebrating their new "Love Boat" reality show, a show that has a 3.8/10 rating at IMDB, of which the selected review starts with "another brainless reality show..." I'm trying to cut Princess some slack, since we did have some nice cruises with them in 2019 and earlier, but it's getting harder and harder...while I'm sure we'll have an OK time on the cruise, I really doubt we'll be returning. It sounds to me like the new head of Princess, who is in love with the Medallion people, is trying to revamp things without a clue that the "Love Boat" was not real, it was a scripted TV show. And, most of the faithful Princess cruisers we've seen on our cruises weren't anything like the Love Boat cast...so what is he thinking? We have two future cruises coming up so far, and they aren't on Princess.

How do you switch to 'anytime' dining? We have an upcoming cruise with a family group of 13, and trying to book a reservation for the same time each night has been a nightmare. Finally had to call them and even then they had to do some workaround and said I'd need to go in first day and clarify that we wanted to dine together. Even at that, if the group got over 4 the earliest available was 7PM, and it's nowhere near a full ship (Royal-Mexico-10 day-Dec. 12). I'd have taken 5PM if available, even 6:20, but not happy with 7 this time of year. I can't find anything on their website about any options but making reservations. Of course they have all the "dine when you want, with who you want, where you want" ads which is a laugh. Do you just show up at the dining room to get "anytime dining"?