3rdGenCunarder

I don't think NCL is any more Norwegian than HAL is Dutch (Norwegian's largest stakeholder is Hong Kong company). I doubt the name will get them first shot at a dock. Money might do it, though. Who know how dock assignments are made? Even with two ships, and definitely with three, in Flam I would book something in advance. I wouldn't risk booking the train on the day. BTW, check out the museum about building the railway.

You can find photos submitted by travelers on the HALfacts website. Westerdam is one of 4 ships in the Vista class. Photos from the other Vistas will give you an idea of layout, but not necessarily decor. Also check the date the photos were taken, because older photos will have decor that has been changed. Vista Class | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com) If you have questions, search this board, or just ask. And welcome to HAL!

4155 is a balcony cabin. Over the dining room, which is not a problem. And other cabins above, also not a problem. You can find deck plans on the website. Westerdam Cruise Ship - Best Cruise Ship Award | Holland America Line

I don't expect 2x the cost, but I know there will be some markup. For my Alaska cruise on QE, the bear excursion in Wrangell is $545. It's $373 to book independently, BUT all the jet boat companies are contracted to Cunard. So if I want to go, I have to book through Cunard. I think this is the largest markup I've ever paid for a shorex. OTOH, the hovercraft tour in Ketchikan is $176 through Cunard and $183 direct with the company, which does have availability on its website. The whale watch I'm doing in Juneau has no public availability on its website for my tour. They contract with a variety of cruise companies, and given how many ships call at Juneau, they've always got customers that way. So you have to choose a link to your cruise line. Interestingly, I'm paying $237, but on NCL, it would $299. On HAL it's $245.

I bid on an upgrade to PG on my cruise last fall. Like you, I saw different categories sold out each time I checked. I also checked QG, although I had not been invited to bid on that, thinking if one of them opened up and someone in PG got that, then maybe... My bid was not accepted, but I was happy with my original cabin.

Yes, there are places to sit other than the promenade deck. But most of the renderings I've seen show uncovered spaces, and I prefer to be in the shade. Apparently, if I want to have fresh air and shade, I have to take a class in the wellness studio.

And to make balance the doom and gloom about the promenade deck, the double-deck pool has lots of seating.

IIRC, there are places on K'dam's promenade deck where you can look out to sea. Those were the only pictures I had taken on the promenade deck. Here's a view of the ship in port. You can see places to look out across the stern and the sides near the stern. There's another viewpoint in the bump-out area (between the 2 groups of lifeboats). To be fair, QA will be longer, so perhaps there will be more places to gaze at the sea. But I wouldn't bet on deck chairs. On K'dam, the only seating is lifejacket storage benches.

These photos show parts of the "promenade" deck on Koningsdam. There are no deck chairs anywhere on the promenade deck. Look at the deck plans and QA looks like K'dam.

I've never been told to stay off my balcony because of rough weather, but if it's really bad, the wind takes care of the issue. A few times in rough weather, I have been unable to push the balcony door open more than a crack. And it occurred to me that if I did manage to get out to the balcony, could I get the door open to go back inside?

HAL also inflates prices, especially in small ports where there isn't much to do unless you book a tour. And they contract as many local vendors as possible, so everything is sold out before you can try to book independently. I think the smaller the port, the more they know they can charge.

Have you looked at HAL Facts? There is information about one of those cabins on Eurodam. I haven't looked at deck plans, but they're likely the same on both Signature class ships. 6001 – Eurodam | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com) Signature Class | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com)

I hadn't thought about that, but I think it would. Chairs certainly would not be set out. Perhaps room stewards have some kind of pre=printed note that they can put in cabins for such a situation.

Gotta side with @NE John here. His observations about cabin size matches the differences between HAL's Vistas and PInnacles. Cabins on Koningsdam are smaller than the same category on Westy, Zuidy and the other Vistas. I did not get a feeling of spaciousness on Koningsdam. Yes, there's an atrium. But its wire cage design makes it closed in, not spacious. Yes, the MDR is large and very open in the middle--all of which contributes to dreadfully noisy acoustics. Yes, there's more space by the midship pool, thanks to the double deck. In fact, the only part of K'dam that I liked was the pool area and movies at night. And don't get me started on the too-small "world stage" theater or the overcrowded spaces in the "music walk." I am booked on QA, and my itinerary is mostly sea days. I'm willing to give her a try, trusting Cunard to take the basic Pinnacle design and (except for the Prom deck, which can't be changed) make it into a ship I can be happy on. And just in case it does feel crowded, I booked PG, hoping to have quiet time on the grills terrace. Hedging my bets.

Tsk. An experience cruiser like you should know that you save your loosest clothing for the end of the cruise.

I was disappointed in the bread selection at dinner. But as the cruise went on, I decided it was a good thing, as it kept me from eating excess carbs at dinner.

Friends tried a lanai. They felt it was tight for two people but would be comfortable for one. On some cruises, the price difference between lanai and vista suite could buy a lot of wine at dinner.

Except for the cart, that's how it's done on Cunard. Tea is served in a lounge, on low tables. Waiters circulate with pots of tea, trays of sandwiches, trays of scones (with clotted cream!), trays of sweets. They usually have a harpist or pianist. One day on my last Cunard cruise, there was a guitarist who played a lot of Jobim, which was lovely. The source of "low" vs "high" tea is actually the table. Afternoon tea is served on a tea table (or coffee table or cocktail table, if you prefer those names). High tea, because it's a larger meal, is served on a dining room table, which is higher. So HAL is serving low tea on a high table.

Last month, at a rectangular table for 6, we had two of the stands. A year ago, at a round table for 8, which is what the second picture seems to show, same thing. One stand in the middle of the table. I don't know what they were thinking when they set it up that way. We did find a waiter and get more food brought to us.

This is the list from last month on Zaandam

Hard to know, as it's new. Watch the Daily to see. Or maybe ask a Lido manager if you see one. They would know the schedule.

DH would have been happy to join you. His birthday "cake" every year was strawberry-rhubarb pie.

I like that! Kind of a variation on "a balanced diet is a cupcake in each hand." Or cookie, or cocktail... You may not have missed it. It seems to be fairly new.

"Cake Me Away" was featured on the front page of the daily on my February Zaandam cruise. I had something chocolate that was good. Anything chocolate on HAL is good. But the strawberry shortcake was disappointing. No strawberries in it, just a cluster of berries and glaze on the top, all of which had been served before the whole cake was gone.

I had a good snorkel trip in Barbados on Calabaza. Two different sites, including a stop that had turtles, and a very good lunch.