katmu

I also find it a bit odd that your TA charges you to book Disney. I buy my own trip insurance, especially for a longer trip like a Med cruise where you will be doing a pre and post cruise stay. I just booked a Med cruise myself that starts in Barcelona and ends in Rome. I’m staying 3 nights pre-cruise in Barcelona, and 3 nights post-cruise in Rome. You could stay in Rome longer for sure as I was in Rome for a week a few years ago and felt like I barely scratched the surface.

I just booked an April 2025 Med cruise on Sun Princess as a solo as it was actually cheaper for me to book with the Premier package than with Plus. Even though there were some things in the Premier package I may not utilize like the “gifts”, at the price I paid I’m happy.

I have to agree with slidergirl. I fractured my right leg in 23 places when I fell off my roof in 2018, and a low wedge of about 1.5” is about as high as I can manage now. I do think in a gold or silver metallic they still look pretty dressy. Good luck.

That is a good point. I would be able to manage a step into the bathroom with my cane. It’s primarily my right leg as I was in a serious accident. Thank you.

That’s what I was afraid of. Too bad as I’m trying to find a cruise for Spring of 2025. Thank you.

Hello- I see that Princess seems to have released their 2025 European schedule. I’m hoping someone can give me some idea when HAL typically releases their European deployments. I have tried the search feature without much luck. I also tried chatting with a HAL CS agent and Google. I’m trying to plan a cruise to make up for a milestone birthday trip I missed during the “time that shall not be named” and I will need a scooter so I want to book early. Thank you.

Sorry to hear about your mom’s broken leg. Having a broken bone that requires surgery and hardware, is her doctor going to have her on blood thinners for the next few months? I flew to Japan and Korea 4 months after my 2nd surgery after I fell off my roof in 2018. My son was stationed there so there was no way I was cancelling despite the number of fractures. I was still on blood thinners but not the injections at that point so my surgeon cleared me to fly. If your mom does go and is on crutches, some things that might help: 1. Pay extra for at least comfort plus or first class. This is one time when it’s worth it to be able to stretch out the leg. 2. Pack both the kind of ice packs that you fill with ice cubes and the mini instant ice packs. 3. If she doesn’t already, buy gel pads for the crutches. Also, there are special traction tips that would be good for Alaska since it tends to rain a lot. I would hope that the cruise line will let you move the cruise if that’s what you decide to do. Speedy healing to your mom, and good luck with her PT.

I’m starting to look at cruise lines for a European cruise for likely 2025 as I’m cruising to Alaska on a multi-generational family trip next summer. I’m trying to decide between a Mediterranean cruise or a British Isles cruise. I will likely do one and then the other the following year so it might come down to what I find for itinerary and ships. I have only done a few cruises, so I’m still a bit of a newbie so I could use some help. The cruise to Alaska next year will be on HAL and I’ve also cruised on the newer Princess ships, and a long time ago on Carnival (one and done for me). I was wondering if any of the major lines have onboard enrichment talks on European cruises, or are they mostly just transportation from port to port? So far, I’ve been looking at HAL, Princess, Celebrity, NCL, and possibly RCL. I want a cruise of between 9-14 days since I’m flying from the US and want to make the flight time worth the trip. I’ve also traveled to Europe on land-based trips several times, and I know that I prefer to travel not in peak season so I will be looking at likely shoulder season cruises. I’m wondering in general as the itineraries are all pretty port intensive, how hard will it be to meet other solo cruisers? I’m fairly introverted so not normally the most outgoing person. My main goal would be to meet a few like minded solo travelers so maybe share a meal, and possibly a shore excursion. I’m sorry if that was a bit rambling. Thank you.

We have these 2 cabins booked for our multi-generational cruise to Alaska next May, and I’m hoping maybe someone has stayed in them and can let me know how they are in terms of noise. I know that the crew stairs are between the two rooms so I’m expecting there may be a bit of noise during the day. I am pretty excited to have the 2 bigger balconies especially for Alaska. My adult sons will be in 4168 as I don’t think they’ll mind having only a shower, and my mom and I will share the room with the tub.

I am going to have to wait on the Oceania sailing for another year, perhaps once Denali is fully open. The good news is that the trip has now become a multi-generational sailing and my younger son will be joining us. We have booked the 7 night HAL Southbound from Whittier to Vancouver than includes Glacier Bay leaving on 5/26/24. We will still add on a few nights at the beginning and end of our cruise. This will be my son’s first cruise. We have a balcony, actually a double-width balcony and an inside across the hall so we will have 2 bathrooms.

I am leaning towards flying into Anchorage, taking the train to Seward for a few nights and then taking the train back to Anchorage for 1 night before catching the shuttle to Whittier for the cruise. I did also find this Oceania 10 nt sailing that leaves directly from Seward as an option. May 20 Seward, Alaska Embark 1 PM - 6 PM May 21 Homer, Alaska 11 AM - 8 PM May 22 Kodiak, Alaska 7 AM - 3 PM May 23 Cruising Hubbard Glacier May 24 Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska 8 AM - 7 PM May 25 Skagway, Alaska 7 AM - 11 PM May 26 Juneau, Alaska 8 AM - 6 PM May 27 Sitka, Alaska 9 AM - 6 PM May 28 Ketchikan, Alaska 9 AM - 6 PM May 29 Cruising the Inside Passage May 30 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Disembark 8 AM I had looked at both the May and September 14 Day Explorer cruises on HAL. The September sailing will be hard for me as it is getting into our busy season at work, but I slightly preferred that version as it included Glacier Bay. Neither of them included Seward but Homer and Kodiak might be interesting. I do wish they offered that itinerary in June rather than so early in May. Going earlier in May and visiting some of the quieter ports might be good though too.

The itinerary did say 2 nights in Denali. I had posted the scheduled port times for the cruise portion above. Juneau was the main one where I would possibly like to have a bit more time in port.

All of the major cruise lines only seem to have tours that include Denali, or at least Talkeetna. I’m assuming this is because they have a financial interest in the hotels and lodges there? So if I move to trying to plan this myself would it best to do a few nights in Anchorage and then take the train to Seward and stay for 2-3 nights before heading to whichever cruise we decide on. If it’s only the drive from Anchorage to Seward I would probably be ok as that looks fairly short, but my knee can only handle a drive of a few hours. I had liked that this tour didn’t include all of the cruise line package tours as I would rather arrange the excursions on my own.

I am looking at cruise tours for my mom and I for next June, primarily with HAL and Princess. We really want a cruise than includes Glacier Bay. I am aware of the road closure in Denali. My mom has previously been to Denali about 20 years ago but she would like to go again. She is 83 but very active. I however was in a serious accident in 2018 and shattered my right leg so I walk with a cane. We enjoy wildlife, beautiful scenery and history. We were looking at June as I’m hoping to do a whale watching small ship excursion. We are focused on cruise tours that have Seward as a stop. I had also researched the possibility of arranging independent travel for the land portion but I think we might be limited to the Alaska rail company packages as I would prefer not to drive due to my leg. So far, I like this option from Holland America on the Nieuw Amsterdam the best as it has less backtracking than some of the other options from the cruise lines. The Alaska rail company option looks to be very scenic but doesn’t give a lot of details on hotels and meals and it’s a bit more money. The drawback with the HAL option is that the trip from Denali to Anchorage is the only section that is on the glass dome train, everything else in done on motor coach. I have done ballpark pricing for airfare from Minneapolis to both Anchorage and Fairbanks using this summer to gauge prices, and while there were more nonstops to Anchorage the prices from here were not substantially cheaper and there is still 1 nonstop per day to Fairbanks. I would appreciate some feedback from Alaska veterans. I’ve cruised before and I’ve planned plenty of independent trips but it still feels like a lot to consider with planning a trip to Alaska. Plus, I really want to make this an extra special trip for my mom. DAY 1 Fairbanks, Alaska Jun 16, 2024 2 Fairbanks, Alaska Jun 17, 2024 3 Denali National Park, Alaska Jun 18, 2024 4 Denali National Park, Alaska Jun 19, 2024 5 Anchorage, Alaska, US Jun 20, 2024 6 Seward (Anchorage), Alaska, US Jun 21, 2024 7 Seward (Anchorage), Alaska, US Jun 22, 2024 8 Whittier, Alaska, US Jun 23, 2024 8:00 PM 9 Cruising Hubbard Glacier Jun 24, 2024 4:00PM - 6:00 PM 10 Glacier Bay Jun 25, 2024 8:30AM - 6:30PM 11 Skagway, Alaska, US Jun 26, 2024 7:00AM - 8:00PM 12 Juneau, Alaska, US Jun 27, 2024 8:00AM - 5:00PM 13 Ketchikan, Alaska, US Jun 28, 2024 11:00AM - 7:00PM 14 Scenic Cruising The Inside Passage Jun 29, 2024 15 Vancouver, B.C., CA Jun 30, 2024

I’m very interested in trying the Grand Dutch Cafe on HAL. Can anyone give me their thoughts on the quality of the pannenkoek? I found one photo of the apple and bacon pannenkoek, but none of the triple berry.

I’m looking at cabin types on the 14 day Best of Norway for 5/25/24 and I could use some advice from HAL veterans. The least expensive option is an inside and there is a large category I available on Deck 4. A solo oceanview would be $160 more than the inside but it will be slightly smaller and forward on Deck 1. Regular OV midship deck 1 or Obstructed Veranda midship deck 4 are both showing the same price, and would be $860 more than the interior. I’m thinking the obstructed veranda would be better than the OV even with the lifeboats there, and possibly hope for an upgrade. The category I interior showed on some deck plans than it has a sofa as it can accommodate 3 but I can’t find any photos of a similar cabin.

I had read your review yesterday and found it very helpful in comparing the lines. Your opinions mirrored much of what I’ve heard from some friends locally and have confirmed my thoughts that I would likely be happier on HAL.

The only other option for Norway next year on Royal is a 13 night that does have a stop in the Arctic Circle on Jewel of the Seas, but for the price Royal is charging for a cruise only fare, I would lean towards a 14 night on HAL or Princess at that point. I did look at Celebrity’s itineraries for next year and the solo cabins on the one sailing I might have been interested in are sold out. I do think I would be happiest on HAL overall as I would like a more low key environment.

My mobility issue is limited to my right leg from my knee to my ankle due to 23 fractures from an accident. My balance was not particularly impacted but I still deal with range of motion issues and swelling. I watched a video of the climb to Pulpit rock and while I might be able to make the climb, it would likely impact the rest of my trip. It reminds me of a climb I made up the side of a mountain in Japan about 6 months after I broke my leg. I have beautiful photos of the temples but I still have nightmares about the climb. I have normally only done 7 night cruises especially since I travel solo now, but there is this 14 night option on Sky Princess that would visit both Flam, Geiranger and Stavanger plus it adds Honningsvag. The downside would be that I would probably need to stick to an inside cabin though. Sky Princess June 15 Southampton, England 4:00 PM June 16 At Sea June 17 Haugesund 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM June 18 Flam, Norway 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM June 19 Hellesylt, Norway 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM June 19 Geiranger, Norway 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM June 20 At Sea June 21 At Sea June 22 Honningsvag, Norway 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM June 23 At Sea June 24 Trondheim, Norway 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM June 25 Alesund, Norway 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM June 26 Olden, Norway 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM June 27 Stavanger, Norway 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM June 28 At Sea June 29 Southampton, England 7:00 AM

I was originally planning to cruise to Norway on HAL this summer, but due to a health issue I needed to postpone until next year. I have another thread on the Northern Europe board asking for opinions about the differences between the 2 itineraries. The option on Royal would be on the Anthem of the Seas for 7 nights and on HAL I would be looking at the Rotterdam also for 7 nights. I will be cruising solo and this would be my first time on either line. I am interested in good food, music especially blues and classical so HAL wins there, and enrichment/history. My last cruise was in 2019 on Sky Princess, and I enjoyed that cruise for the most part as the food was generally good, the entertainment was enjoyable. The one downside was that the ship felt crowded at times in the public areas, so that is one of my concerns with Anthem as it’s even bigger. I have a bit of a mobility issue so I use a cane, so I won’t be using the bumper cars or other resort features on Anthem but I would join the trivia and would see the Rock of Ages show most likely. The music walk on HAL is a big draw, and I’ve heard that there is a library? HAL ends up being a bit more expensive all things considered but not enough to sway me one way or the other. I’m comparing the HIA price against Royal price plus the cost of adding in Wi-Fi, gratuities, 1 specialty dinner and at least a non-alcoholic drinks package.

Sorry, I looked again at HAL’s website. They do offer that itinerary again on July 27th next year. It’s only slightly more expensive than the earlier date. I wish it would have popped up when I searched their site the first time. Thank you for the reply. I would feel better if I do decide to go with Anthem.

Hello- I am trying to decide between these 2 cruises for next year to Norway. Option 1: Anthem of the Seas, would be in a studio balcony cabin on deck 7. Fri, Jun 14 Southampton, England 5:00pm Sat, Jun 15 At Sea Sun, Jun 16 Haugesund, Norway 7:00am - 2:00pm Mon, Jun 17 Flam, Norway 7:00am - 4:00pm Tue, Jun 18 Molde, Norway 11:00am - 6:00pm Wed, Jun 19 Stavanger, Norway 11:00am - 7:00pm Thu, Jun 20 At Sea Fri, Jun 21 Southampton, England 5:30am Option 2: Rotterdam HAL trying to decide on cabin type. They do have a solo oceanview, regular oceanview or balcony. Rotterdam 3:00pm May 25 Rotterdam, The Netherlands 3:00 pm May 26 Cruising May 27 Eidfjord, Norway 7:00am - 3:00pm, Scenic Cruising Hardangerfjord May 28 Alesund, Norway 10:00am - 10:00pm May 29 Geiranger, Norway 7:00am - 4:00pm, Cruising Geirangerfjord May 30 Bergen, Norway 8:00am - 5:00pm May 31 Cruising June 1 Rotterdam 7:00am Royal Caribbean would be cheaper but the ship is quite a bit bigger than Sky Princess which is the biggest ship I’ve been on so that’s making me nervous. I walk with a cane so I won’t be using the resort activities much. I need some advice on the different ports in Norway to help me make my decision. I have been to London a number of times before but never to Southampton. Rotterdam would be new, as I’ve only flown through Amsterdam. Thank you.

OP- HAL’s newer ships do have some cabins specifically geared towards solo travelers. If you can find a sailing from San Diego or LA, this might give you more of the atmosphere you are looking for while still not being luxury ship prices.

I am also wondering about the formal dress code, even after reading the policy. I have never sailed on HAL before but I have 2 cruises booked in the next year. The first is a 7 night Caribbean sailing and the second is a 14 night Norwegian fjords cruise next summer. I was wondering if the longer sailing might tend to see more formal attire versus the Caribbean on average? I’m trying to pack a bit lighter for Europe if I can.

Has anyone stayed in one of these cabins on the Valor? I'm trying to find out if there is a sofa or only chairs for a sitting area. I've seen a couple of different sets of pictures of some of the odd shaped cabins at the back of the main deck on the Conquest class ships, but they seem to conflict. Maybe one set was mislabeled. If anyone has pictures, I would love to see them.