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@krb1000 I have been reading your posts here and on your blog. Your pictures of Venice are some of the best I have seen! Wow! Your joie de vivre is so refreshing and inspiring!! 🙂 Thank you for posting and I will be reading along and anticipating my next cruise on Crystal! ~Nancy

I will definitely report back here during/after the Castor trip. There isn't a lot of information here on Cruise Critic about Havila so I will offer my impressions to help all you folks who have helped me and others to decide on what to do in Norway. ~Nancy

"Option" is the key word for me. I don't like announcements by the cruise director in general and certainly don't want to hear them in my cabin! If I want to know what time bingo starts, or what movie is playing today I can read the Daily or look at the Navigator App, thank you! 🙄 I do want to hear the captain's daily announcement but not in the cabin except on the TV Bow Cam channel. Options! ~Nancy

I can answer for myself: on my June sailing I will be up past midnight in the Havblikk Lounge enjoying the scenery with the Midnight Sun! The sights are why I am sailing! ~Nancy

Yes, they had both started the route as of the end of August! I watch some reviews and pictures on the Havila Facebook groups. So far things seem to be going smoothly! Already several Aurora Borealis sightings along the coast. Will you go on a winter trip? ~Nancy

I agree, except on the ships without a Tamarind, then Pinnacle Grill will likely be the venue. And, yes, it's Morimoto! (Not Matsumoto) 🫢 ~Nancy

The previous pop-up restaurants ended in October 2022. If the new Matsumoto pop ups are the same, the restaurant (Pinnacle Grill) will be dedicated to the pop-up menu that evening and the other menu will not be available. As of right now, except on some "Grand Cruises" and special holiday meals this one is the only one being advertised. It was always available ahead of the cruise for reservations on the specific date. Now you can sleep well tonight!! 😁 ~Nancy

I think that would be fine. I had the misfortune of my dress shoes breaking on day two of my last Crystal cruise in 2019. The shop didn't have any of the ballet flats that fit me. I had to wear my white walking shoes/sneakers/trainers for the rest of the trip. (We had just departed from Valparaiso, Chile. Not many shoe shopping opportunities on Easter Island or Pitcairn!!) I saw a couple folks "notice" my feet the first couple nights but after that nobody batted an eye. I wonder if people thought I wore them to dinner intentionally. I got over the embarrassment quickly though! 🤷‍♀️ ~Nancy

The link in my post #9 has the list of all the Cruise Lines that OneSpaWorld is on.

One Spa World is now the name of what was called Steiner previously. They manage the spas on many mainstream and luxury ships. Spas at Sea - OneSpaWorld My limited experience with them is that they were "OK" but I have never left feeling like I received the level of service that my dollars paid for. Only when I have excess OBC will I pay their excessive prices. They have the at sea monopoly so no competition. I will say that on Crystal I have not had even a hint of "hard sell" for products after my treatment like people report from other cruise lines. I do appreciate that! Has Crystal instructed them to lay off the sales pitch, I wonder? If so that it a good thing! My two cents on ship spas..... ~Nancy

The Cafe is open most of the day. The food is included if you are on the voyages but I'm not sure if that will be true after the anniversary year cruises. Food looks delicious and from reports on Cruise Critic and Facebook, it is! I can't wait to go! Here are the current menus from the Havila website. Opening hours 08:00 – 22:00 with adaptations to the sailing route. Coffee machines on the ship, mineral water and snacks at reception. You can also buy single meals in the Havrand restaurant. Havly Cafe - Havila Kystruten (havilavoyages.com) Havila Food Stories - Havila Kystruten (havilavoyages.com) Does @Flyinby or anyone else know if the Havly Cafe food will be included next year for those on full voyages?

Well Hooray!! It sure seemed like something that Windstar could/should be able to resolve. I imagine that there have been quite a few guests that wanted to use that third berth in the beautiful large Owner's suite! Kudos to @MNgardens for noticing the X on the deck plan! I just noticed this on the Owner's Suite deck plan diagram key also, which explains why the main bed couldn't be moved: "• One Queen Size Bed Only (No Twin Option)" I wish you and your sister a wonderful cruise and pleasant sleeps on board! ~Nancy

It is. Not what passengers want. Management is aware that people want better entertainment so now we need to see what they do about that. HAL is upping their game in the MDR based on the info that just came out today about the new fresh offerings. That's one step forward!

I agree @Reagan0712. It sounds like a driving tour only. @liberty176 The details and screenshot were perfect information for people here on CC to give you the information you are seeking! Thanks for that. If you prefer to go on the independent tour in the smaller van, have you asked them if they will adjust the tour time based on the ship's arrival. Most operators that cater to ships do this. They should also offer a full refund (if you pre-paid) if the ship does not arrive for some reason. Consider signing up for the HAL tour if you really want to see those locations. You can cancel it a couple of days before (24 hours? It varies. Check HAL cancellation policy) if the private tour turns out to be your better option. ETA - Oops....posted at same time as @Sea42! ~Nancy

This looks like a great addition and positive step forward! I do think the cost is a bit steep though if the reports are that it is "good". If it's really "excellent", then I will try it next May on the Zuiderdam. We shall see!! 😉

Ok. I got to the excursions but need the Port of Call to search further. That's where details in your question are important! 😉 Dates? Ship? There is no Heimaey listed. I can search way better with all the info to filter out the 179 pages of excursions! Obviously, I haven't taken this tour, but I may be able to help with general info with those details in hand! ~Nancy

@liberty176 Please give a little more detail on your cruise and we can offer more information specifically about your excursion. Is it possible that the link won't open because it was in the OPs "Manage My Cruise" area and not visible to everyone??? ~Nancy

Hello @TER777! I've been watching to see when you were on board. How are things going with the dance host availability as well as the venues and types of music for dancing? Have a great time!! ~Nancy

I would think there would be a "way" if they wanted to. It doesn't seem like it would be difficult to move a single bed into the suite from an unoccupied cabin. The beds in many of the other cabins split into two singles. I wonder what the reason is for the pushback on having a rollaway bed or something. Did they give you an explanation? Maybe I'm missing something about the logistics. I'm just curious why they don't want to accommodate the customer. ~Nancy

Thank you for the information. This separation of the branding does make sense since they really are completely different experiences marketing to a vastly different audience. ~Nancy

I haven't been on NCL or RCCl since 1990 so other than what I have read about I don't know what they have. I know HAL and Crystal only (for now). Here is my HAL evening entertainment experience: Main Theater. I'll break it down a little. - There are no large dance production shows. - The Step One dance company has about six dancers to prerecorded music. 2-3 shows per week - There are no Broadway type productions - Occasionally there is a Magician. - Most cruises there is at least one comedian (1 or 2 shows per week). - Some cruises there may be a Classical Quartet (this is a new and developing program) - There is usually a singing group show. It varies but maybe a male foursome. - Occasionally there is a guest instrumentalist. Piano, guitar, other? It varies also. - BBC Nature Movie on the main stage possibly - A fairly current Movie on the main stage MAYBE in the non Pinnacle class ships (those have a large movie screen in the Lido Pool area) If you want the large-scale production shows on your cruises than HAL is not the line for you. HAL has smaller and more "laid back" ships. Any other questions? I hope this helps, ~Nancy

I'm a bit surprised that the couch isn't a sofa bed in that huge suite. Most large suites on ships I am familiar with (larger ships) do put sofa beds in their large special suites. Maybe email Windstar and ask if it is a sofa bed. It looks like such a gorgeous suite for your big cruise with your sister! There must me a solution that Windstar can come up with!! Please let us know what you are able to arrange. ~Nancy

What exactly do you mean by "main theater shows"? There are entertainment shows in the main theaters as described in previous posts. The entertainment has been described in the best way I can think of in post #2. The other ships seem to offer pretty much the same main stage shows based on reviews here on CC. The larger Pinnacle ships do have more choices for evening music and restaurants than the smaller ships. Maybe you could elaborate on what you want to know about the shows that hasn't been explained. I'll try to answer! ~Nancy

I'm not @lyndarra but definitely jam first then huge gobs of clotted cream!!! 😁 ~Nancy

Here's a visual showing the suggestion. Welcome to Cruise Critic @rosie2025! ~Nancy