Reviews from those who have taken Holland America's Voyage of the Vikings

[Love2travelworldwide]

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

[OlsSalt]

We did the full round trip VOV last August (2017) and loved it.

 

Don't know if you are wedded to the route from Boston to Rotterdam, or vice versa if you are taking just one leg.

 

I would be hard for me to pick one leg of this trip over the other, if I had to break it up. But certainly going from Rotterdam to Boston would be more "authentic" if one wanted to follow the Vikings and pay homage to their lone North American colony at L'Anse aux Meadows. No one knows why they suddenly left Greenland 500 years later, so hard to know what their authentic departure route was or where they ended up - back to Iceland, on to Europe or back to North America.

 

Timing for the best chance to do the full passage across the Prince Christian sound near the bottom of Greenland is also a consideration when choosing this route. Assuming the cruise later in the season would the better. We could not go all the way through on the first leg because things were still iced up, but were able to do the full transit on our trip back several weeks later.

[IslandThyme]

Prince Christian Sound is one of the wonders of the natural world, and its beauty won't last forever in our changing climate. I loved every moment of the VOV, but cruising through there was definitely one of the highest highlights.

[OlsSalt]

Prince Christian Sound is one of the wonders of the natural world, and its beauty won't last forever in our changing climate. I loved every moment of the VOV, but cruising through there was definitely one of the highest highlights.

 

When you read The Greenlanders and explore this area's history a bit more you learn this area was much warmer and they raised crops and chickens along the Prince Christian Sound a few centuries ago. Climate has been changing for a long time, back and forth in this area too. They speculate it was global cooling at that time that made the land unproductive for those original Viking settlers who did manage to thrive for 500 years

 

......an enterprising Icelander named Erik the Red led several ships to Greenland around 985 C.E. The Norse eventually established two settlements, with hundreds of farms and more than 3000 settlers at their peak. But by 1400, the settlement on the island's western coast had been abandoned, according to radiocarbon dates, and by 1450 the inhabitants in the Eastern Settlement on the island's southern tip were gone as well...........

[Love2travelworldwide]

Thanks for your prompt response. In 2019 we would take only the leg of VOV from Boston departing July 30th and arriving in Rotterdam on August 16th. The ship is switched from the Rotterdam to the Zuiderdam, which I have read is somewhat larger. If so, leaving later in the summer may be advantageous for maneuverability if there is less ice to dodge in tight areas.

[richwmn]

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/

[Love2travelworldwide]

Just saw your post. Thanks so much for sending me such a comprehensive list of people who have experienced the VOV cruise offered by Holland America. I will work my way through the postings. I am currently reading post #2 - Lana's Travels which is an amazing and comprehensive diary of the complete, round trip 2018 voyage which is taking place currently. I was taken aback by how much of the trip has been negatively impacted scheduled stopovers to more remote destinations along the way. Skipped stopovers in Newfoundland, Labrador and Greenland - yikes! I must consider this reality before I book such a cruise.

 

I certainly appreciate your effort - Love2travelworldwide

[OlsSalt]

Just saw your post. Thanks so much for sending me such a comprehensive list of people who have experienced the VOV cruise offered by Holland America. I will work my way through the postings. I am currently reading post #2 - Lana's Travels which is an amazing and comprehensive diary of the complete, round trip 2018 voyage which is taking place currently. I was taken aback by how much of the trip has been negatively impacted scheduled stopovers to more remote destinations along the way. Skipped stopovers in Newfoundland, Labrador and Greenland - yikes! I must consider this reality before I book such a cruise.

 

I certainly appreciate your effort - Love2travelworldwide

 

This is the North Atlantic. It is rugged territory. Got to take what gets handed to you in this part of the world. Which is part of the "Viking" experience. We had to miss Halifax on the way back to Boston due to very high winds on our VOV. Plus a workaround on our first pass into Prince Christian Sound. Second pass was fine. The rest of the ports were all good. (August/Sep 2017)

[rkacruiser]

Reading previous experiences, I have been fortunate to experience Prinz Christian Sund 3x. Once on the Eurodam's re-positioning voyage to New York and then in both directions during my VOV on the Amsterdam. Truly, a highlight of both cruises!

 

On the Eurodam, while viewing the scenery from my seat at the Crow's Nest Bar, I asked my bartender if he had sailed in Antarctica. He said, "Yes". I then asked how this scenery compared to Antarctica. "It's comparable, but still different in its own way." After having sailed this Winter in Antarctica, I agree.

 

Prinz Christian Sund has its own beauty/magnificence just as Antarctica does.

[sansterre]

We just got off the Rotterdam Voyage of the Vikings 2018. It was wonderful. Yes, the North Atlantic is subject to wind and fog situations that prevent some port days. However, for us, another sea day is fun and interesting. We enjoyed the cruise so much that while on VOV 2018, we signed up for the VOV 2019. Hopefully, we will make Red Bay, Labrador and Parmut, Greenland this time. If not, we will enjoy the day and look forward to the cruise to the next exciting port.

[roberts2005]

A quick question about pricing. When I looked at next years VOV, the one way prices Boston to Europe seemed over the top.

 

Any feedback on this?

[richwmn]

A quick question about pricing. When I looked at next years VOV, the one way prices Boston to Europe seemed over the top.

 

Any feedback on this?

If you think the prices are over the top, try looking at the price as a single. Having said that, there were about 15 singles on this years VoV counting Cruise Critic Roll Call Members alone. I watched the prices pretty closely and they didn't go down. For me, it was worth the price.

[RuthC]

A quick question about pricing. When I looked at next years VOV, the one way prices Boston to Europe seemed over the top.

 

Any feedback on this?

Since this cruise is offered only once a year, and typically sells out quickly, there is no reason for there to be lower prices. HAL gets what they want on it.

 

Back in the beginning, when it was first offered from NYC, HAL practically couldn't give it away. There were huge price reductions at the end. That was back in 2003, and I haven't seen that happen since.

[DeepWaterMariner]

I've heard the VOV called HALs most popular cruise. Its always a sellout and is priced that way.

 

In 2015 on the VOV we were cruising Prinz Christian Sund and had to make an early exit due to an ice warning. We spent the afternoon stuck in an ice field making about 1 knot an hour. One of my most memorable days on a cruise. We got the full transit of Prinz Christian Sund on the way back to Boston. Last year we couldn't get into the Sund due to ice (not the VOV but on a Rotterdam crossing).