Back from the Zuiderdam's Viking Passage -- some thoughts on our first HAL cruise

[shudie]

I could count on one hand the number of kids on board. Also, as you are probably aware, the adult demographic on a trip like this is seniors (of which I am one :D ).

 

 

 

Thanks! My mum is coming also... she is a senior but a better social life than us lol.

 

 

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[Turtles06]

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this thread and for posting your very kind comments!

 

Just got caught up! I enjoyed your review and loved the pictures! Thank you Turtle.

 

Thank you! And I enjoyed your "almost live" report from the cruise following ours, especially having just been on the same ship!

[idiebabe]

HAL put us up in the Scandic Front...which is a short walk to Nyhavn and other nice landmarks. We feel it was a great location and no bell tower!

 

We also stayed at Scandic Front but booked on our own and also thought it was a great location. We did a Canal Boat Tour with "Hey, Captain" which was really nice and it was close to the Scandic Front. Only 12 passengers and they served Beer, Wine, Soda, etc.

[Turtles06]

Judith,

 

 

Which tour did you enjoy most out of Reykjavik? The Golden Circle tour or the South Coast tour? We're there next summer and only have one day there and I'm not sure which one would be best. I know there is a lot of driving to do the South Coast tour, but it sounds spectacular!

 

My wife and I had the same reaction to these two tours -- not even a close call for us, the South Coast tour was far more spectacular. They are both full days (and tiring), but the South Coast is even longer. We thought it was well worth the time.

 

Is your one day in Reykjavik on a ship? If so, there may not be time for the South Coast. (And I feel bad for those doing the Viking Passage next summer, as HAL has shortened the second day in Reykjavik to a 2pm departure, making it pretty much impossible to do both the South Coast and Golden Circle tours on those two days.)

 

Judith

[Radbooks]

 

Is your one day in Reykjavik on a ship? If so, there may not be time for the South Coast. (And I feel bad for those doing the Viking Passage next summer, as HAL has shortened the second day in Reykjavik to a 2pm departure, making it pretty much impossible to do both the South Coast and Golden Circle tours on those two days.)

 

Judith

 

Yes, we're doing the Rotterdam on a 30 day cruise to Norway, Iceland, and then the Baltics. We're in Reykjavik one day from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. Do you think that is enough time to do the South Coast? I think it would have to be a private tour, so that could make it dicey to get back in time! :)

 

Thanks!

[Turtles06]

Yes, we're doing the Rotterdam on a 30 day cruise to Norway, Iceland, and then the Baltics. We're in Reykjavik one day from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. Do you think that is enough time to do the South Coast? I think it would have to be a private tour, so that could make it dicey to get back in time! :)

 

Thanks!

 

We did the South Coast tour on our first day in Reykjavik, a private tour with GeoIceland (they are fabulous and I can't recommend them more highly). A 19-seat mini-bus, I think we had 18 on board. We left at about 9am, and were back on board between 6:30-7:00 PM.

[Radbooks]

We did the South Coast tour on our first day in Reykjavik, a private tour with GeoIceland (they are fabulous and I can't recommend them more highly). A 19-seat mini-bus, I think we had 18 on board. We left at about 9am, and were back on board between 6:30-7:00 PM.

 

Oh, I've been looking at them and it sounds doable. Thanks for your help with this! It's a huge trip and having never been to any of the ports there is a lot of research to do. :)

[Crusin-Suzan]

My wife and I had the same reaction to these two tours -- not even a close call for us, the South Coast tour was far more spectacular. They are both full days (and tiring), but the South Coast is even longer. We thought it was well worth the time.

 

Is your one day in Reykjavik on a ship? If so, there may not be time for the South Coast. (And I feel bad for those doing the Viking Passage next summer, as HAL has shortened the second day in Reykjavik to a 2pm departure, making it pretty much impossible to do both the South Coast and Golden Circle tours on those two days.)

 

Judith

I know we feel cheated on our next July VOV! Any suggestions for our short day??? Were there tour hawkers on the pier??? Could do Blue Lagoon thru the ship but 350$ seems steep to jump in water for an hour!!!

[Turtles06]

I know we feel cheated on our next July VOV! Any suggestions for our short day??? Were there tour hawkers on the pier??? Could do Blue Lagoon thru the ship but 350$ seems steep to jump in water for an hour!!!

 

Sorry, I don't know if there were tour hawkers on the pier since we weren't looking for any (but on the day the ship is leaving, I personally wouldn't trust anyone I hadn't vetted). One thing you might want to do if you haven't done so already is contact some of the reputable private tour operators (like GeoIceland) and see what they might be able to come up with for your shorter day. Don't forget, you can leave pretty early in the morning, since you'll already be docked.

 

Is HAL really charging $350 pp for the Blue Lagoon? I assume that includes the entrance fee; even so, that does seem like a lot! Are there any other HAL tours offered yet for that second day? (I know it might be too early.)

 

Of course one possibility is to spend that second morning wandering around Reykjavik itself . . .

[idiebabe]

I know we feel cheated on our next July VOV! Any suggestions for our short day??? Were there tour hawkers on the pier??? Could do Blue Lagoon thru the ship but 350$ seems steep to jump in water for an hour!!!

 

We did the Golden Circle on the first day with GeoIceland (they were very good as Judith noted) and did a 3 hour Reykjavik City Highlights Tour through the Ship on the 2nd day. It was very enjoyable and a nice way to see the Highlights of the City including Turf Houses. We initially were going to do both South Coast on first day and Golden Circle on second day and really glad we only did the one. They are long and tiring days especially with so many Ports in a Row.

 

We loved the Golden Circle Tour and hope to do this Cruise again and do the South Coast Tour. :)

[TomBeckCruise]

I know we feel cheated on our next July VOV! Any suggestions for our short day??? Were there tour hawkers on the pier??? Could do Blue Lagoon thru the ship but 350$ seems steep to jump in water for an hour!!!

Yes, there were cabs and vans offering tours. They were right behind a small welcome center/gift shop. They were holding up signs offering their services.

If you decide to use one you will want to make sure they understand and speak English.

[Crusin-Suzan]

Sorry, I don't know if there were tour hawkers on the pier since we weren't looking for any (but on the day the ship is leaving, I personally wouldn't trust anyone I hadn't vetted). One thing you might want to do if you haven't done so already is contact some of the reputable private tour operators (like GeoIceland) and see what they might be able to come up with for your shorter day. Don't forget, you can leave pretty early in the morning, since you'll already be docked.

 

Is HAL really charging $350 pp for the Blue Lagoon? I assume that includes the entrance fee; even so, that does seem like a lot! Are there any other HAL tours offered yet for that second day? (I know it might be too early.)

 

Of course one possibility is to spend that second morning wandering around Reykjavik itself . . .

 

 

No Judith that was for both of us but still pricey!!! That was my thought just wandering around!!! But I am sure it must get light out early so will also look at GeoIceland!

[kevingastreich]

I know we feel cheated on our next July VOV! Any suggestions for our short day??? Were there tour hawkers on the pier??? Could do Blue Lagoon thru the ship but 350$ seems steep to jump in water for an hour!!!

We used the HOHO Bus (approx. $20pp) and it was a great way to see the city. It does a pretty big route and you can get it right there at the pier although that is a very popular stop so you may have to get in line and "get the next one" especially if there is more than one ship in port at the time. They came by about every 30 minutes starting at 8am.

[Copper10-8]

We used the HOHO Bus (approx. $20pp) and it was a great way to see the city. It does a pretty big route and you can get it right there at the pier although that is a very popular stop so you may have to get in line and "get the next one" especially if there is more than one ship in port at the time. They came by about every 30 minutes starting at 8am.

 

We used the HOHO also last month on a land vacation to the Big Apple. Just be aware of the "blue shirted" ticket scalpers for anything from the viewing venue on top of the Empire State to bus tickets. There have been lots of complaints launched against these "fine folks". Got into it with one of them who wound up challenging me to a fight ;p. Stick with the official HOHO guides and drivers and you'll have a good time seeing NYC

[Nanpat]

Enjoyed your review and pictures. Thanks

[Ken the cruiser]

Great review! Just curious as there were a lot of sea days, did HAL offer a wide variety of things to keep you busy? Also, because it was a longer cruise, did they have professional lecturers onboard with interesting topics speaking in the morning and/or afternoon on the scheduled sea days?

Edited February 19, 2020 by Ken the cruiser

[cruisemom42]

I am booked on this cruise for the August 2020 trip.  Read your review with interest and I am wondering if you would feel comfortable providing info on the private guides/tours you used?  I am behind the game in planning for this cruise as it is a replacement choice for having to cancel my April Westerdam sailing around Japan.

 

I am particularly interested in seeing Viking ruins in Greenland from our two ports there: Qaqortoq and Nanortalik. I know it is possible from both, but HAL doesn't seem to offer anything and I am having difficulty getting in contact with local providers. 

 

I'm also interested in other ports as well but my first priority is figuring out Greenland.

 

If you don't feel comfortable posting the info here, please feel free to email me at cruisemom42.AT.gmail.com (replacing the AT with @). 

 

Thanks for any help from you or anyone else with potential leads!

 

 

 

[sail7seas]

Wonderfiul overview of Copenhagen One of my favorite cities.  We visited  a number of times  and particularly enjoyed staying at Hotel D'Angleterre.   great location and lovely hotel.

 

Shopping at Stroget, a street only  for pedestrians

 

Dinner at  St.  Gertrude's K loster

Edited March 23, 2020 by sail7seas

[rnvaniderstine]

@cruisemom42 My husband and I were on this cruise in 2018 and it is probably in our top 5 of cruises.  There was one excursion in particular that we took in Isafjordur that I can't recommend enough.  It was with Superjeep Adventure Tours, www.ibctravel.is, and we participated in the Svalogar Circle Sightseeing Tour.  This tour is not for the faint of heart, but you will see some of the most breathtaking scenery imaginable!  Also, there will be some heart pounding points where you sure do hope the driver knows what he is doing and has really good tires on the Jeep 😆.

 

I remember that we had the same issues as you are having in our Greenland ports.  There really wasn't any excursions being offered and there wasn't any private excursions that I could find.  We ended up getting off the ship and just wandering around mostly.  Most of the villages/towns are quite small but most of the time the locals had set up for selling local wares and such.  There was one port that had an open air museum that was worth the price of admission.

 

Hope this helps!

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, rnvaniderstine said:

@cruisemom42 My husband and I were on this cruise in 2018 and it is probably in our top 5 of cruises.  There was one excursion in particular that we took in Isafjordur that I can't recommend enough.  It was with Superjeep Adventure Tours, www.ibctravel.is, and we participated in the Svalogar Circle Sightseeing Tour.  This tour is not for the faint of heart, but you will see some of the most breathtaking scenery imaginable!  Also, there will be some heart pounding points where you sure do hope the driver knows what he is doing and has really good tires on the Jeep 😆.

 

I remember that we had the same issues as you are having in our Greenland ports.  There really wasn't any excursions being offered and there wasn't any private excursions that I could find.  We ended up getting off the ship and just wandering around mostly.  Most of the villages/towns are quite small but most of the time the locals had set up for selling local wares and such.  There was one port that had an open air museum that was worth the price of admission.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Great tips, thank you!!  I will look into the Iceland excursion for sure. 

 

With Greenland it is a bit frustrating as I KNOW there are sights nearby that I want to see, just am unable to figure out HOW to get to them!

 

[BarbinMich]

We've been to Greenland three times on fall TAs and one reason there aren't many, if any, land excursions offered is that there aren't roads connecting any of the ports and the latter are have small populations.  The first time we were in Nuuk (the capital) several of us on the RC went looking for birds even tho it was snowing--saw at least one not found in the US.  We have also stopped in Qaqortoq (a beautiful sunny day and I enjoyed walking around town and viewing the mountains surrounding it).  On another cruise we were scheduled to stop in Nanortalik, a tender port, but there was an large iceberg "parked" where the captain planned to anchor.  Got lots of up-close photos of the berg!  The captain took the ship part-way up Prins Christian Sound (acutally a fjord) which was beautiful since we couldn't stop at Nanortalik.