DCL Platinum Tries HAL Norway

[honeybeesmom]

We just returned from a fabulous HAL 14 night cruise to Norway( Voyage of the Midnight Sun). It was wonderful!!!

Just let me start off by saying that my husband and I were nervous to try another cruise line as we have just cruised Disney. We also travelled with our 18 DD. But a an amazing surprise the M.S Koningsdam was! This ship is just a few years old and it was beautiful!

We had a verandah room for three adults with a free drink pkg(alcohol ,water ,pop and smoothies up to 15 a person a day) and it was $12000.00 Canadian and since I booked through Costco we also received a $760.00 OBC,which paid by our gratuities. An awesome price since we were priced out from Disney for Norway and Disney didn't go to some of these places.

It was a great but busy itinerary but so worth it. Nine ports in total. We chose this cruise due to all of these beautiful places. We even crossed the Artic Circle to Honningsvag.

The dining options were plentiful and very tasty. Some of the best cruise food we have had up to date. The Lido area had soooo many varieties were so happy with. From Chinese (& stir fry) Salad Bar, fresh pasta, sandwiches ,hot options ...The pool deck area had amazing burgers, hot dogs & fries. Up one more deck you can get delicious made to order pizza, sandwiches Lays chips ect. We were almost able to try something different every day. Dining room we had second seating @ 8:15 with the same servers and it was again fantastic! Some nights we just ate in the Lido area as we just wanted to relax.

Staff were very friendly & helpful. Ship was very clean. Was great a pool area with a retractable roof so you could use it all the time. Lounges up another deck with privacy curtains between. Loved everything about it except some of entertainment. No movies by the pool in the afternoon, but lovely shows with some amazing dancers!!! They also had Magicians, singers and ect.

All in all absolutely LOVED it!

 

[KashasMom]

Thanks for sharing. Sounds like a fantastic itinerary! Love the food options and retractable roof over the pool!

 

[lilsonicfan]

Thanks for sharing your review! I have heard some great things about HAL (although - they also seem to be a bit hit or miss with some itineraries). $12,000 CAD for 14 days in Norway sounds like a great price!

 

[GPaLarry]

Any door decorations, characters, princesses, FEs, etc.? Pixie dust might be in short supply, too. I agree that some of DCL's itineraries are limited...only so much you can do with four ships. Each cruise line is unique and has its pros and cons. $$$ is certainly a factor, as well as a casino (where some of the $$$ saved tends to go). Research them all, look at what you can afford, when you can get time off, etc. and sign up. There are plenty of land tour options available, too. We love to travel and include the Mouse in most of our trips. Approach each new adventure with an open mind and enjoy what you can. If things go sideways, alter your travel plans in the future.

 

[Intr3pid]

Extended Norway itineraries are fantastic. Unlike the Iceland cruises, you have great ports all the way to and from.

Once the new Disney ships arrive and if they put one to do Northern Europe exclusively for 4 months, I hope they hammer out a 10+ day Norway itinerary. Would love to see DCL's swing on the Lofoten Islands and even the North Cape. I'm sure it will cost a kidney or two.

 

[honeybeesmom]

Thanks, it was an amazing trip! We did not see any door decorations or FEs. We usually don't take part in this on Disney. Honestly I was quite surprised that we Loved it so much! It was Wow!!! We are still talking about the delicious food.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Sounds fabulous! My “kids” are grown now, too, so characters & dance parties aren’t as much a priority anymore. Even on NCL for our younger son’s graduation cruise we did fun door decor. Lots of crew & guests congatulated him. I did the currency conversion on that price and, whoa, that’s a good deal. Out of curiosity, was that a balcony room? I’ll go look up that ship. I’ve done 3 RCI cruises/3 ships, 3 NCL cruises/2 ships, & 17 DCL cruises/4 ships. I love the nostalgia of Disney and we all savor every visit to Castaway. But, we’ve had all equally fantastic cruises on other lines, too. It’s so fun to try & discover new things! So glad you had a good time.

 

[honeybeesmom]

Hi, thanks for your kind words. We just sailed on the Wonder this past February for our DD 18 Bday. We have sailed on the Wonder 8 times and have gotten to know some of the servers very well. They spoiled our daughter on her BDay. We have sailed on all 4 ships but the Wonder holds special place in our hearts. Sorry, we always make door decorations but we haven't participated in an FE. Yes it was a balcony room ,VE category Deck 7. I believe that HAL will have a Brand new ship doing this Norway cruise next year, I think this ship starts to sail in December. We are thinking of HAL for Iceland in a few years. But for now we are booked on the Magic for EBTA in May and very excited about it

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Thank you so much for sharing your amazing experience!! So glad you loved it! YAY!!

 

[dcassetta]

Glad you had such a good time. Last summer's Alaska cruise we took on HAL, and it was really terrific. I love the beautiful style of their ships, and how they have a dark hull, just like Disney.