Two Different Ships

After spending close to a month on the NCL Getaway and HAL Zuiderdam in May of 2017, I am trying to come up with some pros and cons about these two ships. This is a subjective issue and I am sure it is just my personal preference according to my own interests and experience. Just like the saying "any cruise is better than no cruise at all", I am glad that we were on these cruises even though they may not be perfect.

NCL Getaway is a 145,665 tons mega ship built in 2014, a much newer ship definitely. The capacity is 3,965 passengers and 1,646 crew total. This huge ship is like a city of itself. There are tons of restaurants and dining options and its action packed with water slides, mini golf, and rope courses, etc.

Like a tall building.

Pros:

1. Lots of places to spend your on board time

With tons of activities on board, passengers will have a hard time being bored. Just walking from one end of the ship to the other end is entertaining enough. Other than our stateroom, our favorite place to be on the ship, we enjoyed the Waterfront on deck 8. It was very relaxing with a great view of the ocean.

           

Waterfront

2. Variety of restaurants
Other than the complimentary main dining rooms like Savor and Taste, plus the buffet where one can get endless choices of food, there are other venues where you can enjoy a meal that maybe a little out of the ordinary. Shanghai Noodle Bar was one of the little eateries that serves Asian fares on board. Food was quite decent, coming from this Asian. I especially enjoyed their Singapore noodle which was very authentic. We tried the Shui Mai once but that did not impress us. Egg roll was good and the desserts were good even though they were not Asian type. We also liked the steak house 'Cagney's ' which we went three times on this trip. Moderno was fun and their salad bar was outstanding. We never got into Le Bistro, which was booked solid on this 16-day cruise. I can't see how people can get a table in there on a one-week cruise.

Salad bar in Moderno

3. Comfortable cabins

Our aft balcony cabin was wonderful! The huge balcony made it into a private hide-away for us. Room was of good size with comfortable and sleek furniture. That was why we stayed in our room

most of the days!

our aft balcony

4. Studio cabins for singles

Getaway is one of those ships that has many single studios that sold out fast on any given cruise.

These studios are mainly in the middle of the ship, so there is no ocean view but they have their own lounges, etc. Great to meet and mingle with other single travelers and not having to pay for single supplement like on most other cruise ships.

Studio Lounge

5. Up-to-date decor

Not sure if this is a good thing or bad for others, but the modern feel of this ship made it more of an active atmosphere as far as I am concern. The fresh, new decor gives this ship a hip looking place of fun and adventure.

deck 6

Cons:
1. Wait, wait, and wait some more

With close to 4,000 people on board, you are expected to wait for everything. Not fun, especially when you are on vacation. You wait for the table when you show up for meals at the dining room, you wait to be served, and you wait to get your answers. Patience is the key!

Be patient!

2. Long lines
If there is one thing that reminds me of this cruise, it has to be the long lines! OMG! Those long lines can be one, two, three, or even more hours worth. They can take you from the back of the ship, up to the front of the ship, then back to the aft of the ship again! You get in those long lines to get on and off the ship, to get through immigration check, to get into the theater, to get in the dining room. Hopefully, things have worked out after our transatlantic cruise. People missed getting in port, missed their tours, etc. not a pretty scene!

long lines

3. Poor management

It could have been that this was the ship's first sailing to northern Europe and things have not been well-thought of. With the problems on board, there seemed to be no one taking up the responsibilities of what was going on. "Please do not go to the service desk ...I will not be answering questions..." was part of what the captain's announcement when a port was cancelled. That was the first time I heard that kind of tone from any officer on a cruise ship. It was very unorganized when dealing with all the problems on board. Maybe it had gotten better, but it was definitely not well-received. Some passengers opted to leave the ship early at Southampton because 'I just don't trust this captain.' was what one lady told me.

4. Less personal

As in all situation with many people, there are few personal interaction between crew and passengers on this big ship. Officers and crew seemed to be a little less interested and sometimes not very courteous. I must say that the cruise director was excellent in trying to make everyone enjoying their cruise experience and the young assistants were all very involved and active. We were lucky to have Nelson who took care of our every needs in the main dining room whenever we requested for him. Our experience differed when we had other servers though. We are easy to pleased, so we tried our best to make our cruise experience a good one nevertheless.

5. Small and Ugly Theater

I have to say that this was the ugliest theater I have seen on any cruise ship. For the size of passengers, I don't understand why they built a theater so small. Making reservations seemed to be a must-do.

HAL Zuiderdam is a 82,305 tons mid-size ship built in 2002, the first in HAL vista class ships. The capacity is about 2,000 passengers, so it's half the size of NCL Getaway. Since this is an older ship that had been refurbished during the 2015 dry-dock, it maintains the classic feel of a cruise ship but lacks the extra amenities that the newer ships have.

Pros:
1. Classic

It was more like a classy cruise ship experience when stepping onto this ship. The decor was not flashy and loud the whole atmosphere was relaxing and calm. Just the type of feelings I like.

Waterford crystal seahorse at the Atrium

2. Less crowded
A mid-size ship that has much less passengers than the Getaway. Other than meal times, we barely bump into crowds. For me at least, that's a good thing!

Theater

3. Lots of quiet public space
There is always a quiet corner at the public space around the ship where you can sit and enjoy the view out the ocean. Other than the Crow's Nest, where most people would gathered, it's easy
to just sit and relax on board.

Empty lounges

4. Wonderful ports of call
This was a port intensive cruise with only one sea day. We got to all the ports of call on the itinerary and we just had a grand time visiting all of these wonderful ports. We did not miss any activities or amenities of a mega ship with such itinerary.

Flam, Norway

5. Personable courteous crew
All the staff and crew were courteous and polite. The captain made his appearance whenever
necessary. We saw him at the buffet, the gangway, and many other places around the ship. All the crew members that we have encountered were friendly and helpful.

Courteous crew

Cons:
1. Smaller cabins
Our cabin was very tight after the 3rd bed (couch) was opened, making it difficult to move around. Good thing we weren't in our cabin that much with such a busy itinerary. We really liked the floor to ceiling window in this obstructed ocean-view room though.

2. Short dining hours (buffet)
When coming back on board later in the afternoon, there are not many choices left at the buffet for
lunch as they close off most of their food stations. Fortunately, a bowl of freshly made salad and a
Canon-ball burger (yum!) from the grill would be good enough for me.

Lido

3. Less on board activities
There were some small group activities, including a red-wine painting class that I attended, but not much available like the big ships as far as mini-golf, rope courses, and games etc. I was told that even those activities are being cut in the near future. Computer classes sponsored by Microsoft are very popular and sometimes need to get in line early for a seat. With our port intensive itinerary it really did not bother us much. We did enjoy the music around the ship though, especially the classical music in the Explorers Lounge every evening.

Looking back at these two very different ships, I personally liked the HAL Zuiderdam better than the NCL Getaway. I found myself busy 'working' on the Getaway, planning on the dining venues, booking tables, or getting in line for whatever reasons. It got to the point of being stressful instead of relaxing. On one day, I had to go down and check with Le Bistro four times to see if they had anyone cancelling that evening. It seemed like we were in line, or waiting for everything! 

On the Zuiderdam, I was totally relaxed. We just had to show up at the set time and everything was waiting for us. This made a big difference for me as I was the planner for our group of nine. 

To sum it up, I think a mega ship like the Getaway is a good choice for longer cruise with many sea days, like this transatlantic cruise that we took. The sea days would provide ample opportunities to enjoy all the ships amenities. The Zuiderdam is a good ship for port-intensive cruises where you would be in port everyday and coming back for an evening of relaxation without much needs for on board activities or entertainment. But, I will take any cruise, anywhere, anytime if I have a chance.

Debarkation, Copenhagen, and Norwegian Air

HAL Zuiderdam Debarkation and a Day in Copenhagen

Monday May 29, 2017

Weather: Cloudy

Time to leave this beautiful ship and we were dragging our feet and tried to stay as long as we could on board. After our last breakfast in the main dining room, we gathered our things and waited in our cabins for the announcement to get off the ship. We picked the last available slot to leave because we were not in any hurry to get to our rental apartment anyway but they still called the colors quickly, before the scheduled time. As we got off, the captain was standing there at the gangway, saying 'good-bye' to all the passengers. I am going to miss this gorgeous ship and hopefully someday we will return for another trip.

We were almost the last ones to be out so finding our luggage was pretty easy. Then we got in the end of the long taxi line, patiently waiting for our turn for the ride to town. Again, it was very organized and the line moved along quickly. 

Almost to the front of the taxi line.

On our way to the rental apartment. With the tinted windows on the van these pictures turned out to be too dark, unfortunately.

After we checked in with the owner of the Amazing Apartments and settled down in the same penthouse unit on the top floor of the building we were ready to go out and explore Copenhagen on our own. First, we went to Domhusets Smorrebrod, which was just a few doors down from the apartment, for some Danish sandwiches to go. ChC read that this place is very popular among locals and things will go very fast if we do not get there early. Fortunately, there were still choices when we were there so we picked out what we wanted before a line started to form behind us. Everything was good, from the roast-beef that I got to fried fish MOR had, fresh and delicious! ChC got something interesting which I don't remember what it was. Prices were very good also and the ladies were very patient and helpful. If anyone is in the Stroget area, just walk a block down and get the taste of Denmark here: Domhusets Smorrebrod, Kattesundet 18, Copenhagen 1458, Denmark. You won't regret it but make sure you are there before noon and they only open for lunch.

A tiny storefront but they serve great food.

With lunch in hands we walked down Stroget towards Nyhavn one more time.

Stroget (Pedestrian Street)

Copenhagen King's Square

Royal Copenhagen

Stork Fountain

Nyhavn

Enjoying our delicious sandwiches before getting on the tour boat. 

Bar and restaurant side of Nyhavn.

Canal Boat Tour (DFDS)

We still had the discount coupons that were given to us by Magnus when we were on the walking tour. Not sure how much the discount was, we just paid whatever they told us to and boarded the boat waiting there. We did this same tour in 2008 when we came here on the Carnival Splendor Baltic cruise and stopped here for a port day.

The Royal Danish Playhouse

Copenhagen Opera House

Ubaden Saelen (Submarine Saelen-a naval museum) near the Royal Danish Naval Academy

and other naval ships in the same area.

Nyholm Central Guardhouse and the Battery at the Naval Base.

Some interesting sculptures along the water front.

On the back side of the Little Mermaid this time. Not too bad a crowd, actually.

The most photographed statue in Copenhagen.

St. Alban's Church

The float plane parked near Langlinie Park.

Iver Huitfeldt Memorial

David statue and the Statens Museum area

Amelienborg and Marble Church (Frederik's Church)

Our boat turned into the Christiania area.

Church of Our Saviour with the corkscrew spire. It should be fun climbing up there for the young and energetic ones.

The Royal Library

We had to duck every time we went under a bridge.

The spire top at the old Stock Exchange building.

Fascinating!

Old containers turned into apartments.

We were told that Hans Christian Andersen stayed here at this white house in Nyhavn when he lived in Copenhagen.

Back to Nyhavn

Self-Guided Walking Tour of Copenhagen

After an hour on the boat tour, we were back at Nyhavn to continue our day in Copenhagen. Our plan was to walk up Gothersgade toward Rosenborg Castle for a glimpse of that part of the city and maybe have a look at the Botanical Garden up the street before reaching the Torvehallerne Market.

Rosenborg Castle Garden (King's Garden)

This is a huge garden at the Rosenborg Castle. We only went in through the King's Gate and walked along the one path along Gothersgade and then got back out. Not really going all the way inside but still got a taste of how beautiful this garden is.

One of the several statues along the path we went on.

Lovely!

The Horse and the Lion sculpture.

Knight's Path, an avenue lined with lime trees.

Rosenborg Barracks

Rosenborg Castle

Botanical Garden
Across the street from the Rosenborg Castle is the Botanical Garden. This was a good find and I was surprised at how beautiful this place was. Again, due to the time limit, we only went in for a peek, barely walking around a little corner of the park but it proved to be a good place to spend a couple of hours for someone staying longer in town.

A small garden shop near the entrance of the park. Free entry.

Such a pretty pond.

Almost like a painting.

Then we crossed the street to the shopping area to the Torvehallerne Market.

One of the two buildings of the market.

Originally we planned on getting some food from the market and maybe make ourselves a nice dinner. But after much consideration we decided against it. Just did not want to do all that work of cooking and cleaning. Things were quite expensive here also.

After walking around a bit we left the market to go back to the apartment. We were all very tired by now.

Frederiksborgade near the Norreport Station

Round Tower

Back to the courtyard of the apartment.

A view of the building inside the courtyard.

The kitchen of the other unit. This is an extra unit that we received the keys to so that we can use the bathroom there next door to our penthouse unit. We were told that we were free to use this unit also but other than using the bathroom we did not really use any part of this.

This is a one-bedroom unit.

We were too tired to do anything else that evening. We bought some take away food from a couple of places on Stroget and had a simple dinner that night then went to bed early to get ready for our flights home the next morning. I wanted to go to Tivoli on one of the evenings here this time but still didn't make it because of the passport incident. I guess we just have to come back to Copenhagen!

Copenhagen-Stockholm-Los Angeles on Norwegian Air

Tuesday May 30, 2017

To check out of the apartment, we just had to leave the keys on the kitchen counter before leaving the building. Allie, the apartment owner, already arranged a taxi van to pick us up this morning at 7:00. We got a little worried when the time came and the driver did not show up. Thank goodness he made it about 10 minutes later. He said he was stuck because a truck was trying to make a turn at a one-way street. It would be very difficult to find a taxi van without prearranging it. 

Not a pretty entrance to the rental apartment.

Waiting for our taxi van outside the apartment.

Stroget is less than half a block up the street. A great location in Copenhagen.

The Last Surprise

As soon as we were dropped off at the airport terminal we had to do the self check-in using the kiosks there. I am not a fan of machines but that was the only way to go. All of us checked in OK but the two holding their new passports were denied checking in. We went to the check-in counter and explained what had happened to the stolen passports but after some long discussions the airlines did not want to take the risk and denied boarding for the two who had their new passports. Their reasoning was that the numbers on the new passports did not match their US visas which they think will create problems when they get to the US even with the proof of their visa receipts. The airlines are responsible if they carry passengers without valid legal documentations. Now what should we do? Norwegian Air suggested they go to the US Embassy and get new visas but who knows how many days that will take? It sounded like that the only option now is for them to fly back to Taiwan directly instead of coming back to California with us. That was exactly what they did. We found the ticket counter at the other end of the terminal and the gentleman there was able to find seats on a KLM flight taking them back to Taipei via Amsterdam for a hefty sum of $1,500 USD per ticket one way. Terribly expensive but at least we knew that they will be back to their homeland without further problems. 

We bid farewell after going through security, the two of them went to the KLM gate and the four of us went to Norwegien Air. 

Our plane

Waiting to board our flight to Stockholm.

Finally ready to leave Copenhagen.

Uneventful on this short flight.

Arriving Stockholm.

We had to go through another passport check at the gate here before boarding our flight to LAX. 

This time we had the bulkhead seats which made it much more comfortable for the long flight. Our tickets included meals on board, free check-in baggage, and seat selection. For a little over $300 one way, it was not a bad deal at all.

 

I probably touched the buttons on my camera by accident so these pictures turned out too dark but the first meal was not bad at all. It came with a pasta salad, a main, and a dessert.

The problem could be that they might make mistakes delivering the meals. SIL did not get served on the first meal so we had to ask the stewardess for her order. They need to have a better system to keep track of their customers.

The second meal was a pretty simple snack with a sandwich and drinks.

Overall, I think it was good value flying Norwegian Air. We could have done it without the meals but we figured with our month-long luggage we might as well pay a little extra and it was well worth it. We arrived LAX on time but our plane had to wait and taxi around the airport for close to an hour  before it was able to park at the terminal. Our month long trip had ended and it was great to be home again!

I will post my thoughts about this trip in my next entry if time permits.