It was a rather disappointing cruise. While there were some nice elements, the overall impression was that HAL had difficulties handling a ship this size with so many passengers and that they really didn't care that the quality of service was lower than on other ships. And due to the itinerary changes we spent only 3 days in Norway on a 7 days cruise to Norwegian Fjords.
Embarkation: very quick and the cabin was ready for us
Cabin: small but very well designed, lots of storage and nice big shower. The cabin steward did a great job every day. The A/C was very efficient, but we could hear a vibration every time the air conditioning came on.
It is a midship cabin on the forth floor, above the shops, so I though it would be quiet. However there is an opening in the middle of the third floor above the Queen's Lounge. For 6 nights the B.B. King's All-Stars band started its performance around 9pm and it was very noisy, sometimes until 1 am. There was no problem with auctions or dance music, only the band was too loud. And on the last night the drummer increased the volume even more. So if one would like to go to sleep at least once before midnight, one should stay away from cabin 4073.
Excellent port. We spent 3 days in Amsterdam before the cruise. Visited the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum and spent a lot of time taking walks around the canals. So it was quite disappointing when we were kept one extra day in Amsterdam without sufficient explanation: they gave us too many reasons for cancellation like comfort of the passengers: I came prepared for North Sea, and I booked 7 day cruise to Norway and was able to see 3 ports of call only.
We did self-guided walks to see Brygen, Bergenhus Fortress, Fish Market, Knosesmauet. But most of the time we spent on Mount Floyen. We bought ticket online for the funicular to Mount Fløyen and were very happy that they were accepted two days later, since the itinerary was changed. At the top we took one of the recommend walks - a 3.5 hour walk #8. This walk takes you to one of the best viewpoints from Fløyen.
Geirangerfjord is one of the best Norway's fjords and Geiranger port has a very good infrastructure. We took a public bus to Dalsnibba with the stop at Flydalsjuvet. While we enjoyed the view at Flydalsjuvet, it was snowing at Dalsnibba. But a great trip anyway. On the way back the driver let us get off near Norwegian Fjord Centre and we took a walk alongside a waterfall.
It is a beautiful fjord and a new cruise port can handle big cruise ships. You can just walk off the ship into the town center. However it doesn't have good infrastructure like Geiranger - no public buses available to attractions outside the city limits. We rented a car and were able to see some most popular spots there. We started with Kjeasen Mountain Farm for the excellent views of the fjord. Close to the farm is Skytjefossen waterfall and Simadalsfjorden, when the Sima power plant is located. Finally we went to see Vøringsfossen, and a view from the top of Måbødale.