Having fun with Havila

[jase05]

I’ve been pretty slack but as it’s been a few months since the trip I thought I’d put together some photos and thoughts of our journey especially the Norwegian cruise part of the itinerary.
First some background to this trip and it all started with an invitations to a couple of family functions in the UK during March. Now we have travelled to the UK quite a few times and it seemed like a bit of a waste just to head all the way there just for that so our attention turned to finding some options to do either side of the events and possibly between the events. My work had messed me around at Christmas time and we cancelled our trip to the winter markets in Europe so thankfully work come to the party and allowed me a couple of extra weeks for this trip. We aren’t cruise people but have been toying with the idea of a Norwegian cruise since our last trip to Norway and the idea was to hopefully see some parts of Norway only accessible by ship and hopefully spot the Northern Lights whilst we were at it. We were tossing up to go with Hurtigruten but wanted a little more luxury so after reading some reviews about Havila who were fairly new we decided to bite the bullet and book a 6n Northbound trip from Bergen to Kirkenes. Unfortunately we booked quite late so all the suites were gone so we settled for a Seaview Superior room. We added the Havila Gold package and a couple of excursions and paid in full. Right we are now locked in and now had a date that we had to be in Bergen so best get to booking some flights. I had a dwindling number of QF points that I was trying to burn plus a very sizeable stack of Velocity points and some Avios. I had also purchased a large wad of points through Aeroplan on sale for our aborted Christmas trip and always like to keep a decent stash of VS points and top up when they come on sale. I reckon we changed ideas about a dozen times and even had some flights booked on Aeroplan and VS for the trip home with the plan to stop over in Mauritius for a few days or so but when QR opened up seats DOH-ADL I jumped on them and cancelled the others. In the end we used Aeroplan to book J seats ADL-MEL(VA)-BKK(TG)-DEL(TG)-CDG(UK) on the way over and Velocity points for QSuites DOH-ADL on the way home. I later purchased revenue fares for inter Euro flights and VS redemptions in J CDG-DXB.
This allowed me to test out TG which I hadn’t flown with for some time and UK long haul before they get absorbed into the Air India fold. I would also get to try out the new AF 777 J seats and I had avoided AF long haul for many years. I then spent probably a good 2-3 weeks booking side trips and accomodations and all of a sudden we were only a month out from travelling.

 

[jase05]

So the day finally arrived. My work is in the ADL airport precinct and I get heavily discounted parking so I worked that day and then picked Mrs Jase up from home and left our car in the undercover parking area at the terminal.
Went to check in at VA counter and gentleman there says that because it’s all on the one PNR he could check bags all the way through to CDG. I didn’t think it would be possible and joked that I’d buy him a beer if he made it happen. After playing around on his computer he informed me that I needed to have an Indian visa and he only check bags to DEL. Of course this wasn’t an option so I asked him just to check to MEL and I’d collect there. At the time we booked VA was having reliability issues so I booked the earlier flight with 5hrs transit time in MEL so now had to find a relaxing place in the terminal with our luggage.
ADL VA lounge wasn’t too busy and had a couple of drinks before wandering over to the gate

VA236 ADL-MEL 1740-1930
Seat 1C
Flight departed about 10 minutes late and arrived into MEL 5 minutes late. Great flight and staff were brilliant. Started with a PDB bubbly and as we were on the tarmac for around 10 minutes waiting we received a top up. At one point we got chatting about our trip and the CM said she would pop back after service and chat further. Really friendly and engaging staff that proactively topped up drinks. Meal was good too so off to a good start

 

[jase05]

Bags came out first MEL so now to find somewhere to relax for a few hours. Ended up having a few beers at the AFL bar which had various sports showing so nestled in and watched some cricket. Check in was a strict 3hrs before flight and when it finally opened my heart skipped a beat as the agent said that we would need to collect bags in DEL and as we had no visa we would be denied boarding. I asked to see someone higher up and even though he said that TG interlines with UK he couldn’t get the computer to say yes. Thankfully after a few minutes on the phone whatever he did worked and bags were checked through to CDG.
At that late in the evening immigration was pretty quiet and we were off to the lounge in no time. On the boarding pass it said NZ lounge but I thought I’d duck into the SQ lounge beforehand. Not sure if just a bad night but the lounge dragon had some serious attitude and even stated that we should use the NZ lounge as our BP said and that the lounge was closing soon so not worth our effort. We took her advice and headed to the NZ lounge where it was chalk and cheese. The two Kiwi girls on the door greeted us warmly and shared a joke as we were the only ones in there. Mrs Jase loved the Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs and the NZ cheeses and I enjoyed the food and beverages. All up a pleasant stay for a couple of hours and I’d happily frequent it again.
In no time we were called to gate and Priority boarding strictly enforced so off we go

 

[jase05]

TG462 MEL-BKK 0030-0540
A359
Seat 15A

Was a bit apprehensive as most of the commentary seemed to suggest TG had dropped the ball in quality and it had been a while since flying with them so I did have some concerns.
Those concerns were unfounded as it was a brilliant flight I found.
We departed 15 minutes early and shortly after take off meal and drink orders were taken. Was all done rather prompt to allow passengers to get to sleep. Main meal and breakfast orders were taken and a few minutes later my vodka arrived with some warm nuts that quite good. I just went with the mains of Braised Pork belly in Sichuan sauce and it was very good with a nice amount of heat. The garlic bread was top notch too, nice and fluffy full of flavour. I had another vodka and then decided to grab some sleep. The seat was comfy in all modes and I ended up with about 4hrs of good sleep and woke up,shortly before breakfast was served. I had the Hoisin Roast duck Bao buns and they were stunning. Soft and fluffy with the right amount of filling and the taste was superb, could have easily had a second helping. Breakfast service was again prompt and before long we were descending into Bangkok and told we would be arriving 40 minutes early. All up a great flight with great staff

 

[RooFlyer]

That's good to hear about TK - I have been avoiding them. But then I wouldn't have been game to fly UK long haul, either!

 

[jase05]

That's good to hear about TK - I have been avoiding them. But then I wouldn't have been game to fly UK long haul, either!

I’ll get around to posting the UK leg but would easily be amongst my favourites. Was excellent in every department

 

[Quickstatus]

Following
Mst QS1 did Havila's Bergen to Kirkenes June last year as a solo traveller after his 6 months in Aarhus
Finished Kirkenes with a quadbike ride to the Russian border

Ill ask him which excursions are a must...

 

[jase05]

Arrived into BKK about 40 minutes early so right on 5am. Airport was fairly quiet and next flight was due to start boarding at 0630 so went for a brisk wander to see what lounges were open. SQ lounge was closed and being short of time we just headed to the Royal Silk lounge. It was comfortable enough for an hour and didn’t have anything to eat but it appeared not much had changed since our last visit


Who doesn’t love a ice cold beer at 0530

 

[jase05]

TG323 BKK-DEL 0700-0955
B788
Seat 12A

Gate was not too far from the lounge but even early in the morning it was still quite hot in the terminal. Gate area wasn’t overly busy and we were about half a dozen from the front in the priority queue. We were told that it would be a bus gate and once boarding commenced we had an Indian family come from nowhere and pushed their way through. Staff were strictly applying priority boarding and duly sent the family back to the standard line. Now here’s where it gets really strange, after boarding the bus and being directed to sit at the back we sat there for about 5 minutes and told we had to wait for more passengers. Sure enough the Y pax including the above mentioned family squeezed on to the bus and off we set. We seemed to drive to the other side of the airport and then finally between two abandoned aircraft with one missin an engine and one missing a wing was our bird. Bus doors opened and chaos ensued as everyone beelined it for the front steps so the J pax actually ended up boarding last. The aircraft was baking hot and no cooling on and I reckon we sat out there for a good 15-20 minutes before the aircon fired up.
Flight was just under 5hrs and the seats were comfortable and staff were very good. Early morning PDB and then Meal service started about 20 minutes after takeoff and the first serve consisted croissant with jam, yoghurt and a fruit platter which was tasty enough and that was followed by a spicy chicken and rice dish which also was accompanied by an egg which was rapidly dispatched off my plate (I despise eggs). Drinks were regularly topped up and I dozed off for about an hour at one stage. Really good flight and we arrived into Delhi about 30 minutes late.



Nice views of the Himalayas poking their head above the clouds in the distance

 

[jase05]

We landed in DEL about 30 minutes late and as we had 4hr transit I was hoping that the transit experience was going to be all sweet. Airport was fairly quiet when arrived but we were able to make our way to the transit ”pen” in good time. Now for those unfamiliar with the system transit system in DEL the airlines won’t print your BP for your next flight and instead you head to the transit area and hopefully someone from your airline comes and fills out a stack of paperwork and gives you a BP. I have heard of varying lengths of time that this could take so was somewhat prepared. The transit area consists of a few rows of seats and 2x counters with not much else. You are obviously free to wander back to the toilets or water fountains. I approached the Vistara counter and there were 9 staff working but only 1 actually doing anything, the others were chatting away and watching something on their phones. We were 7 deep in the queue and there was already about a dozen passengers sitting down and waiting (a few were sleeping). Eventually it was my turn and after the paperwork was filled out we were told to take a seat and the Vistara rep would see us “soon”.
45 minutes later and still no sight of a Vistara rep I approached the counter and was told “just another few minutes, we are processing your details”. Sure enough he showed up shortly after and produced the BP’s for us and we were on our way. A few of the passengers in the pen had been there 3hrs awaiting their UA BP’s
From the transit area we headed straight to security and with only about 20-30 in front of us we thought this will be a breeze but alas no. Only 2 X-ray machines operating and a stack of staff standing around looking busy so I guess they justified this by scanning everything multiple times and getting people to pretty much remove everything from handbags and luggage until they were satisfied. Wasn’t going to argue the point with several really big looking blokes with semi automatics wandering around. Finally we got through and now off to find the AI lounge. Airport was quite large but struck me as being incredibly clean and quite peaceful and very easy to get around. Multiple signage and directions for Encalm lounge but very little for the AI lounge. Eventually we found it but with a 15 minute walk to our gate being recommended our 4hr transit turned into about an hour

 

[jase05]

AIR INDIA LOUNGE
Must say for an airport of this size the lounge was pretty underwhelming.
Very little signage and even the entrance only a small Star alliance alliance symbol but nothing signifying Air India so perhaps some renovations coming?
Plenty of seating and small buffet area with some very unappealing looking food scraps left and several dishes empty and not refilled but several baskets of packaged snacks like chips, popcorn and biscuits. Small bar fridge with a limited range of soft drinks but fridge temperature must have been set to 25 degrees considering the warmth of the drinks. A small bar area with a bartender who would mix spirits and coughtail but weirdly no beer available at all. I engaged in a bit of small talk with the bartender and he was grateful and said that most people are quite rude to him. I asked for a scotch and they had a cheapish bottle on the counter but he said he would go and fetch me the “good stuff” According to him they give the cheap stuff to the locals and save the good stuff for tourists. He produced a bottle of Glenfiddich 15yo and gave me a half full glass of it on the rocks!
I didn’t have any local currency on me but dropped him a Aussie $20 note as a tip

 

[jase05]

Some plane spotting in DEL

 

[jase05]

UK21 DEL-CDG
B789
Seat 6A
Priority boarding strictly enforced and a pre departure juice offered
First long haul flight with Vistara and WOW, what have I been missing. We were both apprehensive when we booked as we had a couple of real poor AI flights in the past but this flight blew us both away. Crew were absolute amazing, aircraft was well maintained and seats were comfy but what really did it for me was the food. Both meals were absolutely delicious, full of flavour and presented nicely even down to the linen tablecloth with the Vistara logo and the cloth napkin bundled up in string. First meal service was about 60 minutes after departure and I went the Tandoori Bharwan Murgh. The naan was perfect and the Chicken tender with a nicely spiced tomato base. The beetroot salad was fresh and full of flavour and the accompanying dishes were also superb.
Desert was the Chocolate Marquise and again was well presented and tasted superb. Not a huge wine list but the wines tasted good (much better than the options on AF later in the trip)
Had a couple of Ciroc Vodkas during the flight and according to Mrs Jase they did an awesome Whisky Sour and Mojito. The IFE had a decent enough selection and was quite responsive and whilst I did catch an hour or so of sleep on a very comfy bed I spent a fair bit of time looking at the scenery out the window as they didn’t dim the windows and left them to be operated manually.

 

[jase05]

First dinner service, superb meal


Second dinner service was also excellent

 

[jase05]

Typical smoggy departure from DEL


The landscape as we flew over Pakistan and Iran
A couple of snow capped mountains in the middle of nowhere



We had an Air India aircraft sit next to us for near on 90 minutes



Approach to CDG, photograph not great but can make out the Eiffel Tower near the centre standing proudly

 

[jase05]

Was absolutely stoked with our Vistara flight and absolutely will fly with them again. I just hope they aren’t swallowed up in the new venture and can maintain their identity as it was a memorable flight

 

[PERLHR]

Have you done this cruise yet or is it upcoming? We are looking at doing it next year. It looks great.

Was absolutely stoked with our Vistara flight and absolutely will fly with them again. I just hope they aren’t swallowed up in the new venture and can maintain their identity as it was a memorable flight

 

[jase05]

Have you done this cruise yet or is it upcoming? We are looking at doing it next year. It looks great.

Have done it and as much as I enjoyed it we had a couple of rough days which has put Mrs Jase off future cruises for now.
Will hopefully start posting some photos soon

 

[PERLHR]

Have done it and as much as I enjoyed it we had a couple of rough days which has put Mrs Jase off future cruises for now.
Will hopefully start posting some photos soon

Rough days as in weather? Yes please photos would be great. was the time in ports long enough,? I know it visits like 34 ports some only for a few minutes.

 

[jase05]

Rough days as in weather? Yes please photos would be great. was the time in ports long enough,? I know it visits like 34 ports some only for a few minutes.

Will definitely post a stack of photos on the coming days. Many of the ports are visited in the middle of the night so you don’t get to see them. The ship sails all night and delivers freight and picks up passengers along the way. Our room was near the hold so from time to time you would hear the hold doors open and forklifts would unload/load and 5-10 minutes later you would set sail again. The main ports varied from as little as an hour up to nearly 8hrs I think it was.
A couple of real rough water days where it felt like a washing machine for several hours