CNSJ

Port fees and taxes can be a shocker. Panama Canal may be one of the worst ones. This is good. As @SilvertoGold mentioned it would be nice to see the breakout.

Chocolate. More is good.

Badger, I think you will have a much more relaxed vacation! Best travel wishes!

But somehow we still overpack!

In the Navy we taught Sailors to fold socks and underwear. On a submarine you fold or roll everything to make it fit in what most of you would consider "draconian conditions."

Yup. Even t-shirts and pajama tops.

Yes it does Badger. Agree ....choices. Hope all works well!

HAL does a better job than the local dry cleaners. The laundry staff is great! Be sure to mention them in your post cruise feedback. They will leave a note on your laundry as to who finished it for you.

No way to start a vacation. I try to arrive a day or so earlier just to be safe. This almost guarantees you will be there when you need to be. Same for post cruise - I watch too many people rushing off the ship as it docks hand lugging there bags to make a flight that leaves the same morning. I find that leaving the ship after the rush and settling into a hotel is a good option. Fly out the next morning.

And if it's a HAL ship.....it's a great day!!!

In a pinch, take a taxi to Rotterdam Centraal and then train to airport.

No, but then again, we took one of the later shuttles. Can't speak to those in a rush to get there after arrival.

No, we went alongside the pier. I was surprised as the original schedule on HAL's website showed us with Flam as a Tender port. Had I know that, I would have booked an earlier trip on Flam Railway (Flamsbana). But, the later train ride led to better weather!

Just a quick review of cruise completed two days ago on the Rotterdam. We normally don't travel to Europe for a 7 day cruise, and had a transatlantic (B2B - albeit with a ship transfer from Zuiderdam to Rotterdam planned), but due to a unexpected set of events, we had to cancel T/A part of our trip. So we took four days in Amsterdam, a seven day trip to Norwegian Fjords, and a post stay in the Netherlands as our Spring 2024 trip. Despite a forecast for rain most days, we actually had great weather most days. Who complains about sunny and 65 in Flam in May? Short sleeves in Amsterdam city? All good. Ship: Rotterdam remains in great shape and is being well maintained. Our Deck 6 amidships verandah was immaculate with everything in working order. Had Cub Orange this run and will have to say the Club Orange dining room experience was on par with the best we have had in the Pinnacle Grill. Fast and great service, and the food was the best we have had in over 15 years of cruising with HAL. FISH! Love seafood and had a great variety on this ship. In Canaletto they offered Norwegian Red King Crab for a $25 upcharge. Well worth it as the same crab in a Bergen seafood market area stall was over $120 a pound. The fresh fish items were marked in bold red. Had several other fresh fish items on the main dining/Club Orange menu as well as in Lido. This cruise had a very large Dutch passenger load. I heard one crew member say over 2,000 passengers from the Netherlands. As English speaking Americans we may have even been outnumbered by our English speaking friends from Canada. All announcements were in English and Dutch. With this passenger mix, late dining was packed, and entertainment started later to along with European time preferences. All in all a great passenger mix. Embark and departure were quick and easy. Ports: Eidfjord: Nice little fjord town with shops and trips to nearby waterfalls. Alesund: Small city with many sights to see in the nearby countryside - all connected by underwater tunnels. Flam: The railway is a must do. Buy your tickets online through train company if you can to save many dollars/euros/kroner Bergen: The cool Norwegian city that is walkable, scenic, and rich in history. Walk to the funicular and enjoy the panoramic view. Other comments: Pre cruise hotel we stayed at the Doubletree near Centraal Station in Amsterdam. Hotel was modern, clean and had a great breakfast. Very easy walk from train we took from AMS Schipol (20 min). Don't be worried about buying tickets etc. The machine works in English and has easy buttons like "I want to go to Amsterdam" Train from Amsterdam Centraal to Rotterdam Central easy as well. Short walk to our night before stay at Hilton Rotterdam. Another immaculate hotel with great service. Morning Uber to cruise terminal was about 20 euros for an Uber XL and a 5 min wait. Post cruise we took HAL shuttle to AMS Schipol Airport, where we stayed at the Hilton Schipol. Our room was ready so we had an early check in and used day to run into Amsterdam by train (20 min each way) before our flight back. Perfect pre flight hotel before dealing with AMS airport. But, it turns out we were checked in for our Jet Blue flight in minutes and security took only about 15 minutes. So plenty of time to enjoy the shops at Schipol. I won't take such times for granted on our next trip and will still arrive 3 hours before flight! HAL continues to provide a level of service we enjoy. The product remains consistent across the fleet in our opinion. ROTTERDAM shines.

Eastbound to Europe, get a starboard side balcony as you will have a warmer and sunnier balcony. A good trip with relaxing days at sea.

As for things like TV and decor, the pictures are often not updated on HALs own website....not a clue as to why. HAL facts may have more up to date photos. Here is a recent Zaandam Neptune; https://halfacts.com/r-class/7021-zaandam/

We found Captain van Hoogdalem to be the best of all HAL Masters we have sailed with.

Train runs direct from Schipol airport to Rotterdam. Easy as can be. The few extra Euro for first class will make the luggage easier as it may be less crowded.

Our first voyage on a Pinnacle class ship was Koningsdam in the Eastern Med and it was perhaps the best cruise we have taken in Europe. The Pinnacle class are our favorite ships now less the design of the promenade deck for walking. The ability to get a good amidships verandah with a full sized balcony (not a suite) is a big one for us. Love Deck 6.

The transportation question would depend on where you are staying the night you arrive. Amsterdam or Rotterdam or by the airport?

Holland America will not offer many programs for the teenagers and there is no "young adult" themed parties etc. That said, Alaska is all about the ports and scenery/wildlife. It's tough to find a cruise line that will make such a wide age range all feel great. I wish you luck!

Everyone looks for their own best "deal" My strategy is based on hotel points being more useful than airmiles. That's because airlines fly specific routes and the availability of reward flight reductions is so hit and miss. With major hotel chains (Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt/IHG) as examples, you can usually find a hotel in most cities around the world, and then use points for the room. I find very good value in booking travel related (cruises/tours/parking/car rentals) with Chase Sapphire Reserve. At 3 points per "travel" dollar, which I convert to Hyatt points (worth about 1.7 cents each per many websites) I get more than a five percent return. (also, when you book Hyatt rooms with points you don't pay 'resort fees'. If I buy AARP gift cards to pay for HAL items, I use another no fee Chase card that nets 1.25 points per dollar, using the same plan to convert tot Hyatt points (1.25 x 1.7 = 2.125% return), plus the 10% (now only 8%) savings from AARP gift cards. I pay a portion of cruise fare with Chase Sapphire for the travel insurance protection. With the cost of cruising going up, we need to find ways to save when we can.

Totally agree with Frantic! You will do many times better with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Three points per dollar on all travel....including cruises no matter who you book them with. As for the Magic Jack, has a similar issue when I was issued a new card number. Barclays should work this out. Chase bends over backwards to help when I have any issues.

Lived in New England for 25 years and we did whale watching up North from Maine south to Cape Cod. The big difference is in the environment. In New England, we were out in the open ocean. In Alaska, when we took the excursion from Juneau, the boat was in very sheltered waters -at times like glass. We left from Auke Bay and heading out into Favorite Channel basically circling Shelter and Lincoln island. We saw many whales and many other sea wildlife, birds, and even some land creatures. The boat was well set up for the excursion. Recommend it.

This is a good strategy.