Gibbie42

3 hours ago, Torquer said:

Not sure what you mean.  I have a Verizon SIM card in my android phone.  Yes, they do have the $10.00 per day plan, and I have used that on occasion.  But I wouldn't consider that cheap for a port intensive cruise of longer than 10 days.

Must depend on the phone. My Samsung Galaxy doesn't even open. I wouldn't know where a SIM card would go. I just stick to the international plan. 

On 5/24/2024 at 10:33 AM, Torquer said:

I assume this means you have T-Mobile, which does have reasonable fees for calling outside of the US?  If you do have Verizon or AT&T, I would strongly urge you to simply buy a European SIM Card on Amazon before you leave, or as soon as you get to Europe.  They are very cheap; under $50 for 30-days with unlimited calling and lots of data.  By EU law, they work in all European countries.

Verizon doesn't really do SIM cards. But they do offer an inexpensive international plan for 10.00 per 24 hours that charges the first time you use it in that period. So if I'm in port and use my phone, I pay the 10.00 for unlimited data, text and calling for a day. But when I'm at sea and don't connect to anything, there's no charge. Just never ever connect to Cellular at Sea. No one covers that. 

I don't know, I really like the new version. It's clean, it easy to navigate and there's more information. For instance, I can see my airport transfer and hotel information on My Itinerary. It includes instructions on where to meet the driver and contact numbers if you can't find them. This is GREATLY appreciated because I had issues last spring in Amsterdam as it took us over 2 hours to clear customs and we couldn't find the driver anywhere and I didn't have any of that information at my fingertips. I wound up having to take the train to the hotel, all while lugging three bags and carryons. I wasn't the only one on board who'd had similar issues. 

I honestly don't remember how late they were, feels like an hour or so? There was just a lot of waiting for them to come aboard. We still managed to get on our shore excursion at the expected time. 

56 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Its been a number of years, but we weren't allowed to go ashore until all pax on board showed their passports to one of only 2 Immigration officials who came aboard. Took almost 2 hours to clear the ship. Everything ran behind. The Captain was very unhappy. Hopefully they have fixed this system.

I was similar last year. When we docked at Invergordon *everyone* onboard had to clear immigration whether you were going ashore or not. They called groups, and you went and got inline. And yes there were only two officers. They also arrived late. Once you cleared you got a sticker on your cruise card and then you were allowed off. So you didn't have to wait for everyone to clear but you couldn't get off until you did. But the next day in Edinburgh we were fine and didn't have to clear again. 

It will stay Smart Casual until you're actually underway, then they'll add in Dressy Nights. 

We did a back to back last year (which we bought as one 10 night cruise) with a turn around in Amsterdam and there wasn't anything special we needed to do. Disembarking passengers disembarked at whatever time they needed to and we took a leisurely stroll off the ship when we were ready. (I think we even got room service breakfast that morning!). We had to show our passports to an agent when we got off the ship and that was it. We just headed off into Amsterdam. The biggest problem we had was not being able to fight through the traffic to get to the tram station across the street and wound up walking up to the one line one stop because it was easier to manage than trying to cut through busses and taxis.

When we were done we just got back on the ship. I don't remember if there was a special line or not. 

3 hours ago, HALcruiser2001 said:

You almost spilled it when you picked it up.  😉

Masaharu Morimoto is still my favorite Iron Chef

MINE TOO! I had the privilege of dining in his first restaurant, Morimoto, in Philadelphia, not long after it opened. He was actually in the kitchen that night and our server brought him to our table and we got to speak to him and have our pictures taken with him. I was star struck. It was an unbelievable meal.

I'm going on the Nieuw Statendam in June and they're having a Morimoto pop up two nights of our sailing and I booked it just as soon as it appeared on the app. I cannot wait. 

I'm going to piggy back on this older thread and ask about getting from the Skarfabakki-312 cruise terminal into the city. We're on the the Nieuw Statendam from 7am to 7pm and I'm struggling to find the best transport. I'm not adverse to spending on cabs but I'm seeing reports of hours long waits at the terminal for cabs, plus it's a turn around day for HAL. There will be people both disembarking and embarking for their cruise so there will be a lot of people for HAL alone and there are two other ships in that day. 

The city bus options seem to be "walk half an hour and grab a bus. I'm not coming up with a free option from the port but I do see a HOHO bus that seems to pickup nearby. Does anyone have any other information? 

My cruise isn't even on the list!

Nieuw Statendam 14-Day Norwegian Fjords & Islands Of Iceland & Scotland June 1 - 15 2024. 

If you order something over 11.00 you simply pay the difference between that and the cost. Honestly, I was on the Rotterdam for 10 nights in April and hardly ever went over 11.00 and that was mostly wine. I wouldn't worry about it. 

2 hours ago, Carol28 said:

Thanks everyone.  We actually left HAL because of the entertainment quality, especially the production shows. On our last cruise, several years ago, the dueling piano gals see to be fighting with each other.  They took the term "dueling" literally!  I

I now understand the Billboard venue is a piano player singing songs from artists like Billy Joel and Elton John and the like, but not a sing along type show.  Is it usually only one performer there?

 

No, it's still two pianists. They play Billboard hits from the 60's, 70's and 80's and the last set of the evening is an all request set. it's most definitely sing along. My husband and I were there every night when we were on Rotterdam in April. The pair they had that sailing were fantastic.

They do hire the performers separately though and their contracts can be fairly short so it does depend on who you get. But like I said, our duo was fantastic. 

I drank Patron Palomas all night from Billboard on Board. The acid from the grapefruit juice was perfect for cutting through the rich meal we'd just had at the MDR. 

11 hours ago, BSinPNS said:

Just off Rotterdam.  Dutch Cafe had good coffee and other treats, but the poor service in the morning was a total turn-off.  Waiting behind ten or so people in line to get coffee was acceptable, but the unsmiling faces and staff that at most we just doing their job was not pleasant. 

Couldn't possibly be because there were 10 or so people in line and they were running their tails off to keep it from being 20 or 30 could it? 

1 hour ago, PACD_JG said:

A little Saturday divergence...

 

I don't eat in my bedroom at home, so why would I want to eat in my floating bedroom?

Because I don't want to get up, get showered and dressed and go out for a cup of coffee! I understand that you can't have small appliances in your cabin but lord I would have loved a small coffee maker. But no matter, room service was free and I could enjoy my coffee and breakfast with a view. Though I underestimated how cold it would be on the open water in the North Sea in April and didn't enjoy it on the verandah. 

The airport for Rotterdam is Schipol which serves Amsterdam. It's about halfway between Rotterdam and Amsterdam. You can fly there and stay in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. I booked a hotel in Amsterdam for two nights prior to departure through Holland America for my cruise out of Rotterdam. They provided transfers from Schipol to the hotel in Amsterdam and then from Amsterdam to Rotterdam in time for boarding. It's really not that far between the two cities. 

We arrived in Schipol on the 17tb and it took us two hours to get through passport control. It was chaos. But our bags were cheerily going around on the conveyor when we finally got out! 

26 minutes ago, dutchclogs said:

From Number 101 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Tuesday 11-04-2023

Holland America Line’s 150th Anniversary Celebrations

 

 

From a ceremony at a historical landmark with a special gift to shipboard gala celebrations and a toast worldwide, Holland America Line is getting ready to celebrate a day 150 years in the making. The premium cruise line’s sesquicentennial birthday is April 18, 2023. On that date, ROTTERDAM  VII  will arrive at its namesake city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to revel with local dignitaries, port officials, and guests. ZUIDERDAM will be in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, that day and will host an evening gala party on board for Grand World Voyage guests.  Holland America Line President Gus Antorcha will lead the celebrations. Also scheduled to attend the events are Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Rotterdam’s godmother; Ahmed  Aboutaleb, mayor of Rotterdam; and descendants from two families of Holland America Line’s founders.

“Holland America Line is a company that takes deep pride in our heritage and respects the role we played in history, so our 150th-anniversary events honor our tradition while recognizing the brand we are today,” said Antorcha. “All of the festivities we have planned carry special meaning, and we’re excited to celebrate with so many individuals who have been a part of our story throughout the years, alongside our guests, team members and the people of the Netherlands.”

Upon Rotterdam’s arrival at Rotterdam on April 18, the 150th Anniversary celebrations begin at Hotel New York, home to Holland America Line’s historic headquarters. The cruise line will present a commemorative 150th Anniversary bell — in the style of a traditional ship bell — to be permanently displayed at the hotel. At the event, Princess Margriet will follow Holland America Line’s ritual of blessing the bell before it is donated to Hotel New York. In addition, an original share of the first Holland America Line stock shares will be presented to be kept as part of a special collection in the city of Rotterdam archives. At the ceremony, PostNL, the postal office of the Netherlands, also will unveil a 24-carat collectible 150th-anniversary gold-foil stamp to commemorate the special milestone. Available for purchase throughout the Netherlands, only a limited edition of just 1,000 will be produced. Following a Gala Dinner on board ROTTERDAM and ZUIDERDAM, the celebrations move to the Lido pool area with live music and a toast to the special day. Anniversary- themed parties also will be held on the nine other ships in Holland America Line’s fleet. Anniversary Transatlantic an Ode to Dutch Heritage

During the 150th Anniversary Transatlantic Crossing aboard ROTTERDAM that departed New York City April 7 and arrives at Rotterdam April 18, guests will be treated to a host of touches to mark the company’s birthday. Special programming will include cuisine from previous Holland America Line voyages dating back to the 1920s, a “Throwback Happy Hour” that rolls back time with drinks priced as low as 75 cents, Dutch High Tea, a Rijsttafel pop-up in Tamarind, anniversary-themed trivia and presentations by Bill Miller, maritime historian and Holland America Line authority, that relived the history and roots of the company. Source : MAREX

Well, that explains why my cruise consultant couldn't get us hotel reservations at Hotel New York for our pre cruise stay! 😄

When I was completing check in there was an option to email the boarding pass and luggage tags. I chose that, and now I have a set of pdfs saved. Seems like the easiest to me. 

April 19

Rotterdam

10 day North Sea Scandinavia & Scotland

First time cruiser!

Mine specifies that it's one night in Pinnacle and one night in Tamarind. I don't know if you could switch that up or not.