Chelly

This is overly generalized.

 

It completely depends on the airline which you are flying on. If on a USA carrier, you will have a more liberal allowance even when flying from Europe, less on a European carrier. The size limitations vary from airline to airline and the "personal item" addition is also carrier dependent. Finally, some airlines have weight limits on your carryons and will weigh them to see if they meet the limits.

 

In addition, if your itinerary has multiple carriers, the most restrictive rules will apply. You can't say "well, it was allowed on the inbound".

 

Since you don't mention carrier, the best and most accurate advice about carryons is....go to the operating carrier's website and read the actual rules for each of your flights.

Good advice. I know from experience: Delta, United and American - no problem.

Hi dancr. I am on the same cruise and I see you just posted to our Roll Call for this cruise. Glad you did.

You should have no problems with a noon flight. Best to do early disembarkation though. We can discuss on the Roll Call. See you there.:)

The Rotterdam is a R-Class ship (obviously), an earlier model than the Vista, Signature, and Pinnacle Class vessels, and does have the BB King venue in the Crow's Nest.

 

Being in the Crow's Nest, if the sound from the speakers facing the dance floor is too loud, one can move to other areas in the Crow's Nest and still enjoy the entertainment. The Crow's Nest Bar on the Rotterdam's VOV had probably as many in the audience, if not more, than those seated near the Band.

Are speakers necessary in that small venue?

Agree. It is way too loud.

I love sitting in front but end up standing in back due to volume.

At the moment due to more/high security, not only at the airport but also on the roads going to the airport anybody needs far more time then normal.

Long lines before you even get to the airport, it will take at least 30 minutes or more to get to the terminals if driving from Amsterdam.

Once inside the terminal more time is needed to get to the checkin, again often long lines.

Train is not always an option at the moment, as till August 9th there will be no trains between Schiphol airport and Amsterdam South/Diemen. It seems connections to Centraal Station from the airport are more or less normal again.

Traffic to from Rotterdam/The Hague is by far not that bad.

Many thanks Ine for keeping us apprised of the goings on in Amsterdam. I embark the Celebrity Silhouette in Amsterdam next August, flying in from the U.S. and will continue to monitor these three threads. You are a valuable source of information and are so appreciated. :)

Westerdam - 22-Oct-16 7-day Mexican Riviera - Chelly

Or tomorrow and the next 6 months minimum.

Exactly.

You would not want to be in Istanbul now, particularly at airport. The coup is underway, mass chaos and shooting.

Hi:) glad to help and hope you have a wonderful trip as well. I am going

in May 2017 too:D

Hi again Lois R,

We exchanged a few posts upthread and I'm glad the thread is still going strong. I'll be cruising out of Amsterdam Aug 23, 2017 on Silhouette. After lots of research and deliberation, I plan to stay at Crowne Plaza City Center pre-cruise.

I've just sent an email requesting some information from this hotel. I had sent one to the Brouwer as well, but I must have had the wrong email address as it came back. Does anyone have contact info for the Brouwer Hotel?

Plenty of info on this hotel online.

Here are a couple of links. Second one is hotel website with contact info.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g188590-d277657-Reviews-Hotel_Brouwer-Amsterdam_North_Holland_Province.htmlhttp://www.hotelbrouwer.nl/rateseng.html

http://www.hotelbrouwer.nl/rateseng.html

+31 20 624 6358

Hotel Brouwer, Phone

Wondering who will be playing the Piano Bar on Westerdam's Oct.22, 2016 cruise to Mexico. So happy a Vista Class is returning to Mexican Riviera from San Diego.

Thank you for taking the time to post a review. Too bad about the Library. I always brag that HAL ships have the best Libraries at seal.

To fully enjoy a HAL cruise in present day, one must have:

High hopes, low expectation.

Hi Chelly:)...it was FANTASTIC.......it was in my top 2 cruises ever:D

Delighted to hear that.:D

Hi Lisa:)........just home today........Hungry Birds was great:D

I will try and do a review over the weekend but I will say, I would

even do this tour again;)

Hi LoisR, So glad to hear Hungry Birds was everything you expected. Hope you had a fantastic trip.

C.

Ruth, with that "more than a distinct possibility to [your] mind" can I be a little more blunt then and ask why you continue to cruise with HAL?

 

If you have this mindset that they are out to purge the long time mariners because "Mariners don't spend as much on board as new cruisers" (which is a blanket statement that isn't necessarily true. I know several people that when they cruise, and some of them do VERY often, they go "all out" with spa services, duty free purchases, maybe a little casino, shore excursions, specialty restaurants, maybe a beverage package, etc.)

 

Some travel often and then pinch pennies onboard. Some travel rarely but go all out. And some are lucky enough to cruise often AND go all out. But this pessimistic post of yours makes me wonder why, if you feel that way, you don't move on.

 

I'm not saying you should and trying to be "so leave" but if I felt the way that you do I would have "moved on" a long time ago. Just my opinion following reading your post.

Point well taken. However, it seems that other cruise lines' loyalty programs are more generous than HAL's.

And, it takes far less time to get from level to level on some other cruise lines. For example, an inordinate number (IMO) of cruises are required on HAL to reach 4-star from 3-star.

Just got off Crown Princess. Traditional steamer deck chairs on Promenade Deck and blankets too, if you want them.:cool:

Thank you so much!

Wonderful review

Sensational photos.

Boarding Crown Saturday. Yay!

Perhaps Princess should modify the entrance to the buffet with these hand washing stations like on the Anthem.

Seems this is the best way to get people to wash their hands before handling utensils.

 

Those hand washing stations impress me. Wow!

Does anyone know if Noro still exists on Crown's current (April 16) sailing?

Pretty pretty.

Again, thank you.

So very appreciated for my upcoming CA coastal cruise on Crown.

Nice review and excellent photos!

Thank you for doing this for us.

I will be on Crown's April 23 sailing. Same itinerary.

Thanks Lisa!

You are a sweety to take time out of your cruise to give us a fair and balanced report of your time on the K-dam. I'm going to try her is a couple years when she is less "new" and has the bugs worked out.

Hugs!

C.

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for your great photos and "Live From". I know this takes a lot of time from cruise enjoyment, so really appreciate your efforts.

HUGS,

C.