harola

We used Wow Scotland (Outlander tour to Beaulieu, Inverness, Clara Cairns, Culloden battlefield, Loch Ness, Inverness) for tours in Invergordon and Thistle tours (whiskey galore and Dunrobin castle) which were both excellent. The whiskey excursion was in a van and the whiskey tasting in Clynelish was superb. Very special tour

2 hours ago, mskaufman said:

Was there a wait to get on?

We did not have to wait. There were multiple buses quickly one after another 

1 hour ago, mskaufman said:

Do you agree this is a good choice?

Yes everybody took this bus

Yes we took this bus in May. It is at the end of the pier

From the ship you will see the other side of the river where the museums are. You might want to visit “de Kunsthal” or the “Depot Boijmans van Beuningen” (tickets only for sale online). Markthal and cubehouses are also not far away. 
At the end of the pier there is a metro station (Wilhelminaplein) and the tramway. 
You can walk if you like. 
There is a lot of modern architecture in the city. Beginning on the pier and further in the city. When crossing the river the center is not far away. 

4 hours ago, Ine said:

Are you familiar with the traffic in Amsterdam? Thousands of bikers always in a hurry, speedy trams (streetcars) allover town, plus lots of buses, cabs and of course people walking (not always noticing the bike path)? Even if you are a good biker it can be  rather dangerous certainly on an electric bike. 

Maybe a regular is a little bit better since you can not go that fast.If you still want to bike, find an organised tour.  

Ine is right. There is too much traffic in Amsterdam. As there is no parking space people use their bikes instead of their cars. And they are speeding through the city, burning the traffic lights 😄.
I would not rent electric bikes. 

16 hours ago, Ladybug18 said:Would you recommend we buy a round trip ticket for each of us or a daily pass? Do they have a family pass we could purchase for the day? If not is there a discount for kids under 12? 

You need a contactless   card for every person and scan you card entering and leaving the train. Cost is between 1 and 2 euro per person. 
I don’t know about day passes or children discount. 😄

The port (tram station: muziekgebouw/Bimhuis) is the first stop from the train station. You take the same tram back to the train station. You can pay with a contactless creditcard or debit card. Just scan the card when entering and leaving the tram. Check in and check out as we say. 

Yes certainly the trains will run. Especially the Thalys to Paris!

There are no locks but you will sail 2-3 hours through the Nieuwe Waterweg which is very interesting. Many things to see. The pier is almost in the center of Rotterdam so you will watch the city when departing and then there is Delfshaven, Schiedam and Vlaardingen. The port of Rotterdam is one of the largest of the world so there is a lot of activity goin on

54 minutes ago, ski ww said:

We're planning two nights pre cruise. My first HAL cruise was on the Rotterdam, Nov 1981. Don't know if that is the ship that was turned into a hotel 

This hotel was a cruise ship until 1997. So she is definitely the ship from 1981!

We went to Blarney Castle by bus. We liked the gardens and saw the stone. We visited Blarney house that is open to the public sometimes. I also went to the small Titanic museum in Cobh

Hotel New York and the old SS Rotterdam are very nice indeed. 
there are 2 more hotels on the pier. Nhow and room mate which I don’t know personally. Across the bridge there are a few hotels as well like Mainport and Nh. If you google you will find some more. Just a short taxi ride. 
SS Rotterdam has parking space and a shuttle to the cruise terminal. I loved to stay on the old ship. They joined two former rooms together and breakfast is very good

It is very easy to take the train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam at least Four times an hour. From Amsterdam Centraal trains are going to Rotterdam Centraal. Here you can take a metro to the Wilhelminapier. It is also easy to take the train from Schiphol AirPort. The train station is underneath the airport. Check the website NS.nl in English 

We sailed Oasis of the Seas from Rotterdam/Southampton in 2014. We went to Vico in the North of Spain. The sea was quit rough in the Biscayan Bay like waves of 9 meters. So don’t be at the front of the ship but in the middle on the lower decks if you are prone to seasickness 

The balcony is not very big. It is a comfort balcony cabin. That means a slightly bigger cabin. There is a couche instead of a love seat. 
The ‘D’ cabins are smaller than the ‘B’ cabins. 

Reflection unlimited drinks beteren 5-7 except first night

1 hour ago, MAVIP said:

In addition to the above: This August the port provided a free shuttle to a gate halfway to the exit; about 1,5 kms walking distance to "The Point" where the Red Line of LUAS tram has its beginning/end. Daycard about GBP 7.  End of the day we drove in a taxi from "The Point" to gangway of ship: GBP 7.  

For our Celebrity ship there was no free shuttle bus. Only the bus o the center

We were in Dublin in August on Celebrity Reflection (Alexandra  quay ). There was no possibility to walk. There was another ship from Princess just on the other side and those passengers were allowed to walk. 

Celebrity provided shuttle buses to the center of the city (Merrion Square) for €13 or $15 (2 ways)  It takes 30 minutes one way. 

Taxis are very limited (near ship) There was a long line for the taxis. There were 50 people waiting and only 3 -5 taxis available. 

Fare to the center  €15-€20 depending on traffic and location 

6 hours ago, davekathy said:

I know that no drinks are loaded on our Seapass cards the first evening of the cruise. Nothing has changed there.  We were talking about the evening of the senior officers get together which some are now reporting has changed since February of this year when the drinks loaded on our Seapass cards went from only on certain cruises to three drinks to to unlimited drinks.  

We will sail Reflection in 10 days so I will report back. In April we were on Constellation and we had unlimited drinks in the bars during cocktail hours. But I do not remember about the first night

On 8/1/2019 at 8:44 PM, davekathy said:

No drinks loaded on your Seapass card the first night. Bummer! That's one area where the Captain Club falls short for our elite and elite+ perks. But we always get the CBP. 

No drinks in the bar the first night under the new rules? (They do it on officers night)

From my reading, this is true. They only serve bottled water in the MDRs, for which there is a charge.

This specific water item is not nickel and diming. In Mediterraneen countries like Italy and Spain they always serve bottled water in restaurants. So it is more a cultural thing. [emoji6]

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Very nice Tina. I will tell my friends where they can find the program.

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We Just returned from Meraviglia in Norway. As black member we also got 40% discount on photos.

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There are a lot like:

 

priority boarding

Priority tender

Basket of fruit

Prosecco and chocolate strawberries

Complimentary dinner in specialty rest.

Bath robe and slippers

1 hour thermal spa

Welcome cocktail plus free photo

Black card cocktail

Free dance class

Chocolate ship

 

 

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I forgot you get 40% discount on photos!

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