FreestyleNovice

I guess not, almost any ship except Reflection: https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/pickleball

IJmuiden is definitely a port to pre-book transport unless you only fancy a walk on the nearby beach with a coffee or beer afterwards. IJmuiden is not connected by public rail but does have public busses to Haarlem and Amsterdam which are not sufficient for cruise calls I guess.. 

As said, price will be high. 

Hi fellow CC'ers, would love to hear Seward restaurants recommendations and/or some alternatives for some sweet pastries.. for a family birthday, might be a dinner, might be just a piece of cake on the hotel room depending how the day goes.

Thanks!

15 hours ago, NewBee50 said:

I just ordered one at Guest Service. It was Tiramisu and delicious. I had them deliver at dinner. Cost was $29. They had a brochure of different cakes as well as flowers and other sweets. This was Beyond 4/12 sailing. 

Thanks! That sounds perfect!

Perhaps here's some more specific dates for future Leonardo ships:

https://www.fincantieri.com/globalassets/supplier/fc---2024---dichiarazioni-alto-mare-ricevute-16.01.2024_v.3.pdf (note the filename has date 16 Jan 2024)

May be a bit too small to read so here goes a quick copy paste and small edit:

6298 PRIMA 
6299 VIVA 
6300 mar-25 3 (AQUA) 
6301 mar-26 LEONARDO 4 
6302 apr-27 – LEONARDO 5
6303 apr-28 – LEONARDO 6
 

And the latest NCLH order:

6354 dic-26 NCL BAHAMAS LTD 6354
6355 lug-29 NCL BAHAMAS LTD 6355 
6359 lug-27 NCL BAHAMAS LTD 6359 
6360 dic-28 NCL BAHAMAS LTD 6360 
6361 apr-30 NCL BAHAMAS LTD 6361 
 

With one of them probably be one of the two new builds for Oceania, as hull 6367 down the rows is intended for Oceania with the note "New Oceania" added to it. In total eight new ships after Aqua, only the dates don't match with recent media postings.

1 hour ago, kathynorth said:

I know this is not the same, but we've let the dining room staff know when we are celebrating a birthday and they sent a small cake to our table after dinner at no charge. They gave us a plate with cover so we could bring the cake back to our room. As for decorations, we haven't done this but a fellow passenger told us they gave room decorations to their cabin attendant along with a nice tip. When they returned to the cabin it was decorated. 

Thanks for replying. Although indeed not the same this seems to best way(s) to go for a birthday celebration! Thanks!

57 minutes ago, hcat said:

Also a shame one cannot order flowers!

That's gone too, just realised that. They did delete the floral category, that is something at least. Still wondering why they did half a job.. 

The Gifts by Celebrity webshop is a mess.. it's totally stripped with zero items in some categories now. Does anyone know if there still is a way to (pre)order a birthday cake for cabin delivery? What's available does not meet our needs and wishes as a gift to someone: 

The Premium Package: "For the ultimate indulgence, start off the morning with breakfast in your stateroom complete with mimosas, reservations for two at one of the chic specialty restaurants on board, and a personalized cake (choose from 5 different cakes). Later, in the evening, we’ll deliver a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne, and a dozen chocolate-dipped strawberries." Very romantic but not what we need, we just need a cake or at most a package of a cake and stateroom decoration. 

The mess I mean, example: https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-gifts/items-results?category=CULDEL&collection=CELCAKE this gives you zero platters (I know I said I want a cake but checked all categories..), click the pull down Culinary Delights and a Cheese & Fruit platter appears. Wished it still had the cake category around to do the same trick heh.

I emailed X about this too, this was the reply:
 

"I am very sorry, our Celebrity Store did go through some changes, and we no longer offer cakes for purchase, the items that are shown on the website are the only items that we have available to purchase. We have not been advised if cakes and other gift items will be brought back.
 

If you do have a cruise booked with us, and you are not trying to purchase a gift for someone else who is sailing, there should be an area in pre-cruise planner (where you booked shore excursions and things like that), called gifts and gear. There are some items in there that can be ordered . I don't think I have seen a cake but there are other items."

I am not aware of any other ways to order a cake for a standard cabin?

I think the vodka is something from the past. It's wine, water, fruit plate etc, as posted above.

Staff will be reducing service when the dinner service starts at the Lawn Club Grill and it may get chilly and they will clean up other alcoves around you before anybody will, even at all, tell you it's time.

On 4/15/2024 at 4:53 AM, Beezo said:

 

Hahah, thank you! I had to do a double take when I saw it too.  Apologies ~ missed your thread from a few months ago. 

 

No apologies needed, your scope deserves an own thread! 

1 hour ago, JIMESOPUS said:

Looks like Fincantieri had a family day on the final build day for the workers.

 

Found this guy sharing his photos with shoe covers, I guess he liked the Aqua more!

Close up of one of his photos, the hull art is coming on!

Originals:

For those posted here and/or anyone's future reference, @Beezo's thread has some excellent info, including some incredible renders:

 Probably best if we keep that one and discuss it there but I thought that thread was started on April 1st when I first saw the renders of those mountains.. 

🔒

@Beezo, that's some nice work!

On 3/31/2024 at 6:53 PM, david_sobe said:

Someone posted here awhile ago that during a Latitudes party and NCL promoting the ship, NCL staff said that Cruise Critic members knew more about the ship than they did.  If you were around for Encore, it was Cruise Critic that alerted NCL to the "wonky C."

We sure had some good fun with previous builds, I like the idea of NCL executives spitting their morning coffee over their desks when scrolling through their bookmarked CC threads finding out about such things heheh! 

A big help was the Meyer Werft webcam and social media from their visitor gallery, that helped a lot with puzzling out to be announced areas. Unfortunately Fincantieri is less easy to follow and more and more fellow cruisers and even influencers are learning the tricks of sleuthing! Times are changing.. 

20 hours ago, SEA58 said:

Thanks, FreestyleNovice!  The address of each seems the same.  Both get very nice reviews.  You've certainly helped us narrow down the search.  It's just about time to make an online reservation!  You've been so helpful.  It's much appreciated.

No problem, that's what CC is for! 

5 hours ago, SEA58 said:

Decided to book with Captain Jack Amsterdam's departure from the Central Station area.  When making the online reservation, they have a feature that costs an extra 15% that lets you cancel up to one hour before the departure time.  Since their boats are open-top we decided to buy this "insurance" that would let us get a refund, on short notice, if it's a truly wet and nasty day weather-wise.  Optimistic though that August will give us a beautiful day on the canals!  Thanks again for everyone's help.

That sounds like a good insurance! And good to know. Enjoy your day in Amsterdam! 

15 hours ago, SEA58 said:

So FreestyleNovice and cyntil8ing, my little bit of research seems to tell me that Flagship Amsterdam and Captain Jack Amsterdam are basically the same group, correct?  Wondering if you could help me out on that?  Thanks so much for all of the advice.  Really looking forward to seeing a bit of the city via the canals!

I think they are two separate companies, one wears orange and the other one wears pink shirts on their boats. They seem to be quite identical in what they do.

3 hours ago, SEA58 said:

FreestyleNovice, I think you are likely correct on the point of drop off.  There seems to be many companies offering small boat cruises.  Do you have a name or two that you might recommend based on personal experience?  Ideally we would prefer to wait until the day we're in Amsterdam, see how the weather is, and then find a cruise without a pre-booked reservation.  Our drop off will be on a mid-week morning. Does this seem like a reasonable plan or do you think reservations ahead of time would be essential?  Thanks for your advice.

https://flagshipamsterdam.com/

https://bootuitjes.nl/en/canal-cruise-amsterdam/

https://www.floating-amsterdam.nl/en/

Your plan sounds reasonable, I personally would pre-book the boat giving the time restraint. Your motivation to not pre-book is clear but in general those August days are some of the best days we get and availability might run out with great summer weather. In case of bad weather those open boats will have a canopy up and you might even discuss a cancelation with them (I am not sure of all policies). And even on a rainy day it's still a sight to see Amsterdam from the canals, by foot you will be even more wet. By foot you ca tag on an easy paced 1½-2  hour circle from and to the Centraal Station; Dam, Wallen, Jordaan, etc. 
Be aware the Vondelpark, Rijks and Van Gogh are not within that time frame, as they are too far south unless you take public transport to cover the distances.

The Dutch love their summers, I hope you get to enjoy the canals on a beautiful sunny day and see the locals and youngsters relax on anything that will float whilst taking in the views of our historic city. 

The small boat canal cruise with the walks to and from the boat/bus stop combined with the places you listed.

Amsterdam is restrictive in coaches/busses in the city center; see https://www.amsterdam.nl/en/traffic-transport/coaches-tour-buses/. In short: tourist busses are no longer allowed inside the canal belt/S100 road perimeter unless they have some rare permit.

Your most probable point of drop off will be De Ruijterkade Oost (Centraal Station). Plan from there, use an app like Moovit or take an Uber to move between further away spots or as last resort to be back in time at the bus stop. Amsterdam is compact, very walkable and lots of public transport options to help you get around quickly.

Enjoy your stay in Amsterdam! 

I wasn't impressed by the Apple reseller on my post Covid Celebrity sailings (2022 & 2023), it used to be better in my experience. Perhaps the market is either moving too fast for their inventory or who knows?

Back in the days when duty free airport shopping was a real thing, buying i.e. a discman cheaper than main street prices, perhaps a bit similar? 

When getting dropped off at port:

Porters: zero.

Taxi/car driver: 10%.

Renting a car or train plus local taxi. I would not pay an excessive amount (because it will be and it is) to sit in the discomfort of a regular taxi for nearly three hours. 

I haven't read anything indicating mobility challenges so I guess the luggage hauling might be a fear but..

Plan your train trip. Book your train tickets. Head to the Amsterdam Centraal Station, use the escalator or elevators, buy a soda/beer and a bag of chips, board one of the high(er) speed trains; the Intercity Direct or Eurostar train, store your luggage in between the seat back to backs or luggage racks and sit back and relax. Your views of the landscape passing by will also be better than other cars/highways.

Here's a bit of info on the luggage part onboard the two trains on that route:

https://www.nsinternational.com/en/before-you-go/luggage

https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/travel-planning/luggage

The last leg is on a regional Belgium train in most options, using the balcony and staying with your luggage to avoid logistical challenges.  

I would leave the Markt Binnenrotte for what it is, if you go by foot you can plan your route to walk along or over the market towards the Markthal (route: Rotterdam Marriott hotel, Weena/Hofplein fountain, Cool Singel/City Hall) unless you are really looking forward to the street market experience but it's just local hustle. I personally would not sacrifice an easy morning in Paris for it! 

Your 3:32PM arrival might sound a bit late for your leisurely pace but still doable to me, it still gives you >6 hours for a 10:00PM end. An earlier train might give you some extra time or leverage but it would be a second or one drink at dinner thing in the end I think! On the other hand: perhaps the 1:32PM arrival biggest benefit is that it still gives you enough time even if it runs late for some unforeseen reason.

I missed the Euromast in your list by the way, swap it for the street market timewise (the Euromast will be longer though)? Not wanting to mess up your plans! 

https://euromast.nl/en/

21 hours ago, Milhouse said:

Follow up question!

 

..

 

to determing if it's worth it for us to try to arrive into Rotterdam earlier to visit it.  Thanks!

Forgot to answer the actual question: I would not bother or skip other things prior to your arrival in Rotterdam (if that's the case) to see the street market, it's close by and does not take hours. Wandering around the street market will perhaps take 30 minutes off your Markthal visit if it's not done in 10, the Markthal definitely is the more attractive place.

Oh and you probably already found https://www.rotterdamcentrum.nl/en/plan-your-visit/travel-inspiration/binnenrotte-markt-rotterdam-centre?switchlanguage=true I think?