Join Pete and Judy on their FIRST World Cruise on the Amsterdam

[The-Inside-Cabin]

And we board in San Diego the day you get off. Love your blog. Very well written & entertaining.

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to allow us to enjoy the World Cruise through you.

 

 

 

Glad you are enjoying the blog!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Welcome to Barcelona!

 

Transiting a narrow channel. Should be able to get off in 30 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

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[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 101, Civitavecchia, Italy

 

Civitavecchia, Italy is the cruise port closest to Rome, about 50 miles to the southeast. It is a huge port that has at least six major cruise ships present today with room for more. Many cruises originate and end here and others, like us, spend the day to allow guests to visit Rome. We have visited Rome on land trips over the years and wanted to check out Civitavecchia since we drove thru this town on the way to Rome years ago and thought it looked interesting, so we were glad to have a chance for a brief stop.

 

This would be a 13 hour visit (7 am to 8 pm) to give folks enough time to get to Rome and back and still have enough time to see some of the sights.

 

Our big event, along with 300 or so other passengers would be to visit the Koningsdam who would be on a turn-around-day after finishing her maiden voyage. We were notified of this opportunity back in February when the HAL executives spent a few days onboard. Everyone interested was asked to sign up at the front desk if they wanted to visit the Koningsdam and we did the very next day.

 

A few days before we arrived here, we were given an RSVP card that we had to fill out confirming our interest. Last night we received our “Ticket” that would allow us access to the Koningsdam the next day. There was discussion of a waiting list, but I don’t know how many people who wanted to visit didn’t make the cut.

 

Initially we were going to be bused over to her, but when they realized we would moored stern to stern on the same pier, it made more sense to simply walk over. They did provide a shuttle bus afterwards for passengers who didn’t want to walk the ¼ mile back to the Amsterdam.

 

We were instructed to assemble on the pier by 9:15 am where we would be divided into groups of 70. At 9:15 the groups of 70 started walking down the pier to the Koningsdam, led by one of staff officers. They spaced the groups a few minutes apart and our group arrived in front of the Koningsdam around 9:30 and we were on the ship about 15 minutes later. We had to trade our Amsterdam Cruise Card for a Koningsdam Vistors pass which we kept in our pocket. We would get our cruise card back after the tour and we returned the Visitors pass.

 

About 10 minutes to 10 we were on the Koningsdam entering her on A deck forward. We passed thru a crew area on A deck to the forward staircase where we walked up 2 flights of stairs to Deck 2. Unlike the forward staircase on the Amstedam where you will find pictures of the various Amsterdam ships over the years, our first picture on this staircase was a drawing of Jimi Hendrix. The entire ship is based on a musical theme with the passenger decks having names like the Beethoven Deck, Mozart Deck etc. The decks with most of the common areas maintain their traditional names.

 

Our tour guide was the Koningsdams Location Guide who was so outgoing, friendly and approachable that I had to check out his name tag to make sure he wasn’t the Cruise Director.

 

We walked past the Digital Classroom and then we entered the Music Walk which had a beautiful silver sculpture of a string bass that is quite striking. The Music Walk spans the entire ship and is divided into the Lincoln Center Stage (on the starboard side) where the Adiago Strings (or equivalent will likely perform) and the Billboard Onboard where the Piano Bar musicians will likely play (The venue will support two pianos for dueling piano events). They don’t have a space called the Piano Bar. Immediately aft of the Lincoln Center Stage is the Explorers Bar and across the passageway in the center of the ship is a small venue called “Notes” where they will offer Bourbon and Scotch Tasting and other similar events. It will be interesting to see how the Music Walk is scheduled because I am not sure there is enough separation to have different groups playing at the same time in this area.

 

 

We continued aft past the familiar Signature Shops and then we entered the Queens Lounge. On “R” Class Ships, the Queens Lounge is the main show room. Here, as it is on most of the newer ships, it is home to the BB King Lounge but it is now a 2 level affair with a large dance floor in the center. It is a beautiful venue and I will be interested to see how it works out in practice. This venue doesn’t seem suited to function as a theater to show movies since the chairs are arranged around tables rather than all facing the same direction. The lounge is set up to encourage conversations in groups, as opposed to people watching the stage like a concert. Sometimes people in similar venues on other ships maintain strict silence during musical acts as if they were in a theater rather than a lounge. Hopefully this configuration will encourage conversation amongst the guests during shows.

 

Continuing further aft we passed the middle level of the Atrium, new Seafood Specialty restaurant Sel De Mer and got a glance at the Pinnacle grill which is on the port side of the ship next to the Atrium.

 

The Ocean Bar is on the starboard side across from Sel De Mer and further aft is the Culinary Arts Center and something new to the fleet is a wine mixing station called the Blend. For $129 you spend about 1 hour learning about mixing different wines and end up with a bottle of your special blend you can take with you. Time will tell if this is successful or ends up alongside the Northern Lights Night Club as something that looked good initially but didn’t quite work out.

 

The main dining room no longer has a fancy name, but is simply called “The Dining Room”. As usual, the dining room is all the way aft, but no longer symmetrical around the center of the ship but more weighted to the starboard side. The room is very bright and feels open with a very modern look and feel. As usual, the room is two levels with a large, football shaped open section in the center.

 

After we wandered around The Dining Room for a bit, we went up the dining room stairs to deck 3 and started moving forward.

 

The Photo lab is immediately forward of the The Dining Room on Deck 3 and features LCD Terminals attached to room card readers. We heard that they will be using facial recognition software which can match your ship photos to the embarkation security photo and allow you to easily pull up all of your photos without having to wander around searching the boards of unbought pictures. I don’t know if they are doing this yet, as they still have the traditional panels in place.

 

We continued forward and were now back in the Atrium where the Front Desk is located which is across from the Grand Dutch Café which is similar to the Explorations café on the Amsterdam, but seems to have more choices and is much larger. There is still an Explorations Café on the Koningsdam and it is located in the Crow’s Nest.

 

Further forward on this level are more shops, the art gallery, the second level of the Queens lounge and finally the Casino. The Casino seems very cramped as compared to the one on Amsterdam. It has a craps table plus one of those Poker Pro video poker tables instead of live dealers. This table will be successful because it is the only game in town. If they offered a dealer table – no one would ever play this version.

 

This Koningsdam is the first HAL ship where you must walk thru the casino if you want to transit from the showroom upper level and go aft to other public areas. Other HAL ships allow you to bypass the casino by walking in a wider passageway with a bar on one side and a casino on the other. I will be looking forward to reviews about how well the theatre empties after a big show. People will likely leave by the lower exits which empty directly into the Music Walk. Not sure what the smoking policy will be in the Casino, but hopefully it will be banned so you at least don’t have to walk thru a smoke filled room to get from one part of the ship to another.

 

We entered the main showroom, called the “World Stage” which is two stories high, but with no balcony. It looks spectacular – very clean and modern. Waiters greeted us with glasses of orange juice or Champagnes while others offered tasty canapés. We walked down to the front row and noticed that seats in the lower section seemed a little wider with each chair having its own armrests, while the chairs higher up in the sloping section were a little smaller and armrests were shared with your neighbors. The seat bottoms on all the chairs automatically flipped up to allow easier walking down the rows.

 

In a few minutes we were greeted by the Cruise Director and then the Captain. They were very warm and gracious. I forgot to mention earlier that virtually every electronic sign board throughout the ship displayed a very nice sign welcoming the Amsterdam World Cruisers to the Amsterdam.

 

NOTE: We really appreciated the extra work from all the Koningsdam crew who I am sure winced when they were informed they had to host 300 guests on their very first turnaround day as I am sure they were quite busy working on all the normal turnaround issues plus all the new ones associated with a maiden voyage. Their hard work to make this event possible is noted and appreciated.

 

We had only expected to watch a Koningsdam promotional video – which we did (very nice I might add) and then be asked to depart the ship so they could get on with their work. After the video I was thrilled when the Cruise Director announced that we would see 3 numbers from one of their new shows, designed especially for the Koningsdam called “Musicology”.

 

The showroom went dark and the large screen illuminated with a short phrase introducing the show which would feature their interpretation of various instruments. First was the Cello, followed by the Violin and then the Steel Drums. Each number was exciting and very well done and the dancers were magnificent. The massive screen displayed perfectly choreographed animated special effects and the sound system was fantastic.

 

 

I stage is set up “in the round” with seats circling most of the stage. Not every act is suited for such a stage, but I suspect that they will find enough acts who will either adapt or not be booked. Simple as that.

 

After the show, the cruise director again took the stage and once again I was surprised when we were told we could tour the ship on our own for the next 45 minutes until they started embarking their new passengers.

 

At this point you could see big ‘Thought Bubbles’ pop from everyone’s heads with the words “LIDO” as we all quickly left heading up to one of the favorite spots on any HAL ship – the Lido deck – which was still named the Lido deck and not after some musician.

 

We would end up touring all the public areas and had a chance to pop into a few cabins. Here are our random observations.

 

LIDO: Broken down into various stations almost like a fast food court ashore. The LIDO retained the symmetry of other ships with the port and starboard sides being mirror images of one another.

 

LIDO Pool area: The Dive In was much larger than on current ships and was joined on the other side of the Lido pool area by NY Pizza Eatery which is a wonderful addition to the pool area. There was a large TV screen above the pool, not as big as the monster on some Princess Ships, but plenty big. The Sea View Pool area seemed smaller, but again, not sure if it is actually smaller.

 

The amount of available deck chair space seems less than on other ships, but this may be an illusion. I will be looking forward to live reviews from a warm weather sea day to see how well this works in practice.

 

Cabins – I would guess about 10% smaller than the ones on the Amsterdam, but the bathrooms had walk in showers and no tubs – a nice change. Hard to gauge storage space on a quick visit, but there seemed to be less, but then I noticed some cabinets over the couch, so with all the nooks and crannies figured in it may be a wash.

 

Having to walk to the front desk to have your key card replaced after being demagnetized will be a distant memory as the new key cards use RFID technology which don’t require putting your card in a slot, but simply pressing it near a small, black reader on the door. There is also a slot, seen in some hotels, that require you to insert your room card in order to activate the electrical outlets and the room lights. The slots we saw had dummy cards already inserted so this feature may not be activated here. We heard that the new RFID cards won’t tolerate having holes punched in them, so you may have to get a different type of lanyard if you want to hang your card around your neck.

 

The gym and spa seemed about the same, only larger as you would expect. The spinning class had cycling shoes available to use, which improves the experience and the bikes will also accept Shimano SPD cleats without modification. If you don’t know what SPD cleats are – you don’t have any and don’t need to be concerned.

 

There is an area above the pool called the retreat which is similar to current offerings on other ships.

 

Final Thoughts on the Koningsdam: She is a beautiful ship with the same wonderful crews and service you have come to expect on any HAL ship. She looks new and fresh and I like her new spaces and the World Stage. The HAL portfolio now has another ship offering a different type of amenities giving us more choices for our next cruise vacation. I need to start checking out her schedule to see if I can find an itinerary that will fit my future vacation plans.

 

It was now almost 11:30 and not wanting to wear out our welcome we headed back to A deck and found our way off the ship. We walked back to the Amsterdam and got on a shuttle bus to go into town.

 

It was a short ride to our drop off spot in Civitavecchia. We knew there were a lot a cruise ships in port, but it was still interesting to see all the signs for the various shuttle busses ready to take passengers back to their ships.

 

Note to future cruisers. There is an AVIS car rental agency office right across the street from the shuttle bus drop off spot.

 

We started walking toward the train station, without any particular destination in mind. We were on the lookout for an interesting looking pizzeria to relax for a bit then to walk a big loop to the train station and then back down the waterfront and return to the ship. I pulled up TripAdvisor and looked for restaurants “near me” and found a highly rated pizzeria close by, but after we arrived we learned it was only a take-out place. Since we were getting hungrier we picked a restaurant that looked nice and found an empty table outside. It was a beautiful day and sitting outside was a joy. I ordered a pizza with sausage and mushrooms and Judy picked one with Prosciutto on Focaccia Bread. They didn’t take credit cards, and I forget to ask before we ordered, and since we only had 30 euros, I found a nearby ATM and got some more cash.

 

The food was delivered in about 15 minutes and was quite good. After relaxing for about an hour we continued onward toward the train station. Along the way we picked up a souvenir key chain and some post cards. Once we arrived at the train station we headed toward the water and walked back toward the ship. We were originally going to walk all the way back to the shuttle bus, but we ran into a friend of ours who told us that from where we were, it was almost the same distance to walk back to the ship as it was to walk back to the shuttle bus stop.

 

Our dinner guests this evening were the Lomax Brothers who entertained us a few nights ago with their amazing singing and piano playing. We learned some of the highs and lows of being a guest entertainer and how they can adapt songs for simultaneous play on a single piano.

 

Jesse Kazemek was on the main stage this evening and he dazzled the crowd with his ability to play any Beatle song ever recorded (all 213 we learned). His guitar playing and vocals were incredible and we enjoyed his show very much. His wife joined him on stage for a few songs. She has a beautiful voice, but her dumb blonde routine was unnecessary and detracted from their incredible performance once they started singing. We look forward to seeing him again if we get the chance as you can’t help but leave the showroom smiling after his show.

 

[1of4]

Very much enjoying your trip and your review of the Koningsdam. We are booked on her July 9 2017 to a voyage of the midnight sun.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Very much enjoying your trip and your review of the Koningsdam. We are booked on her July 9 2017 to a voyage of the midnight sun.

 

 

 

Forgot to mention new IT system. Here are some screen shots....not sure if free NYT is still avail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 19, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

The Art Auctions are BACK....will start soon and they expect 3 auctions enroute to FLL.....will be interesting to see the participation level.

[teamflames]

Thanks for your thoughts on Koningsdam, it's refreshing to see someone acknowledge that it is different and that is not necessarily a negative but may give more options and choice.

You didn't mention the promenade, the major sticking point with a lot of Hal devotees, is this change enough to put you off? Or is it to be balanced with other positive changes?

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Thanks for your thoughts on Koningsdam, it's refreshing to see someone acknowledge that it is different and that is not necessarily a negative but may give more options and choice.

You didn't mention the promenade, the major sticking point with a lot of Hal devotees, is this change enough to put you off? Or is it to be balanced with other positive changes?

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

 

 

The promenade is much smaller and walking will probably require stricter adherence to one way traffic. I have never sat out there and I suspect HAL made the tradeoff that the space could be better used inside. I think that most people never go out there......and the 100 that do are more vocal....

[teamflames]

Thanks it's exactly 2 months until we board her, we are very excited and can't wait to experience a brand new ship. The entertainment venues sound spectacular

 

 

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[jig]

The Art Auctions are BACK....will start soon and they expect 3 auctions enroute to FLL.....will be interesting to see the participation level.

 

 

I think they need to reset the system for the next cruise to go right away. 3 free glasses of champagne.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[rafinmd]

Thanks for your thoughts on Koningsdam, it's refreshing to see someone acknowledge that it is different and that is not necessarily a negative but may give more options and choice.

You didn't mention the promenade, the major sticking point with a lot of Hal devotees, is this change enough to put you off? Or is it to be balanced with other positive changes?

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

Actually, I think everybody who has been on the Koningsdam has been positive (Pete&Judy, Lisa, TylerRose), but a lot of people who have never been on the ship are having fits. I am a bit apprehensive about the size of the Promenade deck but look forward to sailing the shiip. A cruise on the Koningsdam a Grand Asia segment will make a great 2017.

 

Roy

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I think they need to reset the system for the next cruise to go right away. 3 free glasses of champagne.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

While talking to the art guy I got the sense this was "spring training" for the Alaska market.

[teamflames]

Actually, I think everybody who has been on the Koningsdam has been positive (Pete&Judy, Lisa, TylerRose), but a lot of people who have never been on the ship are having fits. I am a bit apprehensive about the size of the Promenade deck but look forward to sailing the shiip. A cruise on the Koningsdam a Grand Asia segment will make a great 2017.

 

 

 

Roy

 

 

 

Yes, that is my point, the people who haven't even sighted the ship are expressing very negative sentiments and some are trying to twist the words of those who have been onboard.

I should have expressed that better.

 

I agree that the people who have been onboard seem much more balanced on their views.

 

Personally I can't wait to try a brand new ship, I'm sure not everything will be perfect but you have to try it first.

Edited April 19, 2016 by teamflames

[happy_traveller]

Forgot to mention new IT system. Here are some screen shots....not sure if free NYT is still avail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing may be one day we will visit her.

[ger_77]

We had Jesse Kazemek on our last cruise and agree, he is a great musician and singer. His wife didn't do herself any favours with the dumb blonde routine, which fell a little flat with the audience. She could have simply accompanied him in a number of songs, as she has a beautiful voice.

 

Thanks for sharing your time with us!

 

Smooth Sailing ! [emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji3]

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We had Jesse Kazemek on our last cruise and agree, he is a great musician and singer. His wife didn't do herself any favours with the dumb blonde routine, which fell a little flat with the audience. She could have simply accompanied him in a number of songs, as she has a beautiful voice.

 

Thanks for sharing your time with us!

 

Smooth Sailing ! [emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji3]

 

Everyone at our table felt the same way about the dumb blonde routine... almost wince worthy

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 102, Livorno, Italy

 

Livorno is the jumping off point for tours to Pisa and Florence. Today would be a 12 hour port visit to provide enough time ashore to allow guests time to take excursions to Pisa and Florence. We have spent weeks driving rental cars all around this area over the years, but we never spent much time in the port cities, so we decided to relax on the ship and spend a little time checking out Livorno in the afternoon.

 

 

We arrived at 7am and once again we were in a port that provided a shuttle bus from the cruise terminal to the center of town.

 

Around 3pm we headed off the ship and caught the shuttle bus into town. Inside the cruise terminal there was free, but slow WiFi, the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off bus counter and rental car counters from Hertz and Avis.

 

During our research we learned that according to Trip Advisor and Rick Steves, a place called Torteria da Gagarin was the best local restaurant it Livorno. It was located less than a mile away at 24 Via del Cardinale. So off we went in search of this restaurant and any other interesting sites along the way.

 

We plugged in the address to our MAPS.ME app and it showed us the best walking route to get to the restaurant. I can’t say enough about the app MAPS.ME (and I am not getting paid to say this) which is available in the apple store and gives you detailed street maps along with the capability to give you pedestrian routing and the distance.

 

Once we arrived at 24 Via Del Cardinale, we discovered that there weren’t any signs of a restaurant, but only a aluminum garage door firmly locked in the down position. I checked Tripadvisor once again and there was a review only 3 days old and then I noticed that it didn’t open until 4:30, about 20 minutes later. We decided to kill the 20 minutes wandering around a nearby open-air market similar to a flea market in the USA but we didn’t see anything that looked particularly interesting.

 

It was now about 4:35 so we headed back to 24 Via Del Cardinale and sure enough the garage door was open, exposing a beaded curtain that hid whatever was on the other side. There wasn’t any sign or any other indication that this was a restaurant. We decided to see what was behind the curtain. We plunged inside, and yes, this was Torteria da Gagarin and there were 5 people inside who had already placed their orders.

 

The restaurant consisted of two standup counters to hold your beverage while you ate, the main counter with beverages for sale on display in a glass case, and then a wood fired oven behind the counter where they baked the food. There was another food preparation area hidden from view further in the back.

 

The menu was on a single typewritten piece of paper taped to the wall and only in Italian. Fortunately they had a reprint of an English newspaper review which suggested that the 5 x 5 (name referring to the original value of 5 cents for torta and bread) was the best item on the menu. Using my best Italian accent I requested a Cinque e Cinque with eggplant. What I ordered was a Torta di Ceci (a savoury pancake made from Chick Pea flour), but stuffed between a pocket of Focaccia bread along with a fried eggplant and cheese. The woman behind the counter nodded and I added I would like a Heineken Beer and a Coke. Total Cost 6.50 Euros.

 

In a few minutes the woman behind the counter handed me our Cinque e Cinque, which she cut in half at our request with each half wrapped in paper, along with my beer and Judy’s Coke. It was hot, fresh and very good. Highly recommended if you want to experience a really local place next time you are in Livorno.

 

 

As we headed back to the central square and the shuttle bus stop we window shopped past the shops that were now coming back to life after their afternoon break. We did come across a shop that had a few balls of yarn in the window, but it was cotton based and didn’t look that interesting so we took a pass.

 

Near the shuttle bus stop we picked up a key chain and some post cards before we caught the next bus back to the ship.

 

We were back on the ship around 5:30 pm and relaxed in our cabin until the sail-away. As we left the harbor, I noticed for the first time the Livorno Lighthouse, called Fanale dei Pisani, which was originally built by the Pisans in 1303 – over 700 years old! However what is standing there today was the rebuilt version (circa 1954) since the original lighthouse was destroyed during WW II.

 

For dinner this evening, we both chose the Lobster Cobb Salad, which was amazing.

 

Tonight show was an encore performance of the Lomax Brothers and Jesse Kazemek. They were both amazing and put on outstanding, high energy shows and brought the audience to its feet. Don’t miss either of these shows if they come to a cruise ship near you.

 

 

More on the blog at http://www.theinsidecabin.com

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 103, Monte Carlo, Monaco

 

Today we were in Monte Carlo, Monaco, a very exciting city full of people with lots and lots of money.

 

We moored with the starboard side facing the city, and with our cabin on the port side, we had a nice ocean view but would have preferred a city view today. As I reflect back on our cruise, I would say more often than not, the starboard side usually had the preferred views when moored in any particular port. There were only a few ports where the view would be worth thinking about, but if all other things were equal, I would choose a starboard side cabin if I had a choice next time.

 

 

We were cleared to go ashore by 7 am, but we didn’t plan to get off until noonish as our plans were rather modest: Walk to the Grand Casino, then back toward the Palace and finally return to the ship.

 

As we were leaving the ship we noticed a basket full of umbrellas next to the security podium. One of the nice things about this cruise – and maybe every cruise – is that they will provide umbrellas at the gangway if there is any threat of rain. Theres also a bigger, much nicer umbrella that came with our cabin, but fortunately there was only one port where we needed an umbrella ashore: Bali, Indonesia and then for only an hour or two.

 

We learned later that there was a brief rain shower earlier in the day, but by the time we were leaving the skies had cleared and there wasn’t any rain for the rest of the day.

 

Once off the ship we passed thru the cruise terminal where there was a tourist information counter with helpful staff and I suggest you discuss your walking route with them in advance as there are certain ways to various spots where you can take elevators to avoid climbing stairs or even walking uphill as much as you might otherwise think was necessary.

 

Our route to the Casino would follow the Harbor all the way around and ended up being about 1 mile or so. There was a ferry boat that cut across the harbor, but we didn’t investigate its price or frequency of operations.

 

As we were walking along the waterfront, we discovered that there were grandstands and fencing all along the various streets, as they were setting up for the two Grand Prix races in May – there is the Historic Grand Prix May 13-15 and the regular Grand Prix toward the end of May.

 

 

We also learned that as the race course was being set up, many of the cross streets would be barricaded, which made is possible for anyone interested to drive on the course at normal speeds. We saw more than one Ferrari and Lamborghini darting around the course, screaming with high RPMs but not going very fast as they would accelerate quickly and then almost immediately brake or downshift for a turn. I am not sure what the rules are, but there was a steady stream of cars of all descriptions driving around all day.

 

One surprise as we left the cruise terminal and walked around the city was the complete lack of Taxis. We only saw 2 or 3 all day. We even looked at some hotel entrances, usually a hangout for taxis – but none there either. Once we arrived at the Grand Casino, we thought we would see people arriving via taxi – but no – didn’t see a single one in the 15 minutes we were in the area.

 

There is a pretty good bus system but we were walking today so didn’t investigate that option, but we spoke with a few people who did and found it inexpensive and easy to use. I would check out the details of how it works at the tourist information counter before you head out, even if you don’t plan on using it, because sometimes your energy level drains more quickly than you thought and it’s nice to understand how the bus system works before you are standing on the steps with a line of people waiting to get on behind you.

 

The last quarter mile to the Casino was all uphill but we were rewarded with nice views of the harbor with all the amazing yachts on full display. The Amsterdam was by far the largest “yacht” in the area and she looked splendid moored along the pier on the other side of the harbor.

 

We didn’t go into The Grand Casino as we were pressed for time and you had to check your bags and pay 10 Euros per person. We have been inside a couple times before, but I still always enjoy looking around, but today we didn’t have the time and I didn’t want to pay 10 euros pp for a 5 minute walk thru.

 

Our next objective was the Starbucks near the Palace. Judy collects the Starbucks mugs with the various city names and we wanted to see if the Monaco Starbucks had a special cup. It was a little over a mile to the Starbucks. We walked thru some of the back streets and now we were going downhill most of the way. The MAPS.ME app proved useful once again in helping determine the best walking route and it was fully aware of all pedestrian only paths and stairs when it developed the optimum routing.

 

We are never sure if the Starbucks will have a specific country cup, so we were pleased when we arrived and saw that they did have Monaco cups for sale. We paused in the Starbucks to snack on a muffin before we headed back to the ship in time for the all aboard at 3:30.

 

There was a nice crowd at the sail away – the weather was nice and the view of Monaco as we sailed away was spectacular. The snacks today were a crispy roll stuffed with a semi-spicy pepper and beef. I found it very tasty and had several, but others thought they were a little too spicy.

 

We had a Lobster Cobb salad last night and tonight we had a delicious Lobster Pot Pie. The pot pies on the Amsterdam are fabulous and always a special treat when they are on the menu.

 

Rita Rudner did her second show tonight. I wasn’t a big fan when the show started, but she held my interest and the time flew by and she was very funny. One of her better lines – “My husband is good in bed – he lies still and doesn’t snore” That one did crack me up.

 

 

We are looking forward to the sea day tomorrow.

 

More on the blog at http://www.theinsidecabin.com

[Btimmer]

Last fall we were on the NA which couldn't moor at Monaco due to high winds. We moored about 30 minutes west at Villefranche and a number of us took the local bus back to Monaco. It was inexpensive and very convenient. Our main goal for that trip was to explore the aquarium which was quite good.

 

On a previous trip to Monaco in 2014 on our motorcycle, we had the opportunity to ride the Grand Prix course. Talk about a thrill!!

 

Keep up the great reports although your cruise is approaching an end. . .

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Last fall we were on the NA which couldn't moor at Monaco due to high winds. We moored about 30 minutes west at Villefranche and a number of us took the local bus back to Monaco. It was inexpensive and very convenient. Our main goal for that trip was to explore the aquarium which was quite good.

 

On a previous trip to Monaco in 2014 on our motorcycle, we had the opportunity to ride the Grand Prix course. Talk about a thrill!!

 

Keep up the great reports although your cruise is approaching an end. . .

 

 

 

We are staying on thru San Diego.....then only a taxi ride home

[StartrainDD]

Hi Steve & Judy!

 

I've been following along the entire adventure. I very much enjoyed your comments on the Koningsdam. We are on her inaugural trans-Atlantic in October. You would be fun to cruise with, and with the sea days we will have lots of time to explore every nook and cranny of the ship. Come along!

 

Many on our cruise are also on the prior twelve day around the Med. We'd love to but still working so I can't.

 

I haven't noticed mention of Uber lately. I was also wondering if Uber is an option in Italy and Spain (thinking ahead to October). Any comments on that?

 

Enjoy the rest of your great trip!

[Kathie13]

Thank you so much for allowing me to enjoy your world cruise. I just noticed that you will be in Fort Lauderdale on April 30th. We will be embarking on the Navigator that day. I'll wave over to you on the Amsterdam!! Thanks again for such an interesting and informative live review!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Hi Steve & Judy!

 

 

 

I've been following along the entire adventure. I very much enjoyed your comments on the Koningsdam. We are on her inaugural trans-Atlantic in October. You would be fun to cruise with, and with the sea days we will have lots of time to explore every nook and cranny of the ship. Come along!

 

 

 

Many on our cruise are also on the prior twelve day around the Med. We'd love to but still working so I can't.

 

 

 

I haven't noticed mention of Uber lately. I was also wondering if Uber is an option in Italy and Spain (thinking ahead to October). Any comments on that?

 

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your great trip!

 

 

 

No uber in our Italian ports.....nothing in Monaco....didn't check Barcelona....check this site for more. https://www.uber.com/cities/

 

I am already booked on the Zuiderdam in October ....A crossing on the K will be wonderful!

[cccole]

Loved the photo of Judy wearing her "Solitary Confinement Shawl." It looks beautiful on her. So enjoying your reports. I thought your reflection on the differences between passing through the Suez Canal on a U.S. Naval vessel and a cruise ship were so interesting.

 

As always, THANK YOU for letting us travel with you. Cherie

[The-Inside-Cabin]

More reports coming later on this sea day. All Menus and On Location Guides are now current on the blog. http://Www.theinsidecabin.com