jhannah
September 21st, 2004, 11:05 AM
As I noted on the other thread, embarkation was a breeze. We met several of the CCers at sailaway. A few got "lost" but I don't know how since it's so small a ship. :) Anyway, we're having a wonderful time.
Had dinner last night in the Pinnacle. As expected, it was super bodacious wonderful. Jon, the maitre d' in the Pinnacle, is on his first tour of duty aboard a cruise ship. Very personable fellow from the Netherlands. We stopped by to meet our regular tablemates, and will join them in a couple of hours for dinner.
Today at Gribraltar was good. The weather is practically perfect. A bit hazy, so we couldn't see Africa from the top of the rock. We did see it coming through the straits, so that was good.
We went into town and walked down by the hotel. There, we hired a cab for 24 Euros each to take us up to the top. That included going to both ends of the mountain, entrance into two caves, and a visit with the Barbary apes. I thought it was a very good deal. It was easy to do, and much cheaper than what the ship offers. We really saw it all. After a stroll through town, it was back to the ship. One highlight was being able to see the Rotterdam V in dry dock here in Gibraltar. She's being refitted into a hotel. So all you afficianados of this great ocean liner can rest assured she's still beautiful, and will continue to serve.
We saw the QE2 at sailaway yesterday, and she was in port ahead of us this morning. We docked right beside her.
The two aft-facing cabins on the Veranda deck have tinted glass walls at the back. They sit a ways back from the rail, but that area of the deck is marked private ... so there shouldn't be much traffic back there. I haven't been able to see into the ones on the sides.
We're in 056, an SS that's 7th from the back on the port side. It is a wonderful cabin. No eurotop mattresses or fine linen sheets yet ... but I'm sure they're coming.
We are really enjoying this smaller ship. It's almost amazing how quickly you can get from the dining room to the Queens' Lounge! The wrap-around Promenade deck is 1/4 mile. And remember the recent thread on which way you walk the deck? Well, it's counter-clockwise on the Prinsendam. There are even signs at the bow that say "one way" with arrows pointing toward the port side. I've never seen that before.
The soda package is different. Not unlimited drinks for the duration as we've seen before. 20 sodas are $24.95 plus 15% service charge. So it does save you a few bucks.
That's all for now. I'll send more later as we go along. Tomorrow is a sea day, so we're looking forward to taking it real easy.
Had dinner last night in the Pinnacle. As expected, it was super bodacious wonderful. Jon, the maitre d' in the Pinnacle, is on his first tour of duty aboard a cruise ship. Very personable fellow from the Netherlands. We stopped by to meet our regular tablemates, and will join them in a couple of hours for dinner.
Today at Gribraltar was good. The weather is practically perfect. A bit hazy, so we couldn't see Africa from the top of the rock. We did see it coming through the straits, so that was good.
We went into town and walked down by the hotel. There, we hired a cab for 24 Euros each to take us up to the top. That included going to both ends of the mountain, entrance into two caves, and a visit with the Barbary apes. I thought it was a very good deal. It was easy to do, and much cheaper than what the ship offers. We really saw it all. After a stroll through town, it was back to the ship. One highlight was being able to see the Rotterdam V in dry dock here in Gibraltar. She's being refitted into a hotel. So all you afficianados of this great ocean liner can rest assured she's still beautiful, and will continue to serve.
We saw the QE2 at sailaway yesterday, and she was in port ahead of us this morning. We docked right beside her.
The two aft-facing cabins on the Veranda deck have tinted glass walls at the back. They sit a ways back from the rail, but that area of the deck is marked private ... so there shouldn't be much traffic back there. I haven't been able to see into the ones on the sides.
We're in 056, an SS that's 7th from the back on the port side. It is a wonderful cabin. No eurotop mattresses or fine linen sheets yet ... but I'm sure they're coming.
We are really enjoying this smaller ship. It's almost amazing how quickly you can get from the dining room to the Queens' Lounge! The wrap-around Promenade deck is 1/4 mile. And remember the recent thread on which way you walk the deck? Well, it's counter-clockwise on the Prinsendam. There are even signs at the bow that say "one way" with arrows pointing toward the port side. I've never seen that before.
The soda package is different. Not unlimited drinks for the duration as we've seen before. 20 sodas are $24.95 plus 15% service charge. So it does save you a few bucks.
That's all for now. I'll send more later as we go along. Tomorrow is a sea day, so we're looking forward to taking it real easy.