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rotjeknor

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Everything posted by rotjeknor

  1. I think I know whom you’re talking about… We were on a tour with her as well . When I tried helping her when her cane got caught getting off the bus , she gave me the dirtiest look possible….. 👹 .
  2. I’m sorry for anyone whose travel plans are being frustrated by these measures, but is it a cruise lines responsibility? Do airlines provide free testing for , say , connecting flights to countries that require a test ? It seems to me that now mask mandates etc. are not strictly enforced or are not in place anymore, the virus is on the rise again. When I took my Eurodam cruise last September, everyone , no exceptions , wore a mask . We were tested a day before disembarkation and among the 900 pax , there were no positives. Again sorry for everyone who’s affected, but we can all take our responsibility to keep the virus in check.
  3. Don’t be surprised if you open the “ Dutch” website that part of it is mixed with German…. or English. This website is an absolute joke. If it works that is.
  4. The city of amsterdam is actively trying to ban cruiseships from the citycenter. They have plans to move the cruiseterminal to …. the waterlandterminal. All the way in the western harbour. The HAL should just come to Rotterdam, we’ve had 3 cruiseships in port at the same time . No problem!
  5. We did this itinerary in 2019 , oceanview on Dolphin Deck. Two decks up and you are outside , on a wide open promenade deck. Been on the R and S class ships for most of our cruises and love them. The Zaandam is a nice ship. Comfy library, the rear decks on deck 3, 6 and 7 as well as the possibility to get to the bow area and the observation area on deck 6 forward and of course the Lido and sports and sun deck gives you a lot of outdoor space.
  6. Finland and Sweden . Norway is already a NATO member as are Lituania, Latvia and Estonia.
  7. I’m glad the HAL is making the effort ( of course they need the revenue) of putting a worthwhile and safe cruise together. They would of course have very much preferred the original itinerary as the people in Ukraine would have very much to be spared the horrors of war in their country. I would suggest to just take it as it comes. Good for your blood pressure as well. Who knows what happens between now and may 22 when we dock in the Netherlands again. They may have to change the route again. But I consider myself lucky just to be able to cruise again.
  8. I’ll do the commercial test ! Last September on our Eurodam cruise we took the test at the pier, that’s pretty stressful, waiting for your number to come up at the screen…. 22 days and counting 😎, thanks @MAVIP
  9. Thanks. This is definitely better explained than what we got in their last email : All guests ages two and above will require a medically observed, negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) result taken within one day of embarkation. We strongly encourage all guests take a viral COVID-19 test prior to leaving home to avoid travel disruptions of a positive test result at the pier. That reads like : you will be tested at the pier, if you tested positive at home, don’t bother coming. Anyway it does to me….
  10. So it's either do a medically supervised test within one day of embarkation or do the free test at the pier ?
  11. I remember going to the pier in the sixties and early seventies when we went to pick up or say goodbye to my father as he went to sea or came back, all the activity going on . Freighters being unloaded, passengers coming and going . Very busy . And the smell of bales of coffee and tea coming out the warehouses with those exotic names … Borneo, Java, Sumatra and Celebes…… And now my dentist is one of those buildings..😳
  12. Completely agree ! Especially Visby looks very promising , apparently one of the best kept Northern European Hanseatic cities. Maybe we’ll run into each other in those narrow streets or maybe onboard!
  13. On the website of Gothenburg Port , there’s no mention of the Rotterdam yet. They have two cruise terminals, one is also where the ferries dock , this one is closest to town. But still a 20-25 minute walk into the center. The other one is further out and , according to their website, a 20 minute busride.
  14. I seriously doubt that. Russia has enough trouble as it is in Ukraine,starting a second front would be a strange move. Plus Finland is an EU member… I know that Russia warned Finland as well as Sweden not to become a NATO member , something both countries are considering . Plus the Baltic countries are already a NATO member , so attacking those would mean …..
  15. No biggie for us. Been to the other ports and as long as we sail , it’s fine by us. Gothenburg is not a “ small town in Sweden “ . Beautiful city. Visby on the island of Gotland is a popular vacation destination for Swedes so it must be something at least… Like I said , glad the HAL is making these changes instead of canceling the whole cruise. And changing already booked shore exs, no problem either.
  16. Download the MarineTraffic app or go to their website. You can track almost any vessel wherever it is in the world.
  17. There's a beautiful book called the Photographic History of the SS Nieuw Amsterdam by Nico Guns. It's 750 pages of just pictures of the inside and outside and explanatory text. You can order it at www.gbooksinternational.nl . I have no association with the publisher , but they have a great collection of maritime books and publications!
  18. Is it possible to upgrade from the SBP that comes with the Have it All Promo ? And how does one do that ? Onboard or before sailing?
  19. It happened in the fall of 1973 when both the Rotterdam and the Nieuw Amsterdam were at the Lisnave shipyard in Lissabon. The Rotterdam lost her grey hull there and was repainted dark blue. I read this in a recently acquired book “ Non Illegitimus Carborundum “ , memories of an engineer who worked for the HAL for 23 years. The last time that the Rotterdam left Rotterdam for a classic TA was October 71 , the Nieuw Amsterdam followed in nov 1971 . Being the last HAL ship to do so. I was on the pier, my father was Chief Engineer onboard.
  20. Question: When en where ( nope , not the daily program..) was the last time the Nieuw Amsterdam II and the Rotterdam V were docked at the same quay?
  21. Completely agree ! We've been on both the Volendam and the Zaandam as well as numerous times on the Rotterdam VI. Only ship that had some issues ( hot/cold water and plumbing) was the Rotterdam . The Volendam is on top of our list, hopefully on july 17 we can board her again. Right now , all can do is look at her while she in Rotterdam.... And a Vista has much more room than a Verandah cabin on the other ships.
  22. It is clear she is not on shore power, saw some smoke and " heated air" coming out of the funnel. She is hooked up to a fresh water line. Not much movement onboard, saw some people walking on the lower prom deck and some people getting onboard with shopping bags.
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