Host Jazzbeau

08 Sat Apr 23, 2022 – Rotterdam for Delft & Kinderdijk We are docked in Rotterdam, back in the Netherlands. With a central population of 650,000, it is second only to Amsterdam. Tourism as a trade only hit Rotterdam around 5 years ago. Known as the Gateway (and often the Manhattan) of Europe and celebrated for its history, art and architecture, it was destroyed by German bombs and ensuing fires during WWII. The centuries-old city center rose from its ashes into a varied architectural landscape with groundbreaking buildings and an ever-changing skyline characterized by sharp angles and geometric shapes. One skyscraper, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, was built on a slant. We had views of these interesting buildings as our coach took us on to Delft, a 400 year old canal-ringed city where we had a walking tour of the old town, the bricked and leaning Old Church, the towering New Church and the lively market square. We were left with some free time on our own and poked into several Delftware shops and cheese stores. Then we rode out to the Royal Delft Porcelain Factory and Museum, the manufacturing base for the intricately hand-painted blue-and-white pottery known as Delftware. Our guide showed us how to distinguish between authentic pieces and mass produced copies. This factory was founded over 350 years ago. Of course, everyone must exit through the gift store and despite high prices, there were lines of tourists waiting for cashiers. The bus brought us back to AmaSerena for lunch where we ate something they called Beef Stroganoff but really wasn’t. It was tasty but… Our appetizers were duck breast, prosciutto and chopped Greek salad. We had no time before the meeting re the rest of the day’s activities and upcoming disembarkation information. A short break and then we were off to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage-designated site of 19 astonishingly well-preserved windmills dating back to the 1500s and still operable. However, for practical purposes they were replaced with water pumping stations around 1950, but could still be put into operation if need be. We took a boat a short distance from the gift shop to one of the 3 museum windmills where an experienced (wind) miller took over the tour demonstrating how the sails are changed, the direction is changed… He was raised by millers and trained for 3 years to qualify. He still lives in a (different) windmill. Back to AmaSerena around 6:30, which didn’t give us much time to get prettied up for the Captain’s farewell cocktail party and dinner. Everyone at the table ordered the featured entrée Tournedos Rossini which is a large slice of a filet mignon with paté on top. The beef was wonderful! The paté seemed to have been half slices from a can. Dessert of chocolate apple tart didn’t quite make the mark. A strange combo of flavors! Delft [yes it leans] Delft Delft Delft Royal Delft Royal Delft Royal Delft Royal Delft Royal Delft [I wanted to bring her home, but she was too expensive] Royal Delft [I wanted to bring her home too, but DW said 'No!'] Kinderdijk Kinderdijk Kinderdijk IMG_3949.mov Kinderdijk IMG_3952.mov Kinderdijk

07 Fri Apr 22, 2022 – Antwerp & Floralia Today was cloudy at times, threatening to shower but didn’t. Low 60s. We docked in Antwerp on the River Scheldt and could see ferries cross the river with pedestrian passengers in about two minutes. We took a walking tour with Meik of this important seaport, second only to Rotterdam. Seems the two ports are starting to merge with one another and they will have to decide on a new name. Antwerp is one of the top diamond centers in Europe. A pretty and charming city, it is a jewel in Belgium’s crown. [See what I did there?...] Our first stop was the outside of the beautiful Het Steen (Antwerp Castle) only steps from our ship. It has been maintained and added onto as a Tourist Information Center. There is folklore associated with the castle about a giant poltergeist Lange Wapper who seems to particularly terrorize locals who have overly imbibed. We crossed a heavily trafficked street in order to pass the Butchers’ Guild Hall. A tall building, they used to slaughter the animals there, with blood pouring down the steps. Locals prayed for heavy rain to wash the stench away! Not a real stretch as it rains in this area 260 days a year! The outside of the building is done in red and white brick stripes so it resembles strips of bacon. We continued on to a large public square to see the beautiful town hall with its statue of Mary (there are over 100 in the city) which Jesuits installed to replace one of a local hero Silvius Brabo who cut off the hand of an evil giant who had done the same to all ship captains who moored in the area and refused to pay his toll. There is now a fountain/statue in the town square of him holding the hand, and local chocolatiers offer little chocolate hands among their selections of these fine confections. Surrounding the square were many other guild halls. Many were elaborate in their architecture and decorations – including gold-plated roof ornaments to distinguish one from another, e.g., a fox, an eagle… As in other Belgian towns chocolate shops were plentiful. We visited the centuries old Cathedral of Our Lady which features a UNESCO-designated belfry (over 400’ tall and undergoing restoration) and spectacular stained glass windows, and boasts 3 John Paul Rubens paintings including the Elevation of the Cross and the Descent from the Cross. Huge, beautiful Gothic church! Impressive! We then stopped in Grote Markt (Great Market) Square where 3 transport unions were protesting peacefully. [We later learned from a shipmate that many of them had abandoned the protest as soon as the pubs opened, and were convivially plastered when the tourists arrived for their Belgian beer tasting excursion…] Back to AmaSerena for lunch where fish and chips came with ordinary frites, not the special ones we had been praising. A quick turnaround and we were off on a coach with Meik for an hour’s drive (and nap) to a suburb of Brussels to see the Floralia Flower Show at the Kasteel (Castle) van Groot-Bijgaarden. A beautiful display of more than a million tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils (but a more manageable size than Keukenhof) greeted us. Most were in formal plots, yet the ones that enchanted us most were those that looked as if they had popped up and spread on a small hillock among weeds and stretched with no borders around trees. There was a special Exbury section with rhododendrons, azaleas and exbury azaleas. And a big surprise was a hothouse with flower arranging experts feverishly creating beautiful floral displays from perfect cut flowers—roses, hydrangeas, delphiniums, calla lilies, Gerbera daisies… The only downside to the visit here was a 50p fee to pee! Our ride back took longer as it was Friday rush hour and another coach had broken down in the midst of traffic in Antwerp. Dinner tonight celebrated AMA’s being a member of La Confrerie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. We had salad Nicoise, delicious lamb, raspberry sorbet and a Belgian chocolate buffet. [While much of the food on this cruise disappointed for its blandness, the meats were almost all superb.] DW walked. Antwerp Het Steen Antwerp Butchers Guild Antwerp Town Hall Antwerp Silvius Brabo Antwerp Guild Halls Antwerp Nello & Patrache Antwerp Cathedral Antwerp Elevation of the Cross Antwerp Descent from the Cross Floralia Floralia Floralia

06 Thu Apr 21, 2022 – Ghent [and/or Bruges] We docked at Ghent, Belgium today. Another sunny day in the 60s. The tour choices included a full day in Ghent, a full day in Bruges, half and half, or a Belgian chocolate workshop. We had wanted to do the half and half, to see the highlights of both Ghent and Bruges – but Marcia admitted that you wouldn’t see the newly restored Ghent altarpiece on that tour. Then it turned out that not enough people signed up for the all-day Ghent to qualify for group tickets to the altarpiece! But Marcia saved the day by buying tickets for the four of us who wanted to see it, so that we could stay in town after the walking tour. We took a short coach ride to the Ghent town center for a walking tour in the morning with 3 other passengers and our tour guide Evy. She introduced us to the charming medieval city of Ghent, the country’s 3d largest and one of the most prosperous cities. Like other cities in the low countries, Ghent is laced with canals and bridges crossing them. So we got to see canal-side architecture, the energetic streets (watch out for bikes, scooters, trams, cars…), the outside of some famous sights including the Castle of the Counts and Ghent Cathedral (St. Bavo), as well as beautiful Grasleiand Korenlei, medieval-era quays in which the stunning facades of historic buildings (including trade guild halls), cafes and shops are reflected in the water. Amidst all these very old structures is the modern city pavilion or Stadshal, a large stand-alone canopy in the center of town. Its construction was part of the city project to redevelop the squares and public spaces in Ghent’s historic city center. So it is near 3 landmarks: the Church of St. Nicholas, the Belfry and the Cathedral of St. Bavo. After Evy left us on our own, we headed for St. Nicholas and caught most of the 11 am Mass in Flemish. We also did a bit of exploring using Rick Steves as our guide but made sure we were back to the Cathedral in time for our 12:20 tix to see the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb aka the Ghent Altarpiece. It is a large and complex 15th century polyptych altarpiece begun around the mid-1420s and completed by 1432. It is attributed to the Early Netherlandish painters and brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck. The folding triptych shows pilgrims clustered together to pay homage to the Lamb of God, a representation of Jesus. We spent at least an hour in the cathedral in the pre-exhibit in the crypt wearing VR [Virtual Reality] headsets and then up to the altarpiece itself. It was well worth dedicating our day. Leaving there we went in search of an authentic Belgian restaurant that Evy recommended. I found it but not where we expected. And we were happy to finally sit down and have bowls of waterzooi. It’s sort of a creamy soup/stew filled with potatoes and vegetables; each day it is slightly different and ours had small meatballs. It was definitely tasty and filling. We walked some more and saw Graffiti Avenue (a narrow lane where graffiti artists are encouraged to display their latest artwork rather than defacing buildings throughout Ghent) where a young man was in the process of blacking out someone else’s work so he could display his. We walked past the Castle of the Counts, then got turned around in the maze of canals and small bridges when a local woman offered guidance. Within seconds she had us on our way in the direction of the taxi stand. At almost 4:00 we took a cab back to AmaSerena. The ride took 15 minutes and cost 12 Euros. DW napped and I worked on editing the photos. Our dinner tonight was the special Chef’s Table up on the rear of the 3d deck in a special dining room. Service was top notch and the menu was imaginative in concept but disappointing because of its blandness. The cauliflower soup was blah as was the salmon trout. The big hit was the Irish short ribs. The slice was tender and tasty but the accompanying vegetables were tasteless. Dessert was an imperfect (according to my tablemate who had taken a class on making the perfect one) macaron, with a tiny scoop of mango sorbet and a teeny tart filled with salted chocolate. The other two couples at our table were pleasant and interesting. We 6 were the last to leave. DW walked the deck. View from St. Michael's Bridge Korenlei Port House, Graslei St. Nicholas Church Mason's Guild House [and ... Tacos ?!!!] City Market Hall St. Bavo's Cathedral Adoration of the Mystic Lamb Groot Vleeshuis Restaurant Belgian Philosophy

05 Wed Apr 20, 2022 – Middleburg & the Delta Works We got up early as Marcia would start calling our tour before 8:30 am. I tried the Eggs Benedict and was not disappointed. More than half of the Netherlands lies below sea level. You’ll never get winded climbing a hill in this low country. [Germans joke that the highest point in Holland is the dome of a traffic circle…] We had an hour-long ride to reach the concrete box museum at the Delta Works. We spent an hour inside with our guide who told us the history of the 1953 flood (he was born 9 days after it hit and lost 40 family members to it). To keep everyone safe and to prevent a recurrence of the disaster, which took 1,836 lives as it brought water levels more than 18 feet above sea level, the Dutch created an impressive series of dams and with Dutch hydraulic engineering built barriers to hold back the sea. Then we got back on our bus and went to a photo op at the Oosterscheld Barrier. We returned to the ship in time for lunch and were famished. We both enjoyed the spring roll appetizers with sweet chili sauce and then DW had a salad before we both had two entrees apiece—curried chicken and curried eggplant/potato. And we did not skip dessert which was cinnamon ice cream. DW took two short naps in the afternoon (and I one). We both went to Marcia’s talk on Belgium and later went to the lounge for the AmaFamily Reunion Reception with other previous AMA cruisers. Then DW walked up on the Sun deck before dinner. We had no tablemates as they were at the Chef’s Table on the 3d deck enjoying 7 courses and wine pairings [our turn would come later]. DW walked some more after dinner and then popped into the lounge where the piano player had disco music keyed up. A younger woman invited her onto the dance floor and she enjoyed doing her thing for a while and then returned to the cabin.

04 Tue Apr 19, 2022 – Hoorn & the Zuiderzee Museum We are cruising on the Ijsselmeer River from Amsterdam to Hoorn [pronounced Horn]. And we are getting used to navigating the lock system. Breakfast buffets were available with limited self service. There was an omelet station and you could order items like Eggs Benedict and pancakes from the menu. The buffet had steam table trays of scrambled eggs and of bacon; cold buffet with small cups of fruit, yogurt, small pastries, bread; and there was a juice bar. Crew members were on hand to assist. I opted to sleep in and have coffee and Danish in the lounge. I enjoyed my latte but I would have appreciated more variety in the baked goods. DW went to a lecture on tulips and the history of speculative investment back in the 1600s [‘Tulipmania’] Then upstairs 45 minutes later for Cruise Director Marcia’s PowerPoint presentation about all the upcoming shore excursion options. We had pre-registered for most of them, but this was a last opportunity to change selections. We decided to choose a different one for the afternoon. We rafted next to Viking Ve in Hoorn. [We rafted a lot on this trip, and it was apparent that there is no standard design for river ships as the lobbies rarely lined up – instead you had to walk up to the sun deck, go across a make-shift gangway to the next ship, and then walk down more stairs to the actual gangway. It was fine for us, but really hard for the mobility challenged.] Off to lunch. DW had a salad and tried the white bean soup (blah!) [a real surprise, as we still talk about how good the cream soups were on our first AMA cruise back in 2013]. She did like the amuse bouche, a red pepper spread and the sliced duck breast. However, the Gouda quiche was like rubber so she asked for a duck meatball to eat with her very tasty frites. All of us seemed to be going in different directions for the afternoon – opting for three of the four tour options. We opted for the Zuiderzee Museum (like a Dutch version of Williamsburg, VA). It is an indoor and outdoor museum comprised of 140 historic buildings throughout the quaint fishing village of Enkhuizen. Home to the largest collection of wooden ships in Holland, the museum offers visitors an authentic Dutch experience to learn about Historic Zuiderzee and old workshops of traditional crafts (blacksmith, cooper, basket maker…) We took a van to a bus to a ferry to the property. No time for a nap! Our tour guide Else was very chatty but my QuietVox didn’t work so I separated from the group and took photos. Else led the group for about for an hour and then released them for self exploration for the remaining 30 minutes. Door plaques contained interesting and informative details about each building. One was a one-room structure on a turntable with bed and chamber pot in someone’s backyard. It was for TB patients to isolate them but also to freeze the bacteria out of them much like in the Trudeau Center in northern NYS. We returned by bus and van to AmaSerena. DW had enough time to go up to the sun deck and walk mini laps for an additional 3,000 steps. There were only 5 of us at dinner. One of the gals was too tired to come down. Most of us got the beef Carpaccio as an appetizer – nice! DW had salad and Barramundi with pineapple chutney. Too much fish! I had the fish, as well, but managed to eat it all… All five of us got the Flying Dutchman dessert: coffee ice cream mit schlag and some coffee syrup and candies. We all enjoyed it. Then we chatted and closed the DR. We have been blessed on both days with lovely weather—sunny and 60s.

03 Mon Apr 18, 2022 – Keukenhof and AmaSerena We got through Passport Control in 20 minutes and our bags came right out. We had hired BagPoint.com to meet us at the airport and take our luggage to AmaSerena at the dock so we could go straight on unencumbered to the Keukenhof flower garden. I had purchased our bus/garden admission tix online, because I had been warned on Cruise Critic that Easter Monday is a legal holiday in Holland and traffic might be bad. We caught the 10:30 Keukenhof Express Bus 858 at Schiphol airport and were at the site in a half hour. Keukenhof is amazing! The tulips are magnificent. Hundreds of varieties and as many different hues spread over dozens of layouts covering hundreds of acres! There are some hyacinth and grape hyacinth mixed in but the tulpen dominate. Once they stop blooming, Keukenhof closes. We spent a couple of hours there dragging ourselves around as one flower bed after another enticed us. We were wise enough to stop for lunch, sharing a spicy chicken sandwich and a fruit cup. We visited the Beatrix pavilion which featured orchids. Nothing unusual. Mostly the variety any of us can grow on our kitchen windowsill after making a $20 investment. And they paled next to the tulips’ vibrant colors and the hyacinths’ heady scent. We made it as far as the Wilhelmina building and admitted we were too knackered to do Keukenhof any more justice. So we headed for the bus. We took a different line to the RAI station where we changed for the tram so we could be above ground to see Amsterdam as the tram made its way to Centraal Station. We walked a few blocks to our ship and were in our cabin 207 with our luggage waiting for us. We went to the lounge and enjoyed tea sandwiches and mini desserts. Back to 207 to unpack. Although the cabin was roomy enough for us, the storage space was limited. We were creative. The shower stall is roomy and doesn’t leak. The shower heads give ample water pressure which can be adjusted to the individual’s preferred temperature. Only bathroom complaint is the toilet paper. One step below sandpaper. [Actually I think it might be SuperFine grit on a flexible backing…] Before we knew it, we had no time for a much needed nap and had to get presentable to make our way to the lounge for the captain’s welcome address, etc. There were flutes of champagne and juice with some hot hors d’. We were told that we were all assigned to a table beginning with dinner and would remain at the same table with the same table mates for all three meals of the week-long cruise. [We have never had ‘traditional dining’ on a cruise before, so this was somewhat scary – what if we didn’t like our mates? – but it worked out very well.] We lucked out with a married couple from CA and a mom and mature single daughter from IL. For dinner, we followed the chef’s suggestion and all ordered the beef strip loin. Each piece was prepared to level of doneness as we requested. AMAzing! DW had a salad to begin. Four of us got the special strawberry parfait. Yummy! When comparing notes later, all six of us retired to our rooms and collapsed on our beds. The two of us slept soundly.

02 Easter Sunday Apr 17, 2022 – On the Road Again The limo picked us up at 3:45 pm and we headed to JFK. We were there before 4:30 to check our bags. That took a while as it was difficult to determine which line to stand on even after we found the Priority area. We went through security with only a brief lecture from a TSA employee and no frisking this time. Off to the Amex Centurion Lounge where we could unwind and enjoy a hot, light meal (miso apricot chicken thighs) before heading to our gate. We boarded the Delta A330-900neo (their flagship, not!) on time. Full plane. Pilot got us to Amsterdam before our posted arrival time and it was a smooth flight. We sat in Premium Select. We were not favorably impressed by the amenities. There was no lavatory in our section and we had to walk quite a ways back through the Coach section to get to one. Food was awful. Chicken marsala was dry and no Marsala had ever darkened the door of the kitchen where it was prepared. Delta’s entertainment offerings are very good, but we each managed to sleep a couple of hours. [This was our first flight with T-Mobile wireless, which is supposed to include free Wi-Fi on flights – but Delta had an apology that it wasn’t working on this ‘flagship’ aircraft…]

01 Introduction This is a blog of the Jazzbeaux Tulip Time cruise on AmaSerena from April 17–25, 2022. AmaSerena We flew from JFK to AMS on Delta, cruised through Holland and Belgium round trip from Amsterdam – then took the Thalys TGV train to Paris, cruised down and up the Seine, and ended with two nights in Paris before flying back CDG to JFK on Delta. The second cruise is the subject of a separate thread that is posted here. During the trip, Jazzbelle kept detailed notes and I [Jazzbeau] took lots of pictures. After returning home, I revised the notes to remove names [to protect the guilty, as they say…] and put it in my voice to avoid confusion. Jazzbelle became ‘DW’ in internet parlance [‘Dear Wife’]. In planning for this trip I used Rick Steves Amsterdam & Netherlands (2018) and Rick Steves Belgium (2018), as well as Trip Advisor [www.tripadvisor.com] and, of course, Cruise Critic [www.cruisecritic.com]. What follows is a day-by-day account of the trip, with a selection of pictures, followed by a Conclusion with a comparative review of AmaSerena and Scenic Gem.

Here is my long-awaited review of our Tulip Time cruise on AmaSerena from April 17–25, 2022. I was waiting to construct a blog on Wordpress with my full photo library for this trip, but sadly Wordpress has changed their rules and made it impossible for me to create new blogs in a format I like. Therefore I am switching to Cruise Critic for my trip reviews.

They do seem much more appropriate ship names for a British company than a German one...

Lots of people believe that, but I don't think you will find it in the T&C.

No, you just never learned to speak American. A poster on another thread announced that the new itineraries would be announced to Azamara Circle members on August 23 [that is, the 23rd of August. Capiche?]

It's August 23 everywhere in the world now – where are the new itineraries?

Hard to find Spectrum mentioned in the reviews of cell phone service for travelers. I did find one that mentions Google Fi – it comes in second to T-Mobile: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/wireless-carriers-international-travel-plans,review-4327.html

When you log in to your account on Azamara, do you see your Celebrity status and points? If you do, and you sail before the IT split, you will have that status and add to those points. [I don't know about Royal, as this is only a status match.]

@Daisi you can't mention that place...

I like to book my own air, but I only do so with the three US majors because they all have waived change fees and I know I can use any credits up before they expire. Thanks to the airline consortiums, I can book 'code share' flights that cover many foreign airlines this way – and still get the credits in my American/Delta/United accounts.

We switched from Verizon to T-Mobile in April for just this reason and have since used it on two trips: B2B river cruises in Holland, Belgium and France in April-May; and a comprehensive Baltic cruise in July-August. It worked flawlessly everywhere we went. When the ship's wifi was too slow, I logged my computer into the phone as a HotSpot – nice fast connection. Best part?—no extra charges! I had planned to take T-Mobile's Magenta Max for Seniors plan, but they showed me how I could include my 2 kids on a family plan and it would be even cheaper to get the regular Magenta Max plan. I do recommend Max over plain Magenta because the data roaming is more comprehensive. Also don't pass up the chance to get new iPhones for free as new T-Mobile customers! They gave us $800 per device trade ins on our old iPhones, which completely covered the cost of new basic ones (and most of the cost of my higher-end Pro). [One tip: go to the T-Mobile store and bring the phones you want to trade in. This makes the process much smoother. I signed up for the service via phone and then had to do the upgrades and trade-ins serially which really complicated the record-keeping.]

Unless they really change their attitude toward protecting the Officers from Covid, I don't see it happening for love or money.

You're welcome to them. The Power Up program will leave me at Elite Plus on Celebrity, with no plans ever to set foot on their big Boats again.

These are the same as the menus I downloaded off the (US) website yesterday.

If the business plan relied on profits from the Tapas, it is already clear that it will fail...

We're going to use them in October from Padua to Ravenna, based on my TA's recommendation. We booked a long time ago at a really good price, and I was amazed at how much their prices have gone up since [due to inflation and especially the cost of fuel]. But there is no decent train alternative, so it is was it is...

Aren't you glad you're here? I earned enough points from the Celebrity Captain's Club Power Up activities over the last few months that my next Azamara cruise will take me to Explorer Plus – and I was only notified of them about half the time, the rest I found out about on the Cruise Critic Power Up thread. Celebrity's IT system is just as messed up as Azamara's [well, duh – they're the same system!]

This should also be the answer to the many outraged posts lately "since the river levels have been so low for three weeks, why hasn't my cruise line cancelled my cruise three weeks hence?" – because, as we have just seen, one good thunderstorm system can get the ships back to sailing for a while and your cruise may not involve any itinerary change at all. [not aimed at anyone in particular...]