* LIVE from the Rotterdam - 30 day Passage to Spain and Western Europe - Mar. 30th*

[kazu]

The fountains only work on certain days in Versailles (economy of scale) and only for certain times. It is impossible to see all the fountains in their glory in the alloted time.

 

We did see them all,but now all bursting with water. We could have gone back after but the ominous clouds told us not to play with fire (or rain). We would have enough rain sodden days in Paris. C'est la vie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1of4]

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2. DW and I both dislike garlic, and I see it mentioned in an awful lot of MDR and PG dish descriptions. Did you happen to notice whether dishes on average were quite garlicky or only a little? I ask with some trepidation because some people love it so much and eat it so often that they honestly don't notice.

 

Thanks again for all your work.

 

I may be able to shed some light. I told our waiter the first night in fixed seating that I cannot consume heavy cream. Let's face it, it is in most sauces and desserts. I wasn't expecting anything other than to be alerted if something I ordered contained heavy cream which wasn't included in the description.

 

What happened was that I received the next night's menu either during coffee or in our cabin and I selected what I wanted and returned it to the dining room. My meal was prepared without cream. They took it very seriously.

[zoomer1956]

I knew my legs would pay for walking in the sand and I was cleaning it out of my shoes for two days, but it was worth it.

 

You've heard of the white cliffs of Dover? While these are not white but they are competing for sure.

 

 

 

3 of us headed down. (2 stayed up) I stopped and took this pic. Ken (kennykat's DH) insisted I had to come all the way down.

 

So I made the trek and was rewarded

 

 

 

 

Awesome review and photos, Kazu. These cliffs look like the ones that are that are filmed in the BBC tv series, Broadchurch in the Dorset area. Absolutely stunning!!

 

LB

[PJLoveToTravel]

Jacqui

 

Thank you so much for all your work you did on CC, organizing Meet & Greets, tours and allowing us to join you on some of your tours. I didn't take enough notes but thanks to your blog I have everything I need on our shared ports.

 

To add to some of the above:

There was no USB port in a Lanai room on the Lower Promenade Deck.

Food: We ate in the Lido about 90% of the time on ship. I can't eat the rich food they serve in the MDR more than once or twice a week. I'd say I have a fairly sensitive stomach. I could always find something to eat in the Lido Buffet. I never once tasted too much garlic. I stayed away from anything looking spicy. There were plenty of other options. With the buffet you can always get "just a taste" and go back and get more if you like it. Food was very good.

 

Thanks again and hope we meet up on another cruise.

 

Janet

[Savoyard]

Many thanks to all who posted about food sensitivities. It's nice to know that HAL chefs and serving staff are so accommodating.

 

My garlic thing isn't a full-blown allergy: If I take a bite or two of something that's loaded, I don't instantly develop symptoms. But if I eat a whole dish of it, I react unpredictably -- anything from dizziness to depression. I've found through trial and error that I can eat dishes with a little garlic powder in the sauce (some barbecue, most Chinese-American brown sauces) but not fresh garlic or large amounts of garlic salt or powder (Chinese-American white sauces, most Italian-American sauces).

 

On our previous cruises (NCL and Celebrity), DW and I ate most meals in the buffet -- partly so we could see dishes before ordering and try a small amount if we chose, but largely because we didn't always care to spend 2 to 2.5 hours over dinner. I think we'll do a combination of venues this time.

[kazu]

Jacqui

 

Thank you so much for all your work you did on CC, organizing Meet & Greets, tours and allowing us to join you on some of your tours. I didn't take enough notes but thanks to your blog I have everything I need on our shared ports.

 

To add to some of the above:

There was no USB port in a Lanai room on the Lower Promenade Deck.

Food: We ate in the Lido about 90% of the time on ship. I can't eat the rich food they serve in the MDR more than once or twice a week. I'd say I have a fairly sensitive stomach. I could always find something to eat in the Lido Buffet. I never once tasted too much garlic. I stayed away from anything looking spicy. There were plenty of other options. With the buffet you can always get "just a taste" and go back and get more if you like it. Food was very good.

 

Thanks again and hope we meet up on another cruise.

 

Janet

 

Thanks for adding your USB and Lido insights Janet. A big help to the poster who asked.

 

It was our pleasure to tour with you and meet you on board. I hope we get a chance to cruise together again sometime, too.

[aliaschief]

Fantastic Live Cruise Blog. Almost feels like I went on this cruise and refreshes memories of some of our former ports of call.

 

Thanks for sharing your cruise and land experiences. Great stuff.

[Kennykat]

Continuing on our walk...

 

 

 

Can you see the gargoyles???

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Loved walking down the streets and by the Cathedral with the church bells ringing!

[Kennykat]

Speaking of food...we ate every night in the Lido and enjoyed the food. We didn't really think there was too much garlic on any of the dishes we ate but we don't have issues with garlic. We enjoyed the dishes/choices for dinner each night.

 

For those of you going on the Rotterdam in the future, I enjoyed the art tour on the ship. You simply ask to checkout the iPod at the front desk and just simply follow the directions on what to listen to on the iPod and it will take you around the ship and point out the artwork. It will take about and hour. ( Kazu told me about this art walk on the ship.)

This was our second cruise on a HAL ship and enjoyed the Rotterdam. We had booked the wrap around balcony at the very end of the ship and enjoyed the extra deck space. The staff were very attentive and really made our cruise a wonderful experience. We enjoyed the Promenade deck for walking on sea days. All in all it was a great cruise.

 

Maggie and John, sorry we weren't able to see you to say goodbye. We enjoyed seeing you in town shopping or at a cafe. So glad you had a wonderful time on the Rotterdam hotel!

 

Claudia

[kazu]

Back to Versailles....sorry for the dealy....

 

 

 

The gardens are so expansive

 

 

The fountains that were working while we were viewing were in the ladies' section. The mens' section is much more powerful with political messages. Unfortuantely, the fountains weren't on when we were there, but here you go just the same.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

This cave is not natural. It was hand carved. The figures inside are gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

 

 

This pretty water spot was originally the laundry.

 

 

 

We finished the gardens and admired the outside for a bit.

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

 

Check out the inscription - to the glory of France

 

 

After a bite,it was time to inside.

 

Our guide had a "timed entrance" so we skipped the lines for entry and security. The security lines are really long. It is not unheard of for them to let people know to come back tomorrow. I asked Steph how long the current line up would be waiting and she estimated 2 hours. YIKES!

 

So, come on inside. I took a lot of pics. The art, the ceilings, it's all magnificent.

 

 

 

Here is the layout of Versailles. It actually originated with Louis XIII who built a hunting lodge here (only 50 rooms - LOL ). Louis XIV then started building around the "lodge". The original lodge remained.

 

It was set up so that the sun shone in the King's bedroom when it rose. Since Louis considered himself France, it made sense that the sun would shine on him as he and it rose.

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

 

 

 

 

 

Remember my guide's words? If it looks like gold,it is gold.

 

Even on the doorway!

 

 

 

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[kazu]

The ceilings are incredible. Art everywhere.

 

So, the pics that look weird (like this one) are ceiling pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

Everywhere there are beautiful pieces of art.

 

There are a few places where we were not permitted pics (and kazu is a rule follower) but, otherwise pics with "no flash" were permitted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

 

Having finished the Diana Room, we moved on to the Mars Room...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

 

 

The ceiling is something

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

 

We are in the hall of mirrors. See these huge jars? They were used by the men when they had to "go".

 

The mirrors actually opened and behind them all were mattresses.

 

The servants pulled them out and slept in the Hall of Mirrors! Amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

 

 

 

 

This statue greets you as you enter Versailles. It was NOT built by Louis XIV. It was built later when Versailles was taken over as a monument to be enjoyed by the public. Steph, our guide said that Louis XIV would be upset since it blocks the sun going into his bedroom. LOL.

 

 

 

Thanks Steph for a great day in Versailles. (She surprised me with the selfie).

 

 

 

So, for those who want to know, we used Sight Seeker's Delight for our tour. It was worth every penny. Lineups at Versailles are huge. The place gets 20,000 visitors a day so be prepared for crowds and difficulty getting around in the building.

 

You need your walking shoes for the gardens and for inside. There are steps and a fair bit of walking.

 

You do not see all of the inside of Versailles. Just certain rooms. In our case, we did not see the Queen's chambers as they are under renovation/repair. Some of the rooms were too badly damaged from lack of maintenance so they are never open.

 

Visiting this site really hits home how well off the monarchy was back then. Although this was built for the "glory of France", it became the monarchy's downfall since it brought home how much difference there was between the wealth here and the poverty in Paris.

 

You need a full day to do this right. It is worth the time and the effort. Truly beautiful and a piece of history.

 

Kazu recommends Versailles and will be back with more on Paris later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

Fantastic Live Cruise Blog. Almost feels like I went on this cruise and refreshes memories of some of our former ports of call.

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing your cruise and land experiences. Great stuff.

 

 

 

Thanks for the kind words, Chief.

 

Glad you are enjoying it.

 

 

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[kazu]

Loved walking down the streets and by the Cathedral with the church bells ringing!

 

 

 

Wasn't that something, Claudia?

 

 

 

 

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