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

[kazu]

The crab legs - very good!

 

 

Petit Filet Mignon - chosen by two, done to perfection and mouth watering

 

 

The halibut

 

Dessert was the souffle, volcano cake and of course, the truffles.

 

 

Four very content, stuffed happy campers:

 

 

The men enjoyed an after dinner drink

 

 

A great dinner and the PG gets two thumbs up from Kazu.

 

After dinner, we opted to head back to our cabin to enjoy the verandah and after dinner drinks there. We talked the night away and all too soon, the evening had come to an end.

 

 

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[kazu]

It's Wednesday, April 5th and another sea day.

 

The day is jam packed though for people looking for things to do. Along with our regular lecturers (moved up in the program today), there is an "around the world wine tasting" and a performance by Stryker in the Showroom today at 2:30. I bet it will be packed.

 

He will still be performing tonight as well!

 

Here is today's When & Where:

 

 

 

There is also a floral tour. I don't remember seeing this offered before, but I might have missed it in past cruises. I think kazu will be catching this one if it isn't too packed.

 

Speaking of flowers, 1of4, your flowers are holding up quite well. I cut their stems the other day to keep them fresh. The gerberas were done (not unusual) and a couple of roses, but the remainder are doing well and I do believe they will make it for the entire crossing. The vase will be put to good use later when we hit land - oops when we arrive at land.

 

Before I forget, the PG reservation reminders and invites have changed since our last cruise.

 

They are no longer the blue sealed style. They open vertically.

 

 

 

 

 

The clocks went forward again last night. >sigh<. I think that means there is only one more forward time and possibly one more later on in the cruise? Time will tell soon enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[KerriL]

Kazu,

Glad to see you enjoying the cruise. Food looks as fabulous as ever.

Between the internet issues and Jordan working 12 hours a day with demos, Sip and Savor, helping with bingo, game shows, trivia, hands on cooking classes, singles and solo events, library, etc, I haven't heard from her much. :D She's looking forward to some port time.

Hopefully you'll get a chance to say "hi".

 

Kerri

[PJLoveToTravel]

Jacqui

 

Thanks for the updates. It all looks amazing. We leave in a few days to spend time in Barcelona and can't wait to join you on the Rotterdam. Looking forward to your posts before we join the ship.

 

Janet

[Queen of DaNile]

Thank you so much Jacqui for taking the time to share your experiences. Thanks for bringing us along on your trans Atlantic albeit vicariously. I'll take it!!! :D

[kazu]

Kazu,

Glad to see you enjoying the cruise. Food looks as fabulous as ever.

Between the internet issues and Jordan working 12 hours a day with demos, Sip and Savor, helping with bingo, game shows, trivia, hands on cooking classes, singles and solo events, library, etc, I haven't heard from her much. :D She's looking forward to some port time.

Hopefully you'll get a chance to say "hi".

 

Kerri

 

 

I'll see her tomorrow Kerri. We have a cooking class with her. I saw her at Bingo and will make sure I say hi if she is doing it today. She failed to give me the winning card yesterday :loudcry:;p;p

 

 

I am NOT surprised you haven't heard from her. Internet has been very sporadic to say the least the last few days. (What do you expect in the middle of the Ocean?).

 

She is doing just fine though.

[kazu]

Jacqui

 

Thanks for the updates. It all looks amazing. We leave in a few days to spend time in Barcelona and can't wait to join you on the Rotterdam. Looking forward to your posts before we join the ship.

 

Janet

 

 

Thanks Janet

 

Looking forward to seeing you at our sail a way/meet and greet in Barcelona. Your name tag awaits.:D

[1of4]

Hi Kazu

 

Thanks for the update on your flowers. Good to know the arrangement is still greeting you and Jose. I uncovered our back garden from its winter covering of leaves and burlap this morning as it is the only day this week with rain or possibly snow not predicted. Things are growing and the snow crocuses I planted under the front grass last fall are out:

 

 

How nice to see some colour. What a difference flowers make!

 

I checked on the waves again and the cyclonic events just ended yesterday. Newfoundland was hammered with over 90 cm of snow because of one system. Here is what it looked like at noon (eastern time) today:

 

 

Happy sailing!

 

 

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[sallycruiser06]

Thoroughly enjoying your daily updates! Looking forward to following you for the remainder of the cruse.

[ON cruiser]

Much enjoying your descriptive posts, Kazu, ad thanks for taking us along on this crossing. Glad that the food, service, and parties (including a complimentary cocktail) are as we remember them. One question: does the Neptune Lounge have a toaster so one can toast a bagel at breakfast? No rush on your reply, when time and internet signal permits...regards,

 

ON Cruiser

[erewhon]

Enjoying your reports, thank you.

[mame42]

"Around the World Wine Tasting", my favorite onboard activity! Kazu, who is your Cellar Master?

[KerriL]

I'll see her tomorrow Kerri. We have a cooking class with her. I saw her at Bingo and will make sure I say hi if she is doing it today. She failed to give me the winning card yesterday :loudcry:;p;p

 

 

I am NOT surprised you haven't heard from her. Internet has been very sporadic to say the least the last few days. (What do you expect in the middle of the Ocean?).

 

She is doing just fine though.

 

Enjoy the cooking class and sorry about the bingo card!;p See if you can grab a pic of her...I've never seen her in action!

[kazu]

The ship is NOT that big, is it????

 

So, how could I have lost DH???

 

Can't find him anywhere. Either I timed it wrong and he is moving around looking for me or he has found a new favourite spot to be in.

 

LOL, hopefully we run into each other sooner or later.

 

Best bet, when in doubt, return to the room and we will collide there. Good opportunity to get the stuff ready for our slot pull tomorrow.

 

At long last, DH and I collided in our room. LOL, he "claims" he was in the library (Explorer's Lounge). He must have found a great corner because I never saw him.

 

Off to the floral tour. The florist joined us and can you believe that all the beautiful flowers on this ship are taken care of by ONE person???

 

Here he is...

 

 

 

For those wondering there are orchids everywhere. Bath rooms, Lido, etc. They abound are all beautiful as are the arrangements.

 

He's hoping the flowers make it to Madeira and he will be re-stocking there (no wonder, with their beautiful flower market).

 

Since they were in FLL last, the flowers have a Caribbean flavour but that will all change when we get to Europe.

 

 

 

He showed us a couple of flower arranging tricks too.

 

He has a BIG job caring for what's being saved, taking care of flowers on display, replenishing the ones on display, etc. Very nice young man who enjoys what he does.

 

Speaking of flowers, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Betty (serendipity) for her tip on the flat flower vases that expand. I plan to use them in port in Funchal since the market is our first stop and will be closed when we return. They will help keep the flowers fresh until we get on board. And then, I have 1of4's lovely vase to fill.

 

 

Sadly my camera died while I was visiting the flowers on board (note to self - make sure you charge the camera battery for both of us every day - ports are coming up)...but here are a few pics....

 

 

 

 

Today, we decided we had not been at the Lido pool and decided to sit here for a change. Dive In came calling to me (yum - as ordered with a couple of changes) and DH really enjoyed the Taco Bar. Service here is really good. Several visits to see if we want another drink and Lance even offered to get us Nachos. I told him we were fat enough - LOL. When DH declined another drink, he was immediately offered ice water. This crew is very happy and keeps reminding us we are on vacation. Rotterdam ROCKS with some of this fabulous crew. They really help make the cruise special for us, at least.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

Stryker was awesome as always.

 

Yesterday we took a look at the Retreat (Sea view pool area sans sea view pool)

 

Here's the Lido Pool area. I love these smaller ships where the chess game is there.

 

 

 

 

It's not crowded and the servers are excellent.

 

Our wonderful bartender....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

The Dive in is at the back (or front depending upon your viewpoint) of the Lido Pool.

 

 

 

 

 

Next to it is the Taco Bar. Tons and tons of toppings at the Taco Bar. more than we saw on the Westerdam for sure.

 

 

 

Rotterdam isn't the flagship of the fleet for no reason it seems!!!

 

 

I remembered we liked this ship, but forgot how good the crew is.

 

rating wise - they are so far second best to the Prinsendam.

 

After Stryker (who can resist Stryker), I went to Bingo and then to the Casino. the Casino Gods smiled on me (finally) and i recouped most of my losses with huge wins. Well, not really huge, but I'll take nearly $400 any day of the week ;)

 

Internet is dead again, but I will keep checking and in the meantime, please be patient if you are unindated with a bunch of posts at once. It is what is is when you cross the Atlantic.

 

Everyone is having a great time. I have only heard one couple that are "done" with sea days. We are enjoying them and have definitely settled into "cruise mode". LOL

 

We saw one person wearing a heavy jacket today. We didn't bring any winter jackets. This is spring to us. Temps are around 70. Degrees so far and we can't complain about that. Beautiful weather, beautiful sailing across so far. It's all good.

 

 

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[fancy234]

Ship looks beautiful! I'm a big taco bar fan on the cruise ship! Hope mom and dad are loving the sea days! Tell them all is good here and we are watching!

Olivia

 

 

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[kazu]

Looks like our Culinary Class is postponed again. first it was moved to the 6th, now it has been moved to the 9th.

 

 

 

The 9th is better really since we have our slot pull on the 6th - as long as it really happens. Kazu chose a really good class IMO.

 

 

 

This will be my first Culinary Class on HAL. I have done them on Oceania so it will be interesting to compare.

 

No luck at Bingo for myself or John & Patsy today. That's ok - it was only a free cruise. We'd rather win the $20,000. LOL.

 

Here is today's menu:

 

 

 

 

 

The dessert was sinfully delicious. DH and I shared a little bite

 

 

I saw in the When & Where that there was Latin Music tonight so DH and I headed there. Stupid me, a huge miscalculation on my part. It was only recorded music. With the announcement I thought that the Band was performing. Of course, by then it was too late to get a good seat for Stryker or the Adagio. And too late for the show >sigh<. DH and I decided to call it an early night for a change. We have been staying up to the equivalent of 2 am with all the time changes and the great entertainment so an early night sounded like a good idea for a change.

 

And for those that wonder about the Let us Know cards, Rod gave us a huge thank you. Those words meant more to him than any amount of money. He will be getting a good tip, of course, but just a reminder that if someone is making your cruise special to be sure to let the powers on board know.

 

 

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[kazu]

Good morning from the lovely Rotterdam. It's April 6th and tonight is another Gala night. No mention of a Black and White ball so I am guessing it is not going to happen. Oh well, I'll wear my black and white dress anyways tonight.

 

Today is the "Walk for the Cure" day along with our Roll Call Slot Pull. Cross your fingers for us that we "beat the ship" and win. LOL.

 

 

It's another beautiful day here. A couple of people in jackets, but most of us are enjoying the weather without one. Seas remain quite smooth and as one crew member said "Thanks God".

 

Happy to say that we didn't sleep in this morning and can catch breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

Here is today's When & Where:

 

 

 

 

No internet this morning again. Pretty soon I will forget what pictures go with what post - LOL.

 

The Martini menu in the Ocean Bar last night looked very tempting.

 

Here it is:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

One nice thing on this ship is that the way the stairs are marked. The first step and the bottom before you step onto the landing are all marked. It certainly helps avoiding a mis step.

 

 

 

Here are the Beverage Events for the first segment of this cruise:

 

 

A brief moment of excitement when I saw the 3 bars pop up on my Ipad but alas, only a wee bit of Navigator is available. Cannot even see the on board account - probably just as well, LOL.

 

YAY, temporary internet so I am catching up.

 

Our Concierge Jennifer had a very big surprise for me. OMG, I couldn't find the words to thank her.

 

Long story short, we are shipping a piece of luggage from Portland to Paris so we don't have too much to manage on the train when we get off in Rotterdam. (You have to manage your own luggage on European trains). We arranged it with Luggage Mule but it goes UPS and they prefer the luggage is boxed. When I went hunting in FLL, they didn't have the right size and the cardboard was going to be hard to carry on the ship with carry ons and wine. (Have to set your priorities, right?)

 

DH said - the ship gets tons of cardboard and thicker than what UPS has so we decided we would ask for a couple of pieces on board. I had duct tape so could make what I needed. I had nearly forgotten to ask and asked our concierge if she could get a couple pieces for me so I could make a box. Of course, she said, the ship has tons. She asked what sized pieces I needed and I gave her the measurements, explaining I could put some pieces together.

 

This morning she said she was "working on it" and I told her it was no big deal. If it caused work, I had plastic bags (laundry type) that I could use instead. When I got back to my room later today, this was waiting for me.

 

 

 

OMG, they made a box - made to measure. I was embarrassed actually because I didn't expect this. I couldn't thank Jennifer enough. Talk about service above and beyond. She just grinned and said "surprise".

 

Today, Lester is offering cucumber water that he has prepared for his "regulars". It is delicious.

 

Tonight is Gala night and boy does the menu look DELICIOUS.

 

Here is tonight's menu:

 

 

 

 

700 more nautical miles to go and we will be in Funchal! Just one more day of leisure at sea left after today. I hope my memory is good. If it is, Daniel had wifi in his vehicle so I may be making use of it while we are travelling - LOL.

 

One of the things DH liked about this cruise itinerary was returning to beautiful Madeira. We used Daniel before and were impressed. Even more impressive, they remembered the itinerary they changed us to (because of weather) last time - so they offered a different one that should be very interesting.

 

 

Our roll call Slot Pull is later this afternoon followed by Bingo. Wish us luck. It's us against the ship - LOL.

I

 

 

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[kazu]

Ship looks beautiful! I'm a big taco bar fan on the cruise ship! Hope mom and dad are loving the sea days! Tell them all is good here and we are watching!

Olivia

 

 

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The Taco Bar is EXCELLENT!!!!

 

Your Mum and Dad are having a BLAST!!! They might have a hard time moving from sea days to tour days - LOL.

 

I read them your posts.

 

 

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[ger_77]

You had me at "Tropical Tease" and "Starboard Peach" martinis! It looks like you're having an awesome time - I absolutely love the sea days, although you're losing an hour every day while we gain them going the other direction. People don't always realize if they make friends with some of the bartenders / staff (and in your case, the concierge), they will go over and above any expectations for service because you treat them like people, not servants.

 

BTW, I love the flat pack vases - thank goodness for the Dollar Store because I always bring one or two for our cabin for fresh flowers. I've even cut a couple of them down and put battery operated tea lights in them for the patio table on the balcony at night. They give a nice glow and are much less harsh than having your balcony light on if you're enjoying a late night glass of wine while listening to the ocean.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

[kazu]

Much enjoying your descriptive posts, Kazu, ad thanks for taking us along on this crossing. Glad that the food, service, and parties (including a complimentary cocktail) are as we remember them. One question: does the Neptune Lounge have a toaster so one can toast a bagel at breakfast? No rush on your reply, when time and internet signal permits...regards,

 

ON Cruiser

 

 

Oh yes, there is a toaster. Concierge likes to offer to toast for you. But it is handy to use :)

[kazu]

You had me at "Tropical Tease" and "Starboard Peach" martinis! It looks like you're having an awesome time - I absolutely love the sea days, although you're losing an hour every day while we gain them going the other direction. People don't always realize if they make friends with some of the bartenders / staff (and in your case, the concierge), they will go over and above any expectations for service because you treat them like people, not servants.

 

BTW, I love the flat pack vases - thank goodness for the Dollar Store because I always bring one or two for our cabin for fresh flowers. I've even cut a couple of them down and put battery operated tea lights in them for the patio table on the balcony at night. They give a nice glow and are much less harsh than having your balcony light on if you're enjoying a late night glass of wine while listening to the ocean.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

 

 

Thanks Gerry :). Our bar waiters are treating us like gold :)

 

Service is fabulous - really.

 

They had our drinks memorized in a couple of days.

[kazu]

Enjoy the cooking class and sorry about the bingo card!;p See if you can grab a pic of her...I've never seen her in action!

 

I will indeed grab a pic or two. Never fear ;)