Almost Live: Northern Isles on Rotterdam August 28th 2022

[Florida_gal_50]

5 minutes ago, MAVIP said:

Before Covid HAL had a different meeting place for priority passengers and we asked which room we had to go now. Answer: just show the roomkey with the stars. More efficient too.  

I’ve been a 4 star for a long time.  I’ve never been told to go to a special room, just join a line at the end.  Maybe if you are a presidents club member?

[MAVIP]

On 9/9/2022 at 2:24 AM, SUESEABE said:

@VMax1700 Thank you for reporting your experiences (and the yummy food pics) on the new Rotterdam. We will embark her on October 2nd for 28 days. 

If you or anyone on board now can do me a favor if possible and check ship's stores to see if they sell Marlboro cigarettes (if so, are they made in USA or Switzerland?). My husband will be having smokes with his morning coffee at Sea View Bar and it would save on our packing if we could buy them on board. Reason for country manufactured is that hubby says Switzerland made taste different and he doesn't like them. (No, he won't quit much to my dismay 😉). 

 

yes they do. DH has cigarette buying daughter on the phone right now and he will ask her the country of production. $50 per box of 10 packets and 4 boxes for the price of 3. Answer: produced in USA by Philip Morris in Richmond. An tell your DH to quit smoking (we both did in 1986 together and it almost cost our marriage 😉 After 6 months: Healthy and happy and a few kilograms more).

[MAVIP]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Did you get any time other than 5:30 or 8?  Before the shutdown unless you were in a Neptune or pinnacle suite those 2 times were the only time I was told you could book.

By telephone or in person: yes, but not the last week or so, because everything availiable for booking was fully booked. Walk-in: only once waiting with a pager and other nights just a little waiting time before being seated. They obviously keep quite a few tables available for walkin/open seating purposes. JMO: and are right doing that, because quite a few passengers (we too..) like to be free in their choice.

[MAVIP]

I remember expecially the 6 weeks in 2019 with quite a few tender ports spent on the ms Rotterdam VI. 

[SUESEABE]

@MAVIP Thank you so very much. This will save us some packing space since hubby can now buy his month supply of cigarettes onboard. Appreciate your extra efforts.

[Florida_gal_50]

6 hours ago, MAVIP said:

By telephone or in person: yes, but not the last week or so, because everything availiable for booking was fully booked. Walk-in: only once waiting with a pager and other nights just a little waiting time before being seated. They obviously keep quite a few tables available for walkin/open seating purposes. JMO: and are right doing that, because quite a few passengers (we too..) like to be free in their choice.

Yes, phone is what I'm speaking of.  They do keep tables for walk in. I've tried in the past to make reservations via phone or by talking to them other than 5:30 and 8 right after boarding.  No dice.  This was before the pandemic.

Edited September 12, 2022 by Florida_gal_50

[VMax1700]

Final update will follow tomorrow, I hope.

We arrived home very late last night following a very long day and evening at Schiphol airport.

They really are having problems still with security throughput.

@MAVIPSorry that we did not say 'goodbye' properly, but our staxi driver was trying to stop to pick us up and he was being moved on by 'officialdom'.  

[MAVIP]

9 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Final update will follow tomorrow, I hope.

We arrived home very late last night following a very long day and evening at Schiphol airport.

They really are having problems still with security throughput.

@MAVIPSorry that we did not say 'goodbye' properly, but our staxi driver was trying to stop to pick us up and he was being moved on by 'officialdom'.  

Of course no problem at all; everybody was busy finding their taxidrivers. To my astonishment ours was driving with a private car plate and you can imagine what "officialdom" did. The driver told me by telephone we had to walk to his car. DH walking with 2 crutches and I with 3 suitcases and a trolly.....No dice. Never again this company. And: maybe we will meet again on another cruise. Greeting to you and Ellen from Joost and of course from

Lenny

[VMax1700]

Saturday's Daily Program (last day - Sea Day!)

 

 

[VMax1700]

Saturday's Dinner menu in Lido

Really, really good!

 

 

 

 

[VMax1700]

And a few images of the Lobster mac and cheese, sweet selection.......

 

 

 

 

And the chocolate selection....

 

[VMax1700]

The disembarking information:

 

 

 

[VMax1700]

The disembarkation information for 4 & 5 star Mariners

 

 

[puppycanducruise]

Yummy looking food.  Thanks for the food porn.

[VMax1700]

We found the disembarkation very smooth and efficient.  They did announce a 20 minute delay for one group due to baggage being late delivered because of a Port Police delay.

 

Our pre booked taxi (staxi.nl) arrived precisely at the arranged time (9.45am) and we were soon on our way to Amsterdam Schiphol airport in a relatively new Tesla.

On arrival at Schiphol the queues at T1 were very long, so I asked the driver to take us round to T3 where we were able to directly access the terminal building.  Due to flight cancellations and changes our flights were not until 9.40 pm so we had a long wait.  We decided not to take the train to Amsterdam itself and just wait it out at the airport.   DW meandered the shops in the Plaza and we had a bite to eat and a coffee.........and a coffee............and a coffee....😱

My previous experience (numerous flights during my working time)  of the late departures from Schiphol to Ireland has been that they use the very last gates on the D satellite and I knew that it was a very long walk to them, so when I was doing our online checkin on Friday evening (Aer Lingus opens checkin 48 hours prior to departure) and we were offered assistance, I selected that DW had walking difficulties and could not manage long distances (true) nor manage stairs (also true).  At that time I had no idea that would be the saviour of us.

Aer Lingus baggage drop/check in is in T3 and they had a four desks open as there were flights scheduled to both Dublin and Cork for 9.40 Sunday evening.  The queue was horrendous at 6pm and the desks were not scheduled to open until 7.10pm (two and half hours before departure) so I went to the 'assistance desk' to see if anything had been registered.  Well, yes sir, where is your wife?  Do you need a wheelchair to bring her here?  Please bring her here now and we will arrange your baggage check!!   So, Peter introduces himself to us, takes us to the front of the queue at check in, insists that they take our bags 'NOW' and then wheels DW to the security queue.  Which he bypasses and takes an elevator to the first floor, straight up to the front of the security priority queue, and helps Ellen into the 'machine' after which we are whisked to passport control and again straight to the front in a special line.  Passports checked, Peter wheeled Ellen to another elevator to the ground floor again and wheels her through the shops (that did bring an anxious gasp from her!) and on to the gate.  We asked him to drop us at the last food outlet (which is near the end of the satellite) and he left us with the wheelchair for us to finish the journey after our food.  All in, from meeting Peter at the Assistance desk to sitting at the food outlet, 30 minutes had elapsed and we could see the gate from where we were sitting.  Peter was wonderfully pushy but very polite.  He was committed to his job and nothing nor no one was going to stop him completing it.

After our food we were at the gate waiting for boarding.  The incoming flight was on time and fliers were gathering at the gate, however I knew the flight was booked to capacity and there seemed not so many people waiting.

We were called for boarding (first on the plane!) and slowly the plane started to fill up.  As we approached our scheduled departure time the captain came on the PA and said that there were quite a few people missing and he was going to hold the flight for 20 minutes so that as many as possible could make it.  Twenty minutes later the captain comes back on PA and says he will be waiting another 20 minutes as there are problems at security and people are taking a long time to get through.  More people are arriving all the time, some completely out of breath, some with faces purple from stress and exasperation and a few were actually in tears.  The late comers were saying that it took them two and half hours to get through security alone.  (Bear in mind that the check in desks only opened two and a half hours before scheduled departure).  Eventually, over an hour late, we pushed back and headed to the runway.  17 passengers were left behind. 

 

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2022/09/13/schiphol-queues-airport-slammed-for-flight-cancellations-and-four-hour-delays-as-lines-bui

 

However, it was a great cruise and we really enjoyed it.

 

 

[cruisequeen4ever]

I can picture exactly what you’re describing at AMS. We experienced something very similar years ago. There should be better planning by the airlines so the poor pax don’t experience such stress. 

[shipfriend_max]

Thanks for your great review!

From Koningsdam I still remember that there was a small bar with finger food in the Billboard lounge, as well as some small snacks served in the Crows nest. Is it still the case and did you get still served those items in 2022 on Rotterdam?

[VMax1700]

3 hours ago, shipfriend_max said:

Thanks for your great review!

From Koningsdam I still remember that there was a small bar with finger food in the Billboard lounge, as well as some small snacks served in the Crows nest. Is it still the case and did you get still served those items in 2022 on Rotterdam?

Sorry, but I cannot confirm that as I would not have been in Billboard at the time.  However the food heating trolley/chaffing equipment was still present in the lounge area which would lead me to surmise that they may still have food available, otherwise they would have removed the trolley (surely?).

[Nang]

5 hours ago, shipfriend_max said:

Thanks for your great review!

From Koningsdam I still remember that there was a small bar with finger food in the Billboard lounge, as well as some small snacks served in the Crows nest. Is it still the case and did you get still served those items in 2022 on Rotterdam?

Food was served in Billboard every sea day in September. Can't comment on port days.

[shipfriend_max]

Okay that helps. Thank you. ☺️