Bimmer 09 sails APEX to Iceland June 2023

[Octavias]

24 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

you have to hover like a fly waiting for signs of an imminent departure.

Oops!  I guessed wrong.  Thought this was a lyric.  Is it lyrics or titles?  Maybe I should learn the rules of the game before I play. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[Bimmer09]

17 minutes ago, Octavias said:

Oops!  I guessed wrong.  Thought this was a lyric.  Is it lyrics or titles?  Maybe I should learn the rules of the game before I play. 🤦🏻‍♀️

It's lyrics. No rules and no penalty if wrong. The prizes are truly fantastic, if somewhat imaginary and likely to take a long time coming-but blame UPS or Fed Ex, not me.

Currently I'm offering a set of 6 Japanese steak knives made in China. 

I love your screen name photo!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

                             BREAKING NEWS!

THIS JUST IN TO OUR NEWS DESK

People close to the matter say there is definitely a chance that Bimmer09 may indeed possibly get to the Celebrity APEX at sometime tomorrow. Fortunately this came in after the markets closed but may shake investors when the Market opens in the morning. We'll have full coverage if and when it maybe possibly happens.

[Octavias]

14 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

It's lyrics. No rules and no penalty if wrong. The prizes are truly fantastic, if somewhat imaginary and likely to take a long time coming-but blame UPS or Fed Ex, not me.

Currently I'm offering a set of 6 Japanese steak knives made in China. 

I love your screen name photo!

Norris

Thanks!  

[lola2013]

15 minutes ago, singinalot said:

I am now adding Amsterdam to my must visit list

Only if Norris and Carol are the tour leaders 😉

[MustBCruzn]

17 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

Only if Norris and Carol are the tour leaders 😉

 

You got that right! DH and I would reserve a spot in a heartbeat! 

[bunnyette]

31 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

Only if Norris and Carol are the tour leaders 😉

Definitely but a pub/bar crawl must be included 

Edited June 23, 2023 by bunnyette

[Jasperdo]

Hi Norris and Carol,

 

I haven't been on CC in quite awhile, but I happened to notice some new photos from Amsterdam that you posted on Flickr. So I figured there was a new Gentleman's Journal to enjoy. I haven't had a chance to catch up on it yet. Just wanted to let you know I'm along for the ride.

 

John

[NutsAboutGolf]

I'm really enjoying

[RichYak]

I came for the Iceland pics and tips, but I'm staying for the Don Henley and Elvis Costello lyrics.

[perfect match]

19 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Nancy, welcome! You have known the cyber me for all of my reviews so I feel that I can trust you with a little secret ("loose lips sink ships")- I took a nap after yesterday's lunch...and slept for 14 hours! Girl.....don't breathe a word!

Anonymous

Norris, that 14 hour nap sounds exactly like something I would do following a trip like you and Carol just finished. I promise I’ll keep your little secret! 😀

 

Your GSJ is a fabulous read as usual and the pictures are fabulous! Thank you.

[jimbri]

Great review and photos!

[Bimmer09]

 

I had seen this quirky nutty sidewalk "garden" on a YouTube walk and we passed it on our way back through the Jewish area. There are all sorts of household items mingled in the greenery. No idea who's responsible for its origin or who maintains it but imagine its a group of residents.

I find the walking videos helpful when planning to visit somewhere for a day or two. We usually stay in an embarkation port in Europe for two days prior to sailing and two days after. It helps to have a map open to figure out where the walker is. 

When I was researching places to eat I used TripAdvisor and made a shortlist-always looking for food and service quality then plugging the address into Google maps with our hotel address as the starting point. If it was in walking distance of 15 minutes or less then I'd send the directions to my phone where it appears in messages. By the time we flew I had a dozen or so addresses

all in the one message and could pull them up at will.

For the morning walk I did at the beginning of the day I used no maps but those YouTube walks

helped give me the lay of the land. I also have a compass app.

The videos by "Walking Man" I found the most helpful. No narration. No music. Just the sound of the streets and traffic. He has many walks in Amsterdam in all seasons.

I hope this helps you if you are planning a trip to Amsterdam.

 

Norris

 

[Silkroad]

24 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

The videos by "Walking Man" I found the most helpful. No narration. No music. Just the sound of the streets and traffic. He has many walks in Amsterdam in all seasons.

I hope this helps you if you are planning a trip to Amsterdam.

Thanks for this tip, Norris. I much prefer this format to constant narration or music. We’re on the final stretch for our Norway/Iceland & Ireland b2b and your lovely review is like a gift from the heavens! 

- Michelle

[Bimmer09]

                                    A Night at the Opera

When we go to Europe we always hope to find an opera to make for a special night. We found such when we went to Venice to sail on the Ocean Princess in 2014. We found one for the night before our cruise. In Amsterdam, 9 minutes walk from our hotel. A new experience.

In Europe opera isn't something weird and obscure. Opera has been around since the early 1600s and it's attended by all ages. The music is written by the names everyone has heard of and played hundreds of years after they died- Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, R. Strauss etc. A popular one with acclaimed singers will sell out quickly and people (like us) will book airline tickets and hotels to be there when the 100 piece orchestra strikes up, lights, costumes-action! It's like a movie but happening right before you. No expense spared.

Giant stages, giant sets, hand-made costumes, special effects with smoke, fire, water, wind and projections. Mind-blowing organization! Hundreds of people involved yet no chaos.

 

Here's a couple of pics- there's no taking pics while the show is happening-you're thinking of pop concerts. There's no talking! No eating popcorn or nachos, no one gallon sodas. It's 2 to 3,000 adults and kids absorbed in what they are hearing and seeing.

It's in a newish modern opera house without the glamour or visual pizzaz of the art deco.

Compare to our local opera house in Chicago (3800 seater)

 

Amsterdam

 We were in the tenth row-Carol scored primo tickets!

There is a vast lobby area with seating and tables and bars serving before the show and during the intermission. All very civilized. We will hear 3 hours of storytelling to music.

Intermissions are for toilets-drinks-chat about what we just saw.

I spent my 20 minute intermission here, in the sun with a cigarette..

 

There are subtitles above the stage which was handy as I was hearing Rusalka for the first time

and it's sung in Czech. At the end, tumultuous applause and yelling as the performers take their bows. These pics will give you some idea of the cast...

 

 

The conductor (in black) and the principal singers. You don't see the stagehands, carpenters, electricians, costume makers, wig makers, vocal coaches, orchestra players-300 or more people on the payroll to make it happen. You get your money's worth. There are no microphones and amps and speakers. trained voices don't need them.

 

 

The happy people go home, to their hotels, to restaurants and bars. It's 10.30 and still not dark.

We stroll home, walking on air for a late night dinner at the hotel bar .

 

We got that table by the fireplace I had my eye on. Fish and chips and a beer kept the hunger at bay.

In the morning we will have breakfast-pack-add our Apex luggage tags-get in a car and go to Rotterdam. Our car will be here at 11...which coincidentally is where our amps go up to.

 

Norris

[RichYak]

It's one louder, isn't it?

[Bimmer09]

                      Nobody's gonna rain on my Parade!

I woke up this morning (that's every blues song ever-not part of the contest) after a blissful sleep on a comfy bed. Nice day! It's 7 something a.m by the time I get down to the canal for my morning puff and what do I see?

Workmen have coned the entrance to our street and are shooing cars away. A short while later I look into the street and there's the reason-a gigantic crane is parked in the middle of the narrow street, side legs extended for balance. A man at the end of the jib is in a bucket headed for the roof. 

Oh lord-really? Today? We have a car coming at 11!!

Ooh-now the crane is pulling in the legs and getting ready to leave. Yay!

But what's this? At the far end of the street away from the canal there awaits a MASSIVE crane. Yup he moves into the vacant spot and sets up shop. He's there while we eat breakfast in the buffet which we pay E 28.50 for. Not the spread we could get in the Oceanview Cafe on Apex but we don't have time to go out for breakfast.

 

I cobbled together a Full English breakfast (sort of)

 

While Carol ordered an omelette from the a la carte side choices (omelette variations)

 

Ham and cheese, fresh OJ, cappuccino from one of those excellent coffee stations made by a company called Franke (accept no substitute-they rock!)

 

I am packed and Carol will take care of the luggage tags. I go back onto Rusland  Straat for my smoke. The hotel manager is there and introduces himself-Roy Kamphuis. I don't mention anything about our welcome on Sunday-now's not the time. The crane is loading equipment onto his roof and he's concerned about getting the street open again so guests can easily check in and out-me being one of them. The Police are also working in the area-looking for a miscreant was the scuttlebutt. The massive crane had left enough room for a car to pass through so all we had to do was wait for the cone men to open the street.

 

Meantime the clock ticked on and 11 was approaching so we brought all our luggage (5 pieces)

to the lobby and Carol sat inside, reading and waiting.

When I told Roy the Hotel Manager we were coming back in 12 days he gave me his card and asked me to remind him with an email before we docked- "if there's anything you need"...

I would take advantage of that offer...

 

Our driver would be Sharif (from Suriname, N.E coast of South America as a lot of Amsterdamers are FYI)

He would be driving an E Class Mercedes as I requested- most transfers offered will use a Mercedes mini-van but we love the comfy sedans. From the model described to me in that morning's email from Amsterdam Transfer Services it would be a Mercedes EQS- an electric car.

Oh boy!

I see our car at the end of the street and tell Roy. He goes down there, speaks to the cone men and they allow it in. Hurrah!

Roy comes in to help with our bags as does Sharif. Carol climbs into this German spaceship of a car. Thanks Roy and off we go!!!

 

Rotterdam and Apex-here we come!

 

[afto]

On 6/21/2023 at 4:48 PM, bunnyette said:

A Norris review!  Hooray

Echoing this sentiment and following along!

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, Bimmer09 said:

We stroll home, walking on air

 

Kerli?  Or is that a little too Indie for this contest?

 

I've transferred through Schipol a couple of times (and have the little KLM houses to prove it) but have never left the airport.  That needs to change!

[Bimmer09]

We are cradled in luxury and calm as Sharif navigates the narrow canal streets which have some construction going on currently before fining our way onto the highway to Rotterdam. Smooth well tended roads on the highway. Sharif is a good talker and we are happy to talk to him given what waits us 90 minutes away. I comment on his excellent back seats with their cooling pores on a warm day like today or heat in the winter. "Would you like a massage?" he asked. Sure. He says "Mercedes-Massage) and  the back seats start giving us a thorough Shiatsu.

 

When we get to Rotterdam, Sharif decided to avoid some known traffic jam areas and takes to the side streets with leafy lanes and nice houses. We are in good time and will reach the spiffy spacious modern Cruise Terminal exactly when planned.

 

Our luggage is out of the trunk and we bid farewell to our excellent driver

 

 

There's a short 5 minute line to drop off luggage with the dock porters so I have time to get this exciting pic

 

I give the luggage man 10 Euro which is insurance against the luggage falling into the harbor and we go inside the spacious terminal, passports and Celebrity App at the ready

 

 

Edited June 23, 2023 by Bimmer09
photo adjustment

[MikeMary4449]

Following along and loving your entertaining and informative review and beautiful photos.  We will be in Amsterdam in June, 2024, before boarding the Celebrity Silhouette in Rotterdam for a British Isles cruise.  Would you mind sharing what the cost was for your transfer from the hotel to the Rotterdam port?  TIA.  🚢🍺

Mike and Mary

[Bimmer09]

This is our 4th X cruise since our first on the Silly back in 2016 and all 4 embarkations have been smooth and efficient and that makes such a good first impression. Carol's notes say that 30 minutes after Sharif left we were walking onto the ship. 

 

So far it's sunshine and lollipops but back in the USA I saw a darker side of X....

 

They ran a Memorial Day Sale and I did look at the Ultimate/Premier whatever drinks package. It showed the regular price of the Package as $109 pp per day but on sale for $53.99 pp per day. I did consider it and did some math. Carol doesn't drink alcohol so she'd consume 2 coffees per day ($12) and maybe 2 soft drinks ($8)...$20 a day leaving me to spend $88 a day and that was unlikely  as I don't go for cocktails and mixed drinks. Beer and some wine with dinner. So I passed.

When the sale ended they extended it for another day or two but now the regular price was listed

as $149 pp per day and with 50% off it would only cost $74 pp per day...an extra $20 pp per day multiplied by 2 multiplied by 12 days....an extra $480 over the day before. I mentioned this on our Roll Call as a sign of Xs shady money-grab.

 

Just yesterday I was looking at Beyond, Italy Turkey Greece for Oct 2024 and did a trial booking to see what SVs were available. At one of the stages there was the option to book a "Fully Refundable Fare @ $2,000 extra for two" Huh?? Is it an airline?

Norris-demanding to "speak to the manager"!

[Bimmer09]

19 minutes ago, MikeMary4449 said:

Following along and loving your entertaining and informative review and beautiful photos.  We will be in Amsterdam in June, 2024, before boarding the Celebrity Silhouette in Rotterdam for a British Isles cruise.  Would you mind sharing what the cost was for your transfer from the hotel to the Rotterdam port?  TIA.  🚢🍺

Mike and Mary

Mike and Mary, thanks for your kind comment-"entertaining and informative" is what I strive for.

I hope you are sitting down when I tell you the price (I've seen much cheaper)...it was E 270 for each leg and we thought the efficiency, communication and the service was worth the splurge.

You could get an Uber for less. Train is cheap cheap but we can't schlepp luggage off and on trains then wait for taxis and such. We got what we paid for-professionalism, Mercedes E, on time, car and driver ID with the link to the driver's phone number on the day to advise delays etc-youvcan also request an extra stop, such as the Markt in Rotterdam. The E Class sedan cost more than the minibus price but we like sedans.

Hope this helps!

Norris

[MikeMary4449]

2 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Mike and Mary, thanks for your kind comment-"entertaining and informative" is what I strive for.

I hope you are sitting down when I tell you the price (I've seen much cheaper)...it was E 270 for each leg and we thought the efficiency, communication and the service was worth the splurge.

You could get an Uber for less. Train is cheap cheap but we can't schlepp luggage off and on trains then wait for taxis and such. We got what we paid for-professionalism, Mercedes E, on time, car and driver ID with the link to the driver's phone number on the day to advise delays etc-youvcan also request an extra stop, such as the Markt in Rotterdam. The E Class sedan cost more than the minibus price but we like sedans.

Hope this helps!

Norris

Thanks, Norris, for your quick reply.  Fortunately, we ARE sitting down, but E270 was a bit more than we were anticipating, although we know it is going to be expensive.  We too are beyond the point of "schlepping luggage" on and off trains!  Thanks so much for your very helpful information.

Mike and Mary

[Bimmer09]

                                   APEX

We checked in at 12.30 and were onboard by 1 p.m. Cabins were ready by 1.30 and we found our way to 8310 all the way back at the stern a couple floors above Eden. We booked an SV (Sunset Verandah) which has a door to a short corridor shared with 8308 a Sunset Sky Suite. Quiet but you can hear people in the cabin next door (8312) talking when in the 8310 bathroom.

Designed by British designer Kelly Hoppen whose favorite color is beige/blah and who has a fetish regarding toss pillows in profusion. I tossed most of them.

 

 

 The room is well designed when it comes to storage except half the wardrobe is too short to hang pants (mine) by their bottoms using the crocodile clips provided so they have to hang folded in half. First world problem and no biggie. Our clothes including Polar jackets for Iceland (there's a clue to the climate in the name) were stuffed in. Lots of drawer space and desk-top space. There's a white box on the desk to charge things designed by someone who never charged things in a  ship's cabin (close but no cigar) but luckily another charging place by the starboard side of the bed where my Canon battery chargers fit. USB sockets in the white box got plenty of use. No major complaints about the cabin. Nice job.

 

Top marks for the bathroom!

 

 Superb spacious shower with its clamshell door which stays closed. No water gets spilled. Great pressure, temperature controls. Decent towels. No plumbing issues for 12 days. No bar soap (bring from home) just pumps with bath gel, shampoo and conditioner of unknown origin.

 

Space, space and more space. Sink long enough to bath a baby in or for passengers with giant hands and hot dog fingers.

 

The balcony didn't get a lot of use in Iceland but fab in the UK and for the sunny sailaway from Rotterdam.

 

 

A small home that served us well for 12 days. 

As is her custom Carol uses Clorox wipes to clean the surfaces one touches- handles, faucets, phones etc before unpacking. I get out of her way for a short while.

Norris