Trip Report for Apex Iceland Cruise 7/723

[sunpsyche]

Following along. We did this cruise on Apex last year and loved it. Amsterdam is one of our favorite cities. 

[Bo1953]

4 hours ago, kwokpot said:

It's a known fact that the Dutch are tall people. Having said that a hotel in Amsterdam isn't just for Dutch people, especially with Amsterdam being one of the top visited cities worldwide. Yet the security peephole in our hotel room is probably at 5'9" or 10";I'm 5'6" and I CANT SEE THROUGH THE SECURITY PEEPHOLE! 

https://dutchreview.com/culture/why-are-the-dutch-so-tall-answers/#:~:text=We don't know if,(5'9”).

 

Well, that calls for a chair!!! LOL

 

bon voyage

[soozles]

Following! I’ll be on this cruise in August

[kwokpot]

9:00am report (like the cruiseships!) Today is a severe weather alert. We received mobile phone warnings about high winds and rain, and are advised to stay indoors. Anyone flying in today will be affected. Train and tram service will also be affected. Quite nasty outside. Temps in the 50's.

[kwokpot]

8 hours ago, Beachlover1989 said:

Were you able to walk to Humphreys from the Doubletree?

Yes, about 13-15 minutes away. 

[horseymike]

Hope the weather improves for you soon. Great photos.

[Beachlover1989]

2 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Yes, about 13-15 minutes away. 

Fantastic! We’ll plan on going in August!

[kwokpot]

With the wind and rain I and no particular sightseeing plans I had a relaxing morning just chilling in my room and then went for a workout in the hotel fitness center (pretty well equipped). Took a long hot shower and by 4pm the rain had stopped and the sun was trying to peek out. Went out for a walk around the narrow streets of the tourist district. Remanents of the storm included mangled umbrellas and a giant tree that fell down a several hundred yards from the Central Station. Tonight's dinner was at a little Italian restaurant that had good reviews on Google but to me it was just OK, nothing special so no dinner pictures (my husband enjoyed immensely his pasta with pesto sauce).

 

. 

[kwokpot]

We are currently on the train from Amsterdam Central to Rotterdam Central, where we are staying one night before embarkation. The Doubletree Amsterdam Central Hotel is extremely convenient if you're using the train to get around. Literally from our hotel room to the train platform it took 10 minutes! What made it even easier was using the Netherlands Rail app(NS App with the yellow logo version) and buying the tickets in advance, then using the QR code that's generated to scan at the train turnstiles to enter the train concourse. We also did this to use the train from the Amsterdam airport to Amsterdam Central Station. It just makes things easier and less hectic when your at the station. 

One major negative is the train cars aren't set-up for luggage, so you have to make do. This train to Rotterdam at least had double facing seat sets which allows us to take one section for us and the luggage. The train we took from the airport didn't have these seats arrangements so we had to leave the bags in the aisles. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by kwokpot

[kwokpot]

The train ride to Rotterdam was uneventful and we had mobile service the entire time. We arrived at the Rotterdam Central Station and immediately proceeded to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express Rotterdam Central Hotel, which was conveniently located three blocks away. We were able to check in and a room was ready for us. A basic room but clean and just fine for one night. Now for lunch!

As we walked to our lunch place, you can immediately notice how different Rotterdam is from Amsterdam. The look and feel was closer to other European major city centers than the quaint and low scale buildings around canals that is Amsterdam. We had lunch outside on the sidewalk, and as we wait for our food I noticed how one could mistakenly thought we were sitting at a sidewalk cafe on the Upper East Street Side of Manhattan, albeit without the noise and the crowds. It was sunny out and we enjoyed our Goat cheese salad and buratta with prosciutto sandwich among the sunshine and sophisticated atmosphere. 

Photos of lunch and random shots of Rotterdam City Center. 

 

 

[kwokpot]

I wanted to have a nice steak for dinner so I checked out the reviews for a good steakhouse. My first choice didn't have any availability until late, so I went with my second choice. No regrets. The Iron lady Steakhouse is a 15 minutes walk from the main city center but it was in a wonderful neighborhood setting with low-rise apartment buildings and retail on the ground floors. The restaurant has a trendy but casual vibe and it has a wonderful sidewalk table settings with built-in wooden benches on the street facing side. Our Ribeyes were perfectly cooked to medium rare and a tasted delicious. We had crispy broccoli and onion rings as sides. Surprisingly my Negroni cocktail was quite reasonably priced at €9.50. We finished the meal with a slice of lemon curd cheesecake and coffee. 

The setting was decidedly urban yet so relaxing and serene. TBH I preferred it over Amsterdam and I could have seen myself living right around the corner from that restaurant.

https://ironladysteak.nl/

 

Edited July 6, 2023 by kwokpot

[kwokpot]

After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and used the street trams to go from our hotel to the cruise pier. We had bought single use transit tickets the night before from the Metro ticket machines so we didn't need to fuss with it in the morning. We also bought tickets to use for disembarkation to go from the ship pier to Rotterdam Central Station after the cruise. The pier was four stops from our hotel and it took about 15 minutes. So easy. I would recommend the street trams over the metro since there's no lugging your bags up and down underground.

 

Check-in was a breeze. You drop off your luggage at the far end and then walk back into the terminal. They first check to see that you have the proper documentation (passports) then you proceed to the security scanners. After that you proceed up the escalators to the check-in area. Here is where you need to let staff know if you have priority status (Retreat, Elite+) so they will direct you to a check-in person, otherwise they will have you sit down and wait. As Elite+ we went immediately to check-in which took all of 2 minutes and we were done and allowed to board the ship at 11:15am! We went to drop off our backpacks in our cabin. The cabin door was closed and keycards in the mail slot but the sign was still on the door that the rooms weren't quite finished. We dropped off our backpacks in the closet and went to the Oceanview Cafe for some cold beverages and here we are relaxing outside in absolutely beautiful weather ( best weather in four days!). Too early for food. 

 

An easy and stress-free check-in!

 

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by kwokpot

[terrydtx]

Following, we will be on the Apex in September for the Amsterdam to Athens cruise. We will spend 3 days in Amsterdam before we depart from Rotterdam on September 14th.

Edited July 7, 2023 by terrydtx

[kwokpot]

4 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Following, we will be on the Apex in September for the Amsterdam to Athens cruise. We will spend 3 days in Amsterdam before we depart from Rotterdam on September 14th.

Are you planning to use the train to get from Amsterdam to Rotterdam? 

[terrydtx]

13 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Are you planning to use the train to get from Amsterdam to Rotterdam? 

No, we have 4 in our group and have a private transport from the Amsterdam hotel to the cruise terminal in Rotterdam. 

[soozles]

If you remember, could you let me know if the you see the solarium pool open to families at any point? I’ll be on this cruise next month with 2 little fishies, and I heard if it’s cold or bad weather, they may allow kids in the solarium pool at certain times. 

[kwokpot]

11 hours ago, soozles said:

If you remember, could you let me know if the you see the solarium pool open to families at any point? I’ll be on this cruise next month with 2 little fishies, and I heard if it’s cold or bad weather, they may allow kids in the solarium pool at certain times. 

Yes there's a family hour from 4-10

[kwokpot]

2 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Yes there's a family hour from 4-10

Actually the Family hours for the solarium are 4-11for both days 1&2, so I'm assuming that will be the ongoing hours. 

[kwokpot]

We had perfect weather for the sail away yesterday. Bright sunny skies made for great viewing and picture taking. The Magic Carpet was packed with people watching the sail away and enjoying having drinks out in the wonderful weather. 

 

Dinner last night was in the Tuscan dining room at 7. I had made pre-cruise dinner reservations for all nights of the cruise. The dining room wasn't crowded. Service was quite good and the food came out quickly. We both had soup as starters and they were nice and hot and tasty (not particularly photogenic which is why no pictures). Our entrees were also served promptly and hot. Having sailed several times on all E-Class ships we are familiar with the entrees and noticed some changes to preparation.  I had the Tuscan dining room exclusive Tuscan pork chop. When the Edge first sailed this entree selection was not necessarily recommended by the servers as it was considered dry and tough. It was neither on this occasion. The pork may be slightly less in thickness but I suspect the difference may be the pork had been brined in salt water, which is one way to lessen pork from being dry and tough. The result though may be the taste is saltier as is the case of my pork last night. 

 

My husband had the Strozzapreti Carbonara and the plating has been changed from a bowl to a platter (same as my pork chop) and the portion has definitely been reduced by half as what was previously offered.

 

We didn't have coffee or dessert at Tuscan but decided to venture to Cafe Al Bacio for premium coffee and a slice of delicious chocolate cake!

 

Afterwards we enjoyed some music in Eden by The Storytellers Duo, a wonderful couple that performed 60's hits. This was followed by fun in the casino which was very busy. We gained an hour last night and my husband used it to gamble some more. Then off to bed. 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by kwokpot

[kwokpot]

12:30pm

Having never done an Iceland cruise I wasn't sure what the weather and temps would be for the entirety of the cruise but I sure wasn't expecting sunbathing weather! Definitely surprised about this and I'm going to change into a swimsuit for a little bit of sun before lunch!

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by kwokpot

[txtechmk]

Following along......love this detailed review.  Please let me know if the seas get rough at any point as I am curious.  Have a great trip!

[MJSailors]

@kwokpot Reading your trip report with interest as I have been following @Bimmer09 recap of his June cruise to Iceland on the Apex.

He is finishing his report, so I am eager to read about your experiences on the ship and in Iceland.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

[Poconolady]

Really interested in your review. We are on the Aug 9 sailing and I have been struggling with what clothes to pack. I know, layers—, but “which” layers? Hoping to get a better idea from watching your report.  Hope you continue having a great trip!

[kwokpot]

Day 2 - Afternoon 

After some sun and lunch at the buffet ( I'll elaborate on our buffet experiences after a few more days experience) and some time relaxing in the room at 4:30 I ventured out to the fitness center for my daily workout (4-4:30 is my regular workout time whether at home or on a cruise) and was shocked to find the gym packed with people. There were young and old and people weren't just doing cardio but actually lots of people doing weight training with the weights and machines. Late afternoons are usually quiet times on cruiseship gyms so I was a bit taken  aback and can only wonder how busy it must have been in the morning.

Then it was back to the room for a shower and off to dinner. 

[kwokpot]

Day 2 - Dinner

Dinner tonight was at 7:00 in the Cosmopolitan dining room. It was much busier than the first night in Tuscan but there still wasn't a wait and we were seated immediately. Overall service was friendly and efficient and although we didn't feel rushed we had three courses in 40 minutes. I would have preferred a few more minutes between courses. But we are fast eaters and since my husband doesn't drink alcohol we don't sit and have a round of cocktails before dinner.

Starters:

I had the califlower flan and my husband had the garden salad. I thought the califlower flan was delicious but there wasn't enough of the flan. It was literally two butter pats worth of flan smeared on the bottom of the bowl. The plating and portion size was more appropriate for a multi-course tasting menu, especially if you compare it with the generous size of the garden salad. A more appropriate plating would have been to use a small ramekin with about an half inch of flan and the other ingredients sprinkled on top. 

Entrees:

We both had the roasted trout and it was delicious with the flavors of the accompaniments all coming together.

Desserts:

We both had the carrot cake and my husband remarked that it was a refined version of carrot cake and not some you would find in a diner or even The Cheesecake factory. Portion size was perfect. 

Edited July 8, 2023 by kwokpot