Live from Nieuw Statendam 14 day Canary Island Allure April 21 - May 5, 2024

[cruiseaholic78]

I wish all of you a safe flight/return trip home and hope the lucky ones staying on have a great cruise.

We enjoyed meeting some of you and who knows maybe we will meet again on another cruise.

Feeling unashamedly totally smug that we only have a thirty minute drive home as we usually have long flights and jet lag pre cruise.

Rosalyn

[Overhead Fred]

A nice sunset for the end of our cruise -

 

[acis]

Thank you vMax for the great information and tips you passed on. 

[cruiseaholic78]

Welcome to Rotterdam safe travels.

[VMax1700]

On 4/28/2024 at 1:26 AM, tjcox9 said:

Would you or sailingdutchy be willing to share the name of the company/guide you used. Sounds like our kinda tour.

 

Also, thanks for the daily reports!

 

 

 

The guide is John Reid and the company is https://tenerifeprivatetours.com/

He is a very interesting guy and not only does he know the island's geography, history and politics but he can share his knowledge in a warm and interesting way.  He is also a published author.  https://reidten.blogspot.com/2013/07/pirates-of-canarrean.html

[VMax1700]

We have arrived home safely and laundry has been done.

I will update with final thoughts etc in a day or two.

Thanks for following.

[tjcox9]

53 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

 

The guide is John Reid and the company is https://tenerifeprivatetours.com/

He is a very interesting guy and not only does he know the island's geography, history and politics but he can share his knowledge in a warm and interesting way.  He is also a published author.  https://reidten.blogspot.com/2013/07/pirates-of-canarrean.html

Thanks so much for the info. Also, really enjoyed following you on your journey. Lots of insights............

[DrJamba]

On 5/6/2024 at 6:32 PM, VMax1700 said:

We have arrived home safely and laundry has been done.

I will update with final thoughts etc in a day or two.

Thanks for following.

Your trip looked wonderful.  It sounds like you had a great time.

We will be sailing out of Rotterdam on a Norway itinerary later this year.  As you're preparing your final thoughts, could you also include your disembarkation details, please?  We're looking at various options and wanted to know what you chose to do.

Thanks!

[VMax1700]

6 hours ago, DrJamba said:

Your trip looked wonderful.  It sounds like you had a great time.

We will be sailing out of Rotterdam on a Norway itinerary later this year.  As you're preparing your final thoughts, could you also include your disembarkation details, please?  We're looking at various options and wanted to know what you chose to do.

Thanks!

Will do!

 

[VMax1700]

Final Thoughts and wrap up!

 

Although the embarkation was a bit chaotic due to a protest at Rotterdam Cruise Terminal, we were disappointed by the chaotic disembarkation at Rotterdam at the end of the cruise.  Although it is a huge facility, all the suitcases where being delivered to one small corner of the terminal, where you had to enter, find your bags, then travel against the flow of other cruisers looking for their bags while you made your way to the customs 'inspection'.  The inspection was a formality and just added a few extra metres to the already long walk.

Outside the terminal there were Shore Ex staff directing cruisers towards the transfer and excursion coaches and the large line of waiting taxis.  The entire process was quick, but with a little thought and planning, could be a lot easier on the exiting pax.

 

Overall we enjoyed the cruise.  The ship is in great condition and the crew were great.  Many of them had just joined the ship on the same day we embarked and it took them a few days to find their sea legs, but they soon settled in to the expect HAL service level.

Our room steward Dedi (call me big dedi!) and Cham were excellent.  On day one we were told by Dedi that there would be an evening turn down service and if we wanted anything else, just to ask.  Well, he was a little taken aback when we told him we only required one room service a day and would prefer it in the evening. We are low maintenance and tidy, so we have no problem with the condition of our room during the day.  That is how we like it and he was happy to oblige, although every time we left the room during the day, he sprinted after us, just to check everything was ok.

As I mentioned in the report the first laundry was completed overnight and returned before 11 am. The second laundry was the same......collected by the steward between 6pm and 7pm and returned next morning before 11 am.  We only used the laundry twice.

 

We did not go to MDR except for afternoon tea, which we did twice.  Both times were adequate but not exciting, though the company was good, and we stayed long after the alotted time, just chatting.

 

1

[VMax1700]

Final Thoughts Part 2

 

Lido:  We mostly ate at the Lido and found the choices good and the quality good.  Table clearing was slow sometimes and again some new staff seemed to join the ship during the voyage.  

Breakfast had good choices, though the selection process was fragmented, needing visit to various stations to harvest the required foods.  Our usual cruise format is that I go to Lido and collect the various items for DW's breakfast and bring them back to her in the room.  We bring our own tea bags (she prefers tea in the mornings), an insulated pint jug, and a tray. (Yes, I was the guy with the tray!).  This makes the process of getting everything back to the room a lot easier.   After the delivery, I return to Lido for my own breakfast and to browse the local newspapers and complete wordle, in pleasant solitude.

Lunch was very crowded on sea days, but utilizing the tables at either the mid ship or aft pool, we never had a real problem finding somewhere to eat.  There were the usual card players 'hogging' tables, but not too many, and there were the usual suspects who sat staring out the windows with an empty table in front of them.  

Dinner, apart from speciality restaurants, was in Lido. (you see the pattern here?)  We usually sat in the two top behind the port side "Quench" bar (is that the right name?) and got to know and be known by Ariani who looked after us very well.

 

Speciality Restaurants.

Tamarind (part of HIA) was first up, and here I discovered the new love of my life, the Lychee Martini.  Our love flourished during the cruise, and we (truthfully, it was just me!) had double or treble helpings most nights.  Oops nearly forgot about the food 🙂.  We enjoyed the food, but it has become a bit 'samey'.   Shame they don't do a nightly special.

 

Pinnacle Grill (part of HIA) I found it ok, Ellen thought it was good and better than the last couple of Pinnacle dinners we have had.  Only complaint that I had, was that I was facing the dazzling reflection of the sun, as it bounced brightly of the sea.  I did think of doing my 'Elwood' impersonation, but wearing sunglasses in a restaurant is not my style. 

 

Canaletto.  We ate here just once, with Tony, Martha, Fred and Mitzi.  This was the most enjoyable ship meal of the cruise (we enjoyed our tour lunch in Garachico, Teneriffe, the most).  Our server Joan (pronounced Jo Ann! 😉) went to Tamarind to refill our Lychee Martini glasses and then arranged for a couple of 'off menu' main dishes at short notice for us.  Food was surprisingly good and service was wonderful.

 

 

[SUESEABE]

47 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

 

Delete

Edited May 11 by SUESEABE

[VMax1700]

Final Thoughts Part 3

 

Some random thoughts.....

TV sports are shown on Sport 24 channel and the listings are found here

https://sport24live.com/schedule

 

We brought water in 1.5l and 500ml plastic bottles onboard at Funchal and Gibraltar.  There were no questions and no problems.

 

Security Scanning was carried out on the ship scanners in Funchal, Madeira, Gibraltar, and La Corunna.  On shore scanning was carried out in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote.  I mention this as a 😉for those who may need to know!

[VMax1700]

That is about all that I can think of!  If anyone has questions then please ask before the details merge into darkness!

[VMax1700]

On 5/8/2024 at 11:59 AM, DrJamba said:

Your trip looked wonderful.  It sounds like you had a great time.

We will be sailing out of Rotterdam on a Norway itinerary later this year.  As you're preparing your final thoughts, could you also include your disembarkation details, please?  We're looking at various options and wanted to know what you chose to do.

Thanks!

Sorry, forgot to mention the details.

We took a tour to Keukenhof gardens and then on to the airport.

We were among the first group to disembark as our tour was scheduled to leave at 7.30am however 2 people did not show and there was a delay while it was confirmed that they had been held on board in isolation (no other details!).

The disembarkation is mentioned above.  Just be aware of the bottleneck at the baggage collection area.  There were about 4 different transfers to Amsterdam Schiphol airport, all at different times.  Some cruisers used our tour to the gardens and then to Schiphol to get to Amsterdam for an overnight stay.  They took the train from the airport into the city centre.

There was a line of taxis outside the terminal.

If you wish to prebook a car I have used staxi.nl before and they are good.  

 

Edited May 11 by VMax1700

[BetsyS.]

Thank you so much for all your reports! 

        What was the protest about at Rotterdam cruise terminal on the day you embarked?

 

[VMax1700]

3 minutes ago, BetsyS. said:

Thank you so much for all your reports! 

        What was the protest about at Rotterdam cruise terminal on the day you embarked?

 

Pollution caused by cruise ships, I understand.

[BetsyS.]

Thanks for the answer. 

[marianoam]

Any particular reason why you avoided MDR for dinner? Is the food at the Lido better?

[VMax1700]

2 minutes ago, marianoam said:

Any particular reason why you avoided MDR for dinner? Is the food at the Lido better?

The main reason is that DW is a picky eater and we can pick and mix in Lido. Menus are very similar, but it is so much easier to take a bit of this and a bit of that in Lido.

[marianoam]

1 minute ago, VMax1700 said:

The main reason is that DW is a picky eater and we can pick and mix in Lido. Menus are very similar, but it is so much easier to take a bit of this and a bit of that in Lido.

Great, thanks! I'll be cruising the Norwegian Fjords onboard the Rotterdam (also Pinnacle-class) in a few weeks.

 

One more question if you don't mind. Was the pool with the sliding roof too crowded? I know that on Caribbean cruises it is a very popular spot, but I don't know if it is the same in Europe. We like to relax there, especially on sea days, but it is often very difficult to get a chair.

[VMax1700]

2 minutes ago, marianoam said:

Great, thanks! I'll be cruising the Norwegian Fjords onboard the Rotterdam (also Pinnacle-class) in a few weeks.

 

One more question if you don't mind. Was the pool with the sliding roof too crowded? I know that on Caribbean cruises it is a very popular spot, but I don't know if it is the same in Europe. We like to relax there, especially on sea days, but it is often very difficult to get a chair.

We had quite a few sea days and the roof was closed during the first few days.  The pool area was quite crowded and busy, but we were able to find a table most days.  On a Northern Europe cruise the roof will be closed more often, so it is the nicest 'outside' area to relax.  You may want to go early.

[DrJamba]

On 5/11/2024 at 5:45 PM, VMax1700 said:

Sorry, forgot to mention the details.

We took a tour to Keukenhof gardens and then on to the airport.

We were among the first group to disembark as our tour was scheduled to leave at 7.30am however 2 people did not show and there was a delay while it was confirmed that they had been held on board in isolation (no other details!).

The disembarkation is mentioned above.  Just be aware of the bottleneck at the baggage collection area.  There were about 4 different transfers to Amsterdam Schiphol airport, all at different times.  Some cruisers used our tour to the gardens and then to Schiphol to get to Amsterdam for an overnight stay.  They took the train from the airport into the city centre.

There was a line of taxis outside the terminal.

If you wish to prebook a car I have used staxi.nl before and they are good.  

 

Thank you for this!