Hello From Eurodam!

[innlady1]

Brian...you've had quite an adventure so far...please, don't get sick. Rest up...the best is yet to come! ;)

[Crazy]

Brian don't you get sick on us -- we got a lot of partying to do. Love your posts -- the hotel sounds wonderful (kidding). Flying out tomorrow.

 

Emily and James

[schoolinmy3]

Heathrow Airport itself is a gigantic mess: Although we disembarked in Terminal One, and my connection was within Terminal One, we had to walk through a gigantic maze and eventually out to a space where we boarded a shuttle that drove us around in circles (got to see the giant new A380 double-decker airliner) until we disembarked someplace, then wandered around in more circles and went through security again to a check-in counter where we were informed that we should wait in this great shopping mall area for our departure gate information to be displayed on the large boards: Apparently they don’t tell you which gate to go to so that they can keep you in the shopping/eating/moneychanging/spending area as long as possible Had a nice English Breakfast including grilled tomato and mushroom(?) since the flight departure was delayed, then finally off to the gate: Walk through more mazes until the line of passengers for my BMI flight is forced to wait in the dingy passageway for the gate agents to check passports (again) and tickets before being allowed into the waiting room - but of course they were so slow that they finally abandoned that plan and moved to the boarding podiums where they checked tickets again!

 

(When Orwell was writing "1984", he must have been waiting for a connecting flight at Heathrow) :cool:

 

I hope you're feeling better and that you've recovered from your airport experience. Gatwick is no better, in case you're wondering. We flew out of Gatwick last spring on our trip home from a wonderful vacation through England, Germany, Belgium and France. We also had to wait in this shopping/eating area for the gate number to appear on the screens. Except as soon as it showed up it also began flashing "CLOSING". And we had to run the distance - 20 minutes if we were walking - all the way to the gate! Keep in mind we're in our 40's and had an 8 year old daughter plus her brothers who thankfully are physically fit teenagers. They then had us board the plane and closed the gate over 30 minutes before take off. I think this procedure has something to do with security but I'm not sure what or why. The entire procedure of checking in bags, going through security, waiting for the gate number to show up then running to the gate and boarding the plane to take off was about 3 nervewracking hours. It took us forever to get through security because they kept telling us our carryons were too big and we kept trying to redistribute items. Plus we had to stuff our neck pillows in the bags. We were not allowed to carry them (yes, all 5 neck pillows)

diane

[mamaofami]

Brian...don't get sick. I feel like your grandma , but I found a wonderful remedy this winter. Each time I felt I was getting sick, I gargled with a little bit of apple cider vinegar and water. It sounds gross, but it sure did the trick.

[jtl513]

I do wish that I had gone to the ATM when I was in Heathrow to get some Euros -

It's just as well - you would have gotten Pounds, as they don't use Euros in the UK. :D

[Bill S]

Brian--glad to see you made it ok, especially through Heathrow. We are connecting through Heathrow, but at least we will be able to share the anticipated misery with Greg, Christopher & the Hannahs! I have only transited Heathrow once before and it WAS misery: no signage, no help from BA folks, etc. We barely made our connection even though we had an hour.

I hope you will shake the sore throat so you can begin to really enjoy your first few days in Europe.

[bepsf]

It's just as well - you would have gotten Pounds, as they don't use Euros in the UK. :D

 

I actually think I might have been able to get Euros if I'd tried - All listed prices in the Airport and aboard the Aircraft were in both currencies...

...however the exchange rate at the AmEx desk in Heathrow was horrendous: $1.89/Euro to buy, and over $2/Euro to sell!

 

Fuel is crazy:

In Amsterdam, Gasoline is 1.49 Euro/litre - Diesel is 1.29 Euro/litre.

[Nghthawke]

I’m in bed blowing my nose. Hopefully, I’ll feel better tomorrow for some serious sight-seeing.

 

Did you take along some Cold-FX? If you take it as soon as you feel a scratchy throat it will prevent a cold altogether. If you take it a day or so later you might still get a cold but you'll only be sick 2-3 days instead of 5-6.

 

We're thinking of doing a Baltic cruise in 2009 and although we've not decided which cruise yet one decision that we have made is not to fly through Heathrow but through Frankfurt instead. We were pretty set on boarding the Eurodam next year but the sight of those cabanas in the Lido have left me a tad unsettled. Can't believe it but I'm actually entertaining the idea of looking at what other cruiselines offer but I'll be patient and see what the feedback is from you all who will be travelling on the Eurodam in the coming months.

[innlady1]

Brian...don't get sick. I feel like your grandma , but I found a wonderful remedy this winter. Each time I felt I was getting sick, I gargled with a little bit of apple cider vinegar and water. It sounds gross, but it sure did the trick.

 

Carol...never heard of apple cider vinegar and water for colds...have heard of using it to reduce cholesterol levels, though! ;)

[AlohaPride]

Brian, I'm so sorry you aren't feeling well! I hope you will feel better by cruise day!!

[hulamoon]

Brian I believe your sore throat may be semi normal for a long flight, barely any sleep and so much excitement. Lot's of tea, some Vitamin C and if you can manage ginger tea, that would be good. Fresh air is important too. You can do some Jin Shin Jyutsu, hold each finger with the other hand until you feel a pulse, it isn't exactly a blood pulse but an energetic one. Keep doing it on all fingers until the pulse feels strong on all fingers. Then there is the all purpose point between your thumb and forefinger, add presure between the webs and this should get your lymph moving. Remember flying makes you dehydrated, drink up, and alcohol does not count!

 

The Dutch are practical people, they put hotel rooms everywhere, I am hoping you aren't in it much. My first one in Amsterdam was as strange as one I rented in The Hague.

 

Now let's all send a nice healing energy to Brian so he can have the vacation he was looking forward to.:)

 

 

Thanks for the great reports, we all love them, but remember this is your vacation, take care of your self first.

 

Sharie

[sail7seas]

Happy you are safely in Amsterdam and hope you are feeling better, Brian.

 

Hope you enjoy Amsterdam...... a really fun, exciting city. Enjoy every minute!

(I was exhausted just reading of your getting through Heathrow. Been there and done that and can still remember how far and fast we had to go from one gate to our connection.)

[Copper10-8]

Just arrived in Amsterdam a couple hours ago...

...someone remind me not to go through Heathrow again!

 

Mom and Dad and Scotty have been wandering the streets already - It's kinda crowded and muggy here even tho it's overcast. We had quite some adventure re-arranging ourselves in the hotel, switching rooms, etc. The folks already think we're crazy Americans...

 

We're at the local Apple store on our way to drinkies - but the Hardrock Cafe is across town, so I'm afraid we're not going to make it there Mary Ellen

:(

 

More later - TTFN!

 

 

Hey Brian, Welkom in Amsterdam!

The weather was real nice yesterday afernoon and it is supposed to be warming up - Try Continental via Newark, NJ next time

See ya

[Ine]

Welcome to Amsterdam and The Netherlands Brian and the others in your party.

It looks like the weather is rather good, so you will enjoy the city and other parts of the country.

The ship is waiting for you already, docked at the Rotterdam terminal. just a few hours ago.

http://www.virtualvisit.nl/webcam/index.htm

 

See you on board.

[dellas1000]

Hi all just back from the pre inaugural and if anyone wants to see the photos they can be found here :::

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=800879

[Richard in Panama]

You all behave now when you're in Amsterdam! ;) And have some Dutch pancakes! Bon voyage!

 

Regards, Richard

[u4ea]

Yea, Brian hasn't reported in a bit, probably stoned...:eek:;):D:cool:

Mark...

[HeatherInFlorida]

Brian, hopefully your ailment is all due to the long flight and you'll be right as rain in no time.

 

This ends up being such a tiny world sometimes, doesn't it? One minute you're posting from home and it seems the next you're on the other side. Sure it seemed longer to you.

 

Looking forward to your experiences on this cruise. Your tales are always so entertaining and fun!

 

Have a great time.:)

[twinkletoes4445]

Brian,

 

I'm really looking forward to your reports. Have a wonderful time! :)

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, just wanted to pop in and say that I arrived at the much maligned London Heathrow a few days ago. I'm fond of saying over the past few years that it's the worst major airport in the world (which is an achievement LOL). But we came in at the new Terminal 5, got through immigration in about 10 minutes, and, shockingly, not only was luggage already whirling around the conveyer belt when I got down there -- but it was all there!

 

There is hope :)

 

Hope y'all had an equally safe journey (and certainly hope Brian feels better) and look forward to meeting you this week on Eurodam.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

 

Brian--glad to see you made it ok, especially through Heathrow. We are connecting through Heathrow, but at least we will be able to share the anticipated misery with Greg, Christopher & the Hannahs! I have only transited Heathrow once before and it WAS misery: no signage, no help from BA folks, etc. We barely made our connection even though we had an hour.

I hope you will shake the sore throat so you can begin to really enjoy your first few days in Europe.

[Sage]

Good Monday Brian. I hope that you are feeling better and are having a wonderful time.

[Wini18]

Brian, we hope you're feeling better. It's just awful to get sick while on a trip - I missed Turkey and Rome while down with a breathing problem. On that same cruise we (Harve and I) arrived in Athens from Heathrow with no luggage. Luckily the last piece arrived at 11 pm the night before we sailed. We will never (and I mean NEVER) go through Heathrow again. I guess the new terminal 5 is better, but won't ever get the chance to find out.

 

We fly out of LAX (go through Orly) on the 13th, so will see you soon. Have a great Prelude and Inaugural.

[nckvilledudes]

Brian,

If possible could you post a pic of an SS Suite and balcony from the Eurodam??? Hope you are having a wonderful time.

Dan and Miguel

[bepsf]

Monday, June 30 - Amsterdam

What a difference a day makes - I woke up this AM feeling like a human again and am enjoying a bowl of Rice Krispies and waiting for our driver...

 

Sick as a Dog

Yesterday morning, Scotty regaled me with tales of his adventures in the RLD the previous night while I lay in misery with an achy flu. Taking pity on me, he went downstairs to the buffet for some tea, juice, cheese and meats for me.

When he returned from downstairs with some he told me that he’d seen a rat! I asked if he was joking, and he said that indeed it was a little Dutch Rat: Scotty was at the buffet table and he saw Mr Rat walking down the wall - Upon arriving at the buffet table he looked at Scotty. Scotty looked at the rat. The rat muttered something rude about American tourists, turned around and walked back up to his room on the mezzanine. I asked Scotty how he knew it was a Dutch Rat, and he replied that if it was a New York City Rat, he would have been 4 times larger, would have cut in line and touched all the pieces of cheese before deciding which one to take.

 

Presently, Dad knocked on the door - Scotty informed Dad that I wasn’t feeling well, so of they went in search of Nana for their daily adventure while I rolled over and fell asleep with the warm teacup on my forehead...

 

A few hours later, the door opened: a woman uttered something like “Ohh ooooh, eeen aooom” (apparently Dutch for “I’m here to clean the room”) I replied “Uuuuuugh” (“I’m dying, but please leave fresh towels”) About an hour later, she was back: “Ohh ooooh, eeen aooom”, to which I replied “Send for a priest.” After she left I realized that it was Noon, so I struggled out of bed, knocking over the breakfast dishes, and took a long hot shower and dressed to get ready to go downstairs to find some food. At 1pm she knocked on the door again: “Ohhneed ooh eeen aooom, et ahh eeve free okluck” “I need to clean the room and I leave at 3 o’clock”

 

I staggered downstairs and ordered some tea, water and chicken soup from a table in the back of the restaurant. As I sat there looking at the parade of folks walking up the street, I remembered that Scotty said that he was taking Apa and Nana to the Hard Rock Cafe and on a canal-boat ride. I asked the waiter if they had some fresh fruit: bananas, pineapple, melon? He left and returned with a slice of an Apple tart-like pastry.

 

I wandered back up to the room and checked e-mail when the door burst open: Scotty, Apa and Nana came in an all three started talking at once: “We went on a canal boatride!” “We brought pastries!” “Are you feeling any better?”

 

I suggested that we should go find some Chinese Food: Apa huffed something about chocolate covered waffles but Nana took pity and said that sounded like a fine idea, so shortly we wandered the streets in search of exotic Asian Cuisines. We found a nice little place in the midst of Amsterdam’s Chinatown, ordered way too much food and ate about half - I wanted to get it boxed up “To-Go”, but was rudely reminded that I didn’t have anyplace to put it, much less warm it up again...

 

On the way back to the hotel, we followed Scotty’s lead criss-crossing up and down various canals and alleys and encountered a gay sidewalk cafe/bar with dozens of men slipping out into the streets - Leave it to Scotty to find the local happening places! Once back onto Damrak, we had to go into the souvenir shops in search of mementos - but really didn’t find anything too necessary so we returned to the hotel for a short nap. After dark, Scotty pursuaded me to come out and hit the Red Light with him - so despite my continuing post-nasal drip, we hit a couple of bars, enjoyed the second-hand smoke and eye-candy, and witnessed a screaming match between a couple of inebriated Brits at which point we decided to get out of the line of fire and return to the hotel for some shut-eye.

 

When returned to the hotel, the front doors were locked - but we saw a couple of British guests and the night-watchman in the restaurant. As the watchman let us in we overheard the Brits complaining that they’d seen a rat - Scotty said “Oh, I saw it too and I know where it went!” whereupon he gleefully pointed out to the present company where Mr Rat had been that morning as the Brits looked on in horror, stating flatly “This place has problems.” The watchman remained expressionless - it was clear that he couldn’t have cared less...

[bepsf]

Tuesday, June 31 - Amsterdam

 

As the sunlight streamed into the room, I blinked my eyes open and suddenly realized: I could breathe without choking on mucous!

Scotty took off for a walk in search of last-minute souvenirs, so I showered and dresses and wandered down to the restaurant for some brekky. I enjoyed a bowl of Rice Crispies with room-temperature milk and a glass of juice when Scotty came in clutching a bag of treasures - I suggested that he bring his bags down where I was seated and then I could do the same. In a couple of minutes, Dad came in - same story. Then Scotty came down bearing luggage, so I went up to the room to gather my things: I looked in amazement around the room: I realized that it was filthier than I had realized (was that even possible?) with the floors covered in a heavy layer of dust and a towel on the bathroom floor coming up brown w/ dirt.

 

As I brought my first load of luggage down to the restaurant, Scotty informed me that the car and driver were there - so I ran up to the room to gather the last of my things. On the way out I dropped off the keycards to the nice fellow at the front desk “Did you have a nice stay”, he asked.

“Quite frankly, No”, I replied. “Although everyone down here is quite nice, this place is a hole.”

 

Appearing confused, he said, “What you mean - Hole?”

 

“What I mean is that the room is filthy with mould and mildew growing on the walls, the floors have huge gaps between the boards, the bathroom smells like a sewer, the sheets are torn and TV doesn’t work and you have rats - I’d be embarrassed to charge for this place. You guys down here are really nice and I know it’s not your fault - but this is the worst place I’ve ever stayed. Ciao!”

 

 

On the Road to Rotterdam

 

Our driver, Johan (pronounced “John”) was incredulous at the amount of luggage that he was piling into the leather-lined navy blue Mercedes Vaneo, so Scotty quickly explained that we’re going to Rotterdam to go on a cruise - He simply nodded in understanding.

 

Johan was smooth as silk behind the wheel - I know this because Mom was seated beside me and never uttered a sound about how rapidly we were moving down the roadway. Instead, she chirped along merrily about the passing scenery: beautiful buildings and picturesque farms.

 

Finally, we turned off the main road onto a side road - we’re in Kinderdijk. Johan dropped us off at the gates to the park, and we wandered into the bucolic and sunny countryside past several windmills and farms down a canal-side pathway littered with goose poo. Presently, we encountered the windmill that was open to the public for touring - after paying the fee we climbed the stairs and marveled at the craftsmanship, but what made it even more special is that the wind kicked up so a local fellow came out and began unfurling the sails on all the blades as we watched in fascination. Once he was done with his task, we re-entered the mill and enjoyed the creaking and clacking of the wooden gears - fascinated at the spinning wheels and the ingenuity and imagination from hundreds of years ago that was required that was required to make this work. We asked the attendant a couple questions if it was difficult to operate - he replied that it actually wasn’t and that as long as the bearing points were properly greased with lard, that women would often operate the mechanisms.

 

We returned to the park entrance where we purchased more souvenirs and enjoyed a light lunch of Dutch Pancakes - we called Johan to come collect us and a few short minutes later we were on on the road to Rotterdam.

 

In short time, we rolled up to the Bilderberg ParkHotel - Such a contrast to the previous place! This place is an elegant modern building facing a lovely canal and park. We all bade Johan goodbye and cased the modern splendor while observing the bellman sweep our piles of luggage into the elevator and onward to our rooms where we marvelled at the spaciousness, elegance and cleanliness of our lodgings. Mom and Scotty both announced that they were going to take baths, so Dad and I went in search of snacks, a beauty salon for Mom to get her hair done and an ATM for cash. Once our mission was accomplished, we returned and I took a nice long bubble bath and enjoyed a nice long nap.

 

After several hours, we called Dad and agreed to meet for dinner downstairs - Mom had been curled up in her plush hotel spa robe for hours and wasn’t about to go anywhere. We decided on a light dinner at the bar in the restaurant where Alex the bartender looked after us - keeping our glasses filled with champagne and brought our dinners. After dinner, Dad went upstairs and left Scotty and I stayed to handle the bill - but Alex poured us more Champagne instead...

 

After a couple more glasses, we finally retreated to our room where Scotty promptly crawled into the plush bedding and began sawing logs - It won’t be long before I’ll be following his lead - for tomorrow we go see the Queen!