janmcn

Update 36 hours later…received the verification of the 2 Pinnacle reservations and the excursion, but NO Canaletto reservations…so I’ll have to get back on the phone to get those verified! Argh!

I just spent over 2 hours on iPhone, Mac Safari, and Google Chrome trying to make 4 dinner reservations and one excursion. I get to choose the time and restaurant, go through to the shopping cart, try to check out, and "submit" and nothing happens...(Oh, yeah, I did get an Error 404 at one point.) I finally did the "pay" choice, knowing I could have it adjusted when I board...nope...same...finally called them and it "only took" them 20 minutes to do the same (huh? should be 5 minutes at most!) They constantly amaze me with the programming incompetence. At least I know if my son becomes unemployed he could submit a resume to HAL...he specializes in databases.

You really need to be able to find your bus…it’s beyond wild after the Tattoo. If we hadn’t known where the bus was it would have been difficult.

Love the V of V! Done it twice…so far. Just got back from a Reykjavík overnight (Zuiderdam) where we were in the industrial port until 10 pm when the captain moved the ship to the regular dock for the remainder of the night and next day. The tender was used while in the industrial port just to take people a short ride to the regular dock. Agree “Dublin” may be Dun Laoghaire which you take your tours into Dublin from…or their tram/train.

Our experience with CO as Neptunes on Koningsdam was that we had no priority in their CO dining room and in fact it was crowded to the point we didn’t bother to have dinner in there…and actually walked out at breakfast when service was very slow. The Koningsdam CO restaurant is not as good as what we observed in the Rotterdam. Do not know about the NS.

If you cancel a cruise you’ve paid in full for (by cc), do they just refund to the cc? Any way of getting our cash back?

TA can keep watch for you or suggest alternative.

I know, that’s why we’re planning to go there. My husband is a retired doc so we figured it’ll be easy in and out. We love Boston so no problem extending our stay.

Hank…they’ve done an excellent job given the ports we are in and the medical facilities in them. ENT doctors are not as common in remote areas and might require longer treatment than a few hours, so it’s far better for this particular problem to wait to Boston. Easier for us to plan for. Yes, emergencies are well cared for but this is not classified as an emergency…just an inconvenience. Hoping it resolves with current treatments.

Thank you all for the info, some of which I already had, but it looks like the best thing ( most reliable) is to make plans to stay a few days in Boston and if my ears aren’t cleared by then we’ll go to MassGen Eye and Ear hospital where I can know I’ll get treated by ENT docs. All the other options do sound “iffy” as far as time. REALLY appreciate all the quick responses! And, I’ll try the “bend over for nose drops” …never hurts to try!

We have HAL Platinum and GeoBlue insurance while on this long cruise. I’ve been unsuccessfully treated for a middle ear infection for several weeks with both ears still plugged. The doctor on board said I need to see and ENT doctor. The only large city soon is Reykjavík and after that it will be Portland, Maine after which I’m due to fly home from Boston, which I can’t do with plugged ears. Who helps facilitate a physician appointment? My GeoBlue doesn’t indicate they have any referral in Iceland. Not sure about HAL Platinum. Anyone with experience doing this? Walking into an ER won’t be any different from the medical center on board (which has been excellent!.)

If you are in Dover, we used Ed’s Taxi Dover for a 6–hour tour to Canterbury Cathedral, a teeny 15th century village and pub for lunch, and the White Cliffs…amazing day with Ed! Excellent driver, loads of information, and little side bits of sights, too. Couldn’t have a better tour guide! Edstaxidover.com

New Canaletto menu…had the tiger shrimp and the scallops last night…both excellent!

This digressed from OP “Zuiderdam “ questions to “Zaandam.” On Zuiderdam now and have found food very good. Pastries/bakery better than many…new Canaletto menu for us seems very good (excellent dinner there last night.) MRD too hectic for us…prefer Lido for our meals. Library is new and has loads of best sellers! Love it! Signature Suite is excellent (one reason we love this class of ship…large cabin with double sink bathroom, tub and shower, but no need for extra frills of Neptune for us.)

Just had a delicious Canaletto meal on the Zuiderdam last night…amazing scallops (special) and the tiger prawns for appetizer. I always have the Affogato for desert but husband had the Tiramisu which was the same as before…very good. The table behind us had the short ribs which smelled divine…those will be our next try. Happy to have some different dishes…Pinnacle needs some revision too…price is now $25 plus 18% per person. All food costs have gone way up…why should cruise ships be any different?

Looking at train excursions with/without sky safari return. Early Feb. Sounds like could be very hot…worth it?

The “Old Explorations Cafe” as many of us knew from the Amsterdam, etc. is still alive and well on the Zaandam…a coffee shop in the lovely library. However, the “updates” years ago took out libraries, Exploration Cafe (as we knew it) and redid the Crows Nest ( not a great change IMO)…the Zuiderdam has only some specialty coffees/teas available in the Crows Nest Bar along with a few minor cookies/biscottis. However, HAL listened to our complaints and installed a great library with loads of new best sellers! Improvement! Pizza is available in the Lido by the piece and is “ok.” Food is fine! Room service slow for dinners but great for breakfast…within the half hour they say. Dive In can be ordered ahead which saves time. Lido is almost always open…a few hours here and there when it’s not. (Yes, 4-5:30 closed)

Renaissance is our preference for location.

The gardens are more worthwhile!

Loved having AirTags in our suitcases…knew exactly where they were at all times.

Luggageforward works great. They pick up about a week prior to cruise. Delivered to your cabin. We put AirTags in them and watched them nowadays. (UPS was the actual vendor they used.)

Luggage Forward is a shipping service that you can privately use or, on Grand Voyages it can be offered as a free perk. It involves sending your luggage to the ship about a week prior to boarding. And, for return, it will be picked up at the ship and returned home to you about a week later. (Cost us $500 for 2 suitcases round trip.)The other service you refer to is just a one-day service where your luggage is picked up at your cabin and you are given your boarding pass at the same time and you will get your luggage off the carousel at home…this service costs about $25 and is only available from Ft. Lauderdale and 2 others, I believe…and also only certain flights/airlines qualify.

Done it twice…menu might have some repeats? But with Lido, DiveIn, Canaletto, Pinnacle there are plenty of places to eat…one reason we like the Lido for dinner….many more choices than MDR so if you “eat around” you’ll have plenty of good food choices. Love the V of V and have also done one that’s similar but different name. Not all the same ports.

B2B2B are very different from a total separate long cruise. A B2B is always going to have repeated menus and entertainment whereas a long cruise (like Voyage of the Vikings) will have variety the whole segment. Don’t judge a company if you just do “long cruises “ that are B2B2B.

Just do it yourself! One of the best ports to just enjoy. Can’t get lost since the old town is walled in! Gorgeous!