papadave

Maybe they should encourage us all to go to a maritime museum or a science museum to learn more about the chalenges of maintaining water appropriate for agriculture in the Netherlands. I'm fascinated by all that I am learning and did not realize how much they have to do just to have fresh water that is not contanimated by sea water. At the least, it is crucial to farming, but it sounds like it is important in other areas as well. The train ride is not terribly long and I normally don't do anything on embarkation day other than get to the port and get on the ship. I feel bad for anyone who had to cancel other plans to fit in an additional hour of travel or those folks who booked the hotel right next to the cruise port in Amsterdam just so they did not need to consider anything beyond getting to their hotel. Patience and understanding, in this case, is a virtue and it would be wrong to blame any cruise line for a drought that is harming a large portion of a continent. Having not been contacted by the cruise line yet, I am disappointed in the slowness of communication. I hope that others in my shoes, embarking on the 31st, get more advanced notice than the people leaving tomorrow, the 24th.

Having read a lot on message boards, I can summarize what people are saying. It depends on the ship. Overall, when cruising returned staffing levels have been lower and beverage service in main dining rooms is typically being handled by the waitstaff instead of a dedicated beverage person, such as a wine steward. Sometimes this is wonderful, efficient and better than before. Other times, you are better off picking up a drink at a bar on the way in. As someone who will look at a menu before deciding on what to drink with dinner, I typically order at the table and hope that service is good, but I am not above leaving a dining room if the nearest bar is convenient. It might appear rude, but if you prefer to have your drink with your meal and not as a separate course (I hate sitting with food in front of me and waiting for the drink to accompany it), that is often the better option. If you are asked by your waiter or someone above the waiter, just be honest. They need to recognize when there is a gap. If they are shortstaffed, it would be unfair to blame anyone, but you need not ruin your own experience either.