flahagan

Thanks to all for the helpful responses!  I'm sticking to what I originally planned to bring and I'm sure I will love every minute.

I'm starting to pack for my cruise this coming Saturday on HAL Rotterdam to the Norwegian fjords and in looking at the daily planner available on the app now, every night is "smart casual".  I was planning to take a cocktail dress but am now rethinking my clothes!  Have any of you had recent experience with this?

19 hours ago, CCJack said:

Ditto on the positive energy...... I wish you the best on your Norway cruise and hope you have a great time.

 

My two cents worth of advice on a Norway cruise is this... if you are traveling down any long Fjords (such as ports Flam or Geiranger) do a little homework ahead of time and figure out about what time in the morning your ship will be entering the Fjord.    It may be early like 4:30 am (it may be sunrise about this time) and the sail in could be several hours.   On our cruise I was the only person on the deck at 5 am for over an hour before others showed up - it was really beautiful.   Note that our ship told us nothing about fjord sail in schedules...   

 

Have fun....

 

Thank you for the heads up and I definitely plan to be up for every sail-in!  Geiranger fjord looks particularly spectacular.  

5 hours ago, FreestyleNovice said:

 

Your post is so full of positive energy and good spirit, it's heartwarming to read your post(s) and with your mindset I am sure you will have an unforgettable time! Hats off to you for that, and on a respectable age! Also note how other frequent posters liked your post too, so it's not just me who's touched by it! 

Norway can be chilly but with spring in the air and some warm and layered clothing you will be good to enjoy the shoulder season. The Keukenhof will be in it's last week of the 2024 season but the gardeners plant the bulbs in layers so there are flowers blooming at any time during the season.

On a side note: May 4th is a special day Remembrance of the Dead (in Dutch: Dodenherdenking) is held annually on May 4 in the Netherlands. It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the beginning of the Second World War, at 8pm two minutes of silence is observed throughout the Netherlands. Public transport is stopped as well as all other traffic. Nationwide flags will be half staff that day. On May 5th we celebrate our freedom with a national holiday. Your ship departure is 3pm so besides the flags you might notice no impact on your travels.

 

My email alias is in my signature, please reach out if I can assist you with anything before or during your stay in The Netherlands, I'll personally race you to the ship if you run late or something unforeseen might happen! 

Your kind words and generosity are so welcome and greatly appreciated.  Thank you for letting me know about the Remembrance Day.  I love that these heroes are never forgotten.  I'll be sure to post how my travels were - I love adventures and a little challenge, keeps me looking forward.  Thanks again, wish I could meet you sometime - I know you're a wonderful person!

2 minutes ago, FreestyleNovice said:

My pleasure, enjoy your stay in The Netherlands! When is your cruise?

May 4th on HAL Rotterdam, out of the Rotterdam port.  I'm coming to Amsterdam early to see the tulips at Keukenhof Gardens, have booked a tour on May3rd.  The cruise is to the Norwegian fjords.  I know it's early and will be cold and wet, but I've always wanted to see them and I've also always wanted to go to the tulip festival so I'm doubly excited!  I'm a little sad that I no longer have friends that are capable of traveling (I'm a widow), but I'm in excellent health and I'm going to just travel alone as long as I'm fit!

1 minute ago, FreestyleNovice said:

 

Yep, you can cross to the path directly when exiting the Centraal Station on the IJ side (names after the IJ waterway, IJzijde), just be aware of bicycles! When facing the water, go right and you will eventually see the Movenpick logo in the far distance on the top of the hotel. Keep following the red bike path on the footpath on a safe distance from the bicycles, it goes a bit uphill across a bridge and you will pass the Muziekgebouw and ramp on your left, keep walking and make a u-turn after the water and head in the opposite direction to the Movenpick.

 

 

 

Got it - can't thank you enough!

9 minutes ago, FreestyleNovice said:

To get to the PTA/Movenpick you will have to walk around the small water. The ramp to the Muziekgebouw also has a sign (re)directing cruise passengers and hotel guests.

 

The ramp is also a bit steep, if you have to go back it might be a bit tricky with rolling luggage.

 

Here's a older (but clear) Streetview image of the ramp and sign:

 

Thank you so much, this is very helpful.  Glad to know there are signs!

Thanks so much!  Is the path on same side as station?  Just wondering where to cross over.  I don't think I'll have any trouble with the walk unless it's raining  - then I'll take taxi from station.

I'd like to just walk from the train station to Movenpick Hotel but I can't find how to access pedestrian path.  Can I cross directly from back of station?  Also, maps show a pedestrian ramp that leads to the Bumhuis adjacent to the hotel - can I access that instead of walking further down and around the back of the hotel?  I'm 80 y/o female traveling alone, will have 1 piece of roller luggage.  I'm trying to plan ahead as much as possible - arrive at Schipol May2nd.  Thanks for any input.

29 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Although keep in mind that you will need to clear customs in ATL airport. That means standing in line, and possibly grabbing your luggage and rechecking it. You just want to ensure you have enough time for that if your arriving flight is a bit delayed....?

Yes, for that very reason  I booked the 1 PM flight out of AMS.  I don't like the stress of wondering if I'll make a connecting flight.

8 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

That is a decent fare.  DELTA?  We also fly in and out of ATL from our home airport, TRI.  Fares are always more from here.  Occasionally, we will drive to Atlanta and stay at my daughters overnight, but that's still a 5 hour drive to their house, plus another 1+ hour to ATL. When factoring in everything, it usually doesn't save us all that much.  Perhaps we should fly to DAB before heading over seas. 😀

We stopped flying Main class a good while ago for comfort and sleep purposes.  It was Comfort Plus with an occasional Business class seat depending on how long we were going to be in the air.  Last May, we flew Premium Economy  to AMS.  It was a step above Comfort+ and not too bad (think the old First Class seats.)  For this upcoming trip, we found a deal in PE going over, and in Business class on the return.  I checked every week to see if we could use Delta points to upgrade to Business for the flight over.  Finally landed on a good offer.   We are now flying Business round trip for less than $3000 pp.   That's still higher than in the years past, but that same flight is now over $5000 pp.   Airfare has gotten ridiculous since Covid!

Yes, it's Delta.  I have only two airline choices out of Daytona - Delta through Atlanta and American Airlines through Charlotte.  Delta is usually my best choice.  I love having only one stop for international flights!

20 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

That's great!  I did a mock booking of our flights and they have gone up $2000 each!  YIKES!!!

 

Holy Moly, that's a huge increase!  I just finished booking my flight and I fly r/t DAB - AMS with 1 stop in ATL and for main cabin I paid $1277.  I'm satisfied so I won't look anymore, lol.

Thanks everyone!  As for getting in at midnight, I only live 8 minutes from our little airport, so no problem.  As for not getting my flights yet, I just booked this trip yesterday, a last-minute gift to myself for my 80th birthday!  And actually, the fares I'm getting aren't bad at all compared to what I paid for last August.

1 hour ago, boatmad said:

Take the 5 pm flight.  If you have extra time in an airport, Schiphol  is a good choice for food and people watching.  However, you may not have as much extra time as you think.  That airport is a bear with lines and security.  Last trip took us 4 hours to get through.

I'm thinking the same way.  I like having the opportunity to shop for some good cheeses to bring home and I'm really not a fan of Atlanta airport.  Since I'll be spending a few extra days pre-cruise in Amsterdam and going to Keukenhof then (tour on May 3rd), I'm really not interested in more touring before the airport.  Plus, I spent several days in Amsterdam this past August.  Thanks for the input.

Just now, swin26 said:

Flight ease only allows for flights noon or later, so even if you are not using flight ease, I would avoid the 10:30 flight. 

That's what I was thinking.  Sound like the 1 PM flight would work best, although it means a 6 hr layover in Atlanta - ugh.  The 5 PM flight arrives back in Daytona at midnight, same as the 1 PM flight, with a 2 hr 15 min layover in Atlanta.  But that would mean a long day in Schiphol.  Decisions, decisions.

I will be ending a Norwegian fjords cruise on May 11 and have booked the HAL transport from Rotterdam to Schiphol.  I need to book my flights but would like to know how much time I would need.  There are flights out at 10:35, 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM.  Any advice?

Thanks for the information!  It was a bit confusing, I thought maybe things had changed since last year.  You've put my mind at ease.

We sailed on Beyond last December and really enjoyed going to all 4 dining rooms - never had a reservation, never had to wait in a long line.  We're going on Apex next month and our reservation says "late dining."  Does this mean we can't just go to any of the dining rooms when we want?  Have things changed?  Thanks for any advice.

Thanks for all of the updates on water levels.  I just returned last night from the  Gate 1 Monarch Empress Amsterdam to Basel and absolutely no problems with water levels.  Beautiful scenery and loved all of the swans!

Thanks for all of the time you put into this thread!  I'm flying over to Amsterdam tomorrow to begin my Gate1 cruise down the Rhine on Sunday.  Looks like pretty awful weather Sunday will prohibit much walking around the city.  Have tickets to visit Anne Frank house Sunday afternoon and will probably have to use the tram or taxi.

14 hours ago, Kristelle said:

 

 

as do I for September 😉🤣

Mine starts in Amsterdam August 6, hoping for the best!

Following for August 6 Rhine cruise.

They got it resolved - asked to remove $40 from gratuities, got someone's attention, ended up getting credit for the excess laundry piece.  And you're right, he wasn't fun to travel with, a real grouch.  I, however, had a fabulous cruise and enjoyed every bit of it!  Thanks everyone.

I agree, but unfortunately he has had numerous problems with his bill, charged twice for bottles of wine he ordered and cancelled pre-cruise when he instead bought a beverage package, for instance.  Being charged over $40 to wash a pair of underwear and then rudely dismissed by the desk agent after standing in line over an hour was the last straw.  I wish I knew how to contact someone who could resolve the problem.

I am traveling on the Miami to Rome TA on Divina right now with friends who've never traveled with MSC before.  They're elite with Princess and now Diamond with MSC.  

They got their their statement (we arrive in Rome tomorrow) and are livid.  

The sent a 20 piece bag of laundry out and at the last minute threw in a pair of underwear, thinking they'd be charged for one extra item as a a separate piece.  But they were charged over $40 for that one extra piece!  He went to customer service about it but they were adamant that this constituted a 2nd bag and wouldn't help him.

He is irate and vows to badmouth MSC every chance he gets.  I told him to pursue the matter shoreline when he gets home, but I'm wondering if there's anything you seasoned travelers can suggest.