VMax1700

The 2024 European cruise season is starting and we are booked on Nieuw Statendam's first cruise as she has just transversed the Atlantic and will be home porting in Rotterdam for a couple of cruises. This is an interesting itinerary and one that I have not seen offered previously. April is just a nice time to hit Las Canarias as the temperatures should be in the early 20'sC (that is 70°F for the unconverted!). Here is the route: More to follow........

I did that transfer pre covid and as far as I remember there were a couple of different departure times dependant on the flight time. I am boarding Nieuw Statendam on Sunday on a Rotterdam/Rotterdam return trip cruise. I will check out the timings when onboard and will post them, if you can wait two weeks.

By following the signage in the Terminal? 🤣 Sorry! Let me put it this way....... Although my family could drive me to our local airport in 10 minutes and I could fly to USA with transfers in LHR/AMS/CDG etc, I would prefer to drive to Dublin (160miles/250kms) and park at the airport for an exorbitant price and use the pre clearance facilities in Dublin Airport meaning that I arrive in the USA as a domestic flight with not having to join the long line for immigration at the US airport. No further procedures after pre clearance is 'priceless'.

You can use Global Entry at the pre clearance, but you can also get the dreaded SSSS on your boarding card. If your online checkin does not issue you with a boarding pass then the chances are you have been selected for Seconary Security Screening Selection

Most post cruise transfers are simply a coach transporting you from the cruise terminal directly to the airport terminal, so you will collect your bag in the port terminal and go through customs (if present) and place your bags in the coach. At the airport you will take your bags from the coach into the airport terminal for checkin for your flight, where the bags will be tagged to final destination.

Nieuw Statendam has just departed Cobh on her way to St Peter's Port. It was really strange standing beside the ship and knowing that we cannot board her until Sunday! We met @Vict0riann Ann and Pat at the Cobh Heritage Centre which is just at the exit of the port gates and shares a building with the train station. We drove up to St Coleman's Cathedral for a visit and then went to the Titanic Memorial Gardens. Then a light lunch before they returned to the ship. We actually paused for a photo op at the Annie Moore statue at the port gates, which commemorates the first arrival processed at Ellis Island in 1892 I just noticed that Ellen was getting very friendly with Pat 😄 Here we all are after our lunch, posing against the mural inside the restaurant. The mural represents the actual outside of the restuarant and neighbouring buildings @kazu Jacqui, we really hope that you can overcome your pain and anguish. Stay strong. Have a great day everyone!

I have added the link to the latest update as a signature, now I just need to remember to update the link each time I post an updated thread. Hope someone finds it useful.

😱 The salary does not cover that amount of research 😉 But, I have rarely seen reports from cruisers regarding groups onboard, nor any indication as to size or intrusion level. It would be a bit like food and difficult to quantify the perception of others.

Not on a BHB yet but boarding on Sunday. Next update was scheduled for end April/early May as there usually is not enough new information to warrant monthly updates. Hope to post the update in Mid May. I am looking to see if I can add a link to my avatar to link to the latest post.

Let's be honest.......if you had asked the question about boarding time a few months ago the general advice on this forum would be to ignore the time given to you by HAL and turn up at 11 am or thereabouts. So, I reckon HAL just cut out the instruction that everyone was telling people to ignore. Now you are told to check in at 12 noon, but boarding is a different story and will only start whenever the ship is ready to receive pax and then boarding will be based on priority or allocated boarding group at the terminal.

Interesting! Perhaps, following the re organisation they have repurposed some of the staff to directly support UK customers.

It is par for the course in North America, but I have not come across it in UK/EU. Out of interest was it a UK contact phone number or dot CO dot UK email address? I also have booked directly and used the UK office for telephone contact until the recent change. Now the UK number goes to a call centre somewhere out in far east/Asia, so I call the Rotterdam office.

For the dining I suggest you go to the desk located on deck 2 opposite Pinnacle Grill and Rudi's Sel de Mer restaurant and ask them to change it. I have successfully done this last year.

I have seen numerous restaurants with signage stating that only one payment card will be accepted. Perhaps when you ask for the table, you could ask the host if they will accept multiple cards for payment, otherwise take turns or transfer payments to each other.

Spandex!