VMax1700

Internet: We have the Surf package from Have it All. Wifi calling is not available on the Surf package. Whatsapp voice calling is available on Surf Package. We upgraded both phone to Premium and wifi calling is now enabled and functioning. The cost was $50 for 14 days. I am surprised at the price as it is quite reasonable but maybe the low price is to also lower our expectations of the service 😂

Just noticed that the televisions are L.G. brand and not the usual Samsung. Just as well I didn't bring one of my Samsung zappers to use!

These are the masks supplied. Two cloth HAL masks and 5 FFP2 masks (which are equivalent of KN95/K95)

I will be posting images later, but there were 7 masks on our desk when we entered the stateroom. Two white cloth HAL masks and 5 KN95 masks. It is hard to say how many are abiding by the 'Masks Recommended' status, but so far I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of guests who are conforming.

The ship is delaying departure to finish loading and restocking. This afternoon we noticed some shortages, such as no cans of water, so we were given the aluminium bottles. No cans of Sprite or Diet Coke so we were offered a glass filled from the fountain.

The was a thread a few days ago about umbrellas in staterooms. There is a big Orange umbrella in our VA verandah room.

Good evening from the good ship Rotterdam. Although the embarkation seemed disorganised, we were onboard and in our stateroom within 40 minutes of arriving. We checked out of the hotel at 11.30 and walked up to the Rotterdam Cruise Terminal. The walk took only a few minutes and although it was a lovely morning and it was very pleasant to walk, the walkway between the hotel and the terminal is covered only about 75% of the way, so bear this in mind if you have a wet or windy morning. We had priority boarding (4 star) and Verifly worked very well. Ellen was using a walking stick this morning after yesterday's walkabout, and we were directed towards 'Assisted Boarding' (even though we had not requested assistance etc) and then straight on to the ship.

I will be disappointed too! I have some 'old' paper sterling £20 notes that I need to get rid of. I had planned on using some in Lerwick as well as the other two sterling ports.

Ding, Ding. We have a winner!

I thought that I had posted a reply, but it seems to have gone missing. I will answer your question tomorrow after we check out and go to the cruise terminal as one of the reasons we booked the hotel, was the proximity to the terminal. I have posted more details of the hotel on my 'Almost Live from' thread and will report our final thoughts on the hotel on that thread.

Pictogram of the route: Amsterdam has been replaced by Rotterdam for embarking and disembarking due to lack of water in Europe.

Itinerary for the 14 day Northern Isles cruise on Rotterdam.

Recapping Friday..... We locked up the house and headed to the airport, which is 20 minutes drive. We were parked, baggage checked and ready for our Antigen test, but we were nearly an hour early for our appointments. It turned out to be no problem as they were not so busy these days and were more than happy to take us as soon as we presented. We then proceeded to security and as there were only a few travellers in front of us, we were soon sitting in the lounge with wine in hand. 3.30pm and we received the emails with our 'negative' test results which I uploaded to Verifly and very soon we had the 'Ready to Sail' note on our apps. Our flight was due to depart at 6.15pm and the doors were closed by 6.05pm and a few minutes later we were in the air. I love small airports! We arrived to AMS Schiphol almost 20 minutes early however Passport Control was a bit over run and the automatic gates were not operating at the time. We had quite a wait for our bags but they did arrive ok and then we had to walk to Departures area to meet our driver. We had booked a car with Staxi.nl and the communication from the driver was excellent. The drive was just over 60 kms (40 miles) and the price was €105 (FYI gas/diesel is about €2.10/litre in Netherlands which equates to about $8 per US gallon). We departed the airport at 9.45pm and were in the hotel by 10.30pm.

We don't 'tip a bit up front' nor do we specifically ask, but always, always, ice is delivered twice a day. It is part of the service and adequately covered by the daily 'Crew Appreciation/Hotel Service' charge.

I know! 😭

We are waiting for you!

wifi speed in Hotel New York (hope it is as fast as this on Rotterdam tomorrow 🤣

Dinner in Hotel New York, Chicken Thighs with mozzarella.... HNY Burger: Lemon Tart:

Ellen in the baggage hall 😉

Who knew that Holland America Line had an official march?

Calendar from 1958/59

Some deck plans......

Some old posters (no not Cruise Critic posters!) displayed at the reception area....

Room #222

Outside the hotel