VMax1700

We received certificates that we had crossed the Arctic Circle! At 2 am on Friday we reached a latitude of 66°33.83'N so we just scraped into the Arctic Circle by a few metres!

and Friday's MDR Menu

Friday's program

Two days later........ First the image of the davitts that I was trying to post before internet went down.....

Currently 57°F in Reykjavik. Applied SPF 50 this morning!

Currently day 9 into a 14 day Rotterdam cruise and no cooking demo mentioned. I believe that on some Pinnacle class ships they did a cooking demo in BBKing lounge pre Covid, but I have heard of nothing since. Sea day tomorrow so it may be the last chance!

Just got it back this afternoon (Iceland time) having sent it in last evening (Iceland time).

And it is still crab legs (plural). I did double check that it was not crab leg (singular) and then $15 for each additional leg 😉🤣

Why? She was probably only complying with company policy and instructions. Be certain that staff of that level do not make decisions themselves.

A little bumpy a few nights but nothing to cause concerns. And it was bumps, not rolling nor yawing. Just enough to remind you that you were on a ship.

Beecher's Lobster Mac n' cheese is still on the menu with a $10 surcharge.

That would depend greatly on the location of the hotel. 'Airport' hotels can still be a great distance from the airport. The shuttles will probably start from about 5am and will be every 20 minutes during peak hours. You could email your hotel and ask. You will probably need to book the transfer in advance (ie the night before, at reception).

So, just back from Pinnacle Grill on Rotterdam. Service was attentive and food was acceptable to good. I had the crab cakes and fillet mignon with green pepper sauce. I found the pepper sauce to be a bit too fluid for my liking, however I had held back on the garlic butter that was served with the bread and used it instead. I requested medium, and it was served medium rare (it was more than pink in the middle it was red). DW had the iceberg salad and lamb chops, which were served the way they were ordered. My chocolate souffle was a shade undercooked but DW's lemon sorbet was perfection. There was no notice about a charge for additional starters, but it did mention the charge for additional entrees.

We are currently on Rotterdam in Iceland and it is 55°F and it is 9.15pm at night. We brought layers including thermal base layers, but it has been too warm to wear the thermals and today we were in Reykjavik and I only wore a long sleeve a short sleeve vest, a long sleeve sweatshirt and my windproof jacket.....I was too warm. In Molde, Norway, I sat out on the verandah during the afternoon. There is a chill in the air during the evening, however DW says that I do not feel the cold, whereas I say that she starts to shiver is she passes a store selling refrigerators 😉 If we come again next year we will still bring thermals and layers, but I will bring lighter wear too.

Actually the davitts operated with cables and pulleys! In Isafjordur today they used the tenders and I got this image of the empty davitts.

I would be quite happy that it is just a misprint, or, more probably, an error in the drawing of the deckplan. It is just a rendition of the deckplan and not the actual drawing used to build the ship and if by any chance they 'forgot' to install the divider when the ship was built, then I am sure they would have retro fitted it by now. The 'other websites' simply copy the HAL deckplans. That is why they show the same 'error'.

These are the T&C's as displayed at the Dining Reservations Desk on Rotterdam.

Enjoy your cruises.

It does seem to matter, as although the menu is the same, the charging basis is different.

Currently on Rotterdam and the HIA confirmation stated Pinnacle and Tamarind. There was no option on Navigator or Website to change them or select alternatives.

We are currently on Rotterdam and have a reservation tonight for Pinnacle Grill. It is mentioned in both Navigator and the stateroom tv that there is a $15 charge for additional entree. It does not mention any additional charge for appetisers. This will be the 'free' one as part of Have It All, otherwise there is no way that we could imagine paying $46 each (including the compulsory service charge) for what has been recently an less than stellar experience. edit: just realised that it is Tamarind tonight and PG is tomorrow night.

Yes, the tour to Santas Gift store, the museum and botanical gardens. It was ok. I had been on walkabout in the morning. It is a very small town. DW checking that there really is only 113 days until Christmas Day! The bike museum that I wanted to visit, but it was closed today.

I used Staxi last week from Schiphol to Hotel New York in Rotterdam. Price was €107.50 (euros) cash to the driver. No pre payment required. On arrival at Amsterdam Schiphol I received a 'WhatsApp' message from Staxi and just told them when I had collected baggage. A few minutes later the driver 'WhatsApp'ed me with meeting instructions. It was private car like uber but spotlessly clean and the driver was great at loading bags etc. We would recommend them. staxi.nl

@puppycanducruise Regarding your question about staying in Hotel New York.........let's put it this way, if this will be the only time you sail from Rotterdam, then yes it is worth staying there simply for the atmosphere and memorabilia and the very short walk to the terminal. We have a cruise booked next year currently slated to sail from Amsterdam and if it is moved to Rotterdam then we will probably stay at the Rotterdam Hilton again. It was great to do Hotel New York once, but once is enough.

We have left Akureyri and sailing towards Isafjordur, which is a tender port. The ship is blasting her foghorn and we are rocking a bit.