swin26

I have been to Amsterdam a few times, and personally, I would never stay in the Dam Square area (unless you enjoy being among thousands and thousands of people). We really like the area around the museums, it is quieter, and walkable to anywhere you want to go (and if you prefer, there are trams). The last time we were there, it was for a week and rented an apartment through Dutch Master Apartments. The location was fantastic and it was great having extra space. About a 5-minute walk away is a pedestrian area full of restaurants, including The Pantry (which is very popular--- you will need a reservation). Our favorite restaurant in Amsterdam is Restaurant Max (for its rice table). We go there every time we are in Amsterdam.

we spent about an hour or two there a few years ago and enjoyed it.

Yes, we saw that. It is a possibility, but we were looking for a spring cruise.

Very disappointed. Only the Oosterdam is doing Italy. Not a ship I’m interested in sailing on.

Thank you

“Tamarind- we enjoyed our dinner there, hubby ordered something not on the menu & they happily provided” I am curious, what is it you ordered off menu?

Restaurant Max is our favorite restaurant in Amsterdam. We have gone there every time we are in Amsterdam. The rijsttaffafel is excellent

So sorry to hear about the robbery. Whether a prank or a more serious crime, I would have been terrified.

In addition to Covid and the flu, RSV infections are at an all time high. While RSV is often thought of as just an early childhood illness (and children’s hospitals across the country are overwhelmed), RSV can be very dangerous for those over 60. RSV symptoms are much like Covid and can be spread from infected surfaces. I recently had RSV (from my granddaughter) and it turned into bronchitis. I have no preexisting type conditions, but was sick for over 2 weeks and had a cough for almost 5 weeks. A risk from RSV is extreme shortness of breath, requiring hospitalization. While most healthy adults just have cold symptoms, older adults are more at risk. I wonder how many of the negative Covid cases are actually RSV.

800 cases on a Princess ship was reported on CNN https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/11/13/australia/australia-covid-majestic-princess-cruise-passengers-intl-hnk/index.html

If for whatever reason you don’t want to get a real ID, when we renewed our passports, we also got a passport card, that can be used for domestic travel. When we travel out of the country, we lock our passports in the room/cabin safe and carry the passport cards (where actual passports aren’t required). If we were to have our passports stolen, we figured it would be easier to have them replaced with a passport card. We of course carry them separately.

Thanks for the report. We were supposed to be boarding the Rotterdam today for two weeks, but canceled awhile ago. Just not ready to cruise yet. We are heading to Amsterdam and Paris tomorrow for a two week land trip, but still feel a bit sad today. I hope someone does a live report, so that I can follow along.

In Reykjavik I would recommend the south shore over the golden circle if you can. It is easily drivable if you rent a car or by tour. If you are staying in town for dinner, Messin is excellent. The Arctic char was fantastic.

I agree. My favorite in any restaurant on the ship

We cancelled our cruise to Norway in August and instead will be spending a week in Amsterdam with a number of side trips and then a week in Paris with a number of side trips. It will be our second time in Amsterdam and our 3rd time in Paris. We don’t plan on any museums this trip ( other than a Moet tour in Epernay), but mostly to walk and explore and of course eat too much.

No chocolate desserts makes me sad. I used to love the fortune cookie and chocolate ginger pudding.

I loved The Four Winds and the Book of Lost Names. Kristin Harmel’s books are very good.

The Personal Librarian. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

Good morning!!! I love the quote and just so happen to be wearing a purple shirt today. We have two weeks to make up our minds whether to go on our European cruise in August. Rising Covid cases are worrisome. We are planning on spending 5 days in the Netherlands doing day trips from Amsterdam and then a two week Norway cruise. We have been training for our 13 mile hike down the mountain in Flam. I hope we feel it is safe to go.

I sent in my request by email on April 26th and received an email confirmation on May 3rd. This was for an August cruise.

We did this in New York a few years ago. The ship wasn’t leaving until 10 pm. We boarded around 11:30 and came back for the muster drill which was at 4 and then left again for dinner with family and friends returning around 9 pm. We were later told we could have done a makeup muster drill the next morning, as many people weren’t even on board yet for the 4:00 drill. Now, of course they are done differently.

Good morning!! Thanks for the lists. The drink sounds good. I like clean up your room day. We try to straighten each room up when we leave it. It makes coming downstairs in the morning to a straighten up house a pleasure. Being just the 2 of us, it’s pretty easy.