Roz

I bought the Tessan adapter from Amazon and used it on my recent Tauck river cruise.  Worked at my hotel in Amsterdam as well as on the river boat. 

I've found I get better airfare from the cruise lines when the cruise leaves from one port and comes back to a different one.  Not as much savings on a round trip. 

1 hour ago, BabySarge said:

This might be a silly question but is this Stockperks app only available for use with a cell phone?  

My understanding is that you have to download the app to a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. 

@Sherry H, when I book onboard,  my new booking is automatically transferred to my TA.  This assumes that the TA you booked your current cruise with is the one you want the new cruise assigned to. 

I've wondered the same thing.  I can't consume that much liquid in a day without spending my waking hours in the restroom. 😁

I agree 100% with everything @CDNPolar said.  I think you're going to find a river cruise difficult and challenging.  

12 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Solo actually is a marital status. You are not married.

Single is a marital status.

Solo isn't a marital status.  Married people sail solo.

I still intend to do a summary follow up, but I had THE most miserable flying experience of my life.  😭

I was originally supposed to fly Amsterdam to London, London to Nashville.  AA changed it to Amsterdam to London, London to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Nashville.  The first 2 flights were on British Airways, and both were really late getting off the ground.  The first one was 1.5 hrs. late, and the second one was 2 hrs. late.  

When we got to Philly Wednesday night, I had 40-45 min. to clear Customs & Immigration, grab my suitcase and take it to the transfer area, and walk to my gate.  My name and some others were called at the baggage claim, and we were told our bags didn't make it on the plane from London, and to proceed to the gate for our connecting flight.  Our bags would be delivered to our homes if that was our final destination.  

When I got to the American Eagle gate with my final boarding pass, I was told I couldn't board because BA had sold my ticket to another passenger.  What the heck???  I never heard of such a thing.  The gate agents couldn't tell me what my next move should be.  I spent the next 2 hrs. circling the drain between Terminals A and B, trying to find something from BA or AA who could help me. I just wanted to lie down in the terminal and cry.  

Finally I located a AA customer service agent, who informed me that BA had booked me on a flight to Nashville the following morning at 8:20 am.  I found an email titled "Travel Document" that was sent while I was in the air, notifying me of the change.  No offer of hotel accommodations or meals.  There were other passengers from my flight in the same predicament.  There was no announcement on the plane, nor in the baggage claim area, notifying us that there were passengers who had been rebooked.  

There's a Marriott in Terminal B of the Philly airport, so I got a room there and then flew home to Nashville Thursday morning.  I was mentally and physically exhausted.  When I got to Nashville, I went to the AA lost luggage desk to see if they had my suitcase.  They didn't, and I filed an official report with them because my bag was tagged for Nashville as the final destination, flying on American Eagle.

Last night (Friday) my phone rang close to midnight.  I was the delivery service with my prodigal suitcase.  I was so happy to see it, and I immediately unpacked it to make sure everything was there.  I stayed up until 4 am and got 2 loads of laundry done.  

Air travel has become so difficult.  That is the only thing that may keep me from cruising going forward.  

Thank you for listening. 🤪

@ontheweb, my advice is to look beyond Viking.  There are lots of river cruise lines out there that have more inclusions than Viking.  Viking spends a lot of money on advertising,  but may not be the best choice for everyone.  

Most river cruise lines include one or more excursions at each port. 

I recommend taking a close look at Tauck and Uniworld. 

You may also want to check out Tauck's "Bridges" cruises which is their family and multi generation program. It includes some Christmas market cruises. 

Enjoyed your review.  What is the cruise line? 

My last night on the ship.  I'm in the lounge sipping a lemon 🍋 drop martini. 

I stayed onboard the ship yesterday.  It was quiet and kind of nice.  This morning I went to Zaanse Shanse (sp?) to see the windmills. We had perfect weather,  considering it's winter in The Netherlands.  This evening I did the canal cruise again and the local guide did an excellent job of narrating. 

When I get home I'll do a summary of the pluses and minuses of the cruise.  Thank you for following along with me. 

I thought Sapphire Reserve was a credit card.  My mistake. 

17 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

If your 'credit' is onboard credit then you will not be able to use it until you board the ship.

 

I believe the OP said it was a $300 credit on a credit card. 

NYE was a lot of fun - music, dancing, drinking, and crew shows. The fireworks over the Maas River were spectacular!  

This afternoon we sail back to Amsterdam. Tonight is a special New Year's Day dinner.

Happy 2024 to all CC River cruisers. 

The fireworks 🎆 last night over the Maas River in Rotterdam were spectacular!

Happy 2024 to all CC HAL cruisers.

I would never get a manicure in a port where I wasn't confident that the local/regional sanitation standards were equivalent to what they are at home.  I don't want to risk an infection,  or worse yet,  hepatitis. 

In case anyone is interested,  the fireworks in Rotterdam last night were phenomenal. 

@Gourmet Gal, I wish I had had enough time for some mussels.  The museum took up a lot of time and I was only able to grab a waffle and a coffee. 

The food tour was disappointing.  Last year there were 4-5 stops.  This year we did 2 - poffertjes and kibbeling.  The only surviving medieval structure,  a church,  was only mentioned in passing. 

Yesterday in Bruges I spent most of my time at the Groningen Museum,  which wasn't even mentioned by our cruise directors as an option.  It's a wonderful museum that features the Flemish primitives.  I had done my own research using Rick Steves' guidebooks.  Tauck's emphasis was on buying chocolate, eating mussels,  and shopping for Christmas ornaments.  I guess that's what the average American tourist is looking for.  

I skipped the torture museum.  😳

The tours don't seem to be run as tightly as last year's cruise.  As an example,  yesterday,  a lady in the group needing assistance got left behind at the bus parking lot in Bruges and had to take a taxi into the city.  No one is counting heads and/or taking down names and calling roll.  I and about 5-6 other people were abandoned in the Delft factory while the others were escorted to lunch. 

Greetings from Rotterdam and Happy NYE!

I'm doing back to back river cruises on Tauck's ms Grace through The Netherlands and Belgium. 

The price of HAL's spa services have always baffled me, and I try not to use them.  A basic manicure at my neighborhood salon is $25.  HAL charges $59.  Last week I had a manicure onboard the riverboat and it was $32.  I assume Tauck is paying the manicurist and making a profit on the service, which gives you an idea of the mark-up.

If the weather cooperates, we'll be able to watch the national fireworks 🎆 of The Netherlands from the top deck of our ship.  They shoot them off over the harbor where we're docked. 

I was able to get into the Cathedral in Antwerp and the Reubens altarpieces were breathtaking. 

Yesterday was Bruges.  I'll post more about it later, but it was wall to wall people,  most of them European visitors and tourists. 

Today we're in Rotterdam, and I'm off to a city food tour 😋. 

I sent 5 pairs of socks and a fleece top out to the laundry and had them back that evening. Total cost was 19,50 euros.  The only clothing I brought with the that I haven't worn are 4 lightweight undershirts.  A fleece top or lightweight turtleneck with a wind resistant jacket have been enough.  Temperatures have been in the high 40s to low 50s. 

We're now docked back in Antwerp.  Tomorrow is going to be a sleep in day for me as I've already been to Ghent.  I'll just be doing my own thing in Antwerp. I'm hoping the Cathedral is open so I can see the Reubens paintings.