Roz

Walking tour this morning and of course it's raining like crazy. Typical Dutch winter weather. It doesn't deter the bicyclists!

Today's activity was a day trip to Giethoorn with a stop at the visitors center for the enclosing dike that keeps out the North Sea. In Giethoorn we did an hour long tour of the village and lake on an electric boat. The highlight of the day was being charged one euro for ketchup for my fries. 🤣 I don't do mayo. @Second seating, thanks for posting the photos.

Arrived in Amsterdam and my driver, sent by Tauck, was waiting for me in front of Starbucks outside Arrivals Hall 4. Whether you book your air through Tauck or independently, they will send a driver to meet you at the airport. And not just on embarkation day. I'm staying at the Doubletree Centraal Station where I stayed last year. A nice hotel, conveniently located, with a great staff who will go out of their way to help in any way.

Greetings from the Philadelphia Airport where I'll be boarding the plane to take me to Amsterdam in a few hours. I'm spending 3 days precruise in Amsterdam and then boarding the ship on December 20. The cruise will end in Brussels on the 27th and then we'll make our way back to Amsterdam on January 3. I did the Amsterdam to Brussels Christmas cruise last year and had such a phenomenal time, I came home and contacted my TA and had her book me for Christmas and New Years this year. It had never occurred to me to spend Christmas in another country. We had a nice contingent of solo cruisers last time, along with some extended families and empty nester couples. I'll try to check in here periodically to let you know what we're up to. I can't wait to see what Sinterklaas is going to leave me in my shoe. 😄

@sambamama, I really don't see HAL entering the 7,000 passenger ship market, but I could be wrong about that.

I was surprised when I heard Carnival Corporation was transferring the 3 Costa ships to Carnival. I would have thought they would have blended in more with the HAL or Princess fleet.

Why no club orange entrée? @LAFFNVEGAS, you're not getting what you paid for.

The chairs look like the kind you would find at a casual dining venue such as Bob Evans or Cracker Barrel.

Agree with @terrydtx. If there was a way to put things like the Dutch Cafe and Tamarind on current ships, and upgrade the entertainment, I would be happy. I won't sail the Zaandam or Volendam, no matter how attractive the itinerary. The thought of being stuck on either of those ships for more than 2 weeks is too much to bear. More and more ports are pushing back on cruise ships, putting the mega ships at a distinct disadvantage.

@sippican, if your friend gets that seasick on a riverboat, could her physician premedicate her?

I've never heard of seasickness on a river cruise. Odd....

@kazu, how do you pay for Uber with cash?

That was my experience in The Netherlands and Belgium last year. The only place I had to have currency was the pay toilet in Brugges. I also tipped my driver and the hotel porter with euros. A lot of the mom and pop food stands at the winter festivals took euros.

Very thorough, evenhanded review. Thank you for your comments. My last HAL cruise was disappointing.

I think changes like the AI generated ones may be here sooner than 20 years from now. I like them!

They are the menus for that day on that ship and itinerary.

I think that's true for most of us in this forum who are Carnival shareholders.

I worked in an office until I was 70. New technology was constantly being "forced" on me. I had 2 choices - adapt or quit. Folks, things are never going back to the way they were.

And it goes on and on and on.......

I prefer to tour when the weather is cool and there are fewer crowds. Students are back in school in October.

The captain dresses up as the Easter bunny 🐰. I was on the Oosterdam this past Easter in South America, and I think maybe we had a brunch. There was both a catholic and protestant morning church service.

What would you use that email for?

This past week I learned how to pay my leaf removal guy on my phone using Zelle. When I went to the hospital for an out patient procedure, the valet didn't give me a paper ticket. Instead, I got an e-ticket on my phone. When I checked in at the clinic, the receptionist sent the questionnaire to my phone and I answered it and sent it back to her. This is the way of the world. Don't let yourself be on the wrong side of the digital divide.

That's what medical offices and hospitals use. It's more secure than email or an app. It's also done in legal offices.

If you don't own shares, why do you need to know where/how to send proof of ownership?