jeh10641

Hi, Cliff, In 1938, I was three years away from conception. That was the birth year for the Nieuw Amsterdam, my home for my first cruise, 8 days across the Atlantic from New York City (Hudson River, West Side of Manhattan) to Rotterdam. At the time of that trip, I was not yet 18 years old. Now I am 82 and looking forward to our next transatlantic cruise (on RCCL, Anthem of the Seas) in October this year. Jim

Hi, Here is a link to my review of the current Rotterdam from December 2021. We loved it. Jim 2021 Cruise Rotterdam.xlsx

My first ever cruise was the 1938 version of Nieuw Amsterdam (late June, NY to Rotterdam) in 1959. I became a HAL believer 7 years later when I did 14 nights on the same ship to the Caribbean over Christmas/New Year's. My next HAL cruise was in 2012 on Westerdam from Ft. Lauderdale to Seattle (17 or 18 nights?). Oosterdam in 2016 (17 nights Rome to FL). Finally, the best one was 2021 on Rotterdam VII from FL to the Caribbean in December with cousins from NC. I am more port conscious than price or ship. This rang all three bells - price, ports and ship. The size is perfect for us. Jim

Here is another website for viewing cabins. Cruise Deck Plan Database and Pictures (cruisedeckplans.com) Jim

You might check The Dive In for burgers, hot dogs and fries on the Lido Deck. Jim

Hi, MandyMooToo, I agree with you. I would rather spend the money saved on Inside Cabins on upgraded onboard activities such as shore excursions and specialty dining. If you look hard enough with a good agent, you can find larger inside cabins (not always). Jim

If you ever leave Port Everglades, as the ship exits into the Atlantic, there are two residential towers fronting the beach (port side of the ship) called Point of Americas. My parents lived on the NE corner of Building 1 (the shorter of the two) on the 23rd floor (three down from the top). They lived there until 2000 when my surviving mother moved to a senior complex inland. We used to love to blow the airhorns for arriving and departing cruise ships.

Hi, Mike, Sorry it is taking me so long to get back to you but among of my retirement vices is to go out to lunch M-F, talk to friends while there and read a book. There are times I wish we lived in Florida near a cruise port. Mostly though I am glad we do not. Spent many weeks visiting family there and realized we have it pretty good here. Alaska as a cruise destination is fantastic. I would also love to visit Norway fjords. As a family, parents, brother and I, went there in 1962 and visited Bergen, Flam, Stavanger and Oslo. Loved it then, would love it more now. Jim

Hi, Mike, I live near Seattle so local cruises are somewhat limited. I traveled to Alaska for over twenty years when I was working for book publishers and got to visit a lot more than the cruise ports. My wife never wanted to travel there when I was being paid to go. Now she wants to go and I have to pay! If you look at my expanded signature, you can see I began to cruise (albeit sporadically) in 1959. After my retirement in 2011, our travels expanded for a couple of reasons. First, our parents who had retired to SE Florida had all passed away freeing up vacation time. And I wanted to see places I had been reading about for most of my adult life. As you might imagine, ports are very important to me. I try not to duplicate any unless I missed something because of time constraints. When we take a transatlantic cruise, we prefer East to West so that adds up to two or three weeks of additional travel in Europe. October will be our third since 2008. From Barcelona (2008), Rome (2016) and Southampton (2023). Thanks for all the great comments. I love "talking" to you. Jim

When and where do you cruise next? We are onboard on October 15. Prices HAVE been really crazy. I booked this trip in April 2022. I have seen my cabin price more than double since then before dropping slightly. Royal's stock price has nearly tripled in the same period! Should have bought some. Jim

Hi, Biker19, I did say similar not exactly the same. According to what I have read/seen, the rooms are larger with more space than the average ocean view. Yes, it has a large circular window, not a floor to ceiling window, with a sitting area near the window/porthole. Have you ever had the opportunity to see or stay in one of these types? I would really like to know. Jim

Hi, Mike, I am only reporting on what I have heard from a lot of You Tube cruise bloggers/vloggers. My preference is to choose my cabin with the assistance of my travel agent. As I mentioned, I prefer midship, lower deck, inside but will venture into other areas based on value. What the bloggers say is that guaranty cabins tend to be either forward or aft, upper deck, obstructed, noisy, etc. I am happy that you like the guaranty cabins. Just not my thing. To each his own. Happy travels. Jim

I prefer inside, low deck, midship. Never used a guaranteed class. Distance is not a factor for us. We are both in our 80s but walking is good. Rarely use the stairs unless it is only a deck or two. Do not want to be located under or above public spaces that have long hours of use. Prefer a cabin with cabins above, below, next to and across the hallway (companionway). I have heard from many sources that guaranteed cabins are usually those that most cruisers would not willingly choose. Jim

I always use a travel agent for booking a cruise. When I book one, I ask my agent to request a time. On our last HAL cruise, I asked for a time, it was granted but then changed several times before ending near my original request. My next cruise is on Anthem of the Seas in October so I am waiting to see how their system works or does not. Jim

I found a similar cabin on Anthem. It is called a Spacious Forward Looking Oceanview. It is on deck 8 and it looks like there 6 or 8 cabins next to each other that might be around 240-250 square feet in size. I usually book inside, low deck, midship because of pricing but this was a great price when I booked in April, 2022. I understand bad weather could be an issue on a transatlantic in October but we have been lucky on our other transatlantics, weatherwise, so I was willing to chance it this time. Jim

Here is a scam that happened to us in Barcelona. This almost ruined our desire to travel in Europe but we persevered and have enjoyed several trips since then. 2008 - Barcelona Bird Poop.docx

Hi, Mary229, Here is a link to my Bird Poop Scam of 2008. Let me know if you can open it. Jim 2008 - Barcelona Bird Poop.docx

Amen, Hank. you are right about replacement passports but as I said, in Barbelona it was painless (except for the additional fees for the replacement and then the fee back home for a permanent replacement. Jim

I do register my trips abroad with the State Department. I give them the hotels and/or cruise ships plus ports I plan on visiting. Jim

In Barcelona in 2008 for our first transatlantic cruise, we had our passports stolen in a scam. Had color copies of passports that we took to the American Consulate. Had replacements in two hours and made our cruise with hours to spare. I took back every bad thought I had ever had about the State Department. Jim

My last cruise on Rotterdam, my boarding time changed several times but it was not a problem to board earlier (Port Everglades). As a heads up, Princess (or Norwegian) today announced NO BOARDING times beginning Aug. 1, 2023. These things can change like a tidal wave. Jim

I agree. Keep checking until you actually book. It can be months in advance of your trip. Jim

Call me old fashioned, but I ALWAYS take hard copies of any travel related documents I may need, including passports. Jim

Hi, Charles4515, I have never used a VPN before but on our trip to Europe this fall, I plan to purchase a VPN service. So you can consider me a newbie to the VPN world. Just wondering what effect, if any, VPN would have using onboard WiFi. Jim

We live near Seattle. I used to travel to Alaska on business for 20+ years, three times a year (Feb., May, Sept.), from Fairbanks to Ketchikan with many stops in between. I got to see Denali from the air twice on all those trips. Had a total of three days of rain in Ketchikan. Had one day of extreme snow in Fairbanks as well as one day of -40 degrees F. We traveled to Fort Lauderdale for more than 50 years (45 from Seattle) as we have lots of friends and family there. Thank God for Alaska Air. Nonstops, more seat room, decent food, great service. We have cruised twice from (one a Panama Canal trip that took us back to Seattle) and twice to Port Everglades (these were from Europe). It seems to me that airfare today has gone ballistic. I am not happy about that. We are Icelandair to Amsterdam from NYC in October with a short layover in Iceland. Jim