Viking Tulips And Windmills -3/25/06.

[muzzy 10]

Brenda, I don't envy you your flight. Ours is long enough for me. Ambien never works for me when I fly so I don't bother. Packing light is a great idea and maybe this time I will be more successful at it. Less than thre weeks now. Muzzy

[brendan1968]

Hi Muzzy, Just checking in. Hope everyone is well. We are down to fine tuning everything. Thank goodness for extra bedrooms to lay out our things. The biggest problem will be the weight. Sweaters and jeans weigh so much. We are trying to keep the amount of luggage down so we won't have so much to drag along. Wish me luck! Keep in touch.

 

Brenda

[muzzy 10]

Brenda, good to hear from you. I can't believe we fly 2 weeks from tomorrow! You guys are sure organized, I know we won't get to thinges before the last week. Well, we did notify the guy who drives us to the airport. Next step, to get some Euros. I am dreading packing; too bad this little riverboat doesn't have a washer and dryerLOL. Talk to you soon, Muzzy

[brendan1968]

Hi Muzzy, Just checking in again. We got our euros a while back. Didn't get too many. Will use credit card as much as possible. Found me a great deal on a coat today. Also bought a hat. I'll probably look silly in it, but I don't want to get cold. It looks like the weather is getting colder instead of warmer. Oh well, my husband thinks I worry too much about what the weather might be. We'll just have to wait and see. Can't wait. Talk to you soon. Brenda

[muzzy 10]

Hi Brenda ,Listen to your husband and try not to worry about the weather: we can't control it and it sounds as tho you are well prepared. Just don't forget an umbrella. Only about a week away. MIL condition still iffy. Hope we get to go, have been so looking forward to it. I will keep you posted. Muzzy

[brendan1968]

Hi Muzzy, Hope your MIL health gets better so you can go. I'm really looking forward to meeting you guys. I'll stop worrying about the weather. Your right. We have no control over it. We have a busy weekend planned. Today is my parents 60th anniversary. We are having a surprise party for them on Saturday. They have no clue. After Sat. I will get down to the final decision on what to take. I'll pack on Wed. Take care and keep in touch.

Brenda

[muzzy 10]

Hi Brenda, getting real close now, and so far we are still on board.My sister is leaving on Tuesday. Hope your party wasloads of fun and that your folks were surprised. Our cabin assignments got screwed up and we will probably be in the teenyweeny cabins, unless TA can work some magic. Upsetting to us but I know we will cope, just will try to bring even less stuff. What time do you leave on Friday? I "ll talk to you before then i am sure. Hoping for good news on all fronts, Muzzy

[brendan1968]

Hi Muzzy, Our party was a great success. My parents cried. The only bad thing was that our dog of 12 years went missing. We haven't found her yet. Nothing is open on the weekend and of course she didin't have her collar on. She doesn't like it. We're just hoping for the best. Don't worry about your cabin. We won't be in them that long to matter. We will be leaving at 1:30 on Friday from Bakersfield. Our flight out of LAX is at 7:30 We don't arrive in Amsterdam until 7pm on Sat. We are going to take taxi's to the ship. probably will eat and go straight to bed. Look for me. I will be the one with the big bags under my eyes. What time do you leave on Friday. I'll talk to you soon. Take care.

Brenda

[Jswen]

Hi Muzzy and Brendan,

We are going on the Danube River cruise the end of May so have been following the River Cruising boards for a few day now. I think I am as excited for you and your trip as you are by reading your posts.

You mentioned walking shoes, what brand did you purchase and how do they feel by now? I purchased Ecco's a few weeks ago and they are very comfortable but today we when on a long walk on unpaved paths and I am beginning to wonder if the soles are sturdy enough. Was also wondering how dressy is dinner, I am thinking nice casual would be OK.

Hope I am not intruding but any help would be appreciated.

Ps We live in the Fresno area of Calif.

[muzzy 10]

Brenda, we are flying out of JFK at 6:15 PM on Friday, due to arrive about 8 AM Sat. in Amsterdam. Jswen, I was on a Danube river cruise. Not a lot of walking on unpaved areas at all that I remember ; cobblestones are tricky sometimes. Your shsoes will probably be fine. Take a pair of sneakers also to swicth off. Evenings are pretty casual; men don't need sport jackets so take your cues from that. Hope this helps,

[Jswen]

Thanks for the reassurance.

Looking forward to your Trip Report. Have a wonderful, fun time.

JS

[muzzy 10]

Brenda, Did you find your dog? I can so empathize with your distress as a dog lover and owner. One of our dogs was once missing overnight in an almost hurricane and our daughter found him the next day. Hope to hear good news from you, Muzzy

[brendan1968]

Hi Muzzy, Yes we found our dog the next day. She had gotten out when we came home from my parents party. We left immediately to go to a friends who had just lost her mother. We didn't notice she had gotten out. We had a hail storm, wind and rain and she must have gotten scared. One of the neighbors took her in. They didn't know she was our dog until they saw the missing sign posted the next day. They fell in love with her and were going to keep her if no one claimed her. I was sooo glad to get her back. Since our kids are grown and gone, she is like our baby. Now I can go and enjoy the trip. Will pack tomorrow. Today is my last day to work. I'm the only in the family that still works part time. Thanks for asking about Molly. Talk to you soon. Brenda

[muzzy 10]

Brenda, Hooray, so glad you found Molly. What a relief for you. Sister Ann is en route as we speak, will arrive Amsterdam 7AM their time tommorow. Muzzy

[Bill S]

Bon Voyage you all! Hope you have a great time and looking forward to reading your post-cruise reports!

[brendan1968]

Hi Muzzy, Getting ready to pack today. Hope everything fits and doesn't weigh too much. Let me know if you hear from your sister before we all leave on Friday. Bill S, thanks for the bon voyage. I'm sure we will have a great time. Talk to yu soon. Brenda

[muzzy 10]

Brenda: We heard from my sister via email. She says that it is cold but sunny today and to bring a hat and gloves for nightime. She says they have done a lot in the short time they have been there; no details as to what. She probably won't contact me again, so I am wishing you and your group a safe flight and will look for you on board. Muzzy

[brendan1968]

Hi Muzzy, All packed. Emailed the kids all our travel info and ready to go!!! You have a safe trip and can't wait to meet you in Amsterdam. Take care.

 

Brenda

[Bill S]

Hi Brenda! Hi Muzzy! Welcome Home! I hope you all had a great time!

We received our Viking cruise docs today--I'm impressed! We leave for Amsterdam next Tuesday, the 11th-getting excited.

After you recover from the initial bout of jetlag, hope you can post a quick review! Anxious to hear about your experiences!

[muzzy 10]

Hi Bill, thanks for the welcomehome. Our trip in general was terrific. Amsterdam is an amazing city, we could have used more time there. Some shore excursions were excellent: the Palais, Brugges so beautiful, the smallltown of middelburg walking tour, and the fnatastic keukenhofGardens, amazing. We met some lovely people and had lots of fun. Be prepared for Windy weather! AM's had a little rain and afternoons were ususally sunny. Your weather should be even better. I am glad you are going on the Sky. The staff on the Europe were a little disorganized and some minor glitches occurred on board in the dining room, slow service, ruuning out of things. Food was OK but don't expect a gourmet experience or anything like an ocean cruise. I chalk a lot of this up to the fact thst it was the first voyage of the season. That being said, we enjoyed ourselves a lot and I know you will too. Anything specific you might want to know, please ask. Also, maybe Brenda can add more. Meeting her and Dan was a highlight of our trip. Go Eagles! Muzzy

[Bill S]

muzzy: glad you are back safe and sound and that you had good time! Yes, we are looking forward to our time in Amsterdam and returning to Brugge, DW's favorite place! It sounds like the Kuekenhof Gardens are in bloom-if so, that is very good news!

I've been checking the extended weather forecasts for Amsterdam, and yes, it looks like cool weather and rain are still a significant part of the future! That is OK---we don't have to shovel wind or rain! ;)

What time did you embark? Can you store your luggage under the bed? Speaking of beds-are they soft or hard?

Thanks Muzzy!

[muzzy 10]

Bill, We were on the boat by 9:30 AM and could get into our cabin right away. If yours isn't ready they will keep your luggage and you can go out. Our cabin was one of the cheapies on the bottom deck and they allowed all of us to stow our luggage in the hall under the stairs. I don't think the Sky has any little cabins, and I believe there is room under the bed. We had one convertable couch bed and another pull down bed( like a murphy bed) which were pretty comfortable. We slept well. I'm sure your bed will be comfy as well, hve no idea about the firmness. Have a safe flight and a wonderful time! Muzzy

[brendan1968]

Hi Muzzy and Bill, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to check in. We had a long day on Monday. 13 hrs. from Zurich to lax. Then 2 more to get home. Got sick. Just a cold but with the jet lag and cold, haven't felt to good. We had a great time. The cruise ship was alittle disorganized but we made the best of it. We enjoyed the staff Frank, Alexandra and Michael. They were very helpful. All in all the weather did pretty good. I got the coldest at he windmills in Dordrecht. Wind was blowing and it was cold. We loved Brugge and Hoorn. Didn't do Middleburg because you would have to do the water works and we didn't want to do it. Stayed on the ship and had a great time cruising down the river. We really had fun meeting all the people, especially Margie, Arnie, Ann and Tom. Bill, I think you will have a great time. Hi Margie. How was your trip home? Keep in touch. Talk to you soon. and Dan says thanks for the Go Eagles!

 

Brenda