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Nearly Live from Oosterdam Med Empires June 13th - 25th.


VMax1700
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1 hour ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Colin @VMax1700 — I have something for you and your DW that we were unable to use since DH was in isolation for half of the cruise. If possible please email me with your cabin number. My email address is in my signature. Thank you! Sharon 

 

 

Sharon, we are in 6117

I will email later.

Tks

Colin

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Really looking forward to following on this trip. My niece and I board the day you disembark, June 25. We too got upgraded from a Verandah to a Signature Suite - looking forward to it but just read a horrible review from someone who just returned. Keep us posted. 

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Colin @VMax1700 —. We just disembarked and it was one of the easiest we’ve ever done. I’m sure your embarkation will go smoothly. We are winding our way past Trieste into the countryside. Trieste is beautiful. I’m hoping we get to Tronchetto about 11:00, that would be just perfect. 
 

Bon Voyage!

⛴⛴⛴

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2 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Colin @VMax1700 —. We just disembarked and it was one of the easiest we’ve ever done. I’m sure your embarkation will go smoothly. We are winding our way past Trieste into the countryside. Trieste is beautiful. I’m hoping we get to Tronchetto about 11:00, that would be just perfect. 
 

Bon Voyage!

⛴⛴⛴

Morning @Sharon in AZ it is a little overcast in Venice this morning and a nice cooling breeze. 

Disembark day is always a little sad, but you have a lovely Venetian stay to enjoy!

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Happy Monday everyone.😁

Well it is for us as soon we will be heading towards Trieste and Oosterdam.

I looked at Navigator this morning looking for updates (see thread about HIA+) and noticed some rather silly and thoughtless planning.

Sailaway for us is, and has been for several months, 7pm.  So why is the Sailaway Party listed for 4.30?

We are in group B for boarding at 1.20 pm (presume that group A is around 1pm) so why is it listed at 12 noon to visit the Thermal Suite and Look and Book tours for Greenhouse Spa?  I know that there are some doing B2B's but that does not explain the timings.  Even Club Hal registration is shown for 1pm, will they even be onboard at that time?

Anyway, that is this mornings whinge and whine over, so last check under the bed for anything that 'rolled' and down to reception to await our chariot.

Next post will, I hope, be from onboard Oosterdam.

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2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Happy Monday everyone.😁

Well it is for us as soon we will be heading towards Trieste and Oosterdam.

I looked at Navigator this morning looking for updates (see thread about HIA+) and noticed some rather silly and thoughtless planning.

Sailaway for us is, and has been for several months, 7pm.  So why is the Sailaway Party listed for 4.30?

We are in group B for boarding at 1.20 pm (presume that group A is around 1pm) so why is it listed at 12 noon to visit the Thermal Suite and Look and Book tours for Greenhouse Spa?  I know that there are some doing B2B's but that does not explain the timings.  Even Club Hal registration is shown for 1pm, will they even be onboard at that time?

Anyway, that is this mornings whinge and whine over, so last check under the bed for anything that 'rolled' and down to reception to await our chariot.

Next post will, I hope, be from onboard Oosterdam.

 

Just a guess that the sail a way party is at 4:30 since people will be eating at 7?  Not sure.  Hope your chariot arrives and gets you to the Oosterdam.  Wishing you a smooth embarkation.  Bon Voyage!

 

651DDB93-C783-4988-9E28-A3F1846871E6.jpeg.2e2d263708e7033011da6a3cf7392089.jpeg

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9 hours ago, BarelyACruiser said:

Really looking forward to following on this trip. My niece and I board the day you disembark, June 25. We too got upgraded from a Verandah to a Signature Suite - looking forward to it but just read a horrible review from someone who just returned. Keep us posted. 

You will really enjoy the Signature Suite, it has so much more room and larger balcony. It is very easy to enjoy in suite dinning and room service breakfast with the added room. We are booked in SS for our August Oosterdam cruise.

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3 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Happy Monday everyone.😁

Well it is for us as soon we will be heading towards Trieste and Oosterdam.

I looked at Navigator this morning looking for updates (see thread about HIA+) and noticed some rather silly and thoughtless planning.

Sailaway for us is, and has been for several months, 7pm.  So why is the Sailaway Party listed for 4.30?

We are in group B for boarding at 1.20 pm (presume that group A is around 1pm) so why is it listed at 12 noon to visit the Thermal Suite and Look and Book tours for Greenhouse Spa?  I know that there are some doing B2B's but that does not explain the timings.  Even Club Hal registration is shown for 1pm, will they even be onboard at that time?

Anyway, that is this mornings whinge and whine over, so last check under the bed for anything that 'rolled' and down to reception to await our chariot.

Next post will, I hope, be from onboard Oosterdam.

Enjoy your cruise, but I have a question about assigned boarding times How were they assigned when you checked in online? My wife and sister have already booked and paid for manicures and pedicures in the spa starting at 1:30pm on our embarkation day. By the time we get on the Oosterdam we will have been in Italy for 3 weeks and they tell me the nails have to be done. We have booked a private transport from Venice to Trieste that will have us at the cruise terminal around 11:00-11:30 am.

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On 6/8/2022 at 12:16 PM, VMax1700 said:

The 2022 European season has been short on “Live from” threads so far, so I am starting a “Nearly Live from the Oosterdam” during her 12 day Mediterranean Empires cruise departing from Venice/Trieste on Monday June 13th.

 

This will be only Oosterdam’s 4th cruise since returning to service, so it will be interesting to compare this cruise to the one we did last October on Eurodam also in the Med.  Unfortunately, no Tamarind, but I am sure we will manage to forage enough calories from the other dining locations.

 

We booked this cruise in April during a ‘flash sale’ and got a Guarantee Verandah for a very good price. Since then we added ‘Have it All’ and have taken advantage of HAL’s exchange rate to pre pay ‘Crew Appreciation’. Last week I called Inventory and purchased an upgrade to a Signature Suite for a great price. Overall we are very happy with the amount that the cruise is costing.

 

Airfare, now that is a different story!  Also it appears that hotels in Venice are trying to recoup the last two years of nearly zero income by charging substantially more this year compared to last.

 

Anyway, our plan is to fly from Cork to Venice with Ryanair (direct flight) on Saturday 11th and stay 2 nights in the Hilton Garden Inn in Mestre. We have a private transfer booked to take us from the hotel to the port on Monday morning.

 

Anyone else travelling? Do feel free to add to the thread.

 

Next step is the Health Form, due to be available on 10th June...................

 

 

 

Our itinerary:

2Itinerary.jpg.778b1de3ef403757bcce9e3a5a38e95b.jpg

 

 

 

I wish you a wonderful cruise! I am looking forward to your report. I’ve read negative comments about the ship on other forums and look forward to your comments about its physical condition and quality of food.

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Onboard Oosterdam and settling in.

We were due to be collected from our hotel at 11.15am and the driver arrived at 11.00 am.  We were underway by 11.05.  He said it would take 1hour 38 minutes according to google maps.  I think he was trying to prove google maps wrong as he drove like a maniac.  For the last 20 kms he left the main road and brought us in along the coast road (at a much more sedate pace)  and it was a lovely drive.

He pulled up outside the terminal and our bags were taken promptly from us (no tipping!) and we were asked to show our boarding docs and shown to the door of the terminal.

Very pleasant port police asked to see our passports and boarding card (used Navigator) and we were directed along to 'Health Check'.  I produced Verifly, but they wanted to see how many shots we had received and the date.  She also asked to see the actual Covid test result and the names on the document, so all in all Verifly was not required.

Next was 'Check in' where we smiled into a screen and produced our passports and then through a security screening and onto the ship.  So even allowing for the Covid vax and test results 'upset' we were onboard and in our cabin by 1pm 😁

Our check in time was listed as 1.20pm and I did notice that they did have an area set aside marked 'For Early Arriving Guests' at the inital passport/boarding pass check, but there were no lines so we were waved straight through even though we were 30/40 minutes early.

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Have a great trip!!!  Looking forward to your posts!!! 

You used the Comp Transfer service, airport to Trieste correct?  We land in Venice on Thur (6/23) tour Venice a little bit, the pick up the HAL Comp Transfer in City Center on Saturday (6/25).  

 

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1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

Onboard Oosterdam and settling in.

We were due to be collected from our hotel at 11.15am and the driver arrived at 11.00 am.  We were underway by 11.05.  He said it would take 1hour 38 minutes according to google maps.  I think he was trying to prove google maps wrong as he drove like a maniac.  For the last 20 kms he left the main road and brought us in along the coast road (at a much more sedate pace)  and it was a lovely drive.

He pulled up outside the terminal and our bags were taken promptly from us (no tipping!) and we were asked to show our boarding docs and shown to the door of the terminal.

Very pleasant port police asked to see our passports and boarding card (used Navigator) and we were directed along to 'Health Check'.  I produced Verifly, but they wanted to see how many shots we had received and the date.  She also asked to see the actual Covid test result and the names on the document, so all in all Verifly was not required.

Next was 'Check in' where we smiled into a screen and produced our passports and then through a security screening and onto the ship.  So even allowing for the Covid vax and test results 'upset' we were onboard and in our cabin by 1pm 😁

Our check in time was listed as 1.20pm and I did notice that they did have an area set aside marked 'For Early Arriving Guests' at the inital passport/boarding pass check, but there were no lines so we were waved straight through even though we were 30/40 minutes early.

Thank you for the update, looks like we do not need to pre load anything into Verify. 

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3 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Onboard Oosterdam and settling in.

We were due to be collected from our hotel at 11.15am and the driver arrived at 11.00 am.  We were underway by 11.05.  He said it would take 1hour 38 minutes according to google maps.  I think he was trying to prove google maps wrong as he drove like a maniac.  For the last 20 kms he left the main road and brought us in along the coast road (at a much more sedate pace)  and it was a lovely drive.

He pulled up outside the terminal and our bags were taken promptly from us (no tipping!) and we were asked to show our boarding docs and shown to the door of the terminal.

Very pleasant port police asked to see our passports and boarding card (used Navigator) and we were directed along to 'Health Check'.  I produced Verifly, but they wanted to see how many shots we had received and the date.  She also asked to see the actual Covid test result and the names on the document, so all in all Verifly was not required.

Next was 'Check in' where we smiled into a screen and produced our passports and then through a security screening and onto the ship.  So even allowing for the Covid vax and test results 'upset' we were onboard and in our cabin by 1pm 😁

Our check in time was listed as 1.20pm and I did notice that they did have an area set aside marked 'For Early Arriving Guests' at the inital passport/boarding pass check, but there were no lines so we were waved straight through even though we were 30/40 minutes early.

Glad Everything went smooth, I had heard the for Eruope Cruise the Verifly was not needed or used so I have not even downloaded it.

Wishing you Bon Voyage for your Oosterdam cruise. The Oosterdam and will always have a special place in my heard as my favorite ship. We have sailed on her more days than any other ship.

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4 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Onboard Oosterdam and settling in.

We were due to be collected from our hotel at 11.15am and the driver arrived at 11.00 am.  We were underway by 11.05.  He said it would take 1hour 38 minutes according to google maps.  I think he was trying to prove google maps wrong as he drove like a maniac.  For the last 20 kms he left the main road and brought us in along the coast road (at a much more sedate pace)  and it was a lovely drive.

He pulled up outside the terminal and our bags were taken promptly from us (no tipping!) and we were asked to show our boarding docs and shown to the door of the terminal.

 

 

 

Thank you very much for taking us along. Will be following with interest. We board the Oosterdam on July 2 in Athens. It's our first HAL cruise, and the first cruise since the pandemic. So this is highly anticipated. 

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5 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Onboard Oosterdam and settling in.

We were due to be collected from our hotel at 11.15am and the driver arrived at 11.00 am.  We were underway by 11.05.  He said it would take 1hour 38 minutes according to google maps.  I think he was trying to prove google maps wrong as he drove like a maniac.  For the last 20 kms he left the main road and brought us in along the coast road (at a much more sedate pace)  and it was a lovely drive.

 

Did you feel safe when he drove like a maniac, Colin?  I know some drivers are not worrisome when they do that but not true for all of them.  Sound like the coast road was a pretty drive 👍 

 

5 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

He pulled up outside the terminal and our bags were taken promptly from us (no tipping!) and we were asked to show our boarding docs and shown to the door of the terminal.

Very pleasant port police asked to see our passports and boarding card (used Navigator) and we were directed along to 'Health Check'.  I produced Verifly, but they wanted to see how many shots we had received and the date.  She also asked to see the actual Covid test result and the names on the document, so all in all Verifly was not required.

 

Interesting that Verifly was not needed.  Thanks 👍 

 

5 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Next was 'Check in' where we smiled into a screen and produced our passports and then through a security screening and onto the ship.  So even allowing for the Covid vax and test results 'upset' we were onboard and in our cabin by 1pm 😁

Our check in time was listed as 1.20pm and I did notice that they did have an area set aside marked 'For Early Arriving Guests' at the inital passport/boarding pass check, but there were no lines so we were waved straight through even though we were 30/40 minutes early.

 

Sounds quite good especially considering HAL says the transfer takes 2 hours.  You were already in your cabin by that time 👍 Well done!

 

Glad you are on board.  Now relax and have a fantastic time 🙂 

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@VMax1700, can you tell me if there's an excursion from Souda/Chania, Crete to Knossos Palace?  I understand it's quite far away (around 2 hours by car) and more visited from Heraklion, but it's such an important and popular site.  Are they offering anything?  I couldn't find the answer on the HAL website.  Thanks!

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Monday 13th June Evening update:

 

Very few wearing masks, even though there were 4 masks waiting for us in our stateroom.  Tonight at the Origins Story there was only 1 other couple wearing a mask on the ground level.

 

Earlier today we had lunch in the Lido and finished with bread pudding mmmmm

20220613_140022.thumb.jpg.70c7b75a8b876913e6a8366fe938081d.jpg

 

Unfortunately the Lido is almost serve yourself in some areas, notably the bread, sandwiches area.  I find that disappointing and worrysome.

(I am going to keep each post short incase internet drops)

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On 6/8/2022 at 1:16 PM, VMax1700 said:

The 2022 European season has been short on “Live from” threads so far, so I am starting a “Nearly Live from the Oosterdam” during her 12 day Mediterranean Empires cruise departing from Venice/Trieste on Monday June 13th.

 

This will be only Oosterdam’s 4th cruise since returning to service, so it will be interesting to compare this cruise to the one we did last October on Eurodam also in the Med.  Unfortunately, no Tamarind, but I am sure we will manage to forage enough calories from the other dining locations.

 

We booked this cruise in April during a ‘flash sale’ and got a Guarantee Verandah for a very good price. Since then we added ‘Have it All’ and have taken advantage of HAL’s exchange rate to pre pay ‘Crew Appreciation’. Last week I called Inventory and purchased an upgrade to a Signature Suite for a great price. Overall we are very happy with the amount that the cruise is costing.

 

Airfare, now that is a different story!  Also it appears that hotels in Venice are trying to recoup the last two years of nearly zero income by charging substantially more this year compared to last.

 

Anyway, our plan is to fly from Cork to Venice with Ryanair (direct flight) on Saturday 11th and stay 2 nights in the Hilton Garden Inn in Mestre. We have a private transfer booked to take us from the hotel to the port on Monday morning.

 

Anyone else travelling? Do feel free to add to the thread.

 

Next step is the Health Form, due to be available on 10th June...................

 

 

 

Our itinerary:

2Itinerary.jpg.778b1de3ef403757bcce9e3a5a38e95b.jpg

 

 

 

Have   a  wonderful  cruise  and stay  safe.

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I really got a laugh from this.  

 

20220613_142015.thumb.jpg.f49f01b3335a42251e5b92ee68631f96.jpg20220613_142035.thumb.jpg.86e3f00faf4cb68c7e410a7f5b8cce34.jpg

 

A gift???  I purchased it, therefore it is not a gift!

(Sorry for the images being on their sides.  Obviously they are close to hitting their 15 a day!)

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