Uniworld Dutch Dreams

[laniercruiser]

Roll call for travelers on the Uniworld Dutch Dreams, River Baroness departing the US on April 22nd, 2006.

 

Also, would love to hear from anyone who has taken this river cruise or has been on this boat.This will be our first river cruise.

 

Thanks

 

Laniercruiser

[Barb1818]

Hi There!

My husband and I are coming along on this trip. We've never done a river cruise either, but are really looking forward to it. ( Everything I've read about these cruises/ and this trip in particular is great :) ) Hope to see you onboard!

~Barb

[laniercruiser]

Barb

Thanks for the reply. This whole message board thing is also new to me. I have never participated in a chat thing.:confused:

 

We have been on several large cruise ships, actually just returned from a Caribbean cruise on the Mariner of the Seas in February, it's the mega ship with the rock climbing wall, etc. This will be a drastic change from that trip.

 

I am very excited about tulip time in Holland. I'm a Master Gardener and have such a love for flowwers, can't wait!!

 

Do you have any idea what type of dress is acceptable for dinners on this trip? We are planning on blue jeans or kakhies and sweaters for the daytime. I would really like to keep the luggage to a minimum because everything is so bulky.

 

Did you purchase your airfare through Uniworld with your cruise? If so, what is your understanding of transfer from the airport to the boat and what to do with our luggage? I understand that the transfer is included in our price. We arrive in Amsterdam at nine in the morning, but you cannot board the boat until four in the afternoon:eek: Do they hold our luggage so we can plan on sightseeing?

 

Please let me know your thoughts.

 

P.S. My name is Carolyn and we live about an hour north of Downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

[Barb1818]

Hi Carolyn~

 

Thanks for your nice reply.

Oh--you're a Master Gardener--that's great! I guess you've got Keukenhof Gardens

on your must-see list? Me too. :) I live in Canada (near Niagara Falls) and it's nearly as cold in Holland, as it is here right now. My tulips aren't up yet, so I hope they will be blooming when we're there.

 

I'm equally new to the message boards, and not sure of all the rules. I'd like to pass along a website I found--a travelogue of this Holland river cruise last year (April 2005--not the identical trip, but very, very similar) on The River Empress. The gentleman had a wonderful trip and took many great photos. He also talks about what to wear, the various optionals etc. It's well worth a look! His name is Steve Fazzio and he has his own website, with a link to the Holland trip. I think you're right though. It sounds pretty casual (jeans and sweaters) although there 'may' be a more formal dinner one night as I understand it. I'm also trying to pack light.

 

We booked our trip through Trafalgar (I understand they bought Uniworld?) and are flying on KLM to Amsterdam, arriving very early, the same as you. There are supposed to be transfers to the ship. I'm hoping that we can stow our luggage and

then I guess we'll have some free time to explore. I understand that the ship is

docked in a central location, close to the train station, and main square, so it will be easy to find our way around. However, flying all night (with the time change) -- well, the first day may be a little tiring. :o It will be nice to settle in on the ship.

 

I'm really looking forward to the trip and it's great to 'chat' with you Carolyn!

 

~Barb

[laniercruiser]

Barb,

Thank you for the great reply....the web site you sent me to was wonderful. I believe his trip was the Grand Cruise and ours is Grand Value Cruising, but most of the ports were the same.

 

I did not expect it to be that cold near the end of April.....It is already mid-60's to mid-70's hear in Atlanta on a nice day. We'll still have some colder days, but we are having Spring!! Forsythia is blooming, daffodils, redbud trees, lilacs and all the perennials are leafing out. I'm going to feel like I'm going backwards on the calendar...HA! You are in really 'cold country', we've traveled there quite some time ago. I don't think I could brave that kind of winter!!

 

I purchased our trip directly through the Uniworld offices, I originally received an email about the trip and then decided to call. We are flying United from Atlanta to Chicago, then Chicago to Amsterdam. We have almost 2 hours in Chicago. I know what you mean about that overnight flight, it is tough!! You have to hit the ground running without a shower, etc. But it is best to stay on their time zone for that day and then jet-lag isn't quite as bad.

 

Looking forward to meeting you.:)

Carolyn