Liveish MS Rotterdam Partial Panama Canal, November 12-24

[ski ww]

Bon Voyage. Looking forward to your posts, safe travels.

[Cruisercl]

@rafinmd, Roy, glad to hear that the start of your trip went well.

How exciting that is now here!

Continued safe travels, will be following along...😎

[rafinmd]

Lunch was at Panera again.  Officially, checking cars in opens at 12:30.  I lined up about 12:10 and things were already moving.  By 12:30 I had a number on the car, went into the station checkin desk, and have my ticket for dinner at 5.  Boarding is supposed to start at 3:30.

 

Roy

[BetsyS.]

Roy - I love Panera soups. They're really good. I buy them at the grocery store.

        Glad your trip is going well. 😊

[lazey1]

I enjoy your posts and am looking forward to following your blog for the first time.

Jane

 

[rafinmd]

In my roomette, settling in a bit.  Boarding started a bit before 3:30 and it was a bit of a challenge getting up the stairs to the upper level but I've made it.  Looks like they only have one string of cars to add; so we might leave early.  Yesterday's train left about 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

 

Roy

[Bethcb]

On 11/6/2023 at 9:31 AM, rafinmd said:

I leave in about 2 hours to work my way down to Fort Lauderdale to board MS Rotterdam for a cruise through the new locks into Lake Gatun and back.  I will stay in Lorton VA today and board the Auto Train Thursday for the big part of the journey.

 

I've been in the canal many times but always through the original locks so this will be a partial first to me.

 

I normally post about once a day the following day unless something urgent comes up but will try to respond to questions in a pretty timely basis.

 

There is a companion blog https://morethangetaways.wordpress.com/

 

which will be the same content but hopefully daily programs and menus as well as perhaps a few more photos.

 

Roy

We will be on the Rotterdam November 24 on b2b2b and was wondering how you know the ship is going through the new locks. 

[rafinmd]

28 minutes ago, Bethcb said:

We will be on the Rotterdam November 24 on b2b2b and was wondering how you know the ship is going through the new locks. 

It is too wide to go through the old locks.

 

Roy

[Bethcb]

2 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

It is too wide to go through the old locks.

 

Roy

Duh!  You are so right! Can’t believe I didn’t figure that out. Thanks! 

[BetsyS.]

Roy - how was your dinner?

[erewhon]

@rafinmd  Roy, Always enjoy following your travels, thanks for taking us with you. 

Travel safely and healthy.

[rafinmd]

Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Board Auto Train, Lorton, VA

 

I slept until after 6 but woke in time to catch the sun coming up outside my window.

 

  It is election day in Virginia and I drove past the local polling place a couple of times; it did not seem as busy as I expected.  The breakfast at the hotel was pretty decent and I had toast, oatmeal, and sausage.  

 

I was organizing and online most of the morning and left the hotel a little bit before the 11AM checkout time.  Lunch was at Panera, mostly Chicken Noodle Soup and I nursed a Diet Pepsi along to be there about an hour, largely at an outside table, leaving a little after 12.

 

The timing worked quite well.  While the car checkin line officially opens at 12:30 I arrived about 12:15 and things were already moving.

By 12:25 there was a number 62 on the drivers door and I had been checked in at the terminal with a dinner reservation by 12:30.

Boarding was officially 3:30 and I spent the next 3 hours with a combination of Sudoku and internet.  I headed down to car 5343 a little after 3 and Gerald opened the door and started welcoming passengers a bit early.  I am on the upper level in a roomette which is serviceable by day.  At night the bed takes up virtually the whole room with just about 8 inches by 2 feet of floor space, just enough to dress/undress.  The toilet is down the hall about 10 feet away.

As I got organized the car carriers were pulled away in groups of about 3 or 4 and soon there were just a few left on the most distant siding.

A little while before we pulled away the sun dropped just below the canopy over the platform and just above the distant trees.  Soon after we started moving the conductor gave us some quick numbers.  This is the longest passenger train in the US, about 3/4 miles long.  We have 16 passenger cars, 31 car carriers, and 2 locomotives, and are carrying 427 passengers and 266 vehicles.

 

The first call for dinner came at 5 and I was seated with a couple and a solo man.  My choices were a chicken dish and ice cream.

The plan for the evening is to have my bed down about 9 and in bed for the night soon afterwards.

 

Roy

[oakridger]

It's nice to see Amtrak has the real plates/utensils and meals back again after the pandemic.  The one dining car meal I had on the Coast Starlight about 7 years ago was (surprisingly) good!  🙂

 

~Nancy

 

 

[ClippyJoe]

This is fascinating to read. Living in the middle of the country with no passenger trains, I am amazed at this....I would love to take an overnight train trip.

Keep writing !

 

 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

It's interesting reading about the experience of life on the overnight(s) train. Thank you and happy cruising. Stay well!

[Iamthesea]

Very interesting!   I have not heard of the Autotrain and taking your cars with you. 

 

DH and I have done an overnight from Paris to Venice, but the experience was nothing compared to this.  We had Paninis for dinner. 🙄  Although, our sleeping cabin was fairly large with plenty of foot room.  I took the bottom bunk and DH slept above.  We had a sink in the cabin, but had to go down the hall to the nasty restroom.  It was a long night with little sleep.  Very rough for me being nearest the tracks.

[rafinmd]

Wednesday, November 8, 2023, Arrive Florida, Auto Train

 

I’ll start with another view of the Roomette, this one in the sleeping mode.  The slanted shelf in the upper right is the upper bunk which swivels down to use.

I rose about 6:15 in time to see the sun come up South of Jacksonville and when I returned and Gerald had returned the Roomette to day use mode.

The train makes just one stop, I think somewhere in South Carolina, around midnight.  No passengers board or disembark there but the train is serviced (especially fuel) and it is the one chance people have to grab a cigarette.

 

While a hot breakfast is now served the choices did not appeal to me and I opted instead for the grab and go option, primarily Raisin Bran and Coffee Cake.  We made good time for the stretch run and arrived at the Sanford terminal about a half hour early.  Unfortunately, things went a bit down hill for the rest of the day.  The first cars, 30 “priority” vehicles arrived by 10 and cars came off rapidly after that, but the display showing car numbers was not working, and there was no real break to the need to concentrate on listening for the right number.  Mine came off about 10:30 and I was ready to head off to my Niece’s house after stopping for gas.

 

Somehow, I had checked the saved places on my car GPS and she was there so I headed off only to discover on arrival that what I had was her 2018 address.  After I input the correct street it was not too far away and I arrived just before noon, but she was stuck at a long meeting at work so it was just me and the cat for the first hour.

 

Her son is a Junior in college, and I also learned her daughter has been involved in a drama program in High School which has her on campus until very late most days.

 

The hotel is very similar to the one I used in Lorton, and I expect a fairly early start in the morning.

 

Roy

 

[POA1]

Have a great trip!

[RMLincoln]

Good early morning Roy, I’m very glad I found your thread and will try to save your blog site. Being in the middle of a move myself your blog is a piece of calm!  Thanks for sharing!  Sending blessings for a smooth and memorable trip end-to-end.
 

We enjoyed Rotterdam last Feb/March with a family cruise. It was near the end of the Lincoln Center Stage contract. I’m very curious if they are back, perhaps in some other form. I’m hoping we can do a “recovery” cruise after our move which is next week! Which is why my brain was awake at 5am. 
Maureen 

 

[0bnxshs]

Adding my best wishes for a great adventure and thanks for the ride along, Roy.  Glad you are cruising again.  We will be on board Rotterdam in December and are also interested in knowing if there has been any announcements about LCS and their "rotating" schedule.

[POA1]

Thank you for the perspectives on travel by rail. Taking the train to board a ship is pretty rare and there are very few people who write a "live from" on the subject🚆🚢.

 

 

Edited November 9, 2023 by POA1

[iflyrc5]

On 11/7/2023 at 6:33 PM, rafinmd said:

It is too wide to go through the old locks.

 

Roy

From a discussion with an officer on the Rotterdam last year the ship was modified during construction that allows the life boat structure to rotate in several feet which then allows the ship to go through the old locks.  We are on this cruise twice in Jan/Feb 2024.  I am hoping that we get to do one through the old locks so I can see this process of rotating the structure in for clearance and one time through the new locks since we have not seen them.

[VMax1700]

On Rotterdam the lifeboat davitts slide in and out with hydraulically driven cables.  In the image (below) the davitts are in the 'out' position.  When the lifeboats are lifted and stored the davitts move inwards and  they then occupy the space over the grey deck area and do not overhang the side of the ship (which is the problem with Koningsdam).

 

 

[Happily@Sea]

18 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Wednesday, November 8, 2023, Arrive Florida, Auto Train

 

I’ll start with another view of the Roomette, this one in the sleeping mode.  The slanted shelf in the upper right is the upper bunk which swivels down to use.

I rose about 6:15 in time to see the sun come up South of Jacksonville and when I returned and Gerald had returned the Roomette to day use mode.

The train makes just one stop, I think somewhere in South Carolina, around midnight.  No passengers board or disembark there but the train is serviced (especially fuel) and it is the one chance people have to grab a cigarette.

 

While a hot breakfast is now served the choices did not appeal to me and I opted instead for the grab and go option, primarily Raisin Bran and Coffee Cake.  We made good time for the stretch run and arrived at the Sanford terminal about a half hour early.  Unfortunately, things went a bit down hill for the rest of the day.  The first cars, 30 “priority” vehicles arrived by 10 and cars came off rapidly after that, but the display showing car numbers was not working, and there was no real break to the need to concentrate on listening for the right number.  Mine came off about 10:30 and I was ready to head off to my Niece’s house after stopping for gas.

 

Somehow, I had checked the saved places on my car GPS and she was there so I headed off only to discover on arrival that what I had was her 2018 address.  After I input the correct street it was not too far away and I arrived just before noon, but she was stuck at a long meeting at work so it was just me and the cat for the first hour.

 

Her son is a Junior in college, and I also learned her daughter has been involved in a drama program in High School which has her on campus until very late most days.

 

The hotel is very similar to the one I used in Lorton, and I expect a fairly early start in the morning.

 

Roy

 

 

Service stop is outside of Florence SC. They gas up and also change the engineer and conductor (not sure about Auto Train though on the conductor) otherwise they run out of working/on-duty time. I know if there has been a huge delay [usually an incident on the tracks -whether nature or human caused] sometimes they will change crews earlier. This seldom has to happen.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Happily@Sea

[Iamthesea]

We lived in Florence for almost 2 years. First daughter born there.  I never knew the train stopped there.  I knew there was one in Greenville, SC.  When I was a little girl, growing up in Anderson, SC, my parents took us on a train from what I think must have been Greenville. SC ,We went all the way up to New Caanan, CT to visit my grandparents.  I can remember having sleeping berths with curtains.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Iamthesea