Rotterdam - 8/31/2005

[2forTravelin]

Hi, everyone. I'm looking for fellow passengers on this cruise. I have just begun researching ports and excursions and would love to hear from anyone else sailing with us.
Look forward to hearing from you!
cindy

 

[rshepley]

Hi, we had booked a new england cruise and were informed three days ago that they would not be going to Marhta's vinyard. we had planned to do a mediterranian cruise next year but haven't seen an itinerary we liked, so decided to look at going to the med this year and loved this itinerary so booked it two days ago. AM anxious to strart looking at the various ports/shore excursions. Am leaving for Las Vegas tomorrow for 4 days so it will have to wait. We already have a transatlantic from NY to London booked for May on the QM 2 adn we are staying in London for a week. We have never been to Europe so two sailings in one year will be fun. We love Holland AMerica- this will be our third on them. We plan to fly into Amsterdam a day ahead. After the cruise we are going to someohow tour Venice for a dya-not sure what we will do with our luggage? adn then fly that evening to Paris and stay in Paris until saturday adn thenconnect back to Amsterdama and home on saturday the 17th. Best airfare was thru Amsterdam. We live in Houston so Contintental had our best connecitons. We are both 60 adn love to travel, dine, enjoy good wines and we love to play bridge. Mike is an avid fisherman, also but cruises don't lend themselves to that. In the past we have booked our own excursions or rented a car and gone on our own. In Europe, not sure we want to try driving when we can't read the road signs. We are hiring a driver for a few days in London in May. May need to do that in Venice jsut so we have a place for our luggage. Since we are returnign to Paris, thought we might do something about DDay or a tour not in Paris, when we arrive by cruise ship. Have you found anything interesting? I will be backon Thursday late so won't check emails until fridya.

 

[2forTravelin]

Your email addres was blocked so I tried sending an email through the cruise-addicts website. I thnk you can find it if you go to your private messages. Please feel free to email me at 2forTravelin@comcast.net and I will get back with you. I was also contacted by another couple who are on this cruise and some initial planning has been done. So I do have some shore excursion information I would be happy to share with you. Hope you had a great Vegas trip. Talk to you soon.
cindy

 

[BobDenholm]

Hi -

My wife and I have also signed up for this cruise. We are flying from Chicago to Amsterdam, leaving on the 28th. This gives us two days in Amsterdam. We are flying out of Venice on Sept. 17th, which gives us 3 days in Venice at the end of the cruise. I am still researching hotels.

We have booked tours through HAL for Paris, Seville, Florence/Pisa and Rome.

This is our first time cruising with HAL, and we are looking forward to this cruise.


Bob Denholm

 

[2forTravelin]

Bob -

My husband and I are flying from Denver to Rotterdam on the 28th as well. We've been to Amsterdam before so decided we'd just stay in Rotterdam and train into Delft for a day. I love Amsterdam and there are many good places to visit so I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. We are staying in Venice for 4 days post cruise and used tripadvisor.com to find a nice Bed and Breakfast on a canal that is close to San Marco Square.

I've booked tours for Le Harve (D Day beaches), Rome, and Florence/Pisa. We've only been on one other cruise and that was a HAL Blatic cruise. We did most of the ports there on our own and really enjoyed it so we're still researching the other ports to see if we want to do those on our own as well. If you have any recommendations, I'd certainly be interested as we have never been to any of this cities.

I think this will be a great cruise.

cindy

 

[BobDenholm]

Cindy -

My wife and I spent 4 days in Rome when we took a RC cruise to Greece and Turkey in 2001, so we booked the transport to Rome only. We will go on our own to return to some of our favorite places.

We have never been to Amsterdam, and we will spend two days there and take the train to Rotterdam on the morning of the 31st. We plan on touring Lisbon, Barcelona, Monaco and Dubrovnik on our own. In Monaco the Aquarium is supposed to be a highlight. We have purchased guidebooks for all of the major stops, and will use them on the trip. My wife has been to Seville before, and said that I will really enjoy the tour.

I have also been using tripadvisor.com, and have found a nice hotel in Amsterdam. I have found a hotel near the airport in Venice for our final night, as we leave early the next morning. I am still researching the merits of the other hotels in Venice.

We both love to travel, and are very excited about this cruise.

Bob

 

[2forTravelin]

Bob -

Thanks for the suggestion about Seville. When I started researching Cadiz, it looked as though many of the sites would be closed on Monday. I've been trying to research Lisbon from the net but I think I'll just have to bite the bullet and get a guide book for the city. I'm a little disappointed that we will be in Rome on a Sunday. I had really wanted to see the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums. Looks like this might mean we'll have to go back (too bad)!

The important port for me is Florence. I've wanted to go there ever since I had an art history class in college. I found an excellent book about the museums and galleries that has layouts of the buildings with placements of the major works of art. We normally are pretty laid back in our traveling with a general idea of the places we want to visit. But with so much in Florence, I feel like a kid in a candy store. So much to see and so little time.

Sometimes it seems like August will never get here!

cindy

 

[BobDenholm]

Cindy -

We have booked the Florence/Pisa tour instead of the Florence-only tour, as we plan on returning to Florence for several days and take our time in the art galleries on a future trip. We also want to see Tuscany and Lake Como.

When we went to Rome we had four days, and we did not see everything we wanted to see. One item to avoid is the climb to the top of St. Peter's dome unless you are in very good physical condition. There are 600 steps in a narrow winding staircase with nowhere to rest. The view is fantastic if you can handle the climb.

Our approach on this cruise is that it is a "sampler", and we will return and spend more time in the cities in which we cannot see everything. My wife is taking early retirement in June from her school district, and we will be able to travel a lot more in the future.

Bob Denholm

 

[2forTravelin]

Bob -

Thanks for the advice about the climb to the top of St. Peter's dome. We're in pretty good shape but this sounds like something to do when you have plenty of time to make the climb and then rest up afterwards. I'm really interested in seeing the Forum and the Colosseum. What remarkable flashes of ancient history.

I thought I'd mention that if you have time in Amsterdam, you might enjoy the Begijnhof. It was the site of a medieval almshouse community and it is just tucked away in the middle of the city. It was a place for pious single women (and I think widows) to live who wanted a religious life without taking vows. There are several houses built around a small square with a garden. It seemed to me to be a bit of peace and quiet in such a busy city. It also has one of the oldest houses in Amsterdam and a lovely little church. It was one of the few places in the city that wasn't crowded.

Congratulations to your wife on her retirement! A cruise of the Med is such a wonderful way to celebrate. We retired about 3 years ago and have never looked back. I think life just keeps getting better.

cindy

 

[rpdallas]

Hi Cindy & Bob

This is my first Europe visit (1st cruise w/ HAL) !!! ... looks like you guys have been planning for this trip for quite some time now. I'm just barely starting to get all my information (tours , etc...) planned. Was wondering if you had any tips about the cities (tours , etc ...) we will sadly be arriving the same day of the cruise to rotterdam but we will be staying an extra day in Venice after the cruise ... Any help would be appreciated! ... thanks.

Raul

 

[BobDenholm]

Raul -

For general information on travel to Europe, I like Rick Steves guidebooks and shows on PBS. He tends towards frugal travel, but has good advice. In addition, we have been buying small guidebooks for the individual ports of call (ie: Top 10 things to See).

In my opinion, the number one thing to try in Italy is Gelato (Italian Ice Cream). The flavors need to be experienced, as they are very intense.

Here are some helpful websites:

www.ricksteves.com
www.cruisecritic.com
europeforvisitors.com
venere.com - Italian hotel finder

If you are arriving in Rotterdam on the same day as the cruise, make sure you bring extra clothing in your carryon bag. When we flew to Rome in 2001, our luggage was lost for two days. Fortunately, I had booked us for two days in Rome before the cruise. I had to buy some clothes in Rome, however. One lady on our cruise had her luggage lost for 5 days. Rick Steves has some good advice on packing light for your carryon.

In addition, make sure you can handle your luggage in Venice: we will have to travel by boat from the cruise ship dock to the main part of Venice for the hotel. In addition, wheeled luggage can be a problem on cobblestone streets. Most hotels in Italy have tiny elevators, and you may have to carry your baggage up the stairs to your room.

Most experts recommend getting some Euros before you go, so as to have some money as soon as you arrive.

Good Luck!

Bob

 

[rpdallas]

Thanks Bob! I had not thought about the possibility of getting the luggage lost, I will definately be carrying some clothes in the carry-on just in case! .... thanks for your help we'll see how it goes...