Luxury Cruise Holidays | Caribbean Sea Cruises | Holland America Line

Ship Reviews

The cruise would have been rated excellent but for lack of the usual free transportation from the pier to the port entrance at Curacao and Aruba. At both ports the berth was quite a bit farther away than we've experienced on previous cruises. There was some free transportation at Curacao but not at all times during the stay. None at Aruba. It was a very hot day, and many passengers that we spoke to did not get off the ship,therefore did not visit those ports. Knowing the demographics of the passengers on board, we felt that Holland America did not give us the excellent port service that we have received from them in the past. That being said, the cruise otherwise was wonderful. We always were pleased with the food, but it was actually better than our last Rotterdam cruise; and the entertainment was definitely improved. Classical music was brought back, and the shows on the World Stage were a welcome improvement. We would like to see smoking in the ship's casino eliminated. We have not noticed that on ships with smokeless casinos any difference in the activity at the machines or tables.

Overall the cruise was fantastic, but there were a few things that took away from the experience. Positives: Ship was spotless, food was good to very good, balcony room was spacious with lovely shower with glass door, music walk was unique and quite enjoyable. Room stewards were great. Loved the option of the unlimited laundry package. Negatives: Be aware that it can get smokey at the aft pool area even in the non-smoking section since the smoking section is on the opposite side of the pool. If the wind is blowing in your direction, there is no getting away from it. Some of the activities/venues were too small for the amount of people interested in attending. Buffet set up led to lines of people overcrowding certain areas. Service overall was hit or miss. Sometimes incredible, sometimes not so good. The first day we had an issue with excursions as they substituted one port with another, but we could not book anything on the app since they never cancelled our original excursion. There was one person at the excursions desk, and by the time it was my turn, the excursions I were interested in were already sold out.

This is a long log-style review. If you just want the summary scroll down to the bottom. Saturday, October 4, 2025 – Rotterdam (Haarlem), Netherlands The Rotterdam docked a little late at the Rotterdam cruise port, but we were still in the cruise terminal at 7:30. We walked the one block to the Wilhelminaplein metro station and found our way to the E-train. We only waited about 5 minutes for the train to arrive. Eight minutes later we were in the Rotterdam Centrall station and soon on the intercity train headed to Haarlem. We arrived at 9:04, took the time to find the WCs, and then walked the pedestrian street towards the center of town. We found our destination, the Corrie Ten Boom house and museum just after 9:30. As our reservation was for 10:00, we walked one block further to the “Grote markt” (main city square) where there is a market on Saturday (and Monday). We walked around the market noting the fishmonger who also sells lightly fried fish. We went back to the Ten Boom house, arriving about 9:55. Right at 10:00 the door opened, and the host began reading names of those with reservations. I suppose we were first because we booked this six or more months prior. This was a 90-minute tour with a full explanation of the Ten Boom’s history as friends of the Jewish community long before WW2 began. The house, like all the houses on the street, is over 500 years old, but had been in the Ten Boom family since the early 1800’s. The tour was very meaningful, and we left buying a few books a little after 11:40. We then went to the cathedral to take photos. After touring the church, we went back to the fishmonger for lunch. A 400-gram serving of Kibberling, lightly fried fish nuggets, for €10 served as a shared lunch for all. The Kibberling were really good. We began walking back towards the train station making stops at a cheese store, where we each bought some vacuum-packed cheese to bring home, and an Albert Hein supermarket for a few items. We were a little confused as our train said “Amsterdam Centrall” on the side placard, but it was actually the correct train headed to Rotterdam. The train was much more crowded than the morning train but returned us to Rotterdam Centrall in less than an hour. The quick metro ride brought us all back to the cruise port just after 2:00. Embarkation day always has its challenges. No delay getting back onboard and everything was moved to our new cabins. We certainly have more space in verandah cabin than in the previous 14 days. We all went down to the Dutch café, but the line stretched back towards the photo gallery. We then tried to go up to the NY Deli but that took 15 minutes with the limited elevators available. My friend who climbed the 9 flights of stairs was there before us. Good for him! We enjoyed a few rounds of beverages. DW had a NY Deli salad while I just had some chips. I was satisfied with the Kibberling we enjoyed! While at the Deli area the captain came on with an announcement I was almost expecting. Due to very stormy conditions and 8-meter wave heights (26 feet!) we would remain docked in Rotterdam overnight, leaving at about 8:00 on Sunday morning. By then the worst of the storm will have passed. We will then make our way north to Norway but our first port of call, Haugesund, is canceled for Monday. We will now have two sea days, Sunday & Monday. Back to our new cabin to straighten out the closets, clean up for the evening, and unpack the suitcase items. That took us right up to 5:00. We rushed to dinner and forgot to remove the “Privacy please” hanger from the door. Dinner at our new table, 233, was very good. We were able to obtain our preferred wines although Josh never made it over. Our waiter is Lucky and Anton is the assistant. The pan-seared sole entrée was enjoyable. What to do after dinner became a question. The main stage show was comedian Paul Adams. We had already shared his best joke with our added tablemates. With Rolling Stone off, Billboard didn’t begin until 8:15. We ended up getting seats in a corner at Billboard and enjoyed conversation & visiting until Megan & Gabe began their “Top 100” set. We didn’t make it through the set after the very early start, leaving about 8:45. Back in the cabin nothing was reset due to the privacy hanger. We did find our assistant room steward, Andi, who took our wet towels and gave us new ones. By 9:30 the lights went out for the night. Sunday, October 5, 2025 – Rotterdam to sailing North on the rocky North Sea I forgot to mention that Saturday we exceeded 11,000 steps. We were up about 7:15 still docked in Rotterdam. I went to the Dutch café for coffee & tea with no wait. In the cabin, I put the TV on the aft cam so I would see when we were leaving the dock. At about 8:05 I noticed we were pulling away. I went to deck three port side to take photos of the old Rotterdam (now a hotel) as we passed. We attended the 9:00 non-denominational church service, which was inspirational. Afterwards the ladies all went to flower arranging while the men went up to deck 10 to teach Catan to our friend’s brother. We played two rounds, and our new player won the first, playing Green. DW joined us for the second game and Blue was the winner. We haven’t played the basic game in a long time. We stayed at our nice oval table on 10 for lunch. I ordered from the Dive Inn using the AP and it is working better. The AP ordering for the NY Deli is not operational, however. The ladies then all went to water coloring and DW had a nice time. I returned to the cabin to complete my log for the first 14 days and submitted the review to cruise critic. DW returned from water coloring and with the rocking of the ship we rested for a while. Suddenly it was 4:00 and time to get ready for ‘dressy night.’ We went down at 4:35 to find that every bar was standing room only. In all our Holland America cruises we’ve never run into that situation. We ended up sitting at the Half Moon Bar because it wasn’t open yet. We went a little early into the dining room as the doors were already open. It took a little friendly persuasion, but we eventually got the wine stewards to bring the proper wine for everyone. Somehow both DW and our friend were served the wrong ones. Dinner was good and everyone really enjoyed it. Our one new friend’s salmon was undercooked, but it was quickly replaced. My tenderloin and shrimp arrived without shrimp. Then Lucky ended up bringing me a double helping of shrimp. After dinner we went to Billboard and found it unexpectedly quiet. We took the corner seats. Megan & Gabe’s “60’s” set was different than the prior cruise, which we certainly greatly appreciate! Lee is no longer assigned to Billboard, and we miss her service. At 8:25 we returned to our cabin with lights out about 9:30. Around 10 PM the ship must have hit some mighty waves and the ship “Banged” three times in a row with a very hard shake. We were glad we were in bed at that point! This was certainly the worst sea conditions we have sailed in at least since 2009. No seasickness among our six, but we have heard some are having a hard time, including crew members. Monday, October 6, 2025 – Not Haugesund, rather sailing slowly North towards Norway. It’s a shame we missed Haugesund as that is a port we’ve never been to. With no plans on the horizon to return to a Northern Europe / Norway sailing, who knows? We ended up passing by Haugesund perhaps 10 miles off the coast at about 8:00 PM. We were up at about 7:15. 7:30 I had no wait at the Dutch café. Panashe told me I just missed my friend. DW wanted a slow morning. I met my friend for a dining room breakfast at 8:00. Afterwards we headed up to the pool deck. I enjoyed the pool until the hot tub was open, then spent 35 minutes in the hot tub. Back to the cabin to clean up for the day. DW met the ladies to attend the cooking demonstration. I went up to deck 10 and found a vacant large table as everyone wanted to play Catan at 11:00. It was a good round of introductory Seafarers and Blue eked out a win. Afterwards we had lunch, most of us from the Dive Inn. We received an invite for a wine tasting at 1:45. DW wanted to go, I didn’t. She invited our new friend who was delighted with the invitation. They had a nice time but didn’t care for any of the wines. They did see both Joel and Leo at the wine tasting. I stayed at the table and updated my log, then my friend returned, and we played two rounds of Splendor. DW returned from the wine tasting and joined us for two additional rounds. My friend won for the first time during the afternoon. We went by the shops to see if any of the long-sleeved Ts were still available. Sadly, they are not, the one that fits me very well is all gone. They still have quite a few of the “Baltic” clearance jackets but only in certain sizes. The shop personnel seem to have low expectations for any restock before Florida. Dinner was very nice in the dining room. The panko Hake was very much enjoyed by four of us. One of us thought portions of the Hake tasted a bit fishy. The sixth entrée was the veal which looked like a huge portion. We stopped back in our cabin just as our team was finishing up. I showed them the shirt that needed special laundry treatment, and they took it directly to the laundry. Terrific service as usual! We went down to Billboard and this evening it was packed. Our friends arrived a little before us and snagged a table. The 7:30 set was country, and everyone seemed to have a super time. Our friends left to make a wi-fi call back to the US. When the set concluded after finishing our drinks, we called it a night at 8:25. By then the show had gotten out and the entire area was jammed with people. Back in our cabin lights out were out shortly after 9:00. Tuesday, October 7, 2025: Eidfjord, Norway The alarm was set for 6:00 however DW woke up shortly before. Checking the program, the Dutch café opened at 6:00 so at about 6:20 I was there and obtained the coffee & tea with no wait. I texted our friends and we met for breakfast in the dining room at 7:30. Breakfast was good although it took 30 minutes for our food to arrive. We had time as our meeting time was 8:30 at the Dutch café to head out together for our semi-private tour to the Voringsfossen waterfall in the Mabodalen valley. There was supposed to be another couple in addition to the six of us, but they did not show. So just after 9:00 our very deluxe taxi van began to climb the valley to the upper lookout for the waterfall. In better (dry) weather we would have been dropped at the top and picked up at the bottom after hiking down. With the constant drizzle that was not a great idea as the risk of slipping was too high. We did get to all the overlook spots in the upper area. DW made a quick run through the souvenir shop but made no acquisition. Back in the van we made the drove to the lower observation points. Here we were the only vehicle on arrival. We made quick use of the complimentary and clean WCs and then began exploring the various vantage points. We used up our time and were all back in the van at 10:30 for the drive back to Eidfjord. We asked the driver to drop us at the Eidfjord Gamie Church, and he was happy to do so. The church doors were open, so we were able to see the inside of this +700 year old church built of native rock and huge timber beams. We walked around the area and began walking back through town towards the port. On the way, we detoured to look at a local souvenir shop / café and one person bought a magnet. Back on board just before noon we were shocked to see the line at the Dutch café stretch into the photo gallery. On a port day! No seating was available there, so we went up to deck 10 and sat at the same table used the prior day for Catan. I found the haddock fish (& chips) in the lido was nicely cooked and not over-breaded. I did not take any chips. I also had a slice of beef. DW had a salad from the deli. Others did the deli or the Dive Inn. After lunch we rested for a while as the early morning left us tired. While in the room getting ready for the evening, a knock on the door brought a gift of chocolates from guest services. I can only think this was because the balcony divider had come loose in the stormy seas. It was quickly repaired after we let them know, but still this was a nice gesture. At 4:20 we tried to find seats for a drink in the crow’s nest. It was packed beyond belief. Headed down to the Dutch café we actually found a table, and I enjoyed a cherry beer. Lee said she would send some cherry beers to Billboard if I would like to have one in the evening sometime. That is some service! While at the Dutch café the captain’s “Welcome back” announcement was made. There is some question about making it to Kirkwall on Thursday as another storm is due to hit there on that day. I sure hope if we don’t make it to Kirkwall, we stop in one of the several southern Norway ports that would be on the way back to Rotterdam. We went up to Tamarind just before 5:00 for drinks before dinner as we have a 5:30 reservation for the six of us. We thought Tamarind would be a great spot for the scenic sail away down the fiord. That was good thinking, but once we rounded two curves from town the fog moved in pretty much blocking any views. Dinner in Tamarind was very enjoyable, and everyone agreed we should return later in the cruise. Then it was almost time for the Lido fair. We went and got a table and ordered waters and soft drinks. We played all the games. Ticket numbers were called and for the first time we actually won something, a pack of Holland America playing cards, a plastic tulip, and a Rotterdam sticker. In any case, it was a fun event. At about 9:15 we headed back to our cabin for the evening. Back in our cabin, this is the first time we could hear BB King’s band in our cabin. We are TWO flights above them, and over the shops on the 3rd floor so they must be incredibly loud. About 10:00 it was lights out after a 9,400-step day. Just a note: This portion of the cruise is a 7-day and I’ve never seen a Holland America ship so crowded in the public spaces. I can only think there were unsold cabins and discounts must have been offered to local residents. Wednesday, October 8, 2025: Bergen, Norway A later start made no alarm necessary. This is the exact halfway point of our time on the Rotterdam for the full 36 days, as this is day 18. DW was up a little after 7:00. At 7:20 I was number four in line at the Dutch café. At exactly 8:00 the captain came on the loudspeakers (even in the cabins) welcoming everyone to Bergen. Then he explained that forecasted conditions for Thursday in Kirkwall were winds of 50 MPH which are above the safe maneuvering capabilities of the ship for docking. However, now we are headed to Haugesund, Norway where we will be docked for the full day on Thursday. DW and I went to the dining room for breakfast. Arriving a little before 8:30, our food was not served until after 9:05. Again, two of the items I ordered were missing when our order was delivered. DW has about had it with the dining room breakfast as it just takes so long, and we haven’t even been going there on sea days (when it is always very busy). After returning to our cabin, we realized we forgot to bring our dinner order with us. So, I walked back to the dining room. The hostess knew something had upset DW and asked me about it. I told them exactly what has been going on with every meal missing something ordered, and then it is taking so long today. They were very apologetic and pleaded with me to return so they could do a better job. As of this writing we don’t know what we will decide. We all met a little after the 9:45 meeting time. After going ashore, I called an Uber XL to take the six of us over to the Bergenhus Fortress. From there we would follow Rick Steve’s walking tour as far back as the funicular and fish market. The fortress was worth seeing and walking around. St. Mary’s Church is closed on Wednesday so we could not visit the inside. Further, the outside towers were wrapped in shrink wrap due to ongoing preservation efforts. Understandable for a church from the 1100’s, but disappointing to the photographers. We continued our walk into and through Bryggen, stopping along the way at several shops. At one of them, one of the ladies bought a sweatshirt. We continued along the harbor to the corner where we could turn past the old meat market and towards the funicular. The funicular had a long line to buy tickets. I pulled out my phone and was able to buy four tickets that way, by passing the line. We were on the next ride up to the top of Mount Floyen. At the top we took a bunch of photos. There is also a troll statue behind the building that houses the station, and photos were taken with the friendly troll. We gave the shop a quick look over and headed back down, after reaching the bottom we walked down Hollendergaten lane, which was once the waterfront where Dutch traders lived or traded. We then visited the fish market and looked over all the offerings. The least costly sandwich I found was 299 Kroner, or just over $30. Therefore, we decided to have lunch on the ship. I found that an Uber XL was 160 Kroner versus a 1 mile walk with steep grades (Up & down). We took Uber and then walked into the port and our ship. Back on board we dropped our things in the cabin and then headed up to our deck 10 table. DW had a salad from the deli, and I enjoyed some haddock and hake from the lido. After lunch I walked around taking a few photos of town from the ship before heading back to the cabin to get ready for the “Orange party” evening. We went a bit early to the dining room for dinner and it was open. We enjoyed the “Dutch dinner” and then headed up to the lido for the Dutch dessert corner. We introduced our new friends to Ollie Bollen and almond roll, among other treats. We ended up sitting at “Our table” up on deck 10 near the bar. From there we headed to Billboard for the “Never #1” set. Two of the group went to the show, vocalist Devon Norris. Afterwards, by 8:30 we headed back to the cabin after a 10,700+ step day. We called it a night with lights out by 9:15. Thursday, October 9, 2025: Kirkwall – NOT! Rather back to Haugesund, Norway No alarm set yet DW was up at 7:02. I went for beverages at 7:30 to the Dutch café and was third in line. Just as I was gathering shore needs my friend texted that he was up at 10 at the deli. DW wasn’t ready and wanted a slow morning, she told me to go and please bring her back a croissant. I had the bagel sandwich, and it was decent. I asked for the eggs to be well done and they were. I stopped at the juice bar for a freshly squeezed OJ as they don’t have that at the deli. We all met a little early for our 9:15 meeting time and headed out to the very nice and compact cruise port. We certainly have no complaints here in Haugesund (like some ports) where you must walk 1500 steps in the port just to get “Outside.” This was about 50 steps! There was a taxi waiting but not large enough for six. He called and within a minute a taxi-van pulled up. 500 NOK to take the six of us to Haroldshaugvegen, the monument just outside of town, which is the site where Harold Fairhair, the king who united all of Norway is buried. Surrounding the monument are standing stones listing the names of the various Viking chiefs who pledged loyalty to Harold. It is quite an impressive monument. From there our friend had laid out a walk back to town along the waterfront (part of the way) and through a residential neighborhood. We also passed an old church worthy of a few photos. We made a one-block detour to the Havnaberg lookout which provided a nice view over the waterfront, the marina, and the island of Risøy where the cruise port is located. We then enjoyed walking along Haroldsgata, the main shopping street. The center portion is pedestrian only. We found a shop selling only made in Norway products and they had gorgeous sweaters on display outside. At ~$130 each they looked terrific but how often would we be able to wear them in Florida? We ventured into the shop looking around and found a small rack with sweaters at 50% off. As providence would have it, one was in my size and another in DW’s size. We tried them on to make sure and made our purchase. The very friendly shopkeeper agreed to take the rest of the NOK cash I had and charged the balance. Then she took us to the back of the shop and showed us a photo of her 22-year-old son, who graduated from fishing academy and now had his own fishing boat in northern Norway. She also had three freezers with snow and king crab that came off her son’s boat. Finally, she gave us a small Norwegian flag as thanks. That certainly made us feel terrific about our purchase. Our friends were all kind enough to wait while all this went on, and we then continued down the street. We came across a recommended coffee/cupcake shop, “Cupcake Huset” and stopped in for coffee/tea and some of us had a cupcake. I will say it was a terrific cupcake, but two teas and a cupcake was $18.30. That is Norway for sure! It started raining a little just as we went into the shop and the rain stopped before we came out. We continued down Haroldsgata and saw Our Savior’s Church on a rise off to the left. We walked over and were able to look around the church and take photos. Some of the stained-glass windows are pretty. We continued and visited a few more shops with no major purchases made by any of our group. We spied a pharmacy one block further than we planned to walk and I needed to visit that. Everyone walked down and next door to the pharmacy was a souvenir shop that was very popular with cruisers. My pharmacy purchase was made in less than a minute and we joined the others at the shop next door. I ended up buying three pairs of socks. Then we began the .9 KM walk back to the ship. It was quite a climb going over the bridge to Risøy island, but it did give a chance to snap a few photos of the harbor. Then, when we were literally at the start of the little shops by the port, the wind-driven rain came. After 30 seconds it became a downpour with hail mixed in. It was less than 100 yards to the gangway but by then our pants were completely soaked. Back to the cabin we did a complete change into our “Dressy evening” new Norwegian sweaters. One of our friends somehow snagged a table at the Dutch café so we went there for lunch. First time ever the poffertjes we received were hard and cold. When one of the servers came around, we told him. They were soon replaced with fresh hot ones. The others wanted to rest up a while. DW and I took the Splendor game up to the crow’s nest, but no tables were available, even though we were in port. We found a table near the NY deli on 10. Evangeline, one of the servers there, asked where the rest of the group was. She was attentive and kept our beverages coming while we played. The sun came out, and I went to the outside deck to take a few photos. At 4:15 we returned to our cabin, and I called back to New Jersey on wi-fi calling. The captain welcomed everyone back and told us to expect some rocking overnight but tomorrow should be smoother as we sail south towards Rotterdam. Dinner was very nice, the “Gold gala” menu. Five of us had the tenderloin with crab meat and it was very tender. DW enjoyed the duck although she commented that her serving had very thick skin. A thick-skinned duck, who would have guessed? After dinner we headed to Billboard. Even arriving at 6:55, with no entertainment until 7:30, it was packed! We ended up sitting at the piano bar. That’s a great place to be part of the action but you can’t stretch out the legs there. We all passed on the World stage show of magician Mel Mellers. The ”Piano greats” was a terrific show and the finale of a Jerry Lee Lewis “Mash-up” was incredible. Our favorite server has apparently been reassigned to the Ocean Bar but came by with a bottle of the wine DW enjoys. She also made me an Orange Crush. So appreciated! Another terrific night at Billboard for sure. After leaving Billboard we went by the Ocean Bar just to say hello to Lee. Afterwards we headed back to the cabin. We stayed up a bit as laundry had been delivered so we put everything away and I updated the log. This was an over 12,000 step day. By about 9:55 it was lights out. Friday, October 10, 2025 – Sailing south on the North Sea. Sea day #3. No alarm and we slept in until just before 8:00. I went down to the Dutch café, and my friend was there. He said to meet him at the NY Deli if I wished. After returning the tea and croissant to our cabin I did so, as DW wanted a slow, easy morning. I had eggs and crispy bacon from the deli, and a fresh OJ from the juice bar, and then we went down to 9 and enjoyed the warm pool until the hot tubs were open. We moved to the larger hot tub as my friend’s brother joined us. We had a nice time in the hot tub. Upon getting back to our cabin, guest services were on the phone responding to my inquiry on the credit for our canceled shore excursion in Kirkwall. They ended up transferring me to shore excursions. I spoke a long time with them but due to later events it may not matter (to be continued). Our friend stopped by to pick up the Catan game as due to the long phone call we were running late. We arrived when the game was about set up. We ended up playing a six-person seafarer’s fog game with volcanoes. I questioned the volcanoes, but he really wanted them in the game. My friend started off gangbusters, but then three times in a row, he built a settlement on a volcano and quickly lost it. The points leader changed several times through the game, and I was in the lead for a short time after ‘stealing’ the longest road, but the player with the RED playing pieces got four victory points on the last move ending with 16 when only 14 was needed to win. Congratulations to RED! We put the game away and enjoyed lunch at our table. The “Fish & chips” in the lido today was Hake. It was very good. I added some chips (not fries) and one slice of roast beef, and it was a nice lunch. As this is the last day for those on the seven-day cruise, the lido team put on their march and show on the pool deck. It’s nice but today the volume was very high, and it happened as we were trying to have a conversation. DW and the other ladies all took part in the flower arranging class. Humphries used DW’s vase as an example and then a local cruiser put another vase in DW’s spot so she would end up with the sample arrangement. What some people will do to their fellow guests I just don’t understand. This rather ruined the whole experience for DW. While the ladies were arranging floral masterpieces, we played three rounds of two-person Splendor. My friend won the first and then I won rounds two and three. Back in the cabin is another note from the captain (third one in six days!!!) this time telling us that due to a harbor pilot’s strike in Belgium our port call at Zeebrugge on Sunday had been canceled. Instead, we will have a port call in Dover, England. Circle back to the shore excursion discussion, we ended up booking a shore excursion to Canterbury as we’ve done the other options from Dover and certainly have no interest in 5 hours on a bus to spend 4 hours in London! Shore excursions began to be posted during dinner. We did not hear the cruise director’s announcement that shore ex would be open from 5 – 7:00. Dinner was nice and I enjoy the “Sweet & Sour Shrimp.” Three had the lamb chops and enjoyed those. After dinner I went up to shore ex to book the 7-hour “Leeds castle, Canterbury & Time on your own” for our day in Dover (Sunday). Our friends also went to shore ex as they have not posted any tours in Dover for the castle and/or town. Having never been to Dover they want to see the castle and WW2 tunnels, along with the famous White cliffs. Four of us went to Billboard for the first set of “All requests.” We enjoyed the set especially the final mash-up of perhaps eight numbers ending with a song we didn’t know but it is apparently a song where the girl is asking the guy for a marriage commitment, and the guy keeps saying “Let me sleep on it.” This was really funny! We stopped by the Ocean Bar to say hello to Lee. We miss her in Billboard. Then we returned to our cabin. Our friend was waiting for us as she had received a bronze medallion (100 days on Holland America) in their cabin. Congratulations! On our bed we found the mariner tiles for this cruise. A very early start the next day caused an early “Lights out” at 9:00 PM. We now will have FOUR early start, long touring days in a row. Glad this day was rather relaxing as it will be six days before the next sea day (barring any other unforeseen changes!). Saturday, October 11, 2025 – Rotterdam (Kinderdijk) Netherlands The alarm sounded at 5:55 to start our day. No wait for morning beverages at the Dutch café at 6:10. My friend was coming back with their beverages as I went for ours. We ended up being ready earlier than anticipated. That allowed us to try for a quick breakfast in the dining room. Breakfast was okay but they still brought me an incorrect order. It was corrected in record time, but still, it shows the lack of detail. We gathered our things and met our friends at the Dutch café. We quickly headed out through the cruise terminal and walked down the street to the Wilhelminaplein tram stop. We briefly boarded the wrong tram (#5) but realized our error and jumped out to wait six minutes for the #3 tram. The tram ride was nice taking us through several neighborhoods we would never have seen if we had not ridden the tram. We exited the tram at Beverwaard and walked the short distance to the bus stop. About 10 minutes later the #489 bus arrived which took us directly to Kinderdijk, again passing through several neighborhoods. On arrival we made the mistake of not walking directly down into Kinderdijk from the bus stop. In our previous visits we were with a group so that was the only entrance I knew of. I guess that gave us maybe 800 extra steps! Once on the grounds, we made a necessary stop and visited the ticket center, where the staff confirmed we could just show our phone tickets for any of the indoor spots needing tickets. I will say that unlike our brief visits on tours, this visit to Kinderdijk we “Did it all.” We watched the new eight-minute movie explaining the history of the area and how the mills dried the land so the people could farm and live below sea level. It also showed how the windmills were replaced with several generations of pumps up to the present. The windmills were in danger of being torn down several times, but they always managed to survive and were actually put back in use during WW2 when fuel was in short supply for the electric pumps. From the theater we visited the second-generation pump house which has been maintained as it was in the 1920’s. We then walked past the display of Beatrice’s cradle. Later one of the ladies bought a book about it. Next, we found we had only a few minutes’ wait for the first canal boat tour of the day. We ended up with a nearly private tour as there were only two other couples on the boat besides the six of us. The docent was very helpful telling us all about the mills, adding to the history film, and answering many questions. I felt like this boat tour was a highlight of the day, and something the tour groups never take time to experience. The docent told us that the difference between Kinderdijk and Zaanse Schanse is that Kinderdijk is all original, with 16 families still residing in and maintaining the mills. While Zaanse Schanse (as we know) contains buildings and mills relocated from other parts of the country. We then walked along the path to the second open windmill, the oldest in the area. This smaller mill was nice to see up close. We could go inside and peek at the upper level. It sure is tight here for a family to live! The miller who lives here also has various animals on display (chickens, rabbits, sheep) and a robust garden area visitors can observe. It was worth the +1 KM walk each way to reach the mill. We then walked back to the first museum mill that is open. Here some of us climbed the inside as far as we could (3 flights) to see the various living areas. The main beam that turns the waterwheel is gigantic. I didn’t have a tape, but it must be 18 inches square, and the length over 40 feet. That was some tree it came from! After visiting the mill, we walked back to the visitor’s center and took time for some coffee / tea and snacks. The apple pie seemed very similar to the Dutch café pie but not quite as tall. I enjoyed an apple turnover. They had giant almond cookies, but we did not try one. It was then shopping time. DW was disappointed that the type of hand towels she acquired in 2022 were no longer available. The design changed and she said the new design was “Ugly.” She did find a few things to take home as well as some special treats for the next time we see our grandchildren. We looked at the transit options to get back to Rotterdam and decided to wait for the direct waterbus. That was certainly a faster option, 30 minutes with no stops, and we got to see the waterfront along the way. It did cost more than twice what we paid for the tram and bus combination. On arrival back in Rotterdam we walked across the bridge and into the cruise terminal. We were back onboard at about 2:50. For some reason, there was a mandatory all hands present muster drill at 3:30. The problem with this is there is not enough seating for everyone assigned to each muster station. Of course there were some cabins not checked in. Part of that could be that the original itinerary, the Navigator AP (in the morning), and the exit sign in the cruise terminal all had the all aboard time as 4:30. The daily program showed 3:30. As a note, I passed the gangway at 4:25 and embarking people were still coming on board. Talk about last-minute! And one piece of good news: The cruise director we really didn’t care for is gone, replaced with a lady named “Stone.” On our way to dinner, I saw that Dutch café line had only one person waiting. DW went ahead to the dining room while I obtained a raspberry beer (Cherry was all out) to take with me to dinner. Our waiter Lucky told us that all the waiters were told they could no longer order “Double” wine pours. He knew some of us did this only to lessen his work, and we certainly never wasted any! So now as soon as a glass is delivered, we order another, which is exactly what he suggested. The Cod sliders and the Haddock entrée were both super. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal. After the meal, four of us attended the “Majority rules” game show. Our team ended up winning, and we obtained our prizes of “Rotterdam” stickers. We obtained a few drinks at Billboard, but Megan & Gabe don’t begin until 8:00. After a +16,000-step day and with a very full day ahead, we called it an early night. Actually, it was really early, as we changed our clocks to London time for our third visit this year to Dover. Sunday, October 12, 2025 – Brugges, Belgium – NOT – Dover, UK instead This marks our third port call in Dover this year. The only thing remaining on “What to do from Dover” is to visit Canterbury. The ship offered a 7-hour tour to Leeds Castle and Canterbury, so we booked that mostly with our have it all shore ex $. The friends we are traveling with have never been to Dover, so they hope to explore the castle and WW2 tunnels and perhaps see some of the downtown attractions. The night prior I read a news article from the US that Canterbury cathedral was projecting ‘graffiti’ onto the inside surfaces as some kind of political stunt, so we will not visit the inside of the cathedral. See https://www.foxnews.com/media/vance-musk-call-out-church-england-simulated-graffiti-art-display-walls-uks-oldest-cathedral if you are interested. The alarm was set for 6:00 but DW was up beforehand. I went for beverages at the Dutch café at 6:30 with no wait, but one of our party was already there getting their morning started. First call into a UK port means a visit with a border agent. With a ship’s tour we are in the first group, at 7:30. After the quick meeting with the friendly agent, we headed to the dining room for breakfast. Breakfast was pretty nice, and everything was brought as ordered. They also brought things we didn’t order (and specifically said we didn’t need, like potatoes and the cherry tomatoes they love to dress up a plate with), but at least we did receive what was ordered. By the time we left at 8:35 the dining room was quite crowded with a line of about 20+ people waiting to come in. I tried to get tea at the NY Deli, but the tea tasted like coffee. That happens when the carafe they use for hot water was used for coffee the prior day. I ended up dumping the tea. We gathered our things in the cabin and went to the Dutch café for a good tea. I took the tea with us to B B Kings to check in for our tour. We only waited about 5 minutes, and they called our tour. We took seats in the third row of the bus, mostly as we were unsure if the driver would use the rear door. It turns out he did, but it didn’t matter. The front row is kept open for people needing assistance, and there were none. So, the folks in row two moved to the front, and we were able to spread out in row two, one on each side. That sure made for a more comfortable ride. Sunday morning there was no traffic to Leeds Castle. Leeds was last purchased in 1924 by a wealthy Lady. She spared no expense in making it a luxury home with 10 bedrooms and all the most modern conveniences. The first room toured after the entrance is a parlor that has now been redone to explain the evolution of house servants in the 1920’s & 30’s. I felt like we had walked into Downton Abbey, and half expected to see Mr. Mosley coming in through the side door. We very much enjoyed the self-guided tour of the castle. The grounds are magnificent and reminded us of Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania (the former DuPont estate). Not as much a show garden as Longwood, but huge with many outbuildings, water features, and resident birds and waterfowl. The huge swans were quite a sight. There was a nice gift shop in one of the outbuildings and DW acquired a mug. We felt like we had just the right amount of time there, about 2 ½ hours. Everyone of the 41 on the tour returned to the bus on time, for our 12:55 departure to Canterbury. The bus was delayed about 10 minutes by traffic in Canterbury itself. Like many older tourist towns, Canterbury’s coach park is quite a way from the town center. The guide walked us all along the river to one of the few existing roman-era buildings, which was originally a church. From there she took us to the main gate by the cathedral. The guide offered to take folks around showing the highlights of the town, we and about 10 others went with her. We took photos of the cathedral exterior and then walked to the central axis road, also a relic from Roman times. This road is wide and straight while all the side roads are narrow and bend. There we were shown various buildings of different eras and styles. At the end, we had 30 minutes on our own. I had seen a street market, so we made our way there. This was about 75% of food, and no fish vendors at all. Rather, Indian, Asian, Arabic, and German foods were featured. With not enough time to sit at a café, we looked in a few souvenir shops but made no purchases. Everyone met back in time, and we walked back to the bus, with the guide pointing out a few more buildings along the way. The bus ride back went smoothly, and we drove right past Dover castle on the way to the port. We were back in our cabin at 4:45. Dinner was very nice. Our new friends went to Tamarind, so there were just four of us in the dining room. Seems more people skipped the dining room so the wine service was faster. The prime rib was excellent and cooked exactly to order. DW ordered the hake but asked for it to be baked and she won’t do that again as it had little taste. Our friends had an invite to a three-star mariner event on the pool deck. They went to that after dinner. I went up to deck 10 and snapped a few photos of them. They were told there were 600 three-star mariners onboard. They met us after the mariner function on deck ten. We talked and visited a little and called it a night as we lose an hour with a time change back to Europe time. Billboard doesn’t begin until 8:00 again. DW watched a little of a movie while I updated my log. All in all, this was a good day and perhaps the best, or certainly in the top five, of any ship’s excursions we’ve ever taken. This was another 16,000-step day. Monday, October 13, 2025 – Columbus Day, Thanksgiving Day (Canada): Le Harve (Giverny & Honfleur) France Alarm set for 6:00 and today it woke us from a sound sleep. I didn’t sleep too well as various pains were manifesting themselves after two very physical days. I left a note for Eli & Andi asking for a mattress cover to be installed as suddenly the bed feels hard. I went down to the Dutch café at 6:45 to find a line at least nine people long. Turned around into a waiting elevator up to nine. Getting tea at the lido was simple enough and I brought them back to the cabin. We put away laundry that was delivered and sent another bag out. We ended up at the NY deli for breakfast. Arriving just after they opened at 7:30 we had a bit of a line. I stopped at the juice bar on my way, so I took DW’s place in line to order. We returned to our cabin and finalized our things for the day. We obtained another round of tea at the Dutch café and met our friends. We exited the gangway at 8:30 as scheduled. We quickly found the line of taxis and at the head of the line was a taxi VW van. We showed the driver where we needed to go (Europcar), and he said he has a meter, and it would be €15-20. We all piled in. We were on our way and the driver, James, asked where we intended to go with our rental car. We told him Giverny, to see the Monet house & gardens. Our friend asked James what it would cost for him to take us there? James gave us a price that we all considered fair (and less than half what tour companies wanted when we attempted to find a prebooked tour). So, we canceled the rental van and had James take us. James’ van has a tag containing “007” on it so he said he is “Bond, James Bond.” While James was driving, we all acquired our tickets for Monet’s house and gardens. We arrived at 10:05 and James shared his what’s ap so I could contact him 20 minutes or so before we wanted to be picked up in Giverny. We took our time touring the house and gardens. I wasn’t aware that Monet was so influenced by Japanese art. His home is nearly “Wallpapered” with this. The gardens are very special and likely change with the seasons. There were only a few water lilies still in bloom, but the other flowers were prolific. Local bees sure love them! We spent a total of about 75 minutes there. We then walked down Claude Monet Avenue (about 20 minutes) to the old church where the Monet family burial ground is located. We were at the church at noon when the church bells sounded for quite a while. We began walking back and I texted James. When we arrived nineteen minutes later, he was waiting for us. We drove the short distance to Vernon where we stopped to take photos of Le Vieux Moulin, an old mill built on an old arched bridge over the river Seine. Much of the bridge no longer survives but the mill house and arches reaching the east bank of the river remain in place. There is also a modern red crocodile sculpture in the park which made for some interesting photography. Back in the van, James asked if we would like to visit the medieval village of Honfleur. It would only add about 15% to the total cost as the village is on the southern banks of the Seine while LE Harve is on the northern bank. We all agreed as we had the time. As much as we all enjoyed Giverny, I really liked the visit to Honfleur. One very special place is St. Catherine’s Church. This may well be the largest wooden church I’ve seen. Somehow it has escaped wars and fire. And candles are burning all over the church! We stopped at a nearby restaurant, Brasserie de L’eglise to sample local apple cider. We bought a bottle and shared it. Everyone enjoyed the break, and the cider. We began walking back to meet James and stopped at an ATM so everyone could pay him cash. We then wandered through a few mostly residential streets with ancient homes until we suddenly were back on mostly commercial streets. One of our friends stopped at a pharmacy a block before we met James. We met James and took a few photos with him. James then drove us the 25 minutes back to the port, arriving at 4:15. We settled with him and thanked him again. I think all six of us will fondly remember the day we spent with James Bond. Back on board, I picked up a few beverages at the Dutch café while DW headed back to the cabin. We cleaned up for dinner. As the ship is celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving, one of the menus including turkey was offered. Four of us enjoyed turkey. I added the cod filet to the turkey, and everything was enjoyed. We were the second to last group still in the dining room even though it was only 6:45. All of us stopped at the Dutch café to replenish canned water supplies before our early tour the next morning. The captain never made a welcome back announcement, and the Rotterdam left port shortly after 8:00. This was on last day on the European mainland this year. We do get an extra hour as we go back to British time, but everyone was tired. Billboard is off tonight. The main stage show was a comedian. By 8:30 the lights were out for the night. Tuesday, October 14, 2025: Portland, (Salisbury & Stonehenge) England I forgot to report that on Monday we exceeded 11,000 steps. With a very early (and long) ship tour booked we set the alarm for 5:55 AM and for the first time on this cruise we ordered room service breakfast to be delivered at 6:15. It arrived exactly at 6:15 and was delivered by our prior evening waiter. What came was not exactly what was ordered but it was good and sufficient. DW tried the coffee and said it was decent coffee but after a few sips decided that the coffee causes some stomach upset, so I went to the Dutch café for chai tea. Somehow our friends were on a 7:15 meeting time while ours was 7:30. We all booked a year prior after clearing a wait list. When reporting together to the World stage, the shore admin staff worked a bit and got all of us on the 7:15 meeting tour. We were on the first tour called although the first 7:30 tour was called a minute or two later. Rotterdam had six buses doing the “Stonehenge & Salisbury” tour. Our tour guide was Fred, and he did a fantastic job. While our tour in the Salisbury cathedral was “Unhosted,” we kept running into Fred who showed us many interesting things. The cathedral was worth touring. Among other things it holds the world’s oldest working mechanical clock, which dates from 1386. It is designed to strike the hour to remind the priest of prayer times. The cathedral also holds one of four remaining original hand-written documents of the 1215 Magna Carta, widely considered the first “Bill of rights” signed by King John. The document housed in the cathedral is the most legible of the four remaining documents. I was amazed at how small the hand-written script was. There is also a magnificent “Master Bible” handwritten in the 1240’s or 1250’s in Salisbury. Again, the handwriting is very small, and this is an incredible work of art. Just as we were finished at the cathedral, we again ran into Fred who then took us and a few others from the tour into town to the weekly market. The market in Salisbury has been held every week on Tuesday and Saturday since the 1200’s. I ended up purchasing a few hand-made chocolate covered marzipan. DW and a friend both purchased wool tops. We stopped at a breakfast / coffee shop for beverages and headed back to the bus. No one was late and we headed off to Stonehenge. Our Stonehenge experience was terrific. Again, Fred led the whole group to the shuttle bus to the actual site. He graciously took photos of people with the monument in the background. He also pointed out historical things we would never have learned without Fred. We spent about 45 minutes circling around the stones and headed back to the visitor’s center. There we bought some socks in the gift shop. Like most places, there were no long-sleeved t’s, just sweatshirts and short t’s. We glanced into the café but found nothing attractive. We then went through the exhibit area, including the Neolithic houses (reconstructions of what archeologists think the builders of Stonehenge between 3000 & 2000 BC lived in) and it was about time to return to the bus. The ride back went well, and Fred and the driver surprised us by driving to the top of the Portland Island hill. Here we had a great view, and the sun had broken through. We could also see where the 2012 Olympic sailing competitions were held. We returned to the port just after 4:00 with a 4:30 all-abord. At the port a group of local folks were wishing us all well, dressed in Hawaiian shirts and playing music. With the very brisk wind on the dock, I give them a lot of credit, however we were too cold to stand and watch! Once back on the Rotterdam we had just enough time to change for dinner, the first “Dressy night.” There were more folks dressed up than I expected on a long port day, but perhaps they stayed close to the ship. Dinner was enjoyed by all, and the dining room was full. We lingered after dinner. Four of us went to Billboard and played a round of Splendor while waiting for the 8:00 set. We finished the game at about 8:05 and my friend won with 16 points. Megan and Gabe had a super set with about half the tunes being ones we’ve not heard before, even though this wis the 25th day on board. Our favorite server Lee was back in Billboard and kept bringing our drinks. It was a very enjoyable evening. We stayed for the first few songs of the Rolling Stone “Country” set, but after a nearly 12000 step day and very early start we were ready to call it a night. Back in our cabin we took our time putting away laundry and I received a notice on my phone about a news event, so we watched the medal of freedom ceremony for Charlie Kirk. His murder affected us as he was just one year older than our son Kevin when he was taken by the drunk driver while working. At 10:30 the lights went out for the evening. Wednesday, October 15, 2025: Falmouth (Cornwall) England No alarm this morning as our “Scott” (with a little help from Grok) tour doesn’t need an early start. We were up about 7:30. I went for teas and had no wait at the Dutch café. Someone new at the Dutch café was taking the order and took quite a while to get things into the computer. Meanwhile he answered a phone call. A lady behind me became perturbed and left in a huff, not wanting to wait. She was next up, give the poor server a break. Back in our cabin I updated my log while getting ready for the day. At 8:45 we arrived at the dining room. It looked busy. I told the host we had a 9:45 tour. They suggested we visit the lido or NY Deli as the kitchen is backed up. We went up to the lido and with no line to obtain an omelet we stayed there. My omelet was very nice and well made. I added a little sausage and a slice of cinnamon bread. The bread was rather dry. DW had smoked salmon and fruit and said it was okay. We stopped back in our cabin to gather our things and went to the Dutch café. We were early and with no line I obtained another tea. Everyone arrived by 9:50 and we went to the Ocean Bar to ask if we could all go on with our priority tendering. They said we could, and we would be on the next tender. Less than 5 minutes later we were sent down to board a tender to shore. The ladies decided to take the free shuttle bus to town. They just wanted to wander and shop. The men walked up to Pendennis castle. We’d seen enough castles, so we did not want to pay an entry fee and were able to walk the path all the way around the castle, catching a few views along the way. After circling the castle, we walked back down the hill and into town, a total of just over three miles. In town we walked around looking for the ladies but were not successful. My friend wanted to see “The King’s Pipe.” Falmouth was the major import spot for tobacco, and all tobacco was taxed. Many tried to evade the import taxes. When this tobacco was caught, it was all burned in this brick furnace on the harbor, known as the King’s Pipe. We also visited the Church of King Charles the Martyr from 1665. The church was open, so we were able to look inside. Then it was nearly noon, so we headed to Harbour Lights Fish & Chips, an award-winning shop. I suppose our expectations were too high. While my haddock was good it was certainly not “The best in the UK” and perhaps a seven on a ten-point scale, with John Gs in Manalapan, Florida holding the ten spot. The local cider was very good! The ladies found us just as we finished. They were not ready to go back so we took their bags so they could continue to shop “We haven’t seen half the town yet!” We stopped at a Tesco express for some gummies I can’t get at home. We hopped on the next shuttle bus to the port and then waited maybe 20 minutes to get on a tender boat. Once onboard, there was no one at the Dutch café so I brought a couple of beverages back to the cabin. I got myself ready for the rest of the day and prepared some laundry. With seven sea days ahead, we won’t need our jackets, so this is a good time to get them washed. For the first time we were able to enjoy the balcony, first to update my log and then to read my kindle. DW was able to enjoy her beverage before getting ready for the evening. After a while it became chilly (even with my Norwegian sweater on) and I moved inside and quickly fell asleep reading. We met our friends for our Pinnacle Grill dinner. Dinner was overall excellent. One person said their filet was not warm but by then most of it was consumed so nothing was said. Joel kept the beverage glasses filled. We made reservations for lunch at the Pinnacle on Sunday. During dinner, the captain announced that our route to Bermuda would begin with a southeasterly heading to pass just north of the Azores. Doing this will allow us to sail South of a developing low-pressure system. He is anticipating a smooth crossing at an average speed of 14 knots. After dinner, four of us headed to Billboard for their country set. Lee was there taking care of our drinks. The set was a bit different than previous sets, which is nice and I’m sure Megan and Gabe like to mix things up also. The World stage show was violinist Izabella Zebrowska. Our dinner ran too late to attend and we couldn’t pass up Billboard’s country set. Afterwards we headed back to the cabin. We have a time change tonight to Icelandic time so for the next two days we will be four hours ahead of eastern time. As the men and women had very different port experiences, I had a little over 11,000 steps today while DW was a little over 9,000 steps. By about 9:45 the lights were out for the evening. Thursday, October 16, 2025: At sea, the Atlantic Ocean; Sea Day #4 After five intense port days in a row, a sea day is very welcome. After seven leisurely sea days before we reach Bermuda, by then we may be ready to set foot on solid ground for a time. No alarm is needed. DW was up at about 7:10. I went to drop off our special-order dinner menus at the dining room and then obtained teas at the Dutch café. No wait to order but they were backed up so it took about ten minutes. I brought them back to the cabin. I went up to the NY Deli for breakfast and met my friend there. It took a long time for my breakfast sandwich to be ready. We then used the hot tub as soon as it opened. After getting cleaned up for the day, DW and I brought the Catan set up to deck 10. We were able to get “Our” table and set the game up for three of us to play. Before we began, a man was watching us and asked if we were playing on the Spring transatlantic on Celebrity. We said yes. He said he had seen us and wanted to play. We invited Peter to join us. Peter knows Catan and Seafarers, but “Fish” and “Treasures” was new to him. We ended up playing three rounds. My friend playing White won the first. Peter had to leave but my friend’s brother joined and won the second playing Brown. After a lunch break DW won the third round (which took the longest to play) playing Blue. That game was very close and Peter joined us again for that one. Lunch was obtained from various places. I picked up the Hake fish & chips from the lido. With a long croissant the Hake made for a good fish sandwich. DW enjoyed some smoked fish which was featured in the lido corner. Others had NY Deli salads and/or Pizza. After the third game we took a break in our cabin. DW then went down to Effy to get the details on the fashion show she will participate in on Saturday. We learned that as of November 9 Effy is taking over all the shops on board. That explains why the shops are not getting any new merchandise since we’ve been on board, they are selling down their inventory. Effy had already taken over all the shops on the Nieuw Statendam when we sailed on her earlier this summer. We stopped at the Dutch café for afternoon teas and then got ready for the evening. Dinner was very nice, and my cornflake crusted Pollock was so good I asked for a second. DW enjoyed her salmon, and everyone was pleased with their meal. After dinner we all stopped by the Pinnacle Grille and made another lunch reservation for the last day of the cruise, on October 25. We then went to Billboard. With Rolling Stone being off Billboard was playing an “All request” night with only 15 minutes between sets. We stayed for the first two sets and had a terrific evening. Server Lee was just bringing me a Sprite Zero when Megan began playing a song from Titanic and Lee began dancing to it (with my drink!). That brought the house down and Megan was cheering her on. We called it a night after the second set. By the time the lights went out it was 10:30. Without taking a purposeful “Walk” I still had over 5300 steps walking around the ship, but it feels good to have a break from the constant intense port days. Friday, October 17, 2025: The Atlantic Ocean – Sea Day #5 We were awake a little after 7:00. I went to the Dutch café and there was no line at 7:30. One of our friends was there working on a tablet and enjoying coffee. I brought back the beverages and a croissant. We later went up to the NY Deli for breakfast. With both of our male friends tied up in work-related activities on their devices during the morning, we decided to use our five-star mariner benefit of a complimentary day in the thermal suite. One of the ladies joined us. We haven’t been in a thermal suite since before the 2020 shut down so this almost felt “New.” I couldn’t get really comfortable on the thermal loungers but did stay about 35 minutes. We enjoyed the hydro pool a few times. One thing in the thermal suite is that time flies by. We were there at 9:30 and it was about 12:15 when we left. We got a few beverages by the pool and the three of us squeezed into a table for two. We took turns using the main pool for a bit and then ordered lunch from the Dive Inn and the NY Deli. I headed back to take a quick shower and then met the other guys for a walk on the deck 11 track. We did over two miles. At 2:00 one of us went to the future cruise presentation while the others went to “Our table” on deck 10 (which was vacant!) and played a few rounds of Splendor. I won one and my friend won two, but all of them were close. At 3:00 the lido fair was held. We observed while playing Splendor. They certainly had higher participation having the fair mid-afternoon than in the evening. About 4:10 I spoke with the laundry (we had been going back and forth most of the day) as I sent out a bag the evening after leaving Falmouth with four jackets. They can only find three. We were able to identify the missing jacket, one of DWs. I found a photo on my phone with her wearing that jacket in case they don’t locate it. We stopped down in the Dutch café for beverages. DW really likes the way Panashe makes the Chai tea latte. From there we went to dinner. I ordered the “Rock fish” and it was excellent, like a thick & flaky cod. Everyone enjoyed their meal. After dinner we looked at the shops which advertised a “Vintage sale.” There was nothing different (at all). We went up to the Tamarind Bar, but every seat was occupied. We trekked back over to Billboard and 45 minutes before the show we found one table for four against the windows. Lee came on duty and brought us our beverages. Gabe and Megan did their 60’s set and I don’t believe other than “Surfing Safari” I had heard any of the numbers they played since we’ve been onboard. It was very enjoyable listening to them. At 9:00 we headed back to the cabin for the night. I was just under 10,000 steps for the day. I adjusted the phones to the Nuuk, Greenland time zone, so in the morning we will be just three hours ahead of Eastern time. Lights went out about 9:35. Saturday, October 18, 2025: The Atlantic Ocean – Sea Day #6 Incredibly, it was after 7:30 before we were awake. I went to the Dutch café at 7:45 and had only one officer in front of me. Right after I ordered the line grew to about eight folks. The seas definitely picked up overnight as we can now feel the ship move, even in our cabin. Something outside is making a bit of noise, but it’s not loud enough to be a concern. Later in the morning the sea subsided, and it actually became quite calm. I met the other guys at 9:00 at the Dutch café and we walked the promenade deck around the ship who knows how many times. In any case, my fitness tracker said we walked 7.35 miles in 45 minutes. Who knew? It also said we walked in a straight line over water. Of course, the GPS included the movement of the ship, but the step count of about 5,500 steps sounds right. We enjoyed coffee & tea along with a well-deserved Speculaas after our walk. Two of the ladies, including DW, came and joined us. Soon it was time for DW to report to Effy as she was asked to be one of the models for the jewelry fashion show. I went back to the cabin to get the camera and talked with our room stewards about DW’s missing jacket. She wore it on one of our last excursions in the UK, so I had a photo to show them. Later in the day the jacket was returned! The fashion show was fun, although we didn’t win anything. The photos will make a good addition to our memory of the cruise. At “List prices” she was wearing over $300K in jewels for the show. No, we are NOT taking them home with us! Afterwards, we all went up with the Catan game. I had texted Peter and he saved us a large table on deck 10. I stopped in the lido and had lunch of shrimp and fried haddock. I made the haddock into a sandwich, and it was quite good (for lido food). We set up a seafarers with fish & fog game. Peter used a fish move that we all avoid as we feel it’s a poor use of fish & we like to keep the game friendly. He used it twice in a row against DW and she was not happy at all. Orange ended up winning the first game. DW had other things to do and skipped the second game, which we shortened by starting with three settlements. Peter won that one playing Brown. It is “Dressy night,” so we needed some time to get changed before dinner. Two sets of laundry had been returned, and we put that all away. It’s up to 72 degrees outside so we must have moved south of the gulf stream into warmer waters. We stopped down at Effy before dinner just to chat. We calculated that we have a little over $300 in non-refundable OBC we need to find a way to spend before the cruise ends. Dinner was excellent and everyone was very pleased with their meal. The wine favored by three of our group is “All gone” with the last bottles being consumed the prior day. Fortunately, there are some good alternatives. After dinner we all went to the Tamarind bar for a short stay. DW and I left first to get a table in Billboard as it fills up 45 minutes before Megan & Gabe’s first set. Lee was there and kept our beverages filled. The first set tonight was a new set, of “Covers,” songs that were released by multiple artists. We haven’t heard any of these yet on the entire cruise, which is very nice. At least two of the songs I was not at all familiar with. Still, it was a lot of fun. After the set we sat and talked a few minutes listening to the Rock band playing “American Pie.” Then we made our way back to our cabins. I was over 11,200 steps for the day, and the lights were out at about 9:45. Sunday, October 19, 2025: The Atlantic Ocean – Sea Day #7 We were up about 7:25. The Dutch café was busy on this Sunday morning. I had no wait to order but waited about 10 minutes for my order. The interdenominational church service was attended at 9:00. It was a packed house with over 100 guests in the two small, joined meeting rooms. After church DW and I did a brisk walk on the promenade deck. We did about 3500 steps so not quite two miles. Afterwards we stopped at the Dutch café for tea and water. We sure were windblown! It is a pretty day with some filtered sunlight and a temperature of 75F. DW and I played three rounds of Splendor on the pool deck. I was the victor twice and DW once. We all met up for our 12:15 reservation at Pinnacle Grille for lunch. Lunch was terrific and we were there until just after 2:00. We then played two rounds of Catan on the aft pool deck, sheltered from the wind but open to nice warm air. It sure felt good after 4 ½ weeks of cool weather to be in 75 and humid conditions again! The white player claimed both victories, although the first game was very close with both red and blue on their heels. We did not have the dining room dinner after our huge lunch. We stayed on the aft pool deck and just had a few nibbles from the lido. At about 7:00 we went to the Dutch café, and I enjoyed an order of poffertjes. I took the Cherry Beer with me to Billboard. We enjoyed the “One hit wonder” set which again was changed up from the prior weeks. Back in the cabin a little after 9:00 we could feel the seas had become a bit higher. The captain indicated that overnight should be the roughest as we are threading between two systems, but the next few days should be very pleasant. There is a time change tonight to “South Georgia Island” time, two hours ahead of Eastern time. The final step count is over 7700 and lights out at about 9:50. Monday, October 20, 2025: The Atlantic Ocean – Sea Day #8 With the time change we were up at 7:00. There were five folks in line at the Dutch café, but it moved very quickly. One of my friends was there drinking coffee. He said something near their cabin and started banging around midnight. Guest services heard the noise so hopefully it will be fixed quickly. The sea was rough overnight, and the ship is now heading due west rather than southwest. We received an invitation to a mariner’s reception at 10:30 followed by a mariner’s lunch. Lucky sent us pre-order menus for both lunch and dinner. Lunch has a very nice menu to we decided to attend. I went down to the dining room at 8:00 to drop off the preorder menus while DW started getting ready for the day. I stopped up at the juice bar on 9 and friends were having breakfast nearby. I stopped and talked for a while and returned to the cabin. I then got ready for the day. We had time before the mariner’s reception to stop by the spa where DW made an appointment for a hair treatment and cut. We then enjoyed another tea at the Dutch café. The mariner’s reception filled up B B King’s. About a dozen parties received their Silver (300 days), Gold (500 days), or Platinum (700 days) medallions. There are two couples onboard that are presidents club (1400 days) members. We enjoyed our conversations with some folks we shared a table and couch with. From there, we all went to the dining room for an early lunch. The mariner’s lunch was enjoyable. My filet was perfect, and DW’s barramundi was spot on. The chocolate dessert was also terrific. We left the dining room about 12:40 and went up to deck 9 aft where my friend had set up an unusual Catan seafarer’s game with only one island containing a very productive gold mine. Orange ended up being victorious in the first 13-point game. The second game was closer but White ran away with the win with many victory points in the last two moves, although Blue was very close with 12 points. After storing the game back in the cases, everyone got ready for the evening. We were all early for dinner. Dinner this evening was super. Three of us enjoyed the featured Weiner Schnitzel. DW’s salmon was perfect. We lingered until about 6:45 and headed out to the Ocean bar. Seats there are in high demand. A new music group, “The House Band” now plays at the Ocean bar after dinner. We were seated at the bar when Josh saw us and had DW and a friend sampled a different wine, which they enjoyed. We tried too late to go to the World stage for Comedian Dave Konig as the theater was standing room only. Our friends stayed for the first ten minutes and said his show was clean and funny. Too bad we couldn’t get seats. We went to Billboard and Lee came over and brought us a diet coke and waters. Since Megan & Gabe are off, we had a chance to chat with Lee. She told us she would be at B B Kings the rest of the evening. We visited with our friends until 8:20 when the music from Rolling Stone chased us away. Back in our cabin we took care of details and reviewed the next day’s schedule. No time change tonight! Only about 5000 steps on this Monday, but there will be more the next day. Lights went out at about 9:15. Tuesday, October 21, 2025: The Atlantic Ocean – Sea Day #8 DW was up at about 7:00. I went to the Dutch café at 7:15 and returned to the cabin at 7:37. Not long to order but many folks waiting on their order. DW went to medical right at 9:00 as she needed her shot today which they stored for us. I met my friend near the hot tub during breakfast. The lido omelet had cheese even though I told them “No cheese.” I ended up having a couple of hard boiled eggs. The hot tub was nice but we need to be there when they take off the nets at 9:00 or it gets crowded. I don’t understand why these are not opened earlier. This became a “Spa Day” for DW as she had her mani-pedi in the AM and a hair treatment and cut in the PM. Those discount vouchers she received from the Effy show sure helped! After the hot tub the three men walked the promenade deck for 53 minutes. My tracker said we walked 8.69 miles which of course was not correct. The 5800 steps are accurate, which would mean just under three miles of actual walking. After the walk it was time to clean up for the day and evening. This was the “Orange night” with the Dutch dinner menu and orange party. At lunch the lido had two types of fish. Pan-seared cod and fried haddock. They were both better that would be expected in the lido. I went up to deck 10 and found one of the large oval tables vacant. Despite abundant sunshine, the ship never opened the roof even though it was uncomfortably warm under the roof. We ended up moving and had a challenge to find a comfortable spot to play Catan. The wind was blowing the smoke over to the port side of the outside deck so outdoors did not work. The port side of the lido was also warm. We finally found a high-top table for 6 at the back of the starboard side. We set up a larger version of the “Enclosed islands” from the previous day. With a 15-point victory level, White ended up being the victor, by snagging both the longest road and the harbor master cards. A six-person game takes longer so we only played one game. I brought Catan back to the cabin and relaxed a bit while DW was getting her hair treatment and cut. Dinner was very nice with the Dover Sole being a table favorite. After dinner we all visited the Ocean Bar for a while before moving just a little too late to Billboard. We ended up in the very back corner at Billboard. The all-request set was a lot of fun and a good way for us to end the evening. Back in the cabin, we reset the phones and watches to Bermuda time, plus just one hour from Eastern time, as the ship’s clocks get reset overnight. By 9:30 we called it a night and turned the lights out on an 11,000-step day. Wednesday, October 22, 2025: The Atlantic Ocean – Sea Day #8 Even with the time change, we slept until 7:00. Both of my friends were at the Dutch café when I went for morning beverages. The seas quieted overnight and there are now no whitecaps at all, just a very gentle roll with a very pretty blue sky. We went to the dining room for breakfast. Arriving at about 8:15 it was good we were not any later. Beverages were served quickly, and it was about a half-hour for our entrees. We ended up at a table right next to our two newer friends. Everything was served as ordered, a real plus! After breakfast the men all met for a brisk walk up on the deck 11 track. It was such a pretty day, it really doesn’t get much better for sure. The ladies all ended up at the cooking demonstration. After our 4000-step walk, we found “Our table” on 10 was not occupied. The roof was open a few feet. While enjoying the water needed after the walk the roof was opened all the way. That sure felt great – for about two minutes. Then it was closed to only a few feet again. We texted the ladies and we were soon joined on deck 10. We played one round of four-person Splendor. My friend tried a new strategy which ended up working for him, with seven victory points on his last hand, he won with 19! Now it was lunchtime and getting warm up on deck 10. All the tables aft deck nine were occupied, but we found one of the six-person high tops open in the very back of the lido. After lunch I went out aft and stood there for about 10 minutes until a table opened. Lee found me there and soon the four of us were enjoying a beverage and the terrific weather. Just before 2:00 we headed back to our cabins, where we enjoyed the balcony for the first real chance on this cruise. I sat out for about an hour reading my kindle. Eventually I became a bit chilled and headed back inside, about ten minutes after DW did the same. Still a little chilled, we both wore warm sweaters for dinner. I had to send my prime rib back as they served a well-done end cut rather than the medium rare ordered. The replacement was perfect. DW ordered the “Snapper.” I had my doubts that the ship would actually have snapper on board but it certainly looked and tasted as snapper. I was comfortable until the end of the Billboard “Beatles” set when I began to feel warm. Of course, the temperature in the lounge may have gone up with the fully packed house enjoying Megan & Gabe’s music. Lee took terrific care of keeping our waters and soda coming so we never ran out. Once again, I couldn’t get any takers to go up to the deli for the evening pretzels and by 9:00 we were back in the cabin. Lights go out at about 9:30 on this +8000-step day. The main part of the Atlantic crossing was just about completed; seven straight days at sea. Thursday, October 23, 2025: Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda We slept in until nearly 7:30. I had only a few folks in front on me at the Dutch café but perhaps because at 7:45 I was ‘late’ I did not see my friends there. Panashe came over with great apologies that the Chai latte they have been making for DW has run out. He has a different Chai blend that he made and said if DW doesn’t like it he will replace it with something else. She said it was good. I overheard someone talking at Billboard the prior night that the ship was running out of things. At the aft pool on Wednesday afternoon my diet coke tasted different, and I asked, the pool bar ran out of Coke Zero a few days prior. All those switched to Diet Coke, so now they are out of cans and only have the fountain variety. This is the first day since leaving Rotterdam nearly six weeks past that I can wear shorts and a T-shirt. On the Baltic cruise I acquired a few $5 clearance shirts on board, so one of those is getting its first wearing. We’ve been to Bermuda many times, the earlier trips being three days’ stays on cruises from Cape Liberty. One thing we’ve never done is explore the “Bermuda museum” and the commissioner’s house. These can easily be seen from the ship. This time we decided to do that. Senior admission is $15/pp. It was a good way to spend a couple of hours. On a pretty day, the views from the ramparts and the balcony of the commissioner’s house were alone worth the price of admission. The museum shares the lagoon with Dolphin Quest, and all visitors can observe the dolphins at no additional cost. As we were there early, I was able to take some nice photos. When we first went through the Queen’s exhibition hall, we were the only two people in the entire exhibit. We enjoyed the history and especially the water archeological explanations. We also had just a few others as we toured the commissioner’s house. There is a mural painted on all four walls of a hall telling the entire history of Bermuda. That took 3 ½ years for the artist to complete. The exhibit on Bermuda tourism was very interesting, especially the cut-away model of one of the early luxury cruise ships built for Bermuda cruises from the US east coast. The ground floor contained examples of artillery and defensive weapons from the past. We relaxed watching the dolphins and then made our way to the exit as several local school groups arrived. We walked around a few of the shops and made no other purchases. We headed back to Rotterdam and for the first time in six weeks, the local card-checker also wanted a photo ID. It figures; the one port we really didn’t care about is the one with the most security. On the ship the full crew emergency drill was not quite finished. We dropped our things and went to the Dutch café for a light lunch. The food took a while but that was okay. Originally getting a table in the glassed in area, we soon moved as one lady was hacking away doing her stitchwork, obviously very ill. Some people just have no consideration for others. At least choose an open-air place to sit away from others. We returned to the cabin for a relaxing afternoon. We sat out on the verandah, and I took care of some needed internet and banking chores. Our friends all took the 9:30 AM ferry to St. George. We were just in St. George in April and didn’t want to repeat that trip. A short message told me that many of the St. George shops were closed but a visit to Hamilton on the way back to the dock yards was more positive for shopping. We visited the Ocean Bar at about 3:45 and watched as folks returned to the ship. The last group of five guests and three officers walked by at 4:26, very close to the 4:30 all aboard. As I thought, the St. George ferry arrived at 4:42, and by then the gangway was up and the lines were in process of being loosened so that ferry was not an option to return to the ship. This is the only evening of the cruise that all three couples are dining separately. DW and I enjoyed Pinnacle Grill. DW had the Chilean sea bass while this time I opted for the rib eye steak. The steak was excellent, as was the sea bass. One couple did the special Rijsttafel Dinner in Tamarind. The other enjoyed the sail away from the aft pool deck and found sustenance on the upper decks. We went to Billboard and Lee was there taking great care of our beverage orders. We stayed for all three Billboard sets as Rolling Stone was off so only 15 minutes between sets. Megan and Gabe gave a terrific performance and again the majority of their songs we have not heard before on this sailing. At 10:50 we headed back to the cabin with lights out at 11:35 on a nearly 9000 step day. We are very glad we have the last time change tonight putting us on Eastern time two days before arriving back in Florida. Friday, October 24, 2025: The Atlantic Ocean – Sea Day #9 It was 7:30 before we stirred. We were left the dining room menus, so we filled those out and I returned them to the dining room. No dining room breakfast as they are having another ‘brunch.’ I stopped at the very busy Dutch café and ran into my friend there. Panashe was not there to make DW’s tea and what she received was “All water.” We went up to deck 10 for breakfast after stopping at the juice bar. One of our friends was there and we joined her for breakfast. After 34 days on board, we learn that the NY Deli will make fresh scrambled eggs to order. Who knew? They also made bacon crispy. The men did a brisk walk around the promenade deck at 10:00. DW came down with me to find out the plan for after the walk. We told Panashe about the watery tea and he made DW a proper chai tea. After a couple of miles walking the deck, it began raining. At first the rain was not a problem but after another lap or two, the rain began running down the lifeboat supports creating streams of water cascading down the overhangs. I took the Catan game and went in search of a place to play. The aft deck 9 tables were all occupied, and deck 10 was very warm and humid as the roof was closed due to the rain. We ended up at the very back high-top table in the lido. As there was a dining room brunch, I figured the lido would not be very busy, and this was correct. White won the first 15 point “Islands” game and won the second 12-point game due to an error made by Orange. Orange actually had 12 points but miscounted and so forfeited the victory. We had lunch from the lido and once again two varieties of fish were offered and both were pretty good. Lee found us and brought us a big round of beverages. The ladies went to the World stage to find seats early for the 3:00 crew show. Once the 2:00 speaker’s show was over, a handful of folks left but many hundreds came in filling every available seat and standing along the outer walls of the theater. The crew show was very good, and it is something special. All the performers did a terrific job, and we enjoyed all except the very last one. We got ready for the final dressy night. We stopped at the Dutch café for a Cherry beer. All the regular servers were there so I took the opportunity to snap a group photo. Dinner was nice and everyone seemed to enjoy their meal. Afterwards, we had photos taken of the six of us with Lucky and Anton. We made our way over to Billboard and more than an hour early found a table we could fit six chairs around. We asked Lee about a wine Josh had told us about and she had that available. Lee kept bringing whatever was needed. Megan & Gabe did a “Soundtrack” set (songs from movies) that was completely different from their previous one. After the set we all talked with Gabe & Megan for 30 minutes before heading back to our cabins. We stopped at guest services for some additional envelopes. By 10:15 it was lights out on a +9500-step day. Saturday, October 25, 2025: The Atlantic Ocean – Sea Day #10 We slept until about 7:10. Good teas were obtained from the Dutch café. The men all agreed to walk at 8:00 as at 9:00 is the “Walk for a cause.” It was a good walk. Afterwards I got ready for the day and then found a table (!!!!) on the aft pool deck to play our final Catan matches of the cruise. On the way I stopped at the juice bar for a fresh squeezed OJ. The main pool deck was once again turned into a towel animal zoo. We set up a large Catan island with three fishponds and used the 12-sided die. That really changes the game a great deal but puts a very fresh spin on it. We made it so the fishponds only activated on two numbers (rather than four) to keep the fishpond about equal in value to a resource hex. Orange was the victor in the first, thirteen-point game. The second game started with two settlements and a city as we had a time limit. We made it a twelve-point game OR whoever was ahead at 12:30. The alarm sounded at 12:30 and Blue and Orange tied with 10 points each. Our favorite server, Lee, was talking with the folks at the next table when we overhead her telling them she would be on the Westerdam in April. So, we talked with her, and she is boarding in Yokohama the same day as we are, April 12, 2026. Her husband will be with her on that assignment. We sure hope she is working at the venues we will frequent! We had a 12:45 reservation for a final day lunch at the Pinnacle Grille. This was another terrific lunch. Joel took great care of our beverages, and we snapped a few photos with him before he needed to attend a safety meeting at 2:00. We lingered until about 2:30 and headed back to our cabin to pack. The packing chore took about 90 minutes. I sure am glad we don’t need to fly anywhere as both our large suitcases are stuffed and certainly weigh over 50 lbs. each. Our smaller blue “Carry on” is filled with things we bought along the way. We are going to leave the ship with the two large suitcases, the smaller blue one, the black roller (with electronics and last-minute things) and two carry bags filled with things. We stopped at the Dutch café for a Cherry beer to bring to dinner. We really didn’t need dinner but didn’t want to miss the final evening and needed to thank Lucky and Anton for their great service. Note: They have been terrific, but for some reason ever since the ship ran out of “Toro” wine the wine service at dinner has become dismal. It seems we ALWAYS get served from old or mixed bottles. We never see Leo, the sommelier. I need to find a way to comment on this on the survey. After dinner we stopped back at our cabin and gave our thanks to Eli & Andi. I took the computer down to Billboard to finish loading all the photos and getting my friends’ photos. We both had about 3,600 photo and video files, and there are another 800 or so from other cameras. In total we have over 8,000 files. Lee came on duty at Billboard, and we gave her our thanks for the outstanding service over the past 36 days. Of course, she kept our drinks coming. After their first set we gave our best wishes to Megan & Gabe. I told them I had a few photos I would e-mail their way. Many evenings I’ve suggested going up to the NY Deli for pretzels. No one wanted to go. Maybe that’s a good thing, as this last night we did go up there. The “Almond crunch” pretzel, warmed up, was delicious. If we had known earlier that could have been many more pretzels consumed over the past five weeks. Returning to our cabin, I managed to stuff most of the soiled laundry into the small blue suitcase and put the three suitcases out for transport to the terminal in the morning. After taking care of getting things stowed, by about 9:45 it was lights out on a +9,500-step day. My watch keeps telling me how great I did this past week while meeting all my activity goals five times. I doubt the scale will be so kind back home. Sunday, October 26: Disembarkation at Port Everglades, Florida, and Home! DW was awake before the 6:00 alarm. I went to the Dutch café at about 6:30 and had a short wait. We were all sealed up and ready at 7:15, just then our friends texted that they were ready, so we all went to the dining room for our last meal onboard. I later found out the ship docked at about 4:30 AM. Service was slow, but it picked up speed while we were seated. All crew members needed to be seen by US immigration. Breakfast was served as ordered, and the luggage tags were being called, about 15 minutes behind the published schedule. When the last black tags were called, I suggested we begin to make our way to the deck one gangway as Yellow 1 was next. While we had black two, our friends all had Yellow 1. The others were sent a text to start moving but the ship text system again let us down and they didn’t receive it for some time. We walked right out on deck one, but one couple went to deck two where they were held for some time as the customs and immigration line had grown quite long shoreside. We found our luggage promptly and after snaking through the line for ten or fifteen minutes we were outside. Our driver, Dominic, was waiting for us. Our first friends were right behind us, but the others were held up for about 15 minutes. Dominic was left alone so we were able to wait for them without “Driving around.” Sunday morning is typically an ideal time to head north on I-95, and this was no exception. We dropped our friends at one of their homes a little south of us at 10:35 and we were in our driveway at 11:10. Thus ends this 39-day adventure and our final long trip for 2025. Summary & Conclusion This 22-day segment is truly the story of two cruises. We booked it as one booking, but the first seven days was a “Party cruise” with every venue constantly filled to capacity and all too many cruisers making full use of the fifteen beverages allowed in the beverage package. We have nothing against children on board but were incredibly surprised by the number of families with children on an early October sailing. What is a huge turn off, however, is young children in the hot tubs for extended periods of time. I don’t understand how that is permitted by the ship. The vibe of the ship changed greatly for the fifteen-day crossing part of the cruise. Regretfully, some of those on the seven days caused such issues over-indulging that beverage service suffered in the dining room on the later portion. One thing we need to be aware of regarding future bookings is what segments are available. Nothing currently booked contains any seven days or shorter pieces, so that is good. It used to be those cruisers on back-to-back sailings were recognized in some special way by the ship, typically with a special lunch or reception. I suppose that is another thing that no longer occurs. During the fifteen-day segment a new “House band” began to make an appearance in the Ocean bar, as well as a three-piece classical group “Vivace” playing during the afternoons in B B King’s lounge. They also played in the evening when the B B King band had a night off. We did not attend any of the production shows as they are the same show we enjoyed on the Nieuw Statendam earlier this year. Certainly, the entertainment highlight of the cruise for us was Megan & Gabe in Billboard. It seems unlikely we will enjoy them on Holland in the future as they are looking for shorter contracts and have several six-week contracts on the new MSC World America. Rating this cruise is really hard. Certain crew members made us feel very special. Kudos to Lee, who seems to serve beverages all over the ship, and Panache the barista who knows folks’ preferences by the second day. Joel, the sommelier in the Pinnacle and Rudi’s, who we know from prior cruises, helped get us the preferred wine (until the last few days in the dining room). On the other hand, the challenges getting beverages in the dining room later in the sailing left an extremely poor taste (figuratively and literally) as the cruise drew to a close. During the entire 36 days, never once did a maître de stop by our dinner table to introduce themselves or ask how everything was going. I did speak to the one assistant maître de who always greeted us at the door to ask for assistance with our dining reservation for our April cruise on Westerdam but never did receive a confirmation of any type that it was done. As I am rating the entire 22-day booking, I am thinking the first seven days are three stars while the 15-day portion is four stars, making this 3.5 stars out of five.