THE PICTURES ARE NOW HERE, SEE ITEM #7 (Sorry the pictures are delayed. They will be added later). Thank you FT for all the help with planning the Copenhagen portion of our travel, We would appreciate any comments or feedback about this write-up.

Our first transatlantic cruise. Our first stay in premium category Neptune Suite on Holland American Lines (HAL). Longest cruise period, pre-port (6 full days at sea). All new ports. Here we report on these facets and much, much more.

First, we had to get there. We took Go airport shuttle from Escondido to SAN in a sedan ($104). Pick up time was 3:45AM.

Our flight was in first class on United. Our routing was SAN to IAH to FLL. Frequent flyer points paid. Check in was easy. We were in Precheck, so the TSA portion of the trip was really quick. The flight to Houston was very oversold and it took a bit to get the balance accomplished. Food on the plane was not of my choice, so commenting on its taste is unfair. Our second leg to Fort Lauderdale had equipment change (downsized) leaving this flight well oversold too. Our reassignment of seats was to bulkhead with lousy leg room. No food. Somehow, we arrived 15 minutes early!

We took a van to our hotel, Hyatt Place. We used our anniversary free night for this purpose. We are liking Hyatt Place. Reasonable rooms, easy eating food available for your room or their small dining area. We had a coupon for $25 off for food, this got us a lot at their deli! We spent a restful night and had included breakfast in the morning. The shuttle from the Hotel to the cruise port is $7pp+tip.

Boarding was good for the first time on HAL. Being in a Neptune suite, we were in the first group to board. Our group was “housed” upstairs, away from the masses. When boarding began, our exclusive group had grown to about 200 (includes 4 & 5 star frequent HAL customers, we were a 3 at the time). There was no ship security, only the ports. We took 2 bottles of wine on board with us in my backpack. HAL allows this much wine, without charge. Anymore requires payment of $18/bottle corkage. Only the midship elevators were in use for passengers, all others were tied up in luggage distribution. As our cabin was near the stern, we made the mistake of going directly aft. We then decided to walk up to the 7th floor, rather than go back to midship and wait for our turn on the elevator. We put our valuables in the safe, and then went to the club to check it out. We went to lunch in the dining room, but had to rush as we had a cocktail party to attend at 1 PM. The cocktail party was packed, no real seating left. We were offered squeeze in space by some people we had befriended in the wait area before getting on board, but opted to get a couple glasses of wine and return to our cabin. There will be plenty of time to socialize.

Our cabin, 7151 is on the stern. We are in a corner. We have balcony on two sides of our cabin. The narrow part on the side of the ship has two lounge chairs, while the quite deep portion aft of our cabin has a table, 4 chairs and two lounging chairs. Our cabin, along with a few others at the stern, are somewhat remote from the other Neptune suites. We upgraded to this cabin from Suite 8057 based on an offer ($$$ payment required/pp) from HAL a couple weeks before sailing. Our cabin is quite large and has two double closets, a dressing area and double sinks. There are two showers, one free standing and one over a jetted tub. Our stateroom is cared for by Wahyu and Wandi, most capable (and fun). Our Neptune Suite upgrade includes several amenities. We get unlimited laundry, exclusive breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, use of the Neptune Club and all its services (tour tickets purchase, newspapers, use of computer, special arrangements, dispute resolution, bill check, and food and drink. Priority boarding, priority tender use, priority debarkation, wine tasting, cocktail party, and a large cabin.

Our luggage shows up and we begin the process of unpacking. We have until 3:15 when the boat drill occurs. The process was easier this time. HAL is serious about everyone attending. Our key card is scanned at the lifeboat station. We are not required to bring or wear our lifejackets! From here we head to the Neptune club to mingle and have some sparkling wine. Dinner starts at 5:15 PM for the open seating people. We are given a lousy table, but accept it, as this is night one and there is plenty of time to square seating for the future. First night’s dinner is rarely the best anyway. After dinner, we return to the club, for a cocktail welcoming party. The party last about 45 minutes. It is not crowded, as many people are at dinner still. Our cruise departure is delayed a bit, as a group of passengers coming thru IAH on departure day were impacted by severe weather. The night is a bit bumpy, as is the next day, but we retire early and get a good nights’ sleep.


Day 2, at sea
One of the benefits of the Neptune Suites is getting to eat breakfast in the Pinnacle. Another benefit is mimosas are included with breakfast IF, you eat in your room! We decide to do both. We order some bacon, a roll and mimosas for in room dining. A card is placed in your room the night before for this purpose. You note what you want and when you want it delivered. We are up at 5:30 AM to do our drops, drink our mimosas, put in my contacts and relax before heading to our first Pinnacle breakfast. The menu is upgraded from the dining room, the service is more attentive and the surrounds are nicer. The tables along the windows are set for 4, while inboard several feet are many for 2. The 2 are generally filled first, except for a 400# plus passenger that they place at one of the 4. After the tables for 2’s fill, then others coming in are placed at the 4’s, even if they are 2. So, this morning we do not sit at the window, but tomorrow we will, now that we see how it works. Several people are a bit miffed by this program. We order our breakfast, but when it is served, they bring 3, not 2, meals. Language differences, note to self…be very clear.

After breakfast, we split up. Leslie heads to a presentation on Windows 10 and I go to a tour presentation in the Theatre. Later we will meet up at the club for snacks, no lunch today…we are full. We don’t do much else today, as there are things to arrange in our room and to get ready for dinner.

I went to the dining room and searched out a group of tables for 2, with a 2 adjacent to sit at tonight. We sit at table 111. It takes getting there early and being in Neptune to “name our table”. We are required to renew this request daily for a several days before they make it “ours”. The neighboring table is occupied by Tony and Beverley, 5 stars with HAL. They are from Montreal. They are great, and we eat next to them for early dinner the rest of the cruise. Kennelyn is our wine steward. Wine can be purchased by the glass, bottle or in a package of several bottles. The wine steward sees that you get any part bottle, back upon request, and that you can take a bottle or more back to your cabin, or that it is waiting for you at another dinning option should you choose. All alcohol is subject to an 18% gratuity. We get our wine package at a 25% discount, as we are 3 stars. Soon we will be 4 stars and will get wine for 50% off in the packages (still pay 18% on the full price!). Dinner tonight is lamb chops. They are a good choice for us, although they are done a bit rarer than we usually eat them. Yudi is our waiter and Pasec is his assistant. He does a fantastic job for us the whole cruise. We often order, without veggies, or with different ones that the menu suggests for our entrée and occasional double meat or ½ meat portions. Never an issue. After dinner, it is back to our room. Each evening you get turndown service and the following days activity list. This is the time to plan the next day. As a note, a newspaper is available each day as well. There are papers from several countries to choose from. For us, we can get a copy from the Neptune Club, the Pinnacle or the library.

Day 3, at sea
Today, we skip the charade and just order mimosas for in room breakfast. We then go to the Pinnacle for breakfast. We tell them we have another couple joining us, and are seated at the window (tables of 4). As some others come we signal to a couple to join us, both knowing this is how you get a window seat. Ordering goes much better and the food is served as requested. After breakfast, Leslie heads off to do some photography, while I go to church services. After the services, I head to the Theater for another shore excursion presentation. Leslie and I meet back at the Club, for a snack and some face time and some socializing. Dinner tonight is prime rib for us, and we choose baked potato to split. The potato is not very good as we often find. Note we both often have the onion soup (one of several soups offered). An appetizer choice is offered each night as is a choice of salads. Naturally, several deserts are also available. After dinner, we brought Tony and Beverly back to our room so they could see what the Neptune suites are like. We all then went to the Theater to see the magic show. Card tricks were done on a table, projected on a screen for all to see. The show is very good. We usually are very selective at to the shows we attend, as we are usually early to bed, early to rise. There are two shows tonight, one at 8PM and one at 10PM. The clock as moved an hour today, a program that happens often throughout the cruise on these transatlantic. The clock in our suite, corrects itself. It is fun to watch it race an hour!

Day 4, at sea
No mimosa today. We chose instead to sleep in. We went to breakfast at the Pinnacle and then went to the club. We asked the concierge if we could bring Tony and Beverley to the Pinnacle for breakfast the next morning. They were a bit hesitant, until we told said they were 5 star with HAL and not ever had breakfast in the Pinnacle. Success.

As this is our first transatlantic repositioning cruise, we have a lot of sea days to fill up the time, without ports. We were not sure that would be good, but found that it met our style just fine. Lots of activities go on every day, with or without us! For those not familiar with a cruise, here is a partial summary of the activities available on our cruise while on the ship: SPA is open daily…full service with ongoing specials, wellbeing classes, acupuncture; Culinary Arts Center have special guests and cooking demonstrations; Shore Excursions has presentations on ship tours, self-guided activities onshore, and history talks about the areas to be visited; Lounges provide nightly music, dancing, Karaoke, Blues club, drinks, trivia and other gaming; Art Show/sales provide some modest education, raffles, sparkling wine and the chance to buy some art works; Exercise room provides various equipment to keep fit, while on vacation; Casino to try your luck or to get some lessons; Shows are offered nightly, crew talent shows too; Movies are shown in a theater as well as repeated on your in room TV; Church services; Wine tastings also others, ie Martini, Beer, Cognacs, etc; Dining is available in the main dining room, Lido, Pinnacle, Canaletto, and dive in; Tours are offered of the bridge, the cooking facilities and some other areas; Sunning and swimming; Library has reading, computers, newspapers, computers, etc; Jewelry is offered in the stores and special showing of featured stones; Meet with Bill W; LGBT gatherings; Shopping is available in a variety of stores on board and often in special offering on the deck area; Bingo; Training classes are available in various skills including computers, gambling, dancing, photography, golf, makeovers, mixology; Tea; Games like bridge, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, chess, etc; and self-generated activities like hitting on people, writing letters, all those computer and phone things you do at home, writing up notes for reports like this one, drinking on the balcony, watching the birds and/or fish/mammals from the ship, taking pictures, meeting new (and renewed) friends, spending time with someone special, shooting hoops, shuffle board, jogging, and so much more. As you can see there is more than enough to keep you busy during sea days, not including planning for the not sea days, doing laundry, fighting a cold or….you can always watch the news.
So, I lost my notes for the rest of this day…

Day 5, at sea
We again pass on the mimosas in our room and meet with Tony and Beverley in the Pinnacle Grill. We enjoyed their company and they enjoyed the breakfast. After breakfast, we went back to our room and dosed off a bit. The Mariner lunch is today at 11:30AM. This is a “special event” for repeat HAL cruisers. We find it to be mostly just lunch, with one complimentary glass of wine. The captain is there, and some people are recognized. This is our first lunch on the cruise. The room is quite crowded. We may miss this in the future.

After lunch, we sit out on the balcony with a glass of wine. The seas have settled at a modest, albeit consistent level. It is just enough to make it difficult to walk straight, but not so much to toss you down! Barf bags are now present at each elevator. The skies above are blue, but we are surrounded by light to dark grey clouds. It sprinkles a bit between 3:15 and 3:45PM. Then it is sunny.

The dinner menu is delivered to all the Neptune cabins (not the others) so you can get excited or make alternative arrangements for dinner. I am not much impressed (I am a plain eater, my issue). I would like to try the Barramundi, but the lemongrass reduction would cause me too much trouble stomach upset tonight. Another choice is Bourbon-glazed beef tri tip with grilled Portabella (reasonable choice for me). None of the starters or soup sound good. Bottom line, I had the tri tip and it was very good. Note for you who are new to cruising, prices for the average 5 bottle package of wine is $171, better 228, and the same for the 7 bottle packages was 228 and 309 (2016 prices).

Day 6, at sea
We go to Pinnacle for breakfast. I have cereal, bacon and juice today. Their coffee is a bit strong for me. We go back to the cabin and work on our notes and take a nap. The nights’ sleep is a bit rockier. We made an appointment with Anne, the prebooking specialist. HAL offers a modest inducement to commit to a future, even if unnamed cruise, while on board. I have not found this offer to be compelling (of any value). She is booked solid, and it is difficult to get an appointment.

Waves continue at 15’ or so. Temperature is in the upper 60’s (April ’16), T-shirt weather. I should have brought some shorts. The pool is advertised on TV at being 81 degrees.

After dinner, we go to the Magic show. Same performer but a different act. Again, well worth the time.

Day 7, at sea
Pinnacle for breakfast. Attend a travel show. Stop by the art show.

It is Formal night for dinner. Coat and tie. This policy is no long operable on HAL. Formal nights are optional attire, resort type, collared shirt, slacks, similar for women. For dinner, we have Jumbo Shrimp coattail, shrimp and filet for the entrée and a sundae with apple crisp.

Day 8, in Horta, Portugal
HAL offers 3 tours, but we opt to do our own thing at this tiny port. No docking at this port, it is tender in. As we are in Neptune, we do not have to get a ticket for the tender ride in or wait for a certain time. The tender ride in is quite bumpy. The terminal has free wifi (the ships wifi is costly and nearly useless). The terminal has an information/map stand inside. The walk to the small boat marina is a several blocks. Here are the paintings on the ground and seawall left by all the mariners that dock here (please refer to the pictures). You can take a taxi also. The walk way is mostly flat. It is made up of small tile squares and some are missing. At the marina, you must be able to do a few steps up and down. It was quite windy, so much so that a sail boat was losing its sail. The painting wall is one way, so do the wall one way and the sidewalk on the way back. Back up the stairs leads to a road that takes us to our next destination. Café Sport is a small bar/pub with a scrimshaw museum (fee). We had two tall drafts (3 euros total). Seating is tight and business is very good (at least when a ship is in). The scrimshaw museum is 2.50 euros. We did not go in, as we did not want to give up the only two available seats when we came in. They accept cc, euros, $, and ?. Horta has plenty of wall to wall shops and tiny streets. Several churches are in the main town. We passed an ATM in a wall along one street and got some euros. We are in the Azores, in Portugal. A few other islands are visible from our cabin. Much of the walking is cobblestone.

Before dinner we have warm showers, do some work on the photos and the trip writeup.

Tonight, we have Caesar salad (Leslie had onion soup), prime rib and strawberry crisp and ice cream. We skip the show and watch a bit of TV.

Day 9, Ponta Delgada, Azores
As we are going on our own, we decide to do breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. HAL offers several tours at this port, but we decide to do a walk about. NCL’s Norwegian Star beats us to the terminal, so they dock there and we dock not far away, but it requires us a long walk to get to the dock services. The dock we use, requires a bus ride to the gate, as this is the commercial port. As we did not dock at the cruise terminal, we could not enter it. So, after a mile walk, we found it necessary to buy something at a pub/grill to use the wifi. The terminal is under rehab, but about 20 stores are open just outside. There is a Burger King. The walk into town is flat along the water front, but relative sharply uphill into town. We visited two churches (see pictures from only one, as the other did not allow them inside) and a café in our 2-mile stroll. Along the water front we see the walls of Fort Sao Bras and the grounds.

The captain said to expect 64 degrees for a high, but it was short sleeve weather by 8:30 AM. We got back to the ship about 2:30PM. Stopped at the club for some ice tea and them changed into comfort clothes. This trip has been much warmer that I had expected. We are getting bugs on the balcony. Flying crawly things, mostly smaller than house flies.

Dinner tonight is uneventful.

Day 10, at sea
We have breakfast in the Pinnacle.
We are having a bit of a problem with getting hot water in our cabin. We have complained before, but the issue has not improved. Today we up the ante by reporting the problem to the club. When we get back from the Pinnacle grill we find the concierges in our room checking out our water. They tell us they will bring in the “big guns” to deal with the problem. We go to the showroom for a presentation on shore excursions in Spain and France. We get back at 10:50AM. A worker shows up almost immediately. Shortly thereafter two more workers come to deal with our problem. Seems that the problem exists in a series of cabins, before ours, and ends with us. They will be replacing parts along the way and that should resolve our issues…eventually. I need some hot water to deal with a medical eye issue, not much. We resort to using the coffee pot to get the necessary hot water.

Leslie departs for another Windows 10 class. The class only has several (12) computers. It is necessary to get in line 45 minutes before class to be seated at a terminal. The classes are very popular and well oversubscribed each offering. There are several distinct topics.

The food demonstrations are also oversubscribed. At least there is a sign-up list so you know at the start of the cruise that all the slots are full. The movie theatre is always full long before the movie starts. Anne, the future cruise consultant is also oversubscribed, turning away future business (crazy).
We continue to move the clock forward. Today we do it at 3PM.

We are offered another Neptune suite, or we can wait out the repairs for another day. Relocating would be a mess now, and we have gotten used to lukewarm showers. The coffee pot providing the required hot water is working well. The fix should be completed by tomorrow. We opt to stay put.

Our thermostat is now acting up too. They replace a part and say we should be good to go. We head off to dinner. When we return, Leslie is not feeling that well, so she gets ready for bed. Just before 9 PM, the Neptune concierges come to check the water. I send them off as Leslie is in bed. 10 minutes later, our room steward and assistant also show to check the water. I send them off as well.

Day 11, at sea
Before going to breakfast I let everyone know that they can come and check the water as they choose. We see the room steward on the way to the elevator. He is working it from his end. When we get back from our breakfast, the concierges are there checking. They are calling in the big guns to get this done.
We go to the showroom to hear a presentation on shore excursions in Spain and France. By 11, we have several crew workers pass thru the cabin and fiddle with stuff. We have had issues on other cruises, but never have we had so many people seeking a resolution. Seems like this problem is centered in several cabins away. Those people are also impacted, but as we are at the end of the line, we have the worst impact. They are working on the solution. Eventually, they manage to get it good enough. More parts are necessary to do it perfect. We spent lots of time in the Club and on our balcony while the various workers came and gone in our cabin and in others along the corridor.

Day 12, A Coruna, Spain (pop. 250,000)
We have breakfast in our room today, as we will be going on tour. Last night was a real rock and roll night with the seas. Our tour is A Coruna & Betanzos, a 4 ½ hour bus tour. We first go to Torre de Hercules Park. The Tower of Hercules is a UNESCO site. We go in a group for a 20-minute walk about to see a few statues, then part ways for the hike up to the Tower. It is a couple blocks up hill to the Tower. Once at the tower the climb up the stairs to the top is near impossible. I pass on the whole thing, with my hip. Leslie makes the trek to the Tower for pictures. The bus is comfortable and has wifi. We next go to Betanzos city area for a coffee/toi stop. The stop was followed by a 40-50-minute walk and visit of a couple churches (De Santiago Church and St Francis Assisi Church) and various shops and historic buildings. The walk is not easy. Next, we bus off to Mirador De Sar Pedro facility for snacks (tappas) and wine. The setting was wonderful. The even could have been nicer if seating was provided and is was not so crowded. After this stop, we head back to the ship.

Leslie and I stop at the Neptune Club for minimal bite and some ice tea. The concierge gave us a bottle of wine for our hot water issues. We return to our room and crack open the wine for a glass. Leslie departs for yet another windows class. I pack up a load of wash to be done.

Laundry. Some of HAL’s ships have self-serve laundry available on at least one floor. We have free laundry. If one of these does not fit your program, they also provide laundry service. A form is filled out and laundry stuffed into a pillow slip type bag with the form. Room steward picks up the bag and the clean stuff usually come back the following day. The pay program was about $15 a bag. You can also send items ala carte. Jeans were $5, so the bag program is a “good” deal. We send a bag about every other day. Laundry services end a couple days before the final port. Laundry services begin the first day…so if you stayed in the embarkation port for a few days, you can have your laundry done from the start.

Today we received our “bid” for the arctic cruise that we talked to the future cruise director about. The offer was basically full price, with little incentive. We easily beat this price when we got home. We will be taking that cruise in July 2017.

Leslie and I meet in the dining room, as her class was to run until 5PM. The dinner was fine, jumbo shrimp cocktail was the warm up and I have two. We slept well. The shower water is now very warm, almost normal. The seas have calmed some, or we are just getting use to them. The show tonight was a comedy, a type we usually attend, but we were too worn out to stay up.

Day 13, sea day
We return to the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast, as we are at sea. Hear you can get your eggs cooked to your liking. In room dining is scrambled only and taste like powdered eggs (which I believe they are). The Pinnacle was slow to get diners today. Guess a lot of the Neptune people stayed up late.

We have an easy day. We read the paper, do the puzzle, and work on our respective parts of this trip report. I even watch a movie on TV. Tonight is a formal night at dinner and after 6PM. We have some great short ribs and some very average-poor Merlot from our wine package.

Day 14, Cherbourg (Normandy), France
This is a major port for us. Getting to visit some of the Normandy beaches (Omaha) and the American Cemetery was part of the inducement to select this cruise from all that are available. We must never forget, has unfortunately become mostly forgotten.

We have breakfast in the room as our Normandy tour is 8 hours.

Tours: Most ship tours are booked prior to ever getting on the ship. There is ample opportunity to book tour while on the ship, but often the most popular ones are sold out, or waitlisted. These are profit based tours for HAL, and they do try to match supply and demand. Note that in small, often poorly developed places, transportation is limited, and therefor so are the slots for tours. Tours booked are generally not refundable, so that keeps some from booking way ahead.

The bus was comfortable. We drove thru the country side and stopped to see the caissons (70M long, 30M wide and 7000 tons) in the water (soon we would be able to walk up to some). We then continue to Arromanches. We walked around the beach area. This is a non-landing beach where the British set up an artificial port (British Mulberry Operation). This became the main supply line, a critical piece of the operations. It was the largest artificial harbor in the world. The area was hit by three days of horrible weather during the operations, but the tenacity of the British, kept the threads together enough to avoid a catastrophe. Our next stop was the Musee du Embarquement. There are hordes of tourists being pushed thru the facility (May 1st). Our group was pushed and swarmed into a tiny room of wide steps to attempt to watch a poorly presented 5-7-minute film. The room was claustrophobic for me, and I was suffering greatly during the showing. Fortunately, I was on the back step, giving me a bit of head space. The film itself, was apparently made for a 6th grade class, by a committee of children. Miss this film, if you have enclosed spaces issues, or expect to learn anything. Next our group was moved in mass to a line for another movie. On the way, a few people peeled off the join the crowds viewing the exhibits. The next film we viewed did cover some of the facts of the landings and was worth the visit. There was also seating. The film was in English, but translation earphones were available. When the film was over we went through a door and found ourselves outside. Most of us missed much of the museum. After the film, we had about 2 hours in the town on our own for lunch, a walkabout and a trek down on the sand to view various equipment and remnants of the operations here. Unfortunately, we could not go back into the museum without paying again. We usually do not eat lunch while on vacation, and here was no different. We walked around and Leslie took pictures and I made notes (the results lie herein). We visited a church (St Pierre) several blocks from where the bus was. The city was not shelled or bombed during the war. There was no thought by the Germans that anyone would come here, as there was not port. German protection was very modest.

We next went to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in (Colleville Saint Laurent), with its 9387 graves. The location is just next to Omaha beach (Operations Neptune), a five mile stretch. Many of the remains were sent back home to the USA as well. The property is very large. The grounds of the Cemetery include a chapel, a rotunda with maps, a reflection pool, statues, Director’s home, several memorial sculptures and a large (free) museum. Our tour was way too short to get to the museum. As we often do, Leslie and I split up. She went with the group and I went over to the museum. The museum is easily a 3-hour event. I rushed thru to get a flavor in 30 minutes, barely the time for continuous walking without reading anything. Leslie’s tour takes her to some specific grave sites (see pictures) and explains some of the history of the establishment of the site. Just the walk from the parking lot is 20 minutes or so. Easy pave walk. Once back on the bus we drive down a bit and then do a photo only stop of the beach area. Note there are few remnants of the battles that took place here to see. We make one more drive by of the Church St. Mire Eglise Steeple with its parachutist caught on the steeple (for you, history or movie buffs). It is about an hour drive back to the ship.

Day 15, Zeebrugge, Belgium
Our tour today does not start until 11AM, so we have ample time to have a leisure breakfast in the Pinnacle. We manage to get down, and get our tickets and onto the bus by 10:20. By 10:40 the bus is full. Both our guide and driver are great. This is true for most of our tours, unless noted otherwise. The tour is Brugges area and surround. That is, we do not enter the walled city. We start our tour viewing the new port (1906) area housing, the single-family housing of the better off financially and the small farm plots. The guide thanks the USA and Canadians on board for the protection they received during the war. She talked about the flooded areas, the canals and the roadways. Most of the roads are unfit for two-way traffic, let alone on a bus! It was an adventure to drive thru the countryside. One of the houses we saw was the Campbell Soup Castle. We drove along the tree lined canal (Blinker), saw the Stinker canal and the Napolean. We stop in the City for coffee, toi and a walkabout. Lots to see, so Leslie and I again split up. The town square has toi’s in the govt offices. Tijl Museum, and a bit down the street is the Church of Our Lady. The grounds of the church could easily take 45 minutes to see. Tour boats ply the canals. There are sculpture gardens to see.

Our next stop is Roose’s Chocolate World. A tourist stop for sure, with candy making demos. Samples galore! The even had a vat of chocolate to dip marshmallows in. Happy smiles coming out of that building along with some purchase to bring back to the ship. They explained that chocolate is made to melt in your moth (allowed to melt), not chewed. How impossible is that!

Our final stop on the tour is Loppem Castle. While we took pictures (including us) on the grounds, no pictures were allowed inside. Our tour here is guided. Once inside it was much more like a house than the castle like outside. We were confined to the “blue” carpet runners throughout the house, which made group tours of our size too restrictive. There is a toi, and naturally a gift shop. We had a person in our group in a wheel chair. It was almost impossible for them, and cut our tour short. The gift shop contains most of the junk people buy, so it did a brisk business. They also have packages of pictures from inside the castle…maybe that is why you are not allowed to take any. Leslie bought some. Back to the ship. On the way, lots of questions were asked and answered. Much of it was political, surprise. Belgium has a very benevolent government system. No snakes or coyotes in Belgium.

Day 16, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Today is our last port before we sail to Copenhagen. We pass by the Erasmus bridge, as we enter port. We are taking a bus tour to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our drive to the site, includes viewing a large variety of construction styles. When we arrive at the grounds we take a bit of a walk about to the river. There are 19 Windmills left at Kinderdijk, built in the 1700’s. We have a 3 ½ hour tour. We first visit a museum/gift shop/film/toi concession. The toi has a charge. The gift shop has lots of touristy junk, the movie is in Dutch, with subtitles and there is little reason to wait 20 minutes to gather, wait for the group ahead for such a stop. The toi, remember there is a fee, is a joint use, all at the same time for men and women. There are 3 stalls (one for men…what would be the difference?) and two wide open urinals. So they can accommodate 6 people paying at one time! Charge ½ euro, payable in advance.

We then walk several blocks along the waterway to “our” windmill. Most of the windmills do not operate, except periodically to prove they are still capable to pump water. Most are homes (tight). The job of these windmills was taken over by diesel engines and pumps. I am continually surprised at the number of countries or areas of the world that operate “underwater”. The windmills are essentially round, with the center portion taken up by the mechanism. Our windmill had three living levels open to our visit. Access was quite strained. One must be fit to view the rooms. The crowds passing thru (feel) was stifling. No one could reasonably get to see much, let alone ponder the use and lifestyle depicted. Visiting on your own, would allow one to go before or after the bus hoards.

When we return, we head to the club for ice tea to take back to our room. Did I mention that we brought a very large plastic cup from the San Diego Safari Park for this purpose? We sit on our balcony and enjoy the view and the hustle of the port.

The Port @ Rotterdam is huge. We backed in for 20-30 minutes to get to our docking space. As this is the home port of many of our ships’ top spots crew, the ship is inundated with kids and family. A bus service is offered to accommodate them, as well as passengers, into town. Some of the passengers are ending there cruise here and not going on to Copenhagen, Denmark. The process of leaving the ship is complicated, as there are 20 or more buses doing tours. Canal cruises are available. The 4-hour tour to the tulips is the most popular tour. The terminal likely has wifi, but we did not check. TV news does not work in the port.

Tonight, we’re are invited to an officer’s cocktail party which does not happen (family conflicts?). Dinner is uninspired, perhaps the worst choices to date. It is time for the last of the laundry to be sent out and to think about how to pack for our three days in Copenhagen…will we have another sea day to do that.

Day 17, at sea
We go over to the Pinnacle Grill for our last breakfast (not available on the last day). It is tip time.

Tips vary a lot form ship to ship and line to line. HAL has gone to a fee per day per person gratuity that includes all but drinks, spa, and special awards you choose to do. This way HAL decides who gets what. The Kitty that is formed goes to the baker, cook, laundry personal, etc. (does this sound like passing payroll to the passengers?) The fee varies modestly by cabin category. Generally, it is $12-15 pp/pd. This amount is charged to your bill (all paid at the end on your preapproved credit card) daily. All bar (liquor) charges automatically get an 18% charge added. Any time during the cruise or at the end of the cruise you can make additions or deletions to these amounts. Some people like to hand the gratuities out personally (HAL’s previous way) in an envelope. What happens to these “handout payments” is a subject of rumor. I will not comment. Also, if you choose to reduce the amount that goes into the general pot, the distribution on your funds is handled differently than if you did not. Most people think the funds are used to pay some of the lower staff help, in lieu of a full wage and therefore when you reduce your input, the main staff loose out? We have left the money as HAL chooses, clawed back some and redistributed it and signed up for a cruise fare that includes these daily tips. Many people choose to increase the payment, but to use that money to pass out to individuals (again what happens to those payment is subject to rumor). Some people do tipping as they go “extra” to a favored bartender, bar waitress or piano player or anyone who’s service is use a lot, and is very good.

After breakfast, we begin phase 2 of packing. Phase one was tossing junk, final laundry, and pack garment bag stuff (yesterday). Our phase 2 is to sort out what we will use in our Copenhagen hotel (suitcase 1, yes, we number them) from the stuff that is just destined for home or we will wear for dinner tonight (suitcase 2), and what we will wear tomorrow (carry-on bag). Baggage is required to be left out in the hallway late tonight. We will not get the stuff really packed as much as just sorted now. After dinner is crunch time, Phase 3.

Lots of goodbyes, address/email exchanges, pictures, hugs, and distributions of tips happen tonight. Drinking any remaining wine or…?

Day 18, at port Copenhagen, Denmark
We have breakfast delivered to our room.

We are scheduled for a ½ ships tour and then an airport drop off. We are staying at the Hilton Hotel at the AP (physically attached to the AP and walkable). The day for leaving the ship is often chaotic. Some people have tight arrangements for a plane, others are wanting to say on board as long as they’re allowed. The struggle is all those people that want to get off “first”. You are given a priority number to exiting, but the line soon blurs. The ship must be cleared (usually) by customs, before anyone can get off. Some people wait in their rooms (cabin stewards soon try to discourage that). Some people wait in lounge areas. Massive numbers of people line up in one corridor or another to get off. Priority numbers are called and one is not supposed to go until called. As we are in Neptune, we have a very early priority number. As we are going on a ships tour, we do not need that early a call.

The ½ day tour recommended, if you have the time, especially if you are not staying in Copenhagen after the cruise. One stop is the Little Mermaid, a bit of a disappointment, but THE icon in Copenhagen. From far and/or close we saw the Queen’s Pier, Queen’s Yacht, Danish naval Headquarters, Hercules statue, Neptune statue, St Alans Church, Gefion Fountain, Opera House, Royal Palace and square, the new harbor, Christiansburg Palace, the old and new library, entry to Tivoli Gardens and the old Post Office. Some of this was from the bus, but we also go out and did some material walking.

Arrive at the airport. Carts are free for use (you can even take them to the Hilton, and they will see to their return (usually someone taking their bags back to the airport. We head for Terminal 3. Here is the Burger King (one floor up), bring luggage, no problem. We have lunch there 1 whooper combo and one extra burger was about $26. Next, we went to the ATM. It is in a corridor, and built into the wall. The buttons are worn, and so not easy to use. Selecting English helped with the screen, but not with the worn buttons. It took me several tries to get the machine to give it up! My bad. Next to go to the information office in T3. They sell the Copenhagen Card (more later). We buy 2. Then we go to the SAS help desk to show our paperwork for our flight home to insure all is in order and get instructions as to what we need to do later in the week when we leave. She had a lot to say about self-check-in machines, but then just said to come back on our day of departure to her desk, when she saw my eyes roll. Come an hour early, and go to club if there is time.

Our next task was to walk over to the Hilton. The trip involves some elevator and or escalator work but is well signed. When we went to check in, we found we had been upgraded to club (some pre-arrival effort was involved). We are top floor, room 1218. The room includes breakfast in the club, snacks and open bar in the evening. Minor snacks and soft drinks are available all day. As are Burger King was a later lunch (a meal we seldom eat on the road) we found the offerings in club enough to avoid seeking out dinner that night. Thank you. Hilton, Ellehammersvej 20, Kastrup 2770. Our room has a/c, in room safe, slippers and is roomy. The cost is 5685 DKK for the three nights. Wifi is included, Hilton member.

Day 19, at the Hilton/Copenhagen (no new pictures from this day on)
First a few things we needed to know. CC with chip works fine. Forget about US$. Vat is high, as are salaries and prices. Tipping is rare (I never follow that advice at a chain hotel). English is widely spoken. This was tested a few times without validity. In city train stations to know include Norreport, Vesterport and City Central stations. In May sunrise 5:15 AM, sunset 8:45PM.

Copenhagen Card: 24 hr 48 euro, 48hr 67 euro, 72 hr 79 euro. Includes transportation to and from AP and all Copenhagen regions on train, bus, city sub, harbor buses, s-trains, discounts on some attractions, Free for some. I found this card to be of value. It is non-refundable, and unfortunately Leslie got sick and never used hers. She was stuck at the hotel, but being in club helped, so guess who I gave the CC card to? I use the tram, bus, canal ride and several of the attraction vouchers.

There is an aquarium, Den Bla Planet near the airport. My original schedule was to do that the day we arrived at the Hilton. You can borrow a bike from the Hilton, take Lufthaven St Metro, or walk to this attraction from the airport. Entry is 169 DKK.

After having breakfast in the club, I take the metro to Norreport Station (there is a McDonalds). From their I walk to Rosenborg Castle (close). I view the grounds and gardens and then exit out the back side and walk to Amalinborg Palace, near Queens Palace. It is the Museum that has the Jewels. I am too early to go in, so I continue my journey. I head a goodly distance to Nyhavn and the canal. My next stop is a long walk to the National Museum (Nationalmusett on Ny Vestergade). This museum is free and open from 10AM -7PM. You need to check you backpack in a free personal locker It is a large museum and has a restaurant. The Museum takes a considerable time to view. Today I decide to have a sandwich, as I am burning up lots of calories for an old guy. The sandwich and beer were good. The next stop is back the way I came to take the canal boat ride. This order turns out not to be good planning, as it requires a lot more walking that otherwise. I wonder around, especially around the canal looking at the shops and building. It is stroll…on vacation…travel. I cannot remember which metro station I walked to for the ride back on Metro. Notes spotty for these days, as I am a bit guilty leaving Leslie alone, although nothing to gain by both of us watching TV for three days in a hotel. Having had a late lunch at the Museum, I again find the club fare good enough. Leslie is having crackers and soda for most meals.

Day 20, at Hilton, Copenhagen
Today, after breakfast in the club, I again venture out starting with the Metro, but this time my target is Fasanvej Station. From there I erroneously believe the zoo is only a 1 km walk, or a bus ride on #4, but I am not sure where to get off. I walk, and walk and walk, then turn left and walk another long block to the entrance. There is a line to get in, and I am already worn out. My Copenhagen Card gets me in free. The hours are 10AM to 18:00. The price otherwise is 170 DKK for me. The zoo is huge, I spend hours there. I love zoos, as those who know me are aware, as well as those who read our reports. This zoo opened in 1859. They have about 3000 animals representing 265 species. The zoo is 11 hectares. The zoo is on both sides of the highway, and the opposite side is accessible thru a tunnel under the highway.

After leaving the zoo, I turn to the right and met up with a uniformed gentleman next store to the zoo. I ask him about getting to Carlsberg from there. He lets me know that I can jaywalk (not his words) across the high way, cut thru the park and will see it on the other side. That sounded good to me, as the gardens were on today’s activities anyway. The gardens were mostly trees. Lots of people were using it for one reason or another. Once thru the gardens, the Carlsberg Brewery was simple to spot, but nearly impossible to find the entrance. Lots of construction had much of my directional entry blocked. Eventually, I stumble on the correct route, with some negative help from some locals. The Brewery is a museum of sorts, an open food buffet, and offered beer. I have a couple free ones coming with my CC. I was relieved to sit down for a while.

The trip back thru the gardens to the zoo, down the long block and then wait for the bus! Yeah, the bus. I can do that walk again, today. The bus to the metro and the metro to the AP, but with a catch, a transfer of metro cars was necessary. I do not know why, but everyone else go off and switched, no time to be different.

Day 21, trip home
Our flight home is a bit of a roundabout, thanks UA for the change! We fly UA CPH to LHR on and airbus in business. The flight is operated by Scandinavian airlines. Then we fly UA from LHR to SFO on a 747 in business/first. Then we fly SFO to SAN on a Canadair Regional Jet 700. Shuttle home on GoShuttle.