An interesting note about on-line check in surveys: Our hotelier seemed upset with me when she saw my initial impression of the hotel sent to hotels.com (I didn’t know your name was attached to the review). I actually did not complete the review (just the check in part – I mentioned that there was no real lobby or check in desk but I did say that the people were welcoming. I did say that the place was very warm, which it was) but she was really annoyed with me and became very surly and unfriendly. Not very professional. Now, I’m annoyed with her and the hotel. Works both ways.
Again, a quiet night and pretty good night’s sleep.
Another warm day in Amsterdam.
The breakfast was about the same today – we came down at 7:30 AM, which also seemed to annoy our innkeeper. We weren’t the only people down there but she seemed to direct her darts at us. From now on we are going to be The Ugly Early Breakfast Americans.
And to add more annoyance – my Kindle Fire froze and wouldn’t reboot. I did a factory reset and now it won’t complete the boot – the “Fire” logo stays on until the battery is drained. I thinks it’s taps for this Kindle.
The cab – a very nice late model luxury sedan- came a little late (traffic) and the driver (decked out very professionally in a shirt and tie) apologized for his tardiness. The ride to the pier was a bit roundabout (due to construction) but only ran 16 Euros (gave him a 20 no change).
Celebrity Eclipse was the only ship docked today in Amsterdam. We walked into the terminal and got tags for our bags and then handed the bags to porters, who put them on conveyor belts. There were no huge crowds and those big baggage carts piled with suitcases – all very clean and efficient. We went upstairs to the check in and went to a special desk for guest entertainers. Check-in was easy and we boarded the ship. It should always be like this.
We had a quick lunch of Salad and Pizza in the crowded Oceanview Café –and then went to the room – 3519 – to drop off our bags.
On this voyage, the Cruise Director is Chris Sweets and the Activity manager is Giuseppe Moschella
The other speakers on this ship are: Paul Delaney, Astronomer; Steve Diggs, Pop Music Historian. There is no Destination Speaker – those presentations will be handled by ship staff. We met Steve Diggs during our check in for the ship.
I met with Giuseppe at 6:30 PM in the Entertainment Office to go over the lecture schedule. He has me scheduled for one talk every sea day. The first talk with be at 9:00 AM tomorrow and all of the following talks are tentatively scheduled for 10 AM. The presentations will all be in Celebrity Central because the theater is in use for rehearsals every day.
Instead of filming a Q and A with Giuseppe, I filmed five “commercials” for the talks – a first for me.
The videos ran about one minute and I was standing in front of a green screen – the final version will have me talking and the name of the talk and location along side of me. It’s a very neat set up.
We attended the Lifeboat Drill and saw the Celebrity Spy movie again. I hope people get the safety points in the movie instead of seeing it as a movie.
We watched the sail away on the River Ij from the Sky Lounge.
Amsterdam Sail Away
It take a few hours for the ship to make her way to the open sea. The ship went through a set of locks before entering the North Sea. The locks looked like they were a ways from being completed – lots of cranes and building materials were present at the locks.
We got in the Celebrity Select Dining line and got a table for two in the Moonlight Sonata Dining Room – Seared salmon and mushroom soup (both OK). I had the Cesar Salad and Beets and Feta cheese appetizer (all OK).
The Welcome aboard show was a little different this time around. Instead of introducing the Entertainment Staff and previewing the singers and dancers, there was an actual show, which featured “Junnk”, a multi instrument group from the UK – like Blue Man group without the paint. They performed percussion heavy numbers using all sorts of items. They were pretty entertaining.
Junnk Performing
Hoping for a quiet room and a smooth ride.
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