Friday, 5 May 2023
Tucson, Arizona

Another Blog Before My Departure on 10 May

First, an apology for the date at the top of the previous blog. It is obviously now May, not October. I had simply copied the format from my previous trip blog and forgot to adjust that date.

I promised to supply more details before I fly to Ft Lauderdale next week, so I hope you enjoy this expansion of the itinerary list I provided in the first blog.

Tucson to Ft Lauderdale

I have departed from Port Everglades in Ft Lauderdale on many previous Holland America cruises, but I usually fly to Florida one day before sailing--when you fly from Arizona you don't arrive until late in the afternoon. On this trip I will be spending two nights and an extra day in Ft Lauderdale, because United Airlines, like most other airlines, has shifted the miles needed for a free flight to "dynamic pricing" (airline jargon). That means the number of miles needed can vary depending on the date and time you wish to fly. If I planned to fly on Thursday (one day before sailing), a first-class one-way ticket would have cost 100,000 frequent flyer miles--but the price to fly the day before, on Wednesday, is only 50,000 miles. Clearly a big savings. Since I had only 40,000 miles of my own, Will kindly loaned me the additional 10,000 miles I needed. Thus I have first class flights Tucson-Houston-Ft Lauderdale. 

A logical question would be:  what about paying for an extra hotel night? I have the answer for that as well:  I have two free nights at the  Hilton Ft Lauderdale Marina Hotel, using American Airlines frequent flyer miles. Additionally I will have a rental car for the two days--for $45.00--also using American miles.

Ft Lauderdale to Rotterdam

After my 28-day Australia-NewZealand cruise on Holland America this past November, I vowed never to sail with them again. The major changes made to dining and other services post-Covid, their penny ante-ing charges for many items that use to be included with the fare, and the necessity of using a smartphone to schedule everything on board and in ports (with the concomitant difficulty of finding service people to talk to)--made that cruise significantly less pleasant than previous journeys.

But the price for this cruise was so good (especially during a sale last July), and the perks I get for having sailed with HAL on 18 previous cruises are so plentiful, that I decided to bite my tongue and sail again.

I always enjoy the peace and serenity of a transatlantic cruise, resting up for the seven ports the Zuiderdam will visit before reaching Rotterdam. Although I have been to three of these ports previously--Ponta Delgado in the Azores (May 2009); Cork, Ireland (August 2013); Le Havre, France (May 2009)--there are always new and exciting things to discover on shore. This will be my first time in Praia di Vitoria (on a different island in the Azores); Waterford and Kilkenny Counties in Ireland; Torquay on the English Riviera; and Dover, England (other than a quick trip from the port to the airport in July 2011).

HAL's ms Zuiderdam

The Zuiderdam is sister to three other HAL cruise ships: Noordam, Oosterdam, and Westerdam--named for the four points of the compass. I have sailed on all except the Noordam. My one previous cruise on Zuiderdam turned out to be a terrible experience and led Will and I to sailing on Oceania ships for our next several cruises.

My 22-day cruise on board the Zuiderdam in Spring 2015 was a disaster from beginning to end. The ship, which began service in 2004, was in dry dock in Venice for major renovations just before this cruise began. But after boarding the ship in Rome, passengers were informed that the renovations had not been completed because the dock workers went out on strike. What we were sailing on seemed more like a construction site than a luxury cruise ship, with continual noise as workers attempted to finish the projects. In addition, major areas on the ship, including open decks and the observation lounge, were completely closed. 

 

In addition to living through the construction issues, I suffered a personal disaster at just past midnight on the eighth day of the cruise. I suddenly awoke to a revolting smell and four inches of water spreading throughout my stateroom and into the hallway.  The bathroom was the only dry place.  My suitcases under the bed--put there by HAL personnel--were totally ruined.  And who knows what unhealthy vapors travelled through my clothes and personal property.  

 

After moving temporarily into two different staterooms, I was finally placed into acceptable accommodation three days later. Besides all this stress, the ports we visited in the Mediterranean, Aegean, sand Adriatic Seas were all magnificent. And the weather was magnificent too. . . . End of the Westerdam saga.

Amsterdam to London

The primary reason for planning this whole trip--besides that I love to travel--is that I had a very large credit from British Airways that I had to use before September 2023. This credit was for a first-class round-trip ticket Phoenix-London-Dubai that I cancelled while Covid no-penalty cancellations were in effect in October 2021. Instead, I flew business class on Emirates Airlines non-stop Los Angeles-Dubai and then on to Rome, from where I returned to Miami on a 16-day Oceania cruise--which was actually less expensive and more fun than flying back on Emirates.

Above and Below:
Emirates Air Business Class Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport

Emirates Air Airbus 330--Two-Level Passenger Plane

Thus, I had enough credits from British Air not only to pay for my business class flights Amsterdam-Dallas/Ft Worth-Tucson, but also to pay for a business class flight from Amsterdam to London.

London to Paris / Sailing Paris to Frankfurt

I will spend three nights and four days in London discovering much that is new since my last visit in August 2011 (I can't believe it's been that long!). While I was teaching at VCU, I would visit London regularly during school breaks, sometimes even twice a year--14 times from 1975 to 2011.

From London I fly to Paris for three nights at the Marriott Paris Opera Ambassador Hotel. I pay for the first night, but the second and third nights are pre-paid as part of the 10-night Avalon river cruise tour. I have already made some plans for my short stay in Paris--mostly involving eating--but I will hold the details until I am actually there.

After the stay in Paris, Avalon passengers will be bused to Remich, in Luxembourg, where we will embark on Imagery II for the next seven days on the Moselle and Rhein Rivers.

Frankfurt to Amsterdam and Home

After a final overnight on the river cruise in Frankfurt, I fly to Amsterdam for a two-night stay at a hotel at Schipol Airport, from where it is very easy to get into the city or other parts of the Netherlands. Amsterdam is another city I have spent much time in over the years: 17 trips there from 1968 to 2014.

On Wednesday morning, 13 June, I leave Amsterdam on a British Air/American Airlines co-shared flight to Tucson, through Dallas/Ft Worth. I arrive in Tucson in the late afternoon and should be home at Mountain View Retirement Village in time for dinner with Will and friends.

Bon Voyage

I hope my readers have found something of interest in this long blog entry. The next time you hear from me I will be on my way.