Oh Boy!

This will take some time so bear with me over the next few days!

Our car arrived, right at noon, driven by a young man in white shirt and tie!  He loaded our suitcases and off we went.  No trouble checking in but a tour must have arrived right after us because when we turned to leave the counter there was a very long line!

We went to the Delta lounge until we were ready to board.  It was an uneventful flight and we arrived in Amsterdam with 3 hours to kill.   We had to do passport control and get to our next gate but figured we would avoid the very long line and do it later.  We wanted to go to the KLM lounge but there are several and we wanted to go to one near our gate and passport control.  We stopped at Assistance to inquire and just like that they took us by cart to the lounge, put us right through passport control and then returned later to drive us in a cart to our gate very far away!  What service!  They would not accept tips!

We arrived in Stockholm on time and took a taxi to the Hilton where we met up with Kristin.  We went out to dinner at a pizza place “an 8 minute walk on mostly flat ground!”  A 4% grade is NOT flat!  The next morning we sought out a crepe restaurant to start our day. 

Kara and Kelly and husbands were due in later that day so we all boarded the ship that afternoon. We, however, had a bit of a dust up when we were denied access to the priority embarkation we were entitled to by staying in the Owner’s Suite.  

We showed her the cabin number provided to us at the check in counter and said it was the Owner’s Suite and she pointed us to a long line that didn’t look quite right. So Ted went back and got the  same answer.  She only asked if we were VIP (he didn’t know what constituted that) and she asked if we had Platinum status and he said no, Gold!  Again, sent to the long line. Kristin sought out another employee who said “Follow me and took us to a small line being led by a gal carrying a VIP sign. We were taken to a special elevator and immediately to a Specialty restaurant for a free welcome lunch!  We were given our room key cards that said VIP!  When Kara arrived she said the lady only looked for their names on the list and they were directed to the VIP line!  What a novel idea!  They were adjacent to our suite in a Penthouse, a suite which connected.  We had a balcony off the front and one on the side.  The girls went to the spa several times while at sea.

 We are now only 4 points away from Platinum!  And that IS VIP regardless of your cabin! 

Since the ship was not sailing until 3 pm the next day, we all visited the VASA museum.

The Vasa was a 17th-century Swedish warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 due to instability caused by a top-heavy design and the placement of its heavy gunports. After being lost for centuries, the ship was salvaged in 1961 and is now a well-preserved museum exhibit showcasing 17th-century life and shipbuilding. 

A replica in its original colors

Later that evening the kids all went to the ABBA museum where they danced and sang and afterwards they went to the ice bar. 

My idea of having a drink does not include sitting on a block of ice at 7 below but they thought it was great. 

In the morning we had arrived in Finland for a day in Helsinki.

We took the HOHO bus (hop on hop off) with our first stop at the Church in the Rock.  It was beautiful rock, impressive to look at but certainly didn’t impress me as being a church.  It was very large and is popular for weddings and concerts. But there were no church trappings at all!  We inquired about a restroom but there was none available to the public for health and safety reasons!  Huh?  Thus began our two week search for toilets!  

We stopped at a small cafe in our quest and were told they were downstairs (they were ALL downstairs) free to customers or 2 euros just for use!  We had a cup of coffee and peed for free!

Back on the bus I fell asleep.  I woke up when Ted told Kara we were just going to ride the complete route and return to the ship.  Jet lag caught up with me.

We all had dinner together every night.  Specialty Dining was for 5 dinners and the other 7 nights were in the Main Dining room.  The food was just as good there as the Specialty restaurants so I am not sure I would pay for them if it wasn't part of a good package.  We were able to purchase 5 dinners each for $200 but were expected to tip 20% against the normal price of $40-60 each.  So $16, $20 or $24.  Added to the $20 each to purchase it would be more worth it if the food was better than the free, no tip MDR dinners.  But it wasn’t.  

Next up was Estonia.  We were on the lookout for fat Margaret!  We toured a beautiful city center, ate delicious local food and bought some woolen things from a local artisan store.  We found the three Sisters Hotel so had to have a photo.  

We found Fat Margaret!

Fat Margaret, or Paks Margareeta, is a robust cylindrical tower located in Tallinn, Estonia, built in the late 15th century as part of the city's fortifications. Named after a local legend, this historic landmark served as a cannon tower and now houses the Estonian Maritime Museum. Visitors can explore the museum's extensive exhibits on maritime history and the coastal traditions of Estonia. The tower provides stunning views of the city and the harbor, making it a popular stop for tourists.

And a Texas Cantina!

We returned to the ship and had dinner and saw a magic show.  Kara was invited on stage for one portion.  But they put a talking mask on her and it was funny but other than selecting cards she didn’t have much to do!  It all blends together and we did not go to every evening’s entertainment despite the fact we had Specialty seating as a VIP.  

I learned booking Concierge level certainly has its perks!  Breakfast brought to our room each morning by Richard.  Excellent steward, Michael, kept things tidy and clean.  Richard kept our bar stocked and brought a treat each afternoon.  Sometimes finger sandwiches, some times cookies or chocolate covered strawberries.  

David, our Concierge, handled all the reservations for meals, excursions, special requests.  He was instrumental in getting our dining room reservations in order and mostly seeing we got off the ship in England to get to Downton Abbey in time for our tour.  There was face to face England Immigration starting at 8 am.  We had a 10:30 tour and a 2 hour limo ride!  We made it, first in line when the UK folks showed up a bit late.

On debarkation day it apparently turned into a cluster XXXX because people did not wait for their level to be called.  We were Priority Pink 1 bus departing at 6:30 am.  It was a 2.5 hour ride to Paris and everyone was wanting to get there as soon as possible.  We were led through areas not assessable to the public and were taken past a host of unhappy people who should not have been there at that time.  There was a lady trying to tap out in front of me without that purple VIP card and was refusing to move.  They threatened to call Immigration on her.  She moved and my purple VIP card was the magic ticket after David wove us through that maze.  Glad we missed the rest of the commotion.

Ted, Kristin and I were on Bus 1 when we received word Kara’s luggage was not there.  Turns out a cart for Priority One folks was not brought to the hall!  It put them on Priority Bus 3 but we arrived at CDG about the same time,  much more about that later!

Life was good!

.