24 June 2009
The Rotterdam docks in Rotterdam
I asked for early embarkation. We got luggage tags marked Pink 5, with a time of 0700 to 0730.
Granddaughter's suitcase (and foot)
I asked for breakfast at 5:30 to 6, and for a wake-up call at 5:15. Breakfast again came before the wake-up call.
They said they would not call individual boarding times on the intercom, but we should just go at the time allotted. So at 0715, we went to try to find where to get off. However they did call individual times and kept making an announcement that we shouldn't congregate around the gangway. So we sat in the atrium on our floor and waited. I tried, but I couldn't log on to the internet. At this point I asked B if she had her cabin key (which she did) and her passport. I discovered to my horror that she had packed both her passport and her camera in the backpack. Which had been taken off with the hold luggage and was in the terminal.
Well.
We showed our room keys and got off but then when we got to immigration, I had a passport but she didn't. I didn't even have the copy of her passport, and neither did she. They let me go down to the baggage claim area without her, and I picked up the knapsack and brought it back to her, and then we went through.
We got down and claimed our bags and walked out to get a taxi. There were a lot of people wanting taxis and no taxis. We waited about a half hour for a taxi.
Granddaughter waiting for the taxi
Passengers boarding a bus
When we got one, he proved to be a Greek who came to Rotterdam in 1976. He took us to the hotel and on the way I asked him how to get to Kinderdijk. He said he would drive us there for €100 and wouldn't charge us for waiting time. Having gotten up very early and not wanting to walk more than I had to, I agreed.
Traffic from a taxi in 2009
Clock in Rotterdam
Suspension bridge
Top of the bridge
Buildings in Rotterdam near the hotel
When we stayed here, this was called
The Golden Tulip
We checked in and even though it was early in the day, they had a room ready. We got a cart and went up the elevator
Elevator
and took the suitcases up to the room, which was a nice waterside room looking out on the canal. However it had a queen bed, and my granddaughter pitched a fit about sleeping in the same bed as me. So I went back down to the reception desk and switched to a twin bed room which was which was streetside (noisier). There was a trolley/metro stop out front and the view from our room of the street was interesting. Both rooms were €125 for the night I also got €200 from the hotel cashier charged on my bill so I could pay the cab driver.
In addition to free wi-fi through the hotel, there was a place to use their computers down in the lobby. This is a non-smoking hotel In the room we had a small table by the window with snacks on it (snacks not free), a small TV (including CNN and in-house movies),
Hotel room
in-room personal safe and mini-bar, and a very nice bathroom.
Sink
Shower tub area
The Rotterdam docks in Rotterdam
I asked for early embarkation. We got luggage tags marked Pink 5, with a time of 0700 to 0730.
Granddaughter's suitcase (and foot)
I asked for breakfast at 5:30 to 6, and for a wake-up call at 5:15. Breakfast again came before the wake-up call.
They said they would not call individual boarding times on the intercom, but we should just go at the time allotted. So at 0715, we went to try to find where to get off. However they did call individual times and kept making an announcement that we shouldn't congregate around the gangway. So we sat in the atrium on our floor and waited. I tried, but I couldn't log on to the internet. At this point I asked B if she had her cabin key (which she did) and her passport. I discovered to my horror that she had packed both her passport and her camera in the backpack. Which had been taken off with the hold luggage and was in the terminal.
Well.
We showed our room keys and got off but then when we got to immigration, I had a passport but she didn't. I didn't even have the copy of her passport, and neither did she. They let me go down to the baggage claim area without her, and I picked up the knapsack and brought it back to her, and then we went through.
We got down and claimed our bags and walked out to get a taxi. There were a lot of people wanting taxis and no taxis. We waited about a half hour for a taxi.
Granddaughter waiting for the taxi
Passengers boarding a bus
When we got one, he proved to be a Greek who came to Rotterdam in 1976. He took us to the hotel and on the way I asked him how to get to Kinderdijk. He said he would drive us there for €100 and wouldn't charge us for waiting time. Having gotten up very early and not wanting to walk more than I had to, I agreed.
Traffic from a taxi in 2009
Clock in Rotterdam
Suspension bridge
Top of the bridge
Buildings in Rotterdam near the hotel
When we stayed here, this was called
The Golden Tulip
We checked in and even though it was early in the day, they had a room ready. We got a cart and went up the elevator
Elevator
and took the suitcases up to the room, which was a nice waterside room looking out on the canal. However it had a queen bed, and my granddaughter pitched a fit about sleeping in the same bed as me. So I went back down to the reception desk and switched to a twin bed room which was which was streetside (noisier). There was a trolley/metro stop out front and the view from our room of the street was interesting. Both rooms were €125 for the night I also got €200 from the hotel cashier charged on my bill so I could pay the cab driver.
In addition to free wi-fi through the hotel, there was a place to use their computers down in the lobby. This is a non-smoking hotel In the room we had a small table by the window with snacks on it (snacks not free), a small TV (including CNN and in-house movies),
Hotel room
in-room personal safe and mini-bar, and a very nice bathroom.
Sink
Shower tub area
- Next entry in the series 'Go to Amsterdam First (1950, 1965, 2009, 2016, 2018, 2022)': Visiting Kinderdijk in 2009
- Previous entry in the series 'Go to Amsterdam First (1950, 1965, 2009, 2016, 2018, 2022)': Landing in Rotterdam in 2009
