ryansmemom
December 27th, 2004, 10:39 PM
Just as the weather had delayed the Statendam's arrival in port on our embarkation day, it continued to affect the first days of our cruise. We had seas rough enough to cause the swimming pools to remain closed for a good part of the time. We did however enjoy dancing our way down the corridors. Come now, you have all done it! The step is a cross between the Cha Cha and the Rhumba as you gently sway back and forth, side to side down the hall to the rhythm of the ocean as the ship rolls and pitches. :D It's what being at sea is all about! :D Chimera said he walked 5 miles on the first day- 15 feet forward, the rest side to side. :D
We had room service breakfast every day. In a suite, we were able to order from the full dining room menu and we took full advantage of it. We also asked for an empty coffee pot and got our coffee from the Neptune lounge. Our breakfast was delivered by the same steward each day so he came to know our preferences. We had guests for breakfast on several occasions and those breakfasts were coordinated by the concierge. Weather permitting we ate on the verandah. We tipped the steward daily.
We really enjoyed the sea days. We are generally amuse ourselves types and really do not look to the daily program for activities. This trip, however, Sacdr and his lovely wife got us hooked on team trivia and once we started we were definititly addicted and really enjoyed ourselves. I enjoyed a "stones" massage in the spa and would highly recommend it for relaxation. We enjoyed the daily quiz but did not win once. (We also did not use any references for the answers) We watched some movies. I must admit, we spent most of our time socializing. We met and enjoyed talking with so many really nice people. It seemed that everywhere we went there was someone interesting to talk with. I must confess, I just love talking with people and learning about them. If I could, I would love to hear the story of every person's life. And I mean every person who lives or has ever lived on this planet. That's why I love my my job. But I digress.
It seemed to me that the Captain, Maurits Groothuis, really likes to socialize. He hosted every social event possible on this cruise. We had all sorts of suite events. A welcome aboard party (in the afternoon) Suite dinner and sit down Indoniesian lunch. Captains Welcome party, Black and White Ball,and two Mariners brunches. The captain's wife was aboard and she was in attendance and served as hostess. They are a gracious couple.
We really enjoyed this leg of our journey. We relaxed. We took full advantage of all the ship had to offer us as far as we were concerned. The service for us was good. Our room steward, Uzer, served us magnicently. Our bed, was supremely comfortable. Everything worked just as it was supposed to have worked in our suite. Number 007, by the way. (Go ahead, say it. Now hum a few bars of Goldfinger...I'll wait) The concierge, Lilibeth, seemed to grant our every wish. She arranged our parties, and even arranged to have my wheel chair welded. Our dining room stewards were obviously overworked. The number of stewards were signifigantly reduced. We chose to look at it as a leisurely meal. AJ the steward and Chandra, his assistant (his first cruise) were clearly stretching. They did however find the time to learn our preferences, smile and even chat a bit.For those of you who are interested we left the auto tip in place and tipped over and above to all we felt were deserving. Some of these people were included in the autotip and some were not.
Kathy, the server we met on the Rotterdam, said she was happy on the Statendam. When we parted on the Rotterdam, the ship was about to go into wet dock. The hotel manager was sending the entire crew to Disneyworld. Kathy said they all had a great time. She also said life was good for the crew on the Statendam.
We just lazed about. The days blurred. We had a great time. Next time I'll tell you about our port days. Please ask me questions about the days out to Hawaii if you have them.
To be continued..
Linda :)
We had room service breakfast every day. In a suite, we were able to order from the full dining room menu and we took full advantage of it. We also asked for an empty coffee pot and got our coffee from the Neptune lounge. Our breakfast was delivered by the same steward each day so he came to know our preferences. We had guests for breakfast on several occasions and those breakfasts were coordinated by the concierge. Weather permitting we ate on the verandah. We tipped the steward daily.
We really enjoyed the sea days. We are generally amuse ourselves types and really do not look to the daily program for activities. This trip, however, Sacdr and his lovely wife got us hooked on team trivia and once we started we were definititly addicted and really enjoyed ourselves. I enjoyed a "stones" massage in the spa and would highly recommend it for relaxation. We enjoyed the daily quiz but did not win once. (We also did not use any references for the answers) We watched some movies. I must admit, we spent most of our time socializing. We met and enjoyed talking with so many really nice people. It seemed that everywhere we went there was someone interesting to talk with. I must confess, I just love talking with people and learning about them. If I could, I would love to hear the story of every person's life. And I mean every person who lives or has ever lived on this planet. That's why I love my my job. But I digress.
It seemed to me that the Captain, Maurits Groothuis, really likes to socialize. He hosted every social event possible on this cruise. We had all sorts of suite events. A welcome aboard party (in the afternoon) Suite dinner and sit down Indoniesian lunch. Captains Welcome party, Black and White Ball,and two Mariners brunches. The captain's wife was aboard and she was in attendance and served as hostess. They are a gracious couple.
We really enjoyed this leg of our journey. We relaxed. We took full advantage of all the ship had to offer us as far as we were concerned. The service for us was good. Our room steward, Uzer, served us magnicently. Our bed, was supremely comfortable. Everything worked just as it was supposed to have worked in our suite. Number 007, by the way. (Go ahead, say it. Now hum a few bars of Goldfinger...I'll wait) The concierge, Lilibeth, seemed to grant our every wish. She arranged our parties, and even arranged to have my wheel chair welded. Our dining room stewards were obviously overworked. The number of stewards were signifigantly reduced. We chose to look at it as a leisurely meal. AJ the steward and Chandra, his assistant (his first cruise) were clearly stretching. They did however find the time to learn our preferences, smile and even chat a bit.For those of you who are interested we left the auto tip in place and tipped over and above to all we felt were deserving. Some of these people were included in the autotip and some were not.
Kathy, the server we met on the Rotterdam, said she was happy on the Statendam. When we parted on the Rotterdam, the ship was about to go into wet dock. The hotel manager was sending the entire crew to Disneyworld. Kathy said they all had a great time. She also said life was good for the crew on the Statendam.
We just lazed about. The days blurred. We had a great time. Next time I'll tell you about our port days. Please ask me questions about the days out to Hawaii if you have them.
To be continued..
Linda :)