Sailaway party

[JaniceB]

What is the Sailaway party? I know it is the day we first leave port, but what activities are there? Do they serve free drinks, have music or is it just a term used to describe the ship leaving port. I will be sailing on the Zaandam in March, and I would hate to be on my verandah missing the festivities.
Thanks for your replies in advance.

[localady]

Janice-

The sailaway parties on a HAL ship basically offer drinks (for a fee) and the Cruise Director and staff will in all likelihood be there. That being said, I personally prefer a toast on our balcony as we leave port generally. I have only attended a few sail-aways on HAL, and most seemed to be just an opportunity to sell cocktails. Would be interested to hear if any other cruisers have had different experiences. We now have 9 in our party, as my Sis and her son decided to join us! We are really looking forward to the cruise.:cool:

[grannynurse]

We also avoid the sailaway parties, preferring to meet friends in the Crow's Nest. The drink specials are awful and very pricey at $7.95. I'd rather choose my own drink and sit in comfort. The Pizza usually runs out rather fast.

Sometimes they don't even blow the whistle on sailing, it's a rather calm leaving for us, but we like it that way.

Don't get a bad view of HAL from this, our cruises have all been spectacular. And, sometimes leaving other ports are more fun than sailaway. Especially in foreign ports where they might have local bands and bagpipers.
GN

[CynBen]

The Sailaway party on the Rotterdam on 12/22 was fun, but as Localady said, it is an opportunity for HAL to sell you "watered down" cocktails. As we were newbies to cruising, we were really looking forward to the Sailaway party as a festive beginning to our cruise. When you get there people great you with drinks, but you don't realize that you will be charged for them until after a waiter comes up to you and had you sign for the drink. My husband decided to get another, but he figured out he needed to go over to the bar to have them make it fresh for him without the melting ice. Well, anyway, that is the only draw back. The waiters do come around with hors d'oeuvres that are free. There is Carribean music and the Cruise Director introduces the activity staff and there are some trivia questions for free drinks. It is a festive mood and we were able to chat with the Assistant Cruise Director and her staff to get the lay of the ship and get the scoop on what to do and when to do it. All in all, I would say it was a positive experience and a fun way to kick off a first cruise. No that I am a "mariner," the next cruise I may sit on my verandah and sip my champagne like Localady!;)

Cynthia

[RuthC]

I never miss the sail-away party. There is always a band playing, games are played, the cruise staff is introduced and walks around greeting the passengers. The dance hosts are earning their keep.

Good drinks can be had at the bar.
It's a nice way to start meeting people. Then the crowd leaves and it starts to quiet down. And I can start to remember why I go to sea.

[Globaliser]

There is Carribean music and the Cruise Director introduces the activity staff and there are some trivia questions for free drinks. It is a festive mood and we were able to chat with the Assistant Cruise Director and her staff to get the lay of the ship and get the scoop on what to do and when to do it.For me, this is the best part of HAL sailaways - the chance to see the faces of the cruise staff and, hopefully, meet and talk to some of them. If you're going to have anything to do with the activities and the socialising on board the ship, the cruise staff are your best guide, and the sooner you get to know them (and they you) the faster you can get plugged into what's going on on board.

[CaptData]

The very first sail-away is the important one as you get to meet some of the staff here. You see the home port slipping away. You may see banners and people waving. I brought some bubbles out and started blowing bubbles. It was fun until I seen a small child looking at me. So I gave her the bubles and she had a roit. Her mom thanked me as she had not thought to bring anything.

[lindleyjulie]

Where does the sail away party take place? On the volendam in october we just headed to the top not knowing any different, it was very quiet up there although the horns did blow, it was one of the most amazing feelings and I cant wait to experience it again I think I realised I was forty something on that cruise, I could stand for ages just staring at the stars and its not something I think you apreciate till you are older. Thanks everyone for your info over the last few months and is any one else having trouble posting a thread?:(

Julie :)

[RuthC]

Where does the sail away party take place?
Can't say where on the Vista class or Prinsendam, but on the other ships it's usually on the same deck as the aft pool. If the weather is too cold/rainy it's brought to the inside pool area.

It will be listed in the daily program and is usually about 15 minutes after life boat drill.

[anniecat]

BTW..if you do buy a drink....keep the glass..you paid for it! I use mine daily as a water glass...plastic, tall and reminds me of the cruise everytime I use it :D

[bepsf]

Where does the sail away party take place?

Julie :)

Julie--

On Oosterdam, sailaway was at the aft Lido, on Amsterdam it was in the midships Lido. Just follow the music...

As others have said, it's a great opportunity to meet the cruise staff and fellow passengers. Both times we met such nice folks at sailaway that we hung out w/ them for the rest of the week, including dinners in the Pinnacle.

[Kate-AHF]

You know, Bepsf, that's what I'm most worried about - being a new cruiser. Meeting other folks on board. I just get the feeling this will make or break the experience for us. We are both easy-going unpretentious people, with a keen sense of the absurd, and we love to laugh more than anything else.

I don't care what financial success anyone has enjoyed. I want to hear about where you grew up - how you felt when your son or daughter got married - the most unusual person you ever met on a cruise. We are not high-maintenance, and don't really enjoy folks that are. I am really looking forward to meeting people from everywhere I'm NOT. That's what makes life interesting. I don't live in a vacuum, and I don't want to on a cruise either.

While a glass of champagne on the verandah sounds lovely, meeting folks we will have a lasting memory dining at the Pinnacle sounds much better.

Can you tell I'm stressing about this a little? :D

It doesn't help I just read about Vic the Parrot's Holiday Horror. :eek:

[grannynurse]

We went to the sailaway parties on the first 2 Rotterdam cruises. The NE/Canada was special as we sailed past the Statue of Liberty about 20 minutes after leaving the dock. The deck was fairly crowded but we still got some great picrures. Leaving Boston for Europe was also very nice, we met lots of people on the aft deck and when we got a seat, had some really nice conversations with alot of special people.
On our second departure from NY, we met friends in the Crow's Nest. It was a dismal chilly day with intermittent rain. We did go out on the Sports deck to toast Lady Liberty but it was too uncomfortable to stay outside.
We had earlier discovered that the sailaway special drinks were too sweet and expensive so we now avoid them.
If we hadn't had plans to meet friends, we probably would have stayed inside anyway because of the weather.

This time we did not go outside at all. We love the Crow's Nest for sailaways in most ports because of the view and because most of our friends congregate there.

Sailaways are not as much for for us anymore. When we were younger cruisers we didn't miss any of them and I would especially recommend the to new cruisers. We just have different needs now.

We're not party poopers, we now know what we like to do. Please don't let me discourage you from experiencing the "full cruise experience".
Happy Sailing,
GN

[JaniceB]

Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions. One thing I know for sure is that the best drink can be found at the bar. I am sure we will want one souvenior glass and I will look for a drink with ice, but after that we will head to the bar. I cruised a few years back, not on HAL, and they passed out glasses of champagne, not the best, but it was a very nice touch.

[bepsf]

You know, Bepsf, that's what I'm most worried about - being a new cruiser. Meeting other folks on board. I just get the feeling this will make or break the experience for us. We are both easy-going unpretentious people, with a keen sense of the absurd, and we love to laugh more than anything else.

I don't care what financial success anyone has enjoyed. I want to hear about where you grew up - how you felt when your son or daughter got married - the most unusual person you ever met on a cruise. We are not high-maintenance, and don't really enjoy folks that are. I am really looking forward to meeting people from everywhere I'm NOT. That's what makes life interesting. I don't live in a vacuum, and I don't want to on a cruise either.

While a glass of champagne on the verandah sounds lovely, meeting folks we will have a lasting memory dining at the Pinnacle sounds much better.

Can you tell I'm stressing about this a little? :D



Kate -

You and I sound alot alike...

Have you posted your departure to the boards to see if you might connect w/ others on your sailing?

One of the funniest things that happened on my Alaska cruise is that I had briefly corresponded via the boards here w/ a couple from Arkansas who were scheduled for the same cruise, but we hadn't been able to make solid arrangements to meet on board. Standing at the Lido Bar before sailaway, I noticed a couple sitting by themselves enjoying cocktails - when one of them spoke to a passing waiter I knew immediately it was them so I walked right over and introduced myself! We volunteered for the passenger show together which is how we met other fun-loving couples & ended up having a ball the rest of the week!

Try not to stress tho - it's natural to be curious, but looking forward to a vacation is supposed to calm you! Just go with an open mind, smiling and saying hello to the others around you and see what opportunities come along...

[lindleyjulie]

Brian and JaniceB
like you Brian I arranged to meet a few people after sail away by the pool, in my excitment I did not realise ther were two pools and I often wonder what they were like we had such a fantastic time, I also will talk to anyone and dont
like to judge people DH says give me two hours and out pops my life story :D
Janice I am sure you will have a wonderful time you sound like that kind of person and where ever you go for sail away soak it all up its like nothing you have ever experianced before.
Julie:)