Zaandam reposition via Panama - advice for longer trip like this

[Estrace604]

My Mum (78yrs) and I are taking this repositioning cruise (20 days long) as we live in Vancouver and only have to fly one way! Her health is a bit impaired but she has always wanted to "see" the Panama Canal every since her sister did it 20 years ago!(sibling rivalry??)

I have read and read these forums/boards and now feel very confident about my first cruise other than the length of it.

We have booked a deluxe veranda suite as I feel the space will be quite important on a trip of this length.

I would have preferred maximum 2 weeks but.......

1. My concern lies with the last week as most of it is at sea. Bordom???

2. Are there any items you recommend that we take on a cruise of this length that wouldn't be taken on a 7 day cruise?

3. My Mum (and I) love to play cards and are hoping to meet up with other like minded passengers. How best to do this?

4. We have booked for late dinner as we are both nightowls while at home and mostly like to sleep in. Does that change on board? Have you found that you wake earlier than usual? I have read that the "nightlife" onboard HAL ships tends to wind down earlier than other cruiselines. Should we be shifting our waking hours to start earlier and thus eat at an earlier time?

[jhannah]

Welcome to the HAL board. I'll begin by saying that my wife and I will be joining the cruise in LA on May 10. We saw this 4-day trip as a nice getaway for us.

I doubt you'll get bored at the sea days. The ship's staff has a full slate of activities that will be posted in each day's newsletter delivered to your stateroom. The library will be full of reading material, too.

I can't think of anything you need to take on a longer crusie vs. a shorter one. The ship has self-service laundry rooms, so you can use those (or the service the ship provides for a fee) in order to be able to pack less.

The card room almost always has people in it. Just show up and you'll find willing partners to play.

As to nightlife, you can go to the Crows Nest where things keep going into the wee hours. After a day or two we have found that we adjust to the time difference pretty easily. The only reason you'd need to wake early is for morning shore excursions when you're in port. Otherwise, put the "do not disturb" hanger on your cabin door.

Good luck, and enjoy planning for your cruise. It's all part of the fun. Post any additional questions here and you'll find lots of folks who will be eager to help in any way they can. Hopefully we can meet you and your mum once we're onboard.

[Sailboater]

My DH and I are doing the repositioning cruise on the Volendam which is 22 days. I think we start a few days ahead of you. We took the 18 day Hawaii roundtrip from San Diego to Vancouver last spring and had 5 sea days at the end of the cruise. We did fine until we hit Victoria and then got very "antsy" to be back home in Olympia. Part of the problem was that we frequently travel to Victoria on our own boat and had already done all the excursions at least once so we didn't even get off the boat. I think that was a mistake on our part and plan to at least go out and walk around a bit this time. Staying on the boat and packing was a bit of a "downer".

You will find that there is a lot to do on board without really doing anything planned. Just walking around, stopping to enjoy the view from one of the lounges, striking up a conversation with other passengers, playing cards, working on the communal jigsaw puzzle(s), enjoying sitting on your verandah listening to the water and breathing the sea air, and just being pampered.

[Himself]

My concern is not that you will get bored. Going through the Canal will be the highlight of the cruise. It is well worth seeing but it is very hot and very humid in the canal. Be prudent about the amount of time you spend out on the decks. People have been known to stay out too long and that can lead to undesired consequences.

Himself

[RuthC]

I prefer cruises of at least 20 days, and like the sea days best of all.

Boredom is never a problem. Finding the time to do everything I want is the problem!
I try very hard to be the last passenger to call it a night---about 2:00 A.M. or so (if you look for it there is fun until then), then get up about 9:00 A.M. With all of the activities there's barely time to sit on deck and enjoy the sea.

You're gonna love it.

[Estrace604]

Thanks to you all for your responses. I guess boredom was not really the correct word. (did you notice I learned how to spell?):D

Sailboater"s word antsy would probably have been a better choice.

I feel much better after reading all your posts.

I didn't know about the "do not disturb" sign ..... I can sleep in!!!
- although I suspect that might be hard to do. After reading these boards I am getting really "antsy" to get on board LOL

Thanks so much for your help.

Lois T
Zaandam apr05

[Druke I]

Pretty hard to be bored on a ship (my experience & opinion).

We love cruises three weeks and longer - great relaxation time!

One note of caution - beware the sun in the Panama. Very easy to get burned due to overexposure - hard to go inside when there are so many interesting things to see, particularly going through the locks. Fascinating!
For a great read on the building of the Panama Canal, pick up a copy of David McCullough's Path Between the Seas.

[Cuttle]

My DH and I have done the repositioning cruises three years in a row - on the Volendam twice and on the Zaandam. Never got bored even though we were calling at the same ports. Just to be away cruising is all we need. And as many times as we have been through the Panama Canal we are never bored with it. We also like the repositioning cruises as it means only one long flight across the continent and the ship brings us (almost) "home". As my husband is disabled this means an awful lot as the flights to embarkation points are our major problem.

The weather will be hot until you round "the rocks" at Cabo San Lucas and then after that the weather immediately seems to change and it is cooler.

As for playing cards, you just watch the Daily Program and show up in the Card Room and sign up. There are also very interesting talks about the history of the Canal and (for me) Trivia and Board Games where you meet such wonderful people.

Enjoy the Zaandam. I am very envious.:)