Tennis anyone?

[richnorto]

Ok, all this talk about gaining weight has reminded me of something I've been meaning to ask. I know there are tennis courts on the Zaandam. Are they available for play all the time, part of the time, sign up only, rarely??? Should I bring a racket or do they have some to borrow, rent??? Is it too windy on deck to play real tennis?? Any tennis players out there with answers:) ?

[richnorto]

Is there nobody out there who plays tennis, or has seen someone play tennis???:rolleyes:

[Ine]

They are much smaller than normal tennis-court.

I wouldnot take a tennisracket with me for that.

It is o.k. just for fun, not for real tennis.

[pollux]

Ine, I see you have lots of snow. Stay warm.
Bak lekker olie bollen.

[richnorto]

Thanks for the info! I guess the tennis racket will stay at home. More room for shoes!;)

[Ine]

Hi Pollux.

Yes we are having snow for over 36 hours now, in our garden abt. 50 cm.!
It was more than 50 years ago since that happened in March.
More to come tonite and tomorrow. Besides it is below Zero Celsius, so freezing, and will get even colder the next nights.
Looks winter start now.

Tijd voor snert, boerenkool, hutspot etc.!

[SantaAna,CA]

I have not been on the ship but I am a bit savvy about the game since I used to play it (when I was younger...and faster!)....and from the photos I've seen I think they are "paddle" tennis courts. Paddle tennis is played on a smaller court, with paddles that look very much like large ping pong paddles! The balls are not new tennis balls, they are different, with much less "spring" to them, so they don't go as far when you hit them. Please correct me, someone, if I'm mistaken, but I'm pretty sure this is what they are. It's a very fast, very fun game, and (laughing) I think they've got the court enclosed so you won't have to jump over the railing to retrieve any stray balls.

My guess is the ship supplies both paddles and balls. :)

Wish you were going on my cruise, I love paddle tennis!

Jane (MS Amsterdam leaving 8/7/05 for Alaska)

[richnorto]

Hey, that sounds fun, Especially if I don't have to swim after my balls!!! I will give it a try with DH and kids. I'll bet we could recruite a few more for a mini-tournament on our Spring break cruise! Thanks!

[JaniceB]

Richnorto,

If you are up to Volleyball, I am sure my husband will play. He prefers sand, but will give it a shot. We could get all the kids together and have a family game.
I can't believe we have 16 days until we cruise the Zaandam.

Janice

[mhshapiro]

Paddle tennis is played on a half-size court with a dead ball (actually an ordinary tennis ball that has been punctured so it doesn't have too much bounce). We were on the Rotterdam VI, which has a paddle tennis/volleyball court. There were paddles available but someone had left them out in the rain, so they were not in very good shape.

Paddle tennis rules are slightly different than regular tennis, but scoring is the same. I've been on a number of Crystal cruises that have had paddle tennis tournaments (doubles). It's a great way to run off those extra calories.

[gpamitc]

Hi!
Just got off the Zaandam Saturday! My husband and I play tennis so I had called HAL prior to our departure to ask about the size and quality of the court. I was told it was a "practice" court.

Turns out it is a smaller court. There were about 3-4 racquets on the court - they were basically "junior" size tennis racquets. They were not "paddle" racquets as a previous responder described. There were some balls - which were pretty "dead" - but due to being old - not because they had been purposely punctured.

We used the court a few times...just went to the sports deck on nine - and usually the area was empty. Our cruise seemed to have an older crowd and not many kids or teens at all. So we never found it hard to get to use any sports equipment including the gym, "tennis" court or ping pong tables.

All in all, the court was a nice plus that most ships don't have. We still had fun. The area is enclosed and so we found that a missed shot often returned after hitting a wall!! I would not waste space by bringing racquets...but a can of balls would be a good idea.

[richnorto]

Adding balls to my 3 page packing list!! Thank you!!:)