Retirement on HAL

[bepsf]

We've all heard/read about ladies who have spent years aboard Cunard and Royal Viking ships...

Is there or has there ever been a long-term resident of a HAL ship?

[jhannah]

I've not heard of one. It does pose an interesting scenario, however, when you consider some past posts that indicate that it's cheaper to do this than be in most assisted living facilities. Any volunteers to give it a try and let us know how it works out?

[grannynurse]

"Kissin Annie" spent at least 6 months out of every year aboard HAL ships. She passed away in August 2003 in Edinborough Scotland while on a Rotterdam cruise. She certainly was a gem, 93 yo. She always took 2 cabins, one for her and one for her stuff. She danced and partied the night away and the crew took her back to her cabin in a wheelchair every morning around 1am.
We miss her.
GN

[Cuttle]

What a way to go! Good for Kissin Annie. She enjoyed her last days doing what she loved to do and why not? She had company, she wasn't alone, she had all the food she could eat, and was obviously looked after by the crew. Great story Grannynurse. I have heard stories of old ladies having their own furniture on board - I don't know what cruise line or how true this is. Maybe it was Kissin Annie?

[Vic The Parrot]

I recall hearing about a lady who lived on the Rotterdam V.
Just like Ms Bea Mueller on the QE2, she had a single cabin assigned permanently, and would only get off the ship during the drydock periods.

Like Jim mentioned with the furniture, and other personal belongings, this lady had them in her cabin!

I seem to recall seeing her about the ship. Very charming, and sprightly individual. God Bless her!!

[blackbird71]

There was an old man that had a zillion cruises on the old Dolphin IV 3/4 dayer out of Miami. They only packed up his room if the ship was sold out. He would do the 4 day cruise every week. On the weekends he went to his condo in Miami. They had a officer uniform they gave him... This was all written up in the Miami paper 5-8 years ago.

*************************************

OK on this subject, if money was not an object, which ship would you do extended voyages on.

The only HAL ship I can think of is the Prinsendam , the Marco Polo also would be on my list along with one of the Silverseas ships. If I was to be on a ship six months or more, I would want a world cruiser.


What are your ideas???????????????

[Stakeout]

...Momma Lou.. we've been on the Zaandam four times in a year.. she's been on there everytime... she just received the HAL Presidential Mariner's Award at our last sailing on the 3/5 cruise.. for having over 1400 days... her permanent residence is over in The Villages near Ocala.. she lives onboard the Zaandam when it's in Port Canaveral.. she is a nice lady and a bit of a character.. wears the staff's ID tags.. pushes her rollabout walker equipped with horn and Teddy Bears... just got herself a new 'rig' while at our stopover in St Thomas..

here's Momma Lou at this past New Year's Eve party on the Zaandam on one of the sailings we were on with her....

http://www.greengrouper.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10003/107_0748-1Momma%20Lou.jpg

[fridayeyes]

Wow, I would Soooooooo like to do this when I retire! Hubby and I have talked about it along the line of people who do summers in their home state and winters somewhere warm. Our home state is California, but I would still love to have a good chunk of my retirement be spent on a boat. :)

Cheers,

Friday

[SDHALFAN]

Way to go Momma Lou,

1400 days, wow - that's a huge chunk out of your life, but what fun. I've never met Momma Lou, but I do remember "Kissin' Annie" so well. We were on several cruises with Annie and she ran rings around all of us "young folk". I do remember on one cruise - the "new" Rotterdam's Inaugural cruise - when my husband and I tried out the "sit and be fit" class. There was Annie, slumped in her chair, and my husband turned to me and said "oh my gosh, I think Annie just died". Well, as it turned out she had just fallen sound asleep during the class. No doubt she had been up all night partying the night before (while my husband and I were asleep). Annie was most definitely still hale and hearty then and it was several years later that we learned of her death. She was a special lady to all us HAL old-timers but she went the way she wanted to go - cruising on a HAL ship and just enjoying the heck out of every single moment. I wouldn't mind going that way myself!:)

[sail7seas]

I remember hearing about a lady who 'lived' aboard the old Noordam. I never met her but heard enough stories to think it was probably true. I don't know for sure though.

We, too, remember 'Kissin Annie' and were very sorry to hear of her passing. She was a colorful lady.

[LizB1]

is the one I remember as literally living on the HAL ships. She and her husband did many World Cruises on the Rotterdam V, and after he died she lived on the ships month after month. Several of the officers were treated like her sons and they treated her like their mother. Depending on which ship these officers were on was the ship she would be sailing on for months.

We also sailed with "Kissin Annie" many times including the '96 So.America Cruise on Rotterdam V and the World Cruise of 2001. Our last cruise with her was in August of 2003 on the Rotterdam VI. I believe she died in 2004, a year later, after they took her off the ship in Edinburgh, Scotland. We always thought she was in her mid-80's. Have to say she did well for her age particularly when it came to dancing with every else's husbands! She was quite a character.

[TYMAN]

We met Momma Lou last March on the Zaandam. Her service pins hung so low off her sweater they were dragging on the ground! She always had her teddy bears...had the front seat at Bingo reserved for her, she didn't play, just enjoyed watching the excitement on people's faces after they won. What a doll!

[Himself]

It seems some people give new meaning to the expression: "I'd rather be at Sea."

[the2ofus]

There's a thin older lady who always wore her Dutch night hat and rather odd clothes. I can't recall her name, but we were with her on a Noordam 14 days cruise in the Caribbean and again on a Statendam Hawaii cruise. She enjoyed participating in the Rocking Roldies show. She also was apparently very well known to the officers and the Cruise staff, who seemed quite fond of her.

[grannynurse]

Are you sure about Annie? There were many posts about her passing in Edinburgh in August 2003. This was after we got off in Rotterdam on July 28. She was continuing home to New York on the B2B.
We even got an email from those remaining on the ship. I hope i didn't post in error.
GN

[LizB1]

GN, actually you are probably correct. It may have been just before our Transatlantic cruise that year. For some reason I thought it was after our 34-day Cruise that August. I would also have to check with someone who was aboard at the time.

In any event, she sure was a well-known HAL character, wasn't she?

[elmorejj]

After sailing several times on the Z :cool: aandam the last couple of years we got to know Mama Lou quite well. On the Xmas cruise she brought dozens of gifts for the deck crew, DVD players, CD players, CDs and movies. They were all so thrilled to get the gifts and you could see she got a lot of enjoyment giving the gifts out. She told me her vest where she wore everyones name tags weighed 30lbs!, What a great gal she is.........jean

[ROZO'SBEAU]

Been with her twice......Volendam transcanal 22 days and Prinsendam to Alaska 14 Days. Don't remember her name but she is unforgettable....and kinda "pushy" as I recall. Every staff member on these ships knew her from what I could see. Always wears the Dutch hat in "Flying Nun" style.
Last time I saw her she was at the SFO airport catching a flight to Toronto (I think still wearing the Dutch hat).
Actually she is the kind of individual who makes the trip interesting and I hope I have her stamina when I'm her age. God Bless her too.
Beau

[the2ofus]

ROZO'SBEAU, yep, definitely the same lady! I'm a people-watcher, and love the interesting characters you see on cruises. HMM, maybe other people see me as an "interesting character" too.

[elmorejj]

I remember the lady in the "flying nun" Dutch cap too. Sailed with her on the Volendam in its inaugural year. She certainly could move around the decks for her age. Saw her once without her cap, she had a wig on, quite askance I might add.........jean :cool:

[ROZO'SBEAU]

Another thing I remember about the "Flying Nun", when they had a chocolate extravaganza in the afternoon in the dining room, she waited until near the end and collected big pieces of all the structural chocolate that is used in the contemporary chocolate structures/displays. She got the stewards to help her deconstruct some of the displays and help her wrap it up..
She had lots of it (and I really mean lots of it). I don't know if she took it home or ate it back in her cabin.....it looked like a high blood sugar attack waiting to happen. Again it gave us something to fondly remember when we think back on our cruise.
Beau

[RuthC]

Another thing I remember about the "Flying Nun", when they had a chocolate extravaganza in the afternoon in the dining room, she waited until near the end and collected big pieces of all the structural chocolate that is used in the contemporary chocolate structures/displays. She got the stewards to help her deconstruct some of the displays and help her wrap it up..

Something I have often thought of doing, but never had that kind of moxie. :(
This "Flying Nun" woman sounds like someone I'd like to meet!

[jhannah]

She probably loaded up on mayonnaise packets, too!