Just back: Zuiderdam 4/7/07

[trvlcrzy]

Background: DH and I have been on several cruises (5 for him, 4 for me). This is our first on HAL. I am mid-30s. He is lower-40s. We have no children. We booked a Balcony guarantee (not a suite). We were in cabin 6127 (starboard, near aft staircase and elevators). I will be completing this review in installments. Please be patient. I do work for a living... and have all that washing, etc. to do!

Our Vacation Review
Zuiderdam: Sailed April 07, 2007 out of Fort Lauderdale

Thursday, April 5, 2007
We left home for the journey down Interstate 95 after work. The Easter weekend traffic was appropriately heavy, but not terrible. DH does all of the driving. We had no hotel plans, but we made it to Pooler, GA (at the Savannah, GA airport) for Thursday night. We stayed at the Staybridge Suites. I must say that the room was the nicest layout I have ever experienced in a hotel. A full-sized (empty) fridge with a kitchenette, a living room, a separate bedroom, and a nice bathroom were all spacious and comfortable. We used none of the other facilities, however. We did see a pool outside our window. We were on the third floor. One issue… the curtains could not be closed. There were sheers over the windows, but they did nothing to block the extremely bright security lights in the parking lot. I guess being on the third floor only put us closer to the source of the light. A concentrated effort at keeping the eyes closed helped us to get to sleep.

Friday, April 6, 2007
At 5 am I was awake (as is my usual schedule). I switched some last minute items from my purse to the “catch-all” bag with the over-the-door shoe organizer and its proliferation of assorted “Junk.” (This tidbit becomes more important later.) I read a little while waiting for DH to wake up. He is the driver, after all. After showers, we were gathering our belongings to abandon this stop. Breakfast was to be served in the lobby. As we neared the elevator an employee asked which room we had left, so he could collect the trash. We told him 314. We boarded the elevator to go down. We wanted to load the car with our stuff before going to breakfast and before checking out. 8:50 am. I realize as I step through the glass doors to the outside that I do not have my purse. I drop everything to race back to the room. It is not there. I know it was in the chair facing the window at 5 am. It was not there when I returned to the room. Wow. I managed to control my tears for at least another 30 minutes! In that time, I entered the room with 2 employees (the one who asked for our room number and another) to search diligently. No luck. We called for management and got the run around with a frequently-changing story of accessing the computerized “key lock” information. DH was on the phone at 9:05 canceling the 2 credit cards I had in my wallet. Luckily, we had not yet divvied the cash for our trip, as we usually do, so the culprit only absconded with $28, 2 useless credit cards and a canceled cell phone. My driver’s license and a vital prescription were pesky issues. The police were summoned (Airport Police), and we filed a police report. We didn’t get to eat breakfast, but a very kind employee at the breakfast bar brought me napkins to wipe my now abundant tears. This was Good Friday. Irony… the original wasn’t so great either, I guess. We received a business card with contact information on our return trip, so we could get our copy of the police report.
We rejoined the throng of vehicles traveling I-95 South toward Boca Raton and our pre-arranged hotel for Friday night. As we pulled away, we did check 2 trash cans and did a cursory check of the dumpster. In hindsight, I wish I had walked the emergency stairs and checked behind a couch and chair in the hallway outside our door.

I know, I haven’t even made it to any cruise related info. I will add more as time allows. Next installment: Friday night, Embassy Suites, Boca Raton, FL

I invite my fellow cruisers to add your own comments to this thread, if you'd like. (or you are perfectly welcome to start your own, too)

[earl_m]

I feel sorry for you, that a lousey way to start a cruise, I hope everything works out for you.

[trvlcrzy]

Thanks, earl m. We are doing our best. My biggest fear is the "access" to my identity created by my stolen Driver's License.

[trvlcrzy]

By the way, the Staybridge Suites was a very good value due to our travel club discount (even though we ate no breakfast).

Friday, April 6, 2007: Driving to Boca Raton
I cried so much that my face hurt. I think the salt burned my skin. It is very humbling to be faced with your own stupidity. Why didn’t DH and I do what we ALWAYS do? We ALWAYS walk through the room separately looking for forgotten articles. Hindsight truly is 20/20. It doesn’t help that I have hours and hours to dwell on this as we travel the interstate.
We arrive in Boca Raton and easily find our hotel (thanks to the Mapquest directions). There is a large group of guests there for a World Championship in Wheelchair Tennis. Fascinatingly in-shape people. (I am not.) The room number escapes my memory. It seems that we were on the 6th floor (out of 8). The room was very nice. The living area was a bit dark, but it faces the atrium. We made a few more phone calls about lost purse issues and used the phone book to find a pharmacy. The Walgreen’s was very helpful in getting a prescription refill. Migraines during a cruise are an oxymoron, but I don’t like to take any chances! We tried to eat at a Quizno’s. It clearly stated on the door that closing was 9:00 pm. It was 8:15, but the chairs were all positioned upside down and the lone employee was mopping the floor. DH and I used to work in retail. He is feeling more considerate than I am this evening, so we travel on in search of some morsel to squelch our hunger. Aha! A delightful establishment of Mexican cuisine: the Taco Bell Express. We were pleased to see two women arrive separately (one by bicycle). We like to observe local culture, and we take this to mean we are in safe area. (No slight intended against Boca Raton.) We return to the hotel and surrender to the Sandman.

Saturday, April 7, 2007: Embarkation Day!
At 5 am (I told you it was habit… but don’t worry, sea air and wave motion will remedy it soon enough), I awaken to do some last minute ironing. (We don’t have a suite, you know. No self-service laundry on this Vista class ship.) Why did I bother? By the time the luggage arrived, it looked as though I had done more harm than good to the items in that garment bag! We loaded the car (as is our custom) before heading back in to eat.
We went to the breakfast area. (At least we got what we paid for this time!) Luckily, we had not checked out yet, because we were the only people I saw who were asked for our room key to enter the breakfast area. I think this was because we came from the direction of the front desk (re-entering the hotel) rather than from the guest rooms. It was a little crowded, and the line for the omelet (I had to check the spelling) station was unbelievable. The orange juice (from concentrate) practically burned my tongue it was so sour. (Lido fresh-squeezed is waiting for me, though!) Breakfast was scheduled to end at 9:30, but there was a very large number of people still there. We completed our luggage tags while seated at breakfast. A quick stop by the internet kiosk to inform my mom and friends that the missing purse woes were getting cleared – including a successful prescription refill, checkout, and we were off.
Another 25 miles or so, and we would be at Port Everglades.
We had received a flyer for “Park ‘n Fly” in our docs, so we went to check it out. It would be a little cheaper over the course of our weeklong stay. It offered $10/day and one day free. It was completely exposed to the sun, and we would have to call for a pickup when we returned to port. We drove by and gave it the once over. Nah. We stuck with shipside parking at Port Everglades ($12/day). We have used Port Everglades once before (Aug 2006), and we were pleased. We entered the port along Eller Drive (instead of from 17th). Last visit, the north entrance was reluctant to allow us in early, but the line was tremendously long when we did, so SOMEbody let those people in! DH and I hustled our luggage across the busy street. (No, we didn’t use the elevated crosswalk specifically designed for that purpose.) I stood at the end of the line while DH took luggage to the porters to be loaded. Yes, he tipped generously. No floating Samsonite for us! The portside embarkation process was simple and convenient. By 11:45, I was calling my mom to tell her we were sitting in the Lido for lunch! By 12:23, we were calling to rub it in that we were enjoying bread pudding with vanilla sauce! (She’s been on HAL 4 times.) Our rooms were to be ready by 1:15. We took a walk on decks 9 and 10 after lunch. (DH ate much more than I did. I had an appetite problem from the stress of the last 30 hours.)
At 1:10, we chance it and start walking aft on deck six in search of 6127. As we are nearing 6093, we hear those beautiful chimes that precede the public announcements. DH and I grin at each other as we hear “Welcome aboard, ladies and gentlemen. As promised, your cabins are now available…” followed by the port vs. starboard odd/even stuff. By the time the announcement is done, we are marveling at our view from our balcony. (Is it a balcony or a verandah… hmm. It’s not a suite, so I think it’s just a balcony.) DH is convinced that our balcony stateroom on Carnival Glory was a little bigger. I’m not so sure. The bathroom on HAL is amazing! It’s not a full-sized tub, but it compares nicely to a tub in an RV. The balcony is larger (depth-wise) than Glory. We commonly perched our ankles on the railing on her, but we have more leg-room on the Zuiderdam.
Our passports (thank goodness) are in our carry-on. (No, they were NEVER in the purse.) We want to lock those in the safe, but it is not operational. Some knuckle-head before us entered a locking code with it open to “hold it open.” (Our safe on Glory didn’t work properly either, and it couldn’t be fixed for our sailing.) We will call about that later. Right now, we want PHOTOS. Up to the top again with the camera. We had so much time to explore that we took photos of almost every public area of the ship. We didn’t enter the dining room since it was closed. We didn’t enter the Northern Lights disco until later. We returned to the room to find our luggage (all except for one piece) in the room. The “leather/pleather” protectors on the foot of the bed were a nice touch to protect the duvet cover. I begin unpacking… with very little help from DH. (Eeek! Look how wrinkled the garment bag stuff is! Two bottles of Downey Wrinkle Releaser helped with most, but one item was hopeless. I know, Cass/seaisme, why didn’t I pack with the tissue and dry cleaner bags? Live and learn.)
Asep is our capable cabin steward. He is always greeting us with a smile.
We hear the announcements regarding the lifeboat drill. (Don’t get mad at me yet!) On other lines, we were to “begin” moving at the sound of the alarm. I think on HAL, we were supposed to already be there! (Can someone answer this for me? I like to get things right.) By the time we arrived at lifeboat 13, the crew members were calling cabin numbers. We were there in time to get checked off, though. There were several announcements by the captain regarding the sanctity of the boat drill. DH and I are in complete agreement, but there were those happy passengers who wanted to casually talk during instructions and such. DH and I were thrilled when an officer borrowed the bullhorn and said, “The captain has asked for silence during this drill.” The talking continued. I swallowed a chuckle when he silenced them with “What part of silent did you not understand?” (Hooray for him. I am a teacher by trade, and I have little tolerance for those who do not follow instructions.) In the case of an actual emergency, I can identify for you the first passenger who would have been tossed from our lifeboat. As I stated in the opening background, DH and I have no children. A young toddler was pitching a screaming fit about halfway through the procedure, while crew members dispensed child-sized life jackets. (We had approximately 200 children on board, by the way. There will be very few mentions of children or children’s activities in this review.) Of course, I am the lucky one standing right next to this high-pitched terror. Mom is wrestling her on the floor to put her in a life jacket. Mom is holding her own life jacket at her side as well. Mom attempts to soothe the child with “You didn’t get enough of a nap, did you?” Obviously, these words were really intended for the frustrated passengers surrounding these two. DH was further back (as he was following instructions). I had to close my eyes and focus on the announcements to hear them. I’m not fussing about the woman or the child; I am simply relating my experience – hopefully with enough imagery that you might experience it, too! When we are released from the boat drill, DH and I stand by the rail and allow the hundreds of others to move. No need to rush the staircase at this moment.
We return to our lovely cabin to return our life jackets. I surreptitiously move mine to another closet (shhhh, don’t tell), because the closet with the safe isn’t deep enough to store the life jacket, and, therefore, the doors will not close. Don’t worry. We returned the life jacket to the proper storage place before disembarking. It was labeled to be in the smaller (depth-wise) closet.
Time to head up top for sailaway!
DH scouts us a spot on the intercoastal waterway side/starboard (not looking at the terminal). We are on deck 10 at the aft staircase to deck 9. There is a “Bachelorette Support Group” enjoying sailaway with a bride-to-be on deck 9 just below us. As we are waiting for the ropes to be released (RCI Jewel of the Seas is pulling out ahead of us), Clark from the Cruise Activities staff (a.k.a. cruise director staff) joins us for a chat. He makes us feel quite welcome. He is from Canada. The cruise activities staff plays a game with passengers winning free sailaway drinks for answering “trivia” questions about the ship. “Name the captain.” “Where is the Crow’s Nest?” “Where is the Vista Lounge?” etc. I can answer them all thanks to our extra hours made possible by early boarding. I do not attempt to win any drinks, however, because I do not drink alcoholic beverages. (They all taste like cough syrup to me!) Rather than a sailaway drink, I thought a chocolate ice cream cone would be perfect! Much to my chagrin, neither side is open for serving during sailaway. There are signs posted “Serving dinner for crew only.” Makes sense. All the passengers are excited about sailaway, but I’m sure the crew has seen it so many times that it makes this the perfect time to serve them. We settle for two Coca-Colas from our Soda Fountain/Coke Card ($20.70 for 20 punches; this total includes the 15% gratuity) that we purchased while still in the port terminal (downstairs).
We stay there until we see the pilot boat pulling away back towards port. He gives us a wave of salute as he passes. The blazing sun is setting behind Fort Lauderdale as we sail toward our next port of call: Half Moon Cay on Sunday.
DH and I head back down to the cabin long enough for me to brush my hair. (He does not have this problem, Ha, ha.) We have early seating at 6:15 (lower level). We mustn’t be late for our next opportunity to eat!
We are escorted to table 155 (starboard side, one away from side window). Ketut, our assistant dining steward, greets us at our table. He introduces himself and Made, our dining steward. Made has a million dollar smile! Both make us feel like royalty. (Sorry, I can’t remember a thing I ate except for Nasi Goreng and surf and turf. That’s not to say the cuisine isn’t memorable; it only indicates that I have a bad memory for such things. I hope to look up someone else’s post about the menus and see if I recall anything specifically.) I know I had pasta on the first night, because a tablemate (Barbara a Minnesota snowbird from Naples, FL) asked if I were vegetarian. NOT, but I do like pasta. I remember having the Tagliatelle with Portobello Mushrooms one night… now that my mind is on pasta.
Dinner was fabulous. Barbara is married to Dick. Bobbie and Bill are from Brandon, FL. Bobbie’s sister Jean is from Orange Park. We enjoy our meal while getting to know one another a little.
After dinner, we move right to the Vista Lounge for the opening show and welcome aboard. Trevor Millar is our host for the week as our cruise director. He is from Canada, and he has a great sense of humor. The opening show “Under the Sun” was a bit weak in my opinion. Entertainment is very subjective, but I am not wowed by the cast or “stars” of the show. There are four main voices, and none stand out. The volume is also too loud, and the colors are all about oranges and golds during this mini-production. Lots of sparkle. I’m not into singing and dancing anyway, but I will attend when the entertainment is included in the price! (I am trying to remember right now whether the comedian appeared that night or Sunday night… DH doesn’t like saving all of the programs. I tried to rescue them from the trash can, but sometimes, he is relentless in his repeated efforts!) I’ll have to look through my paperwork to see what else I can find about the different entertainers each night.

I have never written a review before, and I am trying to get as much detail as possible. For me, reading the review wasn’t about swaying my opinion about a ship or a cruise line. It was about “getting ready” for the experience. I hope my details give you a taste of my joy over the last week. The cruise was exactly what I needed to stop worrying about the earlier “incident” on Friday.

Next installment: Sunday, Half Moon Cay

Photo: DH and I on Deck 10 (by the sliding roof over the midship pool). A nice passerby volunteered to take a photo with both of us in it!

[trvlcrzy]

I am trying to upload some photos to accompany the previous post: the cabin, the bathroom, the balcony...but the file sizes are too large. I will have to work on them some more. (Any suggestions?)

[twinkletoes4445]

Wow, how awful about your purse being stolen (my daughter lost her DL last night and I am worried about what will happen...with all the identity theft going on these days.

I'm really enjoying your review...it's so detailed! :) We were on the Zuiderdam back in Feb., and had a wonderful time.

I'm looking forward to reading more of your review.

[sppunk]

You can use http://imageshack.us/.

It allows large file sizes and will resize automatically to certain sizes you select yourself.

[trvlcrzy]

The tub in our stateroom's bathroom:
<a href="http://img409.imageshack.us/my.php?image=zuiderdam2007b022azd3.jpg"

The "sink" side of the bathroom:
<a href="http://img409.imageshack.us/my.php?image=zuiderdam2007b023aio1.jpg"

To get an idea of the balcony size (depth from door to railing)
<a href="http://img167.imageshack.us/my.php?image=zuiderdam2007b074pr6.jpg"

Our home away from home... and already, there are IMPOSTERS living there!
<a href="http://img167.imageshack.us/my.php?image=zuiderdam2007b021ey0.jpg"

Thanks, sppunk. I'm not sure I learned everything quickly enough, but these links seem to work when I preview. I will have fun adding more pics to that site! The site may be more capable than I am for posting actual thumbnails.

[trvlcrzy]

Thanks, twinkletoes. That means a lot coming from an experienced poster. I joined CC before our Glory cruise in 2005, but I don't post all that often. Of course, I am addicted to the boards prior to sailing. I must wean away upon return. I have a difficult time reading about others preparing for their exciting journeys... when I have nowhere to go!

I will add more to this review another day!

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4821/zuiderdam2007b005sj6.th.jpg (http://img403.imageshack.us/my.php?image=zuiderdam2007b005sj6.jpg)
Zuiderdam's stacks as viewed from Deck 10. You can also see the basketball/sports court aft of the stacks.

[twinkletoes4445]

I have a difficult time reading about others preparing for their exciting journeys... when I have nowhere to go!

LOL...I am the same way! :)

[iflyrc5]

Thanks so much for the info - we are leaving on the Z next Sunday 22 April for the 20 repositioning cruise via the Panama Canal ending in Vancouver 12 May. The upgrade fairy came and we got an upgrade to an aft VA cabin on the Nav deck. We can't wait - we had sleet here in Indianapolis yesterday.

Please keep the super info coming!!!

[trvlcrzy]

We did not attend any religious services on this sailing. There were several offered. Catholic Mass appeared on the activities schedule (everyday, I think). Two of our table mates (Bobbie and Jean) attended the interdenominational service, and they were pleased. I know they are Baptist, and Jean attends a Presbyterian church (if you want to know how the services "went.")

DH and I enjoyed our breakfast in the Lido. We both had omelets. There were two stations labeled "The Omelettes" on each side (port and starboard) of the Lido. Also, during breakfast the area labeled "The Wok" is also serving omelets. Toppings at the primary stations included ham, bacon, smoked salmon, cheese, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and green/yellow peppers. DH orders "the works." I'm not that adventurous. Sides include link sausage, patty sausage, bacon, potatoes (some cut like KFC's potato wedges, and some cut more into chunks). I'm a big breakfast person. I drink chocolate milk when I'm spoiling myself (2 cartons, please). I also drank the fresh squeezed orange juice each day. Gotta maintain the vitamins for energy, right? I tried the pineapple juice one morning. I had to stir it first because it had settled. The taste was still far superior to our Embassy Suites "OJ." Also, DH and I ate a lot of the fresh fruit on this cruise. Honeydew, canteloupe and watermelon were delicious. Pineapple was also available daily. Whole fruits (oranges, bananas, etc.) were also available, but that's too much work. The easy stuff was right there already peeled and sliced! I saw lots of things I didn't try: Swedish style Mueslix, cream of wheat (which I really like, but there's only so much time on a 7-day cruise!)...and this was still breakfast, after all.

By the time we were ready to tender over to HMC (Half Moon Cay for others who may be unfamiliar with that abbreviation), we had "no line" in the Vista Lounge. They were no longer issuing tender tickets, so we went right down to board immediately. I saw a man with a walker struggling down the steps on the tender. I thought this was poor planning on the part of HAL. The large tenders (capable of moving ~300 passengers at a time) are relatively new, I am told. My parents have visited HMC in the past, and only on their January visit with Westerdam did they use these large tenders. No offense, but with the population HAL serves, why would you want to force the use of the stairs? The tender loads from the top deck, but it unloads from the lower deck. Gotta use those steps one way or the other. Let's see if we can think of a solution for this one. I'm sure if we put our heads together we can present a viable option that will better serve those with mobility issues.

Upon arrival on HMC, DH and I were quite honestly LOST. We didn't know where to go or what to do. We finally did find a small map that quite honestly didn't help much. There's an information booth, but we honestly didn't know enough to ask about anything. For those who haven't been, learn from this: The yellow buildings on the island are all restroom facilities. That's helpful to know.

There are basically three paths to move across the island. 1) the beach. Easy enough. There are several access paths to cross through the scrub brush into the official beach/swimming area. The beach is covered with loungers as well as clamshells (available for rent through excursions). There are several watersports huts. 2) the "middle path." This path is a paver-brick path by a sandy roadway. You will cross this to get to the beach at any point. There are several benched areas with roofs to take a load off and rest awhile. They have charming titles like "Sit and Chill." This isn't a straight boring path. It winds and meanders, but there's not much to look at, either. 3) the "main path." This path leads the visitor among the structures of the island: the beverage stations, the picnic shelters, the restroom facilities, several "tropical mist" stations, even the chapel. (There was a wedding on the beach during our visit, and we saw a little of the photo session at the chapel. Wow. Full wedding gear in the sand. I believe the bride wore jeweled flip flops, though.)

DH and I took path 1. The beach. All the way -- past the cabanas in their assorted rainbow colors, past the "no chairs beyond this point" sign, past the horseback excursion (with the horses leaving deposits on the sand and in the tide)... until the sand stopped. Bad idea. Do you have any idea how far you are now from a yellow building? :) It was quite a hike back. Good exercise. I was careful about the sun. I burn easily. DH walked through the water at about ankle depth for much of the way. The tops of his feet burned where the sunscreen washed away. The water was chilly by the way...to my southern US standards. I'm sure the Canadians aboard thought it was quite balmy and comfortable. There were lots of people enjoying the water. (There were parasailers entertaining us at breakfast by the way.)

DH and I were terrible people...please don't hate us. We did not eat on the island. We enjoyed a glass of ice water. We found the yellow building. We stopped at the shop for HMC shirts... We left. We boarded the tender with some finely dressed bridesmaids. Lunch in the air conditioned Lido was delightful...
Ah, yes. Chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone AND bread pudding with vanilla sauce. Hey, if you eat chocolate and vanilla, don't the calories cancel each other out? (I like that math.) We had a wonderful pit roasted ham for lunch. It was truly delicious. I wasn't crazy about the roasted root vegetables. There was broccoli in there. Now I'm no farmer, but I don't think broccoli counts as a root vegetable -- and it doesn't stand up too well to roasting, I don't think. A little mushy. Oops. I told that in the wrong order. I promise, Ma, we really did eat our meats and veggies first!
I'll have to close for now and add more later.

The daily ritual of napping on the Promenade began... Oh how I miss that.
DH took a pic of me sleeping, but you KNOW I won't post that one!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for starting your review. There have been times we haven't stayed for the BBQ at HMC.

Sovery sorry to hear about your purse. It does sound as though that person who asked you your room number may have had something to do with it.

[trvlcrzy]

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/3460/zuiderdam2007b156px8.jpg
The tender for Half Moon Cay. These folks are some of the last to return to the ship. Squeezing out every last possible moment in paradise!
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/7554/zuiderdam2007b151sl0.jpg
The coastline of HMC as seen from the ship. In the enlarged image, a few of the cabanas are visible.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/3019/zuiderdam2007b144ry2.jpg
Someone enjoying the parasailing...no, that is NOT DH or me!
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/2562/zuiderdam2007b140dt6.jpg
Where the sand ends... I don't know how far we walked, but by the time we walked there and back, we decided that the exercise on the Promenade (for the mile) could be skipped for the day!

[trvlcrzy]

Cabin 6127 aboard the Zuiderdam...April 2007
http://img167.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img167/8767/1176853577vus.smil

A slideshow of pics of our cabin. (I'm still learning what this pic hosting site will do for me!)

[twinkletoes4445]

Ah, yes. Chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone AND bread pudding with vanilla sauce. Hey, if you eat chocolate and vanilla, don't the calories cancel each other out? (I like that math.)

I have REALLY enjoyed your posts. Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures and giving us such wonderful details about your cruise!

You have a FUN sense of humor. I laughed and laughed when I read what you said about the chocolate and vanilla. It sure makes sense to me! :)

[trvlcrzy]

I'm glad that you can "read" my sense of humor in my posts. That is really tough to communicate without the voice changes and facial expressions/contortions that I usually use to indicate sarcasm and humor. It's really a shame I can't "perform" my review for you. My students often ask me to change my voice -- just for the heck of it. They want to hear how many different accents I can imitate.

[twinkletoes4445]

I'm glad that you can "read" my sense of humor in my posts. That is really tough to communicate without the voice changes and facial expressions/contortions that I usually use to indicate sarcasm and humor. It's really a shame I can't "perform" my review for you. My students often ask me to change my voice -- just for the heck of it. They want to hear how many different accents I can imitate.

OMG...you are just so much fun!!!

I'll bet your students love every minute they are with you. I had a few teachers like that...and I still remember them to this day. I can't remember what I had for dinner yesterday, but I remember the teacher or two that made school enjoyable. :)

[masonsmommy]

Sorry to hear about your adventures before you got to the ship. My husband and I were on that same cruise, and how funny is this...we were in cabin 6123. This was our first cruise, and we really enjoyed our experience. Did you notice the influx of teenagers on this cruise? I am really enjoying your commentary. It is bringing back some fond memories.

[trvlcrzy]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise, masonsmommy. We truly enjoyed ours. We only encountered teens during one event, so we don't have many complaints. We aren't into the party scene at all, though, so a lot of our time was spent (a) on our own balcony, (b) on promenade (for afternoon naps), and (c) on the top deck away from the pool areas.

Grades are due this week, so it will be next weekend before I can add any more info to my review. That will only serve to make the trip last longer in my memory, right? I also want to upload more pics to the image shack site. I've been working on a show for the galley tour.

Gotta get some work done. (Can you tell I am procrastinating on the work thing?)

[masonsmommy]

I am a teacher as well. I know about doing grades. What a nightmare!!! We have testing this week....oh joy. Have fun. Can't wait to see your take on St. Thomas and Puerto Rico.

[news_watch]

Bump.

Like ttknow your thoughts on the after dinner shows and also looking forward to your take on the next stops, San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk.

We were on the same cruise.

nw

[seaisme]

OK...so the next time you will use tissue and dry-cleaner bags?

Really enjoying your review. I provided a much shorter version. and "yes", your humor is coming through very nicely! so when is your next cruise?
Cass

[trvlcrzy]

I forgot to mention that I can’t get a “Reuben” at the deli. They have no sauerkraut. I’m not a delicatessen aficionado, by any means. I live in the south in a town of about 7000. The nearest “city,” as they like to call themselves, has about 60,000. I don’t even recognize half of the stuff in the bread basket at the dining table on a ship… but that’s okay. I’m willing to try new things! My worldly-wise brother taught me what a Reuben was – he lives in a BIG city… 180,000 people. (Okay, you New Yorkers, stop laughing at me.) I have corned beef on rye with mustard. (I didn’t even remember until I was home in NC with my sweet tea that I could have put thousand island dressing on it!)

Saturday night’s show ends with comedian Jim Labriola, who played Benny (in the hardware store) on Home Improvement
Why do all comedians at sea joke about the ship’s toilets? Toilet humor is very uncivilized. (Of course, so is not drinking sweet tea, but that is another matter entirely.) I still laugh, naturally. Half of what makes comedy funny is the truthfulness of it. My tablemates discuss his act with us at dinner the following night, and we agree that the longer he talks the funnier he got. We are a little worried at the beginning of his act, but we warm up to him. (Maybe we are just getting tired and punchy.) The stuff about the “haht-attacks” and coach airline seats is quite funny.

Sunday night’s entertainment…
Bob Cates is a juggler. Now before you “humph,” he is an impressive juggler. Yet, it is certainly debatable whether or not a juggler can carry an entire one-man show. This is not the sort of entertainment that I yearn for, but it is enjoyable. I find myself holding my breath more than once. He juggles fire while atop an extended unicycle – on a moving ship. He also doesn’t take himself too seriously, and we laugh a lot. There are several times that he builds up to an absolutely idiotic stunt, and then says “Nah! Are you crazy?” He does amazing things with a Chinese yo-yo. He does the spinning plates thing. I’ve never seen the Ed Sullivan Show (I’m only 36), so my only exposure to spinning plates was on the old “Battle of the Network Stars” circus-type variety shows. Obviously, part of the humor in those network shows was the inability of the stars to accomplish the task seamlessly. Cates is better than those people, of course, and he is on a moving ship.

We go to the Queen’s Lounge for the movie of the day: “Stranger than Fiction” (2006, Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson). DH now hates me for dragging him there and keeping him up that late for such a loser movie. I find it interesting that on the Internet Movie Database site, Emma Thompson is not listed in the first page of credited actors. I wonder if her agent paid extra for that.

Monday, April 9: a sea day.
DH and I want some sun, but we don’t want to suffer all week. Correction: we don’t want ME to suffer all week. I sunburn too easily, so I have to be careful. I am looking forward to the culinary demonstration of Linton Hopkins (from Atlanta’s Restaurant Eugene) at 11:00 in the Queen’s Lounge. It gets rescheduled for 10:30. The scheduling ends up conflicting with our Cruise Critic member meet and greet.
Our meet and greet is amazing. The FOOD! Mimosas, Bloody Marys, glasses of wine… DH and I drink cola. We expect to have to use our punch card, but the bartender refuses to accept it during the meet and greet, so then I just ask the server for the refill. We have just left the breakfast table in Lido (I know, I know, DH isn’t a morning person). We are stuffed, and the servers are bringing around hot hors d’oeuvres (had to look up that spelling, too!). Jalapeno poppers, miniature quiche, and something I can’t recall. I abstain for the first two rounds, then I reluctantly (yeah, right) succumb to the wafting smells of the food. Delicious. DH starts it, and I might as well join him, because now he won’t be hungry for lunch until later. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.) We are on the port side of the Crow’s Nest. It is very comfortable. The hotel manager Simon De Boer comes for a short visit, but he explains that it is a busy day for him in preparing for 3 port days in a row… St. Thomas on Tuesday, San Juan on Wednesday, and Grand Turk on Thursday. He asks someone to take our cabin numbers, so he can plan another get together later in the week. We visit for awhile after he leaves, and DH and I have an enjoyable time. (DH is leery of meet and greets. He a little reserved by nature and isn’t into meeting new people. He was impressed with this meet and greet. I think the food did it for him.)

Is it lunch time yet? More food. A nap on the Promenade. Some quiet reading time (Judith McNaught novel). We went

It’s formal night. My shoes KILL my feet. I’ve had these shoes for several years, so I don’t understand why. DH has the Beef Wellington. He complains to me that the portions seem a bit small. On the CB, we always felt stuffed before dessert arrived. We don’t have that problem on the Zuiderdam. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing… I am not impressed by my dessert on Monday night. It was a chocolate cake. I am a chocolate fanatic, but DH is not. It’s amazing we are still married. (I love him dearly, though. We’ve been married 14 years, so I am joking here.) The cake was a bit too “dark” in the chocolate for my taste and a bit dry. I didn’t even finish it (:eek: ).

Monday night’s show is “Under the Boardwalk.” I like the “oldies,” so I expect it to be enjoyable. DH doesn’t like musicals, in general (hates The Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music – is he an American?), so he isn’t expecting much. It is cute, but I have trouble singing along (in my head, of course, I don’t do it out loud) with Jonathan, the lead. I find that he doesn’t enunciate well enough, and he tries to overdrive the melody when he sings. I’m not too thrilled by Jill, but the other two singers are better. I really like the African-American girl, but she has a tougher name… it seems that “Tonya” may have been part of it, but it definitely has more syllables than that. I’m usually good with names, but I have to SEE them to remember them. (That’s the teacher in me.) It is a feel good show with impressive sets, but I don’t find myself gabbing about it for days or anything. There is one male dancer who makes strange facial expressions while he performs. I’ll leave that to your imagination, but it made me remember that American Idol audition where Simon rejected the girl just based on facial expression and then changed his mind.

After the show, I decide to compensate for my dessert disappointment with a waffle cone of ice cream (chocolate, of course). What?!? It’s only 9:30, and BOTH ice cream stations are closed with a tray standing behind the glass… darkness in the booth… darkness in my spirit. I head to the front desk (a.k.a. purser’s desk or passenger services desk on other lines) to inquire where ice cream is being served. The helpful representative says, “Ice cream is served on Lido deck 9 until 1:00 am, ma’am.” Not. Oh well. I take it as a sign. I’ve had enough food for today. Off to bed.

[trvlcrzy]

Oops. Small editing error. I am typing into a Word document, so I can get as much info in the right order as possible. I went back to add one comment, and then thought of another.


Is it lunch time yet? More food. A nap on the Promenade. Some quiet reading time (Judith McNaught novel). We went

to the afternoon movie at 4:00. “Night at the Museum” was much more enjoyable than Monday night’s movie.


Tuesday, April 10 in Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas)

We are docked at Crown Bay. DH and I sailed to St. Thomas in August and docked at Havensight. I like Havensight better at this point. The view of the island is better from the ship, and the shops are more numerous. Construction inside of shops is still underway (installing lighting and such) in several storefronts at Crown Bay. DH has to get up early to deal with Customs and present our passports, so we get an early breakfast in the Lido. French toast is my favorite breakfast of all time… I’m not brave enough to try the zucchini variety, and I am relieved to find that they have the traditional kind, too.

DH and I head up to the observation and lido decks to take photos while we wait for everyone before us to finish clearing customs for our deck to be called. We are deck 6. We hear 1, 4, 5. We are ready when residents of deck 6 are asked to report to the Queen’s Lounge. We enter through the starboard entrance and exit through the port side. We head downstairs (yes, we took the stairs a lot to offset the calorie accumulation) to head into town. I’ve got urgent business planned! When we step onto the dock, there are very few people milling around. The stores don’t seem to be open yet – oh, that’s just because there’s NOTHING here. That’s only a slight exaggeration.

We head toward the cab/van area. Not surprisingly, we are the first to board a truck with open sides. We wait for a time while others meander in our direction. It’s okay! We’re on island time. No hurry. The driver gathers a satifactory load and drives all of 12 feet before he announces that he is stopping in order to collect our fares. There has to be a better way. The confusion of “This is for 6 people… That girl, these three boys, that man and myself” begins. Naturally, these people are not sitting in close proximity because of the numerous parties and the order in which we boarded. Admittedly, taking the money in town is not logical, because too many people can “sneak” away before releasing their $4 to the driver. I think collecting the money when passengers board would make a lot more sense…before your rear hits the pleather, pay up. That party of 6 is worried about making the ferry to St. John. I want to do that someday. They are also wearing denim jeans, and looking at them makes me sweat. They are from southern California, and we discuss gas prices as we ride.

The ride to downtown isn’t exactly scenic. We pass a school and an auto repair shop. This route is much more about real life in St. Thomas instead of the tourist trade. The gas station is what prompts our comparison discussion of home prices. We are surprised that gas in St. Thomas is less than $3/gallon.

The truck pulls onto the side street between the major stores and the straw market area. Excellent. This is very close to my “urgent” business. Straight to Cardow Jewelers. I am not a big jewelry fan. I don’t go “gaga” over stones or precious metals. (Do you feel the “but” coming?) YET, I fell in love with the reversible ring at Cardow’s during our CB trip in August. DH has resolved himself to the fact that, yes, we ARE purchasing a ring during this visit. It will take about an hour to resize the ring, so we continue to shop. DH and I love Del Sol stores. We like to collect T-shirts as mementos of our travels anyway, so we enjoy Del Sol T-shirts. Most folks in our area have never seen such a thing. DH also buys two pairs of sunglasses (2nd pair for $10). We also purchase some Grand Marnier, so we can try to make the soufflé at home. We are ambitious. We purchase a few more small items, including two outfits for our one-year-old niece adopted in February from China. (She’s adorable, and so were those outfits!) I also purchase a lounging set of that fabulous “tropical shirt material” that feels so slick and cool to the touch. DH purchases a shirt, too. It’s tropical night on the ship. We already have a couple of these shirts that we purchased in August, but the fabric is wonderful in our humid environment at home. We walk to the end of the shops on the “back” street, and then return to Cardow’s. She sure takes a long time to go get it. What are they doing? Switching the stones for cheaper ones? They have one small loveseat, and we avail ourselves of it while we wait. DH also looks at loose diamonds… and asks to see one of the most highly-graded stones they have… a D-VS1. He almost has a heart attack on the spot as he turns over the zippered plastic bag to see $12,385.00. I think the sales lady is offended. He doesn’t care. Again, I am not a big jewelry person, and my largest purchase in our married life is today’s ring. We are just average folks. We walk some more on the “front” street. We look for the Burger King that we saw in August, but it seems to be gone. It was upstairs somewhere, but we don’t see it today. We head into the Pizza Hut for the restroom facilities and a cola. (In August, we traversed “Drake’s Passage,” an alley of shops claiming to have clean restrooms. According to DH, they lie.) We complete all of the “shopping raffle” scavenger hunts – dropping the slips into boxes at various stores.

We head back to the ship in time to eat lunch in the Lido. While some are eager to try local cuisine, we are more interested in eating the food we’ve already paid for. After all, who can complain about bread pudding and chocolate ice cream. After a morning of walking and sweating, we eat cool and lite… salads, fruit, etc. It is refreshing.

We don’t venture back out today. (At Havensight, we did downtown in the morning and Havensight after lunch.) We do the Promenade nap in the afternoon instead.

Tonight was the big barbecue party on Lido. We didn’t go. We dutifully go to our dinner with Made (MAH-dee) and Ketut (ka-TUT). We are the first to arrive at our table, so we are reviewing our menu choices. (I remember what I had this evening.) I had read a lot about Nasi Goreng on this board, so I had to try it. After all, if it goes badly, I can order something else. Made asks if we are waiting for the others to join us. I told him we could wait another five minutes, but then I would eat their portions, too! Our dining partners do not arrive. Apparently, they are enjoying the Lido barbecue. Made also has two other tables of four that are empty tonight. He has one other table that is full of guests. Due to the light load, he has time to talk with us during our dinner, and we have a very nice time learning about his family in Bali. He has been sailing since 1994 only on HAL ships. He discusses his various ships and his daughter, who is seven. We learn that he can call her regularly on the satellite phone. We also discuss the difference in diet and food tastes between Indonesia and the United States. Made claims that American fare (burgers, pizza, etc.) does not fill him. He says that Indonesian food is much more filling. My Nasi Goreng arrives, and I tentatively poke at it. I try the beef first. Absolutely DELICIOUS! Wow. Made brings over a jar of Sambal to see if I am brave enough to try this condiment. I indicate that I will try a “little” bit. A modest tap of a tiny spoon onto my plate is enough to try it. He doesn’t refill my water before I try it. Oops. Should have waited for the water. It try it alone. Then I try it on the beef. DH tries a taste, too. Wow. That’s hot stuff. (I don’t have a problem with the heat of Jalapenos, but this stuff is HOT.) It’s very good, though. I nearly clear my plate, but I am too full. I guess Made is right about the filling qualities of Indonesian cuisine. He and Ketut seem to be very pleased that I was willing to try this dish.

DH and I didn’t do the late night comedy with Jim Labriola. Sadly, I don’t remember what we did. DH is terrible for tossing the Daily Programs at the end of the day.

Next up: San Juan, Puerto Rico

[trvlcrzy]

OK...so the next time you will use tissue and dry-cleaner bags?

Really enjoying your review. I provided a much shorter version. and "yes", your humor is coming through very nicely! so when is your next cruise?
Cass

I don't use a dry cleaner but once every five years or so. Maybe the tissue will be easier to acquire. We have booked our next cruise... Alaska on June 17. There's a whole 'nuther packing nightmare...airline limits and layers of clothes.

I hope to "take notes" next time, and maybe DH won't throw everything away in such a hurry!

So your next cruise is in Feb 2008?

[trvlcrzy]

Additions:
We attended the Zuiderdam Superstar show in the Queen’s Lounge at some point. This was the first round. While most don’t have the voice to tackle a Celine Dion number, a young Jade sang a beautiful rendition of “My Heart Will Go On,” but when her boyfriend stepped onto stage with her, it ruined the moment. It appeared that she wasn’t taking the moment seriously. The judges (DJ Cody, Hal Cat singer Jessica, and CD Trevor) didn’t invite her to stay in the competition. I believe she could have taken the whole thing based on talent if she hadn’t turned it into a schmucky moment. (I may have invented a word there.)

Wednesday, April 11 in San Juan, Puerto Rico

We booked the city tour through the ship excursion department. We booked online long before sailing. We figure this bus tour is a good way to get an overview of the city. We pass a display table offering samples of Bacardi in various concoctions on our way down the escalator. We meet in the lower level of the terminal, forming lines behind little signs for various tours. Our driver Margarita (no joke) drives us through the newer area of the city as well as Carolina, and we stop by the beach for about 10 minutes for a photo opportunity. The fort is visible in the distance to the left; El Yunque is visible to the right. The tour is informative discussing gas prices, schools, population, government, etc. Our next stop is the Fort El Morro. We only stay for about 45 minutes due to the bus schedule. I don’t believe this is quite long enough. We are hurrying here and there to get pictures (and find a restroom) before hurrying back to the bus. I wish I had realized how close “Old San Juan” was to the fort. We might have asked our driver just to leave us, and we could walk the couple of blocks over. When she does drop us downtown for shopping, she offers a 30-minute stay. Otherwise, we will be responsible for getting ourselves back to the ship. The ship is in plain view at Pier 4, so we opt to shop longer. This is a good decision since our downtown shopping map is not the most helpful document given where the bus dropped us. We have trouble locating the shops. We are specifically looking for the Del Sol. (Look at your receipts, folks. I didn’t. DH didn’t. Ten percent off coupon at the bottom if you use it at another port within 7 days… we have this from St. Thomas and San Juan, and we are heading to Grand Turk. Oh, well. Could’a’ saved some money!) We walk a lot before we find anything to serve as a landmark on our map. Wendy’s. Burger King. One of our first finds is the jewelry store that offers the free pina coladas in the back. It is virgin, of course, but very refreshing on a hot day. We find our Del Sol store, and we stop in a few other establishments. We drop off our raffle stubs to be entered in the drawings. One of our last finds is “Mix and Match.” The ugly Piranha Joe shirt and hat combo from Mix and Match is, of course, the prize I win in the shopping raffles.

Now some claim that San Juan is not a desirable port. I can see that it doesn’t compare with the pristine beauty of some sites – or even the quaint stylings of others. It is a large city. I had never visited before. DH had visited on his first cruise on NCL’s Southward … before we met. DH says the streets in Old San Juan remind him of Europe. Impossibly narrow for drivers. I’m glad I had the experience, and I would like to go back at least once more. I would certainly love to use it as an embarkation port for some southern Caribbean cruising!

We walk back to the ship to eat lunch. We stay aboard for the afternoon. Promenade nap for DH. I can’t sleep this time. I finish the McNaught novel I was reading. We are aft on the port side looking at the cruise terminal. The reboarding passengers are using deck 3, so we can’t cross the security line in that direction.
This becomes a problem when I need a restroom – and it is a long walk all the way around the aft, past the dining room and around to an accessible door on the starboard side near the photo gallery. I end up making this trip twice. Good exercise though. DH sleeps with his mouth open for a little while… Where is the camera when I need it?

At dinner, we discuss the entertainment of Monday night. One of our tablemates says that there isn’t a single lead voice that is impressive. The general consensus on the entertainment is “so-so” and “okay.”

Wednesday night’s show is the song stylings of Alfreda Gerard. DH goes early to get us a good seat. We are Yanni fans, and she sings with Yanni. He gets us a third row seat on the port side. What irony. This is the one time we would really like to sneak out the back. Her rendition of “Summertime” in the style of Leontyne Price is enough to send us running. We are not opera people at all. Her show is “A Tribute to the Divas.” It is obvious to me that she considers herself one. It isn’t long before folks started making their escapes. I almost feel sorry for the lady. At one point she asks, “Hey, where are y’all going?”

I can tell you… to the finale of Zuiderdam Superstar in the Queen’s Lounge. I think the karaoke competition could fill the Vista Lounge, and they can move Alfreda and the Hal Cats to the Queen’s Lounge. The room is filling fast when we arrive.

Side note: In 1993, when we sailed NCL’s Seaward, I fell in love with a non-alcoholic drink served in the show lounges. The forward lounge served frozen pink lemonade, and the aft served frozen yellow lemonade. It was the soft, slushy kind often found in theme parks/amusement parks. I have tried to order it on Glory, CB and now Zuiderdam. CB was the worst – much too sour (hack, hack, cough). Zuiderdam’s was better, but DH almost choked when he sampled it. Compared to his sweet Strawberry Daiquiri, the sourness about killed him.

We record some of the competition. It is very entertaining. I believe Jared, Leo, Liz and Raul could give Alfreda a run for her money in a competition. Liz wins with “Breathe” by Faith Hill. I can’t recall the faster song she sang. It might have been a Shania Twain. I know she sang “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” but I can’t recall if that was night one or two. I don’t feel comfortable posting the video since these people are not us. We don’t know them, and we have no way to seek permission to post. (ImageShack allows videos, by the way. DH might try to post some relaxing surf video for you to enjoy.)

Next up: Thursday and Grand Turk

[seaisme]

TRVLCRZY...
anxious to hear about Alaska...we want to go...but I love the warmth of the Caribbean...so it's difficult to "orient myself to cold on a cruise"!

If you know someone who has their shirts laundered...ask them for the dry-cleaning bags. or just go to the cleaners and see if they would sell you a few. They are absolutely a "guarantee" of no wrinkles! Even Hubby's white linen pants and silk shirts came through with not a wrinkle.

and yes, we must wait for Feb. 2008 for our next cruise. we're traveling so much this summer and fall, that we just can't fit it into our schedule. We did book another future cruise while on the Zuiderdam for the $100/PP...so I've been looking at future cruises.

Keep in touch
Cass

[trvlcrzy]

Thursday, April 12 at Grand Turk

Grand Turk is a “late” port with the ship arriving at about 11:00 am, so there are activities planned in the morning. Click this link to view pics from our tour: Galley Tour (http://img78.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img78/3068/11778021754yc.smil)

We take the galley tour. It is not a “guided” tour but more of a walk-through. There are stations along the way to show us some of the skills involved in preparing our meals. (I have worked on a slide show through ImageShack, so I hope I can get the link to work for you. This link is only the galley tour.)
During our tour (in reverse, apparently, because we entered through the Vista Dining Room and exited through the “Odyssey Restaurant”/Pinnacle Grill. Our handout indicates the opposite.), we are impressed with the cleanliness and organization. It’s very logical based on the scale of production. DH takes a picture that goes “missing.” (How does that happen exactly?) The artisan bread makers are creating lobsters and alligators out of bread dough. It looks very easy – yeah right. The only photo I can include in the slide show is a cropped photo from some distance away, so you may have trouble seeing the finished products on display. We see multiple fridges filled with shrimp cocktail. We pass freshly baked cookies (I just ate, so none right now thanks). We pass the cuts of beef available in Pinnacle (that one wouldn’t cooperate into my slide show). We pass the dishes of crème brulee waiting to be torched on top. One employee is diligently preparing hors d’oeuvres. There is a cookbook for sale from the chef. The Pinnacle is being vacuumed, and we’re out.

Up to deck 9 forward (in front of the gym) to survey the view and take photos. We ruin the view for some people who were on treadmills and such. We go aft on Lido for more pics. Wow, what a flat island. We contemplate the impact of a hurricane on this place. The water is breathtakingly beautiful. The tell-tale white sand edges of a couple of distant islands are visible as we look around.

We had signed up for the Iguana tour hop-on/hop-off bus. I really like lighthouses, and the lighthouse appears to be on the opposite end of the island. We pass through the duty free shop to enter the main plaza of the cruise terminal. A nearby kiosk is staffed with personnel ready to equip us with armbands which entitle us to all-day access to air-conditioned transit around the island. There is a “gaggle” of iguana(s?) lined nearby. A small stool helps us to board effortlessly. A heavily-accented driver informs us of historical and cultural facts of the island and country. There are three bus stops along our route: 1) southern end of town near a popular bar, 2) approximately mid-way near Her Majesty’s Prison, and 3) the north end of the island at the lighthouse park. No one from our full bus leaves at either stop 1 or 2. We proceed to the lighthouse park. Our Iguana pass buys us entrance into the lighthouse park and Her Majesty’s Prison. Buses are scheduled to return along the route every 15 minutes.

It is an extremely hot day for Grand Turk. The guide at the lighthouse park suggests that we take it slowly and enjoy the comfort of the two shade trees and a shelter covering several picnic tables. A brief talk gives historical information about the light and the grounds. There are two walking paths – one easy and one moderate. The easy takes about 15 minutes round trip and the moderate about 25. The guide suggests that we take a shade break after the trails because there is very little breeze today. We purchase two bottles of water at the snack shack (other beverages available include soft drink products, Red Stripe and Heineken). There is also a well-stocked souvenir shop with reasonably priced T-shirts and sweats, key chains, magnets, etc. There is no climbing of the lighthouse tower. We take the easy trail. There is a park bench marking the end of the trail. The views are spectacular. The guide has warned us that traveling beyond the park bench is at one’s own risk. We are not to explore the beach without a partner in case of injury since the coast is extremely jagged. There is no cell service in this area of the island. There are cacti all along the trail. The island is home to wild horses and donkeys, so we are watching our step. We head back to the shelter for a respite in the scant 5 degrees cooler shade. After more water from our bottles, we tackle the moderate trail. DH has no confidence in my knees or my ability to handle the heat. I am just fine. It is so quiet, we can hear the voices of fisherman in small boats off the coastline. There is an eagle perched on a rock. We enjoy the view for several minutes. DH takes more pics. We venture back to the shelter. We watch as others board another Iguana that has arrived. We see a group leaving on rented scooters, and we comment on the weirdness of driving on the left when you rent something. We stop in the small souvenir shop to make a few purchases, and then we wait for the next bus. Air conditioning is a beautiful thing. Its inventor deserves a Nobel Peace Prize… imagine how many deaths (or murders) he has prevented just by the natural calming characteristics of cool air on a very hot day.

Along the route, a different driver is providing information about the island…some the same, some new. We ride to stop 2: Her Majesty’s Prison. At this stop, the driver assures us that guides are ready to show us to the prison. Stop 2 is a lovely park-like setting. There is a small group of musicians performing and several locals sitting on shaded benches. We can’t tell where we need to go. On the other side of the park, we see a young girl leading three tourists away from the bus stop. We decide to follow as best we can to find the prison. The prison is a couple of blocks southwest. A guide inside talks about the history of the museum and the grounds. We tour the cell block – all 12 or so cells! We see the bell, and we take our photos at the souvenir photo cell door. There is a snack shop and souvenir shop. I do not purchase anything at the prison in spite of my addiction to travel T-shirts. I decide that my profession (teaching) will not condone my wearing a T-shirt labeled “INMATE” or “PAROLED” even during the summer months. My bosses may not get the joke.

We leave the prison and walk toward the beachfront. The guide from the prison asks if we are lost. I guess we weren’t following the designated path. There is a small group of merchants along the beach road selling shirts, towels and local crafts. We do not purchase anything. We circle the block and return to the bus stop. We sit at a tiled concrete table to wait for the next mobiling haven of air conditioning.

We do not stop at the bar stop. This bus takes us back to the cruise terminal along a different route: through the residential community. He tells us more of the local legend and lore of famous citizens living and dead. We return to the cruise terminal and the ship. It’s lunch time.

We reboard and drop our newly acquired ‘stuff’ in the cabin. Lido awaits. The heat of the day demands a lite lunch, so I eat cool, refreshing salads. I want to figure out how to make that mandarin orange shrimp salad … also, what is Calypso Dressing (on some more bay shrimp)? Those were good. Ice cream. There’s always room for ice cream!

We return to the cruise terminal (sans iguana arm bands) and walk around. We head to Del Sol, one of our favorite shops in any port. DH takes more photos of the pool/bar area of Margaritaville. Now, first of all, I am not a Jimmy Buffet fan. I like “the lost shaker of salt thing,” but I am not a parrothead. I refuse to spend $38 for a T-shirt or $64 for a polo. After all, I do plan to cruise again, so I need to manage my savings wisely! DH and I were very disappointed in the shopping at Grand Turk… tough to find memoirs of our visit. All we purchased were our Del Sols.

Back to the ship. It’s time to hit a deck chair on the Promenade.

Tonight is the second formal night. Surf and Turf. Baked Alaska Parade. Production Show: Stage and Screen.

Friday is a sea day! More info later…

[trvlcrzy]

On the surf and turf, DH's steak came back extremely rare... when I whispered to Made, "That's too rare for him," Made returned with two steaks on a plate with new veggie sides. (He didn't get another lobster tail.)

I had only one bit of shell in my lobster once it was removed from the shell. (On Glory, I had too much "crunch" in my lobster, if you know what I mean. The tail had been cut twice, apparently, and not in the same place both times. Lots of triangles of shell on the underside... not very appetizing.)

I did like the Stage and Screen show better than the Under the Boardwalk production.

[gg3]

I am enjoying your updates on the Zuiderdam so much. DH and I cruise Alaska Inside Passage RT Vancouver in July. 3rd time to Alaska, 2nd time with HAL - first time on Zanndam. Your running dialogue is delightful and told with such passion, humor, and detail. I have esp. enjoyed all the details of the Z. Before you end your commentary, will you please give us a few tips: such as things you discovered about the ship that you had not heard or read about. Secret places to go where it is not so crowded, great little areas to get a snack, best place to get a good souvenier on the shop, etc. Thanks for the great job and thanks for being a great teacher. :) gg in East Texas where the rain is comin' down, the thunder rolls, and the lightning is just a'flashin !!!!

[trvlcrzy]

Friday the 13th at sea…
Today is a little bit of sun day. Bake for 1 hour, turning once. Do not overcook.
We do enjoy Chef Linton Hopkins (of Atlanta’s Restaurant Eugene) cooking demonstration today. I want to try to make the strawberry shortcake dessert. He also made a risotto.

The day was restful and relaxing, but it had a bit of a sad tone to it. The “last day” gloominess settled over us all.

On Thursday, I received a note in our “mailbox” that I had been selected to win something from one of the shop raffles. I had told DH that it would be the ugly Piranha Joe shirt… I was right, except that it came with a hat, too. A $30 value? To someone maybe. Two of my nephews got that as their souvenir… one got the hat, the other the shirt.

We enjoyed at last evening at dinner. We passed our additional tips to Made and Ketut. (I had packed thank you notes that I could not find…I found them in the back seat of the car when we returned to the terminal.)

Friday night… packing.
DH was cramming the suitcases full as I was completing our surveys (I was asking for his answers) and customs form. After he had everything zipped up, he started opening closets and drawers to verify that all was clear. I looked up at said, “Did you just pack the clothes I told you that I am wearing tomorrow?” He has a sheepish grin as he opens the completely empty closet… “yes.” I was about to become the next joke at the disembarkation talk. At least I would have had my newly-purchased St. Thomas PJs on!

Saturday, April 14 disembarkation day…
The Lido was crowded for breakfast. DH ended up getting us a round table for 5, and another couple joined us. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and returned to our room. We dutifully waited until our number was called… Gray 4. How depressing. The line to disembark was LONG. I think they could have waited a little longer between groups. They called three or four groups at a time, even though those colors and numbers didn’t match. “Red 3, Black 2, Gray 4 and Green 4.” As we were moving down the staircase and making our turn to join the long line snaking into the Queen’s Lounge, we passed hotel manager Simon de Boer on the way back out into the Atrium area. He was on a cell phone talking to someone about a wallet that had been found. They were discussing the identification that was in it. I immediately felt sorry for the owner and recalled my own experience with my stolen purse.

We passed an immigration agent in the upstairs area of the terminal who perused our passports. Down the escalator to collect luggage … no problem. I stand to the side as DH looks for our luggage. We do not use a porter, and we hustle our luggage back across the street. We paid our $84 for the week’s parking, and we were headed out to I-95 North. We were distressed to see that gas prices had risen … again. A storm was brewing toward home, and the wind was high, so DH pressed on to make no stops. We arrived home at about 1 am on Sunday, and the storm raged through the day on Sunday.

What was missing…
The cruise activities seemed a little lacking compared to other sailings I’ve experienced. In reading reviews of other HAL sailings, it seems that things are missing. Game Shows (like the Newlywed Game, Win, Lose or Draw) and Music Theme Trivia that we’ve enjoyed on other lines were non-existent on this trip. (There were team trivia events, but DH isn’t into that, so we didn’t participate. I dragged him to those on our last cruise, but I decided to skip those this time.) It is possible that the activities staff believes these are dated ideas, and they want to try fresh ideas. I’m game, but I miss those activities where passengers were providing the laughs. The “Who am I?” game was played by members of the staff before the Alfreda Gerald show. The audience provided the yes/no answers with the help of one person from the cruise activities staff.

I hope you have enjoyed my review. I certainly have enjoyed reliving our experiences on the ship. I did my best to consciously decide that the stolen purse would not ruin my cruise. We had done all we could to remedy the situation, so there was no need to dwell on the issue. Every now and then, I still think of something and realize, “Oh yeah, that was in my purse.” It seems surreal now. I have my confirmations of my security freezes from the credit bureaus, my new driver’s license… life goes on. On to planning the next cruise!

I’ll do my best to take notes in Alaska…and keep DH from trashing so many of the daily programs!

[trvlcrzy]

gg3,
I don't think I can offer any new revelations about the ship. I had read a lot on here in the months before our sailing...from the day we booked in October. The information was quite helpful, and I felt very prepared for what to expect on this ship.

DH did go for a little more sun one day on the lido (but headed up to deck 10 away from the crowds), while I sat in the lido. Between the tables area and the lido pool, there is a little area with a sofa, some comfy chairs and low tables (like coffee tables). I enjoyed my quiet reading time there as I looked out at the port that day (St. Thomas's Crown Bay). It was a convenient spot, close to beverage refills at the drink station ... or the lido bar, if that's your preference. It was quiet, as the food station directly facing it (the omelette station during breakfast and the deli at lunch) was closed in those afternoon hours. Very few people passing by.

We enjoyed the lido salad bar in the afternoon. The fruits and pasta salads were light and refreshing. We did not partake of the mid-ship salad bar/taco bar by the pool. I remember one snack of hot french fries. They were delicious (from the grill), but I did find the grill's hours a little strange. There would be times in the afternoon that one would expect it to be open, but it wasn't. The pizza seemed a little hard to find compared to other ships with a dedicated pizza station. Pizza was at the end of the Italian station, and the toppings were creative. Beyond traditional fare (for my limited Southern Pizzeria) of Pepperoni, they offered lobster and salmon on some.

We truly enjoyed this cruise, but we aren't savvy enough to be very picky. We are just thrilled to be on a cruise instead of working! I hope you enjoy your trip.

Happy sailing!