Betcha Ya Thought You Were Rid of Me ... Live from the Zuiderdam

[kryos]

I'm having a great time onboard. Arrived on Saturday morning after a 6:00 a.m. flight out of Philly into Miami at 8:30. Unlike my last cruise, my flight made it in without incident. HAL had reps waiting right there in baggage claim which I wasn't expecting that early. They secured our luggage so that we could wander around the airport. We had a three hour wait before we would be transferred by bus to Fort Lauderdale.

The excitement upon arriving at the cruise terminal was indescribable. I've never embarked there because of the snafu with my last cruise, and I was amazed at the length of the lines. I figured we'd be there all day. Well, the lines might have been long, but they moved amazingly fast. I was also surprised to note that the lines for people who filled out their immigration forms online and those that didn't were about the same length. Only the deluxe suite passengers had it good. They had their own section and there were three attendants there to take care of that relatively small number of people.

Within an hour after arriving at the cruise port, we were onboard. Yehaaaaaaa!

I've read things on these boards about poor service and malfunctioning air conditioning, etc. ... but I honestly haven't yet encountered it. I have a relatively small inside stateroom and everytime I go out for breakfast, I come back and it is all made up and spotless. Ice is replinished and the mini-bar is stocked. The air conditioning is fine and I've smelled no odors on the ship ... as reported here before.

I did hear that some people in the aft section of the ship had some air conditioning problems on the first day, but they were resolved by nightfall (from what I understand). Since my cabin is on the veranda deck, front part of the ship, I can only report on these second hand.

Service in the dining room is excellent, and the food has thus far been pretty good. The past two nights have been casual nights (my favorite), but tonight is formal night (I'm dreading it). I hate to get dressed up, but the people I'm with this week like to eat in the dining room. Next week I'll do the Lido on formal nights.

I had steak the first night and prime rib last night. The desserts are also to die for. I had strawberry cheesecake on Saturday night and a butterscotch sundae last night. Gawd, I'm gonna get fat!

The shows have been great ... Zuiderdam cast on Saturday night, and a juggling show by Edge last night. Tonight is the Zuiderdam dancers again ... Under the Boardwalk. Also, we have the captain's reception tonight.

My shore excursion for Tortola has been cancelled for tomorrow. Since it involves sailing, and with a hurricane supposedly approaching, the boat went into dry dock. But since I booked it with HAL, they credited the cost to my shipboard account. I haven't yet decided what to do on Tortola tomorrow, but will probably just wander around on my own.

I got my hair cut in the spa on Monday. Reasonable cost of $70 and Leo did a great job! But, you have to be careful. They will try to sell you a boatload of products. I just told him upfront that I was on a budget and he backed right off on the sales pitch.

Half Moon Cay was beautiful on Sunday ... but hotter than Hades. I went parasailing and had a blast. I then decided to visit the Bahamian Church on the island where there was an interdenominational service going on. The church is not air conditioned ... just has these little ceiling fans. The sweat was dripping off of me. So, of course, to combat that problem, I indulged in a Banana Daquari or two or three ... or whatever. I almost fell getting out of the tender on my way back to the ship. Guess I had more than a few! :)

Guess that's about it. I'll try to write back more as time allows. Suffice to say, I have been blessed not to have encountered many of the negatives that others have seen in the past. Maybe I'm just lucky? Even the children ... and there are hundreds onboard this week ... I have yet to see an unruly one ... but then again ... I haven't been looking. Let's just say none have bothered me and their presence hasn't detracted from my vacation experience at all.

Oh, and that Elton John imitator is onboard this week. I think he's in the Vista Lounge on Thursday night.

If you have any questions, fire away and I'll try to get answers for you ...

Blue skies!

--rita

[elmorejj]

Thank you Rita for using your cruise time to check in with us. Sounds like you are having a ball! I would love to know what they are serving in the DR on Dutch night now that there is no Dover sole or Bami Goreng, could you check for us? Continue to have a blast, and post back if you have the time...Thanks again...jean :cool:

[sail7seas]

Rita....Thank you so much for posting while on your cruise.

I really enjoyed reading your really inclusive comments.
Glad to hear you seem to be having a great time.

Hope the weather holds and your good time continues.

Blue skies and calm seas.....

[Tatka]

You couldn't see me but I was waiving from highest floor of the Embassy suites when Century and Zuiderdam were living the port... It was very difficult moment for me..I'll try to post pictures.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/181615695/181750211ZYagRz
http://community.webshots.com/photo/181750227/181750227GSdsji
http://community.webshots.com/photo/181750246/181750246aasVQw

Sorry for quality..its a long distance to shoot.

Have a great cruise Rita.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for reporting in.

Glad that you are having a great time and enjoying everything.

Wonder what the weather will be like Tuesday and Wednesday down there in the Caribbean??

The weather men are making it sound like Frances will hit St Thomas maybe Wednesday. And then hit Florida Saturday AM.

[spcl4cs_gal]

Rita - If you happen to run into Mario in the Lido pool area, tell him mail is on the way to him as we speak. Thanks! :D (there you have it Lois! :) )

[mattR]

Thanks for the updates:) "Bahamian Church on the island where there was an interdenominational service" What time dose this service take place?

[TT]

Rita we all can't wait to meet you. Has the Captain said anything about the H yet? If you hear anything and get a chance to write in we would love to hear what is going on. Have fun and save some drinks for me. LOL

Toma

[kryos]

Thanks for the updates:) "Bahamian Church on the island where there was an interdenominational service" What time dose this service take place?
Well, this was on Sunday and I think some woman on the cruise was a reverand and she just conducted the service on her own. Yes, we all held hands and prayed ... but we were in the "proper" forum to do that. Don't worry ... no praying in the dining room! :)

They also had another service the same day back on the ship Sunday evening. I attended that one, but missed the one on Monday. I don't know if any more are scheduled.

My tour for Road Town was cancelled. All tours that use boats are cancelled. The weather is kinda crap and we didn't stay on shore for long. That's why I'm here writing this. :)

I'll try to find out what they are serving for Dutch Night. I think that will be Thursday night ... our second formal night. I'll ask Robin (our dining steward) about it tonight.

I'm just praying they don't cancel my St. Thomas excursion. That one is scuba and I'm really dying to try it. The one for Road Town, Tortola was just a sightseeing sort of thing ... part bus and part boat ... so I wasn't too disappointed when they cancelled it.

Tonight is another casual night and I just bought a couple of new "Aloha" shirts which I find work very nicely on casual nights. Better than a tee-shirt, and really nice and colorful.

We had some rough seas during the night last night. I woke up at around 4:00 a.m. with the cabin rocking just the way I like it. :) Ok, I'm strange. Lot of people were commenting on it this morning ... but I was thinking of maybe sending the captain a note asking him for an encore tonight. :) I heard that there is some sort of channel we go through to get to Tortola, and there were some high waves going through that channel. But once we came through it, the seas were calm again.

As I sit here now looking out the window, I can see the little swells on the ocean. We are still docked at Tortola and will depart at 6:00. Originally, we were supposed to depart at 5:00, but since we arrived an hour late ... purposely due to a diversion because of the weather ... we are leaving an hour later.

Oh, well ... time for a nap before high tea.

Life is good and I am truly blessed ....

Blue skies and can't wait to see all my shipmates on the 9-4 sailing. I was only sorry I missed seeing them for the 8-28 sailing, and haven't yet run into anyone. I should have known the exhaustion of being up for almost 24 hours would have gotten to me ... and I conked out on the bed after lifeboat drill and didn't wake up until about 5:30. They were probably gone by then since we had already sailed from Fort Lauderdale ...

Blue skies and I'll try to write back more tomorrow night!

--rita

[ekerr19]

Thanks for keeping us updated Rita.

Glad you are having a great time so far. :) I hope the weather holds...

[kryos]

Rita we all can't wait to meet you. Has the Captain said anything about the H yet? If you hear anything and get a chance to write in we would love to hear what is going on. Have fun and save some drinks for me. LOL

Toma
Other than telling us we would dock at Tortola about an hour late due to some diversion, and the cancelling of a bunch of shore excursions involving boats (including mine) ... the captain has said nothing about the storm. So far my excursion for St. Thomas has not been cancelled.

Don't worry ... there will be plenty of drinks left for you guys. After Sunday in Half Moon Cay, I'm laying off the stuff. See, I don't normally drink. On Sunday, I had about three or four Banana Daquaries at Half Moon Cay. It was so hot ... and I didn't realize how they were affecting me. I woozy getting on the tender, and I almost fell on my face getting out of it when getting back onboard the ship. LOL ... really made a fool of myself there. Someone had to help me back to my room, I could barely walk.

Yeah, I knew there was a good reason why I didn't drink. :)

Blue skies!

--rita

[kryos]

Rita....Thank you so much for posting while on your cruise.

I really enjoyed reading your really inclusive comments.
Glad to hear you seem to be having a great time.

Hope the weather holds and your good time continues.

Blue skies and calm seas.....
Thanks, sail7seas! And, don't worry ... I'll post a "proper" review when I return home and can do it with all the proper names of stuff. It'll also be a lot cheaper. :)

Blue skies!

--rita

[divinggirl]

Rita-

Oh I hope you can get your dive in on STT, but if the seas are rough you DO NOT want to be on a dive boat, especially if this is your first time diving (you said you really wanted to try it). Rough seas and chop will ruin it. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, there's nothing better!!

Nikki

[Cruising Jake]

Rita,

Glad to hear such a wonderful, inclusive review. You are obviously having a ball and poor weather doesn't dampen your spirit a bit. Enjoy. I will be on her in November.

[elmorejj]

Rita, hoping you can post one more time from the ship to let us know whats happening weatherwise out there. We are praying that your ship makes it back to port safely and on time. I know the Capt. won`t put any of you in harms way.....jean :cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

kyros

Hope that since we haven't heard from you this afternoon it means that you were able to do your tour today in St Thomas.

[susi_q]

Thanks for the updates, Rita. Keep em coming as you get a chance.

DH and I will be on the 10/23 Zui, also inside Veranda. Glad to hear that you're not having any troubles. How much storage is there in these rooms? Anything "missing" that should be brought along?

So many on these boards comment on the suites and such ... good to hear there are others on a budget!

Here's wishes & prayers for smooth sailing

sue

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Rita, Has anyone said anything about staying an extra day on the ship? I can't imagine they would try to bring you back early and drop you off with the hurricane coming. Please keep us posted on what is being said on the ship.

Stay Safe,

[kryos]

Rita, hoping you can post one more time from the ship to let us know whats happening weatherwise out there. We are praying that your ship makes it back to port safely and on time. I know the Capt. won`t put any of you in harms way.....jean :cool:
You are absolutely correct ... and I thank you for your prayers.

During Catholic mass, in fact, the captain (or navigator ... I'm not sure who) got on the pa and announced that Nassau was cancelled as a port stop. He assured us that this was for our safety as the hurricane is heading that way. They are sending us on a revised route back to Fort Lauderdale ... the route will go around Cuba, I believe, and the Dominican Republic (I'm severely directly challenged here), but the bottom line is that we will have two more days at sea instead of one.

Some people are disappointed, but my feeling is that a day at sea is just as glorious as a port stop, and at the rate I'm going ... all my excursions are being cancelled anyway. Both Tortola and St. Thomas were water excursions and both were cancelled. Nassau was a helicopter flightseeing tour. Boy, I'm saving a bundle here! :)

The guy at the shore excursions desk told me that I can "juggle" around my excursions for next week so as to do anything I really had my heart set on this week. Scuba diving is offered in two of the western carib ports, so I can pick it up there (weather-permitting, of course).

I really am concerned about those people who have to fly home this Saturday, because according to what the captain said, I doubt they will get there. If the hurricane hits the Fort Lauderdale area, all flights are probably going to be grounded. While I'm not flying home this week ... and therefore don't have that worry ... there's no guarantee what next week will bring.

We got off today in St. Thomas and did a bit of shopping ... seems I'm doing a lot of that this week, and ahead we have two wonderful sea days. I got invited to a Mariner's Party tomorrow and I'm sure they'll have a whole lot of onboard activities planned.

I went to high tea today ... and everyone who has posted to this board how great it is ... you are right! The little sweets they gave us were to die for, and even the tea itself (I don't take any of those fancy flavored teas) was delicious. Tonight is "informal night" ... I am still having a hard time figuring out the difference between casual and informal ... I pretty much wear the same thing. Then the Elton John impersonator in the show lounge.

Guess I'd better go back to my room and get ready ... and maybe even squeeze in a bit of a nap! Ahhhhhh, life at sea is so glorious, no? :)

Blue skies!

--rita

[kryos]

Rita, Has anyone said anything about staying an extra day on the ship? I can't imagine they would try to bring you back early and drop you off with the hurricane coming. Please keep us posted on what is being said on the ship.

Stay Safe,
No ... we're getting an extra sea day though because they cancelled Nassau. Apparently we are going back to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, but will take a more circuitious route to get there ... around the Dominican Republic? I'm not sure of the exact direction.

I feel for the people scheduled to fly home this Saturday, though ... cause I'd be willing to bet they're gonna get an unscheduled little vacation in Fort Lauderdale with this hurricane.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Lois R]

Hi Rita, glad you are having a good time....hoping the folks who sail this weekend will be able to go......:confused: Not sure my office will be open on Friday...we are working tomorrow though........siggghhh......I have to wonder if Jax is going to take a direct hit:(

Alison, there I have what?...Oh you are sending mail? I didn't ask anything else.

[kryos]

Rita,

Glad to hear such a wonderful, inclusive review. You are obviously having a ball and poor weather doesn't dampen your spirit a bit. Enjoy. I will be on her in November.
Actually, I'm loving the weather. The night before last we got whoppee! That's what I call nice high waves. The people I talked to were not happy with them, but as I laid in my bed I was absolutely loving it! I'm sure hoping we get a repeat performance tonight!

My attitude about weather is like this ... they'll always be other cruises and other opportunities to try the things I did not get to do this cruise because of weather. Just being on a ship as beautiful as this ... enjoying absolute luxury ... what more can I ask?

I'm having a blast!

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

DH and I will be on the 10/23 Zui, also inside Veranda. Glad to hear that you're not having any troubles. How much storage is there in these rooms? Anything "missing" that should be brought along?

I'm in an inside cabin and I have more storage space than I need. There are four drawers in the nightstands for socks and underwear ... that sort of thing ... and there is a small shelf in the desk where the tv is. I also have two large closets ... plenty of hangers (more than I can use actually), and then there is another closet with shelves (where the safe is located). You program the safe with a four-digit code each time you close it, and then open it with the same code. Just don't forget your code! :) Fortunately, I use the same one for everything ...

Bathroom is kind of tight for storage, but you do have a shelf running the length of the vanity.

Again, you may have a lot more room than me ... I'm in an inside cabin ...

Blue ones!

--rita

[stillfrantic]

Not sure we'll be able to make it for 9/4. News is the FLL port is closed and I am suspect that our flight will be allowed to land Friday evening.

[Lois R]

Still Frantic...I am so sorry:(....did you book through a TA or direct through the cruiseline?

Spoke to my TA this afternoon, she is so nice.

She told me your sailing 9-4, would probably go on 9-5 instead....in other words, if the Port is usable (is that a word?) that the 9-4 cruise would only be 6 nights instead of 7...and you would get a credit for the day less.

I do hope everything goes ok...my heart goes out to all of us............

[stillfrantic]

Thanks, Lois: It is booked directly with HAL.

[elmorejj]

Rita, I love your arttitude. Why do people complain when there isn`t a darn thing anyone can do about it! Lay back and go with the flow (pun intended!)

The Western Carib. is much better for diving actually, so I know you`ll have a great time....jean :cool:

[AV8OR]

Hey Rita!

Don't know if you've heard but Port Everglades will be closed to inbound traffic starting tomorrow (9/2) at 8:00 AM. If Frances takes a bead on the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area I gotta believe the Zuiderdam will be sailing into an alternate port. I'm supposed to fly to FLL on 9/3 but if the storm follows the projected path all airports south of Jacksonville are probably gonna have to suspend flight operations by then...which is a good thing as I really don't want to put myself in harms way! Guess we'll have to wait and see how things shake out. Hopefully the 9/4 gang will be able to get together.

Chuck

[gliles]

Rita -

I would like to think I would have as good an attitude as you! Actually I probably would since I love sea days, love when the ship is rocking and love an adventure. Thanks so much for posting, I think I speak for us all in saying we really appreciate it.

[TT]

Gliles you love sea days because you sit in the pool area with TT and you guys just drink away. Gliles I wish you were cruising with us but we will see you guys next year. The update hot off the presses is HAL just informed me after speaking with a supervisor that it is only 7:00am in Washington State and the higher ups are still sleeping. (I love that one) They will make an annoucement around 11:00 am or 2:00pm est. Carnival their sister ship has cancelled their ship taking off Friday. She felt that since the Port is only closed Today and Friday that they will not make a statement until mybe even tomorrow. Ouch........that is bad news. If the Port announces it is closed for Saturday then it is different she says.

Keep tuned into the weather channel mybe they will say something. Since I live in Port Charlotte we are worried about our garbage flying around and tree limbs. Time to get the candles or generator out.

TT

[TT]

It is 10:45 am on Thursday and we are having a live broadcast on our Channel 2 news. It says that Charlotte county residents should not be on the streets Saturday from 8:00am - 8:00pm. ( I live on the west coast in Port Charlotte) I wonder if the ship can take off this Saturday how the hell I can get there if no one is allowed to be on the streets. Hey HAL wake up and tell us something.

TT

[kryos]

Not sure we'll be able to make it for 9/4. News is the FLL port is closed and I am suspect that our flight will be allowed to land Friday evening.
Sorry I haven't posted in a day or so. The internet center was jammed this morning with people wanting to check on their flights, and I felt their needs were greater than mine, so I should leave the computers available for them.

According to the last update we have, we are getting into Port Everglades on Sunday morning, around 7:00 a.m. Of course, however, that could change. I went down to the front desk this morning in order to give them my paperwork for the second half of the b2b, and I asked the woman there what would happen if the 9/4 sailing was cancelled. She said that won't happen.

I don't know if she really has an inside track or not, but I would imagine that if we get held out to sea an additional day or two, it won't be worth anyone's while to take what will amount to a four or five day cruise. But we shall see.

The captain has not really given us an update yet today; just that we are safe so we should enjoy our extra day at sea. The cruise director and his staff have added all sorts of activities so that we are kept happily busy. I attended a question and answer session yesterday about the inside runnings of a cruise ship and how the staff lives. Actually, it turned into an "ask me anything" session, so I couldn't help but ask about the morgue. According to Dane Butcher (sp?), the cruise director ... deaths rarely happen on the HAL line, and their infirmary is capable of keeping someone on life support, if necessary, until they can get them off to a hospital. He did say that deaths do occasionally ... very occasionally ... occur at sea and he told us about the facilities on the crew deck where the bodies can be housed until they can be offloaded. I don't know ... but to me it sounded like the morgue facilities could be the same as the ones used to refrigerate all the fresh flowers. :)

That's about it for now. Don't worry ... we are safe ... and I sure hope all of you on the 9/4 sailing ... which actually won't occur before 9/5 at this point ... are able to get to the port.

Chuck, guess our aerobatics flight just went up in smoke. I doubt very much we will stop in Key West now, since the 9/4 sailing won't even go until 9/5 now ... the day we were scheduled for that port. :(

Blue skies!

--rita

[kryos]

Hey Rita!

Don't know if you've heard but Port Everglades will be closed to inbound traffic starting tomorrow (9/2) at 8:00 AM. If Frances takes a bead on the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area I gotta believe the Zuiderdam will be sailing into an alternate port. I'm supposed to fly to FLL on 9/3 but if the storm follows the projected path all airports south of Jacksonville are probably gonna have to suspend flight operations by then...which is a good thing as I really don't want to put myself in harms way! Guess we'll have to wait and see how things shake out. Hopefully the 9/4 gang will be able to get together.

According to the captain's last update, the 9/4 sailing is scheduled to board on 9/5. Of course, we haven't had an update yet today, though.

According to the front desk, there is zero chance of the 9/4 sailing being cancelled. I specifically asked about that.

So, I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will see ya all. Hopefully, Frances will be gone by late Saturday and the airports/cruise port will be back to normal by Sunday.

But ... as I said in the update post, I'm not too optimistic about our biplane flights. If we don't leave out of Port Everglades until Sunday (the scheduled day for Key West), I have a feeling that particular port will be bypassed.

But, I guess we'll see.

Blue skies and hopefully I'll see ya all soon ... now it's off to the Dutch Chocolate Extravaganzia in the Vista Dining Room!

--rita

[AV8OR]

Sorry I haven't posted in a day or so. The internet center was jammed this morning with people wanting to check on their flights, and I felt their needs were greater than mine, so I should leave the computers available for them.

According to the last update we have, we are getting into Port Everglades on Sunday morning, around 7:00 a.m. Of course, however, that could change. I went down to the front desk this morning in order to give them my paperwork for the second half of the b2b, and I asked the woman there what would happen if the 9/4 sailing was cancelled. She said that won't happen.

I don't know if she really has an inside track or not, but I would imagine that if we get held out to sea an additional day or two, it won't be worth anyone's while to take what will amount to a four or five day cruise. But we shall see.

The captain has not really given us an update yet today; just that we are safe so we should enjoy our extra day at sea. The cruise director and his staff have added all sorts of activities so that we are kept happily busy. I attended a question and answer session yesterday about the inside runnings of a cruise ship and how the staff lives. Actually, it turned into an "ask me anything" session, so I couldn't help but ask about the morgue. According to Dane Butcher (sp?), the cruise director ... deaths rarely happen on the HAL line, and their infirmary is capable of keeping someone on life support, if necessary, until they can get them off to a hospital. He did say that deaths do occasionally ... very occasionally ... occur at sea and he told us about the facilities on the crew deck where the bodies can be housed until they can be offloaded. I don't know ... but to me it sounded like the morgue facilities could be the same as the ones used to refrigerate all the fresh flowers. :)

That's about it for now. Don't worry ... we are safe ... and I sure hope all of you on the 9/4 sailing ... which actually won't occur before 9/5 at this point ... are able to get to the port.

Chuck, guess our aerobatics flight just went up in smoke. I doubt very much we will stop in Key West now, since the 9/4 sailing won't even go until 9/5 now ... the day we were scheduled for that port. :(

Blue skies!

--rita

Rita!!!! Great to hear from ya! Yeah, Key West has been removed from the 9/4 itinerary so, sadly, we won't be doing any aerobatics next week. Looks like I'm never going to get any stick time in a biplane.

Making every effort to get to FLL on Sunday. Hopefully it will be safe enough to bring the Z into Port Everglades.

Glad to hear you're safe and sound. Hope to see you on Sunday.

Chuck

P.S. Weather's great up here...temps are in the low 80's...fall is in the air.

[TT]

Rita the new update is that the ship will leave Sunday at 11:30pm now. HAL gave us the choice to cancel, rebook or go. They are giving a 200.00 on board credit plus 25% of the total cost of your cruise for a future date. Nick and I have canceled because we don't now what will happen to our home. Re are rebooked on the Oosterdam for December 12th and quess what I got A 7126 like we were supposed to have. Oh yea I got the green cabana also. We are happy but sad that we will not be meeting you and the others. It has been my pleasure speaking to you on this board and please look for us for future cruises. We also will be planning one for February.......want to come????

Take care, God Bless and may you always have blue skies.

TT

[srpilo]

Rita..

Don't forget to ask about your "onboard credit" compensation for your shortened second week.. If you haven't heard about the compensation offer there onboard , check it out on HAL's web-site..

Srpilo

[kryos]

Rita..

Don't forget to ask about your "onboard credit" compensation for your shortened second week.. If you haven't heard about the compensation offer there onboard , check it out on HAL's web-site..

Srpilo
They are offering some awesome deals for people who want to do a b2b with the 8-28 cruise now. Something like $325 inside cabin.

I'm going down to the desk tomorrow morning to see about some sort of credit. I don't think they would make me pay the much higher fare that I originally booked when they are offering such deals.

Yeah, the new itinerary is Jamaica ... Ocho Rios (?), Grand Cayman and Cozumel. No Key West or Half Moon Cay. I'm hoping seas are calm because the only shore excursion I've actually gotten to do so far was parasailing and I am dying to have a chance to at least do something "risky." :)

Blue skies ... and time for beddie bye ... and my pillow chocolate! :)

--rita

[kryos]

Rita!!!! Great to hear from ya! Yeah, Key West has been removed from the 9/4 itinerary so, sadly, we won't be doing any aerobatics next week. Looks like I'm never going to get any stick time in a biplane.

Making every effort to get to FLL on Sunday. Hopefully it will be safe enough to bring the Z into Port Everglades.

Glad to hear you're safe and sound. Hope to see you on Sunday.

Chuck

P.S. Weather's great up here...temps are in the low 80's...fall is in the air.
Someone else mentioned "rockin and rollin" seas ... believe it or not, it has been unbelieveablely calm. Only one morning with a bit of motion.

This captain knows his stuff and he is keeping us all safe and sound and far from harm's way.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[AV8OR]

Someone else mentioned "rockin and rollin" seas ... believe it or not, it has been unbelieveablely calm. Only one morning with a bit of motion.

This captain knows his stuff and he is keeping us all safe and sound and far from harm's way.

Blue skies ...

--rita

Hey, that's why he's the Captain!

You're sure to see some rockin' and rollin' seas but they may not be as impressive as anticipated. Frances has hit some dry air and is losing some punch, especially on the southwest side of the storm.

See you soon! Hopefully we can find some adventurous stuff to do in the other ports of call!

Chuck

[kryos]

Hey, that's why he's the Captain!

You're sure to see some rockin' and rollin' seas but they may not be as impressive as anticipated. Frances has hit some dry air and is losing some punch, especially on the southwest side of the storm.

See you soon! Hopefully we can find some adventurous stuff to do in the other ports of call!

Chuck

A news update for you guys getting on the 9-4 cruise. We won't be pulling into Port Everglades until Monday morning now ... not Sunday. This is gonna alter the itinerary yet again for that cruise. Another port is gonna have to be cut out, I would imagine, if the ship doesn't pull out until Monday afternoon.

They made two announcements today. The first was that we would be getting in later on Sunday than originally planned ... I believe it was sometime late afternoon. Then they made a second announcement that Seattle made the decision that we would not be pulling into Port Everglades until very early Monday morning ... picking up the pilot somewhere around 5:30 a.m.; disembarkation to begin, I think, around 7:30/8:00 a.m. ... or somewhere around there.

Of course, it's a jump ball as to what Frances will do ... but I'm beginning to worry now about the 9-4 cruise ... will it even go? Will there be enough people to make it worth HAL's effort. Of course, the front office says that the cruise is a go ... so we shall see.

I hate to even post this ... but we are having a blast. We lost out on the ports, but we are having a lot of great days at sea, with another planned for Sunday. The cruise director's staff is working overtime planning activities for us ... all of the entertainers onboard have been doing special "up close" type shows for us ... and we are being kept busy with lots of fun things to participate in ... not even counting all that pool and deck time. The thing I am most enjoying is my newfound luxury of "afternoon nap." Yes, everyone enjoys high tea the best, but I love "afternoon nap." It's become my all-time favorite activity! :)

I've been eating way too much ... and am willing to bet that with all these days at sea, and the lack of physical activity in the few ports we've stopped in (almost all my excursions were cancelled), I have definitely put on some pounds. While I don't eat too much during the day, I've been stuffing myself at dinner each night.

Oh, well ... time to get those Richard Simmons tapes out when I get home. :)

My prayers go out to everyone in the path of Frances ... and please know that you are not far from any of our thoughts here onboard. At each service I've attended, we've offered up prayers for everyone at risk of the hurricane's wrath.

Blue skies ... and hopefully I'll being seeing some of you onboard soon!

--rita

[dakrewser]

I hate to even post this ... but we are having a blast. We lost out on the ports, but we are having a lot of great days at sea, with another planned for Sunday.

That's great to hear, I'm sure there are lots of anxious folks on board and it's good to know the crew and HAL are doing their best for them. Take another jog around the track and maybe you can fit in another tea...:)

[elmorejj]

We`ve been wondering how the onboard supplies are holding out. Does it seem as though there is a shortage of anything? Are you still having lots of variety at meal times?.....jean :cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

kyros

Thanks for taking the time and reporting in from the Zuiderdam.

[AV8OR]

Hey Rita!

Sad to say that I canceled my cruise. When I did a check of the storm late yesterday morning and saw that it was stalling over the Florida coast I started to get concerned. Then there was the airline cancelations, extended airport closings and a realtive in Florida saying "please don't come here"...at that point I decided to bag it. Okay, okay, missing out on flying the biplane in Key West was bummer but I was still ready to go early yesterday morning...LOL. Glad to see that you're having a great time! At least you won't have to worry about catching a flight home on Monday since you're on the B2B. I was wondering about the food situation on board. Are you still eating well or have they broke out the Spam sandwiches? Are people starting to fish from the side of the ship? Have they run out of booze or more importantly...have they run out of chocolate???

One note of concern. Obobber and her daughter threw caution to the wind and flew down to Tampa yesterday to attempt a drive to Ft. Lauderdale today. The situation in Tampa is gonna be bad as well and I can only guess how hazardous it will be to drive the 250 miles from Tampa to Ft. Lauderdale. If they get there on Monday (or whenever you guys get to port) make sure the let us chickens in the 9/4 group know that they're okay.

Sorry that we all were not able to meet up. Of course you and I live close enough to one another that we could catch up sometime. Well, let me know what I've missed out on this week. I'm starting to work on a alternate vacation now. I'll probably just go back to work next week since I won't be able to come up with anything before Tuesday. Have fun!!!!!

Chuck

[Roboat]

AV8OR - aw geez, sorry you had to cancel. That has got to be hard. Hope you get on a ship soon.

kryos - thanks so much for posting. I'm glad you are enjoying your extra days!

We`ve been wondering how the onboard supplies are holding out. Does it seem as though there is a shortage of anything? Are you still having lots of variety at meal times?.....jean :cool:
I was wondering the same thing. Can you order more than one MRE in the dining room?

[Cruising Jake]

kryos - Thanks for your updates. And I am glad you are having fun. Why not enjoy it? You can't change anything. Monday is probably a holiday for most people anyway. Once you have notified your family/friends (who probably already have a clue anyway) relax.

[elmorejj]

Roboat, I love it! Actually, some MREs aren`t too bad...so my hubby says!.....jean :cool:

[kryos]

We`ve been wondering how the onboard supplies are holding out. Does it seem as though there is a shortage of anything? Are you still having lots of variety at meal times?.....jean :cool:
We are eating like happy pigs. :) The only shortage I noticed was that last night I didn't have a chocolate on my pillow! :(

We were treated to a unique experience today. What they are running short of is keeping the passengers busy with activities with all these sea days. They scheduled a rare "behind the scenes" tour for us ... crew areas, freezers, holding areas for meat, fish, liquor, etc. The area we wandered through was below the passenger decks, and we even got to see where the crew has their recreation, meals, etc. They couldn't show us any crew cabins, because there were none vacant ... but we got to see all the common areas, including ... are you ready for this ... the morgue! No, there weren't any bodies in it. :)

The tour continued a little while beyond the point where I bailed out ... I wasn't feeling too hot today ... and I had a bunch of things I wanted to do ... so I figured I should leave the tour early and get an hour's sleep. But, I hear they also went to the brig! :)

Of course, they could not take us to either the engine room or the bridge due to security considerations, but we had a nice long chat with the medical staff ... and got to see how well-prepared they are for just about any emergency. It certainly reassured us in the event that, God forbid, anyone on the tour would need to avail themselves of those services.

For now, I'm just relaxing a bit before dinner. We don't have a show tonight, so as to give people a chance to pack. So it will be an early night for me. Tomorrow morning (Monday) we are supposed to hit Fort Lauderdale by 5:30 to pick up the pilot, and then alongside dock by 7:30. I think the ship is scheduled to sail at 7:00 p.m.

I got a nice shipboard credit to compensate me for the missed ports on the second half of my b2b, plus I'm trying to "negotiate" for a nice upgrade (free, of course). The hotel manager promised to see what he can do. I'm personally hoping for a balcony since I'm imagining the ship won't be anywhere near capacity next week.

I'm really sorry for all you folks who were scheduled for the 9/4 cruise. Hope some of you will still make it ... they are offering a nice price and there are still two good ports we should be stopping at.

Blue skies and I'll write back again soon!

--rita

[kryos]

Hey Rita!

Sorry that we all were not able to meet up. Of course you and I live close enough to one another that we could catch up sometime. Well, let me know what I've missed out on this week. I'm starting to work on a alternate vacation now. I'll probably just go back to work next week since I won't be able to come up with anything before Tuesday. Have fun!!!!!

Chuck
Chuck, we'll just have to book another cruise sometime. Don't worry ... we'll both get a chance to fly that biplane one of these days.

I'm sorry I won't see you onboard, but I certainly understand, and even agree with your decision. I think I'd go the same way if it were me having to get to Florida. I only thank God I don't have to worry about making alternative flight arrangements to get home right now. HAL is doing almost nothing to help people who did not book their air through the cruiseline. All they are doing is giving them the phone numbers and web addresses of the airlines. Everyone needing to get home tomorrow is pretty much on their own. :(

Blue skies and really ... we'll cruise together one day ...

--rita

[AV8OR]

AV8OR - aw geez, sorry you had to cancel. That has got to be hard. Hope you get on a ship soon.

kryos - thanks so much for posting. I'm glad you are enjoying your extra days!


I was wondering the same thing. Can you order more than one MRE in the dining room?

Thanks Roboat. I'll get out as soon as work will allow me...probably won't have another window od opportunity until December. Hey, that's after hurricane season...WOOHOO!!! Guess I'll just have to enjoy the fall weather in the meantime.

Chuck

[AV8OR]

Chuck, we'll just have to book another cruise sometime. Don't worry ... we'll both get a chance to fly that biplane one of these days.

I'm sorry I won't see you onboard, but I certainly understand, and even agree with your decision. I think I'd go the same way if it were me having to get to Florida. I only thank God I don't have to worry about making alternative flight arrangements to get home right now. HAL is doing almost nothing to help people who did not book their air through the cruiseline. All they are doing is giving them the phone numbers and web addresses of the airlines. Everyone needing to get home tomorrow is pretty much on their own. :(

Blue skies and really ... we'll cruise together one day ...

--rita

Hey Rita!

That would be fun...would have been fun...even without the biplane ride! The good and bad thing about tomorrow is that it's a holiday. Most won't miss a day of work but getting a flight is going to be a challenge...which may lead to some missing a day (or two) of work.

It's was a bummer backing out. When I left work last week I got into vacation mode real quick. It hit me lastnight that I was going to be in the office on Tuesday...oh was that a depressing thought. Now don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy my job but everyone need a break from time to time.

Glad to see that they're feeding you the good stuff and not MREs or Spam sandwiches. The lack of chocolate is an area of concern...the captain must be shakin' in his shoes...LOL!

I'll look forward to that future cruise!

Chuck

[elmorejj]

WOW!! no pillow chocolate! That`s reason for mutiny, just ask RuthC! Seriously though, I would have loved that tour of the facilities, I bet it was really interesting,. Have a great 2nd week, and hope to hear from you again.....jean :cool:

[kryos]

WOW!! no pillow chocolate! That`s reason for mutiny, just ask RuthC! Seriously though, I would have loved that tour of the facilities, I bet it was really interesting,. Have a great 2nd week, and hope to hear from you again.....jean :cool:
This second week ... actually technically a five-day cruise ... is turning out to be even better than the first! In fact, I was so busy that I didn't even have time to post for a few days.

I am really sorry that so many people had to cancel ... it would have been so much more fun if we would have had our regular cruise critic group. But, I did go up to the Crow's Nest for the meet up ... but once again, screwed it up. I thought we were meeting for Sailaway ... which was 7:00 p.m. I thought to myself ... now, that won't work ... dinner is at 7:00! So, I went up around 6:00. Not to worry! I immediately saw Obobber's Cheese Hat sitting on one of the seats and went right over and introduced myself. She and her daughter are wonderful people, and they had also picked up another person who was not a cruisecritic regular, but a real nice lady who had noticed her cheese hat too, and had to ask about it! :)

The four of us had dinner at the Odessey Restaurant and I must say everything written about the experience on these boards is true 10x over. Absolutely delicious food ... great service ... no way could I eat that entire meal. Yes, horrors ... I had to turn down dessert. Just no more room. :)

Today (Tuesday) was a wonderful day at sea ... lots to do around the ship. Now, here's the "up side" of so many people cancelling ... the Zuiderdam is literally a GHOST SHIP! There are actually more CREW onboard than passengers! And that translates into a really unusual cruise experience ... and a nice one too. Plenty of chairs at the pool ... many opportunities to meet new people (I've already met several other new friends ... non-cruisecritic ... onboard. In fact, I'm going back to the Pinnacle on Friday night with some of them!

I went to a port shopping talk today and won a bottle of banana rum! It was funny ... I was thinking before they raffled off the three bottles of rum ... boy, that Banana Rum would sure taste good ... but I never win anything. The first name drawn was someone else, and they got first pick. They chose the bottle of Pineapple Rum. I thought ... boy, that Banana Rum would sure taste good ... but, nah ... I won't win. Next name called ... well, Lordy Be ... it was me! I grabbed the Banana! :)

The highlight so far, though, of this trip was dinner in the Vista Dining Room tonight. They changed all of our seatings around because they are only having one seating in the dining room this week because there are only about (I believe) 600+ passengers onboard. Dining is 7:00 p.m. for everybody. I got a new table seating which was on the second level. I go to the Vista tonight for the first time this cruise ... and what a pleasant surprise! We had the hotel manager dining with us and ... get this ... Julie Barr, the comedian onboard. I love this woman's shows and saw all of them last week. But, my favorite show is her late night "R-rated" one, and she assured me she would be doing another this week. We also had this real sweet older lady at our table ... blind ... who has bazoodles of days on HAL ... she's like a regular ... and has been all over the world with them. It was neat dining with a real seasoned cruiser such as her ... with all the stories she could tell of her travels.

Well, that's about it for now. I need to get to bed ... and yes, there is a pillow chocolate there tonight, and there was one last night too. I think that one night they skipped may have been because they were running low due to us being out at sea longer than expected?

So, no ... I won't have to mutiny about the lack of pillow chocolates. In fact, I'm going to go down to my room and eat mine right now.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

That Glad to see that they're feeding you the good stuff and not MREs or Spam sandwiches. The lack of chocolate is an area of concern...the captain must be shakin' in his shoes...LOL!

I'll look forward to that future cruise!

Chuck
I never thought I'd say it ... but there is no question ... I've gained weight this cruise. I actually lost weight on my Rotterdam cruise, but this one is no such luck. I'll bet I've put on at least five pounds so far.

Yes, we sure are eating well. I think before we docked on Monday, they were running out of lettuce. There was none at the salad bar and none in the salads in the dining room either. However, that is understandable. Lettuce only keeps for so long. But everything else seemed in plentiful supply.

The hotel manager at dinner tonight told me that they do a "heavy loading" of supplies every other week, and a light loading the in-between week. He said that they had just done a heavy loading the week the 8-28 cruise sailed, so he said we had plenty of food even if we had stayed out to sea another couple of days.

Well, now I really must go to bed. Grand Cayman is tomorrow and I have a tour meeting at 8:45. I'm finally gonna take the advice of all my friends and family, and "go to Hell!" :) Hell on Grand Cayman, that is. :)

Blue skies ...

--rita

[LAFFNVEGAS]

kryos, by chance with so few on the ship did you get upgraded for your cabin?

Sounds like you are having a great time, this will definitely be a very memorable 2 week vacation with lots of stories to tell.

[srpilo]

I know you're not going to HMC on your shortened itinerary, but have you heard from any officers or crew what condition HMC is in after Frances ??

Just Curious..

Srpilo

[elmorejj]

Oh Rita, your posts are just wonderful! Wish I was with you, you sound like my kind of girl! You post so well, and I am vicariously cruising with you.! Maybe someday we`ll be on the same cruise! Enjoy your last few days, you deserve it!.....jean :cool:

[Ziggy7]

Have fun in HELL! hehehehehe

[dakrewser]

This second week ... actually technically a five-day cruise ... is turning out to be even better than the first! In fact, I was so busy that I didn't even have time to post for a few days.

--rita
Glad to hear its turning out so well for you. I'm reminded of that old saying about dark clouds & silver linings...

-dave

[Lois R]

Hi Rita:)...I am so glad you are having a good time! Sounds like a real "specialized cruise experience"...due to so few pax!

Looks like the 9-11 sailing will go as scheduled~thankfully!...I will wave to you as you are leaving;) .....

[Dotsie]

Hi Rita,

It was nice meeting you in the Explorer's Lounge the last night. I wish we met in the beginning of the cruise. It must be nice on the ship with only 600 passengers.

I'm curious to know if they gave you an upgrade?

Dotsie

[mattR]

The staff must be happy to have a few easy days. Did you get a cabin upgrade? Keep us up to date:)

[TT]

Rita how many CC friends did you meet? Have you meet TomK? He told me over the phone he is 6'5" tall with brown hair,a mustache and he smokes a cigar. Have you meet anyone from my crew there??? Only 2 couples went. I am so glad we choose not to go because we have more damage to our home and I am sick as a dog. (as a breeder no puns intended). I have mold in my lungs and have been very ill. Well all we did see our adjuster........yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Please have fun and WE do hope to meet you in the future. Take care out there with a cat 5 coming your way. I know you will be out and home before that sucker hits. Take care.

Toma

[kryos]

kryos, by chance with so few on the ship did you get upgraded for your cabin?

Sounds like you are having a great time, this will definitely be a very memorable 2 week vacation with lots of stories to tell.
No. I got a slight upgrade for both weeks originally ... to a larger inside cabin ... but as a result of the hurricane and being onboard for the second week, they have a big sign up at the front desk saying that there will be no free upgrades because it wouldn't be fair to upgrade certain passengers and not others. In retrospect, though, I wouldn't have wanted to be upgraded. I am perfectly happy with my cabin, and being upgraded would have involved having to pack and unpack an extra time.

I'm too busy having fun to do that! :)

I think if you were willing to pay, however, you could have gotten some nice prices for upgrades.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

The staff must be happy to have a few easy days. Did you get a cabin upgrade? Keep us up to date:)
Sadly, I would imagine the staff is getting the royal shaft this week. They are handling less cabins, serving less people in the dining room, etc. Their tips are gonna be way off this week. Next week, with about 1200 passengers, won't be much better.

A woman in one of the suites that I met told me that her cabin steward normally handles 14 cabins. This week he is four occupied. That's gotta be a slam in the wallet. :(

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

Rita how many CC friends did you meet? Have you meet TomK? He told me over the phone he is 6'5" tall with brown hair,a mustache and he smokes a cigar. Have you meet anyone from my crew there??? Only 2 couples went. I am so glad we choose not to go because we have more damage to our home and I am sick as a dog. (as a breeder no puns intended). I have mold in my lungs and have been very ill. Well all we did see our adjuster........yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Please have fun and WE do hope to meet you in the future. Take care out there with a cat 5 coming your way. I know you will be out and home before that sucker hits. Take care.

I am so sorry you are ill! I hope you feel better real soon and can go ahead and book another cruise when you are well enough (and with peace of mind over the condition of your house) to enjoy it.

No, didn't meet too many CCers. Met a woman and her son last week from Germany, and then of course I met Obobber and her daughter this week. Other than that, not too many CCers ... but then we had two ports these past five days and it is hard to meet up with people since everyone is off doing their own thing.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

Hi Rita:)...I am so glad you are having a good time! Sounds like a real "specialized cruise experience"...due to so few pax!

Looks like the 9-11 sailing will go as scheduled~thankfully!...I will wave to you as you are leaving;) .....
Look for the one crying at the terminal. That'll be me! :)

Have a wonderful cruise, Lois, and try to post if you get a chance. I'd love to get to relive these wonderful cruise memories through you!

Blue skies ...

--rita

[stillfrantic]

Rita, sorry we didn't get to meet. We're having a great time in Scottsdale. No chance of any rain here. Glad to hear the week went well. I bet it would be nice to be on a nearly empty ship. Did you sail Monday evening as expected?


Have a great last night. Aviator, TT, Obbobber, TomK, and all....so sorry we missed the meet. Hope all had or have great vacations with whatever arrangements were made.

[kryos]

Have fun in HELL! hehehehehe
I even got to meet the devil ... and get his picture too! :)

We also went to the turtle farm and the rum factory on the same tour. Was kinda neat ... especially getting a teeshirt from the "University of Hell." :) Sounds like my law school experience. :)

On Thursday, though, was my real fun experience. Got to try SCUBA ... and that was absolutely wonderful ... comical too. Imagine me ... with my fat rear ... trying to get up from a seated position with 25 pounds of weights and a 40-pound SCUBA tank. One guy had to push from behind, and the other one pull. It was hysterical. But, I didn't feel bad ... because the other woman on the tour had the same problem.

Once in the water, though ... everything came reasonably natural to me ... and I think I did rather good. I had no trouble breathing underwater ... no anxiety ... and the instructors were wonderful. Got a bunch of neat photos on CD that I can't wait to get home and view!

Today was a sea day ... and was very relaxing ... but bittersweet, because I know it is the end of the cruise. I packed late this afternoon and bought a few last minute items ... dear God, don't let Customs open my bags and find I'm over the limit for cigarettes. :(

Tonight, I joined a couple of friends (smoke buddies I met from South Carolina) in the Oddessy Restaurant for a delicious dinner of prime rib. Their New England Clam Chowder is absolutely to die for too! And, no ... once again, I had to pass on dessert. Just no room. I realize the Volcano Cake is heaven, but I can't eat that stuff anyway. Chocolate in any quantity gives me migranes.

It is now almost 10:00 p.m. ... and basically, I'm just using up my last few internet minutes since the Cyber Cafe is closing shortly and the accounts will be "zeroed out." I've had a great cruise and I hate to see it end. Part of the reason this cruise was so great is all of you wonderful people on this board ... with your advice and comradrie.

I'm only sorry we didn't all get to meet ... and many of you on the 9-4 cruise couldn't make it. Hopefully, we'll all enjoy another cruise at some point in the future together.

Blue skies!

--rita

[kryos]

Hi Rita:)...I am so glad you are having a good time! Sounds like a real "specialized cruise experience"...due to so few pax!

Looks like the 9-11 sailing will go as scheduled~thankfully!...I will wave to you as you are leaving;) .....

Hey, Lois!

I don't know if you'll get to see this before you leave ... but hopefully you will be checking the boards while on the ship.

I was sitting here in the Internet Center earlier this afternoon checking emails ... and who do I see sitting behind me ... Joel Mason. He is a really nice guy ... in addition to being a wonderful entertainer. He was very nice and posed for a picture with me ... the lady running the internet center took the photo for me.

I was telling him he had a lot of friends on Cruise Critic, and he said he's looking forward to meeting some of them. So ... I told him you were gonna be on the 9-11 cruise. He said he'd love to meet you. So, when you introduce yourself to him ... tell him you're the lady Rita was telling him about. He'll be looking for ya! :)

Blue skies!

--rita