Live from the Maasdam - May 1 – 16, 2015 The Atlantic Coast

I know about the Dive In, but what is the sandwich place?

At lunch, part of the Lido buffet has made to order sandwiches. The main buffet closes at 2 pm but the sandwich part is open until 5 pm.

Alberta,

So glad you finally got your robes to go with your slippers😃

Enjoy reading about Charelston, and hope code red ends soon!

Happy Sailing

Denise😄

I am so enjoying your everyday revue thanks for posting

I have never heard of sea bands before but looked them up after your post.

Hi again to you and your mom. I will be following along and will have memories of Newport, Bar Harbor and Halifax relived since we have been there on prior cruises.

I believe the basket I purchased sometime between 1977 and 1983 down at Myrtle Beach may be one of these baskets. It looks as new as ever and something tells me it was only $25 BACK THEN - maybe even cheaper. But I never would part with it in this life, no matter what its worth is.

We will check into flights from Vancouver verses Seattle for next years 14 day Alaska cruises.

I hope the ports are the same. Need to do some more searching.

I imagine you are having great weather today at sea. Its downright hot here with heavy pollen in the air.

Enjoy every minute on your cruise.

Pat = Seabreez

I purchased a teeny tiny basket on the way to Charleston many many years ago..they used to have vendors set up on Highway 17 from Myrtle Beach to Charleston...I paid $17.00 for it...but that was a long time ago and it is small...I have seashells in it and I do love it...it is a thing of beauty:)

i know a lady and her husband on this cruise. They are from Australia, well he is and she was at school with me, she is from Scotland. Anni and Craig Porter. I hope you get to bump into them at some point. Say hello from Dot for me . Enjoy your cruise with your mom. Looking forward to reading all about it.

Hi again to you and your mom. I will be following along and will have memories of Newport, Bar Harbor and Halifax relived since we have been there on prior cruises.

I believe the basket I purchased sometime between 1977 and 1983 down at Myrtle Beach may be one of these baskets. It looks as new as ever and something tells me it was only $25 BACK THEN - maybe even cheaper. But I never would part with it in this life, no matter what its worth is.

We will check into flights from Vancouver verses Seattle for next years 14 day Alaska cruises.

I hope the ports are the same. Need to do some more searching.

I imagine you are having great weather today at sea. Its downright hot here with heavy pollen in the air.

Enjoy every minute on your cruise.

Pat = Seabreez

Hi Pat,

The 14 day itinerary that we went on last year is only from Seattle. What I meant about departing from Vancouver, I meant taking two 7 day cruises back to back so that you can come and go from Vancouver. The Canadian inside passage is simply stunning. At times, you're so close to the shore, you feel like you can reach out and touch it. I realize that it costs more for Americans to fly to and from Vancouver over Seattle but, IMO, it's worth it. I hope that you can make it work.

Hi Pat,

 

The 14 day itinerary that we went on last year is only from Seattle. What I meant about departing from Vancouver, I meant taking two 7 day cruises back to back so that you can come and go from Vancouver. The Canadian inside passage is simply stunning. At times, you're so close to the shore, you feel like you can reach out and touch it. I realize that it costs more for Americans to fly to and from Vancouver over Seattle but, IMO, it's worth it. I hope that you can make it work.

The primary issue for us is that there are generally better flight schedules and less flight time to/from Seattle. That plus family in Seattle area.

I know about the Dive In, but what is the sandwich place?

The lido buffet closes at 2pm, but the deli sandwich section stays open awhile longer. They also have a bunch of pre-made sandwiches after the lunch buffet closes.

I'm enjoying your Live From now that I'm no longer at sea!

We definitely had the chocolates in the Explorer's Lounge after dinner last December. But they are on an open plate, and although you're supposed to use tongs to help yourself, not everyone did, so perhaps that's something for you to look forward to!:) I didn't notice any on the Westerdam last month.

We had two Eastern European musicians, I can't remember their names, but they were very good, although they had only played together a few months. I suppose by now they may have completed their contracts.

They had chocolates in the Explorers lounge of the Maasdam every night that I can remember on our cruise in April, along with little bagel sandwiches and cookies and such. But they were behind glass and the beverage steward had to get them for us.

May 4, 2015 At Sea

I slept in until 8 am!!! That's almost unheard of for me. Of course, that's only 6 am Alberta time and I normally get up at 5 am to get ready for work so I guess it's not that unusual. I think DM slept well, too.

We got ready fairly quickly since breakfast is only served in the dining room until 9:30. This morning we met Imam (aka Hunky Dory) at the podium. He looks very well. They were a bit unorganized in the MDR this morning. People were waiting to be seated. Our table didn't have any coffee cups and saucers so they brought those later. My breakfast was very good but someone else's was cold. He chose not to speak up about it. There are still no flowers on the dining room tables or in the Lido.

This is our third full day of the cruise so, hopefully, the restrictions will be lifted later. All in all, the Code Red hasn't been too bad, IMO. Sure, things take longer to get but it's relatively organized. They have more people handing out pre-poured beverages in the Lido, for example. And, I get the impression that the pax are more experienced in these matters, too. Everyone is taking it in stride and seems to understand that it is for our own good. I've seen better compliance with the use of the purell. It is mostly an older crowd as is normal on a longer cruise. I've only seen one child so far. My guess is that the average age is in the 70's but there are, I think, other people, beside the child, who are a little younger than I am. I don't know if we're sailing at full capacity, I suspect not. Someone, another passenger, mentioned 1100 people but I don't know if that's accurate. I do know that all outside and higher category staterooms were gone prior to sailing but I think many got upgraded and upsold to higher categories.

We did hear of some plumbing and AC issues. Not like the other day but delayed flushing for the plumbing issues so that's pretty minor in comparison. The AC issues are rooms too cold or too hot. So far, we have no issues other than DM likes it warmer and I'm at that special time of my life where I need, NEED (did I mention NEED?!) it colder. So, the thermostat is set at pretty much in the middle, in our cabin. She's sitting out in the sun on our verandah as I type this, this morning, while I'm inside where it's a wee bit cooler (plus it's impossible to see my iPad outside while wearing sunglasses!).

We checked out the Deck Sale on the Lido deck after breakfast but that took all of 5 minutes. Because of the Code Red, they had the tables roped off. The staff hold up the item for you to see but you are not allowed to touch. The staff are wearing gloves to handle each item.

I don't think I mentioned that we have two groups on this cruise. One is a quilting group consisting of 38 people (I believe that includes the travelling companions). The only disruption they've caused, is that they've taken the meeting rooms which has displaced the bridge players. The bridge tables are set up on the lower level of the atrium. I'm told that the set up is working better than expected.

The second group is the Road Scholar (elderhostel) group, consisting of 22 people. I have not heard of any disruption other than my PCC told me that they've reserved the Wajang Theatre for the better part of one sea day.

When I first booked the cruise, last fall, we were told that Early Fixed Dining was fully booked because of a HUGE group. My guess is that, at that time, no one knew what the group(s) numbers would end up at. We were able to get confirmed for Early Fixed a few weeks later. but others were not. My PCC was able to tell me their numbers closer to sailing date. I was quite surprised when told it was only 60 people between the two groups. So for all of you who are concerned about cruising with groups onboard, it's not always so bad. I understand that it can be bad; I'm not accusing anyone of lying. But I really wouldn't know either group was on board this cruise. And the only reason I know some more about the quilting group (besides the fact that I'm a little more interested in quilting) is that a roll call member who is part of the quilting group is in the stateroom next door. She has shown me some of her projects out in the hallway!! She even brought extra projects to work on since she has little time at home to sew.

DM and I went to the Explorations Cafe for a coffee. Yes, even I had a coffee (but mine had Bailey's in it to help kill the taste of the coffee!). The only thing was that I got warm from drinking something hot but that passed fairly quickly afterward. Afterwards, we went for a quick lunch in the Lido. They had roast turkey which was awesome! Yes, it was real turkey; I recognized the bones. And for dessert, they had hazelnut mousse, oh my, was that good! We then went to Trivia and lost yet again. But the highest score was 13 out of 18 so we didn't do too badly with 10. I think we need a Brit or Aussie on our team. There are the three of us from Canada and one American. We do have room for two more if anyone on the ship is reading this.

While DM took a nap, I went to the Future Cruise presentation. We've been debating what cruise to take next year. As you know, we're trying to go through DM's bucket list. We were thinking about Hawaii/Tahiti but it would use up ALL of my vacation days early in the year, leaving me only with statutory holidays. And that's assuming that, given the current economy, I will still have a job next year. Right now, one can't be too sure about that. So, it's back to the drawing board. DM is kinda running out of cruises to take so we'll see. Maybe a land holiday would be good but if we do achieve 4 star, it would be nice for her to reap the benefits.

Later, I played my first game of bingo of the cruise. Who was the caller but my friend Jazzy. It sounds like Show Host Kevin is new in his position so Jazzy seems to be here to mentor him. If you remember, he was the Show Host on last year's 14 day Alaska cruise where I won at the Win a Cruise bingo! Since my one good luck charm couldn't come on this cruise, maybe he will be my lucky charm this time. Except he failed today. Heather, you're still needed as my good luck charm!

Dinner was quite good tonight. I had carrot soup, slightly altered Cobb Salad (no chicken or avocado) but it was still huge, and Coq au Vin. Dessert was Hazelnut Mousse Cake, heavy on the mousse, light on the cake. Others had beef shortribs (he said it tasted like Sauerbraten), lasagna, and roast chicken. One dessert that looked interesting, and I'm told, tasted really good was the Chocolate Balance. As far as I could tell, it was some sort of a tart (I'm not sure if it was actually a pastry shell, or a chocolate shell), with a hard chocolate layer inside the shell, and then what looked like a chocolate mousse or ganache piped on top. I think it came with chocolate ice cream, on the side. It looked quite pretty and, according to the two chocoholics, was worthy of the calories.

The movie tonight was Elsa & Fred, starring Christopher Plummer and Shirley MacLaine. It was quite good and very appropriate for HAL. After that, we went to Karaoke in the Crow's Nest. We could hear Jazzy screeching all the way at the elevator lobby! Yes, he does make himself sound worse than he really is to encourage others to participate. There were some good singers, and, as always, some not so good singers. One surprise was Jude, the CD, who sang Cabaret. She did a very good job. Although, I still remember Emily the librarian from last year's Alaska cruise who also sang Cabaret. While both were good, I think Emily was the best of the two - but don't tell Jude I said that; I still have about 11 days on this cruise!!!!

The entertainment in the showroom tonight was the first show by the cast of the Maasdam. Since we went to the movie instead, I'll have to get the review from our tablemates tomorrow for you. Last night's entertainer was a comedian and juggler. Apparently, it was a very good show. Our tablemates went to the late show, after the movie last night. They made the mistake of sitting in the front row so he got called up to participate. But, he received a bottle of champagne for being a good sport about it, which he plans to share with the rest of us on the last night of the cruise. How nice is that?!

Some one asked about the condition of the ship. I have to tell you that, if it's not glaringly obvious, I tend not to notice the general wear and tear. I can report that I have yet to come across anything glaringly obvious. However, at my place at dinner tonight, I did notice a hole in the tablecloth. Absolutely shocking! It was about 5 mm long and maybe 2 mm wide; sorry, I didn't have my ruler with me so I can't be more precise.;)

Seriously though, the ship does seem very well maintained. There are some things that bug me and have from Day 1 but I think they have more to do with the current Code Red situation than lack of maintenance. The mirror at the desk in our stateroom is filthy. It looks like cleaner was sprayed at the top of the mirror and left to drip down and dry. The same situation exists at the elevator door frames. It looks terrible. But I hope that it's just the sanitization stuff they put on all surfaces to keep the virus at bay. We're still in Code Red, even tonight. I have not heard of any new cases, and other than crew standing near the purell stands to ensure everyone uses it, I have not heard any commands from the Captain to wash our hands.

So, all is well on the beautiful Maasdam. Tomorrow, we will be in Newport Rhode Island. Good Night!

They had chocolates in the Explorers lounge of the Maasdam every night that I can remember on our cruise in April, along with little bagel sandwiches and cookies and such. But they were behind glass and the beverage steward had to get them for us.

Are you thinking of the Explorations Cafe? The food from that display case is served by the staff at the counter. I was speaking about the Explorer's Lounge where the Adagio play. There are, on the Amsterdam, truffles and/or other chocolates there for one to help themselves.

I'm really enjoying your updates! Kevin may have just come from the Statendam :confused: -- he was on our cruise temporarily. Very young, slender? His Dad is a comedian and was the evening entertainment a couple times.

This cruise for next year still hasn't shown up on the itineraries, I'm chomping at the bit. Enjoy Newport tomorrow!

I'm really enjoying your updates! Kevin may have just come from the Statendam :confused: -- he was on our cruise temporarily. Very young, slender? His Dad is a comedian and was the evening entertainment a couple times.

 

This cruise for next year still hasn't shown up on the itineraries, I'm chomping at the bit. Enjoy Newport tomorrow!

In 2016 Maasdam will be headed to Alaska -- no repositioning cruise for her from Ft Lauderdale and no Canada/New England cruises for her either.

Not certain where the Veendam will be before she heads to do a few Canada/New England cruises.

Sounds like you had a nice relaxing sea day.

Thanks for the updates on the ship.

I'm really enjoying your updates! Kevin may have just come from the Statendam :confused: -- he was on our cruise temporarily. Very young, slender? His Dad is a comedian and was the evening entertainment a couple times.

 

This cruise for next year still hasn't shown up on the itineraries, I'm chomping at the bit. Enjoy Newport tomorrow!

No, I don't think this Is the same Kevin. This one is a few years younger than me (so not young, by any stretch of the imagination :D), with a Britsh accent, and is stocky.

Hoping the weather and waves cooperate for tendering in Newport today!

Thx for the update. Enjoy your day.

Thank you for the report. Have a great Cruise.

In 2016 Maasdam will be headed to Alaska -- no repositioning cruise for her from Ft Lauderdale and no Canada/New England cruises for her either.

Not certain where the Veendam will be before she heads to do a few Canada/New England cruises.

I know about the Maasdam. Earlier in this thread AQ posted that the FCC told her the Veendam will be doing this cruise and the Canada/New England cruises next year.

No, I don't think this Is the same Kevin. This one is a few years younger than me (so not young, by any stretch of the imagination :D), with a Britsh accent, and is stocky.

LOL -- nope, not the same one. :D

Hoping the weather and waves cooperate for tendering in Newport today!

It's looking good right now. They've started tendering about 45 minutes early. We have a tour booked so have to wait.

I hope you enjoy your day with your daughter!

It's looking good right now. They've started tendering about 45 minutes early. We have a tour booked so have to wait.

 

I hope you enjoy your day with your daughter!

Thanks! Enjoy your day. Waiting to come aboard. Say hello if you happen to see us. I'll be with my 5 year old son and my 13 year old daughter.

The 'film' on the mirrors and glass is from the agent that was sprayed into the staterooms for deep cleansing. We used a washcloth to wipe down the mirrors, TV screen and almost all other surfaces on day 3 of our cruise since we realized the room stewards had their hands full just getting everything put back into the staterooms. Lots of surfaces were tacky all week but we didn't get sick nor did we know of anyone who did so we just 'grin and bear' when this has to be done.