Neferteria

Those hot tubs are not therapy pools, so I don't believe they contain anything other than water (and sweat and sunscreen :D). The hot tubs are heated, but generally not as much as home tubs. Most folks report them as being "warm".

Thanks so much. I do hope that the aft pool will contain sea water.

Does anyone know if the therapy pools that contain minerals include the small whirlpools in the pubic pool areas? I specifically would like to know about the pools on the Prinsendam next to the aft pool and the Lido pool. Are these pools heated?

Thanks so much!

Thanks so much! We will be on her on the 20th. Excited!

Wow! Devout Episcopalian that I am, I would avoid groups from this agency like the plague. A mass protest to Seattle is definitely in order. They really should give a rebate to those not only inconvenienced but also insulted by members of this group. The other passengers have been cheated out of the cruising experience they paid good money for. And should be compensated and apologies made.

Also looking for details of the dry dock work. We sail the end of July. Any information much appreciated.

My first (and only) time to travel by sea was on the Italian Line "SS Leonardo da Vinci" in 1968. Not a cruise, but a transport ship. We were four Peace Corps Volunteers, two married couples, traveling from the port of Lima, Peru to the port of Cartagena, Colombia where we were stationed on the Northern Coast.

We had taken our 2 annual vacations of a month each back to back so had been away for quite a long time. We had traveled from the north of Colombia through Colombia, then through Ecuador, then finally to Peru and had a week in which to get back. We had traveled in typical Peace Corps fashion by bus, train, and a stretch on the Pan American Highway in a taxi, which was actually cheaper than by bus. We froze in the Andes and sweltered in steamy Guayaquil, Ecuador. We experienced an earthquake in Ecuador. We were in a restaurant in Lima when there was an attempted coup outside it and we were locked inside for a couple of hours. Ah, the adventuring spirit of youth!

Anyway, it was time to get back to our sites. The rest of the group had gone to Cuzco and Machu Picchu, but I remained in Lima as I was getting the rabies shots after being bitten by a dog that could not later be found. Walking by the Italian Line office I saw that there was a sale for their transports to Colombia. Intrigued but thinking that we couldn't possibly afford it, I went in and inquired about the rates to Cartagena. I was stunned to find out that it would actually be cheaper for us than returning by more primitive means by the time we paid for transportation, lodging, and meals. Being in a country where bargaining is a national sport, I was even able to negotiate an even lower fare! And given outside rooms with a porthole to boot. I had enough cash on me to make a deposit and told them that of course the deal we had concluded would require the acceptance of the others when they returned to Lima. They of course were ecstatic and accepted with alacrity!

Being by then accustomed to less than palatable food, the other wife and I bought a basket and went to the market to fill it up for our voyage. Of course that was entirely unnecessary, and we had all the Italian food we could eat as well as all the wine we could drink for seven days. And even hot water in the shower and an indoor john! We didn't mind at all the bunks in our cabin and enjoyed immensely our port holes which we could even open to enjoy the sea air. I brought my rabies serum along in a thermos and turned it over to the ship's doctor, who completed my series.

We had a blast with the large Italian families who were returning to Italy, an American First Class traveler who treated us to drinks and trips to the First Class lounge, and the Italian cooks who sang opera and other traditional Italian songs as they cooked. We went through the Panama Canal and then arrived very rested when we disembarked in Cartagena. Took us a while to get our land legs back as we had been on the ship for a week and had developed quite good sea legs.

Although we have traveled extensively by land in North America, South America, and Europe, we haven't traveled by sea as we thought that cruising just wouldn't be our thing. Rock climbing walls, belly flop contests, and water slides just didn't appeal. But with mobility issues at our age now, we became intrigued with the Prinsendam Baltic Sea and Kiel Canal 14 day cruise and booked her. And are now very excited to take our first real cruise!

Thanks! But dang!!! Do you know what music channels are available on the Prindendam TVs? Thanks!

Will CDs work on these players? Thanks!

The excursions we have booked are for eight or fewer people in a van. Yes, still a target, but hopefully less of one. For most ports, however, we will go it alone or with just a couple of others.

I would have trouble remembering where I put things as well! My crossbody has two interior zippered pockets which will give an additional obstacle. I do remember what I put in those as they are in my regular handbags as well. But my strategy while in port is to carry very little off the ship. Even when we land travel -which we have done extensively and which is our usual mode- neither of us carries very much when we go out. My crossbody is big enough to also hold a lightweight rain garment, and I got a larger one for this Baltic cruise.

I wonder if wearing on a lanyard around the neck an ear-blasting police-type whistle would be a deterrent? Of course that would give a would-be thug something to grab onto. Or if concealed, would be easy enough to quickly pull out and use?

Any of these would give me pause! http://www.abrivosports.com/index.html#Safety

We xerox copies of our passports and carry them instead of the real thing, which we leave behind in a safe. As I understand it, we will need our actual passports to get into St. Petersburg so will need a different strategy there.

RFID protection is also a must! My crossbody bag has this protection built in as does a small card case where I carry my credit cards and anything else with a chip. But I will also leave credit cards back in the safe. Along with any large sums of money. Better to lose a small amount of cash on an excursion than your credit cards if it comes to that!

I plan on continuing to wear my crossbody bag, positioned where I have it in front when I can keep a hand on it at all times. Also, it is best to keep those with zipper compartments on the outside of the bag to keep it next to your body rather then facing out. Mine has several on one side of the bag and but one on the other side which I can leave empty and thus leave flat. I also have a number of tanks that I can put the bag against with a lightweight cardigan on top to make it harder to cut the strap or to grab it to drag me along. There are of course those which have metal cords woven into the straps which make them very difficult to cut.

I also leave the good stuff at home, although I have some very nice fashion jewelry that I would hate to lose. But those will not leave the ship on me! Diamond wedding set is left at home replaced with a simple gold band. I also have a very cheap watch with a leather buckle strap I bought specifically for travel. Sunglasses with designer logos on them can also be a tip off that you have money along with other conspicuous designer logos. I get my plain black sunglasses at Rite-Aid!

Not a bit.

 

What I think is great is the pick-pocket was out of work for a long time while he healed! Think of all the other tourists he didn't rob. (and no workers' comp insurance, either. ;) )

LOL! To clarify, in my reference to my carrying a concealed hat pin earlier, I am talking about a pin *****, not a laceration. The idea is to throw the would-be thug off guard from his or her mission, which is to separate you from your belongings. Young and alone female Peace Corps volunteers have done that for years and years.

And yes, the way you dress and appear make you more of a target. Americans in particular are more often targeted. I have 50 some years experience in this on several continents and no where in any country have I been thought to be an American tourist! I have even been asked if I speak English, mistaking me as a local, LOL. Another thing would-be criminals look at is on which hand a woman or man wears their wedding ring. I have often switched my simple gold band to the other hand where it is the custom to wear the wedding ring on the right hand. A wedding band type ring is even useful for a single woman as the deterrent of a possible man around will give pause. I certainly would not wear a lanyard around my neck!

The difference in this trip for us from extensive land travel both DH and I have done, including in Third World countries with me living in one for two years, is that we will be on a cruise for the first time and going inland with other people at the same time. So yes, we will use every caution to avoid looking vulnerable and like a target as well as remaining vigilant.

Yes, some of these petty crooks can be very sophisticated in their team approach. They also often use a y0ung woman carrying a baby wanting help for her baby.

One thing that I have always found that discombobulates them is to rattle at them in a foreign language if someone approaches me with an innocent sounding question. I am fluent in Spanish, but really any gibberish will do! (In Spanish-speaking countries knowing the language is very helpful as they usually assume I don't understand what they are saying to each other.)

Another thing I used to do when living in a Third World country for two years is to carry a hat pin concealed in a hand with the point barely peeking out. One short jab usually does the trick! Crowding is usually a component of an approach.

Women also have to be very careful not to wear hoop earrings or anything else on their ears that can be jerked off, and often very painfully.

I also dress as to blend in with the locals of my same age and don't dress like a tourist!

Sounding more and more wonderful. Now that we have decided to go, we are really looking forward to the Prinsendam.

If you are going on the Baltic cruise that leaves on 20 July, please join us on the Roll Call!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=50197962#post50197962

Inconvenience can go both ways! Just as the non-smoker who objects to the smell of burning tobacco wafting over to his balcony from the smoking neighbor next door, the smoker may object to being evicted from his designated smoking place on his own balcony. This can be particularly inconvenient for that first cup of morning coffee or tea a smoker has before getting up and dressed. Or late at night when he is dressed for bed but cannot sleep and wants to have a smoke.

The reality is that all passengers have paid good money for their cruise and expect to be able to enjoy it, smokers and non-smokers who object to the smell of smoke alike. And as has been posted repeatedly, due diligence done beforehand by all to determine what policy about smoking is and acceptance of same is a must IMO. Some of the name-calling I have seen here is offensive at the very least.

What a bummer!!! And your ports of call looked so interesting to me. I hope there is plenty on board that is enticing. Bon courage!

I've been a night owl my entire life. I can supervise the moon while the rest of you see to the sun! DH is just the opposite. :-)

I don't really require late-night partying or gambling, but do like to have conversations in an attractive venue. I trust those are available on-board? Can always order snacks from room service. Have also been looking at the DVD library on the Prinsendam, which can also keep me entertained when others are sleeping. Can Perhaps organize a movie party in a stateroom or two?

Is the DVD equipment standardized from ship to ship? Still need to know if I can play CDs on the Prinsendam.

Thanks so much!

Are we to start rationing alcohol for people who drink? Check their blood alcohol levels? Send them down to the Friends of Bill meetings? We all have things that annoy and irritate us, but the world does not revolve around any one of us. A ship is a community as is any group of people who gather together. Live and Let Live!

I completely agree with Ruth and Jackie. Simple communication and a willingness to work with fellow travelers for their mutual satisfaction and comfort is the key. Denigrating smokers and making snide remarks like "...cleaning up their mess" have a very low likelihood for success for anyone.

Thank you for your report and wonderful pictures! A friend and her family were on the ship with you but continued onto the next leg, where they are now.

Spain looks beautiful!

I never said I was a smoker BTW although there is one in my household!

Smokers have paid the same premium to be able to smoke on their balconies as non-smokers have for theirs. Many want to be able to have a smoke and a cup of coffee in their bathrobes on their verandah first thing in the morning while on vacation. I don't know how far the odor of smoke travels, but a workable solution might be for disclosure of "smoker" cruisers so that stateroom assignments can be made accordingly and those with strong objections placed away from them. I have read 12 feet but can't pinpoint the source off-hand.

I am very sensitive to the off-gassing of petroleum based products. That would include fabrics, their dyes and finishes, upholstery materials, mattresses and pillows, even the paint on walls and finishes on furniture. I find it incumbent on me to provide my own protection, which includes having a stateroom with a window or door I can open and/or carrying with me an enzyme-eating product which eliminates rather than covers up these odors. As our ship will not be long out of dry dock when we sail, this is a real possibility, especially if our stateroom is unused on the voyage before us. Off-gassing diminishes in time as does tobacco odor and even third hand smoke. As a now retired high end residential interior designer, I have had to deal with these issues on numerous occasions.

The point I am making is that workable and manageable solutions and proposals have a much higher prospect for success than all or nothing scenarios from either position.

BTW, an odor is not second hand smoke. And yes, there are highly sensitive individuals for whom a strong perfume can provoke a life-threatening situation.

IMO it is unreasonable for non-smokers to insist that no one smoke any time or any place.

Sure, tobacco smoke does alter the scent of smokers' clothing. But so does perfume. And some that I personally find very offensive, Shalimar being one. There are some places and homes in the US that ban the wearing of any scent whatsoever! Would I insist that Shalimar be banned? Of course not. Nor would I make uncomfortable in my home any guest who wore it.

I don't like alcohol. Don't like the taste, the smell, or the effect it has on behavior. My mother was killed by a drunk driver when I was but 15. Would I insist that alcohol be banned? Of course not. We are a non-drinking household. But don't ban or degrade any of our guests who chose to drink.

Smokers pay the same good money for their cruises as non-smokers do. Prohibition didn't work because of its extreme stance. Bootleggers did very well for themselves. Live and Let Live say I!

I was able to play music cd's in the DVD players on some other HAL ships. Are Zaandam cabins currently equipped to do so?

I am also interested in knowing if I can bring favorite CDs. We will be on the Prinsendam.

Those who are offended by the smell of smoke might want to consider tucking into their baggage a can of a spray product which eliminates the odor.

Two good ones are:

Smoke Odor Exterminator and Eliminator; and

Qzium

Both are quite effective and available on Amazon.

If this is the cruise that is leaving Sunday, a good friend, her husband, their daughter, son in law and young grandchild will be your travel companions!

Their seven year old grandson is a whiz at languages, already speaks Spanish, and is learning Italian. He is a charmer, and a little boy you might meet up with!