St Pete Cruiser

OMG, that is a very impressive itinerary! I sure would have enjoyed that one. There were a lot of sea days when you look at leaving St Petersburg, Russia and just two port calls until returning to NYC. Maybe the more extensive Greenland portion scared Holland America's itinerary planning from returning to those further up the west coast. I'm also impressed that you still had access to an itinerary completed 21 years ago. Good for you. I am hoping the company will continue to do the Legendary Voyages with some new routes yet to be published.

I know it is just the camera angle, but this pic of the Eurodam looks very stubby or short in length. The answer to our prayers for a new little Holland America ship! LOL.

Good morning everyone from St Petersburg. We were lucky, but so many others were not. The storm surge was higher than previous storms causing severe flooding in the lower areas. The rainfall was less than some regular storms. The wind gusts were strong which seems to have caused more power outages. I'm headed out for my morning walk now. Prayers for those less fortunate.

Good afternoon from St Petersburg where we have had a mostly sunny morning. I got my walk in at 7:30 and enjoyed the breeze. It is 85F now, but clouds are moving in. Our condo is on the third floor in a non-evacuation zone, so we are quite comfortable even with a storm surge coming later. @JazzyVHurray, your cruise is on! @StLouisCruisersThanks for posting our daily start page and following it with updates. I try to look at that everyday even if I don't get to all the others. Good luck with the storm up there in Georgia. @Sir PMPI appreciate your map with the port/location of the day along with pics. @Quartzsite CruiserYour posts are also a delight. Were you ever a meteorologist? Your weather report is always so complete. The Rotterdam VI was a personal favorite of mine. In 2003, it was only 5 years old and must have still been beautiful. Do you recall the itinerary for that cruise? Was it the Voyage of the Vikings that year? Did you get hit with a rogue wave near Iceland? @kazuI feel so bad for you with all the issues you have endured recently. You were so enjoying life last October with us on the Rotterdam VII's transatlantic from Amsterdam to Ft Lauderdale? Stay safe and out of the storm's path.

A late check in from St Petersburg where we are relieved that Helene is staying about 100 miles away from us. Late tomorrow we will get 40 to maybe 60 MPH winds and 4 to 6 feet storm surge, and hopefully no more. Most of us can handle that. What a difference a week makes. Last Wednesday we were sailing out of Tampa Bay on the Serenade OFS headed to Cozumel. The seas were flat and so incredibly smooth. When we left the ship Sunday, it was to return to Cozumel, but instead went to the Bahamas to avoid the storm. They will have a bumpy ride getting in Friday morning and may be delayed. Aside from the Hurricane news, Captain Albert posted his review of our old Ryndam, now Celestyal Journey. The Ryndam was sold pre covid in 2015 right before the new Pinnacle class Koningsdam arrived. She went to P & O Australia first, idled during covid and then was sold again to Celestyal. Albert and his spouse very much enjoyed returning to one of the 4 S ships. Hope everyone has a good night and a better tomorrow.

We did your cruise in 2018 on the Volendam and it was enjoyable. Is that first cruise listed correct, 3/1961 Ryndam? That was not one of the company's favorite ships as it was small for transatlantic crossings.

Interesting. When I asked the pianist onboard in Billboard, where did they put the other piano, he said they sold them to Princess! Funny, I thought.

Greetings from sunny St Petersburg. Our 4 day cruise on Royal Caribbeans's Serenade OFS was enjoyable, even if it was short. The best aspect was driving less than one hour to the port to embark and debark. The Serenade used terminal 2, which was the Carnival terminal years ago. Holland America began using Tampa in 1983 and was the first major cruise line to do so. Carnival also began not long after. Now Royal Caribbean has become the biggest Tampa line with 3 ships here this winter season. The Serenade and the Oosterdam are the same vintage, 2003. I was impressed with the interior decor as it is an eclectic mix of art deco and Caribbean compared with Carnival. Serenade appeals more to young families with children, but lacks the big water slides and the high tech amenities of the bigger RCCL ships. Our 4 day cruise was mostly adults from 30's to 60's. While the weather allowed, and it was a very calm seas cruise, the bow area was open so it was possible to circle the ship on the promenade deck, although that required climbing stairs to the bow. Maybe with the hull painted white, there was more visible rust showing than on our recent Zuiderdam cruise. Unlike aboard Holland, exterior maintenance workers seemed rare. Room: We had an Oceanview on deck 4 forward. The round window was quite distorted and could make you queasy if you sat and stared out of it. The bed was almost as good as Holland. There was a small sofa for two, desk area with shelves, small refrigerator, two closets which gave adequate storage. The bathroom was smaller than on Holland with a tiny shower which had clamshell doors. The AC was adequate, important for this very warm cruise. Dining: The MDR was a big letdown. The first night's menu was like a Gala menu, but the food was not close. The worst was escargot served cold! Servers didn't come back to check after serving. When the server came back to pick up the dish, I asked if it was intentionally served cold and didn't get an answer. A few minutes later I was brought another one which was also cold. Not hot, not warm, but COLD! The fish was chewy. We decided to try breakfast and lunch at the Windjammer, their buffet, the next day. At least the food on the hot stations was better. The Windjammer stations are on islands as opposed to next to the kitchen areas like on Holland. This means nothing is cooked or made in front of you but has been made in advance and may have been there for a rather long time. Entertainment: The atrium is impressive and was used for many events including an excellent pianist, a 3-piece string trio, among others. The seating areas are on deck 4, 5 and 6 for the atrium and are limited for the more popular events. The theater with balcony had comfortable seating forward. There was a juggler, hypnotist and a comic. Only one night featured their band with singers with a combination of older and newer music. I guess the newer and bigger RCCL ships get the better entertainment. We expected the Serenade would beat the typical Holland entertainment hands down, but not on this ship. The Schooner Lounge and the Safari Club along with Congo Bar were very attractive. The Congo overlooks the aft wake. There is no lounge where the Crow's Nest is on Holland. The Viking Lounge, mid ship, has been walled in half which limits viewing. It was empty most of this cruise as was the Concierge Club. Diamond members (like our 4 and 5 star) are given 4 beverage tickets per day rather than the happy hour usually served there. Probably a better perk as they can be used anytime and anywhere. A big favorite of mine was open area seating tables at the rear off the Windjammer buffet. It does have a roof or cover over it. There was enough protection from the wind while at sea, too. We had morning coffee and breakfast there and loved it. Only the Prinsendam in the Holland America fleet had this. I complimented the staff member overseeing that area and he was so pleased! He checked on me every day and thanked me on our last day immensely. In conclusion, I would recommend the Serenade only for those who don't want to drive to a Florida East Coast port. If I can book a cruise on it at a very good price, then I would return. If I have to pay Holland America prices, then we will cruise out of Ft Lauderdale.

Thanks. So far, so good !

Greetings from the port of Tampa and RCCL Splendor of the Seas. We left our home on the west side of St Petersburg at 10am and were walking onboard at 11:30. It is good to be cruising out of Tampa again. The Seranade is about the same size and vintage of our Zuiderdam. This is a small ship for Royal, but mid size by today's standards. The rooms were not available until just after 1pm, so we explored and had lunch in the Windjammer, Royal's version of the Lido. Every table was occupied, so we stood by and managed to get a table for 2. I had a salad and some barrimundi and a little seafood rice, both of which were good. No service for drinks and few to ask for anything such as where our silverware (they were out at the time) was. No officer or manager was visable. There was a Indonesian man by the soft serve ice cream I was able to chat briefly with. He was rather startled that a guest cared enough to ask how long he had been onboard (6 months), had he worked and where during the recent World Cruise (yes, in the MDR), did he know how many guests did the entire WC(700) and was the menu upgraded for it(yes, but now it is back to usual). We should be sailing under the Skyway Bridge a little after 6pm. No show in the theater tonight 😕. Four days will go by quickly. Final thoughts when I return Sunday. Don't let anything bad happen while we are gone! Prayers especially for those hurting today.🙏

Copper John, great to see your name here. I have missed your very informative posts. Was your position Safety Officer? I'm almost finished reading the 150th anniversary of Holland America Line I bought on the Zuiderdam's Voyage of the Vikings last month. I'm sure you could write your own book.

Remember, the Volendam is about the size of the Viking ocean ships and several other super premium line ships. Since it seems doubtful that Carnival will commit to any more ships that size for Holland America, I do hope the money is invested in the two remaining R class ships.

Thanks for your post as we are booked on the Eurodam in November. This is further proof the company is trying to "right" itself after cutting back on the live entertainment.

Happy Friday the 13th. As a bald guy who enjoys chocolate and a glass of pinot origin, must be my day! We saw this man in Florence back in February. Anybody recognize him?

Greetings all from St Petersburg where it is still summer. I shouldn't complain as we had a wonderful respite from the heat onboard the Voyage of the Vikings! It will be 3 weeks Saturday since we left the Zuiderdam in Boston and I am basically back to normal, meaning cooking, cleaning and doing for myself rather than having someone else doing it for me. Now a regular guy should be happy to stay home after such a great cruise, which is what I did for most of my life, BUT now that the clock is running on my "Golden Years", I need to keep traveling! Most of us know you must have three things to travel: 1) The Time 2) The Money and 3) The Health. So before any of the 3 runout, I'm going. Next Wednesday 9/18, we have a short 4 day cruise out of Tampa. Sadly, Holland America is no longer sailing from Tampa. It looks like Tampa business is still strong and Royal Caribbean has 4 ships scheduled at least part of this winter season here. It is on the Serenade of the Seas. The fare was very attractive, so we will try it. The Serenade is the same age as the Zuiderdam and about the same size, so it will be interesting to compare. @rafinmdhas shared that despite his preference for Crystal and Holland America, he enjoyed Royal at times as I'm sure many of you have as well. Special prayers for those suffering today.

Your Legendary Voyage sounds similar to the Voyage of the Vikings, of which I was impressed. Enjoy!

@StLouisCruisersHappy 55th Anniversary. You were obviously a child bride! Thanks for taking charge of our Daily.

I got it! Cute.

Carnival has decided to only invest in those brands that are the most profitable at this time, at least until more of the debt is paid off.

We were there in August on the Zuiderdam's Voyage of the Vikings turn around day. The volunteers were well aware we were in port and looking forward to us! Our people didn't seem to have any trouble touring. The MDR had a great display of Holland America memorabilia.

Oceania has decided to base its Insignia out of Tampa beginning in February 2026. It will only be here initially for 3 months, but February thru April is the prime time. The Insignia was originally the first or lead ship for Renaissance Cruise Line who built 8 nearly identical ships. Insignia was R1, a very unnautical name for a luxury cruise ship IMHO. was sold along with all the others when Renaissance declared bankruptcy. It is just 30,000 Gross Tons, or 8,000 less than our beloved Prinsendam. I'm still very sad that Holland America left Tampa after 37 years.

Gerry, I thought of you on our Voyage of the Vikings trip as we had two performers from Saskatchewan: Nathan, our Billboard pianist/singer, and another gentleman who had joined towards the end who was part of the new show, Breton Thunder. Apparently, your province has some very talented show people. Nathan was really fun as he had a role in Les Misérables and sang Master of the House several times for us.

Did the broken window in the Crow's nest get replaced? We so enjoyed the Voyage of the Vikings, but that was a bit of an annoyance.

The Zuiderdam returned safely and on time into Boston. One of our best cruises.

Greetings everyone. This year's Voyage of the Vikings is almost over with our last port of Halifax today and disembark Saturday morning. It has been a good to excellent one for me. So many of the Holland America Line traditions have returned. Yes, even lobster tail last night and the candy man at the door, without the bell boy uniform. Kimberly, CD, has made it almost like a World Cruise along with Henk and Captain Frank and Captain Friso. Dinner with an officer and so many activities we had to choose what to do.