USN59-79

I agree that the meets are useful and I regret that I couldn't fit them into my schedule on our recent cruise. I once met a retired Marine Corps officer there who showed me how to request a copy of my military service records from the National Personnel Records Center in St Louis, MO. A few years later, when I was diagnosed with leukemia, they were helpful showing when and where I was on the ground in Vietnam so I could prove my exposure to Agent Orange. Although it has never happened, I hope to someday meet an old shipmate on one of these get togethers. Ray

I was overcharged twice on the Westerdam, both for items ordered before we boarded. I noticed the first one when I got my first statement; I was charged half price for dinner in the Pinnacle. Since that was my first Pinnacle Grill dinner and the first two are free for 5-star mariners, I discussed it with the front desk. Took awhile for them to figure out how to fix it, but finally Riyo there figured it out. The other thing was my charge for an 8 bottle wine package. It is listed at $219, but in the fine print they add 18% to it for $258. However, as a 5-star it should have been half price. A few weeks into the cruise I downloaded my visa statement and found that I had been charged $258.42 on 13 March and there was never a credit for the difference. I discussed it a few times with the front desk and even gave them a picture of my credit card statement. Eventually I got a call from them that they had fixed the overcharge. I believed them at the time but when I got home I found that they didn't tell the truth. So at this point HAL still owes me about $126 for my wine package. When I filled in my online critique of the cruise one of the questions was "How could we have made your cruise better?" I answered "just pay me the $126. you owe me for my wine package" Personally, I don't expect to get it, but it will be in the back of my mind if I think of cruising with HAL again. Ray

You are right about the tipping policy in 2003, Ruth. I just pulled a folder on our 2003 7-day Alaska cruise on the Noordam. The cost was about three times what a similar 7-day Alaska cruise now costs on the Westerdam, but there was no mandatory or even requested tipping. Not sure what your union statement means. Are you saying that the crew are members of a union? If so, what union? Ray

The Westerdam had a veteran's gathering a few times at 4:30. I would enjoy meeting people who may have similar experiences to mine. However, we had fixed dining at 5:15 and 4:30 is the time we take a shower and get ready for dinner. I had hoped it might be scheduled at a different time, but it was always 4:30. I did meet some veterans on board and they were very pleasant to talk with. Ray

When returning, look at flights from Sydney to Honolulu then Honolulu to Home. Good way to break up a very long flight. Ray

You have a point, so I looked at the same Alaska cruises from Seattle a few months out. For the Westerdam, 27 August, inside $538, OV $677, and balcony $1142. For the Eurodam, 26 August, inside $611, OV $652, and balcony $1151 p/p. These prices are still less than half of what we paid 20 years ago even comparing a balcony to an inside. To put it into another context, in 1999 I bought a new Toyota Tacoma SR5 pickup for $14,000. That same pickup today would be about $30,000. Incidentally, I am comparing a 7-day Alaska cruise out of Seattle as that is what I took 20 years ago; thus apples to apples. Ray

My point is that while inflation has caused many prices to double in the past 20 years, cruising on HAL is less expensive. For example, in June, 2003 we took a 7-day Alaska cruise from Seattle on the Amsterdam. Not sure of the cabin, but we usually booked insides on the Amsterdam. The cruise cost, including taxes and port charges was $3360 for two people. Incidentally, there were no charges for gratuities; you could tip if you wished. Just looked at a 7-day Alaska cruise from Seattle on the Eurodam leaving 3 June. An inside cabin is $529 and an oceanview is $579 per person. Of course you would also pay $112. p/p more in gratuities. Ray

I am surprised that Hank thinks that a thousand dollars a day for a couple is a reasonable price. That would have been $42,000. for our recent cruise. HAL is so inexpensive that I don't have to think about it and there is more or a similar amount of cash in my checking account when I return as there was when I left. I thought the Captain was very approachable. He stopped by our table in the MDR to chat a couple of times. He has so much responsibility 24 hours a day I wouldn't expect more than that. Ray

We were under the Lido on the Westerdam in 8092, a SS. Yes, we could hear the trolleys being moved in the Lido above us. You don't hear chairs because they are in a carpeted area. The good thing was how easy it was to get to the Lido without using an elevator. Ray

We moved twice on our recent b2b2b on the Westerdam. Not a big deal. Put all your small and loose stuff in your suitcases and they will move everything hanging in the closets. Takes about two hours total. If I book back to back cruises I am really booking two separate cruises and by the time I book the second the first stateroom is probably already taken. What I cannot understand is how you were assigned different cabins for husband and wife on boarding. Doesn't seem possible unless both of you booked separately. Did you use a TA? Ray

Looks exactly like the library on the Westerdam. I noticed a few (maybe 5%) large print books. Ray

The cruise ended in Seattle on Sunday morning. We got off about 8:30 and were happy to be home by noon. Ray

On our recent cruise we did a B2B2B where we were in a signature suite and an outside cabin. For the outside cabin we paid $16 pp per day and the suite $17.50. Does that mean that our cabin stewards for the suite were paid $3. per day more than the other stewards? My steward said that he was responsible for 30 cabins. Thus at $1.50 per day times 30 was my suite steward making $45. per day more than the outside cabin steward? Ray

When I was in the Navy we were paid in cash on pay day. I never saw this happen, but heard that sometimes Navy bases and ships would pay with $2. bills so the local merchants would appreciate the good that the Navy was doing for the local economy. Ray

You are right, the ending was better with disembarking in Seattle and being met by our son to take us and our baggage home. However, the 2020 trip ended with HAL refunding all of our costs and Cambodia was a fun place with perfect weather. Japan not so much. Heavy rain our first four days in Yokohama, rain off and on for a month and weather so bad we had to miss our stop in Northern Japan and go straight to Kodiak, with 50-60 mph wind and 20 foot seas. Luckily the ship has stabilizers so it didn't rock too much, but we couldn't use our balcony most of the time. Looks like early Spring isn't the best time to travel to Japan. Ray

You don't have to look closely to see that my lawn needs mowing. Maybe in a day or two. Here is Fuji from the ship.

Checking in after returning from 42 days on the Westerdam. Our first cruise since we left her in Cambodia in 2020 when Covid started. When we boarded her in Yokohama on 27 March masks were required thru out the ship unless you were at your table eating. When we left Japan for Alaska, it became "masks optional" for everyone including the crew. By the time we reached Seattle maybe 20% were wearing masks. Yesterday I stopped at the Navy Hospital and was surprised that masks were no longer required there. So I guess covid is officially over here in the U.S. When we left our azalea hedge was budding. We were greeted with this when we got home.

We are on the Westerdam now. Our signature suite had the 120v outlets by the headboard; our outside cabin has only the usb outlets. The ship is in good shape and the crew has been excellent. No doubt things like food and entertainment were better precovid, but we will cruise again with HAL. I was thinking that we might be getting too old to cruise but we have met people older than us who are still enjoying it so maybe there’s hope for us. Ray

An interesting thing is that many ports have excellent free shuttles to downtown when the ship advertises a $25. shuttle to what I assume is the same place. At Kochi yesterday the free shuttle took us to the main shopping area about ten miles from the ship. There were guides at the bus stop and signs posted on walls every 400 feet or so saying Westerdam bus stop with an arrow pointing in the right direction. Not sure what those who paid for a shuttle got but it couldn’t be as nice as the free one. Ray

Thought I would mention some things from a different perspective. We have had fixed dining since boarding in March. Have had waiters who know our preferences. Did the Pinnacle twice and enjoyed the food and service. Bought the 8 bottle wine package at half price so no complaints about wine. I enjoy sake and similar drinks sold in convenience stores in containers like milk cartons. Some are as much as 60 proof. Never had a problem bringing them aboard as the X-ray is looking for glass bottles. That is my CC tip for today. Ray

We have been on the Westerdam since 27 March. A lot of small changes since we got off in Cambodia 3 years ago. Really appreciate Hank’s blog. Today is the first sunny day since we boarded. Since we have been in this area so many times we do things . In Hualien Sara got a perm and I a haircut. Bought a jar of mixed nuts at Costco in Taipei. Happy to share with you, Hank. Caught a miserable cold somewhere. Found that the pharmacists in drugstores here can recommend drugs if you tell them your symptoms. I think the Japanese medicine is working. We bought some sashimi in an Osaka supermarket and are bringing it back for lunch. It comes with wasabi and soya and chopsticks. We are in 8097 for a few more days and then move to deck 4. Ray

Thanks for thinking about us @Quartzsite Cruiser. It is about 7 AM here in Yokohama. Just finishing repacking after 4 days here. Didn’t go out a lot as it rained every day. Saturday we took our covid tests, laid the negative results on our passports and took a picture with both an iPhone and iPad. We are about half a mile from the Westerdam and our boarding time is 11:30. Two sea days then Naha and our 60th. The fun begins Ray and Sara

Thanks for setting me straight. Hard to believe that I have a degree in math. Ray

With a passenger capacity of 1964 and 812 crew, that is .003%. Guess we don't have to worry about 10% to have to avoid stopping in Japan. 10% would be 277. I would call it outstanding! Ray