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Our First Cruise on HAL (on the Noordam)...and Quite Frankly, Once was Enough

SailorJack

By SailorJack,
in Holland America Line

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Himself

Himself

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Jack:

 

When I saw this orignally a couple of years ago I was turned off by the title. Most people who sail the Noordam--and I have not sailed this ship--rave about it. Out of curiosity I just read the post and I found it to be quite creative and humerous. In fact it was quite good. Have you been on any more HAL ships? I would recommend the Eurodam and I would highly recommend the Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

Himself

P.S. My first HAL cruise was in November of 1996. My last one was in February 2011.

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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Jack:

 

When I saw this orignally a couple of years ago I was turned off by the title. Most people who sail the Noordam--and I have not sailed this ship--rave about it. Out of curiosity I just read the post and I found it to be quite creative and humerous. In fact it was quite good. Have you been on any more HAL ships? I would recommend the Eurodam and I would highly recommend the Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

Himself

P.S. My first HAL cruise was in November of 1996. My last one was in February 2011.

 

Thanks for your commendts. I have not sailed again (yet) on HAL - simply the result of price and itinerary. Would love to sail on the Nieuw Amsterdam - it is a beautiful ship. If you scroll up a few posts on this page you will see a picture of the Amsterdam that I took a couple of weeks ago when it was anchored at Santorini.

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  • 1 year later...
AmberTeka

AmberTeka

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I am from Alabama. My father .... He had a fourth grade education. He was a miner. He was fired when he slapped a supervisor..for demanding that he and others go down into a mine..where the canary had died. When my daughter was ten, he, very ill, took us to the ruins of the old mine. He showed us where the workers..lived.the supervisors..the church for supervisors..Methodist..for the miners..Baptist...and the company store..which owned all of their souls because they were never paid enough to live an entire month. He said that he was a slave then. That the USA changed because people risked their lives to make it change.

 

he became an electrican in the war. He came home.and started organizing that mine. He had been to New Zealand..Australia and learned what it was like for one class to have all of the money..and every one else to suffer...starve...One of my earliest memories is thugs shooting out the windows in our shack..my Aunt drug me through the woods to my Grandman's cabin we didn't know who lived until the next morning.

My Dad joined the union..was elected business agent..was tapped for the International...........and burned with a passion for the USA to be a better place. His father had started to work in the mines at age 12..time to be there was when he could see..time to leave when he could not..he never learned to read and write..Who do you think gave you...an eight hour day....vacations..sick leave.? Corporations? Really? It was .because people like my father..a man from Alabama put it on the line..and oh yeah..the Klan got after us too..back when it was real and had teeth....for organizing black workers in Mississippi....their favorite prank was to call us at midnight..in cold weather..and tell us a bomb was planted in the house.'

What fun!

Another man from Alabama...Carl Elliot. My Dad's best friend. He went to college after the war..lived in a shack...then borrowed money and worked to go to law school.then ..to congress. VOTED YES for the Civil Rights Law in 1964..after being told his career was over..He voted yes..his career was over. It was the deciding vote. .His story is in "Profiles in Courage" written by JFK. I remember him holding me on his shoulders at a rally..waiting for my Dad to speak. He was from Alabama.

Paul Byrant..when he died...over a million people lined the streets to see his last ride home. There was only 7 million people in the entire state. He was from Alabama.

Alabama is slurred by everyone. It is a beautiful state. with beautiful people...Hellen Kellar..W.C. Handy.....The Author of Roots...It has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation..and outside of Birmingham..very, very low..Michigan.or New York City...but I sure hear them say...I am going to retire to Gulf Shores..or Mobile ..or along the Tennessee River.

Edited by AmberTeka
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SailorJack

SailorJack

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I am from Alabama. My father .... He had a fourth grade education. He was a miner. He was fired when he slapped a supervisor..for demanding that he and others go down into a mine..where the canary had died. When my daughter was ten, he, very ill, took us to the ruins of the old mine. He showed us where the workers..lived.the supervisors..the church for supervisors..Methodist..for the miners..Baptist...and the company store..which owned all of their souls because they were never paid enough to live an entire month. He said that he was a slave then. That the USA changed because people risked their lives to make it change.

 

he became an electrican in the war. He came home.and started organizing that mine. He had been to New Zealand..Australia and learned what it was like for one class to have all of the money..and every one else to suffer...starve...One of my earliest memories is thugs shooting out the windows in our shack..my Aunt drug me through the woods to my Grandman's cabin we didn't know who lived until the next morning.

My Dad joined the union..was elected business agent..was tapped for the International...........and burned with a passion for the USA to be a better place. His father had started to work in the mines at age 12..time to be there was when he could see..time to leave when he could not..he never learned to read and write..Who do you think gave you...an eight hour day....vacations..sick leave.? Corporations? Really? It was .because people like my father..a man from Alabama put it on the line..and oh yeah..the Klan got after us too..back when it was real and had teeth....for organizing black workers in Mississippi....their favorite prank was to call us at midnight..in cold weather..and tell us a bomb was planted in the house.'

What fun!

Another man from Alabama...Carl Elliot. My Dad's best friend. He went to college after the war..lived in a shack...then borrowed money and worked to go to law school.then ..to congress. VOTED YES for the Civil Rights Law in 1964..after being told his career was over..He voted yes..his career was over. It was the deciding vote. .His story is in "Profiles in Courage" written by JFK. I remember him holding me on his shoulders at a rally..waiting for my Dad to speak. He was from Alabama.

Paul Byrant..when he died...over a million people lined the streets to see his last ride home. There was only 7 million people in the entire state. He was from Alabama.

Alabama is slurred by everyone. It is a beautiful state. with beautiful people...Hellen Kellar..W.C. Handy.....The Author of Roots...It has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation..and outside of Birmingham..very, very low..Michigan.or New York City...but I sure hear them say...I am going to retire to Gulf Shores..or Mobile ..or along the Tennessee River.

 

Having lived and worked in Alabama for many years I agree with you that it is, indeed, a beautiful state. Your father sounds like a remarkable man, I would have enjoyed meeting him.

 

Enjoy your retirement.

 

Jack

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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I know this is an old post, but after seeing your take on the Oosterbunny and now the "its none of Noordam business" I can't wait to see your take on the Prinsendam!

 

No plans to sail on the Prinsendam at this time, but the name does have possibilities, doesn't it.:D

 

Good morning Sailor Jack. It is 5:45 AM and reading your review has made my day!:D

 

Glad you enjoyed it, but what are you doing up at that terrible hour!:D

 

Thanks for bringing this forward. I loved it as much as I did the first time I read it.

 

 

I had not read it for a while myself, and rereading it brought back some great memories.

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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Enjoyed your entertaining review and even though it is a few years old- have a question about Martinique. Did you just do a ship day that day? Were there any interesting excursions offered?

 

Actually, we spent the day snorkeling and doing a little shopping in town. There are some very nice snorkeling areas and the town is quite interesting. As I recall, the ship also offered a tour to the rain forest and banana plantations. It was a great port and we enjoyed our visit there. Should you be on a cruise that stops there you will not be disappointed.

 

Jack

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NMLady

NMLady

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I am so glad someone livened this old thread. I loved every minute of reading it. You have a delightful style of writing. I'm glad the title was just an attention getter and that you enjoyed HAL as much as many of us do.

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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Jack- We were on the Noordam in 2011 an stopped in Martinique. Had a very good excursion to St. Pierre, Balata Gardens, and Balata Church, and found Martinique to be quite welcoming.

 

Good to read your positive experience there.

 

We missed going to the gardens and later heard from some of our tablemates that it was one of the best tours they had been on. Oh, well, it gives us something to do the next time we are in Martinique.

 

Sailor Jack:

 

The title to your humerous review was quite deceiving. You have a real talent for writing.

by the way, I did enjoy your review.

 

Thanks. I debated about the title, but it sort of reflected my initial thoughts about booking a HAL cruise as I had read some reviews that were less than flattering. As it turns out it was a great cruise and we have since booked another cruise on HAL - on the Oosterdam. A great cruise line!

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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Just read your review for the first time. Enjoyed it tremendously!

 

Do you write professionally?

 

Glad you enjoyed it. Not a professional writer. Other than writing related to my work, the cruise reviews I do are the only outside writing I have even done...but it is a labor of love. I enjoy looking at the more whimsical side of cruising.

 

I am so glad someone livened this old thread. I loved every minute of reading it. You have a delightful style of writing. I'm glad the title was just an attention getter and that you enjoyed HAL as much as many of us do.

 

HAL is a great cruise line. While we have no other cruises booked on HAL at this time, I am sure we will be sailing on another HAL ship in the future.

 

PS.I see you are from one of my favorite states -NM. I lived in Albuquerque and attended UNM after graduating from high school there.

 

Jack

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Baatman

Baatman

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Glad you enjoyed it. Not a professional writer. Other than writing related to my work, the cruise reviews I do are the only outside writing I have even done...but it is a labor of love. I enjoy looking at the more whimsical side of cruising.

 

 

 

Jack

 

I know you must have heard this before, but you really should write a book -or at least write articles for travel magazines.

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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I know you must have heard this before, but you really should write a book -or at least write articles for travel magazines.

 

Actually, a poster on another Cruise Critic board has compiled all my reviews into an e-book and has offered it for downloads to people with e-readers (no charge). That is about the closest I will ever come to a book.:D But thanks for the thought.

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w8ing2cruz

w8ing2cruz

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When is your next cruise - we want to party with you!

 

As first time HAL cruisers this title caught my eye and I've been reading excerpts to my husband through my laughter-induced tears tonight. I'm so glad that you loved your HAL cruise and not the opposite.

 

Especially loved your Orient Beach experience - we have a similar 'wont ever forget that' story :)

 

Happy cruising - as previously mentioned, would love to sail with you!!!

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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When is your next cruise - we want to party with you!

 

As first time HAL cruisers this title caught my eye and I've been reading excerpts to my husband through my laughter-induced tears tonight. I'm so glad that you loved your HAL cruise and not the opposite.

 

Especially loved your Orient Beach experience - we have a similar 'wont ever forget that' story :)

 

Happy cruising - as previously mentioned, would love to sail with you!!!

 

Glad you enjoyed the review. Next cruise is less than two weeks away so you need to start packing!:) I will buy the first round.

 

If you are about to take your first HAL trip, I know you will enjoy it.It is a good cruise line and the the people you will meet will be delightful.

 

I think a lot of people have an "Orient Beach Story"!:)

 

Jack

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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I enjoyed your cruise story so much that I am now sorry I have booked on Celebrity instead of our usual HAL.

 

Glad you enjoyed the story. HAL is a great line, but so is Celebrity! Our next cruise in on Celebrity. It will be our second sailing on that line and we thoroughly enjoyed the first one and I know you will enjoy it also. A link to my review of our first Celebrity sailing is in my signature (in case you have your signature turned off).

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