ZUIDERDAM CRUISE 2-12-05 by Whiskeyman

[Whiskeyman]

It's okay lisa616, its just that I was up until 2 am working on this and pictures,

It's if I had a Brand new car and someone drove by and got it full of mud.

The point I am trying to make is that theres plenty of room on this board for your comments too. Just start your own thread. Write down what you liked and disliked, because I too, would like to read them.

It wasn't the roof so much as the fact that you jumped on board and started commenting on the cruise when you could have just started your own thread.I didn't go jumping into MJMagee thread, and putting in my 2 cents, and how my trip was, I read hers sure, but started my own like it should be done. Now if someone started a thread call"Feb 12 Zuiderdam, did you have fun?" I would post there.

I'm not trying to be mean because I'm like Mr. Nice Guy, seriously. So don't take any offense to anything I've written... okay, it's hard to communicate on a message board. I'm not saying what I wrote was a piece of art by anymeans. And your right that is what these boards are for, but theres a time and place for everything. Again don't take offense,,,

And to all you reading this... Am I outta line?:confused:

[lipoppop]

You know folks I spent like 2 hrs at least typing all this stuff in and checking everything over for folks to read. give some insight into MY cruise experience. If you want to COMPLAIN, Start your own thread don't start complaining on MINE. Start a thread called "Why wasn't the roof open over the pool, it totally ruined the whole cruise." Okay now I'm done !!!!:mad:

 

Thanks for a great review and I appreciate the time and effort it took.

 

Please, no more :mad: :mad:

 

How about a :) :)

[HeatherInFlorida]

Whiskeyman, you are not out of line! It's funny you mention this because I was really enjoying reading along your wonderful review and people chatting back and suddenly up comes another review! I thought, why did this person post her review here???!!! Why not start her own review thread?

 

I know there are no rules about this, but it just seems it would be nice, for a change, to have a thread that is upbeat since that was your experience of your cruise. I hope you saw my comments above because I really enjoyed your review and I loved your pictures.

 

I don't blame you one bit! Good for you for saying something.

[liv2cruise4ever]

Click on my name above and goto Homepage. It should take you there.

 

:) After reading your excellent review, and viewing your beautiful pictures, I have to agree with Heather. you made us feel like we were right there with you. You have a talent for "taking us all with you on your first journey on the seas." I still can't believe you were up until 2am getting this done "THANKS' . Just curious, what kind of camera did you use? Another question about picture #1, was that port side tendering? Just trying to locate our SS suite. Any other tips on the Z?:D That is nice of you to offer your pictures for screensaver. I'm going to pick my favorite. Thanks again.:)

[dakrewser]

It's okay lisa616, its just that I was up until 2 am working on this and pictures,

It's if I had a Brand new car and someone drove by and got it full of mud.

 

And I appreciate that someone else on the same cruise posted their thoughts here. No one gets to decide what comments appear in a thread they start, that's just not how it works. So while I really appreciated your review, this attempt to censor the thread is really jarring. It might have been better if you'd simply not commented at all.

[Whiskeyman]

Thanks Heather, love the new pic of you. Thanks for writing.I've read alot of your comments in the past.

It was fun writing and I wanted to do it sooner but had no time to myself until about midnight last night. Was peaceful and I could think without any distractions.

I have a CDMavica (sony) thats 4.0 megapixels, writes to those little cds, and the same battery works in my camcorder. If you want the larger pics and have Highspeed I can send a few to you. 2272x1704. Just Let me know. And sorry it was starboard side tendering. I do have pictures to be developed yet so maybe I'll have something in there for you:)As far as any other tips go, you don't always have to wait for a hello or goodmorning etc from one of the crew ,there were many times I said something first, but was never ignored. Like Dakrewser and candy told me before we left. Smile at everyone onboard and greet your stewards and with a smile and kind word.

We thought we'd be lost within an hour but there are signs w/Cabin #'s and signs near the elevators. Just go have fun eat your heart out and order room service breakfast :)Oh and take PICTURES LOL

[Whiskeyman]

I give up!!!!!WRITE anything you like anywhere you like dakrewser....HAPPY NOW?

[HeatherInFlorida]

And I appreciate that someone else on the same cruise posted their thoughts here. No one gets to decide what comments appear in a thread they start, that's just not how it works. So while I really appreciated your review, this attempt to censor the thread is really jarring. It might have been better if you'd simply not commented at all.

 

I honestly don't get this point of view. I don't understand why it's okay to rain all over someone's parade. Dave is the first one to get annoyed on other threads when someone says something negative about HAL.

 

Generally speaking, and I don't mean there's never an exception, people do a review and what follows is a discussion of that review. Why should this be any different?

 

Personally I prefer separate reviews as separate threads. It's true that no one "owns" a thread (I've said this myself at least a thousand times), but Whiskeyman had such an ubeat experience that I think it would be nice to write other experiences elsewhere.

 

And frankly Lisa's review wasn't really negative ... just a few people picked up an a couple of negatives and flew with them.

[Pita817]

Wiskeyman:

 

Loved your review and pics!!!!! We sailed in November and I wish I was going again tomorrow!! You brought back wonderful memories. Glad you had a great anniversary on board! Loved your picture of Honky Dory! We were really fortunate to have Honky Dory as our waiter each night in the dining room as well as enjoying him in the Lido.:) :) :)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Whiskeyman, what a wonderful review and oh so very romantic. It brought a tear to my eye reading about you Renewal of Vows. What a way to have your first cruise. You know that you will forever be hooked big time with always having a S Suite. I am so glad that you cruise turned out so special I hope you can have many many more. Thanks so much for telling us about it. Also great pics you got some great ones of the Zaandam too:)

[lawyersinlove]

Who said it was a problem? Not me. Just strange that HAL would keep it closed on a sunny beautiful day on a Carib cruise. I thought the dome was in case of clouds and rain. But, a problem to ask to have it opened? Don't think so.

 

I agree with you, besides, the defintion of perfect service is never having to ask, but having your needs anticipated.

 

Going to an outdoor pool on a sunny Carribean day is to expect the roof to be open.

 

I appreciate both reviews and the second was appropraitely placed in this thread. let's be a little more adult, OK.

[joycruiser]

Thanks so much for sharing! We are going in April and found your review very helpful and your pictures are great. We lurk on this board everyday hoping someone will post their vacation experience on the Zuiderdam as we have read everything already posted.

 

We do mostly lurk as it seems to us that there are some that poo on everything. A post will be going along just fine, then somehow someone will pick a fight and challenge another poster and it is not pretty or fun. It's OK to disagree, but since we all have one common love of cruising, couldn't we be respectful of one another?

 

I read a post that revneal poised around Thanksgiving and OH MY LORD-people argued and argued and the point he clearly started with was "at Thanksgiving aren't we blessed to be able to cruise". They picked the topic apart.

 

I hesitate to post this as now I might be the next target, but it made me feel bad that you worked so hard to get your review done and got your feelings hurt in the end. I really appreciated your review!

[sail7seas]

You know folks I spent like 2 hrs at least typing all this stuff in and checking everything over for folks to read. give some insight into MY cruise experience. If you want to COMPLAIN, Start your own thread don't start complaining on MINE. Start a thread called "Why wasn't the roof open over the pool, it totally ruined the whole cruise." Okay now I'm done !!!!:mad:

 

 

 

I LOVED reading your review and thank you very much for it.

 

Your happiness and enthusiasm and joy of celebrating such a milestone event with your wife was very special 'to share' with you.

 

We, also,celebrated our 25th wedding anniversay aboard an HAL ship and now, ten years later, those memories are fresh and wonderful and bring us great joy still.

 

Congratulations on your Anniversary and many good wishes for many more.

 

Thank you for sharing your review with us. It is wonderful!!!

[g041t]

Thanks Whiskeyman. Sailing Zuiderdam 3/5/05 in S6167 handicapped suite (I'm in a wheelchair with multiple sclerosis). Sounds like we've got a great Steward if Adrian is still on.

[Whiskeyman]

You won't be disappointed, as I said I wasn't. you'll love the room I'm sure.

Adrian is the tops and hopefully you'll get him. Let me know how your trip went and If you see Adrian tell him MR Glenn and Mrs Jolene say:) hello.

[dakrewser]

I honestly don't get this point of view. I don't understand why it's okay to rain all over someone's parade.

 

No one rained, Heather. Someone on the same cruise as the OP posted some notes about their trip. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates seeing multiple views of the same cruise in the same thread. I wish everyone who posted about a particular cruise would post to the same thread - it makes it easier to compare experiences.

 

Reading someone else's thoughts often triggers a memory, also. Easy enough to post that in the thread you're reading, much harder to either break out of the thread or hold the thought for later to start a seperate thread.

 

Hopefully, we're all a bunch of friends and acquaintences getting together for a chat. It would be awkward, to say the least, if everyone who wanted to say something had to leave the conversation and form a new one.

 

That said, I don't believe in "thread hijacking" where the original topic is forgotten as people wander further afield - but when we're all talking about the same thing? I just can't see the problem.

 

-dave

[HeatherInFlorida]

Okay, Dave, fair point:) . I was upset because I felt we were going off on a tangent about the roof and whether or not we should have to ask for it to be opened and shut. I don't even remember who jumped all over that, but it really had nothing to do with the cruise experience.

 

I just felt really badly for Whiskeyman who had obviously had an amazing cruise and gone to a great deal of trouble to tell us about it.

 

Had it just been Lisa's review, I don't think I would have reacted so strongly. Anyway, 'nuff said and I understand totally what you're saying.

[dakrewser]

-dave

[okat817]

Thank you so much Whiskeyman for your wonderful review. I didn't think I could get anymore excited about our trip next month, but here I am now unable to even sit still.:D I can't wait to check out your pics.

[OrthoRN]

Great review... We are going on the Zuiderdam in Nov... and I can't wait... This is our first time with HAL, and I must admit I was getting worried... But I think some people like to point out all the negatives, just to try to bring others down...... It's a vacation and it will be a blast.... :) Thanks again for the review..

[liv2cruise4ever]

Ortho, take good care of the Z, we're right behind you......Dec. 3

 

Thanks Whiskeyman for the emails of pics, menus and video's. AWESOME JOB! :)

[FCOWHER]

Whiskeyman, great review. I loved the pictures also, they were so good I felt like waving at the Zaandam as she departed. Joe V.

 

 

 

Zuiderdam 4/23/05

RCI - 2 times

Princess - 3 times

QE2 - 1 time

Royal Majesty - 1 time

Carnival - 1 time

[Lisa616]

No one rained, Heather. Someone on the same cruise as the OP posted some notes about their trip. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates seeing multiple views of the same cruise in the same thread. I wish everyone who posted about a particular cruise would post to the same thread - it makes it easier to compare experiences.

 

Reading someone else's thoughts often triggers a memory, also. Easy enough to post that in the thread you're reading, much harder to either break out of the thread or hold the thought for later to start a seperate thread.

 

Hopefully, we're all a bunch of friends and acquaintences getting together for a chat. It would be awkward, to say the least, if everyone who wanted to say something had to leave the conversation and form a new one.

 

That said, I don't believe in "thread hijacking" where the original topic is forgotten as people wander further afield - but when we're all talking about the same thing? I just can't see the problem.

 

-dave

 

Dave-Thanks so much for that post because that is exactly what happened. I read these boards all the time, but rarely post and when I read Whiskeymans review, it seemed a good time to toss in some of my own observations. I had no idea I was breaking some sort of message board law. I have read thousands of posts on this board, mostly on RCCL and people add observations to others people reviews all the time and I can't believe that is an offense. And honestly, I made comments about the roof, I in no way was slamming HAL and I don't think anyone else who chimed in was either. They were simple observations and comments! I still can't believe I am even defending myself for adding a few sentences about my cruise! I'll be sure to not do that again!

[Lisa616]

:) Lisa616,

 

Thanks for forwarding our message to Eko. Eko called on Saturday night and again on Sunday. It was great to hear from him. He was chuckling because he didn't believe the note was for real at first. Thanks again for your help! Hunky Dory is great isn't he.

 

You are so welcome! We had dinner in the Pinnacle on the first night and Eko was our waiter!! What a coincidence! He had a grin from ear to ear when I gave him your letter! glad I could help..

 

Lisa

[ekerr19]

And your right that is what these boards are for, but theres a time and place for everything. Again don't take offense,,,

And to all you reading this... Am I outta line?:confused:

 

No you are not! You are trying to post a comprehensive review about your trip and the whole thread goes off on a tangent about the Lido pool roof.

 

Frustrating, no doubt.

 

Thank you for taking the time post! I've enjoyed it. :)