Dave's Live from Eurodam Transatlantic 24 Aug - 10 Sep 2011

RetiredMustang · September 8, 2011

Was the cruise was full? Thinking of doing this cruise next year and wondering how soon we have to book.

Thanks for your great reports. It has given us the urge to do it as well

liz99,

We had 1,992 passengers according to the stats in today's program. That's close to the 2100 or so they advertise as double-occupancy capacity. It does seem pretty full.

When to book depends on what you want. If you want a specific cabin or cabin type, or one of the "secret" cabins, or one with the wrap-around balconies at the back, you need to book pretty early. If you just want a balcony guarantee, you can wait a while.

But, a transatlantic is a one-off, not like a Caribbean cruise that will go the next week or so if the one you want is sold out. So, while it is hard to say in your own circumstances, I would book as early as I could if it were me; you can always cancel up to final payment date, and now HAL does not require that you purchase the insurance before then, either.

Dave

Edited September 8, 2011 by RetiredMustang

kazu · September 9, 2011

Dave, sorry to see you the crappy weather in Halifax that we have had here. It is a beautiful city. :D I can't believe that you are packing already. I have really enjoyed following your cruise:)

Bobblsc · September 9, 2011

Thank you, RetiredMustang, for your informative posts. We last sailed on the spring 2011 Noordam east bound TA. Our Adagio Strings were an excellent quartet from the Ukraine. Did you listen to your Adagio Strings? If so, were they good? We are set to go on the Noordam October 25 west bound TA. We hope the strings will be good. The music every day is one of the benefits of cruising. I also contribute to the music by means of excellent karaoke performances. :D

I lived in an apartment on Columbia Pike in Arlington when I first arrived in Washington as a bachelor many years ago to work at the Pentagon and to attend GWU for graduate studies. When my DW and I became H & W she refused to live there where I knew all the girls. We then rented our first apartment in Alexandria. Washington was great then. The military bands played at Watergate, then a barge on the Potomac close to the Lincoln Memorial.

OK, I just have to ask. Mustang has two meanings for me. One is for those who attended SMU in Dallas, and the other is for those who started as enlisted in the armed forces, and then became officers. The latter is more impressive to me. If you will, could you clarify this for me? Which are you?

I served in the USAF in Korea during that war. Thank you for your answer.

Bob :cool:

RetiredMustang · September 10, 2011

Bob,

The string quartet ladies spoke what I think was Russian and were excellent; they could have been from the Ukraine.

I am indeed a former enlisted person who became an officer. I became a Chief Petty Officer in 1982, and was commissioned a temproary officer in 1986. I achieved permanent enlisted rank of Master Chief Petty Officer before becoming a permanent officer at the LT rank. I retired as a Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy.

Dave

Edited September 10, 2011 by RetiredMustang

RetiredMustang · September 10, 2011

Friday, Sept. 9, at sea

We awoke early – we usually do, and we had set our clocks back one last hour last night, so we are now on Eastern Daylight Time in preps for our arrival in New York.

But, I did get a treat with a beautiful sunrise. The Captain had modified course to stay as far from Hurricane Katia as possible, but there were still some banners and striations of clouds that were beautiful in the pre-dawn light. My camera is not as sensitive as a human eye, but I got a shot that gives you an idea of the colors (attached).

Instead of heading on a direct route from the south of Nova Scotia to Cape Cod, the captain decided to head almost due west into the Gulf of Maine, towards Massachusetts Bay. Anyone watching the scan chart this morning may have thought that we were making for Boston or Gloucester, but at 8 a.m., the ship came about to a south heading. We passed Cape Cod later in the morning, and could see the shore off the starboard side. It actually was a quite nice day, sunny and warm, but the winds and clouds picked up in the afternoon. So, Hurricane Captain Darrin did not have to miss any port calls on this year’s crossing – third time lucky, I guess. In fact, he has been good-natured about being called The Hurricane by his crew (and probably the rest of HAL as well).

Every now and then the officer of the deck would announce sightings of whales, and we would go look. DW saw the fluke of one just diving, but all I ever saw was blow spouts. The officer said the he had had to adjust course a few times to avoid the whales. We wanted to go stand next to him, so we could see the whales, too.

Today was the debarkation talk, and we got our packet of info. For the first time that we have encountered, expedited self-debarkation was an option in New York, and we chose it. Our letter confirmed that we were on expedited and could expect to leave between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m.; we have to be ready by 6:30. I will report after we get home how that worked, but we are hopeful that it will allow us to get to Penn station and board an Amtrak train earlier than we are used to doing.

However, looking at the news this afternoon, I suppose we can probably expect considerable amounts of security checks and things due to the 10th anniversary of 9/11 on Sunday, and some specific threats both to New York and DC – a great time to travel by Amtrak from Penn Station to Union Station on a one-way ticket, purchased on the day of travel! I suppose if they ask us to prove we have been on a ship for 17 days, we can show them our bar tab (Volumes I and II). Oh, well, we’ll get there when we get there and do the best we can.

Lunch in the Lido was Indonesian food festival with nasi goring, bami goring, the beef dish, the sambal green beans (weapons-grade heat), krupuk (shrimp crackers) and spicy chicken. One of the lido lines also had piles of previously-frozen Dungeness crab clusters, which were moving at a pretty quick rate. So, I had a great lunch!

Tonight was Master Chef’s Dinner, with the usual dishes. As before, we had ours in the Lido.

I will check in after we get home to wrap up the blog, post higher-definition photos of ones I only did as attachments, and maybe add a few more, and post any other bits that I haven’t posted yet (I know I have Tamarind menus somewhere).

Some information for those who may be interested.

Mainstage: “Farewell Variety Show with Clare Langan, Frank King & Paul Fredericks, One Show Only!”, 9:30 p.m.

Music/Other:

- Queen’s Lounge: Natalie & The HAL Cats, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

- Ocean Bar: The Neptunes, 6:30-11:30 p.m. Happy hour 4:00-5:00 p.m.

- Piano Bar: Piano Man Michael 9:00 p.m. – close; Last Night Memories, 10:00-11:00 p.m.

- Explorer’s Lounge: Adagio Strings, 6:0011:00 p.m.

- Crow’s Nest: Solo guitarist Darlyne Cain, 5:00-9:00 p.m. Happy Hour 7:00-8:00 p.m.

- Northern Lights: DJ Tyler, Music Mix, 9:00 p.m. – close.

Dinner menu in MDR (Master Chef’s dinner, smart casual):

Appetizers: Dialogue of Salmon Tartare with Avocado; Golden Baked Brie in Phyllo Dough.

Soups and Salad: Oxtail en Croute; Lobster Bisque; Master Chef Rudi’s Salad.

Entrees: Tagliatelle with Roasted Chicken; Sautéed Shrimp Provencal; Apricot-Glazed Salmon; Roasted Whole Tenderloin of Beef; Grilled Lamb Chops with Oregano and Apple Chutney; Duck Breast a l’Orange; Wild Mushroom Strudel.

Desserts: Baked Alaska; Flourless Chocolate Cake; Individual Baked Alaska no sugar added; Vanilla ice cream; Cinnamon ice cream; Passion Fruit Sorbet; Heath Bar Crunch Frozen Yogurt; no sugar added Chocolate Chip ice cream; no sugar added vanilla ice cream; The Master Chef Sundae (vanilla topped with mashed tropical fruits).

More later,

Dave

RuthC · September 10, 2011

Some information for those who may be interested.

Mainstage:

Music/Other:

I, for one, have been very interested in this portion of your report every day. Thank you so much for thinking of posting it, for formatting it in such an easy way to read, and for being consistent about it.

I appreciate it greatly.

lovetocruise2020 · September 10, 2011

Bob,

The string quartet ladies spoke what I think was Russian and were excellent; they could have been from the Ukraine.

I am indeed a former enlisted person who became an officer. I became a Chief Petty Officer in 1982, and was commissioned a temproary officer in 1986. I achieved permanent enlisted rank of Master Chief Petty Officer before becoming a permanent officer at the LT rank. I retired as a Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy.

Dave

Dave!!! What an amazing accomplishment!

I'm super impressed! :)

Thanks for your blog, I waited every day for it. :)

kazu · September 10, 2011

Oh no :eek: your cruise is nearly over :eek: Thanks so much for taking us along. :) It's been well done and very interesting :D

YlangYlangF9PB3E · September 10, 2011

OH NO! Your cruise is over. I have enjoyed and looked forward to every one of your daily posts. Thank you so much, Dave.

And thank you for listing your other "live from" threads for me to read....I enjoyed each one of those as well.

Can't wait for your next trip!!! Have a safe journey home.

Edited September 10, 2011 by YlangYlangF9PB3E

rkacruiser · September 10, 2011

Many thanks for posting your blog! It has been most informative and I have enjoyed the journey with you. This is a cruise that I have on my "to do" list--maybe for my next milestone birthday.

RetiredMustang · September 10, 2011

All,

A short note to tell you about our travel home. I will post more, update photos, add some more info (if I can find where I filed it), etc. tomorrow. But, here is what happened today:

We got up early and watched from our balcony as we passed under the Verrazanno Narrows bridge, and went up to the aft pool area to see the Statue of Liberty pass by. We had breakfast at 5:30, and then went to our stateroom, checked all the drawers and closets, and hauled our stuff to the Ocean Bar at about 6:20.

They were making up exit ramps both to the second and third decks, but it was the second deck where they had the expedited departures people gaggle. There were maybe 20 of us, and they let us go at about 6:40 a.m. At the same time, Drew announced expedited departure on the announcing system, so others may have left after we did.

We cleared customs and immigration simultaneously, and it took more than the usual three seconds or so that we see in Ft. Lauderdale -- but, they were no doubt being careful so close to the 9/11 anniversary.

We caught a cab to Penn station. Along the way, we saw several police barricades and choke points set up, but did not have any real slowdowns en route to the train station. We arrived shortly after 7, and there was aline for tickets (since I could not get the auto ticket machines to work, we stood in line). But, we still were able to buy tickets and have plenty of time to board an 8:05 a.m. train, which is easily two hours earlier than we have every caught one at Penn Station after cruise. I'm all for expedited in Ft. Lauderdale, and if we come back into NYC, I hope they have it then, too.

The train was on time into D.C. Union Station. We caught another cab for the few miles drive home, and were in our place before noon. Then started the chores.

We've pretty much wrapped them up now, though, so I thought I would check in on the blog with some short comments and a promise of more later.

More later,

Dave

kazu · September 10, 2011

Oh Dave, so glad you are home safely and that the 911 concerns didn't cause you too much grief.

Welcome home :) and thank you for your tremendous blog/review. It's been great. Just sorry for you and the rest of us that the cruise has ended.

Remember to make your own bed in the morning ;)

jerspop · September 10, 2011

Thank you for your incredible travelogue. I enjoyed every word.

RevNeal · September 10, 2011

Dear Dave,

Thank you SO MUCH for taking us all on such a wonderful cruise! I had a blast!

YlangYlangF9PB3E · September 11, 2011

So glad your trip from NY to DC was safe and uneventful. Thank you once again, Dave, for bringing your vacation to us! Loved every post, and look forward to your next cruise!

Edited September 11, 2011 by YlangYlangF9PB3E

jbhcw · September 11, 2011

Glad you had a safe trip home! Enjoyed your postings so much:):):)

RuthC · September 11, 2011

It's been a lovely voyage. Welcome home.

scdreamer · September 11, 2011

Thank you for the wonderful day by day accounting of your trip! I hope to be on this sojourn someday - a few more years to retirement and that freedom - so it was a great preview!

erewhon · September 11, 2011

Dave,

Thank you for the fabulous reports of your cruise, which I have thoroughly enjoyed reading.

localady · September 11, 2011

What an amazing voyage, thanks for the wonderful review!!

Great to hear that you are home safe and sound. :D :D

Thanks again for taking us along, we all know that can be a quite

costly endeavor!! :eek: ;)

macmarsue · September 11, 2011

Thanks so much for taking the time to let us all tag along on your cruise!

It sounded fabulous! Really enjoyed reading all your posts.

RetiredMustang · September 11, 2011

All,

Wrapping up after the cruise. Here are the menus from the Tamarind:

Tamarind Lunch, free

Hot and Sour Soup

Asian Herb Szechuan Sesame Salad

Steamed Classic Dumplings

- Chicken

- Asian Pork

- Spring Vegetable

- Shrimp “Shu Mai”

From the Wok

- Vegetable Spring Roll

- Shrimp Won Ton Sticks

- Shrimp Spring Roll

- Spicy Crab Rangoon

Chinese Style Fried Rice

HAL Culinary Fusion Sauces

- Bora Bora BBQ: Tomato, ginger, aged vinegar, soy sauce

- Mirin Pesto: Sweet wine, soy, fresh basil garlic, lemon grass

- Coco Churri: Coconut, cilantro, chili, lime

- Shoyu Sabi: Classic flavors of soy and wasabi

Desserts

- Mango sorbet

- Coconut ice cream

- Egg tart

- Green tea tiramisu

Coffee

Teas: Kerala, Assam, Darjeeling, Ceylon, Green Darjeeling

Tamarind Dinner, $15 per person

Soup

- Yin-Yang Scallop Consomme

- Jewels of the Sea (shrimp-filed won tons)

- Chicken Pho with Lime and Rice Stick Noodles

Appetizer

- Trail of Spices Satay Sampler

- Shrimp Tempura Indochine

- Shanghai Ribs

- Streetside Pot Stickers

- Spring Roll Delights

- Thai Beef Salad

- Green Papaya Salad

Sushi and Sashimi menu

- Sashimi: Tuna, salmon, snapper, octopus

- Sushi: Tuna, salmon, snapper, octopus

- Sushi Rolls: Rainbow, California, Salmon Tsutsumi, Tuna Tsutsumi, Yozo, Yoshi

- Wraps: Indonesia vegetable, seafood, lettuce, chicken

Water

- Hoisin-Lime Glazed Sea Bass

- Asia-Pacific Hot Pot

- Snapper Baked in Rice Paper

Fire

- Szechuan Shrimp with Thai Basil

- Penang Red Curry Coconut Chicken

- Vietnamese-Tyle Lamb with Mint

Wood

- Wasabi and Soy Crusted Beef Tenderloin

- Scallops and Prawns with Garlic, Ginger and Chili

- Cantonese Duck with Hainan Rice

Earth (vegetarian)

- Five-Spice Seitan and Tempeh

- Sesame Udon Noodles

- Sweet and Sour Vegetable Tempura

On the side

- Steamed seasonal garden vegetables with red miso garlic sauce

- Steamed jasmine rice or brown rice

- Stir-fried cucumber, snow peas, mushrooms, scallions, and chili with sesame seeds

- Bok choy with oyster sauce

- Sake-braised oyster and shiitake mushrooms

Desserts

- Tamarind Chocolate

- Mango Cloud

- Tempura Ice Cream

- Chocolate Almond Fortune Cookie

- Ginger Banana Bread Pudding

- Trio of sorbets (passion fruit basil, lychee green tea, and wasabi)

“Pan Asian Boutique” of coffees and teas

More later,

Dave

RetiredMustang · September 11, 2011

Links to higher-resolution photos.

All,

I’ve uploaded some of the photos I originally posted only as attachments to the CC photo gallery. Here are the links, keyed to the post number where I had them as attachements. I did not duplicate below the ones I had already uploaded and posted links.

Post #37

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/514/Belgian_chocolate_truffles.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/514/Belgian_chocolate_with_nuts_and_raisin.JPG

Post #49

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/514/Canaletto_antipasti.JPG

Post #54

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/520/Eurodam_Neptune_Lounge_1.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/520/Eurodam_Neptune_Lounge_2.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/520/Eurodam_Neptune_Lounge_continental_breakfast.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/520/Eurodam_Neptune_Lounge_snacks.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/520/Eurodam_Neputne_Lounge_coffee_service.JPG

Post #61

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Vestmanna_sea_clifs_cave.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Vestmanna_rock_formation.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Town_in_rainbow.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Eurodam_Torshavn_harbor.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Salmon_pens.JPG

Post #66

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/520/Eurodam_passageway_photo.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/520/Eurodam_Stephen_Card_painting.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/520/Eurodam_aft_stairwell_art_1_.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/520/Eurodam_center_stairwell_art.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/520/Eurodam_floral_arrangement.JPG

Post #83

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Dawn_approach.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Getting_closer.JPG

Post #84

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Watching_for_whales.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Iceberg_off_the_port_bow.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Passing_close_aboard.JPG

Post #85

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Icebergs_guard_the_approach.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/More_icebergs.JPG

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/data/510/Thread_between_to_enter_the_Sound.JPG

I will upload the rest and post links later.

More later,

Dave

kazu · September 11, 2011

Ahhhhh...The Tamarind. Absolutely loved it :D drooling just looking at the menu!. Dave, do you realize you have nearly 10,000 views on your thread:) No wonder, it's been fabulous:D

aliaschief · September 11, 2011

Dave, Great job as usual. Thanks for sharing your cruise with us. ;)

Dave's Live from Eurodam Transatlantic 24 Aug - 10 Sep 2011

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