Rep. rting In From the Zuiderdam

[twinkletoes4445]

BLU is the dedicated restaurant (instead of MDR) for Aqua Class cabins. They serve a cooked-to-order breakfast and dinner there.:D It sounds intriguing, and the menus look awesome! There are several other specialty restaurants. We're going on the Millenium, which just came out of a major dry-dock and "Solsticizing."

 

 

I need to get on the ball and check a cruise out for next year. I'll be interested to hear your comparison of the two cruises. Your itinerary really sounds like fun. We've been to the Caribbean a lot and it will be nice to shake it up a bit. We're going on a river cruise (on the Danube) later this summer. It will be our first.

[kazu]

We have been informed by the captain that we are sailing into some rough weather and that things will start flying around later today and tonight. He is expecting high winds and 15 foot seas. We have been instructed to secure loose objects and to wear suitable footwear.

 

Our table mates had the captain for drinks on their balcony and he told them that we may have to skip Port Angeles and go straight to Vancouver.

 

I have broken out my trusty ginger pills and started taking them in advance of need.

 

Things are a little rough at this point but not too bad.

 

Oh Sapper - what a shame - I don't know why I thought you were getting off the other day - forgot you were on for the 22 days:eek:

 

I do hope that the seas smooth out for you in one hurry;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been informed by the captain that we are sailing into some rough weather and that things will start flying around later today and tonight. He is expecting high winds and 15 foot seas. We have been instructed to secure loose objects and to wear suitable footwear.

 

Our table mates had the captain for drinks on their balcony and he told them that we may have to skip Port Angeles and go straight to Vancouver.

 

I have broken out my trusty ginger pills and started taking them in advance of need.

 

Things are a little rough at this point but not too bad.

 

Sorry to hear you are going to have some rough weather and may miss a port.

We had the same thing about 3 years ago -- when we left Santa Catalina after San Diego we had some very bad weather for 3 days. The ship really rocked and rolled. It was hard walking at times. Duct tape came in handy to keoo drawers and closets closed.

[jrzebird]

As someone who is still aboard I can verify that most of the ship was without working toilets for a night and a day. This was announced on the PA and our patience was requested. The captain later announced that one pump had to be replaced and another repaired. Our toilet has worked well since but there are others who are hit and miss.

 

The day long AC outage was a planned and pre announced outage so that the system could be repaired. It was a misesrable day and evening for most and we could not go to the dining room as it was just too hot. We ate out on the back deck and extra table and chairs were set up out there as well.

 

Our AC has worked fine all the cruise but I know of others who have had problems.

 

In spite of the difficulties, we are having a very good time. The CC group is just great and the crew are so attentive and helpful. They are constantly cleaning and polishing and although the Zuiderdam is showing signs of wear she is still a lovely ship and we would sail on her again----maybe just not to the Panama Canal, where the heat is so intense and AC is ultra important.

 

You may feel my report is unsubstantiated but I guess enough people will believe me.

 

Sapper - I apologize for making it sound as if I doubted you, that wasn't my point at all. I have no doubt that you and others are experiencing problems. My point was simply that not all of the posts on this thread are about the problems on THIS sailing, and when I read a bunch of them, I tend to forget it's people relating their experiences on other sailings, not necessarily that everyone posting is on this ship, having problems.

 

And, I was speaking on my experience, which was the cruise right before yours. There were no problems that we heard of, which doesn't mean that I doubt YOU are having them. Again, I apologize.

 

Maureen

[Responder]

Sapper - I apologize for making it sound as if I doubted you, that wasn't my point at all. I have no doubt that you and others are experiencing problems. My point was simply that not all of the posts on this thread are about the problems on THIS sailing, and when I read a bunch of them, I tend to forget it's people relating their experiences on other sailings, not necessarily that everyone posting is on this ship, having problems.

 

And, I was speaking on my experience, which was the cruise right before yours. There were no problems that we heard of, which doesn't mean that I doubt YOU are having them. Again, I apologize.

 

Maureen

 

Can anyone, yes, anyone, at this juncture believe that HAL isn't aware of all their problems? Does anyone think that writing to corporate or reporting the problems to the onboard staff will help?

 

From the plethora of posts concerning the redundant problems on many of the HAL ships and the lack of lasting repairs, it almost seems that they are taking our money and rubbing our noses in it.

 

If indeed CC has any of the reported clout as has been bandied about, I would have long ago expected a corporate chief to come online and do damage control. They evidently don't see the need to do so.

 

In 3 weeks we will see for ourselves if those on CC who are reporting these problems are correct. I can't imagine that all the people can be wrong all the time.

[Watson's aunt]

I agree people need to cal HAl and report they are sailing on other ships because of A/C toilet problems. My Brother is going on the sailing in Janurary and his room is one of the bad rooms 5185

 

Mary

[Cindy]

I agree people need to cal HAl and report they are sailing on other ships because of A/C toilet problems. My Brother is going on the sailing in Janurary and his room is one of the bad rooms 5185

 

Mary

 

We're scheduled to sail on the last cruise before drydock in November' date=' in one of the SC aft corner suites on Deck 5 very close to 5185. I'm also getting extremely concerned.:( I would assume that nearby cabins would experience many of the same issues if they are on the same A/C or plumbing line.[/size']

[Zyzygy]

There seem to be two ways to interpret discriptions of recent major repairs described in this thread.

 

The fact that a major air conditioning unit and sewage pump have been replaced while the ship is underway suggests either: 1) the ship is falling apart and these interim repairs are an inadequate stopgap measure; or 2) HAL is being conscientious in undertaking major work before the ship reaches drydock in late November/early December.

 

At least one thing is relatively clear. If two major repair items required shutting down the air conditioning and the sewage system while the ship was underway, then the ship should have been put in drydock much sooner. That is a matter of corporate management (or mismanagement).

 

If (emphasize "if") these major repairs are sufficient to afford substantial improvement to the conditions on the ship, then these efforts are to be commended, even if undertaken belatedly.

 

If, however, these repairs that inconvenienced passengers during a sailing prove to be inadequate, then HAL should be condemned each and every day for not having already put the ship in drydock.

 

We are booked on the Zuiderdam in October. This is a 40th anniversary cruise that has been planned for a long time, and we don't have the luxury of rebooking after the drydock.

 

We have enjoyed thoroughly all three of our previous HAL cruises, and we hope to enjoy this one. If the ship's major systems continue to malfunction, however, I will never forgive them for continuing to book passengers on a ship that is not fit for sailing.

 

There's more than one way to run a ship (and a cruise line) aground, and Carnival Corp. doesn't need to be discovering them all.

[kazu]

Can anyone, yes, anyone, at this juncture believe that HAL isn't aware of all their problems? Does anyone think that writing to corporate or reporting the problems to the onboard staff will help?

 

From the plethora of posts concerning the redundant problems on many of the HAL ships and the lack of lasting repairs, it almost seems that they are taking our money and rubbing our noses in it.

 

If indeed CC has any of the reported clout as has been bandied about, I would have long ago expected a corporate chief to come online and do damage control. They evidently don't see the need to do so.

 

In 3 weeks we will see for ourselves if those on CC who are reporting these problems are correct. I can't imagine that all the people can be wrong all the time.

 

The problems seem to be focussed on a couple of ships (or maybe 3). So let's not generalize please;)

 

No one doubts the cc'ers posting and actually we are all grateful for their feedback - In three weeks there might not be any issues - that's the sad truth - problems come and go.

 

As to a HAL speaker coming on - highly unlikely - HAL is not a sponsor of this website so - they don't tend to come on like you would see a couple of other boards - do they read them? i think so. It would be nice to know and if they are there - this would be the thread to speak to = there are a lot of four star mariners on this thread and on the ship:eek:

 

 

BTW - I do think writing to Seattle helps as well as reporting on board. If they don't know they can't fix it. It's just my experience but there seems to be a disconnect between Seattle and the ships at times (or maybe they pretend there is) but the more people that write, email or snail mail the more they will have to sit up and take notice. Otherwise, it's very easy to talk with your wallet (as some like to say) and simply book another ship;)

[sapper1]

Sapper - I apologize for making it sound as if I doubted you, that wasn't my point at all. I have no doubt that you and others are experiencing problems. My point was simply that not all of the posts on this thread are about the problems on THIS sailing, and when I read a bunch of them, I tend to forget it's people relating their experiences on other sailings, not necessarily that everyone posting is on this ship, having problems.

 

And, I was speaking on my experience, which was the cruise right before yours. There were no problems that we heard of, which doesn't mean that I doubt YOU are having them. Again, I apologize.

 

Maureen

 

Sorry for not answering sooner but my netbook died so I did not buy new minutes. Now at the Pan Pacific with a data signal for my iPhone so just wanted to thank you for explaining and to say no problem.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[erewhon]

Sorry for not answering sooner but my netbook died so I did not buy new minutes. Now at the Pan Pacific with a data signal for my iPhone so just wanted to thank you for explaining and to say no problem.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Do you know if startwin and her DH OK? have not seen a post from her for a few days.

[startwin]

Do you know if startwin and her DH OK? have not seen a post from her for a few days.

 

Hi erewhon, we`re fine - my netbook also died onboard (I hit it against DH`s wheelchair, and the screen is now toast) - and my minutes ran out on my internet package. We`re home and getting back to reality after a fantastic cruise (apart from the issues) and made many new friends which made it even more special.

 

I was so proud of Vancouver when we sailed in - a spectacular day, Vancouver at it`s best.:) It could so easily have been raining and grey, LOL.

[erewhon]

Hi erewhon, we`re fine - my netbook also died onboard (I hit it against DH`s wheelchair, and the screen is now toast) - and my minutes ran out on my internet package. We`re home and getting back to reality after a fantastic cruise (apart from the issues) and made many new friends which made it even more special.

 

I was so proud of Vancouver when we sailed in - a spectacular day, Vancouver at it`s best.:) It could so easily have been raining and grey, LOL.

 

Thanks for your reply, and explanation.When your posts stopped was concerned.

 

Sorry to hear about the accident with your netbook.

Yes, it can be hard to get back to reality.:D