Shame on Cruise ships

[innlady1]

Guilty as charged!

 

Akaska sailing in the old ROTTERDAM about 1996 the Ch. Officer insisted that I paint the ship's name, HAL logo etc on one of the rocks at Skagway. I had two crew to assist painting a large blue patch... thankfully way down low and not half way up the cliff! It reads:

s.s. ROTTERDAM, logo, Capt. Jacob Dijk, Ch Off Hans Hoffmann. My ititials are on the bottom edge and on a rock close by are the names of the two crew who helped, Hedi and.... ? On another rock 'Hansi B' for Mrs Bratt... veteran of something like 30 world cruises.

 

I nearly broke my neck climbing over the side of the pier and down onto the rocks and then froze for the hour or two that it took us to do the piece.

 

The only other piece of 'dock painting' was back in 1984 when I was Ch Officer in the motor yacht JEZEBEL. We were docked in Bermuda at the Royal Navaal Dockyard and I was asked to paint our ship's crest on the side of one of the dock buildings. It is still there and in not to nad condition. Over the years all the crests painted on the buildings have been retouched and kept in reasonable condition. Some of them are over 50 years old.

 

Stephen

 

Wish we'd seen those when we were out at the Dockyard!

[Topsham]

Topsham,

I am already disappointed that my summer Alaska cruise doesn't visit Skagway... now I'll be even more so... I would have loved to look for yours!

 

:).

 

 

You didn't miss much. Not my best work! I was using a three inch brush with plain white paint on a blue background... afraid these are the only colours you can find in the paintstore on HAL ships these days!!!!;)

 

Stephen

[3rdGenCunarder]

You didn't miss much. Not my best work! I was using a three inch brush with plain white paint on a blue background... afraid these are the only colours you can find in the paintstore on HAL ships these days!!!!;)

 

Stephen

 

I've seen some of your better work, and I have a question. I noticed that your paintings on QM2 are on aluminum. Is that because of the 2010 SOLAS fire rules? I was especially pleased to see the painting of Carmania. She's the Cunarder my grandmother sailed on from England to the US.

[JWinchester]

I was in Geiranger last week, and certainly didn't notice anything of the sort. I may not have been looking in the right direction, but I think if it were as disfiguring as the OP made it sound like, it'd have been hard to miss? Seeing as I even took a kayaking tour in the fjord for an up-close and personal view?

[Bramcruiser]

I saw exactly the same thing in Skagway just last week after our Alaska cruise. I agree though, its somewhat ugly - like maritime grafitti. But if its acceptable to the locals and its part of their history what can one do? Its going to be staying.

[sapper1]

There are ships logos in Madeira, too. EM

 

That was where I saw such things for the first time. It made interesting reading.

[Copper10-8]

Guilty as charged!

 

Akaska sailing in the old ROTTERDAM about 1996 the Ch. Officer insisted that I paint the ship's name, HAL logo etc on one of the rocks at Skagway. I had two crew to assist painting a large blue patch... thankfully way down low and not half way up the cliff! It reads:

s.s. ROTTERDAM, logo, Capt. Jacob Dijk, Ch Off Hans Hoffmann. My ititials are on the bottom edge and on a rock close by are the names of the two crew who helped, Hedi and.... ? On another rock 'Hansi B' for Mrs Bratt... veteran of something like 30 world cruises.

 

I nearly broke my neck climbing over the side of the pier and down onto the rocks and then froze for the hour or two that it took us to do the piece.

 

The only other piece of 'dock painting' was back in 1984 when I was Ch Officer in the motor yacht JEZEBEL. We were docked in Bermuda at the Royal Navaal Dockyard and I was asked to paint our ship's crest on the side of one of the dock buildings. It is still there and in not to nad condition. Over the years all the crests painted on the buildings have been retouched and kept in reasonable condition. Some of them are over 50 years old.

 

Stephen

 

Never was able to locate your and Rotterdam V's art work during Alaska season on Statendam & Volendam last year, Captain, but here are some of the other HAL "pieces" in Skagway:

N-Class Noordam:

 

S-Class Statendam & Veendam

 

 

S-Class Ryndam

 

S-Class Veendam

 

R-Class Zaandam

Capt. Mercer is still a captain with the co. and former chiefs Werner Timmers and Albert Schoonderbeek were promoted to captain a while back. Prinsendam's name is also on the Railroad Dock's wall, but at a higher level than the others. The only way to get up to where some of them are painted is to use a Bo'sun Chair, not a day at the beach if you're fearful of heights;)

[Viesczy]

Personally I'd sooner see the art for when a ship first stopped at a port than the huge corporations setting up their shops in the same port. They strangle out the local business folks by undercutting them, then hire those "strangled" out folks for dramatically less than they were making.

 

If anything is an eyesore it is seeing those same shops in all your stops.

 

Derek

[SwissMyst]

Personally I'd sooner see the art for when a ship first stopped at a port than the huge corporations setting up their shops in the same port. They strangle out the local business folks by undercutting them, then hire those "strangled" out folks for dramatically less than they were making.

 

If anything is an eyesore it is seeing those same shops in all your stops.

 

Derek

 

When I saw Diamonds International in Skagway I knew that battle had been lost. The other one I don't get is Del Sol which shows up way too many places as well with their very unappealing product line. The came to our town and the store was totally empty for months until they finally shut down. No one cared about the products or the concept. I had to wonder if they were somehow a front for some other business that also use the Caribbean as an intermediate supply point. :confused:

[3rdGenCunarder]

When I saw Diamonds International in Skagway I knew that battle had been lost. The other one I don't get is Del Sol which shows up way too many places as well with their very unappealing product line. The came to our town and the store was totally empty for months until they finally shut down. No one cared about the products or the concept. I had to wonder if they were somehow a front for some other business that also use the Caribbean as an intermediate supply point. :confused:

 

Del Sol makes a lot of sense in the Caribbean. It's a fun souvenir from a sunny warm place. (I once bought my niece the color-changing nail polish) But I was very surprised to see them in Alaska. Del Sol seemed out of place there. The color change works in real sunshine, but not in "liquid sunshine."

 

A friend did an Alaska cruise late in the season, and the DI people said that they were about to pack up the merchandise and themselves and head to one of the Caribbean stores for the winter.

 

I like it when ports set up markets for local vendors. At least there's some hope that what you buy there is actually locally made.

[Sophiebaby]

It's an old tradition. I love reading those ship logos, especially of those that are history, no longer sailing. They are fascinating.

[innlady1]

Del Sol makes a lot of sense in the Caribbean. It's a fun souvenir from a sunny warm place. (I once bought my niece the color-changing nail polish) But I was very surprised to see them in Alaska. Del Sol seemed out of place there. The color change works in real sunshine, but not in "liquid sunshine."

 

A friend did an Alaska cruise late in the season, and the DI people said that they were about to pack up the merchandise and themselves and head to one of the Caribbean stores for the winter.

 

I like it when ports set up markets for local vendors. At least there's some hope that what you buy there is actually locally made.

 

I don't find the shop appealing, but my granddaughters loved the nail polish I brought them.

I too prefer crafts done by local vendors. Bonaire has a really nice craft market across from the ship. And, the Harbour Nights in Bermuda is lovely.

[SwissMyst]

Hey, I admit I also bought some Del Sol nail polish too just to see what the gimmick was all about, and it was so annoying that I too palmed it off on dear pre-teen grand-daughter who probably had more fun with it than I did.

 

So it looks like Del Sol $9 bottles of nail polish for pre-teens are their hot selling items -- we at least bought ours at Half Moon Cay so I hope HAL got a cut on the profits. But then I was loopy at the time from my Pirate Bar drink and din, so I take no responsibility for my lapse in judgement there. :cool:

[3rdGenCunarder]

Hey, I admit I also bought some Del Sol nail polish too just to see what the gimmick was all about, and it was so annoying that I too palmed it off on dear pre-teen grand-daughter who probably had more fun with it than I did.

 

So it looks like Del Sol $9 bottles of nail polish for pre-teens are their hot selling items -- we at least bought ours at Half Moon Cay so I hope HAL got a cut on the profits. But then I was loopy at the time from my Pirate Bar drink and din, so I take no responsibility for my lapse in judgement there. :cool:

 

Yikes, I don't think I spent that much on the kid's nail polish. But Del Sol was very new when I shopped there. Inflation and popularity have probably run up the prices quite a bit.

[DeepWaterMariner]

Guilty as charged!

 

Akaska sailing in the old ROTTERDAM about 1996 the Ch. Officer insisted that I paint the ship's name, HAL logo etc on one of the rocks at Skagway. I had two crew to assist painting a large blue patch... thankfully way down low and not half way up the cliff! It reads:

s.s. ROTTERDAM, logo, Capt. Jacob Dijk, Ch Off Hans Hoffmann. My ititials are on the bottom edge and on a rock close by are the names of the two crew who helped, Hedi and.... ? On another rock 'Hansi B' for Mrs Bratt... veteran of something like 30 world cruises.

 

I nearly broke my neck climbing over the side of the pier and down onto the rocks and then froze for the hour or two that it took us to do the piece.

 

The only other piece of 'dock painting' was back in 1984 when I was Ch Officer in the motor yacht JEZEBEL. We were docked in Bermuda at the Royal Navaal Dockyard and I was asked to paint our ship's crest on the side of one of the dock buildings. It is still there and in not to nad condition. Over the years all the crests painted on the buildings have been retouched and kept in reasonable condition. Some of them are over 50 years old.

 

Stephen

 

Great story. Sailors will be sailors. I've seen shipping line logos and ship names painted on piers and the surrounding area ever since we began cruising and I'm sure its been done for a hundred years before then, if not longer. Has anyone seen Beagle painted on a rock in the Galapagos? At least the Rotterdam put some real talent to work in Skagway.

[Viesczy]

[quote name='SwissMyst']When I saw Diamonds International in Skagway I knew that battle had been lost. The other one I don't get is Del Sol which shows up way too many places as well with their very unappealing product line. The came to our town and the store was totally empty for months until they finally shut down. No one cared about the products or the concept. I had to wonder if they were somehow a front for some other business that also use the Caribbean as an intermediate supply point. :confused:[/quote]

There is nothing worse than every port having the same look/feel! Talk about Corporate cookie cutter clutter! :mad::(

It is like how a certain coffee chain and a certain sandwich chain are on alternating corners in every town now. A stroll through Anywhere USA is now...

Look, there is that coffee place selling their overpriced swill. Look, there is that sandwich place selling their overpriced victuals with "meat" so finely cut it is barely an atom thick. :mad: :(

Derek