Live from MS Zaandam April 27 - May 15, 2016

[Alberta Quilter]

Three hour time difference between Pacific and Hawaii time zones. :)

 

Thanks for that info. That means we should have only one more time change before our arrival in Hawaii. Maybe they're doing one hour every two days so that we have some time to adjust.

[Alberta Quilter]

Hi AQ Thanks for taking the time to report live. Just saw on the KOMO news channel from Seattle that the Westerdam has arrived in Seattle to start the cruise season. My, it sure does generate $$$$ for the area with all the ships out of their 2 piers.

What are the temps outside as you sail toward the Islands?? Should be Gala night soon - enjoy every minute.

Later - Seabreez Pat

 

HI Pat! I haven't been paying any attention to temperatures but I see on the TV that it is 14 Celcius this morning at 6:55 am.

[rafinmd]

Hi AQ Thanks for taking the time to report live. Just saw on the KOMO news channel from Seattle that the Westerdam has arrived in Seattle to start the cruise season. My, it sure does generate $$$$ for the area with all the ships out of their 2 piers.

What are the temps outside as you sail toward the Islands?? Should be Gala night soon - enjoy every minute.

Later - Seabreez Pat

 

Not very good news reporting, KOMO, the Westerdam is still not to San Diego.

 

AQ, I wouldn expect Good Morning Zaandam to have a variety of guests as the cruise progresses, so you will likely see guest entertainers on some future days.

 

Roy

[SilvertoGold]

Super posts! Really enjoyable and interesting reading.

 

All those pax for MDR breakfast: so common on this cruise, although 9 am and backed up the stairs is not something we have experienced on several of these Hawaii cruises! Smart of the DR to start seating before 8 am. This is something we would like to see done more often.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such great posts!

[erewhon]

Thanks for your reports.

 

You mentioned cruise director Bruce, is that Bruce Scudder?

[Alberta Quilter]

Saturday, April 30, 2016

 

Sailing towards Hawaii

 

This morning was another spent in the Wajang Theatre/Culinary Arts Centre. We began with Good Morning, Zaandam, again. My heavens, Bruce is funny; he's a very good cruise director. The guest today was the Guest Relations Manager. She was quite humourous, too. I can't remember her name but she's from Rotterdam. Her father makes stroopwaffels for a living and came onboard one time as an On Location event to make stroopwaffels for the passengers. Bruce ends each guest interview with the question: What would you have for your last meal? The GRM's meal consisted of Dutch comfort food with a stroopwaffel for dessert which is how she came to tell the story of her father coming aboard.

 

After GMZ, we had another Crafts class with the Hawaii team. Today we made lauhala and seashell bracelets. There were so many pax wanting to do this they nearly ran out of supplies; they said it was the biggest class they've ever had! It took a little longer and almost ran into the cooking demo following the class. The cooking demo today was on Pork Chops with Island Slaw and marinated shrimp.

 

DM and I had both breakfast and lunch in the Lido today. It seemed almost empty for breakfast; I assume that many people were in the MDR again. It was much faster for us today; the line-ups were minimal. Not so at lunch time. It was busy, a little hard to get a seat, even out by the Lido pool, but it was doable. They had a cheese buffet out by the Lido pool which was nice but really no different from the cheeses in the regular buffet. By the way, I've neglected to mention the buffet changes. Now I haven't cruised with HAL in a year, so the changes, while discussed here on CC, are new to me. The tables are set with the glasses and cups. Love the new, larger glasses and the table beverage service. And the salad bowls in the Lido are nice and large. They do have people to serve the salad fixings to one's specifications which does take a little longer and is a place where one can experience line-ups. The sandwiches are the pre-made sandwiches but the selections change every day. And contrary to one recent post, egg salad sandwiches were available once already. I have yet to have a pre-made sandwich yet so cannot offer an opinion on them. I'm told that there were bags of potato chips available, too. The person who told me that appreciated that she could take the bags back to the cabin for a snack at a later time.

 

After lunch, we tried for a repeat win at Team Trivia but we only got 10 out of 17. Today's winning team got 14. After trivia, there was a Stitch & Bitch session. No, it wasn't really called that in the program but that's what we call it at home. Quite a number of ladies showed up to the Explorer's Lounge to knit, crochet or stitch.

 

They gave us our disembarkation questionnaire today. Can you imagine? We're not even at our destination yet and already they're preparing for when we leave! I suppose they have to do that but it's as if they're already gleefully planning for our departure! You know, kinda like what's your hurry as they shove you out the door!! We also received our Canadian customs form. At least that doesn't have to be in until 6 pm on the 9th which, IIRC, is our last day in Hawaii so we don't have to guess (not that I would anyway) how much we're going to spend and potentially make a false declaration. For us, with the exchange rate being so bad (even though it's recently improved a bit), we have no plans to buy much. We do have to buy some macadamia nuts for some people who are looking after things back at home but that's it.

 

Dinner tonight was Wiener Schnitzel. It was pretty good, too. There were only four of us tonight as the other two got a free PG dinner from their TA. Three of us had the schnitzel while one had mushroom stuffed chicken Breast.

 

The entertainer tonight was a comedian, Tom Foss. Some things were funny to us but not enough so we left early. I prefer Bruce's sense of humour better. I went back to the puzzle table where a new puzzle had been started. I worked on it for a while but then a group joined me at the table. When one of them started following me around the puzzle, I left. I'm the type who prefers to work on an area, any area, but mostly by myself. When someone starts reaching over where I'm working, while I'm working on it, it gets annoying. It's one thing when the puzzle is almost done, then everyone is working on the same thing but it's another thing when there is half the puzzle left and plenty of other areas for one to work on. I figured that if that person needed to show how good she was, she could finish the puzzle; I don't have to be the one to finish it. Okay, rant is over. I was tired so got up, said good night, and got some water upstairs before going to the cabin and typing this report.

 

And now I will say good night to you. It has been another enjoyable day on the Zaandam!

[Alberta Quilter]

Not very good news reporting, KOMO, the Westerdam is still not to San Diego.

 

AQ, I wouldn expect Good Morning Zaandam to have a variety of guests as the cruise progresses, so you will likely see guest entertainers on some future days.

 

Roy

 

No, I don't think so. Bruce told us that he never has guest entertainers on GMZ.

[Alberta Quilter]

Thanks for your reports.

 

You mentioned cruise director Bruce, is that Bruce Scudder?

 

I don't know his last name. He's not terribly tall, has blonde hair (I hope he doesn't read this but it looks fake blonde (rather yellow) to me) and he's been with HAL for 24 years. He's a very good CD. Oh, and he told us that he's done several world cruises as CD.

[RuthC]

Oh, and he told us that he's done several world cruises as CD.

Bruce Scudder has done several World Cruises, so it probably is him.

He was a HAL musical director on the ships before he stepped into this position. He was excellent in that job.

[Overtime4me2]

Was on Zaandam 3 yrs ago to Alaska (I obviously LOVE cruising AK). :D Would love to do Hawaii someday, so I am thoroughly enjoying your postings. Thank you for taking the time & $ to do this :)

[SilvertoGold]

Re: your CD Bruce Scudder

 

Outstanding!

 

A pianist who started young, as Little Brucie Scudder. He has been known to give concerts on longer cruises, maybe just on the Grands, but a very worthwhile afternoon it is!

 

Never seen a CD dressed so elegantly and perfectly. I was continually impressed: the most interesting tie pin, the most amazing shoes, the most beautiful tie. Always appropriate.

 

He is also one of the most sincere CDs we've experienced on HAL.

[Dobermangal]

Thank you for this great play by play. Mom and I did this cruise on the Zaandam a few years ago, we've sailed on her 3 times but not since the last dry dock. Glad to hear the MDR was still open on embarkation day. Was it still the mariner only luncheon?

We will be doing a round trip Alaska in two weeks on her and can hardly wait!

Edited May 1, 2016 by Dobermangal

[erewhon]

I don't know his last name. He's not terribly tall, has blonde hair (I hope he doesn't read this but it looks fake blonde (rather yellow) to me) and he's been with HAL for 24 years. He's a very good CD. Oh, and he told us that he's done several world cruises as CD.

 

Sounds like Bruce Scudder, he has been Cruise Director on a couple of our cruises, great sense of humour.

Hope to sail on another cruise with him.

[Sue from Canada]

Hi AQ. I've been off my computer for a few days.... Just read all your posts and I feel I'm with you and your mum on this voyage. Hope the Noro Virus doesn't appear like last year. That was quite the cruise we were on from Florida to Montreal. Keep the posts coming. Don't give up on hula lessons. Give my regards to Tink.

[Alberta Quilter]

Sunday, May 1, 2016

 

Sailing towards Hawaii

 

We tried the dining room for breakfast again. It was much better today. For one thing, they started at 7:30 and I think people have adjusted to their new schedules finally. DM finally had a good night's sleep so while I was awake and ready by 6:30, she wasn't. Even though she asked me to wake her at 7:15 so she could get ready to go to breakfast, she wasn't a happy camper. It took two cups of coffee for her eyes to open fully!

 

We followed breakfast with Good Morning Zaandam. Much of today's discussion will remain confidential, similar to "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". Let's just say that Bruce received an education about women's undergarments and leave it at that. Today's guest was the FCC, Chantal. She is a very well spoken, and very pretty, woman. I'm sure we've had her as an FCC before but I can't remember on which cruise. DM doesn't remember her at all. Everyone who attended GMZ received a South Pacific pin (which instantly devalued our Trivia winning South Pacific pin!).

 

Since we were close to the PG, we went there to inquire about availability for lunch. We walked away with a lunch reservation for today! And then we realized that we would miss trivia!! Oops. Upon reflection, we decided that lunch in the PG on any sea day would mean missing trivia so we decided to keep the reservation for today.

 

I went to the puzzle for a bit while DM went back to bed for a much needed nap!! Strenuous days, you know!

 

The big event of the day was the Wine Festival. For $25pp plus gratuity, one could taste up to 20 different wines and some "tasty culinary delicacies". I believe that one could drink all the wine they wanted during the hour and a half time frame. Our wine steward encouraged us to attend but we declined. Imagine my surprise when we found an invitation addressed to us this morning indicating a reservation had been made in our name for this event. DM went to the front desk to get the charge removed but found out that the charge is only placed if we actually attend. Whew! We're watching our pennies on this cruise to a certain extent. We have a rather large OBC amount between HAL, my shareholder benefit and TA OBC but more than half of it goes to the HSC. Then there is the Internet package, the wine package and some beer for DM. That pretty much takes care of the rest. Anything more than that costs us a 30% (or so) premium with the exchange rate. So, I have forgone my bingo and my mojitos in hopes of keeping our final bill on the small side. That's why we were concerned about a $50+ charge on our bill. The wine tasting would probably have been wasted on DM and I'm really not much of a connoisseur either. That and I would have been under the table by the fifth wine, never mind the 20th!

 

Lunch in the PG was quite good. DM had roasted chicken and I had mushroom ravioli. Service was fairly fast but DM lingered over the French press coffee, savouring every drop!

 

We were going to go to the movie (Pearl Harbor) right after lunch but the movie was delayed until 3 pm for some reason. So, DM went back to the cabin to read (nap) while I went back to the puzzle. We met again at the theatre only to realize that it was a three hour film and our dinner time is 5:30. So, we moved seats to sit on the aisle (so we wouldn't disturb anyone if we left early), and then left at the 2:15 mark. We'll have to watch the end tomorrow on TV.

 

Dinner was very good. Two of us had Pork Buco, three had turkey and all the fixings and one had shrimp. The entertainment tonight was Lee Bradley, The Golden Tenor. We stayed for the whole show tonight so that's a good sign. However, the man needs to enunciate better. I think I mentioned that we were in France last November. It was there that I learned that the French don't actually pronounce the last letter of a word if it ends with a consonant. I never knew that before. That's kind of what Lee did. When, for example, he sang The Music of the Night, it came out The Music of the Nigh. There were some times, when he sang in English, where I could not understand what he was singing. And these were songs with which I was somewhat familiar. And in his first song, Funiculi, Funicula, I don't want to say he sounded nasally or guttural but it was a combination of both. Kind of like he was forming his words at the back of his throat, but higher up, under his nose than at the back, if that makes any sense. However, the crowd really liked him and gave him a standing ovation. As I said, we found it good enough to stay for the whole show.

 

DM went back to the cabin after the show, and guess where I went! Yes, back to the puzzle. Some people dropped by but no one really stayed. I didn't linger much because I was a little tired myself. I went upstairs to get some ice water only to discover that the late night snack theme was German which is our heritage. So I read the menu and found one of my favourites, spätzle! Since it was only 9:55 and the late night snack is at 10, I stuck around for a few minutes to try their version of spätzle which was with ham and Gruyere cheese. It was pretty good. I make mine with Parmesan, carmelized onions and brown butter (no ham) so might have to tweak mine a wee bit.

 

All in all, it was another wonderful day at sea. Good night!

[Alberta Quilter]

Hi AQ. I've been off my computer for a few days.... Just read all your posts and I feel I'm with you and your mum on this voyage. Hope the Noro Virus doesn't appear like last year. That was quite the cruise we were on from Florida to Montreal. Keep the posts coming. Don't give up on hula lessons. Give my regards to Tink.

 

Will do. As for the hula lessons, I didn't dare attempt them!! I think there is some sort of show tomorrow afternoon which I think will feature the pax who have been taking the hula lessons. I haven't read tomorrow's program yet!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Catching up on your "Live" report.

 

On our 21 day cruise we all got our disembarkation papers on day 6 -- strange.

[Alberta Quilter]

You're right, Bruce is Little Brucie Scudder. He told us about his time with Lowry Organs and how he got his name today at GMZ.

[Alberta Quilter]

Monday, May 2, 2016

 

Sailing towards Hawaii

 

Our last sea day for a few days!! People are looking forward to land and getting off the ship, it seems.

 

Today was another good day at sea. We again started with breakfast in the MDR. They let us sit wherever we wanted to today, at least, when we got there shortly after 7:30, then they came around to get our room numbers. Service was fairly quick today and I don't recall seeing a lineup when we left the MDR like we have in past days.

 

I overheard someone say that the crew has been overwhelmed with the number of people who want to eat in the MDR for breakfast and lunch. I will say that this particular cruise has more older people, and mobility impaired people than I've ever seen on a cruise. Yes, I know this is a longer cruise but we try to take cruises over 14 days (to make the airfare worthwhile and get the full shareholder benefit) so this isn't our first rodeo. There are some children aboard but the average age is north of 65, IMO. The crazy thing is that we're seeing lineups for early fixed dining. I mean, they're lining up shortly after 5 pm. Except for that first dinner, we have arrived and have been seated at our table prior to 5:30 when the doors are supposed to open. I don't understand why people line up for early fixed dining when one has an assigned spot. In the lower MDR, it's another story. Those doors open at 5:15, I think, but the line-ups are there too. That's a little more understandable but I would have thought that reservations would take care of the need for lining-up, at least to a certain extent.

 

We had our last GMZ show for a few days; the show runs only on sea days so they will resume after Kauai. There was no guest today. Instead they had a Q&A. We could ask Bruce and Alexa any question about working at sea. It was quite informative. Someone asked about the different contract terms, some are 10 - 12 months, some are 4 - 6 months and the Captain/Staff Captain are 3 month contracts. Bruce's contracts are about 4 or 4 1/2 months long and then he gets up to 2 months off. He speaks quite highly of working for HAL and says it's his dream job. But he did talk about missing family and friend events such as weddings and anniversaries. So there are certainly some cons to the job. It really depends on one's priorities in life. I heard about a bartender tonight whose wife had their baby this morning; he won't see the baby until December. He did get 15 minutes to speak to them today by phone. It's their third child; the other two are 10 and 12 so I'm sure he is working here to ensure a better lifestyle for them all.

 

After GMZ, Pearl Harbor was on the TV so we watched it again. DM watched the whole thing again. I slipped out to take in the cooking demo (Coconut Shrimp and Grilled Scallops with Pineapple Salsa). Afterwards, we went up to the Lido to grab some of those pre made sandwiches so that we could eat lunch in our room to watch the part of the movie that we missed yesterday. The best things that I can say about the sandwiches is one, that the bread/bun is very fresh and two, that they are kept cool. Unfortunately, today, the sandwiches were mislabeled which we didn't discover until we were back in our cabin and bit into them. My chicken sandwich turned out to be ham and Brie. DM's Swiss something sandwich turned out to be one of those Super Deli sandwiches with the really fatty deli meats in them. She did not like it one little bit.

 

We finished the movie just in time to make it to Team Trivia where we did not win again. We came close. I think three teams tied for first place and several teams, including us, tied for second place. We actually could have gotten two more points which would have gotten us the win but those correct answers were not written down and graded. Oh, well.

 

The highlight of the afternoon was the Aloha Hawaii Concert. Those guests who took ukulele lessons (they were lessons, not just the history of the ukulele) and those who took hula lessons performed for the rest of us this afternoon. The first part of the concert was the Hawaiian On Location team doing their dances and singing; the second part was the passenger performances. They were very good considering how little time they had to learn and practice. One gentleman took the hula lessons and he was front and centre today wearing a skirt, leis and a hat decorated with leis and/or flowers. He was a really good sport. The Hawaii On Location team really added to the Hawaii cruise experience with craft, language, fitness, ukulele and hula classes. They were very good.

 

The remainder of the day was spent at the puzzle table, and dinner. DM went to the show tonight which was an encore presentation by the pianist from a few days ago and Lee Bradley from last night. DM enjoyed the pianist but was a little more critical of the tenor tonight. We did spend some time chatting with fellow Albertans by the Piano Bar where Jamm performed some hits by The Carpenters.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Honolulu for two days. It will be nice to see land again.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for your report.

Hope you have 2 lovely days in Honolulu.

[SilvertoGold]

You're right, Bruce is Little Brucie Scudder. He told us about his time with Lowry Organs and how he got his name today at GMZ.

 

Thanks for confirming this about Bruce Scudder. A nice guy, great for the position.

[StartrainDD]

I went to the Future Cruise talk. They're now promoting that booking onboard gets you double the OBC. So my question to recent cruisers is, if you purchased an FCD onboard, have you gotten a Welcome Back email which, if you book within 60 days, you double your OBC? I'm not sure what to do. We have a couple of itineraries in mind so would prefer to get FCDs and decide later. But if they don't do the Welcome Back email anymore, it might be best to book onboard.

 

Aloha! Greatly enjoying your reports! Love the Zaandam.

 

I did not see any responses to your question. We have never booked on board, but always buy a FCD. I don't recall ever receiving the "Welcome home" e-mail.

 

Our last four cruises we received the "Double" OBC by giving our agent code "ZPM." Learned to do that on these boards.

 

Enjoy Hawaii!

[Seabreez]

Been busy the last few days so I played catch-up with your posts just now.

How many pieces is the puzzle that is available? Our friends, who are neighbors too, just love puzzles so they will be working on one when we sail in a few weeks on the Maasdam.

I assume every ship has puzzles available.

You should be in Hawaii now. Many great trips we had there between 1988-1999.

Now I would hate all the packing/unpacking between the islands and the flying.

Cruising is so easy and convenient!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy paradise.

Pat/Jim

[Seabreez]

Not very good news reporting, KOMO, the Westerdam is still not to San Diego.

 

AQ, I wouldn expect Good Morning Zaandam to have a variety of guests as the cruise progresses, so you will likely see guest entertainers on some future days.

 

Roy

 

It was probably my error. I did think it was rather early to have a ship there.

[erewhon]

Thanks for your updates.

 

On our second last cruise our room steward had a new baby who he would not get to meet for another few months, very hard to be missing the new baby.