LIVE FROM THE VEENDAM - RIO and the AMAZON

[Krazy Kruizers]

sansterre

Just now catching up on your Live reports -- they are great.

[vitaguy]

I'll be watching your comments for this journey; I'm booked on this itinerary/ship for January '18

[sansterre]

Around the ship - for those of you boarding in a few days, be aware that the ship is generally quite cool. For times in the Crows Nest, bring a sweater or sweatshirt. I also bring a jacket or heavy scarf for the dining room and showroom.

Flowers - the arrangements are magnificent and there were some very clever ones done especially for Valentine’s Day. I have a couple photos I would love to share if I could figure out how to get a url on my photo. (I have figured out that I need to click on the “advanced post” in order to post a photo.)

Stitch and Knit - we meet on Sea Days between 10 and 12, in the Crow’s Nest, port side. There are about 8 of us but the group is growing as word gets out.

Book Review ended today with two of the dancers on the ship doing a superb Tango in the Ocean Bar. Wow - they were awesome! We will read a book about Brazil on our return to Ft. Lauderdale. The reviews are capably led by Colette, who usually does the HAL kids program.

Trivia is at 11:30 in the Showroom on Sea Days and 3:30 in the Crow’s Nest on Port Days. Pub Trivia is at 7. But these times will change after Rio as there will be three (3) trivia’s a day!!! Details to follow.

Dining Room - Darmadi and Sudi are our waiters on Deck 7; they are efficient and always smiling. For Valentine’s Day chocolate covered strawberries were at each table. There are some new things on the menu, most of which have been good. The fish (several mild types with names I can’t recall) have been wonderful and DH likes the salmon. We find the beef lacking in taste but that has been the case for several years now. We enjoy breakfast in the Dining Room and I am finally getting used to seeing the waiters in the new outfits of khaki pants and white shirts with one orange button.

Canaletto - is not usually a favorite but we ate there a few nights ago and the spaghetti with meat sauce was wonderful. We also enjoyed several of the appetizers - and best of all - the bread!

Pinnacle - I like the Pinnacle on the Veendam, mainly because there are windows at or near most tables. We have been there twice for dinner the past 3 weeks and enjoyed our meal. It is nice for a change, and I think their french fries are the best in the world!

Pizza on the Lido Aft area - order what you want. It is ready in about 10 minutes.....and quite good. Make sure to ask for extra sauce and extra cheese if you like those items.

Dinner with Captain van de Wal - We really enjoyed that evening, starting with cocktail, then a seven course dinner in the dining room with fabulous food and wine. The Captain is fun to talk with and all 7 at the table had a good time.

Captain van de Wal is a great communicator. We have had some delays, and changes in ports and port times. He is quick to report what is going on. Everyday he gives detailed weather reports as well as some additional information about the seas, the stars, the nearby land, etc. I appreciate that extra touch. As well he seems to avoid ocean swells when possible and communicates times when seas may become a bit rough.

Cruise Director, Christine, is very good. She is enthusiastic and her cheery voice over the PA, makes one feel happy.

 

Travel Guide, Abrea is growing on me. It took awhile to get used to his South African accent but he presents the ports with enthusiasm and is often around the ship or dock area for advice.

[sansterre]

Buzios. the port that took the place of Vitoria.. It was another beautiful day (we have been fortunate with weather the entire cruise). After taking the tender in, DH and I signed up for a trolley tour around the end of the peninsula for 50BD (about $17US). While waiting for the trolley, we walked around the downtown area of this resort town where there are many boutiques and small cafes. The cobblestone streets and sidewalks were a challenge for me and I was glad to board the trolley when it arrived a few blocks away from the dock. Our driver, Bruno, spoke only a few words of English and we waited for our guide, Armando, who spoke Spanish, but no English at all. Nevertheless, we stopped for photos at one spectacular beach after another. At another point we saw a sign which stated something about geological proof and a picture of the continental drift (that South America was once attached to Africa). After about an hour, we stopped at a beach where some got off to swim/sun and could catch the next trolley. We stayed on and ended our tour a few blocks from the dock after about 90 minutes. I wish that I could post some photos of this beautiful place. Apparently it is ranked in the top ten beach destinations in the world (sorry, no mention of whose ranking).

 

TIP: Ask about an English translator; another trolley had one (I think it was 10BD more than our trolley and is found to the left of the tender area. Without a guide or a map, there was no way of knowing what we were seeing. There is also a boat trip to see the area by water; it is $40BR, For a group of 4-6 people, there are a FEW taxis (cars and vans) that, IF available, would be a more efficient use of time to see the island or even perhaps to the beach and back. We also saw the helicopter pad and saw it circle Buzios a few times - costly but probably quite beautiful on a nice day.

[snoopyud]

Great description of your wonderful cruise so far. Hope they find your passports. Did HAL lose them? we are deciding to take this trip or Princess Island which is not limited to Brazil. Princess is about $9,000 more but its 60 days. P bigger and newer ship. Can you describe the gym area. Is it crowded and enough equipment. Any suggestions on which cruise to take is much appreciated. Best

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great review.

Sure hope they find your passports.

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review, and tips!

[sansterre]

Our passports are fine. They are kept securely by the Veendam throughout our stay in Brazil. We can ask for a copy of our passport if we need it anytime.

The lost passports is from a post someone who was going to board in Rio (see post above). They sent their passports off to get a Visa somewhere and never got their Visa or their Passports back. I imagine they have had to cancel their vacation/cruising plans. Perhaps they will post again and let us know if their Visa and Passport were ever located.

[sansterre]

arrived in Rio yesterday.....did Sugarloaf - very crowded. Entire city is crowded. Beaches and parks full with Street Parties for Carnival. We will do Christ statue today then Carnival Parade tonight! Full day!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad the passport issue wasn't for you.

Enjoy your day in Rio. We started a cruise in Rio -- went down 4 days early to explore everywhere.

[St Pete Cruiser]

:pVeendam arrived at Rio entrance about 5:30 am on Sunday morning. There was a large samba Carnaval party visible and hear able far from the dock complete with fireworks. I guess it was winding up as the sun rose! Another party dockside was still going as we tied up at 7am.

 

It was cloudy and hazy the first day, but as I write this it looks better today for our second day.

 

In port with us: Infinity, silver spirit, orchestra, regatta, and a Pulmantur and another MSC ship. We our here two nights, which is nice.

 

So far, Rio has been safe and we'll protected. Rode the street tram twice and we were impressed with an English speaking transit worker as well as armed security aboard. The street festivals were also protected.

 

About 270 new guests have joined us here, with about 200 departing.

[DeeniEncinitas]

So 😊 enjoying your cruise!!!!!

Brings back memories of our time for Carnevale in Rio for us!!!

Short story: our dear friends and my husband and I were out to dinner and wanted to plan our next adventure together! We had finished a kayaking adventure in New Zealand with them and was ready for doing something again. We all put down on a piece of napkin where we would like to go next! Rio! I won Denise:) Africa, Singapore, and Japan lost!

[sansterre]

Three Days in Rio were wonderful - crazy, but wonderful.We did the Sambadrone and enjoyed - details forthcoming!

Now have 3 sea days to catch up on things - rest included.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Looking forward to review about your days in Rio.

[sansterre]

RIO! - 3 days - wow!

Day 1 - beautiful cruise into Rio’s harbor. There are 7 large and very-large cruise ships docked there today. Today we took a half-day tour with Do Brazil Right to Sugarloaf. We met our guide outside of terminal 4. (It seems that all ships except one used terminal 4. Shuttles ran continually taking passengers to the various ships along the dock.) After about an hour we arrived at Sugarloaf, a vast area privately owned. On it are two pairs of cable cars. One goes from near sea level to an small peak about 200 meters high. A short walk brings you to the second set of cable cars going to the tip of Sugarloaf, nearly 400 meters in elevation. The views were spectacular in all directions even though it was cloudy. A light rain began as we returned; crowds waiting on each level had increased.

On our return to the dock, we passed by several beaches and parks where Carnival Street parties were taking places. They were all full of people in various clever and wierd costumes, some quite elaborate. This place is crazy, yet wonderful!

TIP: Go early; avoid the crowds!

Day 2 - A beautiful day to take the tram to Christ the Redeemer statue! This mountain is a bit further from the port - a good 45 minute drive at 10:30 when there wasn’t much traffic. Our guide quickly purchased tickets for the tram (otherwise we would have had to stand in a long line). Every seat on the tram is filled. The tram makes two brief stops on it’s 30 minute trip up to Corcovado, (apparently in case someone want to get off). The trip is both interesting and beautiful through heavy woods and with lovely vistas. A bit of a tough walk up the ramp led us to two elevators (yay!) which took us to the base of Christ the Redeemer. WOW - I so wish I could post a photo of that right here. On the other side is a small chapel - no photos permitted. And, all around us are amazing views of Rio de Janeirio!

We took the tram back down to sea level, stopped at the Contemporary Church (closed due to Carnival), then a brief stop at the Seleron Stairs (I hope I spelled that correctly) and nearby Souvenir shop. This ended up to be a popular stop for the group as there was a street party of sorts going on and the souvenir shop was much less expensive than at Christ the Redeemer.

TIP: Go early to avoid crowds. Shop around for souvenirs. Souvenirs are more expensive here than further north in Brazil. Still, nice well-made shirts are available at Sugarloaf and outside the Pier Terminal for 20-40 BRL which is 7-14$ US. Inside the Terminal things are about 20% higher.

 

Day 2 evening - Two live shows on board the Veendam.....and then the Sambadrome into Day 3. More details next.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am enjoying and reliving your Rio tours.

[easyboy]

Enjoying your Rio review.

[sansterre]

Fortaleza - A short shuttle ride in large, delux buses brings you to the ship’s terminal. NOTE: The shuttles have WIFI! I don’t think there is WIFI in the small terminal but many people lingered with their phones in the shuttle buses :-) Upon arrival at the terminal we were greeted with a gift of a straw hat - a nice welcome for a city which is 2 degrees south of the equator! After 3 days at sea, we decided it would be good to take Do Brazil Right’s City Tour here in Brazil’s fifth largest city. We learned that the area is known for cashews and for growing and exporting flowers to many places including he Netherlands. (I was hopeful, therefore, to find a small bouquet of fresh flowers for our cabin. It was not to be; I saw only plastic and silk flowers in the stores.) Our tour stopped at two shopping areas, and a church with spectacular stained glass windows. We were not able to stop at the Theatre built with ironwork around 1910 due to heavy traffic. However, the shopping was good. One market, Mercado Central, is 4 floors full of shops. There we bought a kilo or two of cashews, wooden trivets, and the liquor to make Brazil’s national drink - Caipirinhas. The second market was a nice reuse of an old prison. There we purchased a couple table-runners. Fortaleza is known for lace, appliqués, and embroidery items.

TIP: Shop - prices are good here in Fortaleza.

 

TIP: Take the shuttle! A second shuttle is provided from the terminal to the prison shopping area which is only a couple blocks from both the church and second, four-stories shopping area.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Being as we love cashews, when we were in Fortaleza, we also bought cashews to have with our cocktails. YUM!

We enjoyed the shopping at the prison -- I got a couple of hand painted wooden boxes.

[snoopyud]

Thanks for the reviews. Sounds like a wonderful trip. We are considering taking the same trip next year. How was the ship the last three days at sea? are u enjoying the ship. The ports sound very interesting. Any info and suggestions would be most appreciated.

Enjoy your cruise and thanks for allowing us to follow you..

[sansterre]

We have had a great time on the Amazon. Pilots got on the ship just after we entered the Amazon. They were replaced by a new crew in Manaus. Apparently the current is difficult in places and the river is always changing and charts are not always accurate or up to date. Captain Van der Wal described the river as "challenging". I will post detailed information about each port now that I have time to do so. 6 interesting port days in a row has been tiring but exciting.

Weather has been a bit rainy since we arrived in Manaus. Otherwise all is well as we go downstream with a 3 knot current helping us!

I thought that the river would be a good time to have some 5 star cocktail parties but that was not to be. Apparently they don't occur anymore or maybe it is because we have so many 4 and 5 star mariners on board????? Before the 6 port days, we attended the Mariner's Lunch and medal ceremony where somewhere around 120 Copper Medallions were awarded. Also several silver, a few gold and two platinum awards! It was a huge crowd in the Showroom - really too large as many of us never did get any champagne. And the dining room on 7 was full with overflow on DR on 8 so probably should have been divided into a two day affair. Just my opinion.

Entertainment has been quite good with British singers, comics, and magicians. Apparently there is no need for Visas for English entertainers. However, the Visa requirement for American entertainers is enough to deter them.

3 sea days coming up - ah!

[Krazy Kruizers]

On our 21 day repositioning spring of 2016, we also did not have a cocktail party for 4 and 5 star Mariners or a suite cocktail party. We were told that most captains don't want them anymore. And we had a lot of 4 and 5 Mariners on our cruise as well as 4 President Club members.

There were 2 Mariner brunches -- one at 11 AM and one at 1 PM -- it has been that way on our cruises for several years. We don't bother going to them. Can't stand the free-for-all as people fight for tables.

Looking forward to your reports on your ports.

[snoopyud]

Great to hear from you and we appreciate sharing your trip with us. Hope the three sea days are enjoyable and there are things to do if you want things to do. Is the gym crowded? Thanks again and have a wonderful time.

[sansterre]

Santarem - an old city, founded in 1661, near where Henry Ford developed Fordlandia for rubber nearly a century ago. Today it is known for soybeans and Cargil has a huge operation at the port. We signed up for the PIranah Fishing Tour offered by HAL. This tour was more than we expected, an opportunity to see the rain forest area close-up. it went into a network of waterways where the Amazon River and the Rio Tropajos merge. Dolphins, both grey and pink, like to play where the dark and the muddy waters meet and we saw many. Pink dolphins are harder to spot as their bodies do not allow them to leap out of the water as the grey dolphins do. We then went into some small tributaries where the boat would stop or circle to view sloths, birds, water buffalo closer. Before our return we fished for piranhas for 20 to 30 minutes. In total our boat (there were about 30 of us) caught 5 piranhas (red, white, and black varieties) and one other fish. All were about 6 inches long. Although I wasn’t one of the lucky ones, it was fun trying.

After returning to port, we took the shuttle (not air-conditioned bus) into town. It stopped near a few booths where I purchased some piranha earrings, 2 pair for 15 BR$ ($5.00 US). We then walked across the street to a large brown tourist building on the water. Here I purchased a colorful macrame parrot necklace for 45 BR$ (about $15.00).

TIP: At this tourist building on the water, we later found out, a man has trained a pink dolphin. It is the best place to easily see a pink dolphin in the Amazon. If you aren’t up for going into town, the tents set up near the dock are worth visiting - nice selection and good prices. I found that they prices per are reduced if you buy more than one, so do ask for a quantity discount if you find something you like.

[tommui987]

Nice to hear about your experiences. I assume someone else took the piranhas off the hook!

 

We just booked a cruise to Havana for November 20th - 7 day cruise. We need trivia partners!

Best wishes,

Lois, Eric and Tom