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Live From The Veendam Daily Report

Pilot70D

By Pilot70D,
in Holland America Line

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RuthC

RuthC

Posted
Posted

Nice hearing from you, Localady. So glad you're having a great time.:)

Is it possible you spelled the concierge's name incorrectly? Is it possible it's "Richel"? There was a lounge stewardess on the Rotterdam in '03 and '04 trans-Atlantics by that name; last I heard she was on the Veendam. My info is old, however, and I've lost track of her. (Also lost her home address.:o )

If it's the same person, please give her my best. If not, thanks for checking.

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Pilot70D

Pilot70D

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LIVE FROM THE VEENDAM DAY 7

 

El Tigre Is Tops

 

We pulled into Barbados right on time and it was another lovely day in the neighborhood. The sky and the sea both were bright blue and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We did have to suffer through another day of 84 degree weather though. I know, I know – it’s a dirty job but someone has to do it.

 

Because of the hours spent earning my advanced degree in procrastination I didn’t get a single reservation made for snorkeling in Barbados. I fully intended to you understand but this arduous course load kept me from doing that particular chore. Anyway Snorkel Women and I headed down the gangway as soon as we were cleared to disembark. We were each laden with our snorkel gear backpacks and I was confident that we would find something. I knew that there were a lot of companies doing snorkel expeditions having been in this port a couple of times before.

 

The one thing I didn’t count on though was having five, count ‘em five cruise ships in port today. The first three companies including the one we went with on our last cruise were full to the brim and didn’t have room for two more people. By now Snorkel Woman was getting more than a little discouraged and somewhat grumpy. She even pointed out that 30 minutes less casino time and we wouldn’t be in this predicament. Picky, picky, picky – women are so fickle at times.

 

After a few more pointed remarks (none of which will be found in a Baptist Sunday school primer) I thought I’d stroll over and ask a dive operator if he knew of snorkel trips going out that might have room for two more. He knew of a couple dive boats going out with room but he was unaware of snorkel availability. He then introduced me to Michael who in turn suggested that I check out El Tigre and that the Barbados Tourism Office in the cruise ship terminal would know how to contact them. At this point the office was not yet open so I filled Snorkel Woman in on developments. Snorkel Woman said that she didn’t have a good feeling about all this and that we should return to the ship, stow our gear and simply do shopping today. I told her that patience was a virtue and because I was such a virtuous young man that we would be snorkeling today in Barbados. What she said next cannot be put on a family oriented discussion board.

 

After the tourism office opened one of the delightful young ladies was very helpful and called El Tigre for us. Lo and behold they had space furthermore they would pick us up at the cruise ship terminal and return us there afterwards. All this for a very nominal fee and the booze is included. What a deal.

 

Lo and behold they picked us up asa promised and off we went in search of catamaran El Tigre. Fortunately the good captain knew how to get back to his vessel. This is good because the streets on Barbados are crowded, narrow and very few straight stretches. As soon asa we reach El Tigre it’s all aboard because they’re waiting for us. The good ship is a 65 foot cat and the War Department clambered aboard. Unfortunately she was still in a foul mood and got even madder. I tripped getting aboard and landed in the lap of one of a group of bikini clad young things. I was only there for ten minutes and I was struggling to get up the whole time so I don’t know why she was so unhappy with me.

 

Despite all this we set sail for one of the best and most memorable snorkeling excursions we’ve ever done. They did a fantastic job. The snorkeling was fantastic and the rum punches weren’t bad either. Seriously, the crew did a truly great job. We had the captain and a crew of two. We had two people in the water with us at all times looking out for our safety.

 

The first stop was a swim with the sea turtles. Even though we’ve done this a couple of times in the past it’s always a thrill to see these very large and gentle sea creatures up close. Truly awesome. After this we weighed anchor and sailed to another location where the main attraction was the multicolor coral. The water was crystal clear and the coral was truly spectacular.

 

After our snorkeling extravaganza we were tired and more than a little mellow so the War Department decided that this was an ideal opportunity for some quality deck time on the veranda. Indeed it was a still a balmy 82 degrees outside furthermore the skies were a bright blue with a mild breeze blowing.

 

Right on time the Veendam set sail heading for another exotic tropical destination. I was comfortably sitting there watching some of the smaller islands slide by when I was jolted by something really cold hit the middle of my back. Wouldn’t you know it – here I was contemplating evening vespers when the War Department snuck up behind me and with a devilish gleam in her eye plunked that ice cold glass on my bare skin. Now in that glass was another one of those exotic, high octane adult beverages with fruit on top and rocket fuel down below. I’ll forgive her this time. By now the sky had turned all crimson and gold as the sun started to set. We decided to stay out here and wait for that gigantic steam explosion when that great fireball on the horizon finally meets the ocean.

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Pilot70D

Pilot70D

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LIVE FROM THE VEENDAM DAY 8

 

St. Lucia & Trouble In Paradise

 

We arrived at St. Lucia and were treated to some truly spectacular scenery on this mountainous island. Water is blue, the mountains are picturesque and it’s raining. Unfortunately it’s raining inside the Veendam. We have our own personal rain shower going on in the starboard corridor of the Veranda Deck. Hmmmmm, this isn’t normal. It’s not a downpour but we do have a pretty steady rainfall here in the corridor. Maintenance personnel soon arrive and are working on this problem.

 

We decided to head out on our own to do a little shopping and to see if we can negotiate a good price with a cab driver for a private tour. We managed to accomplish both goals and headed out on the tour. St. Lucia is almost a carbon copy of Dominica except that Dominica’s mountain peaks are slightly higher. The crops on both islands are similar as are the people and the cultures present. Our guide is very knowledgeable and we are treated to a delightful, ongoing lecture about St. Lucia’s history, traditions and culture.

 

The island is quite mountainous with lots of steep roads that have many blind hairpin curves. There is one thrilling Caribbean tradition which the drivers also follow here. First, no braking is allowed until right at the hairpin turn. Now bear in mind that many of these roads vary in width with the narrow portions always being at the apex in the hairpin turn. In fact no more than one vehicle at a time can safely negotiate the hairpin. Right of way is determined by which driver blows the horn first. That lucky devil gets to barrel through the turn at full speed. One learns to listen carefully on these mountain roads. And while the roads aren’t exactly smooth I do believe that Dominica wins the pothole crown for having the most potholes per acre of road but the margin of victory is very slim.

 

We ooh and aah over the scenery and are treated to some really breathtaking views. In addition to this has to be a botanist’s paradise. The flowers are plentiful and banks of intense color seem to grow everywhere. At this point we stopped for a lunch of Creole chicken before heading down all these narrow and twisty roads. I’d estimate that the average life span for a set of brakes here is around six weeks. Yipppeeee – this looks like a roller coaster ride but in a land vehicle. At least we hope (ferverently) that all four wheels stay firmly on land.

 

They do and we arrive back at the main part of town where we decide to go through the native market. All sorts of exotic spices and their aromas are present. They don’t call these the Spice Islands for nothing. Throughout the day we encountered intermittent brief rain showers and another one breaks out so we headed back to the ship. It was almost time anyway.

 

Right on time Captain Al weighed anchor and we steamed off towards Isla de Margarita. We decided to head back to the casino where we hope that HAL will subsidize our next cruise. Everything seems to be going well except that now there is a pretty strong smell of mildew in the corridor where our very own interior rain shower got the carpet wet. We headed on to the casino and had just gotten comfortable at the blackjack table when the fire alarm went off. The alarm continued to go off for quite a while and folks are started to get a little antsy thinking that this might be the real thing. Sure enough Captain Al announced over the public address system that they had an indication of ‘something’ in the crew quarters but not to worry he would keep us informed.

 

Captain Al was as good as his word and announced a short time later that there indeed had been a minor fire in the trash can of a crew member’s cabin but that the fire had been quickly extinguished. We were further informed that ‘appropriate disciplinary measures’ would be taken against the person responsible. Wonder if that means they’re going to pull out one fingernail or will it be two.

 

As they say on TV infomercials “But wait – there’s more.” At 2:50 A.M. the following morning we have another fire alarm only this time Captain Al makes the announcement that the alarm system has detected some sort of problem in the engine compartment. Now everyone’s awake after being treated to two fire alarms in the same twenty-four hour period. Captain Al further announced that he would keep us updated when they found what the problem was. Thus reassured we all went back to sleep.

 

We all survived so I’ll write more later. Everyone have a great day.

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Pilot70D

Pilot70D

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LIVE FROM THE VEENDAM DAY 9

 

It rained a good part of the night and it was still raining when we docked at Isla de Margarita. Isla de Margarita has done it’s best to welcome us. They had dancers in native costumes as well as music provided by a live steel band. Unfortunately everyone had to scurry for cover as the gentle rain turned into a harder rain and then into a downpour. Unfortunately this pattern was to repeat itself all day.

 

Every time the rain seemed to let up we were tempted to head into town to see the sights. Unfortunately every time we ventured out the heavy rain began again. Also taxi fare was $15 per person round trip with a minimum of four people per trip. There were numerous vendors in a dockside shopping area and we decided to do our shopping there. There also is a beautiful beach area with a lagoon adjacent to the vendor area. Isla de Margarita is known for its pure white sugar like sand beaches. Unfortunately for the beach lovers and for the vendors the rain never let up. It was especially bad for the vendors because their stalls are located in a long, curving, open fronted shed like building with a thatched roof. The back wall of this building is whitewashed cinder block but the cinder blocks end about two feet from the roof and there is nothing but open space between where the cinder blocks end and the roof begins.

 

We did manage to get our shopping in at the dockside vendor area. Pearls here are less expensive here than in many parts of the world. I did locate a beautiful necklace and matching earrings for the War Department. She seemed genuinely pleased and has apparently decided that I have been good enough since Barbados to once again emerge from the doghouse.

 

Because it rained all day and we went nowhere I can take this opportunity to describe some of the shipboard stuff that has been going on. First, the Veendam is a remarkable vessel. It’s an ark, a cruise ship and a time machine all rolled into one. They had the “Salute To The 50’s, 60’s & 70’s Musical Review” as the show last night. For a brief and magic moment in time the golden era of Rock’N’Roll cam alive here in the Veendam. Imagine in this day and age a whole hour and a half where you could understand all the words from each and every song. Neat huh? Furthermore I remembered all those lyrics by heart. This production was marvelously done and was the equal to anything found on Broadway as far as quality goes.

 

Now about the ark – they have a remarkable complement of livestock aboard for this cruise. Why right here in our cabin we’ve had stingrays, elephants, seals, crabs, scorpions, donkeys and dogs. All of these came from Miftah, our cabin attendant. We call him super Miftah because he does such a good job. Want something done aboard ship? Just let Miftah know. Need more wine glasses? No problem, just let Miftah know and the right type and number of glasses appear. Need more ice? No problem just let Miftah know. The ship’s off course? No problem just let Miftah know. Well maybe he doesn’t navigate the vessel but he does just about everything else and he does it cheerfully. He is far and away the best cabin person that we have had ever.

 

Time for dinner so more to come later. In the meantime everyone stay warm and have a great day.

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sail7seas

sail7seas

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Pilot.....

 

You're posts have been so incredible. REALLY Wonderful and I thank you so much for them.

 

We had a great cruise on Veendam last year and it sure sounds like you are enjoying yours to the max.......

 

Keep having fun.

And, Please keep sharing it all with us.

 

It is so generous of you to take your vacation time to keep us current with the goings on aboard Veendam.

 

Enjoy!!!

 

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sail7seas

sail7seas

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It's kind of you to confirm it, but I had no doubt Rochelle would only give us information which was totally reliable about her ship.

 

Peaches....I do not know Rochelle and I imagine many others on this board have never heard of her.

 

Speaking only for myself, I find it helpful when information posted for the first time is confirmed. I appreciate when several people agree about a fact. That makes me feel more comfortable with its accuracy.

 

But, this is Pilot's wonderful thread and I am eager to read what he has to say about his great cruise on Veendam.

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cruisinjudy

cruisinjudy

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Well, I too, will confirm Miftah as a great cabin steward! We were in 139 on this great cruise and Miftah would do anything to please. And then there was Herry. We sang Hey Jude together in the Lido line a few times as my name is Judy and that is how he would greet me. He was lots of fun. I didn't use my precious internet time reading the boards so I didn't know we had a LIVE thread until sitting here at the Tampa airport for our extended wait for our flight to Cincinnati and then on to Portland. I am enjoying the running review of our cruise.

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JimVrhovac

JimVrhovac

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Ruth and I were on this cruise and we concur with what has been posted about the cruise. They did a fantastic job for everyone in the Veendammers group. One of the group wone the cruise lottery (can't remember who)

 

Will post picture essay later.

 

Jim & Ruth

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shakespeare

shakespeare

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We just returned from the Veendam also and had a great cruise. We even enjoyed Guadeloupe! We weren't even planning on getting off the ship due to reviews and comments we read on these boards. When we arrived they had dancers and music at the pier and announced that many excursions were available. We ended up taking a tour in a van....we went to the national park where we saw the waterfalls and then to a beach where we had lunch.

 

The people we encountered were quite friendly. Since our knowledge of French is quite limited, we had some difficulty ordering in the restaurant, but it turned out to be fun. First we had to ascertain if they accepted dollars...they didn't, but we were able to use a credit card. We had a very pleasant lunch and felt we were somewhere quite exotic....and quite pleased that we managed to order, pay and find out where the restrooms were located in spite of not being able to speak the language! I am very glad we decided to venture out and explore the island a bit. We enjoyed the scenery and since we had never been there before, it was nice to get an overview of part of the island.

 

Liz

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TedC

TedC

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We just returned from the Veendam also and had a great cruise. We even enjoyed Guadeloupe! We weren't even planning on getting off the ship due to reviews and comments we read on these boards. When we arrived they had dancers and music at the pier and announced that many excursions were available. We ended up taking a tour in a van....we went to the national park where we saw the waterfalls and then to a beach where we had lunch.

 

The people we encountered were quite friendly. Since our knowledge of French is quite limited, we had some difficulty ordering in the restaurant, but it turned out to be fun. First we had to ascertain if they accepted dollars...they didn't, but we were able to use a credit card. We had a very pleasant lunch and felt we were somewhere quite exotic....and quite pleased that we managed to order, pay and find out where the restrooms were located in spite of not being able to speak the language! I am very glad we decided to venture out and explore the island a bit. We enjoyed the scenery and since we had never been there before, it was nice to get an overview of part of the island.

 

Liz

 

 

We also enjoyed green, mountainous Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. We took a private tour around Basse-Terre and visited the large national park that was created to protect one of the most beautiful forests in the Lesser Antilles.

 

Guadeloupe was a refreshing change from the sameness of so many of the Caribbean islands. There was much more than the endless jewelry stores of St. Thomas.

 

On Basse-Terre we saw waterfalls, exotic plants and trees, and even a Hindu Temple for the Indian population. We also saw a monkey - it apparently was a pet because it was tethered.

 

The four-hour tour in a six-passenger van was $30 pp. We had been to Grande-Terre, the other major Guadeloupe island, about 10 years ago and think that Basse-Terre is much more scenic. It's too bad that more people didn't venture out to see the beauty of Guadeloupe.

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localady

localady

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We also enjoyed green, mountainous Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. We took a private tour around Basse-Terre and visited the large national park that was created to protect one of the most beautiful forests in the Lesser Antilles.

 

Guadeloupe was a refreshing change from the sameness of so many of the Caribbean islands. There was much more than the endless jewelry stores of St. Thomas.

 

On Basse-Terre we saw waterfalls, exotic plants and trees, and even a Hindu Temple for the Indian population. We also saw a monkey - it apparently was a pet because it was tethered.

 

The four-hour tour in a six-passenger van was $30 pp. We had been to Grande-Terre, the other major Guadeloupe island, about 10 years ago and think that Basse-Terre is much more scenic. It's too bad that more people didn't venture out to see the beauty of Guadeloupe.

 

TedC-

Good to see that you and Cathy are home safe and sound.....(Okay, we know that Cathy is sound........;) )

We too had a lovely day on Basse-Terre.....other than snorkeling, it was by far one of my best days! Here is an excerpt from the entry to my log:

Today we had a very lovely day on Basse Terre, which was totally unexpected after the reviews we’d gotten from the passengers on the prior voyage. We had heard that this was a place that only French was spoken and was not a friendly island. What we found was just the opposite. We found that this is an Island full of smiling faces and friendly people.

Funny how folks can have such different experiences in the same port of call.

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gizmo

gizmo

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This is the complete opposite from what we had on our cruise and sounds more like what Guadaloupe was like the last time I was there, maybe around 9 or 10 years ago.

 

There was no welcome except a lot of police. I did not see any vans for tours. The only tours were the ship tours. Last time I was there, there were many vans and SUV's giving tours. I was planning on getting a tour from the locals, but there were none to be found.

 

The only people we dealt with on this trip were the people at the market. All of them were very nice.

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PrincessR8

PrincessR8

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I'm so glad to hear you had a great time on the Veendam! I was previously the lead singer on the Veendam and had the opportunity to perform in "Up on the Roof" as well-I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Did you see you any of the other shows, possibly Club Nevada, Ultimate Broadway, or Party Gras? I read a lot of these posts, and am always excited when I see that the casts hard work and incredible talent is appreciated! I will be working on the MS Amsterdam from April 06' through Oct 06', so maybe I will see you there!

:o

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