LIVE from the ZUIDERDAM - VOYAGE OF THE VIKINGS

[Krazy Kruizers]

Beautiful pictures of Halifax.

 

Hope you get home safely.

[puppycanducruise]

I enjoyed seeing your wonderful pictures and reading your comments.

Thanks again for taking us along.

[1of4]

I enjoyed your posts very much.  I hope one day to do this cruise.  Safe travels today and glad you could find a flight into Tampa.

[sansterre]

Ahhhhh - Home Sweet Home!

But I could have stayed on the Zuiderdam a few more weeks too.  

It's just the airplane travel that is tiring, especially when combined with weather issues.

Here are 4 people whose attentiveness made our cruise:  our assistant dining steward and magician Denny, our amazing dining steward Roy, and our two wonderful room attendants Fran and Parta.

I sure wish they were here to serve us dinner and make our bed right now!

 

 Service with a smile!

Edited September 4, 2019 by sansterre

[sansterre]

It took 31 of the 34 day cruise for me to find this beauty.

Remember when these orchid plants were on every table in the Lido Restaurant?

Remember how nice it was to see them there?

This pink orchid was in the Ladies Restroom, between the Lido and the Lido Pool, Starboard side.  They must have missed it when they removed all the others.  I am hopeful they will return to the Lido.

[sansterre]

I concluded this thread with my signature photos of lamp posts with flowers.  These we saw on our HAL tour in the Boston port where we ended the Voyage of the Vikings.

Thank you for following along with us and for all the kind comments.

First in Cambridge near the Harvard campus.

 

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by sansterre

[sansterre]

and then at Quincy Market in Boston.

 

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by sansterre

[CruisingGrandmaW]

On 9/3/2019 at 11:33 PM, sansterre said:

We disembarked the Zuiderdam at 8:30.  Meeting the immigration officials in the Hudson room on Deck 3 went smoothly but I was disappointed that there were only a waiter and a couple office personnel at the exit;  I guess they were our farewell committee.  I had hoped to see the Cruise Director and Hotel Manager, both of whom we rarely saw anywhere on the ship.

We did see the captain frequently, both inside and outside the ship.  And we played trivia (usually twice a day) with the assistant cruise director.  However, the responsibilities of  the Cruise Director/Travel guide Jonathan and the Port/Travel guide Jessica and Assistant Cruise Director Erica are difficult to understand.  I think those positions are changing fleet wide, but I wish HAL would go back to the old ways when the Cruise Director interacted more with the passengers.  This goes for the officers too - I long for the 5 star cocktail parties of the past when we could chat with any and all of them.

After disembarking we boarded a bus and took a nice tour of Boston and Cambridge which dropped us off at the airport at 3.  From there we went to the Embassy Suite (same hotel we stayed at prior to our cruise and one we knew had a good shuttle to and from the airport) for the night.  We should fly home tomorrow. 

I hope to finish this blog with a few more photos I've taken on the ship and a few of our bright sunny day in Boston.  I'll also answer any questions you might have the next day or two as we work our way back home.

TY for all your Posts.

I'll be taking the VOV 2020.

Re:  Hotel Stay

Did Embassy Suite offer Free Transportation from Hotel to Cruise Terminal?

If not, please share method of transportation & cost from Hotel to Cruise Terminal.

TY

[sansterre]

The Embassy Suite (near Logan Airport in Boston) has 24 hour shuttle every 15 minutes to the airport, but not to the cruise port.

This year we had a bus full to the cruise terminal - filled by travel agent.

Last year (we also did the Voyage of the Vikings in 2019) we used a taxi.  Seems like it was $20-$25.

This Embassy Suites includes a nice breakfast.  They also serve some food from 5-7 to which worked as a light dinner for us (weary travelers too tired to go out for a big dinner in town).

[Krazy Kruizers]

Nice pictures of the crew who took care of you on the ship and of Boston.

 

I do remember the orchids in the Lido and in the bathrooms.  It is a shame that they are gone.

 

Glad you are home safely.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks again for sharing this wonderful adventure.

Glad you are home safe, and hopefully, planning your next cruise.

[kazu]

Glad you are home safe and sound 😄 

 

Thank you for the final memories and photos 🙂 

[sansterre]

Thanks all.  

Kazu, this thread pales in comparison with the one you did recently on the Prinsendam.  I don't know how your posted all you did on that very busy itinerary.  After doing this one, I appreciate you and your efforts even more!

 

[cruisequeen4ever]

 The before and after storm pics were so fascinating! You really captured the seas! Thank you for taking us along!