Noordam - A Passage to New Zealand

[richwmn]

3 minutes ago, 0bnxshs said:

The important distinction here is VOIP (which can use WiFi) calling and Cell Calling.  Vonage is a VOIP service and generally does not play in the Cell calling arena (although the app may hop on the Cell service if used from a smartphone if it can't find an internet connection, maybe Rich would know).  T-Mobile offers, as do most of the other big cell phone carriers, what is called WiFi calling that plays with their Cell calling services and will switch to the best mode available.  Typically, with the Cellular At Sea cell calling service on board all HAL ships, it will be Cell calling.

 

You can force your phone to use only WiFi calling by being sure you place the phone in "airplane mode" and then turning on only WiFi service.  Your settings for calling should be set to "prefer WiFi" in this case.  Since Cell service won't be available (as you turned it off) it will default to, and stay on, WiFi service.  Rich's friend on the Maasdam may not have done all this and his call to him likely got to Maasdam and his friend's phone over the Cellular At Sea system.

Hey, Rich. In the case of my friend on Maasdam, if he had been on Cellular at Sea the T-Mobile price is $5.99 per minute. He was on WiFi calling and was charged 25 cents per minute. The T-Mobile CSR I talked to said the different systems on the two ships was the reason for the charge.

[BarbarianPaul]

Since I didn’t know if I could rely on wifi service for several work related calls, I added the AT&T “cellular at sea” package prior to embarkation for the duration of the cruise. It was $100 for unlimited calls and texts. For me, not a bad deal, and it’s worked perfectly. I also tried wifi calling just to compare, which worked surprisingly well too, but it wasn’t 100% reliable, since there were a few times I couldn’t get it to work. 

[0bnxshs]

21 minutes ago, richwmn said:

Hey, Rich. In the case of my friend on Maasdam, if he had been on Cellular at Sea the T-Mobile price is $5.99 per minute. He was on WiFi calling and was charged 25 cents per minute. The T-Mobile CSR I talked to said the different systems on the two ships was the reason for the charge.

Wonder if the satellite internet's landfall server was outside the US for your friend on the Maasdam when you called (as there are multiple landfall points)?

 

Anyhow, don't mean to belabor the specifics here.  Best idea for everyone is to call and find out what your carrier offers for services at sea.

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, BarbarianPaul said:

Since I didn’t know if I could rely on wifi service for several work related calls, I added the AT&T “cellular at sea” package prior to embarkation for the duration of the cruise. It was $100 for unlimited calls and texts. For me, not a bad deal, and it’s worked perfectly. I also tried wifi calling just to compare, which worked surprisingly well too, but it wasn’t 100% reliable, since there were a few times I couldn’t get it to work. 

 

And you had no surprising charges?

 

For our most recent cruise, almost a year ago, we set up this AT&T package, but then spoke more with the rep and got a sense that it wasn't really "everything", so we turned it off just before departure.

So maybe we can trust it after all...

 

Thanks.

 

GC

[richwmn]

Tonight's Culinary Offerings:

 

[BarbarianPaul]

4 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

And you had no surprising charges?

 

For our most recent cruise, almost a year ago, we set up this AT&T package, but then spoke more with the rep and got a sense that it wasn't really "everything", so we turned it off just before departure.

So maybe we can trust it after all...

 

Thanks.

 

GC

Well, since I’m still on the cruise, I guess it’s too early to tell. But the package was pretty specific about $100 for unlimited talk and texts. I think it also includes some data, but I keep that off because I don’t want to exceed the limit, and that’s why I have the ship wifi package. 
 

I also normally get the AT&T International Day Pass, which is no charge if you don’t use cellular at any port, but if you turn it on, the cost will be $10 for every day you use it, unlimited talk and texts. Again, relatively reasonable, and good insurance for me if I unexpectedly need to place a business call at some exotic port while I’m on the cruise. 
 

 

[richwmn]

Entertainment tonight - Comedian Darren Sanders

This started out with a brief film celebrating his 25 years as a comic. A little bit about his background, and then he introduced himself from the video. As with all the early shows I have attended on this and other recent cruises, the World Stage was full but not packed.

His act was pretty good, he kept things moving and the audience laughing. He had a couple of jokes for different groups on the ship, Kiwis, Aussies, Canadians, and of course those from the good ole US of A. The audience reacted well to his jokes and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

 

BB King was off tonight and the Queens Lounge was used for a game show "Call My Bluff" where three crew members tell a story and the audience trys to figure out who is lying. This was hosted by Erica, the host of all the triva so far.

 

Billboard On Board had a big crowd with most chairs being full and a large part of the casino and the pathway between filled with people milling around listening to the singers. They seemed a little more relaxed, but still were having a bit of trouble with audience participation.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the report and menus, etc.

[richwmn]

This morning we are tendering to Kuto, Ile des Pins. We should arrive shortly and the last tender is 4:30

Today's activities

 

[Himself]

Thanks for keeping us advised.

[momilani]

Beautiful day in Ile des Pins today!  

[richwmn]

Kuto, Ile des Pins
This was another tender port and was pretty much just a beach day. There was not a lot around the tender dock. Signs pointing to a shop turned out to be wrong.
Like many of the islands, Kuto is very pretty, just not a lot to do. No cabs available for taking a tour.
Change I found out at trivia that I should have turned left instead of right. It seems that there were cabs, at least early, and quite a few things to do on this island.

Edited November 5, 2019 by richwmn

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for the report on Kuto.  Even though you went the wrong direction, glad you enjoyed your day there.

 

Love the pictures.

[richwmn]

Kuto, Iie des Pins
A tender port with rough weather. I didn't go ashore. Pictures from the ship

 

[zelker]

45 minutes ago, richwmn said:

Kuto, Iie des Pins
A tender port with rough weather. I didn't go ashore. Pictures from the ship

 

 

This was Easo, Lifou.  Would have been a nice port had the wind and rough water not been present for most of the day.  

[richwmn]

7 hours ago, zelker said:

 

This was Easo, Lifou.  Would have been a nice port had the wind and rough water not been present for most of the day.  

Opps, that's what I get for doing them out of order.

 

[richwmn]

Good Morning from Noumea, Grande Terre New Caledonia.

Looks like a beautiful day. We have been docked since 10pm last night.

Here are today's activities.

 

[Himself]

8 hours ago, richwmn said:

Kuto, Iie des Pins
A tender port with rough weather. I didn't go ashore. Pictures from the ship

 

Nice pictures!

[erewhon]

Hope you are having a good day in Noumea.

Is Noordam berthed by the information centre, opposite the Casino supermarket?

[richwmn]

14 minutes ago, erewhon said:

Hope you are having a good day in Noumea.

Is Noordam berthed by the information centre, opposite the Casino supermarket?

No, we are berthed at the container port with a mandatory shuttle to the information center.

It was a quick bus ride, and the shuttles run often

 

[erewhon]

16 minutes ago, richwmn said:

No, we are berthed at the container port with a mandatory shuttle to the information center.

It was a quick bus ride, and the shuttles run often

 

 

Thanks for your reply.

[richwmn]

We are now leaving Noumea, Grande Terre, and it is almost dinner time.

Here is what the Chef on Noordam is offering us this evening.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Your reports and pictures are wonderful.

[GeezerCouple]

All of the reports have us even more eager for "our turn" in just a bit more than 2 weeks now!

 

Thanks for posting the menus, richwmn.  Some of that sounds really yummy, and also some interesting choices.

 

Two questions for all/anyone:

 

Has anyone had a strict Gluten Free diet?  DH was recently diagnosed with serious celiac disease, and we have no idea if it was new onset, or just not noticed, given he doesn't have the typical symptoms.

If so, how was it, and in particular, were there any good breads/rolls?

(Many of those can be pretty lousy, but we've also encountered some surprising good GF rolls/bread, such that sometimes *I* even prefer the GF roll...)

 

And, especially for the Neptune Suites, are there a good number of electrical outlets?  Any next to the bed/nightstand?

 

Thanks to everyone thus far for lots of really helpful answers.  Those really help, especially for someone not only new to Noordam, but new to HAL.

 

GC

 

 

[richwmn]

Good morning,

Internet is a bit flaky this morning, but I will try to post activities. Today is the first of two sea days prior to Sydney.