Live from the Volendam - please join the Merry Widows on their cruise 😊

[HELENPSL]

@kazu…you’ve done a fabulous job on this thread.  You made me laugh and you made me hungry!  Now rest up so you can do another one in October on the Oosterdam!

❤️😍

[kazu]

4 hours ago, ski ww said:

Looks like the weather was not the greatest for a good part of the cruise.  

 

Ou embarkation day was lovely.  after that it was generally speaking more cold than it should be, rainy at times   We saw some sun in Newport when we were all aboard, in Halifax for a few hours and then sun (although cold wind) in Quebec on our last day.

I have never repeated so many clothes and packed clothes I hae not worn before.  I wasn’t alone and thankful for HAL’s great laundry.

[kazu]

2 hours ago, HELENPSL said:

@kazu…you’ve done a fabulous job on this thread.  You made me laugh and you made me hungry!  Now rest up so you can do another one in October on the Oosterdam!

❤️😍

 

Not done yet, Helen.  Was tied up trying to get the Future Cruise Listing updated.  Headache central.

 

going to try to do a few posts tonight and finish tomorrow.

 

[kazu]

I think I will try to do Quebec tomorrow and instead treat you to when we left Quebec.

there is a reason that only the smaller ships like the Volendam can go to Montreal.  You need to go under 3 bridges on the way.

 

this is the first bridge in pictures - I elieve we had 3 or 6” room to clear it.  Captain Van Eerten was tooting the whole way.

 

I’m nos sure if the pics are good enough to visualize but here we go from start to finish.

 

Coming to it:

 

 

 

 

 

Getting close now and it doesn’t look like we have much room 

 

 

 

Just about to go under

 

 

And her we go:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other bridges were when it was darker and pics would not have shown it adequately.  

[kazu]

 

Here is the video my friend took.  

 

the names belonging to the voices remain protected - what happens on the ship stays on the ship 😜 😂   Make sure you have your sound on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[terrydtx]

21 hours ago, AV8rix said:

!!!WOW!!!

First time I've EVER seen steak tartare in the MDR!!  I've always had to pay extra for it since it's generally only available in PG or Rudi's <-- where they actually put a quail egg on top.  I'll watch for that MDR offering in the future.  Thanks!

Me too, one of my favorites. 

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

The video is amazing!

[BobbiSox]

I got off Volendam on May 5th. this was our 32nd cruise on HAL. We were hoping that a lanai would allow us a nice view and an easy way to go in and out of the cabin, onto the deck and enjoy our 'reserved' lounge chairs.  Sadly the weather stripping was shot, so the curtains had to stay closed for the entire cruise to prevent the freezing air from coming in, as there was no heat in #3346. Keeping the curtains close did not help very much and it was always cold the entire 13 days,  Customer service were called at least four times, to no avail. One gentleman was kind enough to be truthful with us and told us there would not be any heat in our cabin, as the ship is 35 years old. Our neighbor also was in a cabin with no heat, and was not to shy to yell about it in the hall. We have a 42 Day coming up on Volendam this Novermber, also in a lanai, so the first thing I did after getting home, was to cancel it. It was quite obvious that customer service had any intention of fixing anything.

.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

So glad you had a successful cruise (other than chilly weather) and no major mishaps! 

[SUESEABE]

Video looks kinda scary but fun. Oh no, will they hit the bridge...🙀

[pmjnh]

Bon Voyage! Hope you had  a wonderful cruise! I hope Daniel is your cruise director. he is a hoot.

 

(this post was way late...)

Edited May 7 by pmjnh

[pmjnh]

@kazu Now the I have read this entire thread, that was a fun read..glad you had a great cruise..just a few things come to mind..

 

I totally agree with you on the escargot situation. On our last few cruises we experienced the same poor quality in taste and they have shrunk in size. I always was excited to order them before but sadly no longer.

 

The cheese board with no crackers. I have ordered that once.....duh, and why dont they have that as an appetizer rather than a dessert? 

 

We had dinner in the PG just last week (Noordam). The tenderloin /lobster dumplings were great, service great , but DH's scallops were stringy and chewy. 

 

I had a great haircut in the spa on the Noordam recently and surprisingly they didn't try to sell me anything. They even put a conditioner on that has sunscreen (we were at the equator) 

 

Mike Robinson....the funniest!!..we even went back and watched his second show when we saw him on a previous cruise.

 

Glad you enjoyed Boston, my home town. I learned to drive there but no comparison to the driving in the Washington DC area.

 

Joan

 

 

Edited May 7 by pmjnh

[kazu]

On 5/6/2024 at 11:36 AM, BobbiSox said:

I got off Volendam on May 5th. this was our 32nd cruise on HAL. We were hoping that a lanai would allow us a nice view and an easy way to go in and out of the cabin, onto the deck and enjoy our 'reserved' lounge chairs.  Sadly the weather stripping was shot, so the curtains had to stay closed for the entire cruise to prevent the freezing air from coming in, as there was no heat in #3346. Keeping the curtains close did not help very much and it was always cold the entire 13 days,  Customer service were called at least four times, to no avail. One gentleman was kind enough to be truthful with us and told us there would not be any heat in our cabin, as the ship is 35 years old. Our neighbor also was in a cabin with no heat, and was not to shy to yell about it in the hall. We have a 42 Day coming up on Volendam this Novermber, also in a lanai, so the first thing I did after getting home, was to cancel it. It was quite obvious that customer service had any intention of fixing anything.

.

 Someone was wrong.  Ship is 25 years old later this year.  I believe she is scheduled for drydock this year-or so I was told,

 

sorry to hear about your cold cabin 😞
 

cabin 7008 was cold too - quite sure it was due to the doors being misaligned,   That is a Neptune suite 😬

[luvflorida]

So excited for you. DH and I are just looking to book this ship in October from Montreal to FLL. 

[kazu]

Quebec….

 

original spot where the sips would come.  A lot of Quebec had to be filled iin,

 

 

the owner of this establishment discovered some of the old fortifications and kept them preserved.

 

 

definitely go in here for a drink and see more of them.  Our guide raced about it.
 

 

The typical wooden shutters.  Many places are built of brick or concrete after so many wooden homes were destroyed by fire

 

[kazu]

We made a stop and Gilbert knocked at the house next door and the door next to it was unlocked for us to go in.

 

a delightful surprise,  a furrier who made furs by hand - new and recycled

 

Our guide

 

this is one of the old storage rooms from centuries ago being put to use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kazu]

It’s a beautiful city 

 

hotel Frontenac rising above all

 

very old area.  Houses rebuilt after the wooden ones burned down long ago.

 

no wooden balconies permitted and metal roofs for fire as well,

 

the oldest church in North America according to Gilbert 

 

had to take the obligatory oicture 😉♥️

 

 

 

one of the original houses still standing next to the huge architecture 

 

 

[kazu]

Can you envision using these steps in winter?  Or even clearing them off?

 

 

rhe original warehouses for storage from the ships still being put to use

 

 

 

yes people really use these stairs - a lot!

 

[kazu]

this church is massive and so beautiful,  sadly the congregation has declined and cannot afford the maintenance so it sits empty, 😔

 

 

circuses have bought some of the churches and practice and perform in them.

 

anotmher original house except the garage of course.

 

 

loved this mural telling the story of Samuel de Champlain.

 

 

 

 

 

[kazu]

Our tout also included a visit to the market.  Beautiful cheese shop (I got my curd), pastries, smoked meat, cider, flowers, etc and delectable sweets.

 

 

 

Leaving Quebec taken from the sea view pool.

 

 

[kazu]

Our final dinner.

 

soring rolls

 

,

sweet and sour shrimp 

 

 

I had the banan custard

 

 

and Deb her first baked Alaska 

 

 

and our staff said good bye to an Indonesian song

 

 

 

and for the record, our favourite eine

 

 

 

[Haljo1935]

@kazu I L🧡VE your Quebec pictures - thanks for posting them w/all you have going on.

So sad they cannot afford to maintain those beautiful churches. 

[1of4]

Having lived in Montreal for years, outdoor stairs were normal. Originally built to save space inside the building, they also served a more practical purpose: so landlords did not have to heat spaces that were infrequently used. Most of them are built of iron with slats so the snow falls through, though your picture showed a solid floor but the railings are wide enough apart to shovel the snow through. 
 

We can now buy curd here. The kids call it “squeaky cheese”. Maybe it will come soon to your grocery store. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤞

[loretta]

I've enjoyed your trip report very much, thank you for taking the time to share your adventures with us. I've done several HAL cruises out of Montreal or Boston to CA/NE and have thoroughly enjoyed each one and seen a lot. I am interested in your tour in Quebec, it goes to some places that I've never been to. I don't see anything on the HAL excursions for something like this. Can you share how you found it?

[kazu]

49 minutes ago, 1of4 said:

 

 

We can now buy curd here. The kids call it “squeaky cheese”. Maybe it will come soon to your grocery store. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤞

 

I could buy the good curd in Ontario too.

 

the curd here is refrigerated, not fresh and not squeaky, sadly.  The curd I got in Quebec was not as good as the Riverview curd IMO but it was a lot better than what I can get here, I’m fussy 😉