Live from the Zaandam - Circle Hawaii.....

[mr green]

Hi Nobby. Just a quick question, 'In which room do they hold organized bridge play?' Enjoying your reports.

 

john

[nobbync]

DAY 3

 

This morning wasn’t very exciting and not much new. I don’t normally eat much for breakfast other then oatmeal and an apple or something like that but today they had crab at the omelet bar so I had to go. It was real crab and lots of it. I had mushrooms, onions and two scoops of crab and it was delicious. Then of course I needed one of their chocolate croissants and it was delicious. I dreamed about one later in the afternoon! After breakfast though I didn’t feel good because of eating too much in the morning. At home I eat very healthy now and it’s taken me a long time to get to that point. On a cruise I know I’ll eat some bad stuff and so far I have been good about not eating too much but some things I just can’t help myself as most of you probably understand. Still I am doing good with it and for lunch I ate light. They had this crab salad which was excellent as well.

 

The rest of the morning I just took care of a few problems we had. I bought my mom and Cindy some flowers that were supposed to be there when we sailed and I also bought flowers for my mom for the last day in Hawaii for her birthday. That way they’d have flowers in their room for the entire trip. Well the birthday flowers arrived the first day and then the embarkation flowers arrived the second day. I talked to my room steward and he told me exactly who to talk to. The dining room is who sends the flowers out. When I went to find the guy I couldn’t track him down but it seems our room steward took care of it. They will send more flowers next week and they called and apologized and said the papers they got said to deliver them on Oct 11th and 12th. Guess Seattle and the ships are on two different levels… Our steward Hiru has been very good. The DVD player in my room the remote didn’t work and he replaced it immediately. Rooms are cleaned when we go to lunch and dinner. We are in the rooms a lot so that’s why he doesn’t do it earlier. Rooms really clean as well and I am happy with his service.

 

Also got a letter today that said the time we will be passing Kilauea and the Captain says it’s good viewing now and he will get as close as possible and stay there for 1 hour. We will pass by at 2200 after we leave Hilo. Today we passed Captain Sybe de Boer and had a small chat with him. He used to work for American Airlines so my friend Cindy works for AirTran so they talked airline stuff… Later today is the Captains toast and our first of 3 formal nights. Our tickets listed 4 formal nights which I was surprised to see but when we got on board it listed only 3. I brought enough clothes for the 4 formal nights and sure wish Seattle and the ships would get that in order. I don’t think it’s difficult to get it all in order.

 

This afternoon after lunch I went to the front of the ship just below the bridge. The day is absolutely gorgeous. It’s 70 degrees and partly cloudy. It’s windy since we’re moving about 20 knots but it wasn’t that bad. The water is this wonderful dark blue purple color. There is nothing like it and incredible being so far away from civilization. Today I actually saw a seabird all by himself diving into the water catching a fish. Also saw a few flying fish. The Captain said today around 11 pm we will hit the halfway point so we’re getting there. After watching the water for awhile we headed to the thermal suite and got a nice 1 hour nap. In the lounge in the spa I saw how small the world is. A lady was in there and we were talking and found out she is from Paducah, Kentucky which is where my dad is from. What’s funny is we were talking and she knows my dad and his brothers. So I sent an email off to my dad and uncles to tell them Rosie says hi!

 

Tonight’s formal night went well though I developed a minor migraine (not sure if there’s such a thing as a minor one but it was not as bad as usual) so I am back in my room and decided to skip the show and Captains Toast. Even the migraine dinner was awesome. Everyone at our table is really nice and we had some great conversations tonight and the food and service was excellent as usual. The 3 of us guys will meet tomorrow to watch football.

 

I’d say the dress was very nice. I think it was about 45% of men in tuxes and 45% in dark suits with the other 10% in blazers with ties. Our seating is the 6:15 and almost everyone was at dinner. I saw very few tables with seats open. After dinner I did walk around a bit and almost everyone was dressed nice but I did see a couple people roaming around in shorts but it really doesn’t bother me. I just mentioned it since it’s a big discussion on these groups. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better and be able to stay out and sample the entertainment. We are gaining an hour of sleep every night so I need to take advantage of it and party with the older crowd…

 

Ruth mentioned the theme of the Zaandam being music and I love it. There are guitars signed by Queen, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and more. Also as Ruth mentioned Bill Clinton’s sax. The best part is also what Ruth mentioned, the notes all over the ship. In the halls between the rooms they have cloth that has notes on it. Also the doors/windows leading out to the lower promenade walkway are all notes. I love the look. I mentioned earlier the organ as well which I still haven’t decided if I like the organ there. As I said I love it but it takes up too much space.

 

Today’s movie was A Mighty Hearty starring Angelina Jolie. I didn’t care to see it because it’s probably a depressing movie since it’s about Daniel Pearl. It’s a movie I’d like to see but not on a cruise… Tomorrow is the newest Harry Potter movie.

 

Have a great evening….

 

Nobby

[CrystalLady]

Your travelogue is marvelous. I'm thoroughly enjoying each post/update and wish all of you a wonderful voyage.

 

You're bringing back wonderful memories as I've had the pleasure of doing this cruise several times on Statendam and, last year, 18 nights on Volendam from Seattle to Vancouver with an overnight in Honolulu. Volendam is your sistership, with flowers as her theme. Beautiful ships.

 

It will be a pleasure for me to check back each day for your updates.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for posting another "Live".

[kakalina]

Great job Nobby. Thank you for putting so much effort into this thread on your vacation. It helps me to relive our Zaandam cruise ( sigh )

[x lindsay x]

Nobby,

 

Thanks for all the reports. I am loving this thread as I will boarding the Zaandam when you get off on October 26th.

[wynkys]

Nobby,

 

Wonderful detailed reporting that is greatly appreciated.

 

Wayne

[CrystalWater]

Nobby, I'm really enjoying your travel report to Hawaii. You're doing an outstanding job with all the right details. Keep em coming!! I'm reading another's on the Princess ship and he's been posting photos day by day and that is neat to see, but your details are the best!

[Cruising-along]

I'm really enjoying this, can't wait to hear about Hawaii :D

Thanks!

[Dbedros]

One thing I do want to comment that a few people mentioned recently. It’s the sewage smell and on the lower promenade outside the starboard side is very smelly. Not sure if there’s a problem or not but walking around the outside deck is not as fun because the starboard side is bad. I’ll let you know if it last the entire cruise. I am typing this now on the port side… Nobby

 

 

nobbync,

 

Thanks for the reports. We will be sailing this ship and itinerary on November 5, 2007 and it is good to have current information. Your comment on the "sewage smell" has me concerned as I sailed a ship with this type of smell before. I asked the Front desk about it and was told that it would go away after we left port. It did not and was stronger near the elevators, an area sort of hard to avoid and persisted throughout the cruise. This spoiled the entire ship experience for me as I have a very sensitive nose. Is the smell still there? Has it been reported and if so what was the response?

 

Will be waiting to hear about the tender situation at Kona and if there are in guides at the port in Lahaina other than timeshare sellers.

 

Keep up the good work as it is greatly appreciated.

[RuthC]

You seem to be enjoying those relaxing sea days on the cruise over. You'll need the rest for those hectic port days when you arrive!

 

Thanks for keeping in touch. :)

[DFD1]

Thanks, Nobby: Great work! Keep it up!

 

This business about the smell surprises me. Just spent 10 days on Zaandam and never got a whiff.

 

I have, however, smelled it on other ships and it's not very pleasant.

[nobbync]

Hello again… I will try to answer your questions and comments from yesterday. I am just waiting in the cabin for about 30 minutes before the Aromastone massage I have booked for this morning. Wish I had done just a little more thinking before I booked this time. I am going to get the massage and then go watch football with the guys… Relaxation to jubilation (I hope) when my Chargers kick the Raiders you know what!

 

First off thanks for all the great comments. I enjoy reading them all and I enjoy writing about this cruise. I’d post photos but to be honest I haven’t had time to process all the photos I have taken. Photos will be posted after the cruise and I’ll let you all know where they are.

 

As I am typing this there is a beautiful rainbow out my window…

 

KAYEF –

 

Thanks for getting off so we can get on. I really do appreciate it… A few people I met were on your cruise. I think that would be great doing the 10 day Mexico and then 15 day Hawaii. I can only dream about taking that many days vacation. Sorry to hear about your cabin from hell. So far everything is perfect in our cabin. The AC in our rooms is perfect. I love it cold and I can’t even turn it down all the way or I’ll freeze. I didn’t even think about the salads all running out from the last cruise… Since we left we have had plenty of fresh fruit and salads so hopefully we’ll make it to Hawaii without running out. It’s been so long since my Navy days I just forgot what it’s like to run out of things… Here’s something funny. Someone saw a USA Today in the Explorations Café. I overheard them say “I didn’t know they get the USA Today each day. How do they get the paper?” I chimed in saying the paperboy delivers it on his helicopter daily” and they said “Really? That’s incredible they have that service”… I did have to tell her I am joking… That’s also great about the baggage. For us we live about 15 minutes from the terminal so we’ll just load up on a taxi and be home quickly.

 

KRAZY_KRUISERS – “Let us know what that "smell" is on the starboard side of the Promenade Deck.”

 

The smell is still there and I asked some of the deck crew and they said it is normal. Smells trigger my migraines and it’s possible this triggered mine since it came on not too long after I walked yesterday.

 

RUTHC -

 

Well I really enjoyed reading those reports of the Voyage of the Spammed. Hopefully we won't relive your earthquake memories... But living in Cal all my life I am used to it.

 

Mr_green –

 

The organized bridge play has been in the Queens Room and when I have passed by it seems very popular.

 

Next up will be Day 4…. As a sneak peak Day 4 is going just wonderfully. I am in heaven after a Aromastone massage and I am ready for more….

 

Nobby

[mr green]

Hello again…

 

Mr_green –

 

The organized bridge play has been in the Queens Room and when I have passed by it seems very popular.

 

Next up will be Day 4…. As a sneak peak Day 4 is going just wonderfully. I am in heaven after a Aromastone massage and I am ready for more….

 

Nobby

 

Many thanks.:)

 

john

[KAYEF]

Nobby,

Our first cruise, a few years ago, was TWENTY THREE DAYS and even then, we would have stayed on.:p

I was longing to remain on the ship; we loved the fifteen day Hawaii one when we took it.............nothing like sea days! Took my daughter and son in law who was worried about being bored with so many sea days and he was always on the go. They, also, loved it.

Glad you're having good food and service.

Walk down the halls on Deck three which seems to be mostly cabins; there are the most fantastic photos between cabins........black and white and historic. We hadn't seen them until the last three days when we moved to that deck. The glass doors there (which lead to the prom. deck) are so beautiful.

I feel as if we're with you...........enjoying your posts.:)

[Susie51]

Sounds like a great cruise so far. What shore excursions do you have planned?

[nobbync]

DAY 4

 

Today the seas are as calm as can be. 1-2 foot swells all day. We did have rain but the temperatures have been low 70’s and winds are only 7 knots. This morning as I was typing this in my cabin there was a beautiful rainbow out the window and we did have a morning shower but the rest of the day has been sunny and warm with a partly cloudy sky.

 

I slept in till about 8:30 this morning and skipped breakfast since I didn’t feel good yesterday eating breakfast. I just had an apple from the fruit basket in my room. At 9 am my mom and I had massages. My mom was getting the full body massage while I was going for the Aromastone massage. I just hoped to not get stoned… As I said yesterday I had a slight migraine and I have gotten these all my adult life. When I booked they asked if I wanted a man or woman so I just told them it doesn’t matter, just give me the best. So they gave me Tess and she was very good. We discussed where some of my many kinks were and she got working on it. I also told her about my migraines and I still had it slightly so she knew some things to do. I was in heaven though a few of my kinks were a little stubborn and probably haven’t moved in years. By the time the 90 minutes was over I had no more kinks and I was so relaxed. I really didn’t want to get up or maybe I should say I could not get up. I am ready for another Aromastone massage on the way home.

 

After the massage we went to lunch on the lido again. This time I tried the pasta and it was delicious. Had the spinach on the pasta and it was very tasty. They also had a few different shrimp salads that were good. For dessert the extra bread pudding today was cherry bread pudding but when I went up there it looked like raisons and tasted like it also. When Cindy went up to get some they realized the mistake and added the cherries… We had a couple sit next to us and they had never had Tabasco sauce. The man loved hot sauce so he added some in his soup. The woman wanted to taste it so she put out her spoon. Cindy tried to tell her it was hot. Well he put more then a drop on her spoon and she slurped it right up. Almost immediately she started coughing and I thought she was choking. When she finally recovered she yelled something at him and he just said, “it’s fine for me’… We all got a good laugh. She should have thrown him overboard… From there I went to meet my new friends to watch football but the ship could not get the game. So we watched….billiards which was the only sport we had!

 

Since we had no football we went our separate ways and Cindy and I went to a Tips for Photographers class in the Wajang Theater. Let me just say it is a very beginners class and even then I think it was more confusing for those new photographers then helpful. My only comment is I hope they don’t all start formatting their cards without backing up their photos! Our tablemate George was there and we had some nice conversation.

 

Before the photo class Cindy and I did our afternoon mile walk and we did a mile and a half. I felt good after that. Unfortunately the smell is still on the starboard side on the lower Promenade deck. The smell is only here and I do not smell it anywhere else. I noticed many people probably smell it because the starboard side chairs were almost empty and the port side was packed with people.

 

Dinner tonight was really wonderful. This is where I really like the set dining times and assigned seating. When you get tablemates like we did it makes dinner that much more wonderful. Today was the first day everyone is comfortable with each other and the conversation was wonderful. It’s funny how many people from different walks of life can get together and really just have fun. We have 3 ladies who are originally from Lithuania but live in St Petersburg, FL. We have a couple from New York and another couple from Palm City, CA. Then you have my friend Cindy from Atlanta and my mom and I are from San Diego. My mom is originally from Japan. It’s a good mix of people and we look forward to the rest of the nights we have. On top of that our wait staff is the best I have had in 4 cruises now.

 

Tonight’s food was also fabulous. I had the Brisket of Beef with Hodge Podge… I had no idea what hodge podge was but it was potatoes mashed together with carrots and I guess whatever else they had… The beef was excellent. Most of the table got the turkey and everyone loved it. The pea soup was also excellent. After dinner we all talked but we finally had to get out of there to get a seat at the show. Tonight was the magician James Galea but by the time we got to the show there was no seats available. So we went over to the piano bar and had a glass of wine while listening to Bob Berhalter. He sounded good but there was only a few people there so we decided to call it a night. I plan to go back out a little later but just wanted to do my report today. Tonight is the first round of the Zaandan Superstar and the Filipino crew show. Not sure I’ll make it that far though.

 

Until tomorrow…

 

Nobby

[nobbync]

Sounds like a great cruise so far. What shore excursions do you have planned?

 

Hello Susie51,

 

In Hilo we are doing the Secrets of Puna, in Kona we are doing the Kona Highlights in the moring and then I plan to do the Off the Beaten Path: Cloud Forrest in the PM by myself. In Honolulu I rented a car the first and we'll just hang out in the Waikiki area. The second day we have Ed Kos from KOS Tours for a 12 hour private Hummer tour. In Lahaina we just plan to walk around Lahaina and that's it. I'll make sure I give reports on all the tours but in port the updates might not come each day.

 

Nobby

[nobbync]

Walk down the halls on Deck three which seems to be mostly cabins; there are the most fantastic photos between cabins........black and white and historic. We hadn't seen them until the last three days when we moved to that deck. The glass doors there (which lead to the prom. deck) are so beautiful.

 

Hello KAYEF... Thanks so much for this tip. I haven't seen these photos and I plan to go there tonight...

 

Thank you!

 

Nobby

[KAYEF]

Too bad you missed James Galea; he's fantastic. We had 6:15 dining on the ten day part of our cruise and found getting a seat was very difficult. Guess the 5:45ers get them all!!;)

Anyhow, almost every night we'd go in on Deck 5 and it would be packed and I'd peak over the rail on the port side and there would be lots of seats (maybe 12 - 15) right in front on Deck 4 so we'd walk down those front stairs and have grand seats...............just a little hint to try.

On the last night (perhaps the night before you get to land) they had all of the performers do a bit of their act; this time he did cards that you absolutely canNOT believe/figure out. He did them on a table in front of the stage and what he was doing was shown on large screens on each side of the stage. There was NO way we could "catch" what he was doing. He will also do a short demo in the Wajang Theater earlier that day.

Glad you're having such a grand time. :)

[ON cruiser]

Nobby,

Thanks for all your information and answers, most helpful and informative. Hope you have time to enjoy the cruise and are not too busy writing to us! Re the bad smell, have you reported this to the front office? They should be investigating and doing what they can to ameliorate it. Just wondering if you--or anyone else that you know of--have done something "official" on this issue.

 

Continue to enjoy the lovely days at sea. Thanks to you, I am seriously considering an aromastone massage for our pending cruise!

 

Best regards,

[obriendan]

Nobby,

 

Thoroughly enjoying remembering our Circle Hawaii cruise last year by reading your excellent reports.

 

As you probably remember from your Navy days, for newbies onboard we were always able to convince a naive few that there was a mail buoy. Some were even talked into doing a mail buoy watch:D .

[Susie51]

Thanks for taking the time to do such detailed reports. Your shore excursions sound interesting. I'm glad you "hit it off" with your table mates.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I can't believe that a smell that bad is normal. It has been a few years - 5 - since we sailed on the Zaandam and I don't remember any smells.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for checking in.