Jump to content

Hello from Volendam!


bepsf

Recommended Posts

Hi Brian - Got your onboard phone call - My comment about the "rough seas" was "Are you traveling by rail?":eek: :eek: "Calling ralph" or looking for "Buick:eek: " - Hope the terraine smooths out and you have a great time

Nana & Apa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A quick bon voyage message....

 

Sailed away this afternoon to brave winds, which seemed to rock the ship! However, we are now on our way to HMC!!!!

 

All of the crew, and the CCers appear to be in good spirits! (I know I am!)

 

My suite (7052) is cool (no AC problem) and I must thank the Bible-feeder for the Wine Card that I discovered earlier today! :D Thankyouverymuch!!!

 

All is well (as far as i can tell!) aboard the lovely Volendam. And all the characters (!) are situated!! More to follow, I'm sure!

 

Thanks to all for you well-wishes!

 

Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also posting a quick "hello!"

Got aboard just fine and things are going well.

The Volendam is in lovely shape! Dinner was good and service was excellent. But, most especially, it was great seeing many old CCer friends, and meeting some new ones (like Paul!).

 

The seas out of Fort Lauderdale were rough, but things quieted down rather quickly and we had a nice, smooth dinner. Ruth ... we remembered you at our table and offered up a chocolate toast to you! We wish you were here!

 

I'll have more to report tomorrow after we're back from HMC. The report is that we should be able to go ashore!

 

Oh ... on the AC ... my cabin is a bit on the warm side, though it has cooled down some tonight. I've complained but it's not so bad that I can't sleep in it. If it's still not cooled down sufficiently tomorrow, I'll will start complaining more loudly. Overall, the ship is in lovely shape and the AC is working well most places. Take care, all!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope they get your A/C fixed, Greg. That can put a damper on a nice cruise. It sounds like all are queued up to have a great time.

 

Glad you've met Paul. We had the pleasure of sailing the Prinsendam together a few years ago. Nice guy.

 

Y'all don't do anything that will land you in the brig! (I worry about this group!) ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since the Air conditioning problem was brought up, we are just off the Volendam - cabin 7065 a Verandah Suite. Although we complained about the A/C the first night, no one got around to fixing it and it was difficult to sleep. We complained about the A/C the second day and this time they sent someone. It was a little better. Now we guessed it was down to 73-74. They came again a few days later, measured the temperature and it was 73.5. Fixed again and now it was down to 71.5. (Why couldn't they do that the first time). We just gave up and settled for 71.5 - it was acceptable but not what we would have preferred. They offered to send someone again. I am wondering what kind of game this is.

 

Hotel Manger take note - Everyone was talking about the temps in their cabins in the ladies room. Our neighbors said the same thing as us - the temps are just acceptable. What ever happened to a thermostat where you can adjust the temperature and not have to call engineering.

 

(I think I'll start a new thread about this).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since the Air conditioning problem was brought up, we are just off the Volendam - cabin 7065 a Verandah Suite. Although we complained about the A/C the first night, no one got around to fixing it and it was difficult to sleep. We complained about the A/C the second day and this time they sent someone. It was a little better. Now we guessed it was down to 73-74. They came again a few days later, measured the temperature and it was 73.5. Fixed again and now it was down to 71.5. (Why couldn't they do that the first time). We just gave up and settled for 71.5 - it was acceptable but not what we would have preferred. They offered to send someone again. I am wondering what kind of game this is.

 

Hotel Manger take note - Everyone was talking about the temps in their cabins in the ladies room. Our neighbors said the same thing as us - the temps are just acceptable. What ever happened to a thermostat where you can adjust the temperature and not have to call engineering.

 

(I think I'll start a new thread about this).

 

I sure hope these endemic A/C Problems are fixed on the Volendam by the 23rd!!! I can not sleep very well in 74 degree plus temperatures and if I don’t sleep well, I am sure going to make sure the front desk manager doesn’t sleep either as I will be calling them every 5 minutes to complain.:eek:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Crystal

So glad you found the wine card that I left in 7052!! So glad it was someone from CC - I guess we are the ones with the Bible trick!

 

I really drank more wine than there are punches, but my wine steward was very generous and never punched it in the evenings so I thought some one should get some use from it!! He also never charged me corkage fees in the DR when I brought down a couple of bottles brought from shopping in port.

 

Have a great time and here's a toast to the Volendam!! I fortunately never had trouble with the A/C in that room. All in all, our Panama Canal cruise was great! Hope yours is, too!

Kathy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello friends - Just wanted to wish you the best time time on your Volendam Canal adventure. John & I sure wish we could be there with you. Looking forward to reading all about it. ;)

 

...and picked up a few Duckies too. ........ and a Belgian Chocolate Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache for myself, washed down with plenty of Chianti Classico....

 

I must have missed something. What are the duckies for? :confused:

 

And John says no fair. He was absolutely drooooooling when I described your cheesecake dessert to him. :D

 

Wow ... Brian and Scotty have been busy boys! Is Scotty going to be wearing the Paisley Dinner Jacket with his leather pants?????? ;)

 

Greg - Will you post that picture, pretty please?

 

 

Suggestions where I might find a new vest for Sonny's tux? I have had no luck finding anything that isn't bo-ring! I so love your blue one... :)

 

Laura - I've done pretty well on eBay for formalwear, for both of us. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Everyone Onboard!!!! Have a great cruise. Wish we could have been there to join in the fun! Guess someone has to stay home and work on "keeping your good reputations intact" :D . Enjoy every minute and keep us posted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all! Thanks for the ongoing reports. I have my fingers crossed that you are enjoying that BBQ lunch on HMC as I type (or maybe digesting it, by now). Please give us a report on how things are on HMC post-Noel. Hope you were able to go ashore and had a FABULOUS day.:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was, indeed, a wonderful day ashore at HMC!

The Island is in great shape ... very little damage, though there is a bit of beach erosion. It was still lovely.

 

I have pictures to download from the camera, and I promise to upload some tonight. We all had a blast! Crystal (Paul) Christopher and myself were in the Terra Cotta Cabana while Scotty, Brian, and the girls had the Red Cabana. And, BOY, was it a red day ... as in "red face!" at the dancing, the drinking, and the fun that went on over there! <wink wink, nudge nudge> It was a fun day, though a little quieter, in the Terra Cotta Cabana ... a more sedate, but still wonderful time, was had, while also enjoying the antics of our neighbors! :D

 

De-tails will follow. Trust me ... they will ... to the highest bidder! :D ;)

 

In truth, it was a great day. And HMC is lovely ... as always!

 

A note on the AC ... last night it was acceptable ... a tad warm, but not uncomfortably so so long as I slept on top of my bed's covers. But, while we were ashore, the staff came in and fixed the AC. There's actually chilled air blowing out of the vent, now ... whereas before there was barely a hint of cool area. So ... things are improving in that department.

 

I'll report back soon with photos and such. Just wanted everybody to know how great it was and that HMC weathered Noel without too much trouble! The only things that were cancelled were the glass-bottom boat and the stingray city ... these activities were cancelled due to water damage and too much silt in the water.

 

Thank you, everyone, for your kind thoughts and remarks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great news! Thanks so much for the report, Greg. Glad you're having such a good time. Looking forward to seeing your photos (but not as much as I am to boarding Westerdam three weeks from today!:D ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Bon Voyage!

Colder n' a mother-in-law's love up in the Pacific Northwest; I hope your weather is more agreeable! Can't find a webcam operable on the Volendam, but Doppler indicates you're enjoying some fair-weather sailing.

 

Isn't it time for a Wang-Wang?!

 

Bye for now;

 

Jeph

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, we had quite the adventure on HMC today!

 

I had one too many Wang-Wangs last night. Now I know why they’re called Wang-Wangs: That’s what your head feels like the next am “Wang-Wang-Wang…”

(Don’t worry Nana, I’m fine now…)

 

Our steward Danno (sic) collected us from 7086 at 9.30 am – Scotty, Janice, Monica, Adele and myself. There were balloons placed on our stateroom doors overnight – I guess to indicate that we had the Butler package?

 

Anyways, off we trooped to the tender dock, boarded the boat and noticed all the yellow duckies tied to the rails up on Deck 6 & 7 – Obviously the Duckies are aboard… ;)

 

We were driven to Cabana 14 – the Red Cabana – where the table was set with linens and china, and we had a full refrigerator of cool drinks, and a plate of fruit, chips/salsa/guacamole to nibble on before lunch.

 

About 11.30, different lunch courses were brought to our cabana: Filet Mignon w grilled vegetables, Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad, Lobster Sandwiches, Gazpacho served in whole pineapples (not necessarily in that order) – culminated with some uber-rich Chocolate Cake w/ Ganache Frosting (Hi Ruthless!) The waiters took excellent care of us all day long – but I think it might have been because we had so much fun: We brought iPods and speakers so we danced and caroused (I’m sure Greg will post the socially acceptable pix later ;) )

 

Greg, Christopher and Paul were in the Terracotta cabana next to us – just gazing at the silliness next door. We would wander into the incredibly blue water with our glasses of champagne and wander out again. We had dancing & carousing and visits from various new friends from the ship, including BillsRobb.

 

I highly recommend booking the butler package, especially if you get one of the higher-numbered cabanas as the food areas are quite far away – we felt sorry for the neighbors at the far end of the beach with us who had to traipse back and forth to fetch their own food and drink.

 

 

 

Famous Person Alert:

 

Mr. Richard Dreyfus is aboard, and he’s the talk of the ship. As we were returning to 7086, we ran into him in the corridor. Nice fellow – I heard last night that he may be doing a Q&A later in the week – I don’t know if it’s exclusively for one of the groups aboard or if it will be opened to all guests. I want to know if he still swims in the ocean since the shark attacks and the capsizing ships…

 

From the “It Could Only Happen to Me” Department:

 

Scotty and I asked the bellman at the hotel to get us a taxi to the pier yesterday. When the bellman came into the lobby to fetch us, there was no taxi: It was a big new black Lincoln. Needless to say, it was a “Good Thing” since we needed the extra space because of all the luggage, etc. (The bellman looked at our 8 or 9 bags and asked how long we were cruising for: “10 days, maybe more…”) The car only cost $20 buckeroos – no more than a regular taxi fare.

 

 

Ship Maintenance:

 

There are no A/C issues, the water tastes good, the toilets flush, the showers maintain the requested temperature, the food comes out warm and the wireless internet works just fine from 7086. Volendam is in Dam-Good shape, as is HMC – no damage that I could tell from the recent storms, just a bit of excess seaweed on the beautiful white sand beaches.

 

Oh, and we met a nice young man who works for HAL at embarkation: he has been traveling from ship to ship implementing the As You Wish Dining which will begin on Volendam the cruise after this one - a smart move on HAL’s part considering this group… I asked if he would be kind enough to join us at our Meet & Greet tomorrow AM to tell the gang about AYW. Hmmm - I hope he wears a flak vest…

 

OK, the laundry has been picked up so I’m off to the Lido for a little refreshment – may pop by the spa to book a haircut, etc for tomorrow, our first day at sea.

 

BTW – You may have noticed a new poster here: NanaApa That’s my M&D who are joining me for their first cruise on the Eurodam Inaugural – I wish they were here to enjoy this trip and I want to thank them both for being such great parents and teaching me to appreciate the finer things in life.

I love you both.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTW – You may have noticed a new poster here: NanaApa That’s my M&D who are joining me for their first cruise on the Eurodam Inaugural –

I noticed and I wondered. And now I know! :)

NanaApa, I'm looking forward to meeting you on the E-dam. (And I must tell you what a delightful son you raised. Good job. ;) )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic! Say, would the HAL embarkation guy happen to be Louis? We met him years ago and always enjoyed seeing him when we'd return to a European port. He must have changed his e-mail address, as they bounce back. I heard he might not be doing Europe any longer. Just curious where he is now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...