Live From The Noordam With Tomc

[cruz4evr]

Tom, I enjoyed your live reports from the Noordam immensely. You could make even mundane activities sound interesting! :D

[tomc]

For those who like to know who's running the joint, here is a list of the ship's crew from the back of the "Cruise Log" we received.

 

Commander: Captain John Scott

Hotel Manager: Rene Tuinman

Chief Officer: Eric van der Wal

Chief Engineer: John Hughes

Environmental Officer: Cornelius Kant

 

Cruise Director: Drew Murdock

Security Officer: Edwin Medina

Purser: Junaedi Dedi

Culinary Ops Manager: Darren Lewis

Chief Housekeeper: Edward Sarmiento

 

Guest Relations: Judy Shepheard

Exec Chef: Martin Kusin

Dining Room Manager: Wawan Kartawan

Beverage Manager: Marc Spijkerboer

Internet Manager: Robert Perozak

[Copper10-8]

Hey Tom, good to hear you're back home! I enjoyed reading your "Life from" posts, always entertaining! :D Take care and be safe!

[Susie51]

Thank you, TomC for continuing to post. I don't have another cruise booked right now so your live posts have been very helpful getting me through "the post traumatic syndrome" of not cruising and no cruise booked.

[tomc]

"the post traumatic syndrome"

Is that the syndrome for when my posts are traumatic?

[tomc]

(Unless someone has any questions or I've missed something.)

 

I think I've pretty much covered things and the new cruisers can take over from me.

 

Here are just a few final remarks from the "Cruise Log" sheet we get at the end of the cruise.

 

"Saturday, January 30, New York.

4:50 pm. Noordam lets go of all lines.

6:24pm. Commence sea voyage."

 

My thoughts: It took this long to get moving after getting loose from the dock? What the **** was going on up at the bridge? Big fight over who was going to drive the car? Guys trying to figure out which way was downriver? Discussion as to whether this was a Caribbean or NE/C or Trans cruise? I mean, come on, an hour an a half to get the barge in motion?

 

"Sunday, January 27, at sea.

112:00nn. Fresh north westerly gale, rough sea, moderate swell."

 

My thoughts: The chaplain was hearing confessions, the band was playing "Nearer, My God, To Thee" and it being formal night, people were wearing tuxes and gowns under their lifebelts.

 

"Tuesday, January 29, Road Town, Tortola.

3:02pm. Noordam safely docked."

 

My thoughts: If you saw "Speed 2: Cruise Control," you will know approx how the captain brought the ship in. We docked, ok. About two blocks in.

 

At the end, it shows the mileage and average speed from one port to another, then it shows the total distance and the average speed.

Total Distance = 3716.2 nautical miles

Total Speed = 113.71 knots

 

I'm not making this up. The old gal went 113.71 knots, according to what we received. We looked like one of those flat racing boats at times, with a rooster tail wake coming up from the stern. No wonder we made up a seven-hour delay from that medivac event off Puerto Rico. I wonder if headquarters knows anything about this? Captain "Speedy" Scott is one heck of a mariner.

 

This post and thread, now over, came to you live from the world of tomc.

[Peggy Sue]

Really enjoyed reading your cruise log ..thank you for sharing your wit and humor! Sorry the voyage is over!! Glad you enjoyed your cruise, welcome home!

 

Thanks again,

Peggy

[Suesan Jean]

Tom, if you use your own personal Lap Top on the Noordam, is the price per minute the same as if you were using the ship's computers...???

 

Did you use a Lap Top....??? If you did, WHERE was the best wireless location....???

 

Thank You for your answers....!!!:)

 

I REALLY ENJOYED your daily posts.....!!! :D

 

THEY WERE GREAT.....!!!:D

[Suesan Jean]

Tom, if you use your own personal Lap Top on the Noordam, is the price per minute the same as if you were using the ship's computers...???

 

Did you use a Lap Top....??? If you did, WHERE was the best wireless location....???

 

Thank You for your answers....!!!:)

 

I REALLY ENJOYED your daily posts.....!!! :D

 

THEY WERE GREAT.....!!!:D

[tomc]

Let me answer both of your posts at the same time. ;)

 

I do not own a laptop, but used the company internet room, after writing (on paper, in the Lido) what I was going to post.

 

As far as I know, internet time is standard for everyone: You pay the same amount when you are online. The benefit I hear is with a laptop you can download to the company machine faster and save $$. But someone else will have to answer that one for you.

 

There are poor, good, better and best wireless locations around the ship. Again, someone with experience will have to answer that for you.

 

I'm a great help, hey? :confused:

[NYCsurfer]

Let me answer both of your posts at the same time. ;)

 

I do not own a laptop, but used the company internet room, after writing (on paper, in the Lido) what I was going to post.

 

As far as I know, internet time is standard for everyone: You pay the same amount when you are online. The benefit I hear is with a laptop you can download to the company machine faster and save $$. But someone else will have to answer that one for you.

 

There are poor, good, better and best wireless locations around the ship. Again, someone with experience will have to answer that for you.

 

I'm a great help, hey? :confused:

 

I was on the 1/26 cruise with my laptop. I got wireless in my stateroom(7035) though it was slow. I used the internet room computers as well. They were faster, but nowhere near a high-speed connection. It does not matter when, where or which computer you use, the cost is the same.

[bUU]

From the current LIVE FROM thread...

A note about the Internet service: You do pay the same amount for online time, regardless of whether or not you use their computers or your own laptop. I highly recommend the latter. The computers in the Explorations Lounge are severely restricted. No right-click. No Ctrl-N to launch an extra window. No Firefox. No IE7 with tabs. With my own laptop, I'm able to launch multiple windows and tabs, and have them all load simultaneously, thereby optimizing my alloted time. I'm finding, though, that 100 hours would probably have been enough. (We opted for the longer 250 hour service... probably a waste of money, given our usage so far.)

[ittibit]

Tom, have you booked your next cruise??? No matter who it is with, or when, I want to read your "live from" posting. What a stitch. By the way, where was it that you watched the stars? We walked all over the ship trying to find somewhere dark enough. We thoroughly enjoyed all that you wrote. Please, let us know when you will be cruising next, we need the laugh since we just got home yesterday from the 2/6 roller coaster code red cruise:eek:

[Planetsis]

I can't answer to where TomC watched the stars, but I had amazing views of the stars right from my balony on the 8th deck on the clear nights. Living outside Boston, I rarely get to see stars and then only the brightest ones, but I saw Orion very clearly just about every night. It's a little ritual of mine to say goodnight to the stars when I'm on a cruise ship. Simply stunning to look at.

 

I should add that my neighbors were polite and turned off their balcony lights, which assisted in viewing the stars.

[mamaofami]

We saw the stars from our 5th floor aft cabin. We watched sail away from Tortola after having room service dinner that night. It was beautiful out there. We tried to take a picture of the moon, but just couldn't capture it.

[tomc]

I was on the Observation Deck. I pulled a deck lounge as close to the deflection shield as I could without badly obstructing my view forward, then lay down with my knees and lower legs over the end of the lounge chair (or whatever you call them). That way, I was flat and my head was not on an angle.

 

I was in that "way forward" position so all Observation Deck lights (six of them) would be as far behind me as possible. I had a 9x12 envelope with me, which I used to shield the light on my left, and comfortably positioned my right arm to shield the light on my right. It was so comfortable that I fell asleep.

 

The shielding cut out just about all the ambient light and I could just gaze up (or out, depending on your view of the universe). It was wonderful to see the glory of Creation.

[tomc]

Tom, have you booked your next cruise??? No matter who it is with, or when, I want to read your "live from" posting. What a stitch.

Yes, I have, quite some time ago. Well, it was supposed to be on the Noordam in October, r/t NYC to the Caribbean, but they cancelled it due to high fuel costs and now I am on the Maasdam. It's a b2b Boston-Mtl-Boston, August 30-Sept 6-Sept 13.

 

I genuinely appreciate your comments on my humor. I never know what I'm going to write about, or how I will make it light and funny. But I love doing it and am truly amazed at the number of hits the thread gets.

 

As the interdenominational minister once said, "It's more fun than sects."

[ittibit]

I was on the Observation Deck. I pulled a deck lounge as close to the deflection shield as I could without badly obstructing my view forward, then lay down with my knees and lower legs over the end of the lounge chair (or whatever you call them). That way, I was flat and my head was not on an angle.

 

I was in that "way forward" position so all Observation Deck lights (six of them) would be as far behind me as possible. I had a 9x12 envelope with me, which I used to shield the light on my left, and comfortably positioned my right arm to shield the light on my right. It was so comfortable that I fell asleep.

 

The shielding cut out just about all the ambient light and I could just gaze up (or out, depending on your view of the universe). It was wonderful to see the glory of Creation.

 

Thank you for the full explanation!!! We never could figure out how you blocked out all the lights. Now we know. Your posts do effect lots of us. Go figure...we walked all over the ship trying to figure out where you watched the stars!:D We pictured you writing from that big table in the Lido. We vicariously enjoyed your cruise while waiting for ours. Thanks again. Barb

[RuthC]

Now that we're both home from our respective cruises I've had the opportunity to re-read your journal without the pressure that $0.40/minute generates.

This may have been your best-ever "Live from ..." thread. :D I can't imagine how you'll top it, but I also bet you'll try. ;)

It's also gotten me to thinking about your itineraries over the last few years. In the past you've done several NE/Canada cruises, followed now by several Caribbean cruises.

If you had the choice of sailing out of/returning to NYC, same length cruise, which one would you pick?

Or is there some other itinerary you'd want HAL to offer? Like...?

[innlady1]

Now that we're both home from our respective cruises I've had the opportunity to re-read your journal without the pressure that $0.40/minute generates.

This may have been your best-ever "Live from ..." thread. :D I can't imagine how you'll top it, but I also bet you'll try. ;)

 

It's also gotten me to thinking about your itineraries over the last few years.

In the past you've done several NE/Canada cruises, followed now by several Caribbean cruises.

If you had the choice of sailing out of/returning to NYC, same length cruise, which one would you pick?

Or is there some other itinerary you'd want HAL to offer? Like...?

 

Tomc's journal was great, wasn't it, RuthC? I've loved every minute...he's a keeper! :D

[tomc]

RuthC --

In the past you've done several NE/Canada cruises, followed now by several Caribbean cruises. If you had the choice of sailing out of/returning to NYC, same length cruise, which one would you pick? Or is there some other itinerary you'd want HAL to offer? Like...?

Thanks for the nice words; I do my best to make the cruise diary entertaining.

 

I took the Caribbean cruises because the ship left from nearby NYC. If you put a gun to my head and forced me to be honest, I'd have to say I don't care that much for the warmer parts of the world. Being a "ship" person, rather than a "ports" person, I pretty much stay on board and enjoy my luxurious floating hotel. =snaps fingers= "Waiter, peel me another grape, please."

 

Where was I? Oh, yes, the two areas I've cruised.

 

I much prefer the NE/C cruises. First, I like cooler areas; second, I like the calm and quiet atmosphere of NE/C; third, I get to visit my family in Quebec City; fourth, I get to stand on the back deck, tea mug in hand, and watch everybody head for the Gerry Lou buses while I check the lunch menu in preparation for the second part of my b2b.

 

"bong Bong BONG. Will all peons with number cards 28 please get off the ship now and let tomc stand on the back deck like some dictator greeting the crowds in Red Square?"

 

Ah, the glory.

 

The downside is having to take the 4:00am in the morning bus from here to NYC, then the train to Boston. Not good; not. Coming home isn't that bad, as the connections are better, but it's still a long day.

 

This may well be more than you really wanted to know. Life's rough and nobody cares.

[tomc]

I forgot -- other itineraries:

 

Anything 10-12 days r/t out of NYC. Newport, Boston, Portland or Bar Harbor (BH is limiting ships to avoid horrid congestion in its downtown), Halifax; things like that.

[mybagsarepacked]

And some of us think that even one Kinkaid is overkill.:eek:

 

I second that emotion....!

[mybagsarepacked]

Tom,

Your reports and pithy humor were so fresh and amusing. I loved every word and read them aloud to my husband who laughed right along with me....

 

I am a writer, and you have inspired me to do one of these crazy things on my upcoming cruise.

 

Now, for my request. Can you please add your upcoming cruises to your signature so I can see what cruises you are on that I may book? You are hilarious and I would love to hang out with you.

 

People like you are the reason I love cruising. For the most part, most of the passengers are a blast. I love your wit and your take on the world, and I love that you don't take yourself or the world too seriously. It will keep you young.

Stacy

[RuthC]

Tomc's journal was great, wasn't it, RuthC? I've loved every minute...he's a keeper! :D

Yeah, it was, Sheila. I've been following Tom's journals since he started them in '01, and enjoyed all of them thoroughly.

I had the great good fortune to meet Tom on the Rotterdam in '02, and the better fortune to become friends. :)

Tom, thanks for the reply. I suspected you would prefer a northern direction, but also realize that any direction is better than not going at all.