Semi-live from Westerdam

[LindyLou2]

Thanks for your "semi-live" blog, RetiredMustang! Our Westerdam cruise starts on April 5 - just a little over 3 weeks away. Love your updates - keep `em coming. Did they start putting out trays in the Lido? It seems strange not to have them - doesn't it require several trips back and forth to the stations?

 

Looking forward to your next post(s)!

 

Linda

[hammybee]

Hello there,

Just stopping by to let you know I appreciate your taking the time to share your cruise with us.

[Crusing Bob]

Retired Mustang-enjoying your comments very much. October will make our 3rd time on the Westerdam so I guess you could say we love her.

 

Love your tux-where did you find the Caribbean bow tie and cumberbund?

 

Bob

[Bananas27]

You do look quite handsome! We too are sailing on the Westerdam next month. I am enjoying your blog very much. I can't wait to read tomorrow's entry! You didn't tell us which dessert you chose. We're all living vicariously here on land, you know!

[marle7]

Retired Mustang, (without anyone else jumping on the bandwagon please), could you find out where the current public areas are that are available to smoke in? Thanks!

[usha]

I know you said you weren't a big fan of the shows, but I'd like to invite you to see Joel Mason's Tribute to Elton John. He's on your cruise this week, and is pretty good. I'm not just sayin' that....no, really.:D

DH & I saw his show(s) last month, and really enjoyed it.:D

He's very talented on piano, and he's a funny guy!

[jbhcw]

Dave, love the tie and cummerbund and would also like to know where you got it!!! Think I could talk dh into wearing it:D

 

Enjoying your "semi-live from" as we were on the Westerdam in February and wish I was back on her now!!!

 

If would also recommend seeing Joel Mason, his Elton John show is probably the best cruise ship show I've ever seen, it's just great:):)

[dandro]

Thank you, Dave, for your "semi live" reports. We are going on our very first cruise on May 31st on the Westerdam. It's nice to know what to expect. That dining menu makes me drool! ;)

[RetiredMustang]

Lookin' pretty spiffy there Dave!! :D

 

 

Thanks, John! I clean up good, don't I? Cruising Bob -- DW dresses me well. We found the bow tie and cummerbund in the window of a specialty formalwear place in an underground shopping area near our home, and I commented that they looked cool. DW surprised me with them on my birthday. I suspect if you look at shops that specialize in tuxes and prom dresses near you, you could find even wilder colors and patterns. I noticed recently that the shop has a vest in the same pattern .... hmmm.

 

EltonJoelsMomager -- If you mean Joel Mason, he is on board now. I don't know if he will be on board March 29, but I will try to find out.

LindyLou2, Nope, no trays in the Lido. And I don't think it's causing many problems -- as I wrote earlier, those who are having difficulties are helped quickly by staff members. Yes, you may have to make a couple of trips, but we found ourselves doing that even when they provided trays. The food stations are a bit different than we are used to on Vista class ships, but we have not gone hungry yet (far from it!)

 

Today continued mostly overcast until early afternoon. We went on a morning snorkel trip to Round Cay reef, and then to Gibbs Cay to play with the stingrays. The water was choppy and not as bright as I would have liked, but we saw lots of fish at the reef, including a (we hoped) semi-tame Barry Barracuda, a meter-long (fat! if fish can be called fat) specimen that the boat crew said had been fed by humans since he was a small fry. I noticed they fed him before we gathered around. At Gibbs Cay, we walked into chest-deep water and fed the sting rays, and were able to stroke them, and hold them if we wanted. This was about the fourth time I had done so, both here at Grand Turk and at Stingray City on Grand Cayman. It's always a fun time with the rays.

 

I did not see any obvious damage remaining from the hurricane of late summer/early fall 2007, but we did not go into Cockburn Town, and did not do so in spring 2007 when we last visited, so I would not have any memory to compare with anyway. The cruise pier area, the reefs and the islets looked as great as we remembered.

 

A good joke from the captain. It may be an old one, but it was the first time we had heard it. Just before sailaway this afternoon, he updated us with the plan ahead, and said that some people had asked him what a "cay" was. He replied that a cay, or "key" as it is pronounced and sometimes spelled, was a low, sandy island. He said that, if it had kept to the meaning of the word,Grand Turk would not be Grand Turk Island, but he understood why they decided not to call it Grand Turk Cay.

 

I think I've done a better job of taking photos of tonight's menus, and will try to attach them. If I find that I have failed miserably in rendering a readable copy, I will re-type them tomorrow.

 

We set clocks back an hour tonight, and tomorrow is an at-sea day en route to Grand Cayman, which we are scheduled to visit on Thursday.

 

Tomorrow I hope is one of those relaxing, lazy wonderful days at sea that we enjoy so much. I'll either have a lot of pointless rambling observations to make, or I may just forget about you all tomorrow and melt into a puddle "reading" on deck or watching for flying fish. I really like it when I am watching the waves, and thinking, and watching, and thinking ... and then I wake up!

 

More later,

Dave

[Samsmom91]

Thanks so much Dave, for taking the time to clarify this. I will certainly do as you suggest and hit the library as soon as I can. Samsmom, what time are you boarding :D:p

 

Bonnie

 

Hey Bonnie,

We hope to be able to board as soon as they allow. We are driving down the night before and staying at the La Quinta that night. As I understand your not allowed in the port before 11am? So that is when we are shooting for. Why, wanna race to the Library:cool:. JK. The books are more for my Mom than myself. I'll probably just bring a few paperbacks. We probably should move our conversations back to roll call so we don't mess up this great thread! :eek: Catch ya there ok?

Debbie

[RetiredMustang]

Well, my difficulty in posting menus looks like not so much a problem with my camera skills as it is with the size of files that CC uploads. Below are Tuesday's menus in text format:

 

Tuesday dinner menu

Appetizers

- Watermlon Cocktail - Bathed in a zippy orange mint sauce

- Sweet Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella - Drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar and virgin olive oil under a basil chiffonade and served with fresh foccacia bread

- Tuna Tartar with Prawn - Sushi-grade tuna and a jumbo prawn marinated in orange, lime, onion and cumin

- Beet and Chili Quesadillas - Oven-roasted baby beets with jalapeno and Poblano peppers in a flour tortilla

 

Soups and Salads

- Caribbean Fish Chowder - Caribbean fish, roasted red pimientos, cream, potato, celery and diced pumpkin

- Pasta Fagiloi - Tuscan-style beans and macaroni soup with aromatic herbs and vegetables in a rich nourishing broth

- Chilled Apple Vichyssoise - With a kick of apple brandy, sprinkled with diced Granny Smith apples

- Californian Gourmet Greens - Toasted pecans, sun-warmed cherry tomatoes, and fresh orange segments

 

Entrees

- Home-made Lasagna - Oven-baked layers of tender pasta, meat, cheese and tomato sauce

- Caribbean "Jerk" Chicken Breast - Island-spiced and served with seasoned three-bean ragout, golden-grilled pineapple spears and leeks with pearl onions

- Korean Kalbi Beef Short Ribs - Soy and ginger marinated beef short ribs, broiled and served with lemongrass steamed jasimine rice and sauteed greens

- Calf's Liver With Apples and Bacon - Thinly-sliced and sauteed, topped with caramelized onions and served on a bed of suateed spinach and with a crispy potato pancake

- Seared Corvina Fish - Nestled next to cocotte potatoes and topped with fresh arugula and cherry tomato salad in a zesty lemon dressing

- Santa Fe Salad - Lime-marinated turkey, fresh corn, black beans, cheese, tortilla strips, tomato and mixed lettuces with a spicy peanut cilantro vinaigrette

- Asian Vegetable Noodles - Chinese soba noodles tossed wtih scallions, bell pepper, snow peas and sesame oil

 

Tuesday dessert menu

- Key Lime pie - The real deal, incomparably refreshing and tartly bracing, in a unique pie crust

- Chocolate Avalanche Cake - "Boulders" of chocolate-drenched cake enriched with a fudge sauce

- Strawberries Pavlova - A sweetly crisp meringue basked with whipped cream and freshly sliced strawberries

- Caramel Peach Melba - Sweetened peaches swirled in a carmael and raspberry sauce with Peachtree liquer. Served with vanilla ice cream

- Strawberry Shortcake - Glazed sliced strawberries capped wth airy whipped cream and served on a light buttermilk biscuit

- Sliced Fruit Plate

- Assorted Cheese Plate

 

Dave

Edited March 11, 2009 by RetiredMustang

[Krazy Kruizers]

Am enjoying cruising along with you.

[WholeWheat]

 

Please tell me he will still be on board for the March 29 Westerdam sailing so that I can finally see his show :o:D

 

Bonnie

 

He'll be there (until April 19).

[waiting2retire]

Woohoo! :D:D Now I'm even more excited about this cruise! Thanks for the inside info :)

 

Bonnie

[RetiredMustang]

The Internet speed sure slowed down this morning, I suppose as because it is a sea day, no one is ashore and everybody decided to check their e-mail. The connection has been pretty good, but there is a finite pipe the ship gets from the shore, and if enough people are on it slows way down.

 

EltonJoelsMomager -- I checked with the front office, and Joel Mason will be on Westerdam the March 29 sailing, and a couple sailings after that. I see you also got that info -- super!

 

We asked if Westerdam had an I-pod art tour like Noordam does. The answer was no, so we just are wandering looking at the art pieces around the ship. We also like to do what we call the Grand Prix of Staircases, where we ride the elevator to the top and walk down, checking the art in the staircases and by the landings on the way down. We've seen the Stephen Card paintings of current and previous Westerdams, as well as a Westerland and a Westerdyke, and the Princess Margriet, all in the forward staircase. The midships staircase is a mixture of old prints and some art pieces. We haven't made the aft staircase yet.

 

We did attend a very informative coffee chat with the Hotel Manager Marco Van Belleghem and the culinary manager Stephen this morning. They had a series of very interesting (to us at least) slides showing various storerooms, laundry facilities, crew mess areas, etc. -- most of the stuff we've always wondered what they looked like.

 

Marco had an interesting story. He was HM on Noordam earlier this year, when CNN came aboard to do their piece. I know there is another thread going that talks about the CNN piece, but have not read all of it yet. Marco said that HAL has started a program in Seattle and Fort Lauderdale to collect the Elemis products leftover in the staterooms and donate them to the rescue shelters in the cities. It's good to know that the leftovers are going to a good cause.

 

We did not get a questionnaire about our number of sailings days and I had not seen anything about a Mariner event, so while I was at the front desk asking about Joel Mason, I asked about that as well. The young lady told me that the computer lists we verified last year was what they used, and they only sent questionnaires to those they were unsure of their level of award. Since we received our bronze medallions a couple of cruises ago and are nowhere near silver level yet (but working on it!), they did not send us a questionnaire. She said the invitations to the Mariner event would be going out shortly. I forgot to ask if W'dam holds a luncheon like Noordam does, or if they do something different. We'll find out soon, I suppose.

 

I've started writing down some things I've noticed that have changed, for the better in most cases, and will talk more in detail later in a kind of round-up; I'll jot down notes as I go. But, I think in many cases, the changes happened because HAL listened to us, not so much the CC threads probably, but from the customer feedback they get. So, if you like something, tell them so.

 

Stephen did say that HAL/Carnival was still in the asking and appraising stage of any changes to the smoking policy, and that changes may indeed be coming, but he couldn't say what they might be. We have noticed that the casino is smoking on this sailing, but the Ocean Bar appears to be all non-smoking.

 

Well, time to check out the deck sale and see if I can nab a ball cap or something, and I'm sure it's been at least an hour since I had anything to eat :D, so I'll stop here.

 

More later,

Dave

[Krazy Kruizers]

He'll be there (until April 19).

 

Darn!!

I was hoping he would stay on for our cruise.

We have seen him several times and have always enjoyed his shows.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I think once we get on the Westerdam we will have our concierge check our days -- this ship fouled them up last year when we were on her.

Thanks for the updates.

[Bananas27]

Thanks for the update! I'll be thinking about you when I have my grilled cheese and canned soup for dinner...

[jrzebird]

Thanks for the update! I'll be thinking about you when I have my grilled cheese and canned soup for dinner...

 

Yeah, I had tacos tonight and can't help but think that I could be eating in the Pinnacle. :rolleyes:

 

In any event, I am thoroughly enjoying this thread! Thank you so much!

[Two@Sea]

I know you said you weren't a big fan of the shows, but I'd like to invite you to see Joel Mason's Tribute to Elton John. He's on your cruise this week, and is pretty good. I'm not just sayin' that....no, really.:D

 

I'm guessing you're his mother... right? :D

 

(Especially since you seemed to KNOW he would be on Westerdam to April 19th. I make my kids keep me informed, too! :))

[hogwildcruzers]

Really enjoying your semi-live Dave, look forward to reading more....we will be on the Westerdam in Oct.....one thing I would also like to know is about the luncheon and if they are going to hand out the tiles.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[WholeWheat]

I'm guessing you're his mother... right? :D

 

 

Guilty:p

I had hoped to be joining Joel this week, but it just didn't work out. Sure is great to read about what's going on there through RetiredMustang! Anxiously awaiting the next report.

[RetiredMustang]

We had a very lazy and relaxing afternoon yesterday. We did manage to hit the deck sale (not much that we were interested in), and finished the Grand Prix of Staircases with the aft staircase, which has mainly black and white reproductions of old ship and nautical theme prints, as well as a couple of oil still-lifes.

 

We spent most of the afternoon watching for flying fish, either from our balcony or strolling the promenade deck. There were several activities available for the more energetic, including pool games, diamond and other gem seminars, a wine tasting, Texas Hold'Em and blackjack tournaments in the casino, trivia, digital camera workshops, the Royal Dutch Tea Service (too dangerous!), the art acution, culinary demonstrations and a talk about pirates in the new Travel Guide series. We had attended one of the Travel Guid talks earlier, about reef life, and while the subject was interesting and the lecturer knowledgeable, she unfortunately is not a good public speaker. She's on again this afternoon to talk about pre and post-European Caribben history, which sounds like something we would enjoy if we return from Grand Cayman in time. We're scheduled on an island tour, including a trip to Hell.

 

Hogwildcruzers - No word yet on a Mariner event, but we suspect they will hold it on the last at-sea day Saturday.

 

I tried emulating pipedreams and Copper 10-8 by pasting photos of the menus directly into the body of the posting instead of as attachments, but couldn't make it work (maybe I should have gone to a digital workshop yesterday instead of staring at the sapphire-blue Caribbean).

 

At any rate, here are Wednesday's menus:

 

Dinner menu

 

Appetizers

- Supreme of Fruit Galliano - Seasonal fruit gently folded with a sweet vanilla herbal liquer, with lime accents

- Grilled Eggplant with Olives - Olives and eggplant slowly braised in garlic-tomato concasse' and flavored with basil, garnished with feta chesse crumbles

- Vodka Gravlax - Salmon cured with vodka, kosher salt, sugar, dill and fresh peppercorns served with a mellow honey mustard dill dressing

- Chicken Brochettes with Rum and Lime - Marinated with tropical fruits, garlic and chili, served with a mango-banana rum sauce

Soups and Salads

- Dos Frijoles Soup - Spicy, full-bodied two-bean soup with a zesty twist of orange

- Grandmother's Beef Broth with Vegetable Soup - Clear broth with vermicelli, brunoise of root vegetables and tiny meatballs

- Chilled Coconut Nutmeg Soup - A blend of coconut, yogurt, milk and vanilla finished with a dash of nutmeg

- Hearts of Romaine Lettuce Nicoise - Flakes of tuna, crisp green beans, cucumbers, sun-ripened tomatoes, red onion rings and tender diced potato, marinated in a fesh oregano vinaigrette

 

Entrees

- Meat Tortellini with Sauteed Spinach - Olive oil, garlic, julienne of bell peppers, scallions and fresh spinach sauteed together with hearty stuffed pasta and a Roman tomato basil sauce

- Chicken Breast wtih Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Basil Leaves - Served with San Francisco-style brown rice, balsamic tomato concassee' and roasted root vegetables

- Grilled Sirloin Steak with Charred Button Onions - Served with grilled vegetables and olive oil red skin mashed potatoes

- Weiner Schnitzel - Breaded veal scallopini, lightly sauteed, topped with a garnish of lemon, tomato, anchovy and hard-boiled egg, served with vegetable medly and lyonnaise potatoes

-Seared basa Fish Filet With Caribben Vegetable Salsa - A delicate fish, hand-rubbed with island spices, and presented with Caribbean vegetable salsa, corn medley and brown rice

- Blackened Chicken Caesar - Crisp romaine tossed with cramy garlic dressing, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and crunchy seasoned croutons, topped with slices of blackened grilled chicken breast

- Vegetarian Chimichanga - On Spanish-style rice with chayote in chipotle oil and onion rings

 

Dessert

- Zuppa Inglese - Slices of sponge cake dipped in sweet wine, then layered with whipped cream, diced candied fruit, and topped with a toasted meringue

- Warm Chocolate Pudding - Seductive and spicy topped with chocolate sauce and accented with ripe berry sauce

- Pina Colada Creme Brule' - A tropical twist to this classic French dessert

- Bananas Foster - Sliced bananas sauteed in a brown sugar caramel sauce served with a rich vanilla sauce and a sprinkling of creme de banana

- Mixed Berry Tart - Individual tartlet topped with fresh mixed berries.

- Sliced Fruit Plate

- Assorted Cheese Plate

 

More later,

Dave

[Bananas27]

Wow! I'd have to have 2 desserts today. Do you know if they have menu items that are always available? My teenagers only like steak. :confused:

[Susie51]

Dave, thank you for posting. My mom will be on Westerdam April 12. I'm going to encourage her to see Joel's show. I love the tux pic. Awesome!