Semi-live from Westerdam

[RuthC]

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:

Good news! Your teens won't starve! :D

I can't remember everything on the "Always Available" menu, but it does include onion soup, sirloin steak, grilled chicken breast, salmon, and baked potato.

[YHZcruiser]

Dave,

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to give us the menus (are you really typing in all those menus? If so, you are a saint!). My partner and I are sailing April 12 on Westerdam and are very much looking forward to it. Good food and wine are important to us and those menus looked very enticing. Oh well, I guess this is not to be the cruise during which I'll start a diet!

 

Thank you also for the wine lists. I read somewhere that one could purchase wine/drinks packages onboard. Is that so and where would I go for that? From what I read, it would bring down the price of a glass of wine or a drink to about $4 or $5. Not a bad deal.

 

Cheers!

[RetiredMustang]

CC'ers,

 

We're back from Grand Cayman and I'll try to update a few things before we change to formal wear -- we like to have a drink in the Ocean Bar before dinner, and since we have 5:45 fixed dining, we are usually one of the first ones in full kit on formal nights.

 

Mariner luncheon -- the invite was waiting for us. As expected, it is a recognition and Brunch at 11 a.m. Saturday.

 

RuthC is correct -- there are always things you can get each day, and steak is one of them. I think she probably nailed the list, but I will try to get the latest. This evening is the farewell dinner (with surf and turf, or if I'm lucky surf and surf and turf...), so the availalbe every day list may not be available.

 

We have a long shore excursion (to Mayan ruins) tomorrow, so will eat in the Lido for dinner.

 

Wine cards -- yes, they are available, but I don't know how much and will try to find out. They are for house pours, which are actually pretty decent, at least the merlot (me) and pinot grigio (DW).

 

More later,

Dave

[Two@Sea]

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.

 

Have heard great things about Joel and am looking forward to seeing him on our April 5th Westerdam sailing. Will give him a hug from you (and since MY son lives on Sprucewood Pl in your town, you can return the favor... :D).

 

Am truly enjoying this thread... thank you Dave!

[Samsmom91]

CC'ers,

 

 

We have a long shore excursion (to Mayan ruins) tomorrow, so will eat in the Lido for dinner.

 

More later,

Dave

 

Hey Dave,

Really interested in your shore excursion for my daughter and myself. Looks like there are 2 available through HAL. One for 8hrs and one for 12hrs. Are you on one of those? Please let us know what you truly think of all of it. We were in cozumel last November and did a different cavern tour accross the way. really want to see the Ruins, lots of them:)

[RetiredMustang]

CC'ers

 

We had a wonderful day on the beautiful island of Grand Cayman. We had been here before -- twice we went to Stingray City, and the next time we snorkeled Cheeseburger Reef and a shipwreck. So, this time, we decided to take the generic island tour. It was only a couple of hours, but we saw several parts of George Town, the Conch Shell house, which has 4,000 conch shells in its exterior, the Tortuga Rum Cake factory (not a favorite food of mine, I had a Cayman beer instead), and a trip to Hell. It's kitschy and corny, and we loved it! It's a tiny village with rugged rock formations in the northen part of the island that consists almost entirely of the rock formations, a gas station, a couple of gift shops (what a surprise!) where we could buy post cards and a post office where we could mail them to our sons saying "wish you were here."

 

We hung around for a while and came back to the ship, and lounged around on our balcony. We were in port with a Carnival ship and a Celebrity ship. I was on our balcony when the reggae band on the Carnival ship started playing around their poolside. I was enjoying the music (the band was quite good) and then realized that if the sound level was good where I was, several hundred yards away from the band, I wondered what it was like poolside. We are not poolside people (we burn, and meds we take exacerbate the situation), so we haven't hung around the pool on HAL ships for years, although now I understand recent threads about (Fill in The Blank) and the HALCats blasting away!

 

Our bacony overlooks the starboard boat falls, and just after I posted my last quick update, we watched as the crew hoisted the last tender aboard, only to see it lowered again, and the tender sail back to port. We had heard announcements about a couple of people in cabin so-and-so, please call the front desk, and then the captain came on and said that we were going to be delayed because a couple of people had returned to the pier late and he was sending a boat for them. We all watched as the boat came back, and as the people transferred to the ship, a rousing boo and raspberry was sounded by my fellow passengers on the starboard side of the ship! Even though we were only delayed about 30-45 minutes, I would not have wanted to be one of those two, having to explain to the captain why I had delayed his ship and possibly made us late into Costa Maya.

 

We then quickly changed to formal wear and went down for a pre-dinner cocktail. Dinner was the farewell dinner, followed by the parade of the Baked Alaska. Even though we have two nights left, Friday is a late sailaway with some late-returning shore excursions, including ours, and Satruday is the last night an no-one wants to do formal the night they have to pack. A new wrinkle about the Baked Alaska parade-- instead of lit sparklers, the stewards carried those chemical light sticks. This was probably a good thing, since there were no burnt iron filings in the Baked Alaska meringue. As it turned out, we got the strawberry ice cream, instead of the chocolate we would have preferred. This makes about six times in a row with the strawberry, so we have obviously angered the chocolate gods sometime in our wicked past!

 

RuthC -- I'm glad to see that you posted, because your name came up this cruise. Wednesday night, DW remarked that she had had the chocolate dessert every night since we boarded. I told her, "Ruth would be proud of you." DW said, "isn't she the lady on the web site you visit whose signature is always something about chocolate? The one that told you they still served hand-made chocolates in the Explorer's Lounge." I replied, cleverly, "Yep." If they had served us the chocolate ice cream Baked Alaska, DW's record chocolate run would have been unbroken. For dinner, I negotiated a complicated trade of my steak and an after-dinner drink for DW's lobster. It's the best kind of deal -- we both came out thinking we won. The lobsters were large, tender and sweet. And the filet mignon had a very nice bernaise sauce with fresh tarragon. I also got a Grand Marinier rocks while I was paying off the after-dinner drink part of the deal, so all is good with the world. If this post seems a bit disjointed, that's why.

 

Samsmon - we are the 7-hour trip to Kohunlich, with the Temple of the Masks. I'll post our thoughts probably Saturday.

 

Yes, I am typing out the menus, but I am a quick, if middling accurate, typist, so it is not an onerous thing for me. At the end is the list of things available daily.

 

Farewell Dinner Menu

 

Appetizers

- Celebration of Fruit Cocktail - a selection of seasonal frutis splashed with creme de cassis and service with tongu-teasing apple foam

- Chilled Alaska Crab Legs - Drizzled with a lemon splash dressing and served with a tangy cocktail sauce

-Pate' de Foie Gras - Smooth liver pate' with deep-flavored Ruby port marmalade and gently poached pear

- Escargots Bourguignonne - Delectable snails marinated in Pernod and Chablis, lightly baked in herb butter, served with garlic bread

 

Soups and Salads

- Cream of Green Asparagus Soup - A cup of verdant springtime, topped with foamy cream and crunchy pesto croutons

- Duck and Sauage Gumbo - Hearty but not too thick, with onion, celery, bell pepper, scallion and rice

- Chilled Strawberry Bisque - Sweet, cool and smooth, garnished wih a slightly sharp green peppercorn cream

- Garden Harvest - Tangle of Frisee', Mache, arugula, spinach and oak leaf lettuce, tomato, dried cranberries and caramalized apple

 

Entrees

- Spaghetti Puttanesca - Al dente cooked spaghetti tossed in marinara sauce with anchovies, capers, Kalamata olive and oregano

- Chicken Marsala - Juicy chicken medallions dressed in Marsala cream sauce with porcini mushrooms and dried cherries, served over a rice cake

- Veal Medallions with Burbon Green Pepper Sauce - Lightly grilled and accompanied by shiitake rice, sauteed leeks and parsely mushrooms

- Surf and Turf - Filet mignon and lobster tail with herb garlic butter on a pilaf rice, surrounded with an array of sauteed vegetables

- Wild Sea Bream with Green Curry Sauce - Served grilled with an apricot-studded citrus couscous

- The Chef's Sald Bowl - Romaine lettuce topped with smoked ham, Swiss cheese, oven-roasted turkey and casalingo salami with hard-boiled egg and thousand island dressing

- Sweet and Sour Tofu - Tender soy bean curd marinated in ginger, garlic and Chinese Five Spice, then crisped and served with sweet bell pepper, onion and glazed pineapple over perfumed basmati rice

 

Dessert

- Baked Alaska

 

Available Daily

- French Onion Soup "Les Halles" - A Parisian classic of golden simmered onions topped with melted gruyere cheese

- Classical Caesar Salad - Hand-cut hearts of crisp romaine tossed with our very own Casear dressing, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic croutons and anchovies

- Wild Coho Salmon - Grilled and basted with fresh lemon, served with vegetables of the day and steamed rice

- Perfectly Grilled Breast of Chicken - A lightly seasoned boneless breast with red skin potatoes and vegetables of the day

- New York Steak - New York steak aged to perfection, accompanied by vegetables of the day and garlic-spiked mashed potatoes.

 

More later,

Dave

[Samsmom91]

CC'ers,

 

We're back from Grand Cayman and I'll try to update a few things before we change to formal wear --

More later,

Dave

 

Dave, one more thing. It appears that the formal nights on this itinerary are Monday night after Half Moon Cay and Thursday night after Grand Caymen, is that correct? Thanks so much for all your info. It really helps a semi control freak like myself, feel great about our upcoming cruise. Im an info junkie:eek:

thanks Debbie

[WholeWheat]

Have heard great things about Joel and am looking forward to seeing him on our April 5th Westerdam sailing. Will give him a hug from you (and since MY son lives on Sprucewood Pl in your town, you can return the favor... :D).

 

Ha! That's less than a mile from my office - I can hug him on my lunch hour!

[Krazy Kruizers]

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:

 

Available 24 hours:

 

Smoked Atlantic Salmon - pickled red onion, capers & cream cheese

 

Mesclun Garden Greens - tomato, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts & blue cheese crumbles

 

Triple Decker Club Sandwich - sliced turkey, ham, bacon, tomato & lettuce served on toasted bread of your choice

 

All American Hamburger - broiled 1/4 pound beef patty on a sesame bun with dill pickle & coleslaw - add cheddar or Swiss cheese

 

Open faced Omelet - ham & cheese or vegetables

 

Selection of assorted cheese with crackers

 

Apple tart with whipped cream

 

Chocolate cake with raspberry sauce

 

A plate of chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk

 

Fruit salad - selected fruits in season

 

Available from 12 noon until 10 PM:

 

Appetizers & Soups:

Bay shrimp cocktail with cocktail sauce

Smoked Atlantic Salmon

French onion soup baked with Gruyere cheese

Soup of the day

 

Salads:

Mesclun Garden Greens

Chef salad - mixed greens, ham, salami, swiss cheese, turkey, hard boiled egg - choice of Italian or blue cheese dressing

Caesar salad - tossed with Caesar dressing, croutons & parmesan - add bay shrimp or grilled chicken breast

 

Sandwiches & Burgers:

All are served with a choice of potato salad or potato chips

 

Triple decker club sandwich

Broiled California chicken breast sandwich on multi=grain bread with avocado & honey mustard sauce

Grilled tuna melt - tuna salad & Swiss cheese on rye bread with pickle spears

Thai Vegetarian wrap - eggplant, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts & cilantro rolled with rice & green curry sauce in a tomato tortilla

Steak sandwich - sirloin steak on sourdough bread sauteed with onion & bell pepper

All American Hamburger

 

Entrees:

Seared salmon steak - dill-lime fusion, broccoli florets, carrot batonnet & country mashed potatoes

Penne Primavera - tossed in marinara sauce with Italian roasted vegetables - add grilled chicken breast

Pizza:

margarita (tomato sauce & cheese)

Pepperoni

Vegetarian (mushroom & bell pepper)

 

Desserts:

Apple tart

Chocolate cake

Creme caramel surrounded in berry compote

Fruit jello

fruit salad

Vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce

Selection of assorted cheese with crackers

 

And remember that you can always order from the dinner menu. Just remember to order within the first half hour from when the dinning room opens. You can select whatever time you want to eat.

And there is steak on the menu every night!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the reports.

Those 2 people were lucky that the captain decided to lower a life boat and bring them back to the ship. We have been on ships when the captain just left them ashore and it was up to them to get to the next port.

Keep the reports coming.

[RetiredMustang]

Hi to all,

 

We are approaching Costa Maya and should be going ashore in about an hour or so for our tour to the Kohunlich Mayan ruins, so there is some time for a few notes.

 

Thanks KK for listing what's available from room service as well. I had only put down what was listed on the dining room dinner menu.

 

Samsmom, yes the two formal nights were Monday after Half Moon Cay and Thursday after Grand Cayman. Monday was the first full day out from Fort Lauderdale, and it was easy to see why that was the first formal night with the captain's welcome toast and all. Thursday seemed a bit early for the second formal and farewell dinner, but it really was the last evening that fit into this particular itinerary. We are due to arrive Costa Maya at 10 a.m. (we set the clocks back another hour last night) and don't sail until p.m., and several shore excursions won't be back until shortly before sailaway. And, Saturday evening of course everyone is packing and getting ready to get put their bags out for disembarkation Sunday morning (boo!) so Thursday seemed to us to be the best night.

 

DW just returned and reported land ho, with another HAL ships already docked ahead of us, so I will sign off and we will go to the Crows Nest and help the captain bring the ship into port. We have to get off as soon as they open the brows, as we meet ashore for a 10:30 shore excursion.

 

More later,

Dave

Edited March 13, 2009 by RetiredMustang

[RuthC]

RuthC -- I'm glad to see that you posted, because your name came up this cruise. Wednesday night, DW remarked that she had had the chocolate dessert every night since we boarded. I told her, "Ruth would be proud of you." DW said, "isn't she the lady on the web site you visit whose signature is always something about chocolate? The one that told you they still served hand-made chocolates in the Explorer's Lounge." I replied, cleverly, "Yep." If they had served us the chocolate ice cream Baked Alaska, DW's record chocolate run would have been unbroken.

Thanks for the honorable mention, Dave. I thought I heard my name drop. ;) Of course I'm following along---and enjoying every word of it! Especially the words about food. :D

Why is it that the ice cream in the Baked Alaska always seems to be strawberry? I never get the brown portion, either. :(

 

Does the Explorers Lounge still have those marvelous chocolates? I haven't checked lately.

[LindyLou2]

I swear I'm gaining weight just by reading these menus! They look "fantabulous"! Thanks for all the updates - can't wait to see tonight's menu! :D The reviews of the ship and excursions are great, too. Yeppers, I wouldn't have wanted to be the couple the ship "almost left behind" either! ;)

 

Linda

[RetiredMustang]

We had a pretty long and tiring day, but enjoyed it very much. After helping the captain dock the with the thought rays we were sending out by telepathy from the Crow's Nest, we got in line for the gangway and were quickly ashore, as the ship was cleared right away by the Mexican authorities.

 

We walked through the port area, which seemed quite nice and bore no obvious signs of the hurricane damage of fall 2007. It is bigger than the area around the cruise pier in Grand Turk, and others have posted that they enjoyed the day there on the beach, while others ventured into Mahahual, the nearby village.

 

I can't speak to either, because we immediately boarded buses to take us to Kohunlich Mayan ruins. It is a wonderful place, larger and different from Tulum, the only other Mayan ruins we had visited. There were archeologists working while we were there, but we were able to mount the temple steps and otherwise wander around the quite extensive area that has been excavated. There appears to be quite a bit more to uncover, so the archealogists seem secure in their employment for many years to come. If you can deal with the practical considerations of this excursion (see below) and are at all interested in Mayan history, I think you would enjoy this tour.

 

Practical considerations. The ruins are quite a distance away; it was a bus ride of two hours or so to the site. We spent about two hours wondering around with a knowledgeable guide, but still saw only the highlights. The tour cost includes lunch, which we had about 3:30 p.m. at a lakeside resort in the town of Bacalar, about half way back to Costa Maya. So, take some snacks like packaged nuts or something, eat a big breakfast beforehand, or both. Carry water. The tour includes a free bottle of water, but you may need more if it is a warm day (or if you decide to climb up _all_ the temple, etc. steps.) Make sure you have sunscreen, and a bit of insect repellant would not be a bad idea. After dropping us off, the bus driver went back to the last village and bought a cooler-full of other drinks that we could buy. Cokes were a dollar U.S., and a decent beer (so I'm told ... ) was cold and cost two dollars. The lunch was fajitas (beef or chicken) with flour tortillas, and also with obviously home-made chips and bean dip, guacamole and fresh salsa. Word to the wise -- the hot sauce is well-named; unless you are from Texas or New Mexico, use just a leeetle bit first before you add more to your tortilla and fajitas. Soft drinks and water were included, but beer was extra ($3 U.S. -- the Superior brand was quite good.)

 

We had a bit of Friday the 13th on the way home -- the bus blew a tire about 10 miles out from the port. They radioed ahead and the company sent out a rescue bus while we limped along at about 20 miles an hour. The second bus matched up with us after about 20 minutes, and we were back at the port shortly and back aboard by 6 p.m. We dropped our stuff in our room and went up to the Lido barbeque. The food was OK, the usual steaks, ribs, chicken, corn on the cob fare, but the band was waaaaaayy too loud, so we moved inside the Lido restaurant area to dine. We watched the other tour buses guests and stragglers come aboard, but noticed that _nobody_ was any later than the 6:30 all-aboard time. I think everyone took yesterday's experience to heart and no-one wanted to be the late ones tonight!

 

I went and got pix of tonight's dinner menus, but I will post the complete list tomorrow -- we move the clocks ahead tonight, so it's already effectively 9:30 or so. I did notice that we missed what is left of Dutch night: there was Dutch pea soup, nasi goreng and Dutch apple pie on the menu. It's a disappointment, but not a tragedy, like missing the osso bucco or lobster or something. We remember when Dutch night had a whole list of Dutch and Indonesian dishes, and we got those silly but fun Dutch hats to wear.

 

I will post a lot more tomorrow, which is a sea day. One note now, though -- when we came back to our rooms, we found our tiles. They are ones of a ship in front of the New York skyline with "Holland Amerika Lijn" above and "New York" below.

 

More later,

Dave

Edited March 14, 2009 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

Good morning CC'ers. I feel much more refreshed after a good night's sleep in these great HAL beds. It' surprising how tiring it is to sit in a bus for hours.

 

Here are yesterday's dinner menus:

 

Dinner menu

 

Appetizers

- Summer Fruit Salad with Sambucca - Italian favorite, macedoine of fruits flavored with a sugar syrup and Sambucca liquer

- Bay Shrimp Cocktail - Plump Bay shrimp with a cocktail sauce enriched with cream and cognac

- Assorted Herring of The Netherlands - Imported assorted herring served with a crisp potato-apple salad

-Veal and Musroom Ragout - s\Served in flaky puff pasty

 

Soups and Salads

- Dutch Pea Soup - Flavored according to tradition, with carrots, leeks, potato and celery leaves enriched with a hearty helping of smoked ham and sausage

- Barley and Mushroom Soup - Slowly cooked with selected root vegetables, lentils and beans

- Chilled Cucumber Soup with Dill and Sour Cream - A cool and refreshing blend spiked with a dash of red wine vinegar

- Salad of Arugula and Frisee' - With William pear slices, mandarin segments, pistachio and tomato

 

Entrees

- Rigatoni with Sauteed Andouille Sausage - Olive oil, garlic, roasted bell peppers and red onions sauteed together with Andouille sausage then tossed together with tender rigatoni, marinara and a hint of cayenne

- Turkey Roast with Giblet Gravy and Cranberry - Golden roasted and juicy, complete with harvest apple pecan dressing, giblet gravy, zingy cranberry relish, maple carrots, Brussels sprouts and candied sweet potato

- Oven Roasted Petite Tender of Beef Topped with Button Mushrooms - Tranches of beef roasted to perfection served with a creamy sauce of button mushrooms, roasted potatoes and spring vegetables

- Nasi Goreng - Indonesian fried rice with juicy pork satay, spicy chicken drumstick, beef Sumatra, scallions and julienne of omelet, served with pickled cucumber, crisp prawn crackers and crisp-creamy fried banana

- Pan Fried Cod with Capers and Lemon Segments - Sprinkled with chopped parsley and served with boiled potato, steamed cauliflower and roasted tomato

- Grilled Chinese Five Spice Salmon and Crispy Tortilla Salad - Served over romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato and scallions, tossed in a ginger and lime dressing

- Potato and Leek Gratin - Layers of sauteed leek, mushrooms and potato, golden baked with Edam cheese

 

Desserts

- Dutch Apple Pie - A juciy heap of sliced apples and raisins baked in a sweet and buttery crust with a lattice top

- Flourless Chocolate Cake - A bit of heaven, this rich chocolate cake with its molten chocolate center is topped off with whipped cream and an assortment of berries.

- Bossche Bol - Feather light cream puff filled with Chantilly cream

- Crepes Georgette - Crepes simmered in a rich and creamy caramel sauce with dark rum

- Tampoes - Layers of flaky puf pastry with a vanilla flavored pastry cream

- Sliced Fruit Plate

- Assorted Cheese Plate

 

A busy day ahead - Susan G. Komen walk, Disembarkation talk, Mariner's Lunch, Joel Mason and friends matinee -- I'll be back to tell you about them.

 

More later,

Dave

[dsparku]

Thanks for the ride along-we will be on Westerdam in Oct.,09-B2B-will be watching you return on http://www.inletcam.com Sunday

[RetiredMustang]

- The internet service has been very good this cruise. I've been able to use my laptop in the cabin all cruise. I started out over by the balcony door, but found a stronger signal near the closets. In fact, in port Grand Cayman, the wireless thingy was picking up the Carnival Wi-Fi network and another unidentified network that I presume was from the Celebrity ship also in port -- our cabin was in line of sight of both ships. Needless to say, I did not check my bank account at that time. The only slowdown I noticed was the morning of the first sea day. It may slow down this afternoon as people try to print airline boarding passes and use up those last minutes from the package they purchased, etc.

 

- We enjoy sitting on the balcony and looking through the clear panels out to the sea, but after a day or so, the clear panels get a rime of sea spray and aren't so clear any more. It occurred to me that I had seen a folding version of those gas station squeegie things at Target or Walmart, with the netting and sponge on one side to scrape the bugs off the windshield and a squeegie on he other side to clean the windshield off. One wouldn't take much room in a suitcase, and I bet a gallon-size heavy duty zip-lock bag would hold soapy water while you cleaned off the panels. I might try that next time.

 

- I just realized I never found out the cost for the wine card, although there are a number of threads on the subject on the HAL board. You can buy them from pretty much any bar staff, especially around the Lido pool on embarkation day.

 

- Here are some things I've noticed that have changed, and what I think of them. Many changes are for the better, and I think are due to comments we all have made to HAL, who has aparently listened to us:

 

* Hot hors d'oeuvres. When we first started sailing HAL, afternoon noshes in the bars were cubes of Edam and Gouda with little flags stuck in them and occasionally trays of chicken wings and such. We enjoyed them a lot, expecially the cheeses. Then came a period where we could get crudities with ranch dressing as well, and prawn crackers and bitterballen and such. Then we went overseas for a while, and when we came back to cruising HAL we noticed that the snacks were all cold, The last couple of cruises, they have been little confections like a tiny schmear of salmon mousse and a blueberry on a tumbnail-sized piece of bread. I called them bait on toast, and DW elbowed me. I admit it was not fair, because the little bites were good and the chef was clever in dreaming them up, but I missed the shrimp and other hot things and said so on my comments. Well, the hot hors d'oeuvres on this cruise have been fabulous -- chicken satay, smoked salmon on toast, salmon nuggets, spring rolls, the old bitterballen that we love, etc. We plan on commenting very favorably on this on our card! And, the bits come on dish that's on a platter, to allow for a small holder for sauce, napkins, etc., instead of the usual little plate. I've attached a photo to let you see what I mean.

 

* Fruit in the room. There isn't any. I've seen the room stewards with fruit, and I suspect that if we asked for it we could have it, but there is no longer that little bowl of apples and oranges slowly drying up over the days. It's probably a good thing, as there is less waste. There are still fresh flowers in the room, though, as always.

 

* For those who care, the ribs on Half Moon Cay were nice and lean this time, not fatty as has been the case several times in the past (I've seen other posts about that, so I know I'm not the only on who noticed).

 

* The History/Culture talks, I have been among those who have asked for more info about the islands, their history and the culture and languages of their people, etc., instead of just where to shop in the port briefs. They had a series of those talks on this cruise, and we attended one. We plan to say on our comment card that we like the idea; although the lecturer this time was a pretty dreadful public speaker, the idea is great and the info presented was interesting.

 

* Art auctions. I've noticed this before this cruise, but I really appreciate that the art previews and auctions are held in the Explorer's Lounge. They used to display the art around the atrium area, and hold the auctions in the Ocean Bar, which meant they really held them in the Ocean, Pinnacle and Atrium bars because that's all you could hear. I'm sure HAL listened to all of us complaining and came up with a solution that allows those who want to attend the art auctions to do so without inconveniencing the rest of us as much.

 

* No trays and changed stations in the Lido. I think this on the whole is a positive, although I can see if there were several mobility-challenged people needing help at one time, the staff may not be able to accommodate them. In the coffee chat with the HM and culinary manager, they said that it was still in the test phase, and that they had tried it to speed things up. They said they had found that it had sped things up, and also had the consequence of less waste -- people aren't loading up their trays with food and then not eating it.

 

* No sparklers with the Baked Alaska. I mentioned this in an earlier post, but it is probably good idea overall. I'm one of those who is not sure the custom of parading the dessert needs to be kept, but I admit that others love it, and it really is not that big a deal to sit through (now if they would just give me the chocolate serving instead of strawberry ...)

 

* Coinless slot machines. We noticed this first last fall on Noordam. The casino slots will accept bills but no longer pays out with coins. Instead, you create an account on your room card to upload and download money to/from the machines, and can even get an advance against your room account. I miss the old satisfying clunk-clunk-clunk of coins hitting the hopper when I hit a jackpot or cashed out, but it is probably much more efficient and better for the staff. I have some qualms on privacy and tracking my gambling issues, and am not sure I like the idea of being able to run up a bill against my account -- we set aside a small amount each day for gambling and when that is gone (or rarely when we hit a bit pot), we are done for the day. Probably the younger people don't even think about it and I'm being an old fud, but I think I like the old way with coins better.

 

We're off in a while to join in the Susan G. Komen On Deck for the Cure walk. We are walkers and have walked the deck most days (well, DW has; I've done a couple of times), and have relatives who are breast cancer survivors, so we try to do the Walk every time we sail on HAL. Then it becomes busy, what with the disembarkation talk and Mariner luncheon following in quick succession. I'll post again this afternoon/evening with more.

 

Dave

[suse]

No need to bring books. Great selection at the library. Something for everyone and lots of books. We were on the Westerdam in December and I thought it was the best library at sea that I've ever seen.:)

[Bananas27]

Thanks again, John for all the wonderful reports! Your thread has been much better that a review written upon return. Thanks to all who replied about the steak, too. :)

[Coochuck]

Going to be on the ship 2 weeks from Sunday. This thread has really been great and I appreciate all the time an effort the you have put into it. Very insightful to say the least. Thanks Again, Chuck

[Samsmom91]

Hey Dave,

My bad. Our Itinerary is slightly different. We hit Cozumel, not Costa Maya. So our Ruins excursion would be the one you have been on before (Tulum)(8hrs), or one to Chichen Itza (12hrs), not yesterdays. Would you still reccommend it? Preference to one or the other?? Also I know that you are not that driven by the shows onboard, but if there is anyway that you could let me know approximately what time they have been offered, I would be forever thankful. You see, all previous cruises (Carnival), I never missed one. We went every night at 10, we ate everynight at 8. This is the first cruise that we don't have an assigned dinner time and I am trying to figure out what time to try and eat, that is not too early and still won't miss a show. I really get a kick out of them, and they make me go to sleep happy:rolleyes:. Do they even offer one every night? Thanks again for feeding the info junkie:p

Edited March 14, 2009 by Samsmom91

[Samsmom91]

Thanks again, John for all the wonderful reports! Your thread has been much better that a review written upon return. Thanks to all who replied about the steak, too. :)

 

I'm lost, who is John?:confused:

[RetiredMustang]

Samsmom,

 

We went to Tulum years ago, and it is a very nice place, well preserved and reconstructed, and the only Mayan ruins on the sea. The excursion we were on also included a stop at a marine national park, Xel-ha I think, which is beautiful. If you take it, check to see if they include the marine park, and pack a swimsuit or snorkel. We did not do Chichen Itza because it involved a flight. I have heard, and seen photos, that it is the queen of the Mayan ruins.

 

The Mariner lunch was great, with starters of fruit salad, seafood salad or caesar salad with grilled chicken breast; the entrees were salmon, steak or quiche; and the dessert was a chocolate pumpkin praline, with a wonderful Amaretto whipped cream topping and slivered almonds and chocolate sauce. I had the salmon, which came with hollandaise sauce, sauteed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes -- very tasty!

 

The shows are usually at 8 and repeated at 10 p.m. The Indonesian crew show was at 11:30 last night. The first night was one show only, at I think, 8 p.m.

 

Today is only the matinee at 2 p.m. I missed Joel Mason the first time, and want to see him since everyone, not just on this thread, has said he is great.

 

More later,

Dave

[cruisinjudy]

I have been enjoying your reports. We will be on Westerdam in May.

As for the Baked Alaska, I never get the brown either! Always the strawberry so I give it to my husband.

[Samsmom91]

I have been enjoying your reports. We will be on Westerdam in May.

As for the Baked Alaska, I never get the brown either! Always the strawberry so I give it to my husband.

 

 

It's a conspiracy. The secret is that there probably is no chocolate at all.:cool: The kitchen staff probably saves them for the crew!!!!!!:eek: