Navybikermom

I had the same thing at the end of the Zaandam Panama Canal cruise in January. Took me a few months to stop coughing. It wasn’t Covid, but they didn’t do any further testing to tell me what it was. I tried not to cough on the plane ride home, which probably made it worse. It was an awful 1.5 hr drive home from the airport 😣. I never had Covid that I know of, so I can’t compare, but maybe it was RSV. I’d like to get that vaccine if it ever shows up in my area.

I applied for the military OBC and asked my TA to see if it could be applied to my upcoming cruise that was already booked. HAL told her no - it’s only good for new future cruises. 😡

Maybe I wasn’t clear - I was booking the Rotterdam cruise and looking for a solo cabin on that ship, which turned out to be $1,000 more than an inside. I just happened to be on the Zaandam at the time, having the future cruise consultant do the booking.

When I booked my upcoming Rotterdam cruise while on the Zaandam, it was $1,000 cheaper to get an inside cabin than the solo one.

We had 8 sea days and I was definitely not bored, although what keeps me entertained may not interest you. I played lots of bingo (Wajang theater is an icebox, bring a sweater), there are plenty of quiet places to read a book, there are nice deck chairs on the outside deck that anyone can use, the library is much nicer than the bigger ships, many of the evening shows in the main showroom were quite good, the casino seemed busy but they do allow smoking. My favorite place to have a cocktail and enjoy music was the Ocean Bar. There was also trivia, which was quite popular.

No Rolling Stone Lounge on Zaandam. There was the Mix bar, where they had a piano, and the Explorer’s Lounge, where they had a classical duo. The Orange Party was in the Crow’s Nest, where there was dancing, but that was only one night.

I did that cruise in January and there were some port discussions in the main showroom the day before, along with a nearly constant narration by the cruise director as we navigated the canal. The cruise director also had morning coffee chats in the showroom where he brought out various staff members and had them talk about what they do. Questions were allowed from the audience, so it was rather interesting. Dancing was in the Ocean Bar in the evenings. The band at that time was fantastic - a bit jazzy.

I just read the info in the link posted earlier and they say for under 18, and 70 and above are no cost.

I have one of those and love using it on long flights to keep the drink off the tray! I haven’t seen many chairs where it would work though - usually the arms are too thick (either wood or padding).

When I was on the Zaandam last fall and this past January, the Explorer’s Lounge had a classical duo almost every night.

I did trivia on the Zaandam in January but we never won so I don’t know what they got. I enjoyed it except for one major thing - the lady hosting it had such a thick accent that it was very difficult to understand her. She stressed the wrong syllables in so many words that we first had to sit for a moment and try to translate what she said before even thinking of an answer. One question had the word “carburetor” in it, and she was completely flummoxed on the pronunciation. Very frustrating.

I had the HIA on my last cruise on the Zaandam in January. The letters “HIA” were printed on the room key. I think I signed a slip once in the 16 days I was aboard.

Was that the big shopping building near the port? That place always has cool stuff from local artisans. I bought way too much the last time ☺️ .

Ocean Bar is my favorite place on that ship. Emerson is such a nice young man and learned to make my Harvey Wallbangers just right ☺️

There was something sprinkled on top but I think it was something else that was wrong, like they substituted one of the main ingredients with something that didn’t mesh well, or used the right ingredients in the wrong amounts. The Lido Bar used to make them really well, but not anymore.

Zaandam doesn’t have those Lanai Cabins anymore. Just windows that look out over the promenade deck.

Early fixed is 5:30pm. I’ve never had late seating but I would think it would be 7:30pm.

You might be thinking of a Pusser’s Painkiller. I used to love them but since Covid they don’t seem to be made correctly. Something is missing but I don’t know what. I had them on two different ships and finally gave up and switched to a Harvey Wallbanger. Pretty hard to mess that up, unless you add too much Galliano. My favorite summer cocktail is one I made up one day - peach Malibu rum with half orange juice and half Cran-Tropical, with a maraschino Cherry or two 🥰.

I had one in January and loved it. Easy to get outside and wasn’t disturbed by people walking or talking outside.

I usually attend the veteran get-togethers when I can. Some have been rather boring but some have been loads of fun. I enjoy hearing the stories from the older vets but it seems like the younger ones don’t talk much about their service. My time in service spanned a couple of generations since I had a long break in service at one point. I joined a few years after the Vietnam War ended and retired in 2014.

I’ve done that one twice and both times we were docked at the Alexandra Pier (Grand Quay). My hotel was Le Centre Sheraton on Rene Levesque Blvd about a mile away. I was able to walk to the ship, but I travel very lightly. I believe that area is considered Old Montreal.

I wonder why? It was open embarkation day in September and January.

I can answer some of these since I’ve done this cruise twice on that ship. MDR is open on embarkation day, but limited hours. I think only 12-1. Yes you can bring certain food off the ships. Pre-packaged snacks are fine but some countries frown on fresh fruit. You’re better off bringing your own, unless you know you can buy them in the ports. I don’t recall going to those particular shows. Either they weren’t offered or they didn’t interest me. Seems like the other shows didn’t last more than 1.5 hrs. It can be chilly in Canada that time of year. I would bring layers in case you get too warm on walking tours. The daily program will be accurate once you’re on board, but a few days before the cruise they should have it pretty fleshed out. There will be two gala nights on that cruise. It’s pretty port-intensive, so you might not even be on the ship during teatime. It’s my favorite itinerary and ship - enjoy! ❤️

I have traveled with my Charlotte’s Web CBD gummies (no THC mentioned on the label) out of the country to Canada, and on cruise ships, with no issues. Sometimes I have them in the original container and sometimes just in a ziploc baggie. So far it’s never been questioned.

I suspect that the room stewards missed it, if it was supposed to be given during the cruise. The two I had in September (Canada/NE) were fantastic but the two for the Panama Canal route were not as efficient. Perhaps they were new. Guess I’ll have to do that cruise again to get my certificate! 😉