Navybikermom

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! 😉

I didn’t get anything for the Zaandam Panama Canal crossing in January either 😔

It must be selective then. Mine was an empty Dasani bottle - not one being actively used. I was able to bring them on during a port call, but not at embarkation.

You are correct. The ones meant to be reusable are ok but the disposable ones are not. I tried to bring an empty Dasani bottle on a cruise last fall and was told to throw it away by security. I bought a hard plastic reusable one on board and have had no problems with that one.

Zaandam was getting the new TV’s when I was aboard in January. I enjoy the layout of this class of ship much better. Most venues aren’t hugely crowded. The only long line I saw during the cruise was the people waiting to eat “Anytime Dining” at about 5:30pm. I always eat fixed dining so I get to go right to my table. The cabins are bigger than in the larger ships, so you shouldn’t be disappointed, but the ocean view and inside cabins do not have refrigerators. You can rent them, though. The beds seemed to be new when I was on her last year in September, and I found them to be rather firm. You can ask your room steward for a mattress pad (the foam eggcrate ones). I was always busy on the 16-day Panama Canal cruise, but what keeps me busy might not work for you. I did bingo, trivia, cruise director chats, listening to the awesome Ocean Bar band, and the classical duo. I had the regular HIA so I’m not sure what is extra in the elite package. If you have never seen the huge pipe organ play in the Atrium, it’s definitely worth seeing. You can watch from a couple different decks, and there’s a staircase that curves around it partway. That always irked me about the Nieuw Amsterdam- no Atrium staircase! Also - there was smoking in the casino. It didn’t seem very heavy, but was definitely there (mostly slot players).

I sailed on Zaandam last Sept for a week and then January for full Panama Canal and loved both. Lots of sea days on the Panama Canal itinerary but I was never bored. It’s my ship of choice, but it doesn’t do the Mediterranean/Europe routes, so I sometimes have to sail on other ships. I am very hesitant about next year’s Rotterdam British Isles cruise since I’ve never been on one that large, but it’s quite port-intensive so at least I will be ashore a lot. I really prefer the layout of the Zaandam, with the Explorer’s Cafe on deck 5. The bigger ships have it in the Crow’s Nest. I thought the service was excellent in every aspect. Give me those little old ships any day!

I was in an ocean view on the Zaandam for a Panama Canal cruise and on the first day I raised the temp in my room because it was way too cold (it was set halfway between warm/cold). I left it that way the whole time and it was great.

That’s what I did on the Zaandam in January. I was tired of confused/blank looks when trying to order a Harvey Wallbanger, so I went to the young bartender in the Ocean Bar and told him how to make it. After that, I just had to walk up to the bar, catch his eye, and nod. He knew what I wanted and how I wanted it, and he got a great tip toward the end of the cruise 😁. Emerson was his name. Wonderful young man with a great personality.

I saw them daily on the last two cruises, but that was the Zaandam. Maybe it’s different on the bigger ships. I seem to recall seeing something about the beds on the invoice from my TA, so you could ask yours to check.