WriterOnDeck

We’re Having a Grand Time Aboard the Zuiderdam Day 22, 2024 Grand World Voyage Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024; Panama Canal If this cruise gets any more “grand,” it may be the death of me. If it’s not a port day with lots to see and do, it’s a party or special event aboard the Zuiderdam. There’s hardly any time to catch my breath (or catch up on blogging). (continue reading and see the photographs of all the parties at www.WriterOnDeck.com)

One consideration for HAL as to the ship class is that the R class has fewer balconies to sell at higher prices. The Vistas have fewer ocean view. I'll leave it to the accountants to figure the break-even points. I was on the Zaandam for the Grand SA/A in the fall and on the GWV now on the Zuiderdam. There are things I like better about each ship, and those pretty much balance out for me.

It's a Grand Asia with some of SA added in. I like it! Especially if they add more new Asia ports.

Pete, as I read the survey (and re-read to check), it seemed HAL asked about a RETURN to NY, not a departure. That would probably place the ship in a spot to do NE/Canada or Northern Europe (which the Zuiderdam has done after the WC). Just nitpicking, I know!

I was on the Zaandam (deeper draft than Zuiderdam, although the latter is bigger) which entered the Amazon on Dec. 1 (the first cruise ship this season). Had we been 2 days earlier, we couldn't have gone. But we did fine -- passing over one sandbar with 1.1 meters to spare! When I was there with Pete a week ago, water levels were much higher. Its no longer an issue. Enjoy!

I've been to Devil's Island twice in the past two months with HAL and it was never required. Like others, I suggest you go ahead and get the YF vaccination, as it will last you a lifetime and you never know when a country will start to require it. Better to have the vaccine when you can than wait until your doctor won't suggest it and risk getting yellow fever, I say. It looks like it pays to shop around for a better price. If you are looking at longer cruises that could require it, it's only a rounding error in relation to the full cost of the cruise, and you can amortize it over your life of cruising! (I'm the queen of finding ways to justify spending money.)

I inquired, as the Navigator was updated to show that we would skip 2/13 instead. But that is Mardi Gras! I sent a note via the Navigator that they should rethink, as there are many sea days around that time and does it matter? Someone from guest services called to say that they now moved the "skip day" to Feb. 12. (Sorry, Abe.)

It would be hard -- there are things I like about each one. I'm considering writing a blog about that. I like the smaller size of the Zaandam, its cabins with more storage and its use of the Crow's Nest with its dance floor. I like the music venues on the Zuiderdam and its no-smoking policy in the casino, to name a few things that pop into mind.

Sorry I wasn't clear. I think the vast majority of world cruisers want to go to faraway places, and are adventurous. But there are those who don't go ashore sometimes because they have been in these ports so many times.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t go on world cruises for far away places. If you just want to stay onboard and bask in the sun, do months of Caribbean B2Bs.

Guam and Saipan are on this year’s world. I’m not sure I agree with your last statement. There are a lot of adventurous people on a world cruise. Many may not go ashore simply because they have been to these ports so many times.

We on the current world cruise will visit Japan and China. One issue is that the world cruise usually starts in early January. I assume for those who want to escape winter in the US and Canada. Staying in the northern hemisphere won’t be that warm. I’m expecting Japan in February to be cold this year. You can’t just head right there in January. (Hence the Amazon this year?)

My main response is why not more new ports. I guess one of the disadvantages of taking multiple grand cruises is that soon they repeat. If you start in January, you won't go north. Only so many ways to circle the globe. But still -- can't we have more new ports even on similar routes? Three head south to Antarctica and Santiago, Chili, before heading west. One goes south around Australia, two north. Two south around Africa, two through Suez to Med. One goes to northern Europe. And one is eastbound, ending in San Diego.

The latest blog! Fishing for Notorious Piranha Along the Amazon River Posted on January 19, 2024 by Jo Johnston Days 13 & 14, 2024 Grand World Voyage Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 15-16, 2024; Parintins and Santarém, Brazil I’ve always believed that success in fishing is mostly a matter of luck. After today I think experience must play a role. As we all were dropping lines with raw meat on a hook into a small tributary, it was mostly the boat’s crew who caught the piranhas. (Continued at https://www.writerondeck.com/2024/01/19/fishing-for-notorious-piranha-along-the-amazon-river/)

Over Christmas the only thing I got that my sister (3*) didn't was an invitation to the small medallion ceremony -- I think because they asked everyone with 5* or with a platinum medallion (700 real days) or sometime like that. She got invited to everything else.

I choose anytime dining and ask to be at a table sharing with others. That's how I meet lots of people. If you go at about the same time, over a longer cruise you sit with people more than once.

Last year it was one of my favorite -- on April Fools. Tiffany had a lot of fun making each course look like something else. Like first course looked like a dessert, but it was a savory starter. Introduced confusion between you sight and taste. No idea what it will be like this year.

I spent almost 2 months in Northern Europe/Iceand, etc., last summer (end of the world cruise and 10 more weeks afterward. We visited many many ports in Norway and twice around Iceland. You can't go wrong imho, but if you want to read in more detail about cruising to the various ports, check out my blog posts -- www.writerondeck.com, Mainly late April through early to mid July, 2023.

I'm not Pete :-), but I use an app called Compress Photos & Pictures. It is free, I believe, and works well. I put the photos I want to compress into a folder in Photos (I'm using an iPhone), and then open compress, select all the photos in that file, and compress in a few seconds. You can set the level of compression -- I aim for around 500 kb. I set the photo quality scale for "great - 90%" and photo dimensions for 35% and that is what I then put in my blog. Hope this helps!

Of course, it was hot and humid at Devil's Island, French Guiana. Retracing Steps of Prisoners on Notorious Devil’s Island https://www.writerondeck.com/2024/01/11/retracing-steps-of-prisoners-on-notorious-devils-island/

We just had a retreat cabana on the holiday 12-day Zuiderdam cruise. It was wonderful. The ship wasn't crazy with children, although there were a couple of hundred at least. All were well behaved for children imho. I didn't see any in the cabana area, which frequently was very quiet. The cabanas easily held 4 people -- 2 lounges and 2 chairs at a table (with a power plug!). We had 5 adults (incuding 2 adult "kids") in our group and figured we would just go up in pairs, but as the area was very quiet, no one seemed to care if we had one or two more, including our wonderful steward. We tipped him well, and I understand that my younger nephew went up with an additional generous tip, as he was that good. Not sure I would splurge in the future, especially given the price increase. But I'm used to long cruises where deck chairs are always available, and on the full holiday cruise that wasn't the case.

Just to add a small point here. If you are continuing, you also can leave the vessel early (with departing guests) and return much later. So you miss the "in-transit" drill. You receive an in-transit pass, and when you return you use it to bypass all lines except security scan and go directly onto the ship. We did that Jan. 3 in Fort Lauderdale, and I did it at the end of the 2023 world cruise, as I was continuing on. Rich, continue to have a grand trip!!!

We did get them on the Grand South America/Antarctica this fall. Just FYI.

Also depends on how long each cruise is. New credit card rules require the account to be paid about every 30 days. So on long cruises, if you owe a balance it is charged to your CC then. If you have a credit it carries over. The front desk can tell you the exact days.

I'm in an obstructed OV (4103) on the Zuiderdam right now. Your only drawers will be in the nightstands, and they are narrow nightstands. You will have one closet behind the entry door that is more shallow (regular hangers are too big unless you put everything at an angle), one regular closet and a third with fixed shelves on the top, including the safe, and a hanging area in the bottom. The other two closets have shelves you can drop or leave upright for hanging longer clothes. At the desk is the cooler and a small triangle-shaped cabinet (two shelves) that has glasses and the hairdryer and makeup mirror stored in it. You also have the two big drawers under the foot of the bed, but sometimes the stewards store sheets etc. there. If asked they will remove them. If you go to halfacts.com, pick zuiderdam, scroll down to 4104 Oosterdam FO, it is identical and nicely shows the closets. Let me know if you have questions.