Copper10-8

And if you're really, really interested 🙂 in the LAFD / LA City Fire Maritime Operations Division, here's the remainder, besides Boat 2. LAFD has five fireboats total, so the L.A. Harbor is well protected from teh water #1 - Boat 1 (FS 111 San Pedro-Fish Harbor) - 2003 Kvichak Marine Industries 39' Rapid Response Fireboat #2 - Boat 3 (FS 49 Wilmington-East Harbor) - 2002 Kvichak Marine Industries 39' Rapid Response Fireboat #3 - Boat 4 "Bethel F. Gifford" (FS 49 Wilmington-East Harbor) - 1962 Albina Engine and Machine Works 76' fireboat #4 - Boat 5 (FS 110 Fort MacArthur) - 2002 Kvichak Marine Industries 39' Rapid Response Fireboat

Hey Roy; here's a better pic of LA City Boat 2, the "Captain Warner L. Lawrence" out of Fire Station 112 / San Pedro - Ports 'o Call. She's a 2003 Nichols Brothers Boat Builders 105' fireboat with lots of water canons

Humanity is a favorite, but we also like "In Tandem," their Latin show, which has the BB King's male vocalist in it

Hi Jeroen; So, we saw one brand new show last week - "Move" - by the Step One dancers, and they did one of their older shows "Humanity" The plan is to add two vocalists to the six dancers and come out with brand new shows between the end of 2023 and the beginning of the 2024 Alaska season. Unknown at this time if that new group will still be known as the Step One dancers (the vocalists will not dance, at least not like the Step One group dances) or if they will go back and name them "ship name cast"

"Move," the brand new show by Step One; Pretty good!

Thanks for the wishes y'all! Flying home today from Vancouver, BC after seven days on Nieuw Amsterdam in combination with a 4-day land tour of Alaska. Had a great time!

That's happening as we speak here on Nieuw Amsterdam with/by a trio (piano/bass/vocalist/guitar) playing dance music inside the Ocean Bar

Hi y'all; we are currently on Nieuw Amsterdam in Alaska and learned about some entertainment additions to come. This may be old news so, if it is, please ignore it! HAL will be adding two vocalists to the group of six Step One dancers and is also adding new shows, one of which called "Move," they performed last Monday evening (without the vocalists). Once in place, it will start looking a bit more like the old performance casts of several years ago prior to the introduction of Step One. Also learned that they are bringing back Lincoln Center Stage for performances, not nightly in the Explorations Lounge, but on the Main Stage, two to three times a week. These changes/additions will be introduced on the different ships towards the end of this year, and will be completed prior to the start of the 2024 Alaska season

Excellent news about Scrapnana, thanx!

Thanks Roy! We'll be southbound to Vancouver out of Whittier, AK on Nieuw A after doing a 3-day land tour from Fairbanks via Denali to Whittier Have a great time on QM 2 and Serenity, but I know you will!

We'll do it for you, Roy, starting next Sunday! All the best until you can get your next one! Did you read Crystal is going to be building four new ships?

Two fellow Belgians! 🤪

The only thing the Oosterdam staff, via Guest Services, could have/prob. should have done in this apparent traumatic experience for the kids, since this particular obstructed view cabin is in close proximity to one of the housed lifeboats, was provide advanced notice of the scheduled maintenance to the occupants the day before. As already has been said, they - Guest Services - do this routinely when the hardworking sailors conduct maintenance and/or a washdown on the balcony cabins. Chalk it up to a learning experience for both Guest Services (based on the reaction they got), and the 8 and 12-year olds. Oh yeah, as far as the occupants/kids already having experienced the boats being lowered for tendering early in the morning upon arrival at a tender port, looking at Oostie's itinerary, the only tendering was done two days ago in Santorini and that is usually provided by mandatory shore based tenders as opposed to the ship's own tenders. Plus, as we know, only the ship's tenders are lowered for that process, not the lifeboats, so if it's a lifeboat outside this cabin, it would have happily remained in place. 🧐

Mr. Blockschip; what kind of camera do you use? Awesome pics! Btw, it's good to meet a fellow totally domesticated, well trained, 100% house broken husband! I can relate 🤙

Part of Zaandam's nice fitness center with some of the free weights on their racks visible in the back behind the machines

What it looks like inside a HAL life raft btw, is to which the vast majority of the crew are assigned to (pics taken during crew drills, of which there are many, usually at the rear part of a fire/general emergency drill). The rafts are stored inside cannisters/containers. The life rafts are released or launched into the water by three different methods: 1. Launching via ship's Davits (the raft is inflated while attached to/ hanging from a davit along the boat deck so the assigned crew can board) 2. Manually launching (the container holding the raft is launched overboard - the painter line is pulled which will fire a gas bottle to inflate the raft - takes 20-30 seconds to inflate fully 3. Auto release with hydrostatic release unit (HRU) - during emergencies, the life raft inflates itself automatically as soon as it comes in contact with seawater Crew/officers will attend a basic safety course prior to their 1st contract (also includes first aid/CPR, general water safety and firefighting onboard a ship) Mine took place in Seattle, WA. The course has to be satisfactory retaken every four-five years while employed

Perhaps a return to slow boarding similar to the beginning of the Alaska season this year. Two other ships in port with her today; Majestic Princess with a capacity of 3,560 and exhibition ship Ocean Victory. Should not present any issues but you never know!

Again, love your writing style! Informative and very funny! 😂 We had Lamont Ferguson in May on Nieuw A. Very funny dude! If he's doing his "late night/adult" show later in your cruise in the B King's Blues Club, go see him. He's even funnier especially his ending with the various songs! Get there semi-early 'cause the place fills up fast!

The new library, which I agree is very nice and a good move by Seattle, is located in the space of the former "Screening Room" (see pics). As Screening Room, it was a 36-seat (six rows of six theater-style reclining seats with small tables in between) home theater for movie showing that the four Vista ships plus Eurodam and Nieuw A all had installed. If you want to go back even further, on the Vistas, that space first came out as their original Internet Center / Java (coffee) corner before it changed to Screening Room. A few years ago, HAL decided to can the Screening Room idea and turn them into ad hoc meeting/all-purpose/surplus rooms and changed the names to Tasman Room. They now made, or are making nice libraries out of those "Tasman rooms"

Hilarious story about the glacier calving and so true! 😂 Something you might (or might not) want to give a try is to take your laptop into the NL and attempt your entertaining blog from inside there. I've done it in the past (as recent as Apr/May on Nieuw A) and, at times at least, I had a much improved internet connection inside the Neptune Lounge over our cabin. It helps a lot if you bring an Ed Norton-class space helmet with you in there!

Plus my first one ever on vacation in Callantsoog, the Netherlands 😉

Enjoying your review and writing style a bunch! Very humorous also! Keep it up please! We're doing this trip - substituting Fairbanks for Anchorage - early next month so appreciate your "hot tips" When you have a chance, can you i.d. the NL concierge for us? Thanks!