ShipsAreTheBest

Thanks to Pete’s handy map (shown here), I can tell you Rotterdam docked where Zuiderdam is shown above in late June 2023.

Although Zaandam doesn’t have Azipods, she has bow and stern thrusters and Becker rudders. She and Volendam have a lot of power for their size and, as far as maneuverability goes, I know they are favorites of some HAL captains for that reason.

HVAC is not powered in individual rooms like on land. The thermostat controls a damper that allows cooler or warmer air into the room. The chiller (and the heat source) is a central system. I’m probably overly simplistic in my explanation, but trying to make the point that, as far as HVAC goes, the big electric consumers are not controlled locally by the passengers.

Chances are they were building a protective box over the artwork so that work activities (including moving things up and down stairs) won’t damage the artwork. Just a guess…

Yes there is access from above and the end of both corridors have doors that go out into this area. It’s kind of hidden and doesn’t get a lot of use because most people don’t think to go there so it stays quiet.

I think the Prinsendam referred to was the most recent one (former Seabourn Sun) sold off recently. Otherwise, agree with everything else in your very informative post!

I can see on Marine Traffic, she is currently moored at 30 (just as the port schedule said).

Agreed. They forget the -dam suffix was the catch. Not sure why they tried to get cute with Nieuw for the Statendam. Only place it should be used is Nieuw Amsterdam, named for the original Dutch colony that became New York City and in honor of the three predecessor ships of the same name.

My understanding is that these presentations are made in the home office and scripted, so that kind of puts the cruise director on the spot. If someone is offended by it, they are the face of it even if they didn’t prepare the content.

I think because the plastic “glassware” gets brought out to the pool areas often - and they don’t want broken glass there. Doesn’t explain the salad bowls and the real plates though, but for drinks it makes sense, even if not as nice.

Volendam had the tubs in all ocean view rooms converted to showers (I’m not talking about Vista or Neptune suites). Only exception I could find were two DA rooms way up forward on Verandah Deck (6). (The confusion is because, for whatever reason, Zaandam has had some rooms done, but not all. Maddening for those who it matters to when they are trying to book a room. Have to read the deck plan notes carefully).

I haven’t been in this room but just got off Rotterdam and can comment on the location. It is in the hallway that leads off the upper lido deck forward and is a busy pathway for people going from there to the forward elevator bank/stairs. Probably not a lot of traffic in the middle of the night, but from morning to late evening could be a busy hallway.

Well, I knew this day would arrive, but still sad to see that Captain Albert Schoonderbeek has retired from HAL after 42 years! See here - we will still hear from him! https://www.captainalbert.com/2023-may-24-change-of-course/#more-151797

If your last cruise was on the Rotterdam in July, that was almost 10 months ago at this point. I was on the Rotterdam in October and Zaandam in January. Things are getting better, but there are still some small issues but nothing I would consider a showstopper. We also sailed Zaandam last May. Her third cruise back. The experience then, while not terrible, was not what I was used to. By January, the ship and crew have hit their stride, service and food was fantastic and no supply chain issues. I was forgiving of the May 2022 trip because I understood the circumstances. Entertainment has always been a weak point, but to be fair, I don’t need a lot all the time. Comedians and specialty acts are usually good, the Music Walk on the larger ships are always a hit. I’m not a fan of production shows, but that’s me. I respect the talent of the artists and I also understand the logistics (read: money) that it takes to develop these shows. Not a lot of extra cash flow around right now to develop more. What’s been interesting to me is to read comments from (or have spoken directly with) RCCL, Carnival, and NCL loyalists who, because of a really good deal, decided to give HAL a try. They are always overwhelmingly impressed and have discovered what they’ve been missing and say they’ll be back. I think as people mature, they realize they don’t need to be go-go-go all the time and want an experience more like HAL delivers.

It’s very easy to get to Rotterdam from Schiphol (AMS).

@MUD take a look here: https://halfacts.com/r-class/3339-zaandam/ The bathroom shown here will most likely be like what you will have. The tub was replaced with a full size shower with glass door - much better than the inside cabin showers which are the small-stall style.

One of the only frustrating things about this ship is this situation. When you look at the deck plans for Zaandam and Volendam, you realize Volendam had all of her bathrooms redone (all standard outside rooms on Volendam have showers - they originally had bathtubs). They only did certain rooms on Zaandam, and it isn’t always easy to tell. For sure, any standard outside room on Zaandam that indicates shower only had the bathroom renovated. For example, Cat D on Deck 3 marked with an “*” Also, all the Cat C rooms were redone. All insides were always shower only - some have been redone and some have not, and it’s not easy to tell which were done and which weren’t short of someone telling you based on their eyewitness account. I will say that the photos shown above are an egregious exception (and not the rule, thank goodness), but you can see why they went the route of renovating these bathrooms. Aside from the repair issues, it really updates the look of the ship. I sure wouldn’t have been happy if that was my room! I know the leadership on the ship thinks they should have done them all and are frustrated that they hadn’t all been done. Based on the conversations I heard on board and the current state of the company, I would expect Zaandam and Volendam to be around for at least another 5 years, since there are no rebuilds for HAL for the foreseeable future, and these ships can go places others can’t.

So, to further clarify, Telegraph Cove looks to be about 70 nautical miles from the Narrows. If the ship is making 20 knots, it would be 3.5 hours after the Narrows.

It’s actually hard to say since this area is after Seymour Narrows. The transit through the Narrows occurs near slack water, so the ships try to time their transit to coincide with that. Which sometimes means a quick trip up from Vancouver (even an early departure if they can pull it off) and sometimes a slow leisurely pace.

Thanks for this. The 5 am arrival most likely means the pilot station (near Hoek van Holland) so it may be awhile after that before she is visible on this camera. Ships mark arrival with the end of the sea passage rather than when they will be alongside.

Yes, it was the “head office” for a number of years. It was positioned at the end of the Wilhelminakade, where the Holland America ships sailed from (and location of the cruise terminal today in Rotterdam)

Not great pics I’m afraid, but here is what I took a few weeks ago in my cabin in an OV on Lower Promenade Deck (Deck 3). The TV was mounted in the shelf above the dresser, where it was with the older TVs. Watchable from the loveseat and the bed (if configured as a Queen). If singles, the bed on the same side of the room as the TV probably couldn’t see it.

If you go to the same site mentioned above, you will see he and Nico Guns have a huge five (yes FIVE) volume set on HAL history coming out this year for the 150th anniversary. Volume 1 out now with more to come as the year goes on!

I was picking my way through the Holland America blog site (which has been updated in the last month or so - can’t get to Captain Albert’s site yet). Imagine my horror when I went to one of the pages and saw this. The ship isn’t a HAL ship!!! It’s actually the old Norwegian Dream or Norwegian Wind! I’m sure the website design gets farmed out - but that’s a pretty egregious error!