Tampa Girl

Was this for a tentative itinerary or a "whatever the itinerary, I want it!'

Why did the ship not leave port until around 1900? Wasn't it scheduled for 1700 departure? We heard sirens in the port around the time that the Volendam sailed.

Being totally ignorant of "air tags" and the use thereof, can someone please enlighten me; i.e.: Is Air Tag a brand name or a description of these devices? What capabilities should one be looking for when taking a cruise or plane trip, such as distance, blue tooth, etc? When I Googled the subject, I noted that some devices had a distance of 250 miles. That didn't sound reasonable for travel. Any recommendations for brand or type? Is Amazon the best place to find these? Thank you in advance for any and all info.

I believe that it was just done in December, 2022. For up-to-date info on the condition of the ship, follow one of the '23 WC's blogs, i.e. The Inside Cabin, and there are several others. They are boarding today.

Have another wonderful World Cruise! We look forward to your experiences, opinions, and suggestions. And, BTW, it is so..... good to see another cruise who is not "traveling light!

Without seeing the original post complaining about, among other things, that the Volendam employees did not "speak English fluently", IMHO, the OP was spot on.

Since you have been in many NS's in the past and have looked at deck plans, you can see the general locations of the three classes. For instance, the SA's are usually mid-ship. As to whether a particular cabin is susceptible to noise, the cabin no. would be helpful. We have been in an NS over the Lido but did not find the noise of chairs being moved early in the morning, to be very annoying. For other people, however, that might be a deal breaker. People have also complained about cabins over an entertainment, late-night area.

I will second the covers suggestion. We use them for all checked baggage. They are colorful, of various designs, and zip up. A few years ago when we arrived in Buenos Aires for our SA/Antarctica, we spent three hours in the immigration line. By the time we finally emerged, there were only three lonely pieces of luggage in the retrieval area - all brightly visible with our colorful covers. This is not to say that there might not be some idiot who can't see the forest for the trees, but it does cut way down on these walk-away instances. As for the suggestion of those people who enjoy traveling only with a carry-on for a two-week-plus trip, the more power to them. On a cruise, I want variety.

Thank you for providing the history of our port. It does seem that Tampa Port Authority has not been encouraging HAL to return, which confirms what I was told by my friend who was working with the Port Authority at the time. But. . . personnel can change, so perhaps in the future, HAL will return.....

Dubious, considering HAL had been sailing out of Tampa for decades. Fog has always been an issue. I recently talked with a friend who worked with the Tampa Port Authority at the time that HAL temporarily pulled out, around 2017, I think. As I had suspected at the time, from reading the local news, that HAL and the Port Authority were having "disagreements" and the Port Authority was not exactly brandishing a "WELCOME" sign. HAL did return just in time to be evicted, along with all the passenger ships, due to Covid. I will not be surprised if HAL does return at some point.

Considering that HAL was sailing out of Tampa for decades, with a one or two year hiatus around 2017, (not sure of the dates) and continued sailing out of Tampa until the pandemic stopped the sailings, how is it that HAL employees didn't know what ports their ships were sailing from? HAL had to have been sailing from Tampa at the time of the employees' response.

Correction: I meant a Zuiderdam Verandah, not a Zaandam Verandah. Sorry.

I am surprised that Verandahs vs. Verandah Suites get double points. Have you checked with the Mariner Society to see if your PCC is correct? A Zaandam Verandah is not a suite cabin. "Mariner Society When you cruise with Holland America Line, you’re automatically enrolled in our Mariner Society®. As a member, you’ll earn Cruise Day credits for every day you cruise and for each purchase you make onboard. Earn bonus credits when you pay a published fare for a suite or penthouse and for each $300 in eligible onboard purchases.*"

Thank you so much for posting this. It will be very interesting to see if your World Cruise will improve over the Grand Africa. Please let us know. The 2024 final payment awaits your opinions of your '23 cruise.

I think that mistakes in itineraries goes beyond typos. These appear to be substantive errors which require more diligent proofing.

What a lovely tribute. We remember her from the 2018 Grand Asia. RIP, Dolly.

Appreciate your response. That makes sense.

Thanks, Copper. We have recently had good reason for the question.

Thank you for your interesting analysis. Regarding profit of selling alcohol, I was thinking very simplistically: $8 or $9 drink x 15 drinks, should one actually go through that many drinks in a day, would cut into the profit, i.e. Up to $120 - $135 a day in lost income if the person had to pay for each drink. However, as you pointed out, the ship makes a healthy profit, considering the cost of the bottle.

Question: By "running blood" you are not referring to a transfusion, I assume. But does the ship's infirmary carry O negative, or whatever constitutes the universal donor? Or doe the ship have to depend on the med evac units to supply the emergency transfusion? I understand that many or most of the evacuation helicopters and ambulances do carry this blood in order to stabilize the patient until he/she can get to the hospital.

Note the reference to "smiley face!" That was a joke!

It is obviously not a fact which is applicable to everyone. This "conclusion" is based on some people's observations and is, IMHO, an over-generalization of the poster's contention that making alcohol freely available will invite an excessive consumption of alcohol. Nor does an additional one or two drinks necessarily constitute an excessive consumption of alcohol. And as another poster pointed out, of what concern is that possibility to any of us? A HAL ship is not usually filled with out-of-control spring breakers, to whom this over-generalization might apply. It has been my observation that the average cruiser on a HAL ship is mature and sufficiently intelligent enough to drink in moderation, even when tempted by "free drinks." As far as the HIA signature beverage package being a marketing tool, I wonder what profit, if any, HAL realizes from that particular package. I doubt if there is much of a profit if a cruiser is taking advantage of 15 free drinks per day.

A true amateur! (I can't find the smiley face, sorry!)

What about the main dining room - was the food bad there, as well?

Speaking as someone who does drink, I do not think that the drink package encourages to drink more than I would normally imbibe. Since you do not drink, I am not sure from where you get your assumptions.