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18 hours ago, FRANKIEDNYC said:

Unless they decide to take our luggage back to Ft Lauderdale on the Amsterdam,. Our suitcases will probably be spending a month or two in a hot container.  Just remembering we left a bag full of our pillow chocolates and other candy we received as gifts in one of our bags. I wonder what that stuff will be like when it gets to Pennsylvania.

but, but, but....what about my Tim Tams???

Eurodam is disembarking 800 crew in Jakarta Indonesia today and tomorrow.  The ship is currently in Jakarta waters at anchor

49 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

That last part is good to hear.

Sarah Cole is the HAL lady in charge of luggage shipping.  You are correct, she usually comes on board toward the end of our cruise.  NOT THIS YEAR

On 5/30/2020 at 3:52 PM, Storylady said:

Yesterday Theresa posted a live video feed of one tender with what looked like hardly any crew inside traveling to the port in Manila. Wish you could have heard the screams of joy as they approached the dock and the buses. It looked like there were about three, maybe four tenders from the Amsterdam delivering crew to Manila. They must have been keeping social distancing in side. Presty said the day before 65 Filipino crew  departed. Amsterdam is still in Manila Bay so it looks like they still have to wait until everyone has departed.
 

I believe, I had read that they were using hotels for quarantining the Filipino crew, but later decided to use the cruise ships for the 14 day quarantine. So hopefully, the staff that just left will indeed go directly home. 

https://jakartaglobe.id/news/more-than-800-indonesian-cruise-ship-crew-members-arrive-home?fbclid=IwAR1QGntlUtX4-QEEAKhQphXtuNWClLBoI6MvXY_a_Xx23foMvT3w5W_tMSU

1 hour ago, Storylady said:

Yesterday Theresa posted a live video feed of one tender with what looked like hardly any crew inside traveling to the port in Manila. Wish you could have heard the screams of joy as they approached the dock and the buses. It looked like there were about three, maybe four tenders from the Amsterdam delivering crew to Manila. They must have been keeping social distancing in side. Presty said the day before 65 Filipino crew  departed. Amsterdam is still in Manila Bay so it looks like they still have to wait until everyone has departed.
 

I believe, I had read that they were using hotels for quarantining the Filipino crew, but later decided to use the cruise ships for the 14 day quarantine. So hopefully, the staff that just left will indeed go directly home. 

this is the message that I got from my waiter from last year's world cruise.  Slam is currently on the Eurodam and this is his message: 

 We have 500 filipino..480 already dis embark..start on may 22nd,still about 20 left...but the regulation is we cannot go to Iondonesia until all filipino crew all disembark... More than 20 days we wait for the swab test result for all the filipino crew...in indonesia the swab test result only 7 days....its very2 slow...

Philip (our dining room manager) is HOME in Netherlands!!!

GREAT NEWS!!!

Petr (our executive chef) is back home in Prague

Amsterdam Grand Asia 2017, October 2017, 80 days

Some friends have booked Grand Asia 2017 with their travel agents. Mostly to get the rooms that they want. HAL is only requiring a $100 pp deposit. HAL has not released pricing or open the cruise to the 'public'.

I have created a 2017 Grand Asia roll call and there is some activity.:D

Does anyone remember where the Amsterdam usually sailed after returning to the West Coast from the GV Pacific? Apparently, whatever it was is no longer to be.

it did Mexican Riviera and Panama Canal ending in Ft. Lauderdale. Then in Caribbean for Xmas and New Year's cruises, then off to the World Cruise.

We put down a deposit on this non-existent cruise while we were on the 2015 World.

We have been anxiously waiting a decision by HAL whether they will be bringing it back.

Thank you Orlando. Thank you:D

Before I begin my critique of the 2016 GRAND South America on the farewell cruise of the Ocean Princess, I would like to say that the quality of the food was excellent and service was, as always, top notch. We had a wonderful time onboard and met some wonderful people.

That said, here is my opinion of the experience. This was by no means, a “GRAND” cruise. We have previously sailed 5 Holland America “GRAND” cruises (Grand Asia 2008, Grand Med/Black Sea 2010, Grand Med/Africa 2011, and the 2015 World Cruise), so my comments will reflect the ‘differences’ in my experience. What we experienced on this Princess Cruise was a back-to-back-to-back series of cruises which circumnavigated South America. Here is a list of what was “missing” from a GRAND CELEBRATION cruise:

• When you book early for a GRAND cruise and book a category F or better (outside room), you get FREE shipping of 2 bags of luggage per passenger. The luggage is picked up at your door and delivered directly to your stateroom. Coming home, after clearing customs and immigration, your luggage is placed on a FedEx container and you see the luggage a few days later at your front door. You also receive free gratuities (something Princess offered), and a room credit based on the fare you paid (Princess did offer room credit).

• On HAL a FREE blood pressure machine is in the fitness room available for use. On this Princess cruise, a blood pressure test cost $45 because it is considered a ‘medical procedure’ done in the Medical Department.

• The ship did NOT offer the Times Fax for American passengers, there were ‘newspapers’ available for the Brits, Aussies, and Germans

• As you pass security to leave the ship, there is a message board. On Princess, the sign says date, time to return, and the next port of call. On HAL, the sign says “Welcome to Port of call, date, and time to return. I like to take a picture of the sign when exiting, it tells me where my pictures START so that I can separate them more easily when I download from the camera. It also is a record of when to return “all aboard”, so that I have a visual reminder of when I must return.

• The Ocean Princess did NOT have an acupuncturist onboard. My husband was forced to get treatments at a few ports where it was available. The ship was wonderful in arranging the acupuncture sessions under Monika in Administration. All sessions arranged were as advertised and we were quite happy with the results.

• The menu for our 63 day cruise was a REPEATING 14 day menu. HAL creates a unique menu for the duration of the cruise. We found ourselves and our tablemates laughing about seeing a menu for the FOURTH time.

• On HAL we had Theme Nights in the dining room (Black and White Ball, Indonesian Night, Pilipino Night, Italian Night, Dutch Night, Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day just to mention a few). The dining room is decorated and the wait staff is dressed in costume. On Princess the dining room was decorated for Valentine’s Day. That was it! We did have an Italian night, a few times, the wait staff dressed in Gondolier shirts but no decorations in the dining room.

• The Ocean Princess had no FRESH FLOWERS, not in the dining room, not in the buffet, and not in public rooms. HAL has an onboard florist to keeps the flowers fresh and the arrangements changed to vary the appearance of the ship.

• HAL has sail away parties, always accompanied by a live band. At some of the sail away parties beer, wine and soft drinks were available at no charge. Princess had NONE.

• On sea days, HAL has a live band/singer in the pool area for entertainment. Princess piped in pre-recorded music.

• HAL has ‘open fire’ BBQ’s around the pool area for lunch on many occasions. Princess had NONE.

• On many formal nights HAL gives the passengers “pillow gifts”. We have received journals, blue tooth speakers, portable chargers, Stife bears, other stuffed animals based on location (kangaroos in Australia, Penguins in the Falklands). Princess had NONE.

• At the conclusion of the cruise HAL gives a wheeled overhead piece of luggage embroidered with the Grand Cruise description. Princess had NONE.

• HAL provided FREE shuttle buses to downtown. Princess provided a free shuttle bus out of the commercial ports to the entrance. For safety issues, Princess provided a free shuttle to downtown Lima, all other shuttles to town had a $5 - $8 charge one way.

• On HAL, the port lecturer had been to the ports and knew where to go and what to do. On Princess, the Port “Lecturer/Reader” Richard Detrich, got his information from Wikipedia and read the information. He reminded the audience that he was not a concierge so do not ask him questions about where to go or what to do if it is not in his talk.

• HAL had “enrichment seminars”, where experts are brought to the ship to discuss various topics pertinent to the itinerary or even topics about history. Princess had nothing like this.

• Princess did not make the Super Bowl available to the passengers. HAL had a Super Bowl party with hats, noise makers, popcorn, finger food and fun games during the commercials.

• “A Celebration of the last voyage of the Ocean Princess” NOT!!! They did take a photo of the passengers and staff around the pool – available in the photo department for a fee, there are no plans to publish in Facebook, no plans to write a story about the cruise in the Captain’s Circle magazine. Nothing else would remind you that this was a “celebration cruise”, NOTHING, not even a toast to the ship on the last night of dining. NOTHING!! - just another back-to-back cruise.

I am sorry if I sound cynical, or a desire to promote HAL and degrade Princess. My main desire to book this trip, rather than the HAL Grand South America cruise, was because of my love of cruising the old “R” ships, a repeat voyage on the Ocean (two on the Pacific Princess) and a “celebration” of the last cruise for that ship on Princess. It was marketed as a GRAND South American cruise AND the last voyage of the Ocean Princess under the Princess flag. The ship is turned over to Oceania as the Sierna scheduled to sail in April. The HAL itinerary included the Amazon and Antarctica which our itinerary did not include.

slightly off topic,

 

does anyone know what odds HA is offering on craps these days? Even, X2, ?

From experience, I can tell you there are NO crap tables on the Prinsendam or the Amsterdam.

The rules of the table are posted so why is this a surprise to you?

Do you bring a magnifying glass with you? It is NOT prominently displayed anywhere.

It is NOT on the felt. It is on the 'electronic' screen in the corner of the table telling you how much to play on the table. Below the $5 table sign is the HAL logo/words on the bottom of the screen. I have been told by the casino manager that the 6/5 payout is mentioned (in VERY small print) below the Holland America words.. I have sight problems and I could not see it or read it.

Please excuse my ignorance but what is 'a vig'?

 

The casino's "cut". See wikipedia definition:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigorish

I just got off the Sept 13th 7 day Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam.

In any casino I have ever been all over the world, when you get blackjack, you are paid 3/2. That means that for every $5 you bet, you receive $7.50 back for a blackjack. NOT ON THE AMSTERDAM. They were paying $6 on a $5 bet.

I understand that casino's get a vig, but getting an EXTRA $1.50 on EVERY blackjack made, is HIGHWAY ROBBERY.

I complained to the casino manager and was told that they pay 3/2 at the $10 table only. They pay $15 for a $10 blackjack.

When I complained to the casino manager, the answer I got was "that is the way we do it".

So......words of advice and WARNING. BEWARE OF THE BLACKJACK PAYOFFS and don't play blackjack.

The Maasdam just had a neurovirus attack. See attached link:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/tourism/fl-hal-maasdam-sick-cruise-20150501-story.html

On our world cruise on the Amsterdam, we were in code red for 3 weeks because passengers did not quarantine themselves.

Has anyone heard any "news" from passengers on this cruise re ports cancelled because of Ebola virus??

We have been to Walvis Bay, Luteris, Senegal, and The Gambia and loved the ports, it would be a shame if they were cancelled, BUT how cautious must the passengers/crew be??

The Ebola problems are currently limited to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone none of which are scheduled stops for the cruise.

Carnival Mardis Gras 1992 - to Nassau

This was Carnival's first cruise ship, and was built by the company (Canadian Princess) that built the first Princess cruise ship (the "Love Boat"). We are mostly "destination" vacationers, but this year (2013) we're taking our second cruise... aboard the Crown Princess (direct descendent of the Pacific Princess "Love Boat"). I'm sure we'll be blown away by the luxury of today's modern cruisers, but -- at least for us -- the "good ol' days" will be defined by the wonderful experience we had so long ago aboard the Mardis Gras.

If you want to read about the birth of the cruise industry and the history of the Mardis Gras, how Carnival became the "fun ships" and up thru when Carnival purchased Princess, you MUST read: Devils on the Deep Blue Sea: The Dreams, Schemes, and Showdowns That Built America's Cruise-Ship Empires by Kristoffer A. Garin

MoniqueMontreal,

 

If you give me your email address I can send you my diary which covers the cruise from Capetown to Le Havre.

 

I also have a list of the Tour Guides we used in all the different countries.

 

Jennie

As you know, Ken and I will be on the HAL Prinsendam Grand Africa/Med cruise in March, 2011.

We thank you for the list of tour operators. The contact names for Gambia and Senagal are out of business. The ship's tours are very expensive for what is offered on the tours. Thru our CC roll call for the cruise, we were able to join a tour of Gambia with other CC members for a tour which mimics the ship's at a greatly reduced price. I don't have the contact info for the tour operator (we just responded to the availability), but I can get it if necessary.

We still are looking for a "registered" tour operator in Senagal.

Carnival HOLIDAY...our honeymoon and 1st cruise...still afloat but not sure what the new name is or where...

http://www.wikipedia.com will give you the history (and present name) of any cruise ship you have traveled on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_class_cruise_ship

It is now operated by Iberocruceros as the Grand Holiday. Read above link.

I think we had a room with bunk beds, closet, toilet and a shower.

Did I forget to mention the bunk beds?? Yes, we had bunk beds on the Canberra, but.......on our first cruise on the HAL Rotterdam V, we also had minimum rates with bunk beds, but the room did have "facilities".

On the Rotterdam V, you sat on the "throne" to use the shower hose above. There was no "separate" shower space in the bathroom -- just the toilet, sink, and a shower "hose" above the toilet - with a drain on the floor......but it did have "facilities" in the room. The Canberra did not.

SS Canberra was an ocean liner, which later operated on cruises, in the P&O fleet from 1961 to 1997.

We cruised on the Canberra from New York to the Caribbean (I believe in the very early 70's). It was the ONLY time the Canberra sailed the Caribbean. Why??? Her hull was too deep to navigate the shallow waters of the Caribbean around the port areas. She grounded many times during her season in the Caribbean. Of course we tendered into each port. We were on the Canberra many years prior to it's usage in the Falkland Islands war as a troop carrier.

In our early days of cruising (we couldn't afford much...but we cruised ..... in minimum room cabins), we sailed on the Canberra. Remember old times when ships were built by "class". It was definitely a 2 to 3 class ship. Most memorible was that we had no toilet or shower in our room. It was "down the hall". We did have a sink in our room, but that was all. So, we needed to go to the Lavatory down the hall to use the toilet and we had to go to the Bathroom down the hall to take a shower (yes, you walk back to your room in a towel).

Of course, today, there is no way ANYONE would cruise without facilities in their room, but it is a "happy" memory of a bygone cruise in a bygone era.

What about Majesty Cruise Line's M.V. Majesty?

I know at one time they were affiliated somehow with Dolphin but now they're both gone.

Wikipedia identifies the ship as the M.S. not M.V. Majesty. It also states that Majesty Cruise lines was sold to NCL and not Dolphin.

Here is the link (I hope this is the ship you are talking about)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Majesty