SonnekeH

Looks like Westie is moving!:D I made it just in time, and as soon as she departs, I will be leaving too, so I will thank everyone now for the fun and toots!

 

PS I see we now have a theme song.:) Well done, Kathy, our "poet Lauderdale".

 

And welcome back Mumsy - did you have a good cruise?

yeahhhhhhhh got here just in time! Hope all on the Westerdam have a wonderful cruise!

will someone please wave to me Monday when I sail away on the Zuiderdam?

We'll be on the Westie tomorrow!! We drove down and left a day early to miss the storm. I hope everyone makes it okay and DH and I both wonder if we'll leave later for those flying in (if their flight isn't canceled) who booked air with HAL.

 

We're also figuring on high seas the first couple days. :eek:

where is everybody???

You're missing the part from the curb to the boarding area. There are a lot of challenges in what appears to others to be a short distance.

 

First you have to get the attention of someone who can get you a wheelchair. Then you have to wait for someone to bring the wheelchair out to you. Then, you need to be wheeled inside, where you might be transferred to a seat, and told to wait (and wait, and wait, and wait, and ....). Then it's get checked in, and wait for someone to come with a wheelchair to bring you upstairs, where you might be transferred to a seat, and told to wait (and wait, and wait, and wait, and ...). Eventually, someone comes with a wheelchair to bring you on board.

 

Really, once you are sitting in a wheelchair in the boarding area, with a pusher of your very own, then you are sitting pretty (if you'll pardon the pun)---but not before.

now you are scaring me:( I am embarking on the Zuiderdam on Jan:25 and have requested a wheelchair. Previously I have had wheelchair assistance embarking in Tampa, on Carnival and Royal Caribbean and wheelchair assistance was provided immediately at curb side, as soon as I got off the shuttle. My suitcases were checked in and the attendant was there with the wheelchair. No standing around, no waiting in line.....I am unable to stand for any lenght of time, is there at least a place close by to sit down??

What is going on with that submarine??:eek:

We like to head to the Ocean Bar -- mid ships.

I also have a partial handicap and have to use a Rollator to get around.

I use a rollator as well...so Ocean Bar it is! Hvave you been to HMC.....how do you get around? I am told I can't bring rollator.....I use a cane which is ok for short distances

Remember this: "port", "left", and "even" all have four letters and go together. Since your cabin is even numbered, you are on the port side, which is the left side when facing forward. (This doesn't work completely on some other cruise lines. Port is still left, but even numbered cabins can be starboard.) :)

.

thx...port-left-even......and I am port:cool:

Nearest is the Sea View Bar on deck 9 just aft of "your" elevators but it's outside. Nearest indoor are half way down the ship - 350 feet - Ocean Bar on 3 and Pinnacle Bar on 2.

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thanks for the helpful info....need to get all this important stuff noted before sail away!

now may I ask you a dumb question, from a neophyte sailor to an experienced mariner....I know what where aft is, but what side is port, and what side is starboard? And what side will I be on?:o

Yes' date=' this is a great stateroom! We had 4164 in the past and the balcony was outfitted with two lounges. If they are not there, ask your stateroom attendant to secure them for you. I tried to get one of these for our upcoming Panama Canal transit, but unfortunately, neither is available, so we went with a VB guarantee. Won't know what we get until a couple of weeks prior to our cruise.

 

Enjoy![/quote']

 

great idea! I'll be sure to ask the stateroom attendant for 2 lounges, if they are not already there. I'll be the sole occupant, but my son, who is travelling with me, is planning to share the veranda. He will be in 4168, right accross the hall! And we'll need a table to put our drinks on...

Hope you get a really nice cabin on your upcoming Panama Canal transit:)

HAL did you well.

Sounds like a great cabin.

Congratulations.

Enjoy your cruise.

yes, HAL looked after me very well:) now....where is the nearest bar? Easy to get to, considering my mobility issues. I need to start taking advantage of my Signature Beverage Package:cool:.....asking you because you have been on soooooooooo many Cruises;)

A great cabin. Double-wide balcony, large shower stall so no bathtub to clamber over to get your shower. Deeper balcony, too. Enjoy!:)

sounds perfect....I am so excited:)

If schedule allows we may book a trip on Nieuw Amsterdam on short notice to the Caribbean. I was reading that Holland America has replaced Formal Nights with Gala Night in the MDR. To get away from the cold and in to warm weather I was thinking of outfits something along these lines. Is this sample permissible? Also, for anyone that has recently been, please share with me some of the Gala events we should be prepared for.

 

Best-

 

Steve

 

I think you look fantastic!

thank you for your reply....I am happy!:)

I have just been assigned cabin VB4166 on the Zuiderdam. Can anyone give me some info about this cabin? I have mobility issues, but decided not to get a handicap cabin, I asked to get a shower instead of a tub. Also, is this cabin a long way from an elevator? And is it close to the MDR?

Thank you!

To paraphrase an old saying, TGG, beware of Yankees bearing iced tea advice!!! :D I live in the deep south, and IMO the iced tea on HAL ships (at least the 10 we've sailed on) is drinkable but certainly not up to Southern standards. Notwithstanding that, I think you'll enjoy your cruise on the Veendam. :)

maybe the reason the iced tea on HAL ships is drinkable, but not up to southern standards is because the Dutch do not drink their tea iced?;)

Does anyone have a lsit of the cost of Spa Treatments on the Zuiderdam, or know where I can find such a list? I am particularly interested in massages:)

Your dining stewards will remove and store it for you during dinner. They'll bring it back for you when you're ready to leave.

Thank you for your prompt answer...another load of my mind!:)

I see you are a fellow Canadian, so obviously your question is out of curiosity rather than asking if you can bring one.:D Thankfully, the answer is no. I cannot imagine anyone - including members of the NRA - needing to bring a gun onboard a cruise ship. So we, who live in a relatively gun-less society, can feel safe in travelling with those who do not.

Thank you Lizzie, for giving a thoughtful answer to my very serious question. I can't imagine being so sure about members of the NRA though:(

But I definitely will feel safer on my Cruise knowing there are no guns on board. Hopefully. Legally.

With so many Americans owning and carrying hand guns, are passengers holding valid gun permits allowed to bring hand guns on board?:(

We haven't gone to a Mariner's Brunch in several years.

Hated all the pushing and shoving to get into the dining room and then there weren't any reserved tables for the higher number day Mariners. I use a Rollator which made things even worse.

I got the menu from the concierges and it is the one for the Caribbean cruises -- or so they told us. DH was not impressed with it.

I would love to have 4 cheese Ravioli's.

Sorry to go off topic here, but you mentioned that you use a rollator. I will be using a rollator on my upcoming Zuiderdam cruise, and I was wondering if you could tell me what to do with the rollator once you are seated in the MDR, Pinnacle, or where ever. Is there a place to "park" it?

Great job Capt. Smitt. Won't have to scold you in March. :) Thank you Peter, Lou, and Dave. Smiles to the addicts.

Captain SMIT....not Smitt;)

This may seem like a dumb question. But I'll ask it anyway. I plan to have a room service breakfast every morning on my upcoming Cruise.

If I am still asleep when it is being delivered, will they be able to open my door to bring it in?

Also, how much should I tip, and when?

We have a cruise this year where we will be changing staterooms after one segment, in Civitavecchia. I would love to be able to sort out a tour for that day, but I'm nervous about when we would be able to start off. I know people have said you just have to pack up, and everything will be moved for you, but I wondered about timing. Any advice, please? Should we just make it a DIY day and get off when we can and explore Civi?

as far as I know there is nothing much to see, or do, in Civitavecchia!

On the Grand Voyages, you can get just about anything you want!:D On cruises of 14+ days, there may be an Indonesian lunch in the Pinnacle Grill for those in Neptune and Pinnacle suites. I agree with you about asking for food from the crew mess. However, if you are traveling with a mother who was born in Semarang, Java, and speaks some Bahasa, sometimes miracles happen:);)

cool...could I borrow your Mom?

If you attend the Indonesian Tea, they will have pisang goreng (fried bananas):) There will be a least an Indonesian selection of food available for lunch in the Lido one day. As mentioned above, there are also Indonesian food choices on the MDR menu from time to time. You can ask for sambal oelek (chili paste) as a condiment with your food, if you like spicy. If you ask your dining stewards very nicely, and give them advance notice, they may be able to bring you a plate of Indonesian food from the crew mess.:)

 

Sometimes, on back to back itineraries (collector's cruises), there has been an Indonesian lunch served in the dining room on the turnaround day for those guests doing the b2b. Only one time have I ever experienced a true rijsttaffel (literally, rice table), and that was on the Ryndam, summer of 2009, in Alaska. A meal to remember.

thanks for your helpful information! I am not an experienced cruiser, only having 10 days on HAL, from a Mediterranean Cruise on the Westerdam in June 2007. On that cruise Rijsttafel was served in the MDR one night...it was amazing! On my upcoming cruise I might just ask the dining steward to bring me a plate from the crew mess:D