LMM1801

How was your trip, Rich?

4 hours ago, richwmn said:

Happy Mew Year -- just an excuse for cat picts!

Callie

Leo

very cute, love the tortoiseshell cat too

On 12/26/2020 at 3:48 PM, Cruising-along said:

Luh, good to see you here!

Happy New Year dear friend 🙂

Just now, LMM1801 said:

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Hope your day was filled with joy. I know ... would  be better if you were on a ship!!

On 12/25/2020 at 6:29 AM, richwmn said:

Merry Christmas
today is Christmas Day, National Pumpkin Pie Day, and No L Day
 

People with narrow minds usually have broad tongues.

Meal suggestion for today - Crock-Pot Christmas Ham

Drink of the Day - Blessmosass

Wine of the day - Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River Filius vintage 2015

 

At Sea Atlantic
Eurodam destination Southampton eta 1/6
Oosterdam destination Southampton eta 1/5

 

at Sea Caribbean
Nieuw Statendam destination Port Everglades

 

at Sea Pacific
Koningsdam destination Los Angeles eta 1/7
Nieuw Amsterdam off Los Angeles
Westerdam destination San Diego eta 12/28
Zuiderdam destionation Los Angeles eta 1/2

 

Panama Canal
Noordam destination Los Angeles eta 12/30

Torquay Anchorage
Volendam
Zaandam

 

 

On 12/21/2020 at 10:45 AM, kangforpres said:

 

 

When cruisers stop in your port and spend money in generates revenue through taxes for your local services (as overburden by tourism as they may be) It's a catch 22.

 

That depends what country you live in. I live on the island of Cozumel, Mexico. We also have a lot of anti-cruise people, many dive shop and fishing boat owners that have actually lost business with so many ships. I am in the middle, being a cruiser, I don't mind cruise ships. I also don't like to go somewhere that has 41 cruise ships a week like we did before the pandemic started. Mexico will welcome cruisers back. We only closed for the months of April and May. But as far as money generated, Cozumel the island actually takes a loss and we are always in debt. The cruise ship business revenue goes to the federal government, not that much here. Yes tour guides and shop owners do profit, but the infrastructure we need to provide as a city to have so many ships actually cost us money. I do hope that we won't get quite so many when it all comes back.

 

so hard to say what will happen. I looked back to what happened to cruises from H1N1 back in 2009. We in Mexico were basically without flights anywhere and couldn't travel, but they closed the schools in Mexico City at the end of April. Back then, cruise ships did not come to Cozumel in the summer, so this is a whole new thing. Since the travel warning has been raised to Level 3, I think things will change quickly. I know that HAL already has a dedicated group servicing those who call and I believe if you booked with HAL direct, you can change your cruise to somewhere else or another date.

On 12/15/2019 at 2:15 PM, wyobean said:

 

 

I am so sorry for your loss. I hope that if your cruise is cancelled you will be able to come up with an alternative plan. Helping your son deal with his grief will help you deal with yours. Maybe a last minute cruise on another ship, another cruise line? Enlist the help of a TA and ask for suggestions. Please don’t let it be devastating. Make a memory and teach your son that things don’t always work out as planned. The best of luck to you.

 

 

Wayobean, those are wise words and so true. Even call Holland America to see if they can fit the man and his son on another cruise. Keeping fingers crossed. 

 

On 10/29/2019 at 6:19 PM, sevenseasnomad said:

The drapes and upholstery were the same in 2008 as well. 

 

BTW, the photos of the cabins showed the same drapes and upholstery as we had on our cruise in 2011.  When will HAL replace this tired pattern for a more up-to-date look?  I should take heart that the older TVs have been replaced.  It appears that Noordam probably needs another drydock to finish the job, IMO. 

My cruise is fast approaching, a transatlantic on the new Nieuw Statendam. For those who have been on her, has anyone stayed in either an extended balcony forward on deck 4 (over the world stage) or in a deck 10 forward facing oceanview? I am right now in the forward facing deck 10 oversized oceanview at 239 sq. ft. I see I could probably upsell for a few hundred dollars to either a deck 4 over world stage (worried about noise) but it as the extended balcony or on deck 6, a standard balcony cabin. The only downside is I will lose my prepaid gratuities. Since it is transatlantic, my husband says last time we did it, we didn't spend all that much time on the balcony. I normally do, but you go days with only seeing water. 

Probably what most cruisers don't know is the country of Mexico never allows you to have your old license plates. To receive new plates, you must turn in your old ones. I am not quite sure what they do with the old ones, but they are never allowed to be purchased in any way. Therefore if you find anybody selling old plates or new plates, they were 99% probably stolen off somebody's vehicle. The only other way to obtain plates that I can think of is if a car is abandoned that has plates. So if you see license plates for sale, please don't buy them. 2 years ago I went on eBay and worked with them to remove all the Cozumel license plates they had for sale. They promised me it would happen after I explained the situation. They never did, so buyer beware. If you buy these plates, you are contributing to an illegal operation and it is a real hassle for us to get new plates for our cars. Many trips and quite costly.

Gargoyles & Graffiti blog has just passed 90,000 page views. Lots of info on Europe cruise ports, and Holland America and NCL cruising. Photos too.

One of my favorite posts from Perce ... it would be great if you Cruise Critic followers would follow my blog!

http://gargoylesandgraffiti.blogspot.mx/2016/05/perce-and-sweet-lorraine.html

You can't buy a plate from the "DMV" down here. I remember the same question posed on another Cozumel board awhile ago (can't remember which one) and the only way they were getting them was through ebay. Expensive though, like $40-50USD if I remember correctly. I'll ship you my old Ontario plate from my '88 Golf that I drove down here 9 years ago for only $35USD though! HAs authentic Hurricane residue on it!:D (And lizard poop!)

Since they are stolen off our cars, it costs us equivalent to about $200 dollars to replace them, so please do not buy them on Ebay. If they are a fake replica, but I doubt it. They are probably our current plates. As you stated, old plates must go back to the equivalent of DMV, when they expire or when you sell your car.

Please spread the word. I know most people who buy them have no idea that they are stolen.

LOL, thanks for the morning laugh!!!:D

I have friends who have had their license plates stolen off their cars up to 4 times a year. Each time they have to go to the expense to go to the police station, file a report and pay equivalent to hundreds of dollars to get new plates. many have resorted to keeping their plates in their car. I truly believe most people don't realize that the plates they are buying are being stolen off our cars. I want to believe that anyway.

Have you tried EBAY. They have some real ones or they can make you one. Email this guy and see if he can help.

 

http://stores.ebay.com/WHOLESALELOTSDEPOT

KC, Mexico does not let our old license plates be sold. If you see them on EBay then they were stolen off our cars. I am posting again what I posted later in this thread.

Like a lot of things here on Cozumel, the supply and demand depends on the tourists. So if you are a member of this group and come to Cozumel on a cruise ship or stay here for a bit, welcome! But us locals who live here full-time would like to ask a favor. Please do not buy license plates from guys on the street or on Ebay. I know our license plates are pretty, but remember the time and expense that all of us have to go through to replace them. These license plates being sold to tourists are NOT souvenir plates picked up in a souvenir shop. They are taken off our cars and sold to you, so please don't buy them. If there is no demand, maybe the supply will stop. TIA.

This is a post on a group I am on that I just posted for all of us who live on Cozumel regarding our plates ...

Like a lot of things here on Cozumel, the supply and demand depends on the tourists. So if you are a member of this group and come to Cozumel on a cruise ship or stay here for a bit, welcome! But us locals who live here full-time would like to ask a favor. Please do not buy license plates from guys on the street. I know our license plates are pretty, but remember the time and expense that all of us have to go through to replace them. These license plates being sold to tourists are NOT souvenir plates picked up in a souvenir shop. They are taken off our cars and sold to you, so please don't buy them. If there is no demand, maybe the supply will stop. TIA.

http://gargoylesandgraffiti.blogspot.mx/2016/05/perce-and-sweet-lorraine.html

This is my first blog post from our port of Gaspe. I did a tour called Best of Perce.

Not sure if I am posting in the correct place or not, but here goes. I have been on many Holland America cruises over the last 10 years. I used to travel a lot with Celebrity. I was on the Millennium when it was new. I often travel solo and I have booked a cruise from Yokohama, Japan to Vancouver for next year on the Volendam. Just out of curiosity, I looked at a similar itinerary on the Celebrity Millennium ... and it is coming up $1,000 dollars less for solo traveler in an inside cabin.

Have any of you been on both recently? The only difference is there is one less port on Celebrity and it doesn't do any ports in Alaska. But I have been to Alaska before, so that is not a huge factor. There is one more port in Japan on HAL and Celebrity also goes to an obscure place in Russia.

Any thoughts?

For those of you who have sailed on the Veendam, is it worth paying $400 dollars more to go from an E oceanview on lower promenade deck to a CA Lanai room? I know many of you don't like the lanais as people tend to use the designated chairs outside, but I do like the idea of the convenience. It is for a 13 day cruise. I am right next door to a CA Lanai now and the door outside is only a short distance away. Thanks for any input.

"I seemed to remember that "Historically," the main plumbing issues on Zuiderdam seem to be aft, that is one reason we booked all the way forward."

Agreed. The only time we had toilet issues was on the Oosterdam and we were in a aft cabin all the way on the back of the ship. Maintenance told us this was the case. Since then I have always picked forward cabins.

Now I just did a Verandah Guarantee on Zuiderdam for June (upgrade) so I might not end up so lucky. I really didn't mind going to public restrooms so much, but my husband really hated it.

Thanks, fans. Over 71,000 page views!

For those who like Holland America line ... a tribute to Captain Bas Van Dreumel!

http://gargoylesandgraffiti.blogspot.com/2015/03/hail-to-captain-bas-van-dreumel.html

Hi,

I will be going on a HAL cruise out of Venice to Rome in June, but I am attending a wedding first in Norfolk, UK. I will arrive at London Heathrow airport and be returning to Heathrow (probably.) I would like to find a reliable and fair priced option. I know the transfer prices are expensive, but I have seen a difference for a round trip from $260 GBP up to $340 GBP. Also I want to be sure the company has reputable drivers and is an honest company, especially if I have to pay in advance. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I would say that the Jewel class ships are going to be most comparable to Eurodam IMHO. I have sailed on over half the HAL fleet, and have ventured over to NCL now. Eurodam = Jewel class.

 

 

The only thing I think is comparable of the Jewel class ships and the Eurodam is the number of passengers. I have sailed twice on the Eurodam and it is a classy and beautiful ship. I went once on the Jade. Maybe the other Jewel class ships are better,but the Jade is a refit from when it sailed Hawaii. The decor is awful. I found the service to be okay. Eurodam service a thousand times better, but the biggest difference is the lovely little touches like teak decks and loungers on the Eurodam that the Jewel class ships don't have. Don't get me wrong, I sail on NCL when I can't afford HAL. But being anything alike, I just don't see it. The Jade has those torturous skinny corridors that make it impossible to pass. It is loud and people wear cut offs and bedroom slippers to dinner. Mostly you see people dressed elegantly and an older crowd on the Eurodam. Eurodam also has a great Crow's Nest. I found nothing like that on the Jade. Would love to hear about the other Jewel class ships but I consider NCL a mass market 2 star product. I think of HAL at least a 4 or 5 stars, lots more space but definitely not much night life. I know there are people who love NCL. I prefer HAL when I can afford it.

My blog

http://gargoylesandgraffiti.blogspot.com

now has over 60,000 pageviews.

"Gargoyles & Graffiti"chronicles architectural elements that I find interesting or unique in my travels. Gargoyles are my passion, but today graffiti (which I hate but am learning to love as it is everywhere) is as much a part of architecture as the gargoyles and decorative railings that thrill me.