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utahtea

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Posts posted by utahtea

    Norovirus on Zaandam

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    The water/ice machines have been out of order on both sides of the Lido off and on throughout the cruise. One side was out all day today and still out when I filled up my water before coming to bed tonight. No work seems to be happening on it though. It is getting very annoying, to be honest!

     

     

    The ice machine on the port side was out of order towards the end of our cruise just before the current cruise. Then the other one went out too. I would just ask a nearby station for ice.

     

    Utahtea

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Forums

    Norovirus on Zaandam

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    It started on the cruise before this one. We were there and we had it. Crew member mentioned that a lot of passengers were feeling ill, but said it was from rolling seas. Just now starting to feel better.

     

    We were also on the June 4th sailing. DH heard on the news the night before we departed that there had been an outbreak of Noro on the Zaandam but I couldn't find any evidence on the internet. We didn't have any issues while on our cruise that ended June 18th.

     

    Before disembarkation on June 18th we had a big breakfast on the ship since we were driving home and had a late departure time. I had an egg over easy and blamed that when I started feeling sick as we drove home. Food poisoning and Noro have pretty much the same symptoms. Two days later when I was just starting to recover, DH came down with the same symptoms. I then though we might both have had Noro and now it looks like that was the case.

     

    There is a lot of inaccurate information in that news story. Like they didn't depart on the 17th, so I'm wondering if that's when the outbreak started, which was really the last day or our cruise! They also say it's a 16 day cruise....we all wish...LOL!

     

    It was a wonderful cruise and even better than we remembered doing it 4 years ago. We saw so much wildlife just from the ship this time.

     

    Utahtea....fully recovered

    Almost "Live" Ms Zaandam 14-Day to Alaska (May 21 - Jun 4, 2018)

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Day 13 began with hazy skies and ended with overcast skies while sailing in the Pacific Ocean. Ship rolling is still present but not as bad as yesterday.

     

    A few minutes after returning from dinner, the Chief of Facilities was at my door to apologize for the laundry staples. I learned that due to a broken part on the labeling machine, the staples were a temporary fix until they could pick up the new part in Seattle. After the first few days, safety pins were procured and in use so that staples would not damage those items without buttonholes/loops. Maybe they read my post on CC? So next week, the pesky but non-damaging tapes should return. The conversation ended with my commenting that the laundry service of the Zaandam was one of the best I have experienced with HAL. I was assured that the laundry folks would be glad to hear my comparison with other ships.

     

     

    Thank you so much for the laundry update. Hope we get the labels when we send laundry out in a couple of days!

     

    You have been a wonderful source of information!

     

    Utahtea....so ready to board the Zaandam!

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Forums

    Almost "Live" Ms Zaandam 14-Day to Alaska (May 21 - Jun 4, 2018)

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Originally posted by Crew News I replaced my old portable scanner with a Fujitsu iX100 Scan Snap that is both fast but can scan without a PC connected. Using phone scanner requires a lot of corrections to correct printed pages.

     

     

    Thanks Roger. A bit out of my price range. :)

     

    Since we left Seattle, the internet seems to be working fine. We were concerned about the data usage, but guest services says that isn't a problem with the premium package.

     

    I love my ScannerPro by Readdle on my iPhone and it was only $3.99. I don't know if they have an android version. Yes, once in a while I have to retake a screen shot but if you do it with good light it almost always works. I love it for when we're out and about for menus at restaurants and other literature.

     

    Utahtea

    Almost "Live" Ms Zaandam 14-Day to Alaska (May 21 - Jun 4, 2018)

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Embarkation Day began with fluffy clouds and bright sunshine during my taxi ride from the Doubletree Hotel near SEATAC airport ($51) to the Pier 91 terminal.

     

    My Vista stateroom has a shower/bath combo, no USB plugs beside the bed, one USB on the lamp, one A/C (110 and 220) plug on the desk, one A/C plug in the bathroom, old DVD player ad TV, and bed is too low to accept closed suitcase. More to follow as I get used to the stateroom.

     

     

     

    Thank you for answering my question on the USB plugs.

     

    You mentioned the bed is too low to accept closed suitcases. We've always been able to fit our luggage under the bed on previous HAL ships and that's going to be an issue if we can't do that any longer. Can you give us an estimate on the height under the bed?

     

    I also though of another question. Can you find out how much the photo packages are? Do they offer an "all inclusive digital photo package"?

     

    Enjoying your review and thanks again for answering questions.

     

    Utahtea

    My review of Zaandam

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Thank you for your wonderful review. My husband and I will be on the Zaandam for the June 4-June 18 sailing to Alaska and it was great to be able to read your comments and see your wonderful photos.

     

    gigmom23,

     

    We're on the same sailing! Can't wait.

     

     

     

    Ashley,

     

    Thank you for your wonderful review and pictures. I do have one question. Were any USB charging plugs added anywhere in the cabins?

     

    Utahtea

    Seattle Port Parking

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We've used both the Pier 91 Smith Cove Parking and the Seattle Armory Parking (https://www.seattlecruiseparking.com). Both are good places, safe and secure to park, and provide shuttles. I now use the Seattle Armory Parking because they are a bit cheaper, are really easy to work with (we make our own back-to-back combination of Princess and HAL) and the Armory folks work with us for a 2-week rate and the Pier 91 folks haven't in the past. Both have shuttles and are easy to get to and from your car. The only difference is that the Pier 91 shuttle parks closer to the terminal than the Armory one but we're talking about 1/4 - 1/2 a block difference.

     

    Karen

     

     

    PS: Hi Utah Tea!

     

     

     

    Karen, I remember we were parked near you when we used the Smith Cove parking.

     

    Waves back!

     

    Utahtea

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Forums

    Seattle Port Parking

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We are sailing from Pier 91 in August. Can anyone tell me about parking there? Should we reserve parking or just show up on sailing day?

     

    We used the Pier 91 Smith Cove Cruise Terminal Parking in 2014 and going to use it again this year. A very clean and nice place to park. DH dropped me and the luggage off at the ship terminal while he parked the car and took the shuttle back. We've always made reservations so I have no idea if they book up but we've never wanted to take the chance. It's easy to book & pay on line.

     

     

    Utahtea

    Holland America web site

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Sorry' date=' I was thinking about the Cruise Critic site. Anyone else having problems?

     

    Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Forums mobile app

     

    Skipper's Mom,

     

    I noticed that the Cruise Critic forums on my iPad were different today and I see you were posting from a mobile app. The new mobile app makes it much harder to navigate! It's going to take time to get use to. I'm currently on my computer right now and don't see any changes to the forums here.

     

    Utahtea

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