Scrapnana

A Few Bumps in the Road With our Cruise Critic Cabin Crawl today, I woke at six and could not get back to sleep. I used that extra time to get on the internet and post yesterday's pictures. Last night the internet came and went and absolutely refused to allow me to upload my pictures. So, if you read yesterday's blog and didn't see any pictures, go back and have a look. I had told my room steward that I would be out by 9:30 so that he could clean and separate the beds. Since I was up so early (for me!), I went to the Lido and got a glass of juice and a bowl of Cheerios. Instead of the individual boxes of cereal they used to have, now there are dispensers where you turn the handle and out comes the cereal. There is definitely more motion today and many of us are doing some staggering as we navigate the hallways. I was going to take a walk outside but it was very windy so I walked the halls instead. I looked in my cabin at just after 10 and he was finished. It looks so much bigger with the beds separated. It was then time to meet the other hosts for the Cabin Crawl. We started out first to look at the cabins and stayed when we got to our own. There were many "tourists" who came by to see the cabins but Heather, who was in charge, said only about half who had signed up actually took part. We were able to see a couple of inside cabins (which were very different from each other), some ocean view, two balconies, and one huge suite. My "info wall" and map were a big hit. When it was over, I took a brief nap before heading to 1pm trivia. I tried eating after trivia for the first time and am not sure if I have a preference between eating times. I am sure one will develop as we go along. In crafts, we made a little pouch to hold the sewing supplies that we need for some of the projects. Nancy has given us a list so we know whether to bring our jewelry, sewing, or paper supplies. I went straight to the Crow's Nest for 4:30 trivia and couldn't figure out where my team was. Someone finally came along and said trivia had been moved to "Mix" (one of the bar areas). I am still getting used to the change in dinner time. Early sitting remained the same but Main sitting is now at 7:30 instead of 8 and the late show begins at 9:00 instead of 9:30. Good prime rib for dinner tonight. The show was called "Swing, Swing, Swing", and, as you probably guessed featured music from the Swing Era. This was presented by the Zaandam Singers and Dancers - 4 dancers and 4 singers. Once upon a time I think they had more dancers. The show lasted 30 minutes - again I think they used to be 40-45 minutes. It might just be this show that was shorter. We shall see. At noon the captain had announced that tomorrow everyone will be given a do-it-yourself Covid test kit. Between 9:30 and 11:00. Everyone has to put their name, cabin number, date, and the time the test was taken on a piece of paper, put the test on the paper, wait 10 minutes and then take a picture of the results with a mobile device. If your test is negative, you then have to report the results to your cabin steward and you are free. A positive result is taken care of by the Medical Centre and you stay put. Evidently, we will be doing this from time to time. If there are good results from the entire ship, the mask mandate may be lifted. We lose another hour tonight. Smooth sailing until next time! 1pm trivia - we had 11 out of 17 - four winning teams had 12 1. What is the largest known land animal? 2. What mountain range lies between France and Spain? 3. Which of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was the first to be built? 4. Zanzibar is an island of which African country? 5. "in spite of everything, I still believe people are good at heart," is the last line of which movie? 1. elephant 2. Pyrenees 3. Pyramids 4. Tanzania 5. The Diary of Anne Frank 4:30 trivia - we had 14 out of 18, winners had 16 1. What color is the Himalayan poppy flower? 2. What is the largest island in the world? 3. Which planet has the most gravity? 4. Which mammal does not have vocal cords? 5. How many hearts does an octopus have? 1. blue 2. Greenland 3. Jupiter 4. giraffe 5. three Note : my two and a half years trivia has made me a less than stellar player (I stink!).

I see them all the time. I will tell them.

Some have them (or so I have been told). Most do not.

Tuesday, October 11 A Beautiful Sea Day Today was our Cruise Critic roll call’s first Meet and Greet. There were over 300 on the roll call so we took over most of the Crow’s Nest. I never could see the people who put together everything for us. I did some knitting before lunch. Because of the time of trivia (1:00), I am not sure if I will eat before or after. Today I tried lunch before trivia. I don’t know any people playing trivia so I asked to join a team. We only had eight correct answers and there were five teams that tied with 16 out of 18. During the pandemic, HAL must have cleared out some warehouses because they had prizes (none in 2020) and they were the HAL pins from ages ago. Today's were the South American pins. After discussing with my two most loyal readers, I have decided to put the trivia questions at the end of the post. The first Arts and Crafts meeting was at 2:30 and there was a crowd. I sat in the wrong area and could not find a seat in the new area assigned to Nancy, the instructor. She is repeating each lesson at 2:30 and 3:30 since this area only holds about 60 people. In the meantime, I turned in my passport (usually they keep them for most of the cruise to facilitate entering various countries). After that I went to check the Guest Services line which had only grown longer, so I returned to the Lido to hear Nancy’s introduction. There were only about 20 present. We had a “Block Party” at 4. Everyone was supposed to bring a wine glass (free wine) and come out in the hall. I didn’t think it was as good as the one on Prinsendam in 2019. Then it was back to the Crow’s Nest for afternoon trivia. I played with a different team and think I will stay with them. We had 12 out of 18 and the winners had 16. At dinner the couple who wasn't there last night showed up. Turns out it was a couple I knew from 2020. They were at the table where I ate when I dined early rather than my normal time. What a coincidence. The other person is still MIA. I had a good steak and the desert was a fabulous Red Velvet cake. Many of the cakes on ships are rather dry but this one was perfect. I went to see the comedian after dinner but didn't stay for the whole show. Thought I would check out the Guest Services line and there were only three people waiting to be helped so I got in line. Turns out the refrigerator was on my booking and he promised that I would get it tomorrow. After taking a walk around the deck, I called it a night. We lose one hour tonight and then four of the next five nights. Afternoon trivia 1. What is the national dish of Spain? 2. Who invented the rabies vaccine? 3. How many humans play on each side in a polo match? 4. Who in Hollywood is known as "the voice of God"? 5. How long is an eon in geology? 1. paella 2. Pasteur 3. 4 4. Morgan Freeman 5. a billion years Evening trivia 1. How many permanent teeth does a dog have? 2. When did the Beatles split up? 3. Which planet has the most moons? 4. What part of a dog sweats? 5. Which southern Italian city is considered the birthplace of pizza? 1. 42 2. 1970 3. Saturn 4. paws 5. Naples

Sorry for the delay. Internet/Computer issues (and almost everyone on the ship has them). Monday, October 10 Onboard! I had booked the shuttle for noon but when I left my room just before 11 (check-out time), I met the shuttle driver in the lobby. He said there would be no problem going to the terminal early, so I went. It was fine. Turned out they were not checking assigned times just like pre-pandemic. My assigned time to check in was 12:40 but I was on the ship by 12:05. Had some trouble with my key card but my room steward helped me and I left my electronics and went to lunch. I was very good with only one slice of pizza and a bowl of fruit salad - no desert. Wonder how long being good will last? Muster drill is now very different (and in my opinion, much better). We have to go to our lifeboat and have our card scanned (on our own) and watch the safety video on TV. When I returned I realized that I did not have the refrigerator I was supposed to have. Something to work on tomorrow. Since I can’t make tea, I am on my second Diet Coke. Walked around the ship for awhile and then back to my cabin to work with getting logged in to the internet. I was able to log in with my phone and iPad but not on my laptop. The line at guest services is about twenty deep and never gets shorter so I will wait until tomorrow to solve this problem, too. As Scarlet said, “Tomorrow is another day.” My two suitcases that I brought with me were delivered and I have emptied them. My room steward will divide the bed when he changes the sheets (I told him not to worry about it until then - no sense wasting a clean set of sheets). It is really hot out and with many of the doors open, much of the ship is hot so I went to the Crow’s Nest to start today’s blog on my iPad. Found out that some of the letters on my Zagg keyboard don’t work anymore (like the “e” which is rather useful) so I will be using the keyboard on the screen of my iPad until I can get my computer to accept the internet. Another bag had arrived when I returned to my cabin and I emptied it. Just a couple of minutes later the last one arrived. It was getting harder and harder to find space for everything! My shawls are in three different places so I think when the room steward separates my bed and I can get the cases under them, I will put all 33 of them in one suitcase. The 4pm sail-away became the 5pm sail-away, which became the 6pm and finally about 7:15 we left. I was late getting to dinner but there were only two people at the table (we were told three more are assigned to the table) and they had ordered but not been served and didn’t mind my tardiness. They are Bob and Judy (not the Bob and Judy from previous cruises who I spoke with today). We had a great meal and pleasant conversation. I was asked to find out if there was an up charge on the Shrimp Cocktail and there is - $8.50! It used to be on the always available menu for free. My friends Kathy and Mike from the 2018 and 2020 world cruises came over to talk as we were finishing dinner. They are doing the same itinerary as I am. While we were eating it was announced that we were heading back to Fort Lauderdale for a medical disembark. Poor person. Hope she/he will recover. The entertainment for tonight was called “Origin Story” which told about the 150 years of Holland America. The Cruise Director (who is now called the Cruise and Travel Director), Jeremy, narrated and it was interesting to hear how HAL differentiated itself from its competitors. I walked around the deck afterwards and checked on the length of the Guest Services line - there were still 10 in line so I returned to my cabin to finish this post. P.S. Five minutes after posting this I tried googling "how to connect with internet on computer on a Holland America ship" and I had the answer! Typing this on comuter now! One less thing to do tomorrow. Smooth sailing until next time!

Thanks for all the pictures. An hour later we were back in FLL for a medical disembark. Horrible way to end a cruise after only a few hours. Prayers for the person.

Almost to the condo. Will wave the flag first

Making the turn

You should be able to see us soon.

Pulling out and tooting

White trucks driving away. Should be soon.

Looks like I will be eating in the Lidio since they bumped dinner up to 7:30.

White trucks still waiting.

We couldn’t decide if that toot was us because it was not loud.

Last load going on. I see four white trucks.

There isn’t too much more to load but there may be other ships ahead of us.

There had better be toots! I will be waving from the Promenade Deck.

Yes, the Captain just announced 6pm departure. Still a ton of stuff on the dock.

I was able to board early - the times they assigned us meant nothing, just like pre-pandemic. In fact, they didn’t even look at the boarding pass. Still a lot of stuff to load so I would be surprised to sail at 5.

Zaandam will be our first HAL ship of the season. She is heading out on the 71-day Grand Africa. Fort Lauderdale, Florida (10 Oct d1600); Funchal, Madeira (18 Oct 0800-1700); Arrecife, Canary Islands (19 Oct 1100-1800); Agadir, Morocco (20 Oct 0700-1300); Casablanca, Morocco (21 Oct 0700-2100); Tunis, Tunisia (24 Oct 0800-1730); Chania, Crete (26 Oct 1100-2200); Suez Canal (28 Oct); Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (29 Oct 0700-1700); Aqaba, Jordan (30 Oct 0700(+1)1700); Safaga, Egypt (01 Nov 0800-2359); Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (10 Nov 1000(+1)2000); Zanzibar, Tanzania (12 Nov 0800(+1)1700); Nosy Be, Madagascar (15 Nov 1100(+1)1500); Maputo, Mozambique (19 Nov 0800-1500); Durban, South Africa (20 Nov 1100-2300); Cape Town, South Africa (23 Nov 0800(+1)2300); Luderitz, Namibia (26 Nov 0800-1700); Walvis Bay, Namibia (27 Nov 1000-2300); Luanda, Angola (30 Nov 0700-1700); Takoradi, Ghana (04 Dec 0800-1700); Abidjan, Ivory Coast (05 Dec 0800-1700); Banjul, Gambia (08 Dec 0800-1700); Praia, Cape Verde Islands (10 Dec 0700-1800); Mindelo, Cape Verde (11 Dec 0800-1700); San Juan, Puerto Rico (17 Dec 0800-2300); Fort Lauderdale, Florida (20 Dec a0700) She will be at Pier 26 (port to) from 6:30am to 5pm. The port schedule still has her down as leaving at 5pm but we all know "Grand" Voyages do not often get off on time. She is the only cruise ship in port. The PTZtv webcam can be found at https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/. I have requested a wave provided we get out close to on time (they don't sound like they will look for me/us if it is dark). I will be standing on the Promenade deck under the last lifeboat. I will have the HAL flag and not sure if anybody from the roll call will be joining me. Next up: Nieuw Statendam on Saturday, 22 October.

Now that I have passed my Covid test, it is time to start this thread (didn't want to start it if I wasn't able to be on the ship!). On Monday, October 10, Zaandam will be leaving Port Everglades on her 71-day cruise around Africa, the first "Grand" voyage since the pandemic. As I have done in the past, I will be posting a copy of my blog minus the pictures (takes too long to upload them twice with spotty internet service). If you are interested in the pictures, you will need to go to the blog here. I will be glad to answer any questions you might have as the cruise progresses. I am also asking fellow cruisers to contribute anything they might want to share. Look for a sail-away thread on Sunday.

Good news! It is almost time to watch our beauties in Fort Lauderdale. Unfortunately, the Fort Lauderdale webcam is still off-line but the Port Everglades webcam gives a good view as the ships leave port. https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/ We start the season with a teaser. There will be a sail-away on Monday, October 10 but the real season begins on the 22nd. I will be posting a sail-away thread for the Zaandam on the 10th later this week. I will be posting sail-away threads while cruising. Normally, the threads get posted the day before but one never knows what the internet conditions on the ship might be (I have already heard the wi-fi on Zaandam is not doing very well as she makes her way down the east coast). You might have to look back on page 2 or 3 to find the thread. On the chance that there is no internet, someone please post a sail-away thread.

It doesn't look like the company that processes the gift cards has fixed the bugs in their system.

I am noticing more and more websites are not allowing the automatic feature.