Scrapnana

No, I am on Rotterdam

Thanks! This is my first sail-away in months. I am hoping NS will leave before I have to go.

More toots.

Three nice toots.

Jacqui, Hope you are doing well. Will you please add me on Rotterdam for the 12 day Southern Caribbean cruise leaving on March 17,2024. Thanks! Kathi

Hello, everyone! I have recently gotten cards, emails, and messages as to how I am, so I finally found this thread to give an update. For those who did not read my blog, I was diagnosed with stage 4 Non-Hodgkins lymphoma a year ago. Since then I have had radiation and chemotherapy. The good news is that the oncologist could not find any cancer on my last two PET scans. The bad news is the lesions where the cancer ate at my bones healed so that I can't stand up straight (I lost two inches in height), stand for any length of time or walk much without my rollator. Luckily, I have friends who love HAL and invited me to join them on a Caribbean cruise in March. They promised to help me in any way they can so I decided to give it a try. We will be on Rotterdam for 12 days. I booked a balcony since I will be sitting a lot and it will be nice to have fresh air right outside my door. I also have the "Have It All" and Club Orange. I am hoping all will go well since I have also booked the 2025 Pole to Pole Grand Voyage and this will be a test as to my physical ability to cruise for 133 days!! I am not going to write a blog but I am going to do a "Live" report here on Cruise Critic. It may be shorter than my usual but I will try to add a few pictures. We leave home on the 16th of March so be on the lookout! Finally, I want to thank all of the well wishes I have received during the past year. I have met some of the nicest people through Cruise Critic and I truly appreciate the outpouring of concern and prayers. I am going to try to get back on CC more often. ❤️ to all of you! Kathi

Thanks everyone. I spent six months in and out of the hospital and a convalescent center. I have now been home a little more than a month. One of these days I am going to plug in my computer and get back to Cruise Critic more often (I am terribly slow typing on my phone).

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. I'm still recovering from cancer and hoping to be able to cruise in January if I can get my strength back.

Thanks, Roy. The last four months have not been what I had planned. I am still undergoing chemo and I’m in a nursing home. I have one more round to go. Hopefully, I will be able to walk without being hunched over and for longer distances. My goal is to be on the 2024 GWV. Hope all is well with you, Roy.

I was on the 71-day Grand Africa. One of my friends on deck three had a new tv installed. It was on the same shelf as the old one and only an inch or so larger and was not interactive (at that time). I rented a fridge ( although they lost my request and by the time they found it there was only one left which was more a freezer than fridge) and it came with a HAL approved extension cord which I plugged into the one plug at the desk. I kept the extension cord on the top of the fridge and used it to plug in all my chargers. The fridge sat between the bed and the desk. Putting it under the desk allowed no space for my legs.

Thanks for all the good thoughts, I have had two MRIs and have more tests to come.

I am in the hospital and will be unable to do the sail-away threads for a while. Would someone please post them?

I am posting this early because there is the possibility that I will be unable to do it tomorrow. Please bump up if necessary. Nieuw Amsterdam will be at pier 26 (starboard to) from 5:30am to 3:00pm. She is leaving on a 9-day Southern Caribbean Seafarer cruise. Also in port are Celebrity Apex at pier 25 (6:00am-3:30pm), Liberty of the Seas at pier 19 (4:15am-4:30pm), and Odyssey of the Seas at pier 18 (4:45am-5pm). The PTZtv webcam can be found at https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/. Next up: Volendam and Zuiderdam on Tuesday, 3 January

Zuiderdam will be at pier 26 (port to) from 5:45am to 3:00pm. She is leaving on a 5-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. The only other cruise ship in port is Enchanted Princess at pier 2 from 5:00am-4pm. The PTZtv webcam can be found at https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/. Next up: Nieuw Amsterdam on Friday, 30 December.

Eurodam will be at pier 19 (starboard to) from 5:00 am to 3:00 pm. She will be leaving on a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. Rotterdam will be at pier 26 (starboard to) from 5:30 am to 3:00 pm. She is doing a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise. The only other cruise ship in port is Caribbean Princess at pier 2 (5:45am-4pm). The PTZtv webcam can be found at https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/. Next up: Zuiderdam on Thursday, December 29.

Volendam will be at pier 19 (starboard to) from 6:15am to 3pm. She is leaving on a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. Nieuw Statendam will be at pier 26 (starboard to) from 5:30 am to 3pm. She will be doing an 11-day Southern Caribbean Wayfarer cruise. Also in port are Sky Princess at pier 2 (5am-4pm) and Silver Dawn at pier 25 (5:45am-7pm). The PTZtv webcam can be found at https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/. Next up: Eurodam and Rotterdam on 28 December.

We are moving. richwmn is here with me to wave.

I could not find the flag and my back/hip/whatever it is is hurting too much to hunt for it. I will be on deck 3 waving. I have on a green leaf pattern top.

The captain just announced that we weren’t leaving at 3. I thought to myself the schedule never said we were going to leave at 3 o’clock. He said we should be pulling out about 415 right after the celebrity ship that’s at 25.

Changes/Cutbacks I have been asked by many people to discuss the differences between the Grand Africa and the other "Grand" Voyages I have been on. This was discussed frequently onboard so I compiled a list, in no particular order, of what I had experienced or others mentioned. For any others who were on this cruise, please share your experiences. Cabins 1) Nightly service only when requested. 2) Chocolates and towel animals only when requested. 3) No slippers (I don't know if the suites got them or not). Dining Room 1) The old "always available" items (steak, chicken, etc.) are now part of the regular menu. Because of this there are fewer rotating foods available for selection. 2) There are only three "different" desserts each night besides the "always available" ice cream and sundae. 3) The choices seem to repeat more frequently than in the past. 4) The once "always available" shrimp cocktails now have an $8.50 surcharge. 5) The entire dining room was not decorated for special days (like Halloween) or theme nights. Besides the decorations, in the past the servers had special vests, ties, shirts, hats, etc. for these nights - none of these on this cruise. The Lido 1) Again, the choices were very repetitive. For lunch there was a hot meat and fish (that rotated) but the other choices were the same: a pot pie, a taco, and soups as well as the sides (baked potato, french fries, mac&cheese, green vegetable). There was fresh fruit, deviled eggs, and almost the same cold cuts and cheeses every day. 2) The orchids that used to be on the tables in the Lido are gone. Activities 1) Likely the biggest mess-up was that there were no lecturers for the first two weeks. Many people find the lectures very important and were not happy. Note: Once the lecturers arrived most were very good (especially Kate Ross). 2) No cooking demos 3) There were more movie nights in the World Stage especially on port evenings. 4) Some of the extra charge special dining evenings were on port nights or the night before. Not really good timing on a cruise with numerous sea days. Miscellaneous 1) Many people did not like that the Cruise Director and the Port Presenter are now the same person. For shorter cruises, I don't think this would be a problem but for the longer ones, it makes the Cruise Director less "visible" around the ship. 2) There are no longer any port guides. As bad as the maps were in them, you at least had a general idea of the layout of the area. I know many people use their cell phones but in some areas it is not advisable to be flashing them around. You can get a printed map from Guest Services. 3) "Pillow Gifts" are one of the perks of a "Grand". For the first three (ceramic box, a HAL tote bag, and a box of chocolates) there was only one per cabin. This is fine with some couples but these are built into the cost of the cruise and each person deserves their own. This was especially bad for roommates who each paid their own fare. There were numerous complaints and for the last couple of gifts, there was one per person. There are also fewer "Pillow Gifts" because they are usually tied to Formal nights that have been cut back with the introduction of "Dressy Nights". 4) On the topic of Formal and Dressy nights: Nobody knows why HAL suddenly started this. Nobody can really give an easy explanation for the difference between the two. I noticed that many people wore their more formal wear on both. 5) There was a major blunder with the distribution of information/luggage tags for disembarkation. Normally, they will ask about your plans in advance and then a few days before the end of the cruise, you receive a letter with the time for you to depart along with color coded tags. On this cruise, they put out the tags with no explanation or notice by Guest Services. They quickly disappeared. The day before disembarkation most (maybe all??) had not received a letter. From my personal experience, I went to Guest Services just before 1pm the last day and was told my cabin steward would have the letter and tags shortly. Still nothing at 5pm. Called Guest Services at 6 and got the same answer. Nothing just before 9pm (with bags due out in the hall in less than three hours). Back to Guest Services after the show and was finally given the letter and tags. A friend of mine received two different packets with two different sets of tags. The really trivial 1) Marshmallows - marshmallows seem to be the new whipped cream on board. Where you might expect whipped cream (like on the ice cream sundae) there are now marshmallows. One of the extra charge nights in the Pinnacle (I think the surcharge was over $100) had a marshmallow dessert. 2) The bar snacks in the Crow's Nest (not sure of other bars) consisted of only peanuts. In the past they have had goldfish and popcorn as well as mixed nuts on special nights. 3) The Chocolate Surprise evening was the worst I have seen. Once again, marshmallows (with part dipped in chocolate with sprinkles) made an appearance and was not very popular. They had a hard time getting people to take them and many were left on flat surfaces. Supposedly (because I never tasted one), there was a mini cupcake that was delicious but they were gone by the time I left the late show. I did try two other things - chocolate covered somethings (not sure what) and a chocolate tart - both were left unfinished. The Good 1) Activities like bridge, arts and crafts, drawing, watercolors, etc. were excellent as usual. 2) There was a rabbi, minister, and priest (who had to leave for a little due to a family loss but came back) present. 3) The laundry did a great job. Most times when I put my bag out on my bed at 10am it was back that evening. 4) The In-Room Dining staff were amazing while I was in solitary. 5) The crew. Although some were on their first contract, they were out to please and did a great job as always.

So, it wasn’t really my last post. Christmas came today. I also will have one more post with changes/cutbacks on the Grand Africa.

Nieuw Amsterdam will be at pier 26 (starboard to) from 5:30 am to 4 pm. She will be going on a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. Also in port are Celebrity Apex at pier 25 (6am-3:30pm), Celebrity Reflection at pier 29 (4:30am-4pm), Liberty of the Seas at pier 19 (4:15am-4:30pm, and Odyssey of the Seas at pier 18 from 5:15am-5:00pm. The PTZtv webcam can be found at https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/. Next up: Nieuw Statendam and Volendam on Tuesday, 27 December.

Zuiderdam will be at pier 26 (port to) from 5:30am to 4:15 pm. We are going on a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise. Also in port are Celebrity Edge at pier 25 (6am-4pm), Celebrity Equinox at pier 18 (5am-4pm), Island Princess at pier 2 (6:15am-6pm), and Viking Neptune at pier19 (leaving on her world cruise) 4:30am - 6pm. The PTZtv webcam can be found at https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/. Next up: Nieuw Amsterdam on Friday, 23 December. I am going to be posting the sail-away for that later tonight because who knows what the internet situation will be on the ship the first day. Someone please bump it up for Friday. Note: I have not requested a wave but will likely be out on deck at sail-away probably with the HAL flag (if I can find where I stashed it) on the promenade deck next to the outside elevators.

Tot Ziens, Zaandam - December 20 I woke up about 6am right around the time we were pulling into Port Everglades. I rolled over and went back to sleep for about 45 minutes. I went up for breakfast and had two fairly good pancakes and juice. Leaving the ship at about 8:40, I was laden down with my purse, a duffel (not the huge one they gave us), and my cane. When I got into the terminal, the power was out. Not sure what was wrong but everyone had to walk down a flight of stairs to get to hall where the luggage was including those in wheelchairs and with walkers. There were people who worked there helping us down and carrying things. Since many were already off, I had no problem getting a porter. Finding my luggage was a little harder since it was so dark. One of the officials was using her flashlight so people could see their bags. Getting a taxi was also easy and I was at the hotel a little after 9 but my room wasn't ready until about 12:15. I talked with a friend, played games on my phone, fell asleep sitting up for a couple of minutes, etc. until I could go to my room. There are no bellboys so I had to get my bags upstairs by myself (the nice lady at the desk did put them on a luggage cart). I didn't realize that "extended stay" meant people live here week to week and things are bare bones. I was really tired so I sat for some time and then ventured across the street to Einstein Bagels. I had received a gift card when I retired (10 years ago) and never used it until today. I got a large orange juice and some bagels. I ate one there and brought the others back. Stopped in at the Dollar Tree for a few things and then came back because I was exhausted. I actually slept for about an hour. I then went to Walgreen's and dropped $100 on things to help manage my hip pain (lots of various patches as well as stocking up on Advil and Tylenol, as well as a Diet Coke and some goldfish). It rained on the way back but it is only two blocks and the rain was light so I was not drenched. Had one of the bagels and some goldfish for dinner and then talked to another friend from home. I am going to make it an early night (for me that means before midnight). P.S. If your Dutch is a little rusty, "tot ziens" means goodbye. This is my last post about the Grand Africa. I am not doing a "Live" thread for the Holiday cruise but I will continue posting on my blog (http://Seven Months Seeing the World (2022-2023hal.blogspot.com). I will start a new "Live" thread for the world cruise. Thanks for joining on this adventure!

If there was a book club, I never heard about it.