Your first cruise ship

[rp23g7]

Wow neat info, and neat post. I read the 1st 35 pages so far.

 

Our first cruise was the Mexican Riviera on the Carnival Jubilee. Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

 

I wasnt impressed wwith the ship, it needed a real make over, worn carpet, rust coming through the paint and it lost power twice.

 

We spent the week being trailed by a Princess ship, dont remember which one. It was a single stack, not Island or Pacific Princess, but it was a traditional long one stacker ship.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Our first was 13 years ago this week, on the Rhapsody of the Seas in her inaugural year, to Alaska. I booked it on a Wednesday, came home that evening and told DH, "Guess where we're going this weekend." We flew out on Saturday morning, the day of the cruise. He'd refused to cruise for the 14 years of our marriage so I didn't give him a choice, just presented him with a done deal. I knew he'd love Alaska. Well, he did, but he loved cruising even more and we've averaged 4 weeks a year on cruise ships ever since.

 

I was right, a fact that I remind him about whenever the situation warrants.

[Copper10-8]

We sailed on the Ryndam from Vancouver to Alaska in September 2009. We are now booked on the Nieuw Amsterdam to sail Barcelona to Venice next week. Yeah, I think we are hooked.

 

ms Ryndam (1994-present) Built by as ms Ryndam at Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., Monfalcone, Italy for Holland America Line. She is the third ship in HAL history to bear the name Ryndam and the third of the four ships (initially three) in the 'S' class (Statendam - 1993, Maasdam - 1993 and Veendam - 1996 are her sisters). She was named after one of the greatest rivers in Europe, the Rhine (Rijn or later, Ryn in Dutch), 840 miles in length.

The first Ryndam operated for Holland America Line from 1901 until 1929. She was built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland to handle the enormous trans-Atlantic traffic. In the first two decades of the 20th Century, 12.5 million immigrants left Europe for America. During World War I in January 1916, tss Ryndam struck a mine in the North Sea off the English coast, sustained damage, but, after initial repairs in England, was able to make it back to Rotterdam. In the spring of 1917, Ryndam I collided with a freighter off New York resulting in all her passengers having to be placed into her life boats. In March 1918, the ship was requisitioned by the United States and used as military troop ship USS Ryndam starting on 21 March 1918. In October 1919, Ryndam I was returned to the Holland America Line and, after a refit, to commercial service. She was sold for scrap in December 1928 and broken up in April 1929 at the town of Hendrik Ido Ambacht in the Netherlands.

 

Ryndam II was launched in December 1951 and built by Wilton-Fijenoord in Schiedam, the Netherlands (She was originally laid down in 1949 as the cargo ship Dinteldyk but then redesigned as a passenger ocean liner). She was the first trans-Atlantic liner to have air conditioning and also the first to allot as much as 90% of her cabin space to tourist class passengers, thereby setting new standards for budget travelers. She also introduced the new dove grey hull scheme for Holland America and was the first Atlantic liner with the Strombus aerofoil-type funnel, designed to prevent soot from falling on her decks. Her routing was from Rotterdam to Le Havre, France, Cobh, Ireland and on to New York and back. In the summer months, the ship would sail up the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City and Montreal, Que. In 1966, she was transferred to HAL’s German subsidiary company, Europa-Kanada Linie/Europe-Canada Line. Upon her return to HAL, she first became Waterman, then back to Ryndam. After plying the Atlantic as well as cruises for HAL for twenty one years, she was sold to Greece-based Epirotiki Lines in 1972 who named her Atlas. In 1989 after being sold to Pride Cruise Lines, she began sailing day (gambling) cruises out of Gulfport, Ms as Pride of Mississippi and later as Pride of Galveston. After being laid up in 1991, she became Copa Casino before ultimately sold for scrap in January 2003. While under tow from Mobile, Ala to the breakers at Alang, India, she took on water and sank near the Dominican Republic.

Upon leaving the Monfalcone yard for the first time, Ryndam III ran technical trials in the Adriatic from 13 to 16 June and again from 21 through 23 June 1994. She was handed over to Kirk Lanterman, representing her Holland America Line owners, on 9 September 1994 and was registered in Nassau and flying the Bahamian flag. On 19 September 1994 under the command of Captain Jean ‘Jack’ van Coevorden, she departed on a trans-Atlantic crossing without passengers bound, first for Tampa for some PR visits, and then for Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. Upon arrival there and until 20 October 1994, HAL hosted lunches and VIP visits and she sailed on short two-night cruises to "nowhere" for the benefit of travel industry professionals as well as VIP’s. On 20 October 1994, she was christened at Port Everglades’ Pier 26 by her godmother, Madeleine Arison, spouse of Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of the Carnival Corporation.

 

Her inaugural/maiden voyage that same afternoon, took her on a 11-day southern Caribbean cruise in an area that she would become very familiar with. That maiden voyage was followed by five inaugural 10-day Caribbean cruises from Port Everglades. Consecutive summer seasons would usually find her in Alaska after having made the crossing via the Panama Canal. One of her most popular HAL captains, Capt. Frans Consen when assigned to her, could be heard bellowing her name with the addition of several 'rolling r's' as in Rrrrrrrrryndam, on his 'voice from the bridge' talk around noon time on sea days. On 10 May 1996 she along with her fleet mates (except Veendam) switched from a Bahamian flag and registration (Nassau) to a Dutch one (Rotterdam).

 

The four ships of the 'S' class are just about identical, having only small changes in their internal layout. However, each one has a different decorative theme. Ryndam's theme is built around the Dutch age of worldwide exploration, with her decor featuring art and artifacts from the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A muzzle-loading canon from the 17th Century, found on the floor of the North Sea, is one of the more unusual pieces.

Ryndam has one penthouse, 28 suites, 120 deluxe staterooms, 336 outside staterooms and 149 inside staterooms for a total of 633, She, along with her three sisters, were the first new HAL cruise ships to have features like an atrium, a multi (two)-story main dining room and main show lounge, and an indoor/outdoor Lido pool with retractable roof. When launched, Statendam came out with a Java Café coffee bar, Explorers Lounge, Piano Bar, Ocean Bar (a HAL trademark), Crow’s Nest (observation lounge by day/nightclub by night), Erasmus Library, Puzzle Corner, Card room, Hudson room, Half Moon room (the latter two can be combined into one room for meetings and private parties), a 249-seat Wajang (movie) theater (also used for lectures, meetings and religious services), Photo Gallery, Shopping Arcade (plus Kiosk and Boutique), Casino (offering blackjack, Caribbean poker, roulette, craps and 97 slot machines), Beauty Salon, Ocean Spa and Gymnasium (with juice bar, massage area, two sauna and two steam rooms), 403-seat Lido (buffet) Restaurant, the 745-seat two-level Rotterdam dining room connected by a pair of sweeping, curved staircases with shiny brass railings and a ceiling canopy made from hand-blown Venetian glass, two small and private dining rooms known as the Queens and Kings rooms and two outdoor swimming pools (one of which, the Lido pool, that can be closed off with a hydraulic sliding roof called a magrodome), two Jacuzzis plus a small children’s wading pool and two deck tennis courts (since changed to one practice tennis court on port, and one basketball court on starboard side).

The four “S” class ships were all designed with somewhat of a novelty at sea, a public escalator that could be used by embarking passengers on Main deck to reach their cabins on Lower Promenade deck while getting a glimpse of the ship’s atrium (Ryndam lost her escalator while in dry-dock in Esquimalt/Victoria, BC in September 2007 and gained two interior staterooms in its place). That atrium, three-stories high, showcases a monumental fountain created by sculptor Gilbert Le Bigre in Pietrasanta, Italy. The total weight of the fountain, including its marble and bronze base and its fish which pour water into its basin, is about 10,000 pounds. At the forward end of Ryndam’s Lido Pool there is a 12-foot high cast bronze sculpture of five leaping bottlenose dolphins created by the British artist Susanna Holt. The 600-seat Vermeer Theater/show lounge forward on both Promenade and Upper Promenade Decks commemorates Dutch 17th century Baroque Master Johannes Vermeer, and has a tulip theme and a dance floor in front of the stage.

During a regularly scheduled dry-dock in Seattle, WA from 27 September through 5 October 2002, Ryndam was one of two HAL ships (Statendam was the other) to gain a second alternative restaurant, the 66-seat Pinnacle Grill featuring Pacific Northwest fare and fine wines (none of the four “S” class ships were built with one). In order to install the restaurant on Ryndam, Statendam and later, their two “S” class sisters, HAL had the private dining room, known as the Kings room, a portion of the Explores Lounge, the Maitre d’s office, as well as the small 'Video Arcade' gutted and converted that space into a Pinnacle Grill restaurant with 'ocean views’. On the “S” class ships, the PG is located on Upper Promenade Deck starboard side in between the main dining room and the Explorers Lounge. In addition, a new and private concierge lounge, called the Neptune Lounge, was constructed on Navigation Deck for the exclusive use by Deluxe Verandah and Penthouse suite occupants (Ryndam lost eight inside staterooms in order to build the lounge). The new lounge gives those guests a peaceful, private retreat where they can relax and get whatever assistance they need such as fresh towels, shore excursion reservations, etc, from their personal concierge.

In November 2003, Holland America Cruise Line announced a U.S. $225 million program of up-scaling their cruise ships, cruise line image and passenger cruise experience called the 'Signature of Excellence program'. This enhancement program included stateroom amenities: Sealy Posturepedic Premium Plush Euro-Top mattresses, 100% white cotton woven bed linens, waffle-weave and terry cloth bathrobes and extra-fluffy Egyptian cotton towels to all cabin categories; new massage-type showerheads and professional-grade quiet hair dryers in all bathrooms; new flat-screen LCD televisions, 5x magnifying make-up mirrors with halo lightning, fresh flowers, complimentary fruit baskets and stainless-steel ice buckets with serving trays in all cabins; plus comfortable bed duvets, fully-stocked mini-bars, personalized stationary, DVD players and access to a well-stocked DVD library in all suite-category staterooms.

 

Also new would be a Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine with a state-of-the-art show kitchen (on the "S" and "R" class ships inside the Wajang Theater) equipped with plasma video screens and on-stage counters for gourmet cooking demonstrations, tasting events and interactive classes; a Wine Tasting Bar and Gourmet Shop where guests can purchase culinary items including china and silverware from the Pinnacle Grill as well as HAL Master Chef’s Rudi Sodamin’s cook books, (in place of her Java Café); the introduction of the Pinnacle Grill alternative restaurant and private Neptune concierge lounge on all ships, two additional dining times in the main dining room, a casual dinner option with table-side waiter service inside the Lido Restaurant; an Explorations Café “powered by the New York Times”, basically a combination internet café, coffee shop and library; a refurbished Crow’s Nest; an expanded Greenhouse Spa and Salon with new treatment rooms offering a thermal suite with hydrotherapy and thalassotherapy hot tub/jacuzzi as well as heated ceramic lounges plus the extension of the fitness facility/gymnasium, out and above the ship’s bridge.

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In addition, changes were made for non-adults, including newly expanded youth facilities within the "Club HAL" program and the creation of the interior “Loft” and exterior “Oasis” (on the "S" and "R"-class ships) for teens. The younger cruisers (ages 3-7) can enjoy supervised, age-specific activities in a more comprehensive Youth Program (arts and crafts, face painting, candy bar bingo, a pajama party, story-telling, board games, drawing contests, ice-cream sundae parties, etc.) in Club HAL. Their room has art theme with paint can stools, palette tables, and vibrant colors. Tweens (ages 8-12) have their own arcade area with their own stage, a jukebox, air hockey, foosball, Karaoke, Sony Playstations, a Digital Dance Revolution machine (DDR), vending machines, miniature golf, ping pong, dance parties, sports events, scavenger hunts, etc. The Loft is a teens-only (ages 13-18) lounge designed to resemble a New York artist's loft and comes complete with dance floor, state-of-the-art sound and laser light system, big screen TV, music videos, DVDs, Sony Playstations, a DDR, comfortable couches, and Internet access. On the "S" and "R"-class ships, a spiral staircase leads up to the Oasis, a secluded, teens-only sun deck with covered snack areas where teens can soak up rays in hammocks and then cool off in a one-of-a-kind cave and wade pool complete with nine-foot high tropical waterfall.

 

Shipboard program changes under SOE #1 included an expanded Exploration Speaker series, unique Medallion and Collection shore excursions, iPod art tours of all ships, new wine packages, an early embarkation program (as early as 11:30 am) for guests, flexible As You Wish dining, expanded Pinnacle Grill menu, exclusive flatware, china and stemware in all restaurants, and a broad expansion of the Greenhouse Spa and Salon facilities and treatments, the renaming and re-branding of the original Odyssey and Marco Polo restaurants to the new Pinnacle Grill.

 

For Ryndam, the SOE part 1 refit meant the disappearance of her Java Café, Delft Library, Puzzle Corner, Card Room and Fountain Terrace. Ryndam had her SOE part 1 enhancements installed while in dry-dock at the Victoria shipyard in Esquimalt, BC from 25 September through 9 October 2004 and became the first ship in the fleet to showcase the SOE initiative product and service enhancements. In order to “reintroduce” the vessel, Madeleine Arison, the ship's Godmother and wife of Carnival Corp chairman and chief executive officer, Micky Arison, rededicated the ship in a ceremony in San Diego on October 20, 2004. Ryndam departed that same afternoon on her Mexican Riviera cruise under the command of Captain van Coevorden.

 

In August 2008, HAL announced further enhancements to, as well as new features on, five of the line's ships as part of its ongoing Signature of Excellence program. Over the next two years the four 'S' sisters as well as the lead ship of the 'R' class, ms Rotterdam, underwent extensive dry docks to create new venues, new staterooms and new decor.

On 5 March 2009 while on her Mexican Riviera and Sea of Cortez itineraries, Ryndam gained a Digital Workshop program by Microsoft which is comprised of complimentary classes led by a Microsoft-trained “techspert”. As part of the program, located in the Queen’s Room, her passengers can learn to use computers to enhance photos, produce and publish videos onto a DVD and create personal web pages or blogs. In addition, one-on-one coaching, called “Techspert Time” is available for more than 20 hours each week.

On 1 June 2009, HAL announced that, except for Veendam, completed at end of April 2009, and Rotterdam, completed in December 2009, the SOE part 2 enhancements will be accomplished in two phases. First, in a series of dry-docks in 2010 and 2011, Statendam, Maasdam and Ryndam received or will receive their stateroom upgrades, 16 Spa staterooms, the addition of Mix, Showroom at Sea, Canaletto, Merabella and other public area enhancements. The second series of dry-docks in 2012 and 2013 will add the Lanai cabins. After experiences leakage problem with the Retreat pool concept on both Veendam and Rotterdam, it is unclear if The Retreat pool as well as the new pre-fabricated block of twenty six new verandah and five inside staterooms on the stern will be added on Statendam, Maasdam and Ryndam during their next scheduled dry-dock period (for Ryndam scheduled in the spring of 2013).

 

For Ryndam, the $200 million program began when she entered Dry Dock #3 on 9 February 2010 at the Grand Bahama Shipyard at Freeport, the Bahamas. While there, all of the ship’s existing staterooms were upgraded with new decor, modern wall sconces, carpeting, drapes, pillows and bed runners, resurfaced desks and vanities, and new vanities and cabinetry in the bathrooms. Sixteen staterooms (fourteen outside and two inside) on Verandah Deck, two decks below the nearby Greenhouse Spa, became “Spa staterooms” with a variety of enhanced amenities. Each offers exclusive items such as organic cotton bathrobes and slippers, a yoga mat, an iPod docking station, a countertop water feature, special room service menus and exclusive spa treatments.

The ship’s original Piano and Casino Bars were gutted and reconfigured into a multi-themed new bar concept called "Mix". It features three separate areas where either Champagne, for mid-day mimosas or anytime celebrations, Martinis, for Grey Goose cocktails and martini flights and/or Spirits & Ales for microbrews, single malts and sports updates are served. A number of Microsoft Surface tables can be found inside Mix on which electronic games can be played. In addition, her casino was redesigned and the entertainment area on Upper Promenade deck opened up (walls were literally knocked down) to create a better flow between shops, bars and the casino.

Inside a section of Ryndam’s Lido restaurant (port side forward) Canaletto, a complimentary casual-style Italian restaurant for dinner, was created. Canaletto, named for the famous 18th century Venetian artist, which debuted on the ms Eurodam in 2008, comes to life for dinner nightly between 5:30 and 9:30 pm when a section of the ships' Lido restaurant is transformed into the Italian restaurant. Canaletto's menu begins with an antipasti plate that changes nightly, followed by soup choices, salad, four pasta dishes and entrees like Putanesca, Penne alla Vodka, Veal Milanese and Chicken Marsala

 

Ryndam's main show lounge was transformed into the Showroom at Sea with the ambiance of a nightclub and a new slate of shows and lastly, a Merabella luxury jewelry shop was added mid-ships adjacent the Explorers Lounge on Upper Promenade deck. Ryndam emerged from the Freeport yard on 28 February 2010 and, after sailing to her winter home port of Tampa, Fl, departed on a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise.

Edited September 4, 2010 by Copper10-8

[JWJs]

Copper10-8 ~ ~ ~ all of your ship pictures were awesome!!! I especially liked this one. :) Sailing along....people on the back deck enjoying the end-of-day sail away and enjoying being on the the ship. Beautiful sunset. Lights on throughout the ship. Just love it.:):):)

 

Edited September 4, 2010 by JWJs

[Copper10-8]

Copper10-8 ~ ~ ~ all of your ship pictures were awesome!!! I especially liked this one. :) Sailing along....people on the back deck enjoying the end-of-day sail away and enjoying being on the the ship. Beautiful sunset. Lights on throughout the ship. Just love it.:):):)

 

 

 

Thank you kindly, but they're not my pics. I get them from the internet. That is a great pic, though!

[aliaschief]

John, Just wanted to say thanks again for this great site. Always like to have a background pic of the our next booked ship. Care to share where on the internet you get your pics?

Yours are always better than the ones I find. The recent pictures of the MS Ryndam were great (next cruise) and do stir up the excitement for our next home away from home cruise.

Thanks again and have a great Labor Day Weekend.

Bruce

[Kittycat2009]

Wow John! Thanks so much for all the info on the Ryndam. The pics are awesome! Very interesting reading the history of the ship. Kudos for all your hard work.

[Copper10-8]

My first cruise was the Scotia Prince in 1997. However, I was not a passenger on the ship, I was a performer. My first cruise as a passenger will be January 23rd 2011 on the Carnival Sensation.

 

 

Mv Stena Olympica (1972-present) Build in 1972 as passenger ferry mv Stena Olympica by Titovo Brodogradiliste, Kraljevica, (then) Yugoslavia (now Croatia)for Sweden-based ferry company Stena AB (Stena Line). She was delivered to her new owners on 25 June 1972 and on 7 July 1972 began operating on their Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden to Kiel, (then) West Germany route. She also sailed on the Korsör, Denmark to Kiel and Göteborg to Frederikshavn, Denmark routes for them.

In January 1974 she entered the Sölvesborgs Varf & Rederi AB/yard at Sölvesborg, Sweden where she received additional accommodation/bed space. In Stena Lina service, she was able to carry 1,500 passengers in 870 berths as well as 425 cars.

 

In April 1982, Stena AB sold Stena Olympica to Portland, Maine-based Prince of Fundy Cruises Ltd. who renamed her Scotia Prince. Prince of Fundy Cruises was established by Baron Stig Leuhusen as a subsidiary of Panama-based Transworld Steamship Company. On 28 April 1982 the ship departed Rendsburg (near Kiel) West Germany on a trans-Atlantic crossing to Portland, Me. Upon arrival there in May, Prince of Fundy Cruises started operating her on a seasonal (summer only) cruise-ferry service from Portland across the Gulf of Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. The crossing between the U.S. and Canada took eleven hours. Baron Leuheusen had obtained/purchased that service from European ferry operator Lion Ferry who had established the route in 1970. In Portland, the city-owned International Marine Terminal was used and in Yarmouth, the federally-owned Ferry Terminal.

In 1986 she crossed the Atlantic in the opposite direction, arriving on 8 November 1986 at the Neue Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft yard in Flensburg, West Germany where she was ‘lengthened’ by 18 meters/6 feet. In addition, a portion of her car deck was converted into extra cabin space. She emerged from the yard on 26 March 1987 and five days later commenced her return to Portland.

In the 1998 ‘off season’, Prince of Fundy Cruises moved Scotia Prince to Tampa, Fl where, from 13 November until April 1999, she initiated a seasonal service between the Florida city and Progresso, Yucatan State in Mexico. Founder Leuhusen passed away in 1996 and the company was put up for sale in 1999.

On 18 August 2000 Prince of Fundy Cruises Ltd was purchased Virginia-based investors and the company was renamed Scotia Prince Cruises. The Scotia Prince was re-flagged (Bahamas) as well as overhauled/upgraded. She was sent across the Atlantic once more, this time to the Nobiskrug yard at Rendsburg, Germany. The service was repositioned from a transport provider to a transport and package vacation company and marketed as a cruise-ferry and destination in its own right and in April 2001, Scotia Prince was back at work.

During the winter of 2002-2003, Scotia Prince Cruises Ltd. inaugurated a service called the "Yucatan Express", using the Scotia Prince on a route between Tampa, Fl and Cancun, Quintana Roo State and Merida, Yucatan State in Mexico from November 2002 to March 2003.

 

In 2004, the company discovered dangerous levels of mold in the City of Portland's terminal, causing an evaluation of the terminal by CDC's National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in March 2005. Based on toxicological and remediation reports and NIOSH's comments on the then current state of the International Marine Terminal and the likelihood that the building could not be made safe, Scotia Prince Cruises cancelled its 2005 season. The City of Portland, in return, immediately evicted Scotia Prince Cruises. Scotia Prince, meanwhile, was laid up in Charleston, SC in December 2004 and placed on the market.

 

Scotia Prince was one of several cruise/passenger ships chartered by the U.S. Government/Military Sealift Command to provide accommodation for refugees and relief workers following Hurrican Katrina's path of destruction in August 2005. She sailed to Violet, La where, on 7 September 2005, she became a hotel ship. After being released from FEMA service on 4 March 2006, she was chartered by Morocco-based Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation aka Comanav.

 

 

Effective 27 March 2006, Comanav began operating her on their Tangier, Morocco to Genoa, Italy run across the Mediterranean. About a month later however, on 28 April 2006, her propulsion broke down and she had to be towed back to Genoa for repairs at the Cantieri Navali T. Mariotti shipyard located there.

 

For four months between June and October 2006, Scotia Prince operated, again on charter, to Algeria Ferries on their route from Oran, Algeria, Alicante, Spain and Marseilles, France.

 

In April 2007, she received new owners, the Nassau, Bahamas-based Clipper Group and, from June through October 2007, chartered back to Comanav for use between Almeria, Spain and Nador, Morocco. On 7 October 2007, she was laid up in Toulon in the south of France until May 2008 when this schedule repeated itself. The next charter was from June to September 2009 by Spain-based Acciona Trasmediterranea for their ferry service between Almeria and Ghazouet or Ghazout, Algeria. In September 2009, a layup at Burgas, Bulgaria on the Black Sea followed.

Most recently, beginning in May 2010 after arriving in Gibraltar for another layup, Scotia Prince was chartered by Turkey-based Marmara Lines. On 17 June 2010, the passenger ferry started operating on their seasonal (summer) Ancona, (central) Italy to Cesme, Turkey route.

[Osmosis Jones]

We went on the Volendam to Asia (China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Singapore) for a 12 night cruise in Nov 2009.

We thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it would be something we would do again 'one day' - perhaps in 5 or so years.

Whaddya know, we are booked on the same ship almost exactly 1 year later! LOL. Guess you can say we are hooked.

Can't wait to get back on the boat in 60 days - yes I'm counting!!:)

[sarge98]

The wife and my first cruie was on the Carnival April 1979. Ft Lauaderdale, San Juan, St Thomas and St Martin. The Carnival was the Carnival lines second ship, first being the Mardi Grau. Second cruise was Carnival Valor 2009 an Princess Caribbeau Princess Jan 2010. Still planning next one but probabely can't wait 20 years against and second one.

[erewhon]

My first ocean voyage was on the Arcadia in 1971, Freemantle to Southhampton. Thoroughly enjoyed those weeks on board.

 

Copper 10-8, thank you for all the information and photos of the ships, very interesting.

[Expat...]

Have been hooked ever since...and so has my sweetie... great pics Copper BTW.

[DFD1]

John,

 

I'm just catching up on your incredible thread and reading about the France/Norway. I've been cruising since 1965, and no ship ever made the impression on me that she made. I wax nostalgic everytime I see her picture or read about her.

 

She was truly unique and quite remarkable.

 

Thanks for writing about her and for this priceless thread.

 

All the best.

[bigque]

Sovereign Of The Seas

 

 

 

 

[Himself]

Dear John:

 

Congratulations! This thread has had more enteries and more looks than any thread I have found and that even inclues DBA's "Yes I am a HAL employee." Your information on ships is as great as ever. A long time ago I asked you about the ENCHANTED ISLE and you gave more information on that that I could believe from the laying of the keel to it being used to make razor blades. I see you do that with many ships. Your knowledge on these matters is breath-taking. Keep up the good work and Happy Labor Day.

Himself who was also baptised John

[Copper10-8]

First cruise...the lovely Konstantine Simonov, late December 1994 from Helsinki to St Petersburg. You know you're gonna have a good time on a ship with the hammer and sickle on it! lol... Almost everything about it was horrible! The food, the sheets and towels, the surly staff, etc., but St Petersburg was magical and we were back 8 months later on the same ship in August. When the other Americans on the august sailing found out we had been on the ship before we became minor celebrities on board. Also, drinking with the Finns is fun and quite a challenge, lol.... We actually had a great time!

 

Jeff

 

http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Soviet_Russian/Konstantin_Simonov-01_IvoB.jpg

 

ms Konstantin Simonov (1982-present) Built in 1982 by Stocznia Szczecinska im Adolfa Warskiego, Szczecin, Poland as the passenger-ferry ms Konstantin Simonov for the Leningrad, USSR-based Baltiiskoe Gosudarstvennoe Morskoe Parogodstvo or Baltic State Sea Steamship Company (Baltic Shipping). She was the fourth of a series of seven vessels known by the Polish yard as the B492 class. Her sisters were the Dmitriy Shostakovic (1980), Georg Ots (1980), Lev Tolstoy (1981), Mikhail Suslov (1982), Konstantin Chernenko (1986) and Mikhail Sholokov (1986).

Konstantin Simonov was laid down on 17 April 1981, delivered to her new owners in 1982 and inserted on a regular passenger service between Leningrad in the (then) Soviet Union, Helsinki, Finland and Riga, (now) Latvia. At times, she would also call as other Baltic ports such as Warnemunde (then) East Germany and Stockholm, Sweden and make crossings of the North Sea to Tilbury (London) and Southampton in England. She had room for twenty cars on one of her decks. On 12 February 1988 the 12,688 gross registered ton ship entered the Lloyd Werft/shipyard at Bremerhaven, (then) West Germany for a refit and modernization.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Konstantin Simonov was re-flagged to the Russian Federation and the red 'hammer and sickle' painted on her funnel was replaced by the new Russian tri-color. On 30 April 1992 management of the ship was transferred to the Finland-based Baltic Line. She continued to sail her regular Saint Petersburg (name change from Leningrad since Sep 91) to Helsinki round-trips. On 18 May 1996 after her owners ran into financial difficulties, the ship was arrested in Kiel, Germany for outstanding debt and eventually put up for sale. On 26 December 1996 a Russian Court declared Baltic Shipping Company bankrupt.

In November 1996 Konstantin Simonov was purchased by Limassol, Cyprus-based Columbia Ship Management Ltd. They renamed her Francesca and there were plans to send her to Australia but these did not materialize. Instead, she was laid up at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

New owners arrived on the scene again on 6 September 2000 when Columbia Ship Management sold the ship to Valetta, Malta-based Abcus Shipping Ltd./Silver Cruises. She was renamed The Iris and was operated by Haifa, Israel-based Mano Maritime Ltd./Mano Cruises. After extensive renovations in 2001, her new owners began operating her on Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea itineraries from Haifa.

For eight years, she could be seen in various ports in the region such as Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Marseille and Nice, France, Messina, Italy, Kos, Santorini and Piraeus, Greece, Heraklion, Crete and Yalta and Odessa, Ukraine. In 2004 The Iris received additional renovations in dry-dock.

Edited September 8, 2010 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

On 11 December 2009 the ship was purchased by Finland-based Kristina Cruises Oy as a replacement for their long serving 1960-built Kristina Regina which they sold in July 2010. She departed Haifa on 29 December 2009 and on 16 January 2010 arrived in Naantali, Finland. On 2 March 2010 she was moved into the dry-dock belonging to the Turun Korjaustelakka Oy orTurku Repair Yard Ltd. for an extensive refurbishing.

In July 2010 she was renamed Kristina Katarina and on 28 August she began operating for her new owners by sailing from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia. On 31 August 2010 she departed Helsinki for her first long cruise back to familiar territory in the Mediterranean.

Edited September 8, 2010 by Copper10-8

[mudscraper]

Those Rooskies can really build a beautiful ship.

[Copper10-8]

My first cruise was on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas in June 2000. Hubby and I were celebrating our 5-year anniversary. I had been a "Love Boat" fan as a kid and always wanted to take a cruise. We sailed from San Juan and had stops in St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, and St. Maarten. We had spent our honeymoon on St. Maarten and had heard wonderful things about St. Lucia.

 

We loved the ship, the itinerary, and especially the service. The cabin was tiny but at least we had an outside with a porthole for some light. Otherwise, I would have been too claustrophobic.

 

We had the dreaded baby next door on that trip. Hubby and I were awakened 2-3 times a night by baby screams. In the afternoon when we wanted to take a nap after being in port all day, we'd be woken by baby screams. We were extremely sleep deprived by the end of the trip because there was so much that we wanted to do that we were constantly busy, but when we were ready to rest, we couldn't get any. No other cabins available to switch, not that the customer service reps were very sympathetic - "Babies cry, what are we supposed to do about it."

 

After that trip, hubby originally said no more cruises. He wasn't hooked at all! There was more risk of having a bad trip due to your neighbors at sea than on land. At least on land, you can move to a different hotel if you have a problem.

 

Four years later my mom wanted to try cruising. I managed to talk hubby into going since we would know our neighbors - parents on one side & aunt/uncle on the other. We sailed on Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas out of Galveston, which is only a short drive for us. The service was great, the staff was fabulous, and the ship was wonderful. The cabin was still tiny but not as small as on our previous cruise. The itinerary was only so-so (Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, 3 sea days), but we were hooked after that trip.

 

ms Monarch of the Seas (1991-present) Built in 1991 as ms Monarch of the Seas by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France for Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). She was the second ship of the three-vessel Sovereign class, her sisters being Sovereign the Seas (1988) and Majesty of the Seas (1992). They were the first modern megaships to be built and the first series of cruise ships to include a multi-story atrium with glass elevators. They also had a single deck consisting entirely of cabins with private balconies instead of oceanview cabins.

The ship's keel section was laid down in Forme B of the French yard on 30 July 1989. However, on 3 December of that year while in Forme C and three weeks out from her sea trials, a fire was started by a welder's torch at the forward end of Deck 3. The fire burned overnight and reached the bridge. It was eventually brought under control but the damage was extensive. During the rebuilt, some sections from her younger sister, Majesty of the Seas, being built at the same time, were used. The fire and resulting damage delayed Monarch OTS's construction by six months but she was eventually delivered to her new owners on 15 October 1991 and sailed that evening under the command of RCCL Captain Tor Stangeland. Her first stop was Southampton, England where a lunch and cruise to "nowhere" (actually cancelled due to very rough weather in the English Channel) for VIP's and travel professionals.

The ship then crossed the Atlantic, arriving first at Boston, Mass on 25 October for a three-day stay and more tours and receptions. She then sailed to New York City, NY, arriving on 28 October. Her next stop was Miami, Fl where during a ceremony on 11 November 1991, she was named by her godmother, legendary screen actress and model Lauren Bacall. Enroute to her new home port of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monarch encountered her older sister Sovereign of the Seas and both captains exchanged triple salutes on their ship's whistles. At the time of her maiden voyage on 17 November 1991, she was one of the largest cruise ships in the world at 73,941 gross registered tons. That maiden voyage, a seven-night Southern Caribbean cruise, would take her to Bridgetown, Barbados, Fort-de-France, Martinique, St. John's, Antiqua and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI.

 

RCCL initially operated Monarch OTS out of San Juan, Puerto Rico on seven-night Southern Caribbean cruises to the ports listed above. She has also been based out of Port Everglades in Ft. lauderdale, Fl for Caribbean itineraries, including Western Caribbean ports of call. Starting on 3 June 2003, she was home-ported in Los Angeles, CA. operating three and four-night cruises to San Diego, Catalina Island and Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

Monarch of the Seas made her last regularly scheduled sailing out of Los Angeles to Baja on 13 October 2008. On 17 October 2008, the ship repositioned to the East Coast on a 16-night Panama Canal cruise to Miami, Fl. From there after disembarking her passengers, Monarch OTS underwent a scheduled, weeklong dry-dock at Freeport, the Bahamas before her first cruise from Port Canaveral, Fl on 10 November 2008 where she replaced Sovereign OTS.

Monarch of the Seas' interior theme is a tribute to the great Broadway musicals of the 20th century. Her main two-deck show room is named the Sound of Music. The ship's main dining rooms, Claude's and Vincent's, are named after artists Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.

After evacuating a sick passenger at Philipsburg, Sint Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles on 15 December 1998, Monrach of the Seas grazed an underwater shoal while departing, which opened a 130 by 6.6 feet gash along her starboard hull. The ship started taking water and began to sink by the head with three of her watertight compartments completely, plus several others partially, flooded. Her captain intentionally grounded her on a sandbar to prevent further sinking. All of her 2,557 passengers were safely evacuated by crew as well as local tender operators. The grounding breached 2 diesel fuel tanks and an overflow tank which resulted in a small fuel spill of approximately 100 U.S. gallons.

On 17 December 1998, Monarch OTS was successfully refloated by tugs and then towed to Mobile, AL for repairs. Upon arrival there on 19 December, she was dry-docked at the Atlantic Marine shipyard for 65 days. One-hundred and fourteen of the ship’s compartments had to be cleaned. The work also included the replacement of machinery, 460 tons of shell plating, and 18 miles of electrical wiring. She arrived back in San Juan on 12 March and resumed her sailing schedule two days later.

A joint investigation by Norwegian Maritime Investigators and the United States Coast Guard found that the accident was due to “…a myriad of human performance deficiencies.” Reports also indicate that navigation out of the port was done by eye rather than use of electronic navigation and that the relocation of a vital buoy was not reflected on charts.

Monarch of the Seas received a complete refit at the Grand Bahama shipyard in Freeport, the Bahamas in May 2003 prior to sailing to Los Angeles, CA, and beginning service to Baja California. The refurbishment added Royal Caribbean's signature rock-climbing wall, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream counter/kiosk, Seattle's Best Coffee at the Cafe Latte-tudes, Boleros Latin Bar-disco, the Asian-fusion restaurant "Jade" and a new conference center with three meeting rooms. In addition, her fitness center/Gym was expanded and moved to Deck 9 and the Adventure Ocean kids club space was tripled in space.

In 2007, Monarch OTS became the first major cruise ship in the world to be captained by a woman, Karin Stahre Janson from Sweden. She would remain the only female cruise ship captain until 2010 when British Captain Sarah Breton took command of P&O Cruises' ms Artemis.

While her older sister, Sovereign OTS, has been internally transferred out of the fleet to subsidiary Pullmantar Cruises, Monarch and Majesty are still operating for Royal Caribbean. Monarch of the Seas is currently sailing three and four-day Bahamian itineraries out of Port Canaveral, Fl. Besides Nassau, these cruises also visit CocoCay (Little Stirrup Cay), RCI's (Royal Caribbean International - name change in 1997) privately-owned island in the Berry Islands.

[odd man out]

My first and only cruise this summer on the Ryndam. Here she is in Ketchikan. Picture taken from the flightseeing plane just before landing.

 

[Copper10-8]

Ours was the Carnival Pride on the Mexican Rivera and yes it did get us hooked, actually so hooked in fact to turn down a half way paid for trip to go to Ireland so we could spend time on our 6th cruise this October.

 

Thank goodness I was not hooked before said cruise because it was the one cruise that had been booked out more then 4 months in advance. I cannot handle having to wait so many months before getting on board. I do not regret my adicition, it is wonderful.

 

ms Carnival Pride (2001-present) Built as ms Carnival Pride in 2001 by the Kvaerner-Masa yard aka Helsingin uusi telakka or Helsinki New Shipyard (now known as STX Europe) at Hietalahiti in downtown Helsinki, Finland, for Carnival Cruise Line (CCL). She was the second vessel of Carnival’s Spirit class. Her sisters are Carnival Spirit (2001), Carnival Legend (2002) and Carnival Miracle (2004 - plus two ships of the Costa Line; Costa Mediterranea and Costa Atlantica). The Spirit class of ships were built to Panamax specifications, allowing them to pass through the Panama Canal. Carnival Pride is able to carry a total of 2,680 passengers (lower beds: 2,124 passengers) in 1,062 staterooms. Her maximum crew capacity is 961. Eighty percent of her staterooms have ocean views, and eighty percent of those feature private balconies.

The ship was floated out from Kvaerner-Masa’s covered new building dock on 29 March 2001 and handed over to her new owners on 12 December 2001. After a trans-Atlantic crossing without passengers, she was named on 7 January 2002 in Port Canaveral, Fl by her godmother, NASA Astronaut Dr. Tamara Jernigan. That evening, the ship departed on the first of two two-night cruises to "nowhere" with invited guests and VIPs. Her maiden cruise with paid passengers departed Port Canaveral five days later on 12 January 2002. During the remainder of her 2002 inaugural season and into the second half of 2003, Carnival Pride operated a series of Caribbean voyages from her home port of Port Canaveral. On 7 September 2003, she transitted the Panama Canal on her way to Los Angeles, CA (the Port of Long Beach) from where she sailed Mexican Riviera cruises until 22 March 2009.

Carnival Pride’s interior reflects an “Italian Renaissance” theme. As the second in a new series of "Fun Ships", she features a number of innovative amenities and facilities, including an outdoor wrap-around promenade and the highest percentage of ocean view and balconied staterooms in the Carnival fleet. The ship's dining options include the two-level, 1,250 seat Normandie main dining room, the 156-seat two-level reservation only David's Supper Club, 86-seat Captain's Club Room restaurant annex, 458-seat Mermaid's Grill (casual) Lido restaurant, 112-seat Piazza Cafe patisserie and a 24-hour pizzeria. All of these options are part of Carnival's Total Choice Dining program offering a variety of formal and casual choices at sea.

 

A nine-deck-high atrium called the Renaissance, provids access to sixteen bars, lounges and nightspots and the 278-seat Winner's Club casino. Among others, the vessel's 12 passenger decks house the 1,167 seat, three-deck-high Taj Mahal main show lounge that offers Las Vegas-style productions, an expansive 13,700 square feet Spa Carnival two-level health and fitness club, the Look Beauty Parlor and the Fun Shops duty-free shopping arcade along the Via Veneto Boulevard.

 

In addition, Sunset Garden interior promenade, a wedding chapel, a miniature golf course, running track, Apollo forward pool, Venus main pool with a 3-deck high Twister water slide, Kids Pool, Poseidon adults only aft pool and Camp Carnival, a children’s facility for kids ages 2 to 11 featuring an arts and crafts center and computer lab (additional children's venues include Real Virtuality Arcade, Club O2 and Circle "C"), can be found on the ship.

 

 

 

[/url]Other ship’s amenities include the 348-seat Butterflies cabaret lounge, 66-seat Raphael Lounge, 123-seat Starry Night jazz lounge, two-deck high Beauties night/dance club, 106-seat Ivory Piano Bar, 67-seat Perfect Game Sports Bar, 85-seat Florentine Lounge wine bar, Renaissance lobby bar, Sushi Trolley sushi bar, 23-seat Nobel library & Internet Cafe, 20-seat Crystal Card room and 100-seat Conference Center.

 

Carnival Pride currently sails a year-round program from Baltimore, Md. (started on 27 April 2009) offering two different 7-day cruises – an Eastern Caribbean itinerary calling at Grand Turk, the Turks and Caicos, Holland America Line's private island Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas and Freeport, also in the Bahamas; and a Bahamas/Florida route featuring Port Canaveral, Fl., Nassau and Freeport. She will operate 50 voyages annually from Baltimore, carrying an estimated 115,000 passengers a year.

 

[url=http://boards.cruisecritic.com/"http://media.shipspotting.com/uploads/photos/rw/687148/Ship+Photo+CARNIVAL+MIRACLE.jpg&quot]

[MACPC]

Maasdam - September 2004. We sailed two weeks after our son's wedding and we were celebrating my graduation with a Master's degree at the age of [gulp] 56 :D! We sailed from Boston to Montreal and the itinerary was significant because my ancestors were some of the original French settlers of Acadie [now known as Nova Scotia]. After 'Le Grande Derangement' [the exile of the French by the British in 1755] my ancestors resettled in Cajun land - south Louisiana. Most of my very large extended family are still rooted in LA. My DH took me to Texas when we married 40 yrs ago.

 

We planned to sail every year after that first trip - but got derailed several years with land trips to France, remodeling, grandbabies. Hoping to arrange our future with as many nights at sea as possible while still working.

 

We chose HAL after lots of online research about the difference in styles of the cruise lines. I have yet to read anything that makes me want to switch from HAL!!

Edited September 9, 2010 by MACPC

[Copper10-8]

First cruise was the Carnival Jubilee, Eastern Caribbean 1989. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

 

Wow neat info, and neat post. I read the 1st 35 pages so far.

 

Our first cruise was the Mexican Riviera on the Carnival Jubilee. Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

 

I wasnt impressed wwith the ship, it needed a real make over, worn carpet, rust coming through the paint and it lost power twice.

 

We spent the week being trailed by a Princess ship, dont remember which one. It was a single stack, not Island or Pacific Princess, but it was a traditional long one stacker ship.

 

 

ms Jubilee (1986-present) Build in 1986 as ms Jubilee by Kockums Varv Ab, Malmö, Sweden for Carnival Cruise Line as the second vessel of the three-ship medium-size Holiday class. Her sisters are Holiday (1985) and Celebration (1987). When she emerged from the Swedish yard, Jubilee was 47,262 gross registered tons, 733 feet long, 92.5 feet wide with a 24.9 foot draft. She was Liberian registered with Italian bridge Officers and an International crew. Jubilee was able to carry a total of 1,896 passengers (lower beds: 1,486 passengers) in 743 staterooms (10 suites, 443 outside and 290 inside). Her maximum crew capacity was 670.

Jubilee was launched on 26 October 1985 and delivered to her new owners on 1 June 1986. She then departed Malmö without passengers on a trans-Atlantic crossing to Miami, Fl. After her naming ceremony there on 6 July 1986 by her godmother, Miss Universe 1984, Swedish-born Yvonne Ryding, she departed Dodge Island for her inaugural cruise to the Caribbean.

Carnival called the Holiday class ships "Super Liners" and they were also known as the "Fun Ships". In terms of layout and function, Jubilee was virtually identical to her sister Holiday-class ships. She consisted (and still consists) of ten decks with most of the public rooms concentrated on Atlantic, Promenade and Lido decks (8 - 10), while her passenger cabins are located on Riviera, Main, Upper and Empress decks (4 - 7) as well as the ten suites on Verandah deck that came with sliding glass doors that lead to private balconies (11).

Like other Carnival ships, her public areas were designed and decorated in a flamboyant style by Carnival's award winning (interior) naval architect Joe Farcus, who has a penchant for augmenting the interiors with more than a dash of neon and glitz. Jubilee's theme was isnpired by historic, romantic England, with her main promenade called Park Lane, a Victorian Gazebo Bar, a Trafalgar Square and Churchill's Library, complete with several suits of armor. Jubilee had an enclosed, double width promenade, known as Park Lane Boulevard, which would become "the boulevard" for each evening's activities. Every Carnival ship has its own particular bit of whimsy. On Jubilee, it was a full size white colored Gazebo, part of the Gazebo Bar on Park Lane Blvd, outside of the ship’s Sporting Club Casino.

 

Among the public venues onboard Jubilee were the Bordeaux and Burgundy main dining rooms, the self-service (buffet) Wheelhouse Bar & Grill, Espresso's Cafe, the multi-tiered Art Deco Atlantis main show lounge, Terraces in the Grove cabaret-style lounge, Speakeasy lounge with fire-engine red piano, Smuggler's Lounge complete with cargo-net ceilings, Oz Discotheque and the Sporting Club casino with golden slot machines, etched glass and golden mirrors. Other public areas included Tivoli Square, the Galleria shopping mall, duty-free and logo shop, the Video Arcade/Game Room, Nautica Spa & Beauty Salon, photo gallery and children's play room. Jubilee had a Lido Deck swimming pool with a 14-foot-tall spiral water slide, a Carnival trademark. A second, more secluded pool could be found at her stern, and a small kids wading pool one deck below.

In 2000, Jubilee received a refit in which she gained a Sushi Bar as well as an expanded health and fitness facility.

 

During her career with Carnival, Jubilee also operated out of Los Angeles (San Pedro) on 7-day Mexican Riviera cruises (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta), out of Vancouver, BC on Alaska cruises, and and out of Tampa, Fl and Galveston, Tx on 4 and 5-day Western Caribbean itineraries.

 

In September 2004, the ship received an internal transfer to P&O Australia, a Carnival subsidiary. After an intensive refit at the Grand Bahamas Dockyard in Freeport, the Bahamas, she was renamed pacific Sun and received interior as well as exterior changes. The most obvious exterior changes were the removal of both Carnival-trademark winglets on her "whale tail" funnel and the construction of a so-called ducktail on her stern. Due to this addition, she will pitch and roll less and this will also increase her fuel efficiency. A two-story waterslide was one of her added features.

 

[/url]

 

On 27 October 2004, she was renamed at Sydney's Darling Harbor by her new godmother, Australian Olympic gold medal swimmer Lisa Curry-Kenny. That afternoon, she sailed her first cruise for P&O Australia. Since that time, Pacific Sun has welcomed thousands of Australians onboard on year-round South Pacific and tropical North Queensland itineraries.

Pacific Sun's guests are able to choose from three-night short break cruises to a fourteen-night voyage to New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu. Destinations included islands such as Ouvea (New Caledonia), Champagne Bay (Vanuatu) and the Isle of Pines (New Caledonia), as well as capitals like Noumea (New Caledonia) and Vila (Solomon Islands).

 

 

In November 2007, P&O Australia relocated Pacific Sun to Brisbane which saw her become the largest year-round cruise ship ever to be based in Queensland. From this new home port, Pacific Sun offers, among other itineraries, the forty two-night Cherry Blossum cruise which goes around Asia.

 

 

On 31 July 2008 while enroute to Auckland, New Zealand following an eight-day cruise in the South Pacific, 42 of her passengers received medical attention after Pacific Sun was hit by severe weather and experienced 22-foot swells and 50-knot winds, causing her to roll sharply just before 8:00 pm.

 

Pacific Sun is currently operating on 3 to 14-night itineraries with port calls in Queensland and the South Pacific.

 

[Copper10-8]

Some additional pics of the former Jubilee:

 

 

As Carnival's Jubilee

 

 

As P&O Australia's Pacific Sun at Lyttelton harbor (Christchurch), New Zealand

 

 

As P&O Australia's Pacific Sun in Darling harbor, Sydney

 

[/url]

 

As P&O Australia's Pacific Sun arriving in Brisbane

 

 

As P&O Australia's Pacific Sun departing Brisbane in hybrid colors (new all-white hull but still sporting the prior P&O Australia sun below her bridge)

 

 

As P&O Australia's Pacific Sun departing Brisbane in new (all-white) house colors

[Copper10-8]

We went on the Volendam to Asia (China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Singapore) for a 12 night cruise in Nov 2009.

We thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it would be something we would do again 'one day' - perhaps in 5 or so years.

Whaddya know, we are booked on the same ship almost exactly 1 year later! LOL. Guess you can say we are hooked.

Can't wait to get back on the boat in 60 days - yes I'm counting!!

 

ms Volendam (1999-present) Built in 1999 as ms Volendam by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., Marghera (Venice), Italy for Holland America Line. She is the third ship in HAL history to bear the name Volendam and the second ship of the four vessel 'R' class with Rotterdam (1997), Zaandam (2000) and Amsterdam (2000) being her sisters. There are differences among the four however, and they really should be divided into two classes; Rotterdam & Amsterdam and Volendam & Zaandam. Volendam was named after the similarly-named town located in the Dutch province of Noord Holland (North Holland), in the municipality of Edam-Volendam.

 

 

At 61,396 gross registered tons, Volendam is slightly larger than the “S” class ships and has three design changes that distinguish her from that class: Her aft swimming pool was moved from Navigation Deck up one level to Lido Deck, an alternate restaurant, at the time of her delivery called the Marco Polo and serving “California-style Italian cuisine”, but changed into the Pinnacle Grill in February 2003, was incorporated and set of mid-ship elevator banks as well as a stairwell were/was added. Volendam is similar to the lead ship of the “R” class, Rotterdam, but is a bit heavier (her Lido restaurant is larger than Rotterdam’s) as well as slower (basically the same speed as the “S” class ships). Volendam also has a single funnel (a different, more rounded, design compared to the “S” class funnels), whereas Rotterdam has a twin-funnel, side-by-side arrangement. Unlike ms Rotterdam, one of HAL’s two flagships designed for longer, world-wide cruises, Volendam was designed for yeoman duty in the Caribbean and Alaska but has also found her way to Hawaii, the South Pacific, Australia and Asia.

 

The first Volendam, built by Harland & Wolff Ltd, at Govan (Glasgow), Scotland, was launched on 6 July 1922 as a 15,434 ton ocean liner and was purchased by HAL with the assistance of the Dutch government. She and her sister Veendam II were the first significant Dutch ships launched after the Great War. Volendam I would sail between Rotterdam and New York through 1940 however, at 15 knots, she proved too slow as well as too late for the great migrations to North America.

Volendam I augmented her trans-Atlantic runs with pleasure cruises to Bermuda, Nassau and Havana. By the 1930s, 5-day cruises to Bermuda were priced from $45, while 6-week Mediterranean cruises began at $425. At the outbreak of World War II, the British government appropriated the Volendam and for a brief period, she housed the Dutch government in exile at Falmouth, England. Pressed into child evacuation service in 1940, Volendam was torpedoed by a German U-boat 300 miles off the Irish coast but miraculously all 335 youngsters aboard were saved. After being towed and beached, she was refitted and then served as a troop transport for the remainder of the war. After the war, she was used to transport Dutch troops to the former Dutch East Indies and Dutch citizens back to the Netherlands. She was also used as an immigrant ship on runs to Australia and Canada. She was scrapped in 1952 at Hendrik Ido Ambacht in the Netherlands.

 

The second Volendam was launched as ss Brasil at Pascagoula, Ms for Moore-McCormack Line in 1958. She was purchased by HAL in 1972 and used for Bermuda cruises out of New York during the summer and in the Caribbean during the winter season, interspersed with periods of lay-up and charter agreements (1976-1978 to a Greek line where she sailed as Monarch Sun). Reverting back to HAL and her Dutch name, Volendam pioneered cruises to Alaska. HAL sold her and her sister Veendam III, ex-Argentina, in 1983 and 1984 to make room for the “N”-class sisters, Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam, and she joined her new owners in February 1984. (she was sold for scrap and broken up at Alang, India in 2004).

 

After running technical trials in the Adriatic, Volendam III was delivered to Holland America Line on 15 October 1999 and then crossed the Atlantic to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. under the command of HAL Captain Johannes “Hans” van Biljouw. Between 8 and 12 November 1999, inaugural events took place in Port Everglades in which Volendam played host to several thousand travel agents, past passengers and other invited guests. On 12 November 1999 at Port Everglades’ Pier 26, the ship was christened by her godmother, tennis professional Chris Evert. The ship departed that afternoon on her maiden voyage, a 10-day eastern Caribbean cruise with port calls at St. John’s, Antigua, Castries, St. Lucia, Bridgetown, Barbados, Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI and Nassau, the Bahamas.

Volendam has one penthouse verandah suite, 28 deluxe verandah suites, 168 deluxe (verandah) staterooms,383 standard outside stateroomsand 136 standard inside stateroomsfor a total of716 cabins. The basic layout of her public rooms is the same as that of ms Rotterdam VI, including her two-tier 747-seat Rotterdam dining room and 386-seat Lido buffet-style restaurant. She came out with a Java Café coffee bar, Explorers Lounge, Piano Bar and Seaview Lounge, a HAL trademark Ocean Bar, 24-seat Erasmus Library, two multi-purpose meeting rooms named the Hudson and Half Moon rooms (the Half Moon doubled as Card Room), a children’s activity room called the Sky room (can also be used as a meeting or reception room), a small Video Arcade behind the Wajang Theater, Photo Gallery, Shopping Arcade (plus gift shops), Casino (offering blackjack, Caribbean poker, roulette, craps and 97 slot machines), two small and private dining rooms known as the Kings and Queens rooms (the Queens room has since been changed into the digital workshop), two outdoor swimming pools (one of which, the Lido pool, that can be closed off with a hydraulic sliding roof called a magrodome), two Jacuzzis plus a small children’s wading pool (since covered up and usually the base for a giant chess set).

On Sports Deck, shuffle board courts, a jogging track around the base of the funnel (since removed) and two dual purpose paddle tennis/volleyball courts (since changed to one practice tennis court on port, and one basketball court on starboard side) can be found. Her Casino Bar, in addition to being the ship’s sports bar, featured cinematic memorabilia, including costumes, props, photos and posters of movies and the stars who made them. At the forward end of Volendam’s Lido Pool, a 12-foot high cast bronze sculpture of five leaping bottlenose dolphins, created by the British artist Susanna Holt, can be found.

 

 

Volendam’s main two-story 557-seat show lounge, named after Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals, features colorful colonnades against dark wooden walls. The Frans Hals’ decor goes back to the Art Deco era with a design inspired by the famous Tuschinski Theater in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. There was a wooden, oval-shaped dance floor in the center of the room in front of the stage. Her trade mark Ocean Bar attracts the pre- and post-dinner cocktail crowd and her 205-seat Wajang theater is the place for movies, religious services, meetings and presentations. The Crow's Nest observation lounge has a 320-degree view for taking in port departures and arrivals. Volendam also launched with an Ocean Spa fitness center complete with beauty salon, dual sauna and steam rooms, six spa treatment rooms, gymnasium and a juice bar.

 

Volendam’s alternative 88-seat restaurant, Marco Polo, sported the contemporary pan-European warmth of light beech wood. Architect Frans Dingemans strove to create an artists’ bistro with works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Henry Moore, Picasso, Matisse plus a host of unknown talents, each framed in the style of its period. The result was a fine artists’ bistro that looks as if it evolved over the centuries. Open for lunch and dinner by reservation at no additional charge, the Marco Polo featured “California-style” Italian cuisine such as Scaloppine Di Vitello, Costoletta di Vitello Al Carbone, Petto Di Pollo Rustico, Agnello Aromatico, Filetto Al Barolo, Grigliata Di Mare, Pesce Del Giorno, Pizza Marco and Osso Buco Alla Milanese.

Volendam debuted HAL's first 24-hour Internet center/café managed by Digital Seas and called "The Web Site." It allowed passengers to go on-line on a real-time basis, check their own e-mail accounts and stock quotes as well as surf the World Wide Web. The new Internet center, equipped with eight computer terminals and a printer, was located on Upper Promenade Deck between the Erasmus Library and the Hudson/Half Moon meeting rooms in a space that was initially called the Puzzle Corner.

 

Volendam has a floral theme for her interior décor. This is reflected in the ship’s artwork, doors and other design elements as well as fabrics throughout the ship’s public rooms and staterooms. In addition to fresh flowers throughout the ship, Holland America Line has drawn on its collection of artwork to enhance the interior of the ship’s public spaces. Everything from ceramic vases handcrafted by Royal Goedewaagen in Delft, the Netherlands, pre-Columbian sculptures including a female figure in earthenware found near Jalisco, Mexico that dates from about 100 BC and a Jaguar vessel found in Central America from around 1500 AD, to Renaissance-era fountains imported from Italy, are included in her hallway galleries. At the heart of the ship in her atrium, Luciano Vistosi, one of Italy’s leading contemporary glass artists, created “Caleido”, a monumental three-deck-tall crystal sculpture combining red lacquered metal and blocks of glass. Vistosi is also responsible for the “Totem” sculpture on Maasdam and the “Jacob’s Ladder” sculpture on Veendam. For Volendam, he was inspired by the colors of a kaleidoscope

 

 

In November 2003, Holland America Cruise Line announced a U.S. $225 million program of up-scaling their cruise ships, cruise line image and passenger cruise experience called the 'Signature of Excellence program'. This enhancement program included stateroom amenities: Sealy Posturepedic Premium Plush Euro-Top mattresses, 100% white cotton woven bed linens, waffle-weave and terry cloth bathrobes and extra-fluffy Egyptian cotton towels to all cabin categories; new massage-type showerheads and professional-grade quiet hair dryers in all bathrooms; new flat-screen LCD televisions, 5x magnifying make-up mirrors with halo lightning, fresh flowers, complimentary fruit baskets and stainless-steel ice buckets with serving trays in all cabins; plus comfortable bed duvets, fully-stocked mini-bars, personalized stationary, DVD players and access to a well-stocked DVD library in all suite-category staterooms.

 

Also new would be a Culinary Arts Center (inside the Wajang Theater) presented by Food & Wine magazine with a state-of-the-art show kitchen equipped with plasma video screens and on-stage counters for gourmet cooking demonstrations, tasting events and interactive classes; a Wine Tasting Bar and Gourmet Shop where guests can purchase culinary items including china and silverware from the Pinnacle Grill as well as HAL Master Chef’s Rudi Sodamin’s cook books, (in place of her Java Café); the introduction of the Pinnacle Grill alternative restaurant and private Neptune concierge lounge on all ships (Volendam lost eight inside staterooms in order to built the lounge), two additional dining times in the main dining room,a casual dinner option inside the Lido Restaurant; an Explorations Café “powered by the New York Times” (taking in the Erasmus Library and the Web Site internet café and adding a coffee bar), which offers guests an opportunity to sip coffee, browse through one of the most extensive libraries at sea, enjoy a wide selection of music at one of several listening stations or surf the Internet; a refurbished Crow’s Nest; an expanded Greenhouse Spa and Salon with new treatment rooms offering a thermal suite with hydrotherapy and thalassotherapy hot tub/jacuzzi as well as heated ceramic lounges plus the extension of the fitness facility/gymnasium, out and above the ship’s bridge.

 

In addition, changes were made for non-adults, including newly expanded youth facilities within the "Club HAL" program and the creation of the interior “Loft” and exterior “Oasis” for teens. The younger cruisers (ages 3-7) can enjoy supervised, age-specific activities in a more comprehensive Youth Program (arts and crafts, face painting, candy bar bingo, a pajama party, story-telling, board games, drawing contests, ice-cream sundae parties, etc.) in Club HAL. Their room has art theme with paint can stools, palette tables, and vibrant colors. Tweens (ages 8-12) have their own arcade area with their own stage, a jukebox, air hockey, foosball, Karaoke, Sony Playstations, a Digital Dance Revolution machine (DDR), vending machines, miniature golf, ping pong, dance parties, sports events, scavenger hunts, etc. The Loft is a teens-only (ages 13-18) lounge designed to resemble a New York artist's loft and comes complete with dance floor, state-of-the-art sound and laser light system, big screen TV, music videos, DVDs, Sony Playstations, a DDR, comfortable couches, and Internet access. A spiral staircase leads up to the Oasis, a secluded, teens-only sun deck with covered snack areas where teens can soak up rays in hammocks and then cool off in a one-of-a-kind cave and wade pool complete with nine-foot high tropical waterfall.

Shipboard program changes under SOE #1 included an expanded Exploration Speaker series, unique Medallion and Collection shore excursions, iPod art tours of all ships, new wine packages, an early embarkation program (as early as 11:30 am) for guests, flexible As You Wish dining, an expanded Pinnacle Grill menu, exclusive flatware, china and stemware in all restaurants, and a broad expansion of the Greenhouse Spa and Salon facilities and treatments.

 

For Volendam, the SOE part 1 refit meant the disappearance of her Java Café, Erasmus Library, Web Site internet café, Sky Room and Video Arcade. Volendam completed her SOE part 1 upgrades to cabins and public spaces during a dry-dock period at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, the Bahamas from 7 through 18 December 2005.

On 27 May 2009 while in Alaska, Volendam gained a Digital Workshop program by Microsoft which is comprised of complimentary classes led by a Microsoft-trained “techspert”. As part of the program, located in the Queen’s Room, her passengers can learn to use computers to enhance photos, produce and publish videos onto a DVD and create personal web pages or blogs. In addition, one-on-one coaching, called “Techspert Time” is available for more than 20 hours each week.

 

 

During July 2010, Volendam gained Canaletto, a complimentary casual-style Italian restaurant for dinner. Canaletto, named for the famous 18th century Venetian artist, and which debuted on the ms Eurodam in 2008, will come to life for dinner nightly between 5:30 and 9:30 pm when the port-side forward section of the ships' Lido restaurant is transformed into the Italian restaurant. Canaletto's menu begins with an antipasti plate that changes nightly, followed by soup choices, salad, four pasta dishes and entrees like Putanesca, Penne alla Vodka, Veal Milanese and Chicken Marsala. In addition, a Merabella luxury jewelry shop was added mid-ships forward of, and adjacent to, the Explorers Lounge on Upper Promenade deck. In order to install Merabella, a forward portion of the Explorers Lounge was gutted and converted.