Live from ms Zuiderdam (12/13-23 - Panama Canal)

[suse]

:eek::eek::eek:

Conjunctivitis in the hot tub. Great.

[lakehound]

Four of us were on the same cruise. I left ship about 10:00 am and got to half moon about 11:00. We ate lunch and decided to go back to ship at about 12:30 to avoid the 2:30 rush. We got to the top of the hill at the beach and found the line to zuiderdam. there was not one to the other ship. so for 1.5 hours standing in the hot sun we waited. Finally after more than an hour they tried to sell us water. Then they finally brought some cups and handed them out. We heard from the people that were in the tenders that had misfortunes, taking on water and losing an engine, they had to come back and get in line again. We got back to the ship after 2:30. Many people were not happy. that night the meal was slow and our waiter said the bread was slow because the crew didn't get back till after 4:00. After the medical station filled on the island and people were found laying on the ground they decided they needed to get us water. Later on the ship the captain said the problem was not the tenders but that everyone decided to come back at the same time. Well da, the sign said be back by 2:30 and we thought 2 hours woud be enough to not have lines. The island finally started using one of their boats to tender us back.

[suse]

Four of us were on the same cruise. I left ship about 10:00 am and got to half moon about 11:00. We ate lunch and decided to go back to ship at about 12:30 to avoid the 2:30 rush. We got to the top of the hill at the beach and found the line to zuiderdam. there was not one to the other ship. so for 1.5 hours standing in the hot sun we waited. Finally after more than an hour they tried to sell us water. Then they finally brought some cups and handed them out. We heard from the people that were in the tenders that had misfortunes, taking on water and losing an engine, they had to come back and get in line again. We got back to the ship after 2:30. Many people were not happy. that night the meal was slow and our waiter said the bread was slow because the crew didn't get back till after 4:00. After the medical station filled on the island and people were found laying on the ground they decided they needed to get us water. Later on the ship the captain said the problem was not the tenders but that everyone decided to come back at the same time. Well da, the sign said be back by 2:30 and we thought 2 hours woud be enough to not have lines. The island finally started using one of their boats to tender us back.

First they tried to sell you water and then, with people laying on the ground after the medical station filled, they decided to give you water? Way awful. Why were people laying on the ground? Bad buffet? Sun? This is unheard of.:confused:

[IRL_Joanie]

Four of us were on the same cruise. I left ship about 10:00 am and got to half moon about 11:00. We ate lunch and decided to go back to ship at about 12:30 to avoid the 2:30 rush. We got to the top of the hill at the beach and found the line to zuiderdam. there was not one to the other ship. so for 1.5 hours standing in the hot sun we waited. Finally after more than an hour they tried to sell us water. Then they finally brought some cups and handed them out. We heard from the people that were in the tenders that had misfortunes, taking on water and losing an engine, they had to come back and get in line again. We got back to the ship after 2:30. Many people were not happy. that night the meal was slow and our waiter said the bread was slow because the crew didn't get back till after 4:00. After the medical station filled on the island and people were found laying on the ground they decided they needed to get us water. Later on the ship the captain said the problem was not the tenders but that everyone decided to come back at the same time. Well da, the sign said be back by 2:30 and we thought 2 hours woud be enough to not have lines. The island finally started using one of their boats to tender us back.

 

 

I ask the dates of your cruise because noone else has reported this......

 

There is no mention of any problems in the OP's post of Half Moon Cay (Post # 8)

 

Please give us the dates so we can reference Cruise Reviews for those incidents for reference and our own decision makings....

 

Also, do you remember the name of the other ship?

 

Joanie

[IRL_Joanie]

At 2:15 we headed in for our briefing, in which they explained how to interact with the dolphins, and how not to interact with the dolphins. Then, one of the trainers came in and explained things. Next, we went outside and put on our flippers, split into groups of 6, and entered the water. We swam over to where the trainer was sitting with the dolphins and she would tell us what to do and we would do it, and the dolphins would do their thing. We shook flippers, received a kiss, had them sing, spin, and splash us, we swam with them, petted them, and rode on their dorsal fins. We had a really good time.

 

Couple of questions if I may regarding the Dolphin Swim at The Dolphin Academy....

 

1. Were the flippers provided or did you bring them with you?

 

2. What paperwork did you bring/present when you got there for the swim? (I have my email confirmation with Reservation number printed out, is that good enough?)

 

3. How far did you have to swim to get to the trainer?

 

4. How much was the video and if you know the price of the photo package of the swim??

 

Think those are all my questions...

 

I am sooooooooooooooo enjoying your running details of your cruise!!! WONDERFUL!!!! 50 days for us!!

 

Joanie

[goghd]

Four of us were on the same cruise. I left ship about 10:00 am and got to half moon about 11:00. We ate lunch and decided to go back to ship at about 12:30 to avoid the 2:30 rush. We got to the top of the hill at the beach and found the line to zuiderdam. there was not one to the other ship. so for 1.5 hours standing in the hot sun we waited. Finally after more than an hour they tried to sell us water. Then they finally brought some cups and handed them out. We heard from the people that were in the tenders that had misfortunes, taking on water and losing an engine, they had to come back and get in line again. We got back to the ship after 2:30. Many people were not happy. that night the meal was slow and our waiter said the bread was slow because the crew didn't get back till after 4:00. After the medical station filled on the island and people were found laying on the ground they decided they needed to get us water. Later on the ship the captain said the problem was not the tenders but that everyone decided to come back at the same time. Well da, the sign said be back by 2:30 and we thought 2 hours woud be enough to not have lines. The island finally started using one of their boats to tender us back.

 

I was on that cruise also -- it was the 3 -13 Dec Panama Cruise on the Z-dam -- stop at Half Moon Cay. The line back to the boat stated at 1245 and I didn't make it back to the ship until 3:45 PM. Very poor custormer service by the staff -- little or no info. I would been ok if they just told us to go back and lay on the beach or swim until 3 PM but they said wait out. We got out of the line and sat in the shade and waited and waited and waited. It was the worst part of the trip. But every thing else worked fine.

[socalcruisers2]

You mentioned that you stopped at a liquor store to make purchases which you brought aboard. Was this more then the standard wine and soft drinks or did they let you bring other alcoholic beverages aboard and keep them?

 

We will be on this cruise on Jan 2.:)

[Cruisinetta]

We have NORO onboard!!!! What fun!!!:eek::eek::eek::eek:

[knitlady037]

OH NO! How horrible. It's not only on cruise ships though. Over 75 people from one of our schools went home in one day because of Noro yesterday. School is being sanitized over weekend. Hope you stay well and enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[IRL_Joanie]

I was on that cruise also -- it was the 3 -13 Dec Panama Cruise on the Z-dam -- stop at Half Moon Cay. The line back to the boat stated at 1245 and I didn't make it back to the ship until 3:45 PM. Very poor custormer service by the staff -- little or no info. I would been ok if they just told us to go back and lay on the beach or swim until 3 PM but they said wait out. We got out of the line and sat in the shade and waited and waited and waited. It was the worst part of the trip. But every thing else worked fine.

 

That is definitely unacceptable....I like to have dates and such so I can review other posts/reviews.

 

I think this was totally unacceptable on HAL's part!! Someone screwed up:eek:

 

And now we are hearing from Cruisenetta that there is NORO on board:eek:

 

Joanie

[IkeEsq]

Day 6 - Second Sea Day:

 

I woke up around 6:20 and it looked like the sun was contemplating coming up. So I got dressed, grabbed my camera, and headed out to the Promenade deck. I walked around to the aft and took a few sunrise pictures, and then up the port side a little ways and saw the coast of Venezuela off in the distance. I headed back in around 7:15 and breakfast arrived at 7:35 (7:30-8:00).

 

I had scrambled eggs, and melon, Becca had cereal and yogurt. Becca also had hot chocolate, which we picked up in the Lido the previous day. We ate out on the balcony, which was very pleasant, with very little wind. The Captain had mentioned that the current and wind would be behind us and that it should be a nice day for sailing, and it was.

 

After breakfast we showered and Becca headed to the Crow's Nest to read, while I headed to the Casino for the slot tourney. I ended up third highest of six people moving on from the preliminary rounds to the finals. The finals were to start at 3:30. After that, I watched some bingo at 11:00, but no winners of the $50,000 snowball jackpot.

 

I popped up to the Crow's Nest to see if Becca was interested in lunch, but she had grabbed some snacks at the Cafe. So I headed to the Lido and had some roast, fries, and rolls. For dessert, I had, wait for it . . . cookies! I also grabbed a no-sugar-added chocolate pudding for Becca. I also saw DJ Mark at the Lido and obtained two free bingo cards for the afternoon's jackpot. After lunch, I brought Becca her pudding and then headed down to the Northern Lights for the Putting challenge at 1:00. Not my most stellarest putting ever.

 

Of particular interest: the Captain has come on the PA twice in the last hour or two and discussed the fact that several individuals have come down with a gastro-intestinal illness that has been going around worldwide for the last year or two. Said illness causes diarrhea and vomiting. Anyone with such symptoms should see the medical personnel and may be confined to their rooms for up to 48 hours after symptoms disappear. In response, and perhaps being over-cautious, the ship will be taking precautions, such as only bringing out salt and pepper on request, not allowing guests to serve themselves in the Lido restaurant, etc. I confirmed with ship personnel that we were essentially in Code Red. The GI illness is likely Norovirus.

 

At 1:30, I was back up in the Crow's Nest for Team Trivia. We put together another excellent team (Trivially Challenged), and got 14 points, with two teams tying at 15. Ah, so close. After team trivia, Becca headed back to the room for a nap, while I went back to the Casino and watched the No Limit Texas Holdem tourney and then participated in the finals of the slot tourney. I took 3rd place, which entitled me to 15 Internet minutes and a Club 21 T-shirt. The winner won because he got three 5X symbols, worth 15,000 points, and won by 13,500 points. Those 15 minutes might just be enough for me to make it to the end of the cruise!

 

I went back to the room and found that our toilet would not flush. I called the front desk and they were already aware of the problem, which suggests that it was more widespread than simply our room. I picked up Becca and we went to Bingo II, with the $60,000 snowball jackpot. Becca won the third game, but split the pot with three others, which is the most I have seen split a pot on this ship. Still more than enough to cover all of our bingo-related expenses. After bingo, we headed back to the room to prepare for dinner. We were happy to note that our toilet was working again.

 

We brought our bottle of Pinot Noir from Total Wine and arrived at the penthouse at around 5:50. We had a really nice time at dinner. It was what I always hope will happen in the Dining Room, where you meet a couple of other couples and you have enough in common that you can chat enjoyably for a couple of hours. Sadly, that is often not the way things work in the dining room, especially if you end up with a large table and it is noisy. Rodger and Barb said we could use their table at the early seating whenever they were not using it, which was likely to be most of the rest of the cruise. We said that we would keep their waiter company. We are very selfless that way.

 

We got back to our room a little after 9:00. Our towels were folded into a pig . . . much like gluck-gluck, our pig from a previous Carnival cruise, being that that is the korean word for pig. We also got a notice that we needed to turn the clocks back an hour overnight. This was nice as we were planning to get up early because rumor had it that we would be passing through a rather large canal in the morning. That extra hour of sleep would be likely to come in handy. We watched a bit more of Christmas Vacation (another of the DVDs we brought in celebration of the holiday season). I finished up my journal and we went to bed a little after 10:00.

 

- - - - -

 

SoCalCruiser2 - We brought 4 bottles (750 ML each) on between Aruba and Curacao and noone tried to confiscate them. They were in bags, but no effort was made to hide them.

 

IRL_Joanie - They provide flippers, you just need swimsuit and towel. I brought the confirmation email, I just gave them our names. We swam about 20-30 yeards. Some people started right next to where the trainer was (three groups of 6 go at the same time. It is easy to swim with the flippers. There are changing rooms there and outdoor showers. We did not find out how much videos and photos cost. I do not think that they are too expensive though. No cameras in the pool, if you have an observer, they can use cameras. But it costs $18.50 for them to get into the aquarium. The whole thing took 1:30.

-Ike

[DrTee]

Code Red isn't so bad. Of course, if you get sick it is a terrible thing, but the inconveniences involved in trying to prevent further spread aren't enough to ruin a trip.

[IRL_Joanie]

"IRL_Joanie - They provide flippers, you just need swimsuit and towel. I brought the confirmation email, I just gave them our names. We swam about 20-30 yeards. Some people started right next to where the trainer was (three groups of 6 go at the same time. It is easy to swim with the flippers. There are changing rooms there and outdoor showers. We did not find out how much videos and photos cost. I do not think that they are too expensive though. No cameras in the pool, if you have an observer, they can use cameras. But it costs $18.50 for them to get into the aquarium. The whole thing took 1:30." -Ike

Thank you Ike for the Dolphin Swim info!! One less item to buy and pack:D

 

I knew about no cameras in the water, I'd already read that. But hubby will be on another excursion so I have no one to film mine for me. I think I read that for video and photo packages are about $125.00, so I guess I just make sure I have my Credit Cards with me:D

 

Oh Man, I am so excited!!!! And you have fueld this excitement!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!

 

Joanie

[IkeEsq]

Day 7 - Panama Canal:

 

I woke up around 5:20 and it was still quite dark and not much was going on. I could see the lights of some other ships, and we were moving slowly. Around 5:45. Becca and I went out onto the balcony and watched as we headed in toward the canal. We had a pair of tug boats on our side (starboard) of the ship. There were red lights in the water, which marked the edge of the channel, and green lights ahead, which the pilots used to guide the ship down the center of the channel. As we approached the locks, we could see that there was a container ship in the right set of locks ahead of us, and we went into the left set of locks.

 

When we got close, a row boat came out and attached a rope to our bow ropes and we were then hooked to a pair of "mules" on the starboard side. Mules being large, powerful locamotives that help guide the ships through the canal. Once the back end of the ship was up to the end of the canal, two more mules were attached to the aft of the ship. Next they did the same to the port side of the ship, and once connected to our eight mules, we proceeded into the canal. Once inside, with only a couple feet on each side and 30 feet front and back, they closed the doors behind us and pumped water into our lock from the lock above us. The water is pumped into 4.5' holes in the bottom of the lock. The ship rises up at a rate of 3' a minute.

 

As we proceeded to and through the canal, the Captain spoke over the PA and the TVs explaining what we were doing, giving statistics, and pointing out things of interest. Once our lock was filled, the doors in the front of the lock opened and we proceeded through to the next of the three locks. We watched as another container ship came into the right lock behind us. Being on the fourth deck, we were only one level above the side of the lock when it was at its low point, so we had a pretty good vantage.

 

At 7:30, Becca headed off to the Spa for her Algie wrap. I continued to take pictures and watch the operation of the locks. As we were getting ready to exit the last lock I went down to the Promenade deck, but the aft section was closed. So I headed up to the Lido deck and took a few pictures from the aft there. Once into Gatun Lake, we headed around in a circle and pointed back toward the locks. We lowered several of the lifeboats/tenders and the people taking excursions got off and went ashore. I headed up to the Exploration Cafe and gave the Internet lady my 15 Internet minutes certificate and grabbed a doughnut. As I was getting back to the room, I saw Emily coming up from their room and we chatted about the canal and she invited us to pop back to their room during the return passage.

 

Becca returned shortly thereafter and said she also saw Emily in the elevator. We decided to order room service as the Lido was in a Code Red mess, with members of the spa helping to serve food. Ugggh. Unfortunately, there was only the 24-hour menu before noon, and we wanted to try to eat and get up to the bow before heading back into the locks. We managed to find enough to sustain ourselves. We ordered just after 10:00 and it arrived around 10:30. We crammed our food into our gapping maws and then headed up to the bow just as the ship was getting to the canal for the return.

 

Unfortunately, after only a couple of pictures, my camera battery died. So I ran the length of the ship, twice, and was able to get my spare battery from the room and get back to the aft before we entered the canal. There were not too many people up front, which was nice, so everyone was able to get a spot on the rail. We went in the left locks this time, and there was a container ship coming out of the right locks. Once we were inside the first set of locks we headed down to Bob and Emily's cabin.

 

Cabin hint: The aft Suites on the 4th floor are the best cabins for this itinerary. Not only can you see out the back and watch the operation of the locks, but you are low enough, and there are no decks sticking out below you, so that you can actually see down to the water under the aft of the ship. What is more, on the way out, you can actually touch the walls of the canal. The walls of the lower two locks come up to the level of the walls of the locks above them for the last 30 feet or so of each lock. So the last 3-5 cabins along the sides in the back of the ship on deck 4 are below the top of the wall when the ship is lowered. Because there are only a couple of feet of clearance on each side, at some point the ship is close enough to the wall for you to touch the wall, which of course we did.

 

There was a nice breeze and it was not too unbearably hot, which was good. It can be absolutely brutal in this area. Standing out in the sun for long periods of time tended to get hot, but there was some shade along the side, which is where we had a bunch of chairs lined up. There was another container ship behind us in the left locks, and after the container ship going into Gatun Lake passed through the locks, they swapped that set and had another container ship coming out into the Atlantic. We got some nice pictures, especially of the two container ships behind us on different levels.

 

We got through the locks at around 12:45, and Becca and I headed back to our room. Becca took a nap, while I headed down to the Casino to sign up for the Texas Holdem tourney at 7:30, and to the Front Desk to get cash for Becca's Bingo winnings. We were running a little low on cash, and it seemed like it might be useful to have a bit on hand. I also picked up a copy of our bill and then figured out that the Casino account was different than the room account. I think I knew that at some point, but it had not completely registered.

 

I got back to the room and worked on my journal. At around 1:25 we arrived at Cristobal and people were allowed off the ship. At 1:45 I woke up Becca and called Rodger and Barb to let them know we planned to use their table for dinner. They had offered us use of it whenever we wanted it as they planned to make use of their verandah and the Pinnacle Grill. Then we headed up to the Golf Chipping contest at the Lido pool at 2:00.

 

The chipping contest required entrants to chip one of three wiffle golf balls onto a floating mat in the Lido pool. I managed to get my third ball to stick and won a lovely Holland America luggage tag. Sadly, Becca did not fair quite as well, but then her forte is really long drives off of the tee and not chipping whiffle golf balls onto floating mats in Lido pools. Being that it was hot, we decided that the only remedy would be ice cream. So we popped over to the Lido and I got chocolate ice cream and Becca got blueberry pie and a little vanilla ice cream. Refreshed, we were ready for some hard core Panamanian shopping.

 

We departed the ship and walked around the shops and stalls on the peir. We picked up some Panamanian coins, a magnet, a panama hat for Becca, some Kahlua at a 40% discount, some cough syrup and snacks, a carved wooden box, and a final Christmas gift. We headed back to the ship and the person at the metal detector asked the guy in front of me if the bottle(s) in his bag were wine or hard liquor. He replied that they were wine and offered to show her, but she did not look. She did not ask me about my bottle of Kahlua.

 

Once back in the room we watched the first half of Love Actually (another Christmas-esque movie we brought along) and I worked on my journal. We then got dressed for dinner and headed to the Vista at 5:20. There were only a few people in line ahead of us and they opened the doors around 5:25. Faziel saw us come in and recognized us. I had some melon for an appetizer and the prime rib, and Becca had the fruit cocktail, asparagus soup, and turkey. Becca was not a big fan of the fruit cocktail, which was mostly melon, but everything else was excellent. Becca had the creme caramel for dessert, and I had the chocolate mousse and some vanilla ice cream. They have been following the menu we got (Caribbean 10 day (A)) with the exception of days 2-3, which were reversed.

 

Dinner took about an hour and 20 minutes. After dinner we returned to our room, which had been turned down, and Becca did some reading, while I headed down to the casino for the Texas Holdem Tourney. Our towels were folded into the form of an elephant. It turned out that there were only 5 people in the tourney, which was a big departure from the one I watched in which they opened a second 10-person tourney and still had a waitlist. I got outdrawn and finished 4th, only the top two players get paid.

 

Fortunately, I redeemed myself on slot machines. I got back to the room around 9:45 and finished up my journal, turned my watch back an hour, ordered room service for the morning, and went to sleep around 10:30 (old time). For the record, I am working on my fourth and fifth boxes of tissues, one in the bathroom and one next to the bed.

 

- Ike

[VermeulT]

Continued thanks for your reports.

[RuthC]

Although I sailed through the Panama Canal years ago, I'm beginning to think I did not appreciate it fully. You're making me think that maybe I should look into going again.

Thanks for the continued reports.

[Bearly]

Thanks from us also in Victoria, BC. We are having our first time cruise on this ship in April so are keen to pick up tips. I saw somewhere that someone took a nightlight. Is this a good thing to take? Any more tips for us?

If doing this cruise again would you take the fixed time for meals?

[DrTee]

I'm anxious to hear how the Code Red is going and if you are both feeling okay.

[cruz chic]

Although I sailed through the Panama Canal years ago, I'm beginning to think I did not appreciate it fully. You're making me think that maybe I should look into going again.

Thanks for the continued reports.

I find the Panama Canal simply amazing. I've been 5 times and I'm going for a 6th time in Oct.2010. I think you should go again:).

[Cruisinetta]

So far they have contained the illness. I was told that only 18 cabins have been affected. It's a bit of a hassle to have the crew get a milk for you or a roll for you. We are not allowed to get anything for ourselves. If you want a towel by the pool, you have to go to the bar and get one. Kind of a hassle but I understand. So far all this prevention is working.

[IkeEsq]

Day 8 - Costa Rica:

I woke up around 5:30 and it was getting light out. I could see Costa Rica ahead of us. There was a small island going past us, which we were later told was where Columbus landed when he discovered Costa Rica. Room service did not show up until almost 6:30 (6:00-6:30). We ate out on the balcony and it was very pleasant.

We showered and got dressed and at 7:30 headed up to the Spa so that Becca could make an appointment for a message on our last day. After that, we headed off the ship to meet our tour. We got off the ship and passed through the many vendors and out to where Oscar was waiting. We waited a few minutes and the other four members of our party arrived. The six of us, our guide, her son, and the driver all piled into the minivan and headed off.

Our first stop was at the house of a friend who had a sloth. The sloth hung out in a tree on his property and he picked it up and we held it. It's fur felt a lot like dry grass, it was really quite neat. Next stop, a guy by the side of the road who had a six-month old howler monkey who was pretty much the cutest thing in Costa Rica. He was quite friendly and would climb around on you and wrap his tail around your neck in a most adorable fashion.

After that we headed to the Delmonte banana plantation. It being Sunday, there wasn't anyone working, but we wandered around and our guide pointed out how everything works. Each banana tree grows a bunch of bananas every nine months. Then they chop the tree in half and it regrows and new bananas come out. It is like the phoenix of trees. We also stopped at a fruit stand and ate fresh pineapple (yumm!), coconut, coconut juice, bananas, and other fruits.

Our next stop was the zip lines. We arrived around 10:30 and got harnessed up. We met another family of three who had taken a taxi up as well as another group from the ship with the same tour company. We walked a ways up the hill and onto the first platform. A guide would go first, then we would go, and more guides would pass through as they manned platforms farther and farther along. It was a lot of fun and some of the platforms were really high. At one point we heard a rather large tree come crashing down. Fortunately the wires did not tighten and then go slack, so we figured all was well. In all, there were 13 zip lines. It was a really good time. We left around 12:15.

Becca and I got t-shirts and then we headed to Playa Bonita (pretty beach), which seemed quite full of people from the ship. We ate lunch there, which took a very long time, and then headed over to a touristy grocery store for coffee and vanilla. I would skip this stop in the future. The vanilla was vanilla essence (95% pure) and could also be purchased at the pier. The coffee was only a single brand and again, it could be purchased at the peir.

We then headed up to a scenic overlook where you could see Puerto Limon and the Zuiderdam. It was a nice view and also quite popular. Then we headed back to the peir, returning at 2:15. We headed into the shops and picked up some souveniers and coffee. The vanilla extract here was real, but more expensive then at home, so we did not get any. We reboarded the ship at 2:45.

Once back in our cabin we watched the end of Love Actually and then headed off to $70,000 snowball bingo at 4:00. Sorry to say, no winners as yet. After bingo we headed back to the room and wrote out our second postcard and sent it. Then we headed down to dinner. Becca had caesar salad, carrot soup, and veal, while I had some melon and ribs. It was all good. We had a selection of deserts that were most pleasing.

After dinner we headed back to the room and watched the start of Tropic Thunder (another movie we brought along . . . although technically not as part of our Christmas theme). At 8:45 we headed down to the Queens Lounge to score a few free bingo tickets. Afterwards, we headed to bed. We were about to lose an hour overnight and we figured it best to get some extra sleep.

- Ike

[VermeulT]

Ike... what's the weather been like? Hot or just warm? Humid?

[IkeEsq]

Day 9 - Sea Day 3:

I woke up around 6:15 and it was starting to get light out. Our breakfast arrived at 6:28 (6:30-7:00) and we ate out on the balcony. We got our first balcony sunrise, and it was quite impressive, as if it had been saving up all cruise just for us. Or perhaps it was simply because there were a bunch of clouds in the sky. We had cereal, fruit, and bagels.

We then watched the end of Tropic Thunder and then Becca took a shower and headed up to the Crow's Nest to read, while I worked on figuring out my schedule for the day and wrote in my journal. Another exhausting day lay ahead of us on the Zuiderdam. I took a shower and then headed down to the casino to register for the blackjack and Texas holdem tournaments for the afternoon. At 10:00 I headed up to meet Becca in the Crow's Nest. We headed down to the Culinary Arts Center around 10:30 to catch the end of the cook-off and score some free bingo cards.

We then participated in a rousing game of bingo. Not so rousing that we won, but exciting nonetheless. After bingo we headed up to the Lido for some lunch. This was not a quick lunch. I was not a big fan of the choices at the Bistro, so I decided to get a couple of hot dogs at the Terrace grill. This is never quick. They were OK, and I had some nachos, melon, and, of course, cookies. Becca had pasta, sushi, and a couple of eclairs.

After lunch, Becca took a nap and then went to do more reading. Our laundry was returned, and we had someone else's shirt and Becca was missing one. We let the room steward know. I headed off to the casino for my tounaments. Sadly, they did not go well. I mean, I wanted to give others a chance to win, or something. Afterwards I looked through the photos from Panama in the photo gallery and found an acceptable one of Becca and me. I found Becca and showed her and we decided to splurge and get it using the free coupon we got from our travel agent. The seas were quite rough and it rocked the ship quite a bit.

We headed back to the room and watched the end of Tropic Thunder before getting changed and heading up for dinner in the penthouse. As usual, we had a really good time. After dinner we hung out and chatted until almost 9:00. We had to leave in order to get to the very important Marriage Game Show. It was quite amusing. I would tell you more, but what is said on the Zuiderdam, stays on the Zuiderdam.

After the show, we headed back to the room and started Bad Santa (another DVD we brought along). Our towel was folded into a sloth. We called about Becca's shirt, which still had not returned from the laundry. They explained that they were running a bit late on some of the laundry and that it should be back by tomorrow. We shall see. We placed our breakfast order and went to bed around 10:30.

- - - - -

VermeulT: Weather has warm (80s). Usually there is a breeze, Panama was pretty toasty but not as bad as it gets. Costa Rica was a bit humid, but again, a pretty good day. Today was the first real day where it was rainy and overcast all day (except this morning when we were eating breakfast on the balcony).

- Ike

[pokeyjones]

Let us know how the Cabin Crawl and Ship building "Sea Trials" go...Will 'ya!

[IkeEsq]

Day 10 - Sea Day 4:

 

I woke up around 5:58, when room service knocked on the door (6:00-6:30). It was still dark out and we decided to go with breakfast in bed rather than on the balcony. I had bacon and eggs, melon, and an english muffin and Becca had cereal, hot chocolate, and an english muffin. After breakfast, Becca took a shower and headed up to the Spa for her final massage.

 

I went to the Promenade deck to go running, but there was tape over the doors. I called the front desk and they said that due to high seas, the Promenade was closed. For the next couple of hours I checked on deck every 30 minutes or so, but the tape remained, even though the seas were very calm and the wind mild. I called the front desk again and they said it was closed due to wind and maintenance.

 

I eventually gave up and took a shower. Then I headed up to the Vista Lounge for the departure lecture. As I walked up deck 3, most of the doors heading out had tape, but a couple did not, and there were some people walking or sitting out on the promenade deck. The talk could be distilled down to: You'll get a disembarkation packet, read it.

 

I headed up to the Crow's Nest and got Becca and we headed over to the Lido for lunch, but it was only 11:00, so it was not open yet. We decided to head down to the room. Becca got some sun on the balcony and I checked with the front desk again, who continued to claim that the promenade was closed and people shouldn't be out there. I know I should not be as annoyed about this as I am, but it really ruined my last day onboard. I am finally feeling better and I was really looking forward to going for a run . . . probably the last time I can run outside for the next three months.

 

We headed back up to the Lido and had lunch, I had turkey and roast potatoes and Becca had pasta. I also may have had a couple of cookies. After lunch we headed back to the room to get a little more sun before the sea trials of the ship building contest. They were just finishing making up our room and our disembarkation materials had arrived.

 

After getting a little sun, we headed up to the Lido pool to check out the boats. Cruisinetta's Zippidydam was a 6' replica of the Zuiderdam, which was quite impressive. Rodger and Barb had the Bucketdam, and there were a couple of other, reasonably simple but elegant entries. The Bucketdam capsized in rough waters, but the other three remained afloat despite the jets in the hot tub. Although I am sure it was sea-worthy, the Zippidydam only barely fit in the hot tub and I don't think was capable of sinking due to its length.

 

After the sea trials, Becca headed off to read, while I worked on my journal. A little before 2:00 I picked Becca up and we headed over to the final bingo game of the cruise, with a snowball jackpot of $100,000. We played our many free tickets in the last game, but no $100,000 winner. As usually happens, there was a huge turnout for this final game. At 3:15 we headed over to make use of a final two-for-one craps tourney entry, but they said that it was too late to enter the tourney, even though it was supposed to go from 2:00 to 3:30.

 

So we headed off to read for a while. We then headed back to our cabin to fill out surveys and try to determine how to pack everything up. One of the surveys asked 1) Do you plan to cruise on Holland America again? 2) Do you currently smoke? 3) Would you cruise on HAL is they prohibited smoking in staterooms and on verandahs? and 4) Would you cruise on HAL if they prohibited smoking throughout the ship (including staterooms)? I called the front desk again about Becca's missing shirt and they said they would check into it. It eventually arrived a couple of hours later.

 

At 5:30 we headed off to dinner. It was the Master Chef's dinner, which included a lot of dancing and a bit of singing. If I were clever, I would have brought my camera. Apparently, I am not clever. Becca had the baked brie, oxtail soup, and duck. I had the tenderloin. After dinner they had the Baked Alaska parade, a piece of which Becca had.

 

After dinner we headed back to the room, filled out surveys and forms, and packed. I went off to the casino to close out my account and to the front desk to drop off our surveys. Then I headed up to the Lido and got some dessert. Any guesses as to what I got? Chocolate pie for Becca and a couple of cookies for myself.

 

I went back to the room and finished up my journal and packed. Next I logged online to check in online for our return flights. I went to bed around 9:30.

 

- Ike