Live – Rotterdam, Prinsendam, Queen Mary II

[Keith1010]

Roy, enjoy the meeting and then your train up to NYC. Hopefully, you'll get some sleep on the train. Safe travels.

 

Keith

[epixx]

Thank you all. epixx, is your sister a member of Cruise Critic? It may be too late now, but if she would like to join our Meet and Greet she can email me at royaferguson at operamail dot com. I'm about 20 miles from Severna Park.

 

 

Roy

 

Roy: My sister is not a member of CruiseCritic. She leaves all the socializing to me. If you do happen to bump into her, say hi for me. Have a great trip.

Karen

[MightyQuinn]

.... I’m officially leaving shortly for an extended odyssey. It will start with the July 12 Classic Transatlantic from New York to Rotterdam. After a short stay in Rotterdam I’ll continue on to the 21-day Arctic Explorer cruise on the Prinsendam, and conclude with a return crossing on Queen Mary II...

Roy, what a wonderful odyssey you have cobbled together! I look forward to sharing the adventure with you. I seem to remember that you were planning to stay in Rotterdam at the hotel that used to be Rotterdam V. Is that still the plan? If so, I'm really keen to learn what you think about the restoration.

 

Bon Voyage and may good trivia partners be in your future!

[rafinmd]

MightyQuinn, you're right. I am going on to SS Rotterdam.

 

The evening went remarkably smoothly. Potential controversy anticipated at the meetings did not materialize, and they ended about 7:30. The Airport Shuttle arrived at the station about 10 minutes early and I arrived at the BWI rail station about 8:45. I was able to rebook to a train that left at 9:15, with an anticipated arrival at 10:00. A third of the way into the route, the train is not crowded and is about as pleasant as anything can be at such a late hour. My hotel is about a 15 minute walk from Penn Station. While enroute I completed our Meet and Greet invitations (Sorry, attendees, if it looks like my hand was shaking as I wrote that was mostly the table shaking under me). We pulled into the station nearly on time, and after our posted 12:10 arrival I started north on 8th Avenue at 12:16. After 11 short blocks North and 1 long block west I was parked for the night and in bed at 1, 50 minutes ahead of my original New York arrival.

 

Surprisingly, I woke early. I walked to the waterfront about 6:15 and did some walking. After the Rotterdam made it's way past to the Intrepid museum about 6:50 I returned to the hotel for breakfast. It's already becoming a somewhat sultry morning.

 

As my first kind of bleary-eyed parting shot, I have gotten into the habit of arriving at the port at least a day before a cruise since things can always go wrong. Having a critical meeting the evening before the cruise put a bit of a crimp in those plans, but still left me sufficient time to react if problems arose. I hope having things go better than expected this evening is a sign of things to come.

 

Roy

 

This post comes to you live from New York's Comfort Inn Theater District.

[musicismylife]

What an exciting trip you have planned! I'm looking forward to following your travels, thanks for "bringing" us along.

[onthegogirl]

Roy,

 

Now that you're on your way across the pond, well almost, I feel my trip has already started. Fair winds and following seas.

 

Carole

[rafinmd]

Thank you Carole, looking forward to the Prinsendam. I've been onboard for a while but haven't had time yet to write a report. Sailaway weather was beautiful but hot, New York was spectacular, and I've just figured out how to get on the internet.

 

Roy

 

This report is coming to you live from the MS Rotterdam VI. (Mighty Quinn, you've figured out why I'm spelling that whole name out)

[kazu]

Thank you Carole, looking forward to the Prinsendam. I've been onboard for a while but haven't had time yet to write a report. Sailaway weather was beautiful but hot, New York was spectacular, and I've just figured out how to get on the internet.

 

Roy

 

This report is coming to you live from the MS Rotterdam VI. (Mighty Quinn, you've figured out why I'm spelling that whole name out)

 

 

looking forward to your reports Roy, but relax and have a vacation - take it easy and have fun - we can wait (but not too long :p) have a great time;)

[zoomerica]

Have a great cruise Roy! As the good Cap'n is disembarking, you will assume the number one role. I look forward to your excellent travelogue with great anticipation.

 

Jake

Who thinks this will be a review for the ages...

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Roy, I am a bit late with my Bon Voyage but looking forward to following your travels. :) You will be sailing two of the three HAL ships I have not been on.

[rafinmd]

After waking early and watching the Rotterdam make it's way up the Hudson, I returned to the hotel until about 9:30. I walked to Pier 88 and left my luggage with the porters about 10. I was told embarkation would begin in about an hour so I walked south along the waterfront. The next time I sail out of New York will be on an extremely small ship and we will be leaving from Chelsea Piers so I looked around that area a bit. The skies were clear but it was quite hot (93F,34C) and it felt really good to get back to the air conditioned cruise terminal around 11:35. Embarkation took about 35 minutes but boarding just started shortly before 12 (I'm thinking that customs must have been moving quite slowly since the previous guests were off the ship quite late)

 

Soon after boarding I went up to the LaFontaine dining room for the Mariners lunch. I have heard rumors that some ships restrict this to certain star levels but I had no trouble getting in as a one-star. The staff was not obviously checking credentials but did take cabin numbers so I can't say it wasn't done. While I'm sure almost everybody on this voyage qualified the event didn't seem to be excessively crowded. After lunch there was a message waiting for me from the co-organizer of the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet and we met at reception to verify participant cabin numbers and go over final arrangements with the staff.

 

When I returned to my cabin around 3 my bags were waiting for me and the business of unpacking got underway in earnest. I was still working on unpacking when the emergency drill came at 4:15. I just unfinished packing in time for our 5PM sailaway. As we made our way down the Hudson historian Bill Miller provided commentary on what we passed including the history, which ships sailed out of which piers, the current uses and future plans. Soon after passing the Statue of Liberty it was time to head for dinner and I was a bit disappointed at not being out on deck for the Verizzano Narrows bridge, but not for long. The dining is at the aft of the ship and it was an interesting change to watch it go by through the dining room's picture windows and magically appear to the rear of the ship. I am at a table for 6, and the first night turnout was not good. There was a barbecue by the lido pool along with the standard lido dinner.

 

There was a single show this evening in the Showroom at Sea, a short welcome presentation by the cast and the Explorations staff.

 

Our staff this cruise: Rik Krombeen is Captain. Lizbeth is the Guest Relations Manager and was a great help in organizing the meet and greet. My waiter is Dawa, and room stewards are Ari and Masturi. The Cruise Director: That depends on who you ask. Ask an American and it's Dan Bernbach. If you ask a Dutchman it would be Glenn Coenen. Both are rather young. Dan is from Boston and probably in his late twenties. Glenn is from the Netherlands and probably mid-thirties. While his first language is Dutch his english is superb and natural.

 

 

As today's parting shot, it's wonderful that a great adventure has begun quite spectacular. While Red Hook has some practical advantages there is always something special about sailing down the Hudson past the spectacular New York skyline.

 

Roy

 

This post comes to you live from the MS Rotterdam VI.

[Keith1010]

Roy, glad to read that the boarding went well and that you are all settled on the ship.

 

Enjoy!

 

Keith

[arzz]

Thank you so much refined for taking the time to share -- and I do understand the time commitment -- so that we armchair cruisers can enjoy a vicarious cruise.

 

I am also enjoying your blog with the photos. Continue to enjoy and post. I will be here with you!

[ironin]

I was exhausted and wanted to take a nap after reading about your last night before boarding, Roy. :D Glad to see you made it aboard ship and are on your way. Thanks for posting here and on the blog.

[DeepWaterMariner]

Off to a very nice start. There is nothing quite like sailing from the Hudson River cruise terminal. There was a time when HAL sailed from lower Manhattan, back when we did our first HAL cruises in the early 70's. I've enjoyed Bill Miller's articles in Cruise Travel magazine.

[Oahucruiser]

Delightful to have another of Roy's adventures to read. I always follow him. We, too, have read Bill Miller's articles in Cruise Travel Magazine and have heard him numerous times on the QM2.

[aliaschief]

We are really looking forward to your dream cruise trilogy.

[PunkEwok]

Sounds like you have wonderful few weeks ahead of you! I can't wait as I too will be living vicariously through these posts. Thank you in advance...

[Love Cruises]

Oh great ... another chance to follow Roy's travels. We so enjoy his blogs reading about his fantastic adventures. Thanks Roy for sharing with all of us!

 

Barbara and Dan

[MightyQuinn]

Nice start Roy. You're heading to our current fave in the HAL fleet (Prinsendam) via our 2nd fave (Rotterdam VI). But we've not been aboard either ship since the dreaded refurbs that added staterooms and changed the public spaces. Will look forward to your feedback.

 

I checked your blog and am thrilled that you have the deck plans of the Grande Dame. I haven't seen those forever! Will be most interested in where you end up shoreside in Rotterdam.

 

Any "coulda, shoulda, woulda" trivia teams going on? :D:D

[rafinmd]

Thank you all, especially Barbara and Dan. I've posted one menu and the starting explorers in the appropriate headings of the blog.

 

I'm in an inside cabin on deck 2. It's a bit small but sufficient for my needs. The one thing I miss is having a fridge/ cooler, but think if I rented one I would miss the power outlet it would take up even more. I love my 1500-foot veranda, just steps away from my cabin, which runs all the way around the ship. Yes, I share it with everyone else on the ship, but I learned how to do that back in Kindergarten. This morning I walked 5 miles out there by about 8:30, pausing a few times to snack my way through breakfast. The front of the promenade deck is a totally solid wall, and it did block my view of the sunrise (hidden behind clouds anyway). I sort of missed seeing the sun come up, but realized also that once the sun was up I would be looking into the blinding sun for the rest of the walk. Be careful what you wish for.

 

In previous Eastbound crossings (mostly Cunard) the near-daily clock changes had always been overnight. I had heard that HAL usually did it mid-day. I was a bit stunned to get the Explorer and find we would have 2, 1 at 2AM and another at 2PM. In retrospect, it worked beautifully. With one of each the day, while shortened, maintains a reasonable proportion of day to night and we get the added bonus of a couple days of clock stability.

 

Our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet was at 10AM. We had requested the Crows Nest, but part of that is a museum at sea for these Classic Crossings so it was held in the Explorer Lounge. We had about 50 guests which appeared to be pretty much everybody who registered along with about 10 senior staff. Hans, the hotel manager, is on his final voyage as he will be retiring July 21. I was surprised when Glen Coenen told me he only started learning English around age 12. Perhaps it's my language challenged nature but from the way he spoke I would have assumed he started with it from a very early age. Captain Rik might have been there but he had a very stressful and busy night. We had a medical emergency and a passenger was evacuated by helicopter to Cape Cod in the middle of the night. Our voyage track showed a strange loop where we diverted close to land and then circled into position for the helicopter.

 

We have some special lecturers on board but they had the day off and the Explorations topics today did not interest me. We had tea time at 3 in the LaFontine dining room with excellent snacks, and I did get through one chapter of my book.

 

Tonight was our first of 3 formal nights on the crossing. I'd say perhaps 85% of the men were in tuxes or suits and all the ladies looked great. The one lady who was at my table the first night was not back but the other 4 were present, a couple from northeast Iowa and 2 ladies from Dallas. It seemed like we all ordered different dishes. I had a melon boat, chilled blackberry soup and quail finished off with a cherry tart a la mode.

 

The evening show was proceeded by the Captain's Welcome Toast and introduction of senior officers. The show was Love, Broadway, a celebration of the music of Broadway. The troupe is composed of 6 singers (2 female and 4 male) and 2 female dancers. The dancers have been described as "bookends" and have a limited role in the production, although more than I thought from the introductory show embarkation night. My travels had caught up with me and I was quite drowsy by the end of the evening and was in bed by 9:45.

 

Today's parting shot will be one that does not involve cruising. If my recollection is right today is the day Betty Ford is reunited with her late husband in Michigan. Mrs. Ford was thrust unexpectedly into the role of First Lady, but made the job her own and made the most of her opportunities to expand or national compassion. Mrs. Ford, thank you and rest in peace.

 

Roy

 

This post comes to you live from the MS Rotterdam VI

[RuthC]

Thank you for letting me sail along with you. Had I not made other cruising choices this year, I might very well have been on this one.

Tell me, please, what is the subject of the current Explorations Lecture series? I have always enjoyed attending the presentations.

[rafinmd]

I reported in my last post that the Captain did not appear at the Meet and Greet. I stand corrected. I found out that Captain Rik did appear after the introductions were made but did not recognize him. It’s understandable he was a bit late after the events of the previous evening.

 

rgaudet asked on the Cunard forum about alternatives and asked about announcements on HAL and may be following this thread. I’d say there are more announcements than on Cunard but do not find them excessive and generally not commercial in nature. I sense a pattern of announcements at 10am, 12:55 (just before the Captain’s 1PM briefing) and 5PM with reminders of the morning, afternoon, and evening events to come. These are generally open and free events of a program nature but may include a brief reference to something semi-commercial such as a wine tasting or event in the casino.

[Keith1010]

Roy, do they serve beverages/snacks at the Meet & Mingle Party? How long does the party run?

 

What was the weather like on the first day out?

 

You are correct. Betty Ford was buried today with her husband former President Gerald Ford.

 

Continue to enjoy and thank you so much for taking us along on these cruises with you.

 

Keith

[rafinmd]

Keith, the party was about an hour with cookies and coffee. Ruth, the programs are too varied to list but I think the Programs tab is working now at

http://arctictriple.wordpress.com. The programs are listed on page 2-3 of the daily Explorer. The ones I've been following mostly are the history of crossing and cruising with an emphasis on HAL.

 

Despite sleeping a bit late I finished my 5 miles on deck 3 about 8:30. The day was quite busy with a variety of activities. At 9:30 Travel Guide Lisa and CD Dan held a coffee chat in the showroom at sea answering questions about our coming visit to Cobh. Lisa also answered questions on Rotterdam and suggested the water taxi for getting to the SS Rotterdam and promised to send me details. Mariner Society manager Gerald Bernhoft gave a talk on HAL history there at 10. A combination of advertising and entertaining stories, it was probably of more interest to HAL regulars than to me but I enjoyed about 20 minutes of it before a mid-morning snack. Bill Miller gave his first talk, "Floating Palaces, the Great Atlantic Liners" at 10 followed up with a film "Deco Age of Glamour" at 3.

 

The embargo on self service in the Lido restaurant ended with lunch today making service there a bit easier. The Atlantic also started showing a bit of character. The first day and a half had been very smooth, but a brisk wind appeared this morning. Things stayed smooth at first but the motion of the ship gradually increased and is now quite pronounced. The sea does not look rough but the waves motions are short and abrupt. There are a number of children on board and they have mostly been involved with Club HAL, but late in the afternoon they were playing in the Lido Pool which has developed quite a surf.

 

Two of the HAL Cats, Oliver Townsend and David Brady gave an afternoon performance in the showroom at sea. Normally pianists, Oliver spent most of his time singing favorite tunes from

Broadway shows that were less well known. As a singer Oliver was an excellent pianist. He joked about doing one duet with David but in fact CD Dan became his partner in the song and Dan proved to be an excellent singer.

 

This evening's show was a big band performance by the UK-based Pasadena Roof Orchestra featuring music from the 20's and 30's. With another overnight time change I went to bed shortly after the show.

 

Today's parting shot goes back to the matinee performance in the Showroom at Sea. My description of it was rather brutal. To me, at least, Oliver was mediocre as a singer. His gift was not his voice. His gift was sharing his passion for music he loves that just has eluded popular attention, and that we would otherwise be unlikely to experience. What greater gift can you make than to share your passion with others. A good singing voice: excellent if you have it. Sharing your passion for great music that missed mass market exposure: Priceless!

 

Roy

 

This post comes to you live from the MS Rotterdam VI