Live from the Prinsendam as the wizard & witches cruise May 17 - June 17, 2013

[rafinmd]

Still on for August if you like Roy - my pleasure:D I just have to go digging for that email:o It's too far back with all this silly planning stuff I was doing before my cruise:o I should have put it in a folder:o

 

I'd be happy to mail these to you as well if you like - just drop me a line with your address and I will gladly send them to you. :D

 

I'll be in scout camp next week and will have little or no internet; I'll touch base after Canada Day and July 4. I'll have my scanner with me so you shouldn't need to make copies.

 

Roy

[kazu]

I'll be in scout camp next week and will have little or no internet; I'll touch base after Canada Day and July 4. I'll have my scanner with me so you shouldn't need to make copies.

 

Roy

 

Looking forward to it Roy - I was planning on sending it earlier but if we are waiting until then - the copies will all ready be done., LOL

 

Have fun at your scout stuff - I'm busy catching up on gardening and trying to figure out the next itinerary:rolleyes:

[Vict0riann]

What's your next itinerary? :)

[rafinmd]

What's your next itinerary? :)

 

Were you asking me? If so it's New England and Canada on the Veendam August 17-24.

 

Roy

[jgw321]

Would this site be of any help?

 

Thanks for the link, that could be useful in the Witches & Wizard's thread for planning next year. I'll copy it over.

[kazu]

What's your next itinerary? :)

 

If you're asking me Ann, I'm not sure yet - I'm still working on it:eek: there are two that I like - need to feel out DH though;)

[kazu]

Could you tell us about the Grand Farewell to Firmin?

 

I'd love to hear about it. :)

 

 

I'm very sorry Judy - I think I missed this question.:eek:

 

Much fuss was made over Firmin the entire segment.

 

CD Gene revealed the name of the new Pinnacle Class ship - the Firmindam - otherwise he said they would have to call it the dam Firmin.

 

The Captain had a beautiful picture of the Prinsendam from way back when she was originally sailing in on her inaugural voyage as the Prinsendam. I has been in his quarters for years as I understood it. He gave it to Firmin:D

 

Firmin was very choked up and you could tell that he was very touched by everything and he would miss the Elegant Explorer.

 

When we got to Zeebrugges, we saw Firmin leaving. I didn't see any fuss at the time, but who knows what happened back stage (so to speak). He had 5 stewards helping him with his luggage and he was heading home:D

 

Firmin said he felt it was appropriate that he started his career with Royal Viking and was ending it on a former ship by that company

 

He is wonderful at his job and he will be missed:)

[kazu]

I hope you take pictures of the PS.

I like to compare them as we have found the PS on the Vista and Signature class ships are so much nicer than those on the S and R class ships.

 

Sorry Yonnie, I think I missed this question too:eek:

 

Yes, we did take pics of the PS and I plan on sending them to Joanie once I get the upload figured out on the Ipad for her web site.

 

Certainly the PS on the Vista and Signature ships are larger, BUT this PS is different than the S and R class ships. (of course, it is the Elegant Explorer).

 

The verandah stretches the entire length of the PS. Unlike the S & R ships, there is no curtain around the bed. There is a separate bedroom (with a door of course). The main bath is off of it and while there is no jacuzzi on the verandah, there is a huge jacuzzi tub in the bathroom which has views of the sea (or port) with windows that you can open. It is inset in marble and you need to climb two little steps as the tub is huge. This also helps to give the view:D

 

While not large, the PS is well laid out. There is a bar off the living area with the kitchen stuff, dishes and glasses. The dining area seats 6 easily (we used it) and of course there is a guest 1/2 bath off the living area.

 

It may not be large, but it is very comfortable and we easily accommodated 45 people for our wine tasting. The bottles were on the bar, the glasses on the dining room table and the munchies on the living room table, side table and the dining room table:D

 

I thought it would be too crowded and was amazed at how well it did work:D

 

Tv's in both the living area and bedroom of course as well as the dvd's.

 

A nice room - won't happen again I'm sure - but I'm glad we splurged this one time and so was Jose:D

[jgw321]

A nice room - won't happen again I'm sure - but I'm glad we splurged this one time and so was Jose

 

You picked the right cruise to do it, and make a memorable cruise a memorable occasion.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry Yonnie, I think I missed this question too:eek:

 

Yes, we did take pics of the PS and I plan on sending them to Joanie once I get the upload figured out on the Ipad for her web site.

 

Certainly the PS on the Vista and Signature ships are larger, BUT this PS is different than the S and R class ships. (of course, it is the Elegant Explorer).

 

The verandah stretches the entire length of the PS. Unlike the S & R ships, there is no curtain around the bed. There is a separate bedroom (with a door of course). The main bath is off of it and while there is no jacuzzi on the verandah, there is a huge jacuzzi tub in the bathroom which has views of the sea (or port) with windows that you can open. It is inset in marble and you need to climb two little steps as the tub is huge. This also helps to give the view:D

 

While not large, the PS is well laid out. There is a bar off the living area with the kitchen stuff, dishes and glasses. The dining area seats 6 easily (we used it) and of course there is a guest 1/2 bath off the living area.

 

It may not be large, but it is very comfortable and we easily accommodated 45 people for our wine tasting. The bottles were on the bar, the glasses on the dining room table and the munchies on the living room table, side table and the dining room table:D

 

I thought it would be too crowded and was amazed at how well it did work:D

 

Tv's in both the living area and bedroom of course as well as the dvd's.

 

A nice room - won't happen again I'm sure - but I'm glad we splurged this one time and so was Jose:D

 

Thank you Jacqui

We love the PS cabins on the Vista and Signature class ships the best. We have never used the Jacuzzi out on the verandah.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I'm very sorry Judy - I think I missed this question.:eek:

 

Much fuss was made over Firmin the entire segment.

 

CD Gene revealed the name of the new Pinnacle Class ship - the Firmindam - otherwise he said they would have to call it the dam Firmin.

 

The Captain had a beautiful picture of the Prinsendam from way back when she was originally sailing in on her inaugural voyage as the Prinsendam. I has been in his quarters for years as I understood it. He gave it to Firmin:D

 

Firmin was very choked up and you could tell that he was very touched by everything and he would miss the Elegant Explorer.

 

When we got to Zeebrugges, we saw Firmin leaving. I didn't see any fuss at the time, but who knows what happened back stage (so to speak). He had 5 stewards helping him with his luggage and he was heading home:D

 

Firmin said he felt it was appropriate that he started his career with Royal Viking and was ending it on a former ship by that company

 

He is wonderful at his job and he will be missed:)

 

Wonder which Royal Viking ship he started with?

We were scheduled to be on the Royal Viking Star. But by the time we booked and were ready to sail, she became the Westward (NCL), then she became the Star Odyssey and now she is the Blackwatch. We had one of the Penthouses on her.

[kazu]

You picked the right cruise to do it, and make a memorable cruise a memorable occasion.

 

:):)

[kazu]

Wonder which Royal Viking ship he started with?

We were scheduled to be on the Royal Viking Star. But by the time we booked and were ready to sail, she became the Westward (NCL), then she became the Star Odyssey and now she is the Blackwatch. We had one of the Penthouses on her.

 

I think Roy reported it earlier on this thread - I think he said it was the Royal Viking Star but I would have to go back to make sure I am right (I'm wrong all too often)

[DrTee]

I think I'm going to sue because I was sick on lobster night and so I missed out on what everyone was describing as really good lobster. Think I have a case??

[kazu]

I think I'm going to sue because I was sick on lobster night and so I missed out on what everyone was describing as really good lobster. Think I have a case??

 

Ha! Ha! I don't think so - but if you contact CD Gene, he might give you a gold star (like he did Richard, the jiver) to keep you happy:D:):p

 

and yes, the lobster was very edible indeed!

[MissShelllly]

Wow, thanks for that update Michelle. I knew Richard, the Jiver, was angry and had been wondering what action Gene may have taken. Could you check for me with Gene to find out if this means I have been removed from the list as a winner for the Baltic cruise? I thought there was supposed to be only 17 Prinsendam winners. I am confused, not that it really matters as I did win (by a large margin) for the foxtrot on the TA cruise.

Enquiring minds would like to know.

 

Glad to hear you are still enjoying your cruise. We have just booked a 11 night cruise on the Azamara Quest for July 3 from Copenhagen to Norway, Iceland, Isle of Man ending in Dublin. We just can't stay away from a cruise ship, especially the small ones.

Jeanette

 

Jeanette, we are sure you have NOT been removed from the list of winners. Our understanding is that there were two winners for the Baltic portion. I'll pay attention at the next grand final to see if Gene still says 17 winners for the Prinsendam. We hope you enjoy your next cruise. The itinerary sounds great.

 

We missed Dublin yesterday and it isn't a tender port. At 5 am gale strength winds were forecast for Dublin including in the harbour. After talking to the pilot, the Captain decided it wouldn't be safe to enter the harbour. To emphasise his reasons, he talked about how strong the winds were when we left Bristol and the difficulty we had exiting the lock. The winds yesterday were going to be even stronger and he said Dublin had a small harbour. So we sailed all day towards our next port of call Greenock (for Glasgow) and we spent some time circumnavigating Aran Island while waiting for our berth this morning. We were greeted by a bagpipe player at 7 am and as we were port side to the dock, we were able to enjoy the music from our verandah. The captain wrote a letter to each cabin about missing Dublin and said we'd be given a glass of champagne with dessert. We didn't go to the dining room as the strong winds and the heavy sea left me feeling under the weather, but it was a nice gesture. We weren't allowed out onto the Lido deck due to the high winds but were still able to go on our balcony or on the Promenade deck. I saw a couple of brave souls walking around the Promenade - it would have been hard work.

 

While we were at the front desk yesterday, a gentleman walked up saying that he had private tours booked for Dublin. As we'd missed the port he asked them to compensate him by giving him some free Internet time. I'm afraid we'd finished our business and had to walk away before we heard the outcome of that one!

 

Michelle.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[kazu]

Jeanette, we are sure you have NOT been removed from the list of winners. Our understanding is that there were two winners for the Baltic portion. I'll pay attention at the next grand final to see if Gene still says 17 winners for the Prinsendam. We hope you enjoy your next cruise. The itinerary sounds great.

 

We missed Dublin yesterday and it isn't a tender port. At 5 am gale strength winds were forecast for Dublin including in the harbour. After talking to the pilot, the Captain decided it wouldn't be safe to enter the harbour. To emphasise his reasons, he talked about how strong the winds were when we left Bristol and the difficulty we had exiting the lock. The winds yesterday were going to be even stronger and he said Dublin had a small harbour. So we sailed all day towards our next port of call Greenock (for Glasgow) and we spent some time circumnavigating Aran Island while waiting for our berth this morning. We were greeted by a bagpipe player at 7 am and as we were port side to the dock, we were able to enjoy the music from our verandah. The captain wrote a letter to each cabin about missing Dublin and said we'd be given a glass of champagne with dessert. We didn't go to the dining room as the strong winds and the heavy sea left me feeling under the weather, but it was a nice gesture. We weren't allowed out onto the Lido deck due to the high winds but were still able to go on our balcony or on the Promenade deck. I saw a couple of brave souls walking around the Promenade - it would have been hard work.

 

While we were at the front desk yesterday, a gentleman walked up saying that he had private tours booked for Dublin. As we'd missed the port he asked them to compensate him by giving him some free Internet time. I'm afraid we'd finished our business and had to walk away before we heard the outcome of that one!

 

Michelle.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Michelle - thanks for the update on the DWTS.

 

Sorry to hear about missing your port but it certainly sounds like the captain chose wisely;)

 

Laughing out loud about the person complaining about missing a private tour. If he had chosen wisely, he would not have been charged if the ship could not make the port;) The ship owes him nothing:D

 

I hope you are feeling better!

[kazu]

Your Belgian chocolates made it home?:D

We won't discuss mine.;)

 

Our bottle of Calvados made it home safely in the luggage as well. Thank heavens for those Magellans wine packers i have.

 

Even though the ship let us bring it on, we had no intentions of drinking it onboard. it was scheduled to come home with us:D It has the same name as the last names of our dear friends so, somehow I doubt it will be opened for a long time to come:D

 

It is one of the better brands and now, in hindsight, I see we did well to bring it home as it is significantly pricier here than it was in France

[Vict0riann]

I keep meaning to mention, Kazu et al, that I took a few screen shots when the Prinsendam was leaving FLL, and also in Bermuda. I could send them to you, if you like. My email is my name, Ann McCarthy, (all lower case and strung together), at shaw dot ca. You may already have more than you need! :)

[kazu]

I keep meaning to mention, Kazu et al, that I took a few screen shots when the Prinsendam was leaving FLL, and also in Bermuda. I could send them to you, if you like. My email is my name, Ann McCarthy, (all lower case and strung together), at shaw dot ca. You may already have more than you need! :)

 

Thanks very much Ann:)

[Mickie]

Thanks JG for your very thoughtful review of the final result for the Dancing. I was just as shocked as everyone else at the booing. I have never had to go through anything like that before and I hope it never happens again. I know they were not booing me personally but it sure felt like it up on the stage. I am still feeling rather demoralised by it all and feel very sorry for Richard, the jiver, as he did a wonderful dance and yes he was very angry with the result. I have to abide by the judges decision so that has to be the end of the conflict as far as I am concerned.

 

Apart from the final voting, I enjoyed the experience immensely and have many, many wonderful CC friends to thank for your support through both cruises. This has been an amazing 2 cruises for us, making so many wonderful friends, visiting so many great places and travelling on the splendid Elegant Explorer. IF (big IF) I do get to win through to the final cruise on the Niew Amsterdam I will be very proud to represent the Prinsendam and all her very faithful cruisers.

 

We have now settled into our home in Northampton, England for the next 6 weeks and caught up on much needed sleep. I do look forward to meeting up with many of you on another cruise somewhere in this wonderful world of ours.

 

Jeanette.

 

Jeanette - Neil and I were both upset with the booing at the end of the Dancing finale - not to mention the hurtful conversations we heard when we left the "theater". Neil thinks a large part of the issue (that HAL should focus on) is the ridiculous "applause o meter"..... truly not very scientific!!!

You, of course, were wonderful -- as was Richard, the jiver. And it should be noted that two more of our Cruise Critic folks were in the finals - Sandy and Barbara. I am sure neither one of them behaved "badly" -- and that's all I'm going to say on the matter.

LOVED MEETING YOU AND KEN - and all the other Cruise Critic folks.

Mickie

BTW, I'm home and still tired.

[kazu]

Jeanette - Neil and I were both upset with the booing at the end of the Dancing finale - not to mention the hurtful conversations we heard when we left the "theater". Neil thinks a large part of the issue (that HAL should focus on) is the ridiculous "applause o meter"..... truly not very scientific!!!

You, of course, were wonderful -- as was Richard, the jiver. And it should be noted that two more of our Cruise Critic folks were in the finals - Sandy and Barbara. I am sure neither one of them behaved "badly" -- and that's all I'm going to say on the matter.

LOVED MEETING YOU AND KEN - and all the other Cruise Critic folks.

Mickie

BTW, I'm home and still tired.

 

Need a vacation from the vacation per chance:):D:p

 

I know the feeling - but it was a great trip.

 

We met a lot of great people including you and Neil:)

[jgw321]

The Prinsendam is en route from Stornoway to Kirkwall and in the early hours passes through the straights between Scotland and the Orkneys. These can be some of the roughest waters we have around UK. Though it was off the Hebrides that her bow was staved in last time. So here's hoping the high pressure stays with us.

[jgw321]

The Prinsendam is en route from Stornoway to Kirkwall

 

Now moored at Kirkwall. Have a nice day in the Orkneys. One place we have yet to get to. We have only seen it from John O'Groats and from the Prinsendam when we sailed from Scrabster to the Faroes.

[kazu]

The Prinsendam is en route from Stornoway to Kirkwall and in the early hours passes through the straights between Scotland and the Orkneys. These can be some of the roughest waters we have around UK. Though it was off the Hebrides that her bow was staved in last time. So here's hoping the high pressure stays with us.

 

Fingers were crossed for smooth straights for them JG

 

 

Glad to hear they are now moored!