A look back to my first HAL cruise

[rafinmd]

solocanadian's thread asking about her Captain on a 90's cruise got me to thinking about my first HAL cruise, SS Rotterdam, 1997. I had saved my daily programs for a long time and eventually scanned them, and looked back today at the officers on this voyage. I'm kind of hoping Copper10-8 will chime in here with some additional information, but here is what I found.

 

Hotel Director: John J Scheringen, now deceased

 

Executive Housekeeper: William Regelink (no information)

 

Guest Relations Manager: Julie Berendsen - last reported on the 2011 World Cruise as Human Relations Manager, presumably a promotion

 

Executive Chef: Max van Bergen - may have gotten a bit cameo in "Out to Sea"

 

Chief Officer: Albert J Schoonderbeek - What a surprise to learn I have actually sailed with Captain Albert

 

Cruise Director: Rick Spath - with Crystal since 2004 - My second voyage with him will be just before I board the Amsterdam in Cape Town

 

Captain: Pieter Bos - I see his current assignment is the Veendam, and I'm wondering if I will see him next week.

 

Roy

[Krazy Kruizers]

Our first HAL cruise was in 1996 -- Baltic -- on the Maasdam.

I don't know if I still have any information left about the captain, hotel manager, etc.

[RuthC]

Oh, I sure remember JJ and Rick! Two names from the long-ago and far away. What nice memories.

I had wondered what ever happened to Rick, so thanks for that info.

And Captain Bos remembers me. :o I was sitting on Lower Promenade on the Veendam last January when he climbed down a ladder from the lifeboats. He looked at me and said "I know you!".

Now I have to wonder what I had done that made me so memorable from March of '11. Uh-oh.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I had forgotten that I have some information stored on my memory sticks.

Maasdam -- July 10 - 22, 1996 --

Copenhagen - St Petersberg - Helsinki - Stockholm - Visby - Warnemunde (Berlin) - Arhus - Oslo - Dover

 

Captain -- Hans Eulderink

Hotel Manager -- JJ Scheringa

Maitre'd -- I Putu Mahendra

CD -- Gary Walker

Chef -- Bernie Rius

Food & Beverage Manager -- Henk Mensink

[LVSue]

Henk Minsink was on one of our recent cruises, possibly Noordam Carribean in Jan. very nice. I don't remember if he was still F&B mgr or hotel mgr, and I'm not home, so I can't check.

[George C]

1st Hal cruise Rotterdam out of NYC in 1977 liked it so much did it again in 1978.

[jayjaycan]

First HAL cruise was in April 2001 aboard the Westerdam II (the :stretched ship) on a Panama Canal sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver.

 

The ship made two 7 day Inside passage Alaska cruises after that and then she was transferred to Costa Cruise Line and became the Costa Europa.

 

I don't recall the officers etc. but we have all the daily programs filed away somewhere.

[lazey1]

Our first cruise was an Alaska & Canada Inside Passage Tour Cruise May 28 through June 10, 1989 aboard the beautiful ms Noordam.

Officers: Captain Jacob Dijk, Commander; Mr. Hans Dernison, Hotel Manager; Mr. Bob Upchurch, Cruise Director.

Iten: fly from home to Anchorage for o.n., train to Denali N.P. for o.n., train to Fairbanks for o.n., bus to Beavercreek for o.n., bus to WhiteHorse for o.n. train to Skagway, cruise the LYNN Canal aboard the MV Fairweather to Juneau where we boarded the Noordam, cruise to Glacier Bay, cruise to Sitka, cruise the Inside Passade to Vancouver fly home.

Loved everything about the tour and the cruise :)(except coming home with pneumonia:eek:).

 

On a very sad note. Satellite World News printed aboard ship, date June 6th, 1989 Beijing:"Protesters threw rocks at military jeeps and burned buses in parts of Beijing, but the city quieted somewhat after two days of fighting between soldiers and civilians following the brutal military suppression Sunday of the student-let democracy movement"..."student protesters in Shanghai and Nanjing paralyzed traffic with blockades".

After reading this we watched reruns of the Tiananmen Square massacre

 

Jane and Gary (with Jane's parents, Gladys and Woodrow).

[rafinmd]

That's really impressive RuthC. Hope he's still on board the Veendam next week.

 

Looks like JJ and Henk Mensink got around quite a bit.

 

Roy

[3rdGenCunarder]

My first cruise was Statendam to Bermuda in 1978. I can't find anything from that, but I do have stuff from our second cruise, Volendam to Bermuda, 1982. The captain was W.H. Eulderink; hotel manager was C. P. van der Lee; cruise director was Scotty Stevens.

 

Sorry to bring up "how things have changed," but I looked at the menus from 1982. There were usually 5 appetizer choices, with shrimp or prawn cocktail listed every night, and caviar two nights. Two soups (which I think is still standard), and more main courses than they offer now. I noticed more unusual foods, such as veal sweetbreads. There was always a low calorie option, a pasta, a seafood, and several meat dishes. One night they even had roast beef with YORKSHIRE PUDDING! On a Dutch ship, who knew?!? You could choose your starch and veg, meals weren't done as a set plate back then. I think some people call this "silver service," where the waiter brought potatoes and veg around the table and served each person what he/she wanted.

 

Another thing I don't recall seeing in a long time is "selections from the pastry cart" as one of the dessert offerings. And there was a cheese selection available every night. (I think they still offer a cheese plate.)

 

Although the pasta dishes may have been meatless, nothing was listed specifically as vegetarian. All cruise lines offer vegetarian now. And the salads now are more varied and imaginative than they were back then. So not all changes are cost-cutting; these changes reflect the changing needs/preferences of passengers.

 

One cute thing that's long gone (and not a big deal, just a nice touch) is the beautiful menus, which they gave us at the end of the trip. I just noticed that the photo on each day's menu (on this cruise they were bouquets) matched the small photo on the daily program. And they matched some of the photos on the cover of the folder we were given to hold our various papers. I miss being given the menus at the end of a cruise. I know that a lot of people don't bother to save that stuff, but I do. Someday, I will be found dead, crushed beneath a pile of cruise "ephemera," like one of the Collier brothers! :eek:

 

According to a brochure in my folder, prices to Bermuda for one week ranged from $760 (lowest price "value season") to $1,395 (highest price "peak season"). According to a website I found, adjusted for inflation, that's $1,780 to $3,270.

[rafinmd]

Kathy, isn't it amazing how the changes we don't like are the first things on our mind, while we rarely think about the things like the vegetarian choices and variety of salads. There will always be change, and we need to take the bad (which may be good for somebody else) with the good.

 

Roy

[hpeabody]

I will never ever forget stepping off the train arriving in Skagway after traveling from Whitehorse Canada and seeing Zaandam docked there in the marina surrounded by the lovely mountains waiting for us. That was my first cruise after a week long land tour. :) I have gone on now to complete 15 cruises.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Kathy, isn't it amazing how the changes we don't like are the first things on our mind, while we rarely think about the things like the vegetarian choices and variety of salads. There will always be change, and we need to take the bad (which may be good for somebody else) with the good.

 

Roy

 

I was surprised that there was a "low calorie" option each night. I think of "healthy" or "spa" suggestions as newer ideas. I guess that's because I never chose them...

[frankc98376]

My first was I believe 1983 aboard Nieuw Amsterdam. Only names I remember are CD David Dehavilland and I believe the Social Hostess's name was Dee or Dee Dee.

Noordam inaugural I believe in 1984 Captain was Capt Van Noord

[Krazy Kruizers]

Kathy

I still have many of the menus from our early cruises as well -- they are boxed -- somewhere.

And yes -- they cam around with the vegetables and served them individually. Back then the waiters only had about 12 people to take care of -- not the 28 or so that they have now.

Gone are the pastry carts and the flambés.

[rafinmd]

I will never ever forget stepping off the train arriving in Skagway after traveling from Whitehorse Canada and seeing Zaandam docked there in the marina surrounded by the lovely mountains waiting for us. That was my first cruise after a week long land tour. :) I have gone on now to complete 15 cruises.

 

How long ago was that? I did much the same in 2002 although it was my second HAL and probably about 10th cruise. I've told these things before but on that trip I was with a Canadian company and was the only American among a bus load of about 25 Canadians on a tour from the far northern Northwest Territories. I enjoyed their hospitality on Canada Day in Whitehorse, and the tables turned when we docked in Ketchican July 4.

 

I am also involved in the local volunteer fire service. I was walking back from the saloon in Dawson City and spotted some familiar looking shirts. It turned out to be the Chief of a neighboring fire department and my County Executive with their wives (both active in the fire service). They were on a HAL cruise tour and we met several other times on the Zaandam.

 

Roy

[kazu]

My first was on the old Nieuw Amsterdam back in 1988.

 

I remember being blown away the moment we came on board. The beautiful art work - the wonderful stewards and yes, the dining room was an incredible experience.:D

 

the whole experience was magical (except for gaining 5 pounds!!!) and that memory made me come back a few years later:)

[RuthC]

... I believe the Social Hostess's name was Dee or Dee Dee.

Didi Thatcher, perhaps? She was the Social Hostess on my ss Rotterdam Grand South Pacific cruise in '95.

[frankc98376]

Didi Thatcher, perhaps? She was the Social Hostess on my ss Rotterdam Grand South Pacific cruise in '95.

 

That was her- she was wonderful!!!

[Hlitner]

Our first HA cruise was a 12 day Baltic itinerary on the Maasdam. This was over 20 years ago (when we were in our 40s) and the most memorable thing about the cruise was the first night show in the main show room. We went to the late show which was about 10 pm. There were about 25 people in the showroom (the rest of the ship probably went to bed by 8) and they had a comedian come on the stage. He had them turn up the house lights and are slowly looked around the empty theater. He then said, "I want to welcome all the Seniors and their parents." It was a funny line and also quite true! We did not take another HA cruise for about 15 years because we decided to utilize other cruise lines (Princess, RCI, Celebrity, Crystal, Azamara, etc) until we were old enough to return to HA. A few years ago when we were finally in our 60s we returned to HA where we are still among the youngest on many of our cruises :)

 

Hank

[Copper10-8]

solocanadian's thread asking about her Captain on a 90's cruise got me to thinking about my first HAL cruise, SS Rotterdam, 1997. I had saved my daily programs for a long time and eventually scanned them, and looked back today at the officers on this voyage. I'm kind of hoping Copper10-8 will chime in here with some additional information, but here is what I found.

 

Hotel Director: John J Scheringen, now deceased

 

Executive Housekeeper: William Regelink (no information)

 

Guest Relations Manager: Julie Berendsen - last reported on the 2011 World Cruise as Human Relations Manager, presumably a promotion

 

Executive Chef: Max van Bergen - may have gotten a bit cameo in "Out to Sea"

 

Chief Officer: Albert J Schoonderbeek - What a surprise to learn I have actually sailed with Captain Albert

 

Cruise Director: Rick Spath - with Crystal since 2004 - My second voyage with him will be just before I board the Amsterdam in Cape Town

 

Captain: Pieter Bos - I see his current assignment is the Veendam, and I'm wondering if I will see him next week.

 

Roy

 

Great thread Roy!

Here's some info on Chief HK Willem Regelink

http://www.hollandamericablog.com/2011/10/13/hal-veteran-willem-regelinks-retirement-celebration/

[Copper10-8]

Also, Julie Berndsen is still HRM with HAL, about to embark on Amsterdam

[rafinmd]

Thanks, Copper. Amazing how many of these people either are still here or retired relatively recently.

 

Roy

[arzz]

Roy

 

You motivated me to look back on our first HAL cruise. It was on the Statendam, Christmas of 1995 -- seven days. We booked at the last minute as our original plan was a unique itinerary (for the time) on Regent Spirit and as many of you know this was the year Regency went suddenly bankrupt.

 

As an off topic aside -- we were saved from making final payment on that cruise by a Cruise Critic insider who sent us a private email telling us not to make final payment as the cruise line would be bankrupt before the end of the week! How right they were! My TA was reluctant to cooperate at first then later in the week came back to me and wanted to know how I knew -- saved us a ton of money and a lot of trouble. Kudos to CC!

 

So ... I found my folder for that trip. I still have the daily newspapers -- they were called the "Dagelyks Nieuws" in those days and every issue included a list of where each ship in the fleet could be found that day. I rediscovered that we were treated to a show given by Victor Borge on Christmas Eve and on the last day, the Nieuws shared the recipe for HAL bread pudding for four!

 

Ship's officers were:

 

Commmander Captain Frans Consen

Hotel Manager Erich Holbling

Chief Engineer Hendrik van Wijk

Chief Officer Cornelius Spekman

Cruise Director Brian McNally

Chief Radio Officer David McGouldrik

Purser Leontine van Biljouw

Food & Bev Mgr Theodorus Haanen

Physician William Baetmen

Chief Housekeeper Leonard Mok

Guest Rel Mgr Katja van Biljouw

Executive Chef Cornelius van Santen

Maitre d'Hotel Henk Brok

Bar Manager Susi Budiatmo

Hostess Yvette Sechrist

Shore Ex Mgr Maureen Ricker

Asst Cruise Dir Matt Arietta

Port Lecturer Dave Gadow

 

 

Thanks Roy -- I enjoyed this look into the past!

[arewethereyet]

My first HAL cruise was on the Zaandam. I felt like a stranger at a funeral. That staff was unhappy and it showed. It was another 3 years before I considered HAL again. I have not had another HAL cruise like that.