Jump to content

MS Maasdam FTL to Rio, January 23-February 15, 2015


rafinmd
 Share

Recommended Posts

Thanks, everybody.

 

The Prinsendam is at sea from Cape Horn to Port Stanley, Falklands on her way to a rendezvous

with the Maasdam in Rio.

 

We have been continuing southeast and are likely about due for a time zone change, as sunrise came about 6:30 today coming up nicely over the sky deck. Our first lines went out about an hour later.

 

After centuries of Spanish and English rule, Trinidad and Tobago became a republic in the 70's. It is one of the wealthier countries of the hemisphere, actually 3rd after the US and Canada. Port-of-Spain has the feel of a large city despite a population of about 50,000.

 

My tour this morning was called “Highlights and Mt. St. Benedict Monastery. My minibus with 22 people was one of two and we started off driving around the central part of the city. There are a number of very stately buildings in the city but so many of them are undergoing restoration I was really left wondering if it was a massive restoration effort or a euphemism for “these are closed until we find some money to fix them up”. One building not undergoing restoration was the lovely Queen’s Royal College, and the Stollmeyer’s Castle was elegant despite the restoration fence. We stopped at the Botanical Gardens, across from the Queen’s Park Savannah and next to the (closed for restoration) President’s house.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/castle.jpg

 

We proceeded up Lady Young Road to an overlook with a superb view of the city and then went on to our primary destination, the Mount St. Benedict Monastery. We started the tour at the Guest House, a roughly 18 room hostel where people can come for a retreat or to enjoy nature. We were given tea and a snack, a sumptuous buffet that was devoured by a group of people who hadn’t eaten for 3 whole hours. Our guide then took us up the hill to the Lady of Exile Chapel with a bell tower, stopping at the cemetery where he noted 3 sections of graves for parishioners, priests, and other members of the order. The complex also includes a school of theology.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/buffet.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/exilechapel.jpg

 

 

We returned to the ship about 12:30, just as it was starting to rain. I did not go out beyond the terminal, and it looked like the area around the pier was all hotels and government offices, not much of casual interest. I did spend some time on the terminal’s wifi, downloading an operating system update and checking some things on the HAL website that do not work on the ship. I also spent some time in the hot tub.

 

All aboard was 4:30 and by 4:45 as I was on my way up to the Interdenominational Service I saw that were already away from the pier. We have a short run to Tobago with a required speed of 8 knots.

 

My tablemates were at Le Cirque for dinner and I opted for Canaletto, a very enjoyable evening with the sun setting behind me soon after I was seated. The evening entertainment was the Super Bowl in the showroom along with quite a nice selection of snacks. I enjoyed some of the cake but didn’t watch the game. Barry From Boston had a You Pick show tunes evening.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/dusk0201.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/gamesnacks.jpg

 

Today’s parting shot is something of a sequel to yesterday’s. I suspect “well behaved” as used yesterday is in the eye of those in power, one who refuses to rock the boat. Many well behaved women in a more traditional sense have likely changed the world. Congratulations to Libby Lane, the new Bishop of Stockport and the first to hold that position in the Anglican Church.

 

Roy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Prinsendam is at sea from Cape Horn to Port Stanley, Falklands on her way to a rendezvous with the Maasdam in Rio.

 

It was a very nice morning as we ambled into Scarborough at our leisurely 8 knots. The sun came up quite beautifully behind the Maasdam as I was finishing my walk, and we backed into our dock about 7AM. This dock is perpendicular to the shoreline and appears to have space for ships on each side, but only our side had any spotting markings. The local ferry from Trinidad pulled in beside us about 9:15 and spent the day in Scarborough, just loading for departure when we left.

 

Tobago is a much smaller island than Trinidad; both are quite rugged and have 6 months each dry and rainy seasons. Tobago has regular air and ferry service and some international service at it’s small airport. My tour today was “Tobago South”. Boarding another 24-passenger bus we headed to the south end of the island, stopping at Shop Bay, a very lovely swimming and snorkeling beach. After a rest stop at a local golf club we continued to Fort James, a British fort from the 17th to 19th centuries.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/storebay.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/james.jpg

 

Our biggest stop was at a former sugar plantation where we saw the remains of a large mill used to press the juice our of sugar cane. The mill was powered by a water wheel in the rainy season, and a steam engine fueled by old cane stalks continued to power the mill in the dry season. The sugar juice was boiled down into molasses using a series of successively smaller vats. The mill was a bit of an enigma, in quite a serious state of disrepair. It looked like the owners were trying to restore and repair the property, but there is a lot of work to do.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/sugarmill.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/sugarvats.jpg

 

Our final stop was back in Scarborough at Fort King George, overlooking the entrance to the harbor. Built in 1777, it was a military post until 1854, although for a short time occupied by the French. The view from the fort was quite lovely, although it was of the harbor entrance, and did not extend to the dock area. We returned to the Maasdam about 1PM.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/ftkinggeo.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/geoview.jpg

 

I took a walk around town in the afternoon, although I did not find most of it very attractive. Near the cruise terminal stands a monument to 3 canons, 2 recovered from the bay and one from Fort King George, finally returning to the ship about 3.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/maastobago.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/3guns.jpg

 

All aboard was 4:30 and it appears that people were back early. We pulled in the gangway about 4:32 and by 4:40 were out passing a Tobago Coast Guard. The ferry gave us a nice toot as our stern passed it’s bow.

 

Table 69 was back to 3 people for a very nice dinner. We had some clouds making an uneventful sunset and some motion of the ship into the evening.

 

The evening entertainment was violinist/comedian Dave Leveque. I had seen him perform 15 months ago on the Prinsendam Amazon Explorer where I learned that he is also a history buff and drew the maps we used to explore Devils Island. He performed his classic “Australian Head Fiddle” again. Barry From Boston teamed up with steel drum player Junior for a farewell to the Caribbean night.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/leveque1.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/farewellcaribbean.jpg

 

 

Today’s parting shot is 2 parts. Congratulations to the Boston Patriots and a hope that Puxatawney Phil’s verdict was a good one.

 

Roy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for your posts. I'm looking forward to your report on Le Cirque. I'm interested to know if it is the new or old Le Cirque menu.

 

Would you also advise where a good spot might be for sailaway from FLL? I'd like to schedule a wave for our Maasdam cruise in May.

 

Thanks very much!

 

While I did not go to Le Cirque and have no idea if this is the new or old menu, here is what was posted by the door:

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/cirque.pdf

 

My tablemates were very pleased with their Le Cirque dinner.

 

This is the Canaletto menu. I have reservations at the Pinnacle Grill February 9. I will have a better copy of the regular Pinnacle menu then.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/canaletto.pdf

 

In addition to the standard menu, the Pinnacle and Canaletto have featured nightly specials. They are supposed to be on a rotating basis and this is what I have seen:

 

Canaletto:

Penne Al Vasciola

Veal Osso Bucco

Chicken Cacciattore

Linguini Fruit de mer

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Sausage and Polents

Penne Boscaiola

 

Pinnacle:

Filet Mignon Burger

Broiled or Poached Lobster Tail

Land and Sea

Veal Culet

Steak Diane

Lobster Mac & Cheese

Veal Chop

 

Roy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I did not go to Le Cirque and have no idea if this is the new or old menu, here is what was posted by the door:

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/cirque.pdf

 

My tablemates were very pleased with their Le Cirque dinner.

 

Roy

 

Thank you very much! I believe that is the old menu. They still have time to change to the new one before we sail in May.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Maasdam, like all HAL ships I can remember have extensive displays of photos, plaques, and other memorabilia on display around the ship. While all are of interest, 5 particularly struck my fancy.

 

There are many mementos of maiden port calls on display in the stairwells. I was a bit surprised to see that the Maasdam had not been to 2 of our ports, Scarbourough and Vitoria until 2 years ago, on the same basic cruise as this one. These plaques are on display in the stairwell leading to the tender gangway:

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/scarborough1.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/scarborough2.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/vitoria.jpg

 

Two other ports visited long ago caught my attention. Both are on display in the aft stairwell. First was the Maasdam’s maiden call to my home port of Baltimore. There is also a wooden plaque but the date has been lost.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/baltimore.jpg

 

The plaque from the maiden call to New York was a bittersweet sight, with this iconic symbol of the city in a simpler world.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/newyork.jpg

 

Finally, all around the corridors there are black and white photos of ships, generally Holland America ships. One notable exception stands out. When the Maasdam was launched, Windstar was a subsidiary of Holland America. I cannot tell for sure which of the then three sister ships this is (RIP Wind Song) but it could easily be the Wind Star which I was on just a few months ago. This photo is outside the forward Main Deck landing and is a beacon to me to know I’m at the right floor coming down the stairs.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/windstar.jpg

 

Roy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Prinsendam is at sea from Cape Horn to Port Stanley, Falklands on her way to a rendezvous with the Maasdam in Rio.

 

Although we changed time zones and lost an hour overnight I did not reset my clocks allowing for an extra hour of sleep. With “On Deck for a Cause” today I walked 1 ½ miles in the morning rather than 3. It was quite windy and spray was coming up on the promenade deck, and the ship was moving quite a bit. When I walked across the Lido Deck after getting my coffee, the crew was setting up a poolside buffet as the pool was sloshing over the side to their feet. Although I finished my walk around sunrise there was no sun to be seen for another hour.

 

There were not a lot of activities of interest today and the key 2 were in direct conflict with each other. Both Tommy Sue Montgomery’s talk on “The Guyanas” and “On Deck for a Cause” were at 10, and sadly the talk was not rebroadcast later on TV. Jeremy noted that today is World Cancer Day, and there was a lovely cake (apparently for show rather than eating, but the similar cupcakes were very tasty) and we were given a sendoff by several key people including Captain Jutten. The ribbon was cut by a 35-year ovary cancer survivor and we were off. The walk is non-competitive but I always seem to walk a little faster than usual for the event. Jeremy disappeared for a while around laps 3-4 but returned and stayed to the end encouraging the walkers on, I think the first time I’ve seen a Cruise Director so involved in the walk.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/causecake.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/cause.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/causedone.jpg

 

When we left Tobago Captain Jutten indicated we needed a speed of 15 knots to arrive at Devils Island at noon, but I had noticed over the morning that we were going faster than that. At his midday update he noted the weather as a “moderate gale” and made my observations offical. Describing tendering operations at Devils Island as somewhat tricky and getting more so later in the day with a substantial slowdown in operations. He officially pushed our arrival time up to 9AM to get most of the people to the island and back earlier in the day, although we still plan to leave at 6PM.

 

Between the early morning walk, the cancer walk, and a couple of odd laps I walked 5 miles today, and I did go up to the hot tub to help with my knee. It feels the best today it has for several days, but I don’t think unrestricted activity is a good idea yet. Along with the hot tub session I attended a photography talk by David Smith on “Light and Color for Travel”, and took it easy for the rest of the afternoon.

 

This was our second formal night. Everybody in the dining room looked very nice, although a lot of people seemed to be missing. This seems to be something of a trend. When I returned from dinner there was a lovely penguin propped against my pillow.

 

The evening entertainment was a new act for me, Mitch Perrins with “Living in Rhythm”. This is the first time I’ve seen Mr. Perrins. He played an instrument that looked something like a keyboard but was struck with drum sticks and could be adjusted to produce the sounds of many instruments. Barry from Boston held a sing along in the Mix at 9.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/perrins.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/thething.jpg

 

As today’s parting shot, World Cancer Day and On Deck for a Cause seemed to be a very successful combination, and Jeremy (who mentioned his mom’s and aunt’s breast cancer) did a very good job with it. Well done Jeremy and well done Holland America.

 

Roy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see lots of nice responses that I'll catch up on from my email digest of the thread later.

 

The Prinsendam is at sea from Cape Horn to Port Stanley, Falklands on her way to a rendezvous

with the Maasdam in Rio.

 

Roy:

 

Thank You for another great post.

I hope someday you and I can be on the same ship. Then you will learn my real identity.

Himself

 

Father, I hope so too. I especially love the way you do interdenominational services, serving all your fellow cruisers, and wish I could be at one of them. It will take a lot of prayer to make it happen.

 

I got word that the information I submitted this morning on my cabin is now published on halfacts:

 

http://halfacts.com/538-maasdam/

 

When I woke this morning the voyage display on my tv showed winds of 48 knots, although my 6 lap walk went surprisingly well. A full moon was shining brightly behind the ship, although it was still dark at the end of my walk. Sunrise was a little before 7, but I had to look for it from a protected position because the wind by the sky deck wouldn’t allow me to hold my camera. We dropped anchor off Devils Island about 8:30 and started setting up for tendering.

 

Devils Island, French Guiana is actually 3 islands, Saint-Joseph, Devils Island and Isle Royale. The main island is Ilse Royale, first a leper colony, a prison from 1852-1952, and now a museum island as well as a space tracking station. There is an Auberge on the Island although I’m not clear on how visitors get to it. The island lies 7 miles off the mainland French Guiana coast, where prisoners were initially shipped before being transferred to the island. I saw no information about Saint-Joseph ever being used, and Devils Island had only 1 prisoner, Alfred Deryfus. This is my second visit; the first was 14 months ago on the Prinsendam.

 

I went to the showroom at sea as tendering was due to start at 9am and received a number 3 ticket. With significant swells tendering was very slow and I waited an hour to be called to the tender. Our schedule and “On location” said the last tender was 5:30, but as we boarded we were told to be back by 4:30. Boarding the tender in the swells was a bit tricky; the ride was short but choppy. There are very limited facilities on the island, and the trails are pretty rustic.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/mdamdvli.jpg

 

Walking the perimeter of Isle Royale takes about an hour, I had a map and a plan but kind of meandered. The first buildings after leaving the dock are pretty ugly utility buildings. My first stop was up a hill not far from the tender pier at the Asylum which was all ruins and presumably was from the period as a leper colony. The first stop on the main route was the former Governors House, now a museum. It is actually 2 buildings with displays mostly in the form of signs (in French).

 

I found the map a bit hard to follow from there but my route took me up to the main complex. Several of the buildings are not marked but the best preserved one is the chapel, which is in pretty good shape inside and out. Next door is very minimal ruins of a convent, and then a hospital, well preserved outside but pretty dilapidated inside. Behind the chapel stands a light house, a helipad, and a large radar antenna used in the French space program.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/chapel1.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/hospital.jpg

 

A second row of buildings was the main penitentiary and housing for the guard staff, and buildings for solitary and the condemned, some in fair shape and others in ruins.

 

I returned to the Governors House and started around a lower trail to the Children’s Cemetery. Some of the guards had their families with them and the prevalence of diseases produced high mortality rates. Deceased adults were used to keep the sharks in the area but children were given proper burials.

 

A trail went back from the cemetery to the main complex. Off to the side sits the “Prisoner’s pool”; I don’t know quite what it was but I certainly wouldn’t swim there, and then the modern Isle Royale Auberge. I intended to take a trail around the back of the island but instead found myself back at the Governor’s House, finding a small portion of the trail I intended to take. An overlook looks across a narrow channel to Devil’s Island and the site of Dreyfus’ confinement.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/dreyfus.jpg

 

I returned to the tender pier about 12:40. While waiting for the tender a group of birds had formed a perfect line on the pier’s railing. When I returned to the Maasdam at 1, Jeremy was just announcing that tendering was then open with no need for tender tickets.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/linedup.jpg

 

At 1:30 the movie Papillon was shown in the Wajang theater, the story of a man who twice escaped Devil’s Island. I can relate somewhat, now having “escaped” twice but without the intervening years of misery. Lunch at Dive In followed the movie. At 4:30 Captain Jutten announced we were all back on the ship and we started moving about 10 minutes later.

 

At dinner there was a mannequin on display in prison garb. The waiters also were wearing stripes, while the dining supervisors were dressed as policemen. I had table 69 to myself tonight. I had received a somewhat mysterious invitation to a cocktail party, it turned out to be organized by the crew for Cruise Critic members with the Captain present and a very nice spread of refreshments.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/dinner.jpg

 

 

The evening entertainment was contortionist Maria Margiyeva. Barry from Boston had another request night. As today’s parting shot I sometimes wonder about names, and specifically how Isle Royal got it’s name. It looked to me about as Royal as Greenland does green.

 

Roy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Prinsendam is in Port Stanley, Falklands on her way to a rendezvous with the Maasdam in Rio.

 

Thank you Susan and Melodie, and the new posters..

 

Hope you get a certificate at the shop on Devil's Island indicating that you were there.

 

Sadly I did not; I don’t remember seeing a place for that either visit there. I have heard that the Auberge had a gift shop but I didn’t go in there. I am hopeful that there will be a certificate for crossing the Equator.

 

Roy:

 

I see on David's daily entry that you will be crossing the Equator tomorrow. I hope it is an enjoyable experience for you.

 

Himself

 

There is nothing like a Crystal equator crossing ceremony (I’ll touch on the differences later) but it was a grand day and a fun time for (well, at least nearly) all.

 

 

Yesterday morning’s full moon is startiing to wane ever so slightly, but was still a lovely sight above the aft decks, and stayed very visible until after sunrise. There were clouds on the forward horizon but the sun still made a reasonable appearance on the last lap of my 3-mile morning walk.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/moon0205.jpg

 

Things got off to a bit of a slow start today as the first activity of real interest wasn’t till 10:30, but it was special. It won’t actually happen until late tonight but we celebrated crossing the equator. Preparations to the Sea View pool began early with removing all the furniture, bringing in a couple of luggage skids, thrones for the dignitaries and folding chairs for the onlookers.

 

At 10:30 King Neptune and his Queen took seats at the end of the pool, The Jury (Captain and Senior officers) took their places at the starboard side of the pool with Jeremy as prosecutor and master of ceremonies between the 2 groups. The pollywogs were led in and placed in the luggage skids as jail cells until they were called up by department. Once convicted they were forced to kiss a big ugly fish, covered in pink and green slime, and the jury decided if they should be dunked in the pool or left to bake in the sun and their goo. One thing that caught me by surprise was that this was apparently Barry from Boston’s first time across the equator. I would have thought he would be a veteran by now. As the ceremony ended, Jeremy pulled off another surprise. King Neptune’s Queen was identified as a pollywog in hiding, and was given about a triple dose of slime.

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/thejail.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/theslime.jpg

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/theend.jpg

 

Why do I prefer Crystal’s ceremonies. Two reasons, first they are not just spectator sports, guests (volunteers of course) are among the pollywogs initiated. On my first crossing in 2010 my group’s “crime” was “carrying a HAL tote bag on a Crystal ship. I haven’t seen guests participate in a HAL equator crossing although on my Prinsendam Arctic Explorer we were part of the Arctic Circle crossing ceremony. I still use the thermal mug I got as a reward for being part of that ceremony. My second reason for liking Crystal’s ceremony is the ending, which I have seen several times by different personnel. From my last crossing on the Symphony:

 

“Finally Captain Symonds came up and complained about the resulting mess violating the Crystal Clean Policy. He was convicted of being a spoil-sport and suffered the fate of the polliwogs.” Later, in his noon announcement Captain Symonds made a tongue in cheek remark about the incident possibly leading to an opening for Cruise Director. While I prefer those touches, today’s ceremony was a lot of fun.

 

While activities started late it was a very busy day. Humberto came to the showroom at 11:30 with his introduction to Belem and Recife, followed by Tommie Sue Montgomery at 1:30 on 20th century and later Brazil, and David Smith at 3 on editing travel images. I finally got up to the hut tub for some knee TLC around 4.

 

This evening’s entertainment was the Maasdam cast in Road House. This is only the second time I have seen them perform. Barry from Boston had a tribute to Barry Manilow. We actually crossed the Equator about 10:15. I had planned to capture the moment but it came sooner than I thought and we were about 1 minute South when I returned from the Piano Bar..

 

http://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/nowsouth.jpg

 

Today’s parting shot is really out of the blue. I could have easily missed it being at sea, but saw it first in the Maasdam’s Canadian news sheet. Defining a hero precisely is not easy but some people leave no doubt about it. Pilot Liao Chien-tsung of TransAsia, while facing a near-certain end of his own life, acted skillfully and bravely in actions that saved the lives on countless people on the ground. What more can we ask of a hero?

 

PS: For the HAL experts, a question. On this cruise I have over $500 of onboard credit. Does onboard spending financed by onboard credits still count as spending for crediting bonus Mariner days? Thanks.

 

Roy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PS: For the HAL experts, a question. On this cruise I have over $500 of onboard credit. Does onboard spending financed by onboard credits still count as spending for crediting bonus Mariner days? Thanks

 

Yes it does at the rate of $300 = one day. They are generous about rounding up part days too.

Enjoying your posts. Thanks for writing. We were on the Amsterdam with you last year. How does this voyage compare with a segment of the world cruise?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...