Hopefully "Live" Zuiderdam Panama Canal 2015

[Mtn2Sea]

Tonight was our first formal dinner. We've learned that the passengers on this cruise like to eat early. In previous cruises, we've found that, if we arrive at the MDR by 6 PM, we have little or no wait to get a table assignment. Not on this cruise! We got to the MDR's door a little after 5:45 and had to wait over ten minutes before we got to the beginning of the line, not bad - just unusual in our experience. This wait, however, did give us the opportunity to see what the dining room manager would do with the man wearing shorts and a polo shirt. Although he had to repeat himself a couple of times, the manager did persuade the man to change clothes before coming back for dinner. Here's tonight's menu.

 

 

I ordered the shrimp cocktail and DW chose the lychees with kiwi wedges. They were both good. For our entrees, I chose the quail and DW got the Land And Sea, minus the land portion. We both enjoyed our meals. If you've read my past reviews, you know I'll always order a soufflé for dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner we went to the show and again the theatre was packed - standing room only. The lady sitting next to me went to the second seating last night and the theatre was not crowded at all. Although I don't know the number, we do have a group aboard that goes by the name Road Scholars. Someone told me this is an elder hostel group. Maybe they have scheduled meetings that cause them to go to early events or they just generally like early dining/events. All I know is the passengers on this cruise definitely have an overwhelming preference for early dining.

 

Tonight's program, titled "In Concert," was put on by the ship's cast. The program was primarily singers performing songs mostly from the 60's and 70's. Since I like music from that era, I enjoyed the program. Normally, I'm not a fan of performances by the onboard cast, but tonight was an exception. Prior to the performance, we had the Captain's toast. We learned that our passengers hail from 28 different countries and every cabin on the ship is in use for this cruise. We're scheduled to arrive in Aruba at 1:00 PM tomorrow for our next port of call. Since we've been here twice in the past 15 months, we're just going to play it by ear.

 

Until later.

[Mtn2Sea]

Enjoy your last days as a 3* Mariner! We were on the sailing before yours and thoroughly enjoyed our time onboard the Zuiderdam. If either you or your DW like chocolate, you have to try the Chocolate Brownie Stack for dessert at dinner. Seriously, I saved all my calories from daytime (ate salads and protein during the day) to indulge in dessert - oh my, I can still taste it!

 

What do you think of CD Hamish - woo hoo! ? We found him to be a little lackluster compared to Mario Vines who was our CD on the Nieuw Amsterdam for our T/A. The BB King Blues Club has some wonderful music every night - just a suggestion.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

I saw where you were on the previous cruise. I hope everything is going okay. We had Mario on one of our previous cruises and I agree with your comparison, although I'm warming up to Hamish. I!ve seen the Chocolate Brownie on the menu twice already. I saw one ordered by another passenger and it looks DECADENT!! If it reappears on the menu, I'll give it a try, even though I know it's not on my list of diet foods.

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks for reporting on your CC meeting. I am not at all surprised that Captain Willems so graciously spend time with your small group! He is exactly what HAL needs in Captains. We hope he stays with HAL for his career.

 

Great posts and great photos. It is extremely nice to see the lunch menus!

[PathfinderEss]

Really enjoying your posting of the menu and then the photo's of what you ate.

[Mtn2Sea]

Today we're in Aruba. The ship just docked at the capital of Oranjestad. The island of Aruba is 19 miles north of Venezuela and part of the ABC Islands, which were formerly governed by the Netherlands.. We have now been cleared to go ashore, so this is going to be a short post. They're setting up two gangway, which should make it easier to disembark. Here's today's program.

 

 

 

We had a lazy morning doing nothing and don't have anything specific scheduled when we get off. We did manage to make it to lunch in the MDR. Here's the menu.

 

 

 

I had the quesadilla, Barbeque sandwich and strawberry tart.

 

 

DW had the banana and orange melange, avocado citrus salad and the peach Melba.

 

 

We enjoyed our meal, although the Barbeque sandwich was quite messy, but that didn't stop me from eating the whole thing.

 

Until later.

 

[SilvertoGold]

Fabulous photos: I swear I am gaining weight just looking!

 

I'll have the quesadilla, haddock and the brownie. Thanks!

[Mtn2Sea]

Shortly after my last post, DW and I left the ship to walk around town, which gave me an opportunity to take some photos. We found a new visor for DW at one of the shops and resisted the opportunity to buy something at one of the hundreds (at least it seemed like hundreds) jewelry stores. Here are some photos representative of the downtown area.

 

 

The last photo shown above is the MV Freewinds, which is owned by a company affiliated with the Church of Scientology. The ship is based in Aruba and has been at the same dock the three times we've visited here, although one time I saw on the Aruba webcam that it had sailed someplace else. The ship was built in 1968 by Wartsila Turku Shipyard in Turku, Finland, as the MS Bohème for service with Commodore Cruise Line and was the first cruise ship built in Finland. Its ownership passed to a Church of Scientology-controlled company in 1985. The Freewinds is used as a training center for the Church.

 

The next next photo shows someone in Aruba has a sense of humor.

 

 

When we returned to the ship, we headed to the Lido for some ice cream. The weather this afternoon has been pretty warm, but thankfully the wind helped cool us down.

 

 

Tonight, they're having a Barbeque around the Lido pool. We'll decide in a few minutes whether we're going to the Barbeque or the MDR.

 

Until later.

[Despegue]

I always find it funny when passengers think that their captain is ( too) young...

 

In reality, most Navigational Officers pass their Captain exam by their late 20's or early thirties and then sail as Master for a couple of years before retiring to shoreside jobs in their early/mid thirties,min time for a proper family life.

 

Being 42 and still at sea means you are an Old Sea Rat:D and VERY experienced.

 

On cruise ships, you do have a somewhat slower career progress due to the better lifestyle and resulting lower attrition of crew.

 

Same goes'in aviation by the way.

 

Enjoy your cruise, I am thoroughly enjoying your report and especially your pictures!

 

Despegue

36 years old

Captain

[aliaschief]

Enjoying your live reports. Haven't seen any mention that you have visited the Piano Bar. Stryker is the piano bar entertainer and one of the best.

 

Thanks for sharing.

Edited February 26, 2015 by aliaschief

[ellie1145]

I am really enjoying your wonderful thread and great photos.

 

We have never sailed Holland America but would really like to do so, and your descriptions have only added to that wish. However, we do like a balcony cabin and will wait and see if anything changes in the near future on that front (don't wish to start a debate).

 

Maybe we should try an outside cabin just to get a feel for Holland America.....

 

Many thanks, anyway, I am looking forward to the rest of your trip. :)

[canadianbear]

Add me to the list as another one enjoying your review and your photos. Really appreciate the time you take to keep us all in the loop! It's getting me excited about our upcoming cruise. Thanks so much.

[Mtn2Sea]

Well, we decided to stay in our shorts and go to the Barbeque on the aft deck. Lots of food! They had two serving lines, each ending near a real grill with fire cooking ribs, salmon and steak. The temperature on deck was perfect with a constant breeze. Here're a few photos - I would have taken more, but my hands were full holding my food.

 

 

 

 

 

Until later.

[Mtn2Sea]

Enjoying your live reports. Haven't seen any mention that you have visited the Piano Bar. Stryker is the piano bar entertainer and one of the best.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

You are so right about Stryker. He is a great piano player, has a fantastic and strong voice, and interacts with the crowd very well. The only problem is the piano bar fills up shortly after the doors open!

[Mtn2Sea]

I always find it funny when passengers think that their captain is ( too) young...

 

In reality, most Navigational Officers pass their Captain exam by their late 20's or early thirties and then sail as Master for a couple of years before retiring to shoreside jobs in their early/mid thirties,min time for a proper family life.

 

Being 42 and still at sea means you are an Old Sea Rat:D and VERY experienced.

 

On cruise ships, you do have a somewhat slower career progress due to the better lifestyle and resulting lower attrition of crew.

 

Same goes'in aviation by the way.

 

Enjoy your cruise, I am thoroughly enjoying your report and especially your pictures!

 

Despegue

36 years old

Captain

 

Thanks for following along. What you said about age coincides with what the Captain said. Apparently. Holland America is a good company for captains because most of them are older than our captain. By the way, if our captain is an "Old Sea Rat," he's sure maintained his youthful looks!

[erewhon]

Enjoying all your posts, thanks for sharing your photos.

[OCruisers]

Thanks so much for this! Our good friends are on this cruise with you so especially enjoying! :)

LuLu

[LAKECLIFF]

Thank you for the great review! Just got back from this cruise and you are helping me keep my memories alive....AND you are taking much, much better pictures than I have!!!

[ger_77]

What a great photo of Kevin playing the steel pan drums - such a talented guy! We spent some time in the piano bar; Stryker filled it up every night. He played different styles of music, and it seemed there wasn't anything he didn't know or wasn't willing to try.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Mtn2Sea]

Although we were cleared and ready for passengers to go ashore to Curaçao by 8 AM, we decided to have a leisurely morning aboard the ship. We ate breakfast in the Lido and sat next to a very nice couple from Oregon. Our conversation lasted until the Lido began opening for lunch! We had decided to just walk around Willemstad since we've been here a couple of times. First, here's today's program.

 

 

 

We left the ship around noon. The line coming aboard was much longer than the line going ashore.

 

As our previous cruises had done, the Zuiderdam docked at the Mega pier, which means a leisurely walk into town. Right at the pier are some typical island shops, then some modern shops in an outdoor mall and the shops in the Rif Fort, which has been converted into a shopping area. Here're some representative photos of this area.

 

 

 

After walking along the waterfront, we then crossed over on the Queen Emma pontoon bridge, which is 220 ft long and connects pedestrians between the Punda and Otrobanda districts. The bridge swings open to allow the passage of ships to and from the port and was originally opened in 1888. The current bridge was installed in 1939. We watched the bride open and close several times while we were eating lunch. When a ship comes in, the bridge stays open for a lengthy time. During the time, two ferry boats move pedestrians from one side to the other.

 

Our main mission today was to eat lunch at the Iguana Cafe, which is along the waterfront. Here's the view from our table.

 

 

More in a moment.

[Mtn2Sea]

When we last ate at the Iguana a Cafe, I had a chicken dish with a mustard sauce, which was very good. Today I decided to be a little more adventuresome and have a local dish called Karni Stoba. The menu calls it stewed beef - it's really beef tips in a very tasty sauce. While I really liked the dish, my jaw muscles did get tired! The beef wasn't tough, but it certainly wasn't tender like the roast I cook. The beef was very lean, with absolutely no fat on it. DW again ordered the grill pork chops and said they were seasoned even better than the last time. Even though we were well fed and totally full, we ordered a delicious mango daiquiri to finish our time at the Iquana Cafe.

 

After our leisurely lunch, we walked around town some. Here're are some photos of the main shopping area in Willemstad.

 

 

After walking around, we again crossed the Queen Emma bridge for our return to the ship. Here's a photo looking back at the main section of town. The white tents along the water are for the Iguana Cafe.

 

 

Upon returning to the ship, we attempted to go see the movie, The Judge, but The Screening room was full. At least that gave me the chance to work on my review. Until later.

[/size]

[Mtn2Sea]

Since I was running late in getting my last post filed, we got to the dining room later than usual and no tables for two were left. We opted for a table for four and had an enjoyable conversation with a couple from Virginia. Here's tonight's menu.

 

 

I had the sweet and sour shrimp - very good, but not a lot of food, which was good since I took ger_77's advice and got the chocolate brownie stack (I still need to skip another meal or two to counterbalance this dessert - Good things come with a price!). One of our table mates got the Caribbean curried lamb and she gave it a grade of Excellent.

 

 

 

 

After dinner we went to the show featuring the comedy and juggling act of Benji Hill. Tonight's show is the third cruise we've seen Hill. We've thoroughly enjoyed all three shows. The photo shows a "volunteer" holding a cigarette in his mouth, which Hill will attempt to strike with his whirling ball/string.

 

 

After the show we went to the piano bar for over an hour. Tonight was open mic and talent night. The volunteers were good, funny or, as Stryker says, brave. Until later.

[Lizzie68]

Wonderful photos. Curacao is one of my favourite places, and your pics bring back good memories. The food looks pretty good, too.:D

[Mtn2Sea]

Today is our second day at sea. Our plan is to attend a couple of events and read our library books. I'll also try to post a few miscellaneous photos later. Here's today's program.

 

 

Until later.

[DeeniEncinitas]

So enjoy your pictures, and wonderful reports! Look forward every day .

[kazu]

When we last ate at the Iguana a Cafe, I had a chicken dish with a mustard sauce, which was very good. Today I decided to be a little more adventuresome and have a local dish called Karni Stoba. The menu calls it stewed beef - it's really beef tips in a very tasty sauce. While I really liked the dish, my jaw muscles did get tired! The beef wasn't tough, but it certainly wasn't tender like the roast I cook. The beef was very lean, with absolutely no fat on it. DW again ordered the grill pork chops and said they were seasoned even better than the last time. Even though we were well fed and totally full, we ordered a delicious mango daiquiri to finish our time at the Iquana Cafe.

 

After our leisurely lunch, we walked around town some. Here're are some photos of the main shopping area in Willemstad.

 

 

After walking around, we again crossed the Queen Emma bridge for our return to the ship. Here's a photo looking back at the main section of town. The white tents along the water are for the Iguana Cafe.

 

 

Upon returning to the ship, we attempted to go see the movie, The Judge, but The Screening room was full. At least that gave me the chance to work on my review. Until later.

[/size]

 

great pics. We love the Iguana Café too. The Calamari was marvelous when we were there last.

 

Thanks for the memories - one of my favourite Caribbean ports :D