NOT QUITE LIVE! — MS Zuiderdam — NYC to QC

[*Miss G*]

There was a lovely traditional pub inside and all of a sudden we realized we were hungry. There was a bistro right next to us and the Hostess seated us at a window table with a beautiful view! We are so lucky.

 

We started with an amazing charcuterie board and then finished with fish and chips, both shared. The server had talked us into poutine, which we didn’t care for, but the fish was delicious!

 

[*Miss G*]

This monument is on the way to the coffee shop. It is of a figurehead on the prow of a ship with a wide expanse of pavement made to simulate waves below. They even have real running water coming toward it to make you feel as if it is moving through water! (Though this pic doesn’t do it justice.) I just loved it!

 

[IllinoisGirl1978]

I honestly love local coffee shops.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[*Miss G*]

DAY FOURTEEN - BACK TO REALITY

Alas, all good things must come to an end and today is the day. The Front Desk has arranged for a taxi to the airport. $35 flat rate. We are taking Porter to Toronto Island City Centre then changing planes to our final destination. There is no greater welcome-back-to-reality than the guy in the seat in front of me knocking over an entire bottle of water and soaking my feet and bag. Ahead, I have hours of travel time in soaking wet socks with a bag of soaking wet stuff. If thoughts could kill he would be dying a slow and painful death right now.... preferably by razor blade and paper cut. The flight attendant gives me mounds of paper towels to mop up. I hate you man-in-orange-t-shirt.

————————————-

SUMMARY

Itinerary:

I went into this itinerary really not expecting very much. I had been to all the ports except for Sydney and Saguenay. But those were all land visits and it is a much different experience by sea. The scenery was beautiful and the weather, for the most part, was lovely. We really enjoyed ourselves and we would definitely do it again.

Room 7093 - SB Neptune:

We absolutely loved the forward-facing wrapped balcony and made much more use of it than we have any other balcony. Both of us preferred the traditional configuration of the SA Neptunes, however, including the larger and more comfortable couch. The noise from the hall — directly across from the crew workspace — was sometimes bothersome. But all was quiet after 9:00 pm and, really, how much time do you spend in your room anyway? I would not be unhappy to get this room again.

Pinnacle Grill:

We enjoyed breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill much more on the Zuiderdam than we did on the Nieuw Amsterdam. The room layout and table configuration is much nicer on the Z, and the staff worked well together. Breakfast on the NA was much more haphazard, slow, and negligent. I hated being seated within 2-3 inches of the next table as it made things very awkward for everyone. Zuiderdam wins this one.

Neptune Lounge:

We used the lounge on the Z a lot more than we did on the NA. The attendants were more personable and relaxed so it was less awkward to be there, although the NA Lounge was nicer and offered better fare. The Z Lounge, however, was always freezing cold, so you had to wrap up for winter if you wanted to eat in there. I think this one’s a draw.

BB King’s:

We thoroughly enjoyed BB King’s on the Koningsdam and the Nieuw Amsterdam. Judging by the “standing room only” meter, so did everyone else. As a result, whenever I read reviews saying they hated it I was always confused. Well, after the Zuiderdam, I am no longer confused. It was the polar opposite of our other experiences with this venue. We politely waited for the band’s first break so we could leave and not be noticed. Definitely a disappointment this time around.

Honorable Mentions:

GABOR - The Pinnacle Grill Manager

IYUS - Our head server at the Pinnacle Grill

PETER and JOY - The Neptune Lounge Concierges

SHEENA - The barista at the Explorations Cafe

[Copper10-8]

.............................................

There are a few Canadian Coast Guard Ice Breakers docked nearby. If you look to the bottom right of the pic you will get an idea of how big these ships really are. That small boat alongside is at least 30 feet.

 

 

 

The one on the left is CCGS (Canadian Coast Guard Ship) Amundsen, a Pierre Radisson-class former! icebreaker and now Arctic research vessel, home based at CCG Base Quebec City, Quebec. She was built in 1977 in North Vancouver, BC and was launched as Franklin in honor of British Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin. In 2003 after she was converted from icebreaker to Arctic research vessel, she was renamed Amundsen in honor of Norwegian Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen. She comes in at 5,911 gross tons

The one on the right is CCGS Des Groseilliers, also a Pierre Radisson-class icebreaker, also home-based at CCG Base Quebec City. She was built in 1982 in Port Weller/St. Catharines, Ontario and launched as des Groseilliers, in honor of French explorer and fur trader (in Canada) Médard Chouart des Groseilliers. She comes in at 6,097 gross tons

[*Miss G*]

Thank you Copper! You are an amazing font of knowledge.

[roberts2005]

Room 7093

 

Thank you for wonderful detailed report.

 

You mentioned that you were in cabin 7093. We are in 7093 on an upcoming Westerdam Cruise I have read mixed reviews on this cabin, and are glad you liked it.

 

One of the complaints was that the balcony was very windy. Your mention of noise in the hall is new.

 

Was the interior smaller, or did it have a different feel. Finally, if I am able to change to an SA for a reasonable amount would it be a good idea.

 

Thanks again,

 

Robert

[kazu]

OMG on the man in the orange shirt who spilled his water. I feel for you travelling wet. No fun at all.

 

Coming back to reality is always painful :(. And painful for us too as that means the end of your very delightful thread.

 

I hope your trip was smooth and you are home safely.

 

Thank you so much for sharing your cruise and trip with us. It was very enjoyable and appreciated. :D

[Love the beach]

Thank you for taking us along....it was most enjoyable!

[Dismomx5]

Agreed! Another person who has enjoyed your trip and pictures. Copper, you are a wealth of knowledge! And I always look forward to your posts! Thank you both!

[*Miss G*]

Room 7093

 

Thank you for wonderful detailed report.

 

You mentioned that you were in cabin 7093. We are in 7093 on an upcoming Westerdam Cruise I have read mixed reviews on this cabin, and are glad you liked it.

 

One of the complaints was that the balcony was very windy. Your mention of noise in the hall is new.

 

Was the interior smaller, or did it have a different feel. Finally, if I am able to change to an SA for a reasonable amount would it be a good idea.

 

Thanks again,

 

Robert

I did not notice the balcony being windy. But if it was you could just reposition behind one of the dividers to get out of the wind. There is a choice of two directions.

 

The interior was not smaller; just laid out differently. Our preference was for the traditional layout but the awesome balcony offset that. If it’s an either/or situation my preference would be the balcony. If it’s a cool/cold weather cruise, though, my preference would be a standard Neptune layout.

 

Hope this helps.

[*Miss G*]

Thank you everyone! Your words have encouraged me to do one for my December sailing with my sister. Except if she chimes in you will have to ignore her. She lies. ;p

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just got caught up with your latest posts and pictures.

All wonderful!!

[Dogstar]

Great ‘Not Quite Live!’ *Miss G*. Thanks for sharing your adventure. Looking forward to our same sailing on the K’dam in December. You’ve got my vote for doing the daily trip reports. [emoji6]

[kftw]

Thank you so much for taking us along with you. I truly hope you will be doing another "live" in December. I promise not to believe anything your sister says.

[roberts2005]

I did not notice the balcony being windy. But if it was you could just reposition behind one of the dividers to get out of the wind. There is a choice of two directions.

 

The interior was not smaller; just laid out differently. Our preference was for the traditional layout but the awesome balcony offset that. If it’s an either/or situation my preference would be the balcony. If it’s a cool/cold weather cruise, though, my preference would be a standard Neptune layout.

 

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your answer

[*Miss G*]

Awww.  What a mess they made of my thread.  And no pictures!  😭

[POA1]

Kind of a bummer since you paid for onboard internet to be able to post and your thread had over 26,000 views - which CC monetizes as part of their business model. I'm sure they'll realize that it's hitting the top line revenue and hopefully they can run the BBCode parser as a background process and update the database.

[IllinoisGirl1978]

I’m feeling how my regulars feel when the coffee chain updates the app.  People are creatures of habit....

 

[*Miss G*]

On 9/15/2018 at 4:31 PM, *Miss G* said:

Thanks for your comments Iggy! While I was taking the pictures above the fog horn blew right behind me. I got a few videos with it blowing. It was impressive. I wonder if I can upload them?

It is now 4:30. That’s what time our sail away is. I can see people still boarding from my chair on the balcony. They must have been on a HAL excursion. I can also see the airport! I had no idea it was there, the fog was so thick.

Oh look!  I found a new toy!  Let me try adding some videos.  Here is the fog rolling in for our Boston arrival:
 

[*Miss G*]

Here is what happens after the fog rolls in:

 

[*Miss G*]

Fog horn from my balcony:

 

[joand452]

That first video is beautiful!  

I don’t think we’ve ever sailed in fog, but I love the sound of the fog horn (except the time I happened to be looking at the horn at the Jamestown, RI, lighthouse and it went off!  Scary!!)

Edited October 18, 2018 by joand452

[*Miss G*]

1 minute ago, joand452 said:

Beautiful video!

Thanks for letting me know!  I wasn’t sure if they could be seen.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry -- but I can not see the video or hear the fog horn.

 

This site does not like me!!