Nearly Live from Oosterdam Med Empires June 13th - 25th.

[VMax1700]

Today we were scheduled to be tendering into Mykonos, but instead we are docking at the new port of Tourlos, which only a couple of miles north (I think!) of Mykonos town and there is a ferry which goes to Mykonos. Cost is €2 each way and the duration is 8 minutes.

We have docked here a few times on Koningsdam and my only concern is that the ferry does get very crowded and how many will be masked??

We are docking starboard to.

[VMax1700]

So far, we have been onboard for 7 nights.

The main stage entertainment has been:

Day 1 - Zilch, nothing, nada.

Day 2 - Step One Dance co.

Day 3 - Tom Crosbie, Memory Man (the Perfoming Nerd)

Day 4 - Cantare

Day 5 - Step One

Day 6 - Movie: The Lost City 2022

Day 7 - Cantare

 

Tonight is...............wait for it.......................Step One.

 

My 7 year old grand daughter entertains me more than this does. 

[ski ww]

Sad to hear that the on board entertainment has gone down hill that much.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

So far, we have been onboard for 7 nights.

The main stage entertainment has been:

Day 1 - Zilch, nothing, nada.

Day 2 - Step One Dance co.

Day 3 - Tom Crosbie, Memory Man (the Perfoming Nerd)

Day 4 - Cantare

Day 5 - Step One

Day 6 - Movie: The Lost City 2022

Day 7 - Cantare

 

Tonight is...............wait for it.......................Step One.

 

My 7 year old grand daughter entertains me more than this does. 

 

DAM on your entertainment and the Gala dinner 😞 

Hope it improves - FAST

[maggieq]

3 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

The exterior is quite stunning too.  But for the wrong reasons.

 

The interior makes you forget the exterior.  When we first started cruising and would see a HA ship, we would say oh there goes the battleship 😊 

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

So far, we have been onboard for 7 nights.

The main stage entertainment has been:

Day 1 - Zilch, nothing, nada.

Day 2 - Step One Dance co.

Day 3 - Tom Crosbie, Memory Man (the Perfoming Nerd)

Day 4 - Cantare

Day 5 - Step One

Day 6 - Movie: The Lost City 2022

Day 7 - Cantare

 

Tonight is...............wait for it.......................Step One.

 

My 7 year old grand daughter entertains me more than this does. 

 

Oh dear.....does not sound very "entertaining" at all.  😕

[cruisemom42]

59 minutes ago, maggieq said:

The interior makes you forget the exterior.  When we first started cruising and would see a HA ship, we would say oh there goes the battleship 😊 

 

....or the Princess ships with the "shopping cart handle" lounge (which, by the way, I always enjoyed....)

[VMax1700]

On 6/19/2022 at 8:03 AM, VMax1700 said:

Day 7 ......................................................................................$30 for 6 days (1 device)

 

I may splash out later on it.  Just to try to watch the Canadian F1. I just need to work out the timings/time difference.

The sports channel on the stateroom TV is showing the MotoGP live from Sachsenring, Germany.

I didn't splash out!

Day 8................................................................................................$25 for 5 days (1 device)

[VMax1700]

Some random thoughts, and information on the cruise so far.

 

On boarding Key cards are in the 'mailbox' outside the stateroom.

Very little else goes into the mailbox.  The junk mail is non existent now.

Key cards are already punched for lanyards.

There is no 'card slot' in the stateroom to operate the lights.  Just turn on the switch.

There is a night light in the bathroom (Signature Suite)

There is a bar of soap (Elemis) in the bathroom.

Interesting is that Navigator lists dress code as 'Smart Casual', the When & Where simply states 'Casual' 🙄

Since the safety briefing on Embarkation day, we have not heard one word from the Captain.  There has been no daily position nor weather outlook nor trivia question as loved by a certain Canadian Captain.

Most port days there was food available in Lido (+ Dive In) during afternoon, to facilitate those returning from tours.  Maybe not a feast, but certainly not a famine.

Apart from a cookie there is no food offered in Crow's Nest.  

 

Overall the ship is in good condition.  Public areas have been re upholstered, new carpets, drapes etc.  Only downsides I have noticed is a few seats in the theatre are missing the arms (or arms are loose) and the walls along the stateroom corridors are dreary.  They are showing wear and tear and ageing.  Carpets along the corridors are new.

 

[VMax1700]

Just a closing comment on Mykonos.  It was very busy.  Tourlos is the location where the inter island ferries arrive, so there are lots of vehicles and people around.

 

The ship security scanners were in operation today, and bottles of alcohol were being taken from cruisers.

 

After arriving back on the Water bus and entering the port area some pax were selected for random covid testing. This seemed to be by port authorities.

[Vict0riann]

Just catching up on your adventure!  😃  I noticed that your scallops on the O were nothing at all like the ones you had on the Eurodam!  

 

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

11 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

So far, we have been onboard for 7 nights.

The main stage entertainment has been:

Day 1 - Zilch, nothing, nada.

Day 2 - Step One Dance co.

Day 3 - Tom Crosbie, Memory Man (the Perfoming Nerd)

Day 4 - Cantare

Day 5 - Step One

Day 6 - Movie: The Lost City 2022

Day 7 - Cantare

 

Tonight is...............wait for it.......................Step One.

 

My 7 year old grand daughter entertains me more than this does. 

 

The entertainment is slightly better than on the Koningsdam last fall and in March.  The two comedians were in the BB King Club.  The nightly entertainment on the World Stage  was:

Day 1 -- The Origin story

Day 2 -- Step One

Day 3 -- Step One

Day 4 -- Movie (not a good one either)

Day 5 -- BBC with the Musicians

Day 6 -- Step One

Day 7 -- Step One

 

Then add in the fact we were doing b2b2b2b both times.  We spent many evening listening to Billboard on Board and Rolling Stone Rock Room.  Even with their sets repeated every cruise, the music was still good.  The BBC show was good, but for one time.  The comedians did change between cruises occasionally, but they were not that great IMHO.

 

Even so, we had a good time since we were on a BHB not sitting at home.

[Torquer]

3 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

After arriving back on the Water bus and entering the port area some pax were selected for random covid testing. This seemed to be by port authorities.

Wow!  That is the first I have read about that in any port for mid-cruise.  I wonder what happens if someone tests positive?  Do they put you back on the ship and quarantine there?  Or do they refuse to let you on and you have to quarantine in Mykonos...and then you don't even have your belongings which are in your stateroom?

 

Just one more thing to worry about for our next cruise...ugh!

[bluesplayer]

Thank you for all your reporting and information.  Taking the Oosterdam from Santiago to Buenos Aires in January..  with a stop to Antartica.  Hope the Captain will make some announcements.   Glad I am reading your experience as I know what to expect and will not be disappointed from prior cruises pre-pandemic.  Much thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.  Hope the rest of your cruise is a happy experience.  

[VMax1700]

Good morning from Souda, Greece.

 

Today's When & Where

 

[VMax1700]

Today's Dinner menus

 

MDR:

 

 

Lido Dinner:

 

[VMax1700]

Today's Lido Lunch menu:

 

[VMax1700]

The port call today in Souda, is slightly different to our call on Eurodam last October.

There were no taxis at the port but there was a bus at the ship to take you to Chania.  Cost was €3 return.  Docked beside us was P&O Azura, so the port area was quite busy.  There were separate buses collecting from each ship, but the return bus stopped at Azura first before proceeding to O'dam.

[VMax1700]

14 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

Just catching up on your adventure!  😃  I noticed that your scallops on the O were nothing at all like the ones you had on the Eurodam!  

They were very tasteless too!

Missing the company of Pat and yourself on this one!

[kazu]

15 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Since the safety briefing on Embarkation day, we have not heard one word from the Captain.  There has been no daily position nor weather outlook nor trivia question as loved by a certain Canadian Captain.

 

Wow, I am surprised at this.  That’s not like the Captain Van Eerten we have cruised with.  (I am correct that you have Captain Rens Van Eerten, I believe).  That’s disappointing.  I thought you would have a great experience with him based on my past cruises.

[VMax1700]

51 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Wow, I am surprised at this.  That’s not like the Captain Van Eerten we have cruised with.  (I am correct that you have Captain Rens Van Eerten, I believe).  That’s disappointing.  I thought you would have a great experience with him based on my past cruises.

Yes, Rens van Eerten, former master of the Westerdam, who would thrill us with a symphony of toots when departing Port Everglades.

This cruise, it is as if he has taken a vow of silence.

[kazu]

29 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Yes, Rens van Eerten, former master of the Westerdam, who would thrill us with a symphony of toots when departing Port Everglades.

This cruise, it is as if he has taken a vow of silence.

 

Really surprising and disappointing. 😢 😢 😢 

[*Miss G*]

I wonder if he has been quarantined?

[FlorenceItaly]

11 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

I wonder if he has been quarantined?

This is my thought.

[VMax1700]

We pondered on that too!