Live and Life from Koningsdam on her Mexican New Year's voyage

[Copper10-8]

On 12/29/2022 at 5:09 PM, SDARCH said:

agree. This was tan excellent boarding process. 40 minutes from living room to stateroom. Latest we have ever boarded. The ship seems packed. 

 

Pax total onboard for this trip is 2,606, but not as many kiddies as last week

[Copper10-8]

4 hours ago, ski ww said:

You're right that is very confusing. Have a great cruise, Happy New Year.

 

Yeah, the only "easy" one is the fourth one in succession which will always be Ketut. Happy New Year back at ya! 🙂 

[Sir PMP]

12 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Found out today that Nick, K-dam's cruise and travel director hails not from South Africa, but from Belgium, as does her GRM, a good friend and former co-worker

You should know the difference. between a Belg and a Zuid Afrikaner, must be that BMW:

 

 

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

You should know the difference. between a Belg and a Zuid Afrikaner, must be that BMW:

 

 

 

That is so, but at least I know the difference between a Beamer and a DAF 😉 This Nick guy, our CD, has an interesting accent, definitely not a Dutch accent and, you're right, not a South African/Afrikaner accent. being Belgian and bi-lingual (Flemish and Walonian) 'splains a lot

[VMax1700]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

I know the difference between a Beamer and a DAF

Had a DAF 66 years ago.  

OK I will rephrase that.......We had a 'DAF 66' quite a few years ago (before they sold the car segment to Volvo) and the DAF would certainly out accelerate a Beamer, as long as it was acceleration in reverse! 😱 The Daffy's belt drive (or 'Variomatic' transmission) made for outstanding acceleration in both reverse and forward, but to floor the throttle in reverse was hair raising! 

 

And on that piece of useless information from me 🙄, Happy New Year John, enjoy your cruise!

[Copper10-8]

30 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Had a DAF 66 years ago.  

OK I will rephrase that.......We had a 'DAF 66' quite a few years ago (before they sold the car segment to Volvo) and the DAF would certainly out accelerate a Beamer, as long as it was acceleration in reverse! 😱 The Daffy's belt drive (or 'Variomatic' transmission) made for outstanding acceleration in both reverse and forward, but to floor the throttle in reverse was hair raising! 

 

And on that piece of useless information from me 🙄, Happy New Year John, enjoy your cruise!

 

Thank you Sir, and back at ya! Happy New Year in beautiful Ireland! I do remember al those "Dafjes" in my youth in Amsterdam. If  I remember correctly, their main factory was in Eindhoven in the south of the country. I didn't learn to drive until I arrived in the States so my mode of transportation in Holland was the Mark 1 bicycle going back and forth to school, and/or public transportation 😉 About to go grab a bit of lunch ashore in Cabo San Lucas along with a Margarita - See y'all later!

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Saludos de Cabo San Lucas, Baja California! Almost Happy New Year# 😜😄

[aliaschief]

John and Maria Happy New Year and thank you for sharing your Koningsdam cruise experience. Always good coverage!

[Copper10-8]

20 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

John and Maria Happy New Year and thank you for sharing your Koningsdam cruise experience. Always good coverage!

 

All the best and a Happy New Year to you and Sue, Bruce! Thanks!

[REOVA]

Does your cabin have the separate WC entrance from hall and walkthrough to the bath and ultimately to the bed, like the old Prinsendam Neptune suites? Miss those. 

[Copper10-8]

3 hours ago, REOVA said:

Does your cabin have the separate WC entrance from hall and walkthrough to the bath and ultimately to the bed, like the old Prinsendam Neptune suites? Miss those. 

 

It sure does! I will get you a pic! It's a nice function since the child bride can put her face on which doesn't take that long, while the unmannered bottom dwelling bore reads the latest and greatest next door, yet totally secluded like a sardine in a tin can! Best of both worlds, I tell ya!

[bennybear]

Bon voyage, a little late.  Happy new year, nice stateroom!  Enjoy!

[Copper10-8]

FRI 30 DEC 22 - Day Two – At Sea

 

Woke up to pretty smooth seas (just a bit of gentle motion) as we’re making our way southbound in the Pacific paralleling the coast of Baja California, staying in international waters.

 

Baja California, “lower California” in English, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California / Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California, is a Mexican state. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California / El Territorio Norte de Baja California. It has an area of 27,071 square miles and comprises the northern half of the Baja California Peninsula, north of the 28th parallel, plus oceanic Guadalupe Island. The mainland portion of the state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by Sonora, the U.S. State of Arizona and the Gulf of California (also known as the "Sea of Cortez"), and on the south by Baja California Sur. Its northern limit is the U.S. state of California.

 

One of the perks of a Neptune Suite is the ability to have breakfast, usually in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant, but here on Willem Alexander and Maxima’s ship (he’s the Dutch King but she’s K-dam’s Godmother) inside Club Orange located on Deck 2 towards the main dining room, so that’s exactly what we did. They were a bit busy inside this being the first sea day, but after a short wait, Host Susie (from Thailand) got us an elevated table towards the end portion. Maria had the passion fruit yoghurt with mango, granola, chia seeds, and mint, while I had the classic eggs benedict with Canuck bacon (much better and healthier than Yank bacon) but minus sauce. A nice leisurely breakfast in a relaxed atmosphere with good service. The CO manager, Aris, runs a good operation in there. Our primary attendant at our table was Roy. There are two Filipino female chefs in there doing great work however, the main food dishes for Club Orange come out of the adjoining main galley which runs all the way from mid-ships behind the Pinnacle Grill and Rudy’s Sel de Mer restaurants aft towards K-dam’s main dining room.

 

Afterwards, the shoppies had a sale going midships on Deck 2 outside their shop (K-dam’s florist and one half of the husband-and-wife future cruise consultant team were also there with their own table setups). The child bride’s radar activated on that activity so, like the well-trained domesticated and sometimes well-behaved husband that I am, I carried her purse and began to follow her from table to table, trying very hard not to lose the will to live while doing so. And yes, a sale was in fact made and thus, damage was done! Good for her and I received a silver star for purse-carrying duties!

 

Koningsdam passed Islas San Benito on her portside close to noon. The weather was great with the gray overcast skies from San Diego burned off in our wake and replaced by sunshine under clear blue skies. Life is good!

 

So, at 1215 hours we had a lunch reservation at the Pinnacle Grill restaurant, also located on Deck 2 but more mid-ships. The manager in there is Christian from Romania, while the host is Anne from the Philippines. To our surprise, our steward in the PG turned out to be none other than Dylan (Dutch name Douwe), hailing from Arnhem in the Netherlands. He had been one of our PG Restaurant stewards four months ago on Zaandam on her Canada/New England voyage. Really good to see him again. He will soon be a sommelier on Nieuw Statendam, no doubt on his way to become a cellar master which is his goal in life at this time. We had an excellent lunch in the PG consisting of Tomato Broth with Spicy Lemon Grass Chicken and Grilled Prawn Bruschetta for appetizers, the Pinnacle Burger and the Roasted Jidori Chicken with Porcini Mushrooms for the main lunch, and Strawberry Pavlova and sorbet for dessert. The food, service and atmosphere were all excellent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

FRI 30 DEC 22 - Day Two – At Sea (Con't)

 

Post-lunch, we just kinda jelled and hung out in our cabin, on our balcony, and in the Neptune to watch the world float by. Dinner at 8:15 was yet another specialty restaurant, this one known as the Asian Fusion Tamarind restaurant all the way up on Deck 10 / Panorama Deck aft which is Eka (full name I Made Eka Putra and we all know where he ranks in his family as far as birth rights, correct? ), the manager’s domain (Great to see him again, last time alongside with him on Amsterdam).

 

If you’ve never been to Tamarind on the five Holland America Line ships which have one, you’re missing out! The service is gracious and the food delicious! We started out with the Satay (Sate) sampler (Thai chicken, Malaysian lamb, Chinese Beef, Indonesian pork, and Vietnamese shrimp that come with green mango, yuzu kosho and black bean powder), followed by Panang Red Curry Coconut Chicken and Chinese Five Spice Baby Back Ribs with Jasmin rice on the side as the main. Desert for this one with Passion Fruit Cloud and a selection of house made sorbets for dessert. Very nice!

 

Post-dinner, we did a fast walk from Deck 10 aft to Deck 2 all the way forward where the six dancers from the Step One Dance Co. were performing in “Humanity”. We got there about five minutes after the show started, it was pretty darn full in the show room, but we were able to score a couple of seats towards the front end on starboard side. Yes, we are ones who really like to see the full cast with vocalists and their shows back on HAL. Having said that, the Step One dancers work their respective beehinds off in their performances! They give it their all and are really, really talented, so major kudos to this, and the other, group(s) onboard the various Dam ships! The dancers received a well-deserved standing ovation from many in the audience at the conclusion of their performance.

 

We then, it was now close to 10:00 pm, strolled over to the Rolling Stone Rock Room where at 10:15, the similarly named Rolling Stone Rock band, a five-piece band consisting of two Brits and three Yanks were performing, tonight focusing on some good old Southern Rock & Roll with numbers of the Allman Brothers, Big and Rich, and others. It kinda, sorta turned into a lot of Country performers but it sounded good. We closed off the night next door at Billboard Onboard where the ivory players, Tammy and Colin hold court. Tonite was request nite there

 

Tomorrow (Saturday and New Year’s Eve) will be our first port of call, that being Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and the famous Los Arcos! See ya then!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mcrcruiser]

15 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

FRI 30 DEC 22 - Day Two – At Sea

 

Woke up to pretty smooth seas (just a bit of gentle motion) as we’re making our way southbound in the Pacific paralleling the coast of Baja California, staying in international waters.

 

Baja California, “lower California” in English, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California / Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California, is a Mexican state. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California / El Territorio Norte de Baja California. It has an area of 27,071 square miles and comprises the northern half of the Baja California Peninsula, north of the 28th parallel, plus oceanic Guadalupe Island. The mainland portion of the state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by Sonora, the U.S. State of Arizona and the Gulf of California (also known as the "Sea of Cortez"), and on the south by Baja California Sur. Its northern limit is the U.S. state of California.

 

One of the perks of a Neptune Suite is the ability to have breakfast, usually in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant, but here on Willem Alexander and Maxima’s ship (he’s the Dutch King but she’s K-dam’s Godmother) inside Club Orange located on Deck 2 towards the main dining room, so that’s exactly what we did. They were a bit busy inside this being the first sea day, but after a short wait, Host Susie (from Thailand) got us an elevated table towards the end portion. Maria had the passion fruit yoghurt with mango, granola, chia seeds, and mint, while I had the classic eggs benedict with Canuck bacon (much better and healthier than Yank bacon) but minus sauce. A nice leisurely breakfast in a relaxed atmosphere with good service. The CO manager, Aris, runs a good operation in there. Our primary attendant at our table was Roy. There are two Filipino female chefs in there doing great work however, the main food dishes for Club Orange come out of the adjoining main galley which runs all the way from mid-ships behind the Pinnacle Grill and Rudy’s Sel de Mer restaurants aft towards K-dam’s main dining room.

 

Afterwards, the shoppies had a sale going midships on Deck 2 outside their shop (K-dam’s florist and one half of the husband-and-wife future cruise consultant team were also there with their own table setups). The child bride’s radar activated on that activity so, like the well-trained domesticated and sometimes well-behaved husband that I am, I carried her purse and began to follow her from table to table, trying very hard not to lose the will to live while doing so. And yes, a sale was in fact made and thus, damage was done! Good for her and I received a silver star for purse-carrying duties!

 

Koningsdam passed Islas San Benito on her portside close to noon. The weather was great with the gray overcast skies from San Diego burned off in our wake and replaced by sunshine under clear blue skies. Life is good!

 

So, at 1215 hours we had a lunch reservation at the Pinnacle Grill restaurant, also located on Deck 2 but more mid-ships. The manager in there is Christian from Romania, while the host is Anne from the Philippines. To our surprise, our steward in the PG turned out to be none other than Dylan (Dutch name Douwe), hailing from Arnhem in the Netherlands. He had been one of our PG Restaurant stewards four months ago on Zaandam on her Canada/New England voyage. Really good to see him again. He will soon be a sommelier on Nieuw Statendam, no doubt on his way to become a cellar master which is his goal in life at this time. We had an excellent lunch in the PG consisting of Tomato Broth with Spicy Lemon Grass Chicken and Grilled Prawn Bruschetta for appetizers, the Pinnacle Burger and the Roasted Jidori Chicken with Porcini Mushrooms for the main lunch, and Strawberry Pavlova and sorbet for dessert. The food, service and atmosphere were all excellent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wonderful travel  log John .We also met this young man for lunch .He is very personable & will go far in his career . Love your photos as well . Happy New Year 

Cliff

[mcrcruiser]

Also love the other pictures  Just like we left it 😃

 

 Wonderful service & food in  Tamarind . This was our 2nd time there . Also enjoyed Canaletto   & as great as ever 😀

 

 Cliff

[REOVA]

44 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

 To our surprise, our steward in the PG turned out to be none other than Dylan (Dutch name Douwe), hailing from Arnhem in the Netherlands. He had been one of our PG Restaurant stewards four months ago on Zaandam

 

 

 

 

What a delight to see again. Wish him well on his way to Cellar Master. He was excellent on VoV this summer. 

[Copper10-8]

HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

from Koningsdam

 

in the Sea of Cortez  🐳

 

[oakridger]

Welcome to 2023 to you and your wife!  Let's make it a Healthy and Peaceful year!

 

~Nancy

[LouChamp]

Aloha.  Thank you again for your posts and pictures.  We enjoy HAL especially the Neptune Suites and Lounge.  Sailing HAL since the 1970s and have also sailed over the holidays.  Our first taste of Tamarind was on the Eurodam when it first sailed and have enjoyed it multiple times over. Miss the yum yum man lol!  Have a healthy new year and love the food pictures!!!

[Himself]

Have fun John!

[Copper10-8]

GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR/SELAMAT TAHUN BARU/HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE KONINGSDAM!!

 

Buenos Diaz de Pichilingue, Baja California Sur

 

What you/we're looking at in Pichilingue is ms Baja Star, a roll on/roll off ferry from Bajaferries S.A. de C.V,  a Mexican shipping company dedicated to ferry transportation from the Mexican mainland (Mazatlan and Topolobampo) across the Sea of Cortez to the Baja California Peninsula and back. its headquarters is located in nearby La Paz. 

 

Baja Star was built as Pacific Express in 1992 at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Shimonoseki, the westernmost city in Yamaguchi Prefecture on Japan's main island of Honshu. She has also been known as Myazaki Car Ferry, KC Rainbow, Seco Maru and Ri Zhao Dong Fang. The trip from Pichilingue to Mazatlan is overnight and takes 13 hours and she can carry up to 90 cars and 705 pax

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, Himself said:

Have fun John!

 

Good to hear from you, Father! 🙂 Thank you and Happy New Year! Stay warm and be safe!

[sailingdutchy]

Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar @Copper10-8 Maria en John  onze Beste Wensen ! 

I enjoy your Blog and the many nice pictures you are posting . We will be on the Koningsdam next Friday  so it is great to hear who is all on board and what is going on ,will you still be on board for the next cruise ?

Tony  

 

 

[Copper10-8]

5 minutes ago, sailingdutchy said:

Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar @Copper10-8 Maria en John  onze Beste Wensen ! 

I enjoy your Blog and the many nice pictures you are posting . We will be on the Koningsdam next Friday  so it is great to hear who is all on board and what is going on ,will you still be on board for the next cruise ?

Tony  

 

 

 

Hey Tony, Dankjewel en Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar aan jou en je familie toegewenst / Thanks and a Happy New Year to you and your family!

 

If you are boarding K-dam next Friday, you'll have to swim to deep water somewhere off Baja California, my friend, since she'll be arriving in San Diego next Saturday 😉 We are going home that day, although Hawaii sounds perfect right now!

 

Safe travels from Ontario and you'll never know, perhaps we'll run in to each other! If we didn't have a fairly full car, I'd offer to pick you up at your hotel and drive you the very long distance to the Broadway Pier! We'll leave K-dam in good hands for you!