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28 Days of Prinsendam


arzz
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Day Minus 1 May 5, 2017

 

We are scheduled to board the Prinsendam tomorrow for 28 days. She is possibly our favorite Holland America ship though we have not been aboard her since 2011 - we choose our cruises by itinerary.

 

This trip we are going transatlantic, with port stops in Bermuda, Horta, Cherbourg, Zeebrugge, Amsterdam, Hamburg, a transit through the Kiel Canal, three ports in Denmark followed by five Norwegian ports then back to Amsterdam where we will tarry a couple of days and then fly home.

 

Some ports are repeats for us, others are new though there is always new stuff to be seen and learned even at repeated ports. The days when commercial cruise lines have ships small enough to do this transit are probably coming to an end so we are delighted to once again get to transit the Kiel Canal, a highlight of our 2010 Prinsendam cruise.

 

Yesterday we flew from home, Chicago, to Fort Lauderdale. Since we tend to pack like royalty (we had four large suitcases packed for two climates and to be away from home for 33 days) we had upgraded ourselves to the big seats at the front of the plane and were expecting a quick and eventless travel day complete with a full meal so that we would arrive bright eyed and bushy tailed for some time in Florida.

 

After arriving at the airport we chilled in the airline lounge and then moved out towards our plane's gate: K13. The gate number alone should have warned us. As we arrived at the gate they added twenty minutes to our departure time and announced that maintenance was in the aircraft. Then, in 15 to 40 minute increments they kept pushing our flight time farther away - never enough time to go elsewhere without fear of missing our flight.

 

They finally shared the problem ... the navigational system ... gee, nothing important at all ... and after much waiting they eventually announced that they were getting us a new plane (I guess the reboot didn't work). Crew, meals, bags came off the old one and it was taxied away to points unknown. We waited. Our flight tied up the gate and displaced no fewer than three other flights, possibly four that were scheduled to use the "13".

 

Finally, the new plane arrived, disgorged its passengers, got cleaned up and we boarded. Our quick and eventless travel experience had arrived (it is good to fly with a working navigational system) - except that the weather demanded that we were belted in the whole way and, of course, we arrived in Fort Lauderdale several hours late and just as it began to rain.

 

For Florida the rain is a good thing as they have been dry and suffered wild fires recently - as I sit here, in my hotel room, gazing out at the grey waters, empty beach and troubled skies listening to the thunderstorm it is not such a good thing.

 

Day 1 May 6, 2017

 

After the stresses of our day of flying (or rather day of waiting, some flying), even though we couldn't really go out and play yesterday it was nice to have a quiet day.

 

This morning it was sunny and seventies (my perfect weather). There were only two ships in port today - the Prinsendam at pier 26 and one of the Royal Caribbean behemoths just across the way. The contrast in size is startling.

 

The Prinsendam, which gloriously still looks like a real ship, welcomed us. This is really like coming home - makes me feel all warm and happy inside to board her. Since our last Prinsendam voyage was in 2011, a lot of years have come between us - and a lot of new carpet and upholstery colors, even in the cabins. From what I have seen so far (and I have not had time to be everywhere yet) she looks to be in great condition.

 

We had a nice lunch in the Main Dining Room and reconnected with our wonderful waiter, Yus, who took care of us on the Amsterdam Grand Asia in 2015. The dining room also looks wonderful.

 

Then it was off to the unpacking wars - who gets what space. On the Amsterdam, DH and I have allocated the space so many times we don't even have to discuss it anymore - it has, however, been six years since we have been on the Prinsendam so we had to reinvent the wheel. As always, in the end, we work it out and everything finds a place.

 

Our cabin is a main deck ocean view shower only cabin and does seem a bit smaller than the shower only main deck cabin we had in 2007 on the Grand South America voyage, and definitely smaller than the ocean views we have had that have a bath tub. We do have the plexiglass on the window. We only have one bedside table (which was expected) but DH and I had to negotiate the contents that would have gone in and on the missing storage unit. Successfully accomplished. Don't hide the sharp objects yet.

 

My only caution is that the water spigot in the bathroom is so aimed that if the water gets turned on full force it hits the top edge of the sink and gives the bathroom (and those in the bathroom) a bath - the soaking wet t-shirt that I wear as I type this is evidence of this behavior. My senior brain is doing fine at remembering to only turn the water on lightly - but it still has not totally absorbed that forward is off - so I get my hands washed nicely, and then take a shower. I have to work on this.

 

For those interested, at lunch we sat next to folks who asked the bar staff who were busy selling wine packages, about purchasing a soda card. They were told the card is $8/day. I do not know if they required the other person in the cabin to also purchase one, as they both wanted one anyway.

 

Muster drill over - it took a bit of time. Several folks, apparently, had room cards with the wrong muster station printed on them .... not sure how that would happen as I would have assumed that the relationship between cabin number and muster station is computer generated. Interesting.

 

And, who says you don't get gifts on non-grand voyages? This ship returned, today, from the Grand Med cruise. As we were stuffing our empty suitcases under the bed (no mean feat on the Prinsendam as the beds are just a tad lower than on the other ships - but a quick lift and a shove gets them nicely in place). We discovered a brand new Grand Med suitcase and an unopened gift box of Grand Med stationery stashed under the bed. We decided it was best to just leave them there for now.

 

Had a lovely dinner served to us by more staff who remember us from the Amsterdam (this time from Tales of the South Pacific) - how wonderful it is that HAL retains such loyal staff - it really adds to the experience.

 

After dinner we went up forward on deck 8 to watch the sail away. The weather was perfect, no rain, gentle breeze and just a bit cool - the Captain said goodbye to Fort Lauderdale with three large toots of the ship's horn and we left the dock. To reach Bermuda, our first port, we need to average 17.4 knots if memory serves - we are currently steaming at 16.8 knots with 24 knots of apparent wind on the port side.

 

As I sit here in my night gown (too much information? ... sorry) preparing for my first night's rest aboard the Prinsendam this trip, I have been dealing with a repeated prickling sensation on my back - so I checked it out and found ... drumroll ... a Holland America laundry tag for cabin 2611 (2015 Tales of the South Pacific) ... its all in the family.

 

Goodnight all.

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Arzz, looking forward to your reports. It sounded like a horrible start at the airport, but hey.... the plane and you made it to FLL, so not all bad.

A great way of ending your first day on board... finding the laundry tag. Loved it.

Just a bit of trivia, I met you a few years ago on a Panama Canal cruise.

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Love your live threads!

 

Sorry about your flight but glad you are happily on board.

 

Looking forward to your reports as the first 1/2 of our cruise next year is similar to yours.

 

Enjoy the Prinsendam and have a wonderful cruise!

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Sunny in the Bermuda Triangle and some ship stuff

 

This morning the temperatures were in the seventies, the seas very comfortable and uneventful and the sun was shining. We spent most of the day, curiously, cruising at about 18.5 knots or higher even though we only need to maintain 17.4 knots to reach Bermuda on time. I hope this doesn't portend weather ahead that will cause us to slow down ...

 

Nothing really special happened today - which I guess is a good thing but it can make a dull blog so I am taking the opportunity today to fill some space with "ship stuff".

 

At 10 am we had the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet in the Crow's nest - which somehow grew from about 6 people to over sixty people in the last few weeks before the cruise. It was a very nice affair with a lovely group of folks who got acquainted with each other and a good time was had by all.

 

One of the things that really bothered my on our last voyage, Tales of the South Pacific, was that the Amsterdam no longer had the custom sandwich bar. Though they had all sorts of delectable goodies on the buffet including many grand sandwiches I missed the opportunity to enjoy that simple sandwich made to MY order.

 

I am delighted to report that on the Prinsendam they have a custom sandwich bar. The staff does not make the sandwiches for us (at least they didn't today) but all the fixings were there and it is self serve. YEA! I was happy at lunch time.

 

Also, to make it self service and sanitary, the potato chips are parceled out in paper bags, one serving per bag which you can pick up as you go through the line.

 

This afternoon we went to the movie and saw "Hidden Figures" which was fantastic. I don't know how I went this long without seeing it.

 

This evening was our first gala night and the Captain held a reception and toast in the showroom at 7:30.

 

Dinner was again quite good and we followed dinner with the show. Tonight it was a production show done by the singers and dancers on board titled "Atlantic Crossing". The show was energetic and enjoyable and the crowd seemed to be quite large for a 10 pm show as compared to my most recent cruise experiences.

 

Now, some more ship stuff for those who are interested:

 

The Piano bar entertainer plays evenings in the Crow's Nest and this trip is: GED

The Ocean Bar has the Ocean Quartet which plays evenings- I haven't checked this out yet

Adagio plays in the Explorer's lounge evenings - a duo - violin and piano

 

Our cruise director is Verity with her bedroom voice and British accent.

 

Captain Jerome Schuchmann is at the helm - he is not the Captain shared by Copper 10-8 for this cruise some time ago when someone asked - but as Captain Albert likes to say, the schedule is always open for very much change. No problem. He seems to be steering the ship quite well.

 

Joanne Valerio is our Guest Relations Manager

Location guide: KK

Today's lecturer was Dr. Stuart Sutherland who spoke on the topic: Catastrophe in the Caribbean 66 Million Years Ago

 

Yesterday's movie was "Florence Foster Jenkins", today it is "Hidden Figures"

 

Yesterday (embarkation day)I forgot to mention that the dining room as well as the lido was open for lunch. The food so far has been excellent, and the lettuce and other produce perfectly fresh and crisp.

 

At embarkation we were given an invite to an "exclusive" reception for 3, 4 and 5 star mariners as well as President's club guests - held in the Showroom. It was very nice - we got to meet interesting folks, and guzzle all of the sparkling wine we wanted.

 

An interesting change, at least to me, in the lido. The glasses provided as well as the glasses that sodas are delivered in at the Lido are much larger than in the past. This is a good thing. They have what appears to be a heavy, thick base - but they are completely colorless plastic. Without careful inspection they do look exactly like large glass tumblers - but they are much lighter. They are still new - and they are not yet scratched at all as plastic tends to do so the appearance is deceiving.

 

The plates in the lido are also mixed - some of the familiar white plates with the colorful edges, and some newer looking plates and bowls in modern shapes and sizes - turns out they are also plastic yet appear otherwise. I wonder how they will appear over time... however I am sure that they will improve HAL's bottom line cost wise when the ships get into those occasional, ridiculous heavy seas like we had in Antarctica in 2007. If we had had these plates maybe we would not have had to eat off of paper plates the morning after.

 

The official Beverage Packages flier for this cruise (the first 14 days - we are cruising back to back) follows:

 

Elite Beverage Package $54.95 - includes premium cocktails, wine, beer, spirits, coffees and more up to $15

 

Signature Beverage Package $49.95 includes all of the above plus non alcoholic cocktails to to $8

 

Quench Beverage Package unlimited non alcoholic drinks, juices, bottled sparkling and still water and Explorations Cafe coffee for $17.95

 

Coca Cola Package unlimited fountain sodas $8.00

 

Water Package includes 12 one liter bottles of refreshing still water conveniently delivered to your stateroom

 

At the bottom of the page there is a footnote with asterisk, but oddly none of the packages have asterisks so make of this what you wish in terms of how to interpret it:

 

*All prices are per person, per day. Packages are only available for purchase during the first 48 hours of your cruise. Guests must be 18 years of age or older to purchase a Signature or Elite Package and all guests in the stateroom 18 years of age or older need to purchase that same package. Excludes Mimi Bar and In-Room Dining drinks. No sharing is permitted. Participants may order only one drink at a time and must be 18 years or older. Beverage management reserves the right to revoke the package if misused and reserves the right to refuse service for any reason, including refusing service of alcoholic beverages to intoxicated guests. A 15% service charge is automatically added to all beverage purchases.

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A wonderful blog - thank you! We are considering a Prinsendam cruise next year, so this is a great help. When you've a chance, could you talk a bit about your dining room experience, what type of seating you have, and how it is working. The staff sounds great.

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I'm subscribed. Thank you for taking the time --and internet minutes -- to take us along with you. I am enjoying the thoroughness of your descriptions -- as well as your humor.

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Day 3 - May 8 - Our last day in the Bermuda Triangle (except, of course, for tomorrow when we will actually be in Bermuda.)

 

We couldn't have asked for better weather and better seas - do I superstitiously endanger the future by making such a declaration?

 

Sunny and seventies! This has been a great crossing. Today's first speaker spoke on "Return to the Ocean - The Origins of Whales" and the second speaker's topic was "Bermuda Shorts - The Skinny on Everything Bermuda".

 

We decided not to join a trivia team this trip so we would not have to keep to the discipline of being at every trivia game for the benefit of the team. Instead we skipped yesterday and today we dropped in and played "just the two of us" which did prove to be a somewhat demoralizing experience. Even though we were not on a large team, the two of us still argued over answers and I am proud to say that if DH had listened to me we would have had some 6 more points, if I had listened to DH we would have had four more points. That means victory is mine, right? What we definitely excel at is making the wrong choices - but we still had fun.

 

The highlight of today was turning the clocks forward one hour at 2 pm. Lunch time immediately became tea time.

 

Tonight's show will be a comedian - doubt if we will go.

 

On board there was also bridge playing, mahjong, gaming lessons, scattergories, as well as Bill W and LGBT meetings. Today's movie: The Accountant. Flower arranging lessons and and cooking classes were also offered.

 

Our cabin has been a bit chilly so I turned the temperature up ... it was still chilly so I turned it up again, and again. Today it struck me that each time I adjusted the thermostat by increasing the temperature dial (like from 13 to 14 or 14 to 15) the cabin had, in fact, gotten colder. So ... today I tried turning the dial to a lower number and like magic, the cabin got a bit warmer ... counterintuitive - or do higher and lower numbers have a different meaning to the Norwegians who built this ship?

 

For those who may be interested, I still receive some of those unexpected showers at our bathroom sink at inappropriate times (like when fully clothed) ... but I am getting better at this though it is possible that I have solved a laundry issue ... instead of "wash and wear" it could be called "wash while wearing".

 

Tomorrow morning we will be in Hamilton, Bermuda.

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ARZZ I'm so happy you are doing another HAL cruise blog..

 

I'm copying your blog once again so I can give it to DH & our Dear Friends who want to take another HAL cruise with us & don't have a computer..My Friend & her DH worked with me in the airline field..We all find you to be so interesting & many times have good laughs with you.. By the way my Friend is Norwegian & worked for SAS..I'll ask her about turning the heat up.. Her DH worked with me at another carrier.. They got us to move to Florida..

 

Still have two of your travelogues in my PC..

The Prinsendam around the horn in 2003 (that was really a wild ride) & the Amsterdam China/Japan in 2014..Loved them both!!!

 

Hope you don't mind my copying your posts again..

 

I think last time I said you should write a book about your travels..Have you done it yet? If you ever do, please let us know..

Betty

Edited by serendipity1499
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Thanks for checking in. Will be following along.

we are booked on the Prinsendam for its 28 nights repositioning back to the States in October. The itinerary has recently been changed to exclude Egypt which is a bummer, particularly since there are a couple days in Jerusalem which I would consider much more iffy than Egypt (sigh!). However, there's lot of time to add additional changes to the itinerary and who know what will be going on (or not going on) in the middle east by that time

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