WriterOnDeck

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] Ecuador: South American Home of Tuna, Hats and Buttons Day 8, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Saturday, Oct.14, 2023, Manta, Ecuador I would not have known that we crossed the equator this morning had a fellow cruiser not risen early to get a picture of the latitude on her smartphone app. Apparently the cruise director mentioned it, but if you are not in the World Stage theater for the beginning of the nightly show, you miss these announcements. Toward the end of this cruise, we will bounce back and forth over the equator as we enter the Amazon River, and surely there will a King Neptune party initiating pollywogs (those crew members who have not yet crossed) amid much silliness. It’s a great excuse for a party. I have no idea how many times I have sailed across the equator, but the most memorable was earlier this year as we sailed past the fictional Null Island — 0 degrees latitude, 0 degrees longitude. The intersection of the equator and the prime meridian. If the name hadn’t given it away, Ecuador sits on the equator. But I hadn’t known that today’s port, Manta, is the tuna capital of the world, I did after dinner tonight. My entrée was fresh yellow fin tuna, the spoils of a friendly visit by our chefs to the tuna boat moored next to us on the pier. It was the best dinner so far on this cruise. I joined a ship’s excursion today to see the “best of Manta,” although we quickly left the city for the surrounding country, traveling from the dry coastal area to the wetter jungle. On the way, we passed by the shoreline drydock where shipbuilders repair traditional wooden boats made of mahogany. We first stopped to see the processing of tagua nuts into buttons, jewelry and decorative items. These are the fruits of the tagua palm tree that also are known as vegetable ivory. Before plastic became common, buttons were made from tagua nuts. Now the practice is once again gaining popularity as natural and organic products are in demand. On my last cruise I bought some tagua earrings but didn’t realize what they were until I saw them today. Next on our itinerary was Montecristi, the home of the Panama hat. Yes, they are made in Ecuador, not Panama. During the construction of the Panama Canal, the lightweight straw hats with wide brims were popular among the workers. When President Theodore Roosevelt was photographed wearing one while visiting the canal, the misnomer took hold. Outside Montecristi we passed a giant statue of a woman making a hat, resting her breasts on a wood block over the work in progress. It really is the stance that women and men use while weaving the straw, just not quite as suggestive as the statue. Now that I have seen the process, I can see the difference between an inexpensive straw hat and the tightly woven fine hats that can sell for hundreds and even thousands of dollars. As tempting as it was in the moment to buy one, none fit my smaller than average head. Which is a good thing, because I have plenty of cheap straw hats that flatten for traveling. Our last stop was at a small lodge in the jungle. We learned about the plantain, a relative of the banana that is popular in Ecuador, and learned to mash it to make a plantain ball. Fortunately, the snack we were served was prepared by the lodge staff. Upon our return to the ship, I noticed the “Welcome Home” banner has returned. It is posted for the grand voyages – I guess because we are on the ship long enough that it becomes our home. I noticed last spring that it disappeared as soon as the world voyage ended. Tonight in the World Stage was the second and final performance of Lincoln Center Presents. This quintet consists of a pianist, violinist, cellist, horn player (saxophone, clarinet, oboe) and guitar player. I enjoyed their selection of seasonal pieces, including two by Vivaldi, Cole Porter’s “Summertime” and a half-dozen others. For a number of years Holland America had a partnership with Lincoln Stage, which provided classical musicians who played nightly in the Explorer’s Lounge. Many have lamented the recent end of that run, but in its place the cruise line has a traveling group of musicians who play a couple of times on many cruises. Unfortunately, these may be their only performances during this 73-day cruise. But we do have a pair of classical musicians who entertain most nights in the smaller Explorer’s Lounge.

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[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] Transiting the Path Between the Seas Never Grows Old Days 6-7, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Thursday and Friday, Oct.12-13, 2023, Panama Canal Transit and Sea Day Holland American ships have been transiting the Panama Canal since 1916, with its first passenger ship crossing a few years later. My first transit was nine months ago. What took me so long? A few years ago I listened to an unabridged recording of David McCullough’s “The Path Between the Seas,” the popular history of the canal. I loved my first experience, and now it was time for a repeat journey. In January on the Zuiderdam, we followed Holland America’s Volendam into the Gatún locks, and then traveled side-by-side through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks. In Panama City the two ships split up, the Volendam heading south for her Grand South America journey and the Zuiderdam west toward the South Pacific and her world journey circumnavigation. There was a festive atmosphere of hooting and hollering and blowing of the ships’ horns as we sailed together. This time the Zaandam traveled alone – and I don’t just mean without a Holland America sister ship. We never passed another ship through the locks, and only passed a couple during the hours we cruised through Gatún Lake. The canal authority has limited the number of ships allowed to pass each day due to low rainfall levels, leaving less water to operate the locks. [As an aside, this situation leaves me with very mixed feelings about my current cruising lifestyle. It’s not exactly environmentally friendly, and knowing that our transit required approximately 50 million gallons of water gives me pause. I hate to be part of the reason that some children won’t get their Christmas wishes granted because of this slowdown in the global supply chain. I wish I had an easy solution….] I moved between the Crow’s Nest and my balcony as we passed through the locks. Cruise and travel director Jeremy gave a running commentary of our progress. The traditional Panama buns appeared around the ship, but I passed them by (and forgot to take a photograph). They are suspiciously like Sydney buns, and Hong Kong buns, and buns that appear whenever ships approach famous ports. As we neared the end of the canal, we could see the skyscrapers of Panama City on the horizon. Once we arrived in the Pacific Ocean, the sea conditions lived up to its peaceful name. Fingers crossed that this great weather continues. Technically Thursday was a sea day, as we never stopped in port as we transited the canal. Several of our regular sea day activities continued, such as watercolor class, and we had another class on Friday, as it, too, is a sea day as we sail toward Ecuador. On this grand cruise, we have special lecturers as well as special classes. In addition to watercolor, there is bridge instruction and creative writing. Our water color instructor, Lucia Machado, is new for me. So far it seems to be a more casual approach than in the past. She has three identical 45-minute sessions on sea days, and so far we have mainly just experimented with our colors. Finally, today we painted something other than a worksheet – a donut! The class accommodates beginners, but even though I have painted before (and learned in a cruise ship class), I like instruction from different teachers, as they use different approaches and teaching styles. But I also get frustrated that I am not working on my own sketchbook paintings, because as usual I am falling behind. On the world cruise I used the first month to finish the sketchbook from an earlier cruise. This time I left my half-finished Northern European cruise sketchbook behind. And yet I’m still trying to finish the sketches of Canadian ports from late September. I don’t know why some people complain they are bored on cruise ships. I always have too much to do, even if it is a lot of “doing nothing.” I’ve been that way my whole life and doubt I will change now. Friday’s sea day ended with our first formal, or gala, night. The highlight was the Zaandam Ball in the World Stage theater. This venue on the R-class ships can transform into a dance floor, unlike on the larger and newer ships. It was nice to see so many passengers on this grand cruise dress up. Earlier in the day, the Crow’s Nest dance floor was put to its original use, although with recorded, not live, music. Tomorrow will bring a new country for me – Ecuador. I guess I will need to find time to go to the cultural and history lectures for these new ports.

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] This Tropical Paradise Comes with Heat, Humidity and Color Day 5, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Wednesday, Oct.11, 2023, Puerto Limón, Costa Rica When most people think of Costa Rica, they think of the beautiful Pacific Ocean coast and mountainous area bordering it. Puerto Limón is on the eastern coast – the Caribbean side. This is the only part of Costa Rica I have visited, and while it’s not the most popular, it shows a different side of the Central American country. And it is convenient when heading for the Panama Canal. On a January port call in Puerto Limón, I visited a sloth sanctuary and a banana plantation. This time I stayed closer to the pier – two blocks from it, to be exact. The day started out hot and humid and just got worse. I layered on the sun block, donned my hat and headed out. The terminal building was full of vendors selling everything from coffee beans to straw fans. Dancers performed on the pier despite the heat. I guess they are used to it. As soon as I crossed the street and entered the city park, a helpful local rushed up to point out a male sloth tucked into one of the tall trees. I already knew these animals were difficult to spot. But when the sloth stretched and turned a bit, I saw his face. It only took a few minutes of sitting on a convenient park bench to sketch the sloth’s outline. I certainly didn’t worry about him rushing away before I finished. Sloths are known for their incredibly slow movements. Having achieved today’s goal of sketching (low bar, I know), I took another 30 minutes to walk around the park with its colorful painted benches, statues and stately trees. I’ve started a new practice on this voyage – posting a small flag outside my cabin for each country we visit. I ordered a set of 200 6×8-inch flags from Amazon, not realizing they would arrive unidentified. So I spent several hours before the cruise identifying each one and sorted out those for the countries I’ll visit between now and May 2024. The walls of the Zaandam are magnetic (unlike the Zuiderdam’s walls), so I can hang the flags by my cabin door. I’m sure people walking by wonder, as many do not know the Costa Rican flag. After a few ports they probably will get the idea. And I can identify my cabin from far down the hall. As much as I love my Vista Suite stateroom, I am disappointed to find that the ship’s WIFI signal there is weak. It was better on the last cruise in an inside cabin down the hall. It all depends on where the routers are located in relation to your location on the ship, and all those metal walls don’t help things. It takes about 10 minutes to reconnect when I return to the cabin, and then I seldom get the photos on Facebook or Threads. I can, and do, go to one of the public areas on the ship for internet-intensive work, but it’s a shame I can’t do that on the spacious desk in my room. Early this evening I escaped to a back corner of the Crow’s Nest to join a book club – via Zoom. Needless to say, the initial trial in my stateroom was a bust. But with a strong signal and by wearing AirPods I could quietly participate, at least until a extremely loud trivia session started near the end of our zoom call. By the way, we read Wendell Berry’s novel “Hannah Coulter,” about a woman who lived her whole life in very rural Kentucky during the last two-thirds of the 20th century. It’s hard to imagine a life more different than my nomadic life, yet I found her observations intriguing. “You think you will never forget any of this, you will remember it always just the way it was. But you can’t remember it the way it was… When you remember the past, you are not remembering it as it was. You are remembering it as it is.” So even from the coast of Costa Rica, I had a special evening with friends I have known for more than 50 years, who are a dear part of my past. They bless me by being part of my present, too.

Perhaps lanyards printed with names streaming across the cord, or a title and date of the cruise. Some will like using them for their key cards. Guest Services can punch a hole if the card doesn't already have one.

🙂 I figured word would get around. I guess it's a toss-up -- get blamed for spoiling it or get blamed for knowing and not sharing. And I wrote about it in my blog earlier today anyway. But don't worry -- I didn't share everything he told our group.

Especially since they use the Zuiderdam for the world and other grand and special voyages. I was on it for 199 days earlier this year and never found the food to be bland. In fact, the ship and crew were great! Now I'm on the Zaandam for 86 days and it's in super shape as well. Obviously I like being on a dam ship.

It might be of interest to report the age breakdown of the almost 1,000 passengers currently on the 73-day South America & Antarctica grand voyage. Of course these longer and more expensive cruises draw a generally older crowd. On this cruise one person is between 8 and 12, 15 are 22-35, 21 are 36-50, 30 are 51-65, 382 are 66-74 and 367 are 75 or older. Another 48 are listed with “unknown” ages, which is interesting as the staff has our passports.

Yes, that is true. My sisters and I shared the multi on my account on the world cruise earlier this year. It worked well, especially as we needed to do banking, etc., on occasion and needed a two-factor ID. So with two you could get the secret code on your phone that you needed to input on your laptop. the only thing to watch is that the second person doesn't forget that he/she is logged in as you and, for example, send a Navigator text or add daily events to your calendar. At first I couldn't figure out why I was getting reminders for lectures, etc., that I hadn't signed up for.

At a reception our travel agency had yesterday, Hotel Manager Florin Dragomir reported out on the Montreal meeting from May attended by the hotel managers and cruise directors for the 3 grand cruises to day (world, africa, south america) and 20 people from HQ. (Sounds about like a typical corporate meeting... but I digress.) In addition to hinting at the pillow gifts, he said there are more dressy/gala nights (perhaps with decorations), three guest chefs who will have cooking demonstrations and offer special dinners in the Pinnacle Grill, two shows nightly by local entertainers on overnight stops, and probably a few other items I've forgotten. We have nightly chocolate (as we did on the world), and had a block party the first sea day. I assume we will have more of those, at least one after Buenos Aires (we had 4 or 5 on the world). I'm guessing we'll have some surprise parties -- like the glamping party by the Lido we had on the world.

One of the perks of a grand cruise as opposed to just a longer cruise!

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] Welcome Sea Days and Port Call at Grand Cayman Days 2-4, 2023 South America & Antarctica Grand Voyage Sunday-Tuesday, Oct. 8-10, 2023, Georgetown, Grand Cayman and sea days While I love visiting exotic and exciting ports, sea days may be my favorite, especially at the beginning of a long cruise. They give me a chance to unpack, learn my way around the ship and settle into a daily routine. When I started out two weeks ago in Montreal, we had five quick port days, so it threw off my pace. Now we are alternating sea and port days. I’m still trying to settle in. But first, a report on Monday’s port call in Grand Cayman. I’ve been here several times, mostly in the 1990s and early 2000s, so I had no plan for tours. I’m really not a Caribbean girl, I guess. The heat and humidity seemed even more intense after my recent cruising through Canada and New England. I decided on a quick walk around the port city of Georgetown just to stretch my legs. Instead of using the ship’s tenders for the short distance to the dock, we boarded local boats that held many more people. Probably more important for those who are mobility challenged, the boats’ decks were level with the Deck A portal, so no need to navigate the exterior stairs to the water level. None of the souvenir, jewelry or liquor shops held any interest. It was too hot under the relentless sun to sketch, so I took pictures for later reference. My only purchase was a small (4 ounce) Tortuga rum cake, which cost an outrageous $10. I remember when multiple stores offered sample bites, which probably would have satisfied my taste for the sweet cake. No samples today. The last time I visited Grand Cayman a friend and I thought it would be a hoot to open a (small) bank account on the island known for its banking secrecy, just to say we had an account in the Cayman Islands. We quickly found out it wasn’t an easy thing to do if you didn’t have huge funds. I recall seeing banks everywhere 15 years ago, but since then banking laws have tightened so they were not as prominent today. Fortunately, I was back on the ship when a brief but heavy rainstorm struck. I tore into the cake, and then later indulged in peanuts at happy hour. No surprise that I wasn’t hungry enough for the dining room. A few large shrimps and a small slice of (Canadian Thanksgiving) turkey from the Lido buffet filled the bill. On Sunday, we spent the first full day of the cruise sailing around the west end of Cuba. About 50 people attended our Cruise Critic meet and greet. Cruise Critic is a website with a popular roll call section where people chat before a cruise. It was fun to put faces to some people who have been planning this cruise for a year and to see friends from past cruises. Today, my travel agency hosted a reception for its clients. We will have two more, as well as a dinner in the Canaletto restaurant and a couple of complementary shore excursions. Hotel Manager Florin Dragomir attended and clued us in on some features of this grand voyage. We can expect three guest chefs who will have cooking demonstrations and offer special dinners in the Pinnacle Grill. On our overnight stops, local entertainers will perform for two shows each night. These shows are always popular, and with two shows everyone will be able to attend. I stopped by guest services for the report on the demographics of the passengers. There are only 964 guests aboard (capacity is 1,432), and 630 are Americans, followed by 117 Canadians, 53 Australians, 23 Dutch and 16 British. There are slightly more women than men. I hadn’t seen an age breakdown before, but on this cruise one person is between 8 and 12, 15 are 22-35, 21 are 36-50, 30 are 51-65, 382 are 66-74 and 367 are 75 or older. Another 48 are listed with “unknown” ages, which is interesting as the staff has our passports. When I returned to my stateroom after our first dressy night, I was delighted to find an array of gifts spread across the bed, all adorned with a logo for the cruise. They included a messenger bag as well as a canvas tote bag with handy pockets inside. We also received a portable charger for our smartphones and other electronics, a wallet for identification and a safari hat. They all will come in handy during this cruise. I’ve finished the last of my unpacking, so now everything has its place. My challenge will be to return things there. But meanwhile, I had another sunrise to enjoy from my verandah, as we’ve turned our clocks back twice and I’m waking up early.

I'm glad to hear that Annie is still performing on HAL. I saw her on two Grand Asias pre-pandemic, but not since. I really enjoy her -- such a big voice from such a petite woman. I'm enjoying your postings. Enjoy Kushira. I like walking to the fish market and selecting my lunch. I'll be back to Japan in February on the Grand World, but not Kushira. That will have to wait until the Majestic Japan cruise in September. If you want to hear about my Japanese port experiences, I wrote about them in my blog, http://www.WriterOnDeck.com. Just use the search.

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/2023/10/07/good-friends-in-mount-dora-make-for-the-best-port-call/.] Serendipity Brings a New Friend as New Adventure Begins Day 1, 2023 Grand South America and Artarctica Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., USA There are many wonderful people in the world, and I enjoyed a pleasurable couple of hours with one this morning. She started out as a stranger, but we quickly became friends. Jean discovered this blog through a friend about a year ago and shares with me a love of sailing and cruising. Earlier last week she invited me to be her guest for lunch during our Fort Lauderdale turnover day between cruises. That was a first for me, but one can never have too many friends. We settled on mid-morning for a late breakfast, as I had to get off the ship at 9:30 so it could go to zero count (some customs requirement) before we start the Grand South America/Antarctica voyage. We could have spent the entire day chatting about our similar backgrounds and interests, if only I didn’t need to get back on board to relocate to a new stateroom. We did make time to browse the giant Dollar Tree to see if there were any last-minute items I needed. In all of our visiting, we totally forgot to take a photo of the two of us. Back on the ship, I discovered my bags and hanging clothes were already in my new cabin. It will be home for the next 73 days, so I wanted to get settled. This cabin is a Vista Suite, a category that I believe is only on the smaller R-class Holland America ships. It is similar to the verandah I had on the world cruise, but slightly longer and with significantly more drawers for storage and a full-length sofa. There are so many drawers that I was tempted to use Post-It notes to remind me what I put where. However, hanging space isn’t as generous, with one of the closet bars going front to back instead of side to side. Impossible to use in my opinion. Oh well, as I don’t have to share, it will be fine. I was glad to discover magnetic walls (something the Zuiderdam didn’t have in my staterooms), so I’ve put up the new South America map I bought for this trip. I’ll use magnetic tacks to track our progress once we have passed through the Panama Canal. Earlier this summer in Akureyri, Iceland, I bought a foldable cardboard globe to use as an alternative, and this cabin is big enough to use both. Instead of map pins, I’m using removeable sticky dots – blue for my previous East Coast Voyage and red for this cruise. I’m already noticing a few changes as we transition from a regular 13-day cruise to a grand voyage. For one thing, I’ve seen several friends I’ve sailed with before. Also, there is a celebratory atmosphere as we know we have a long trip ahead. There was no line for dinner seating, and I ate with two nice couples, one of whom also were on the world cruise earlier this year, but we hadn’t met then. We had special menus featuring Port to Table specialties tied to the region. It will be interesting to see if that continues. I skipped the Origin Story in the showroom, which gives a nice history of Holland America. But once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it. Back in the room, I had a nice brochure outlining the evening activities for the next two weeks. It also contains bios for the guest lecturers and instructors, including a watercolor professional. I’m looking forward to her class tomorrow morning.

They have egg stations in the Lido. You can just ask for an egg to be freshly prepared to your liking.

The block parties are a great addition, but I believe they are just for the grand cruises. Post pandemic they replaced what was a huge sailaway party with an open bar. Too risky back when masks were mandated, so they went to the block party (which I heard was an idea from another cruise line).

Henk will have to retire for that to happen! But it's nice that HAL has strength on the bench.

In 30 years of HAL cruising I don't recall ever seeing a special line for 4 and 5 star Mariners. But other than the first and last days, there is seldom a line and it moves quickly if there is one.

I was in an inside and now am in a balcony. Both cabins are in good shape and both bathrooms are upgraded with great lighting, etc. You will enjoy it! If you want to look for a specific cabin, go to www.halfacts.com, which crowd-sources pictures of cabins on the various ships.

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/2023/10/07/good-friends-in-mount-dora-make-for-the-best-port-call/.] Good Friends in Mount Dora Make for the Best Port Call Days 12-13, 2023 East Coast Voyage Thursday and Friday, Oct. 5-6, 2023, Port Canaveral, Fla., USA As much as I have enjoyed all the fantastic ports on this 13-day journey from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale, my favorite stop isn’t because of its location, but the friends I visited here. I became friends with Laurie and Ed on the world cruise earlier this year, and when they heard we would dock in Port Canaveral – and stay two days – they insisted on fetching me for an overnight visit with them in Mount Dora. This charming town is a bit north of Orlando, about 90 minutes from the cruise port. No, it is not on a “mountain,” even by Florida standards, but it does have a gentle rise to the town from the shore of Lake Dora. Moss drapes off stately oak trees. Laurie recently served on the town council and is a big fan of all things Mount Dora. They gave me the grand tour. It’s a nice combination of tourist town – with charming shops on several blocks of the downtown – and community. They thought I hadn’t had enough of being on the water, so we spent the afternoon on a barge trip across the lake, lined with beautiful homes. We even caught site of a bald eagle watching as we passed by. The scenery changed as we entered the Dora Canal. Some of these canals are natural waterways and other sections have been dug, but you could eventually journey up to the St. Johns River, Jacksonville and the Atlantic Ocean. More homes – these mostly smaller lake cabins – lined the first part of the canal. Then development fell away and we were traveled through natural habitats, only interrupted when we passed under a road or by the occasional fishermen. The sunny fall day brought out other boaters, some on personal watercraft powered by seemingly large outboard motors. Most were in pontoon boats like ours, although much nicer than the “party barge” my dad built when we lived on a lake in Hot Springs, Ark. We moved slowly as Capt. Jonathan identified the various birds and plants along the way. He knew where the alligators like to hang out and even spotted a rare spider lily bloom. I wished I had brought my better camera with a great zoom, as the iPhone didn’t produce sharp pictures of anything very far away. After dinner at the Lakeside Inn (the oldest continuously operating hotel in Florida) and a fun evening catching up on what we’ve done since the end of the world cruise, on Friday we drove to New Smyrna Beach on the Atlantic Coast. This is where Laurie and Ed “retreat” in the summer. The temperatures aren’t much different than in Mount Dora, but the ocean breezes make life bearable. I had failed to double check our all-aboard time on Friday afternoon before I left the ship, but Facebook came to the rescue, as I posted my query and had an answer from someone on the ship in minutes, confirming my assumption. What we hadn’t realized was that a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center was scheduled for early Friday afternoon. We surely could have seen it as we drove down the coast, but didn’t know to look. Those on the ship had a good view. Our reason for the overnight stop in Port Canaveral was for the replacement of one of the stern thrusters (propellers that push the ship sideways for maneuvering in ports). The job reportedly takes about 30 hours, and the underwater repair crew was just packing up as I returned to the ship. A couple of days ago I scheduled a photo shoot with one of the ship’s photographers. I was long overdue for a new photo for my blog. We visited several locations around the aft deck. Tomorrow morning almost everyone will leave the ship in Fort Lauderdale, and a new contingent will board for the 73-day Grand South America and Antarctica cruise. I am changing staterooms, so finished packing my loose items before bed. My stewards will move the suitcases and the hanging clothes to the new cabin, just down the hall.

[Remember that I only include a couple of photos in these posts -- if you want to see more they are at http://www.WriterOnDeck.com.] Norfolk Delights with Picture Perfect Day Along the Waterfront Day 10, 2023 East Coast Voyage Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, Norfolk, Virginia, USA What a great cruise port! Norfolk is just the kind of stop I enjoy making. The pier is convenient to town. The area is designed for walking. And our weather was just about perfect – sunny, low humidity, temps in the 70s with a gentle breeze. My only previous experience with Norfolk was boarding a ship here for a cruise to Bermuda. We just parked the car, spent a night in a hotel and boarded the ship. The city sits on the Elizabeth River, which flows into the James River before flowing out the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay into the Atlantic Ocean. I had planned to spend this morning with friends from the 2020 world cruise who live just blocks from the cruise pier. Unfortunately, one of them discovered last night that he had covid, but he sent me a detailed talking tour. It was a great guide for my day ashore. Sitting just across the pier from the Zaandam is the battleship USS Wisconsin, one of the largest and last battleships built by the U.S. Navy. It is permanently berthed on the same pier with the Nauticus maritime-themed science and technology complex sitting in the middle. For a reasonable $15 you can wander throughout the Wisconsin as well as explore exhibitions examining aquatic life and environmental protection and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. It reminded me of playing as a kid on the battleship USS Texas, berthed at San Jacinto near Houston. Who needs the Battleship video game when you can use your imagination roaming throughout a huge ship IRL (in real life)? I was immediately drawn to sketching the giant Wisconsin. I sometimes complain that all I seem to be sketching are buildings and gardens, so this provided a challenge. A modern yacht was moored in the way – I sketched what I could and have yet to decide if I will include the yacht or try to fill in the ship. From there I wandered through the Pagoda and Oriental Garden, a small peaceful area with a koi pond where the quiet is only broken by the sound of fountains. An archway leads into the Freemason Harbor neighborhood of mostly condos and townhouses, transitioning into residential streets with stately houses and brick streets. Benches line the path along the waterfront and small marina, encouraging a relaxing stop to just enjoy the day. I walked on to the Chrysler Museum of Art, a few blocks away across a walkway spanning “the Hague,” an old creek area. The museum is named for automotive heir Walter P. Chrysler Jr., whose Norfolk-native wife encouraged him to donate their extensive art collection. I was particularly drawn to its collections of glass and Worcester porcelain. Back on the ship, I joined other passengers outside on Deck 9 to watch our sail-away down the Elizabeth River and past the Navy shipyards. I counted at least four aircraft carriers and number of other ships. Not surprisingly, my Marine Tracker app didn’t identify the individual ships, and most had their sterns tucked into shore. Later, I was the only person on Deck 6 forward to watch our crossing of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. The low-level bridge with a mile-long tunnel near each end spans the 17 miles between Hampton Roads to the south and the Delmarva (Delaware/Maryland/Virginia) peninsula to the north. At my second complementary Pinnacle meal tonight, I splurged (calorie-wise) on the clothesline bacon (just two slices please). It was much better than earlier in the summer on the Zuiderdam, where I think the provisioned bacon wasn’t up to par. The halibut was perfect, and the key lime pie is always my dessert choice.

You also can consider getting foreign currency before you go from your bank. I usually do that. But these days not much is needed, as credit cards work pretty much everywhere. I just like to tip tour guides in their currency, so I try to have some.

Just make sure before booking to see what is above your cabin. If it is one of the music venues, you will hear the music and in particular the bass until after 11 am.

I'm looking forward to hearing reports from your Japanese ports! I'll be there in February on the Zuiderdam and next September/October on the Westerdam. I've been twice before but it is always good to hear the perspective and ideas of others. Enjoy the cruise! (and I'm on Zaandam now -- I must have gotten on as you got off.)

First, a quick check shows me that the Zaandam will be in Alaska for the summer of 2025, and the Volendam (similar ship) will join the Zuiderdam doing Canada and New England. If you have the time, you might explore some of the slightly longer cruises that include more stops. I think there is one round trip out of Montreal that just does Canadian ports, for example. Several others have offered responses regarding the two ships, which I agree with. You might consider spending the night in Boston, if you can get an early non-stop home the next morning. As to the ships, I must say I really like both. After so long earlier this year on the Zuiderdam (200 days), it does feel like home. I am still getting used to the Zaandam, which is much like the Amsterdam (since sold) that I sailed on and loved. If you prefer verandahs, the Zuiderdam might be a better choice. But the Zaandam (and I assume the Volendam) generally have larger cabins with more storage. The Zuiderdam has the Music Walk, which includes more music venues. In other words, there's not an obvious choice of one over the other. No no wrong decision!