richwmn

January 20^th, Apia, Upolu, Samoa

It is Saturday evening aboard Volendam. I talked to several people who went ashore and most of them got caught in some rain. They all said they did have a good time with the tours they did.

The 4pm trivia was fun, made more so by the fact that we won. We left Samoa a bit late due to some stragglers, but not enough to worry about. The 7pm trivia was titled ‘Under the Sea’. It was interrupted by several announcements by Captain Bart about a possible problem in the engine room. The problem was taken care of in short order, before the end of trivia. We didn’t win this session, but had a respectable score. I must mention here that I am playing with a rather fluid team. We have a total of about ten or eleven players, and we split up differently each session based on when everyone arrives. It is a fun group both teams are generally near the winning score.

As usually happens, before and during trivia we discussed the entertainment for the evening. Tonight’s entertainment was again the impressionist Tyler Bryce. I mentioned after his first show that I wasn’t impressed with him and left after the first part of his show. Several people had mentioned that the first show had gotten better at about the point that I left. Because of that, I decided to check out tonight’s show. It started out better, and stayed good. He really is a good performer and the show tonight was very good.

Tonight we change the clock back one more time.

January 20^th, Apia, Upolu, Samoa

This morning we pulled into Apia on time and were greeted by a group of local dancers. It has been a dreary day.

Last night I had dinner in the Pinnacle Grill with several regular posters to the Daily. It was a fun evening with good food and talk. As it usually seems, the dinner lasted over two hours, but didn’t seem like it. We pretty much had the Pinnacle Grill to ourselves. The entertainment last night was another show by the instrumentalist.

As I said, today has been overcast and when I was ready to go ashore it was drizzling rain. Since I wasn’t really enthusiastic about this stop, I stayed on board and relaxed. I did have a good lunch and I’m looking forward to tonight.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

January 18^th, Pago Pago, American Samoa

I left the ship today about 11am and found a cab driver to give me a quick tour of the area. After leaving the dock area I immediately realized that I have been to Pago Pago before and recognized many of the landmarks. It is a nice area and looks like it is kept in good condition. There is a large high school near the dock and an elementary school, also large, a little further out. In the other direction there is a large StarKist tuna processing plant. I had a nice ride around and enjoyed my day ashore.

CC is not allowing me to upload pictures right now, sorry.

3 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

The cabin description for my Large Oceanview on Zaandam says there's a "mini-bar" in the cabin.  Doesn't that indicate that there's a fridge?

The 'mini bar' on Volendam where I'm currently sitting in an Ocean View Cabin, and Zaandam consists of 6 cans of Coke brand sodas, 2 liters of water, glasses, and an Ice Bucket. A fridge / cooler is available for rent at (last I saw) $2 per day.

Once on board consider providing photos to Halfacts so that others might benefit. Instructions on their home page.

All cabins on Zuiderdam have a fridge.

The only cabins in the HAL fleet without a fridge are Insides and Outsides on Zaandam and Volendam

January 18^th, Pago Pago, American Samoa

We are now tied up and shortly there will an announcement that we are able to leave the ship. It is currently 83°F / 28° C with clear skies. The humidity is around 81% with 10 mph winds. It looks to be a pretty day.

We had a welcome group of dancers from a local high school entertain us for a few minutes. This is a commercial port but they have set up a few tents with information and tours. It is interesting that most of the commercial ports are now using containers to act as barriers keeping Guests in select areas of the port.

The big thing last night was a ‘Campout’ that took place around the midship pool. The Ocean Bar Band set up on the port side forward and played starting at 8pm. The event was well attended by Guests, staff, and Officers. In addition to normal offerings, they had cotton candy and smores. It was a nice evening and a good addition to the cruise.

On Board Activities for today –

Our menus for today –

Some views of Pago Pago from the ship

January 17^th, at sea destination Pago Pago, American Samoa

Another sea day on Volendam. It is currently 84°F / 29°C with a light rain. The humidity is 75% with 18mph winds. We are scheduled to arrive in Pago Pago tomorrow morning at 8:30am.

We had our normal trivia sessions yesterday. For sea days the early session is at 1pm and is general knowledge while the later session is 7pm and has a theme. None of the teams that I talk to did very well with the general but we all did better with the themed trivia which was toys and games. For the most part, the toys and games mentioned were from the 50’s, 60’s, and maybe 70’s so we all felt at home.

The Ocean Bar Band and Cocktail Pianist played their normal sets, as did the Piano Bar Entertainer and the String Trio. The Dance Band backed Michelle Montuori on the World Stage, so they didn’t have their normal sets. I didn’t go to the World Stage, but the reviews I heard were mixed. Kay performed well as always, I didn’t sample the other venues.

As we move along the ride has been pretty smooth. The Ship’s Officers have been out and about and seem to be accessible to the Guests. The Captain’s noon time announcements have been fun. I have had an opportunity to talk to Captain Bart several times and he has been easy to talk to.

For the activities today we have –

And our meals today –

21 minutes ago, kluv2cruz said:

Ah! That explains things. Do you know how I can see that I did actually receive OBC (hence the name “ON BOARD credit” hahaha)?

If you use a travel agent they will have to provide that information, and it will be the total - not broken down by type. If you booked directly with HAL or a PCC it will show on your payments page (to the best of my memory), also as a total.

49 minutes ago, kluv2cruz said:

Where do you go to see the OBC showing up? I have multiple bookings and got confirmation that it has been applied but what I assume is the AARP confirmation said “teacher appreciation benefits offer $100” (which I also applied for - received 2 emails confirming the same wording but 2 different reference #’s.) 

 

How many days from receiving an email confirming it’s been awarded until you can use the OBC for say an excursion? (This is what I tried to do to confirm the AARP & teacher OBC but it didn’t show up.)

 

Thanks!

HAL doesn't allow OBC to be used until you are aboard the ship. It's not available for booking excursions, etc, before the cruise.

January 16^th, at sea destination Pago Pago, American Samoa

Another day at sea on Volendam. We have had mild seas on the way to Pago Pago. Our position at breakfast this morning –

I already mentioned the King Neptune Ceremony yesterday. It appeared that everyone was having fun. I had a certificate delivered to my cabin shortly after the ceremony concluded.

The 7pm trivia was advertised as ‘Disney’, but it was limited to Disney movies not the theme parks which I would have preferred. For our group it was not the best category. We did manage to eek out 8 points from the 17 offered. We had no idea who voiced a character, which character was the villain in a particular movie, or which actor did a particular character. We were able to guess which princess had a raccoon as a pet, and which movie shot Julie Andrews to fame.

After trivia ended I made it to the 7:30pm show on the World Stage. It was the second (of 15) shows by ‘The Grand Voyage Repertory Company’ and was titled ‘Encore’. It was another show of singing and dancing by talented, enthusiastic group of performers. I did enjoy the show.

After the show ended I went to the Ocean Bar and listened to Kat play the piano for 30 or 40 minutes. She plays a nice mix of background music at a level that allows the crowd to have conversations. She is a talented musician and is easy to talk to.

I ended with a similar amount of time in the Crows Nest for the ‘Dance Band’. Again, the group seemed to be good musicians with a nice mix of danceable music. For each song at least one couple was dancing, sometimes two or three. Again, the music was not overpowering and it was easy to have a conversation while they played.

I should also mention that we were able to watch to final NFL Wildcard Games yesterday, so those who are into sports were happy as well. The Mix had a good crowd for the games.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

18 minutes ago, Niagarawine said:

I was all set t book, then looked at port fees, 1900 dollars. Why so high

In addition to what @Gunther1 mentioned, Cruise Ships pay extra for a guaranteed time slot during daylight hours to provide the best experience for their guests.

Some pictures of the King Neptune Ceremony this afternoon. Captain Bart announced that we crossed both the Equator and the International Date Line at 8:03 this morning.

January 15^th, at sea destination Pago Pago, American Samoa

Good morning, Volendam departed late from Kiritimati (Christmas Island), but not to worry we have plenty of time and should arrive at Pago Pago on time. Our position at breakfast appears to have been at the intersection of the Equator and International Date Line. The Date Line takes a few liberties in this area.

So now Volendam is truly in the South Pacific, and will be for quite some time. The weather has been beautiful, with comfortable temperatures and scattered clouds. The mood on board is festive and everyone seems to be having a very good time. The staff has been very attentive and everything is going well.

Volendam had the NFL games this past weekend and as far as I could tell an even distribution of fans for each team. For the Rams / Lions game yesterday there was a good crown in the Mix where the game was on the TVs. We are scheduled for two games today, Steelers / Bills at 11:30am ships time, and then Eagles / Buccaneers at 3:00pm.

Last night the World Stage hosted a move – Murder on the Orient Express, one showing at 8pm. Trivia went on as usual and had a good level of difficulty. One thing I have noticed is that there have been few, if any, perfect scores. Most winning scores have been around 14 out of 17 points.

Looks like we will have the King Neptune Ceremony at 2pm today. This is always a fun time around the Aft Pool, and a very messy one.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

4 minutes ago, Minouli123 said:

The itinerary is as follows:

 

Mon Jan 15: at sea

Tues Jan 16: at sea

Wed Jan 17: St Maarten

Thurs Jan 18: St Thomas

Fri Jan 19: at sea

Sat Jan 20: Nassau

Sun Jan 21: Port Everglades

thanks!

7 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

@richwmn, sorry to interrupt your flow but I just pulled up the PEV webcam.  NS will sail soon, and AIS now shows a destination of St. Marteen, ETA 1/17 at 0815.  If we can't get an itinerary, perhaps we can take it a port at a time.

 

Roy

I just found that as well on Marine Traffic. Thanks

58 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

What was the problem with the tendering? How did they get everybody back? Didn't those pax scatter once they got ashore? 

You don't sound particularly miffed about it. Maybe the expectations were low?

Is Easter Island on the itinerary too?

(My word-processing program was running a special on question marks. Sorry.)

The problem with tendering was that the water level due to the tide was getting too low for the tenders to operate. This is a port that doesn’t receive ships often so there was a bit of trial and error to get a good path to the tender dock.

As far as getting people back, it is not a big island so most people are close to the dock. The ship sounds the horn and most people recognize that means to return to the ship.

You are correct that I was not particularly upset when the tendering process stopped. The island really doesn’t have any attractions, has a population of around 2,000, and has a nice beach area. Not on the top of my lists.

I don’t think that Easter Island is on the itinerary.

January 14^th, 2023 – Kiritimati (Christmas Island)

Well, it has been an interesting day. We were a bit late getting started with the tendering, and now it has been suspended after about 2 hrs. We are now trying to get everyone back aboard. I was waiting for open tendering, but never heard an announcement, so I didn’t get ashore. Here are some pictures from the ship, along with the Local Market that was set up on the Lido.

1 hour ago, POA Cruiser said:

NS has a full ship charter by the Royal Bank of Canada.

Would you happen to have the itinerary so I can update 'The Daily', Thanks.

45 minutes ago, POA Cruiser said:

Full ship charter by the Royal Bank of Canada.

do you by chance have the itinerary?

It is not published anywhere I can find.

January 14^th, 2023 – Kiritimati (Christmas Island)

Or technically it is January 15^th as we have crossed the International Date Line. However, since we will be crossing in the other direction in a couple of days the Captain has chosen to keep the date this time.

Kiritimati (pronounced [kiˈrɪsmæs], also known as Christmas Island) is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. The name is derived from the English word "Christmas" written in Gilbertese according to its phonology, in which the combination ti is pronounced s.

Yesterday was a good day on the ship. Both the NFL Wildcard Games were on the TVs and I chose to watch them. Because of that, I missed the first trivia, and the second was about travel and I did pretty well. The World Stage entertainment was a repeat artist with a different show, Instrumentalist Michael Young. I didn’t attend and the reviews from people I talked to were mixed.

This morning we arrived at Kiritimati on time, but it will be a while before the tendering process starts. Since few cruise ships visit this port, they have to make sure the route the tenders will take is safe. It appears that tendering will begin around 10:30. They will also bring locals aboard with some of their arts & crafts to have a local market on the Lido Deck for those that don’t want to deal with the 30 minute tender process.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

6 minutes ago, WVU_Neal said:

Just to be certain here. You are saying that if I have WiFi on the Rotterdam (in less than 2 weeks) and have Airplane Mode On and WiFi Calling On, I will be able to make calls and texts while at sea and not in port. That makes sense, I just wanted to verify.

That is the way it is currently working on Volendam, and should be throughout the fleet.

January 13^th, 2023 – at sea, Destination Kiritimati – eta 1/14

Good morning from Volendam at sea!

On the outside decks the temperature is 79°F / 26°C under scattered clouds. The humidity is 84% with winds at 17 mph. Another very nice day at sea. I was unable to grab a position image this morning, for some reason both my devices want to show us still in San Diego.

Lots of activities going on yesterday. The big activity for last night was the Volendam Ball. This was held in the World Stage and was well attended. For the most part the ladies were very dressy and most men were at least in suits with many in Tuxes. The Ocean Bar band was on the main stage and played for about an hour before taking a break. The band was very good, alternating between an active female lead singer and the piano player as lead. Both singers were good. The dance floor was full for most of the songs and it seems that everyone had a good time. The officers and staff were out in full force, mingling and talking to guests.

Today’s activities –

Today’s menus –

January 12^th, 2023 – at sea, Destination Kiritimati – eta 1/14

Good morning from Volendam, it is again a nice day on board. It is currently 75°F/ 24°C on the outside decks with clear skies 73% humidity and winds a little above 17mph.

Before I start on yesterday, I must go back to Wednesday. In talking about the World Stage entertainer, Impressionist Tyler Bryce, I stated that I left after about 15 minutes because I wasn’t enjoying the show. My trivia partners last night told me that he got better just after I left. They told me that the rest of his show was very good, after he warmed up a bit.

Now for yesterday. We were in Hilo, Hawai’i. We had a pretty day docked in an industrial port. Many years ago I visited Hilo and did the Volcano tour and enjoyed it so I didn’t need to do it again. I did walk out to the port building to see what was going on. A shuttle was provided (free) into town but at the point I was there it involved a 20 minute wait. It didn’t seem that any vendors were set up in the port building, so I headed back to the ship. It was a very nice, relaxing day.

Trivia was at 1pm and 7pm and both were fun. As usual we were just off winning. At the 1pm trivia we had two questions that we discussed and chose the wrong answer, although we considered the correct one. We were supposed to have a trivia dedicated to ABBA at 9pm, but technical considerations kept it from happening.

At 7:30pm I stuck my head into the World Stage to check out the entertainer. We had a singer, Michelle Montuori. When she was singing she was ok, but like the other day – too much talking. I’m not sure why singers have to spend half their time with jokes and history.

After the 9pm trivia didn’t happen I had a nice conversation with Kat the pianist. She is a very nice person and easy to get along with. She also puts on a nice show each day.

I hope everyone is well and is looking forward to a good weekend.

Today’s Activities –

Today’s Menus –

3 hours ago, CGinMTL said:

I was looking at the next week schedule and notice you are crossing the international date line 3 times

Curious how the ship will handle this

Will you stay on " ship date" for the first two

Yes, we are ignoring the first two crossings, it is only one port. The final crossing will be where we change the date.