richwmn

Most of the HAL ships are close to each other. If for some reason there is a distance involved, Broward County sets the cab fare for Intraport transfers at $8. I believe there is a sign at the cab stand and most cabs have the rates posted inside the cab.

It is port side. I'll have on a red shirt -- go DAWGS!

Good afternoon all, I am now in a Zuiderdam balcony cabin on deck 5, about midway between the Outside Elevators and the bow. I'll be sitting out there for the sail away. Rich

Good afternoon all, I am now in a balcony cabin on deck 5, about midway between the Outside Elevators and the bow. I'll be sitting out there for the sail away. Rich

I just got a call from the front desk asking me why I hadn't changed cabins. It appears I have been upgraded to a verandah for the World, but nobody told me. So now I have to do a quick cabin change.

I suppose the Holiday Cruise actually ends at 9:30am tomorrow when the continuing guests have to meet at the Main Stage for the required Zero Count for Fort Lauderdale. The letter states that the procedure will take 30 – 45 minutes, but that assumes that everyone co-operates. I have seen or heard that between 135 and 150 guests are aboard and continuing on the the World Cruise. It also appears that a small number, maybe less than 10, tested positive for Covid this morning and are being quarantined in their cabins for the next 5 or 10 days (I’m not sure which). Trivia at 4:00 was general knowledge and we really didn’t do well. I did a little bit better with Nautical Trivia at 6:30 but didn’t come close to winning. A couple of sample questions from this evening: 1) How many feet in a fathom? 2) What D word is the nautical term for Sea Anchor? 3) What vessel measured 300 cubits X 50 cubits X 30 cubits? 4) What liquid was originally used to Christen a ship? All in all it has been an enjoyable 12 days, and I’m looking forward to the next 128. I just received the following instructions concerning the next few days. Due to the specific itinerary and length of our upcoming Grand World Voyange, out of an abundance of caution, we will be requiring guests on board to wear face masks while indoors until Saturday, January 7th. As a further protective measure, we will also be conducting a round of self-testing using self-administered COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests on Friday, January 6th. Once we receive those results we will update guests on if we need to continue our masking protocols.

I guess I had 4 on my mind because of the 4 cheese. Only 3 choices

"The World Cruise is considered a heightened protocol voyage and all incoming guests are required to present a proof of testing." Since I am already on the ship, HAL provided the test today.

Jan 2, 2023 – The end of the Holiday Cruise. The show on the Main Stage last night was again Steven Scott, the comedian. The first couple of jokes were exactly the same as the show I saw several days ago, so I didn’t stay. When I first saw it I enjoyed it but I was not ready for a rerun. If he stays on for the first part of the World Cruise I hope he has some new material. Last night I received a notice that I had an appointment for a Covid test this morning at 8am. After a good breakfast in the Lido, I got to the Hudson Room a little bit early and got in just before 8. They sat me down with a kit and asked if I had done a self test before. When I said yes, they allowed me to swab my own sample. I had been given a sticker to put on the test. I did so and handed everything to the attendant and was told to return to my cabin and stay there. The protocol is that you wait at least 15 minutes. If you don’t get a call you are clear to go out and about. I waited more than 15 minutes and got no call so I cleared the test. Also somewhere around 8 the announcement came that we were cleared to tender to Half Moon Cay. All aboard is 3pm for sail away to Fort Lauderdale. Volendam is at HMC with us so I’m sure there is a bit of a crowd there. We have also been reminded several times to make sure which ship the tender is going to when leaving the island. Lunch in the Lido was the Double Pepperoni Pizza. The Pizza on Zuiderdam seems a bit better than I remember from previous cruises. The difference is that they have only had 4 choices – Four Cheese, Vege, and Double Pepperoni. A little more variety day to day might be nice. A note for 5 * Mariners. One of the benefits when you achieve 5 * status is supposed to be an internet credit. In reading Cruise Critic I have noticed various interpretations for this benefit. Upon boarding 11 days ago I didn’t notice any benefit attached to my pre-purchased internet. I have asked at the Front Desk twice getting assurances that it would be looked into and I would be contacted but so far I have not. For those interested, the schedule for tomorrow does mention a Mariner Lunch in the Main Dining Room starting at noon. For the rest of the today’s schedule: And the menus for tonight:

Navigator events for tomorrow on Zuiderdam show that the MDR is open at noon for Mariner Society Welcome Aboard Lunch

Volendam at Half Moon Cay (from Zuiderdam)

My appointment for a Covid test prior to the World was 8am, but I was a bit early. It is now 8:18 and I have not gotten a call so I guess I am cleared to continue on.

Good morning from Zuiderdam at Half Moon Cay. @ottahand7 it looks like you might be on Volendam and left out the word us. It looks like it is going to be a nice day. Thanks again to @rafinmd for publishing the Fleet Report and Daily

I am currently on Zuiderdam. On the main menu, select 'Services & Information' The top right selection is 'Ship's Location' That brings up the same map that is available elsewhere on the ship.

Someone posted that the 5* discount was only for on board purchase of internet. I purchased the internet package in advance for the cruise I am currently on. I asked about the credit a week ago and it hasn't appeared. So don't count on having it.

No, the only islands that qualify are the ABC islands which are considered part of South America and therefore are 'distant' foreign ports.

Hamilton, Bermuda does not qualify as a 'distant' foreign port. Your itinerary isn't covered by the PVSA because it ends in a foreign port (Montreal) and does not transport people between two US cities without a 'distant' foreign port.

They can't do a 6 day run from FLL to Boston -- that violates the PVSA. I have done 4 east coast repositioning cruises and they 13,13,14, and 15 days, not 11.

Today is the first day of 2023. It is a beautiful day at sea headed back to Half Moon Cay. Yesterday was spent at Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. Amber Cove is one of the newest ports in the Caribbean. Carnival Corp built it up a couple of years ago and it shows. All of the buildings appear to be brand new. The area contains all of the places that most other Caribbean ports have. It is was a nice day to take a walk. The rest of the day was filled, at least for me, with the College Playoff games. The games were on the cabin tv sets and were being shown in the Gallery Bar. The Gallery Bar had a good crowd, but not too crowded. The meal in the Lido included a tasty Filet. Here are the menus for last night: Today is a lazy day at sea. Trivia is scheduled, along with several presentation, and bingo. I hope everyone has a good day and a great year.

Happy New Year from Zuiderdam

Zuiderdam in Amber Cove, Dominican Republic today.

Good morning from Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. I realized this morning that I didn’t comment on activities yesterday afternoon and evening. It was a pretty busy time. Starting with a first for me, I attended a Wine Tasting hosted by Jacque(?). He was a very engaging speaker and I found out quite a bit about wines. We were presented with a total of 5 wines. While I can’t tell you the specific wines, the tasting consisted of 2 reds, 2 whites, and a Prosecco. They were all tasty and we were presented some information about each type. We also had some bread, cheese, and grapes to clear our palate between tastings. Next up was trivia at 4:30, and it was general information. As a group we did ok, but didn’t win. The questions covered a long span of time, so something for everyone. After trivia one of the couples invited me to join them in the Main Dining Room for their fixed seating table. Now, according to Seattle this is not allowed. It was no problem at all and I enjoyed the dinner. I had the Salmon which was fixed properly and was very good. We barely made it back to Billboard to attend the 6:30 trivia which was travel. We did a little better on this one and enjoyed it again. Trivia ended in time to attend the 7:00 show on the Main Stage. The show yesterday was again “Masters of the Musical” featuring the Jukebox Rogues. At the first song it seemed to be a repeat of last week’s show so I didn’t stay. Here are the activities today while we are in Amber Cove:

Greetings from (almost) Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. The holiday cruise is almost over and it is about time for the World Cruise to begin. At the end of the year it is traditional to reflect on the last year. I am thankful that I have been able to take three cruises and that I'm on board for the World Cruise. Even more, I am thankful for everyone who has made the Fleet Report and Daily what it is. I have the honor of setting it up, and mostly posting the start, but it is everyone who responds that makes the thread what it is. I hope that it will continue to be the same in the coming year. Happy New Year to all From Zuiderdam! Rich

Friday, a day at sea. We are getting closer to the New Year and the World Cruise. After setting the clocks forward last night I slept a little bit later than I have been. I did get to the Lido for breakfast at a good time so I didn’t have to contend with lines. No problems there. Next after breakfast was an early trivia at 10:00am. It was titled Holiday Trivia and encompassed several different holiday traditions and events. It was fun even tho we really didn’t do well. Following trivia I went up to the Crows Nest to see what was going on. Then at 11:00 I went to the Main Stage and saw another presentation by Kimberly – the Deep Blue Sea. Again, Kimberly is a very good presenter and it made for an interesting hour. Then pasta for lunch. The Lido was full at noon with limited seating. Now we have the events for the day: And the meals for this evening:

With the time change tonight it is midnight. It has been a full day and very enjoyable. We had general trivia at 7pm and music trivia at 10pm. Both were hosted by Sandra, who is very personable and enjoys hosting trivia. Questions spanned the generations so everyone had a chance to get some right. During the late trivia it was mentioned that there are still around 300 guests below 18 years old. Today they seemed well behaved, we will see what happens over the next couple of days. Tonight on the Main Stage was Origin Story. Now, in truth, I have had several opportunities to go to this show. I didn’t previously, mostly because I didn’t think it would be interesting. However, several people have had praise for the presentation so I thought I would give it a chance. Turns out, it is very interesting, well done, and moves quickly. If you have any interest in the history of Holland America Line, take the 45 minutes and watch the presentation. Many of the college bowl games are being shown on the in cabin tv sets, so those interested can watch. I haven’t seen any mention of the playoff games Saturday Night, but last year they were shown in one of the bars. They are on ESPN so they should be available in cabins. Time change tonight, we will move our clocks 1 hour forward.