HALGirl

I was able to get lactose free milk on the Nieuw Statendam,  needed to ask.

I was just teasing you about saying you don' t drink that much. I personally drink more when I cruise then I do the rest of the year.

I had an Explore 4 promo booked and when this Anniversary Sale came up I went online and compared. I ended up saving $700 and that's before the prepaid gratuities. I switched and kept the same cabin too.

 

I'm pretty happy about it. I don't drink all that much so losing the free beverages was not that big a deal, plus we get the $100 beverage card on this new deal.

 

It pays to pay attention!!

Hey what do you mean you don't drink all that much? LOL We changed our Jan 17th Asia to the Anniversary Sale and saved a bunch on the cabin and got all the perks. Oh and by the way, maybe you will have hot water this time.

All the people I have talked to over the years that raved about Antarctica were absolutely correct. This was an outstanding cruise in general and the scenery enjoyed in Southern South America and Antarctica put it “Over the top.” It will be hard, if not impossible, for a cruise to top this one.

 

The very small misconnects that occurred in no way offset the overall positives. We loved having a cabin on deck 3 just steps from the “Biggest balcony on the ship.” Being somewhat forward, we did hear the sounds of the ‘late show’ in the showroom if we turned in early, so watch out if you book a cabin with #3300 – 3318. This did not bother us as it was not loud at all, but some might want to know this.

 

The Captain making the decision to go to Antarctica at full speed gave us an extra eight hours of perfect weather sightseeing that could never be recovered if we had not done so. The senior staff seemed to be “Out and about” around the ship and it always feels good to see them eating on the pool deck and interacting with the guests.

 

We had the best cabin team, Davies & Mil, that we ever recall. Our primary dinner waiter, Rooney, was outstanding. The on location talks were mostly top-notch. While in two ports we could have chosen better tour options, that is the kind of thing that is not HAL’s fault and we certainly had a great time in everything we did. There is no option but to give the good ship Zaandam and its crew five stars out of five for this great South America and Antarctica explorer cruise.

 

I hope you all enjoyed my log and that this will be helpful to those who are planning for this trip in the future!

 

Arie

Thank you Arnie for your postings. I am on the Jan 31 cruise and find your information very informative.

Joanne

I posted this on the 'New to Cruising' Section as my first post since joining Cruise Critic - my apologies if you are seeing this for the second time ...

 

Just returned from our 2nd cruise, a rather bumpy Fred Olsen Xmas/New Year Canaries/Cape Verde roller coaster via the Bay of Biscay on the Balmoral Not quite what we signed up for, but hey ho!

 

We've just seen the mid-February Holland America cruise from Buenos Aires to Chile on MS Zaandam and would appreciate any advice/tips, especially with regard to how formal onboard life is (lounge suit, formal shirt & tie OK for dining?: drinks prices (we are very modest drinkers - managed 1 bottle of wine between us on 18 night cruise with Fred Olsen) and range: Is it all razamatazz or is there scope for a wander around the promenade deck between food breaks : Is an outside cabin a good idea? Any other advice will be much appreciated.

 

My wife and I are 62 & 60, reasonably active and the destinations, rather than the pure cruising aspect are most important. Our ideal day is to wander off at the port, armed with the cameras, take as many photos as possible and then return to the ship with sore feet and stupid grins on our faces at the sights we've seen and the people we've met. We prefer informality as far is possible - the farther away from a dinner jacket I can get, the better I like it, although I do appreciate the need to dress according to custom and practice of the cruise company.

 

All and any advice will be warmly received - thanks!

 

Steve & Elaine

Hi Steve and Elaine,

I am on the Zaandam for the Jan 31st sailing. Look at Zaandam in the Roll Call section and you will see several cruises before you with the same itinerary. This will give you some ideas in the ports of what people are doing. Also many times people do blogs about the sailing. HAL is a mix of ages. Some people like to dress others do not. I suggest if you do not want to dress on the Gala Nights" (used to be called formal) you can always eat in the Lido. I also suggest you might want to bring a Jacket, slack (even a Kakhi) and tie if you prefer to eat in the main dining room on those nights or even the Pinnacle Restaurant. For ladies I am seeing that a pair of slacks and dressy top is sufficient. I don't pack all the dressy heels or outfits anymore as ships have become more casual. I wear a pair of sandals with a bit of bling. I have even seen rhinestone flip flops worn. I would not stress over attire. I think if you don't look like you slept in your clothes you are just fine. LOL There is a self service laundry as well as ship laundry service so people can pack light if they choose. You are both allowed to bring on one bottle of wine free of charge. You need to show it when boarding and they will sticker it. You are supposed to consume these in your stateroom. We always bring our two bottles and have a glass while dressing (our little happy hour). We also go to happy hour. If you should have any more questions about HAL you can always post and people will answer. Just remember there are those who like the older Grand Days of Sailing and those that like a more casual cruise.

Bon Voyage (to both of us) Joanne

Thank you so much for all the great responses!

 

We are still looking for my moms bag. My mom has told me she has been in touch with both Delta and Hollamd America. Holland America seemed suprised, but said they would try to sort this out & get back to her. The Delta customer service rep said they were still looking, but seemed to have little hope. I guess when tags get incorrectly placed on bags, it's unlikely that those bags ever get back to their rightful owners because there's no way to track them. Infact, I've read bags that go unclaimed are put up for auction and the bag along with its contents are sold for profit. Last year alone 24.1 million bags were either lost or mishandled (SITA research). I guess I don't understand why the lost baggage departments can't look to see if each unclaimed bag has identification and call the phone numbers. I know this would take a ton of time, but it would put the minds at ease of those who have had their bags lost.

 

Not only is the lost bag an issue, I wonder what happens to bags just left on carousel's that rotate forever. Do they get stolen? Does the contents also get riffled through and stolen? We can no longer lock our bags, so it's pretty much fair-game? Scary thoughts!

 

 

Anyway, we are now on our way out to DIA to see if anything has changed. My mom feels her bag may never be found. We are going in with pictures of the bag & more information in hopes it could help find it. We are pretty much up for trying anything at this point.

 

My suggestion to all future cruise guests - never ever do a transfer from Hollamd America to the airport, carry on ALL important things so you know where they are at all times, take photos of your bag & any of its contents, purchase luggage insurance if possible, make sure there's identification on your bag that can't be ripped off, and all the above advise.

 

I'm still holding out hope for her. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Thank you again!! The support & advise has been so helpful. Learning lots, needless to say.

 

Sarah

I had a similar experience. I took Luggage Express from San Diego. When I got to Chicago my suitcase never appeared. A green suitcase came off with a Charlotte address. I filed a report and called HAL and also spoke to the Manager at the pier. They use a third party handling service so the tags probably got mixed up. Nothing seemed to help find my luuggage that was clearly tagged with my name and address in several places. I had a unique luggage tag, a ladybug design, with phone number. Finally after getting nowhere in locating my bag I filed a claim. Three weeks into this ordeal I received a phone call from a lady in lost/found luggage in Charlotte. She looked at my name and phone number on the bag and called me. They shipped it out to my home that day. Moral, don't give up hope.

I am guilty. Always try to have the next cruise lined up before I have taken the current one. Also, I too work so I can cruise.

Wifi is not bad on the ship. It doesn't seem as fast as last time but I have been using it at the wrong times. Best times are early morning or very late at night and I didn't do that (dumb, dumb, dumb). Part of the problem is also cruise critic which can be slow on its own sometimes. I checked our bank account today and was in and out in less than 3 minutes which I think is pretty decent since the page does have to load.

 

There has definitely been some refurbishment on the ship. The verandah chairs we have and cushions have all been replaced.

 

The Prinsendam, sign at the sea view pool has been replaced (and looks good) and the Dive In has arrived on the Prinsendam, haven't tried it yet. One person said it was awful on day one. Someone yesterday said it was very good. I'll report when we try it :)

 

I think a number of soft goods have been replaced - the couches look different than last time in our cabin.

 

I haven't seen any dripping in hallways or in the Lido so, so far everything looks very nice.

 

Oh, and the manager of the Pinnacle Grill is a woman - Elvira from Romania. She is very nice and very efficient. We have had breakfast in the Pinnacle and lunch today. So far, this Pinnacle grill is still the best in the fleet. By the way our PG manager has been with HAL for 9 years so probably some of you have met her. She says this ship is her favourite, but what else is she going to spay? LOL We are going to the Cellar Master dinner and Le Cirque and have PG dinners planned after that so I will certainly give you our impressions.

 

Prinsendam is offering the Wine around the World again this cruise. That was really good last time, so we will definitely try that again. The wine choices were really nice last time and hopefully it will be the same this time. I'll let you all know.

 

Rich - it's a different adagio this time and if you thought the last two were great, wow. I have to get their names. She is an artist on the violin. Te music they played tonight had people on their feet applauding. The explorers lounge is full and with very good reason. They are incredible. They had a request from a musucian for a very difficult piece and it was absolute magic.

 

I am still catching up and forgive me if I add things later. We have Durres Albania tomorrow and a very early start!

Hi there,

I was on the Prinsendam Sept 7 to Sept 21. Tell Elvira in the Pinnacle that Karen and Joanne say HI. She is a wonderful Manager.

We found the food much better in both MDR and PG then on most of the other ships. Probably due to cooking for less people.

That is absolutely wonderful of you! We have location pins for: Mediterranean, Caribbean, Alaska, Canada & New England and Northern Europe but are looking for any other areas- 3 each!

 

Re: Ship pins, we are missing 6: Amsterdam, New Amsterdam, Oosterdam, Rotterdam, Veendam and Volendam.

 

Anything would be so appreciated. I have children in London- could be posted there. Please email us at vandy1929@gmail.com. We have PayPal, or could simply send a check?

I may have some you are missing, I will check at home tonight and let you know what I have.

Yes Sail it is Samana.

My friend and I did toursamanawithterry.com and had a wonderful experience. Not much to see if you venture out on your own.

Sounds wonderful! Thank you for answering my question :)

I believe there is another question you might have that was not answered...Neptune Suite Passengers get to have breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. No reservation necessary, breakfast times are same as Main Dining Room. Talk about pampering? You have a staff of 5 to 7 waiting on you. One does juice, one does coffee/tea, another brings a tray of breakfast pastries and all this before another person takes your breakfast order. Great way to start the morning.

Joanne

I looked up your cruise on the internet. You can find the Gospel Cruise. I looked for Inspiration Cruises for Jan 18, 2014 and found web site http://www.inconcerts.com/even.php Looks to me like they WILL be taking ove rthe ship and the entertainment may just be the Gospel Groups. I would rebook. Go up higher and get someone to listen and see the website.

Page 83, 1649 + 1650!;)

Copper, I see what happened to the SS Norway but what about The Pearl of Scandinavia?

Thanks.

My first cruise was on the SS Norway Oct 12, 1980. I remember Jack Jones (of the Love Boat Theme) and his dad Alan Jones were passengers.

But I didn't really get the cruise bug until Sept 14, 1986 when I cruised China on The Pearl of Scandinavia.

Joanne