Ruthenium

On 1/25/2024 at 5:35 AM, VMax1700 said:

May I ask how long his contract is?  We are boarding at end of April.

 

I don’t know if it’ll be that long but he’s had contracts extended in the past

12 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

We will be boarding NS next month. What entertainment is available? Are there evening shows, movies, comedians, song and dance performances?

Not to worry about your experience in  NS Billboard Onboard — my son Gabriel will be in the Nieuw Statendam’s Billboard Onboard starting at the beginning of Feb and he has perfect pitch LOL — there was a recent nice comment about his singing in BO on the Eurodam in this forum. (He doesn’t yet know who his partner will be though.)

On 11/19/2023 at 11:31 AM, Carol28 said:

Thanks everyone.  We actually left HAL because of the entertainment quality, especially the production shows. On our last cruise, several years ago, the dueling piano gals see to be fighting with each other.  They took the term "dueling" literally!  I

I now understand the Billboard venue is a piano player singing songs from artists like Billy Joel and Elton John and the like, but not a sing along type show.  Is it usually only one performer there?

 

My son has been on the Eurodam playing in Billboard Online — we went over New Year’s and everybody was singing along (we tried to film him and kept breaking into (less tuneful) song ourselves!)

On 11/22/2023 at 1:56 PM, oldbluff said:

We board Eurodam in a couple of weeks and look forward to meeting your son and listening. I don’t expect perfection but decent pitch and a bit of interaction with the crowd makes for a great evening. And using a tempo and style that matches the song, vs one size fits all. The two on Koningsdam the end of last year were dreadful. 

We were on the Euro over New Year’s Eve — wonder if our paths crossed!

21 hours ago, Ruthenium said:

Gabe and Stephen leave the 24th but Stephen said two friends of his are replacing them and they’re very good. (We just finished a week with G and S and they were great - « Bohemian Rhapsody » got a standing ovation last night!) They play all eras of hits, from Elvis to Olivia Rodrigo.

We just got off the Eurodam — lovely ship (my 3rd HAL ship). The sushi bar area in the Tamarind is also a nice no-cover a la carte venue within Tamarind.

Gabe and Stephen leave the 24th but Stephen said two friends of his are replacing them and they’re very good. (We just finished a week with G and S and they were great - « Bohemian Rhapsody » got a standing ovation last night!)

By the way, the Billboard pianists on the Eurodam usually do one request set a night and have an all-request show one day, so be thinking of your favorite songs...

6 minutes ago, POA1 said:

So bear this in mind: Do NOT complain about the piano players on the Eurodam! 😁

LOL -- I'm a musician too -- and I know everybody's got their opinions, not a problem, this mom won't come after you...it's subjective and I've been on enough cruises to know that not every musician in every venue is wonderful. (I've winced...)

My son is one of the two Billboard Onboard singer-pianists on the Eurodam for the next few months -- and from what he says, he and his fellow pianist get along really well and are happy to take requests on music from various decades.  He's a pretty wonderful singer (with perfect pitch, so your ears will appreciate it) and his performing partner has many skills as well.  People DO sing along and "it's nice," he says, and they try to do a lot of call and response!

Just got off the Volendam, Deck 1. Had a lighted magnifying makeup mirror on the dresser plus another, unlighted, in a bag in a drawer

On 5/18/2023 at 11:59 AM, SnowshoeCat said:

I love the promenade (another selling point) and I can sit and enjoy for hours.

 

My concern with the MDR was being solo. Maybe HAL is different, but another line I was on didn't offer to seat me with anyone else, except at lunch. Dinner was awkward.

 

I've done plenty of research and I appreciate hearing people's personal experiences.

I traveled solo on the Zaandam and loved curling up in the library with a latte and an adventure memoir — I found it cozy. I ate in the Lido Grill most of the time and met many people.  My son’s in the Ocean Bar Band so I’d hang out there solo in the evenings, too, chatting with others. and went to shows. Some excursions I did on my own.

On 12/6/2022 at 2:43 AM, aprilsp88 said:

@ScrapnanaI'm following your other post and blog. What do you think about the entertainment onboard Zaandam? Who's the band in ocean bar? Do they play Jazz only or other dance-able music?

My son’s in the Ocean Bar Band — they play a wide variety of songs, from Great American Songbook classics like “As Time Goes By” to hits from all the decades until today, plus some interesting songs in other languages and crowd favorites. They definitely create sets for both ballroom and pop dancers. My husband and I just finished a 16-day Zaandam Caribbean cruise and I’ve never danced so much (and I’m not much of a dancer LOL). They also played for the New Year’s Eve party and had a crowd dancing for hours on the Lido Deck!  

1 hour ago, Scrapnana said:

Thanks for everyone’s concern and kind words.  The more I think about it the more I believe that it was more like a prank than a serious robbery.  I heard today that a man walking alone was threatened with a knife.  No idea if this is true or an exaggerated story but I did decide to let Guest Services know.  
 

Durban is not a port HAL goes to regularly but I know that the GWV will be there in March.  At least passengers should be told walking alone is not a good idea.  The area around the port is not very nice although my incident happened in the middle of the CBD outside of a shopping mall.
 

 

I’m so sorry to hear about the incident. My son is on the cruise, playing piano and singing in the Ocean Bar Band, and even though he’s a young guy, I’m heartened that he goes onshore with his mates. It sounds as if you were strong and wise through the incident, though; kudos for that! 

Funny that they’d show “Death on the Nile” a few days before going down the Ne but then I did notice there was a book on the Titanic in the library….

You’ve had as challenging a time being able to GO to Casablanca as Rick and Ilsa had leaving it! Best of luck and smooth seas!

9 hours ago, Scrapnana said:

I am officially negative and free to leave my cabin.  Heading outside for fresh air right now!

Congratulations!! I hope you really enjoy every minute of the rest of the trip!

On 10/16/2022 at 4:55 PM, kb4683 said:

Hairdryer question….we will be boarding Zaandam on 12/20/22 when your Grand Africa ends.  Looking at photos on halfacts, the inside and OV bathrooms show that 🤬 box on the wall with a hose!  Please tell me they have done away with those and have pistol type dryers at the desk now 🤞.

 

Thank you.

I was just on the zaandam and I am

pretty sure that my room (not a suite) has both types of hair dryers…the other kind in a drawer or in the closet. Not to worry.

I didn’t cancel — getting to be with and see my son perform on the Zaandam was a no-lose option for me! We couldn’t stop at Sydney or PEI so we went directly toward the St Lawrence. Our stops were in Quebec: Baie Comeau and Saguenay. Baie Comeau was small but had a brewpub with the best stout I’ve EVER had 

https://microbrasserie.stpancrace.com/fr/

and Saguenay greeted us with people in 19th c garb, including children who danced for us, and samples of blueberry juice and sticks of freshly made maple taffy. I loved the Musée de Fjord, with its aquarium. lovely place. Appreciated the hop on bus there - distances are far.

(And was surprised not to feel seasick for more than a few mild minutes once…used wristbands and generic dramamine in advance. Despite the nearby hurricane it was smooth sailing — reminded me of when I lived in N Cal)

Should I be concerned about rocky seas?  I'm on the Zaandam leaving Boston Saturday, 9/24, for Montreal...stopping in Bar Harbor, Halifax, Sydney, Quebec...

I'm more concerned about getting seasick than port visits (my son is a musician on the ship and my main reason for going) but want good info on both ports and sea conditions.

It's my first cruise (assuming the Staten Island Ferry doesn't count)...all advice gratefully received.

Thanks -- I got the 90% refund insurance.  

And I noticed there's ANOTHER storm, Gaston, coming right behind it in the North Atlantic.

I'm supposed to be hopping onto the Zaandam in Boston on Sept 24, heading to Montreal.  It's my first cruise so I wonder how to find out if it'll be rocky, if we'll be skipping ports, and how to decide whether to cancel (if necessary--I have insurance). How can I best stay informed?

On 9/7/2022 at 9:14 PM, whogo said:

September 7, 2022

 

Mussel Mania in the Lido again last night, another winning meal, all big black mussels, none of the little white ones in white wine sauce. We feasted, remembered to have some vegetables to round out the meal. Mrs. Whogo watched a few minutes of the 2022 Elvis movie, left when it became too crowded in the Wayang Theater. Felt the movie was promising, we will watch it sometime.

 

Similar problem for her on the main stage with too many in the audience and she did not think comedian Steven Scott was funny. There was enough ocean motion to cause some cabin creaks, it has been a smooth sailing, especially in the St. Lawrence.

 

Enjoyed another calm, delicious dining room breakfast, coffee came reasonably quickly, it appears that only the assigned steward is allowed to pour coffee, maybe there is special hot liquid training involved.

 

We were willing to just wander the town of Sydney, again, but found a guide at an acceptable price to take us an hour away to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. Beautiful drive there, lots of water and forest, will be spectacularly colorful in a few weeks.

 

Paid our admission fee, the clerk was tired of explaining to visitors that there was no printed guide, no online guide. She may just be tired of life. Interesting museum, info well presented, Bell's wife got major mention. Wealth from his telephone invention allowed bell to experiment with kites, airplanes, hydrofoils and much more. Had a thing for tetrahedrons. Tested his hypothesis that ewes with more nipples were more likely to have twins, bred sheep that had twins, but after 30 years found no relationship between the number of nipples and likelihood of twins.

 

Mrs. Whogo wanted to see what was different about Canadian supermarkets, stopped at a large Sobeys. Lots more fresh fish and frozen fish than we see in the Midwest, also double cream that we never see. Some familiar brands, a few Canadian brands, it was a good stop. Also drove through through a First Nations reservation in Sydney. This one is the go to place for cheaper cannabis and cigarettes.

 

Mrs. Whogo took a long walk through the town and along the waterfront after a late lunch in the Lido, I took a shorter walk along the waterfront boardwalk, read the displays about Sydney's part in WWII and paid my respects to memorials to those lost at sea.

 

Only 9 of 17 correct in afternoon trivia put us in a three way tie, we won in the tiebreaker. How old was Shirley Temple when she won her special Oscar? What actress was a Bond girl in two films?

 

Dinner with the trivia ringer, Mrs. Whogo ordered the special whole lobster, served split down the middle with Bearnaise(?) sauce, I was only slightly splattered during its consumption. Collateral damage.

 

Temple was 6 years old, Maud Adams was a Bond girl twice.

Is the whole lobster a dining room entree/ is there a surcharge? I’m on the same route in 2 weeks and am

looking forward to lots of seafood.  Appreciate your comments!

On 7/18/2022 at 10:37 PM, RiciRicardo said:

Question time

What do you have for entertainment on the Voyage?

Piano Bar?  Dueling Pianos? Shows with singers and dancers?

Ocean Bar?

I miss the old school entertainment with the Ocean Bar then late night in the Piano Bar and the odd production show. Perfect endings to a day.

 

R.

My son is in the Ocean Bar band so yes, that’s on the Zandaam!

Thanks for giving such a vivid, entertaining description of your experience on the Zaandam! My son Gabriel is a singer/pianist on the ship and you're giving me a bit of insight into day to day life onboard! I'm toying with the idea of going on either a Canadian cruise or a longer cruise if he extends his contract. (It'd be my first real cruise.) Have you felt seasick at all?  Any advice on best food options you've found? I so look forward to following your posts on this and other cruises you might take on the Z!