solocanadian

Bon Voyage, Trisha. Glad you are taking a little of Virgil with you. You can lighten up your packing a little by not taking any formal wear now. It will be bitter sweet at times but nice to be waited on. Good luck with Cabin assignment. Try to let us know before you go.:):D:)

I am having the same problem. Three months of phone calls and not a single one returned. I know all HAL's vendors are sub contractors ( including the gym and salon ) but HAL should step in when the customer is getting no satisfaction from the vendor.

Hear, Hear!!!

YES, on Lower Promenade Deck opposite cabins 3337 and 3338.

vvvv

We will be meeting with the FCC tomorrow on Westerdam and have a question about Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

We love 5190 on the 3 Vistas that have the huge covered balcony- they are perfect for early or late season Alaska and we love the privacy. Which aft wraps on Nieuw Amsterdam have the largest balcony areas preferably with the most overhead coverage?

 

Thanks in advance for CC wisdom and guidance! Would try to search but internet on Westerdam is a tad slow today.

Hope some one on CC can answer your question since some of the FCCs are not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Don't ever believe what they tell you. I've had several screw ups lately - all fixable but time consuming.:)

HAL still holds the drills at your lifeboat station. While it's not really needed for most B2B passengers to repeat the drill, it is probably less confusing for the crew than trying to sort out who is OK to not be at the drill.

That is not correct. You now must attend all muster drills on b2b and collector cruises.:(

So sorry to learn this. Prayers for Gary,Jane, Tony and family.

Am delighted to have read about your good fortune. I have been sailing solo since my Husband passed away in 1998. Do enjoy the beautiful South Pacific.

Am glad you are able to make Virgil's wishes come true. I did likewise for my husband in Canadian waters on an Alaska cruise on the Statendam in 98. Will look forward to your report once you are home.:)

Thanks for posting your beautiful pictures. It is probably the only way I will see that part of the world. Don't care to fly any more. There sure was a lot of ice - much more than Alaska that I have seen many times because of it's convenient location to my home. Thanks again.:)

Matthew, thanks for posting the great photos. They will make up for the Sept. 19 cruise to Alaska on the Noordam that I cancelled. Looks like you had decent weather.:)

I take approx. $400 U.S. for a 14 day cruise. Use this for tips on the ship and on shore lunches and souvenirs. Credit and debit cards charge too much in exchange to the Canadian dollar. Does not make sense to use plastic out of the country for meals and gifts. If I have to use a credit card I have one that charges less in exchange and conversion fees.

When the "dance host" program was in its heyday, there were a couple of untoward incidents. In one that I recall, a host was a con man out to get inside the trust envelope of women and then grab funds from their accounts. In another, the host actually raped a couple of women. HAL got sued over that one. They initially shut the program down and later reopened it with much more restrictive rules and more intense investigation of the hosts.

 

I was raised by a cop and I tend to remember criminal activity, not good things. I guess this is from being exposed to a lot of bad happenings in my youth.

 

Doc:o

Glad to no longer see these old geezers. I'd rather sit like a wall flower than even try and chat them up. Not surprised to hear your stories.

Today, Sunday 6 September the MS Statendam was one hour late arriving in Victoria, BC. She helped rescue a fisherman off the coast of Vancouver Island at Tofino, B.C. A fisihing boat capsized and only one fisherman was found in a life raft. The rest of the crew is presumed missing. Willing to bet the loan survivor was very happy to see the Statendam and be rescued by her and her crew. There were good pictures of the ship on the 6:00 PM Vancouver news on Global TV.

I have cruised solo since 1998 when my husband passed away. The past 2-3 years HAL offers no deals. It's very simple to figure the Single rate. Just double the cruise fare and add on the taxes and port fees once.

Thanks for the link, Joanie. BC's Orca watchers are very excited with the birth of 3 baby Orcas this year. They all appear to be healthy as they frolic with their mothers. I've booked marked this site so I can check in daily.

Another point to remember is that the largest square footage for regular cabins (insides, OV an balcony) are the wheelchair accessible cabins.

 

The majority will be the smallest square footage.

Not true. I had 4090 on Westerdam and it was puny:( except bathroom which was large since it is wheelchair accessible.

Be sure to use the hand rails and stay off the stairs. Strongly recommend renting or taking a rollator. I speak from experience since my late husband had Parkinsons. Be sure to set your own pace and don't let people behind rush you. Enjoy your cruise..

Thank you all for your concern over my health. I am humbled by your comments; thank you. The last 3.5 months have been very difficult. I do have Menieres but it seems there is something else going on. I should know more in early September but have to wait until December until I can be assessed in a vestibular laboratory.

Sorry to read this, Gail.

On a one week cruise in June on Volendam there were three wine tastings, the usual Navigator and Admiral tastings, and a third in the atrium, an "International Wine Tasting". This time it was just crackers and cheeses with about 8 or ten different wines, but we had a nice time and were able to chat with the Cellar Master, Fernando, as we just wandered around and tasted wines on tables spaced around the Atrium. I don't remember what it cost. On Westerdam and Maasdam last year there were also more than two wine tastings, but they were longer cruises.

Fernando is a Great Cellar Master. The guy on our Westerdam cruise in the spring was not. I would not have paid for a meal hosted by him. He had as much charm as a snake at a garden party. He was such a "nothing" I can't recall his name.

Oh, my. Had you not posted I probably wouldn't have heard this, as it's not something that would show up on my news reports.

 

How awful for people to have to report to muster in that! I would be terrified for the ship sailing by Stanley Park under the bridge; it's narrow in there.

Hope the seas settled down as the ships headed north.

 

And I hope the residents up there came through with little damage.

 

Thanks for posting.

Stanley Park is farther away from the Lions Gate Bridge than you think, Ruth. No chance of a fallen tree getting anywhere near the ship. I didn't worry about the cruise ships. Worried more about the BC Ferries but there was no news report about them. We had such a long glorious summer people forget what a little wind and rain can do. I was on a balcony facing same way as the Hal ship at Canada Place. The balcony is a lot narrower than upper promenade. Only a couple of inches from the railing got wet and very little wind felt standing there. It was fascinating to watch this huge black clould open up and see the torrential rain and wind. Have seen that sudden heavy rain in Florida that lasts 10-15 minutes and they the sun comes out and everything dries up. When I drove home at 9:00 PM all the roads the dry and no sign of the rain. Lots of leaves blown off trees but fortunately no downed trees or broken branches in my neighbourhood.

I think its good HAL tries different things to determine what people like. Its only a seven day cruise, if you don't like it, don't go. I find it new and interesting.

No, I am not on that cruise. I just object to these amateur cooks getting a paid for cruise. I would not give any of them the time of day, even though I watch the TV show. I just watch the show to see the bickering and I really dislike the swelled heads of the kids.

Enjoy your cruise on the Beautiful Noordam and be sure to pack your rain gear.

Rain all up and down the coast today and tomorrow.:):D:)

I note you are relatively new to CC. Respectfully suggest your take your question to the Roll Call for your Cruise. Enjoy your cruise on such a beautiful ship. She is one of my favourites.:)

On the HAL ships where there are 2 pools, the aft pool is supposed to be for adults only. But every once in a while we have seen children in it.

I have seen it many times at the Sea View Pool and no one does a thing about it and many of the parents don't even watch their children. Grr.:(

I would not want that verandah. I've been in that elevator so many times and there is little privacy. It isn't I'm doing anything private on the verandah but I'd feel like a lot of sightseers were peering at me. :D

 

I really think people are more concerned about looking out at the sea rather than a balcony.