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We got tiles this morning. Do you normally get them on your first cruise?

I decided to shower in the gym changing room post pool. Sometimes the showers are nicer and roomier so I thought I’d give it a try. It was roomy but no privacy to speak of. Just a few greyed out blocks on the clear glass shower door. I would’ve taken a picture of the shower but I wasn’t alone. Water pressure was better in my cabin. Also no hairdryers. They were removed last dry dock. If you want a wash rag remember to grab one from the sink area. 
 

I did something I’ve never done on a cruise. An “exercise” class. Well it was stretching. I really enjoyed it. The gym was well used. 
 

View from the deck in front of gym. Look how flat the water is. 

I am really struck by how polite the passengers are. It’s very nice. Also, there are no room service trays left in the hallways. 

Lido breakfast. Discovered French toast. It was good. Normally it’s premade on other lines I’ve been on. 
 

Attended the coffee chat because the Security Officer was from Cornwall and he did a presentation on Cornwall. If you missed it and are on board here are his beer recommendations  I was amazed at his qualifications. His wife will join him in Cornwall for a good number of days. The bicycle presentation by Daniel followed. It was interesting. Daniel really is excellent. I’ve been able to ask him and Brandon questions as they are out and about 
 

It’s 58 degrees F so it’s definitely cooler on deck. We were tired after yesterday and both said, “I’m so glad tomorrow is a sea day!” 😆 

We didn’t walk today. Some people saw whales today.
 

We tried the noodle soups from the lido. The broth was tasty but not hot. 
 

The aft pool had loungers open. Big surprise 😀 . I huddled down for a bit and then got in a hot tub and then pool for one lap. Trotted over to the sauna by the ping pong tables. I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but it’s  free. I see no need for the thermal pass as it’s a somewhat limited thermal area. 
 

My husband was relaxing in the room and was excited to text me that our windows were being cleaned. We were professional window cleaners for 20 years. I guess that’s a benefit of the obstructed view rooms. I’m sure the windows can be  more often and a better job can be done. What do you think @seattleslew? (Rizal says hello. He was happy to hear your salutations. I’ll see Dwi soon I’m sure)

I talked to a RS band member. He said they really appreciate this crowd. It makes them feel so good when people enjoy and participate. 

Next up-read a book!

Day 9: Happy Hour prices changed 

I have been able to watch YouTube with the premium Wi-Fi ( HIA plus). 

Random thoughts:

The Elemis product’s scent is a bit strong. More of a cologne smell than floral. If you are sensitive to perfumes beware. 
 

Except for embarkation day they haven’t had any spa specials. Not even port day specials.

On 5/12/2024 at 3:15 PM, FlorenceItaly said:

We do not have HIA and am disappointed in the current happy hour offering of only 25%.  I am hoping it is a misprint, LOL,

Starting tomorrow Happy Hour changes to 50% off

Canaletto was good. The service is excellent. The Burrata salad was very good but it is not burrata. I asked if it was creamy inside and the waitress said no, it is mozzarella. I even heard her explain to someone else before they ordered it without them asking. The shrimp starter also was very tasty and light. 
 

Spaghetti with clams and shrimp was a pasty sauce. The shrimp and clams were good though. 
 

The Ossobucco was a quite good and huge. I must say MSC MDR’s is even better. In fact it was  my favorite cruise meal ever. 
 

Gelato for dessert as we wanted something lighter. 👍 

We are MDR lovers. This is only the third time that we’ve done specialty dining and only ever  because it was part of a promo. 

Current prices on Zuiderdam

On Zuiderdam now. The Rolling Stone band is incredible! There is a 1 player piano bar with audience singing along. There is a jazz trio in Ocean Bar. The band for the main stage shows is also very talented as are the singers. I get that production shows may not be your thing though. They have had guest performers on the main stage as well. No daytime music. 

The group took taxis back to Praia. We walked around and ate some fresh cheese and cod fritters. Had a nice chat with one of the Zuiderdam dancers and the musician. Went to a supermarket and bought some wine and goodies to take to my sister in Germany post cruise and then to a bakery and had goodies. The local specialties of Donna Amelia cakes and traditional egg tarts were sold out. It was just over 6€ for two pastries a coffee and cappuccino. 🤯 
 

Being Saturday some stores were closed. 
 

Took the free shuttle back to the ship. 
 

The island is beautiful. So green. I love all of the stone fences and cows. 

FYI 

We will dine at Canaletto tonight 

The path to the taxis:

Day 8- Praia da Vitoria, Terceira

Overcast to start but then it cleared up. Very comfortable weather. Calm waters 

Walking off the ship we turned right and followed the path to the taxi area. It was a bit of a walk and not super busy with taxis, but there were two vans. Perfect as we had 11 of us from the rollcall going on a whale watch out of Angra. (Thanks @JodiCruise)It was $30 per cab and a beautiful  20-30 minute drive. The company was OceanEmotion. They were great! Our guide was so nice and informative. The captain was excellent too. We had perfect conditions because of no wind or waves. Because of that we were allowed to listen on their underwater microphone and hear the whales. We saw sperm wales coming up to breath. The highlight really was the Common dolphins that we saw. They were so playful, cute and prolific. We also saw Risso’s dolphins. Both types look different from  the dolphins in Florida. Seeing the island for the water is beautiful too. 

I think I’ve magically been transported to a Fantasy Class Carnival Ship 😜 

This bench totally doesn’t match Zuiderdam. 

Look what my phone told me! Too bad I also averaged eating more calories 

16 hours ago, seattleslew said:

Hi!  I'm enjoying your thread because I got off the Z World Cruise the day you embarked.  I know which room you have because I have it booked on the Westerdam in September.  I had my room stewards show it to me --- does your stateroom number begin with a 4 and end with a 2?  If so, say hi to your room stewards Dwi and Rizal from me (Miss Martha) and tell them I miss them very much. They do such an excellent job --- I don't think I remember a single goof.  BTW, I also had an awful oily spool of cable outside my ObsOV cabin and since I had checked my WC room out on the Z last summer, I brought along a box of Frosted Privacy Film from Home Depot and it was well worth the investment because that thing is UGLY!  Oh, and I had Harry the Supervisor come check it and he was impressed and let me leave it in 4088, saying the next pax might enjoy it.

Yes that is my room and those are our lovely stewards. I’ll let them know! They saved us this morning. My husband got confused and put the room service breakfast tag in the “mailbox” not on the door handle. They noticed and let us know to either call it in or head to a restaurant. 

Quinoa salad -very good. Similar to tabouleh 

Berry soup- very good.  Not overly sweet. 

Sea Bass. Good although the skin wasn’t crispy 

Swiss Steak - dry and tough to cut. (The lunch lido version was very tender and didn’t even need a knife)

Manchester Tart- I didn’t finish it. Tasted like it was no sugar added with a fake banana taste 

The afternoon consisted of more Indian food from the lido. 
 

A swim and hot tub session by the Seaview Pool. Got loungers with an aft wake view. These hot tubs seem to have a stronger jet than the LP ones. Nice and hot too. Both pools are sort of hard to enter. 
 

We went to the ice cream social. I’m not really impressed with the ice cream on board. 
 

The port talk by Daniel was very helpful. This is sooo different from other lines port talks. 
 

The mains show was based on famous songs with guitar riffs. It was ok. They should’ve turned up the guitar players mic so that he was highlighted as the singers were quite loud. I used to love production shows but I think over the years my taste has changed. I actually was looking forward to Step One as a nice change. I get that frequent cruisers were tired of it though. 

3 hours ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

Oops. Accidentally quoted

A couple that we talked to saw a turtle!