ZAANDAM - 14 day ALASKA - May 21-June 4 - Quick impressions of ship and shore

Zaandam May 21-June 4, 2018 – QUICK COMMENTS

SEATTLE – KETCHIKAN- ENDICOTT ARM- JUNEAU - ICY STRAIT POINT –ANCHORAGE- HOMER- -KODIAK - -HUBBARD - SITKA - VICTORIA BC --SEATTLE

Weather- cold and rainy- Cruise wonderful – Zaandam lovely – another excellent HAL cruise. Yes, we will be taking another HAL cruise. (Maasdam - Kon Tiki Explorer)

As they say in Norway – there is no bad weather, only the wrong clothes. One goes to Alaska to see Alaska and more than once a guide told us – this is a typical day in Alaska. Or even the older joke, it you don’t like the weather just wait a few minutes. The rain was gentle and scattered, good clothing can protect against the wind and always, always the Alaska scenery wins the bad weather showdown.

Rain forest in the southern Alaska stops– lush, green, blooming and stunning. Plenty of snow on the mountain, winds of the glaciers always bracing. Wildlife in various forms at every stop: bald eagles, whales, otters, seals, puffins, kittiwakes, terns, ….huge leafted skunk cabbage, rhododendrens, ferns and plenty of African slugs

Changes in Zaandam (some since last ship dry dock a few weeks ago, some since our last cruise in 2015 and some observations for changes probably confused with other smaller HAL ships)

CABIN BATHROOM- new “rain” adjustable shower head – both pressure and temperature have a pre-set position but each has an override button on the on-handles that allows greater water pressure or temperature to your own specification; NO soap dish – we bought some in town as we like having two different bar soaps out; larger size Elemis soap bar along with liquid dispensers in the shower; very nice larger size Elemis white hand and body lotion, much better than the thinner cream colored in the past; three glass shelves and one large shelf under the sink; one outlet for shaver, new mirror with two, embedded side lighting panels that provided very flattering lighting for make-up and hair; taupe color wall panels and taupe flecked paneled floor; no door stop to hold bathroom door open; 4 hooks on the bathroom door

MAGNETS FOR CABIN- Thanks to the poser who suggested the “rare earth magnets” and the fact they are best for “pull weight” rather than surface use. They readily attached to the metal ceiling panels in the bathroom and cabin and was able to hang my cosmetic kit in the bathroom against one wall by hanging it from the ceiling attached m agent and the same in the cabin when I wanted to hang something out to dry by positioning the magnet on the ceiling near the ventilation outlets. They also worked to attach thing to the wall, but did slide down from time to time and had to be re-attached. So success finally when using “magnets” (rare earth type) in the cabin. They will now always come with me on future cruises.

CABIN – VERANDAH –NAVIGATION DECK -7082 : As noted, color scheme changed somewhat, still the honey colored cabinets, sofa now blue tweed fabric colored, blue-grey,brown leaf patterned cushions, same brown checked carpet, ivory colored wall paper, new curtains- both sheer and blackout, heavy room divider curtain ¾ reach across width of cabin you want to screen off the seating area from the bed area, tall back leather chair at the desk, very heavy lower, fixed height cocktail table; plenty of room under the bed for our suitcases (largest size airlines allow); plenty of drawers and closet space for two fully loaded 50# suitcases; safe in the closet requires a magnetic strip card and I just used my ship pass card (which I always wear on a wrist coil)

SHIP PUBLIC ROOMS -mix of new carpet and older carpet – new carpet more subdued and very attractive, ‘

MAINSTAGE –very lovely, looks recently redone with new carpet and upholstery,

DINING ROOM –new carpet,

EXPLORERS LOUNGE – one end remains in more intimate lounge seating and the other half is in concert row chairs facing the Adagio performers;

EXPLORATIONS CAFÉ- café itself redecorated, library far end away from the librarians station unchanged, the front main room had major changes, the room dividers were taken out allowing more seating in very nice leather recliner chairs facing the windows, librarian desk taken out, new lighter color fabric sofas, look is more mulii-purpose utilitarian but still functioned nicely, good selection of books along the walls, and always a good half dozen of new titles to read during the cruise

PINNACLE – as noted by others, new décor, very lovely, the i-Pad wine list is a work in progress – it needs to be left with each patron for self-exploration but the night we were there it was used by the win steward and was too confusing to use, we asked for a printed wine list and was told there were none but a later Coffee with the DINING/BEVERAGE manager indicted they are available and the wine steward was not up to speed about the use of they for the passengers, not for just him.

LIDO DINING- market place stations similar to what is found on other ships, no separate pizza prep but offered “cheddar cheese”hot slices called “pizza”, new carpet in dining area, hard surface flooring in food service areas, very nice, Grab and Go Sandwiches all good, two salad bars, one Asian and one pasta station, line for the ice-cream longer than we normally find on other ships – in Alaska no less – no longer a board showing the flavors for that day but cards out to read only when you get to the station – that was not a good change, ice cream still very good with all the toppings

DIVE-IN- always good and thanks to the poster who recommended the vegetarian “burger” with a grilled Portobello slice, yummy, I had it several times

CASINO - new white cloth tables, electronic poker, new “slot” machines - electronic displays, well used

GALA NIGHT – overall we saw about 80% of the men in some sort of dark suit – 10% maybe were tuxedos, others in collared shirts, 99% of women in various sparkly, or dressy choices, short and long – gala night traditions live even on Alaska cruises, so if you want to go all out, you will not be alone. People looked wonderful, but the Lido was also busy that night too. So those who chose not to dress up did pretty much stay out of the main dining room – but it was a full MDR on the last night, while more spotty the first Gala nights but that was also when the seas were a lot rougher.

ATK- there were some new offerings after having a lot of repeats on prior recent cruises – we do about 2-3 cruises a year, so they were well done and interesting. I always pick up new hints or techniques even if I don’t plan on making their recipes later.

CD: ANDY- very good in his role and he offered coffee chats with various ship’s personnel on sea days usually in the Crows Nest, always interesting, also the was Mainstage Ask the Captain

FRONT OFFICE -we only had very few dealings with the front office and they were handled competently, no issues for us

SHORE EXCURSIONS- ENRICHMENT –EXC - all good, appropriate and helpful, two additional Alaska lectures were offered but at 7pm in the Hudson Room which did not work with our schedule, not many at-sea days that were also not glacier viewing days too

ADAGIO – OCEAN BAR TRIO – PIANO BAR MIKE – all very good and very well attended, Asst CD ran very popular music trivia contests also very well attended, feeling was there was always something going on – not a “dead” feeling ship” at all, though we are not night owls, MainStage shows no longer match our “older” music tastes so we only attended a few, BBC show with music was interesting and a nice change of pace for evening entertainment.

ADAGIO was a very talented duo, very expressive violinist who kept the program to light classics and old favorites. (There however may have been just a little personal friction between himself and his equally talented pianist wife who seemed to want to compete rather than accompany. Well attended and well appreciated.

PIANO BAR MIKE filled the house every night with a great range and welcome banter. Regular ball room dancing tunes in the OCEAN BAR TRIO for both dancing and listening - drummer was the vocalist- good mix of tunes. Always pleasant to walk the circuit after dinner - and change musical moods. Very good selection of entertainers in these departments.

CLOTHING for ALASKA – took a few hits and misses early on to learn what the right combo was as we added or subtracted layers, which included silk underwear, Uniqlo “heat tech” layers, wool tights, cashmere, wool or alpaca sweaters, wind breaker or a double layer Gortex longer rain coat, with cashmere or pashmina scarf, wool gloves and ear muffs. One waterproof light fleece lined parka would be good choice too along with various underlayers. I think a longer jacket is better than a shorter one simply to keep pants dry if/when it rains and your parts are not waterproof. Carried an umbrella at times too when walking around town. Rain very much comes and goes ...comes and goes … comes and goes... but many times it was also almost inperceptible.

Err on the side of bringing more warm layers rather than fewer. And water-proof shoes or boots. We feared the worst when we signed up for kayaking at Icy Strait Point, and it happened – it started raining when we were out in open water, but we had the “right stuff” and did okay after all. Only once was I “too hot” when hiking in the Rain Forest Walk in Sitka (gorgeous hike) which included a number up hill stair climbs, but once the hard parts were over, our layers were just fine and just what we needed to dine on the outdoor deck of the Sitka Westmark Hotel in downtown – very good seafood lunch items

PORT HIGHLIGHTS - EITHER DIY OR HAL EXCURSIONS, OR COMBO OF BOTH

KETCHIKAN - local bus to Totem Bight State Park - be sure to look for the large gift shop with the free hot coffee to the right of the park entrance if you have to wait for the next bus - good to see what the working end of this town looks like. Bought soap dishes for cabin bathroom use.

JUNEAU - Mendenhal- Alaska Native Garden and Historial Museum tour- very good

Walk around city DYI

ENDICOTT ARM- lovely cruising and some spectacular calving, yummy salmon chowder on forward open deck

ICY STRAIT POINT - kayak tour - paddle down to Hoonah and back, saw whales, otters and shore line - easy for first timers who are generally fit -we are in our 70’s, be prepared for possible rain - they launch you from the shore and you are tucked into your kayak with a protective water shield so you stay mostly dry, hands got wet so wool gloves helped, kayaks have pedel operated rudder for easy steering. Liked the shops and museum at Icy Strait a lot - Dungeness crabs not yet in season, Very nice stop for all sorts of activities

ANCHORAGE - 26 Glacier and Wild Animal Protection Reserve - just stunning - long day, drive through tunnel to Whittier, crowded boat with good interior viewing and windy, cold open decka. there was plenty of open space to store items between the two rows of seating at the individual tables so bring a bag for extra layers - I kept adding them myself. Box lunch and snacks was very good. Hot chocolate for sale, but free coffee and tea.

HOMER - Gull Island tour sold out so sign up early if you want to enjoy this one - walked along harbor to shops on the Spit and famous saloon, took shuttle bus back and then the local shuttle bus into town - got off at Stop Three and went to Nomar store that manufacturers their own brand of outdoor clothing for Alaska - picked up some very nice pieces to supplement what we needed, as well as some nice other serviceable items, walked into town and picked up the bus at Stop Four back to the ship.

KODIAK - “Historic” boat tour for wildlife viewing and onboard snacks. small boat and got close to see a lot in this very lovely island archipelago, took shuttle into down and walked back - liked Kodiak a lot, since it is far from the maddning tourist crowds.

HUBBARD - spectacular day - great weather, icebergs, seals, calving, lots of noise when (after) they cracked, great play of light and shadows, clear skies,

SITKA - Rain forest hike - about 4 miles, 300 foot elevation gain - lush, blooming, spectacular, but slightly strenuous on beautifully maintained trails, stairs and board walks; shuttle into town - there are two ways to see Sitka when you get off the shuttle at the Visitor Center - go to your right into the historic area which was very lovely and nicely preserved, or go left into the town which was pretty over-impacted with schlocky tourist stuff though a good place to buy local soaps, including the legendary devils claw soap and salves

VICTORIA BC - took the city highlights bus tour which went into the very lovely residential areas as well as general downtown, got off at the Empress Hotel for “tea” just because (I had been there as a little girl when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in the 1950s’ so I wanted to go back) Can’t justify what you get for the price, but it we did it anyway. Walked back to the ship past the Fisherman Market area - very pleasant walk.

Best part of the cruise was getting into “real Alaska” and away from the over-impacted tourist Alaska and than means taking the Alaska weather anyway it gets handed to you. I can see why many take this 14 day itinerary over and over again. There are favorites to revisit every time and you never know when you just might win the Alaska weather lottery.

COMING SOON - new Delft patterned bread dishes in the main dining room to finally replace the last of the old blue and gold patterned "old" HAL china service; complaints by several registered about the rimless MDR dinner plates and the loss of the cold soups during the Coffee Chat with the Dining/Beverage Manager - these are "Seattle" decisions so be sure to mention them in your post-cruise evaluations.

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments.

Sounds like a wonderful cruise.

Thanks for the review, OlsSalt. We did the first Alaska Explorer this May and I can't get enough of reading about others' experiences. We'd been to Alaska before and thought that we'd be doing Denali "next time," but I'm so glad we picked the Alaska Explorer instead. Like some others, I could do this route a thousand times and not get bored. So much nature. We even saw brown bears on the shore. Always something different!

I enjoyed your comments about the room decor. We were perplexed by ours. They seem to be moving to a more gray-tone look throughout the fleet. Our deck six verandah had some new black/gray stuff thrown in with the old beige tones. Awkward! They really need to start fresh when redecorating -- just like at home, one thing leads to another! But that's a small thing on an otherwise excellent cruise.

BTW...my "uniform" in port quickly became inexpensive Columbia waterproof pants over silk underwear...and a Gortex jacket. And a rain hat. Waterproof trail shoes, too. So much rain, but so much beauty in Alaska!

Thanks for your comments and I am glad you enjoyed your cruise. I am sure many of the crew are still aboard that were on my December/January cruise. They helped to make that cruise a memorable one as well.

HOMER - pitch for their local NOMAR Alaska wear and gear manufacturing shop - near Stop Three on the town shuttle: https://nomaralaska.com Always feels good to shop locally and not buy items made in China as "Alaska" souvenirs.

HOMER - pitch for their local NOMAR Alaska wear and gear manufacturing shop - near Stop Three on the town shuttle: https://nomaralaska.com Always feels good to shop locally and not buy items made in China as "Alaska" souvenirs.

We are going for our second time in August of this year. I have some questions about the Homer shuttle: 1) how often does it run (not clear on their web site); once an hour, or more often?, and 2) is there ever a problem with the bus being full when you want to board at one of the stops (the web site implied sometimes you can't reboard due to no space, could be a problem if it only runs once an hour)?

Thanks for any information.

Penny

P.S. Forgot to thank you for the great review!!

ZAANDAM CRUISE LOGS and onboard COMMUNICATIONS

-- Beginning of cruise in the cabin there is a one page printed daily schedule of major daily activities for the length of the cruise - shows, gala nights, key programs etc -provides a basic overview for individual planning, but not all the daily details found in the When and Where delivered nightly to each cabin

(NB: When and Were - still miss the one page tear out check llist sheet fo daily activities, but we do not use the online Navigator ap which does make all of this easily available for those that do, so I just write out in a short note the times and place for what we want to do that day)

-Ongoing: Access to HAL Navigator via the in-cabin TV or personal device - status of account etc, sign up for shore excursions.

-- End of cruise - a very nice one-page cruise log with map suitable for framing or posting on any cruise memory wall

--During the cruise in each cabin - A printed port information booklet, with maps and some sight-seeing, dining and shopping suggestions in a one page tear out format to carry with you that included important shore contact info and phone numbers, not great detail but helpful for general orientation and relation to ship dock for that port.

Additionally, there is the HAL shore excursion booklet

We did this last year on Amsterdam. Cruise ended June 6. One of the best cruises of all times. Cannot do it this year due to medical things; but, good possibility for next year. We might do the repo from Ft. Lauderdale and then stay on for the Explorer. One flight, getting home.

Thank you.

Jim

Thanks OlsSalt for your review. We are doing this cruise July 2 and love reading about other cruisers experiences. Glad you had a good time.

Thank you for reviewing your cruise.

Did you ask your room steward for a soap dish?

Thank you for reviewing your cruise.

Did you ask your room steward for a soap dish?

No, but that is a good suggestion. The older ones in previous cabins were fixed to the wall with a removable glass dish so i assume they were taken out when they redid the bathrooms and "no one" thought about replacing them. They were a nuisance to keep clean. One could have used a saucer from the dining room too.

But we like buying "useful" souvenirs that we can also use at home. DH found a kind of stoneware ashtray with an Alaska theme that is quite handsome and I found a small bamboo rack - very light weight to pack along for future cruises - since we always needed a second soap dish anyway - I like my Dove soap.

Nothing is as consistently inconsistent as HAL.

We had two moveable glass soap dishes in our stateroom on the 6th deck of the Zaandam in May. One was left unused on the shelf under the sink for the duration of our two weeks onboard.

I bring my own Dove soap, too, so am always looking for the soap dish.

It's so funny/odd the stuff that comes to light on CC.

No, but that is a good suggestion. The older ones in previous cabins were fixed to the wall with a removable glass dish so i assume they were taken out when they redid the bathrooms and "no one" thought about replacing them. They were a nuisance to keep clean. One could have used a saucer from the dining room too.

 

But we like buying "useful" souvenirs that we can also use at home. DH found a kind of stoneware ashtray with an Alaska theme that is quite handsome and I found a small bamboo rack - very light weight to pack along for future cruises - since we always needed a second soap dish anyway - I like my Dove soap.

Thanks for your reply.

Thank you for your replies and shared joy reliving this special 14 day Alaska cruise.

My "lost" suitcase finally arrived - further notes:

NEW SIGNAGE: Ship signage has been replaced by frosted glass panels by the elevators sorting out decks by "activity" clusters with a good ship diagram and "where you are" notation - however the main event - pushing the elevator up or down button got lost and is very hard to see - but you quickly catch on where to push in the middle of these large new back-lighted signs.

New signs on each floor easier to see, but I still had to rely on my old orientation plan - look for the life-boat numbers - odd or even -- to know which way to turn to get to my cabin.

BEST CABIN LOCATION FOR THIS CRUISE: Speaking of which, it looks like the odd-number cabin side of the ship - the port side (?) offered the better viewing options for the majority of the cruise. Not a deal killer, but it you have a choice, pick the odd numbered cabins over the even-number cabins. We were three cabins away from the aft deck on the seven - Navigation deck and loved our quick access out the back to the Lido (cold weather and all) and the quick few flights down to the Main Dining Room - we do late fixed dining and it was a very nice, low key experience - in and out in usually an hour - three courses.

TOILETS: New vacuum system for cabin toilets - very strong whoosh when flushing so hopefull that will solve some of the prior clog back-up and take away the errant strays that passengers will still drop down the wrong hatch. Much stronger warning over the toilet with bolder visuals - ONLY TOILET PAPER with an international crossed out circle over other objects that should never be flushed - at eye level.

The sign on the balcony door was so obscure it might as well not be there, which also needs much bolder visual treatment because misuse can also affect other passengers:

Sign on verandah door glass - very faint: "To maintain comfortable stateroom temperature keep this door closed at all times"

SHOPS - some duty free fragrances, a few accessories of little interest and lots of costume type jewelry where they usually sold watchers. Saw very few people shopping for anything in this area. Marbella high end jewelry still in same location. HAL sportswear and logo shop had more individual ship logo items and no general "dam ships" stuff - topical and general sports wear items appropriate to the cruise area. Bought only a long sleeve Zaandam Alaska tee shirt in case my PJ's did not et back from the laundry - they did - excellent one day laundry service.. Though the logo shop did have some appealing items. This was not a shopping cruise for us - and there were some sale tables set out in the Lido later in the cruise.

CROWS NEST - reasonable make over, but fewer foot rest lounge chairs in front of the windows - gives more window access to more people during key events. And they added a lot more recliner foot-rest chairs in the Explorations Cafe library space when they took out the small room dividers and display cases so there is probably no net loss for this type of recliner seating, just now in different viewing areas.

VERANDAH CABIN STORAGE LAYOUT - 7082: plenty of space for two 50# suitcases full of clothes - we had empty drawers, this was not a connecting cabin

9 deep drawers in desk area

2 large drawers under the foot of the bed - often shared with some of the cabin stewards bed coverlets

2 shelves over the TV (Still old TV with video box)

4 night stand drawers

5 closet doors opening to full hanging racks or adjustable shelves plus fixed top shelf in each closet - safe takes up one shelf space area and life jackets can take up others - good place to put shoes

3 glass shelves at far end on bathroom sink area

1 long shelf under the bathroom sink

4 large double hooks on the front wall facing the bathrooms for hanging jackets

7082 cabin location choice - we were directly under the aft pool deck and there was only very light scraping in the afternoon when the deck chairs were getting put away. No other noise. Not too many people were out using the open deck chairs for Alaska cruises, but there were times when there was enough sun to enjoy this open area.

FOG HORNS: Alaska - captain may have to use the fog horns during the night - every few minutes as required by limited visability We heard them faintly in this location but other cabins closer to them got very little sleep the one night they had to be used.

BLACK OUT CURTAINS: Cabin curtains very adequate to block out the longer days in this part of the world, though we liked to keep things slightly open to get that early morning daybreak - around 5am. Light when we went to bed around 10pm too.

THE "O" THING: one scripted new age food choice program in the Crows Nest - about two dozen people attended - scripted about herbs, seeds and spices ready by the cruise director; a few early morning "just breathe and stretch classes; O book group was posted on the early handout but not offered later in the Where and When -don't know if it took place or not, assume this would also have been handled by the CD. Plenty of "O" magazines in the magazine rack with website screen photo of O near the Explorations Cafe, but that was pretty much it for this ship. No "Oprahs Favorite Things" shop.

Thank you for taking the time to write your review as well as giving us extra information.

We did your cruise 2 times on the Amsterdam and loved them.

We only use Dove soap as well and have them in their in travel containers that we put out on the sink.

“New signs on each floor easier to see, but I still had to rely on my old orientation plan - look for the life-boat numbers - odd or even -- to know which way to turn to get to my cabin.”

On Zaandam, (and Veendam) the bow on the ship’s logo on the cabin door ways always point towards the bow of the ship. I’m assuming they kept the same strategy if they replaced the signage at dry dock. (I suspect this is true across the fleet).

“New signs on each floor easier to see, but I still had to rely on my old orientation plan - look for the life-boat numbers - odd or even -- to know which way to turn to get to my cabin.”

 

 

On Zaandam, (and Veendam) the bow on the ship’s logo on the cabin door ways always point towards the bow of the ship. I’m assuming they kept the same strategy if they replaced the signage at dry dock. (I suspect this is true across the fleet).

That was such a good tip in the past, but the cabin door signage and "mailbox" changed too - very neutral so that old visual logo clue is now missing. I still think their best choice is a carpet pattern design, but that was not meant to be either. The "fore and aft" direction signs are there when you reach the foyers, but hard to read and see - while the life boat numbers are readily more apparent when coming up or down the stairs or off the elevators.

We always try to find a directional clue in the foyer art pieces as well, which means on this ship remembering which of the three elevator and stairwell bays one is currently using. My mind has not yet wrapped around the stairwell direction clue which works for others. I need to work on that one.

I noticed a new floor mat on ms Volendam in March and April. It was the profile of a ship, with the pointy end pointing to the bow. This was located mid ships on deck one, in the hall near the elevators. Brilliant help for orientation.

I thought of you, Ols Salt.

Barbara

Thanks, OlsSalt, for the detailed info on your Alaskan Explorer Cruise! We followed you to Cuba, and now we will be following you to Alaska!:) This will be our 4th Alaska Explorer, 6th time to Alaska and 4th time on the Zaandam. Looking forward to going! Thanks for all your information, your view is greatly appreciated!

Karen

I noticed a new floor mat on ms Volendam in March and April. It was the profile of a ship, with the pointy end pointing to the bow. This was located mid ships on deck one, in the hall near the elevators. Brilliant help for orientation.

I thought of you, Ols Salt.

 

Barbara

Hi Barbara, VOV certainly remains WOW-#1, but this came in a close second for northern territory exposures. Finally saw our darn puffins, that we kept missing on the VOV. I was almost ready to think they did not exist.

"BEST CABIN LOCATION FOR THIS CRUISE: Speaking of which, it looks like the odd-number cabin side of the ship - the port side (?) offered the better viewing options for the majority of the cruise. Not a deal killer, but it you have a choice, pick the odd numbered cabins over the even-number cabins. We were three cabins away from the aft deck on the seven - Navigation deck and loved our quick access out the back to the Lido (cold weather and all) and the quick few flights down to the Main Dining Room - we do late fixed dining and it was a very nice, low key experience - in and out in usually an hour - three courses."

You were on the starboard side of the ship.

The easy way to remember is that PORT has 4 letters, as does LEFT (the side of the ship you are on when facing forward), as does EVEN (cabin numbers).

I sailed with you and remember you having a conversation with one of the staff members (Janette?) about having tea at the Empress.

Great comments for those that follow on this wonderful voyage.

Thanks, OlsSalt, for the detailed info on your Alaskan Explorer Cruise! We followed you to Cuba, and now we will be following you to Alaska!:) This will be our 4th Alaska Explorer, 6th time to Alaska and 4th time on the Zaandam. Looking forward to going! Thanks for all your information, your view is greatly appreciated!

 

 

Karen

Heads up Karen, we are off next September to try out the very first Maasdam new "In Depth" cruise program from FLL to Papeete - looks like a good one to follow too. Glad you got to Cuba before they stopped going to Havana - that city certainly deserved more than just our one day visit.

I can now see why so many of you keep going back Alaska - and it is not for the weather is it? One of the best "getting away" destinations ...from everything. DH got some very lucky shots of a whale's tail, a bear on the beach and baby eagle in nest on one of the dock pilings. Hope I can figure out how to post them.

(Ignore)

Faling here in my attempt to add photos, but at least I got an acceptable sized attachment linked:

New elevator foyer signage on Zaandam

The two black buttons in the middle are the up and down buttons.

 

New elevator foyer signage on Zaandam

The two black buttons in the middle are the up and down buttons.

Thank you for pointing out the buttons, that would not have been my first place to look for them.