Traversing the Sea of Cortez Aboard the Amsterdam: Our Experiences

[ironin]

Activities

 

While we did hear of one or two complaints about the lack of activities, the daily program looked busy and chock-full of options to us. Although one of us did attend and enjoy Future Cruise Consultant Jayne's presentation focusing on the Prinsendam, we didn't get involved in any of the scheduled activities, so we don't have much to add. I don't recall specifics, but fellow passengers who mentioned attending various functions (computer classes and trivia games come to mind at the moment) told us that they enjoyed themselves.

 

Internet Access

 

Being aboard a ship, the speed of the internet service was variable, as expected. Unlike my September trip aboard the Eurodam, I had no real reason to purchase a package for this cruise, but I did wander into the Explorations Cafe area to peruse the free sites at various times on different days. If connections were proving to be painfully slow at that particular moment, the Internet Manager(?)/Librarian(?) was very good about coming over and warning anyone about to sit down at a terminal.

 

The best advice I've had is that passed along by BruceMuzz: plan on using the internet when almost everyone else is busy doing something else. Being alternatively an early riser or late sleeper, this worked very well for me aboard both the Eurodam and the Amsterdam. (In fact, as BruceMuzz suggests, doing the opposite of what the vast majority are doing at any given time usually works out to a passenger's benefit and contributes greatly to an overall sense of enjoyment, whether it be dining in the Lido, using the computer terminal, or visiting the front desk.)

 

Front Desk and Account Statements:

 

As the delightful front desk clerk named Bong reminded me our second evening, there really was no need for us to visit the front desk, as we were in a suite and had the services of the Neptune Lounge staff. Ingrained habits die hard (or at least mine seem to) and I'm used to dropping by the front desk every other day (at times when the staff aren't busy with other passengers), and asking for a copy of the shipboard account. It only takes a minute and, in my experience, goes a long way towards avoiding problems only discovered on the final day. As was true aboard the Eurodam, we found everyone we met at the front desk friendly, helpful, and professional. (For some reason, I'm reminded here of a scathing and exceedingly personal criticism of a woman working on the Eurodam who we thought marvelously well-informed, as well as imaginative in her suggestions.)

[ironin]

"a woman who had the starring role in "Phantom of the Opera" for 1300+ performances in London"

That woman was Dale Christian whose performances were in Los Angeles as a spectacular Christine in Phantom.

 

That's who it was! Thanks' date=' too, for the performance locale correction . BTW, others told us that, unlike some guest performers aboard ships, Ms. Christian was out-and-about, approachable and friendly when not performing.

 

IRLJOANIE:

Thanks so much for dropping by, Joanie! We took pictures of the stateroom for your site and will forward them later.

[arzz]

Thank you Ironin for mentioning the front desk and accounts. The front desk staff were great when it became clear that I would have to leave the ship in Cabo San Lucas. They listed everything I had to do (including when and where to go to clear Mexican customs and immigration -- even warning me about the fee), and they let me know how long it would take to get to the airport at Cabo San Lucas. Kudos to the front office staff.

 

Only issue we had was one that we did not expect. DH and I were both using the same credit card, and essentially had a joint account on board. When I left the ship the account was closed. A new account (using the same credit card -- they did not even ask DH for permission to use it) was opened in DH's name only for the balance of the cruise. No issue with that at all.

 

What I do have issue with was that they did not deliver a copy of my closed account to us and when DH asked they could not do it. It never occurred to me that since I left DH on board that the account would be closed. And, we cannot account for about $150 dollars of on board expenses. Not a big deal but we honestly do not know if there was an error on our account or if we lost some receipts and forgot everything that we spent.

 

Moral of the story -- if you have to leave the ship early be sure to get a copy of the on board account before you go. The last time I had seen the account it was correct. This was something that was not even on my radar at that time -- I did, however, make sure that DH had the tip envelopes filled before I left.

[ironin]

What I do have issue with was that they did not deliver a copy of my closed account to us and when DH asked they could not do it. It never occurred to me that since I left DH on board that the account would be closed. And, we cannot account for about $150 dollars of on board expenses. Not a big deal but we honestly do not know if there was an error on our account or if we lost some receipts and forgot everything that we spent.

 

Moral of the story -- if you have to leave the ship early be sure to get a copy of the on board account before you go. The last time I had seen the account it was correct. This was something that was not even on my radar at that time -- I did, however, make sure that DH had the tip envelopes filled before I left.

 

Wow, arzz, I am sorry to read that. It would never occur to me that a final statement wouldn't be generated if/when they close an account in such a situation. At the very least, if you have time, I urge you to write Stein Kruse's office about your experience, including the good and the bad.

[RuthC]

Truth be known, I actually did think of you when were there, as in "I bet Ruth would enjoy this." Have you by any chance mentioned Stryker by name in a post about piano bar performers? When I saw his name in the program, it looked familiar for some reason.

I may have mentioned Stryker, but probably not many times. I know I asked about him when he was mentioned in the World Cruise thread last year, as I knew he had the gig.

Stryker was playing the Piano Lounge on my 32-day Rotterdam cruise last year from Athens to Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. He has a joy in him that comes out through his fingers, and makes the piano sing!

During my cruise we had an 8-day Code Red. Stryker did double duty covering the continental breakfast line. He was as upbeat and cheerful there as he had been late the night before in the Lounge.

 

Do you know how long he'll be on the Amsterdam? Or if he's doing the World Cruise again this year?

[ironin]

This was actually our second time leading the "life of Riley" in a suite. For some reason, we managed to select two sailings last year when suites were not in high demand and prices dropped within our range. In the first instance, continuing bad press for the Mercury probably caused the dramatic fare reductions we saw in our mid-May repositioning-to-Alaska cruise. We don't know why we were able to get such a reasonable upsell for a suite on this last cruise (perhaps because it departed on a Thursday and returned on a Tuesday). Whatever the reason(s), we're glad we did.

 

While we had a great time on our Alaska cruise aboard the Mercury, our Sky Suite and associated amenities were nowhere near as impressive or appreciated as what we discovered aboard the Amsterdam. For example, aboard the Mercury, the nightly hors d'oeuvres were perfunctory at best, not particularly fresh, and some downright inedible. We asked the butler not to leave them after the second night. The in-suite afternoon tea items weren't much better, nor was the tea, so we stopped that as well. The freshly-made cappuccinos were great, but had to be ordered in advance through the butler, who obviously couldn't be on hand to answer every call while he was busy responding to other calls. We didn't have much luck trying to ordering a cappuccino if the butler didn't personally answer the phone, so we confined ourselves to a regular morning order. Celebrity's butler service sounds great in theory, and our butler was nice enough in practice, but the reality was he did best at scheduled distribution and not much else.

 

But this review is supposed to be about our experiences aboard the Amsterdam, so I ought get back to the subject at hand: the suite amenities (the suite itself being covered in a post above).

 

Neptune Lounge:

 

As mentioned once or twice earlier, being within a few steps of the Neptune Lounge made it easy to pop in and make our own cappuccino, cafe au lait, mocha, espresso or coffee whenever we wanted to, and we did.

 

As I said at the beginning, Re-Anne in the Neptune was our "goddess of superlative service with a smile." Re-Anne took care of everything with such grace and efficiency that anything I write singing her praises seems inadequate. While didn't see the other concierge, Hanz, as often, as he alternated between in the lounge or at the front desk during the voyage, we were equally impressed with his work and his genuine friendliness.

 

I regret not writing down the name of the Pinnacle Grill employee who was invariably in the lounge, offering to help make coffee or whatever when not busy rotating the fresh and tasty temptations on display at the food bar throughout the day. He (Sopardo is how I remember his name, but I'm sure I am wrong) was always very nice and accommodating. We rarely took advantage of the offerings, however, save to sample a couple of unusual items that we couldn't help wondering what they were. It may sound strange to some, but one of the nicest things for me to discover in the Neptune Lounge was a toaster, as I've never adapted to the English custom of room temperature toast.

 

Hors d'oeuvres

 

As we invited some friends to cocktails, we ordered hors d'oeuvres twice. They turned out to be a nice selection of both hot and cold appetizers and sauces and were magnificent in both taste and appearance. They arrived precisely when promised, too. We would have ordered them more often, but didn't want to spoil our dinner. The first night out, we discovered that a few laps around the promenade deck to "walk" some of it off was a necessity. (If there's only one thing to love about a HAL ship, it has to be a promenade deck that lives up to its name.)

 

Priority Boarding for Tenders

 

We brought our note, as directed therein, along with us once. There wasn't a line when we got there, but they were checking for permission slips.

Laundry, Pressing & Dry-Cleaning

 

After unpacking the suitcases, we sent what didn't travel well to be pressed or laundered. We soon discovered that, unlike when I was aboard the Eurodam in September, 48-hour return means 48-return for laundry on the Amsterdam (or did most of the time). Our tuxes came back pressed before dinner time the next evening (the first formal night) but the shirts were still AWOL at 7PM. Re-Anne made some calls, one shirt eventually arrived, albeit a bit damp. (The handy hair dryer helped solve that problem.) Thanks to Re-Anne, they kindly sent along a rental shirt as the other was still in the wash.

 

When one of my dress shirts was later returned damaged, Re-Anne took care of the claim. As I'd purchased the shirt just 2 months before, and only worn it once, I thought the compensation offered (80% of cost) was at the low end of reasonable but accepted it. We didn't need anything dry-cleaned while aboard.

 

Afternoon Tea & Other Benefits:

 

We never got around to ordering high teas service in the suite. Based on our experience with hors d'oeuvres, we imagine that really missed out on something special.

 

I'm sure that I've forgotten many other benefits of the suite life. We thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity and all of the special members of the crew who made it so unique.

[Nancyquilts]

Our only criticism is the same one we've come away with after other voyages: the performers are seriously over-amplified for their venues. We don't understand the need to inundate guests with excessive vibration and think it detracts from their performances. (Obviously, this is our personal taste and YMMV :))

 

My mileage doesn't vary at all. The over-amplification is a problem on all ships that we have taken. :eek: We have finally resorted to wearing ear covers that are used at a gun range. They knock 23 decibels right off the top and make the programs enjoyable.;)

 

On another subject, thank you very much for your report. As we will be going to those ports later this month, it comes at a great time for me.

[ironin]

From the IMRU Department:

 

Most people figure us as a gay couple. We aren't the one but we are the other. One of us was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Thus, Spanish is his native language, which was quite handy given our destination ;). The other was born and raised in California, speaks a couple of dialects of Chinese, and mangles the Japanese language with some regularity.

 

We have been the best of friends for over 25 years, although we have lived at opposite ends of the state for some time now. We are, respectively, in our late 40's and end of early 50's (Alas!).

[ironin]

We have finally resorted to wearing ear covers that are used at a gun range. They knock 23 decibels right off the top and make the programs enjoyable.;)

 

On another subject, thank you very much for your report. As we will be going to those ports later this month, it comes at a great time for me.

 

Thanks for the tip, Nancy! I'm going to check those out. Here's hoping you have as great a time as we did on our trip.

[ironin]

... or...Tuxedo Junction:

 

Formal Nights and Formal Wear:

 

There were three formal nights on our 12-day sailing. As far as we could tell (we didn't go out of our way to notice), people were appropriately dressed during those evenings. Probably 80% or more of the men wore a coat and tie. Cocktail dresses seemed to be the norm for women.

 

As mentioned above, we brought our tuxes. We both own a tux because, 14 years ago, we planned to go on a long Panama Canal repositioning cruise. At that time, given the cruise duration, it cost less to buy a tux than it cost to rent one. After we each bought one, we ended up not being able to go. Rescheduling the cruise became something of a long-running joke. Once our schedules and pocketbooks finally meshed, neither of us could imagine not getting some use out of them after seeing them hanging in our respective closets all that time. :D

[ironin]

Addendum to Formal Wear entry above:

 

In case I wasn't clear, those men not wearing suits and ties during dinner at formal nights were, like us, wearing tuxes. We didn't personally see anyone who was not appropriately attired for the evening. We don't know how the MDR handled things, but we do know that the Pinnacle Grill enforced their standards by quietly, politely, but firmly, declining service to a very few passengers who appeared in inappropriate clothing.

[CowPrincess]

Congrats on still fitting into your respective tuxes :)

[iceman93]

Ironin, I'm enjoying your review too. So much so, in fact, that I've abandoned my previous thread. You're hitting most of the same high points that I would have hit anyway, and I'm waiting to see if you hit any of the same complaints.

 

It strikes me that you were clearly comparing your experience on our cruise to a less-than-perfect one on Celebrity earlier this year. In contrast, my most recent cruise was on the Westerdam earlier this year and that voyage is in contention with one other for my favorite cruise ever. So perhaps my disappointment with several things on the Amsterdam is in comparison to an outstanding Westerdam voyage, while your general enjoyment of the Amsterdam is in comparison to a poor vacation on a Celebrity ship...

[ironin]

Iceman93:

 

RE: Abandoning your thread: "Say it ain't so!" or at least say it here! I've been looking forward to your further thoughts because I know you had some experiences that were quite different than ours. For example, what you encountered at embarkation was inexcusable, while our embarkation was swift and friendly. Please, feel free to share your observations. I mean it.

 

FWIW, we really did have a great time cruising to Alaska aboard the Mercury. I didn't mean to give the impression that it was otherwise. That said, HAL's alcohol prices and policies seem much more reasonable to me than Celebrity's prices and policies, and I thought a comparison based on personal experience might be useful. We also enjoyed our suite on the Mercury, but the service and amenities provided pale in comparison to what we enjoyed while aboard the Amsterdam. A few pushy waiters aboard the Mercury were a minor irritation at the time, but we adapted by avoiding being anywhere near them whenever possible, and now joke about having to hide from them. (Gustavo in the Mercury's Cova Cafe, however, was wonderful.) Having now sailed aboard both the Eurodam and the Amsterdam, I'm comfortable saying I appreciate the much more subtle HAL approach to drink service.

[sail7seas]

Ironin, What a great review. I am so enjoying it.

We have not sailed Amsterdam in many years so it's great to read how wonderful the crew and the good condition of the ship.

 

I hope you'll be adding more here as I hate to see it end. :)

 

[Aussiemick]

Ironin, I'm enjoying your review too. So much so, in fact, that I've abandoned my previous thread. You're hitting most of the same high points that I would have hit anyway, and I'm waiting to see if you hit any of the same complaints.

 

It strikes me that you were clearly comparing your experience on our cruise to a less-than-perfect one on Celebrity earlier this year. In contrast, my most recent cruise was on the Westerdam earlier this year and that voyage is in contention with one other for my favorite cruise ever. So perhaps my disappointment with several things on the Amsterdam is in comparison to an outstanding Westerdam voyage, while your general enjoyment of the Amsterdam is in comparison to a poor vacation on a Celebrity ship...

 

Damn, If we could have got Re-Anne down near the Dolphin deck many of my daily irritations would have gone away. Guess I'll just have to save up for an upstair room.

[ironin]

RuthC:

He has a joy in him that comes out through his fingers, and makes the piano sing!

During my cruise we had an 8-day Code Red. Stryker did double duty covering the continental breakfast line. He was as upbeat and cheerful there as he had been late the night before in the Lounge.

 

Do you know how long he'll be on the Amsterdam? Or if he's doing the World Cruise again this year?

 

I must apologize, Ruth, as I overlooked your last response until just now. Yours is such an apt description of Stryker - he should use it in his PR pieces!:D I can well believe he'd help out without complaint when the chips were down, too. Have no idea how long he was planning to be aboard the Amsterdam, or if he's doing the world cruise. (As it looks like Bill & Mary Ann are doing another day-by-day account of their adventures, we should soon find out.)

 

Sail7Seas:

 

Thanks for the compliment (and the sage advice and support beforehand ;))!

 

Aussiemick:

 

Life would be wonderful indeed if everyone had a Re-Anne, aboard ship and at home. At the same time, one shouldn't need a Re-Anne to resolve a series of problems.

[RuthC]

RuthC:

 

 

I must apologize, Ruth, as I overlooked your last response until just now.

Understandable, as I believe we were typing at the same time. I am glad that you noticed, and do not think I ignored your comments.

[ironin]

... is another man's poison.

 

WARNING: We are entering the FOOD ZONE. "Highly subjective" understates the reality of any attempt at discussing food . Keep your salt cellar handy as multiple grains may be necessary. Those on low-sodium diets should feel free to substitute Mrs. Dash as needed.

 

La Fontaine Dining Room:

 

As we originally planned to dine in different venues almost half the time we were aboard ship, we elected flexible dining. As it turned out, we only dined twice in the MDR. We didn't make any advance reservations, didn't request a specific table size when we got there, and were promptly seated both times. Our dinner companions the first evening were obviously a tad apprehensive upon our arrival as one of them spoke a limited amount of English, but we all quickly developed a rapport and enjoyed what turned out to be leisurely, and talkative, meal. We were seated at a table for two the other night.

 

Our meals in the MDR were fine, prepared as ordered, and by-and-large, each course arrived in timely fashion. HAL is noted for their cold soups, and the raspberry soup lived up to expectations. The seafood Cobb salad was well-done. Service was fine, if a bit harried one evening. Daud, who happened to be our waiter the first afternoon, was our amiable and able server the night we shared a table.

 

We don't expect our regular dining experiences to be particularly memorable, so it is no surprise to me that I can't recall many of the details at the moment. Suffice to say that we were happy with the choices offered. Our selections arrived as ordered. They were well-presented. Without exception, from appetizer to dessert, we enjoyed eating what was set before us.

 

It would have been nice to try lunch in the MDR, but the La Fontaine Dining Room was always closed on the days it was convenient for us. Their normal single operating hour for both breakfast and lunch (when open) seemed very short to us.

 

SIDE NOTE: Just because someone is in a suite doesn't mean they automatically receive special treatment for reservations. For one of the evenings we invited friends for cocktails, we all thought it might be fun to go dinner together afterward. As all of us were enrolled in flexible dining, we thought that would be easy considering we would be a party of 8 and were asking for a table a day in advance. It wasn't. Despite Re-Anne's best efforts, it was "No dice" at the hour requested or any time that worked for some of the others. As three of our guests had a change in plans, not securing a table turned out to be a good thing. (Anyway, as we later realized, had we all met as planned and then walked down to the dining room at the same time, we'd more than likely have been placed at a table for eight automatically.)

[ironin]

Canaletto:

 

Our first evening at Canaletto was a great success. Cribbing from a copy of the menu Krazy Kruisers has thoughtfully posted as needed on various threads from time to time, I can reliably report what we ordered:

 

ANTIPASTI e ZUPE:

Insalata Canaletto – Seasonal greens and tomato, cucumber and olives

Minestrone – A flavorful tomato broth consisting of white beans, pasta shells, fresh vegetables and thyme

PASTA, CARNE, PESCE e POLLO:

Baked Meat Lasagna Pomodoro – Baked with meat and tomato sauce and gratinated with four cheese sauce.

Veal Milanese – Breaded veal scaloppini with porcini mushrooms, spaghetti and vegetables

 

DOLCI:

Gelato – A refreshing and full-flavored selection: strawberry, mango, vanilla and lemon

Mille-Feuille of Madagascar Chocolate – With walnut praline and ice-cream

 

Canaletto's waiters are an enthusiastic bunch. Unfortunately, I only remember one's name, Gellato. Other than the fact he always had a smile when we saw him in the Lido, the reason I do remember his name is obvious given where we first met him ;).

 

The meal itself was delicious from beginning to end. I'd dined in the Canaletto on the Eurodam in September. While the food then was just as good as this evening, IMO, the Amsterdam-prepared Mille-Feuille was better. The two experiences were otherwise similar and enjoyable.

 

After dinner, we promptly booked a second evening later in the cruise. Much to our surprise, our second evening fell far short of the first.

 

We both ordered salad for our first course. The salads were fine.

 

As the other's lasagna was so good the first evening, one of us ordered the lasagna. It was far from fine. It was excessively salty, rubbery, and had the appearance of having sat in a buffet warming tray somewhere for a good long time before being served. (No, I wasn't the one who ordered it, but I did sample it ;).) Our waiter was pretty distressed once he was aware that it wasn't going to be eaten, and offered to get another entree. An order for the minestrone soup followed.

 

I ordered:

Linguini Frutti Di Mare – Linguini pasta and clams, mussels, shrimps and scallops tossed in garlic, onions and cherry tomatoes

This was delicious when I had it aboard the Eurodam. Somehow, it fell short on the Amsterdam - the constituent pieces were all there, nothing was over- or under-cooked, but it just didn't gel for me this time.

 

Ah well, at least the desserts were delicious:

Limoncello Crème – Refreshing crème topped with Tuscan lemon liqueur

Trio of Tiramisu – Italy’s most famous dessert: presented in three flavored variations, espresso, lemon and Amaretto

 

What we really appreciated after this largely unsuccessful meal was the genuine concern expressed by both our waiter and the maitre d'. (In fact, based on his comments, we were inclined to think the waiter sampled a bit of the largely uneaten lasagna serving.) Tipped off, the maitre d' approached us as we were leaving, and didn't just provide a perfunctory apology, but asked questions and wrote the replies down to bring to someone's attention later. I wish I could remember his name, because he was another one of those people who always seemed to go out of his way to exchange greetings when we saw him in the Lido.

 

Finally, we attended one of the wine-tastings the afternoon before our first evening at Canaletto. While we chatted after his presentation, chief wine steward Ron passed along a wine suggestion. We ordered a bottle and were pleased. As we were returning in a few days, we left the bottle there. When we returned for the second evening, Canaletto wine steward Rudy said he could not find our bottle. I guess it was mislabeled as belonging to some other stateroom.

 

(Later that evening, one of us discovered what joy can be provided by a HAL room service club sandwich.:D)

[ironin]

Lido Restaurant:

 

It could be said that one of us suffers from such a serious aversion to buffets as to require medical attention. (As I'm that one, it is OK for me to say it ;)). In other words, I hardly qualify as an impartial observer, nor am I necessarily a reliable reporter.

 

After spending our first morning waiting for Godot to bring our breakfast in the MDR, we thereafter settled for breakfast in the Lido. The made-to-order omelets were excellent. The pancakes and waffles were good if one of happened to be at the station when either was just made. Like any other buffet, that doesn't happen every time unless planned, and, like any other buffet, pancakes and waffles from the warming trays were just OK. The breakfast meats were fine.

 

The breakfast breads were fine. If ever there were proof that food is a highly subjective subject, mention chocolate croissants. People come out of the word-work to rave about their favorites. We both like chocolate croissants, but we weren't so impressed as consider them a must have, and I wouldn't even comment on them except to reinforce a point: It stands to reason that so many people who feel otherwise can't be all wrong, right? It just means our tastes are slightly different.

 

One thing we really did look forward to every morning was the fresh-squeezed orange juice!

 

We never had a problem finding a clean table or a seat when we ate breakfast. While there were occasional minor hits-and-misses, breakfast in the Lido was filling and ultimately satisfying.

 

At lunch, one or the other of us might sample the Asian offering of the day. The curries were very good. The cashew chicken was fine, but would have been better had it contained at least one cashew. The separate Indonesian/Filipino table on the last sea day was a treat. We appreciated the variety of offerings on display every day.

 

The coffee, like most shipboard coffee, was lamentable.

 

As the Canaletto staff is drawn from there for the evening, it is no coincidence that it seemed the Lido staff were universally cheerful and attentive whether we were there early morning, at noon or or towards closing at night.

 

Terrace Grill:

 

Fuddrucker's hamburgers these may not be, but ours were grilled-to-order and really hit the spot for us the one time he ate here. The Mexican buffet really did look tempting, but we never got around to sampling it.

[Mary Ellen]

Thank you for letting us know.

[jaspersmycat]

Thank you for your review. It is the best review I have read in the last 5 years. I like that format as well as your way with words.

[ironin]

jaspersmycat:

 

Wow! Thanks for reading this far and thank you so much for the tremendously kind compliments! (They're equally tremendously undeserved yet greatly appreciated all the same.;))

[ROZO'SBEAU]

"Terrace Grill:

 

Fuddrucker's hamburgers these may not be, but ours were grilled-to-order"

 

Grilled to order??? What Terrace Grille did you go to? They do them all medium well (or more). That's their stated policy. The only way I cope is to ask for "a juicy hamburger" That way, if I'm timely, I'll get a freshly made one that hasn't been sitting there for a while and reheated on the grille for me. I know why they do it. That doesn't mean I like it.