MS Veendam August 17-24 Historic Coasts

[sapper1]

Glad people enjoyed the video. I enjoyed seeing the transfer of the pilot to the ship because from the ship you usually only see the pilot boat moving close and then moving out. The view of the actual transfer is hard to see.

[startwin]

Great video, sapper - thanks for the link. It so different seeing it from the pilot boat viewpoint.

[mamaofami]

Very interesting video, Sapper. Thanks for posting it.

[Copper10-8]

L

.........................

Today's parting shot comes from the Veendam itself. I enjoy looking at the various plaques mounted on ships stairwells, mostly commemorating ports visited. I found two of these of particular interest on the Veendam. The first was pretty standard, a governor's proclamation on the Veendam's maiden call at my home port of Baltimore. I wish I could see it on more ships. The other was unlike any I've seen before. I've never sailed with Captain John Mercer but I believe he is still active and well respected. He apparently was initial Master of the Veendam and there is a plaque honoring him on that command from the former crew of the USS Curtis, AV4. I don't know the full story but imagine Captain Mercer must have been very well esteemed by his former colleagues on the Curtis to have been so honored. Captain Mercer, thank you for your service to Holland America's passengers and to your country.

 

This is my final planned post from the Veendam. Boston arrival and wrapups will be posted later.

 

Roy

 

 

Hi Roy; safe travels home! Enjoyed your play-by-play!

FYI, the USS Curtis AV4 was a United States Navy seaplane tender. She was commissioned in 1940 and decommissioned in 1957. She had a very illustrious war service history, including surviving the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hi in December 1941 and a Kamikaze hit off Okinawa, Japan in 1945. The Curtis received a total of seven battle stars for her service in World War II

 

The plague you saw on VEDM commemorates a yearly reunion (this one a Caribbean cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL) by the USS Curtis association which took place on VEDM in 1998. Captain Jonathan Mercer, a Brit, was VEDM's Master during that cruise. Capt. Mercer is currently assigned to ms Amsterdam:)

[buckirj1]

Nice job as always. Welcome home (or almost home).

[rafinmd]

L

 

 

Hi Roy; safe travels home! Enjoyed your play-by-play!

FYI, the USS Curtis AV4 was a United States Navy seaplane tender. She was commissioned in 1940 and decommissioned in 1957. She had a very illustrious war service history, including surviving the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hi in December 1941 and a Kamikaze hit off Okinawa, Japan in 1945. The Curtis received a total of seven battle stars for her service in World War II

 

The plague you saw on VEDM commemorates a yearly reunion (this one a Caribbean cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL) by the USS Curtis association which took place on VEDM in 1998. Captain Jonathan Mercer, a Brit, was VEDM's Master during that cruise. Capt. Mercer is currently assigned to ms Amsterdam:)

 

Thanks for the correction. By chance will Captain Mercer be on board for the last segment of the World Cruise (Cape Town-FTL 4/1/14?

 

Roy

[Copper10-8]

Thanks for the correction. By chance will Captain Mercer be on board for the last segment of the World Cruise (Cape Town-FTL 4/1/14?

 

Roy

 

That's unk at this time; he currently switches off with Capt. Fred Eversen on AMDM. Are you going?;)

[rafinmd]

That's unk at this time; he currently switches off with Capt. Fred Eversen on AMDM. Are you going?;)

 

Crazy me I am:

 

Crystal Symphony: Bali-Singapore

Crystal Serenity: Singapore-Cape Town

3 day layover

Amsterdam:Cape Town-Fort Lauderdale

 

Roy

[Copper10-8]

Crazy me I am:

 

Crystal Symphony: Bali-Singapore

Crystal Serenity: Singapore-Cape Town

3 day layover

Amsterdam:Cape Town-Fort Lauderdale

 

Roy

 

Wow! Living large!:) Awesome/Enjoy!

I'll let you know about AMSD's captain when it gets a bit closer

[innlady1]

Wow! Living large!:) Awesome/Enjoy!

 

I'll let you know about AMSD's captain when it gets a bit closer

 

John, Roy has a swimmingly good cruise life! He visited me at our inn last summer when he was on a Blount cruise...it was great to meet him...and he even brought me a muffin from the ship!

[rafinmd]

I woke a little before the alarm, checked my email, and walked 2 miles on the Promenade Deck. It was clear overhead but a bit cloudy in the east. I finished my walk about 6:20 and the first lines were cast ashore. Disembarkation was billed to begin about 7:45 and the call for self assist came right on cue. I went up to the lido about 8:30 for my final morning snack (scrambled eggs and a waffle). My disembarkation window was 9:15 to 9:30 and I headed down to deck 8 to find a lounge to spend my last 30 minutes. I was on my final flight of steps when the 8:52 call came for Green 1. There were neither lines nor passport checks and I handed my customs form to the agent at the end of the gangway before picking up my backpack. I was at the SL2 bus stop at 9 and checked into South Station's Club Acela at 9:20. One of my easiest disembarkations ever.

 

I boarded about 10:40 for my 11:10 train and had an early afternoon lunch of Chicken Marsala. Some beaches on the Connecticut shore looked very peaceful and there was an interesting 3-masted Coast Guard vessel near New London.

 

We lost about 15 minutes with track work approaching New York and remained that way the rest of the trip. When I disembarked the train at BWI airport the Airport Shuttle was waiting for me and I arrived home about 6:15.

 

Today's parting shot is only vaguely related to cruising. I have been mostly away from the news and was saddened to learn of the death of "Piano Jazz" lady Marilyn McPartland. I enjoyed her broadcasts for many years and think she would have been quite at home in the Mix. Marilyn, farewell and thank you.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

260 songs? :eek: That's all??? That would get pretty old pretty fast, especially on a cruise longer than 7 days. :rolleyes:

I wish HAL would go back to hiring musicians who are more well-rounded in selections.

 

Thank you for the delightful reports, Roy. Have a nice ride home. You have a beautiful day for it!

 

It was a very nice ride. A perfect day.

 

When you said "well rounded" it struck a chord with me. I probably wouldn't have minded a lost of 260 but it didn't take me long to find some gaps. I was surprised that "What A Wonderful World" was the only Louis Armstrong song. I did ask about Hello Dolly and it was not in the repertoire. That seemed a bit strange.

 

Roy

[RuthC]

When you said "well rounded" it struck a chord with me. I probably wouldn't have minded a lost of 260 but it didn't take me long to find some gaps. I was surprised that "What A Wonderful World" was the only Louis Armstrong song. I did ask about Hello Dolly and it was not in the repertoire. That seemed a bit strange.

Pathetic. :rolleyes:

 

Welcome home.

[Copper10-8]

John, Roy has a swimmingly good cruise life! He visited me at our inn last summer when he was on a Blount cruise...it was great to meet him...and he even brought me a muffin from the ship!

 

That's nice of him Sheila

[kazu]

Glad to hear your return home was smooth Roy.

 

Welcome home!!! it's been a pleasure to read your reports as always:D

[LS8595]

Some beaches on the Connecticut shore looked very peaceful and there was an interesting 3-masted Coast Guard vessel near New London.

 

Roy

 

That would be the Barque Eagle. She's moored up in New London at the moment. Beautiful ship.

[OldCodger73]

L

 

 

Hi Roy; safe travels home! Enjoyed your play-by-play!

FYI, the USS Curtis AV4 was a United States Navy seaplane tender. She was commissioned in 1940 and decommissioned in 1957. She had a very illustrious war service history, including surviving the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hi in December 1941 and a Kamikaze hit off Okinawa, Japan in 1945. The Curtis received a total of seven battle stars for her service in World War II

 

The plague you saw on VEDM commemorates a yearly reunion (this one a Caribbean cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL) by the USS Curtis association which took place on VEDM in 1998. Captain Jonathan Mercer, a Brit, was VEDM's Master during that cruise. Capt. Mercer is currently assigned to ms Amsterdam:)

 

Ah, the Curtis. It looked a lot different when I was on it in 1956-1957. The front 5" guns had been replaced by a helicopter flight deck and the bridge area had been modified. It had been an observer ship during the Bikini H bomb tests and its last cruise, December 1956 - March 1957 was as part of Operation Deep Freeze, transferring men and supplies to MacMurdo Sound.

[rafinmd]

OldCoger, were you by chance on the Veendam reunion cruise?

 

I think Sail or Jake mentioned that there was no disembarkation talk. Disembarkation was smooth and I didn’t miss the talk but I have come to expect “Love in Any Language” on a HAL cruise and did miss that. Interestingly, they said the survey was moved online to save paper and then the disembarkation talk was moved from the showroom to a printed document. Disembarkation itself was incredibly smooth.

 

It was my first time on an S-Class ship. I’m in the minority here but I didn’t really mind the retreat. I would have preferred the aft pool like on the Zaandam but didn’t find it a big deal.

 

I can’t compare the dining room with either before or during the netting but it looked fine to me.

 

I was a bit surprised that I probably prefer the R class. I think the difference is the lack of a midship stairway. I couldn’t really put my finger on why that matters with such a small ship but it may because you have 2 ways to the stairs from anywhere on deck 7 of an R-class but only on the Veendam it kind of dead ends at the Wajang Theater. A small difference but somehow I noticed it.

 

I saw very little evidence of mechanical and maintenance issues with the Veendam. I know when there are problems on a ship one of the first reactions is usually “the ship is too old”, but strangely the chief problem I saw was one of the hand washing machines in the Lido (I would guess less than 6 months old) being out of service. Crew was at work on a fix. Where something is mechanical and heavily used problems are always possible.

 

My experience was different from Sail’s on the crew. Sorry to be long winded but I need to start with a little background. I had my first contact with 2 cruise lines in 2007. On my first crossing with Cunard I was distressed to find the service very impersonal. In 6 days I was addressed by name only by 1 “crew” person, and that was not a Cunard employee. A vacationing Blount Small Ship Adventures crew member was the only one to use my name.

 

A few months later I sailed on the Silver Whisper. It seemed like everybody knew my name but it seemed to end there, my preferences and desires made no difference. For example I once stopped at a lounge after my morning walk to get a cup of coffee to go back to my suite. I was scolded by the steward and essentially told if I wanted coffee in my room to go there and call room service. (When I did that the next day the delivery guy raised the table to service level and it broke leaving me without a table for the next few days). The attitude seemed to be that I existed to use what they wanted to give me rather than them being there to do what I wanted. Since then the name thing has not been so big for me.

 

I thought my service on the Veendam was less personal than I’m used to on HAL. The service was still excellent. I think I might have been bothered more in 2006, here it was more of a noticed detail. Overall the cruise was great and I wouldn’t hesitate to sail the Veendam again.

 

Roy

departure.pdf

[sail7seas]

I'm surprised none of us have yet commented none of the ship's clocks worked the whole cruise. Time stood still according to the clock on the wall in our suite. :D

 

Happy we remembered to bring our travel clock.

Hopefully whatever part or piece they needed for the repair arrived at the ship yesterday.

 

[Copper10-8]

Ah, the Curtis. It looked a lot different when I was on it in 1956-1957. The front 5" guns had been replaced by a helicopter flight deck and the bridge area had been modified. It had been an observer ship during the Bikini H bomb tests and its last cruise, December 1956 - March 1957 was as part of Operation Deep Freeze, transferring men and supplies to MacMurdo Sound.

 

 

Thanks for your service!

[rafinmd]

This is terrible, but I'm not 100% sure. I think it was the tango.

 

Roy

 

zeen978 reported on another thread that it was the jive.

 

Roy

[Copper10-8]

zeen978 reported on another thread that it was the jive.

 

Roy

 

Did you participate and win the mirror ball trophy?;)

[Orsino]

I’m in the minority here but I didn’t really mind the retreat.

 

I also didn't mind the retreat. Perhaps its because my expectations were very low due to board chatter, but I think I actually prefer the hot tubs over a pool since the two times I've been on the Veendam have been in colder weather locations (Alaska and Canada/NE). The aft pool would not do me any good. In the Caribbean, I could see the need for an aft pool, but I haven't been on the Veendam in the Caribbean.

Our cabin was aft, so access to the hot tubs without having to walk though the Lido food area was a plus. It would have been nice if one of the two good tubs (the round ones) had not been broken all week. The two rectangular tubs are rather useless in my opinion.

[rafinmd]

Did you participate and win the mirror ball trophy?;)

 

No I didn't John. Actually, I don't remember seeing it in On Location.

 

Roy

[sail7seas]

I also didn't mind the retreat. Perhaps its because my expectations were very low due to board chatter, but I think I actually prefer the hot tubs over a pool since the two times I've been on the Veendam have been in colder weather locations (Alaska and Canada/NE). The aft pool would not do me any good. In the Caribbean, I could see the need for an aft pool, but I haven't been on the Veendam in the Caribbean.

Our cabin was aft, so access to the hot tubs without having to walk though the Lido food area was a plus. It would have been nice if one of the two good tubs (the round ones) had not been broken all week. The two rectangular tubs are rather useless in my opinion.

 

 

We had mid eighty degree weather every day of our cruise except for maybe the day we had lots of fog. :D

 

It was the most glorious New England/Atlantic Canada weather one could ever hope for.