11/29 Zuiderdam Panama Canal Impressions

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks Yonnie, figured we'd have to contact the Society to get them. But, also know it may take a few days. Our Online status does not yet show this past 10 day cruise as of 2 am this morning so will wait a few dats to give them a call:)

 

Joanie

 

 

Okay Joanie

Keep me updated -- sure hope they have some left.

[MermaidWatcher]

Do not know where you came up with 18, possibly you did not understand my description of the white chocolate chip and macadamia nut as being one cookie?

 

NO I did not take 18, I took 6 Chocolate chip and 6 white chocolate chip with Macadamia Nut cookies.

 

And even if I did take 18, we, hubby, myself and our 2 friends cruising with us would still have eaten them all:) I still do not understand though why you should care how many cookies I took? That does tend to throw me for a loop, that someone would be offended (sounds like you are) that I took cookies:confused: I mean, my goodness, I did not take the decorations..........

 

Joanie

 

Sorry that it came across as mean spirited, not the intention.:) I had just been reading a series of posts related to the topic of food being one of the obvious items being cut as a cost saving measure on various lines, and in that was the discussion of quantities of food taken that probably just gets wasted, which is kind of one of my pet peeves about the buffets. It was just a poke at a bit of sarcastic humor, but after I posted it, I realized that the frame of reference that was in my mind when I said it, was not there for someone reading it as just a curt stand alone phrase, and it falls flat without any context. I have been waiting for the Joanie fans to pick the meat off of my bones over it, so hopefully this will save my hide :D

And just for the record, I did indeed misinterpret your description of the white chocolate cookies.

Sounds like there could be a battle if you and my wife ever meet at the chocolate chip cookie stack, she also is extremely disappointed when there are none around. I gladly yield my share of the chocolate chip cookies to you, just promise not to mess with my bread pudding. :p

Edited December 13, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[IRL_Joanie]

Sorry that it came across as mean spirited, not the intention.:) I had just been reading a series of posts related to the topic of food being one of the obvious items being cut as a cost saving measure on various lines, and in that was the discussion of quantities of food taken that probably just gets wasted, which is kind of one of my pet peeves about the buffets. It was just a poke at a bit of sarcastic humor, but after I posted it, I realized that the frame of reference that was in my mind when I said it, was not there for someone reading it as just a curt stand alone phrase, and it falls flat without any context. I have been waiting for the Joanie fans to pick the meat off of my bones over it, so hopefully this will save my hide :D

And just for the record, I did indeed misinterpret your description of the white chocolate cookies.

Sounds like there could be a battle if you and my wife ever meet at the chocolate chip cookie stack, she also is extremely disappointed when there are none around. I gladly yield my share of the chocolate chip cookies to you, just promise not to mess with my bread pudding. :p

 

You are right, in the fact that on the boards it came across in a totally different way than you intended. However, it will be my hubby and your wife fighting over the chocolate chip cookies. I love them, but not enough to fight for em:D

 

I did think you were unaware of the description of the type of cookies AND I should have been more descriptive when I said white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies. When I said it, it never occurred to me that anyone might not be aware of them being one cookie.

 

I am glad no one attacked you as this is just to small a deal for anyone to blink twice at, except for you and I:)

 

Take a breath and then go find a place that has the cookies in question and you will understand just how great they are:)

 

Joanie

[sapper1]

You are right, in the fact that on the boards it came across in a totally different way than you intended. However, it will be my hubby and your wife fighting over the chocolate chip cookies. I love them, but not enough to fight for em:D

 

I did think you were unaware of the description of the type of cookies AND I should have been more descriptive when I said white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies. When I said it, it never occurred to me that anyone might not be aware of them being one cookie.

 

I am glad no one attacked you as this is just to small a deal for anyone to blink twice at, except for you and I:)

 

Take a breath and then go find a place that has the cookies in question and you will understand just how great they are:)

 

Joanie

That is a very nice post, Joanie.

[MermaidWatcher]

You are right, in the fact that on the boards it came across in a totally different way than you intended. However, it will be my hubby and your wife fighting over the chocolate chip cookies. I love them, but not enough to fight for em:D

 

I did think you were unaware of the description of the type of cookies AND I should have been more descriptive when I said white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies. When I said it, it never occurred to me that anyone might not be aware of them being one cookie.

 

I am glad no one attacked you as this is just to small a deal for anyone to blink twice at, except for you and I:)

 

Take a breath and then go find a place that has the cookies in question and you will understand just how great they are:)

 

Joanie

 

Appreciate your understanding. As I had just come from the discussion about food waste when I saw your post about the cookies, there was still the connection in my mind, but not realizing at the time that no one else who would read my remark would have that same context, it definitely comes across as mean. I will still give the cookies to you and my wife, not going to fill up precious bread pudding space in my stomach with cookies,:p In the end....all is well that ends well, so I will have one more bite of crow pie before putting this away.

Edited December 13, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[Vict0riann]

Okay Joanie

Keep me updated -- sure hope they have some left.

 

When I asked they said they had none left - have to look on line. I have hinted to my children! (So far, no luck.)

[Vict0riann]

I did think you were unaware of the description of the type of cookies AND I should have been more descriptive when I said white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies. When I said it, it never occurred to me that anyone might not be aware of them being one cookie.

 

Joanie

 

Those white chocolate chunk and macadamia nut cookies are my DD's absolute favourite.

[Crew News]

As the Zuiderdam is now sailing with a new group of passengers on their 11-day Panama Canal cruise, I am providing a link to the scanned On Locations for all to see what activities were available on our 10-day cruise.

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=1396

 

I am also providing a link to the 10- 11-day Panama Canal cruise dining menus (Lido and MDR for both lunch and dinner) that guided us to culinary ecstasy.

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=1311

 

The Culinary Operations Manager, Ron, also provided me the menus (Lido and MDR for both lunch and dinner) for HAL's 7-day Caribbean cruises for this season. This includes the Christmas and New Years special meals.

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=309

 

Love that portable scanner!!

Edited December 15, 2013 by Crew News

[matondo]

Thank you for taking the time to scan in the menus!!!

 

Now all I need to do is get my next cruise booked!!

[idiebabe]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post the Menus! Very much looking forward to our cruise in January! :)

[Linda&Vern]

<snip> Love that portable scanner!!

Crew News - Thank you for your insightful comments throughout your cruise. Scanning all those "On Location" and "Menu Options" must have been extremely time consuming. I appreciate all you did to give us your thoughts along the way.

 

While you were cruising our plans for 21-days in the Caribbean in February fell apart ... so we booked the Zuiderdam again as it was a trip we often talked about repeating. Therefore, about 1/2 way through your cruise, suddenly all of your posts took on new meaning. Thanks also to Joanie for her insightful observations for us.

[hal lover]

My goodness! ALL the work you have done! A BIG thanks to you and Joanie for all you do!

[sapper1]

I have a question to ask of either Crew News or IRL_Joanie. By any chance did either one of you notice if Mary Ann is still a wine steward in the Ocean Bar? We are going to be on the Zuiderdam again in April and she was an absolute favourite of ours. Such a lovely and helpful person.

[Crew News]

I have a question to ask of either Crew News or IRL_Joanie. By any chance did either one of you notice if Mary Ann is still a wine steward in the Ocean Bar? We are going to be on the Zuiderdam again in April and she was an absolute favourite of ours. Such a lovely and helpful person.

Unfortunately, neither of us stopped by the Ocean Bar and thus we are unable to answer your question.

 

I did notice a larger number of female wine stewards in the MDR on the Zuiderdam than I am used to seeing.

[sapper1]

Unfortunately, neither of us stopped by the Ocean Bar and thus we are unable to answer your question.

 

I did notice a larger number of female wine stewards in the MDR on the Zuiderdam than I am used to seeing.

 

Thank you for answering. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I do hope she is still there.

[startwin]

Thank you for answering. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I do hope she is still there.

 

Me too, what a treasure she was. Odds are that she's on another ship now. Same with Philip in the Piano Bar - I've met him on several HAL ships, he remembers our names from year to year, and he's excellent - almost as good as Mary Ann!

[drco]

First time HAL cruiser here. Planning to go to Alaska in May.

 

Overall, how did you like the food?

 

And are there any tips you can provide related to Zuiderdam?

 

Enjoyed your report. Thanks!

Edited January 10, 2014 by drco

[Crew News]

First time HAL cruiser here. Planning to go to Alaska in May.

 

Overall, how did you like the food?

 

And are there any tips you can provide related to Zuiderdam?

 

Enjoyed your report. Thanks!

 

Since I did just leave the Zuiderdam last month and I did spend two weeks on the Zuiderdam in Alaska last year, I will give you my impressions.

1. The food is good but that is my subjective opinion. If you want superior food, try the Specialty Restaurants (see my menu link earlier in this thread).

2. All of my meals in the Main Dining Room were efficiently served and I was out the door within one hour.

3. The ship is well maintained and deficiencies, when reported, are quickly remedied. A few others may disagree but I can only report my experience of 24 days aboard the Zuiderdam in the last year.

4. Room Service always arrived within a few minutes of the requested time and the food was hot.

5. Alaska is still cold in May so dress in layers.

6. All viewing location while in Glacier Bay are good since the ship does a slow turn so all can see.

7. Pick an aft corner cabin for the best viewing and those balconies can hold about 40 or your friends.

8. Choose the Crab Fishing excursion if you want to experience the "Deadliest Catch" from the original crew and see hundreds of eagles being fed by the crew.

9. A jacket and tie is fine for formal nights for males. No need for a tux.

10. Don't miss riding the train in Skagway. The views of the snow-covered hills are amazing.

11. Take a second week so that you can experience what you missed the first week.

12. The Room Stewards are amazing. Ask and they will make it happen.

 

Feel free to ask questions. I do have scanned daily activities brochures for Alaska if you contact me through my website.

[Crew News]

The following is the link to my approved review just to close out this thread and for those still to proceed aboard the Zuderdam to the Panama Canal.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=248080

[shrimp56]

Thank you for a very objective and thoughtful review. We loved Zuidy on our Eastern Caribbean Christmas cruise. I second everything you have said about the crew, the cleanliness and the food.

[Aegis1984]

First time HAL cruiser here. Planning to go to Alaska in May.

 

Overall, how did you like the food?

 

And are there any tips you can provide related to Zuiderdam?

 

Enjoyed your report. Thanks!

 

I did this cruise this past September and I loved it. On the day in Glacier Bay, they'll open up the bow of the ship so there are plenty of photo opportunities. I was up around 5:00 and we had orcas breaching all around us. My 70-200mm f2.8 lens didn't have enough reach so this year I will bring either a 2x teleconverter or if Canon releases the version 2 of the 100-400mm lens in time, that one.

 

If you want a drink that will knock you down, ask for a Wang-Wang. One was more than enough and I kind of regret getting a second on the night of the pub crawl.

 

Don't bother with the port shopping excursion lectures. They simply promote their buddies and you can find some real gems just exploring on your own. In Ketchikan, I found a wonderful little store full of first nations carvings that were done in the style I have always loved.

 

We did not really experience the MDR until the latter part of our cruise, and dined at the Lido for breakfast every day. You will have no shortage of dining options and you will probably gain weight by the time the voyage is finished. The food is delicious and in the Lido, it varied from Indian to Thai, to Chinese, basic sushi rolls, plus pizza, pasta, generic western staples, you name it. The main dining room was delicious as well. The Pinnacle was good, except when I ordered a porterhouse med-rare, they sent it to me half med rare and half blue or less. Sadly I had to send it back but they sent out a new one that was mostly fat and needed some skilled knifework to eat.

 

There is an area on the ship at the bow, right in front of the gym where you can get some great views. Walk through the spa on the starboard (Right) side of the ship until you find it. You will be right above the bridge and you'll have a great view for anything coming your way.

 

If you are looking for an Alaskan Ulu, there is a shop in Juneau that sold me a great quality one. It is inside the waterfront building, and they added some extras in for cruise ship passengers. The ship staff did not question or confiscate the 4 Ulus I purchased, nor did they blink an eye.

 

There's also the Alaskan Fudge Company in Juneau who have some amazing stuff. They'll vacuum seal it for you, in order to get back into Canada.

 

If you are looking for souvenirs on ship, wait until the later days of the cruise. Perhaps they won't even have sales in the early part of the year but in mid-September, it was Wed/Thurs/Fri the shops had things on sale. I'll know this in the coming year as I've wanted to pick up a couple more jade carvings that will be substantially reduced in price, especially given the timeline of my cruise.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Aegis1984

[zelker]

Crew News and Joanie -

 

we'll be on Z'Dam shortly and wonder if you know the location of the WiFi hotspots (or if not specifically on Z'Dam, perhaps on another Vista-class ship)? Would be nice to know ahead of time if there are some places where we're likely to get faster speeds.

 

Thanks!

 

Barb

[IRL_Joanie]

Crew News and Joanie -

 

we'll be on Z'Dam shortly and wonder if you know the location of the WiFi hotspots (or if not specifically on Z'Dam, perhaps on another Vista-class ship)? Would be nice to know ahead of time if there are some places where we're likely to get faster speeds.

 

Thanks!

 

Barb

Barb, If you go to http://www.halfacts.com , I believe they have an almost, if not complete listing for all of the HAL ships WiFi spots.

 

Joanie

[WayneFougere]

Barb, If you go to http://www.halfacts.com , I believe they have an almost, if not complete listing for all of the HAL ships WiFi spots.

 

Joanie

 

Well halfacts.com doesn't have that info (yet?). I hope it (and other great ship info) was shared with them though because I miss going to you-know-where to find it.

[Crew News]

Crew News and Joanie -

 

we'll be on Z'Dam shortly and wonder if you know the location of the WiFi hotspots (or if not specifically on Z'Dam, perhaps on another Vista-class ship)? Would be nice to know ahead of time if there are some places where we're likely to get faster speeds.

 

Thanks!

 

Barb

 

The Hotel Director told us that there were 400 locations that received the new repeaters. Our neighbors on the aft got them. Just to clarify, they did not speed up the internet but merely allowed you to stay in your cabin to work.