Nieuw Amsterdam and its invisible Captain

[innlady1]

Is John Scott still with HAL? Had the pleasure of sailing with him on several Noordam cruises and he was very visible and so friendly, he always said hello and struck up conversation

 

 

 

John Scott was the Captain on several of our Noordam cruises. He was awesome!

 

 

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[seapals2]

Places in my home town where I have quit shopping,:mad: Walmart, Walgreens, Target, One grocery store, an auto parts store, several gas stations, a Starbucks. The reason you are asking yourself why, because at these places either the owner or manager is not their to greet me and thank me for shopping with them:rolleyes:. The shame of it all this job is left to the lowly employee's:eek:. Then again perhaps the manager is behind the scene making sure every thing is running smoothly.:D

 

 

You have been on a lot of sailings then where you haven't seen the Captain .. not even a photo ... I'm afraid it came as a surprise to us that after 40 cruises HAL was the first to have an invisible captain. It must not be their company policy as the second cruise was totally different and like every other we have done. Not sure I see the comparison of a small shop to a vessel carrying over two thousand souls. Even a school of a couple of hundred children get to see the head teacher on a regular basis. Would you be happy never to see the person in charge.

[trajan]

Do you need to see the captain all the time? I don't I don't really care who the captain on any cruise I am on, as long as they are doing a their job well. Same for all the officers unobtrusive is best for me. Incidentally I was on a Celebrity cruise last December when that female captain started - you could not get away from her! talk about publicity stunts - she was more like a children's television presenter than a shops captain. Standing at the entrance to the main dining room one day, in the kids club making puppets the next. Another day in the shops working as a sales promoter. No idea who actually sailed the ship but it sure was not her. And when there was a major disaster and a couple of passengers died the whole crew brushed it under the carpet apart from a quick announcement and a note in the cabin.

 

 

If that was the road accident in Tortola my understanding from the news and locals chatting on fb was the Captain did a very good job; attended at the hospital, gave personal support and assistance to those involved and made sure all were taken care of as well as possible. They informed the rest of the passengers. Not sure what else they were supposed to do but I was not on board so I'm not sure what you are referring to.

 

 

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[Copper10-8]

Just a quick comment after our Eurodam sailing. This cruise could not have been more different in respect of the Captain and his regular appearance around the ship. We even got chance to speak personally one evening in the Silk Den bar. He held a question time session in the theatre and hosted a welcome aboard evening there too. Whether it was the captain's example or the Caribbean sunshine the staff were happier and friendly towards passengers whilst remaining professional at all times.

We did encounter very bad seas and force 10 gales, seeing the Captain around the ship and his officers keeping an eye on deck safety was a reassuring factor.

 

Sounds like Captain Werner Timmers or Captain John Scott

[Tennessee Titan]

I have only done three cruises on HAL but was really spoiled on the Westerdam. Captain van Eerten was on both of these cruises and was very visible. On my 33 day cruise I saw him out and about the ship almost every day. Then I got on Nieuw Amsterdam. The captain was Bas van Dreumel but I only knew that because his name was on the "Explorer". There was no welcome show, cocktail party, etc. and he did not attend the Mariner's Lunch. It was disappointing.

Found Bas Van Dreumel of the most personable, approachable, friendly gentlemen I have ever encountered for a HAL Captain!

[rkacruiser]

Found Bas Van Dreumel of the most personable, approachable, friendly gentlemen I have ever encountered for a HAL Captain!

 

I don't think we ought to start a popularity contest among ships' Masters. But...

 

Captains van Eerteen, DeVries, Mateboer, Carsjens, Mercer, and van Zaane deserve a "shout out" as to their interactions with guests. (This is from my personal experience.)

 

Some of these gentlemen are very reserved until they get to know you, such as Captain van Zaane, but their orientation for a positive guest experience on their ship makes for a great cruise.

 

A retired Captain, whose name I am going to mis-spell, who fits in this same category is Captain van Buleouw. He retired from the Zuiderdam a few years ago.

 

And, to go even further back, Captain A. H. Lagaay: Master of Rotterdam V in 1970 and 1971 when I sailed on her and he was the perfect host. A Dutch Fair was held outside the Club Room one evening. He attended and was willing to pose for photos and speak with us guests. He even attended the Gala Night Buffet in the Club Room.

Edited February 7, 2017 by rkacruiser

[Copper10-8]

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

 

A retired Captain, whose name I am going to mis-spell, who fits in this same category is Captain van Buleouw. He retired from the Zuiderdam a few years ago.

 

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

 

Very close ;) Johannes "Hans" van Biljouw, retired in 2007

 

And lets' not forget Captain Frans Consen, already rrrrrrrrrretired four years next month

[rkacruiser]

Very close ;) Johannes "Hans" van Biljouw, retired in 2007

 

And lets' not forget Captain Frans Consen, already rrrrrrrrrretired four years next month

 

Ah, yes!

 

I never had the pleasure of sailing with Captain Consen but did with other guests who had. He was very well appreciated as well!

[sandij]

On the last NA cruise the captain was sick, announced at the first show that he wouldn't be there and then a couple days later a new voice came on the announcements and said he was taking over/

[Barbarasgirl]

M

 

 

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[Tennessee Titan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tennessee Titan View Post

Found Bas Van Dreumel of the most personable, approachable, friendly gentlemen I have ever encountered for a HAL Captain!

I don't think we ought to start a popularity contest among ships' Masters. But...

 

I know, but it really pains me when some of the malcontents on this forum diss a really good person.... My rant!

[rafinmd]

A few random thoughts here. It is nice when the Captains are personable and visible but if it doesn't happen I hardly worry about the hands I'm in. I'll add the perspective of a fairly frequent passenger on the Alaska Marine Highway. I've NEVER known who the Captain was although on my last voyage last summer I did see several Masters Licenses by the pursers office. Never knew which was in charge, perhaps if one was Staff Captain and others were on vacation. Never cared really.

 

Captains who say a little bit at noon and hand over the mike to a junior officer. Maybe not necessary but I think developing upcoming officers is a very desirable trait for a captain. I'm also reminded of last summer's Kennicott voyage where one day an announcement came from the bridge that they were working with junior officers and while it was not part of our regular route we were going through the Wrangell Narrows. What a treat.

 

Finally, in the realm of Great Captains, let's not forget Captain Gunderson. While I never sailed with him during his career I had the fortune of having about 3 weeks with him as a fill in after his retirement.

 

Roy

[sail7seas]

Do you need to see the captain all the time? I don't I don't really care who the captain on any cruise I am on, as long as they are doing a their job well. Same for all the officers unobtrusive is best for me. Incidentally I was on a Celebrity cruise last December when that female captain started - you could not get away from her! talk about publicity stunts - she was more like a children's television presenter than a shops captain. Standing at the entrance to the main dining room one day, in the kids club making puppets the next. Another day in the shops working as a sales promoter. No idea who actually sailed the ship but it sure was not her. And when there was a major disaster and a couple of passengers died the whole crew brushed it under the carpet apart from a quick announcement and a note in the cabin.

 

What kind of majjor diseaster was there that killed a couple of passengers? That is serious stuff. I wonder why us loyaal, CC'ers, cruisers are not familiarwith that. Please help us and tell what happened.

 

 

Which ship?

[3rdGenCunarder]

A few random thoughts here. It is nice when the Captains are personable and visible but if it doesn't happen I hardly worry about the hands I'm in. I'll add the perspective of a fairly frequent passenger on the Alaska Marine Highway. I've NEVER known who the Captain was although on my last voyage last summer I did see several Masters Licenses by the pursers office. Never knew which was in charge, perhaps if one was Staff Captain and others were on vacation. Never cared really.

 

Captains who say a little bit at noon and hand over the mike to a junior officer. Maybe not necessary but I think developing upcoming officers is a very desirable trait for a captain. I'm also reminded of last summer's Kennicott voyage where one day an announcement came from the bridge that they were working with junior officers and while it was not part of our regular route we were going through the Wrangell Narrows. What a treat.

 

Finally, in the realm of Great Captains, let's not forget Captain Gunderson. While I never sailed with him during his career I had the fortune of having about 3 weeks with him as a fill in after his retirement.

 

Roy

 

I agree. On our Christmas cruise on Cunard, the captain had a junior officer take us out of port (I think St Maarten). In addition to "driving the boat," this officer did the navigation announcement explaining our route. I thought it was nice that the captain had him do the whole process, not just "drive." Although there were a few humorous comments on deck about having a "student driver." :eek:

[Copper10-8]

I agree. On our Christmas cruise on Cunard, the captain had a junior officer take us out of port (I think St Maarten). In addition to "driving the boat," this officer did the navigation announcement explaining our route. I thought it was nice that the captain had him do the whole process, not just "drive." Although there were a few humorous comments on deck about having a "student driver." :eek:

 

Captains, quite frequently, allow senior and junior officers to take the ship out of port. It gives those officers "the feel" of the ship as well as valuable ship handling experience, i.e. how does the ship react to input from the azipods, the side thrusters, etc. The captain and staff captain are always with those officers on the bridge wing as the ship is taken out.

 

Once out of port, the ship goes on "autopilot" and the navigation officers, which are all deck officers, stand their watches on the bridge (always a senior officer 1/O & a 2/O, assisted by a 3/O with cadets sprinkled in).

[dot73]

I have found Captain van Zaane to be totally charming a couple of times that I engaged him in a conversation. I wonder if the captains try to stay out of the public areas because they don't want to be stopped by whiners and complainers.:) I really enjoyed Captain Bowland (sp?) on the K-Dam. I was shocked to hear him first time over the PA and be able to totally understand what he was saying.:D Besides, what do you prefer: a charming and entertaining captain like Schettino who hardly ever spent any time on the bridge, or a nice dull Dutchman getting you safely back to port.

[idiebabe]

I'm going to throw Captain Chris Turner's name into the hat as being one of the nicest, personable, friendly Captains! :) We had him a couple of times on Zuiderdam and on Zaandam last April.

[Copper10-8]

................... I really enjoyed Captain Bowland (sp?) on the K-Dam. I was shocked to hear him first time over the PA and be able to totally understand what he was saying..................

 

Not sure if you knew that Captain Darin Bowland is Canadian, the only one among approx. 41, give or take, HAL captains. The vast majority are still Dutch, accompanied by five English, one Scotchman, one Irishman and one Indian

[SonnekeH]

I really don't care who the captain is on any cruise I may be on, nor do I need to meet him, or hear his voice. As long as he does his job well, that is all I care about.:rolleyes:

[dot73]

Not sure if you knew that Captain Darin Bowland is Canadian, the only one among approx. 41, give or take, HAL captains. The vast majority are still Dutch, accompanied by five English, one Scotchman, one Irishman and one Indian

Yes, I do know that he's a fellow Canuck. I guess that's why I could understand him over the PA. He spoke at our lunch and seemed like a real nice guy. He explained that the K-Dam wasn't running as smoothly as he would like, but asked the passengers to be patient as it takes up to a year to get everything running to HAL's expectations. He was obviously aware that there were problems, i.e. the MDR. I will cruise on the K-Dam again in March and if I know ahead of time that he is on board, I will try and remember to buy him some maple syrup at the duty free in Toronto.:D

[Happily@Sea]

Not sure if you knew that Captain Darin Bowland is Canadian, the only one among approx. 41, give or take, HAL captains. The vast majority are still Dutch, accompanied by five English, one Scotchman, one Irishman and one Indian

 

Did the Norwegian captain leave already, I knew he was transferring from the Prinsendam to Seabourne??

[Copper10-8]

Did the Norwegian captain leave already, I knew he was transferring from the Prinsendam to Seabourne??

 

Capt Dag is back at Seabourn; it was a temp thing only

[Copper10-8]

Whoa; wrong thread

[Copper10-8]

Y.................... I will cruise on the K-Dam again in March and if I know ahead of time that he is on board, I will try and remember to buy him some maple syrup at the duty free in Toronto.:D

 

He'll be one happy Canuck with that ;)

[kevingastreich]

Yes, I do know that he's a fellow Canuck. I will try and remember to buy him some maple syrup at the duty free in Toronto.:D

 

I wonder if anybody has ever given a Captain a cash tip? Interesting thought.