Dave’s Trip To, Around and Into Australia, Sept. 26 – Nov. 23, 2016

[RetiredMustang]

Oct. 2, at sea (Cont.)

 

 

Here is the rest of the regular bar menu:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Oct. 2, at sea (Cont.)

 

 

There was a flyer on display at the bars the first two days of the cruise, but no loose coies to scan. I took a photo of the display copy, which is marginal quality as a photo, but can be read. Here is a re-type:

 

SAVE WITH A BEVERAGE PACKAGE

 

Purchase one of our packages and save up to 40% on a variety of cocktails, spirits, mocktails, water, sodas and more. Ask any of our friendly beverage staff to sign up.

 

ELITE BEVERAGE PACKAGE – $54.95 per person per day*

With our most premium package you can choose any beverage priced at $15 or below, including signature cocktails, wine, beer, spirits, coffees, and more.

 

SIGNATURE BEVERAGE PACKAGE - $44.95 per person per day*

Savor any beverage priced $8 or below, selecting from a variety of wine, beer, spirits, sodas, coffees and cocktails, including non-alcoholic cocktails.

 

QUENCH BEVERAGE PACKAGE - $17.95 per person per day*

Enjoy unlimited non-alcoholic drinks, juices, bottled sparkling or still water, and Explorations Café premium coffee.

 

COCA COLA PACKAGE - $8.00 per person per day*

Try the new unlimited Coca Cola Package, which includes all fountain sodas available on board.

 

• Packages are only available for purchase during the first 48 hours of your cruise.

• If a guest purchases a Quench, Signature, or Elite beverage package, all guests in that stateroom aged 18 years and over must purchase that same package.

• Excludes Mini Bar and In-Room Dining drinks.

 

Ask your beverage attendant for more information or to sign up.

 

* Prices are per person per day. A 15% service charge is applied to the amount paid per day. The package must be purchased for the entire duration of the voyage. Please ask your beverage attendant for Terms $ Conditions.

 

 

More later,

Dave

Edited October 2, 2016 by RetiredMustang

[fatcat04]

I didn't realize the ELITE BEVERAGE Pkg or QUENCH were available on any ship but the K-dam atm. Nice. :) Thank you for typing all that out Dave!

Edited October 2, 2016 by fatcat04

[EdgewaterCruiser]

I'll be joining you in Sydney for the circumnavigation and continuing on to New Zealand. I'm enjoying your commentary and especially the menus. I'm pleased to see the choices for meals and I hope they continue for my time on board. I was glad to see Adagio still aboard. I enjoyed it on the Statendam last year for 30 and 14 day cruises. The Eurodam has the new Lincoln Center performances, which although excellent were too crowded. Do you know who the Adagio performers are? Have you attended any of the shows yet? I imagine the big shows will be repeated, but we'll have new individual entertainers. Have fun in Hawaii.

[bluesplayer]

Big thanks for sharing the bar menus!! We have the signature package and hope we will be abl to upgrade Wine drinkers matter!!'

[Ineke]

Very happy to see DH's favourite tipple listed, Bols Jonge Jenever, he gets a little cranky if he has to substitute something else. 'It's a Dutch ship, there must be Jenever on board somewhere. ' He's even been known to offer to go pick some up in St. Maarten. I think they were considering taking him up on it ;)

Edited October 2, 2016 by Ineke

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Oct. 2, at sea (Cont.)

 

 

There was a flyer on display at the bars the first two days of the cruise, but no loose coies to scan. I took a photo of the display copy, which is marginal quality as a photo, but can be read. Here is a re-type:

 

SAVE WITH A BEVERAGE PACKAGE

 

Purchase one of our packages and save up to 40% on a variety of cocktails, spirits, mocktails, water, sodas and more. Ask any of our friendly beverage staff to sign up.

 

ELITE BEVERAGE PACKAGE – $54.95 per person per day*

With our most premium package you can choose any beverage priced at $15 or below, including signature cocktails, wine, beer, spirits, coffees, and more.

 

SIGNATURE BEVERAGE PACKAGE - $44.95 per person per day*

Savor any beverage priced $8 or below, selecting from a variety of wine, beer, spirits, sodas, coffees and cocktails, including non-alcoholic cocktails.

 

QUENCH BEVERAGE PACKAGE - $17.95 per person per day*

Enjoy unlimited non-alcoholic drinks, juices, bottled sparkling or still water, and Explorations Café premium coffee.

 

COCA COLA PACKAGE - $8.00 per person per day*

Try the new unlimited Coca Cola Package, which includes all fountain sodas available on board.

 

• Packages are only available for purchase during the first 48 hours of your cruise.

• If a guest purchases a Quench, Signature, or Elite beverage package, all guests in that stateroom aged 18 years and over must purchase that same package.

• Excludes Mini Bar and In-Room Dining drinks.

 

Ask your beverage attendant for more information or to sign up.

 

* Prices are per person per day. A 15% service charge is applied to the amount paid per day. The package must be purchased for the entire duration of the voyage. Please ask your beverage attendant for Terms $ Conditions.

 

 

More later,

Dave

 

Can you please find out if a guest has the Signature package (either paid or as a promo) if can they pay the difference to upgrade to the Elite? Also it appears these packages no longer have a limit to the number of drinks included, which had previously been the case (15/day). This appears to be a step in the right direction if both of my questions are confirmed as true :D

[RetiredMustang]

Dave and the Riddle of the HAL Carrots

 

 

O.K., I’ve quizzed my dining room steward, who asked the dining room manager, who consulted the Maitre D’Hotel, who conferred with the Front Office Staff, and the consensus explanation of the little carets on the dining menu is … a mistake. Nobody has a clue, and they all believe it may be a printing error left over from sometime when it may have meant something, but means nothing now. Apparently none of them had ever noticed the little marks. They all knew about the asterisk, but not the caret.

 

I doubt they have all been gotten to and shut up good by a conspiracy (frankly, human screw-ups are very believable). Sorry not to have a tale of a jewel from the navel of a holy statue or a secret Mason ritual or something equally interesting. But CC members have great imaginations, and I suppose some even wilder surmises can be made and supported on the flimsiest of argument … with great pleasure had by all :D.

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Oct. 2, at sea (Cont.)

 

 

So, we just enjoyed our dinner without having to check for snakes coming up the pipes or other dire consequences. Here are the dinner and dessert menus:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started with the fruit and sambuca while DW had the barley and leek soup. For main dish, DW had the veal, while I enjoyed the quail (food porn shot follows):

 

 

 

 

For dessert, we both very much enjoyed the Snickers Cake .. a la mode, of course.

 

We are to set our clocks back another hour tonight to conform with Hawaii time. I find myself posting to you from yesterday a lot, but in about a week we will cross the International Date Line and I can start posting to you from tomorrow.

 

More later,

Dave

Edited October 3, 2016 by RetiredMustang

[GUT2407]

I must say I am enjoying following along and hope you enjoy yourself when you get here.

[Dutch Diver]

We're joining the Maasdam in Sydney for the 14-day cruise to New Zealand. Enjoying the pictures and updates very much, it's great to learn about the ship beforehand. Thanks for taking the time to answer questions and for the many pictures.

[Miata]

Dave and the Riddle of the HAL Carrots

 

 

O.K., I’ve quizzed my dining room steward, who asked the dining room manager, who consulted the Maitre D’Hotel, who conferred with the Front Office Staff, and the consensus explanation of the little carets on the dining menu is … a mistake. Nobody has a clue, and they all believe it may be a printing error left over from sometime when it may have meant something, but means nothing now. Apparently none of them had ever noticed the little marks. They all knew about the asterisk, but not the caret.

 

I doubt they have all been gotten to and shut up good by a conspiracy (frankly, human screw-ups are very believable). Sorry not to have a tale of a jewel from the navel of a holy statue or a secret Mason ritual or something equally interesting. But CC members have great imaginations, and I suppose some even wilder surmises can be made and supported on the flimsiest of argument … with great pleasure had by all :D.

 

Dave

 

Too funny Dave.

 

I’m willing to concede defeat on the ‘caret caper’ without calling in Ben Gates from the “National Treasure’ movies to decipher the clues.

 

I trust that this hasn’t gotten back to the home office. I can just see a discussion around the coffee maker along the lines of “Some nut on the Maasdam has half the fleet trying to find out what the caret symbol on the menu means.” This would be quickly followed by a response of “What carrot (misspelled)?” and then “You know…above the 6.”…

 

Dave, I trust you are getting as much fun out of this as I am. I even have my wife laughing at it.

 

Thank-you kind sir for your efforts.

 

Miata

[StartrainDD]

Thank-you Silvertogold regarding the number of days needed for wash and fold. I was hoping that it was the same as Carnival (75 days).

 

We hope to do a lot of long distance HAL cruises and laundry will be an issue. I am aware that they used to have laundry rooms on HAL ships but I'm on vacation!

 

Thanks again all. Miata

 

Miata, HAL offers an "Unlimited laundry package" for $7/day per cabin. Need to purchase for the entire cruise. It is sometimes $9/day per cabin in Europe. There is a thread on the HAL board about this.

 

I consider this to be a great deal and we have been buying this on every cruise. Two more cruises and we will be 4 star and then it's free!

 

Dave, loving your reports!

 

Arie

[Miata]

Miata, HAL offers an "Unlimited laundry package" for $7/day per cabin. Need to purchase for the entire cruise. It is sometimes $9/day per cabin in Europe. There is a thread on the HAL board about this.

 

I consider this to be a great deal and we have been buying this on every cruise. Two more cruises and we will be 4 star and then it's free!

 

Dave, loving your reports!

 

Arie

 

That's 'news I can use'. Thank-you Arie

[RetiredMustang]

Oct. 3, Honolulu

 

 

Today we visit Honolulu, our first port call after five sea days. But, we do not plan to do any shore excursions – DW Lived in Honolulu for two years while young, and I have been many times on Navy temporary orders. And, we spent a week as a family with our sons in the early 1990s. We have done the tourist things. If you haven’t, by all means do some of those because they are all wonderful.

 

But we intend to follow the crew to Walmart and do some shopping. We may also hit Ala Moana mall, if nothing else for the food court (great ribs, as I remember). A beer or other libation may figure in our near future as well.

 

Here are the first four pages of today’s On Location:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Oct. 3, Honolulu (Cont.)

 

 

Here are the other two pages of the On Location:

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the pages of the Explorer sheet on Honolulu. The map is not of where the ship will moor, downtown, but rather is mainly of the Waikiki area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[1of4]

Thanks again for doing this fantastic thread. We are about to book the Maasdam for next July. My first cruise in 2 years so sticking as close to home that HAL can get me (due to medical issues). So I am REALLY appreciating all your information and pictures. Enjoy your "day off" in Hawaii! Autumn has come in roaring over here in my part of Canada.

[cccole]

So enjoying your daily reports!!! Thank you for taking the time to respond to our questions!!!! You mention your previous time on Oahu, will there be any new ports of call for you on this cruise? Being in the Navy for so many years you must have been all over the world. Thanks again for including us in your voyage!!! Cherie

[themerle]

Thanks for posting the beverage packages.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

I'm enjoying your cruise, Dave. Thanks for all of your posts thus far. Cheers!

[erewhon]

Thanks for continuing your informative blog.

 

Have you heard how many new passengers will board in Sydney?

[RetiredMustang]

I'll be joining you in Sydney for the circumnavigation and continuing on to New Zealand. I'm enjoying your commentary and especially the menus. I'm pleased to see the choices for meals and I hope they continue for my time on board. I was glad to see Adagio still aboard. I enjoyed it on the Statendam last year for 30 and 14 day cruises. The Eurodam has the new Lincoln Center performances, which although excellent were too crowded. Do you know who the Adagio performers are? Have you attended any of the shows yet? I imagine the big shows will be repeated, but we'll have new individual entertainers. Have fun in Hawaii.

 

'm sorry, I have not learned the names of the Adagio players -- the pianist is a female, and the violinist is male, and both are good.

 

We haven’t been to a show yet, so I can’t answer how they are. We are early people, and just seem to find other things to do in the early evening rather than take in an 8 p.m. show -- and late evenings are beyond our ken, so 10 p.m. shows are for us not in consideration at all.

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Can you please find out if a guest has the Signature package (either paid or as a promo) if can they pay the difference to upgrade to the Elite? Also it appears these packages no longer have a limit to the number of drinks included, which had previously been the case (15/day). This appears to be a step in the right direction if both of my questions are confirmed as true :D

 

I asked the questions of the Ocean Bar staff. Joey, with 23 years’ experience on HAL and as such the junior bartender in the Ocean Bar, confirmed that the beverage packages have a limit of 15 drinks a day – that was one of the terms and conditions to ask your bar person about instead of all of them being printed on the flyer.

 

So far as the other question (can you pay to upgrade to Elite if you already have received the Signature as part of Explore 4, for example, or just had already bought the Signature?), Joey deferred. He said it was the first time that Maasdam has offered the different packages, and did not know for sure. So, I asked at the Front Office. The answer was “no” in both cases. For the first, a promotion package is not swappable. And in the second case, the answer was basically “decide what you want before you buy the package, because you cannot up/downgrade.”

 

Of course, as always, you should ask the staff on whatever ship you are on, because we have all seen changes happen quickly.

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

So enjoying your daily reports!!! Thank you for taking the time to respond to our questions!!!! You mention your previous time on Oahu, will there be any new ports of call for you on this cruise? Being in the Navy for so many years you must have been all over the world. Thanks again for including us in your voyage!!! Cherie

 

We have been Oahu, but all the others are new to us, which is one of the reasons we booked this "bucket list" cruise. I was mainly a Mediterranean/Atlantic Sailor and not so much in the Pacific. I have been to Guam, Chuuk, Palau, Yokosuka, and other ports in the Pacific, but never to the places on this itinerary. We're looking forward to them a great deal. I find it interesting that HAL lately added Geraldton, Australia to the itinerary -- DW and I graduated from the same high school in a small Oregon Coast town, and our foreign exchange student, Tom Campbell, was from Geraldton, which is all I know of the place, so I am interested in seeing it.

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Oct. 3, Honolulu (Cont.)

 

 

We walked ashore about 9:30, and walked the mile or less to the nearest Walmart. There were free shuttles to Ala Moana mall and the larger Walmart nearby, but we decided we just wanted a nice stroll.

 

We were not the only Maasdam passengers at the store, and a good many crew we talked to later had made the same trek; some had partaken of the adobo and pancit at the Filipino restaurant in the pedestrian street near the Walmart.

 

We decided to get lunch at the Aloha Tower market area instead of trekking to the Ala Moana mall. I had some lightly-fried calamari and a salad (and a beer) while DW had a white wine and a cheeseburger – we don’t find the Dive-In burgers on board all that appealing, although we admit they are better than what was on offer before then. But, it is hard to get a burger cooked less than well done on board, and neither of us like the Dive-In sauce.

 

We came back to enjoy our afternoon routine, including happy hour in the Ocean Bar. While we were there, the ship held the boat drill for the nearly 200 people who boarded today in Honolulu, mostly Australians. We have not heard how many are expected to debark/embark in Sydney yet, but expect there will be a good deal more than that. We have heard that the ship will be full for the circumnavigation as well, so however many get off in Sydney will be matched by those getting on.

 

We went in to dinner as usual at early fixed dining time. There were many empty tables; all aboard is not until 9:30 p.m., and many are no doubt dining ashore.

 

Here are tonight’s dinner and dessert menus:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice that, while there are carrots on the menu, there don’t seem to be any carets. Coincidence? In any case, I started with the tangerine shrimp, which had two large shrimp in a tangerine sauce, but also had mashed and roasted potatoes … odd. DW went with the bacon and cabbage soup. For main dish, I had the fried chicken (a new one on me, and actually done pretty well), while DW went with the always-available chicken breast. (We are eligible for free Pinnacle Grill dinners as 5-star Mariners, but haven’t yet decided yet when to book – we’ve talked about the day when the dinner menu is a complete washout and try to get last-minute reservations, but may break down and book a few days in advance and chance discovering the MDR menu that night to be a “wow” night instead of a “yuk” one.)

 

More later,

Dave