couple of questions from documents

[LHC]

Okay just a couple of questions from reading our documents...

Up have the following seating for dinner: early/upper which I assume means the early seating for dinner 6 pm, right? Does upper refer to the dining room on the Zaandam?

Also a boarding time of 3 pm, may we load early, as I have heard that you can have lunch prior to the mustard drill, is this true?

Linda

[sail7seas]

Boarding HAL ships usually begins at about 11:30. You can check in, board the ship and go to Lido for lunch if you wish.

 

Early Upper Dining means the Upper Level of the dining room (Upper Promenade Deck).

 

Congratulations on getting your documents. Enjoy your short countdown. :)

[Roz]

LHC,

 

Fellow Tennessean here. Please don't take offense at this. It's a muster drill, not a mustard drill. :D

 

Roz

[Krazy Kruizers]

Dining -- Early Upper means that you will be dining at 5:45 on the upper level of the dining room.

[kryos]

LHC,

 

Fellow Tennessean here. Please don't take offense at this. It's a muster drill, not a mustard drill. :D

 

Roz

I kinda like mustard ... makes me think of them serving barbequed hot dogs during the drill. Would make it a bit more pleasant, don't you think? :) Ummmmm, I can just smell them now.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[LHC]

Since this is my first cruise, all I know is this is a drill to keep you save in case of the Titanic...I will pay attention and I will be there on time. Be it muster or mustard...

What is the difference of upper and lower in the dining room? Any scenic differences, do you prefer one to the other?

Linda

[ohionana26]

LOL at the drill. I think you can safely assume that you won't hit any iceburgs (bergs??) on your trip.

 

I am glad you are asking these questions as I also wondered about them. Mine say that we are "waitlist dining, Dining assignment in stateroom upon arrival". They also tell me to embark at 3:00. Glad to read that we can, in fact, board before that since we are staying right across the road.

 

We are sailing on the Oosterdam. One advantage is that since we have never sailed on HAL before, we won't notice what they are doing with the dining times. We will just go when and where they tell us.

[richcrow]

LHC,

 

It looks as if everyone else has answered your questions, but I just wanted to give a shout to a fellow Knoxville native. Are you originally from Knoxville? I graduated from Fulton High, but we want discuss which year:) . I see that this is your first cruise. I hope you enjoy HAL as much as we do.

 

Richard & Judie

[Randyk47]

LHC - We prefer upper level though I can't really point to any specific reason other than we had upper level our first cruise and have asked, and gotten, upper level ever since. For some reason I've always had the impression that lower level was more crowded (in a cramped kind of way) and, because of that, noisier. Scenic? Well, I know some folks like sitting near the windows on the upper level but we usually go with the late dinner so it's dark outside and basically there's usually nothing to see so it's never been an issue for us. Interior scenic I guess might be appropriate and, again, I'd rather be on the upper level looking down....assuming I'm close enough to the center of the dining room and can see down......than looking up at folks above me.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

LHC - We prefer upper level though I can't really point to any specific reason other than we had upper level our first cruise and have asked, and gotten, upper level ever since. For some reason I've always had the impression that lower level was more crowded (in a cramped kind of way) and, because of that, noisier. Scenic? Well, I know some folks like sitting near the windows on the upper level but we usually go with the late dinner so it's dark outside and basically there's usually nothing to see so it's never been an issue for us. Interior scenic I guess might be appropriate and, again, I'd rather be on the upper level looking down....assuming I'm close enough to the center of the dining room and can see down......than looking up at folks above me.

 

I feel the same way about Lower level. Our first cruise on an RCL ship was lower level and every single cruise since we have always had lower level so it would really confuse us to go to Upper level. Of course we have been lucky that the times have worked out well too as to whcih seating we prefer.:D

[Randyk47]

I agree Lisa, it's got a lot to do with your first experience and what you're used to. Took my wife on her first cruise for our honeymoon in a verandah cabin on the Ryndam. Guess what? Had a verandah ever since, no way she'd think of trying anything else. To her it is part of the cruising experience.....end of story. :D Figure the same is true about dining or your favorite lounge or so on and so on.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have always enjoyed sitting by the rail on the upper level of the dining room. That way we can look around the upper level to see what is happening AND when the 6:15 dinners come in we can watch them as well.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Muster drills - never miss them and take very seriously - even before we had very small fires on the Rotterdam and the Zuiderdam.

We were amazed at the number of people on our last cruise who did not have their life jackets on correctly (or at all) and the crew was not able to everyone - they were overwhelmed!! And some of these people had been on several cruises.

[LHC]

Okay, the answers are wonderful...I am so very excited.

Now would you guys please help me address 200 Christmas Cards, wrap the presents from myself and my elderly parents, do my packing, cleaning, etc, plus work the next 8 days as a school nurse, clean my church for a wedding this weekend, give a talk tonight at the elderly highrise, and remember SMILE, SMILE, Smile...The great thing is when I get overwhelmed I read this board, laugh, read about different experiences and simply enjoy.

Linda

[grannynurse]

I am so excited for you. last year this time we were getting ready for our Zaandam New Year's cruise. I too was trying to finish my semester teaching in a BSN program.

 

You will love the Zaandam. The service was without question, extraordinary. She is a beautiful ship and has since had her Signature of Excellence upgrade.

 

She will be beautifully decorated for the holidays, I assume you are on one of the holiday cruises.

 

The life-boat drill is conducted very professionally, and at your proper life boat station. HAL does this very well.

 

Holiday cruises see more formal attire, even in the Caribbean. It wasn't as formal as our transatlantics on the Rotterdam, but close. 95% of the men on the New Years's cruise wore tuxes.

 

You can have room service meals in your cabin 24/7. We had many breakfasts on our veranda. Most of the time we didn't use the pre-set menu that you put outside the night before. We just called in the morning and ordered what we wanted ad lib, waffles etc that are not listed on the order card. Make sure to ask for a large pot of coffee otherwise you'll get the

standard small pot.

 

Check the deck plans and map your way from your room to various parts of the ship. It really helps to have an idea of direction.

 

Have a grand time on your first cruise, and on the Zaandam. I really hope you will love HAL as much as we do.

Grannynurse

[grannynurse]

I am so excited for you. last year this time we were getting ready for our Zaandam New Year's cruise. I too was trying to finish my semester teaching in a BSN program.

 

You will love the Zaandam. The service was without question, extraordinary. She is a beautiful ship and has since had her Signature of Excellence upgrade.

 

She will be beautifully decorated for the holidays, I assume you are on one of the holiday cruises.

 

The life-boat drill is conducted very professionally, and at your proper life boat station. HAL does this very well.

 

Holiday cruises see more formal attire, even in the Caribbean. It wasn't as formal as our transatlantics on the Rotterdam, but close. 95% of the men on the New Years's cruise wore tuxes.

 

You can have room service meals in your cabin 24/7. We had many breakfasts on our veranda. Most of the time we didn't use the pre-set menu that you put outside the night before. We just called in the morning and ordered what we wanted ad lib, waffles etc that are not listed on the order card. Make sure to ask for a large pot of coffee otherwise you'll get the

standard small pot.

 

Check the deck plans and map your way from your room to various parts of the ship. It really helps to have an idea of direction.

 

Have a grand time on your first cruise, and on the Zaandam. I really hope you will love HAL as much as we do.

Grannynurse

[LHC]

I am a school nurse (been an RN for over 31 years). I was back in grad school when my youngest child then 18 was in a life changing car accident. I was a few months from graduation but returned to my hometown, took a huge pay cut to do school nursing in my hometown and have been full-time nurse at work and home plus cleaning my church for extra funds. This trip is a treat from my oldest child, a daughter. We are going alone and it will be the second time (I was gone 4 days at spring break away from my youngest), this year....so I am looking forward to it for some much needed R and R...time with one of my other children, I have three, and time to commune with God, in his wonderful nature. We still do not have a room number yet even though we have the documents, so that is still a source of anticipation.

I was in Ann Arbor Michigan for six weeks over the summer and stayed at the Ronald McDonald House for an aphasia program for my son. While I was there I met a Mother and her daughter. The Mother was Lara He Crow from Pine ridge, SD, her daughter Sarah Two Bulls had a bad heart defect that was repaired. Are you anywhere close to her?

Linda