Almost "Live" Ms Zaandam 14-Day to Alaska (May 21 - Jun 4, 2018)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great report Roger for only being on the ship a few hours.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for taking us along!

Looking forward to reading more.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It has been several years since we were on the Zaandam. Back then we were able to get all 4 suitcases under the bed in the Neptune Suite cabins. In the PS, we stored them against the wall in the dining room on the R and S class ships. No PS on any HAL ship has the ability to put suitcases under the bed.

You could try opening the suitcases and putting them under the bed. Otherwise you will have to give them to your cabin steward to store for you until the end of the cruise.

[scrappytraveler]

Thanks for all the information so far. I am interested in the name of the chef in the American Test Kitchen, when the free and for fee sessions are scheduled (day and time). I loved the Chocolate Cake Decorating class I took on my last cruise.

 

Looking forward to the main dining room menus and the daily schedules.

[Crew News]

Thanks for all the information so far. I am interested in the name of the chef in the American Test Kitchen, when the free and for fee sessions are scheduled (day and time). I loved the Chocolate Cake Decorating class I took on my last cruise.

 

Looking forward to the main dining room menus and the daily schedules.

 

Chefs are Annette and Barbara. Cake Decorating in port of Juneau and Perfect Pies in port of Anchorage for $39. Beyond Pasta today at 1:00 PM for free.

[Crew News]

Thank you for answering my question on the USB plugs.

 

You mentioned the bed is too low to accept closed suitcases. We've always been able to fit our luggage under the bed on previous HAL ships and that's going to be an issue if we can't do that any longer. Can you give us an estimate on the height under the bed?

 

I also though of another question. Can you find out how much the photo packages are? Do they offer an "all inclusive digital photo package"?

 

Enjoying your review and thanks again for answering questions.

 

Utahtea

 

Bed frame height is 12 inches in Vista stateroom, My suitcase is 13 inches.

[Crew News]

Just a few more notes until I write a complete daily report.

 

The internet speed is very slow and disconnects about every five minutes. With lots of OBC, I paid the additional $50 to upgrade to the $29.95 package with no change in speed. It is hard to stream a sentence so streaming a movie would be impossible.

 

14-day spa packages are $229/solo and #349/couple.

New bathroom door pegs replaced the wide hooks. USB port lamp does not work. During the first day, TV warnings declared items left on loungers around pool would be removed if not attended for 30 minutes.

 

Induction plates have replaced the steam tables in the Lido Market, Thick grits and also smoked salmon were available at breakfast. The atrium organ will be played at noon on sea days.

 

More to come.

Edited May 22, 2018 by Crew News

[Crew News]

FWIW previous post took nearly 30 minutes to post and edit.

[Retired 07]

So, there is no more pizza on the Lido Deck? That is always the first place we go after boarding!

[utahtea]

Bed frame height is 12 inches in Vista stateroom, My suitcase is 13 inches.

 

Thank you again! We were going to pull the suit cases out today so I will check the measurements!

 

Utahtea

[Crew News]

So, there is no more pizza on the Lido Deck? That is always the first place we go after boarding!

 

There is pizza in the Lido Market at the Pasta Station but it did not look as good as that prepared by the NY Pizza Inns on other HAL ships.

[Crew News]

Chefs are Annette and Barbara. Cake Decorating in port of Juneau and Perfect Pies in port of Anchorage for $39. Beyond Pasta today at 1:00 PM for free.

 

There is also "Everything Salmon" today at 11:00 AM.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry to hear how bad the internet is.

[packercruising]

packercruising checking in. Thanks for the heads up at the Meet&Greet. That was a big group!

[AncientWanderer]

Bed frame height is 12 inches in Vista stateroom, My suitcase is 13 inches.

 

Is it a situation where you can do a little "lift" of just the metal bed frame and then slide the suitcase in, as there is actually a bit more space from floor to mattress?

This has been our experience lately, successfully stowing two big Samsonites and two roller carry-ons.

[Greysandy]

Thanks so much for your info! I will be on this cruise July 2nd. We have done this itinerary before and loved it.

[utahtea]

New bathroom door pegs replaced the wide hooks. USB port lamp does not work.

 

Bummer! But good to know so I'll request one of HAL's power strips when I board.

 

Utahtea

[Crew News]

Is it a situation where you can do a little "lift" of just the metal bed frame and then slide the suitcase in, as there is actually a bit more space from floor to mattress?

This has been our experience lately, successfully stowing two big Samsonites and two roller carry-ons.

 

Upon returning from our M&G lunch, I found my suitcase under the bed thanks to the Room Steward who just lifted the bed frame to make the suitcase fit with just a little pressure on it.

[packercruising]

They should be able to get that fixed fairly quick. We had a leak in the ceiling (we are under the outdoor pool) and they fixed that pretty quick. They also fixed a shower head problem we didn't even know about. We brought a small extension with 3 outlets and two usb ports on it.

[Krazy Kruizers]

They should be able to get that fixed fairly quick. We had a leak in the ceiling (we are under the outdoor pool) and they fixed that pretty quick. They also fixed a shower head problem we didn't even know about. We brought a small extension with 3 outlets and two usb ports on it.

 

 

Hi Jeff

Hope you are enjoying your Zaandam cruise.

[Queen of Adventure]

Just a few more notes until I write a complete daily report.

 

The internet speed is very slow and disconnects about every five minutes. With lots of OBC, I paid the additional $50 to upgrade to the $29.95 package with no change in speed. It is hard to stream a sentence so streaming a movie would be impossible.

I'm thinking it's about "user overload" aka the number of people sharing the ship's bandwidth at one time. 2--4AM might be the best connection ever ;p

[Crew News]

I'm thinking it's about "user overload" aka the number of people sharing the ship's bandwidth at one time. 2--4AM might be the best connection ever ;p

 

Internet speed is a bit faster but disconnects every few minutes. Being on vacation, 2-4:00 AM will not be my internet access time. The point is that the higher-priced package was not worth the extra charge if the connection continues to disconnect with such frequency.

[packercruising]

Hi Jeff

Hope you are enjoying your Zaandam cruise.

 

We definitely are. Great to hear from you!

[AncientWanderer]

Upon returning from our M&G lunch, I found my suitcase under the bed thanks to the Room Steward who just lifted the bed frame to make the suitcase fit with just a little pressure on it.

 

Perfect! Have a great time and hope you see lots of critters! Following this thread with interest and envy.

 

:)

[Sea42]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I really appreciate it, even though I won't be doing your itinerary, it helps me pass the time until our cruise in June.