Captain Chris Turner retires

[Nanner]

Our memory of Capt. Turner is from 2010 on the Zuiderdam in the Caribbean.  We were just getting into cruising, and were considering a transatlantic on that tiny ship, the Prinsendam.  Capt. Turner sang her praises, saying she was much more seaworthy for that type of voyage than the larger ships, and that he had sailed her as captain, too.  We signed up for that voyage while on the Zuiderdam, and never looked back.

 

We have Capt. Turner to thank/blame for 2 voyages on the Prinsendam and our status now as HAL 5 star Mariners.  He was everywhere on the Zuiderdam and one of the friendliest captains we've met in the fleet.  I'm sad we won't get the chance to sail with him again, as our paths never crossed after that first, indelible impression.

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

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

 

 

Roy

 

Same letter, albeit slightly updated, is still being used today when transiting pirate waters. Below is a pic of the starboard side LRAD set up on Amsterdam

 

[Storylady]

2 hours ago, Nanner said:

Our memory of Capt. Turner is from 2010 on the Zuiderdam in the Caribbean.  We were just getting into cruising, and were considering a transatlantic on that tiny ship, the Prinsendam.  Capt. Turner sang her praises, saying she was much more seaworthy for that type of voyage than the larger ships, and that he had sailed her as captain, too.  We signed up for that voyage while on the Zuiderdam, and never looked back.

 

We have Capt. Turner to thank/blame for 2 voyages on the Prinsendam and our status now as HAL 5 star Mariners.  He was everywhere on the Zuiderdam and one of the friendliest captains we've met in the fleet.  I'm sad we won't get the chance to sail with him again, as our paths never crossed after that first, indelible impression.

We got to sail with Captain Chris Turner on the Volendam in the fall of 2017 from Vancouver to Hong Kong. He wanted to sail in Asia before he retired. I called him the “kissing Captain” as he kissed all the ladies when giving them their medallions at the Marines award ceremony. I was very disappointed when he retired as he was one of the friendliest Captains I have had the pleasure to sail with.
 

Captain Gundersen also retired before I had an opportunity to sail with him again. Had hoped to see him on the Prinsendam during her last voyage. Holland America did offer him a free cruise for his wife and him. But unfortunately it wasn’t to be.

 

 

 

award ceremony.

[Lunar Dragon]

Captain Turner was the Master of the Prinsendam on our first cruise in 2007.  He stopped by our table to wish my daughter a Happy 9th Birthday.  She has never forgotten it!

Have a wonderful retirement Captain Turner-you will be missed!

[T8NCruise]

We sailed twice with Chris Turner, on the Zuiderdam.   A really nice man and an excellent captain, the epitome of an officer and a gentleman.  Wishing him a very happy retirement.

[sailingdutchy]

We have some great memories of the four times we sailed with Captain Chris Turner on 4 different ships , the Zaandam , Prinsendam , Zuiderdam and the Volendam and we really enjoyed being twice at the Captain's Table in his company which was a wonderful experience . 

Martha and I wish him a long and wonderful retirement , we will be missing him on our future cruises .

 

Tony 

 

[sevenseasnomad]

Wishing Captain Turner much happiness and joy during his much-deserved retirement.  We sailed with him on our second HAL cruise aboard Zuiderdam.  He had a marvelous sense of humor, as I recall, that we enjoyed very much.

[Copper10-8]

One more of, now retired, HAL Captain Christopher "Chris" Turner

[Despegue]

Slightly off topic but here it goes...

 

What is the tradition on HAL to say Godspeed to a Retiring Captain?

is there a ceremony , does he/she get to choose the vessel or part of the crew for the last voyage?

 

In my airline, we get to choose our crew and destination, the family is traditionally joining onboard , after the final landing, we get the fire department water-salute and then Management offers a watch made in Switzerland...

 

Often, retiring Captains ( or other Officers) have some problems adapting to a life on ground, and especially the partner has it sometimes the hardest, having to deal with hubby being there all the time 😂.

 

[Copper10-8]

8 hours ago, Despegue said:

Slightly off topic but here it goes...

 

What is the tradition on HAL to say Godspeed to a Retiring Captain?

is there a ceremony , does he/she get to choose the vessel or part of the crew for the last voyage?

 

In my airline, we get to choose our crew and destination, the family is traditionally joining onboard , after the final landing, we get the fire department water-salute and then Management offers a watch made in Switzerland...

 

Often, retiring Captains ( or other Officers) have some problems adapting to a life on ground, and especially the partner has it sometimes the hardest, having to deal with hubby being there all the time 😂.

 

 

 

The tradition with HAL, for several recently retired captains, has been a limo ride from the dock to the airport, after a series of blows on the ship's whistle, and an emotional  farewell to the captain from the assembled crew. There usually is some sort of gift included 

 

Unlike the airlines, no water cannon salutes from fire or tugboats. Some ship captains are in the habit, when possible, to recruit and hold on to certain staff, especially on ships like the Amsterdam and her annual grand world voyage. Having said that, unlike a last flight of an airline captain, the last voyage of a ship's captain usually comes at the completion of a three-month contract so, picking a crew for just that last voyage is not always possible since they (the other officers) are all dealing with their own contracts and vacation time 

 

contr