Any news from the Amsterdam?

[Himself]

8 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

More like this; stacked neatly in luggage bins by the hardworking HK guys and girls in the ship's Marshaling Area on A-Deck with space left open for the pilot to come onboard via the pilot break

 

 

Thanks for the picture and clarification.  It is good to have a poster who has worked for the line.  John: Have a great and Happy 4th of July!   

[socalcruisers2]

Did anyone leave the heavy battery charger "gift", we all received on the World Cruise, in their luggage on the ship?

 

I'm wondering if its lithium battery will cause a problem with whomever is contracted to transport our luggage back to the states.

 

For that matter, I'm wondering how customs will feel about letting all this unaccompanied luggage into the country.

 

Your thoughts.

[DFD1]

I would think it would drive Homeland Security absolutely nuts.

[cruzingnut]

4 minutes ago, socalcruisers2 said:

Did anyone leave the heavy battery charger "gift", we all received on the World Cruise, in their luggage on the ship?

 

I'm wondering if its lithium battery will cause a problem with whomever is contracted to transport our luggage back to the states.

 

For that matter, I'm wondering how customs will feel about letting all this unaccompanied luggage into the country.

 

Your thoughts.

 

I can't imagine any of us dragging that home in our carry ons....    But, this kind of thing gets shipped all over the place all the time.   I imagine that they were included in one of the containers that we picked up in one of the various ports we got supplies in.   Our gifts were scheduled along the way so that's how they had to have been sent.

[KirkNC]

33 minutes ago, socalcruisers2 said:

Did anyone leave the heavy battery charger "gift", we all received on the World Cruise, in their luggage on the ship?

 

I'm wondering if its lithium battery will cause a problem with whomever is contracted to transport our luggage back to the states.

 

For that matter, I'm wondering how customs will feel about letting all this unaccompanied luggage into the country.

 

Your thoughts.

We gave our batteries to our room attendants.

[Sir PMP]

4 hours ago, socalcruisers2 said:

Did anyone leave the heavy battery charger "gift", we all received on the World Cruise, in their luggage on the ship?

 

I'm wondering if its lithium battery will cause a problem with whomever is contracted to transport our luggage back to the states.

 

For that matter, I'm wondering how customs will feel about letting all this unaccompanied luggage into the country.

 

Your thoughts.

All batteries are in your luggage..

[Copper10-8]

6 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Thanks Cooper, I see one of our bags , I don't see the 22 boxes from Project Linus.

 

You're welcome, but I hope you do realize that's not a current pic of Amsterdam's Marshaling Area so there are no 22 Project Linus boxes. I worked the entire 2016 Grand World Voyage onboard her, as well as partial 2017 (where I met Sir PMP) and 2018 GWVs. I took this pic on the very last night of the 2016 GWV just prior to arriving back at Ft. Lauderdale/Port Everglades when, as ship security officer, it was my responsibility to pick up the PE pilot in the Marshaling Area and escort him up to the bridge to liaise with Captain Mercer   

Edited July 4, 2020 by Copper10-8

[socalcruisers2]

4 hours ago, KirkNC said:

We gave our batteries to our room attendants.

Smart move!

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, socalcruisers2 said:

id anyone leave the heavy battery charger "gift", we all received on the World Cruise, in their luggage on the ship?

 

 

5 hours ago, cruzingnut said:

I can't imagine any of us dragging that home in our carry ons..

 

There will be many world cruisers who will disagree with my post that follows, I suspect.

 

During my Golden Anniversary World Cruise on the Amsterdam, I received enough pre-cruise and during the cruise gifts and kept them to fill two storage tubs full.  I enjoyed getting them--at the time.  But, what do I do with them?  Some are absolutely lovely, useful--and have been used--some, one has to wonder why did we get that--with the most memorable in that category of a blank cruise journal which was the last gift we received!   When I look at those two storage tubs, I wonder:  how much of what I paid for my cruise was for "stuff" that now sits in storage tubs?

 

I know I collected enough "stuff" during those 113 days that I had to buy a HAL bag from the ship's store to pack the stuff to get it home.  (Maybe that's the idea?  Increase shop sales?)

 

I suspect that most of us who are able to take a world cruise or more have more than enough "stuff" already.  Maybe when cruising--and specifically world cruising--begins again, someone in Seattle will take a look at this.  

[quack2]

Gifts?  Cruisers get gifts?

[rkacruiser]

1 minute ago, quack2 said:

Gifts?  Cruisers get gifts?

 

You had better believe it!  You must not have followed the blogs of WCB that frequently show pillow gifts that are left in their stateroom when they return for the evening.  Some are quite useful; some are not.

[Indianadaytripper]

Their have been a few that have been hoping to read more on Captain Mercer blog. I’m just thinking maybe Holland has tongue tied him. If you remember their were  some disgruntled passengers onboard when we were disembarked. I’m thinking there could be some lawsuits forthcoming and the way attorneys work there reading anything and everything he’s written. I don’t know anything but it’s funny he stopped writing nearly two months ago, and I enjoyed his works. Great Captain 

 

[prescottbob]

 I always thought the casserole dish (with the various ports imprinted that were both visited and missed on the '18 & '20 adventures) & the  courier bag (with various bandages, band-aids, splints and such) were quite useful.

 

My daughter enjoyed the combination luggage wraps from the '18 adventure (please don't tell her my re-gifting practices). We missed several 'pillow gifts' recently due to the cruise's abrupt cessation in Perth (Fremantle) due, of course, to the COVID-1984 crisis. 

 

All is good... 

 

JMHO.

 

Be well.

Bob & the Mrs.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, quack2 said:

Gifts?  Cruisers get gifts?

 

On World cruises and Grand Voyages.

We lucked out one year with our great HD.  They had some “leftovers” from the Grand voyage (probably people didn’t want to lug them home?) and they gifted the Neptune Suites with them.  I was happy to pack up the Milton Brown and my tulip holders.

The tulip holders work well for peonies too 😉 

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, quack2 said:

Gifts?  Cruisers get gifts?

Not just on the World Cruise, but also on Grand Cruises. On one Grand Cruise our final gift was a carry-on bag to hold all the loot. Some of it was very useful. 

[Copper10-8]

21 minutes ago, Indianadaytripper said:

Their have been a few that have been hoping to read more on Captain Mercer blog. I’m just thinking maybe Holland has tongue tied him. If you remember their were  some disgruntled passengers onboard when we were disembarked. I’m thinking there could be some lawsuits forthcoming and the way attorneys work there reading anything and everything he’s written. I don’t know anything but it’s funny he stopped writing nearly two months ago, and I enjoyed his works. Great Captain 

 

 

 

You don't actually believe that HAL has the ability to "tongue-tie" a now retired captain, do you? He no longer is employed by them 😵

[cruzingnut]

Amsterdam is now at the achorage off Singapore.  Will be interesting to see if our luggage gets offloaded here.  I think it's all still a crapshoot as things keep changing.  We can only hope!  The arrow in the picture is pointing to the Amsterdam.  The other blue dot next to her is the Westerdam.

 

[T8NCruise]

4 hours ago, Indianadaytripper said:

Their have been a few that have been hoping to read more on Captain Mercer blog. I’m just thinking maybe Holland has tongue tied him. If you remember their were  some disgruntled passengers onboard when we were disembarked. I’m thinking there could be some lawsuits forthcoming and the way attorneys work there reading anything and everything he’s written. I don’t know anything but it’s funny he stopped writing nearly two months ago, and I enjoyed his works. Great Captain 

 

I'm inclined to think he's taking a well earned rest and vacation with Karen.  He will eventually surface.

[Indianadaytripper]

6 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

You don't actually believe that HAL has the ability to "tongue-tie" a now retired captain, do you? He no longer is employed by them 😵

 
I certainly do he had one of the highest positions in Holland and has signed a contract that probably doesn’t end the day he retires.. Many companies have disclosures to keep formal key employees from saying something that might put the company in jeopardy. Captain Mercer a fine Captain will be missed on upcoming world cruises.

[Indianadaytripper]

3 hours ago, T8NCruise said:

I'm inclined to think he's taking a well earned rest and vacation with Karen.  He will eventually surface.

He definitely deserves a vacation, his last cruise has put him through the wringer. As well as the whole cruise industry. I’m ready to read , when he is ready to write, great Captain 

[Copper10-8]

7 hours ago, Indianadaytripper said:

 
I certainly do he had one of the highest positions in Holland and has signed a contract that probably doesn’t end the day he retires.. Many companies have disclosures to keep formal key employees from saying something that might put the company in jeopardy. Captain Mercer a fine Captain will be missed on upcoming world cruises.

 

Sorry, wrongo dongo again; the captain's contract officially expired on 12 May and was extended until he left the ship in Manila Bay on 26 May. He officially retired that day, meaning he is no longer under any HAL contract, no so-called "order to keep quiet" disclosures (about what, exactly?), and no "conspiracy theories," just living the good life in FL. and currently engaged in honey do's. And yes, having had the opportunity to work several contracts for him, as well as having been one of his passengers since 1997 on Veendam, he will definitely be missed by both his crew and pax!    

Edited July 5, 2020 by Copper10-8

[Horizon chaser 1957]

15 hours ago, prescottbob said:

 I always thought the casserole dish (with the various ports imprinted that were both visited and missed on the '18 & '20 adventures) & the  courier bag (with various bandages, band-aids, splints and such) were quite useful.

 

Aha! A gem of important information there! Do you mean the casserole dish is usable, and not just decorative? Now to hope it doesn’t arrive home as shards of porcelain.

[DFD1]

25 minutes ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Aha! A gem of important information there! Do you mean the casserole dish is usable, and not just decorative? Now to hope it doesn’t arrive home as shards of porcelain.

 

.......if at all.

[Storylady]

20 hours ago, RuthC said:

Not just on the World Cruise, but also on Grand Cruises. On one Grand Cruise our final gift was a carry-on bag to hold all the loot. Some of it was very useful. 

Ruth, we didn’t get that this time as it was supposed to be a gift after leaving Sri Lanka. Rumor was the container that had the carryons were shipped from Sri Lanka to Darwin, but we missed Darwin by one day. So no luggage to take home pillow gifts. We did buy one of the flimsy HAL rollaboard’s (almost like an upright duffle bag) to carry one non fragile items so that I items we didn’t give away could be packed. Glad I did before we arrived in Perth as the shops were than closed!

[Storylady]

On 7/4/2020 at 2:34 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

 

There will be many world cruisers who will disagree with my post that follows, I suspect.

 

During my Golden Anniversary World Cruise on the Amsterdam, I received enough pre-cruise and during the cruise gifts and kept them to fill two storage tubs full.  I enjoyed getting them--at the time.  But, what do I do with them?  Some are absolutely lovely, useful--and have been used--some, one has to wonder why did we get that--with the most memorable in that category of a blank cruise journal which was the last gift we received!   When I look at those two storage tubs, I wonder:  how much of what I paid for my cruise was for "stuff" that now sits in storage tubs?

 

I know I collected enough "stuff" during those 113 days that I had to buy a HAL bag from the ship's store to pack the stuff to get it home.  (Maybe that's the idea?  Increase shop sales?)

 

I suspect that most of us who are able to take a world cruise or more have more than enough "stuff" already.  Maybe when cruising--and specifically world cruising--begins again, someone in Seattle will take a look at this.  

We also had to buy a bag. It wasn’t to increase sales. I asked while onboard what happened to the luggage. They told me it was orginally in Sri Lanka waiting for our arrival. I can’t remember if if the Front Desk that told me, the luggage had then been shipped to Darwin which we also missed by a day as you know.