Life and Live from Koningsdam on her New Year's cruise 26 Dec 21 - 02 Jan 22

[GTVCRUISER]

2 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Yes Sir, K-dam got cleared for its pax to go ashore in Mazatlan about 40 min ago, so that's 2 for 3 (Mex ports), one to go 🙂

Great News , have a good time 🙂

[Copper10-8]

Day 3 - Tuesday 28 DEC 21 - Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

 

We both woke up around 0700 hrs. but took it very leisurely, so much so, that we wound up being too late for the 0900 cut off time to have breakfast in Club Orange. But no worries, we had a Plan B in the cabin safe, which was to “have ourselves beamed up,” by means of teleportation, to the Lido Market, two decks higher than our humble abode for breakfast in that fine establishment. Once we got ourselves up there by around 0930, it was busy, lots of folks standing in line to order their respective “stuff” from the hardworking food preparation staff.

 

We duly took our place in the queue and once, it became our turn, placed an order for loose, large soft curds coaxed from low, steady heat, rolliche galette, and a mchashy, along with a slice of bannock coupled with Graecia yo placed expertly in a dish. Found ourselves a nice seat with a view and went off to the races. I have to admit that the macerated curds inside the Lido are a bit too much of the “running” variety to my liking, almost as if they are made from powder as opposed to from hen fruits, which they more than likely are.

 

As we were grazing, K-dam approached the south beaches of Cabo and Capt. Henk made the turn around the famous Los Arcos and expertly parked his ship at the primo location of Cabo Anchorage Numero Uno. It wasn’t 20 minutes later that the Bloody Vikings in the shape of Norwegian Bliss came into view around those same Arcos – I wonder if they serve Spam on NCL – but since it pays to be a winner, they were forced to accept Cabo Anchorage Numero Dos. Good for them! At anchor right off our starboard bow was the superyacht Attessa. It belongs to 87-yr old Dennis R. Washington, an American billionaire industrialist who owns, or co-owns controlling interests in, a large consortium of privately held companies collectively known as the Washington Companies and, in Canada, another collection of companies known as the Seaspan Marine Corporation. Must be nice to have expensive toys.

 

So, it appeared to take a good couple of hours before “Amy” was done calling tender ticket colors and numbers on the ship’s P/A system but that was OK by us since we had no shore excursion booked, nor any direct plans, except to locate a prime location ashore to have some lunch. So, off we eventually went down to A-Deck midships where today’s tender platform had been assembled by the trusty “boatmen.” Said hello to security supervisor Jade, descended the ladder which led us into K-dam’s Tender 4 expertly operated by a quartermaster with a crew of two able seamen. We shoved off for the approx. twelve minute ride into the interior of Cabo’s Marina where K-dam’s other security supervisor, Ruben, was holding court on the assigned tender dock. Oh, those memories! 😉 While In transit on our tender, we saw some of Cabo’s real animal life of pelicans and seals attempting to catch a few Pisces.

 

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico; Cabo San Lucas, commonly called Cabo in American English, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. Cabo San Lucas together with San Jose del Cabo is known as Los Cabos. As of 2010, the city had a population of 68,463. The distinctive El Arco de Cabo San Lucas is a local landmark. Cabo has been rated as one of Mexico's top 5 tourist destinations; it is known for its beaches, scuba diving locations, balnearios, the just mentioned sea arch El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, and its marine life. The Los Cabos Corridor has become a heavily trafficked holiday destination for tourists, with numerous resorts and timeshares along the coast between Cabo San Lucas and San José Del Cabo

 

Our destination, once ashore and past the checkpoint where Mexican authorities peek inside the interior of ladies purses in an attempt to find forbidden fruits, was to find a location to have lunch. We wound up walking around the outer perimeter of that same marina to an establishment by the name of Karlito’s Cantina where we consumed a cold Pacifica cerveza and an even colder Margarita. Followed that up with a nice plate of nachos con queso and did some people watching of those passing by outside. Lots of tourist folk in Cabo! We had a pleasant conversation with an adjoining table of four vacationing Canadians from north of Toronto, Ontario.

 

More to follow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KirkNC]

12 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Copper10-8, those of us sailing on K-dam soon truly appreciate all the info you’re providing.

 

The January 16 Hawaii cruise sails two weeks from Sunday - passengers were told today that Hawaii is revising its protocols and likely to require vaccinated guests to have booster shots 14 days before arriving in Hawaii. Have you heard whether crew members are currently required to have (or will suddenly need to get) boosters, too?

 

Meanwhile an alternate universe exists for the itinerary: HAL’s version and official Hawaii’s version (as seen on Travel.Hawaii.Gov and Hawaii.portcall.com websites.)

HAL still shows itinerary unchanged, arriving Oahu January 22. But register on the official Hawaii Safe Travels site per HAL’s instruction, and the state of Hawaii tells you that the K-dam is coming from Santa Catalina Island (not San Diego) and arriving one day later, January 23.

 

Hawaii PortCall shows the same, and indicates K-dam will not call at Kauai at all on the January 16 cruise. The itinerary is rearranged, with an overnight in Kona, and going into Kahului instead of Lahaina for Maui. 
 

Just wondering if HAL is keeping the senior management on board K-dam in the dark, too, about their whereabouts soon. 

 

 

We are experiencing the same confusion on our Feb 22 Hawaii cruise.

[MTAK]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

At anchor right off our starboard bow was the superyacht Attessa. It belongs to 87-yr old Dennis R. Washington, an American billionaire industrialist who owns, or co-owns controlling interests in, a large consortium of privately held companies collectively known as the Washington Companies and, in Canada, another collection of companies known as the Seaspan Marine Corporation. Must be nice to have expensive toys.

Denny is on a first name basis in this neck of the woods...aka Montana Rail Link.

[Copper10-8]

Tue 28 Dec 21 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur (con't)

 

After that lunch, we headed back to Cabo’s big tender pier, showed our ship I.D. to the Mexican security guards at the foot of said pier (there were two separate checkpoint Charlie’s, one of Norwegian Bliss and one for K-dam), and boarded Cabo Tender Numero 12 (HAL hires local Cabo tenders at different times of the day to free up their own tenders). The ride back was fast and uneventful, as was K-dam’s security screening process back on board Deck 1. My super talented wife spent some time on the balcony working on her next water paint master piece!

 

Tonight, we had a 7:00 PM dinner reservation, courtesy of Koningsdam Hotel General Manager Santhosh Nair (that’s the title of his position currently being used; no more hotel director and, prior to that, hotel manager). We showed up duly on time at the restaurant podium inside the entrance where manager Endrian (one of the longtime asst. maître D’s from Amsterdam’s many grand world voyages) took us to our assigned table adjacent the window. Endrian is the Canaletto manager but is filling in as K-dam’s “regular” PG manager, Remco from Holland, is dealing with some side effects from his Covid booster shot he received. Our steward there was Jim who hails from Pretoria, South Africa. Next up was one of the sommeliers, Manvick who presented us with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Silverado Vineyards in Napa Valley, CA. We wound up having a very pleasant dinner of Jumbo Shrimp, Filet Mignon and Crème Brulé (Maria) and Caesar salad, Filet Mignon and the Gelato sampler (moi) while we shared some mashed potatoes. I gotta tell ya, both the quality of the Caesar as well as the Filet have really improved! Much better than they were before! Good stuff!

 

Post this excellent dinner, we once again meandered our way to the Main Stage show lounge for the 9:30 PM performance of “Musicology” by the Step One Dance Co. Think of this show as those six talented performers “wrapping themselves” into musical instruments like the guitar, the organ, etc. Another fairy entertaining performance.

 

We wound up finishing the evening inside the Rolling Stones Rock Room (both the BB Kings and the pianists Clara and Colin were dark tonite) where the band once again played some rockin’ tunes; “Guitar Gods” (i.e., Eric Clapton’s “Layla” for one) starting at 10:00 PM and a regular set at 11:00 PM. We once again had some couples dancing sans masks but this time, to his credit, it was Cruise / Entertainment Director Jamie who sent them back to their seats without passing “Go” and collecting $200, to retrieve to face coverings before being allowed to share a dance floor again. Good for Jamie!

 

Returned to our cabin around 11:30 PM and did not find any chocolates at the foot of the bed so that seems to be hit and miss at the moment!

 

Thus Endeth a nice day in Cabo San Lucas and onboard K-dam on Tuesday. Tomorrow morning around 7:30-8:00 AM, the Sinaloan city of Mazatlan is on the schedule. See ya then!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nanlaur]

Looks like the owner of Karlito's Cantina is a Wisconsin sports fan 😁

[Copper10-8]

Day 3 - Tuesday 28 DEC 21 - Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur (con't)

 

K-dam's Cruise & Entertainment Director Jamie, followed by the very talented Step One Dance Co. in "Musicology"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

5 minutes ago, nanlaur said:

Looks like the owner of Karlito's Cantina is a Wisconsin sports fan 😁

 

Yeah, but along with many other NFL and NCAA teams 😉 

[zelker]

2 hours ago, MTAK said:

Denny is on a first name basis in this neck of the woods...aka Montana Rail Link.

Denny and said yacht were in Puerto Vallarta with us a few years ago ... and said yacht had its own helicopter parked on the aft top deck.  (DH had to Google it at the time)

[XBGuy]

14 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

I gotta tell ya, both the quality of the Caesar as well as the Filet have really improved! Much better than they were before! Good stuff!

 

 

Excellent.  That is so refreshing to hear.

 

 

14 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

 

 

A fine maker and and absolutely outstanding vintage year for Napa Valley,   👍👍👍

[Copper10-8]

7 minutes ago, zelker said:

Denny and said yacht were in Puerto Vallarta with us a few years ago ... and said yacht had its own helicopter parked on the aft top deck.  (DH had to Google it at the time)

 

Nice Eurocopter however, sometimes things can go wrongo dongo with Dennis' rotorcraft in heavy winds - no one got hurt happy to say!

 

 

[zelker]

1 minute ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Nice Eurocopter however, sometimes things can go wrongo dongo with Dennis' rotorcraft in heavy winds - no one got hurt happy to say!

 

 

Did this just happen??

[Copper10-8]

7 minutes ago, zelker said:

Did this just happen??

 

Nope, in 2013 during heavy winds in the Med. That was an EC-120 Helo which apparently wasn't tied down securely by the Atessa's deck crew. Denny's "regular" helo is an EC-130 (see below) I know those safety rails fold down, but still a tiny spot to put a helo down. He's gotta have talented pilots

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Day 3 - Tuesday 28 DEC 21 - Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur (con't)

 

Rockin' the night away inside K-dam's Rolling Stone Rock Room with the excellent band in there, think Eric Clapton's "Layla" among other tunes

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Great photos!!

[Copper10-8]

On 12/28/2021 at 11:11 AM, Vict0riann said:

Copper John, I am so happy to see the seating in CO!  When we were last on Koningsdam, the seating was just awful.  The chairs were killers - I am very glad they have changed them.

 

 

The seating arrangements inside CO have not been an issue for us, Ann, and we've now sat at both one of their high tops and at their "regular" size tables. I was a little anxious for the child bride, who is all of 4'11" in short, I mean height, and thought we might require a couple of Dutch phonebooks and/or a ladder to get her up on that seat but, to her credit (why did I doubt her) Maria hopped right up and we had a nice dinner.

 

The service in there has been, well interesting! We've been there once for breakfast now (service was fine) and twice for dinner, both on sea days. Service on night one was attentive by "Sweet & Low" (his mngr. calls him "Sweet & Sour") On Monday evening, things obviously ran slower in there, it looked like they were a bit understaffed that night and a "three striper" came in and told Tisar, the mngr, that he would get him an extra body from Canaletto. That young man (different uniform) did show shortly after, but by that time, the rush had died down. We'll go again tonite and will tell you all about it! Stay safe!  

[travelnap]

Thanks Copper for your great report and letting us all follow along with you on this trip.

[Florida_gal_50]

8 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

The seating arrangements inside CO have not been an issue for us, Ann, and we've now sat at both one of their high tops and at their "regular" size tables. I was a little anxious for the child bride, who is all of 4'11" in short, I mean height, and thought we might require a couple of Dutch phonebooks and/or a ladder to get her up on that seat but, to her credit (why did I doubt her) Maria hopped right up and we had a nice dinner.

 

The service in there has been, well interesting! We've been there once for breakfast now (service was fine) and twice for dinner, both on sea days. Service on night one was attentive by "Sweet & Low" (his mngr. calls him "Sweet & Sour") On Monday evening, things obviously ran slower in there, it looked like they were a bit understaffed that night and a "three striper" came in and told Tisar, the mngr, that he would get him an extra body from Canaletto. That young man (different uniform) did show shortly after, but by that time, the rush had died down. We'll go again tonite and will tell you all about it! Stay safe!  

I’m not the tallest person and I generally hate high tops in any restaurant because it’s impossible for me to get comfortable.  I wasn’t terribly impressed when they put me at one the first time in club orange.  They actually aren’t bad.   The seating is much better than I remember it was when club orange was  pub like a few years back.

[albingirl]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I’m not the tallest person and I generally hate high tops in any restaurant because it’s impossible for me to get comfortable.  I wasn’t terribly impressed when they put me at one the first time in club orange.  They actually aren’t bad.   The seating is much better than I remember it was when club orange was  pub like a few years back.

 

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

The seating arrangements inside CO have not been an issue for us, Ann, and we've now sat at both one of their high tops and at their "regular" size tables. I was a little anxious for the child bride, who is all of 4'11" in short, I mean height, and thought we might require a couple of Dutch phonebooks and/or a ladder to get her up on that seat but, to her credit (why did I doubt her) Maria hopped right up and we had a nice dinner.

 

The service in there has been, well interesting! We've been there once for breakfast now (service was fine) and twice for dinner, both on sea days. Service on night one was attentive by "Sweet & Low" (his mngr. calls him "Sweet & Sour") On Monday evening, things obviously ran slower in there, it looked like they were a bit understaffed that night and a "three striper" came in and told Tisar, the mngr, that he would get him an extra body from Canaletto. That young man (different uniform) did show shortly after, but by that time, the rush had died down. We'll go again tonite and will tell you all about it! Stay safe!  

I am so enjoying your review.  Thank you so very much.  What a treat to read all about it....you are wonderful.

[Radbooks]

Do you know why we've come back to the dock here in Mazatlan?

[Brentt_M]

5 minutes ago, Radbooks said:

Do you know why we've come back to the dock here in Mazatlan?

To disembark a passenger with a medical emergency.  I have heard no further details than that.

[Radbooks]

3 minutes ago, Brentt_M said:

To disembark a passenger with a medical emergency.  I have heard no further details than that.

Thanks. 

[Copper10-8]

24 minutes ago, Radbooks said:

Do you know why we've come back to the dock here in Mazatlan?

 

Yeah, there was a "medical response" (the old "Bright Star" response) to a Deck 8 cabin right at the same time we were shoving off the dock at around 1645 hrs local. A determination was made that the patient needed to be medically disembarked here in Mazataln, so the captain retraced his outbound track and we went back alongside again at a point forward of where we were before. For some reason, a local ambulance / paramedic squad never showed up as we were waiting along with the port agent, line handlers and a couple of Mexican Marines. We've now (just) taken off again headed for Puerto Vallarta

[teaberrry]

This post has been extremely helpful. I'm booked on the January 16th cruise on Koningsdam and have been debating whether to keep the booking or not. This play-by-play is helping me feel more confident about going and I can't wait to experience all the familiarity of a HAL cruise. It will be my first time on the Koningsdam and your pictures are great.

[Copper10-8]

48 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Yeah, there was a "medical response" (the old "Bright Star" response) to a Deck 8 cabin right at the same time we were shoving off the dock at around 1645 hrs local. A determination was made that the patient needed to be medically disembarked here in Mazataln, so the captain retraced his outbound track and we went back alongside again at a point forward of where we were before. For some reason, a local ambulance / paramedic squad never showed up as we were waiting along with the port agent, line handlers and a couple of Mexican Marines. We've now (just) taken off again headed for Puerto Vallarta

 

Update on the above! The good news is the patient is doing mucho better so, as we were waiting alongside, the med. disembark was cancelled, as was the ambulance (allowing the Bomberos de Mazatlan to stay in their comfy recliners watching their fav soap opera 😉 Sorry, couldn't resist / cops vs firemen rivalry popped up) 

 

So, all in all, that would be a positive ending and we're on our way to PV  🙂