Rare erewhon Posted March 15, 2023 #451 Share Posted March 15, 2023 Hi @richwmn Rich, Enjoying your reports. Who is your new Captain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 15, 2023 Author #452 Share Posted March 15, 2023 4 hours ago, erewhon said: Hi @richwmn Rich, Enjoying your reports. Who is your new Captain? The Captain is now Frank van der Hoeven 5 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliaschief Posted March 15, 2023 #453 Share Posted March 15, 2023 Rich. Does the Zuiderdam have the new Star Link WiFi system? If so how is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 15, 2023 Author #454 Share Posted March 15, 2023 1 hour ago, aliaschief said: Rich. Does the Zuiderdam have the new Star Link WiFi system? If so how is it? I don't think so, the internet is about the same as I have had in the past. Some additional pictures from Cape Town. This is the Marina Area where the shuttle dropped us and the HOHO bus stopped. 21 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliaschief Posted March 15, 2023 #455 Share Posted March 15, 2023 Rich. Thanks for the quick reply and pics. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 15, 2023 Author #456 Share Posted March 15, 2023 This evening's menus -- 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 15, 2023 Author #457 Share Posted March 15, 2023 Cape Town at Dusk 20 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cccole Posted March 15, 2023 #458 Share Posted March 15, 2023 Your WC reports are fabulous and it seems like you are enjoying it more everyday. Your photos are great and daily life onboard sounds good, especially when you connect with other passengers that you enjoy spending time with. Thank you for this "live from." Cherie 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boytjie Posted March 15, 2023 #459 Share Posted March 15, 2023 On 3/13/2023 at 4:44 AM, richwmn said: Oh man, I wish I was there for this! 😮 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare erewhon Posted March 16, 2023 #460 Share Posted March 16, 2023 18 hours ago, richwmn said: The Captain is now Frank van der Hoeven @richwmn Rich, Thank you for your reply. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 16, 2023 Author #461 Share Posted March 16, 2023 March 16 – at sea, destination Luderitz After trivia last night I relaxed a bit then went to the 9:30pm show, which was the South African Youth Choir. It was a very good show featuring some very good singers. The program included several songs by the group, along with a few solo performances. It was a very nice farewell to Cape Town and South Africa. Today we are back at sea with another bright, comfortable day. The seas appear calm, and the ship is stable. A Cruise Critic M&G was held this morning with light attendance. 20 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat shepard Posted March 16, 2023 #462 Share Posted March 16, 2023 On 3/15/2023 at 4:42 PM, richwmn said: Cape Town at Dusk Gorgeous pics, Rich! Thank you for sharing! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 17, 2023 Author #463 Share Posted March 17, 2023 March 17 – Saint Patrick’s Day – Luderitz, Namibia Today started out a bit overcast, but it is very nice out right now. Yesterday they had a silent auction to benefit a children’s facility in Namibia. It seems that they raised a good amount for the facility. As normal with sea days, we had several trivia sessons, at 1:00pm, 4:00pm and 6:30pm. Again we finished high in all, but didn’t win. We also had Bocce Ball, or at least the ship board version, at 2:30pm. It is fun and I managed to win this one. I spent a little bit of time in the Ocean Bar with friends listening to the Group there. They generally play dance music, but will do Jazz when no one is dancing. They are also the band that plays behind some of the performers and during sail aways. They are good musicians and easy to listen to. This morning we had to have a face to face meeting with immigration. It started on time and like South Africa went smoothly and quickly. As each person finished a sticker was placed on our ships card and we could go ashore then. Today is a tender port, and open tendering began at 10:00am, right when my group had decided to go ashore. Like the tender platform on the ship, the floating dock at Luderitz had some motion to it and everyone was helped on and off the tender. The incline to the permanent dock was pretty steep and the walk was a bit long. The city itself is nice, and we found a good place to buy gifts and beer. They also had free wifi that was pretty good. I had a bit of a shock this morning when I received a message that Namibia is not on my T-Mobile access so for the first time I don’t have data in port, the wifi was nice. Crow's Nest Bartender and friend 24 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clueless2 Posted March 17, 2023 #464 Share Posted March 17, 2023 How's the T-Mobile data speed in most ports? I assume it's pretty slow but is it fast enough for email and other non-video "stuff"? Thanks for taking the time to post your adventure. Very enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Hill Cruisers Posted March 17, 2023 #465 Share Posted March 17, 2023 Dear Rich, We are greatly enjoying your GWV blog. It brings back memories of our 2018 GWV on the Ms Amsterdam. Question for you: If you are not in a suite and your stateroom is an inside, outside view or veranda, can you tell us if your shower is a standup shower (not a tub shower) with a safety handrail and if the shower head is fixed or is the shower head a removable wand on a hose? The reason we ask is that, after booking the Voyage of the Vikings and the 2024 GWV on the Ms Zuiderdam, my wife underwent brain surgery and she has some vision & mobility issues. There are no handicapped staterooms available on our upcoming Voyage of the Vikings cruise. So we need to know if I can stand outside the shower with a removable shower head and wet down & rinse my wife. Thanks in advance for your reply and comments. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 17, 2023 Author #466 Share Posted March 17, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, clueless2 said: How's the T-Mobile data speed in most ports? I assume it's pretty slow but is it fast enough for email and other non-video "stuff"? Thanks for taking the time to post your adventure. Very enjoyable. The speed has actually been pretty good. I have had T-Mobile since about June of 2018. Since that time I have been on several cruises and this is the first time I have received the out of network message. The speed has always been good, and on this cruise in particular I have not had any problems using local data. In fact, I have watched Youtube videos on both my phone and tablet (both have T-Mobile service). I have also been able, for the most part, to use WiFi calling on the ship, and Whatsapp for calls and video calls in ports. I did make a couple of international calls at 25 cents a minute, also without any problems. 3 hours ago, Oak Hill Cruisers said: Question for you: If you are not in a suite and your stateroom is an inside, outside view or veranda, can you tell us if your shower is a standup shower (not a tub shower) with a safety handrail and if the shower head is fixed or is the shower head a removable wand on a hose? I have been in two cabins since I boarded Zuiderdam. For 12 days over the holidays I was in 4058, an outside obstructed view cabin. Since the beginning of the World, I have been in 5048, a nice verandah cabin. Both have the tub with detachable shower head. Photos of 5048 can be found at https://halfacts.com/vista-class/5048-zuiderdam/ Closer view of shower head in 5048, the one in 4058 was identical Edited March 17, 2023 by richwmn 8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare rafinmd Posted March 17, 2023 #467 Share Posted March 17, 2023 Looks a lot like my oceanview cabin on the Eurodam, and perhaps a bit of the worst of both worlds. You do need to step over the walls of the tub to get into the shower, and if used as a bath tub, the soap dispenser is too high to reach. Roy 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clueless2 Posted March 17, 2023 #468 Share Posted March 17, 2023 5 minutes ago, richwmn said: The speed has actually been pretty good. I have had T-Mobile since about June of 2018. Since that time I have been on several cruises and this is the first time I have received the out of network message. The speed has always been good, and on this cruise in particular I have not had any problems using local data. In fact, I have watched Youtube videos on both my phone and tablet (both have T-Mobile service). I have also been able, for the most part, to use WiFi calling on the ship, and Whatsapp for calls and video calls in ports. I did make a couple of international calls at 25 cents a minute, also without any problems. Thanks. I had GoogleFi (which uses T-Mobile in the USA) for a 49 day TA/Med cruise in 2017 and it worked great everywhere but Malta-and we were there overnight. Another person on the cruise that had Fi also had the issue. It was supposed to work but I assume it was just some type of glitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 18, 2023 Author #469 Share Posted March 18, 2023 March 18 – Walvis Bay, Namibia Until a few minutes ago it was overcast and not very inviting. We are again in an industrial port with a shuttle into town. The only thing in view from the ship is the workings of the port. Last night was a festive St. Patrick’s Day. The ship was decked out in green and activities were themed to the holiday. The 6:30pm trivia was questions about the day and the Dance Band played on the Lido deck mid ship. Everything was very nice. This morning has been nice and relaxed. Later this afternoon we have to parade thru the Hudson Room to get our passports stamped out of Nimibia and we will officially be gone. Children from the Bernhard Nordkamp Centre, the charity HAL supports, are on board and will do a show at 4:00pm before we leave. Today’s program states that Zuiderdam raised over $7,000 to donate to the charity. 16 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 19, 2023 Author #470 Share Posted March 19, 2023 March 19 – at sea, destination Destination Luanda, Angola eta 3-21 Another pretty day at sea. During the noon announcements the Captain noted that we could be in for some bad weather coming up. For the next couple of days it should still be nice. Namibia as a colony was under German influence. The ship had a nice German meal last night that I really enjoyed. The Dance Band played next to the mid ship pool to a very light audience. It was an enjoyable evening. The ship had a charity auction yesterday benefiting the Bernhard Nordkamp Center and raised over $9,000 to benefit the project. About 20 children that the Center serves came aboard the ship and put on a show last evening. It was a cute show with some talented entertainers. After the show we had to wait for a few people to clear immigration and we were about an hour late leaving. Today was a light breakfast day, just a bowl of cereal, because I had a reservation for another Brunch Sampler in the Main Dining Room. Since we were scheduled for 11:30am, it was basically a lunch and was again very good. Quite a few people took advantage of the lunch. We finished lunch in time to get to trivia at 1:00pm. 14 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REOVA Posted March 19, 2023 #471 Share Posted March 19, 2023 You may find a few ports in Africa that cell phone data is expensive and not part of their service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayhawk66 Posted March 19, 2023 #472 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Rich, I am really enjoying your posts as you take us along on your journey. I particularly like to see your daily screenshots of your location on Google maps. Is there any particular setting required to get the large area geographic view? I’d like to do the same on our upcoming transatlantic cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 19, 2023 Author #473 Share Posted March 19, 2023 10 minutes ago, jayhawk66 said: Rich, I am really enjoying your posts as you take us along on your journey. I particularly like to see your daily screenshots of your location on Google maps. Is there any particular setting required to get the large area geographic view? I’d like to do the same on our upcoming transatlantic cruise. I use two different ways to get the location. Many mornings I walk the promenade and the step tracker I use gives me the map with two dots. I use google maps directly otherwise. I would suggest you download the map for online use as internet is not always great. In both cases, once I have the map up I can tap the screen and it goes to full screen. This is on a Samsung Android phone. YMMV 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 19, 2023 Author #474 Share Posted March 19, 2023 31 minutes ago, REOVA said: You may find a few ports in Africa that cell phone data is expensive and not part of their service. So far only Namibia, but we will see going forward. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divi Posted March 19, 2023 #475 Share Posted March 19, 2023 My husband said we may have to do a world cruise just so he can have the chilled soups again. 😂 Thank you for your pictures and reports, very enjoyable. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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