On board Zaandam!

[Mosaic]

Well, I guess it is just more fun that way, lol.   Another one:  when you have access to a hotel Club Lounge, etc---Loungers!!!!!

[Blackduck59]

While everyone is adding their thoughts on walktail, I'm pretty sure @CruiserBruce first saw that the same time I did on another thread when @POA1 used it in  one of his always witty posts. It was to describe the cocktail you got at the bar and carried with you to the dining room. This was to insure you got that pre-dinner cocktail before the appy is served. Nowhere was it suggested it had to be "free".

[CruiserBruce]

We were in Halifax in Aug 2022 on N. Statendam, and did a general excursion to see the main sites. Then, and since then, have heard many things about the Maritime Museum, so it was high on our list for this visit. Much focus on Titanic  and the Great Halifax Explosion. Good info, and a museum docent was doing a very enthusiastic presentation on Titanic. But the little noticed side story was the parts slaves who fled the US and their descendants played in the history of the Canadian Navy, and in the 1917 Explosion. Very interesting. 

 

Rained lightly much of the morning, but only a nuisance. Dry now, but still cloudy. Pretty mild and high humidity. 

 

Had pretty solid lobster roll at the Waterfront Warehouse, which looks like good fish place in general.

 

Have to say the Zaandam looks very good for a 20 year old ship. Is there no rust to be found? Of course there is, but it's very, very little. Overall paint, furnishings, carpet and everything else look much better than I expected. 

[mwj]

23 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Just got back from an hour stroll around Eastport. "A small fishing village" is a brief, accurate description. Having 1200 pax here about doubles the population. They get a few small cruises to visit, but I doubt any bigger than Zaandam, as the pier is barely fitting Zaandam. With last minute switch, we saw only two tours. Otherwise, not much else to see except "quaint- ness". Some small shops and restaurants. 

 

Been cloudy/foggy all day, with a number of showers. But dry since 1pm. Hurricane Lee continues to promise some excitement probably by Saturday night, maybe lasting into Monday. Monday is a tender port at Corner Brook. Not optimistic. 

 

Lunch in Lido was very good...seafood paella. Love paella!

 

Tonight is a dressy night.

 

The problem with drink plans...they require repeated and comprehensive exercise. Off to keep our drink plan fit.

 

 

We hope enjoyed Eastport! The eastern most city in the US. (Lubec is the eastern most town, and West Quoddy Head Lighthouse is the eastern most point.)

Did you stock up on Raye’s?

https://rayesmustard.com/

Did you see the exhibit about Roosevelt’s Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project?

 

[Blackduck59]

They had work parties painting in various places while we were on her a couple weeks ago, including the hull.

[CruiserBruce]

10 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

They had work parties painting in various places while we were on her a couple weeks ago, including the hull.

That is a never ending process.

[Blackduck59]

39 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

That is a never ending process.

It is so, I'm glad they make the effort. Nothing like rust streaks on the hull to make a fine ship look shabby. 

[CruiserBruce]

And just in case anyone is curious,  we have already received refunds for canceled port fees and excursions.  What we will never know is if the stop at Sydney required port fees, so our canceled port fees were reduced by added port fees at Sydney.  Or if Eastport (substitute port) was a cheaper port then Portland (replaced port). 

 

We will closely monitor the situation. Your intrepid reporter is on the story. But at this port we are $19.90 ahead on the topic at this point.

[CruiserBruce]

3 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

It is so, I'm glad they make the effort. Nothing like rust streaks on the hull to make a fine ship look shabby. 

Very true! That is one thing I was looking for. None to be seen.

[kazu]

17 hours ago, riverrat said:

 

Supposed to be a tropical storm and go right into the Bay of Fundy...... ya'll will be riding the wave  HURRICANE LEE (noaa.gov)

 

 

They aren’t going to be near the Bay of Fundy, thankfully.  (That is Saint John, NB which was cancelled wisely).  Not saying they might not have motion of the ocean but they are moving the right way away from the storm as much as it is possible (it’s a very BIG one and impact will be felt for a huge distance).

 

@CruiserBruce right now, it sounds like for once Newfoundland will be spared.  Assuming the seas are traversable, you might be able to get to Corner Brook.  A lot left to unfold, of course.

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

@CruiserBruce, @Ferry_Watcher is also on board the Zaandam.  First time on the Zaandam, and enjoying it.  I am though, struggling with the WiFi.  It seems okay in port, but useless in-between.  Maybe our paths will cross while on this cruise.  

[Banditswife]

On 9/14/2023 at 7:23 AM, CruiserBruce said:

For those that need negatives...fog horn sounded all night. Rained much of afternoon yesterday.  Warm and very humid at times. We left BOS about 30 minutes late.

 

Odd occurrence...late yesterday afternoon,  two suitcases suddenly appeared in our cabin. They were clearly marked with our cabin number, but not our bags. Someone told the dockworkers they were in our cabin? Interesting...handled quickly by our cabin stewards. 

 

 

Here is a good reason to book inside cabins, the fog horns would most likely be less annoying.  

The odd suitcases in your cabin is a bit funny, wonder if the true owners were mad they didn't get their luggage in a timely manor.

[albingirl]

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

And just in case anyone is curious,  we have already received refunds for canceled port fees and excursions.  What we will never know is if the stop at Sydney required port fees, so our canceled port fees were reduced by added port fees at Sydney.  Or if Eastport (substitute port) was a cheaper port then Portland (replaced port). 

 

We will closely monitor the situation. Your intrepid reporter is on the story. But at this port we are $19.90 ahead on the topic at this point.

So positive, thank you.  None of the grinding misery of some of the reviews.  Hats off!

[AroundWithMAPTravels]

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

And just in case anyone is curious,  we have already received refunds for canceled port fees and excursions.  What we will never know is if the stop at Sydney required port fees, so our canceled port fees were reduced by added port fees at Sydney.  Or if Eastport (substitute port) was a cheaper port then Portland (replaced port). 

 

We will closely monitor the situation. Your intrepid reporter is on the story. But at this port we are $19.90 ahead on the topic at this point.

Question for @Blackduck59   Did you get refund of port fee approx $30 for our Zaandam trip?  Do you have any idea why?   No complaints, just curious, as we didn’t miss any ports (although Halifax was a real washout)

Question for all: have never gotten refund of port fees on any prior cruise I have done, and have missed many ports.  Is this normal for HAL.

[FlaMariner]

17 minutes ago, AroundWithMAPTravels said:

Question for all: have never gotten refund of port fees on any prior cruise I have done, and have missed many ports.  Is this normal for HAL.

 

Seems like most HAL cruises we have been on has some type of port fee adjustment......to our benefit.  Some are port cancels but mostly it is adjustments (small amounts) to the port charges.

[Kate45]

We were just off the zaandam on Wednesday. Had 2 ports cancelled- one for weather (St Anthonthy, Nfld,) and the other (Bar Harbor) because of work needed on stern thrusters. We received port charges refunded AND a $75/pp obc. I am assuming this was because we lost a day because of a mechanical issue  by HAL? Not sure, but we ended up with enough credit to pay our grats!

[jaapie]

Last week on the Zuiderdam we each got a refundable credit of $25 and change as an adjustment to port fees/taxes. We did not miss any ports.

[aliaschief]

5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

We were in Halifax in Aug 2022 on N. Statendam, and did a general excursion to see the main sites. Then, and since then, have heard many things about the Maritime Museum, so it was high on our list for this visit. Much focus on Titanic  and the Great Halifax Explosion. Good info, and a museum docent was doing a very enthusiastic presentation on Titanic. But the little noticed side story was the parts slaves who fled the US and their descendants played in the history of the Canadian Navy, and in the 1917 Explosion. Very interesting. 

 

Rained lightly much of the morning, but only a nuisance. Dry now, but still cloudy. Pretty mild and high humidity. 

 

Had pretty solid lobster roll at the Waterfront Warehouse, which looks like good fish place in general.

 

Have to say the Zaandam looks very good for a 20 year old ship. Is there no rust to be found? Of course there is, but it's very, very little. Overall paint, furnishings, carpet and everything else look much better than I expected. 

Waterfront Warehouse is our favorite and go to place in Halifax.

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, AroundWithMAPTravels said:

Question for all: have never gotten refund of port fees on any prior cruise I have done, and have missed many ports.  Is this normal for HAL.

Absolutely. If HAL misses a port, and there are no port substitutions assessing a new charge, there will be a refund in full. 
If there is a substitute port, any refund will be calculated based on the new expense. 

Unlike some other cruise line(Oceania, I'm looking at you), HAL is fair and honest this way. 

[ScottishMaid]

On 9/14/2023 at 12:24 PM, Blackduck59 said:

Yes, I'm not sure what is up with tendering in Cornerbrook. Zaandam had been there once before we were there and she tendered that time. Perhaps we were just lucky to be alongside. 

We tendered at Cornerbrook in early August because a large container ship was unloading that day.

[Blackduck59]

4 hours ago, AroundWithMAPTravels said:

Question for @Blackduck59   Did you get refund of port fee approx $30 for our Zaandam trip?  Do you have any idea why?   No complaints, just curious, as we didn’t miss any ports (although Halifax was a real washout)

Question for all: have never gotten refund of port fees on any prior cruise I have done, and have missed many ports.  Is this normal for HAL.

To tell you truth I really don't know. I didn't notice anything like that when I looked at the final bill.

[CruiserBruce]

Night was a little rough...20+ knot headwind, 3-4 meter seas, 19 knot speed. Not bad, slept pretty well, but as the entertainment was a bit odd, it did encourage an early evening and watching Top Gun Maverick on the TV. Sailing into Sydney right now, foggy and drizzle, fairly calm in the harbor area. Fog horn only sounded from about 6 to 7:30 am.

 

On the weather front,  the plan seems to be working. The port re-arrangement and the several long sailings overnight have allowed us to get east of the storm track. It looks like we will, on our scheduled sea day tomorrow, sail east and hook around behind the worst part of the storm, hopefully still visiting Corner Brook on Monday. So far, nicely conceived plan.

 

Last night for dinner...DW had the lasagna...she thinks they have moved the Canaletto lasagna into the MDR, as it is no longer offered in the Canaletto. She really likes the lasagna. I had the chili relleno. Never had one before, so can't compare it. It was good, I would eat it again. I think it is considered a vegetarian item...I do wish it had some protein in it. Canaletto tonight. 

 

I work out EVERY morning at 6 on a cruise, unless the day's plans interfere. Each ship has a different philosophy on use and opening of the gym every morning...this is our 16th HAL cruise...I am used to figuring out the lay of land. Anyway, it seems the AC is off or very low in the area, perhaps because they want the adjoining spa rooms and facilities to be warm. Anyway,  losing 10 lbs just in sweat every day!

 

The oddity in the entertainment last night. The drummer in the Ocean Bar Band decided the first set was going to be a solo performance of a new, steel drum sort of instrument. Would have been nice for a song or two. Not a 45 minute set.

 

@Ferry_Watcher, not having any problems with wifi. Working as good for us,  maybe best ever. Not sure if this is Starlink yet.

[AroundWithMAPTravels]

23 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Night was a little rough...20+ knot headwind, 3-4 meter seas, 19 knot speed. Not bad, slept pretty well, but as the entertainment was a bit odd, it did encourage an early evening and watching Top Gun Maverick on the TV. Sailing into Sydney right now, foggy and drizzle, fairly calm in the harbor area. Fog horn only sounded from about 6 to 7:30 am.

 

On the weather front,  the plan seems to be working. The port re-arrangement and the several long sailings overnight have allowed us to get east of the storm track. It looks like we will, on our scheduled sea day tomorrow, sail east and hook around behind the worst part of the storm, hopefully still visiting Corner Brook on Monday. So far, nicely conceived plan.

 

Last night for dinner...DW had the lasagna...she thinks they have moved the Canaletto lasagna into the MDR, as it is no longer offered in the Canaletto. She really likes the lasagna. I had the chili relleno. Never had one before, so can't compare it. It was good, I would eat it again. I think it is considered a vegetarian item...I do wish it had some protein in it. Canaletto tonight. 

 

I work out EVERY morning at 6 on a cruise, unless the day's plans interfere. Each ship has a different philosophy on use and opening of the gym every morning...this is our 16th HAL cruise...I am used to figuring out the lay of land. Anyway, it seems the AC is off or very low in the area, perhaps because they want the adjoining spa rooms and facilities to be warm. Anyway,  losing 10 lbs just in sweat every day!

 

The oddity in the entertainment last night. The drummer in the Ocean Bar Band decided the first set was going to be a solo performance of a new, steel drum sort of instrument. Would have been nice for a song or two. Not a 45 minute set.

 

@Ferry_Watcher, not having any problems with wifi. Working as good for us,  maybe best ever. Not sure if this is Starlink yet.

Captain confirmed during our voyage in Aug that starlink is being used on Zaandam.  What he didn’t say was whether all Wi-Fi used it or just the upgraded.

[MisterMatthew]

CruiserBruce..

 

I am enjoying your report very much.  I have not been on the Zandam (yet).  It sounds like she is holding her own!

 

I have had the chile relleno on a different ship.  Not too bad in my opinion -- as i have had a few thousand on land.

 

Bruce, may i ask a question.  In the gym.. is the equiptment "TRUE" brand?  I only ask because i was recently on the Eurodam, and they had machines with that brand.  Smooth as silk when i used them.  So much better than my local Planet Fitness! Lol.

 

I am glad you enjoyed the Lido Bar b Que.  Oh, wait, that was a fire, he he he.

 

I enjoy your insights, Bruce.

 

----Matthew

[Hlitner]

Just a thought, if Bruce gets to chat with the Captain.  When we were recently on the Seabourn Quest, we had to use the foghorn for several days (around Greenland and towards Canada).  The Captain on that ship (who previously was an officer on the Prinsendam) told us that the foghorn is completely unnecessary and simply a mariner tradition that has been kept as part of the international rules.  I further asked him about the danger of hitting a small craft that might not be seen on radar.  He explained that these days, that is no longer a problem and the ship's radar is more than adequate to spot any craft.   Am curious as to if this is a widespread thought, or if other Captains still feel it is absolutely necessary for safety.

 

On our cruise, those in the most expensive suites lost a few night's sleep because of that darn foghorn.  It was a perfect cruise for those in steerage, where all was quiet.

 

Hank