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San Diego to Montreal in 134 Days

richwmn

By richwmn,
in Holland America Line

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richwmn "Live from...." Rare

richwmn

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December 22, 2023 – Aboard ms Volendam

 

I checked out of the hotel right at 11:00am. A cab came within 5 minutes and we were on the way to the port. We didn’t have any traffic problems, and got to the port quickly. When we arrived the porters took my bag, and I headed inside. From that point I basically didn’t stop walking for more than a minute until just before boarding the ship. There was quite a backup. But even that didn’t take long. I dropped my carry on bag in the cabin and headed to the Lido, after being reminded that on this ship it is on Deck 8. My Dive In burger came and I noticed that it had been just 45 minutes since I left the hotel.

 

I also did a quick walk around the Promenade Deck. As usual, the deck hands were out washing everything. To me, everything looked great. My baggage has arrived in my cabin, and I met one of my stewards. I watched the video, and now need to head out to have my card scanned at the muster station.

 

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richwmn "Live from...." Rare

richwmn

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27 minutes ago, lakedweller64 said:

Hi Rich we will join you in San Diego on the 6th of April for the Fll trip.Really looking forward to your posts. Room 3327 so we will be neighbors.We did this trip last year on the Zaandam and loved it.

Glad you got everything straightened out and are able to join us. We had a good sail away today and everyone is in a festive holiday mood.

 

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richwmn "Live from...." Rare

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December 22nd, 2023 – On Televisions and hookups

A common question on this board is “Can I hook up my (insert device) to the tv in the cabin?” While it is not something I would want to do, I am going to discuss the possibility in my cabin. Please understand this only applies to Volendam HH3300. Most likely the other outside and maybe inside cabins are similar.

 

The TV sits on a shelf above the desk and is easy to view from the bed or the love seat.

IMG_0003.thumb.JPG.355e7f037dc7db6451be9ed902f51a8b.JPG

Behind the TV is a rather large area containing 4 European style outlets. Only 1 of the outlets is in use for the TV. I am using 2 of the others for my laptop and a European type USB charger.

IMG_0005.thumb.JPG.62a3de8fd625580c5676a45ca0f06120.JPG

The back of the TV looks to contain only two connectors, one of which is an ethernet (network) connector. The other I am not sure of.

 

IMG_0007.thumb.JPG.65d9f0616fbb2617736aaae544dacb36.JPGOn the side of the TV it appears that it has 2 hdmi connectors and 1 usb connector.

IMG_0012.thumb.JPG.6207edfc6e75570a2caa1594f7585a4f.JPG

It appears that a hdmi cable or usb drive could be attached with little or no trouble. I do not have a remote of any type to test the TV with. The one in my cabin happens to be an LG model.

The main menu on the screen looks identical to that I saw on Nieuw Statendam and Zuiderdam last year. Current Channel lineup is EWTN Holiday Programming Schedule, NFL Games, NCAA Games, BBC News, MSNBC, FOX News, Prime One, Prime Favorites, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, Bow Camera, and Aft Camera. I haven’t checked but I believe ships announcements are on Bow Camera. There is a group of programs designated TV On Demand which includes 6 Ocean Originals and One ‘Other’. There are also three music channels – The Beach, Plaza, and Classical.

The remote is very basic and is designed only to access the necessary HAL functions.

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ger_77

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I’ll be following your adventures with the rest.  I told DH about your fabulous itinerary and the length and his response was “We could do that … if we sell the house.”  LOL

 

Smooth seas and a following wind!

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richwmn "Live from...." Rare

richwmn

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December 22nd, 2023 – Good night!

 

Just a quick note before calling it a night. The ship has been lively tonight. The entertainment has been pretty good. I sampled each and was pleasantly surprised. First, the Main Stage did the ‘Origin Story’. I have seen it and it is worth seeing. Next we have the Ocean Bar with a combo playing danceable music. Then we have The Mix with a single pianist. Both the combo and the single pianist were pretty good. I also stopped in for a music trivia, and the presentation and content was pretty good. The combo and the pianist each had three sets. A cocktail pianist also played two sets, but I wasn’t around for that. Tomorrow there will be a classical duo in the Explorers Lounge. The Casino had a moderate crowd.

 

I did run into a couple of people so far that I have met on previous cruises.

 

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jimdee3636

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8 hours ago, richwmn said:

December 22nd, 2023 – Good night!

 

Just a quick note before calling it a night. The ship has been lively tonight. The entertainment has been pretty good. I sampled each and was pleasantly surprised. First, the Main Stage did the ‘Origin Story’. I have seen it and it is worth seeing. Next we have the Ocean Bar with a combo playing danceable music. Then we have The Mix with a single pianist. Both the combo and the single pianist were pretty good. I also stopped in for a music trivia, and the presentation and content was pretty good. The combo and the pianist each had three sets. A cocktail pianist also played two sets, but I wasn’t around for that. Tomorrow there will be a classical duo in the Explorers Lounge. The Casino had a moderate crowd.

 

I did run into a couple of people so far that I have met on previous cruises.

 

I guess I haven't been paying attention: I thought that the classical music and the Ocean Bar dance bands were gone from all the HAL ships. But it seems that, at least on the Volendam (and maybe on the Zaandam?), they still survive. I sure hope so. 

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Fred321

Fred321

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8 hours ago, richwmn said:

December 22nd, 2023 – Good night!

 

Just a quick note before calling it a night. The ship has been lively tonight. The entertainment has been pretty good. I sampled each and was pleasantly surprised. First, the Main Stage did the ‘Origin Story’. I have seen it and it is worth seeing. Next we have the Ocean Bar with a combo playing danceable music. Then we have The Mix with a single pianist. Both the combo and the single pianist were pretty good. I also stopped in for a music trivia, and the presentation and content was pretty good. The combo and the pianist each had three sets. A cocktail pianist also played two sets, but I wasn’t around for that. Tomorrow there will be a classical duo in the Explorers Lounge. The Casino had a moderate crowd.

 

I did run into a couple of people so far that I have met on previous cruises.

 

Thanks very much for your postings. We are joining you for the grand Aus. and NZ in a few days and are very encouraged by the music offerings especially after last year's world cruise. Almost sounds like the "old days". Nice to see that HAL's management listened to the feedback they got last year. Happy Holidays.

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richwmn "Live from...." Rare

richwmn

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December 23rd, 2023 – Notes after breakfast.

 

I had a very good night’s sleep last night and woke a little after 6 local time. Everything seemed familiar for some reason. Breakfast started at 7, so I did a few things around the cabin and headed to the Lido right at 7. I enjoyed my typical breakfast with the normal great service. Right at opening the Lido restaurant is generally pretty empty and easy to get around.

 

Today at 11:30am the Mariner Society is having a reception for 3,4, & 5 Star Guests in the Crows Nest. That is scheduled for 45 minutes. The Cruise Critic M&G is scheduled for 1pm, also in the Crows Nest. At 1:50 pm I have an invitation for a complimentary wine tasting in the Main Dining Room.

 

So far I have had no problems other than my card not working in my door right away yesterday. While I was getting that taken care of I overheard the interaction between Guest Services and another Guest. The Guest is in an outside cabin. She was under the impression that she had a balcony. She was trying to get Guest Services to ‘correct’ the problem. Guest Services was trying to tell her that she needed to contact whoever booked the cruise for her, but she wasn’t having any of it. The ship, of course for the holidays, is full. I was able to leave before she did.

 

On another note, I ran into Scooter tom last evening. I met him on Nieuw Statendam last October. Very nice guy and had a nice conversation with him.

 

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richwmn "Live from...." Rare

richwmn

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18 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

I have found my wine package for in-cabin -- but what am I missing here? -- "Save up to 25% (what about 4 & 5-star 50% off wine packages?  

 

2 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Great start to your cruise, thank you!  

Rich @richwmn did you see my question yesterday about the wine packages?  It says "Save up to 25%".  I hope that's a misprint (even though it states 25% in several places).  

Happy to see they have Pine Ridge and Wairau River wines. 🙂  

I did see this yesterday, but I took it as a rhetorical question. I assume that we still get the proper discount, but will ask at the wine tasting (hic) at 1:50

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jimdee3636

jimdee3636

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@Cruising-along

@richwmn

I think the "up to 25% off" refers to the fact that the wines in each package---even without the three-star or four-star/ five-star discounts---cost less as part of the package than they would if you were to buy them individually by the bottle. Some might be as much as 25% less, but others will have less of a discount from the by-the-bottle price. In other words, anyone---even someone on his or her first HAL cruise---gets a saving by purchasing a package, but three-star Mariners and up get an additional discount off the (already discounted) package price.

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Cruising-along

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21 minutes ago, jimdee3636 said:

@Cruising-along

@richwmn

I think the "up to 25% off" refers to the fact that the wines in each package---even without the three-star or four-star/ five-star discounts---cost less as part of the package than they would if you were to buy them individually by the bottle. Some might be as much as 25% less, but others will have less of a discount from the by-the-bottle price. In other words, anyone---even someone on his or her first HAL cruise---gets a saving by purchasing a package, but three-star Mariners and up get an additional discount off the (already discounted) package price.

This makes sense, thank you. 

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