Live from the Zuiderdam - August 24 to August 31- Maine and Canada

[Rubyfisch]

We got coffee and took our time. On the Volendam, it was 45 minutes to an hour wait for the tender. We went down at 10:15, they handed us a tender ticket, we sat down, and they called our ticket number. They said on the way down that they were doing open tending.

[Rubyfisch]

When we got off the tender, we walked to the left along the shoreline path:

 

 

 

 

View of the ship hiding behind the island:

 

 

 

Cormorants sunning themselves:

 

[Rubyfisch]

Greenery and flowers of Bar Harbor:

 

 

 

 

 

[Rubyfisch]

We went to one of the souvenir shops and bought a Christmas ornament:

 

 

 

[Rubyfisch]

We also went into this super cool wood store we hadn't been in before:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dfish]

Bar Harbor Lunch

 

[Rubyfisch]

When the tide is low, you can walk out on the sandbar. I wish I had brought a towel or flipflops so I could walk in the water, but alas, not today ....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rubyfisch]

Tendering back was quick and easy:

 

 

[Rubyfisch]

After we got back, we went to the Crows Nest for an iced coffee, and then 1 pm trivia. Trivia was destination themed - we got 14 out of 17, the the winning team got 16.

 

We splurged on the thermal package, so we went up to the pool, which was just lovely.

 

And then lunch in the lido - I got a taco bowl from the taco bar. I prefer the free standing one on Volendam, but this was good:

 

[Rubyfisch]

Adult coloring:

 

 

 

 

 

[Rubyfisch]

Foggy sail away:

 

 

 

 

 

[Rubyfisch]

4 pm trivia was very crowded and very hard.... I considered myself lucky to get 11 out of 17.

[Rubyfisch]

We went to the 5 pm free stretch class. I've done the 7 am ones several times, and it's a lot of shoulder rolls and forward folds and child's pose and cat/cow and maybe the hardest thing is a happy baby. I about died inside when the instructor had us get into high planks ....

 

Both my partner and I really enjoyed it, and now we taking hot showers and getting ready for the evening.

[Rubyfisch]

MDR menus:

 

 

 

[Hogladyrider]

3 hours ago, dfish said:

Bar Harbor Lunch

 

Best time of year for the seafood and fresh corn...jealous...ENJOY!

[POA1]

Thank you for taking the time to do a live from.

[SUESEABE]

Thanks for the 'Live From'. Have a great cruise!

[Rubyfisch]

First formal night:

 

 

French onion soup - so good:

 

 

Salmon - also great, although I really kind of hate the half cooked zucchini and summer squash ... I also got a side of mashed potatoes:

 

 

The chocolate eagle dohicky - really nice:

 

[Rubyfisch]

My phone is having a hell of a time trying to switch time zones ... I've had to shut off the auto update twice now.

 

Also, the Navigator app has to be the most unstable app ever ...

[Rubyfisch]

Towel elephant and chocolates:

 

 

 

 

[Rubyfisch]

It's early yet, but there is a time change and I walked a lot today, so we are heading to bed ....

 

[ellieanne]

On 8/24/2024 at 8:57 AM, Rubyfisch said:

I am not a clothes person. Most of my clothes are from Old Navy, Lands End, or LLBean. I'm also not the world's most festive person. But I do like breaking out some relevant tee shirts for embarkation day. I have a Royal Caribbean shirt I wear that I wear on Royal cruises. But this was my pick for today (or will be, when I motivate myself out of my pajamas):

 

My family's tradition is to wear shirts from previous cruises on Embarkation Day. For last year's Canada/New England cruise on the Zaandam, we all wore shirts from the Zuiderdam Southern Caribbean cruise in 2016.

[ellieanne]

On 8/24/2024 at 9:32 PM, Rubyfisch said:

I'm pretty I'm not a specialty restaurant person ... I like the MDR and having the same waiters and all of that. I've been to Chops for lunch once on Royal and that was about it. Our night at Pinnacle didn't really change my opinion. It was good, but the portions are giant and somehow not what I want. And it was so slow ... Like, pushing an hour and 45 minutes. Also - why is it a steak house with no French onion soup ....

 

 

The mushroom soup before they added the soup ... It was very heavy and not my thing:

 

 

Salmon (very good), beets (also very good, but teeny tiny), and mashed potatoes (it had a lot of nutmeg, but otherwise good):

 

 

Petite fours (the white chocolate ones might have been the best bite of the night):

 

 

Chocolate souffle (also excellent):

 

I thought I was the only one who preferred the Main Dining Room to the Specialty restaurants. It's so nice to have waiters who get to know you and I really find the food as good or better. I am always sorry when I miss dinner in the MDR. And on the nights when the menu isn't looking so great, the staff go above & beyond to make sure I have a great meal, even if it means cobbling together a plate from parts of all the options. I really enjoy the MDR. It's the best part of the cruise food to me. Now, if only they would bring back the YumYum man and his mints/ginger on the way out.

[Rubyfisch]

1 hour ago, ellieanne said:

I thought I was the only one who preferred the Main Dining Room to the Specialty restaurants. It's so nice to have waiters who get to know you and I really find the food as good or better. I am always sorry when I miss dinner in the MDR. And on the nights when the menu isn't looking so great, the staff go above & beyond to make sure I have a great meal, even if it means cobbling together a plate from parts of all the options. I really enjoy the MDR. It's the best part of the cruise food to me. Now, if only they would bring back the YumYum man and his mints/ginger on the way out.

They have had the mints and figs and such on formal nights this cruise and last one.

[Rubyfisch]

Our view around 7 am: