2006 Maasdam - Voyage of the Vikings A 35 day journal

[WCB]

Hi y' all,

 

Today the sea are still rough after a night of rocking and rolling. Several people left the dining room, probably due to sea sickness. And by the looks of the seas this morning, it will remain rough. Also, the temperature has dropped to 51 degrees with a wind chill factor of 10 degrees due to the fog. We just had to walk faster on the promenade deck to stay warm.

 

After a leisurely lunch in the dining room, our big event today was picking up our passports. It was handled in a very organized manner, alphabetically and according to a time schedule. We found it odd that the only stamp was from Reykjavik, Iceland.

 

Since the weather was so bleak outside, we figured it was a good day to see a movie. We saw "Take the Lead" in the Wajang Theater and for a change it was actually good. We enjoy the popcorn too,

 

Tonight the dress was formal, and we were due to have an officer join our table again. We were pleased to have the Hotel Manager for our guest, since he was able to answer many questions in regards to the food we have been enjoying. He was quite informative and unlike the Chief Engineer, he was a much better conversationalist.

 

The clocks went back tonight again, but the Masked Ball was still too late to attend. We all had a different color mask for each of us at our table at dinner, which was another first. Many ladies wore them going to the ball, in hopes of dancing with an officer at the ball.

 

Good night for now.

 

 

Report # 28

 

Hi again,

 

We were scheduled to sail through the Prins Christian Sound this morning, but to our disappointment, the ice blocked the entrance once again. The Captain sailed as close as he could to the entrance, and we did get some nice pictures. The sky was a pale blue with some clouds in the distance. It sure would have been nice to see this mountain-lined passage, but there was no way that we could do it. The Captain spent some time at this spot, circling the ship for all to see for about an hour. Then, we slowly sailed south around the tip of Greenland. We did see some large icebergs, so the day wasn't so bad after all. And thankfully, the seas smoothed out like silk.

 

We went to another movie in the theater, but this one, "The Cave", was not as good as yesterday's show. Sometimes we wonder who chooses the movies. Perhaps the plan is to show some bad ones, so the passengers would rent the DVD's for $3.00 each. Can't say we see many people renting them. In the same vein, the specialty coffees are no longer free. That was always a special Holland feature, now they have gone the way of all the other "nickel and diming" cruise lines. Too bad. One plus, however, is that we can order the special coffees for dinner at no charge, and everyone at our table takes advantage of that.

 

Until tomorrow,

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[RuthC]

Ride 'em, cowboy! Your description of report #27 is the very reason I love this itinerary! To me it's a perfect time to spend alone out on deck. You're making me long to go back.

Can't be sure I recall exactly, but didn't you miss Prins Christian Sound on the east-bound portion, too? That's a pity; it's such a pretty ride in there. There's a teeny-tiny village (settlement?) in there that makes you wonder who on earth---why on earth---lives there.

Thanks for another great report.

[WCB]

Greetings,

 

We woke up early this morning, looked out the window, and saw the coastline of southern Greenland lined with huge icebergs. The Maasdam sailed into the Julianehaabsfjord and anchored in the little harbor of Qaqortoq (pronounced ka-kor-tok). This small community houses 3200 people of Inuit and Danish descent and a mixture of both. All of the wooden houses and structures were brightly painted with the colors of the rainbow. What a picture opportunity! The air is unusually clean and clear, and we have been blessed with a sunny day with a cool wind. So walking up the hills and exploring the town should be a pleasure this morning.

 

The short tender boat ride got us to shore by 9 am. As we were getting off the boat, we heard the church bells chiming, and decided to find the church. Gertrud Rask's Kirke is the modern church, and the services are spoken in the native Inuit language. The mass was in progress, so we just peeked in the door. A baby dressed in baptismal clothing was waiting outside with the parents to be baptized, and we heard that a wedding was taking place later in the day.

 

We made a quick stop at the tourist info center, only to realize that we forgot our wallets on the ship. Oops, we did it again! Since there were no organized excursions here today, we did not have to get our tickets out of our safe. So therefore, it was easy to forget the money. Oh well, we just got on the tender boat and rode back to the ship. Unfortunately, we had to wait to come back to town, since most people had eaten breakfast and were coming over in droves.

 

Once back in town, we hiked to the highest hills passing their version of the Hard Rock Cafe. Judging from the Tuborg beer bottles laying around, we suspect this is the hottest place in town! We passed by a couple of stores set in between the houses, but since it was Sunday, nothing was open. A few local kids came out to check us out. We can't imagine that too many cruise ships stop here.

 

Following a creek, we crossed one bridge and found a large lake, which probably was the town's water source. Six large brown ducks were perched on a rock in the lake. They were the only wildlife we spotted on land, besides three dogs.

 

Working our way back to town, we passed two cemeteries, a smelly fishmarket (closed), and the old church built in 1832. Services here were conducted in Danish, but there was no mass today, so the tourists could see the inside of the church.

 

We saw the oldest fountain in Greenland in the Torvet Square. A nearby restaurant featured seal meat with rice, and raw whale rind. Gee, too bad they were closed, too!??!

 

The tiny museum showed the ancient Inuit weapons and kayaks used for hunting seals, as well as the history of the Viking colonists that settled in Qaqortoq. It was too crowded to go in there, however, since this town cannot accommodate 1200 invading people!!

 

There was a tannery on the far end of town , but assuming that it was also closed, we did not see it. Margaret, our tablemate, mentioned that a lady did see it, and got a mini-tour of the factory. She said that seal and polar bear hides were processed here for all of Greenland.

 

Our last stop was in the souvenier shop, waiting in line to buy a few momentos from Greenland, knowing that this will probably be a one time visit here.

 

The best part of the day was yet to come.............sailing out of the fjord, and seeing some of nature's beauty at its best - the massive icebergs of Greenland. We think the pictures will speak for themselves!

 

Adios for now,

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[jcmimm]

Mary&Bill

I just got my username and password reinstated. We were on the 35 day 2005 cruise and have great memories. We had only one rainy day in Oslo and high winds a few hours before entering Prince William Sound on the return

passage.Reading your reports are like doing the cruise all over again-just wonderful. One of the best cruises we ever took. Sorry to read they have dropped Lerwick,Shetland Islands on the 2007 cruise. It was one of our favorites. The time in Nuuk also seems to have been shortened as we took a short bus tour to the backside of Nuuk where the fishing fleet is berthed and sailed later than 1:00PM.

[WCB]

Howdy,

 

We woke up to a very grey, cloudy morning, this last day of July. The Maasdam is crossing the Labrador Sea heading sountwest towards Newfoundland and the winds are blowing a gale of force 8. Even though the TV statistics shows waves at 7.5 foot, we estimated from the spray blown off the wave peaks, that we are having 20 foot swells.

 

Despite the foul weather, we bundled up, and went for our morning walk. Absolutely no one was outside. The decks were soaked from the spray and the temperature was a chilly 48 degrees. As the day progressed, the storm grew fiercer, tossing the ship like a cork in a bathtub. Luckily, we do not get seasick, and actually enjoy seeing how powerful the sea can be. Makes one appreciate the smooth sailing days we have had so far this trip.

 

At noon today, we were invited to a second Holland America Mariner's party in the showlounge. And again, the second segment passengers received their new award medals, having achieved 100, 300, or 500 days sailing. Champagne, bloody Marys, wine, or soft drinks were served, along with trays of hors'deurves including caviar, shrimp, and Chinese potstickers. About 450 people were invited today, but it became apparent that many were missing, probably due to the high seas. The Captain gave his well rehearsed speech, welcoming us all back and inviting us to sail in the future. He also mentioned that HAL has plans for building a new vista-class ship, due to be launched in 2008. We find it odd that this kind of party was held during the day, instead of the evening. Maybe it costs far less for HAL, since people did not drink as many cocktails, and were headed to lunch before 1 pm in the dining room. There is a "method to their madness"!

 

At 3 pm, we had another meeting of the 2005 World Cruisers in the Crow's Nest. The main topic of conversation seemed to revolve around speculation of next year's world cruise. With the unrest in several parts of the world, such as Israel, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Mumbai, and Indonesia, we all assume the 2007 itinerary will be amended.

 

Tonight was formal, so that meant we were due for officers to join our table. We were all there on time, but no officers arrived until 8:30. We had already started our first course, when the fourth officer and his girlfriend, the port shopping lecturer, came flying in. They were quite embarressed, because they thought dinner was at 8:30. What was nice, was the fact that they were both young, and seemed to have fun with our lively tablemates.

 

Tomorrow, St. Anthony, Newfoundland.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Hi Gang,

 

We slowly approached to northern coast of the rugged shores of St. Anthony, Newfoundland around 6 am. And looking out our window, we could see land and signs of whales. What a neat sight!

 

St. Anthony is famous for two reasons. The first attraction is an ancient Norse settlement from the 11th century called L'Anse aux Meadows. This site, added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1978, proves that Norwegians had been the first Europeans to discover North America.

 

The second attraction in this sheltered harbor are the whales. These waters are a naturalist's paradise, since they are teaming with krill, shrimp, herring, and cod, which are the whale's cuisine. And that is exactly where we are headed today........a whale and iceberg watching boat trip.

 

The Maasdam anchored almost on top of the little town, which was great, since we had a very short ride to shore. We left the tender, and walked right onto the whale watch boat. With no icebergs in sight, we learned that the few that were here had melted at the end of June. Our guide said that it takes two years for the icebergs to reach the coast of Newfoundland from Greenland, melting all the way.

 

We headed towards two huge humpback whales, and were treated to their slow-motion feeding habits. They are capable of eating 1000 pounds of fish a day. This enables the whales to gain a massive amount of blubber, so they can migrate to the Caribbean in the wintertime. It is here that they have their young, raise them, then head north again. It was a thrill to see them surface, blowing air out of their vents, then diving straight down, raising their massive tails as they submerge. Several times, we were so close to them, that the spray blew in our faces. It actually has a foul oily smell to it, like bad breath in dogs! Twice, the whales surfaced within ten feet of the boat, where we could see how huge they were.

 

Other species of whales that frequent these waters are the orca, minke, and the fin. An interesting fact that we learned today was that cod fishing was the primary source of income in the St. Anthony area for generations. However, due to overfishing, the cod have become smaller in size and fewer in numbers. So much smaller that Canadian legislation restricted cod fishing to the point that many people lost their jobs and moved away. Shrimping and crab processing plants have taken the place of the number one industry now. Slowly, the cod population has gotten better, but the main predator is the harp seal. These seals have been protected from hunting over recent years, and their population has ballooned to almost two million. The Newfoundlanders are hoping for a change to resume seal hunting, and an increase in orcas to the waters. The orcas are natural predators of the seals. Sometimes it is not good to fool with Mother nature!!

 

After spending an entire hour observing the whales feeding and diving, we sped across the harbor to the steep granite cliffs. Here we saw the native birds flying in and around a deep cave that had been carved in the granite by the wind and pounding surf. The species of birds we saw were the arctic terns, guillemot pigeons, kittewakes, and the graceful gannets.

 

On our way back to the pier, we continued to see plumes of spray everywhere we looked. Our guide actually had a preserved portion of a whale's upper jawbone, that showed the baleen or strainer- type substance which separates the fish from the seawater. It was fascinating to see it close up. The baleen had a horse hair feel to it, a reminder that whales are the largest mammal on earth.

 

The two hour tour was over too soon, and we jumped on the waiting tenderboat, and went back to the ship for lunch. Sailaway was at 3 pm, where we watched from the bow for more whales and dolphins. And we were not disappointed, since we had dozens of sightings of diving whales all around the ship. Great way to end the day, even if we were almost frozen from standing in the wind for 2 hours!

 

Tomorrow, Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and our last port of call!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[alsas]

Thank you for telling us about your wonderful trip. We will be joining you on the world cruise 2007. Would love to have any info. on your private trip to Agra. Thank you again for your review and you should do this on the World. We were on with Grumpy and Slinkie 2005 and loved reading there review after we returned. happy sailing Alsas

[WCB]

Hello Alsas,

 

We are glad you are enjoying the July trip reports! We will probably do the world cruise reports in 2007.

 

We have decided to book the Taj Mahal tour with our travel group, instead of doing it solo. The price with our group was much better than HAL's. It will be a four day, three night trip from Cochin. We will stay 2 nights in the Shangrila in Delhi, and one night at the Jaypee Hotel in Agra. We are looking forward to it.

 

We were on the 2005 world cruise, and maybe we met you in the Crow's Nest at our get together towards the end of the trip with the HAL rep. We met Grumpy and Slinkie many nights for cocktails in the Crow's Nest, and they were just as much fun as their reports sounded.

 

Looking forward to seeing you again!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Hi, it's just us again!

 

Driving rain and dark skies greeted us this morning in the last port of call, Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Corner brook is the second largest city of Newfoundland, having a population of 21,000 people. Surrounded by the Long Range Mountains, an extension of the Appalachians, the city offers scenic fjords, a rugged coastline, and thousands of acres of black spruce forests. And because of these forests, a pulp and paper mill was founded here in the 1920's. Along with the successful fishing industry, the mill provided jobs for most everyone. The mill is still in operation today, although many locals left for St. Johns with the discovery of oil in the last decade.

 

Luckily the rain let up by 9 am, and we were able to go on a walking tour we had booked. Our small group boarded a school bus for a short ride to Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. Located high up on the hillsides of the town, the college campus was where we began our hike. Two guides led us to the Corner Brook Stream , which was actually a river with rapids. We followed graveled trails which led us into the boreal forest. The types of trees we saw were the black spruce, the source of lumber for the mill, alders, poplars, birches, pines, and maples of all types. It must be gorgeous in the autumn with the fall colors.

 

We came upon Margaret Bowen Park after we emerged from the thickets. This public park on the river has a natural swimming area created by a dam, with a salmon and trout ladder on the far side. It appeared to be closed today, since the weather was cold and cloudy.

 

We continued our walk over bridges, down slopes and stairways, and finally reached the Glynmill Inn Pond. Four swans were gliding lazily in the water, posing for scenic photos.

 

Our final stop was at the Corner Brook Museum and Archives. Formerly the town's courthouse, customs, telegraph, and post office, the old building now holds displays and exhibits of the past. We viewed examples of the native plants, trees, and animals, as well as pictures of the original native inhabitants. We also read the story of Captain James Cook's map-making expeditions here. Many antiques were on display that looked similar to the old things we have from our grandparents. May have some treasures there!

 

We watched an interesting slide show that depicted the history of the pulp and paper mill operation from the early 1900's to the present day. The trees had been harvested with hand saws, and pulled down the mountains by sleds, horse, or man power. Mighty hardy workers, these Canadians!

 

A light treat of tiny cloudberry, blueberry, and lingonberry pies were served with coffee and tea during the slideshow. They were delicious, and the museum staff even gave us recipes for the desserts.

 

Our tour ended by noon, and we decided to walk through the town a while before walking back to the Maasdam. This city is fairly small with shopping malls that included Sears, Walmart, drug stores, and grocery stores. Looked a lot like home. There were only two small souvenier stores that offered more antiques than the usual trinkets.

 

The Maasdam left Corner Brook by 6 pm to windy and choppy seas. Two days at sea now, and we will be back to Boston by Saturday, ending the Voyage of the Vikings!

 

Godwilling, next November, we are booked for an 11 day trip to Mexico on the Dawn Princess, then another big one..........the world cruise on Holland's Amsterdam. Really looking forward to that one!

 

Bye for now,

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Flyingfish]

Bill & Maryann, thanks so much for sharing your diary with us. I very much enjoyed this cruise with you. We (DH and I) made the Copenhagan to NYC a couple of years ago (17) days. Of course this cruise was so much more extensive, it's like we did make it to places the ship didn't! Looking forward to your World Cruise coming up in '07.

[WCB]

Hello to all,

 

Well, here we are safely at home. Gee, it seems like we just left! That is always an indication that we had a super time.

 

Thought we would end this trip with a P.S. that critiques the cruise a bit more, if just to remind us of certain aspects that seem to fade with time. Memories are not quite as clear as they used to be!

 

As we reached the east coast of Nova Scotia, the weather changed from sunny to cloudy and rain. So,on our last two days at sea, packing was the main job. We try to follow the specific lists for packing clothes as we packed before we came here. The number of clothes with their weight has to be the same, so we can pass the airlines restrictions. Every time we reach this point of the cruise, we wish we had brought less! And the few trinkets we picked up along the way, seem to weigh a lot. So the hand carrys will be stuffed to the gills!

 

On Thursday, we had the final CSI cocktail party at 11:15 in the Crow's Nest. It was well attended since our group numbered over 100. We ordered margaritas, and they came in a huge glass. See, it pays to know the bartender! We had met so many new and fun people, that the party was a huge success.

 

Tonight was our last formal supper. We have to admit that our waiter, Hadi, and his assistant, Toya, were the best team we have had the pleasure of meeting. At times, our table could be quite a challenge, due to some ordering double appetizers, entrees, and triple desserts! Hadi handled this with grace and patience beyond belief. Our head waiter was always hovering around us, checking how we liked our dinner. We were supposed to have an officer join us this evening, but his seat remained empty. In apology, the head waiter promised us a bottle of wine for the last dinner on Friday. Sounded like a plan to us. The evening ended with the traditional Baked Alaska parade, and also a goodbye serenade from the waiters.

 

On Friday, there was what we thought wa going to be a lunch buffet in the main dining room. However, it turned out to be a food and beverage presentation, with servings of shrimp and small hors'deurves. Tables of meat and fish were displayed with beef, roasts, salmon and trout. The chefs were fileting the fish right before us. The baker was rolling bread dough, and the bartender was mixing drinks. A fountain of chocolate was cascading into a bowl for dipping strawberries, while the fruit and vegetable carver demonstrated his talent. Other tables had piles of pasta, flour, sugar, and assorted cans of food set out for us to see. Luckily, the dining room was still open for lunch, so we tried their Mexican entrees. The taco salads in a crispy shell were excellent.

 

There have been several subtle changes we have noted during this trip, comparing the Maasdam to the Prinsendam and the Volendam. We don't know if this is the general plan for all Holland ships, or just this one. Starting with the dining room, we noticed there was no traditional Dutch night with the passengers wearing the little silly Dutch hats. The dining room was closed for lunch on many port days and sea days. In asking why, we never got a good answer, other than they did not know why. There was no large, spectacular lunch buffet with ice carvings and all the trimmings, and the food available for eating. The coffee bars are no longer free, except for dinner. Needless to say, we saw few people paying for the special coffees during the day. Ice cream was still free at the dessert bar until 5 pm every day. Other lines charge dearly for this treat. Excellent pizza (three types) was available near the grill until 5 pm every day. Many people would sneak up the stairway, and grab a plateful of pizza, then disappear, we assume, back to their room. A full taco bar was also here until 5 pm.

 

On longer shore excursions, Holland reps always handed out a snack bag that contained fruit, a muffin, some hard candy, and a juice as we boarded the bus. We never saw this on the Maasdam. Don't get us wrong, we would not starve, but it was a nice touch. The only alternative, and we saw everyone doing this, was to squirrel food such as crackers, cookies, muffins, and rolls and cheese from the Lido. You would be surprised how creative people can get with snack food. Most of the ports we visited did not restrict food going off shore, with the exeption of Rotterdam. Wouldn't the snack bags be easier??

 

No special gangway photo was ever set up with the port's name and date. Therefore there was no incentive for people to have their pictures taken. And they didn't for the most part. This is the first trip that we noticed this omission.

 

In the first segment, there were announcements on loudspeakers for daily events such as lectures, sporting games, and the almighty BINGO! People must have complained, because after a few days of this annoying practice, it stopped. Do they think we cannot read? Ha-ha! Perhaps, on a seven day trip, this is normal, but not on a longer trip. A new addition we noticed were neon signboards located throughout the ship, advertising the ship's services. They cycled continuously showing spa services as well as showtimes and movies in the theater. Casino events also were listed. We have learned from experience, that the casino is a bad place to frequent. The slots never pay off big, like in Reno or Vegas. Better to take your money and buy something in the ship's shops. They even have one store dedicated to $10. for anything in the shop. We have seen these stores in all the airports.

 

And lastly, we noticed that the bathroom amenities in our cabin were not replaced daily. Several times, we had to ask our cabin steward for soaps and shampoos. Strangely, he said he had to check with his supervisor. We think they are trained to give amenities sparingly, in order to save money. This is nickel and diming disguised. A new touch they are doing.......pillow animals on our bed every evening during the first segment. Seems like we have seen this on Royal Caribbean and Carnival in the past. You cannot imagine how many critters can be created from two towels and a washcloth! Someone is very clever, and it always brought a smile to our faces after dinner.

 

Disembarkation was orderly, and we were allowed to stay in our rooms while waiting for our number to be called. The ride to the airport took about 10 minutes, but there was a mixup with US Airways and American Air. The bus driver seemed to be confused as to where we all should be going. Think he may have been partying Friday night?? We all got off the bus, only to find out we had to get back on to go to American Air. Hopefully he did not unload our luggage and leave it at US Airways. Boy, this is where you find out who the crabby people are. And we had a few! One elderly couple had boarded the bus, assuming their luggage was on it. However, when we got to the airport, they found they had no bags. We heard about it for the next four hours, waiting for our flight to leave at 2:30. Their bags did arrive, and they were happy, but we all had headaches!! The flight was long, about 6 hours, but with two movies and several sitcoms, the time passed quickly. We were home by 7 pm, Pacific time, to sunny skies and warm temperatures, unusual for San Francisco this time of year. And, so ended our journey!

 

Again, we shall say goodbye and thanks for sharing the trip with us!

 

Until next time,

 

Bill and Mary Ann

[RuthC]

Thank you so much for your journal of this voyage. You brought back so many wonderful memories that brought a smile to my face. You make me want to do this cruise again. :)

(and your timing is perfect! thanks for that, too. ;) )

[boatlover]

Thank you for sharing with us. I hope you have a wonderful time on your upcoming cruises. Thanks again.

[airlink diva]

Once again thank you for sharing your trip!! One of my highlights of this board for the past month is your reports of the Viking voyage. For folks like me with limited funds and vacation time, I enjoy reading about the various ports, esp those that have very little cruise ship visits.

I look forward to your world tour report!!

[WCB]

Hi Gang!

 

Thank you all for your positive comments about the Voyage of the Vikings Maasdam cruise. We wished we could have included the pictures......they were worth a thousand words!

 

We leave next January for the 2007 World Cruise on the Amsterdam, so watch for reports soon after we board.

 

RuthC, have a wonderful and safe trip!

 

Goodbye until we meet again,

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[OldCodger73]

Bill and Mary Ann, thanks for posting your trip report. I looked for it each day.

 

I'm also looking forward to your World Cruise report. I put your efforts right up there with Grumpy and Ides of March for being informative and entertaining.

[hammybee]

Whew ! I waited for the final installment to be able to read it in one piece. Thank you for making the time to share some of the magic with us.

[DeltaBC]

Hi Don and I have really enjoyed your trip .Thank you for sharing your adventure with us.We will look forward to meeting you on th GWV in January.Thanks again. Iris