The LAFFNVEGAS LIVE From the Statendam Panama Canal Cruise

[kakalina]

Lisa, the aromatherapy units did not have aroma in October either. I wonder if it is broken again or still!

Sounds like a wonderful time and thanks for posting so often.

[mamaofami]

Waiting with interest to see if HAL canceled their stop in Mexico.

[mszula]

Hey Lisa, really enjoying your updates on this cruise. Question for you.... have they changed the water in the Lido pool yet? This was a problem for me on the Maasdam last month. The water (after 11 days) was NASTY. It was only changed once in 14 days. Ick.

We also found the attitude that you have described when dealing with problems or errors. No apologies.. just a vague "I'll tell someone" or laughter from our room steward each time we had to ask him for something that he had forgotten to bring to our room. I'm pretty easy going. I have also realized that there are cultural differences in how we react to situations. This was my first HAL cruise, probably my 8th or 9th overall and I was very disappointed in how problems were handled. There was a true disconnect or lack of interest in dealing with the issues.

[GeriatricNurse]

Hey Lisa, really enjoying your updates on this cruise. Question for you.... have they changed the water in the Lido pool yet? This was a problem for me on the Maasdam last month. The water (after 11 days) was NASTY. It was only changed once in 14 days. Ick.

We also found the attitude that you have described when dealing with problems or errors. No apologies.. just a vague "I'll tell someone" or laughter from our room steward each time we had to ask him for something that he had forgotten to bring to our room. I'm pretty easy going. I have also realized that there are cultural differences in how we react to situations. This was my first HAL cruise, probably my 8th or 9th overall and I was very disappointed in how problems were handled. There was a true disconnect or lack of interest in dealing with the issues.[/quote]

 

 

Then perhaps one should make an appointment with the Hotel Manager to demand answers to one's concerns! Isn't that one of his responsibilities besides looking all important dressed in a uniform?

[GeriatricNurse]

Hey Lisa, really enjoying your updates on this cruise. Question for you.... have they changed the water in the Lido pool yet? This was a problem for me on the Maasdam last month. The water (after 11 days) was NASTY. It was only changed once in 14 days. Ick.

 

We also found the attitude that you have described when dealing with problems or errors. No apologies.. just a vague "I'll tell someone" or laughter from our room steward each time we had to ask him for something that he had forgotten to bring to our room. I'm pretty easy going. I have also realized that there are cultural differences in how we react to situations. This was my first HAL cruise, probably my 8th or 9th overall and I was very disappointed in how problems were handled. There was a true disconnect or lack of interest in dealing with the issues.

 

 

Then perhaps one should make an appointment with the Hotel Director and express one's concerns to him/her and demand answers!

[pipedreams62]

[cruz chic]

Then perhaps one should make an appointment with the Hotel Director and express one's concerns to him/her and demand answers!

Just wondering if this is something that is easy to do? I've never tried but I am wondering how you would go about doing that. If you had to do through the front desk lets say, I would think they would discourage that.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Sunday morning April 26th, 2009

 

Good Morning from the MS Statendam,

 

Thought I would post a small report this morning since between 9 and 12 this morning we have 1/2 price internet minutes meaning if I use up 30 minutes I only get charged for 15.

 

This morning we woke up to fog and being very warm and humid. It now currently 86 degrees 71% humidity with the sea temp of 87.7 and the ever constant pool temp of 80.1 that has never ever varies ;)

 

We decided to be different this morning and have lunch in the Rotterdam Dining Room. We were asked if we wanted to sit with someone we agreed and they sat us with the couple that were right behind us coming into the dining room. Now don't take me wrong but sometimes you just plain to not hit it off with people. Which is why for the last several cruises that was not with the Yummers we chose to have a table for 2. Sadly these people were just a bit strange, very negetive and hard to tell if they were even having a good time. I asked if they were doing a tour today in Huatulco and they said it got canceled due to the late arrival. So I thought to myself then that must be why they seemed a bit grumpy so I asked them what tour it was. They replied that they did not remember what it was they signed up for it quite a while ago and forgot what it even was.:rolleyes:

 

Now I have met some wonderful people on this cruise some of which have invited us to join them at open seating but we do really like our servers in the dining room and would hate to change now.

 

After breakfast we decided to go walking and do 4 laps around the Lower Promenade Deck. I had planned to eat light going to the Dining Room but they had Cinnamon Waffles for a special this morning and I could not resist. So had that with ham and a dish of mellon. So then thought it best if we went walking, it was actually quite crowded out there with lots of people walking.

 

We still have not figured out what the mechanical difficulty could be we are traveling at 18.1 kts with no vibrations. In watching the TV I have to laugh it says we arrived at Huatulco at 11 AM which it is now 11:10 as I write this and we have just started to slow down but since they told us we are not arrived till 1:15 I doubt we are there yet.:D

 

Although I have to laugh the information does not always appear to be up to date accurate on the TV, now it says we are going 18.2 kts and like I said it now has how many miles to Acapulco and says we have arrived :D but all I see is Sea around us no land.

 

This morning we got our invitation to the Mariner Brunch of which the 2nd one will be held on Tuesday at 11:30 in the Dining Room. No mention of Medallion Holders meeting in an special lounge ahead of time but we did need to fill out the card to turn in to say if we would be there. Now I am just guessing but I think that the Brunch that was held yesterday was for all non medallion holders and Tuesdays will be for medallion holders. Interestingly I have mostly met non medallion holders, many of which this was either thier first HAL cruise and or 2nd or 3rd. Quite a few are walking around wearing their Mariner buttons they received with their documents, especially yesterday when they held the first Mariner Brunch.

 

Well I guess I will quit writing for now so I had partake in the 1/2 off internet minutes.

 

Signing off from the Beautiful and Elegant MS Statendam.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Can you tell us what you had for Lunch in the Pinnacle? We are getting on the day you get off and we would love to eat there. I really don't think spaghetti, meatloaf and liver & onions are fine dining sounds more like the blue plate special, but as long as there is a fish choice I'm happy.

 

Yes we had lunch toward the beginning of this cruise in the Pinnacle. I love lunch there and think it is a Bargain. Usually on most ships the Pinnacle is not open on Port Days but the Statendam's Pinnacle is openevery day for lunch with the except of the very last sea day because they said they will be holding the Suite Lunch in there that day. We plan to eat there tomorrow when we are in Acapulco.

 

 

Lisa.... If you mentioned it, I missed who is Hotel Manager on Statendam?

Hope you continue to enjoy!

 

The Hotel Manager is Theo Haanen, we have never sailed with him prior. Can't really say we know much about him. I introduced myself to him at the VIP Party, he sort of reminded me of Paul Muller.

 

Hi Lisa,

Captain Frans told us our late arrival in FFL on Apr 17th was due to high seas, but we never reached much above 19 knots. I think they are having some REAL engine troubles. I'm guess one of the 4 engines is broken again. I noticed when we docked in FLL there was several large green coloured mechanical pieces being off loaded.

How's the AC, we were in 408 and after we lost propulsion one day, we never got the AC back to full again?

I think HAL needs to put some real maintenance into the Statendam. I was pleased to hear that someone was dancing with the Gentleman Hosts. I never once saw them dancing in the Ocean Bar.

Good luck with the rest of the cruise!

Bruce

 

Bruce our A/C is just fine and fortunately I have not heard of anyone having any problems. As for the dance hosts, you are right they do not get to dance very often although we saw them dancing more the first couple of nights. I am hoping they give us plenty of warning if they think we are arriving late in San Diego.

[sail7seas]

Hope you have a great day in port. Enjoy.

Our recent Eurodam cruises were the first we were asked to RSVP that we were attending the Mariner's Brunch....both weeks. It was because they did a bit of assigned seating for some Medallion Holders and they wanted to verify we would be present. We really enjoyed the brunches and were with some really nice folks at our assigned table.P

 

 

Prior to going to the Dining Room, all Medallion holders and those going to receive one were invited first to Queen's Lounge where they showed a nice video from Eurodam's Dedication. The Captain and Cruise Director (Johnny Quinn - doing a wonderful job) spoke and the Captain and Hotel Manager presented Medallions and posed for photos with those of us who already had our medals.

 

We were then all escorted to the dining room for brunch. Very nicely done IMO

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Hey Lisa, really enjoying your updates on this cruise. Question for you.... have they changed the water in the Lido pool yet? This was a problem for me on the Maasdam last month. The water (after 11 days) was NASTY. It was only changed once in 14 days. Ick.

 

We also found the attitude that you have described when dealing with problems or errors. No apologies.. just a vague "I'll tell someone" or laughter from our room steward each time we had to ask him for something that he had forgotten to bring to our room. I'm pretty easy going. I have also realized that there are cultural differences in how we react to situations. This was my first HAL cruise, probably my 8th or 9th overall and I was very disappointed in how problems were handled. There was a true disconnect or lack of interest in dealing with the issues.

 

I will have to take a look at the Lido Pool water, we do not often walk thru that way. With being on deck 10 toward the aft we go up the aft stairs to the Lido and or walk forward on deck 10.

I have to say that the only REAL attitude problem I have seen was from the Spa. Everyone else has been very accomidating and wants to go out of their way to help. I love our dining room staff and our cabin stewards are fantastic. Our room is made up quickly and early. I actually am not having any problems other than the attuitude in the Spa.

[sail7seas]

Thanks, Lisa, for Hotel Manager's name. We haven't sailed with Theo Haanen for a while. He sailed for some years on Volendam and a very, very nice gentleman IMO I thought he might have left for vacation so think he's probably leaving very soon.

 

Have fun at the Mariner's Brunch.

[kakalina]

Actually Theo just got back from vacation. I don't think his lovely wife Helen has joined him onboard yet.

Lisa, if you get the chance and she is there, ask her about the series of childrens books she is writing.

[jtl513]

... but when we got to our cabin tonight we had tiles. They were actually tiles we did not have yet which was good.

Are they 2009's?

[GeriatricNurse]

I will have to take a look at the Lido Pool water, we do not often walk thru that way. With being on deck 10 toward the aft we go up the aft stairs to the Lido and or walk forward on deck 10.

 

I have to say that the only REAL attitude problem I have seen was from the Spa. Everyone else has been very accomidating and wants to go out of their way to help. I love our dining room staff and our cabin stewards are fantastic. Our room is made up quickly and early. I actually am not having any problems other than the attuitude in the Spa.

Lisa, I would suggest that if you have ANY concerns, take them to the Hotel Director!

[localady]

Hello Lisa and Tom!

 

After a short vacation to Mendocino we are back and I have caught up on your adventures. Great to hear you are enjoying the longer cruise. It's true, by about day 9 you do start to tire of all the meals. Bob would say "Do we have to eat again?" ;) :D

[Copper10-8]

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Lisa, I would suggest that if you have ANY concerns, take them to the Hotel Director!

 

Sorry, disagree - If you encounter 'aroma therapy' problems, relatively minor in the big scheme of things IMHO (but then again, I'm not a spa goer:cool:), you take it to the spa manager. Lisa has done just that on more than one occassion and using more than one 'attention getter' method and the guy states he has reported it, basically saying it's out of his hands so he shrugs his shoulders and he's done with it. (If I was the guy, I wouldn't advertise those puppies to any tour groups I'm leading through that walhalla until they're fixed) If those 'smelly things' are still not working, me thinks it's a mechanical or 'parts not available' thing.

If you're not satisfied with that answer because you 'paid for the entire experience', you don't take it to the hotel manager, you follow the available chain of command and take it to the Guest Relations Manager and she (mostly) or he (sometimes) will more than likely get you an answer as to why those bad boys still aren't working,their expected ETA to work (or not), and hey, what about some OBC or a free spa treatment for my pain and suffering?;)

[pipedreams62]

Sorry, disagree - If you encounter 'aroma therapy' problems, relatively minor in the big scheme of things IMHO (but then again, I'm not a spa goer:cool:), you take it to the spa manager. Lisa has done just that on more than one occassion and using more than one 'attention getter' method and the guy states he has reported it, basically saying it's out of his hands so he shrugs his shoulders and he's done with it. (If I was the guy, I wouldn't advertise those puppies to any tour groups I'm leading through that walhalla until they're fixed) If those 'smelly things' are still not working, me thinks it's a mechanical or 'parts not available' thing.

 

If you're not satisfied with that answer because you 'paid for the entire experience', you don't take it to the hotel manager, you follow the available chain of command and take it to the Guest Relations Manager and she (mostly) or he (sometimes) will more than likely get you an answer as to why those bad boys still aren't working,their expected ETA to work (or not), and hey, what about some OBC or a free spa treatment for my pain and suffering?;)

 

 

 

There is NO spa manager, he left at 4:14 am this morning. This picture was taken from one of the cameras on the bridge.

 

[MissWindyCity]

There is NO spa manager, he left at 4:14 am this morning. This picture was taken from one of the cameras on the bridge.

 

 

 

pipedreams62,

I have to tell you...your posts are hysterical! Every one of them makes me laugh! Thanks for the humour! :D

[Copper10-8]

There is NO spa manager, he left at 4:14 am this morning. This picture was taken from one of the cameras on the bridge.

 

 

 

You sure that's not the hotel manager?;)

[MissWindyCity]

You sure that's not the hotel manager?;)

 

Maybe it's one of the dance hosts who got bored!:D

[Nutrioso]

Sure looks like the Hotel Manager to me! ----Penny

[brownie1005]

Sorry, disagree - If you encounter 'aroma therapy' problems, relatively minor in the big scheme of things IMHO (but then again, I'm not a spa goer:cool:), you take it to the spa manager.

 

Totally agree. I had some spa 'issues' on the Maasdam this past December. Spa personnel were ineffective, therefore I felt the need to go up the ladder. I wrote a letter to the Spa Manager and handed it to the front desk to deliver. The next day, I received a very nice response and issues were resolved.:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Sunday Evening April 26th, 2009

 

Hola!! Buenas Nochas!!

 

We just spent our first day in Mexico in Santa Cruz Huatulco. This is another port we have never been to and we found it to be a bit different. We arrived a bit earlier than originally was told to us last night and were cleared for disembarking at 12:45. We were docked along side the Serenade of the Seas which is the ship that went thru the Panama Canal Locks with us on Wednesday. Huatulco is actually a small port that has beaches right next to a beautiful pier and shops that do not include Diamonds International. But there are not that many shops, but the prices were crazy high. We walked in all the Jewelry stores and I looked at prices. I was shocked, because we do the Mexican Riviera frequently on the Oosterdam and were just there in February I still know what prices should be. In recent years Cabo pricing has been a bit high and the best prices for silver and inlaid opal has been Mazatlan and or Puerta Vallarta next. To you give you an example there was a necklace and earrings and bracelet set not overly flashing just a small amount of man made opal. Something like this set would sell for about $100 maybe $120 in Mazatlan but in Huatulco they wanted $699 but because we were on the ship they would sell it to us for $499. I asked if that was pesos. Oh No that is US dolllars. Yeah right!!!!:eek: Then Tom turned to me and said.... In all fairness we did just get off the boat :D In every store we looked at all the prices were crazy. I looked at this tiny silver bracelet that they were willing to give me a great deal for $249 Let's just say we did not purchase anything in Huatulco.

 

Now the other thing they are begging people off the street to do was come into one of the 4 or 5 sidewalk restaurants that are near the beach. All specialize in fresh seafood we chose one called "Frente al Mar" todays special which is probably everyday was a small but nice size lobster for $20. I am not good at telling size but let's just say the tail part was a bit larger than the lobster tails served on HAL on the last formal night. The spiny whole lobster is cut in half grilled and coated with this crunchy garlic and butter. It was served with rice and a salad of red tasty tomatoes and 3 large slices of very good avacados on a bed of lettuce. Of course along with that I had a large Margarita made with the better Don Julio Tequila and Tom had a couple of Negro Medellos. Instead of usual Chips and Salsa they served these wheat crispy flat bread discs that were quite different along with a very spicey chunky salsa. We were actually quite impressed and enjoyed it a lot.

 

We were back on board about 3:45 feeling a bit exhausted I laid down for about an hour. The weather was very hot and although the TV claimed it was only 71% humidity I have my guess it was closer to 90% my glasses would fog up when ever we stepped outside as well as even this evening as we were leaving the aft windows to the dining room were fogged up.

When we were at the gangway to get off the ship we saw the Captain and spoke with Frans briefly. I asked him what our mechanical problem was and he said it was a cylinder head that was leaking and would be fixed while we were in port today. They have now said we are back to our normal arrival time for Acapulco tomorrow.

 

There were not a lot of people in the dining room tonight for dinner, my guess was mostly due to people just getting back from tours and enjoying the sail away. Tonight's entertainment was Dominique Ava a violinist that was born in Poland but moved to Scotland at 13. She even performed River Dance music while she danced to it. She was quite entertaining.

 

I think that catches you all up on our activities from today.

 

Adios, Chao and Buenos Nochas.:)

 

Signing off form the Beautiful and Elegant MS Statendam.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

relatively minor in the big scheme of things IMHO (but then again, I'm not a spa goer:cool:), you take it to the spa manager.

 

John, I totally agree in the scheme of things it is totally minor and I also do not expect anything. I just want to make the spa aware and future cruisers who do enjoy the Thermal Suite aware. It certainly does not ruin my cruise.yes I enjoy the Thermal Suite when it smells really good but far from anything that needs to go any farther up the ladder. I said what I wanted to the Spa Manager.