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Ocean Liner History and Stories from the Sea, Past and Present. With an In Depth focus on Holland America Line

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2025 June 04: Invergordon, Scotland.

June 5, 2025 / / 2 Comments

So goodbye Kirkwall and welcome to Invergordon a much more sheltered port. By 07.00 we had sailed into the Cromarty Firth (fjord) where deep in the fjord Invergordon is located so it is quite sheltered from the mayhem currently blowing in the Northern part of the North Sea and hence it was do-able.  There was still a wind force 5-6 blowing  but it was in line with the dock so for docking the wind was on the stern and that does not bother a ship very much. During the day wind went up and down  combined with rain showers and an occasional wind force 8 blowing from the West. Not a happy day but at least we were somewhere.

Invergordon is a town and port in the area of Easter Ross in the county of Ross & Cromarty in Scotland. Then the town itself is part of the parish of Rosskeen. I have been here a few times during the past with the last time being in 2019. It did not look very appetizing then and today it looked even more forelorn. The weather is not  too great here for most of the year although with global warming, Scotland is now also experiencing heat waves and very unstable weather.  Apart from looking forlorn in the dismal weather, more shops had closed since last time. Invergordon blossomed during the North Sea  oil boom and that  is tapering off now. Around 2010 the Firth was full of Oilrigs and related ships waiting for repairs and overhaul. Now it was down to 2 rigs under repair at the docks and several that looked that they were in lay-up.

My Lord and Master decreed that that regardless the weather we were going ashore as the cruise could not continue without a new make-up brush.  The port had laid on a shuttle service as we were docked at a cargo pier, where you were not allowed to walk on. The main pier, normally in use by the cruise ships was taken up by a cargo ship and something else I could not clearly see. But they had lots of buses available for the 5 minute transfer into town.

Tinvergordon High Street, This is the main shopping street.

And then the locals had the opportunity to see a 1000+ tourists marching up the High Street and then down the High Street. The General Store (and yes they sold everything except food and groceries) was doing a roaring trade and also the Charity Shops were full of people. And then it was quickly back on the bus again going home. One cafe/cake place was open and full of guests trying scones and other Scottish pastries and hopefully they were expecting us, otherwise they would have run out of food and drink for the rest of the week.

We saw several murals on the walls. This one for the local Highland Games. Sort of similar to Belfast. I wonder if this is a sort of Celtic tradition, regardless of the meaning of the mural. Please note the orange Holland America Line umbrella to the right.

I might need to explain the phenomenon of an British “charity shop”. It is basically a shop that resells goods and are operated by a local or national Charity. There are about 16,000 charities in England alone and they sponsor everything from animal welfare to research into human diseases. They range from Nationwide such as the British Heart Foundation or the Salvation Army, to serving very local needs. They are  Business Tax exempt and mainly manned by volunteers. In many towns where the “mom and pop” shops have given way to supermarkets and other chains, they are often the only small shops left. In my home town with 5,000 people there are 7 of them. In Invergordon with 3,900 inhabitants there were 3.  Our crew love them so in each British port you see them making a bee line for them as often you can have great finds.

Before going ashore, there was suddenly an announcement in the cabin by a very Dutch voice from a Bridge Officer advising us that there was a full crew emergency drill. Then it was a sort of trip down memory lane, listening to the texts that I had co-written in 2016, as Fleet Master,  when the first Pinnacle Class ship came into service.  That took up a good hour of the crew’s time as it was a full drill as the rules say that once a month a crew member will participate in a full drill. Even of this means just standing around as not all crew has a function on board but are “as directed”. Then the new crew and a part of the crew already on board for some time had to go through a SOLAS refresher which entails watching ” movies” about lowering lifeboats etc. in the Main Show Lounge.  The drill was not announced in the daily program so I think that the captain grabbed the chance to do the drill now in fairly sheltered waters instead of hoping for good weather in a future port. (A port that might be cancelled with the current uncertain weather)

So after an exciting hour of marching up and down the Main Street and visiting Boots the Pharmacy, for the necessary purchase of a makeup brush we were back on board again and visited the Lido. I can only say the choice is very good. Cunard who has the 4th. Pinnacle Class ship (Queen Anne) does not even come close here. Nearest most likely the Apex Class of Celebrity but they tend to close sections down, even during rush hour, and that does not help a hungry chap.  On the last day I will post a comparison between Cunard and HAL now they both operate Pinnacle Class ships.

This evening we had an invite to a Mariner Society party in the Lido Pool area, for 3,4 & 5 star mariners and Presidents Club. I estimated there were about 300 people there and I had the privilege of meeting several of my blog readers and some members of the HAL Retired Association “De Lijn”. I even bumped into another old HAL captain (Captain Groothuis) albeit one who only sailed for a shorter period with HAL, as he was one of three who was asked to come in sideways (after retirement from the pilots) as we were short of promotable Staff Captains with enough experience.  Also the party has changed through the years as there were no nibbles served, no announcements  and as it was right in the middle of departure also no Deck and Engine Deck Officers. Hotel Department was out in full force with a meet and greet line-up on both sides of the Lido.

Based on our previous “As you Wish” dining experience we opted for testing the Pizza New York outlet on Deck 10, above the Lido pool area. Pizza on the portside and the Panorama Bar on the starboard side. The pizza freshly hand made was very, very good. They also do other food during the day, and comfort food in the evening for watching a movie on the big screen. Tonight there was a soccer game between Germany and Portugal for the European Championships and there were about 60 to 70 people watching, most of them happily stretched out on the sun loungers.

Tomorrow we are in Lerwick, part of the Shetland islands. In the morning there is still supposed to be a lot of wind blowing, but Lerwick is located in a bay sheltered by surrounding islands on most sides, so it might be sheltered enough for a good call. The SH (Swan Hellenic) Diana will be in and with a length of 125 meters docking, we will be anchoring and using our tender service. Expected weather, Four seasons in one day with an average temperature of 12oC / 50oF.

2025 June 03: South Queens Ferry, Scotland.

June 4, 2025 / / 8 Comments

So we made it to South Queens Ferry  in the Firth of Forth to the West of Edinburgh. The wind had gone fully South West and was thus broken by the Scottish main land to the West and so it was easily do-able to safely anchor. At 07.00 there was a wind force 4 blowing which crept up to a wind force 5 to 6 by 09.00 but as there were no long waves, just a short chop, there was no issue with the tender service. So in the end we had a good day considering the chance of cancelling.  Also the compulsory meeting with His Majesty’s Border Force went smoothly, running 20 minutes faster than scheduled and the Lady officer looking at my passport had even picked up enough Dutch to say thank you and say have a nice day.  In the end there was only one moron who did not show up, even after repeated announcements , as it was we could go ashore without having to wait for a 100 % count, this one moron did not spoil  the day for the rest of the ship.

The Firth of Forth bridge. It was being painted in 2016 when I was here with the ms Koningsdam. And it is due again for a next coat in 2041. The tender dock is just to the right of the brick pillars.

For Edinburgh you have three places you go to with a ship. New Haven, with tendering into the East side of  Edinburgh. Good terminal, good connection with the town but a long tender ride. Then there is Leith, but only for Prinsendam sized ships as you have to go through a lock to get into the small harbour. In there is also HMS Britannia the private yacht of Queen Elizabeth and a small shopping mall. Again good connections with downtown Edinburgh. Then you have Rosyth all the way to the West but also only for Prinsendam size ships as the Firth of Forth Bridge is too low for taller ships. Safe dock, not so good connections with Edinburgh. And then there is South Queens Ferry.

The ship has to anchor off the oil terminal as that is the closest point to the Firth of Forth Bridge and the ship does not fit under it. So you use a tender service to a pier just past the bridge at South Queens Ferry.  Tender run is about 10 minutes. The challenge with this anchorage is, is that you need a (compulsory) tugboat to keep the ship out of the fairway for the ships that can go under the bridge and go deeper into the Firth. So today we had a tugboat called “Camperdown” to keep the bow in place (with the help of portside anchor) and the Azipods kept the stern in place. Two ships tenders and two shore tenders kept a good service going.

Part of the High Street in South Queens Ferry. Please note on each side of the photo the signs on the wall. These are all the flavours of ice cream that they have available in the connected ice cream parlour. I have never seen such a high  number of ice cream parlours in such a small town.

We decided not to go to Edinburgh as we had been there multiple times but to walk into South Queens Ferry itself. This is only a small town and the name is derived from the 11th. century when Queen Margaret established a ferry to aid pilgrims in getting across the Firth of Forth from the North to the South. We walked up and down the High Street, inspected the local CO-OP supermarket: same as in England, only prices being much higher (transportation costs)  and then decided to have lunch in the Orocco Pier hotel which has wide ranging views over the Firth with the ship sitting behind the bridge.

Who can beat a view like this from a cafe/restaurant ???

They did a roaring trade there today as a lot of ships guests popped in as well , much to a certain dismay of the locals who lost their seats for a coffee. But such is commerce. They had good food and even better beer. The town is old with a large number of houses harking back to the 16th. century or even earlier. One house caused much interest among our American friends as it had a building dating from 1776 on the front gable, the year of American Independence. The pub nearby “the ferry tap” did even better being established in 1683. One wonders how many publicans have been in charge here through the centuries.

Those who thought that the Monster of Loch Ness  came from Loch Ness. I can prove them wrong. Nessie comes from South Queens Ferry.

Once back on board  we went around the ship as the ship was very quiet, as nearly everybody was ashore, and those who were not, were in the Lido. So we got to the library which was originally not foreseen for the Pinnacle Class. President Orlando Ashford (2016 – 2020) saw the future as purely digital and only under pressure conceded to a small book section sb. aft in the Crowsnest with the Koningsdam. People power can do a lot and hence there is now a library room on Deck 2 wedged in between the Rock Lounge and the World Stage. It is a great  improvement but the book selection is limited to selections of 3 or 4 copy’s of the same books in a  dedicated theme location. Two days in the cruise and it was already nearly empty. Book lovers do not care very much for artistic approaches to a book set-up, they want BOOKS, old or new, but a varied selection and lots of them. Luckily they had re-instated the Book Exchange for guests. Holland America has seen the light here but could still do much better. To confirm that the library was really a library there was one guest happily submerged in a deep sleep in one of the comfy chairs, so all was well in the world.

My Lord and Master decided upon a Spa visit with the Hydro pool  which was great , except no clock in the space which can be irritating as the pool is so good that you can easily forget the time.  Then it was time for dinner in  the Canaletto, our Italian Restaurant at the starboard side forward of the Lido. When it all started out in 2016 on the Koningsdam, the menu was quite eclectic but has become much more main stream without descending to “Pizza Hut” level. The food was extremely good and the service friendly (we do have the friendliest crews on the high seas).  There was the Italian after dinner drink “Limencello” on the menu but it turned out not to be on board. Which puzzled me as the drink is easily obtainable ashore. Why not send a crewmember shopping if it does not come on board via the regular channels?

Tomono Kamamura

Then we went to the show at 21.00 hrs. by a classical pianist. And was she good !!. She was Very Good. You do not always need a revue show to have a good time and this was a worthy alternative. She was already a composing prodigy at the age of 12 and likes the cruise ships between Concert Hall performances. She is a regular with HAL and the standing ovation indicated that she will be back again.

In the mean time we got the announcement that our next port of call, Kirkwall was cancelled due to bad weather but the Captain managed to get a berth at Invergordon which is outside the bad weather range. That is nice as well and most tours can depart from here also.  I am now keeping an eye on Lerwick which is the day after. The winds are supposed to come down. but if enough remains to be seen. So keeping our fingers crossed.

The oversight page  of the Shipping Forecast. We have to sail through the full red section at the top. The Forecast reads for the section Viking and Fair Isles: “Wind force 9 Severe Gales coming down to Wind force 8 storm”.

 

 

2025 June 02 At Sea.

June 3, 2025 / / 8 Comments

Today we are at sea crossing the North Sea going Northbound. The normal course for this is to cross the North Sea as quickly as possible and then hug the English East coast. That has the advantage  that you keep your ship away from the flow of traffic curving around the North of the Dutch and German Islands, traffic that is heading to the German ports, Scandinavia and the Baltic.  Traffic on the English side is much less as there are only a few ports there.

And today it was a cool day with temperatures around 12oC / 54oF, windy and sunny. So apart from the sheltered areas on deck and the enclosed Lido pool there was not much chance of sitting in the sun. Hence the ship was heaving with guests running all around the various activities made available. Since my last time on board the ship in 2019, the company has greatly increased the number of activities that are held by the cruise staff and the various Concessions on board. They have also changed the Captains Corner (portside aft Crows nest) into an Arts and Craft room. Not my cup of tea but it works and this week we have a complete group of Arts & Crafts people on board making the cruise from the USA so the place is heaving. I was glad to see that Bingo is still there, held in the afternoon in the Rock & Roll Lounge on Deck 2.

Last night a large number of guests used the Lido Restaurant as a lot of them were tired from flying in or travelling to the ship by means of other transport. This evening after a quiet sea day and maybe a nap in the afternoon everybody was out in force. Tonight was “Dressy Night” what in the good old days was called Formal or Gala night. Some company’s have done away with dressing up at all and have gone for “elegantly casual” for the whole cruise but Holland America decided on this hybrid name and as a result everybody gave it there own fill in. So we parked ourselves in the Billboard Bar with a pint and watched the world go by. And it was interesting to see what came by:  varying from those who went for “full gear”, Smoking/Tuxedo and long dress to those who thought that “dressy” meant a clean T shirt. My Lord and Master and I fall under the first category as we believe that dressing up is part of enjoying a cruise.  Everybody to his own but I live in the vain hope that one day Holland America will allocate a section of the dining room (or a specialty Restaurant) to those who still like to relive the glamour days of Ocean Travel.

Queens ferry weather. This is the Shipping Forecast where each true mariner swears by. The North Sea and all around the UK has been divided into sections. So for South Queens Ferry we have to look at the section “Forties”. The crucial word, see above, here is backing south 6 to gale 8 later……. and then seas becoming moderate or rough later.  That sets off the alarm bells for tender service. Luckily by 1600 the local weather indicated that the wind would abate during the night.

By lunchtime the captain advised that it did not look good for South Queens Ferry due to the wind and he was exploring other options. Unfortunately there are not many ports nearby that can handle a ship the size of the Nieuw Statendam. Only Newcastle and it became clear later on that, that spot, had been taken by another ship. The rest of the ports like Aberdeen and Inverness are too small. I looked at the Shipping Forecast and Marine weather and it looked Touch and Go for arrival but getting better later in the day. And indeed the captain later on advised that he was going to try it as there was no other option anyway and he also hoped for an improvement during the day.

Welcome on Board Captains Toast. Only the Cruise and Travel Director, General Hotel Manager, Chief Engineer, Staff Captain, Exe chef and the Future Sales team get introduced. Missing from the line up was the Environmental Officer.

We went to the Captains Welcome Toast and I was disappointed to see that the Formal Uniforms have disappeared as well and they were all wearing the regular day uniform, except the Cruise and Travel director Karlein who was in a nice glitter dress. From there it was to dinner in the main dining room and as most of our evenings are in the specialty restaurants we had opted for “As You Wish” dining with the advise that 19.30 would not be so busy.  We were not expecting a dining experience as it is more a conveyer belt happening but  taking that into consideration it still was not great. It was  chaotic with slow service, lots of noise and food not cooked according to request. No complains about the hard work of the staff trying to make it work but the crew is pushed by a system that really cannot handle the influx of guests at certain times.   The Supervisors and Asst. Maitre’s were running around to put out the “mishap-fires” but it did not give a good feeling. Maybe the fixed dining on the upper level of the dining room is better. Tomorrow evening we have Canaletto so we ourselves should not see a repeat.

The show  in the World Stage was very good. Two male singers and 6 dancers took us through a journey of locations from Hollywood across the country to New York with an all  American song book. The 270o LED screen is so good that regular staging is no longer necessary although the cast used a few props.

Tomorrow we will be in South Queens Ferry and on arrival (0700 hrs.) we first have to see “His Majesty’s Border Force, Customs and Excise” before we are let into the country or in our case being let back into the country. Karlein the Cruise Director started plugging this today with good reason as it will take a while before the penny drops with everybody. It will be interesting to see how many guests have to be chased up. We are in group K with an expected time to be scrutinized of 08.40 hrs.

Weather for tomorrow as far as I can glean from the local marine forecast: overcast with showers but also sunny spells. Approx. 25 – 30 knots of wind and that will give 2 feet of swell. The captain has ordered two shore tenders and thus I foresee not too many challenges as the Azi-pods can easily make a lee.

 

2025 June 01 Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

June 2, 2025 / / 5 Comments

And so the good ship ms Nieuw Statendam arrived in Rotterdam at 07.00 in the morning. My movie team had been given permission to board with the pilot boat and film the arrival of the ship sailing from the pilot station to the dock. An early day for the movie people but an nice experience for landlubbers to climb a pilot ladder and see a cruise ship in full operation.

Hotel New York which was from 1901 to 1983 the head office of Holland America.  Now it is a very successful hotel in the center of Rotterdam. The cargo sheds of the company have all been taken down and replaced by sky scrapers, either with offices or with apartments.

Then just before arrival they moved from the bow to the stern as the captain swung the ship around at the Waalhaven entrance and went astern a mile so the ship could dock bow out at the passenger terminal at the Wilhelminakade. That is a HAL tradition from the good old HAL days. Always dock nose out so incase the ship has to leave suddenly, there is no delay due to having to swing around. When the pier was still in use by HAL the ships could swing just off the dock but the NSDM is 300 meters long and that is too long to swing off the dock. Hence with such a length you to swing down river where the very wide “Waalhaven” entrance can handle ships for a swing of up to 400 meters.

Holland Amerika Lijn Glory days. This is what the Wilhelminakade looked like in the early 60.s The ss Rotterdam (V) is departing from the passenger terminal for New York. The ss Nieuw Amsterdam (II) is docked behind. Opposite the head office in the Rijnhaven, two Holland America freighters alongside. As you can see the ships are all docked “nose out”.

Rotterdam is the official change over port for the cruise and disembarkation started at 07.00 hrs. with silent disembark which was very popular with the Dutch as a lot of them went home by public transport, which even on a Sunday, is very good here. Metro to the central train station and the train from there home. The North American contingent went by coach or taxi/limousine to the airport. There were a large number of coaches for the Belgians, mostly from the Dutch speaking Flemish side as Holland America is been very active in promoting the HAL cruises there. For a while the local trams (the ones you see outside the dock when you have a cruise that calls at Brugge/Bruges), sported a Pinnacle class ship over the whole length of the tram.

Captain Henk Draper seen here on the bridge of one of the older Holland America Line ships before his transfer to the Pinnacle class.

Captain in command of the ship is Captain Henk Draper. He joined Holland America in the 1990’s.  He came from the Rotterdam cargo company “Van Nievelt Goudriaan” which sailed to South America. I had him as second officer on the old N ships when I was chief officer there. He must have liked the change as he is still here.

Cafe Courzand in Rotterdam is an old Art Deco building, built in 1915 as the entertainment Hall for a nearby shipyard. It survived the years nearly unscathed and is now a successful cafe/restaurant. The water taxi stops there on its circle around the port. They proudly have the old Holland Holland America Line logo (1938 – 1973 and 1986 – 2016) on the backwall. This is the side wing where we had the interview. The main hall is much larger and full of Art Deco features. https://courzand.nl/nl/impressie)

So while the captain was involved with the turnaround of the ship, I was picked up by the movie crew to take them down memory lane in the port of Rotterdam. The idea behind it all is to make a documentary about our old head office, now hotel New York that will be 125 years young in 2026. The building was built in 1901 and then extended and embellished in 1919. So we went by water taxi through the port to an art deco cafe for the interview. The result of the interview will be as the connecting story through the documentary as there will be other experts providing inside in the construction, the Art Deco facades, and the history after Holland America left Rotterdam and the first squatters took over the building. After a short spell when there was talk about demolishing the building, it became a Hotel /Restaurant which it still is. Eventually it all it will be a documentary in movie style. Released during the Rotterdam Film Days in 2026 and then go for general release into the Dutch Cinema’s.

The “Wilhelmina Stone”. Part of the reason for the Water-taxi was to see this stone/inscription. On 30 May 1890 the Prinsessekade was named in Wilhelminakade by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. As reminder of the occasion a engraved stone was placed in the sea wall of the head of the pier, so you can only see it from the waterside. (Photo courtesy: Lesley Schoonderbeek)

Transport in the port was by Water-taxi and is of interest in case you ever have a day on your cruise in Rotterdam. It is a good 30 minute walk from the cruise terminal to “down town” over the bridge. Options are the metro or a taxi. But there is also the water taxi. Across from where the ship docks at the other side of Hotel New York, is a terminal from where the water taxis leave. Cost is between Euro 3.50 –  12.50 depending on how many zones you travel in the port. That water-taxi can take you straight across to the “Leuvehaven” which is directly across from the main shopping area. It is a bit of a secret that you can also use the water-taxi as a sightseeing boat while it goes from stop to stop. But it goes very fast. A regular sightseeing boat leaves from opposite the ship and the Northside of the car bridge just behind the ship.

The ms Nieuw Statendam docked at the Wilhelminakade on 05 May 2025. Please note the Water taxi in front of the ship. The high rise next to the ship is the Office of the Harbour Master and the Port Authority of the port of Rotterdam. (Photo courtesy: Ernst Lohman. His father was chief engineer with Holland America and he himself Radio Officer)

The ship left at 16.00 hrs. with an impatient Cruise Director urging all guests to go quickly to their muster station for check off, as otherwise the ship could not sail. We have a group (or maybe more than one) from Japan on board who rely on their tour agent for translation and it might have taken him sometime to round those up for check-off.   We were blessed with sunshine while sailing down from the port over the “Nieuwe Waterweg” or New Waterway, dug in 1865-1871 between the sea and the port, a construction which made it possible for the foundation of the Holland America Line. You sail through the largest port in Europe and the 10th largest port in the world.  It used to be the largest port in the world before “Made in China” became popular.

By 1900 hrs. we were back in the North Sea, heading north towards Scotland. Tomorrow will be a quiet day at sea and then we will be at North Queens Ferry on the west side of Edinburgh. Weather is supposed to be sunny, chilly but not too windy during our voyage on the North Sea.

 

 

 

2025 May 31, Dover England.

June 1, 2025 / / 10 Comments

And so the taxi dropped us off at the  cruise terminal in Dover at noon time. In the hotel we saw guests for our ship but also for the Seabourn Sojourn. As expected the Sojourn was at Terminal 1 which is the original terminal for cruises from Dover and built with  capacity of the small ships of bygone days in mind. Hence the Sojourn was docked there and the  NSDM was at the big terminal which is a sort of permanent marque/shed construction. Everybody arrived in a staggered way so embarkation took no more than 10 minutes.

Dover from an archive photo. The front view show the ms Borealis (ex Rotterdam (VI) at terminal 2 and a much smaller cruise ship at terminal 1. It looks like a ship from  Saga Cruises and they take 900 guests maximum. At the “marina terminal there is a 3rd one which looks like a Viking ship.

We had booked a VISTA CLASS  cabin on deck 6 in the centre sandwiched between deck 5 and deck 7 which are all cabin decks so we would be sure not to be bothered by any noise from any public area. All the day information nowadays is on the HAL APP on the smartphone. But the login in did not work so we had to go to the front desk and there the lady had to reset the system. It turned out that the log-on instructions on the app to connect to wifi did not cover the “have it all package” we had bought. Lots of work for the front desk, as we not the only ones, that would not have been necessary if a programmer had put the option in the menu to start with.

The ms Nieuw Statendam alongside Terminal 2 in Dover.

We have now been using the “have it package” for 24 hrs. And it is worthwhile to have it for drinks, 2 included specialty  dinners, two shore-excursions, and all the tips.   We calculated  that with 4 drinks a day we are already breaking even. HAL prices in the bar are more reasonable than with Cunard but still more than at Fred Olsen or some other European Operators.

Then it was Boat drill time and nowadays that works very quickly. You watch the video on the TV (which I helped design in 2016 so nothing knew to learn) and then go to the muster location to be scanned. Saves the guest time and also saves the ship manpower. Once in awhile the ship is required to do a full boat drill with all the guests present at one time, to keep the crew proficient with handling the flow. Today each station only had one scanning person, tomorrow which is official embarkation day, there will be many more crew as they will be many more guests coming on board.  Today about 150 guests joined, mainly Americans who combined the cruise with a visit to London. Only 6 British joined and 1 Dutchman.  In the future the company hopes to get about 400 British joining in Dover but I do not think that many British were interested in sailing around their own island this time. On a previous cruise to the Canaries there were 150 on board so there is interest.

Dover departure view with on the portside North of the Ferry terminals the “White Cliffs of Dover” and Dover castle which harks back to the 11th. century for the main keep.

There will now be a 4 part (?) program on the British Channel 5  showcasing the company and hopefully that will perk some more interest. That camera team were on board in April but tomorrow the ship can be excited as my camera team comes on board for filming a documentary about our old head office in Rotterdam which will be 125 years old in 2026. I was asked to be part of that program, due to my knowledge about the company’s history but also because I was one of the last Officers having a job interview in the old office, before the company moved to the suburbs.

So tomorrow we will be in Rotterdam which will the the change over day for the majority of the guests and then the cruise will  start in earnest. Expected weather, overcast with temperatures around 20oC or 68oF., perfect travelling weather.

2025 May 30; Dover England, on our way to the Nieuw Statendam

May 30, 2025 / / 10 Comments

Hello Holland America fans,

My Lord and Master and I had decided some time ago to go on a Holland America Line cruise as retired as we are. It sounds like a REAL bus-mans holiday  going back to HAL but we thought we had a good excuse.  Holland America has decided to really push for the English market and now has come up with the idea of offering cruises from the UK as part of the same cruises departing from Rotterdam.

The way it works is as follows. The official cruise runs from Rotterdam to Rotterdam but for cruises going around the UK, the British (and maybe also Americans) have the option to join in Dover UK and end the cruise in Dover. The rest of the guests, American & Dutch then end the cruise in Rotterdam.  Way back in the grey mists of time (1996) Holland America tried the same with cruises to the Far East, starting in Rotterdam with the Rotterdam VI and then calling at Southampton to pick up 400 British.  That was not an universal success as the British like a few small things to make them feel at home (such as a tea kettle in the cabin) and Seattle Management did not really comprehend that.  So maybe that will go better now.

I had a few discussions with the Vice President Sales in Europe and he dropped the penny in Seattle. So now we want to see if it works better this time. I really hope os as Holland America could be a wonderful program for the British who might find Cunard too snobbish and “stuck in the mud”,  Fred Olsen too sedate and P &O too mainstream. Celebrity and MSC are around as well and are doing very well.

Once we had decided on the cruise, something else popped up. Next year, 2026, the old Head Office in Rotterdam, now hotel New York, will exist for 125 years so a company called Angle TV wanted to make a documentary about it for the Dutch market. Somehow they found out that I know a few things about the history of the company and I was contacted with the request to be part of it. The initial idea was for me to come to Rotterdam and share my “pearls of wisdom”.  Instead of doing that I proposed the idea how about doing it on the day the Nieuw Statendam is in Rotterdam ? Holland America graciously consented to have the film team on board to document the arrival in Rotterdam and then we can spend the day doing the interviews and shooting the sights. That will be coming Sunday,

As My Lord and Master bought a “have it all package” which includes WIFI,, I will have the option to upload my observations each day and hence this preliminary post to set “the scene” as movie people call it.

Driving from Cromer England to Dover is about 150 miles but it does not go as fast as on the wide ranging roads of the USA. Our motorways are constantly under repair and thus slow downs and holds up when you are on them are frequent. And around  London the capacity of the roads is not enough and the alternatives (railways) are not a real option. Then from Cromer to get to a motorway means first 2 hours of small roads, where the presence of “Farmer John” on the roads means that the average speed is not that fast and the frequent round-a-bouts take care of the rest. Another challenge is the River Thames crossing at Dartford. London has a ring road called the M 25 and if you want to go from the North of England to the South follows the east coast side, you have to cross at Dartford. Southbound it means going over the bridge, and northbound it means going through a tunnel. Both were designed without thinking about “future needs” and thus the capacity is not enough anymore. The bridge alone sees 160,000 vehicles a day.  We were lucky today, it was very busy but the traffic flowed slowly but steadily. This is a toll crossing and they note your license plate when crossing. You can pay in advance, or within 24 hrs. afterwards. We have opened up an account long time ago and keep some  money in it, so we will never be caught out, if we suddenly have to take that route. The other option is to go all the way around London, on the Heathrow airport side, but that takes an extra 90 minutes. (if there are no traffic jams or collisions)

The Dartford Crossing: how to pay the Dart Charge toll and avoid a fine - BUY this domain: DartCharge.online

This is the Queen Elizabeth II bridge. Looking at the traffic, it seems that the photo was taken on a quiet day sometime in the past. The pipes sticking up under the bridge top are part of the ventilation system of the tunnel for traffic going the other way.

In the end the 150 miles took us 4 hours to cover. To do that on the day of sailing is taking a gamble with the traffic and hence we go the day before and book a hotel with the option to leave the car behind there for 14 days.  Tomorrow we will have a short taxi ride to Dover port where the Nieuw Statendam should be waiting with behind her the Seabourn Ovation. As we all know Seabourn is a subsidiary of HAL and thus it will be a company day.  Weather forecast: 25oC inland, 21oC at the coast, and no rain. So all is well in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

2025 May 01 Update

May 1, 2025 / / 10 Comments

Good morning,

To all of you still out there, I have been very quiet for a while, mainly due to the work on the Five books of the Holland America Line history 1873 – 2023.  Book I, II and III have now been published and I am almost done with Book IV.

Hopefully I will look like this when standing in the bookcase when completed.

I have no date yet when IV and V will be out as it depends on how much time I and my co author / publisher Mr. Nico Guns have as other work goes on as well.

On top of that, cruising goes on as well, and my wife and I have just completed a 7 day cruise on the River Douro in Portugal.  I have uploaded a review of this cruise under the normal sub directory My Cruises and Reviews, on the righ hand side of this blog space. I will see that we had a good time and the that it was a very good cruise.

And there is also the link below.

2025 01 12 – 19 April Emerald Radiance – Douro River Cruise Portugal

Furtheron I did some work on  the various Captains of the Past, and I am very happy to announce that there are still relatives  responding with photos and information.

Next cruise will be on board the ms Nieuw Statendam in June 2025 around England.

Best regards

Capt. Albert

 

 

 

2024 Dec 15 – 22 Queen Anne, Western Europe Cruise

December 30, 2024 / / 2 Comments

Good day to everybody who is still following me on my website. Today is the one but last day of the old year.

I have just posted the 7 day cruise we made on the Queen Anne of Cunard.

We made the maiden voyage and that was pretty bad, hence my review was not very good either.  But I think it is not very fair just to do that without a 2nd chance/ opinion so we booked another 7 days just before Christmas.

And things were much better, see the review.

When you have this post open, please look to the right. Click open the header “My Cruises and  Reviews” and select the December cruise,

Next year we have planned a cruise, every other month, so there will be a lot more reviews coming. Also I have been updating the website with HAL history and captains bios..

Book IV of the 5 Book HAL 150 year cycle is nearly completed and will then be followed by nbr V in the course of 2025.

Wishing you all a blessed and prosperous 2025.

 

 

 

 

 

2024 Sept 20. Review ms Celestyal Journey (ex Ryndam)

September 20, 2024 / / 10 Comments

Good morning,

our travels continue and after the Celebrity Apex, we have now tried a “trip down memory lane” sailing on the Celestyal journey ex Ryndam of Holland America with a 7 day cruise from Pireaus to the Greek Islands.

This review can be found to the right of this post under the header:

My Cruises and Reviews

Please click on it, and then go one more time to the right and you will see the name of the ship at the bottom  and click again.

I hope you will find it interesting and maybe diverting.

2024 August 23 4 day taster cruise Celebrity Apex Review.

September 5, 2024 / / 2 Comments

Good morning,

our travels continue and after the Silver Spirit we have now tried Celebrity Cruises with the Celebrity Apex with a 4 day taster cruise from Southampton o Southampton. We tried the Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Silhouette before so now we had the chance to see the newest class of Celebrity ships.

This review can be found to the right of this post under the header:

My Cruises and Reviews

Please click on it, and then go one more time to the right and you will see the name of the ship and click again.

I hope you will find it interesting and maybe diverting.

 

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