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

Category: Staff & Crew (page 6 of 16)

2025 Sep. 19, Opatija; Croatia.

September 20, 2025 / / 2 Comments

Our overnight route from Venice/Fusina to Opatija in Croatia.

Opatija in Croatia is our first port of call during this very port intensive cruise of one port each day, in the 9 day cruise. I always like some sea days in between but this was the only cruise out there that called at all these small ports in Croatia without having to go on five separate cruises to have one each cruise. Not that I mind 5 extra cruises (and my wife is taking care of that with great alacrity) but those cruises can go then to different parts of the world.

Breakfast on the balcony with a nice view. Life ain’t that bad.

We had Breakfast in the cabin and this is very nice with Azamara. There is a very extensive Room service menu, setup with various “menu breakfast options” and then you can also add extra things to it at the bottom. So get a bagel with the standard salmon and cream cheese and capers, and then add (I am Dutch after all) extra cheese to it.  Etc. Etc,  Options so elaborate which were missing when on board Silver Seas and they claim that they are the best. Very nice also: Room service calls a few minutes before they knock on the door so you can get out of bed or get decent or both. Then 2 stewards come in and set the table. As it was nice weather they set the table on the balcony which was even nicer. So that was a good way to start the day.

Opatija from the ship. The coast of the whole bay is full of hotels and other holiday venues.

Then before going ashore came the hard work. We had downloaded all the relevant information from the Azamara website of what was included in the cruise and our cabin. When arriving on board it turned out that Azamara had stopped quite a bit of the amenities but we booked our Verandah Plus cabin based on what was listed on the Azamara website. So in principle we paid too much as the amenities on board were not that comprehensive. Fresh Flowers gone, slippers “upon request”, fresh fruit “upon request”, daily newspaper gone (It is still on the letter that you get when boarding and still on the website) Wrong name on the welcome letter which listed all these “upon request things”.  The website lists “plural” for the free bottle of booze given but this is only one per cabin. (so if there is one person  in the cabin, or two, or four, still only one bottle).  And then there was yesterday the priority boarding issue. Plus an international newspaper should be delivered to the cabin each day but we have not seen anything yet, as it is also “gone” according to those on board.

Tender dock in Opatija. From here it is a bit of a steep walk up the hill for about 5 minutes to the main street.

The cabin is a Verandah + (plus) but the settee /couch is a 1.5 size and not a full 2, as in some of the regular cabins (there is the space for it, so something happened in the past) and no light above the desk / make up table. The other cabins have 2 spotlights in the ceiling but nothing here. It looks like  that somebody decided that only the larger suites on this deck where entitled to a desk lamp and ours was taken away as the plug & switch are still there.

So we requested a meeting with the Guest Relation Manager, which turned out to be a very lovely lady, but of course she could not do anything but promised to look into the website issue and hopefully she will come back to us.  The Hotel Manager said during his welcome speech that he and his team were there to ” deal with any issues that the guests might have” so we will see.  The Housekeeping supervisor was called out and re-instructed the cabin steward about making sure we had the right welcome letter, that he explained everything and yes that with the free drinks (more about that tomorrow) this also included beer etc. (He claimed yesterday it did not) So suddenly the slippers popped up and the fresh fruit and the free beer.   All this stuff sort of make you start the cruise off on the wrong foot.

Then it was time to go ashore, which worked very well. The cruise Director had advised that the first hour would be tender tickets as the tours had to get off, but with 4 tenders for 624 guests it was “open tenders” after only 50 minutes. The distance to the shore was a “3 tender” distance and for most of the day there were three in operation.

The ms Azamara Onward at anchor off the coast.

Opatija was already a tourist place around 1900 and many large villa’s allude to it. Some have been converted to hotels and some to apartments. One or two might still be privately owned. The whole coastal area is holiday hotel area and we saw Croatian cars but also cars from Germany, Poland, Italy and of course a Dutch one. The Dutch will drive all over Europe so they pop up everywhere. (we once saw 5 at the North Cape at the same time).  Looking at the shops in the main street, a lot of them were upscale, so Opatiija it is not a Beer & Chips resort.

The main street in Opatija. No pedestrian area as it is a sort of main route, but plenty of shops and restaurants at each side.

Thus after a walk along the beach and then into town, through the main street, we were back at the tender dock  1.5 hours later. Once the tender left , it suddenly was called back because the captain was on the dock. It looked like he had gone for run and did not want to wait for the next tender. Calling a tender back with a Far Eastern tender driver is always fraught with challenges, as a break in routine seems to startle them. In this case it was no different and instead of sliding back along the dock, the driver managed to maneuver himself 2 feet off the dock. Thus the next plan was going astern and bring the bow along the dock and then the captain jumped on and dived into the tender via the front window that is used by the tender sailor to secure the forward mooring rope.   And it is a situation like this that makes me angry, very angry…. WHY?   Safety and Leadership.

  1. The captain should set the example for everybody to follow the rules, and thus wait for the tender to be safely docked and once the tender sailor says it is safe, to step on board.
  2. Now he jumped on the bow, where only the tender sailor is allowed to be because he wears a lifejacket. Apart from not having a lifejacket, the captain jumped. Jumping is never allowed.
  3. By doing so, he breached at least 2 regulations of the safety protocols (as listed in the SMS (safety Management System) of the company.

Basically this show that the captain thinks he is above everybody else by calling a tender back full of guests who had already been sitting in a warm tender for 10 minutes, as “Master of the Vessel” he did not set the correct example for the rest of the crew by following the rules and regulations and he endangered himself as he could have slipped on the forward deck and have fallen in the water. (One of the reasons that the tender sailor has to wear a lifejacket when handling the mooring ropes). I made Captain Jonas a compliment yesterday because of showing up for the afternoon presentation but in my eyes this behavior is not acceptable.  So today he really disappointed me.

Back on board we scrutinized the daily program to see how it went with the food. The Windows Cafe (Lido) is open to 14.30. For those who missed lunch, the Patio (that is the outside part of the Windows Cafe over the stern) stays open to 16.30 Same goes for the Hamburger and Ice cream restaurant (Swirl & Top) also to 16.30. Then on most ships there is a sort of gap until dinner. Not here, as from 14.30 to 19.00 there are Tapas and Sandwiches in the Living room (Crows nest ), so there is a food all the time. Then (also free of charge) is the Mosaic Cafe  from 07.00 to 22.00. Then at 22.00 there is a late night snack in the Living Room. So food, in various quantities, rolls on all day long. (And then of   course there is room service)

The show, made up of well known crooner and dance songs.

We went for cocktails in the Living Room and then for dinner in the Main Dining room called “Discoveries” on this ship.  We came in at 18.30 (moderate traffic) but the whole place was nearly empty. By 20.00 it was full but with still some empty spaces. So no waiting lines at any time. When coming in, they ask you if you want to share a table which we did and we had a wonderful conversation with a Canadian Couple from Toronto who were very busy with spending their children’s inheritance as they had booked 17 cruises in the next 3 years. After this one, their next cruise was on the Amazon with the Volendam of Holland America.

By 20.45 the doors to the show lounge opened with a the ships staff lined up for meet and great. Then the Captains introductions,  followed by a full show by the same people as last night. And they were very good again. There are no guest entertainers on board. So the whole cruise we will get a mixture of this cast and cruise staff talents. Something to look forward to.

Tomorrow we are in Zadar, also Croatia, some 100 miles to the south. Weather is expected to be the same, no clouds, sun all day, no wind, temperatures around 27oC / 81oF.   Who needs the Caribbean with this sort of weather………………..

 

 

 

2025 September 18; Fusina Venice, Italy.

September 19, 2025 / / 7 Comments

As part of our plan to sail with as many cruise companies as possible, outside HAL, we had Azamara next on our list. So we selected the Azamara Onward which offered a cruise from Venice along the Croatian coast. Apart from Dubrovnik and Split it visits mainly the small ports that are only operationally suitable for smaller ships. The Onward with a tonnage of 30,000 and a capacity of 684 lower beds is a perfect size for these ports (smaller is of course even better). We had booked a Verandah+ cabin, nbr. 8800 which came with a number of extra amenities, which I will explain later. Basically it means it is a Verandah size cabin with some Continental Suite amenities.

The Azamara Onward, ex Renaissance 3 or R3 and ex Pacific Princess.

So we made the expedition from the coast of Norfolk in England to Venice which was fraught with challenges. The flights the day before from our local airport, Norwich International, had been cancelled due to bad weather which would mean congested flights the next day. Then on the day of flying, the ground staff at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam went on strike and thus our flights had to be rebooked. So instead of having a leisurely flight with 3 hours transfer time in Amsterdam in mid morning , we  had the late afternoon flight with a 55 minute transfer time (and having to go through border control) to make the flight to Venice. And how good Amsterdam luggage handling might be, 55 minutes is rather short.  But on arrival Amsterdam the Venice flight was delayed with 30 minutes so we were in business. And yes on arrival Venice, the luggage was there and we made it to the hotel by midnight.

The next morning, our pre arranged transport was waiting at 11.00 hrs. and we drove to the ship. For those who are planning to take a cruise from Venice, the ports now used are a bit complicated.  Since the mayor of Venice decided that only cruise ships under 30.000 tons are allowed to sail through the Grand Canal to the Cruise terminal there, it can be confusing as the ships “claiming to be calling at Venice” are now spread out over ports in the area.

The ships over 30,000 tons are now going to Trieste (2.0 hrs. to the North of Venice) or to Fusina (30 minutes to the south) or to Chioggia (50 minutes to the South) or to Maghera (about 30 minutes to the South) , all measured from the airport.  Azamara has been dilly-dallying between Chioggia and Fusina for a while but now seems to have settled on Fusina.  The problem here is that they have opened a nice, small cruise terminal but then the port closed off the direct access road to it, to create storage space for imported trucks and vans. Thus with the paperwork now comes the instruction to go to the ferry terminal. What they forgot to tell on the paperwork is that, you drive to the ferry terminal, then keep to the right, drive through a special lorry gate (for the overflow of the ferry terminal lorries not yet boarding) and then via quite a bad road to the terminal. Luckily our taxi driver had experienced this before and navigated skillfully between the juggernauts waiting to be called for the Ro-Ro ferry and got us to the terminal.

The Fusina terminal. Nothing fancy but it is cool and spacious. The far corner opposite is where the priority guests were assembled.

Then more confusion. We had as part of the package, priority boarding, but at the pre-check (where they take your luggage) we were not on that list. Luckily we always carry all the relevant paperwork with us and my Lord and Master went to battle. After being bumped from one check -inn staff to the next, with ever more important people getting involved, they finally realized that they had made an oopsy, somewhere. Thus we were ‘”prioritized”. The priority boarding did not work as intended because when all the “priorities” lined up, a bright spark also opened up the joining line for rest and thus half of the desk ladies could not serve those who were supposed to be served on priority basis.

In the end it did not make that much difference as there were not that many priority guests with only 200 guests in the terminal and with 15 check in staff it went fast anyway. But the principle was not adhered to, —-priority guests first—-  as that is what you pay for and when you built up seniority.  In total there are 624 guests onboard this out of the 684 lower beds, so a 90% occupancy rate. The rest of those guests trickled in the course of the afternoon. Most of them coming directly from the airport. One group of guests had rented a car and ended up at the wrong Ro-Ro terminal and could not get out anymore. I think they were stuck in the line up for ticket & passport control and that is a bumper to bumper one way line up. So the agent was getting involved and that went with a lot of “Italian” drama on the phone towards what I thought were Americans stuck in a European car and now marooned in a Ferry terminal serving Greece. We did not find out if they made the ship or not before sailing.

Once on board, you are at once directed to booking the specialty restaurants. Not a bad idea if you want to book as with the pre booking options there were not many slots left. Many people had booked in advance , but if you had a complimentary voucher like us, you have to go and confirm date and time. The wait was not long and as welcome champagne was offered when coming on board, it was not much of a “challenge” to wait. Then when we came to the cabin, we found out that we were not on the onboard accounting system on the TV, so we could not watch the safety video. The welcome letter was for Mr. & Mrs. McCarmel and that was definitely not us. So not a good way to start to appreciate Azamara.

The Azamara Onward is small, compared to what is the norm nowadays, and for me a real throwback to the start of my sailing days with the Statendam (IV), Rotterdam (V),  Nieuw Amsterdam (III) and Noordam (III). But all was there that was needed. After a quick look around, we found a number of other discrepancies between what we booked and what we got. More about that tomorrow.

The small “newbies” introduction. Hard to see the faces against the sun light in
‘The Livingroom”. But from left to right: Food &Beverage Manager, Captain, Hotel manager, the Cruise Sales manager in the foreground and the Cruise Director to the right.

A nice thing, and something I have never seen before, was a brief introduction for cruisers new to Azamara and where the Cruise Director introduces, the Captain, Hotel Manager and the Food & Beverage Manager. They each gave a short speech to explain the main differences of Azamara compared to other companies. A full staff introduction is then done the next day. This is a port intensive cruise, with a port each day, so on board activities are limited and thus we have to wait and see what is offered outside going ashore.

Then it was time for boat drill and here again a throwback to the old days. No finding your lifeboat /Muster station at your convenience before sailing time; no, we all marched at the same time to one of the two Muster stations. (Show Lounge and Dining room) and yes, they still used clipboards and yes there was a final clipboard for the Muster station leader to call out those who had not raised their hands the first time. But we were all there and then we got the regular instructions over the P.A, wash your hands and you are not allowed to have a kettle (water cooker) or iron in your cabin. We have this cruise apart from 424 Americans also 64 British on board and they do tend to bring a small boiler with them to make their beloved “cup of tea” in the mornings as the water supplied by room service is always not hot enough. (Compliments to Azamara, if you order Room service, the water is piping hot)

Although Venice is old and scenic, nothing around it is. So we had a beautiful view of the largest refinery of Europe (in the 1960s according to the taxi driver) and in the foreground the ferry terminal, which you have to skirt on the right hand of the road to avoid ending up in the Ro-Ro  boarding queue.

The first evening the ship hyped up going to the Lido restaurant, called the Windows Cafe for a special Seafood dinner. We went and it was very good but I think that part of the hype was, to reduce the pressure on the main restaurant during the first night. They already have a sign outside the entrance, with moderate (18.30) busy (1930) and moderate (20.30). The busy moment is due to the fact that the show (only one show) is at 2100 hrs., so if you want to see the show, you have to go to dinner at 19.30 at the latest. Azamara,…………If you only have one show, why not at 21.30 ? Entertainers are not known for wanting to go to bed early……………….

We went the show at 21,00 hrs, called the “Cruise Directors Variety Show”. And now we come to small cruise ship cruising, although it is not negative. The show team is made up  of the Cruise director, the Asst. Cruise director, the 4 singers of the cast and the two dancers. They all did an act and they were all very good. And they were backed up by a 6 piece band and that for a small ship. Very impressed.

After the show, there was a band in the crows nest, called “The living Room” on this ship and they were the same band who played on the outside deck during sail away. There is a  piano player in “The Den” which is a midships lounge with a bar but also acts as a shore excursion lounge and future cruise sales. Behind the Bar is a wall and on the other side is the Photo shop.  I will describe the rest of the ship in the coming days but one thing that stood out is that there is no Casino on board. Hopefully this is  a trend that will continue as Viking Cruises also has no casinos.

Tomorrow we are in Opatija in Croatia. This used to be the Holiday resort of the aristocracy in the good old days when Croatia and surrounding areas was still part the Hungary-Austrian Empire before WWI. Expected weather tomorrow: Sunny, 28oC / 82oFand  no wind.

 

 

 

01 Aug. 2025 Going home & the Verdict

August 9, 2025 / / 11 Comments

My final installment of the cruise comes a bit later then intended because when I got home, real life hit at once. I volunteer as a Director for our Apartment Building and it seemed they all waited until “I came off the ship”. Hence a weeks delay.

This morning the ship docked at Bremerhaven just before 7 am. shortly followed by the ms Amadea also from Phoenix Reisen. There were no disembarkation announcements  as everything was in the Daily Program  and everybody followed those instructions.  Internationally they call this “Silent Disembark” and there was also a “Express Disembark” where you roll your own suitcases of the gangway before regular disembarkation starts. I did not get the impression that this was very popular as it seemed that most guests first wanted to have breakfast. Disembarkation started from the top deck downwards at 08.30  but with only 900 guests everybody was off by 09.00 hrs. or shortly after.  The only challenge we had was waiting for a taxi as we got the impression that the “taxi world” thought that disembarkation was starting at 09.00 and not at 08.30 hrs. By 09.00 long convoys of taxis were approaching the dock to deal with the growing line of waiting cruise people. We made it back to the hotel by 09.30 and after retrieving our car and saying farewell to our Dutch Friends (he drives a bit faster than I do, so we do not drive in convoy)  we set off for the night ferry back to England. If all goes well, we will be home again by 10.00 hrs, tomorrow morning.

The Atrium where you come in and go out. The gangway connection is via the outside Promenade deck. The Mermaid is still from Royal Viking days, the Piano is from Phoenix and to get that piano in, they had to remove the Atrium sculpted glass pole installed by Holland America. I wonder if the company saved that one as it was a beautiful piece of art.

The Verdict.

Starting with the most important question: did we enjoy the cruise ?
Yes we did, we enjoyed it very much. Good atmosphere and traveling with fine friends made it a very positive and pleasant experience,

Would we take another one?
Maybe, if they go to a place we have never been. The “maybe” is mainly because it is such a long journey by car to Bremerhaven.

Was it worth the money?
Yes, this is a 4 star product and the cost was in line with it. 4 Star, which I measure on what is available on the buffets for choice. Which is limited compared to 5 star.

What is available for the guests to enjoy who do not go on tour and stay on board. Not much as all the cruise staff is on tour-bus-duty,

What is available  in the cabin with bedding, shower amenities, linen quality, change of linen ( new bedding only once in the 7 days)

Is it worthwhile to book a suite? Yes according to my wife and I. Also my Dutch friends who upgraded  after their initial booking found the cabin with separate sit and bed area very nice. Then there is a large number of amenities/gifts that come with it. Shoulder bags, logo coffee cups, logo water bottles, logo pins, logo pens, full fridge with free drinks, and nibbles,  A posh box with shower amenities for him and her, The Gold / concierge Room,  Two TV’s in the cabin. (including international programs), special luggage labels, champagne (by the end of the week we had had 3 of them) Attentive cabin service. Voucher for free massage, voucher for champagne breakfast. Early booking option for specialty Restaurant.   We thought it was well worth the money.

What is REALLY different to other (main stream) companies.
A. No announcements in the cabin. Only announcements made are for scenic cruising. Arrival announcement Yes, only one and not in the cabin. All announcements also come over the Bow View Channel so you can just switch it on. Every German reads the daily program and is on time for whatever they are involved in. Compare that with a lot of company’s who are very irritating with announcements in the cabin such as: Fred Olsen, Saga, Celebrity etc. etc. But this was a “peaceful cruise” and if you wanted noise, you went and found it, the peace in the cabin was never disturbed.

B. Official ships tour guides on every bus, in addition to the local tour guides, It is something that company’s used to have in the “good old days”. It must be appreciated by the guests when on tour. This is not the same as we see with other company’s where they put a “crew escort” on board for a free-bie and who then sits the whole tour in a corner on the cell phone or runs off as soon as the bus stops. No these were the professional ships cruise staff, in uniform and helped the guests off the bus and supported the guests in every way needed.

C. Germans on Phoenix do not go for cocktails, they go for after dinner drinks. Thus there is no pre dinner cocktail music in the lounges until about 20.00 hrs. After dinner there is music for the rest of the evening and the lounges are full.

D. Everything starts exactly on the time indicated in the daily program. So if there is a get-to-gether or a party, guests arrive early, so everything can start exactly on time. Dining room from 18.00 – 20.00 hrs., then the serving starts at 20.00 hrs. but guests will have walked in from 19.40 hrs. or so, to find their table and to be ready for the menu.

The Glare.
If you read my cruise reviews on this site, you will see that I always have this entry. “The Glare” is something I do when I walk through the ship. I look each Officer and Crewmember straight in the face with my blue piercing eyes and then wait for the crewmember to acknowledge. The ms Amera crew were extremely good, during the whole voyage, from captain to waiters, sailors to front desk etc. etc. everybody smiled said hello or reacted in another positive way. The only one who failed (3 times) was the Ship’s doctor but  he was walking around as if he was on another planet altogether anyway.

Very friendly Captain and deck officers, very friendly Hotel Manager and very friendly and capable waiters (kellners) & cabin stewards and Front Desk attendants. Nice cruise staff but we did not see them very much as they were each day out on tour and then with a maximum of 10 hrs. a day being allowed to work, there is not much time left.

Mr. Uwe Noster, the man of the Gold & Silber level / concierge was a very gregarious man and very helpful, but although he said that he had “desk hours” we were never able to find out when as the hours were not posted in the daily program and also not on his desk itself on deck 8 Atrium.

The Crowsnest, or Panorama Lounge.  The only lounge completely left as is from the Royal Viking Days.

Other Compliments.
*The “Schone Ausflugge” lunch on the first and last day on the top deck midships. Apart from the free beer, it was just very nice to be present and enjoy it. Regardless of nationality and background. Holland America has the “orange party” but they tend to cut if off after a few songs but here it just went on………… ………………………….Wunderbar.
*Tea in the afternoon. Much better than expected on a German ship and a lot of guests did partake in it.
*Real ships escorts on the coaches. Much appreciated by those on tours.
*Maintenance. For a 37 year old ship the ms Amera looked very good. As was with Holland America keeping the underside of the balconies up to standard was a battle that one could not win, but the old Lady looked very good, both inside and outside. And it seemed that the crew were genuinely proud of her.
*Duo in the Piano Lounge, very good and enjoyable.
*Service in the dining room and lounges, quick, friendly and always with a smile (and automatically a jar of peanuts) .
*Cabin service for our section (10 suite cabins) very good and un-obtrusive..
*Gold Room, very nice for snacks and coffee drinks if you used it. It was under used, so I would not be amazed if Phoenix takes it away. Before Hal it used to be the Staff Captains cabin but if it stays it is a very nice perk.
* Very reasonable bar prices and a very good wine list

There was a promotion for a drink or cocktail every day. A pint of Guinness for Euro 4.20 / 3.64 pounds / 4.89 US is not bad at all

Points for improvement:
*Get better cast shows and have them choreographed by somebody who knows how to do that. This was awful. Full Stop.’

The backing music (click- track) was too thin and needed padding out and the lighting was from a bygone era. The spotlights on the side of the sound booth were not used while with HAL they formed an integral part of the show.

The cast (no doubt talented) were not good enough. It was a pity that the talented trapeze girl had to work in this show set-up  and in a show lounge with such a low ceiling. If somebody from Phoenix reads this, then please look on U-tube and you will be able to see what can be done with such a small stage as Holland America managed it.

*Tender service. It ran extremely well with no delays but antics of some of the drivers…. e.g lack of docking experience…… could be dangerous during windy weather.
*It would help if what is included in the “Gold service” or “Silber service” would be completely listed. There is some under the cabins specifications when you book, there is some that we found out when googling a travel agent site and some we only found out when we got there.
*Same for the suite cabin amenities. Nowhere does it say that you get slippers in the cabin or umbrella’s so we brought them with us,
*Maybe an ice bucket in the cabin for the suites” Our steward found a way around it, but with a double suite, it should be a standard thing.

Can a non German speaker survive?

YES, all the crew speak English and often better than their German. English menus are available in the Dining room, and with Google Translate it is not difficult to translate the German Daily Program.  The only thing you have to get used to, is that the cruise is driven by the Daily Program and that there are no reminders for those who do not read programs, or expect to be reminded by announcements. Phoenix really expects that as you have a brain that you use it.  I loved that part of the operation as I hate interfering announcements.

During my posts, there is always more texta than photos. My Dutch firends have also a blog running for the friends back home when they are travelling. that has more photos than (dutch) text. This is the link:

https://www.polarsteps.com/RuudvanD/18239437-bremerhaven-en-cruise-amera-naar-noorwegen?s=ea486edc-5129-47a0-a9ae-e71c3a170923

A very nice touch was the thank you letter, see below, we received 7 days after the end of the cruise, something I have not seen any other companies do, apart from trying to have you book another cruise. This felt quite personal as the Captain and Cruise Director laid the link between the ship and the guest, instead of just some vague general / letter / email from somebody in the head office.

Willkommen zu Hause
Sehr geehrte Frau Schoonderbeek,
sehr geehrter Herr Schoonderbeek,
Reisenleiter Herz

vor wenigen Tagen haben wir Sie an der Gangway von MS Amera verabschiedet. Hoffentlich hatten Sie eine angenehme Heimreise und sind gut nach Hause zurückgekehrt.

Dem gesamten Schiffsteam rund um Kapitän Dariel Valdes und Kreuzfahrtdirektor Joe Liemberger war es eine große Freude, Sie an Bord zu umsorgen und mit Ihnen gemeinsam schönste Reiseziele erleben zu dürfen.

Wir hoffen, dass Sie sich bei uns rundum wohlgefühlt haben und die Reise Ihren Wünschen und Erwartungen entsprochen hat. Am meisten würde uns freuen, wenn Sie sich noch lange an viele schöne Momente und Erlebnisse Ihrer Reise erinnern.

Auch der schönste Urlaub ist irgendwann zu Ende, und nun wünschen wir Ihnen, dass Sie ganz entspannt in Ihren Alltag zurückkehren.
Vielleicht schmieden Sie ja schon wieder Pläne für die nächste Auszeit.
Dem gesamten Phoenix-Team an Bord wie an Land wäre es eine große Freude, Sie recht bald wieder mit einer neuen Reise begeistern zu dürfen. Seien Sie stets an Bord von MS Amera oder einem der anderen Schiffe von Phoenix Reisen auf das Herzlichste willkommen!

Wir wünschen Ihnen alles Gute und senden Ihnen herzliche Grüße.

Willkommen an Bord! – Willkommen zu Hause!

Ihr

Michael Schulze
Direktor Schiffsreisen
Bonn, den 08.08.25

31 July 2024; At Sea.

July 31, 2025 / / 8 Comments

Today we are on our final day of the cruise and sailing south from Norway towards Bremerhaven Germany. Yesterday the Shipping Forecast gave rough weather but we were tucked deep inside the Norwegian Fjords and by the time we came outside it was already a lot smoother. Today we woke up to sunny skies and smooth seas with only a low swell running from the west. That could have made the ship wobbly but for that we have stabilizers. New ones were installed during Drydock 2019 and they are working as expected.

The party place on deck 11 midships. I did not see a single table that did not have a glass of beer, or more on standby. If there were non drinkers on board, then they must have been hiding somewhere.

The daily program was all about food & drink with the first main event being the “Bier Garten” or Beer garden, loosely based on the Munich Oktober Fest and with “Frei Bier” and Bavarian Specialties. As expected the Germans were out in force and most had secured a table well ahead of time with all the seats filled by the time the festivities started. As it was sunny, the crew installed parasols in the center section to ensure that those who did not want a sun burn, would not get one. As most were going to be there from 10.30 to 14.00 hrs. (with free beer and food between 11.30 and 12.30) it was going to be a long day.

The farewell speech of the captain. Followed by a toast on the good cruise had. The captain announced that he had apple juice in his glass and later on I saw a lady sniffing at the glass to make sure it was.

The whole thing is a sort of farewell show with the Captain and Ships staff coming on the stage (with a glass of beer in the hand) to say thank you for being on board and hope to see again. Most of the Cruise and support staff were in various stages of folk costumes from Bayern to give a sort authentic feeling to it all and then the buffet opened and from there it went by itself. “Duo-lin” the two man band from Harrys’ Bar provided German Country and Folk music and by the time that the waiters had gone around for the 3rd time with pints of German Bitburg beer, the mood got very Beer-Hall. The Captain went around with his beer glass (but with applejuice in it) through the crowd to take selfies at the various tables. The ships photographer could have made a lot of money had they been able to go around with him. I calculated that I easily could have been served 6 pints of beer in that hour as the waiters kept, the pace up and even started to bring out free “Schnapps” as well; But as there is always “somebody” watching me, I did not make it that far as I also had to get some of the “Bavarian” delicatessen and had a discussion with the ships Vicar / Reverend who was also on deck and enjoying a drink. I do not like men or women of the cloth who do not drink as they are forsaken a lot of what God has put on this world to enjoy but he was hoisting a pint, so we had a good chat about Maritime Days in Warnemunde and the connection with it to the church. (The full story is somewhere in the daily blogs of 2010) Then we had a quick lunch where I tried the Vegan menu which was amazingly good and spicy.

Tables made ready for German tea in the afternoon.

On the way out we saw the crew setting up the dining room for the afternoon tea (15.30 – 16.30) On port days it is in the Lido and on sea days in the 2 dining rooms. Somewhat like Holland America Line does with “High Tea” but now on steroids’ and for the last sea day of the cruise a bit more elaborate. We did not attend as we had eaten already more than enough in the morning. Plus we had the important challenge of packing our suitcases. The more experienced guests had already packed in the morning, knowing the amount of alcohol coming at them but we decided to pack in the afternoon.

That gave a matrimonial discussion about what to wear as Phoenix Reisen has a formal night on the last evening of the cruise, when that cruise is a shorter cruise. During the first formal, I did not see too many people dressed up, beyond jacket and tie, so we decided to forgo the full formal variation and tuned ourselves down to what most of the Guests decided that was in their eyes “Nice Enough”. So we will be – nice enough – and then pack up the rest. Suitcases out of the cabin is by 2 am. but we will be earlier than that as we are most likely the first ones off tomorrow morning at 08.30. Lesley being an “Alien” in the eyes of European Immigration had to turn in her passport and she can pick it again after arrival. Then when leaving the Netherlands at Hook of Holland tomorrow evening, she will get her check-out stamp so we have proof that she did not over stay her time in the EU. In October Europe goes digital and will then have the same system as the USA, Photo and Finger prints. Not for me, as I am semi British (Settled status which is a sort of Green card), on the Island side and Dutch on the European side. The UK is also planning to do a similar thing but it is rather vague how that supposed to work as their (His Majesty’s) Custom and Border Force is absolutely not ready for it as it has not enough officers. So it either will be postponed or we will have long waiting lines at the airports and ferry terminals.

Final dinner was in the main dining room and our friend Ruud had asked if there was anything Indonesian for dinner as so many of the crew was from Indonesia. To our utter amazement there was and the kitchen was able to provide aside from the German food, also Sate with rice (pork sate with peanut souce) and a Soto ayam soup. (Indonesian chicken soup) so we did not need any main courses anymore. After dinner we did not go to the show as they had done the Revue show (songs from hollywood) at 17.15 hrs. and that was our packing time. The bars were still full with guests all eager to be out for a final night.

Tomorrow will be in the ships home port of Bremerhaven we are expected to be together with the Amadea from Phoenix Reisen. Disembarkation time is 08.45 hrs., with silent disembark so hopefully we will be off by 09.00 hrs. After getting a taxi to the hotel to pick up the car we will go back to England. Our friends will drive to their house in Lunteren ( in the middle of the Netherlands) and we will see them again near the end of the year. We have the night ferry back to the UK so we have all day to get there (It is approx. 5 hour drive) but we also have to go shopping in Holland to stack up on all sorts of goodies we cannot get on the island. Some items like cheese are not allowed to take home anymore since Brexit as the EC health standards do no apply any longer. The UK has not changed those standards since Brexit but it now needs another stamp than before and thus we have extra red tape to deal with. Hence it will be “stroop wafels” (caramel wafers” rice, licorice, and chocolate (You are not allowed to take milk back to the UK but choclate is ok) Weather back home wil the same as we have today 18oC and sunny.

After this blog, there will be one more with “The Verdict”. and an advise if this is of interest to pure English speakers who can think & enjoy themselves a little bit outside the box. I will then also post a link to my friends travel blog with all the food photos of those might enjoy that. That will be posted coming Sunday.

Nice deck chairs for a nice sunny day, and then the deck department starts painting.

Smile of the day: Sometimes things do not go as planned. With a sunny day and most guests on the outside decks, the bo’sun had decided to paint the deck chairs on the shady side, most likely with the un-beatable logic of “the guests want to sit in the sun, not in the shade so I can paint on the shady side. No doubt with good intent but as a deep sea professional it goes a bit against the grain. If the project was authorised by the chief officer, then I will need a good glass of beer to get over that shock.

Luckily the wet paint sign was completely in accordance with International safety rules which require that the text can be in the national language but has to be in an international language that is understood by everybody on board. 

29 July 2025; Bergen, Norway.

July 30, 2025 / / 3 Comments

The ms Amera docked in Bergen. This dock is normally occupied by fishing boats large and small but it fits the ms Amera although there is an overhang with the bow.

Today we are in Bergen, docked at the Bontelabo dock which is at the end of the South West side of the Bergen old town right behind the old fort that guarded Bergen for centuries. With us in port, apart from several Oil Platform Support vessels and a number of large yachts, were the ms Trollfjord (Hurtigruten), ms Costa Diadema (Costa Cruises) and the ms Viking Saturn (Viking Cruises). The latter we had a good look at as Lesley and I will be taking a cruise on her in February 2026. We have heard some very good things about Viking so we are going to do a Mediterranean cruise. For that cruise we will have to fly, which I do not really like but then in each life some rain has to fall. No rain today in Bergen, although the port is quite famous for it, it was partly cloudy with temperatures in the mid sixties (18 – 20oC) and that is perfect sightseeing weather. We have been to Bergen many a time, also because it is nearly impossible not to visit it during a cruise.

It is the only major port on the west coast of Norway apart from Stavanger, and thus it falls somewhat automatically in the cruise schedule. There is Oslo to the South and Tromso & Trondheim to the north and not much in between, size wise. Hence for those with the urge for a good session of “retail therapy” going ashore is a must. There are some very nice department stores in Bergen and a large range of tourist related shops in the “Brygge”, the old wooden housing area on the west side of the harbour. My Lord and Master was going to hunt for Christmas gnomes. We bought some of a special design years ago in Tallin and here in Bergen and it was always the wish to make the series complete. So the Ladies went to the Christmas store and my friend and I marched around the port up the hill to the Maritime Museum.

As in the old days the “Norwegian America Line” used to sail from Oslo with calls at Bergen and Stavanger so there is a good amount of Ocean Liner history and ships models to enjoy. But those are part of the permanent collection and I enjoyed looking at all those years ago. This time my focus was on the bookshop. 10 years ago they had a nice collection of books, old and new, and as it is so difficult to order books outside the UK (since Brexit the postal costs have gone up dramatically, as for the European Union, the UK is now a 3rd world country) and getting them to my house for a decent price, the hunt is on where ever I get during a cruise. After a 25 minute walk into the suburb of Bergen we came to the museum and there was hardly anything there. A few new books, really focused on the main stream reader and small bookcase with rejects from the Museums library / archive. While I was going through , my friend explained to the lady behind the desk what I was doing and she ran upstairs as “there was some more there”. She came back with an armful and among them 2 books that caught my interest. One a bound year of “Sea Breezes” magazine and a book about Australian coastal steamers. Both surplus to requirements for the museum. The helpful lady wanted 20 NOK for the two, so for 2 Dollars or 2.5 Euro I had at least found something and for a very good price. And then we marched down the hill again and caught up with the Ladies who had not been able to find anything in the Christmas store and were drowning their sorrows with a McDonalds ice cream. Then we decided to split up and Lesley and I went back to the ship.

The shore connection for electricity in Bergen.

When at the ship we saw that the ms Amera had been hooked up to Shore Power. When they exchanged all the engines in 2019, the new setup became Diesel Electric and that makes it fairly easy to switch from “one electric plug to another”. Norway has an abundance of electricity available, and apart from reducing emissions, it also reduces the fuel costs. The fuel costs are quite high for the Norwegian waters, the ships have to run on Diesel fuel instead of Bunker C fuel which is about 15% cheaper if I remember the prices right. So an hour before departure the engines sudden came on with quite a bit of shaking as they had to synchronize the output again so the shoreside electric plug could be pulled out.

The whole outside deck full of tea drinkers, and there were a lot more of them inside, for guests who could not find a seat outside.

I mentioned a few days ago, that there is very little to do on board the ship in port, today there were no activities at all, most likely because all the cruise staff are escorting tours, but for this type of cruise passenger it does not seem to matter as they all go ashore or are happy sitting in the lounges with a drink. So the whole front page of the program is given over to the tours, in clearly large spaced letters, the inside is about still registering one’s credit card, an announcement about ships boat drill and then a lot of advice how to get your Norwegian Tax back on anything purchased. Page three inside is all about the evening entertainment and page four outside all about when the ships venues are open. As one can only eat so much we did not go to the dining room for lunch, but took a few sandwiches from the Gold Room (ex Neptune Lounge) For alcoholic drinks and non alcoholic drinks it stocks the same as the complimentary bar in the cabin so it is handy if you run out during the day.

The indoor Lido Buffet with cakes, savoury’s cookies and everything else that goes with a good cup of tea. Note the empty spaces in between the trays. That is the only difference between HAL and Phoenix here. Less variation, not less quality,

With the tour participants trickling back from shore by the early afternoon, tea time (15.30 – 16.30) at the Lido restaurant was well attended. There is an elaborate tea time every day but as today was dry and sunny, most guests were sitting outside. Tea was served and one could get sandwiches, cookies and cakes (including Sacher Torte) from the buffet stand inside. Again compared to Holland America there is less in abundance of variation but not less in quality and quantity. I can only say that for a 4 star product it is all very good and it runs very smoothly. For those who did not like tea, the bars were doing a very good trade and the new outside bar was slowly filling up. partly with smokers but not all of them.

The NEW outside Bar on Deck 7 behind the dining room. If it was not for the smoking you would find me there very often. Holland America had a small round bar one deck up near the aft pool. It is still there but I was advised it only opens up occasionally as it is too small to handle the traffic.

When I join a cruise ship, I always send a letter to the captain to tell him/her that I am on board. Not that I expect anything but it is very irritating for a captain to find out by surprise, that there is another captain on board. And find out they do, as since Covid and the HAL diaspora of crew with the 6 ships sold, you find ex HAL crew everywhere. I have not seen one yet but I have heard that they are on board, in behind the scene functions. Most captains will then send an answer note (only Cunard is very bad at it) wishing me a good cruise, but sometimes they want to talk to me, even if it was only to find out what sort of “idiot” would take bushman’s holiday cruises, after 42 years at sea. This time there was another interest as the captain was eager to talk to me about the ship and compare changes made since Phoenix took over. So at 1800 hrs. all 4 of us were collected by the Hotel Manager (they do things properly here) and escorted to the bridge. Where we had a long chat about engine and bow thruster power and maneuvering with high winds. We only had a short time but I might have another session with him on the last sea day about certain ports where the ship calls.

Capt. Dariel Valdes and guests, seen here  yesterday during the Gold & Silber party. He lives in Panama but has been with the company for about 10 years.

Then the Hotel manager (also 40 years at sea) decided to invite us for dinner. Hurrah, ……………….free wine,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, That turned out to be very pleasant as he knew quite a few people in the industry so we could have a good time gossiping. (Sailors love to gossip and we are very good at it). Mr. Christian Schneider also owns a Castle in South Germany near Nurnberg that is run by his Dutch wife. A castle that includes a keep and has in total 22 bedrooms. Then I mentioned my plan to wean Lesley away from cruising (eventually) and take her inland in Europe to see a bit of country away from the ports. And I had the plan to do the “Route des Burges” or the “Burg Strasse”. You book each Castle – hotel for one night and then during the day you sight-see to the next one. Staying in an Castle Hotel has two advantages: A: the rooms are normally cooler then a regular hotel (European hotels often have no A.C) and B:there is always ample off street parking as there is normally land around a castle. And all that sort of conversation took up most of the evening.

Singer Olga and piano player Janibek with their show, “Rise Like A Phoenix”. 50 minutes of International European song and piano play. Here the Italian flag is on the screen and Olga is singing something Italian. It was very good.

We could just catch the most of the show by the couple that normally entertains in the Piano Lounge. They had a show in the form of a musical trip around Europe. And they were very good, a real relief from the Cast shows of the last 3 days. Tomorrow we are in the metropolis of Ulvik located at the very end of the Eid – fjord. It takes several hours to get to the end so it would have been an early morning again for the captain. We are the only ship in port and it supposed to be sunny with temperatures around 21oC / 70oF and no wind, which means it will feel a lot warmer.

Hotel Burg in Abenberg near Nurnberg south Germany. Nothing to do with this blog, but maybe nice to see that some sailors have a whole different life on the side. Most of the rooms are in the big castle-keep tower and the rest plus restaurant etc. in the other buildings. The center courtyard in the summers is used for Jousting Competitions and other medieval fun. (Photo courtesy,  Hotel Burg website)

26 July 2025: At sea;, off the coast of Denmark.

July 27, 2025 / / 6 Comments

Today was our first day at sea and it was a nice and smooth sea day with partly cloudy skies and temperatures around 14oC / 58 oF. A lower temperature than normal for the summer, caused by a North Easterly Air flow from the European Continent. Bad news for sun bathers, good news for the captain as this means no fog. Also good news for those in the cabins behind the bridge as we will not be bothered by the sound of the fog horn.

The old pool area now covered over for multi purpose functions

After scrutinizing the daily pro gram it became apparent that the on board activities are somewhat limited (shuffleboard, darts, church service) and that is tilted towards food and “Vergenugung” which loosely translates as “enjoying ones selves” which includes food and drink in a party atmosphere. For that purpose Phoenix Reisen had already closed in & covered over the midships pool in 2019 and installed a sort of multi purpose area with a stage and and large TV screen. The area can be used as a dance floor, for lecturing, movie under the stars or as for today a sort of “Bier Garten”.

The small buffet setup in front of the Lido Bar.

The ship laid on a small “Maritime” nibble buffet and the cast put on a small show with well known German shanty songs. As all the dining rooms venues would open later anyway, it was only a small food setup but just nice to have with a drink. The Germans call this “Fruhshoppen” and there is really no English word out there that catches the exact meaning. I would translate it as an “early morning knees up”. Chilly but sunny weather and the guests were out in force. Nothing better than to start the day with oysters and a glass of beer. Later on the cruise staff came around with complimentary shots of “Schnapps” (German Gin) and a good time was had by all. Once it was over, the tables and benches were removed and the space was ready for the next happening.

As mentioned before, we are in a “gold ” cabin, a suite on deck 11 & 12 with a total of 19 (it would normally be 20 but the “Kaiser Suite” or penthouse, takes up the space of 2 normal suites). Being “gold” meant we had a meeting with our Concierge Mr. Uwe Noster who in a previous life was a banker but since retirement has found out that there is more to the world then just counting money and was now with the ms Amera as Concierge and Port lecturer. The meeting was in the crows nest/observation lounge at noon time. Here we learned our first lesson of the “German cruise flow” and that is, that if it says 12.00 hrs. or 15.00 hrs. then you do not go to the party/meeting at 12.00 hrs. but you are there at 12.00 as it starts at 12.00 hrs. With HAL you come in at 12.00 hrs. get a drink and once everybody is sort of there, the proceedings can start. Not this time, we showed up at 12.05 and Mr. Uwe was already in full swing. Most of those present had shown up about 15 minutes before so at exactly 12.00 hrs. it could start.

We found out later in the evening with dinner that it works the same way. Opening time was 18.00 and 20.00 hrs. so we showed up at 18.00 hrs. and everybody was already there. The system is, you go in anytime between 17.30 and 18.00 hrs.(*), find a seat and exactly at 18.00 hrs. you get your menu in front of you. More about this further down. (*And in some cases, run for your favourite table and be highly annoyed if somebody is already sitting there. Heinz & Helga seem to like their routines)

While enjoying a glass of German champagne/sekt some of the cruise staff team and the hotel staff were introduced and the Hotel Director came over for a chat. He speaks fluent English, German and Dutch. The latter courtesy of being married to a Dutch Wife. (Best way to learn a language, is to court a foreign girl so you have to go the other way and you will get fluent, or more really fluent very fast if she starts looking deep into your eyes). He had been at sea all his life and worked for a whole range for cruise company’s so he was very happy to have a conversation about ships instead of just the regular “guest chat”. From him we found out that Phoenix Reisen does not have a “Repeater program”. No tiers with discount, no medals or pins. They prefer to keep the prices the same for everybody and if you want free laundry (big thing with Holland America guests), you book a silver or gold cabin and it is included. They do record your sailing days, so if you hit a milestone,, they will recognize you but in a different way. When you board the ship, the carpet says “Willkommen zu house”, “Welcome home” so the company creates a sort of we -all-belong-together-feeling in a different way. And I get the impression that it works. The party/meeting also had the advantage that we could book the “Pilchers Restaurant”. This is the old Holland America Line Pinnacle but with this company it is free of charge, you just have to stand in line at some time in the afternoon to speak to the Maitre. No pre booking, no reservations over the phone, you have to line up. Luckily for our cabins, the Maitre d’hotel was there and we avoided queuing. It pays to travel posh……

Then it was lunchtime then and we went to the dining room which has been greatly remodeled since the Prinsendam days. In line with the current taste of Cruise ship design, the colours were in grey and
brown, with more partitions than with HAL. I will have to count the tables in the coming days to see if they lost seats over it as it looks much more spacious than before. But they removed the large Captains table and put 4 smaller round tables in so they gained space that way. In the coming days I will post a few menu’s, as for Lesley they have an English version available and so far after 2 meals, I can only say that the food is fully comparable with Holland America, Cunard, Fred Olsen or Princess. (It is just less elaborate in choices) Our friends, really enjoy their food so each dish is posted on their family travel blog and they are also happy with what is offered, including the wines. Again the guests come in 20 to 30 minutes before the official opening so they are “in position” for when the menu’s come out. The stewards tend to start a bit earlier with the orders, because getting 400 appetizer orders in the kitchen at the same time is not easy for the cooks. Here on the Amera there is still the double kitchen, left over from the Royal Viking Days, so they have more capacity than a 800 guest ship would normally have but a smooth flow is still important..

We had scrutinized the daily program carefully and again, not many activities going on in the afternoon, although the line dancing in the show lounge was well attended, as well as the 15.30 tea in the Lido. The rest of the guests were in the bars or on the sun loungers around the ship. Tonight was the Captains welcome party and that is done in two regulated sittings. As the dining has open sitting, that does not work if you suddenly have to deal with two starting times for the captains welcome and the show. So what they have done here, is send you to dinner by deck. So decks 6,8,10 and 12 went to the welcome party at 1900 hrs. followed by the show and dinner and decks 5,7,&11 went to dinner at 1800 hrs. followed be welcome on board party at 2100 hrs. followed by the show.

Captains Introduction. The green jackets to the left are the Cruise Staff and the white, the senior officers. The captain is a rather small man and can be seen in the middle.

And it worked……. only with Germans you can do such a set this up and make it work. With the caveat that the Lido was extremely busy again but I could not figure out if this was because of the “seating” system or because of the dress code for the evening. The guests were invited to “dress up” but the result was very mixed. I only counted during our sitting 5 gents in full smoking (and that included the two of us) quite a few in jacket and tie but the majority of the gents found a jacket good enough or not at all. Ladies are always difficult to judge as they normally dress up a bit for each evening but it was not as “gala” as I think they company would have liked it. We also found out that free wine is served in the dining room, although they keep it very quiet as they want you to buy bottles. We inspected the table (Spanish) wine and decided to buy a bottle, giving the wine team (bar waitress and table waiter combined) the chance to make a little commission. The wine list is quite varied and this cruise there is also a promotion going on with South African wine. Our friends who are somewhat of connoisseurs declared the wines more than adequate. They had my favourite Austrian wine, so we had a bottle, but for the rest they have draft beer everywhere and thus I am a happy camper anyway,

After registering our credit car, picking up Lesley’s passport and being recognized by ever more crew as being “the old captain of the Prinsendam” we retreated to the cabin, got changed and joined our friends in their cabin, to drink the welcome on board champagne (the real stuff) that came to the cabin on embarkation day. We also get chocolate petit-fours on Formal the day but they arrived after we had to go for this early deck – by deck dinner. But then chocolate for breakfast is not a bad thing either. The dining room was waiting and we had a table at the window near the stern and when looking outside, we saw that Phoenix had built an outside bar under the overhang that HAL constructed in 2010 to make the back pool bigger and also stop it from overflowing. So we have to investigate that tomorrow. This is also a smokers area but if there is a bit of wind, it should not bother us. There is a 2nd smoking area on board, a real indoor smoking room (screened off with a glass wall), in the corner of the old Ocean Bar (now Harry’s bar) and that also works well.

Captain Valdes.

The Cruise Direktor. Herr Liemberger from Germany.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we had the party. Captain with photo opportunity on the portside and direct entry at the starboard side. Knowing that the side lines of the lounge are not that great, I herded our little group in as fast as possible to get the best seats / un-obstructed view, and where then ready for more complimentary champagne and nibbles. As it used to be with HAL and still is with Cunard and Fred Olsen. For a 4 star company this is shaping up as a really good quality product even putting some of the more pretentious companys to shame. The crew kept coming around with refills and “re-nibbling” and then the parade started. Because Phoenix is putting so much focus to direct service to the guests, there was a large cruise staff team on the stage and a large number of officers, making the stage a bit crowded to say the least. The master of the vessel is captain Dariel Valdes, who went through the ranks with Phoenix, (the company exists since 1993) and is a very affable man. I do not think he likes speeches very much as his little speech was completely rehearsed and very P.C. So the hotel staff were introduced by the Hotel manager and then all the cruise staff by the Cruise Director. Captain then came back with the champagne toast. This was followed by the Revue show who produced something called “Let us Entertain you” with songs by Elvis P, Tina T and a rock and roll medl. At certain moments a lady popped up to hang upside down from a rope from the ceiling. Unfortunately the ceiling of the lounge is very low so the effect was somewhat limited . Not all of the cast could sing that well and I have seen much better cheography on the small stage in Prinsendam days.. Let’s say the next show can only be better.

Nice touch and never seen before, your name on the petit-fours plate.

That concluded our evening as by now, we had had enough to eat and drink to last 3 days. Tomorrow we have the pilot at 04.00 hrs. and then a sail in to Flam with a docking time at 11.00 hrs. We were supposed to anchor, but a bigger ship scheduled to dock, cancelled and so we are going alongside. Our friends are going on the Flam- train excursion but as we have done everything and anything there is to do in Norway we will enjoy the ship and used the large ironing room on deck 6.. Weather for tomorrow, partly cloudy, partly sunny, chance of a rain drop and temperatures in the low sixties. (14 – 17oC) Not a bad start for this seven day cruise at all.

 

2025 June 14; Going Home, the Verdict.

June 16, 2025 / / 23 Comments

So today we drove home after a very nice 14 days on board the ms Nieuw Statendam. We would prefer a smaller HAL ship (hence we are going to try Viking next February with 900 passengers) and we hope that HAL/Carnival will build some as HAL is losing customers to Viking as they have 12 midsized cruise ships that can call at smaller ports. (That will also make it easier to find another port during inclement weather) Something I was used to when I was with the ms Veendam (now still laid up in Greece) and ms Prinsendam (now ms Amera) in Europe.

Will we be back ???. YES. My Lord and Master has already booked a 14 day cruise in  2027 in the Baltic (September 17) with the Nieuw Statendam. There are some ports there, that were not visited by HAL during my days of sailing (Klapeida, Gdansk, Riga etc.)

The only real two complaints were:

A. the noise in the dining room in the “As You Wish” part. It could be quite easily fixed by HAL (egg shell sound proofing of ceiling, something I have seen at other companies). But for ourselves it also was easily avoided. Being married to an (almost) 700 day Mariner gave an extra Specialty Restaurant visit (plus extra one that came with the “Have it All package) and made it that the dining room  was easily avoided, But my greatest respect for Host Fernando and his team to make it all work during the rush hours of serving. (We went twice to New York Pizza as well when we knew it was quiet)

B. The overbooking in the Pinnacle Restaurant near the end of the cruise. There is really no excuse for that, and it is not nice to expose the staff to this, when all they want to do is deliver the service that Holland America indicates, is famous for and expect them to deliver.

What would be nice:

A part of Crows nest that could be used for cocktails in the evening (the portside and midships), with a proper ambience and with all broken equipment removed. And maybe a small stage in the corner for a guitar player??

The late show to start at 21.30. It would relieve congestion (between 19.00 and 19.30) in the dining room and just give everybody enough time to enjoy a “good dinner experience”, instead of a rushed “going to eat”.

For the rest many compliments for our cabin stewards (hardly ever to be seen as usual), the cheerful Lido staff and the very had working Bar Staff, who did earn their money with soo many cocktail loving Dutch on board. Same for the Kitchen staff who kept up the best Lido afloat and delivered in the specialty restaurants even under high pressure circumstances. We liked the shows and the Dualling Piano’s and also the classical trio  but we stayed away from the Rock lounge and BB Kings as the volume is way too high for people with good ears.

A pity was the sudden ending of the Orange Party, that was just gearing up (under the infectious enthousiasm of Miss X) and then it went back to BB. King, what a bummer.

This time we had a Vista Suite but her ladyship found it too small so next time we go for Neptune Suite. As ex HAL I can get discounted fares but with the danger that it all gets cancelled at the last minute, if the ship is fully booked or they can do an up-sail. Hence we book in the normal way via a travel agent. We do not have children so there is no excuse for not spending  our inheritance anyway.

ms Nieuw Statendam

ms Queen Anne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On day 3  (4 if counted from Dover) I promised a comparison between HAL and Cunard now they both operate Pinnacle class ships (Costa Cruises has some as well).

This is a personal rating and the one that wins is in bold. 

HAL                                                      Cunard:               ,

Capacity 2600                                Capacity 2900

Deck 1 Atrium                                Grand Lobby

Cunard has this wonderful space with a sitting area, coffee bar,  drawing room, games room and in the corner the Pursers  office. HAL has changed a previously completely lost space  into the Park West art gallery. The Front desk is on desk 3,  which is  prime space now handed over to offices. Cunard has Shops here and open walking space for the guests.

Meeting Rooms                            ?????

For incentive cruises, HAL has 3 nice meeting rooms here.  Could not find anything on Queen Anne except two small  rooms.

Note: Meeting Rooms versus Pursers Desk location is a money decision to attract more groups. But I wonder with Cunard if the extra guest space provided does not generate a lot of  revenue per square foot to offset the use of the function rooms. Cunard Shops and Barista bar where was always doing a good trade, when were there. (Ad I do not know if the knitting group we had on board this cruise were drinking very much)

Dining room                         4 venues

Cannot compare as with Cunard as their restaurants are connected to your cabin class and get better with the size of  the cabin, But Cunard has the same problems with “As You Wish” dining as HAL in the main dining room.

World Stage                     Royal Court

Cunard has a conventional setup and no LED screen. It is oke, but for lectures and shows the HAL LED screens knocks spots of Cunard.

CrowsNest                      Commodore  Club

Cunard has a setup that HAL used to have back in 1992 with the arrival of the S-class, with comfy chairs and tables, an extensive bar and cocktail music.

Tamarind                           Sir Samuels         Cunard’s expensive steakhouse looks like a cafetaria.

Library                                Library                   Cunard has many more books and a librarian.

Club HAL                          xxxxxx                     Cunard has a space but it is not as elaborate as HAL.

Grand Dutch Cafe     Carinthia

The menu options and service are much better with Hal. Cunard took away the mid partition and thus created more tables. The GDC is too small between 1000 and 1400 hrs.

Ocean Bar                        Chart House Bar

Cunard has this beautiful round bar instead of a row of  chairs backing into the Musicn Walk – walkway and half of the sitting area  used by guests waiting for the Sel de Mer or Pinnacle.

Queens Lounge             Queens Lounge.

For HAL, the most beautiful lounge on the high seas. For Cunard,  they have a nice orchestra and dance floor in there, with good  secondary shows, but only one (small) pathway on the starboard  side, causing congestion and people standing in the way, while watching what goes on when going from one lounge to the other. The “Music Walk” flow works much better.

Pinnacle                            Space taken up by the Cunard Club Class Restaurant.

Rudy’s Sel de Mer       Space taken up by the Cunard Club Class Restaurant.

Canaletto Lido              Tramonto / Lido

At Cunard the space looks like a road restaurant with  pretensions.

Regular Lido space       Indian / Lido

At Cunard, the space looks like an road restaurant   with  pretensions.

Lido Restaurant             Lido Restaurant.   (Lido Market versus Artisans Food Hall)

HAL has much more variation and longer opening times.

Dressy nights                  Formal nights                Cunard has formal and enforces it. And we love dressing up.

HAL service                     Cunard Service

Although the service at Cunard is very good, we always get the feeling that the Cunard crew serve us to do us a favor, instead of HAL “being happy to serve”.

HAL bar Prices              Cunard Bar prices        Cunard is very expensive.

HAL Drinks Package  Cunard Drinks Package. This is a bit more complicated but:

Hal top package = $ 65.95 a day (with drinks to a maximum of 15 at $ 15,– each)

Cunard top package = $ 72,– a day (with drinks to a maximum of 15 at $ 13.50 each)

But if you book “Have it all ” (which Cunard does not have) then you get included WIFI, Drinks, Tips. $ 200 shore excursions and 2 x Specialty Restaurants .  AND THAT MAKES THE HAL DRINKS A VERY GOOD DEAL.

So in general AND THIS IS US PERSONALLY, we like Holland America better as a whole. Regardless of having worked for HAL a very long time. But we are going on the ms Queen Victoria for the Christmas Cruise as it has more style and everybody dresses up. We are not going back to Queen Anne.

Looking a the number of hits, in the last 14 days, and the numbers of comments (thank you very much, much appreciated) I will do another blog for our next cruise in July. ms Amera (ex Prinsendam) of Phoenix Reisen in Germany. It will be a seven day cruise to Norway.  I was 3 years Captain on the ship so we want to see what the Germans have done with it.

In the mean time, I will continue to add information to the Captain’s bio’s.

Thank you for your continued interest.

2025 June 11: Irish Sea.

June 12, 2025 / / 5 Comments

Today we continued with the “warp speed” of 5 knots towards Cobh on the south coast of Ireland. The weather was overcast but with sunny periods and the temperature rose to a balmy 16oC/ 61oF. Hence the guests were out in force on the outside decks with a lively pickle ball competition going on on the top deck and several groups trying to study the finer details of shuffle board. With the latter it still amazes me that it is still around and attracts attention. Shuffleboard was first documented around the 1870’s on the P & O ships going to Australia but is still going strong.   The weather turned back to its usual rainy self by early evening and we have been advised it will be real Irish Weather tomorrow. 20% chance of rain all day.

In the grey mists of time I once had a conversation with an Irishman during an excursion to Waterford, while visiting the local pub. He explained to me how an Irishman dealt with the wet weather apart from having a stiff drink at times. He said we just avoid the word “bad weather”. If it is raining, it is ” a  GOOD DAY”, if it is not raining it is “GRAND DAY”.  If it storms we do not talk about it. So today we had a grand day sailing along the Irish coast.

The Tuskar Rock Lighthouse. It was as clearly visible  as seen here on this photo. Must be a wonderful place if you do not like to have neighbours. (Courtesy Wikipedia / Andrewmc)

Main navigational highlight of the day was passing Tuskar Rock with its lighthouse sticking out as a sore  thumb from the sea. During to our 5 knots speed, nobody could miss it when looking out of the window as it took hours to get passed it.  Turskar Rock is famous/ notorious for guarding 176 wrecks in the area. So the bridge of the Nieuw Statendam will have been keeping a close eye on the movement of the ship as there can be a considerable current running here and a 2 knot current relative to a 5 knot speed can have a considerable impact if not counter acted upon.

The cooking demonstration in the World Stage. Thanks to the wonderful LED surround screen, the A/V tech could zoom in on the dish being prepared and then project it all over the large screen.

The day on board was filled with all sorts of on board activities and we decided to attend the Cooking Demonstration in the World Stage. These demonstrations are always a bit of a hit and miss as it very much depends on the “outgoing” personality of the chefs. The Nieuw Statendam is currently lucky in this respect as the Exe. Chef and the Pinnacle Chef both have outgoing characters and apart from cooking up a nice salmon dish, where also good at providing a humoresque narration.

The Mariner Society presentation in the Queens Lounge (now BB King). As one can see it was not exactly busy with only the top end mariners being invited. About 4 medals were awarded.

The next thing was attending the Mariners Society meeting as my Lord and Master has 624 of her own and was thus invited. (I have 8,927 professional sailing days with Holland America but those do not count) Unfortunately also here  things have been reduced in scope as only the top numbers were invited, no appetizers served, no speech from the Captain (he was only there to “assist” with handing out the medals according to the Cruise Director) and the whole happening lasted no longer than 15 minutes. But I got two glasses of wine out of it, so I can not complain.

The Shops Fashion show. Our shop ambassador very excited and “bubbly” about it all. But she had only joined this cruise in Rotterdam and therefore most likely had not yet figured out that you have to keep checking the HAL Navigator App., for last minute time changes. Thus she started 15 minutes too early. The lady to the right was a guest on board, and had been asked to join in to model a set of jewelry.

This was followed by a fashion presentation at 12.00 (according to the shops) or 12.15 (according to the daily program) and the poor lady from the shops had only  just started when she got the un-expected support from the Captain with the Voice from the Bridge.   By the time she was supposed to start (12.15) it was all over and at that moment the audience walked in following the time mentioned on the HAL Navigator App. But as there is hardly anything for sale in the shops anyway, (although yesterday suddenly some logo ware popped up on day 10 of the cruise) and quite expensive, nobody missed much. (The shops have a new concessionaire called EFFY). They are plugging jewelry sales very hard but not many people are going in as: a. for the prices but b. for the fact that the sales team is hovering in front of  the doors  of the jewelry shop, and if you walk in, they do not leave you alone to peruse the merchandise.

With the nice weather we increased our walks on the deck. A jogging track is available on deck 11 around the Dome but one can also walk on Deck 3. On the older ships this is the wide sweeping deck that HAL was renowned for, but here it has been reduced to just a walking path as the public room size has been optimized as much as possible. Understandable and not really a problem but it gives the peculiar situation (especially around the dining room at the stern) where the deck is single file wide, that it creates a real bottle neck for walkers. If Grand Dad with his rollator is just going around the corner, it all comes to a standstill at the stern of the ship. 3 laps around the deck is a mile and that gives the excuse that one must have lost some weight now and then can safely return to the Grand Dutch Cafe for “bitterballen” and a pint.

Entrance to the Pinnacle Restaurant. Excellent dinner on quiet days,

Cocktail Entertainment meant once again visiting the Classical Trio in the lounge and then there was the idea of going to the show (very talented singer and music player, 2nd show of the cruise) but we had received a complimentary dinner in the Pinnacle from Captain Timmers, who is currently on leave. I must commend and compliment the kitchen chefs for still being able to churn out a perfect dinner while the Pinnacle was heavily overbooked. In 2016 when I was part of the Koningsdam start up team, I was told by the Hotel shoreside team, that the specialty restaurants would operate on a 60%  table fill capacity, so “gracious and relaxed” service could be delivered. Fast forward to 2025 and then occupancy rate was 90% and the service reduced to “delivering and putting food on the table” and not without constant mistakes.   It seemed that a lot of guests were cashing in on their un-used on board credit and there is nothing the waiters can do about that. So we felt a pity for the serving staff, who could not deliver of what was the expected HAL standard and great admiration for the kitchen staff who still delivered. The waiting staff tried and this included running over to the Ocean Bar to get drinks for their tables as the wine steward & runner could not cope either.

Tomorrow we are in Cobh, formerly Queenstown. The Captain announced that he would swing on arrival, nose out, and we are the only cruise ship in port.  We are looking at our 20% chance of Irish rain again and I am waiting for an answer from the Cobh Maritime Museum, whether they have anything from the Holland America Line calls  in the 1960’s. on file.

 

2025 June 10: Douglas, Isle of Man. From a distance.

June 11, 2025 / / 8 Comments

The port of Douglas Isle of Man. The ship has to anchor fairly far out (red line is tender course), to stay out of the way of the local ferries, but then you arrive close to downtown with the tender. (Photo Courtesy: Isleofmann.com)

By 07.00 hrs. the good ship Nieuw Statendam had arrived at the anchorage of the capital of the Isle of Man, Douglas. Beautiful weather and so we thought we might have a real sunny day. Only for the Captain to come on the tannoy and to advise that there was too much swell running and that was no plan B.  Hence we would have a day at sea. Because we would had a sea day tomorrow anyway, it meant that we would racing with the mind boggling speed of 5 knots towards Cobh on the South Coast of Ireland. Not a slow boat to China but a slow boat to Cobh.  So I looked over the side to throw my “expert” eye over the swell and and yes it was not even remotely doable.  Yesterday at Dun Laoghaire we had about a foot of swell running along the platform and that made for a “bumpy” step on- step off  procedure. Now I estimated at least 3-4 feet on the lee side and 6 or more feet on the wind/swell side.  So absolutely a no go.

The plan B that might have been possible, if the weather forecast would have been bad during our call at Dun Laoghaire, then there would have been the possibility to go to Liverpool. In the same way as the Captain decided to go to Invergordon the moment that he was advised that Kirkwall was closed. But that does not work with nice weather. As a Captain you have to go and assess the local (swell) situation as you cannot predict from a distance what the exact swell conditions will be before you are actually at your anchor position. Hence Captain Draper went, observed, and decided.  Going then from Douglas to Liverpool would have meant an arrival in the early afternoon, with a very short time ashore for everybody.  Going early to Cobh, with the option of an overnight, did not work either as the Bolette (ex ms Amsterdam) was alongside on the 11th. The pontoon dock can only take one ship alongside so no option there. And there is nothing else around in the Irish Sea that can take a Pinnacle Class size ship on short notice within sailing distance.   Hence now we are on a “slow boat to Cobh”.

The dining room being setup for Dutch Dinner. Orange are the Dutch national colors, derived from the “last name” of the Dutch Royal House “Van Oranje- Nassau”. The “orange” bit comes from holdings that the Royal Family had at the town of Orange in the South of France, at the time of them ascending to the throne of the Netherlands.

The ship came up with an alternative program for the day including opening up the dining room for lunch time. (As this was not announced, it was not busy there so we took advantage and went for lunch in the dining  room). By the time we left, they were setting up for the Orange Dinner.  For the rest it was a peaceful day at sea. Some guests were disappointed but I got the impression that quite a few looked forward to a quiet day. I just hope that they realized that tomorrow will be another sea day.

I myself was disappointed as this was my second attempt to get ashore to see the island. First one was in 2010 when I was here with the Prinsendam and a wind force 11 was blowing straight into the port. So no go. Luckily at the other side there is a very small landing pier with space for one tender and with the small ship Prinsendam I could creep under the cliffs and still make the call for the 800 guests. But you can only do that with a small ship and a Captain who remains on board. Today it was not bad weather but we had this bad swell. Thus to avoid a 3rd cruise cancellation in the future, we will drive to the Isle of Man, sometime in the future and go with the ferry from Heysham (regular ferry) or from Liverpool (fast ferry). They only thing that can stop us then is either again wind force 11 or a ferry strike.

We went for cocktails again in the Queens Lounge with the Classical Trio and as usual it was very good. This time with Spanish music.  Then we tried our luck at 19.00 in the dining room. As mentioned before, this is the busiest time for the staff there, as most guests try to get in around that time so they can be out again by 2100 hrs. for the show. There was slightly less pressure this evening and the Maitre was able to accommodate us. By 20.00 hrs. the pressure had eased so much that the supervisors and Exe. Chef had time to circulate and also stop at our table. None of them had forgotten their old Captain yet.

The assembled Hotel staff during the musical quiz/dance part, conducted by a Lady of the Cruise Staff calling herself Miss X .

The show was with a comedian but I wanted to go to the Dutch Party in the Queens Lounge. (Nowadays BB King Lounge) For that purpose I had brought my orange jacket (bought in a moment of weakness in the Dutch shop at Schiphol airport) and her Ladyship had an orange shawl. Last time I had seen the party was in 2018 when it was still held around the Lido pool. That did not exactly work due to the cultural differences between Americans (they sit) and Europeans (they stand). So everybody was spaced out too far, unless you got all 2,500 there but that does not work as at least 600 go to bed early and another 600 are in the show.

And the Cruise staff Lady really got the party going.

So it is now in the Queens Lounge and it worked very well. Wall to wall orange  and ran with  a musical quiz performance with the ships (hotel) staff helping by showing off their Disco moves and supporting guests who been divided in an sb. side and a ps. team. Then there was line dancing and a congo to Dutch songs. For most non-Dutch probably  the first time they were introduced to Dutch party songs. The Cruise Staff lady who was announcing and compering it all, was VERY GOOD. An asset to the company and should be commended for what she did to hype up the crowd into party-mood.

And then when everybody was getting really into the mood, BB King returned with their set of music. REALLY??? Dutch night with BB King Jazz, soul and Rythm and Blues? And that was for me an absolute downer.

We did our best to blend in.

This might make sense in the Caribbean when 90% of the guests are American but now we have over a 1000 Dutch guests on board, who where looking forward to a DUTCH ORANGE party and they get BB King Blues. It cannot be that difficult for the Movers and Shakers in Seattle to adapt the program a little bit for Europe and a different crowd composition. Or give the ship the free hand to do so. I am convinced that Karlijn our Cruise Director and Hotel Director Gul are more then capable of doing that.

If they would/could have kept the Dutch party going the “Dutch Way” then it could have turned into a wild evening, with a lot more drinks sold than was now the case. BB King attracts many guests as well so a lot of orange (Dutch and non Dutch) remained and danced but that was the crowd that was normally there anyway;  but it was not a Dutch party any longer.  We vacated at once as the average noise level that is produced by BB King is well over the 86 decibels and we both have very good ears, hearing that we like to keep, while growing older.

So we went to the Crowsnest, for a quiet drink, just to only scrape in as at 21.30 it was last call, as it closes at 22.00 hrs. There were still about a 50 people up there, those I had seen at BB King as well so we might not have been the only ones who escaped the sound level.

Tomorrow we are at sea again. The weather looks good, it should be overcast but with very little wind, if I interpretate the weather maps right.

 

 

 

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.

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