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Sue's HAL Eastern Caribbean Cruise - June 2003

Who/When/Where

Who:  Sue (me), DVC member

            Chris (16), my son

            Sheila, frequent travel companion

            Colin (17)

Dates:  June 7 - 14, 2003

Ship:  Holland America Line's (HAL) Zuiderdam

Staterooms:  S7060 (Sue & Chris) & SS6060 (Sheila & Colin)

Destination:  Eastern Caribbean – Half Moon Cay ( Bahamas ), St Martin, St Thomas & Nassau ( Bahamas )

Experience:  Sue's 10^th cruise, 4^th on HAL; Chris' 5^th cruise, 4^th on HAL; Sheila's 4^th cruise, 1^st on HAL; Colin's 1^st cruise ever!

INTRODUCTION:

I absolutely love cruising, and it's one of the few vacations that can pull me away from the Comedy Warehouse for a week!  HAL is my favorite line, and except when using DVC points for a "free" cruise on Disney (DVC members pay $75 and then use their dvc points to "pay" for the cruise), HAL is the only line I consider.  I have prior experience on a couple of other lines, and frankly do not care to return to either one – HAL is the right choice for me and gives me what I expect from a cruise.  Basically I expect to be pampered, to relax in beautiful tasteful surroundings, and receive excellent service regardless of where on the ship I happen to be.  I'm not interested in belly flop contests, smoky bars, late night discos, casinos, and lots of children (ugh – where DID I pack that duct tape <g>).  I expect to dine on china – not paper or plastic, and drink from a real mug rather than a styrofoam cup.  I expect quality furnishings, attractive artwork, and beautiful fresh flowers.  I do not expect announcements that Bingo is about to start, blaring into cabins and public spaces.  I also do not expect to stand in line for food, to get off the ship, and don't want to feel crowded while on board.  HAL has always provided all of that and more, so I stick with them! 

The Zuiderdam just began sailing in December of 2002, and is the first in a new "class" of ship for HAL – the Vista Class.  Initial reports (from previous HAL cruisers) were very unfavorable, and I am a little concerned that because a number of the really nice touches HAL is known for no longer exist on this "new class" it will leave me disappointed.  However, if that happens I'll simply leave the Vista Class for other people and return to the original HAL ships, which are ideal in my opinion.  The Zuiderdam is larger than the other HAL ships – one thing HAL prides itself on is not entering the mega-ship market where you cram as many bodies onto the ship in order to maximize revenue without regard for overcrowding (gee, can you tell I don't favor the big ships?).  The Zuiderdam is actually the same body as the Carnival Spirit class ships, but HAL's version designed the ship to hold 600 fewer passengers in the same space.  Compared to the other HAL ships I believe the Zuiderdam is 45% larger but has only 25% more passengers, and I've never felt crowded on a HAL ship.  For people who like numbers, the ship is 950 feet long, 82,000 gross tons, and holds 1848 passengers.  As a comparison, the Disney ships are 964 feet long, 83,000 gross tons, and hold 2400 passengers.

Originally we had booked our staterooms far in advance, using an internet travel agency.  The Zuiderdam has 85% ocean view cabins, with 2/3 of those having verandahs.  After enjoying the verandah in Alaska last June on the Amsterdam , I knew that was what I would want this time – especially since I've been to all of these ports and may opt to spend more time on the ship than the typical passenger.  There are 4 classes of verandah staterooms, larger mini-suites ( Superior ), even larger full suites (Deluxe), and 2 Penthouse Suites (at 1313 sq ft each – wow!).  I booked us into a regular verandah stateroom and Sheila opted for an oceanview without a verandah.  The day before our final payment was due I discovered HAL had a special "promotion 6" code, which deeply discounted the fare.  Rather than getting a cheaper rate though, we both decided to upgrade to better staterooms.  Sheila moved up to the Superior (384 sq ft) and I went for the Deluxe (516 sq ft, concierge level).  Wow – we were psyched!  Among the many perks that come with my stateroom are free laundry & dry cleaning (how cool is that – clean clothes coming back every day), hors d'oeuvres delivered to the stateroom before dinner, use of concierge lounge, breakfast/dinner in the specialty restaurant, priority boarding (ahead of anyone waiting), priority disembarking (in the ports and at the end of the cruise), and we don't have to put our luggage out the night before.  Unfortunately Sheila cannot join me in the concierge lounge because she doesn't get any of the suite perks.  I understand the reason – it's designed for the 60 suites and if they all had friends staying elsewhere taking advantage then it wouldn't be as nice for the people paying the extra fare.  I've heard they will allow her & Colin to board and disembark with us, which I'll double-check at the port. 

Sheila & I have been to the ports before, with the exception of Half Moon Cay for her.  This is HAL's private island, and it's very similar to the Disney island Castaway Cay.  HAL's is considered to be the "best" one though, and it won the award again this year from some cruise magazine (I personally rank Disney's island a very close 2^nd and am glad to spend a day at either place).  There's no need for a separate adult beach here, but otherwise it looks an awful lot like the Disney island.  Chris has never been to St Martin or St Thomas , but probably prefers to stay on the ship if other teens will be around.  There will be several on board this week, so I'm sure both Chris & Colin will find many new friends to hang around with.

We opted for the late dinner seating this time.  We've always been afraid it was too late, but I did the DVC Members Only cruise in February and loved the late seating.  It's nice to not have to rush through the later afternoon to get ready for dinner, and since I'm not a nightclub person (don't like smoke), having a late dinner and then seeing the late (10 or 10:30 ) show, followed by walking around the deck is the perfect ending to my day.  During the day I generally participate in some of the fitness stuff, but mostly live in a swimsuit relaxing with magazines between activities.  This time with the huge verandah on our suite, I really should spend more time out there – sounds like a great place for a pre-dinner drink and hors d'oeuvres!  HAL just recently started charging for dining in their specialty restaurant (I believe the last line to do so), and we have no interest in eating there.  I'm very much opposed to the trend by cruise lines to start nickel and diming passengers for things that have always been included – increase my fare to cover it, but don't charge me extra!  It strikes me as very tacky!  HAL also did away with the free cappuccino bar (another trademark), but at least their prices in the new coffee place seem very cheap – I will probably try something from there <g>.

One (of the many things) I appreciate about HAL is that the passengers tend to be more formal than other lines.  We still have 2 formal nights plus an informal night, and people are expected to dress accordingly and remain dressed like that all evening.  Generally, everyone does, although with this "new class" we'll see what happens.  Even on casual nights, you don't see the jeans and really casual wear seen on Disney, and there's not much chance you'll go to the show and see people who've changed into their cut-off shorts and tank tops (blech).  It's nice to see everyone looking great, and living in Ft Myers it's not like we have the chance to dress up like this around here!  Yes, I'm one of those dinosaurs who feels if you're not willing to follow the dress code for the evening you should book some other type of vacation so I don't have to look at you.

Another perk of the "suite" life is having the evening's dinner menu delivered each morning.  Since food is such a big part of any cruise, I'll type in the menu at the end of each day's report.  I used to look forward to meeting people at dinner and always requested a large table.  However, the last couple of times were less than thrilling – I was seated with people I would rather not have had to endure for 7 nights, so this time we're not taking any chances and requested a table for just the 4 of us.  If I meet people during other activities, that'll be great, but if not that's ok too.  Now that I've typed that, watch me have some torrid ship-board affair, lol!  My friend Adie is hoping I'll meet some gorgeous straight guy, but I won't hold my breat

Sheila & Colin will pick us up around 10-10:30 Saturday, and we'll make the 2-hour drive to Ft Lauderdale.  We cannot wait to see the Zuiderdam!  One really cool feature is 2 sets of exterior glass elevators – they go up the outside of the ship, which should give us fabulous views.  I've already got my next HAL cruise picked out – a 10-day Southern Caribbean & Panama Canal itinerary on the Rotterdam next March.  I'll watch for any hint of a deal for booking while on this week's cruise – otherwise I'll wait a while to see if the fares come down at all.  Going from 7 days to 10 days brings a certain degree of "sticker shock" <g>. 

The plans:

Sat 6/7:  Embark in Ft Lauderdale, Set sail

Sun 6/8:  Half Moon Cay, 1^st Formal Night

Mon 6/9:  At Sea, Informal Night

Tue 6/10:  St Martin , Dutch (casual) Night

Wed 6/11:  St Thomas , Casual Night

Thu 6/12: At Sea, 2^nd Formal Night

Fri 6/13:  Nassau (staying on ship), Casual Night

Sat 6/14:  Breakfast, Disembark Zuiderdam

DAY 1  SATURDAY JUNE 7, 2003 :

Plan:     Embark in Ft Lauderdale, Set sail

Actual:  I woke up about an hour early – excited, I guess.  That meant the time dragged, since I really didn't have much to do to get ready.  A few people IM'd, I got the email all cleared out, and tied up a few loose ends at home before Sheila & Colin arrived.  The drive to Ft Lauderdale was easy except for periods of heavy rain, and we arrived at the port around 11:30 .  It was a zoo here – we dropped off the luggage and then found the parking garage across the street.  During the trip my gallon jug of water had sprung a leak, so the canvas bag was soaked.  When we walked back to the terminal we were given a SARS questionnaire and joined the end of the line to go through security.  After that there was a huge line of people waiting to check in.  Since Chris & I are in a suite we got to bypass the line and go straight to check in.  I asked if Sheila & Colin could check in with us, and was told no.  So, Chris & I checked in quickly and went to sit in the waiting room until they arrived at just about 1pm !  The check in person did give me an extra priority boarding pass for them, and boarding began just as they got to the waiting room.  It was really nice being on the ship so much earlier than most passengers.

We went to Sheila's cabin first – and were quite impressed with the size and dιcor.  It's really much prettier in person and they'll be quite comfortable there.  They have the large bathroom (not like a typical cruise ship bath) with the jacuzzi tub with a shower plus a separate shower stall, and double sinks.  Their cabin is about 1.5 times the size of my verandah stateroom last year, which was similar to a category 5 on Disney.  I took a few pictures, then we went up to my suite.  WOW – this is the life!! The suite is gorgeous, and twice the size of a regular cabin.  The balcony is quite large, and has a dining table with 4 chairs plus 2 chairs with ottomans and cocktail table.  There's room for more, too!  The bathroom is large – similar to Sheila's.  Outside between the bathroom & sleeping area is a small dressing room, with a mirrored wall and chair at a table.  I decided to use the closets in here.  Out in the main room are Chris' closets – the 2 of us could never fill all this space.  Our sofa converts to a double bed, and is slightly curved.  A pretty flower arrangement was on the coffee table (smaller cabins get a bud vase with a fresh flower), and the beds were pushed together into a king until I asked the steward to separate them.  The colors are light wood, golden peach, and a little bit of burgandy for contrast.   The desk is a nice long area, and I sit facing a big picture window as I type.  We've got the typical tv, but also a dvd and stereo.  There are 2 phones, too.  One thing that really surprised me – there are electrical outlets everywhere in this suite!  I'm so used to there only being 1 in the entire cabin, this is a nice treat.  The section of the wall not taken by the desk & window is floor to ceiling glass – I just love everything about this suite!

Our luggage wasn't here, so we set out to explore.  The dιcor is a little different from your typical HAL ship, but I love it!  It's bright, fun, but not cheap or tacky – it really works in my opinion.  The artwork is unbelievable – everywhere you turn there's some incredible piece of art, even built into the floors in some locations.  It'll be fun to wander around during the week, trying to see everything. 

We ended up at the Lido , since the boys were hungry.  On this ship they've got a new design on the traditional Lido restaurant.  Instead of a long buffet line, they have several separate stations (like a food court), each with a limited menu.  There's a deli, a bistro, Italian, Asian, sweets, salad bar & grill.  Chris & Colin went Italian, with Chris getting a plate of spaghetti with meatsauce and then a cheeseburger & fries while Colin had the pasta alfredo.  Sheila got some chicken from the grill, and a piece of lemon blueberry cheesecake.  I got some steamed white rice with a little thai chicken curry on top, and had a delicious sugar-free chocolate mousse.  Everything was really good, and we bought the boys unlimited soda cards ($27.50 each). 

After eating we walked around seeing the different public spaces.  The specialty restaurant is GORGEOUS!!  We won't be eating there for dinner, but some day Sheila & I may have lunch there.  It's open for breakfast & lunch for suite passengers, and I can substitute her for Chris anywhere except in the Neptune (concierge) Lounge.  Speaking of the Neptune Lounge, it's REALLY nice!  The concierge & her assistant are there to take care of whatever you need, and people stop in to sit & enjoy some snacks.  They had tea sandwiches in a display case with a dome that they operate by remote control to raise the lid up when you want to take something.  That way it stays fresh longer.  They also had little pastries, cookies & candies – plenty of chocolate.  They've got a nice big cappuccino/espresso machine also – reminds me of Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge lounge!  I had the concierge show me where our dinner table was located, and was happy with the location so didn't ask for any changes.  We got our table for 4, so like Sheila says – if our dinner companions suck it's our own fault, lol! 

Soon it was time for the mandatory lifeboat drill – I hate those things.  When that ordeal was over with we met up on deck 10 for sailaway.  Unfortunately they were late loading everything on the ship so we were delayed by an hour.  It got pretty hot up on deck, and the boys were wandering around, so Sheila & I went down to sail from my balcony instead.  We'd both gotten today's drink in the souvenir plastic HAL cup – a very unimpressive rum punch.  I don't think I even drank half – remind me never to buy another HAL rum punch <g>.  At least I have a lovely plastic cup for only $6 <g>!

Chris came back and picked up some tea sandwiches from the lounge – I don't think he's ever had them before, with the crusts all cut off like that.  He watched some tv while I updated the report and got dressed for the evening.  Tonight's dress code is casual, which for me will be a long tank-style dress.  It could also pass for informal, but it's as casual as I planned to be this week.  The Captain & Hotel Manager are hosting a welcome reception for suite passengers from 7:30 until 8:15 tonight.  There is also a teen get together the same time.  I checked with the concierge and was told I could bring Sheila in Chris' place, so the adults will go to the reception while the boys go to the teen thing, and we'll all meet at dinner at 8:15 .

I met Sheila by the stairs on her deck (6) and we climbed down to deck 2 to go to the Queen's Lounge.  This is a small lounge and also serves as a poor movie theater.  For a reception though, it's just fine.  We met the captain, cruise director, hotel manager, nurse & doctor, and the concierge was there as well.  I had a glass of wine and Sheila had champagne.  Soon we were joined by a honeymoon couple from Orlando – Richard & Jennifer.  Jennifer didn't say much, but I really enjoyed talking to Richard.  It turns out we were both in Alaska on HAL last summer, and he did the same glacier excursion we did in Juneau !  The 45 minutes flew by!  Staff kept coming by with hors d'oeuvres but since none of us were hungry we didn't bother with the food.  Overall it was a really nice time.

From there we went to dinner and the boys were already seated.  The Vista Dining Room is very pretty -–so much nicer than anything on the Disney ship (I asked Sheila how she thought it compared to Disney and she's already noticed/realized there is no comparison –HAL is so much nicer).  We met our steward and assistant, who both seem very nice.  Our table is along the wall looking down to the lower level, directly across from the musicians.  On HAL dinner is accompanied by live music – it used to be a string quartet (I think) but I guess budget cuts have left us with a pianist and 2 guys playing strings.  It's a really nice touch!  Also, not a single child sound anywhere in the dining room all night – it was wonderful!  Now, if only we could have stuffed a sock in the mouth of the angry man at the table behind Sheila & Colin – most of the words he used began with the letter "f" and were not very appropriate for the setting. 

Service at dinner was excellent, except for the wine steward being a little slow with the boy's soda.  I got the fruit cocktail and the chicken breast, and the chicken was so tender I cut it with my fork.  It was so delicious I ate the entire breast & the rice, too!  The boys both got the strip steak, and Colin got prosciutto ham and a salad, while Chris got smoked salmon and the Kansas City steak house soup.  Sheila got a salad and the salmon entrιe.  Everything was very good!  For dessert Sheila got the cheesecake, Colin got cheesecake and the peanut butter mousse, I got the peanut butter mousse and Chris got HAL's signature chocolate cake (which was excellent with the peanut butter mousse <g>).  We were out of there about 9:45 , which was not bad at all.

We browsed in the shopping arcade, then Sheila decided to go back to her stateroom because she was getting a headache.  The boys disappeared and I went up to catch the 10:15 show.  They had the Zuiderdam cast do a couple of song/dance numbers, and they were pretty good.  Then the cruise director Gary spoke a little too long, and brought out a comedian named Bernie McGrenahan.  I lasted less than 5 minutes – I don't doubt I'm spoiled when it comes to comedy, but this guy just wasn't doing anything for me.  I did enjoy the Vista Lounge though, and found no problems at all with sightlines up in the balcony where I normally sit.  In other places I can see where the numerous pillars would block the view of parts of the stage. 

After escaping from the non-comedy (I'll give him another chance another night) I took a walk around the promenade deck and then returned to the suite.  Chris was there but soon left for some 11:30 teen activity, after ordering his breakfast for the next morning (and fibbing about it being for 2 people so he wouldn't look like a pig <g>).  Sheila & I are doing the Walk a Mile at 7, then we'll eat and head ashore for a beach day on Half Moon Cay.  The boys will meet us on the beach later.

Our beds were turned down, chocolates on the pillow, and the drapes all closed.  I immediately opened them all – I like to wake up with the sun when cruising!  Besides, it's not like someone can look in my windows <g>.  I finished up the report and was in bed by midnight – reading over the materials about the next day's activities.  Today was a great day – I absolutely LOVE this suite!!!  I can see why people who book a suite once can never return to steerage class again <g> - it's unbelievable and you get used to it so quickly!  Plus, Chris met one of his favorite bartenders from the Amsterdam last June – Rudy!  It's always nice to find a familiar face, especially when it was someone who added to the fun of your cruise.

Go to the upper right of this page for a link to dinner menus. The presentation of everything was gorgeous, and the china/silver is very elegant.

DAY 2  SUNDAY JUNE 8, 2003 :

Plan:    Half Moon Cay, 1^st Formal Night

Actual:        I'd set the travel alarm for 6, with a wakeup call for 6:10 since I wasn't sure the travel alarm clock battery was good.  As it turns out I was awake around 5:30 so I just got up then.  The sky was pretty due to the approaching sunrise, and eventually at 6:14 the big orange ball rose from the horizon.  I got cleaned up & dressed, then made some cappuccino using an immersion heater in the cup of water before adding the instant mix.  The cup I'd borrowed from the Neptune Lounge yesterday – today I'll return it & get a clean one for tomorrow.  The lounge is right across from our suite – it couldn't possibly be more convenient! 

Since I had time, I checked out yesterday's photos on the computer and read the rest of the papers that came yesterday.  They've got a custom clothing vendor on the ship, in case anyone wants clothes specially made for them.  I can only imagine what that costs, lol!  Just before 7 I met Sheila and we did the Walk a Mile on the Promenade Deck.  We also met the fitness guy – oh my god….enough said <g>.  I think we'll enjoy looking at (oops, I mean FOR) him each morning!

After the walk the concierge let me back into my suite, since I'd left the key in there and Chris was not waking up when I'd pound on the door or call the room.  It was a stupid move on my part!  Sheila went up to the Lido , I checked out the Neptune Lounge and then ended up going to the Lido to see what they had.  The Neptune Lounge had a continental breakfast – pastries, cereals, yogurt, some cold meats/cheese, and the usual beverages.  I ended up running into Sheila and joined her for some French toast.  After breakfast I went back to the suite to change into my swimsuit and waited for her to call to say she was ready to go ashore.

Sheila & I used my 2 priority tendering passes, so we didn't have to wait like the rest of the people.  The boys would join us later and find us on the beach.  Colin was planning to jog, then have breakfast.  Chris was sleeping, and his breakfast was due to arrive 9-9:30.  Tonight's dinner menu had been delivered to the suite, and they do a really nice job printing it on oversized parchment paper.  Tonight's the Captain's Gala Dinner (first formal night), but I'm so picky there really isn't anything on there that looks great to me, although other passengers who saw the menu were raving about it. 

The ship anchors quite a ways out, and the tender ride in is pretty choppy.  I think it's fun, but if someone is seriously affected by motion sickness this could be a problem.  Also, I don't see how anybody in a wheelchair could board the tender – the tender rises and falls 2 feet or more with each wave, with no chance of a ramp of any kind being used.  As we approached Half Moon Cay the watercolor was gorgeous, and the long white-sand beach is so pretty.  We walked onto the beach and kept going until we found a cabana that wasn't claimed.  The cabana holds 2 lounge chairs, and we also had a hammock and a couple more lounge chairs in front of the cabana.  The island never got nearly as crowded as the Disney island, and there were always plenty of empty chairs.  There was also no need for duct tape, as the few children present were all playing happily without excessive noise – and NO whining at all.  It was great <g>!

The water here is clearer than any other place I've been, and the temperature was perfect.  This truly is the best ship's island out there in terms of the beach, although Disney does have a nicer food area and shopping area.  Disney is more heavily themed too, but HAL's great beach makes up for what they lack in these other areas.  Curious, I asked Sheila what she thought of this beach vs the ones on Castaway Cay, and she couldn't believe how much nicer this was.  I was glad to hear it – to let me know my bias is justified! 

Colin arrived mid-morning, then Chris showed up.  They went off to the other end of the beach and returned with another teen, wanting to rent a HobieKat sailboat for an hour ($50).  Split 3 ways it was an inexpensive hour of fun, so we went up and rented one for them.  I was impressed with the other teen – Anthony from Detroit .  He introduced himself and shook our hands – a nice touch.  I'll bet he's a hit with the girls, too – he's a gorgeous young man (probably 18).  The boys went off on their boat, and we could see them taking turns jumping off out there.  When they were late getting back in we sent a boat out to remind them, and since the wind wasn't very good Colin steered while Chris & Anthony paddled with their arms to get them back to shore!  Sounds like Colin is definitely the most intelligent of the group, lol! 

Sheila & I enjoyed our morning on the beach – we spent some time in the water, sat on our chairs, I laid in the hammock a while, and she spent some time in the shady cabana.  At 11:30 the bbq opened, and in HAL tradition a steward wandered the beach ringing the chimes to signal mealtime.  They do this before dinner every night – at the entrance to the dining room and through the nearby bars, a white-gloved steward rings the chimes.  It's much nicer than hollering "Come & git it" like they do at Whispering Canyon Cafι in Wilderness Lodge <g>!  When the boys returned, Chris & Anthony went back to the ship to shower, eat, and prepare for the basketball free-throw contest (to impress the ladies).  Colin stayed with us and we went to the bbq lunch.  They have the same food as Disney – ribs, burgers, hot dogs, chicken, salads, cookies, fruit, brownies, & beverages.  I got a rib and wasn't terribly impressed.  The potato salad was excellent, though.  Sheila got a hot dog, which was ok, and some fruit.  Colin had chicken & some salads. 

After lunch we returned to the ship and decided to get an ice cream cone from the Sweets station on the Lido .  Chris was just leaving the cabin as I got there, so we saw each other in passing – and I noticed the sand he tracked all over the rug!!!  I was tempted to ask for a vacuum cleaner to clean it up, but I knew they'd never allow that – I don't like dirtying the place up for the steward, though.  Sheila, Colin & I went up to the lido.  Here they have both soft serve and scooped ice cream.  We all got waffle cones – Colin had raspberry sorbet and the moms had black walnut.  They had a bunch of toppings, but there was no room for them and they weren't that great-tasting anyway.  Perhaps over a bowl of softserve it would be better.  We took our ice cream back to my suite and we sat on the shady balcony and watched the tenders come and go.  We face Half Moon Cay, so it's really pretty. 

At one point I went to the Neptune Lounge to try the cappuccino machine.  I got the decaf, and it is exactly like the cappuccino at AKL concierge.   Colin went to take his shower, I updated the report, and Sheila hung out on the balcony enjoying the scenery.  At 3:00 the last tender left the island, in preparation for our 4pm sailing time.  Sheila & I decided to do more walking around the Promenade Deck, so we did another mile or so.  It was a beautiful 76 degrees with low humidity – absolute heaven compared to what was back home in Florida ! 

We browsed through the shops and I bought a Zuiderdam photo album to hold the pictures I'll have printed.  We also wandered around the ship more, admiring many of the pieces of artwork and checking out the menu at the Windstar Cafι in more detail.  I'm really impressed with their low prices.  A pecan sticky bun or cinnamon roll is $1.25 and a grande latte or any cappuccino drink isn't more than $1.95!  I think I may do a pecan sticky bun and coffee drink for breakfast some morning.  By now it was nearing 5pm so we decided to return to our cabins to shower and relax before the formal evening ahead.  I ran into Anthony and a couple of girls, and he told me Chris was in the suite.  I thought he might have been traveling with the girls, but Chris said they're just girls they met on the beach today.

Chris was tired from the sun, and after I took my shower he crawled into his bed and took a nap.  I loved the shower – the water pressure was great, plenty of hot water, and the towels are big & fluffy.  I think I should just move in here permanently, lol – and to think I was worried I'd be disappointed in this ship.  I LOVE this ship, and would gladly sail on her again, or any of her upcoming 3 sister ships.  Yes, there are a few differences from the traditional HAL ships, but I don't see this ship as a step down – it's just different.  I'll move back and forth between the different ships depending on itinerary, and know that any HAL ship will leave me satisfied.

After showering I wore one of the huge terry bathrobes since it was too early to get dressed and I wasn't planning to go anywhere.  I understand needing to fit the larger passengers, but this sucker is huge!  I doubt they have children's sizes, though <g>.  I sat looking out that huge picture window at the passing ocean and updated the report, then sat out on the balcony for a while.  Our corsage & boutonniere were delivered (perk for suite guests), and the clothes I'd sent out to be pressed (free for suite guests) arrived back while I was in the shower.  I'm really liking this suite life <g>!  The balcony was very relaxing – just listening to the waves almost put me to sleep.

We met Sheila & Colin for the Captain's reception.  Once off the elevator the line was very long, and not moving much.  Eventually I went up ahead to see what was going on and found it was a line for formal portraits.  This was NOT of interest to us, so we headed towards the Vista Lounge.  As we got closer there was another long line, so I asked one of the crew what this line was for and was told it's to meet the Captain.  Since Sheila & I met him last night & the boys could care less, we chose to bypass the line and go directly into the lounge.  However, at the entrance was yet another damn photo stop – I really hate these bottlenecks!  If I want a photo taken I can find my way over to a photographer, but otherwise I want to be left alone! 

We were seated in the lounge, got white wine for me and red wine for Sheila, and waited for the hors d'oeuvres man to stop by.  Chris & I each got a delicious eggroll and Sheila got some fried shrimp.  Overall it was a nice little event, finishing up with a short speech by the Captain, introduction of the ship's officers, and the May employee of the month (a guy from the engine room).  HAL always presents the employee of the month along with the officers, which I think is a nice touch. 

We headed to the other end of the ship for dinner, and when we approached our table we saw the boys' sodas were already there!  Sheila's iced tea was on the way – this is a really nice touch of HAL – they immediately learn your preferences and then follow them for the rest of the cruise.  The dining team greeted us all by name, pulled out our chairs, put our napkins in our laps – the whole routine.  Later when the boys' sodas were empty the steward came by with 2 more for each of them, without being asked.  Very nice! 

Chris had the prawns (shrimp cocktail), lobster bisque, caesar salad and filet mignon.  Colin had lobster bisque, caesar salad & filet mignon.  Sheila had prawns, lobster bisque & garlic sauteed prawns over linguine.  I was more difficult, but my requests were met with immediate acceptance.  I had the onion soup, caesar salad, and then for my entrιe I had a cup of the gazpacho from the soup menu.  They didn't try to force me into an entrιe, which was really nice.  Everything was excellent, too – the others raved about the prawns and the lobster bisque, the caesar was delicious without being overpowering, the filet mignon almost melted in your mouth, and both of my soups were perfect.  Sheila's sauteed prawn entrιe was probably the weakest item, but it was still very good.  As we were eating Sheila noticed 2 young ladies walk behind Chris & I, and commented "that one got sunburned", then remarked "oh, those are the thong girls from the beach".  It was hysterical – Chris' head whipped around so fast it's a wonder the centrifugal force didn't propel him over the railing to downstairs <g>.  We all laughed at him! 

For dessert Sheila & Colin each got the cheesecake, Chris got the frozen watermelon pie & cheesecake, and I got the crθme brulee.  The watermelon pie was adorable – it was colored to look like a piece of watermelon, except it was some frozen pie thing – tasted just like watermelon, too.  I'm not normally a crθme brulee fan but nothing sounded good to me.  However, this was actually very good -–and the top wasn't burnt like I've seen elsewhere. 

We rolled out of there and were met by Anthony at the exit.  We got our after dinner mints from the mint/figs attendant, and the boys all left to do teen stuff.   We were standing by the elevators and saw some complete jackass smoking a cigarette (this is NOT a smoking area – the guy was a total buffoon).  Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, when the jerk went back into the dining room he threw his lit cigarette butt into the planter where a big tree stands next to the elevator.  My jaw hit the floor, and I wish I'd had the sense to follow the guy to his table and drop the burning butt into his coffee – he REALLY pissed me off.  Instead, I picked the nasty thing up, extinguished it, and when it cooled threw it in a metal trash can.  Ugh!

Sheila and I walked the Promenade Deck then went inside to get our seats in the Vista Lounge for tonight's show.  I'd seen this show last June on the Amsterdam , but this was a different cast.  It's called Under the Boardwalk, and it's an hour of singing & dancing to beach-type songs from the 50's and beyond.  The boys would find it lame, but we really enjoyed it.  The costumes were designed by Bob Mackie, and each of the 14 cast members did a great job – particularly the oh-so-handsome male lead.  We both found him incredibly easy on the eyes, and he had a terrific singing voice as well – talent and hunky looks!  The time flew by, and the audience seemed to love the show. 

Before the show we were very disappointed to see a couple of families enter the theater in jeans or shorts.  HAL is extremely clear in their brochure & travel documents as to what entails "formal" attire, and that the dress code for the evening is to be followed for the entire evening.  I'm definitely of the opinion that if you don't want to do that on vacation then you have no business booking a HAL cruise – there are other lines and other types of vacations where jeans or shorts are perfectly acceptable but this is not one of them.  I do consider it offensive when people ignore the dress code, and frankly was surprised to see it happen on a HAL ship, but not surprised it was the younger (not elderly) families who didn't dress appropriately.

After the show we returned to our cabins since neither of us were wearing shows made for walking on deck!  We'll meet in the morning (in shorts & sandals/sneakers) for Walk a Mile and get some exercise then. 

Today was a fantastic day from start to finish, ignoring the idiot unauthorized smoker and the few underdressed people.  Half Moon Cay was so relaxing, and words cannot convey how gorgeous that place is – you have to see it for yourself to believe it.  We had another excellent dinner, and the show was wonderful even the 2^nd time around.  It's so great being here!

DAY 3  MONDAY JUNE 9, 2003 :

Plan:    At Sea, Informal Night

Actual: Today the alarm woke me up – I could have slept longer this time.  I'd set the alarm for 6, allowing plenty of time to get ready to meet Sheila without being rushed.  Today is our first sea day (no ports today), and I was surprised to see the Walk a Mile scheduled for 7am again.  Normally it's always been 8am except when we're arriving in a port early, like yesterday.  Oh well, I guess it gives us an extra hour each day to do stuff instead of sleep!  I made a cup of my instant cappuccino and relaxed by the big window.  The balcony gets pretty windy when the ship is moving. 

I met Sheila on her deck just before 7 and we climbed down to the Promenade Deck to begin the Walk a Mile.  HAL used to have a great Passport to Fitness program, where participation in any fitness activities earned you a stamp in a passport, which could later be redeemed for HAL fitness logo merchandise.  Unfortunately they discontinued the program last spring, so now we have to be self-motivated <g>.  While walking we met Noreen from Jacksonville .  She & her husband are first-time HAL cruisers, with experience on Premier, Disney & NCL.  She was raving about HAL, saying there's no way she & hubby can ever go back to the other lines.  They hadn't realized what they were missing!  We enjoyed talking with her as we walked and then went our separate ways.

It's very windy today, on both side of the ship!  Sheila & I went up to see the gym, which was quite busy.  They do the exercise classes on the dance floor in the middle of the gym rather than in a room off to the side like I've seen on other ships.  We'll go back later to use the equipment when it's not so crowded.  We stopped in my suite and looked at tonight's dinner menu, then went down to the Windstar Cafι.  The pecan sticky buns and cinnamon rolls look delicious – and they're warm, too!!  However, today Sheila wanted "real" breakfast, so we were going to eat up at the Lido and I figured the sticky bun was best eaten warm rather than after it'd been carried up 7 decks!  I'll get one another day.  Sheila got a white chocolate mocha that she said was good but very sweet.  I got a caffe latte with sugar free hazelnut (& skim milk – every few calories saved on a cruise helps).  They have a program where after you buy 4 coffee drinks your 5^th one is free, so we both started a card.  We took our drinks up to the Lido , where Sheila got some bacon, eggs & fruit while I got a small chocolate croissant.  We spent quite a while sitting in there talking, since it was so windy outside.  We decided to skip sunbathing today, in favor of doing a few other activities while wearing regular clothes.  I'd received another cocktail party invitation today – a suite reception in the Queen's Lounge between early and late dinner seating.  Once again the boys will be off doing other things, so Sheila & I will attend.

I went back to the suite and woke Chris – 9:30 is late enough to be sleeping!  He got dressed and then Anthony arrived – they went off to do whatever teens do.  Soon our steward arrived to clean the cabin so I left to get out of his way.  I went to the library, which was quite busy.  They have stacks of crossword puzzle books and word find books available for passengers to take.  I grabbed a crossword book figuring that's something to occupy my time when laying around the pool.  I also checked out Fran Drescher's book Cancer Schmancer.  I've never been a fan of the Nanny, but the book should be interesting.

I went back down to the suite to drop off the book, and found Anthony &
Chris talking to our steward out in the hall – Chris was making a play for extra chocolates on his pillow.  Sheila showed up, the boys took off, then she & I went downstairs to wait for the 10:30 kitchen tour.  We met a nice guy from San Diego and his mom from San Antonio and sat with them while waiting.  The tour was very nicely done – these are generally always self-guided because of the large number of people who attend, but on this one they had several samples and lots of things to see.  They also gave us statistics on the kitchen – staffing and quantities of food used in a week.  They prepare 8000 meals per day here (for 1800 passengers and 750 crew), and do so in a very efficient space.  My food service dept at work prepares just over 1000 meals per day, and is not a whole lot smaller than the kitchen on the ship.  Among the statistics – they use 23,040 eggs per week and 137,500 pounds of fresh vegetables. 

After the tour the next event was a cooking demonstration at 11:00 , conducted by a chef from the Odyssey Restaurant (specialty restaurant).  They showed how to make dungeness crab cakes, and were quite entertaining & humorous to watch.  At the end of the presentation everyone got a sample.  I generally don't care for crab at all, but I have to admit this was really good.  It was served with a Thai chile lime butter sauce, which really enhanced the flavor.  I ate just a tiny bite since I only wanted to try it, and gave the rest to Sheila since she's a big crab cake lover.

From there we went up to the gym and worked out on the treadmills for a while.  I also did a short time on a recumbent bicycle – averaging 4-minute miles.  I can't imagine keeping up that pace for hours and hours like Mary (training for a 500-mile ride)!  Chris & Anthony stopped by looking for someone, so we talked to them briefly.  They headed off and Sheila & I walked through the Lido .  We weren't hungry for lunch, but they had a chilled berry soup at the Bistro stand.  I love chilled fruity soups!  I ended up getting a bowl and brought it back to the suite.  From the Neptune Lounge I picked up a tiny roast beef sandwich for myself and a shrimp salad one for Sheila.  They were very good – and she also enjoyed a sugar-free berry tart.  We ate in the suite, then she left to go read her book on the Promenade Deck to combine reading with people watching.  I updated the report and then sat on my verandah with the Fran Drescher book.  It was quite windy outside still, but sitting back against the suite did give shelter from most of the wind.

Eventually the people next door came home and were out on their balcony talking really loudly.  When they lit up cigarettes I was out of there – it was no longer an enjoyable place to be.  Instead, I did a lap around the Promenade Deck and then joined Sheila on a pair of deck chairs while I finished the Fran Drescher book.  I took it back to the library, got another book, and went up to the suite.  I got a cappuccino from the Neptune Lounge and had just returned to the verandah when Chris & Anthony came in.  They've been hanging around with a couple of girls they met.  Chris was hinting that nothing on the dinner menu appealed to him – what a load of crap that was, lol!  This kid eats anything that can't get away from him fast enough, so I knew it was a ploy to get to spend more time running around with his friends.  However, I told him he's not missing dinner since it's the only time we're really spending together this week – Sheila had told Colin the same thing before they left home, so I wasn't about to let Chris off the hook.  We'll see tonight if he manages to find something to eat <g>.

I hung out in the suite reading until about 4:30 , when I went to the Lido to eat part of a slice of pizza before meeting Sheila in the spa for the 5pm New Body Sculpt class.  I got there a few minutes early, and she was already there – chatting up that GORGEOUS fitness guy!  He's a doll at a distance, and up close he doesn't disappoint at all – he is truly the most perfect man I've ever seen.  He's also 6'8" and looks like a statue.  Oooh la la – I was quite pleased to learn he was teaching the class <g>.  Lots of people showed up and some were turned away.  Some showed up wearing sandals – duh, not very safe (or smart) so they had to leave.  We even had a few men in the class, and when the instructor said to let him know when we felt the burn, the men were the first to speak out, lol!  Sheila & I were right up front – neither of us wanted our view obstructed, and it was worth every strenuous minute – WOW!  There's another class tomorrow morning – if only we could be sure of who would be teaching it <g>.

After the class I needed a cold shower, so I returned to the suite.  The day had gotten quite overcast, and by now it was completely cloudy.  We always bring rain to St Thomas so we skipped excursions there this time and signed up for one (nonrefundable hike) on St Martin tomorrow, and I really hope it's not going to be raining.  If so, I'm blaming Sheila and we'll just skip ALL excursions unless perhaps whatever country we're in is suffering through a drought!  At least we have 2 giant umbrellas in my suite – just in case!

Chris returned to the suite and we hung out there until it was time for me to meet Sheila for the cocktail party.  Tonight's dress is Informal, which on HAL means a dress or nice blouse/slacks for ladies and a jacket is required for the men (& boys).  Chris will wear his suit again, but without a tie.  On Casual nights, the jacket is not required.  Chris ran up to the Lido & came back with 2 plates full of Alaska Pizza – pizza with salmon, crab & shrimp (ewww).  He swears it's the best pizza he's had in his life, and the 2^nd plate is for our cabin steward – Chris had made arrangements to leave the pizza for him to snack on when he's doing our room.

I met Sheila at 7:30 and we went to the Queen's Lounge for the suite cocktail party.  The cruise director, hotel manager & captain were there greeting everyone again, and this time we were put at a table for 2 so we talked to each other.  They came around with the usual wine, champagne & orange juice – white wine for me and red wine for Sheila.  The hors d'oeuvres included pate, brie, caviar, quiche, chicken satay & potstickers – everything we tried was excellent.  Shortly after 8 we left the reception to make our way to the dining room, and found a line of people waiting to get in.  We later realized we were on deck 2 even though our table was on deck 3 – oops!  Once inside we went up the circular staircase past the musicians and saw the boys already seated.  Chris had commandeered the chime guy on that deck to show him how to play the chimes, and Chris played a tune before coming in for dinner.  He's been really enjoying all of the crew on this ship, and is quite popular.  I get asked when I'm wandering around – "Where's Chris?", lol! 

Tonight 2 sodas were waiting at the table for each boy, which was very nice.  Chris ordered 3 chicken noodle soups (each course they just brought him another) plus the lamb shank.  I got the chilled strawberry soup, field greens salad, and the chicken breast.  The chicken was very good, and the soup was delicious – reminded me of 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian.  Colin got the scallops, iceberg salad and prime rib.  Sheila got the scallops, iceberg salad and grouper.  Chris was full from his pizza and 3 soups so he barely touched his lamb.  The head waiter stopped by again (as he has every night – on this ship the head waiters help the serving team clear dishes or do whatever needs to be done) and took our dessert order.  Chris asked if he could take the lamb home for later, and the guy brought him a brand new plate with the lid – very nice! 

Tonight at dinner Chris was saying we should have put him & Colin in their cabin and put Sheila in mine.  When I asked why, he said ours doesn't feel like he's on a cruise ship because it's too big!  Gheesh – the poor kid, having to suffer with a suite, lol!  If the 4 of us cruise again we'll remember this and book the boys into the cheapest inside cabin so Sheila & I can afford something really nice <g>!

For dessert Colin & I ordered the chocolate symphony, and Sheila ordered that plus the deep fried pineapple cheesecake.  The cheesecake was really cute – a smaller portion than usual, and very tasty.  The chocolate symphony was 3 small desserts – a chocolate mousse thing, some espresso/chocolate thing (this was just ok) and some other chocolate & nut thing.  Chris skipped dessert, as he was still full. 

After dinner we stopped to talk to the mint/fig guy Raymond on the way out – he knew Chris.  He seems like a really funny guy.  The boys took off at this point and Sheila & I made a stop at a restroom.  She ran into a customer from the bank she works at, which was pretty surprising.  Earlier Chris told me the store manager of the Publix he used to work at (before transferring in May) was on the ship as well, staying on our deck but on the other side of the Neptune Lounge – small world! 

Sheila and I went for a walk around the Promenade Deck and ended up carrying our shoes since the heels were not comfortable for walking.  After stopping at the suite to pick up my water, we went back down to the Vista Lounge for tonight's show.  Paul Pappas is an excellent piano player and he along with his band (2 on drums, 2 on keys, 2 on electric guitar and 1 on sax) were the show tonight.  He started out playing 2 songs without saying a word, which I thought was kind of odd.  I guess I'm used to Carol Stein, who would have engaged the audience right off the bat.  He talked after the 2^nd song, getting the audience set up to participate in a song from Zorba the Greek.  Later, at one point he got up and walked off the stage while his band was playing, then returned wearing a different jacket – what the heck is up with that???  His piano skills were fine, and he's kind of cute, but the showmanship was lacking for me.  I ended up leaving to finish the trip report and go to bed, while Sheila stayed for the rest of the show.  We'd purposely chosen seats at the end of a row in the balcony, so my leaving did not disrupt anyone in the audience or on the stage.  Tomorrow night's show is an impressionist, and I'm looking forward to that much more! 

Today was a fairly busy but also relaxing day – well, except for the increased heart rate during the hunk's exercise class!  Everything we did was very enjoyable, and the once or twice I thought about work I really enjoyed being here without the cell phone.  We are all loving this cruise!

DAY 4  TUESDAY JUNE 10, 2003 :

Plan:   St Martin , Dutch (casual) Night

Actual: The sunlight woke me early – by 6!  It didn't appear to be as windy today, and looks like a beautiful day.  My immersion heater wasn't working, so I got hot water in the Neptune Lounge to make my cappuccino.  They were just putting the breakfast out and I took a small pecan bearclaw-type pastry that was really delicious!  Sheila & I are doing a 4-5 hour shore excursion starting at 11, so we're planning to have a big late breakfast so it serves as lunch as well.  We'll be hiking through the rain forest today – hopefully not in pain from yesterday's body sculpt class (although the view was worth the pain <g>).

I was amazed Chris actually got up on his own and was out the door by 7!  He was back soon though, since I guess none of the other teens were around to play basketball with.  I drank my cappuccino and decided to give Sheila a call & see if she was interested in beginning our walk early (instead of waiting until 8), but there was no answer.  I stopped back at the Neptune Lounge to order hors d'oeuvres to be delivered to the suite for the 4 of us tonight, then headed down to the Promenade Deck to begin walking.  After a mile or so I tried Sheila again, then returned to the suite.  Tonight's dinner menu was there – tonight is Dutch Night.  I've always hated this night in the past, but I'm looking forward to trying a highly recommended item that sounds like something I'll like (Bami Goreng – spicy chicken satay).

I met Sheila at 8 and we did another mile on the Promenade Deck before returning to our staterooms to shower & dress for the day.  Chris had fallen asleep watching cartoons, but I got him up again after 9 so our steward could get the suite cleaned.  Showering here is wonderful – no matter how hot the shower, even with the bathroom door closed there's not a bit of steam on the mirror.  By 9:15 St Martin was in sight – the mountains are so pretty!  I went to meet Sheila and we stopped first at the Windstar Cafι for a beverage.  She got a mocha cappuccino and I got a caramel mocha cappuccino – delicious!  There's only 1 girl working here, who has to do everything, so service can be a bit slow but I guess it's worth it.  We'll just have to allow plenty of time.

We went upstairs to the Lido and got omelets for breakfast.  Mine had tomato, bacon & cheese, and was very good.  Normally an omelet is more than I would eat, but since this needs to be breakfast & lunch I ate every bite.  The ship was turning to back in at the dock, so we went up on deck to watch.  It's amazing how they can put this huge ship in reverse and then park it without anyone even noticing.  We're across the dock from Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas (I think it should be AdventurER of the Seas, but I didn't name the ship).  We got a good look at it, and frankly it pales beside the Zuiderdam, and would pale beside the Disney ships as well.  The balconies are tiny little things, with 2 sitting chairs and small cocktail table (like Disney).  The promenade deck is some ugly thing – not even wood, and they've got these hideous beach chairs (not lounges) along the wall.  They seem to be all connected, too – so even if you didn't mind sitting upright on the deck you couldn't move your chair away from the person next to you – very strange, and not nice at all.  Their unloading area was very plain & functional, while ours had a nice red carpet with the HAL logo, and shiny polished brass poles with the velvet ropes

Saint Martin looks pretty, and there are lots of butterflies flying around.  We ran into Chris, and he's going to leave the ship with Anthony's grandmother.  He'll hook up with Colin and they plan to look through the shops.  The ship was cleared for disembarking by 10:45 so Sheila & I left then.  We had to wait on the dock for the rest of our tour to get off the ship.  They were all supposed to be there 10 minutes before 11, but it was after 11 before the last ones made it off the ship.  It wasn't crowded getting off – they just didn't allow enough time. 

They took us by bus (2 buses) all around the island and into French St Martin.  It's very hilly and the roads are extremely narrow.  The buses pretty much go wherever they want and all the cars know to get out of the way!  Our driver warned people if they scare easily to not look out the windows – the driving was really hair-raising!  He was also a big joker, and narrated info about the island continuously, which was very good.  Overall the island is like many of the others – dirt poor.  The conditions many of the people live in are deplorable, and there are very few nice houses.  We also saw lots of trash along the road.  We arrived at our destination, and met a guide who said he would be taking us part way up the trail.  He told us we were climbing to the peak of this big mountain in front of us, but after the driver joking around so much I whispered to Sheila that this guy wasn't serious.  However, he was!  He said there would be a point on the trail where people could turn back if it was too strenuous, but after that point there was no turning back because it would be too steep to go downhill – yikes!

We all grabbed a bottle of water, and set out hiking up the narrow trail.  It basically was a series of switchbacks going up the side of the mountain, although in some parts we had to climb straight up.  We stopped several times for the guide to explain local things, and finally got to the decision point.  At this point he said we were about 1/3 of the way done, and that was the "warm up" part – the worst was yet to come.  The warm up had been very difficult, so Sheila and some of the others opted to stop there and climb back down.  The rest of us continued on with a new guide – the other one said he was too old to do this 3 times a day, and he'd already taken 2 groups out this morning.  From here it got really hard – Sheila would not have enjoyed it.  In sections we climbed up rocks, straight up – pulling ourselves up by a rope.  In other sections there was a huge step up, and again I used the rope to hoist myself since my legs aren't that long.  Everyone was sweating – I'd never had sweat running down my shins before, lol!  I stayed at the front of the pack, and everyone went at their own pace.  Finally we reached the peak and had a really pretty view.  Whether the view was worth the torturous climb is another story, lol!  Climbing down was a lot easier, although some people were slipping a lot due to the shoes they were wearing.  The downhill covered a greater distance since it was not as steep.  Finally we got back to where the others were waiting, and once everyone made it down they mixed up a batch of rum punch for us.  Unlike the HAL rum punch, this was delicious!

We headed back to our buses and continued the tour of the island, this time stopping in the French capital city of Marigot .  We had 30 minutes to shop at the flea market, which was about 25 minutes more than necessary <g>.  There were lots of stalls, but all with the same merchandise.  When we got back on the buses our driver discovered it was leaking fuel and he couldn't drive.  Rather than putting as many of us as possible on the other bus and putting the rest of us in cabs, the tour company had the other bus return to the ship and we had to wait while they dispatched another bus!  I was not pleased with that, and will let HAL know.  The return ride was very scenic – St Maarten is a very pretty island, if you ignore the trash & poverty.  The scenery is beautiful.  The driver dropped some people off in Phillipsburg (the Dutch capitol), and then took the rest of us to the pier. 

We looked in a couple of shops at the pier, but they were so crowded it wasn't worth standing in line to buy anything.  We went back to the ship, and confirmed the boys were already on board.  Chris & Anthony stopped by briefly but didn't stay long since Chris was being an ass about having to go to dinner tonight and I wasn't putting up with any of that crap.  I asked Anthony to step outside for a moment, and had a few words with my darling son.  Later Sheila & Colin stopped by, and we watched the Adventure of the Seas prepare for it's 5:30 departure.  Once it left I went to take another shower but then decided to soak in the jacuzzi tub instead!  Our legs were too sore for the Body Sculpt class this afternoon, so we didn't get to watch Mr. Perfect exercise – but hopefully I'll be ready for next time!  After getting cleaned up & dressed I did some reading until the others arrived.  Sheila snuck up to the gym and watched Mr. Perfect lead the class this afternoon, and then asked him some lame question about Colin's soda card (something not related to the fitness program at all, lol) in order to get another close look at him <g>.

Sheila & Colin arrived about 6:30 and Chris got home within the next 15 minutes or so. We opened the bottle of champagne HAL had put in our suite, and everyone except Chris (he didn't want any) had a glass.  Room Service arrived with the hors d'oeuvres I'd arranged through the Concierge this morning – a tall platter with shrimp, salmon spread, brie, and ham rolls.  There was also a large silver tray with bowls of meat or fish balls, sausage wrapped in pastry, and some sort of meat pies.  It was way too much food, but a lot of it got eaten.  It was so nice sitting on the large verandah with silver trays of hors d'oeuvres and glasses of champagne as the ship sailed away from St Maarten. 

When we finished, I called room service & they sent someone right up to pick up the trays.  We headed down to the Vista Dining Room, where tonight was Dutch Night.  I'd read somewhere that HAL had discontinued giving the hats to everyone on Dutch night, but every place setting had a male or female hat, depending on who would be seated there.  Some people wore them, but none of us.  I know it's a HAL tradition, but eating a nice dinner while wearing a dunce cap is not something I'm interested in doing. 

Today in St Maarten Chris got off the ship with Anthony & his grandmother, and the boys haggled with a scooter vendor to rent 2 scooters for a couple of hours for a total of $25!  They had a great time riding around on them, but the locals were a lot friendlier to Anthony than Chris.  Anthony would beep & wave, and they'd wave back with big smiles, then Chris would do the same and they'd just look at him.  The only reason we could think of was race – most locals are black, Anthony is black, but Chris is white (despite what he thinks).  They didn't let the strange reception bother them, though.

Tonight for dinner Colin got a salad and the turkey tenderloin, which he said was excellent.  It reminded me of the turkey at 'Ohana in the Polynesian, which is the best turkey I've ever tasted.  Sheila got the shrimp cocktail, a salad, and a baked potato.  Chris got 2 shrimp cocktails and the mahi mahi.  I got the chilled berry soup and the spicy indonesian noodles w/chicken sate.  This was excellent – and not a huge portion but more than enough!  For dessert Sheila & I got the chocolate mousse in a tulip, Colin got a sugar free ιclair/cream puff thing, and the head waiter had saved Chris 2 pieces of the frozen watermelon pie from last night so he ate those.  People on this cruise are constantly going out of their way to do nice little things like that.  I can't imagine someone on Disney saving dessert from one night to bring it to you the next night because you absolutely loved it – most likely you'd be out of luck until you cruised again.  Everything at dinner was excellent, and we were out of there around 9:30 .  It's nice having a small table, as we're ready to leave when the bigger tables are still getting their entrees!

The boys took off to meet teens, and Sheila & I walked a mile on the Promenade Deck.  I'm fine when I keep moving, but when I sit still for any length of time the front of my thighs tighten up so it's initially painful to start moving (hobbling is more like it <g>) again.  It must have been the climbing up the damn rocks to get to the peak today!

We finished our walk in time for the show – tonight Bill Acosta was the star.  He normally works at the Flamingo in Las Vegas , and is billed as "the man of 1001 voices."  He's an impressionist who also does some comedy and lots of singing, and he was absolutely amazing.  Each of his voices was right on the mark, and although I had trouble keeping my eyes open I enjoyed listening to him.  I did miss some of his physical humor, since I was half awake.  Among the many impressions he did were Neil Diamond, Paul Anka, Englebert, Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers, Frankie Vallee, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Julio Iglesias, Willie Nelson, Clinton, George W Bush, Jack Nicholson, Garth Brooks, Humphrey Bogart, Arnold Schwartenager, Ricky Martin, George Burns, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and many more.  It was an amazing show, and definitely worth seeing if you're in Las Vegas . 

After the show we both returned to our cabins.  I updated the report and Chris came in just before midnight with a plate of spaghetti & meat sauce and a plate of ziti with alfredo sauce, plus hot chocolate.  I have no idea how he can still eat!  I managed to get to bed around midnight , hoping I'll be able to move in the morning after being still for so long.  Because we were in a foreign port today and entering St Thomas ( US territory) tomorrow, everyone has to present themselves to US immigration starting at 7am – before they'll allow anyone off the ship.  It's a pain, and a waste of time since we proved ourselves in order to get on the ship & don't pick up passengers at other ports, but whatever.

Today was a great day – the excursion was TOUGH, but I like to challenge myself on cruises by trying something I wouldn't ordinarily do, and it's always satisfying to actually live through it <g>!  Seeing so much of St Maarten/St Martin was nice, too – but now that I've seen it I can continue to just stay on the ship in this port on future cruises. 

DAY 5  WEDNESDAY JUNE 11, 2003 :

Plan: St Thomas , Casual Night

Actual:   I was up with the alarm at 6:30 and we were just pulling into the harbor at St Thomas .  Once we turned around and backed in at the dock, our suite was dockside but the ship was far enough forward that our view is water and the end of the island (with the pink Marriott resort).  I got cleaned up & dressed, but let Chris sleep until we needed to get downstairs for immigration.  The Neptune Lounge was open so I made a cup of my instant cappuccino, then sat on the verandah.  The most horribly UGLY cruise ship approached, and I was surprised to see it was the Radisson Diamond.  If it's the same line as Radisson Seven Seas, then it's supposed to be really luxurious & nice, but this one is just butt-ugly!  They passed by us and went into the harbor – I'm not sure how many ships will be here today, but during peak season there can be up to 7-9, and Wednesday is the busiest day.  Thankfully, June is the off-season, since so many ships are in Alaska , but I expect it'll still be busy.

Since we have to be up to report to immigration (saw them board the ship at 7:15 ), we might as well go ashore briefly before settling in to a relaxing day on the ship while many passengers are gone.  I'd like to look at the flavored rums, and perhaps find an internet place, although I'm not going to bother bringing the laptop.  I planned to bring the trip report on a floppy but there was something wrong with the disk and it gave me an error message without allowing the file to be saved – guess it'll have to wait until Saturday

I decided to take a walk since they were calling decks from low to high.  We're parked behind this mammoth ship – when I got closer I saw it was the Grand Princess, which was in port with us in Alaska last year.  It's so big I'd never cruise on it, and I think it's extraordinarily ugly just due to it's size.  I know people who've cruised on it have had good things to say, but it's definitely not for me.  It's so large it's freaky – more like a side show than a cruise ship.  They're at the dock first, then we are parked behind them.  It's a very long dock, lol! 

I got back to the suite and made Chris get up so we were ready to go downstairs when they called deck 7.  I noticed that despite what the paperwork said, guests who had gone thru immigration were allowed off the ship right away without waiting for the whole ship to be done.  They gave each person a green card, and that was used at the gangway to let them know you'd been cleared. 

We got off the ship and walked around St Thomas but had 30 minutes to kill before anything opened.  It was kind of cloudy, so I figured I'd spend some time on the internet and hope the clouds would burn off.  St Thomas is definitely cleaner & more attractive than St Maarten, but I really don't have strong feelings for or against either port – I can take them or leave them.  Chris returned to the ship before I did – I'd bought 50 minutes of internet time at Soapy's when they opened at 9.  I cleared up a lot of email, but didn't have time for it all.  When my time was up I browsed in a couple of shops but only bought a couple of Christmas ornaments, then returned to the ship.

I stopped at the Windstar Cafι and bought a mocha and a pecan sticky roll.  The roll was not as sweet as I thought it might be – it was actually kind of light & fluffy.  It tasted great, though.  Anthony & Chris were in the suite when I arrive, but they went off to meet other teens once they picked up Chris' cd's.  I changed into my swimsuit and headed up on deck to do some reading.  Once I got comfortable on a lounge chair and started reading, it began to rain.  I should have known – if both Sheila & I are in St Thomas , it has to rain!  When it got a little heavier I gave up and went down to read on my verandah.  Eventually the sun came back out and I returned to deck 10 to a lounge chair.  It was pretty windy, but that helped keep things cool – plus the sun was behind clouds a lot of the time.  I really enjoy the ship when everyone else is gone – it's so peaceful!

Around 2pm I went inside and got a small portion of the bami goreng for lunch, then picked up a piece of chocolate pecan tart from the Neptune Lounge on the way to the room.  Chris had ordered room service for lunch – 2 shrimp cocktails, an egg salad sandwich & a roast beef sandwich.  I'm glad food is included in the cost of the cruise, lol!  He was getting bored since none of the other teens were around, but that's life.  He's always got the choice to NOT come on a future cruise if it's too "boring" for him. 

I returned my library book, walked a lap around the Promenade deck, then went up to the Lido to take pictures.  Up there I ran into Colin and learned they'd bought a camcorder on the island.  Chris stopped by, then we all went our separate ways again.  I walked around outside and explored more of the spa area, then returned to the suite & found Chris arriving at the same time.  I updated the report while Chris read over my shoulder & watched tv, then we went up to work out in the spa.  Since we're in port it wasn't nearly as busy as the other day, which was nice.  Unfortunately though, Mr. Perfect must have been off duty as only the female was there.  After using the treadmill I returned to the suite and Chris went to wander around the deck looking for teens.

I fell asleep out on the verandah while reading the New York Times summary, but woke up when the bozo named Tony in the next suite began yelling to friends who were boarding the ship 7 decks down on the dock – ugh.  Of course, he had no way to know anyone was sleeping or trying to enjoy any peace & quiet out there.  I got up and went down to the Promenade deck for a lap, then up to the Lido for the sail away festivities.  They had margaritas on special today, but after the crappy rum punch the first day I wasn't about to try one of these.  They were giving a lot of them away to people who answered questions right, but I just watched. 

As I wandered around at the front of the top deck I ran into Sheila and shared some news from home -–our baseball team won the division title for the first half of the season!  We went to the railing to watch the ship sail, but were delayed about 45 minutes by passengers who were late returning.  I'm not sure if the last guy ever was accounted for.  We finally sailed, and as soon as we were out of the shelter of the harbor the wind really picked up!  We agreed to meet later for a pre-dinner glass of wine (since we had no invitations tonight we'd have to buy our own for the first time) and headed downstairs to shower & dress for the evening.  Anthony & Chris were out on the verandah throwing grapes to seagulls, and soon Anthony left to meet his grandmother for their dinner.  Chris went up to the spa for a while, and came back with a plate of tea sandwiches from the Neptune Lounge. 

We had a bunch of mail this afternoon, and it's looking like there are too many things that involve food tomorrow, so I may skip the suite brunch.  We received our Mariner pins, celebrating reaching the first level of 25 days sailing with HAL.  We also received invitations to the Mariner Society Reception at 11:45 tomorrow.  After that is the Suite Brunch at 12:30 .  I'm sure it'll be really nice, but the dress code is country club casual (no shorts) and I know I don't want to interrupt my day getting dressed up for a big spread of food, especially since the chocolate Dessert Extravaganza is held at 3:00!  Chris may decide to go to the brunch with some girl he's met (her family is in a suite), so he can take our invitation. 

Sheila came by around 7:15 and we went down to the Ocean Bar.  On this HAL ship they have a separate smoking section that's completely apart from the rest, which is really nice.  There might have been a couple of tables occupied in there, but the large no-smoking section was almost entirely full.  A pianist & vocalist provided the music, and several of the older couples got on the dance floor.  They were fabulous to watch – the older crowd is so much more elegant in their dancing than the younger generation.  They did the cha-cha, one couple did an excellent tango, and it was really enjoyable watching.  We ordered glasses of wine, and they brought us a plate of tonight's hors d'oeuvres – which weren't particularly special (chicken wings, meatballs & something that was unidentifiable but probably seafood).

 Our table was against the wall looking down into the atrium, so we had a great vantage point for watching people passing by on 2 decks.  Tonight was a "casual" night, yet most people were still dressed much dressier than casual on another line like Disney or Carnival.  The very few people who were Disney/Carnival casual looked out of place, and they were 100% the younger crowd who might not be familiar with the culture on HAL.  That's one thing that does concern me – when HAL adds the other 3 Vista Class ships and continues attracting the younger market, I hope it doesn't get too casual, and I hope the older folks don't leave.  One guy tonight had his harmonica and went up to the microphone and played the harmonica with a song he requested – and was fabulous!  It was very nice & elegant, not goofing around or obnoxious, and several couples danced to the song. 

Shortly before 8:15 we went to dinner, and met up with Chris outside the dining room.  Colin was already seated.  The sodas were on the table, and it's always such a pleasure to come here each night.  Our steward & assistant have been terrific, and even the head waiter is at our table at least briefly every night.  The food & service have been excellent this entire cruise.  Tonight I had the Thai spring roll appetizer and then 2 portions of the tomato/mozzarella salad rather than any entrιe.  Sheila had the tomato/mozzarella salad and the Alaskan king crab legs.  Colin got the minestrone, the iceberg lettuce salad and then 3 portions of the Alaskan king crab.  Chris got the artichoke hearts and 3 plates of the crab legs.  They both quit after 3 plates, although they were offered more.  For dessert everyone except Chris got the cheesecake sampler.  It looked so small as we passed it at the entrance (where desserts are displayed), sitting on our plates it suddenly seemed huge.  It was delicious, though!  Chris got a double portion of the bananas foster, which he loves. 

After dinner the boys took off to meet friends, and Sheila & I walked a couple of laps around the Promenade Deck before the show.  Tonight the entertainer was Barnaby, a guy who juggles & does comedy.  He was very low-key, but very good.  I think I'd heard good things about him before coming on the cruise, and if so I'm not sure he lived up to the glowing recommendation I'm remembering, but it was a pleasant show.  He used a kid from the audience, and he was so cute he pretty much stole the show – with a less personable kid it might not have been as good.  When it ended we were eager to get out of there.  The Filipino crew show was starting soon and we'd had the misfortune to have a passenger we'd named "Pig Lady" on day 1 sit next to Sheila – and she proceeded to yell out during the show, take a flash picture (not allowed), and even stand up (blocking people behind her).  She's just very loud, crass, brash, and earned her nickname by the way she eats – enough said.  We aren't in the habit of calling people names, but for some reason this cruise we met so many characters who fit a name that popped into our heads, and then we kept running into these same people day after day after day!!  We have Mr Perfect (the spa guy), Mr Cirque (a jogger who runs like that funky muscle guy in Cirque du Soleil), Mr Angry (the guy at the next table who was cursing & yelling at his wife at dinner), Omelet Lady (a really bossy, domineering butch-type hetero with a meek hubby smaller than she is…we met her in the omelet line), Line Nazi (a HAL employee at the port who was not having a Disney day), Tango Couple (older elegant couple who dance a mean tango), Phyllis Diller (elderly lady – Phyllis Diller hair, Carol Channing body), Pretty Sisters (2 elderly sisters who were always dressed impeccably) and of course Pig Lady.  It's interesting to note that ALL of the unflattering passengers are younger than the typical HAL passenger, which adds to my concern about the direction future cruises might take.  Of course, I could take a ship full of Mr Perfects <g>!  He could be as dumb as a post – it wouldn't matter!

I headed back to the suite and ended up on the wrong side of the ship trying to enter someone else's suite with my room key.  When it didn't work, I noticed the suite # was wrong – oops!  I hustled away from there just in case they'd heard me.  I finished up the report, got laundry ready to send out in the morning, and went to bed.  Chris was out walking around with other teens, and was in at 12:30 .  The laundry service has been a really nice perk of this suite life.  Today they delivered a bunch of stuff I'd sent out, and what wasn't on hangers was placed in a tissue-lined basket, with the tissue folded over, gold HAL seal stuck on there, so it looked like a gift <g>.  It's nice to take home clean, pressed clothes without spending time doing laundry on vacation!

Today was another wonderful day.  Despite my earlier comments about Pig Lady & the other "characters", I'm loving this ship and having a great time on the cruise.  Tomorrow we have another sea day, and our final Formal Night.  I can't believe the end is approaching so quickly.

DAY 6  THURSDAY JUNE 12, 2003 :                    

Plan: At Sea, 2^nd Formal Night

Actual:  This morning I woke some time after 6 but didn't get up until almost 7.  I got the laundry & dry cleaning together for our steward, got dressed, made some cappuccino in the Neptune Lounge, and headed down to the Promenade Deck for some walking.   I did 2 miles before returning to meet Sheila for breakfast.

Suite passengers get to eat breakfast and lunch in the Odyssey Restaurant rather than the regular dining room.  The menu is the same at both places, but the Odyssey is more elegant and there are far fewer people.  Today there were only 2 other couples eating while we were there, and we were the only 2 in there for a while.  Sheila got a belgian waffle which came with strawberries and whipped cream.  I got the sunshine parfait, which was a small parfait glass with chopped fruit, granola & plain yogurt.  It was delicious, and not too much food.  We also each had one of the small raspberry danish I loved in Alaska last summer. 

After breakfast we changed into our swimsuits and headed up to deck 10 near the aft pool.  We spent the morning laying on our lounge chairs reading, enjoying the sun and watching the people.  It's relaxing watching the pretty ocean pass by as well.  At 11:45 we went down to the Mariner's Society (repeat HAL cruisers) Reception.  On this cruise there were over 700 people who'd sailed HAL before, which seems typical – generally around half the passengers are repeaters.  Chris & I had received our first award – a blue lapel pin in recognition of 25 days cruising.  The next level is 50 days, and then they switch to big medallions on wide blue ribbons – much like Olympic Medals.  Six people received their 100-day medallions, and one guy got his 300-day medallion.  Others were recognized for already having their 500-day medallions, although nobody had reached that point during this cruise.  Each medallion recipient had their photo taken with the captain & hotel manager, and received a round of applause. 

Disney does a nicer reception for repeat cruisers in terms of providing an appetizer buffet, but HAL does a nicer job recognizing people individually.  I had my first glass of champagne of the day, and talked to the woman seated to my left.  Unfortunately, she was hating this cruise, and was ready to cancel her next HAL cruise.  She was wearing her 50-day pin and does a HAL cruise every 3 months but has had a miserable experience this time and hates the new class of ship.  She cited several specific things, from being surrounded by crying infants & whiny toddlers in the dining room (this made her & hubby eat at the Lido twice & they're going to the Odyssey tonight), kids running & screaming in the halls (they're surrounded by a family reunion group), and many other things – if I'd experienced half of what she described, I doubt I'd give the ship another try!  I did tell her our experience has been much better, without kids around or hall noise, and I pointed out she can always return to the other HAL ships.  She mentioned meeting another woman who's on this cruise and booked for the one next week, and also hates it but is stuck because she can't get her money back this late.  Maybe her 2^nd week will be better.  There's no question the cruise lines (including HAL) are going after a different market (families, younger people) and that is not sitting well with some of the traditional cruise passengers.  I tend to side with the older folks – things were so much nicer when everyone know how to dress & how to act – but I see the pendulum slowly shifting towards the less refined/polite behavior (like Pig Lady).

When the reception was over Anthony's grandmother stopped by and said we really should go to the Suite Brunch.  This is a special brunch they do for suite passengers.  We decided what the hell – and ran upstairs to throw some clothes on since it was "country club casual – no shorts".  It was held in the Crows Nest up on deck 10 at the front of the ship, and once again the Captain, Hotel Manager, & Concierge were lined up to great people.  Alcohol was free, so I had another glass of champagne.  We weren't hungry, so we mostly looked at the food but Sheila had some shrimp and I had a chicken satay and a spring roll.  We both tried the quiche but it was way too salty for us.  As typical for HAL, they have stewards (white glove) serving along the line.  They had some good little desserts, too. 

After brunch I went back to the suite to change from my dress back to my swimsuit, and met Sheila up at our lounge chairs for more sun.  The next event was the Dessert Extravaganza at 3, so shortly before then we went down and lined up outside the Vista Dining Room.  For previous HAL cruisers, this Dessert Extravaganza is a very poor substitute for the Chocolate Extravaganza we're used to seeing.  Plus, having it at 3pm makes no sense at all if you have early dinner at 6!  Who wants a formal dinner 2 hours after gorging on a plate of chocolate & other desserts???   Anyway, we tried a few things – my favorite was the piece of banana dipped in dark chocolate and chilled! 

We were ready to walk after eating those sweets, so it was out to the Promenade Deck for a couple of laps before returning to our suites.  My dry cleaning had been returned, and soon the laundry was delivered – I'll miss that on future cruises!  Chris stopped by with a plate of tea sandwiches from the Neptune Lounge while I was updating the report and watching the disembarkation talk on the tv. 

I sat out on the verandah with a cappuccino and crossword puzzle book for a while, then showered & dressed for the final Formal Night.  I'm not hungry at all – but it wouldn't be right to miss a night with the others in the dining room, and I'm sure the boys will eat more than enough to make up for me!  I met Sheila in the Queen's Lounge before dinner to watch the "Newly Wed, Not So Newly Wed Game".  I think every cruise does this, and it can be fun to watch the couples.  Tonight though I was shocked (more appalled than anything else) – I felt like I was on a Disney Cruise because so many people had changed out of their formal clothes & were in completely inappropriate clothes (shorts, jeans).  I've never seen this on HAL, and frankly found it very offensive.  I'll save my rant for the HAL comment card they're delivering – if this is the market they want to attract on the Vista Class then I need to move back to the original ships.  Most people were still dressed – and the ones who were not were all my age or younger.  I had to laugh when I saw other eyebrows shooting up as some of these people came walking in wearing non-formal wear.

The game was very enjoyable, other than a family in shorts coming to sit right behind us, with the guy behind me sniffing through the entire show.  I wanted to tell him to go blow his damn nose, but couldn't think of how to do it without being offensive.  There were 4 couples up on stage (all dressed nicely), who were married 2 months, 2 years, 10 years & 39 years.  As usual, the longest married couple won the game.  One of the questions asked of the husbands was "what's your wife's bra size?" and they had to give just the cup size.  They all got it right, too – although I swear the 3 younger ones were exaggerating the size a bit!  Either that or my contact lens makes things look smaller than they really are <g>.

As soon as the show ended we dashed over to the dining room & met the boys for dinner.  Just like in Alaska , for the 2^nd Formal Night they'd covered all of the dining room chairs in white.  Unfortunately, they didn't press the slipcovers so there were wrinkles all over the place, lol!  I got the caesar salad and the beef wellington, which was the least disliked thing on the menu for me.  I ate a few bites of the beef but wasn't hungry enough to do any more.  Sheila tried & liked the escargot, had an Italian soup, and the lobster.  Colin got a seafood appetizer, caesar salad, lobster and also the venison.  Chris got the seafood appetizer, 2 caesar salads & the salmon steak.  Tonight was Baked Alaska night, with the procession through the dining room.  This meant we all had to finish up at the same time, so our meal dragged waiting for the larger tables.  Neither Sheila nor I were hungry for dessert, but the boys both had Baked Alaska.  Tonight I noticed a loud noise, and discovered it was the vibration coming from the lower level of the dining room!  I'd heard it was awful down there, particularly aft, but I've not been down there.  Chris had lunch down there today & confirmed it's really bad, and Peggy Sue (dvc member) cruised 2 weeks ago and said the meal they ate down there they watched the water glasses dance across the table!  That's why I checked my table location with the concierge immediately upon getting into the suite – putting up with 7 nights of that would be hell!  On the way out we stopped to chat with Raymond and got some "happy pills" (mints) from him – he'll soon be moving to one of the ships that cruises South America .  It'd be nice to see him on board the Rotterdam if we do that next March – that'll be 3 years in a row with him then!

The boys took off and Sheila & I went to the Vista Lounge to get seats for the show.  With the dragged out dinner there wasn't time for any laps around the deck.  The show is called Stage & Screen, a movie musical production featuring costumes designed by Bob Mackie.  The costumes were gorgeous, with almost constant costume changes.  We decided the good- looking lead male should be named Mr Perfect Too – even though he is a bit skinny <g>.  Even skinny he's awfully easy on the eyes, and does a nice job singing.  I noticed one of the male dancers tonight looked awfully familiar.  No, it wasn't anyone I know, but this guy looked & moved like a younger Layden Sadecky!  He might be shorter than Layden, and has his hair died blonde, but his grin & stage presence just screamed "Layden" – I mentioned it to Sheila and she recognized it as well.  He's probably all of 22-23 years old, but he gave 150% to his performance & appeared to be having a great time up there.  He's now "Faux Layden" (calling him Young Layden wouldn't be very nice to the original <g>).  The rest of the cast also did an excellent job – it's a fast-paced show and everyone sounded, looked & danced great!

After the show Sheila went to bed & I returned to my suite to wrap up the report.  There's lightning off in the distance – as I sit in front of the big picture window in the suite it's hard to miss the flashes!  HAL delivered our tiles tonight.  Repeat cruisers (Mariners) each receive a ceramic tile with the image of the ship.  Those 300-day Mariners must have enough tiles to do their bathroom wall by now, lol! 

Today was a very enjoyable day.  Yes, I did my share of ranting about the inappropriately dressed slobs on board (still just a small fraction of the total), but it seemed like mostly the early dinner seating crowd – at our show after late seating the adults were still dressed up.  It was nice having a day to lay around & enjoy the sunny weather, and breaking it up with the Mariner's Reception and then the Suite Brunch was a good way to cool off.  The Dessert Extravaganza is a disappointment compared to how they do it on the other HAL ships, and is something I'd consider skipping if I cruise this class of ship in the future.  I think I'd also consider going to the Odyssey (or room service) for dinner this evening, as the menu doesn't appeal to me and I hate waiting around for the slowest eater to finish in order to have a dessert I don't want to eat paraded through the room <g>.  Oh well, if I wasn't here I'd have spent the day at work, and even with the less-than-perfect stuff I'd still choose to be here!

DAY 7  FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2003 :

Plan:  Nassau (staying on ship), Casual Night

Actual:  This morning I didn't get up until 7, and relaxed in the suite until it was time to meet Sheila for a walk.  I got today's laundry ready to go out, made my cappuccino and sat on the verandah eating one of the small raspberry things.  By 8 we were starting to see land, and are due to dock in Nassau at noon .  After dropping my comment card off at the front desk I met Sheila & we headed down to the Promenade Deck.

We walked a mile or two, as the ship passed the island of Eleuthra .  It's definitely more humid today – must be a sign we're getting closer to Florida !  We went down to my suite and Sheila looked at the dinner menu for tonight.  I brought some pastry & juice for Chris from the Neptune Lounge, and checked with the concierge to see if Sheila & Colin were scheduled to disembark with us tomorrow.  I was very pleased to see we were both designated to receive "S" (suite) cards, which allow us to get off the ship whenever we please – rather than waiting for a number to be called.  This suite life sure is nice!

Sheila returned to her cabin to wake Colin, and I made Chris get up as well.  I updated the report, read the news (sad to see both Gregory Peck & David Brinkley had died) and then went to meet Sheila at 9:30 at the Windstar Cafι.  Today we buy our last beverage from there, and tomorrow's is free (buy 4, get 1 free).  While at the Windstar I was talking to one of the officers, who previously worked on the Rotterdam .  I asked him about that ship, compared to this one, and he said it was incredibly elegant – with over $3.5 million in art alone.  He said it's a different experience from this ship.  I told him the one complaint I had about this ship was the younger passengers who don't bother to dress, and he agreed – he said HAL is going after the younger market with the new Vista Class ships on 7-day cruises, and that sort of thing is becoming common.  He assured me on the S-Class and R-Class ships ( Rotterdam & Amsterdam are R-Class, the others are S-Class) I won't find that – and especially if I do the 10-day cruise the longer cruises are always dressier because the average age of the passenger tends to be higher.  I was glad to hear it – give me the elderly traditional cruise passenger anyday!

We did the 10:00 backstage tour and light & sound show in the Vista Lounge.  The Stage Manager demonstrated and then explained some of the behind the scenes stuff, showing off the technology used to present the shows.  HAL spent over $8 million on technology for this theater, which is a first anywhere other than Broadway and Las Vegas showrooms.  The technical staff love having state of the art equipment, even when it doesn't always work <g>.  Some of the cast were there as well, and talked about the process from auditioning & rehearsing in Los Angeles to actually being on the ship performing the shows weekly.  It was very interesting – they did a better job with this tour than the one I did on the Magic one year.  We even got to wander backstage and see the dressing rooms, and the room where the costumes are kept – those costumes weigh a ton!

When the tour concluded I changed into my swimsuit & went up on deck.   We were pulling into Nassau , and docked alongside an incredibly ugly old ship I'd never heard of, the Disney Wonder, Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas, and Carnival Fantasy.  The Wonder & the Zuiderdam were clearly the 2 best-looking ships in port!  After the ship cleared I got off to go take some pictures of the Zuiderdam and Wonder, then got right back on.  Chris was watching tv but later went ashore and browsed through the shops a bit.  He actually liked Nassau better than St Maarten or St Thomas in terms of the area immediately around the dock. 

I returned to my lounge chair and spent a peaceful couple of hours reading magazines in the breezy sunshine.  Around 2 I went downstairs to the Lido and got a chicken breast for lunch, and took it back up to my chair where I found Sheila & Colin.  They were ready to get off the ship to check out some pirate museum.  After lunch I decided I'd had enough sun and wanted some shady time on my own verandah.  In the suite I updated the report, got the tips counted out for everyone – HAL sails under a really stupid (my opinion) policy of "tipping not required."  I say it's stupid because some people take that to mean tipping is not expected or allowed, and that's NOT the case!  Their policy confuses people – and HAL is not permitted to offer any suggested amounts for tipping.  It's entirely up to the guest (they call us guests, just like Disney does – they even say "Welcome Home" like DVC) to tip whoever whatever amount they feel is appropriate.  I think it'd be nice to have the "standard" guideline as a starting point, but for that I have to look to Disney or another line and borrow their amounts.

I did some reading out on the verandah, packed up a few things, and at 3:20 watched Maid in Manhattan on the tv movie channel.  I never get to movies, but this is the kind I like – pure fluff!  After the movie I wandered around the Promenade Deck and then met Sheila up on deck 10.  We watched the ugly ship sail away, which gave us a clear view of the Wonder.  It's strange to be standing here on this ship looking at the ship I'll be on 3 months from now (and just sailed 4 months ago). 

Sheila went in to take her shower, and I went back to the Promenade Deck to watch the Zuiderdam cast off.  We drifted out and began moving backward – once we'd cleared the dock the ship turned 180 degrees and we were on our way to Florida .  I went upstairs to get dressed for the evening and then met Sheila at 7:30 in the Ocean Bar.  Several couples were dancing again, and it was a very relaxing place to be.  It was also full!  I got one of the last tables, though.  I tried a kir royale, after seeing the name on the Disney ships all these years but not realizing what they were.  It's basically champagne and raspberry liqueur, and it was delicious. 

At 8:15 we headed to our final dinner of the cruise.  We'll miss having our dining team wait on us each night.  Colin got the duck appetizer, conch chowder, Greek salad and ribeye steak.  Sheila got the conch chowder and the coho salmon steak, and said they were both great.  Chris got 3 Greek salads and the ribeye steak, which had a lot of fat in it.  I got the regular salad, Greek salad & a baked potato.  Even without an entrιe, it was still too much food after a week of cruising!  The stewards sang an Indonesian farewell song, which was nice.  For dessert I had chocolate cake, Chris had orange sponge cake, and Sheila & Colin both had cheesecake.  Everything was great, with the exception of Chris' steak.  He wasn't hungry enough to get anything else in it's place, though.  We said our final goodbyes to the dining room staff and headed out. 

Colin was off with friends, but Chris was grounded tonight – and made certain I knew he was not happy about that.  The grounding was the result of his being late (without calling) last night – for the 2^nd time this week.  I actually got dressed & went looking for him, since I wasn't going to be able to sleep until I knew he was in.  So, for tonight he is pissed to be grounded but maybe he'll be a little more responsible in the future – assuming I'm ever willing to take him cruising again. 

Sheila & I did a mile on the Promenade Deck then returned to our cabins to pack.  Luggage is due outside the door by 2am (suite passengers have until 6am ), but ours was out by 11.  It'll be an early morning for us, but with all the packing up we're really not getting to bed any earlier than usual. 

Today was another great day, with the exception of the teen attitude.  That can be remedied by leaving him home with his Dad next time if he doesn't shape up <g>.  It was nice being in port with the Disney Wonder, and I enjoyed having the ship somewhat to myself while everyone went ashore.  The tour in the theater was something different, and was very interesting.  HAL does spend money on their shows – right now Tommy Tune is working on a show for them, that I believe will be on the new Oosterdam when it starts sailing in a month or two. 

DAY 8  SATURDAY JUNE 14, 2003 :

Plan: Breakfast, Disembark Zuiderdam

Actual:  We had to be out of the suite by 7, yet disembarkation wasn't due to begin until 8:30 .  Chris is not a breakfast eater, but today he ate – we enjoyed a nice quiet breakfast in the Odyssey Restaurant (suite passengers only).  Sheila & Colin had gone up to the Lido and didn't eat because it was too much of a zoo up there.  We found them in the Windstar Cafι when we got out of the Odyssey around 8.  Chris & I walked around the Promenade Deck a while, then he went with Anthony for one last visit with our cabin steward.  The steward gave Chris his email address and asked him to write – they had a great time this trip.  Chris & Anthony would order room service food & leave it for the steward, so he got kind of spoiled while we were there <g>! 

At 8:30 they announced suite passengers could disembark, and we were the very first people off the ship.  Our luggage was in the area closest to everything, so we picked it up, left the building, and walked across to the parking garage to get the car.  It was very easy, and we were on the road by 9am .  We all hated leaving the ship, but I know in my case at least I'll definitely be back again & again – the sooner the better!

Once we got home & got unpacked I went to work on the photos.  With a dial-up modem connection it takes hours to upload them to Ofoto, but I can send a batch and walk away – until it's time to send the next batch.  (Go to the upper right hand corner of this page for a link to Sue's pictures)

The album has over 130 photos, with many shots of our suite and Sheila's stateroom, lots of the public areas, some food, scenery in the ports, and a few of us.  I wasn't able to think of a way to take a picture of the fitness hunk – I'd have been afraid a still photo wouldn't do him justice, anyway!  There are a couple of shots from the stage shows – the handsome male singer is in one, and I included a shot of "Faux Layden".  Unfortunately, the still image doesn't resemble Layden as much as the guy does when he's moving around performing.  There are even some shots of the Disney Wonder – for the Disney fans <g>.

SUMMARY:

Overall this was an excellent vacation, and most of the little things I'd worried might have a negative impact on my cruise either never materialized or didn't matter.  The Zuiderdam is a beautiful ship, with many positive features.  The staterooms are a bit smaller than on the S-Class and R-Class HAL ships, but the difference is not significant enough to really matter – most of the difference seems to be the verandahs are not as deep.  Colin loved his first cruise, and Sheila immediately saw the HAL difference and found it a better choice for her as well.  Besides a more elegant setting than she was used to on Disney, the level of service is higher.  A number of times someone in the crew did something that we couldn't imagine happening on the Disney ship – it's the extra pampering HAL provides.  As always, Sheila was an excellent travel companion for this last big trip with the boys.  I can't speak for her, but I'm looking forward to future cruises where I won't be wondering what my teen is doing, where he is, and whether or not he'll get home on time!

Rather than recap the entire week here, I'll break down the final thoughts into specific areas.

1.    Staying in a suite was such a treat!  Chris commented once that it didn't feel like we were on a cruise because the suite was too big, and he's right!  It was so big we could barely hear when someone knocked on the door, and we didn't have to take turns walking from one end to the other – there was space for a whole crowd of people to move around freely.  The verandah was wonderful and it got a lot of use.  Having a dinner table with 4 chairs plus other seating was perfect.  We had our champagne & hors d'oeuvres out there one night, and I spent many hours reading or watching the ship cast off.

2.   The Neptune Lounge was very convenient to our suite – the door was across from the suite next door.  Although I never sat around in there like we do at Animal Kingdom Lodge's concierge lounge, I used it daily to get hot water for my cappuccino or pick up a pastry or snack.  Chris frequently got tea sandwiches for a snack before dinner, and the concierge staff were quick to attend to any need we had.  One day Chris stopped in and asked if they had any chocolate milk.  They don't, so the concierge told him no.  Chris said ok and went back to the suite and within minutes room service was knocking on the door – with a carton of chocolate milk!  The Lounge is strictly for suite guests, so we never tried to bring Sheila & Colin in there, but the concierge did arrange for them to have priority disembarking privileges so we could all leave the ship together.

3.    Embarkation is a process that basically sucks.  Arriving later might eliminate the waiting, but the tradeoff is you lose time on the ship.  It was nice bypassing the line because we were in a suite, and really nice being first to board (after people in wheelchairs).  Otherwise, we would have been in line an hour like Sheila & Colin, and then waited longer for our number to be called.  I'm not sure the embarkation on any cruise is really great – it's tough getting 1800 people onto a ship within a small window of time.

4.   Glass Elevators were a really cool addition to this ship!  Besides the usual forward, midship & aft banks of traditional elevators, the Zuiderdam (& her sisters to follow) has 2 sets of exterior glass elevators midship that travel the 10 decks.  On decks A, 1 & 2 they're interior, but from 3-9 it's all glass – a very nice touch!

5.   I also really liked the Windstar Cafι.  The other HAL ships have a Java Cafe, where cappuccino & coffee is free.  The Windstar Cafι charges for their products, and when I heard about that it was a negative to me – taking away the free perk and charging for it under a new name.  However, the prices were extremely reasonable and the product far superior to what was offered in the Java Cafι.  If the ship had both, I'd use the Windstar exclusively – it's that much better.  I'd love to see them add this to their other ships.

6.   Entertainment – Normally I'm not a huge fan of the stage shows, and I tend to love the comedians, jugglers, etc.  On this cruise the 2 stage production shows were top-notch and we enjoyed them both very much.  I'd seen one last year on the Amsterdam , and thought this cast did a better job – plus the enhanced technology in the theater probably helped.  Everyone raves about the Disney shows on DCL, but we liked these better – probably the biggest difference is these shows aren't written/performed expecting that a good chunk of the audience will be children.  Few kids attend the HAL shows, although when they did there was never a disruption during our shows.  The comedian was a disappointment – I walked out before he finished, and never bothered to see his full show the next night.  He repeated the same show towards the end of the cruise, which seemed strange to me – doesn't he have enough material for 2 different 50-minute shows in a weeks time?? 

7.   The ship lacks a movie theater, and they pass off the Queen's Lounge as a very poor substitute (an after thought, I hope).  This venue is used for receptions, the Newlywed Game, and has a small stage & small dance floor.  The room is not tiered, so imagine watching a movie when all the rows of chairs in front of you are on the exact same level as yours – I never bothered to try to catch a movie except for 1 on the tv. 

8.   The dιcor on the Zuiderdam is beautiful!  Pictures really don't do it justice, as I'd seen other people's pictures before my cruise and frankly thought some of the rooms looked pretty garish.  In person though, it works – it's bright, contemporary, but still very elegant.  HAL is known for spending big bucks on art & fresh flowers on their ships, and that was evident everywhere.  A lot of the furniture is leather – real, buttery soft leather that feels great.  The suite was beautiful as well.  On all HAL ships they use Rosenthal china, and you won't find a styrofoam cup or paper plate anywhere!  Even on the Lido they use real glasses – not even the plastic stuff.  The Promenade Deck is what a promenade deck should be – incredibly smooth teak wood, wide surface so there's room for deck chairs plus groups of people to walk around the deck next to each other rather than just a single file line!  The atrium was not as impressive as the other ships, but it was still attractive.

9.   The single biggest negative for me on this cruise was finding an increasing number of passengers (as the week progressed) who chose to ignore the dress code.  This is pretty much unheard of on HAL, but evidently this is what's happening on these bigger ships on the 7-day cruises.  They attract a younger market, and they don't like to dress up like us old farts <g>.  So, although I'd love to cruise the Zuiderdam again some day, it won't be on a 7-day Caribbean itinerary, and definitely won't be when school is out of session.  HAL has 8 other ships that are also gorgeous, where the passengers tend to be more formal than this cruise, and those are all better choices for me at this point.  On every other vacation I take I enjoy being extremely casual in my dress, but when I cruise I want to dress up & be surrounded only by others who are similarly dressed up each evening.  During the day, anything goes <g>.

10. St Maarten (Dutch)/St Martin (French) is a pretty island from a distance, but like so many islands the standard of living is poorer than most of us are used to.  They rely heavily on tourism.  If we hadn't signed up for the hike excursion we most likely would have just stayed on the ship again, but the excursion was a great choice.  We had a tour of the whole island, heard lots of history and interesting stories, and had the opportunity to climb to the top of a mountain/hill through the rainforest to have a spectacular view!  It's one of those "once in a lifetime things", lol – not something I'd repeat unless I was in much better shape, but I'm really glad I did it once!  I don't think Sheila will ever trust me to pick a shore excursion again though – first mountain biking in the rain, then the Eco Hike the next year in the rain, and now this – she probably thinks I'm trying to kill her <g>.

11. Kids on board – ok, be honest – you're expecting a diatribe against brats on cruise ships, right??  <g>  Well, that's not the case.  I bring up the subject of kids because I see time & again people saying HAL is a poor choice if you have kids, particularly teens, but that's not been my experience at all.  HAL has been my teen's preferred cruiseline since day 1, and he didn't want to ever repeat his only Disney cruise.  Well-behaved kids ARE welcome on HAL, and on this cruise we had more on board than normal for a HAL cruise.  With the exception of 1 time when 2 boys went running through the dining room, and a whiny loud toddler (strapped into a stroller & expected to be silent for a 1-hour adult event – I blame the idiot parents, not the toddler) the kids weren't an issue anywhere I went.  The few who came to the shows sat there quietly and watched the whole show.  At dinner they ate dinner and there wasn't any inappropriate noise.  Certain areas of the ship are off-limits to kids, and that seemed to be respected/enforced.  The kids' programs don't run as many hours per day at on Disney, but the fewer # of kids seems to allow them to get to know each other more easily.  I think we had around 40 elementary school aged kids, instead of hundreds!  There were more teens, and they quickly found other teens to hang around with for the week. 

12.  Half Moon Cay (HAL's private island) is sheer perfection for a day on the beach.  Unfortunately the lunch isn't anything great, but the island itself is beautiful enough to make up for that.  I'd forgotten how nice it is, and it's easy to see why it consistently wins the best island award from some cruise magazine (independent from HAL).  I could have stayed anchored there the whole week!

13. Service throughout the cruise was excellent, regardless of where we were or what we were wanting.  HAL prides itself on quickly learning your preferences and then silently tending to them all week.  After the 1^st night the wine steward had 2 sodas for each boy on the table when we arrived for dinner, and she replaced them during the meal.  Our dining stewards likewise learned what we liked, and if Chris wanted 4 of the same item or I wanted an appetizer as my entrιe, that request was honored without any question.  In the lounges, walking on the deck – no matter where you go the crew smiles and says hello.  The cabin stewards bend over backwards to please their guests – no towel animals, but the prompt attention to every little detail is more important (to us). 

At this point my next couple of cruises will be back on Disney.  I'm doing the 3-day Wonder in September with my friend Patty, and then Sheila & I will be on the 7-day Magic for the western itinerary in November.  I'm toying with the idea of another HAL cruise in March 2004, but I'll wait to book in order to see how heavily discounted next Spring might be.  Until next time – thanks for reading.

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