DECEMBER 29, 2007   MS. ZUIDERDAM

Well, The Savvy Old Lady and The Crabby Old Guy once again are in search of new adventures on the High Seas; this time it’s a New Year’s Eve Adventure.  Instead of having to deal with the hassle of finding the ideal place to celebrate the New Year, you know the routine…overpriced restaurants, exorbitantly priced hotel rooms, and drunk drivers on the road we decided to have a stress free New Year onboard Holland America’s MS. Zuiderdam with an Eastern Caribbean itinerary.  What better way to relax and enjoy the ringing in of 2008 then on a cruise ship with luxury and pampering at our beck and call.

Since Crabby and I have become “empty nesters” we are now able to take advantage of the spontaneity of booking a cruise two days before sailing and not have to worry about our five little cherubs (besides, they each told us that they were busy with friends and spouses for New Year’s Eve and it became abundantly apparent to us with a week to go in the year that it was going to be just Crabby and I.)  Isn’t this the day that all parents look forward to?  Yes!  So, on Dec 27, we called Holland America Cruise Lines and spoke to Kurt, one of their agents, who quickly and efficiently booked a verandah suite on the Zuiderdam for us with a Dec 29 sailing.  Now I have to say with holiday cruises being so popular we were quite fortunate to find a cancellation and book our cruise immediately.  Our next call was to our five children wishing them all a happy and safe New Year and advising them that Dad and I were going to be out of touch for the week since we had just booked a cruise.  Were they surprised?  Well, as our youngest daughter, Kaitlyn, said, “I have the craziest parents in the world.  You two are like the “Where’s Waldo” of the senior set.  Have fun!” The very next morning we were packed and on our way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where we stayed at the Comfort Inn West for one night and the next morning after complimentary breakfast we took the complimentary ten o’clock shuttle to the Port Everglades pier to board the Zuiderdam. 

We checked in at the terminal at 11:00 AM with virtually no waiting lines and as all you cruisers know that is an absolute joy in itself. The last thing any of us want especially if you just came off of a plane or long car trip is to board the ship totally frazzled after waiting in endless lines to check-in. The one nice thing about HAL is that when you register at the terminal your photo ID is taken right at the counter where you receive all of your boarding documentation.  You also have the option of having your traditional Bon Voyage picture taken on embarkation or just walking around the line and boarding the ship. At 11:30AM we boarded the ship and were instructed to go directly to the Lido deck to enjoy a wonderful buffet lunch.   I almost forgot what delicious desserts are served on HAL’s cruise ships; there had to be 10 to 15 different delightful concoctions to choose from.  The selections included my favorite bread pudding, cherry cobbler, Boston cream pie, cakes, cookies, éclairs, petit fours, and ice cream.  Oh boy, that treadmill will be waiting for me as soon as I get home but this is definitely not the time to be counting calories.

I decided on this cruise to mix a little business with pleasure and finally ask questions that I have been wondering about for many years of cruising.  I’m sure you may have been thinking about the same things.  Such as, we know the unsung heroes of the cruise ships are the stabilizers and are a godsend for all of us who suffer from mal de mer but what do they look like and exactly how do they work? Since the Executive Chef oversees the cooking for about 2,000 to 5,000 passengers a day, many with dietary restrictions of all kinds, how does he vary the menu especially on cruises of 14 to 60 day durations?  Each cruise ship’s Spa is a little bit different, what is the latest in technology and treatment and is it worth the price of a session?  If you have a problem or are dissatisfied with a service and your cabin attendant or waiter does not resolve it effectively, who do you go to for the quickest results?  Whew, as you can see The Savvy Old Lady planned on being one busy person on this cruise. 

After finishing lunch I went off to find the Director of Guest Relations to introduce myself and ask if I could interview certain members of the crew and staff and finally get answers to many of my endless questions.  As I waited in line I could hear a conversation between the Director and a passenger.  It seemed that he was traveling with a large group of people and wanted to change cabin arrangements for different members of his group.  Within minutes the Director’s office was filled with three generations of this man’s family all speaking at the same time.  With the patience of a saint, and a well practiced one at that, the Director, Jig Macatangay, a lovely Philippine woman, had the entire situation under control.   Then the gentleman added, “Oh, I forgot about my sister and her family.  Can you check on the status of their rooms and restaurant seating?” Although dining times should be arranged through the Maitre D’, Jig kindly accommodated the family with their request.  It didn’t’ take long to notice that the grandfather was quickly becoming agitated with the entire process.  Grandma, who was in her late seventies, quickly told Jig that she and her husband usually cruised alone and with the mass arrangements for their entire entourage including a large number of people they didn’t even know it was quickly becoming quite frustrating for both of them.  Grandpa perked up and said, “No dear, those aren’t strangers, they’re our grandchildren but they did bring a “few” of their friends along; we definitely should have cruised alone!”  Well, Jig, kept a straight face all along and with great professionalism and hospitality proceeded to check out their entire group’s arrangements to their satisfaction but it really made me pause and appreciate the hard work the staff and crew endures to make each cruise members “cruising experience” more memorable.  This is one of HAL’s goals – real service and hospitality.

Our first stop was Half Moon Cay, which is located in the Bahamas’ chain and is Holland America’s own private island.  However, if you are planning to swim just remember that the water temperature in January is not the bath tub warm water that you experience during the summer months.  The guests had plenty of exciting options to choose from including parasailing, horseback riding in the ocean, a multitude of water sports and a beautiful beach for those of us who just wanted to lie back, close our eyes and bask in the tropical temperatures.   What I found really interesting is now that we are in the computer age and more people are computer savvy and have access to their own home or business computers many of the excursions were completely booked with waiting lists once we had boarded the ship since passengers had previously booked their favorite excursion pre-sailing online.  Only the Greenhouse Spa and Salon does not take reservations online.  So my advice is if you’re interested in booking the Spa do it as quickly as you can once you board the ship.

I noticed the demographics on board HAL’s Zuiderdam were quite different this cruise than has been my, and several of my readers’, experiences.  In the past when I cruised on HAL a very large majority of the passengers were older with a high proportion of seniors.  On this cruise the ship was filled with families with young children, teenagers, young adults and of course seniors too.  The Director of Hotel Management, Mr. Simon de Boer was most helpful to me throughout the voyage; he informed me that the Christmas, New Year, Spring Break and summer cruises are beginning to have a more diverse age group onboard.  Often we tend to forget that retirees comprise one of the largest cruising groups on all ships since their leisure time is not restricted to two weeks vacation a year.  Mr. De Boyd also told me that HAL has recently invested 6 million dollars into their youth program with amenities for the young cruiser, such as beautiful waterfalls, on their larger ships. Surely this will attract more families to Holland America Cruise Line, and that’s a good thing for the cruising public.  Perhaps, on my next cruise on HAL I will bring my grandson and test out the success of their efforts.  However, I can tell you that last night the disco was going strong until 4 AM. 

Kudos must go out to Executive Chef Robert Steel for the diversified menu in the dining room.  I must admit I have been on cruise ships where I found it a little difficult to find something on a particular day’s dinner menu that I would enjoy.  This is definitely not the case on the Zuiderdam.

  CHEF AND PROVISIONS OFFICER                 CHEF & SAVVY

Chef Steel is not only an extremely talented chef but a delightful and gracious man who when not presiding in the kitchen can be seen all over the ship at the many “food” venues overseeing the buffets while greeting and speaking to passengers.  There is no doubt in my mind that he is one busy, busy man and the Zuiderdam is very fortunate to have him onboard. He gave me a few tips and I’ll pass one onto to you…when trying to ripen an avocado place it in uncooked rice and it will ripen quickly.  My interview with Chef Steel and several of his recipes can be found on my website at “Chefs and Recipes”.  I’ve also published some great pictures of my tour of the kitchen and supply area with Chef Steel and the Provision Manager, Yonko Yordanov Ivanov which are seldom seen by most passengers.  For those of you cooking aficionados, Holland America’s Master Chef Rudi Sodamin has a wonderful cookbook titled A Taste of Excellence.  I’ve tried several of the recipes myself and they are definitely a hit in my house (You can contact Holland America directly to purchase one or buy it directly on the ship). 

One afternoon Crabby and I attended the Formal Indonesian Tea and it was an absolutely amazing experience. The crew was dressed in their native Balinese costumes which included the traditional Udeng (Balinese headdress which they normally wear for special ceremonies, temple, and weddings) Kamen (traditional skirt) and shirt.  The teas and desserts were wonderful and the service was impeccable.  The Indonesian crew were very happy to explain their traditions and foods to all of us and that’s what makes the cruising experience so wonderful…just being on a ship in the Caribbean and still being able to enjoy a little bit of Bali.

I can’t say enough about the wonderful crew onboard the Zuiderdam.  Every place we went we were warmly greeted with a smile and considering that it was one of their busiest seasons (Christmas and New Year) and many of them were working 16 hour shifts I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to remain constantly pleasant and helpful. Below are some photos of the lounge crew, the buffet staff and the outdoor servers.

“Crabby” and I had so many wonderful experiences on the Zuiderdam that it is impossible to list them all but I will tell you one in particular.  In the Ocean Bar lounge was a young crew member named Aaron. He was the absolute epitome of what every cruise line is looking for in an employee.  Every evening after dinner we would go to the lounge for an after dinner drink since the staff there (Kristina, Ramon, Aaron, John and Ronald) were so friendly and there was Aaron smiling and cheerful and willing to go the extra mile for each and every passenger.  One evening I saw him running down the corridor with a small box in his hands.  He abruptly stopped to say “Hi” to us and said he would see us in a few minutes since he had an errand to run.  Well five minutes later Aaron appeared in the lounge and told us that one of the passengers was ill that evening and her family had come to the lounge without her.  Feeling terrible about this Aaron asked them if he could bring her a flower to cheer her up.  With their permission he made her a paper rose and placed it in a small box and took it to her.  This simple gesture of kindness was displayed often onboard the Zuiderdam with all the staff and crew. 

Lastly, since I’m proudly going to be the grandmother to two grandbabies in June I purchased HAL’s book titled Towel Creations which gives directions for making 40 different towel animals (dinosaurs, frogs, elephants, bats, alligators and many more).  I know I will be happily making these little creatures for my grandchildren for years to come when they visit “Crabby” and I.  This book also can be purchased through HAL.

Special thanks go out to Simon de Boer, the Hotel Manager and Jig Macatangay, the Guest Relations Manager for all their help and assistance in arranging for The Savvy Old Lady to see and speak to many of the crew and staff.

Holland America Cruise Lines should be very proud of the Zuiderdam and its crew and Captain Jeroen van Donselaar thank you for an extremely pleasurable cruise.  I now look forward to cruising on the M.S. Eurodam on its inaugural cruise this summer.

                                              HUGS,

                                     THE SAVVY OLD LADY