From The Tundra Of Alaska To The Palm Trees Of The Tropics: A 77 Day Voyage On Holland America’s Zaandam With Bill And Mary Ann--- 9-3-25---11-19-25
Greetings fellow readers!
Well here we are about to begin another series of fall cruises on HAL's Zaandam, one of the two remaining ships of that class in the fleet. Having sailed many of the grand cruises on the Amsterdam, it is almost like being home, especially after that flagship was sold 5 years ago when the Covid pandemic hit the world.
We will be sailing three 7-day back-to-back cruises to Alaska, followed by the 56 day Tales of the South Pacific. Packing for the changes in the weather from chilly to steaming hot is always a challenge, but we were able to do it using four suitcases. There are no formal evenings, so that eliminated the fancy stuff. Casual and dressy is as good as it gets. And we make it a point to bring the basics of meds, lotions, and potions. Half of our luggage consists of stuff we will need and may not be able to buy along the way.
Our driver picked us up at 4am this morning, and we had a nice ride to SFO, which only took over an hour. Traffic was light which was nice. The airport was busy, even at that time of day. Thanks to our trusty hand-held scale, our bags passed the 50 pounds or less mark. Going through security was a bit easier since no one had to take their shoes off, or take the computer out of the case. Sometimes when we get to the airport very early, they like to go through the contents of one bag or hand carry. Not today. And we had plenty of time to enjoy a hot breakfast at the Lark Creek Grill.
The 8:30am flight was on time, and by the time we relaxed while watching some TV shows, we were landing at the Vancouver airport before 11 am. It is a long hike to get from the gate to the baggage pick-up. One nice thing about Vancouver is the fact they provide baggage carts complimentary. But before we collected our things, we had to go through the customs and border patrol. We had to find a kiosk, then answer a bunch of questions logging in with our passport numbers and pictures. Facial recognition was used everywhere we went today. Once we were approved, a ticket was produced to be handed to an official on our way out.
We have to mention that the weather conditions were most unusual. The air was smoky in the entire area, making photo-taking about impossible. In all of the times we have been in this part of British Columbia, we have never seen the skies so obscured.
Now this was when things took a different turn. It would happen more than once today too. We had paid for a bus transfer to the pier. Usually upon exiting the baggage area, reps at a desk are there to take your luggage. Well it seems that when we arrived, they decided to have us wheel or luggage outside and have the bus driver load them on the coach. That was a bit unsettling since we were with mostly Princess people. It seems that the Coral Princess was at the pier, as well as the Seven Seas Explorer. We think the Princess ship was doing a short Alaska run, so most guests were able to fit all their belongings into a rolled bag and back packs. After a 20 minute wait, a bus arrived, and every single seat was filled with Coral folks and us, the only HAL guests. For a fleeting moment, we worried our luggage was going to end up on the Coral Princess. The driver reassured us that they would take the luggage to HAL, and we had no need to worry.
The bus driver had taken a different route to the pier today and entered on the opposite side of Canada Place. Going through security, we had to do the xray drill before entering the building. At that point, we split from the other guests, and were taken to a different desk for the HAL passengers. We were also given an HAL escort who got us in a different shorter line for the customs checkpoint. Once again, it was done with facial recognition, and we were each given the green checkpoint to proceed to the gangway.
Handing the security guy the boarding passes, got us through the door. We did not know it, but there were officers looking for us to escort us to our room. Just by luck, we ran into the Hotel General Manager, Leonie, who brought us to our room. On the table, we had two bouquets of fresh flowers – one as a perk, and the other from the Mariner's Society. The Mariner rep, April, as well as the guest relations manager, Cynthia, greeted us on the way. We met our room attendants, Ron and Mat, who could not do enough for us. Yes, some of our requests were missing, but we told them to take their time correcting it. By then, three of the bags were delivered, but we were missing one. Somehow, we had a feeling it was being scrutinized for some questionable items in their eyes. But first, we had an invite to a 3, 4 and 5 star Mariners and President's Club Member exclusive reception in the Crow's Nest. We were surprised to find out we were the only President's Club members on the ship for this 7 day run. Another passenger we met last year, Linda, joined us for the 45-minute reception. It turned out that the sparkling wine and jar of nuts were as close as we got to lunch today.
One more job to do was attending the muster gathering on deck three, where our cards were scanned and we were given directions in case of an emergency. All we needed to do was run the muster video on our room TV to complete the job. Back in our room, we did indeed find a note concerning the missing bag. We had to go to deck A and see the security officer that insisted our new extension cords we brought from home were not allowed. These were the very same extension cords we have used on several of our most recent cruises. There was no convincing the officer, so they will keep them until November 19th, and supply us with their cords. So we went back to the room, grumbling all the way, and asked our room steward for a replacement. Funny thing…..he came back with an identical cord. Go figure? Every ship seems to have their own rules, so be prepared for the unexpected. And it was not worth the energy to get angry since it was not the way we wished to start our adventure.
Before our arrival, we had requested some felt-covered hangers, however, describing these to our room stewards, was not successful. Eventually, he brought some wire hangers as well as a few felt ones. Bringing less clothes, we did not need to hang any shirts on the dowels with the magnets. Save that for the world cruise. It took us the rest of the late afternoon to find space for the rest of the clothing and supplies. One of the better things we brought was the shoe bag, which becomes the holder for all the small stuff. And the jewelry holder is also convenient, both of which hang from the magnetic ceiling.
We did take a few minutes to go the deck six forward to watch the sailing out of the harbor. The bow was also opened as well as the Seaview pool sail away. Knowing this venue may be crowded, we stayed away from it. Have to admit, it was one of the warmest sail aways we have experienced in Vancouver. Keeping our eyes peeled for wildlife sightings, we saw very little. Later on, around 7pm, one of us decided to go on the veranda, and surprise - there were some orcas and humpback whales diving in the distance. Why we happened to go outside then, was just sheer luck. The sun was beginning to set about the same time, and it was most stunning with the smoke.
We have fixed seating, late dining in the upper dining room. Table for four, set for two on the railing. Pretty much the same as the last two years sailings. Our waiters introduced themselves and will stay with us until November. We also met the Maitre'd, Elvis, and assistant Maitre'd Liberty. Murat, the food and beverage manager stopped by to say hi. He sailed with us last year. Nice fellow. Both lower and upper dining rooms were not too busy, and we figured many folks would be lured to the Lido for the special "steak" dinner. Starters were a seafood cocktail, tomatoes and cheese, and Caesar salads. Expecting small salads, we were happy to see a nice portion with lots of lettuce and shredded cheese. Mains were one salmon bowl, and pork tenderloin with lingonberry sauce. The salmon looked good, but had some bones - a real turn-off for one of us. Passing on dessert, we made our way through the casino, lounges, and shops on the way back to the forward elevator. Every venue was full of people, something we seldom see while on the grand voyages. These passengers are hell-bent to make the most of every single day, especially on a seven-day run. And we noticed a lot of shopping was happening, Back in our room, we found out why the shops were busy. There was a letter saying that all of the stores will be closed on September 5th because they are re-doing them, just like they did on the Zuiderdam's world cruise. They will remain closed for the remainder of the week. Essential items like toiletries, medicines and sundries will be available at Guest Services. Bet there will be some good sale items tomorrow…..
By bedtime, the moon appeared, colored yellow/orange due to the smoke. It was shining in the calm waters and reminded us of the old beer ads. Hmmm, guess that dates us. The scenery changed by 1:30am, when the sounding of the foghorn blasted for the rest of the evening. But then, that's another story for tomorrow.
Bill & Mary Ann
