One thing that always amazes me when I’m on a cruise, is how crew members remember your name almost instantly. Not only your name but what you drink and how you like your food prepared.
I have a hard enough time remembering to brush my teeth in the morning let alone remembering someone’s name who I met for the first time a few hours ago. But, time and time again, these crew members live up to guests’ expectations by greeting them by name and recalling their preferences. That’s a pretty amazing feat considering that every week or so, a few thousand new faces show up.
On my second night, as I sat down for dinner in the ship’s Pinnacle Grill, a young Indonesian girl came up to me all excited and said, “Mr. Scott, it is so good to see you again, do you remember me?” Of course, I didn’t remember her at all, so I kind of played along making hand gestures to make it look like I was thinking, but in reality, was begging her to tell me how she remembered me.
“I was your server in Tamarind on Eurodam!” It’s been well over a year since I was last on the ms Eurodam, and only ate dinner in the Asian bistro two nights, but remarkably she remembered who I was and get this… even said, “you got skinny.”
She’s been my server every night now in the Pinnacle Grill and we’ve become close enough that she confided in me that the pair of shoes she bought at Payless, during our port call in San Juan, were hurting her feet.
Day five of this seven-day adventure onboard Holland America Line’s ms Veendam saw us in port at St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. It fascinates me that at every port in the Caribbean, 85% of the passengers get off the ship to go to jewelry stores. How many jewelry stores can one possibly visit, or even want to visit?
There’s gold by the inch, watches at “drastically reduced prices,” “precious” gems with funny names that all end in “ite” and countless other trinkets on board, but time and time again, people line up at the gangway to get off and shop for jewelry in port.
I don’t get it, and I guess I never will. But it never fails. The Port Shopping Ambassadors on board every ship are there for one reason and one reason only – to drive business to the jewelry and souvenir shops in port that gives the cruise lines a kickback for promoting them to the passengers. So they’re going to talk up the color-changing t-shirts at Del Sol, the bamboo sheets at Caraloha, or the jewelry at Diamonds International or Effy.
I’d much rather pay the tax and buy a name-brand watch or a piece of jewelry from a jeweler back home.
We arrived in St. Thomas shortly after 8am and arrived at the port Holland America Line must get a great deal from because it’s on the other side of town away from the downtown where the other cruise ships dock and is within walking distance to the town’s attractions. I’ve been to St. Thomas many times on different cruise lines, and Holland America seems to be the only one not using the downtown port, which is really a disservice to passengers as they have to pay for a taxi in order to get to the town center, as opposed to just walking off ship and being right there.
I decided to get off the ship long enough to take a picture and get right back on. My time on land added up to what I estimated to be less than three minutes.
Long enough.
Once back on board, I used the rest of the morning to do my usual two miles around the Promenade Deck and go throughout the ship taking pictures while the ship was pretty much empty. Once the exploring was done, it was time to get oiled up for a few hours in the sunshine. But before that, I stopped for a cigar, a few beers, and some of that great Stromboli I wrote about yesterday.
During the course of the afternoon, I spoke to several people who had nothing but complaints about the trip so far. Granted we lost an entire day on Thursday due to the ship’s late arrival in Fort Lauderdale due to a delayed departure from dry-dock in Freeport, and we lost a port call at the line’s private island, Half Moon Cay, so I expected some grumbling.
Some people complained about bars that ran out of certain beverages, the Lido Buffet having watered-down iced tea because they ran out and bartenders who weren’t too friendly when asked for a glass of ice water. One couple started a movement on board to have everyone go to the front desk to have the first day’s gratuities (which amounts to around $15) removed from their bill. I wouldn’t go that far, as the crew did a great job dealing with tired and cranky people that first night, but several have asked for that day’s gratuities to be removed.
I have encountered some issues firsthand. On the second day, the Retreat Bar ran out of limes. Instead of going somewhere to get limes and cutting them up, the bartenders were telling people “we are out of limes.” I’ve asked for San Pellegrino water at that same bar for several days now and while the Lido Bar, just a two-minute walk away has it, the Retreat Bar bartenders tell me they don’t have it and sell me, Perrier, instead. Last night I asked for a Red Stripe Beer in Mix and despite it being on display as one of the beers being offered, I was told they don’t have it.
As far as shipboard services, the second level of The Retreat has been closed for the entire journey so far. The second level is billed as an “oasis” where deck chairs are placed in a shallow pool of water so it’s easy to cool off. None of us would know what it’s like, because it’s been roped off the entire trip.
When I’m traveling alone, one thing I do not do is eat in any ship’s main dining room, and this trip is no exception. I make reservations for each evening in one of the specialty (surcharged) restaurants so I’m not forced into having to sit with people I don’t want to sit with.
In December, when I was on the ms Zuiderdam, I ate in the Pinnacle Grill every night except for one. Table of one, 8pm sharp. Each night I was met at the door and was promptly taken to the same table I had the night before and service was top-notch. I never had to wait for my table to be ready.
Not so much on the ms Veendam.
Table of one, 8pm sharp. Not that hard to follow. Three nights I was told my table was not ready – one of those nights I was told I didn’t even have a reservation – which was promptly rectified! When my table was not ready I was told to go sit at one of the bars outside the restaurant and “we will come and get you.” The wait was usually under 15 minutes but is totally unacceptable.
However, the food and service in the Pinnacle Grill have met my expectations each evening, they just need to get their act together when it comes to properly managing reservations.
Speaking of the Pinnacle Grill, I had dinner in there once again (surprise!), this time it was transformed into the legendary Le Cirque restaurant in New York City. That means the name changes, the china changes, and the menu features dishes found in the NYC dining hot spot.
I started out with a lobster salad which featured a small lobster tail placed on top of greens and garnished with fresh fruit. That was followed up by the Le Cirque Trio – caviar, smoked salmon, and foie gras. For the main course, I chose the rack of lamb served with artichokes and polenta. The courses were paired with a wine flight that included a Prosecco, white, and red. To finish it off a trio of sorbet.
After dinner, I took in the comedian in the ship’s Showroom at Sea. Billed as family-friendly, he told the usual cruise ship jokes that always solicit a chuckle from the audience even though we’ve all heard them at least a dozen times before.
I started off by talking about how good crew members’ memories are, for the life of me I can’t remember the name of the comedian, but I’ll find it at some point and update the post. I guess I need to chew more of that Ginkgo Biloba gum that supposedly improves… what? I forgot.
As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in my underpants watching the world go by as we spend a day at sea, followed by another day at sea tomorrow, before arriving back in Ft. Lauderdale to end the journey. These trips always end too quickly, but alas, I won’t be gone from the sea for too long… as I hop back on a ship on June 15th.
More on that to follow.
They just made an announcement about a never-before-offered jewelry sale that’s going on for the next 30 minutes. I’m not sure if I should throw a pair of shorts on to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event or if I should continue to lounge in my boxers before dinner.
Boxers it is.
Personal Day-By-Day Noordam Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the Veendam:
Welcome to my photo tour of the Veendam! Get ready to explore this beautiful vessel and all it has to offer through a series of stunning photographs. From the elegant dining rooms to the luxurious cabins and the endless entertainment options, you’ll see why the Veendam is a favorite among cruise enthusiasts. So sit back, relax, and let these photos take you on a virtual tour of the Veendam.