HAL Zuiderdam December 2016

A couple of weeks ago we sailed on the HAL Zuiderdam for ten days on the Panama Canal Sunfarer cruise. We enjoyed this cruise so much from March and the price was so good ($499pp) that we talked our friends Dick and Kathy into going with us. Our captain was Bart Vaartjes, our hotel director was Darren David Lewis, and our cruise director was Michael Landring. Our cabin was 4114 and we ate dinner at 5:15 every night. Our server was Nur and he was great. I bought the internet (1000 minutes for $250).

Click here to see pictures.

Day 1: Embarkation 12/11/16

We got to the port around 10:30 and dropped off our bags. Then we parked our car in the parking garage. We walked right in and went through security and check-in quickly. We ended up waiting about 30 minutes before they let us on. We stopped at our cabins which were ready and dropped stuff off. Then we went to the Lido deck for lunch. After lunch we went to a Mariner reception where we had some drinks in the Crow’s nest. It was raining so hard that the glass was leaking and water was soaking the seats but they put a bucket and towels to catch the rain. After that we went to the muster drill. Then we sat near the pool and watched us leave the port. We had dinner reservations at 5:30 but we were all ready and went to dinner at 5:15 which was nice. After dinner we walked around and Don slipped on the stairs going down which twisted his knee. He was in a lot of pain after that so we went back to our room. The cabin steward brought me our schedule after 9pm with a Holland America bag. I had to ask him to check our phone because it wasn’t working.

Day 2: Half Moon Cay 12/12/16

I got up at 5am and played on my computer on the Lido deck. Then I woke Don up at 7am. The four of us went on the tender about 9am to Half Moon Cay. We went to the Ocean Bar on Deck 3 for our tender tickets and immediately went to get on the tender on Deck A. The water was really choppy and later we heard that they were delayed in getting us on the island because of the rough water. We didn’t notice the delay since we didn’t plan on going until 9 instead of 8 as they announced we would arrive. We had a wonderful time on the beach and the water was cold at first but then warmed up the longer you stayed in it. At 11:30 we went to the island barbecue for a snack. After that we returned to the ship and had lunch. After lunch we sat by the pool for a little while and then it was time to prepare for dinner and happy hour in the Crow’s Nest. Dinner was wonderful and after dinner we went to see the comedian, Derrick Cameron, who was funny.

Day 3: At Sea 12/13/16

We had a lovely day at sea. Kathy joined me on the Lido deck to watch the sunrise. Then Don arrived after 8am. The three of us went to the dining room for breakfast. After breakfast, Don went to the shore excursion talk and I went to the Cruise Critic meet up. There were about 40 people there and I enjoyed meeting them. After that we sat on Deck 3 in the lounge chairs and relaxed until lunch time. After lunch we returned there and relaxed until it was time to prepare for dinner and happy hour. Dinner was great again and then we went to hear the show which featured the Island Magic Steel Band and they were awesome. They played Broadway hits, classical music and even Glenn Miller. It wasn’t what I expected and I’m glad we went.

Day 4: Curacao 12/14/16

We didn’t arrive to Curacao until 2pm at the Megapier. We walked around town but Dick wasn’t able to do much walking. We went to the Starbucks first so everyone could get on the free internet. Then we walked across the floating bridge and to the floating market. Along the way we stopped to hear the bells chime and play music at 5pm. On the way back, I heard a familiar voice and looked to see another couple we know. Carolyn had worked in my husband’s courtroom years ago. Then we found out they were with another couple and all of them were on the same ship as us! We had been on it for 4 days and never crossed paths with them on the ship! We didn’t get back to the ship until 7pm and went to the Lido deck for dinner.  At 11:30pm there was a special firework show to celebrate that the Prinsendam was in port with us. Of course, I set my alarm and was the only one to get up and go see the fireworks. But it was so loud it woke everyone else up!  It was a wonderful day in Curacao!

Day 5: Aruba 12/15/16

We had a relaxing day while we were in Aruba. We got off the ship at 8am and went to the bus station. We planned to buy the bus pass and then head to Eagle Beach.  Even though they advertise the bus pass, they were not selling it to the cruise ship passengers. Instead you had to pay $5 each way so we decided to get back on the ship. We spent the day relaxing around the pool which was really nice. Before dinner we went to Happy Hour and after dinner we went to the show One World featuring the dancers and singers. Kathy and Dick went on a tour for $25 each and was dropped off at Eagle Beach for a couple of hours. They said you could rent a chair for $15 but they just put their stuff on the beach and had a lovely time.

Day 6: At Sea 12/16/16

At 9, we went to a port talk on Colon and Puerto Limon. Then we sat on deck 3 and read until lunch time.  At 1pm we went to  see  the movie “Discover the Panama Canal.”  We went up to the Lido deck and had a snack (Hamburger and fries) before getting ready for dinner. The captain announced that we had a medical ermergency and a guest needed a blood transfusion. He asked anyone who was 0+ or A+ and had a blood donor card to please come to the medical center.  At 4, we met up with Carolyn and her group for happy hour. After dinner we went to the show which featured a magician/juggler, Nathaniel Rankin. When we got back to our room, we turned our clocks back an hour.

Day 7: Colon, Panama 12/17/16

I got to the Crow’s Nest at 4:30am and it was crowded! Don, Dick and Kathy arrived soon after me. We stayed up there until around 10am. One reason it took so long was that they got the medical emergency off the ship when we were in the 2^nd lock. After that we ate breakfast and then relaxed on the 3^rd deck until lunch time. After lunch we sat on the 3^rd deck and watched as we returned through the locks At 4pm the four of us got off the ship and walked to the stores. We bought 4 soft drinks and a small bag of doritoes for $4.18 USD. Then we returned to the ship and had dinner. When we went to bed, we turned our clocks back an hour.

Day 8: Limon, Costa Rica 12/18/16

Don, Kathy, and I got off the ship and walked around town. We walked to the Cathedral Sagrada Corazon de Jesus and it was beautiful. Then we walked to the park and saw the sloths and a hummingbird. We gave the little boy a dollar as a tip and we saw 3 sloths including one with a baby. Then we went to the supermarket where they sold coffee ($11 for 12 oz.) but the market near the ship sold it for $8 for 17.6 oz or $15 for two. We got back on the ship and got Dick and then went on a tour of the area. Kathy got us the tour for $15 per person (the other people paid $35) and we drove in an air-conditioned van for 2 ½ hours. Our tour guide, Carlos was excellent. We saw a banana plantation, canals, sloths, and howling monkeys! Then we got back on the ship and had lunch and a nap. When it was time to be on the ship, we heard them call 5 people’s names and cabins because they had not returned yet. I heard one person was left behind and she was an adult who was traveling with her older parents. She got off the ship to buy something quickly but didn’t make it back in time. Plus, she had all the passports! The parents talked to her and she was going to be taken to San Jose and put on a plane to Ft. Lauderdale. We also watched them put another person in an ambulance along with all their luggage. At 4pm we went to happy hour before dinner. After dinner, we went to the show featuring the comedian/ventriloquist Phil Hughes who was very funny. When we went to bed, we turned our clocks forward one hour.

Day 9: At Sea 12/19/16

After breakfast, we went to a computer class on Windows 10 which was fun. For lunch we had special Mariner’s luncheon for repeat guests. After lunch we went to a talk with the Captain where he answered questions. Before dinner we had happy hour with Carolyn, Ken, Jack and Peggy. They had gone zip lining in Costa Rica and Carolyn wanted to get off but she had to go through 5 platforms before she was allowed to get off. She said she was crying and shaking and would never do that again! After dinner, we went to the show which featured a fabulous singer, Sonia Selbie. She had such a strong voice and a great personality! 

Day 10: At Sea 12/20/16

After breakfast, we went to the movie theater to see Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children which I enjoyed. After lunch we went back to our room to pack and rest before happy hour. After dinner we went to the farewell show Musicology which featured the Zuiderdam dancers. It was a nice last day on the ship!

Day 11: Debarkation 12/21/16

We requested to get off around 9:45 and our tags were Lime 1. We were off the ship by 10:15. It was fast and easy to get off the ship.

Things I Learned:

1.     We really liked Half Moon Cay!

2.     Starbucks in Curacao doesn’t take my Starbucks card.

3.     Curacao is beautiful at night.

4.     Aruba doesn’t sell the $10 bus pass to cruise passengers.

5.     You can see ships go through the Panama Canal by going to www.pancanal.com .

6.     Panama railroad cost $8 million and was 47 miles long

7.     Panama Canal Took in $7 million. 

8.     Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to travel outside of the United States 

9.     New locks opened in June. 

10.  Atlantic side 4 feet and Pacific side is 21 feet. 

11.  39 ships a day 

12.  3rd bridge across the canal is 60% built

13.  1000’ x110’ -  old locks’ 965’ x 106’ -  ships

14.  1400’ x180’ -  new locks. 1200’x160’ -  ships 

15.  52 million gallons of fresh water is lost for each transit (26 each side)

16.  3 million gallons per minute

17.  8-12 minutes in each lock. 

18.  Panama is still unsafe to walk around outside of the port terminal.

19.  The Republic of Panama - 1903 succeeded from Colombia 

20.  The canal transports 4% world trade and 16% US trade. 

21.  Panama has 12 million acres of rainforest. 

22.  Main language of Panama is Spanish. 

23.  1547 miles of coastline in Panama

24.  Canal went back to Panama in 1999

25.  1949 Costa Rica became a country 

26.  500 Costa Rican colon to $1 USD

27.  San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica

28.  Main language of Costa Rica is Spanish

29.  25% of the country's land is protected national parks and protected areas 

30.  800 miles of coastline in Costa Rica

31.  Costa Rica is the only country without a military.

32.  22 venomous snakes in Costa Rica.

33.  Shake out your shoes and watch out of nasty spiders in Costa Rica.

34.  Stay away from ants in Costa Rica.

35.  67 volcanoes in Costa Rica.

36.  In Costa Rica, Poison dart frogs’ venom can kill 10 grown men.

37.  No visa in Costa Rica needed but you pay a departure tax of $29

38.  Tour - $15 pp. 10am to 12:30pm

39.  Banana takes one year and 2 weeks to mature.

40.  each box of bananas is 40 lbs. 

41.  We saw pineapples, sugar, cacao bean, Cassavas root, noni fruit, sloths, howler monkeys in Costa Rica.

42.  Costa Rica didn’t have as many homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk.

43.  I don’t ever want to do zip lining!

HAL Zuiderdam 2016

Click HERE for Photos from the trip! 

The last 11 days we were aboard the Holland America Zuiderdam that left out of Ft. Lauderdale. The captain Jeroen Van Donselaar from Holland and the cruise director was Simon from England. We were in cabin 10012 on the Observation deck and our cabin stewards were Razi and Wito. The internet cost me $250 for 1000 minutes).

3/7/16 Day 1 Embarkation:

We arrived around 11am and boarded the ship by noon. After lunch (of course I had to have my pasta custom made and it was so good!) we went to the Mariner’s reception. We met 4 nice ladies from NY (Nancy, Kathy, Marie, and Lorraine). Then we explored the ship before going to the lifeboat drill. Right after the drill we went to the movie theater to see the movie The Big Short starring Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt. I didn’t like it because it was all about stocks and was way over my head. After the movie we unpacked our suitcases and prepared for dinner. Dinner was nice but we were seated in the middle of the room and it was quite noisy. After dinner we went to the Welcome aboard show.

3/8/16 Day 2 Half Moon Cay:

We had a nice day at Half Moon Cay yesterday but we never got off the ship. It was too windy and cool for us to go swimming so we stayed on the ship. We walked our 3 miles, went to see the movie Creed (which was really good!), went to a craft group where we made pompoms, learned about all the shore excursions available, and then Don took a nap before dinner while I knit. After dinner we went to the show which featured a really funny comedian, Tony Daro. Don laughed more than I’ve ever seen him laugh at a comedian before.

3/9/16 Day 3 At Sea:

We had a nice day at sea yesterday. After breakfast we went to a Q&A with the cruise director. Simon James and his assistant Alice. It was a great time to ask questions. Simon used to be a professional drummer and professional clown before working on cruise ships.  We really enjoyed this session and look forward to future ones this week. Then we sat on the outside deck and read until lunch time. After lunch we went to see documentary on the Panama Canal which was really good. We had happy hour at the Crow’s nest and I drank more than I was used to so after that we took a nap until dinner. At dinner we sat with 2 other couples and really enjoyed the conversations.  After dinner we were too tired to go to the show.

3/10/16 Day 4 Aruba:

We had a really nice day in Aruba! Since we didn’t get off the ship until the afternoon I went to a session on flower arranging before lunch. The wind was really blowing hard so we decided not to go snorkeling. We got off the ship at 1pm and went to the bus station where we bought a day pass for $10 each which gave us unlimited use for the day (bus fare is $2 one way). I’m sure glad we stopped to use the rest room before we got on the bus! We rode the bus to San Nicolas which was an hour away and then stayed on and rode it an hour back to Oranjestad. It was interesting to see how the every-day person lives. A lot of school kids rode the bus too. When we got back, we rode the bus towards the Marriott and all the beaches which took about 30 minutes. Then we rode the bus back. We saw Eagle Beach and the next time we may go there but we would still buy the all day bus pass. Then we returned to the ship and had dinner. We met another couple who paid $80 each for a tour of the island. They said they went to the same places we did and they weren’t able to go snorkeling because the water was too rough and murky. After dinner we went to the pub trivia game in the Crow’s nest when the ship’s power went out for a few minutes. After that we borrowed the movie Annapolis for the evening.

3/11/16 Day 5 Curacao:

We arrived in Curacao around 8am and we walked around town for most of the morning. The weather was absolutely beautiful! We took a break and had a mocha Frappuccino at Starbucks before continuing our walk. We ended up walking over 7 miles before we stopped at the Gifford Bar and had a few Coronas (2 for $7). We got back to the ship around 2pm for lunch. At 4pm we went to see the movie Burnt which was cute. We decided to have an early dinner and then went to the early show which featured a fabulous pianist, Tian Jiang. After the show we borrowed the movie Murder by the Numbers with Sandra Bullock.

3/12/16 Day 6 At Sea:

We had a lovely day at sea. After breakfast we walked on the walking deck and I was able to see more flying fish. In the morning we heard the cruise director, Simon give an awesome presentation about the Panama Canal. He said he wasn’t a professional lecturer but he gave just the right amount of humor with it to keep it from being boring. In the afternoon we went to a Q&A with the Captain who also was fascinating. This captain was s personable! He answered all of the questions with such diplomacy and humor! My two favorite comments of the captain’s were this:

·      The difference between boats and ships: There are no lifeships on boats but there are lifeboats on ships.

·      When asked why we didn’t go into under the bridge in Curacao to turn around instead of backing out of the harbor: We could have done that but we would have left behind the Crow’s Nest and the funnels because the ship is too tall to go under the bridge.

After happy hour we went to have an early dinner and then the show Avalon featuring the ship’s singers and dancers.

3/13/16 Day 7 Cartagena, Colombia:

We had an absolutely wonderful day in Cartagena yesterday. I was a little anxious about going into this port after reading and hearing about the drug cartel and American kidnapping but now I’m so glad we went there. We got into the port around 7am and we were so surprised to see all the high rise buildings! In fact, it looked like we were in NY city! When we got off the ship, we haggled with the taxi drivers (in blue shirts because the white shirts don’t haggle) for awhile. We finally found another couple who also wanted to go to the Old City so we all got the cab ride for $15 a person round trip. We were told not to pay them until we get back to the ship. Arnold, the cab driver took us there and then wrote his name and cab number on a card for us. Then he showed us where he was parked and that he would wait for us so we told him we would be back in 3 hours at 11am. We walked around the town and the architecture was beautiful. Not a lot of places were open that early or because it was Sunday. I couldn’t believe how hot it was that early in the morning! We were finished around 10:45 so Arnold took us back to the port but on the way he drove us through the Club De Pesca yacht club. It was interesting.

3/14/16 Day 8 Panama Canal:

We were on the bow of the ship at 6am and watched the sun rise as we entered the canal. Then it took 3 ½ hours for us to get through the 3 locks which was fascinating! We barely made it to breakfast before they closed. We anchored in Gatun Lake for people to go on shore excursions but we stayed on the ship. At 11:30, we reentered the locks again and headed to Colon, Panama where we would pick up the people that left for the shore excursions. We got there by 4pm and walked around a little before coming back to the ship for dinner. After dinner we went to the show which featured the illusionist, James Cielen. When we went to bed, we had to turn our clocks back another hour so we are 2 hours behind Eastern time. This changing the clocks every couple of days is driving my body clock crazy!

3/15/16 Day 9 Costa Rica:

We had a nice day in Costa Rica. It was very hot so we got off the ship around 7:30 and walked around town but almost everything was still closed. After a couple of hours, we went back to the ship to use the bathroom and have something to drink. Then we went back out and walked around town some more. By lunch time we had walked about 8 miles so we returned to the ship. We went to see the movie Joy with Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert DeNiro but it stunk! After happy hour at 4pm, we went to dinner and then the show featuring Synergy which were two identical twins performing as electric rock violinists (like dueling fiddles) and they were very good. Before we went to bed, we turned the clocks forward one hour.

3/16/16 Day 10 At Sea:

We were at sea yesterday but it was a busy day! At 11am, we attended a ceremony where 26 of us were awarded a bronze medal for sailing more than 100 days with Holland America. Then we were escorted to a luncheon. After lunch we walked on the deck for about 40 minutes before going to see The Art of Towel Folding. Then we saw the magician’s show. By then it was happy hour, dinner, and the evening show! Of course we moved our clocks forward another hour so we are on regular time now.

3/17/16 Day 11 At Sea:

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We had a busy day at sea! In the morning we went to a presentation about Behind the Scenes in the Crews Quarters by Simon and it was fascinating! I loved seeing all the pictures about where the crew lived. Then we went back and packed one suitcase. After lunch we went back and packed up the rest of our stuff. In the afternoon, Simon did another presentation about the navigation and technical side of the ship which was interesting. I’m so glad he shared pictures of what a ship looks like out of water and showed the azipods and bow thrusters which move the ship as needed. At happy hour we were joined by Kenny and then Marv and Cindy from Houston. Marv and Cindy invited us to have dinner with them and we had a great time. The evening show was a variety show featured James Cielun (the magician), Tian Jiang the pianist, and Synergy – the twin violinists. I really enjoyed this show.

3/18/16 Day 12 Debarkation:

We got off the ship around 9:30 and docked at a different terminal than when we arrived. We got to our car in the parking garage easily and the cost for parking was $165 for 11 days.

Interesting story:

(My apologies beforehand because I’m breaking my rule of “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”) We saw a lady on the first day that I will call “Scooter Lady.” She was obnoxious and very rude. I heard many stories from different people about her and even saw her rudeness first hand. She was an extremely unhappy woman every time I saw her and she made others miserable whenever they had an interaction with her. When she came into the showroom late to a show, she would continually ramp the seats with her school intentionally. Then she would back up her scooter so the back up beep disrupted the show. On the last few days we hadn’t seen her and we wondered what happened to her. On the last night of the cruise I met some people who were talking about Scooter Lady and they said they saw her leaving the ship in Costa Rica with all of her luggage. I don’t know if she left on her own or if she was booted off but it seemed like the attitudes of the guests around the ship were much lighter and happier.

Things I Learned:

1.     I’m glad we left early because it took us almost 2 hours to get to the port due to accidents on I-95 and Dixie Hwy.

2.     They took the couches out of the cabins.

3.     I like the lower decks better than the higher ones for our cabins because it is easier to get to without fighting for the elevators after the show and getting back on the ship.

4.     The dining room was very unorganized and the lines to get into dinner were really long, even if you had a reservation.

5.     This ship had a lot of creaks and noises!

6.     Simon James was the youngest cruise director for Royal Caribbean at 25 years old (this was about 14 years ago).

7.     Dancers have to audition for the production company RWS.

8.     Cast members can’t gain or lose 8 lbs. (because of the costumes).

9.     There is only one florist on the ship.

10.  One-day pass for the bus in Aruba is only $10 per person.

11.  When the blue flag is out on the floating bridge in Curacao, it will be open for over an hour.

12.  Our ship pays $350,000 to go through the Panama Canal.

13.  There is only 2 feet clearance of each side of the ship when we go through the locks.

14.  In Cartagena’s Old City, there seemed to be police on every corner watching out for the tourists’ safety.

15.  When traveling through the Panama Canal, ships fly different kinds of flags: one is the Panama flag out of courtesy; a red and white one to show there is a pilot on board; flags signifying numbers that tell what number transit you were that day through the canal; if the numbers are below the pilot flag, you are going south and above if you are going north; odd numbers go south and even numbers go north.

16.  You can watch the webcams of the ships on www.panamacanal.com

17.  Noriega is still alive and in jail in Panama.

18.  Puerto Limon, Costa Rica had a lot of homeless people and was very dirty.

19.  The sloth in the park in Costa Rica is still there.

20.  Holland America sends their ships to dry dock for 2 weeks every 2 years to get renovations.

Thanks for taking time to read about our trip!

Original Photo by Pat Hensley