Tomorrow we will dock in Hilo, Hawaii. Hilo is on what is called the Big Island. The rest of the islands are small you see so this one is the big one. Makes sense. Tonight I saw a bird, a seagull, which means, according to ancient seafarers, that we are approaching land. We have been at sea for 4 days now. The seas have been calm for the most part. It is hard to tell sometimes because of the fins that are automatically extended when sensors detect a rolling wave motion. The water is incredibly blue almost like it has been colored like they color swamp water at Disney World.
After 4 days of experience on the Zaandam I can comment a little more authoratively about the food and service. The dining room service has not really improved. It looks like they have understaffed the ship in the dining areas. The food offered in the main dining room and the buffet does not really compare to the quality and variety offered on Oceania's Regatta. The buffet seems to be confused. The way the food is laid out and presented takes some getting used to. The same desserts appear night after night. Beef is always offered rare (raw) and you have to request that it be flopped on the grill to be cooked. I have given up on the daily lunch selections and have a hamburger from the grill next to the pool. The burgers are good and there are plenty of the proper toppings available.
I attended a lecture today that was advertised as hints and tips for shopping in Hawaii. It was nothing more than an hour long advertisement for stores that have a financial arrangements with Holland America and for unsold shore excursions. The presenter bribed the attendees into staying for the farce by giving away cheap gifts like carnival pitchmen do. Very disappointing. His idea for seeing the sights of Hawaii was to spend all your time in tourist traps like Hilo Hatties, spending money on trinkets and tee shirts. He told us to take unapproved shuttles at our own risk putting the fear of not getting back the ship on time in the minds of his audience. These, I assume, shuttles would take us to shops that are not Holland American partners.
The presentations by Olga Stravrakis on the other hand have been outstanding. Her lectures on Hawaiian history, geology, and geography have been entertaining and informative. I have learned a lot about the people and the history of Hawaii from these lectures.
The shipboard entertainment has been pretty good. A couple of decent comedians, a magician, and the young shipboard singers and dancers. The lead female singer is horrible in my opinion. She had an annoying singing style that ruined every song she sang. The dancers were very good, especially considering the size of the stage. I skipped tonight's performance because I have had enough of the female lead singer.
I played in the Table Tennis preliminaries. I won. Big deal. The matches were to 5 points and no warmup was allowed. Rules? What rules?
Seven played in a blackjack tournament. Another big deal. 7 hands. The winners after 7 hands at each table played a showdown round consisting of another 7 hands. All this wild action for a $20 entry fee. Another gambling note: there is a poker table. The rake? An incredible greedy 10%. I love playing poker and am tempted to play with what is probably a rich mix of players who do not have a clue of how to play and are dying to give me all their money. But I won't play against a 10% rake no matter how tempting.
The ship has an unwanted passenger on board. An intestinal virus. There are hand lotion disinfecting stations everywhere. The buffet personnel require that you treat your hands before letting you get in line. I am pretty careful about washing my hands and not handling door handles and the like so watching everyone disinfecting their hands made me happy. The table tennis director even wiped down the balls and paddles after each contest. Despite all this, I heard that one woman is seriously ill with stomach flu. She has been isolated in her cabin.
We went to what was touted as Game Show night in the lounge. The contestants were chosen by random drawing and Seven was chosen to play. The trivia questions were about TV shows. An 8 year old was chosen and one of staff whispered enough answers in his ear that he won. Seven got two answers right. One of the contestants got her answers from her friends and family in the audience. So it was totally ridiculous and not enjoyable at all.
After 4 days of experience on the Zaandam I can comment a little more authoratively about the food and service. The dining room service has not really improved. It looks like they have understaffed the ship in the dining areas. The food offered in the main dining room and the buffet does not really compare to the quality and variety offered on Oceania's Regatta. The buffet seems to be confused. The way the food is laid out and presented takes some getting used to. The same desserts appear night after night. Beef is always offered rare (raw) and you have to request that it be flopped on the grill to be cooked. I have given up on the daily lunch selections and have a hamburger from the grill next to the pool. The burgers are good and there are plenty of the proper toppings available.
I attended a lecture today that was advertised as hints and tips for shopping in Hawaii. It was nothing more than an hour long advertisement for stores that have a financial arrangements with Holland America and for unsold shore excursions. The presenter bribed the attendees into staying for the farce by giving away cheap gifts like carnival pitchmen do. Very disappointing. His idea for seeing the sights of Hawaii was to spend all your time in tourist traps like Hilo Hatties, spending money on trinkets and tee shirts. He told us to take unapproved shuttles at our own risk putting the fear of not getting back the ship on time in the minds of his audience. These, I assume, shuttles would take us to shops that are not Holland American partners.
The presentations by Olga Stravrakis on the other hand have been outstanding. Her lectures on Hawaiian history, geology, and geography have been entertaining and informative. I have learned a lot about the people and the history of Hawaii from these lectures.
The shipboard entertainment has been pretty good. A couple of decent comedians, a magician, and the young shipboard singers and dancers. The lead female singer is horrible in my opinion. She had an annoying singing style that ruined every song she sang. The dancers were very good, especially considering the size of the stage. I skipped tonight's performance because I have had enough of the female lead singer.
I played in the Table Tennis preliminaries. I won. Big deal. The matches were to 5 points and no warmup was allowed. Rules? What rules?
Seven played in a blackjack tournament. Another big deal. 7 hands. The winners after 7 hands at each table played a showdown round consisting of another 7 hands. All this wild action for a $20 entry fee. Another gambling note: there is a poker table. The rake? An incredible greedy 10%. I love playing poker and am tempted to play with what is probably a rich mix of players who do not have a clue of how to play and are dying to give me all their money. But I won't play against a 10% rake no matter how tempting.
The ship has an unwanted passenger on board. An intestinal virus. There are hand lotion disinfecting stations everywhere. The buffet personnel require that you treat your hands before letting you get in line. I am pretty careful about washing my hands and not handling door handles and the like so watching everyone disinfecting their hands made me happy. The table tennis director even wiped down the balls and paddles after each contest. Despite all this, I heard that one woman is seriously ill with stomach flu. She has been isolated in her cabin.
We went to what was touted as Game Show night in the lounge. The contestants were chosen by random drawing and Seven was chosen to play. The trivia questions were about TV shows. An 8 year old was chosen and one of staff whispered enough answers in his ear that he won. Seven got two answers right. One of the contestants got her answers from her friends and family in the audience. So it was totally ridiculous and not enjoyable at all.
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