Postcards from the Nov. 29. Cruise

Guest W. Studinka sent us some photos he took during his Nov. 29 cruise aboard Eurodam.

A server in the Pinnacle Grill and one of the shipboard photographers.

The Sea View Bar on the Lido Deck.

Some delicious cuisine being whipped up during the Lido Deck breakfast (left) and one of the casino staffers.

Mr. Studinka with one of the wine sommeliers.

Eurodam’s Electrical Department Spreads the Spirit

The Electrical Department on board the Eurodam is not only a great department in their daily jobs, but they are always there when you need them for the crew. Since I have been on board the Eurodam, they have come together as a department for every single crew party and crew celebration, and have spent their free time decorating and setting up.

They always seem to find the perfect lighting and decorations to go with any theme! And you can always count on them being there for you to take all the decorations down at the end — admittedly, the end is always the least-favorite part, but the Eurodam can always count on the Electrical Department to be there to help clean up!

From left, 2nd Electrician Ionel Otoman, Lampoonist Otche Richard Montolalu, 2nd Electrician Andrew Merriott, Electrical Technician Nino Lagare, Electrical Technician Ramon Perez, Lampoonist Dadang Sugiharto and Chief Electrician Iain Searle.

Here, the Electrical Team has come together to help the Eurodam decorate the Petty Officer’s Messroom for Christmas. They are not stopping here though … next on their list is the Officer’s Bar. Many crew are away from their home for the holidays, and it is guys like the Electrical Team who make holidays on board our ships very special.

Thank You Guys!

Melissa Searle is crew purser on Eurodam.

Eurodam’s Crew Belts Out the Ballads

Melissa Searle, Eurodam’s crew purser, sent us this story and photo:

Eurodam’s songbirds, from left, Jeffrey, Meyssi, Agung and Edhy.

The Eurodam hosted a Crew Karaoke Elimination Round in October 2008. Eight very talented crewmembers were selected to participate in the semi-finals, which took place Nov. 6 in the Queen’s Lounge. The house was so packed with crew and passengers that it turned into standing room only. The crowd went crazy for our eight contestants.

It was a very difficult decision, however, the judging panel had to pick four of the eight singers to go on to the finals. The finals were held Nov. 26 in our Main Show Lounge. It didn’t take long for the lounge to fill up with screaming fans, as our crew came one by one to amaze the crowd with their singing talent.

The four finalists consisted of Agung from the housekeeping department, Meyssi from the Pinnacle Grill, Jeffrey from the engine department and Edhy from the deck department. They were each required to sing two songs, and our panel of judges narrowed the four finalists down into first-, second-, third- and fourth-place winners.

It was a very difficult task for our judging panel, as all four contestants were absolutely amazing! The Eurodam is extremely proud of the talent we have on board, not only in our crewmembers’ work ethics and capabilities, but also in their personal talents.

We congratulate all four of our finalists. The results from the competition are below:

First Place: Agung (Lead Cabin Steward) — singing “Hello” by Lionel Richie and “I Love You” by Stevie Wonder.

Second Place: Jeffrey (Garbage Foreman) — singing “The Way It Used to Be by Engelbert Humperdinck and “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley.

Third Place: Meyssi (Pinnacle Grill Stewardess) — singing “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” by Lauren Hill.

Fourth Place: Edhy (Boatman) — singing “Heaven” by Bryan Adams and “Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Collins.

Meet the Bridge Team

From left: Captain Jonathan Mercer, Third Officer Martyn Kelly, First Officer Dan Wardle, Second Officer Andy Richardson, Fourth Officer ‘Ollie’ Chasteauneuff, Chief Officer Emeil de Vries, Cadet Stevens Melchoir, Second Officer Sean Gill, Fourth Officer Jordan Low and Third Officer Jordi van Sikkelerus.

Third Officer Martyn Kelly looks through the binoculars while transiting the ‘Narrows’ in San Juan.

Meet the Officers Bar Barman

Kees at his post behind the bar in Bonney O’Malley’s.

While you would fully expect the public bars aboard Eurodam to be staffed with talented bar keepers, we sometimes forget that there are crew venues behind the scenes that require staffing as well, like the Officers Bar. Meet Joko “Kees” Budiono, the OB barman. We met Kees during our visit to the ship, and we just learned from Hotel Manager Stan Kuppens that he’s been named Eurodam’s November employee of the month!

Kees started with Holland America Line in 2006 working in the crew mess aboard Volendam. On his second contract, he went to Statendam and became the OB barman. Currently, Kees is in the middle of his third contract with HAL.

According to Stan, Kees’ favorite part about working as the OB barman is being able to talk with the crew, and his favorite drink to make is a margarita. He thinks it is important to work hard and learn everyday; there is no limit to learning. Kees was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he lives today.

Congratulations to DJ Jazzy

DJ Jazzy

On Oct. 28 DJ Jazzy celebrated 11 years spinning tunes for guests aboard Holland America Line ships.

Jazzy, whose real name is Jeffery Davis, started his career with HAL in 1997 on Westerdam III. During his years with Holland America Line, he has been the premier deejay, including bringing all four Vista-class ships into service.

DJ Jazzy was born in New Jersey, but now resides in Portland, Ore. Before the move to Portland, Jazzy lived in Chicago where he achieved numerous awards for his deejaying abilities.

He worked at the top-rated Riviera Night Club for many years with such talents as Robert Palmer, Dead or Alive, and Sylvester, and he recorded several music mixes for radio stations in the city. Jazzy had the pleasure of deejaying for Madonna’s birthday in 1989 during the release of the Dick Tracy movie.

DJ Jazzy spins tunes in the Northern Lights dance club aboard Eurodam.

DJ Jazzy’s motto is: “Music makes the world go ’round and creates friendships and relationships at any given moment!”

Congratulations Jazzy!

The Love Boat

Tom and Veronica Steer at the Giza pyramids in Egypt.

Meet another Eurodam “Love Boat” couple: cruise consultant team Veronica and Tom Steer. Tom is from the United Kingdom and Veronica is from Canada, and they are Eurodam’s resident connoisseurs on the world of cruising with Holland America Line. They have sailed on every class of ship, and in their first year of dating they sailed to every continent together.

When they met on board Veronica was part of the cruise staff team and would always pass by Tom’s desk, which was located next to the cruise director’s office.

“She would walk by my desk every day and I finally plucked up the courage to ask her out,” said Tom. Their first date was in Melbourne, Australia.

Veronica added, “Whenever I would meet guests that expressed interest in future cruises, I would advise guests to see Tom and say that Veronica sent you!”

Tom proposed in Sifnos, Greece, on a mountaintop, and it only gets more romantic — their wedding reception took place at the historical Chatham Dockyard in the Commissioner’s House, the oldest naval building in the U.K., built in 1703. Since they married in June, the newlyweds have been on a working honeymoon until they disembark in January. When asked where they were thinking about taking their delayed honeymoon, Veronica replied, “Somewhere hot, like Cuba or Dubai.”

I was curious about the challenges they encounter on a daily basis as working partners. Indeed, they certainly are busy, as every time I have passed their desk there is a consistent queue of guests wanting to book their next cruise. However, they manage the future cruisers quite well, with one speaking to waiting guests to get a feel for what they are looking for and the other at the desk making the bookings.

“Our mantra is, we are never closed,” said Veronica. “We have been walking off the gangway to go ashore and guests would see us and want to book a cruise, and we would come back on board and book them.”

Not familiar with the cruise consultants and their services? They are your personal link to getting firsthand knowledge of Holland America Line’s ships and itineraries. By booking your next cruise while on board with a $100 deposit per person, you get a host of advantages such as dining preference, access to greater availability, a shipboard credit for your next cruise up to $200 per stateroom on select sailings, and, if you wish, bookings can be rolled over to your home travel agent. Just don’t ask for a cruise to Switzerland — yes, they have been asked that!

“The most popular ship we have booked is Prinsendam. Why? It only carries 793 guests and offers such unique cruises,” Tom explained.

Behind every great couple there is a great story, and the Steers are no exception. Tom and Veronica are a quintessential on-board couple and a team armed with immeasurable cruise expertise that will never let you sail you in the wrong direction.

When you’re on Eurodam, be sure to pass by their desk and tell them, “Pam sent me.”

Meet Chief Engineer Marcel Kiers

Chief Engineer Marcel Kiers with daughter Floor

Although we haven’t yet introduced him on the Eurodam News Blog, Chief Engineer Marcel Kiers was part of a team that was at the shipyard to complete the building of Eurodam. During his 15 years with Holland America, Kiers has been involved with several newbuilds for the line.

Despite coming from the middle of the Netherlands with no connection to the sea, Kiers followed in his older brother’s footsteps and graduated from the Willem Barentsz Maritime Institute. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life, and his brother’s positive experience encouraged him to follow the path that led him to become Eurodam’s chief engineer. His younger brother would eventually go to the institute as well, making it a family affair.

When not on board, Kiers devotes most of his time to his partner, Marianne, and their 16-month-old daughter, Floor, who is a world-traveler already. He also enjoys playing golf and skiing.

As chief engineer of Eurodam, Kiers oversees a team of approximately 65 officers, petty-officers and crew.

Paintball Shootout in Quebec

Hotel Manager Stan Kuppens sent us this fun photo of some Eurodam crew members enjoying paintball last week in Quebec. The “Eurodam” team was composed of crew from various on-board departments, and they played the “Casino” team that was made up of, well, the casino staff.

The teams played for four hours and used approximately 15,000 paintballs! Team “Eurodam” was the victor, winning six of seven games.

Meet Cruise Director Jason Venner

Note to readers: Pam is on vacation, but she sent us some stories before she left. So while you will see her byline, we are posting on her behalf while she enjoys a well-deserved break.

Cruise Director Jason Venner

Fasten your seat belt and get ready to meet one of the most energetic and vibrant people I know: Eurodam’s Cruise Director Jason Venner. From the state of Oregon, he represents the America in Holland America Line — but he is anything but rural or “cookie cutter.”

Jason exudes a genuine realness that anyone can relate to. “I am the same person that you see in the hall, on stage and at breakfast,” he said.

As an only child, Jason was home schooled by his mom on a ranch in Oregon’s remote region of the Strawberry Mountain Range until eighth grade. He had no electricity, running water or a telephone! Jason says that he would take small-town rustic life over a big city any day. He loves the great outdoors and cannot get enough of his passions for rock climbing, skydiving, bungee jumping, backpacking and motorcycling riding.

His personal goal list is just as active as he is. Jason hopes to ride his motorcycle on Highway 101 from Portland, Oregon, down to Mexico, and become a certified solo skydiver and a master scuba diver. Once he “lands” from ships, his ultimate aspiration is to own his own adventure-sport company.

Jason arrived at ships in an unconventional way. His dream of furthering his football career ended due to an injury that led him to pursue his second passion — travel. It was just 10 days after his college graduation in June 2002 that he was hired by Holland America Line as a member of the entertainment team. in only 14 months he sailed through the positions of cruise staff, sports director, DJ and senior assistant cruise director, ultimately reaching the top as cruise director.

Jason’s belief that no two people are the same is reflected in his style when it comes to relating to guests. “I try to appeal to everyone. The best part of my job is being on stage and making people laugh. To relax anxious guests waiting for a tender to go ashore, I get the whole crowd involved and have them repeat after me: We are all on vacation. That always gets everyone laughing together,” he explained.

Difficult aspects of his job are being away from family, missing real daily life things like selecting his own groceries and not having weekends off. However, one of his personal wishes is to bring from ships to land the close-knit camaraderie that is the hallmark of community ship life. “You, eat, work and play with the same people in one place and build strong bonds with great people from all over the world,” Jason said.

When asked what his favorite memory of ships is so far, Jason recalls being on the Noordam when the ship assisted in a rescue operation of 23 people and he also recalled being the cruise director who assisted Captain van Donselaar stage his marriage proposal to me during the Captain’s Welcome Reception among 500 guests on the Oosterdam just before Valentine’s Day 2005.

“Settle down” are words Jason seldom uses. When asked what he will do on his upcoming vacation, he enthusiastically revealed a whirlwind adventure of backpacking in Thailand!

On a final note, Jason wanted to added his personal mantra: “Remember that it is far better to go for it and regret your actions in life than it is to regret the fact that you never tried. Step outside of your comfort zone, try something new today and help us make this a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”