Lido Pool Looking Cool

Jan Ellison sent us this colorful photo of the Lido Pool dressed up for a party on a recent Caribbean cruise. Thanks, Jan!

Captain’s Log: Oct. 30, At Sea

Captain Jonathan Mercer

It seems some time since I last sat here and wrote, the past few days have been somewhat hectic and opportunities to being able to relax and write have been few.

Arrival in San Juan on a sunny morning, at a civilised time, was a treat. We embarked our pilot at 8:30 a.m. and proceeded towards the imposing entrance to this natural harbour. As in most Caribbean ports, the pilot left it to me to con the ‘E’ in. I have to admit that I like this arrangement, as one is not constantly worrying what he or she will do next.

Having to take pilots is a strange occurrence and an equally strange arrangement. Pilots are usually compulsory in most ports around the world. In many of them, their local knowledge is invaluable and appreciated, however, despite a pilot taking the ‘con’, it is the Master who is still responsible for his actions. I liken it to someone coming onto the flight deck of an aircraft, taking the controls and telling the pilot that it’s his fault if he crashes it.

Back to the arrival: El Morro, the imposing Spanish fortress that guards the entrance to the harbour, passes our port side and our decks are crowded with guests, cameras in hand, as we do so. We berth at #4 west, a nice terminal not far from the Old Town, the historic area of San Juan, and a short walk from the pier.

I have a plaque ceremony and the number of guests is so large that we conduct it in the Queen’s Lounge, as our normal Crows Nest venue would be too small. Dignitaries from the government and port are there as well as officers from the Coast Guard and agencies. We exchange plaques and niceties before a session of photo-taking and TV cameras.

Our day continues as we have fire drill for all of us, (excepting guests) and numerous meetings. We have gentlemen from our corporate office on board and they are conducting an audit of our operations. This comes in the form of constructive criticism and also acts as a conduit through which we can impart concerns as to some of our requirements, so it is a useful exercise. They have been on since Port Everglades and will stay with us until we return to that port.

We left San Juan at 11 p.m. Again, I wish that I had the opportunity to take night photographs, (difficult at the best of times and impossible when conning 935 feet of steel down a channel. El Morro looks truly magnificent as we pass it, the scenic lighting on its walls and towers heightening its majesty. Once clear of the channel, we set courses for the U.S. Virgin islands and St Thomas, a gentle ‘pottle’ tonight, just 11 knots are required to be at the pilot station for 7 a.m.

We berthed in the Crown Bay facility on time on another beautiful day. There is a weak tropical wave due over the islands later today and sure enough, the intermittent showers start later. The Crown Bay berths are sometimes ‘frowned’ upon by our guests, as we are not in the hustle and bustle of Havensight, the alternative berthing area. However there are some definite advantages to being in CB, and first and foremost, it’s traffic. Where we are, it’s a straightforward ride to Charlotte Amalie and its shops and places of interest — we even have a water-taxi service, which takes 10 minutes at most, to the centre of town. In contrast, one has to allow 30-40 minutes just to get from a ship in Havensight to the town, as the roads are so congested.

I have another plaque ceremony in the morning, this time conducted in the Crows Nest and my work is compounded by the unannounced arrival of United States Public Health inspectors. Every cruise ship is inspected by the USPH every six months. The inspections take approximately five to six hours and involve food sanitation, temperatures, storage, cooking, washing, a whole plethora of subjects in fact. They also involve water sanitation, pools, whirlpools and equipment.

I chuckle to myself when I read the local restaurant health inspection report in the local paper, and find that all that is noted is a fire extinguisher was out of date. Cruise ships, without doubt, have the cleanest, most rigid sanitation procedures anywhere in the world, and we’re proud of it. We pass our inspection with 95 points out of 100, our only fault being that some documentation was not correct. We are disappointed of course, since we all strive for 100, however, there will always be a ‘next time’ to rectify those lost points.

Passing Noordam in the Caribbean Sea.

Today finds us at sea, on our way to Half Moon Cay for Friday. We are east of the Turks and Caicos as I write and have just passed one of our Vista-class ships, the Noordam. We arrange a passing so that our guests can enjoy a photo opportunity and then she’s gone, heading south.

We are under the influence of a cold front and the weather could be better. We have low cloud and rain showers, with winds of over 30 knots, not at all what one would wish for. However, I am optimistic that as get further north it will brighten up.

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.”

Training the Next Generation of Chefs

Party Planner Michelle Walton teaches young cruisers how to make pizza in a kids’ cooking demonstration at the Culinary Arts Center aboard Eurodam.

The kids — ages 8 to 12 — made personalized English muffin and focaccia bread pizzas. Approximately 60 children sailed on the Oct. 25 Caribbean cruise.

Event staffer Karyn Campbell (right) gets the pizzas ready to pop in the oven.

Grand Turk Plaque Ceremony

Eurodam called at Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, yesterday for the first time, and port officials came on board for the traditional plaque exchange.

Captain Mercer accepts a port plaque from Theo Forbes, marine operations manager for the Grand Turk Cruise Center.

Captain Mercer presents Theo Forbes with a Holland America Line Delft plate.

Postcards from Grand Turk

Erik Elvejord, director of public relations for Holland America Line, is on board Eurodam, and he sent us these photos from Grand Turk. It looks like a picture-perfect day!

Captain’s Log: Oct. 27, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos

I wanted to be up early for our arrival at the Grand Turk Cruise Center pier. I had heard all about it, however, not only was this an inaugural visit for the ‘E’, it was also an inaugural visit for me! I had heard all sorts of stories about the docking procedure at the pier — how wind and current play a pivotal role on the approach — now it was time to put it into action.

I had deliberately adjusted our arrival off the pier so that it coincided with just before sunrise, it was obvious that this was not the type of place that one wanted to dock, for the first time at least, in darkness.

The pier had been purpose-built as part of the Grand Turk Cruise Center. There were no anchorages available on the island — for cruise ships at least — so it was the pier or nothing. Two vessels can berth alongside it, one on the north side and one on the south. Today, though, we are alone.

The planners, architects and builders had the foresight to build the resort and pier to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, little knowing that their work would be tested to its limits so soon, for on September 5th of this year, Hurricane Ike swept over the island group, a direct ‘hit’ with winds recorded at 186 mph!

As a result, the resort fared reasonably well, all things considered. However, the same could not be said for the islanders themselves, houses that had stood for 250 years disappeared in pieces and over 80 percent of the houses suffered damage or worse, destruction. The resort had newly planted trees ripped out, some roofs suffered damage and the cabanas went the way of the trees.

That was seven weeks ago and since then, miracles have been performed, and to our guests today all seemed (and was) as they expected. As I watched them from the bridge prior to departure, they were waving and putting “two thumbs up”, an indication of their enjoyment. Why not indeed, the beach adjacent to the ‘E’ was full of guests enjoying the sun and the 82-degree water, literally five minutes from the gangway.

The docking, by the way, went well. The wind was kind to us and the wait for some daylight proved to be a good decision. We have little space between the pier itself and the reefs either side, so being able to see it all was invaluable.

Having cruised around the Caribbean last week without an inaugural call ceremony, it was nice to receive a plaque today from the Turks and Caicos authorities. Our ship’s photographer will be sending Julie some pictures, I’m sure.

I seized the opportunity to ask for a quick tour around the island. It’s only seven miles long and one mile wide, so it would literally be a ‘quick’ one. The hurricane’s devastation was still apparent, although, in the intervening weeks, a great deal has been done to improve matters.

Power lines were still down, winding like long, black snakes along the roadside. Roofs were still missing and a familiar sight — to Floridians, at least — was blue plastic sheeting covering a number of houses.

Wild donkeys and cows roamed the pasture land, locals gathered at the fish stalls to buy huge snapper, grouper and lobster, and like all islanders, were gathered in groups in the shade of the trees passing the time and chatting.

Due to the distance to our next port of call, we had to leave this idyllic island at 3 p.m. in order to make San Juan, Puerto Rico, on time.

Photos courtesy Jonathan Mercer.

Captain’s Log: Swimming Ashore From the Ship!

Captain Jonathan Mercer

Whilst writing my log about Half Moon Cay, an amusing experience, which occurred several years ago, came to mind.

I was captain of one of our other ships at the time, and all of the staff officers were certified for scuba diving. We had a ship newsletter, distributed to all our crew; at one staff meeting we thought that we ought to make a contribution as a group.

It was decided that as we were in a staff meeting and all certified divers, we could take a photograph of the next meeting for the newsletter, this time with a difference …

We asked our chief housekeeper to make up some white shorts from his left-over material and we made up a tropical uniform from old white shirts. We had to involve the island manager in our plan, as we needed a boat and dive gear for 30 minutes.

The day arrived, the weather was perfect and we departed to the island. Having donned our dive gear, we sailed to a secluded area and, in the company of a ship’s photographer, plunged over the side. We sat on the soft sand, resplendent in our ‘whites’, plastic clipboards in hand, while the photographer completed his shoot of our ‘meeting.’

Having re-boarded the dive boat, we headed for the marina, where we would get a tender to take us back to the ship. As we rounded the headland at the entrance to the marina, all of us seemed to have the same idea at once. We asked the cox’n of the boat to stop, took off our dive gear, and we all jumped over the side, still wearing what looked like, to all intents and purposes, full uniform.

The swim to the glorious beach is approximately 100 yards. The beach of course was full of guests enjoying themselves in the warm, crystal-clear water and lying on their sun beds.

We swam until the water shallowed, at which point were able to walk; slowly, we emerged, guests with mouths agape in astonishment and some on the beach taking pictures. A group of guests inquired as to what we were doing and, quick as a flash, our chief engineer explained that we were not allowed to take ship’s tenders at this time of day and if we needed to get ashore, we had to swim!

Looks of disbelief, a glance at how far the swim entailed and utter astonishment from our guests was the result. We walked back to the Marina, drying out rapidly in the heat and took a tender back to the ship.

The ‘grapevine’ being what it is, that evening I was informed that ‘our having to swim’ was the talk of the ship!

Captain’s Log: Oct. 24, At Sea

Captain Jonathan Mercer

It is two days since our last port of call, Grand Cayman. We have a charter this week and our itinerary is different as a result. We have had no plaque ceremonies, either; perhaps the arrival of a new vessel is becoming so commonplace that the tradition is lapsing.

Grand Cayman has no berths for cruise vessels and as a result we all anchor. It was a busy day, not only us but two Carnival vessels and an RCI ship were calling. There are four recognised anchorages and we had been assigned the most northerly one, #3. Unusually, here the pilot does not board the ship, instead he comes out in a boat and directs us where to drop our anchor. The coral reefs are a precious commodity to the Caymans and measures are taken to protect it, our anchoring is no exception.

Instead of dropping our anchor in just any area, the pilot, in the boat, guides us to an area clear of the coral and over soft sand. He does this by simply looking over the side, the water is so clear. Slightly disconcerting is that he also is almost under our anchor when he does so. Once the anchor is on the bottom, he will advise us if the anchor has ‘turned’, i.e. the flukes are down in the sand and that it has ‘dug in’ to it, then it’s a matter of working enough cable out to hold the ‘E’ in position.

Initially, on arrival, I drifted on engines, nearer the pier until majority of my guests had disembarked. #3 anchorage is a good distance from the tender pier and by doing this we cut the time that each tender uses to get from the ship and back again by 30%, thereby improving efficiency. Once the majority had departed the ship, we moved to #3.

There may not have been a plaque ceremony, but Captain Banks, one of the pilots in Grand Cayman, came on board with a huge bag full of famous Cayman Island rum cake, a very nice gesture on his part.

We sailed for Port Everglades that evening, our route taking us west, round the western tip of Cuba and then parallel to the coast of Florida. Thursday saw us under the influence of a cold front, sweeping across the Yucatan Peninsula with the resultant heavy cloud and rain, no sunbathing that day. We entered the Traffic Scheme at 1530 that afternoon and followed the coastline of Cuba that night.

Today finds us more or less half-way between Cuba and the Keys. The sun is out again, thank goodness. When we departed from Grand Cayman, we had a very low speed to make in order to arrive at Everglades pilot station at 0545 on Saturday, 11.5 knots in fact. The configuration of our diesel engines was such that we were barely making the speed required (fuel saving), however I was banking on picking up the Gulf Stream today, and around 11 this morning, began to feel it’s influence, speed picking up by 1.5 knots which is perfect for our arrival. Later today I expect the speed to increase further, we are near the south-wall of the Stream now, our courses will take us deep into it later and a 3-knot ‘push’ is commonplace.

More meetings and paperwork today, a chance to catch up after the busy beginning to the week. Saturday sees us commencing our ‘normal’ itinerary, Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay.

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.