VEENDAM and Vista Suite 221

       

Passenger capacity:  1,350

Crew members:  580

Gross Tonnage:  57,092 grt.

Length:  719 feet

Beam:  101 feet

Maximum speed:  22 knots

For more information on the ship, click here.

To see the location of our stateroom on Deck 9, click here and scroll down to the cabins on the stern of the ship. 

Anticipating reasonably calm seas and a natural curiosity about what there is to see on both sides of the ship, we decided to try a stern cabin this year.  Granted, watching the world go by from there will in some ways be like reading yesterday's newspaper.  We will see what we have already passed rather than what is ahead and abeam (or at least I sincerely hope so since something coming at our stern would in most cases be sub-optimal).  The fact that most of the stern cabins were already booked 15 months ago suggests they are coveted.  We will see. 

To view what our stateroom looks like, click here and then click on the camera icon just to the left of the words "Vista Suite".  You can rotate the camera manually or automatically. 

Double Dam (FEB 03)

Today we anchored off Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. This is an island owned by Holland America Line. It was canned fun-in-the-sun entertainment, except that there was minimal sun and frequent sprinkles with the occasional shower throughout the day. 

I opted to stay aboard. Pam decided to go ashore.  She started only long enough for a walk along the beach and a quick swim. 

In the anchorage, VEENDAM (a S-Class Holland America Lines ship) was dwarfed by EURODAM (a VISTA-Class ship), a much bigger...DAM ship. 

Taking the Windward Passage (FEB 04)

We passed about 10 miles off the eastern tip of Cuba just after noon today.  About 23 months ago, we were in the Cuban town of Baracoa looking out at the Windward Passage between Cuba and Hispaniola through which we were cruising today.

This passage has a long and colorful history.  It remains the preferred ship route between the Panama Canal and ports on the east coast of the United States.

Today the seas are calm and the temperature about 80°.

A Second Sea Day (FEB 05)

We awoke this morning to the ship moving around a bit. The motion continued throughout the day. Nothing major, but enough to keep many passengers from taking their usual constitutional on the Lower Promenade Deck.  Or maybe they were just resting up for the Superbowl.

Go Patriots!

Curacao (FEB 06)

The ship docked at the ‘mega-pier’ outside the entrance to Willemstad’s harbor. 

We had hoped to dock at the pier inside the mouth of the harbor…

…just beyond the Queen Emma swing bridge… 

...but that spot was occupied by FREEWIND, a small passenger sip owned by the Church of Scientology.

The walk from the mega-pier to the center of town was not far.  Along the way we ran the usual gauntlet of gift shops and tour hawkers; the local chamber of commerce perhaps having some influence on where VEENDAM docked.

Having been to Curacao before (before I started blogging about our trips), we initially opted to just wander around, re-orienting ourselves.

We decided to take a taxi out to the aquarium.  We arrived there just in time for an impressive dolphin show.

After touring the rest of the aquarium exhibits, including the flamingo exhibit...

…and some really strange specimen in one of the tanks we dubbed ‘Wetsuit Unflaterous”…

…we returned to the floating market in Willemstad. 

The produce comes from Venezuela in a small freighter that transfers it to boats that bring it to the harbor.  It is then transferred again to boats that have obtained spots on the floating market jetty.  This second transfer is done using boats paddled from one shore to the other across a narrow channel.  Presumably the men paddling them are paid by the amount of cargo they transfer.  In maximizing each load, the freeboard (for landlubbers the distance between the waterline and the top of the side of the boat) got so little the single occupant would move his homemade paddle slowly, never shifting his weight for a more powerful stroke. 

We had lunch at the Iguana Café while watching the Queen Emma bridge open and close.  Disconnecting from shore at one end and literally floated out of the way on its pontoons, the bridge tender wasted no time, opening the bridge only wide enough to accommodate the boat traffic. 

This morning’s walk having turned out to be considerably longer that we anticipated, we wended our way back to the ship for a little down time before heading out again for a late afternoon walk, the sun lower in the sky enriching to color of the buildings.  During this second walk, we spotted an iguana in some bushes.  As photographers gathered, he seemed to take his(?) momentary fame in stride.

By the time VEENDAM departed Willemstad at 11:30 PM, Pam & I were sound asleep.

Aruba (FEB 07)

With our cabin at the stern of the ship, we were almost vibrated out of bed by the aft thruster as the ship moved into its spot on the pier.  The annoyance stopped and we went back to sleep for a while. 

Upon arising and looking out the window past our veranda, we discovered the massive MEIN SCHIFF 5 close in astern of us.  It was a little creepy wondering how many pairs of eyes were staring into our cabin.

Having been to Aruba several times and being disinclined to take a tour or go to a beach, after breakfast, we disembarked with no plan other than to wander around Oranjestad. We ambled past a lot of jewelry stores and a couple of casinos.  Pam did some tire-kicking in a few of the former, but came out empty handed. 

Someone should tell this woman the cow is reading her e-mail

Moving in one block from main road along the shore, we came upon what could be the most elegant tram we had ever seen. And it was free.  We hopped on for a round trip ride. 

We disembarked close to the pier, wandered around a bit more, then boarded VEENDAM, which departed at 4:30 PM.

Pam & I spent a week on Aruba a number of years ago.  My thoughts about it have not changed.  I would encourage anyone wanting a week on the beach to seriously consider the island.  I would suggest to anyone wanting a more diverse vacation experience to be sure Aruba has the activities they seek.  

Trinidad (FEB 09)

We arrive in Port of Spain, Trinidad, at about 7:30 this morning.  The harbor area was typical with insufficient activity to make it interesting.

Disembarking, we boarded a mini-van for a 90+ minute to the Asa Wright Nature Center located in the mountains on the north side of the island at 1,200 feet above sea level.

[An aside about the mountains:  While Tobago thirty miles to the north experiences hurricanes, Trinidad does not.  The reason is the mountains at the north end of the island.  They deflect the winds, pushing hurricanes offshore.]

After turning off the main road at Arima, we started to climb on what became a steadily more winding, narrower road.  When we would pull over to allow traffic going the other direction to pass us, Pam was on the side of the vehicle that had the best view of the precipitous drop.  It was exciting to come around hairpin turns to find a dump truck coming the other way moving rather fast.  Our guide explained that they were making deliveries from various quarries in the mountains.  Paid by the trip, it created a delicate balance between being quick and being safe.  On our part, there was no doubt who would lose a mini-van versus loaded dump truck encounter.

Breathing a collective sigh of relief as we existed the mini-van, we gathered on the terrace at the hotel.  Hummingbirds and some other species were everywhere.  

After that photo op, we headed out on a trail walk.  In hindsight, given all the activity we saw from the terrace, it might well have been more interesting to stay there than go on the walk.  The guide was fine and we saw a variety of things, but it was just a poor quantity/quality ratio of things seen versus the effort involved to see them.  It was also one of those walks that you quickly notice is literally all downhill, meaning the second half will be climb up. 

I was grateful Pam did not learn the hard way it is not a good idea to stomp
on an ant hill to get them angry when you are wearing low-cut shoes.

Ah, life's little contradictions.  We were advised to hold the handrails going over some sections of slippery pathway.  We were also advised that tarantulas like to live inside the bamboo handrails exiting unexpectedly, and potentially angrily, from holes in the side of the handrail.

Mind your step!  He has the right of way.

Regrouping on the terrace post-walk, we mounted our mini-vans and headed back down the mountain, this time with me on the outboard side of the vehicle.

That is one big termite nest.  I think I know what happened to the Orkin Man.

Coming down the mountain, we saw Christophine plants.  Grown on the sides of often steep ravines, the plants are suspended from wires.  The fruit hangs below the plant.  Harvesting the fruit is done by crawling on one's back under the plants, picking as you go.  Once your bag is full, you climb back to the road to unload it.  It is doubtful that knowing this will increase my like of Christophene, but I will certainly have an appreciation for the work it took to get it on its way to my plate.  It may even cause me to have a bit of guilt about not eating it as stares up at me from the table.  At that point, I’ll bury it under the lettuce.

The ship departed Port of Spain at 5:00 PM.  Given that Scarborough, Tobago, is only 100 miles away and we do not dock there until 7:00 AM tomorrow, VEENDAM will not be setting any speed record tonight.