There are several hotels in Juneau but Holland America prefers to use the Baranof in the Main Street as it is a Westmark hotel which is part of the company. It makes sense that if you have to spend money on travel for your employees then you might as well put it back in your own pocket. It is a pity that Holland America has no air transport capability otherwise travel would be a sort of enclosed circulation of all its own funds. But we do not have that and thus I was flown by Alaskan Air from Seattle back to the Great Land. The Baranof has been in operation since 1939 and has become a sort of landmark of Juneau, together with the Alaska hotel (much older) and the Red dog Saloon. Juneau had two days of no-rain in a row and that gave me the chance to walk to the ship pulling my suitcase. I somehow find it a bit over the top to get a cab to travel the distance of three blocks from the Hotel to the docks.
When ships are on a 14 day cycle opposite it each other and the other ships are on a seven day cycle you get some strange situations; as if nothing has changed. I had been with the Noordam in Juneau and docked next to the Celebrity Infinity. Today I approached the dock and I see the Zaandam docked next to the Celebrity Infinity. The Zaandam with its one funnel looks of course different than the Noordam but that made the only difference. For reasons totally unknown to me, we have an R class ship, the Zaandam sailing opposite a Vista Class ship, the Noordam. You would think that with the Seward run it would have been easier to have two of the same class to run the Seward cruises as the interior would simply deal with the same size guest flows in the interior. But it must work for marketing as the ships are full and the guests are happy.
The Zaandam as seen at anchor at Cabo San Lucas in 2014. Note the single large funnel.
The Zaandam was the last of the R class. It followed the Rotterdam, Volendam and the Amsterdam. They are all considered sister ships but in reality the Rotterdam and Amsterdam are sisters and the Volendam and Zaandam are sisters. From the outside you can see the difference easily as both the Rotterdam and the Amsterdam have two funnels side by side. Not that this was necessary, one funnel for those ships would have sufficed as well but the company decided that the Rotterdam VI was going to have a reminder from the Grand Dame of the Seas, the Rotterdam V. And this was done by copying the twin smoke stacks of the Rotterdam V. The Rotterdam VI took over the (world) cruises of the Rotterdam V and the Amsterdam (III) was also planned for long cruises. Hence it has the same funnel configuration. The Zaandam and Volendam which have a slightly larger guest capacity were designed for the shorter cruises. With the idea of 3 week period or less firmly in mind. And that is still more or less true with the Amsterdam and Rotterdam doing the long voyages and the other two around 14 days or so, not counting repositioning cruises.
The ms Rotterdam VI, flagship of the company. The twin funnel gives the ship a totally different aspect.
Keeping completely in tune with this, the Zaandam is now on 14 day up and down Alaska cruises before it sails south again to start her winter program around the southern part of South America. Captain in command is Chris Norman who joined Holland America half way through his career as in an earlier life he was a fisherman. Recently he was on loan to P&O Australia when we handed over the Statendam and the Ryndam. As those ships are now completely integrated in that fleet most of the Hal Officers involved in the transfer are now coming back to the mother company and are being re-assigned in the fleet.
The Zaandam sailed at the regular southbound time departure of 18.00 hrs. and will then aim for 10.00 hrs. first line tomorrow morning in Ketchikan. Official arrival time is 11.00 hrs. but the captains like to be here a bit earlier, if the weather and safe navigation allows this, as it is a short stop and it takes the pressure a little bit off the initial rush ashore. Ketchikan promises a chilly but sunny day and that is GOOD weather for Ketchikan.
July 7, 2017 at 4:00 pm
What a good idea that would have been, Captain. A self-contained company converting expenses back into income! Many Airlines that I know of have done this. Having their own hotels or buying shares into the hotel chains. I wonder what a particular German airline does. Its employees are put up twice a week in this most ideal location as long as I remember right where the cruise ships dock. That is quite an expense even if they were given a group rate or special rates.
The Volendam and the Zaandam have a special place in my memory. I took my first cruise on board the Volendam and lived to see the Captain go on retirement. The Zaandam took me for an extended cruise (meaning sailing across vast bodies of water, rather than stopping and shopping). And, I don’t think I’ll see the previous Captain of the Zaandam sail back into the downtown harbour anymore.
To top it all, I sure like the design of the R class sisters. An old comment of mine to an old blog of yours …. noticing the shape of the funnel and the collar draped around “her neck” at the bottom of the base.
Nice that you have some extra particulars about the ‘new’ Captain Chris Norman on board the Zaandam. All your colleagues sure have some colourful backgrounds!