Thanks to Photo Manager Gokhan Susoy for sending in these photos from Noordam’s 140th Anniversary celebrations.

On the last day of our Passage to the Far East voyage, we said goodbye to our guests with a beautiful display of authentic Indonesian art, a rickshaw we brought from Bali and an Indonesian buffet presented by the lido team.

Guests Jan and Dick Yetke set sail on Prinsendam’s 64-day Grand Mediterranean Voyage in March, and we’ve just received these wonderful posts. We’ll starting from the beginning so you don’t miss anything, and we’ll catch up as quickly as possible. Enjoy the journey with Jan and Dick! We hope you had a wonderful Happy Easter,…   read more of “Cruise Diary:…”

On April 21 the crew of the ms Veendam took the concept of “Cruise With a Purpose” literally in their own hands. Cruise with a Purpose is a designation given to shore excursions that give back to the community or serve a higher purpose than entertainment, and today the crew of the Veendam did just…   read more of “Together we Can…”

Noel Bell, HAL guest and frequent blog contributor, is on Noordam for 21 days and is sharing with us photos from his trip. Here are beautiful photos taken during his overnight call at Venice, Italy. One of the most romantic cities in Europe, Venice provides wonderful scenery, excellent architecture & classic artwork. From gondola’s and…   read more of “Photo Diary:…”

Every cruise Hotel Director Marco van Belleghem holds a presentation on photography onboard the ship called “The World Through a Camera Lens.” The presentation is held in the Queen’s Lounge and it’s a very popular activity. During the presentation Marco explains about the technical aspects of photography as well as shares his own images. An…   read more of “Photography…”

Recently ms Zaandam and ms Statendam met in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This gave me the opportunity to meet and share experiences and ideas from the new On Location* program Mexico with Alphonse, Statendam’s beverage manager. The ideas, laughter and camaraderie flowed through the short time we were together as we had to return to…   read more of “Two Beverage…”

Working on the Bridge in this age of technology, our days are filled with electronics and automation. It is refreshing to know that our deck officers are still able to obtain a position by celestial observations. In fact, it is still a requirement for aspiring deck officers to prove their proficiency before getting their license….   read more of “Officers Navigate…”