The Cruise Report With Cruise Specialists Cruise Reporter Ralph Grizzle

Editor’s Note: This interview (recently updated) originally appeared in the winter 2006 issue of The Avid Cruiser.

On the day before Valentine’s Day, during staff introductions to an audience of Holland America Line passengers, the 39-year-old captain of the Oosterdam went down on his knee to propose to the ship’s guest relations manager, the soon-to-be Pam van Donselaar.

In a true “Love Boat” moment, the captain says, “I compared myself to Captain Stubing and compared Pam with Julie (McCoy, the ‘Love Boat’s’ Cruise Director) and said that because officers and crew spend so much of their year on a ship that this was very likely the environment where they would meet their future partners in life.”

She said yes, the audience applauded, and in July the couple married in Vancouver. Ah, “Love … exciting and new.”

Now at the helm of Holland America Line’s new Eurodam, Jeroen van Donselaar is one of the cruise industry’s youngest captains.  Read more... (1859 words, 2 images, estimated 7:26 mins reading time)

Next week, Holland America Line introduces Eurodam, the first of its new Signature-class of vessels. In anticipation for the event — and this new class of vessel for Holland America Line, this story looks back at a similar introduction five years ago. Be sure to tune in next week for inaugural events from the new Eurodam.

Rotterdam, July 2003 — Holland America Line designed a ship for me. I’m not kidding, and I could hardly believe what I was hearing as I sat at a press conference and listened to company executives talk about their new Vista-class vessels. This series broke the mold for the venerable company whose ships have been so popular among the line’s alumni that there had not been a major design change for a decade.  Read more... (1424 words, 3 images, estimated 5:42 mins reading time)

Ship: Noordam

Maiden Voyage: February 22, 2006

Best Of Class: Noordam is a “perfect ship,” said a young Filipino steward as I boarded. Perhaps she’s “perfect” because Holland America Line had the experience of building three sister vessels that preceded Noordam: Zuiderdam, introduced in 2002, to Oosterdam (2003), to Westerdam (2004) and finally Noordam.  Read more... (730 words, 5 images, estimated 2:55 mins reading time)

Given the skewed the valuation between the U.S. dollar and the Euro, it’s unusual to hear the words “Europe” and “good value” mentioned in the same sentence. But those words were in frequent use on a recent 14-night Mediterranean cruise on Azamara Quest.

The reason was twofold: First, a cruise represents a bargain proposition when compared to other modes of travel and accommodations within Europe. The cruise lines’ oft-repeated mantra is that paying in U.S. dollars for goods and services onboard isolates travelers from the higher costs in Euros ashore.  Read more... (1251 words, 39 images, estimated 5:00 mins reading time)

Crystal Symphony anchored off the coast of Taormina, on the island of Sicily, Italy.

Near sunset in the Mediterranean Sea on Crystal Symphony.

There are few spots more enjoyable than on the aft deck of a cruise ship. Crystal Symphony leaves a trail of soft wake as she cruises the Mediterranean Sea in search of her next port of call.

June 30, 200 nautical miles east of the Bahamas — The Crown Princess’ sleek hull slices the Atlantic Ocean’s gentle swells as our ship makes its way back to New York. Crown Princess departed Brooklyn’s cruise terminal last Friday morning, and here, on our return one week later, passengers are intent on savoring the last two days of a nine-day cruise.  Read more... (1061 words, 1 image, estimated 4:15 mins reading time)

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If the lousy exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Euro has you thinking twice about traveling to Europe, you may want to think again. And this time, think river cruising.  Read more... (326 words, 1 image, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)

Marigot, Saint Marten, 6 a.m. — The engines are quietly rumbling as Wind Surf makes her way into the snug harbor on the French side of St. Martin. Rising from my bed, I pull back the curtains to peer out of the portholes, only a few feet above the waterline. Across the rippling water are sailboats bobbing in the harbor, and behind them, layers of verdant hills and the rosy tint of the morning sky. Morning has broken in Marigot.  Read more... (1098 words, 7 images, estimated 4:24 mins reading time)