Room steward Franciskus must have heard about the zip-lining

Inside Passage, Alaska

Last night the comedian Julie Barr performed in the Mondriaan Lounge and we were reliably informed that she was very funny and I’m sorry we missed the show.

But our zip-lining recovery dinner with new-found friends Richard and Sheila was very entertaining too…

As we head south there are fewer snowy peaks and more wooded slopes, boats and ships pass by occasionally, and it’s hard to believe this is our last day.

Our group had an informal Q&A session with Zaandam’s Captain van Schoonhoven and Hotel Manager Henk Hoekstra and we learned some fascinating things about running the “small village”.

For example, as well as having two doctors and two nurses on board in the “ER-type facility”, the captain and chief officer are required to have a Master’s Medical Care certificate; Captain van Schoonhoven personally checks all the Elemis toiletries on every embarkation inspection; and the biggest challenge on board a ship is the plumbing system.

People have been known to throw all sorts of things down the toilets, including food, golf balls, clothing and even a pair of thongs (sandal-type thongs, not knickers).

On a more serious note, we discussed safety procedures post-Concordia; the Captain said nothing has changed on Zaandam because HAL’s procedures were already of a very high standard – other than that he is now “more strict” in his announcements and that in passenger briefing material it clearly states that if a passenger does not comply with safety procedures the captain will execute his right to eject that passenger from the ship.

While Captain van Schoonhoven hasn’t (yet) had to do that himself some of his colleagues have.

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