Hi everyone,
I'm excited to be able to share with you an 'album' by my Neptunes trio from the Ryndam, which was recorded towards the end of my last contract.
Many hours were spent going through the recordings (we had nearly 80 hours!) so this is only a taster, mainly focusing on the 'jazzier' side of our repertoire (believe me, slow waltzes aren't that fun to listen to). I hope you enjoy our 'album' and as a special bonus, I've also included a new video of some lovely couples dancing to our performance of 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered'.
I'll be back at the start of September as I embark on Cruise #2 starting with Alaska!
Neptunes - Ryndam Oct 2010 - April 2011 by Peter Piano
Friday, 1 July 2011
Friday, 29 April 2011
Ryndam Part 2 - My final post of this Cruise!
Welcome back! You won't be hearing from me for some time now but I'll be back in September as I set sail on the Zuiderdam for Alaska and the Panama Canal. But for now, enjoy some pictures of life on the Ryndam (part 2) and watch The Neptunes perform a tune for your delectation!
We'll start with some shots of the outside of the Ryndam, before moving inside.
Above: The Ryndam, docked at Key West's Mallory Square. This photo was taken from the top of the Key West Shipwreck Museum.
Above: The front face of the Ryndam, taken from the Bow on Deck 7 in Honduras.
Above: A life raft (which can hold 25 crew members) dangles from Deck 7. You can see a lifeboat (for passengers) in the background. Shot taken in Jamaica.
Above: The Lido Pool area on Deck 11 (taken in Jamaica).
Above: The tennis court on Deck 11. Basketball court was situated on the other side of the funnel.
Above: Deck chairs line the Lower Promenade Deck (Deck 6).
Moving inside now, there are many more spaces on the Ryndam which I haven't shown you. Here are a few:
Above: The Lido restaurant - the self-service buffet restaurant on Deck 10. Other Restaurants included the Rotterdam Dining Room (table service), Canaletto (Italian) and Pinnacle Grill (very posh).
Above: A shot of the Showroom at Sea, the Ryndam's main theatre.
Above: An atmospheric shot of the Showroom at Sea during the New Year's Eve celebrations.
We'll take a dive down to Deck 3 now to show you a few more photos from crew areas.
Above: The main corridor which runs the entire length of Deck 3. The elevators in the foreground are for passengers when the ship is docked (as the gangway is located on Deck 3).
Above: The corridor which my cabin was situated on (second on the right). The narrowness shocked me when I first arrived but you soon get used to it. These corridors run at right angles off the main Deck 3 corridor, one on each side, spanning the entire width of the ship.
Let's head back up to passenger areas now, specifically Deck 8 where most of the entertainment took place.
Above: Barry from Boston, entertains the crowds in the Piano Bar.
Above: The Adagio Strings serenade passengers.
Above: Gregg, the Solo Guitarist performing.
Above: The HALCats performing at the New Year's Eve party.
Above: The Neptunes (us!) with Arran, the HALCats Band Leader, who sat in with us regularly.
Many of the musicians on the ships were on shorter contracts than my 6 months, so I saw many come and go including 4 solo pianist, 3 string quartets, 2 solo guitarists and MANY HALCats players!
I'll leave you with a short video of the Neptunes performing Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again'. More video content will be posted on Facebook and YouTube. Thank you for reading my blog and I'll be in touch in September. Stay tuned!
We'll start with some shots of the outside of the Ryndam, before moving inside.
Above: The Ryndam, docked at Key West's Mallory Square. This photo was taken from the top of the Key West Shipwreck Museum.
Above: The front face of the Ryndam, taken from the Bow on Deck 7 in Honduras.
Above: A life raft (which can hold 25 crew members) dangles from Deck 7. You can see a lifeboat (for passengers) in the background. Shot taken in Jamaica.
Above: The Lido Pool area on Deck 11 (taken in Jamaica).
Above: The tennis court on Deck 11. Basketball court was situated on the other side of the funnel.
Above: Deck chairs line the Lower Promenade Deck (Deck 6).
Moving inside now, there are many more spaces on the Ryndam which I haven't shown you. Here are a few:
Above: The Lido restaurant - the self-service buffet restaurant on Deck 10. Other Restaurants included the Rotterdam Dining Room (table service), Canaletto (Italian) and Pinnacle Grill (very posh).
Above: A shot of the Showroom at Sea, the Ryndam's main theatre.
Above: An atmospheric shot of the Showroom at Sea during the New Year's Eve celebrations.
We'll take a dive down to Deck 3 now to show you a few more photos from crew areas.
Above: The main corridor which runs the entire length of Deck 3. The elevators in the foreground are for passengers when the ship is docked (as the gangway is located on Deck 3).
Above: The corridor which my cabin was situated on (second on the right). The narrowness shocked me when I first arrived but you soon get used to it. These corridors run at right angles off the main Deck 3 corridor, one on each side, spanning the entire width of the ship.
Let's head back up to passenger areas now, specifically Deck 8 where most of the entertainment took place.
Above: Barry from Boston, entertains the crowds in the Piano Bar.
Above: The Adagio Strings serenade passengers.
Above: Gregg, the Solo Guitarist performing.
Above: The HALCats performing at the New Year's Eve party.
Above: The Neptunes (us!) with Arran, the HALCats Band Leader, who sat in with us regularly.
Many of the musicians on the ships were on shorter contracts than my 6 months, so I saw many come and go including 4 solo pianist, 3 string quartets, 2 solo guitarists and MANY HALCats players!
I'll leave you with a short video of the Neptunes performing Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again'. More video content will be posted on Facebook and YouTube. Thank you for reading my blog and I'll be in touch in September. Stay tuned!
Monday, 25 April 2011
Costa Maya - Mexico
Costa Maya is a small tourist region in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, the only state with Caribbean Sea. The area is generally undeveloped but has been growing quickly after construction of a large pier to accommodate cruise ships. Costa Maya includes two small villages − Mahahual and Xcalak and extends physically from Xcalak in the south to the southern border of the Sian Ka'an in the north, a distance of approximately 100 km.
Above: Costa Maya Plaza with ships in the background.
The Costa Maya terminal complex is another self-enclosed area, complete with swimming pools, bars and shopping.
Above: Costa Maya fountain and replica tower.
Above: The many air conditioning units that entice passengers into the cool shops.
Mahahual is a five minute taxi ride away and contains a long strip of beautiful beach which is divided up into different areas, owned by different bars and shops across the pathway.
Above: Ships from Mahahual beach.
Above: The beach pathway at Mahahual.
As well as the Kohunlich Mayan excursion which I've already blogged about, I also went power snorkelling in Costa Maya. We boarded an open-air transport for the short trip to the beach.
Above: Power snorkel transport.
It was very windy (and therefore rough) on the day we did the power snorkelling so people were getting bumped into very spiky coral. The underwater scooters were fun though:
Above: The underwater scooter and beach which we snorkelled from.
I'll leave you with a picture of a Dolphin show at the Costa Maya complex, with the Ryndam and the Nieuw Amsterdam in the background. I'll be back with the final few blogs (including video of the Neptunes) soon!
Above: Costa Maya Plaza with ships in the background.
The Costa Maya terminal complex is another self-enclosed area, complete with swimming pools, bars and shopping.
Above: Costa Maya fountain and replica tower.
Above: The many air conditioning units that entice passengers into the cool shops.
Mahahual is a five minute taxi ride away and contains a long strip of beautiful beach which is divided up into different areas, owned by different bars and shops across the pathway.
Above: Ships from Mahahual beach.
Above: The beach pathway at Mahahual.
As well as the Kohunlich Mayan excursion which I've already blogged about, I also went power snorkelling in Costa Maya. We boarded an open-air transport for the short trip to the beach.
Above: Power snorkel transport.
It was very windy (and therefore rough) on the day we did the power snorkelling so people were getting bumped into very spiky coral. The underwater scooters were fun though:
Above: The underwater scooter and beach which we snorkelled from.
I'll leave you with a picture of a Dolphin show at the Costa Maya complex, with the Ryndam and the Nieuw Amsterdam in the background. I'll be back with the final few blogs (including video of the Neptunes) soon!
Roatán - Honduras
Roatán is an island located off the north coast of Honduras and home to pristine beaches, jungle-covered hills and a unique reef system. The most populous town of the island is Coxen Hole, capital of Roatán municipality, located in the southwest. Other important towns include French Harbour, West End, and Oak Ridge, the capital of Jose Santos Guardiola municipality.
When visiting Roatán the Ryndam docked at the Mahogany Bay Cruise Centre, a $62 million complex, created by Carnival Corporation and Roatán businessman Jerry Hynds. The centre encompasses 20 acres of waterfront property and includes a two-berth cruise terminal.
Above: The sign welcoming you to the Cruise Centre
Above: Mahogany Bay Cruise Centre from the top of the complex
Above: Mahogany Bay Cruise Centre in HDR!
Above: The Ryndam behind the central fountain at the complex
Above: The Ryndam parked at Mahogany Bay
There is a chairlift at the complex entitled Magical Flying Beach Chairs which takes passengers to Mahogany Beach - another part of the cruise centre.
Above: The view back at the complex from the chairlift.
Above: Mahogany Bay Beach
But once again, to discover the authentic Roatán, one must venture beyond the confines of this artificial complex. I did this on several occasions, including on a tour to the other side of the island.
Above: The lush hills of Roatán
Above: We were treated to an authentic dance at a resort on the tour
Above: The beach at the resort on our tour
I'll leave you with a video of the 'Magical Flying Beach Chairs' at Mahogany Bay. Coming up next: Costa Maya!
When visiting Roatán the Ryndam docked at the Mahogany Bay Cruise Centre, a $62 million complex, created by Carnival Corporation and Roatán businessman Jerry Hynds. The centre encompasses 20 acres of waterfront property and includes a two-berth cruise terminal.
Above: The sign welcoming you to the Cruise Centre
Above: Mahogany Bay Cruise Centre from the top of the complex
Above: Mahogany Bay Cruise Centre in HDR!
Above: The Ryndam behind the central fountain at the complex
Above: The Ryndam parked at Mahogany Bay
There is a chairlift at the complex entitled Magical Flying Beach Chairs which takes passengers to Mahogany Beach - another part of the cruise centre.
Above: The view back at the complex from the chairlift.
Above: Mahogany Bay Beach
But once again, to discover the authentic Roatán, one must venture beyond the confines of this artificial complex. I did this on several occasions, including on a tour to the other side of the island.
Above: The lush hills of Roatán
Above: We were treated to an authentic dance at a resort on the tour
Above: The beach at the resort on our tour
I'll leave you with a video of the 'Magical Flying Beach Chairs' at Mahogany Bay. Coming up next: Costa Maya!
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