StartrainDD

For entertainment and lots of activities Celebrity is a better choice. For food in main dining HAL is a better choice, although Celebrity is perfectly fine. Fully agree with terrydix that HAL's specialty restaurant(s) are a better value than X. We don't do X's any longer, as nice as they are. HAL is not what it used to be but if you've not cruised with them before you wouldn't miss the things I miss.

Thank you for your detailed posts. We board on March 17 with friends on their first cruise. We typically don't go to the buffet in the evening, although I will say I love your 'eat at the sunset bar' posts!

George, by chance are you doing a Patrick Watts tour in the Falklands? If so, we would be very interested in your tendering report. Enjoy Punta Arenas and Ushuaia!

We bought extra FC on our last Silhouette cruise and were able to 'gift' one of those to friends who are joining us in March. The thing is, that the friends must book using the same TA as the FC is assigned to, (or direct with X if the booking is with X). So if your friends were using a different TA that could be the issue.

Looking forward to seeing you again next April! Merry Christmas!😃

Exactly right.

Understood. I just thought you might have observed what was happening (announcements, etc.) Thank you!

Thank you for your reports! We would be interested to hear how the disembarkation seems to go in San Antonio as we will be disembarking there in January. We have a private group transfer set up and are struggling with the time to tell the tour guide.

This MAY be a technology thing. Nieuw Statendam should be (almost) the latest technology while older ships may not be able to differentiate? Interesting...

Yes, still reading! As we were sailing away from Funchal I caught this rainbow. All the best!

Interesting conversation. I admit to some confusion. HAL says their OBC is not usable in the casino. However, do charges against your account not burn up OBC first? We would love to use some of our OBC to play roulette (hopefully the casino has some smoke-free evenings). We do that on Celebrity all the time.

For years when I would call tech support at work they would ask "Did you try rebooting your computer?" Same thought here. BUT, when this happens when you are on a cruise with their super internet, this doesn't work so well! 🙂

Hi Abby! Have you tried deleting and re-installing the ap? Sometimes it just takes clearing out the rubbish.

We were on the Silhouette trans-Atlantic. Talked with our dinner waiter one night about burgers. He said the burgers at the mast grille, Oceanview, and in the dining room at lunch are all "Purchased." The burgers made on board are at the specialty restaurants. He did not mention Blu or Luminae.

Greetings Celebrity cruisers! My log/review of the Silhouette cruise ending yesterday has been published. Here is the link: Celebrity Silhouette Review by One thing I didn't mention in my summary was how much we enjoyed catching various 'talks' on the cabin TV. HAL didn't offer that on our August trip, on a NEW ship. I asked about it and the response "We are not set up to do that." Strange that Celebrity can do it and even HAL's sister line, Princess, does it, on older ships. All the best!

We are also on this cruise and the roll call. Everything you need related to 'toiletries' are provided. Not sure if the Silhouette has the dispensers on the shower wall or if they are still the small bottles. DW brings her own, but I find the provided ones to be fine. Hair dryer is there waiting for you too!

We have played with the promo chips (roulette) and the croupier is happy to change the $5 chip for singles so you can play individual numbers. There is a $5 minimum bet (at most times) but it can be spread over several numbers or number groups. We are also able to 'redeem' the promo chips from the cashier $55 at a time. We have $600 ($660 with the bonus) purchased for our upcoming T/A, but we will most likely play $55 at a time.

The Ocean Bar is a strange design. It is long and narrow. The band is at one end, the bar at the other. Half-way down there is a wall that closes off about 75% of the width. I do not recall any kind of dance floor. Also, the Ocean Bar band only plays on some days. If they are playing as musicians for a World Stage show that evening, they don't play. Believe they also get other 'days off.' Just my opinion but what we heard in the Ocean Bar was not really dance music.

We had hoped to meet you as I have followed your adventures, but with our different dining times I know we were on different schedules.

Folks were dancing in BB Kings and sometimes at Rolling Stone. There is not really a 'dance floor' at Billboard but at times a few folks found some space between tables. From January to February this years masks were "Mandated" and the website clearly said so. We did not cruise. The mandate was lifted in early March with much public fanfare (similar to the current lifting of Vacc requirements). "Recommended" is exactly what wdw1972 said above. All the best!

We did have terrific weather when on shore nearly all the time. The ship was pretty 'brutal' with the quarantine from what I have heard. They required ten days after the positive test, allegedly because "That is what Canada requires." Folks did report that room service took good care of them, but still...

Summary below! Saturday, August 27, disembarkation and travel home We set the alarm for 5:30 as we had agreed to meet in the lido at 6:45 for breakfast and for me to return the jump drives with photo files. We actually arrived early in the lido and our Florida friends were already there. We were about finished with breakfast at 6:45 and our new friends arrived and I gave them their newly purchased thumb drive with the files. We made a quick stop at the Dutch Cafe for a drip coffee and a farewell almond cookie. On our way to breakfast at 6:30 we noticed the crew seemed to be setting up a checkpoint on deck one for a gangway. Now at 7:05 folks were lining up at deck 2 where ribbons had been put into place for a line. There were still crew members on deck one and I asked if this would be a disembarkation gangway. They told me again “Listen for the announcement.” I told them that folks were lining up on deck two and again “Listen for the announcement.” By the time of that announcement at about 8:30 AM (instead of 7:30) there was likely half the ship's passengers in a long line that stretched back from mid-ship to the showroom. So we got into line at 7:10 on deck 2. 7:30 came and went and nothing. The line is now past Billboard. About 7:45 the cruise director said 'the ship is not cleared' and 'thank you for your patience.' In the meantime, I texted our Uber driver to let him know we were delayed. He said okay, keep him informed. Problem is where the line is there is no signal. We lost the Uber ride and incurred a $28.00 cancellation fee. Thank you Nieuw Statendam! Don't tell passengers they can walk off at 7:30 if 7:30 is not going to happen. At 8:20 we watch four US Customs officers come on board. Yet once we were allowed to disembark, there was no customs or passport check of any kind. Finally at about 8:35 the line began moving. Once we reached the gangway we saw the folks from deck one having a much easier time with their luggage as they had almost a level gangway, while we were all struggling with quite an angle and 120 pounds of luggage.) Outdoors at last, we entered a taxi line. Perhaps 15 minutes later we were in a taxi headed to Logan airport. IN THE MEANTIME, I received a text that our (sold out) connecting flight from Newark to Palm Beach had been canceled. I left the line to find a better signal and United could not get us back to Palm Beach today. We absolutely did not want to deal with a hotel stay. They offered options to Fort Lauderdale so we took the earliest of those, a flight from Boston to Washington Dulles and then connecting to Fort Lauderdale getting there about 8:30 in the evening. Then it will be a costly Uber/Lyft ride to our friends home in Jupiter to pick up our car and drive home. Additionally, United got another $118 out of us to buy two one day United Club passes. With nearly five hours to kill at Logan airport, that seemed an investment that was needed. The United Club at Logan is very nice and mostly quiet and spacious. As the day went on the club did become a little busier but it was never crowded. Our flight to Washington took off on time. Right after getting off at Dulles we passed a Chick-Fil-A so we stopped to order “Lunch” and took it with us to our next gate, just a few minutes away. Our flight to Fort Lauderdale left just a few minutes late. One of the flight attendants must have been sitting nearby when I was talking to my father on the phone, and he told us we could use the Tri-Rail to get back to PBI. I checked the schedule and the problem is we would have to wait two hours for the next train as it doesn't run often on the weekend. He also invited us to sit in a vacant exit row seat, a very appreciated gesture. Summary and conclusion: The two previous post restart cruises we have taken on Holland and Princess have been fraught with problems. Our four post restart Celebrity cruises have overall been outstanding. They have handled the restart much better than the CCL brands we sail. This cruise was 'better' than the prior HAL cruise however it still leaves much room for improvement to regain the HAL that we fell in love with in 2009. The fact that the HAL website said (and still says) that “Masks are recommended but not required” did not seem to make any difference to the captain and upper management of the Nieuw Statendam. Upon arrival at the pier for embarkation we were informed that masks are required at all times indoors except when eating or drinking. We ended up constantly, always, with food or drink nearby. I'm sure our scale won't appreciate this when we dare to step on it. Despite this, we were told a few times that there was “An increase in cases” but no numbers are ever given. We heard the captain was asked this specifically and his response was “We do not release that information.” But if there is an increase in cases I suppose that just shows that masks don't work very well when used in this fashion. During the period of this cruise Holland America (and other cruise lines) made a big deal with press releases of the elimination of vaccination requirements beginning in September. WHAT? You are forcing your guests on a relatively expensive sailing to wear masks and at the same time you are inviting those who are not vaccinated to join cruises beginning just weeks from this? There is certainly a disconnect here, you can't have it both ways. Back to the cruise experience. Honestly, overall the dining room service was the best we have ever had on a cruise. Thanks to our dining room host from March, Wayan, for making sure we had a nice table with a terrific wait team. The seafood selections in the dining room were also the best we've ever enjoyed. So kudos to the staff on this. Our stateroom team was terrific. I made a few requests upon embarkation and they were all attended to throughout the cruise. The “Music walk” entertainment was the highest quality we've seen, especially the Billboard duo of Gabe and Megan. The Dutch cafe is terrific and I just wish they offered a few healthier menu options so DW could get something to eat there. On the other hand, the 'enrichment' talks are not put on the TV for folks to watch at their leisure. I don't understand why not. Every talk was to a standing room only crowd in the World Stage. This was not so much because of the quality of the talks but rather that there was little else to do during the sea days. We did not attend the talks as we enjoyed playing our game and thus providing our own entertainment while keeping food and drink nearby. However, it would have been nice to listen on the TV while getting ready for the day or the evening as we always do on Celebrity or Princess. Entertainment in the World stage is pretty poor. There were some enjoyable shows but also others not worth the time. The comedian Andrew Grose offended me and many folks I call friends as well as making it seem like Americans know nothing about their northern neighbor. Why is Karaoke considered main stage entertainment? Then on other evenings there was nothing offered in the World stage at all, on other nights a movie, and two nights of BBC Earth, which is nice to see but basically just a TV show on steroids. The embarkation debacle might not have been 100% Holland's responsibility but they could have done more to help guests tolerate the delay. The disembarkation debacle is without excuse. They certainly should know the situation at Boston as that is a home port for them. Don't tell their guests that disembarkation begins at 7:30 and have it begin more than an hour later. I took photos with my phone of the line we were in and the completely jammed BB Kings lounge at about 8:20. The cruise director, Betty Ann, was the most invisible cruise director we've ever (not) seen. I was joking about half-way through the cruise that her announcements could have been recorded in Seattle as at that point we had never seen her except at the Captain's welcome. Even at some of the main stage shows she never introduced the performers or made any post-show announcements about the upcoming day's activities (perhaps because there were so few?). There was no mariner's lunch, no mariner's recognition event, and pretty much nothing special setting apart this 24 day sailing from any run of the mill seven day cruise. Our cabin, #1111, is one of four squarish-shaped inside cabins on the main deck. It is spacious and is in a tremendous location. I would book that cabin again in a heartbeat however I have no intentions at this time of sailing again on this class ship. There is some kind of crew area behind the cabin and we did hear noises from time to time, but it was not enough to trouble us. We've seen the standard inside cabins and they are tiny and we would not consider them at all. Even the standard balcony cabins (which we have stayed in on Koningsdam) are tight with barely room to walk between the bed and the TV wall. My cruise rating is only talking about the on-board experience (including embarkation and disembarkation). Every cruise starts off in my book as five stars. So the subtractions for this sailing of the Nieuw Statendam are: -1 for forcing the guests to wear masks. -1 for poor entertainment in the World stage and very little diversions on sea days and the lack of all mariner's events. -1 for the embarkation and disembarkation debacles. Then we add back +0.5 for the incredible service of the hard working crew for a final rating of 2.5 stars out of five.

Thursday, August 25, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada We've been to Halifax twice before. The last time our guide was Paul McNeil, of Halifax Historical Titanic Tours and years ago when we first booked this trip I contacted Paul. Our friends have not been here before. Paul offers a “South Shore” tour that includes Peggy's Cove lighthouse (where we have been) but also many other sights we have not seen, so that is what we set up. I set the alarm for 6:30. I went for coffee & tea at the Dutch cafe and brought it back to the cabin. I noticed the first opening in the fog while I was waiting at the cafe. On the TV cam I saw that the Zaandam was directly behind us heading towards the Halifax docks. Met our friends in the lido at about 7:40. It seemed like we stopped moving in the middle of the channel which seemed strange. When we looked outdoors we noticed we were actually docked, but the Zaandam had the 'better' pier (the one with all the shops). We headed to the cabin to get our bag for the day and went up to deck two where the gangway was set up. Folks weren't yet getting off but we got in line and soon enough it was moving. During breakfast I received a text fro Paul McNeil telling us of the terminal change and exactly where to find him. That was terrific. We met Paul at about 8:35 and the other party of four were right behind us. The last two were perhaps ten minutes later, but he walks with a cane so it just took them longer to reach the meeting point. Then we were off on the trip to Lunenberg. Lunenberg is a UNESCO world heritage site, as the best preserved example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America, still having the same layout as designed in 1753. The waterfront and marina is delightful and we enjoyed the beautiful sunshine while walking around. Then we went up the main street incline and found a lovely little coffee bar where we enjoyed a break and beverage of choice. We then walked the main shopping street taking a look at a few sidewalk sales before turning left and heading back to the waterfront. All the while we were shooting photos of the colorful houses. Paul had told us that the houses need to be repainted every two or three years as the fog and salt really attacks the paint. Most of the homes look good from a distance but when you move closer you can see the paint deterioration. Also, many of the building have placards telling which family lived there in the past, who built the house and when. We were to meet by 12:30 and everyone was back a little early. Paul provided cold water bottles and we moved on to Mahone Bay. We made a brief stop in Mahone Bay to take photos of the five churches all clustered together just off the waterfront. I hope they come out nicely. From there we drove on to Peggy's Cove, stopping at a few photographic points along the way. At Peggy's Cove Paul told us where the “Best lobster rolls he has ever eaten” can be purchased. So after viewing the lighthouse and the granite stones it is built on, we walked over to the lobster shack. We agree this was the best lobster roll by far that we have ever enjoyed. No filler, just lobster meat with a small amount of seasoning and butter on a toasted roll. We left Peggy's Cove just before 3:00 and Paul dropped us back at the cruise ship terminal at 3:55 for our 4:30 all aboard. Perfect timing on the day all around. Back on board we made a stop at the dutch cafe for some cold beverages and then freshened up for dinner. Dinner was very nice with several great options. The “NY Cut” Prime Rib was outstanding. The Beer-battered shrimp was good. Everyone enjoyed their selections. We will certainly miss our wait team of Hendrika, Oka, Juli (dining room host), Edward (sommelier) and Alan (beverage server). After dinner we made a few stops and then found seats in Billboard to listen to the rock group across the hall and then an “All request” set from Gabe and Megan. At the end of their set they thanked everyone for always filling up the lounge and said that the various requests they received led them to learn fifty new (to them) songs during the cruise. They are on the main stage with the dance company the next (and last) evening. We talked with our friends awhile and then called it a night, changing our watches for the last time this cruise. Friday, August 26, Bar Harbor, Maine We woke to fog. More fog. Guess this cruise will be known as the “Fog cruise #2.” I went to get coffee and tea and we met folks in the lido. We also have to see US Customs before getting off the ship today. That went exceedingly well. We were on the very first tender over (a super-large local tender / sightseeing boat) along with the photographers. We stopped at Ollie's Trolley where our friends had booked the 10:00 AM tour, arriving at about 9:30. We walked the town. Bar Harbor looks really good. Some of the older buildings are either gone or fully restored, as everything looks very clean and tidy. We found a few shops where I finally found nice long sleeve T's, and they even had pockets. Then DW found a long sleeve Puffin T. During our shopping it began to rain. The rain did not make the fog go away though. When we were outdoors it did not rain hard. About 11:00 we went back to the tender port to return to the ship to pack. The two big suitcases done at 49+ pounds each, we took a break for a lido lunch at 12:30. It was not busy as many folks are ashore. I downloaded all the photos from two of our cameras and my phone onto the computer for later sharing. Then we returned to the cabin to pack the photo equipment and the small amount of clothes that need laundering. They will be in a carry-on (which we hope to check). We went back out and had a last “Cherry Beer” at the Dutch cafe. Then we moved over to the Ocean bar to listen to the band. I left a note for our friends and they met us there. Seems like the Navigator text message system is on the fritz, no messages are reaching me or our friends, even though the ap shows they are sent. This is the last evening of the cruise and we have no complaints about the service staff on the Nieuw Statendam. In fact, the dining staff and stateroom staff are at the top of the list. We don't feel that way about the upper management, however. We did prepare thank you envelopes for the folks that have served us so graciously for 24 days. We will always remember Hendrika, Oka, Juli, William, Deden & Sumbri. The bar server Tao helped lighten up the wait time (which was never too long) for beverages. After dinner we went to the show. This is the show that should have been on the final dress up night. Billboard's Gabe and Megan headlined a show that included the dance company in the World stage. This was terrific and at the end they again thanked everyone for coming to their performances and they received a mostly standing ovation. We went up to one of out deck 10 “Catan” tables to share photos. Well, we have thousands of photos and this took a while, so I ended up letting the copying of files run while we went to bed. I also stopped at the front desk to cash out most of our refundable OBC and while it took them a while I did walk away with a nice sum of cash. I also asked what deck disembarkation would be on and the standard “Listen for the announcement” line was given.

Monday, August 22, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada I was up early to get photos of our sail-in to St. John's. This is a natural harbor and the cut in the mountains allowing entry is quite something to see. A lighthouse and old fortifications are also part of the attraction. Upon passing through the harbor there was an older cruise ship berthed and a USCG ship that looked a lot like the ship our son had been previously posted on. Sure enough, it was the USCG Cutter Bear, and once we arrived I took a few photos and sent them to him. We met our friends up in the lido and decided to leave the ship early to explore some of the city on foot before our scheduled 9:30 tour meeting at the ALT hotel, which we saw directly adjacent to the ship's berth. After leaving the gangway there was an information table set up with city maps, a historic walking tour map, and little “Newfoundland” pins. We were given one of each by the friendly volunteer. I will say that everyone in St. John's made us feel very welcome. We hit the highlights of the walking tour which was quite enjoyable, ending at the ALT at 9:20. In a few minutes a full size school bus pulled up to take us to our Puffin and Whale watching adventure on Gatherall's Boat Tours. It was a 30-40 minute ride mostly south to the cute community of Bay Bulls. The bus was less than half-full, and I believe everyone on the bus was from the ship. Gatheralls had clean restrooms and a very nice gift and snack shop. We got in line to board the boat and were glad we did as we were able to get aft seats on the open upper deck. How many were on the boat? I don't know but I will say that we never felt crowded. We saw another tour boat with a green hull that just looked packed with people, and it seemed much more affected by the sea motion than our blue ship. We stopped before even leaving the harbor as a young bald eagle (not yet 'bald') was enjoying the sunshine on a rock outcropping. Then we made our way to the bird island where we were told 360,000 puffins enjoy the summer, in addition to over a million other sea birds. Well, we sure did see puffins! I hope at least a few of the photos are sharp. They fly incredibly fast and their wings almost see like large hummingbirds. They love to just sit on the ocean waves occasionally diving down for food. We also saw at least a dozen bald eagles circling above the islands and again I hope at least one or two of those photos are good. At one point a crew member spotted a whale's blow and the ship headed off in that direction. That whale never did resurface but on our way back we did see a Humpback Whale and my friend and I both appear to have successfully shot a sequence of photos including the tail. Along the way the crew entertained us with songs of the sea and one lucky (?) young person was “Screetched” and thus made an honorary Newfoundlander. All in all, this was a 10 of a tour, and I will be sure to post a trip advisor review once back home. Back at the ALT at about 1:30 we all decided to head back to the ship. We had a light lunch followed by the dutch cafe apple pie. Three of us played two rounds of Catan on the aft lido deck outdoors as it was a beautiful afternoon. Dinner in the dining room was terrific. I did not care much for the “Atlantic sea bass” and Hendrika insisted I try the pork medallions and they were quite good. We went to Billboard and were very disturbed to see that the ship closed off the seats by the pianos. We don't choose to sit up there anyway but really? There are four evenings left in the cruise. During this sailing Holland America has been issuing news releases touting their relaxed protocols and even the dropping of vaccination requirements for cruises starting the following month, and now they are further restricting access? There is insufficient seating in Billboard to begin with, with many people standing during the performance, and now they take another 16 (?) seats out of the available number? This just put a damper on the entire experience and it did not feel like the same excellent entertainment we've enjoyed thus far this cruise. Perhaps Gabe and Megan feel the same way, but we will never know. Near the end of the first set we called it a night as we have big plans that our friend put together for the next day. Tuesday, August 23, St. Pierre & Miquelon, France Our friend had set up two ferry boat charters for some 70 folks on the cruise critic roll call to go out to Sailor's island. The ship chartered the 9:00 boat and we chartered the 9:30 and 10:45 boats for 35 folks on each. So we met for breakfast up in the lido and as we were returning to our cabins at 7:45 we were asked by the tender folks if we were ready to go ashore. So five minutes later, before any “Ship is cleared” announcement was made, we were on the tender along with the ships photographers. Reaching shore we had quite the reception. A number of folks were at the tender dock offering maps, a schedule of events planned for the day, including folk dances and musical presentations, and small French flags. We found the way to the ferry dock, which was a little further than had been indicated. There we met the proprietor of the ferry and discussed boarding control using the 'tickets' (wristbands) we had given everyone and also paid him for their services. I went with the ladies to the tourist information office just down the street while my friend went back to the tender dock to guide folks to the ferry. At about 9:26 the ferry pulled in and everyone loaded on board. Two folks who were not part of our group had to leave the ferry as we would have then had too many passengers, but they could go on the next public ferry. We reached the island at about 9:45 and everyone had instructions to be at the ferry dock by 11:45 for the chartered return trip. Sailor's island is a living history place and we very much enjoyed everything about the time there except for the lack of good restroom facilities. We walked over to the ruins of the fort that once guarded the harbor. Several of the homes on the island are still used as summer homes, while others are part of the museum. Most interiors were not accessible. We were able to get into the building that housed the school as well as other displays, but the mold made it so DW could not stay inside as she is very sensitive to mold. The church is impressive for such a small community, and it is easily the largest building on the island. The interior and especially the altar area was very well done. We then walked the western loop back towards the ferry dock. Some folks from summer rentals were also there to ferry back to the mainland and that was a concern as we knew our group would fill the ferry, and we also had a 12:30 bus tour booked which meant we needed to be on the 11:45 chartered sailing. When the ferry arrived, the folks on board handled things well, and we all were on the ferry who needed to be on the ferry. The 12:30 bus ended up coming very early (but did not leave until late), so we had no time to look at the market. The bus tour was 'blah.' Truly there wasn't much to see and the one spot I would have liked them to stop for photos they didn't stop, I suppose as there was no place there to park the bus. The time would have been better spent walking the back streets of the town. The one thing we did learn is that the entire island is essentially a welfare state, with 65% of the population working for the government and the others involved in seasonal work. Costs are high but so are subsidies from France. At the end of the tour at about 2:10 we could get off in town or stay on the bus to be dropped at the tender pier. We all got off in town except for DW, who had an appointment on board at 3:00. She was brought (with others) directly to the tender pier where there was no wait for a tender. The rest of us looked over the market, walked up the hill to another shop, and then walked the waterfront back to the tenders. The colorful “Fish huts” near the tender pier contained a few history displays and a few were converted into bars / cafes for the day. Based on the number of empty bottles, we thought they had a pretty robust business. We were back on the tender at about 3:10. We all stopped at the Grand Dutch Cafe for a light late lunch and I discovered they had fruit based beers. The berry bear was pretty good. The men decided to visit the hot tubs which was very relaxing after walking all over Sailor's island. We had just enough time to get cleaned up for dinner and DW returned from her appointment at 5:05. Dinner was very enjoyable and the Arctic Ling Cod was superb, perhaps the best fish of the cruise. After dinner we went to the show, songstress Jamila. Her show was enjoyable however the first three numbers were performed to a soundtrack. I'm sorry, but that is basically karaoke and in our opinion not suitable for a main stage show. After the first three the Ocean Bar band came on stage and the remainder of the show was certainly more enjoyable. With Billboard being off we went and sat around a table at B B Kings. The B B Kings group is very talented. This is just not my kind of music (at least not the set they did!) and they are so loud it is not possible to have a conversation. After their set, we all agreed on plans for the next day, our last sea day, and called it a night despite gaining an hour overnight on the clock as we move to Atlantic Time. Wednesday August 24, at sea With no reason to get up early we still woke a little before 7:00 with the time change. I went to the dutch cafe for coffee & tea and ran into my friend there. We received a text from our new friend at 7:45 letting us know they were in the lido. We met them there shortly thereafter, with our other friends a little behind us. We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast. I ordered the 'fresh squeezed orange juice' and it was much better when poured into a full glass of ice. We were at the large oval table (there are only two of these) and stayed there to play Catan. We played two rounds and had a terrific time, staying through lunch until a little after 1:00. Then most of us changed and met at the main pool and hot tubs. At 1:45 the bar staff began a 'show' of sorts with juggling acts and demonstrations on cocktail preparation. I will say this was a fun thing to watch from the hot tubs. Note this is the 22nd day of the cruise and this was the first real poolside entertainment. After cleaning up DW and I went on a mission at the shops to find a way to utilize the remaining non-refundable OBC that we had on our account. With both gratuities and beverages included in our booking, there was little to spend OBC on during the cruise. We did find a few items and ended up within $10. over the total. We also have refundable OBC courtesy of our T/A, and that can be refunded at the end of the cruise, which we will then apply towards our next trip budget. We also stopped at the Dutch cafe and I tried the Cherry beer from Belgium. I liked it but it is not as good as the berry beer. We decided to visit the casino bar to see if they still had a certain wine, and they did. We asked for the wine in a good glass and the bartender complied. We sat there (first time the entire cruise we actually sat at a bar) and the bartender was looking rather strange. DW assured him we would not walk off with the glass. Then he told us “I guess you didn't know but a few days ago the captain ordered that no one sit at any of the bars.” Well, with that, we took our drinks and left. However, that really got me ticked off. There is no place else to sit in the casino except at a slot machine. There was virtually no one in the casino at 4:45 on a sea day. That also explains the 'closing off' of the seats around the piano in Billboard. These crazy restrictions just need to stop. During this cruise Holland America is issuing press releases touting the opening of cruises to non-vaccinated guests, and the continued relaxation of restrictions. The on-board reality however is that restrictions are increasing. Why they are bothering with this with only a few days left until the guests are leaving is a total mystery. We stopped in the cabin to finish getting ready for dress-up night dinner and went early to dinner to find the doors already open. I was still in a bit of a funk about being chased away from the bar. Dinner was very enjoyable however the “Gold Gala” dinner is not what it used to be. What used to be filet and lobster is now steak and shrimp. I ordered the “Red fish” with a few added shrimp. The Red fish was enjoyable however not as good as the prior day's Ling Cod. At dessert, in addition to our ordered desserts, Hendrika brought around a “Chocolate surprise,” a mousse topped with chocolate covered raisins and some colored chocolate. I suppose this is the “New” poor replacement for the former “Chocolate surprise” in all the bars and lounges later in the evening, which itself was a poor replacement for the former dessert extravaganza around the lido pool. Honestly, for a very high-priced cruise with a per Diem far above the HAL average, they certainly could have done more to make things special. Speaking of not making things special, what was the main stage show tonight? The dance company. Further, at 7:30, there were no other entertainment options. None. Billboard's first set was at 8:15. We went up to the lido to get a few teabags for the remaining mornings and then found seats at Billboard. Our new friends joined us at about 7:45 and our other friends came out of the show in the first wave and pulled over another heavy chair to make our table for six. The Billboard set was terrific with a lot of singing along. It is sad however seeing perhaps 50 people standing in the hallway and on the stairs to the casino trying to listen and watch, while at least 25 chairs at the bar and around the piano sit there empty. The management should be ashamed of the way they are treating their guests. When the billboard set was done we stayed and listened to the Rolling Stone group until about 9:45 when we called it a night. The next day is a full day tour with a previously used guide in Halifax and we need to be ready to leave the ship as soon as it is cleared.

Friday, August 19 – Nanortalik, Greenland We had read on a previous cruiser's blog that the sail-in to Nanortalik was not to be missed. When I woke at 6:30 I immediately got dressed and went out on deck. I did snap some photos and saw the shadow of a whale in the distance, but otherwise I believe the sail away photos are superior. Stopped at the Dutch cafe for some good coffee and tea and brought those back to the cabin. Then I got the laundry ready for pick up. By then DW was ready and we went out aft on deck nine to take a few additional photos. There are a few icebergs in the bay and that makes for some good photos. If only there were some seals enjoying those icebergs... Alas, that was not to be. We were in the lido for just a few minutes as I was getting frustrated not able to send my friend a text letting him know where we were. The Navigator AP still needs some work as it is not reliable. He ended up finding us as he was heading out to take photos. We had a nice breakfast. For the first time I tried the 'normal' scrambled eggs. They were not edible so I went back for an omelet. We all agreed to meet at 9:15 to get tender tickets and head over to shore. There was no wait and we were sent down to the tenders. I managed to get a seat by the open door so I was able to get some good photos and video of the large iceberg in the bay as I had noticed the tenders sailed right past it. We arrived on shore and began walking towards the church. We stopped at the information center / souvenir shop to look around. One hour iceberg boat rides were available at $120, a relative bargain compared to the $159 the shore excursion department was charging. We moved on to the church and took some photos. The 10:00 concert had already started (it was 10:10 when we arrived there) so we did not go in to hear the concert. We headed over to the open air museum and my friend bought the tickets for the four of us. 60 Danish Krone each on the credit card was a better buy than US$10 cash each. The open air museum was very nice but inside the building many exhibits did not have an English translation. We did get some terrific photos of the surrounding area from inside the museum grounds. We exited the museum on the other end and walked along the bay to a bunch of colorful houses. I don't know how long the paint lasts in this sub-arctic environment but many of the homes could use a fresh coat of paint. From a distance you can't tell but up close it becomes evident. While there is a fish market, I saw no evidence of a commercial fishery so I could not figure out how the town supports itself. Nanortalik has a population of about 1300 and is the tenth-largest town in Greenland. The educational facilities we walked by looked impressive for a town of this size. We heard seals but never did actually see them, although we tried to follow the sound. We made it back to the harbor area at 12:05. We decided we had enough (over 10,000 steps already on our fit-bits) and headed for the tenders. Our friends stayed to check out the supermarket/general store, although they did not make any purchase. Getting back took fifty minutes from the time we joined the very long tender line until we reached the ship. I believe four tenders came and went before we were on one. The line didn't move at first then the ship began sending empty tenders to pick up folks and it moved more expeditiously. I suppose we must have joined the line right after some of the ship's tours returned. At least it was a beautiful sunny day with little wind, so the mid 40 degree temperature felt fine. Back on board we had a little lunch. A very nice cod was available in the lido. After lunch we lingered talking awhile as our friends had made it back, and then went to the cabin to put away the laundry. I went back on deck for the sail-away, which was beautiful. As soon as the ship began to really move however the apparent temperature seemed to dive very quickly, so the warm tea was not enough and I headed inside. I did stop on deck 3 to take some photos as we passed a large iceberg. Dinner was outstanding. We both enjoyed the roasted turkey and it was perfect. Hendrika takes such good care of everything. Our friends went to Tamarind tonight and they reported they had an excellent dinner. We took in the 7:30 country set at Billboard and then a game show at B B King's. This ended up being the exact same show we saw in March. Same words, everything except the panel. We went back to Billboard and enjoyed their second set. At that point we called it a night. Saturday, August 20 – at sea Saturday was a fine sea day. Breakfast was very light as this was a day for big meals. When we booked the Pinnacle lunch for this day this was not supposed to be a dress up night, but it became one. We met our friends in the lido and enjoyed the large oval table on the starboard side of the ship. We decided since we had this terrific table that we would play Catan in the morning and I went to retrieve the game from our cabin. We played one really close round and our new Catan friend from Kansas ended up 'dethroning' our traveling friend from Florida. If he hadn't won on that round I'm sure someone else would have won before his next turn, but that is the fun of Catan! We finished up at about 11:20 and cleaned up the game. On our way back to the cabin we found the florist had a table set up poolside with the dutch vases. The ladies wanted to take a look at the “$9.99 bling sale” down on deck 3 but nothing was purchased. We then went to our Pinnacle lunch. This lunch was much more satisfying than the one earlier in the cruise, likely because DW was able to order ahead and the chef did a great job adjusting her foods for her restrictions. We also celebrated a birthday at lunch! After lunch the men enjoyed a long soak in the hot tub while the ladies did their relaxing and prepping for dress up night. We went to Billboard 20 minutes early for the 4:00 music trivia being hosted by the Billboard team of Gabe & Megan. Our team scored 13 out of 40, not very good, while the winning team had a 29. It was hard to find a seat even arriving 20 minutes early. We then met our new friends and posed for dress up night photos of the group of six of us before heading to dinner. Dinner was superb. To our delight, in addition to 'normal' dress up night entrees like lamb chops and filet, there was “Fresh Greenland Cod.” This was just terrific fish that my friend and I both enjoyed. DW and her friend both had the lamb chops and they were nicely prepared. Hendrika seemed sad when we told him we would be in the Pinnacle the next evening (for our booking-included Pinnacle meal) but we assured him we would be back the following evening. After dinner we got seats in Billboard where our new friends had secured a nice table. We listed to the Rolling Stone Rock group from Billboard and then enjoyed Gabe & Megan's set of 'One hit wonders.' The next day is an early port call so at 9:00 we headed back to the cabin for the night. Sunday, August 21 – St. Anthony, Newfoundland, Canada A beautiful day was foretasted for St. Anthony and the forecast was surpassed with the actual temperature reaching 68 degrees around lunchtime with a brilliant sunshine. So how do we enjoy it? We had the alarm set for 6:00 AM but woke up just before the alarm. Coffee & tea were delivered at 6:30 exactly as requested. We went up to the lido at about 6:45 for a quick breakfast. We found our friends and everyone was finished with breakfast by 7:00. We saw the tenders bouncing around in the bay, and could also see that the tender ride into St. Anthony was a longer ride than at our previous ports. At 7:18 we left our cabin and were told we could board a tender immediately. Our friends had just been told the same thing at the ticket desk, so we were all on the first passenger tender to shore. At about 7:45 we reached the dock. The visitor center / gift shop / tea house was already open and I was able to download a trail map as our intention was to walk out to the lighthouse. Advance research showed this to be a 1.6 mile walk each way however by the time we returned to the pier we had walked five miles total. Walking along the road early in the morning wasn't bad, although we were aware of passing cars. After the first several blocks there were no sidewalks. Once we reached the actual park area the trails were wonderful. We enjoyed the trails, the wildflowers, and watching the birds near the sea cliffs. We took a bunch of photos near the lighthouse. To our surprise, a very nice souvenir shop was open and DW found a nice light jacket to acquire. Friends also made purchases here. We began walking back on the Whale View trail and before it began climbing the 400+ steps to the cliff top we veered off back to the road. The walk back was not as pleasant as the walk going out, as now there were many more vehicles going back and forth. By the time we reached the dock we all just wanted to get back to the ship. I would have liked to go back into the visitors center shop and tea room, but it felt good to be on the tender for the 15 minute ride back. During the walk back we all kept shedding layers as the sun was really warming up the day. Once on board, I grabbed my computer from the room and went up to the lido. Rather parched, we downed several glasses of water and had Tao, a very personable bar server, bring us several rounds of beverages. We had a light lunch from the buffet while using my cell phone connection, I downloaded two weeks worth of e-mails, paid some bills, and checked on a few things on the internet. My dad also returned my call as I had called him from the earlier souvenir shop and it was good to get caught up. Everyone was quite tired after our morning adventures and we took it easy for the afternoon. The bell of the 'welcome back' announcement woke us from a nap and we began getting ready for the evening. We have reservations this evening at the Pinnacle Grill for the dinner included in our booking. Dinner in the Pinnacle was very nice. They did not have the featured bacon appetizer available so as we left they said they would send one to the dining room the following evening (which they did). As pleasant as it was, we missed our normal wait team. One advantage of dining at the Pinnacle is that they have their own stash of wine and the wine that everyone else is out of remained available at the Pinnacle. After dinner we visited the main dining room to place DW's order for the next evening. Then we found seats in Billboard to listen to the rolling stone group across the hall and the Billboard team before calling it a night.