oakridger

Lunch and dinner menus change daily. Breakfast here on Nieuw Amsterdam closes at 10am. There is another late night limited service at 10:30 to 11:30 pm. A lot of crew eat then.

Fortunately all other pax and crew made it back!!!

Art auctions! I was shocked to see them on the Nieuw Amsterdam two weeks ago. 🙄 Good grief.

Yes. Captain said we will leave a little late while they do the required immigration paperwork for the pax left behind.

I’m currently on the Nieuw Amsterdam at Puntarenas Costa Rica. Just now the Captain just came on and said that the torrential rains earlier have blocked many roads and one bus of 41 people is stranded! He said they are now in a Marriott hotel and we will go ahead and sail so as not to miss our Panama Canal time slot on Wednesday. HAL is figuring out how to get them their passports and medications and they will be transported to somewhere currently unknown (Aruba?) to meet the ship! The tour they were on was a rainforest and zip line tour. What a bummer! It looks like HAL is scrambling to help. I’ll update when we hear more. ~Nancy

I had the most memorable drink I’ve had in so long at The House Without a Key! A kiwi-lychee martini!! It went well with the coconut shrimp appetizer. So good and I rarely drink martinis of any type. Mmmmm. I’m enjoying your posts as usual Clay. Continue to enjoy!! ~Nancy

They are not the same cruise format as a regular cruise line such as Royal Caribbean or Princess in that the ship doesn’t have production shows, big buffets, etc. Depending on the ship the cabins go from fairly basic to larger with balconies and more amenities. Please check reviews on YouTube and here for great info. “Hallasm”on CC has some wonderful videos. Hurtigruten has changed a lot since I was on the Vesteralan back in 2005!! I absolutely loved our plain, but comfortable small room with a porthole. It had an en-suite bathroom though! 😉. I’ll be back soon, I hope!

Yes there are a few offered. See the bar menus listed on Roger Jett website. (Crew News on CC)

I was told by one of the Pinnacle supervisors here on the Nieuw Amsterdam that there would be no more “pop up” Rudy’s on any of the ships post October 1, 2022. The Rudy’s Sel de Mer I had reserved on the 8th was cancelled and I haven’t seen any other pop ups offered onboard for this cruise. ☹️ I sure hope they reconsider.

Safety issue for safe egress! Medical team must get by with a stretcher. Can happen during any short period of time.

There is a pretty good included room service menu and there is no delivery charge. I do tip the delivery person a few $ in cash though. There are some for fee items that can be had from room service such as Dive Inn food and orders from Pinnacle Grill and Tamarind. Roger Jett’s website and many bloggers have posted the menu. Food at no extra charge (except special up charge foods such as lobster or steak) from the Main dining room can be ordered for room service during its opening hours. I just had a good chicken quesadilla and cheesecake for lunch in my cabin here on the Nieuw Amsterdam!

HAL the same. Masks optional for everyone…..crew and guests.

He corrected himself. He’ll be on Zuiderdam.

We have had fruit crisps every day here currently on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

Using a good TA should provide some nice onboard credits or other perks, besides them helping if you need some help along the way. Make sure you make the transfer to them before the option expires. ( I’m not sure how long that is….30 days?).

I agree with Pete! If guests accept lowered service and quality then don’t be surprised by what becomes the norm. Beer prices? Carnival cruises are beer prices in my book but the guests still get a minimum level of service. My cruises could buy a whole bunch of beer and I expect a certain level of service! If not, I move on! Geez!

Had the Osso Buco last night on Nieuw Amsterdam and it was really good!

At home For the last 10 years or so I actually do change my bath towels daily.

Thanks for the heads up on checking ahead of time Pete! The higher end hotels (Grand Hyatt-Fairmont) I have stayed at recently did have daily service and turn down on request. The generic hotels/motels (mom and pop/La Quinta/Best Western/Holiday Inn Express) I stayed at last year on a couple USA road trips didn’t and I was fine with the Covid and staffing explanations but they were only $130-200 per night and I didn’t mind. ~Nancy

If daily cleaning is not offered at that price of hotel, I’ll be booking elsewhere! Most places there are still options! 😉 ~Nancy

If I’m paying $400+ per day for a ship or hotel I damn sure better get daily cleaning/towels!!! ~Nancy

I just asked at the Seaview bar on Nieuw Amsterdam here in Puerto Vallarta and the cost for a 12oz can of water is $3.25!!! 😳 It is included on the beverage package. 16oz cans (if available) of the Open Water brand are $4.50 and aren’t included in the beverage package. I can find out the brand of 12oz cans later if anyone wants to know. Another reason I’m glad I am happy with the ships tap ice water! 💦 😁. Currently I’m just having a strawberry margarita!!

The pictures are on their blog. She posted a link to it at the bottom of her post on page 1 post #23. ~Nancy

1- no plastic bottles on board. Only cans and glass. 2-? 3- they will give you one for each card presented. Now that the bartenders know who I am, I can get two diet cokes or beers at the same time.

See post #8 from Crew News. It’s under “Refreshing Alternatives”. I haven’t seen any of the 16oz twist off cans at all. Someone reported that they weren’t available. A 12oz can is all I’ve seen. I don’t buy them but maybe they are the same price as a soda? $2.50? I’ll ask next time I’m at the bar….probably in a few hours. 😁