Huskerchick

3 hours ago, seagarsmoker said:

You are right, never seen that much boat traffic before. 

The Fort Lauderdale Air Show is this weekend and people are coming back in now that it ended

Very happy this is returning. I might have to break out my Dutch hat from days of yore 😏

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

Tonight on Nieuw Statendam

 

 

 

It was not listed anywhere, but I am not complaining.  I had dinner completely made from tapas

 

 

That all looks amazing. I love tapas as it allows you to try a bunch of different things 

18 hours ago, kazu said:

So yesterday we were in Portland.  It was a very short visit again due to slowing down for whale migration.

7 - 12:30.  This is a “sloth” cruise so we are in no rush and had a leisurely breakfast in the PG.

 

I told Deb that the ham and cheese skillet was good but she said she didn’t

t like poached eggs.  I told her to ask for scrambled and she got it.

 

 

She liked it.  

 

I had my on occasion favourite eggs Benedict - without sauce.

 

 

oh and of course, we had mimosas.  I told you it was a sloth cruise 😂 

 

I had found a trolly tour that I thought would be perfect for our short day and my foot and legs but sadly. It doesn’t start until May 1st.  WTH?  I  live near a port city and season or not, I guarantee you if a cruise ship is in town everything is up and running.

 

But we found a fire truck trolly tour - an old fire truck - quite historic - that does the same thing and goes around Portland to the sites.  Very good.  One hour so enough time NOT to be late for the all on board time 😉 

 

On the walk there it appeared that all the buildings in one area were originally warehouses and were converted to shops and apartments.  They were quite interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

Portland is a great city and from your picture it looks like you docked in the old port part of town. Sorry you weren't there longer as there are some great restaurants in that area. Weather looks great and your SE sounded cool

32 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Is this new?

Ready made burgers at Dive In....

We had the option on our NS cruise last December and the Rotterdam cruise we did a few weeks ago 

Looks like a great itinerary. Have a wonderful time. 

Happy Birthday Holland America.  Thank you for the memories 

Bon Voyage to all of you

5 hours ago, jagger16 said:

Thank you Brian & Michelle for the time that you take to share all of this information and to include so many pictures. Glad you had a great cruise. Your weather looked perfect.

 

I would love to see pictures of the drinks from the mixology bar from@Huskerchick

 

A couple of random questions . . .

1. Did you get to keep the cordial glass with the cordial of the day? We had to buy the cordial glass in January on Nieuw Statendam as the glass was not included in the beverage package. The drink was.

2. Were you able to get lunch from the lido in the cabana? We were not when we were on Nieuw Statendam. I remember you saying that when you were on in December you still could.

 

Thank you!

B had the Sand Castle and I had the Bees Knees (on the right) and they were both very tasty.

2 hours ago, POA1 said:

Some assorted bar photos:

 

Sea View Bar by the Aft Pool - This one is back by the smoking area on the starboard side of the Lido deck.

 

Notes - The whiskey tasting bar. I had high hopes for this, but we never made it to any of the events. The one bourbon-focused tasting conflicted with our sunset sail excursion. The other issue was scheduling. The tastings usually fell at around the time we were getting ready for dinner. Maybe in 2025.

 

The Ocean Bar - This turned out to be our favorite. Friendly, entertaining bartenders and a vibe more in tune with what we were seeking.

 

Seating area for the Ocean Bar - The Ocean Bar has two fairly large seating areas. If you wanted to have a drink and conversation, thus was an ideal place. The seating is comfortable, and arranged in what your HGTV-watching friends would call "natural conversational groupings."

 

At first, we thought that the Half Moon Bar was going to be our regular pre-dinner stop. (And hopefully Michelle has a photo. Because, despite going there a few times, and passing it several times a day, I do not have any.)

 

The Half Moon Bar had a good following and their craft cocktails were excellent. We like the occasional craft cocktail, but we're usually drinkers of simpler fare. Michelle drinks Ketel One and soda with a lime. I drink Maker's Mark on rocks. The non-stop parade of fussy drinks with a litany of ingredients, does not equal an everyday bar for me. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just not my speed. (I felt the same way about flare bartending, if you remember that craze. Still like the song, "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys, though.)

 

 

 

 

Sadly I have pictures of our drinks from the Half Moon Bar but not the bar area itself

We are just off the Rotterdam and had a fantastic time. We found the food to be excellent. BB King and the Rolling Stone Rock Lounge were packed each evening. Not big show people but did see Island Magic for both of their performances and they were amazing. We have sailed HAL almost exclusively since mid 90's and while things have changed some of those changes have been for the better and some not but nothing travel related has stayed the same.  You can't stay at a hotel without an added service charge and eating out has become expensive regardless of the restaurant choice. And have you booked airfare recently. 

6 hours ago, Astromaid said:

I have thoroughly enjoyed your trip, I will be taking a similar cruise on Rotterdam in a year. I bought Club Orange based on what I read in the forums and will be in our first aft cabin. I read a different forum by someone on Rotterdam who was not happy with the Club Orange dining room, food was cold, not as ordered and service was poor. Did you experience any problems? From what I read you seemed satisfied. Also, were you comfortable in the cabana? I have read they can be very hot with no air movement and depending on the sun, no shade. Thanks so much for your entertaining insight. 

We have done CO on our last two cruises and actually like the room on the Rotterdam the best. I think the trick to managing your experience is to remember if you want something ask. I saw a woman this morning get very frustrated because the waiters were walking by either dropping food items off or they were taking orders. I didn't understand why she didn't just say excuse me but could I get x, y or z. These guys are good but they are not mind readers. Sorry I digress. Our food was always served warm and exactly what we ordered. I will say there was a food temp issue in of all places the pinnicle grill but that is for another post. 

I love the cabana area and yes it can get warm up there but generally there is some air movement and if you get warm your cabana itself is generally shaded and cooler. Im a bake in my own juices kinda girl but B prefers the shade so it works for us. 

Poohby Joe enjoying his fairwell to vacation champagne. He's a bear and little so I only ever let him have one glass 😏

It's a beautiful day here at Half Moon Cay and one of my favorites. We are in port today with the NS but when we went over about 10 there were still plenty of chairs

I'm happy to report that the PG was able to hook me up with escargot last night from the MDR which was tasty. B will post pictures later but it was a nice meal not one of our best but it was good

2 hours ago, 57redbird said:

How did Poohby Joe get his name?

I have a vast collection of pooh bears and they all have names and stories as to how they came to be. My first one probably from 1970ish is old pooh bear and my grandmother bought him for me on our first trip to Disney Land. I had a thing for the color red and he spoke to me and it was love at first sight 😂 I then have winter pooh bear that my late FIL bought for me and then there is big Pooh bear that I got as a gift  and then along came poohby Joe. His name just sort of popped out and it stuck. He is the only one that gets to leave the house 

9 minutes ago, POA1 said:

Poohby Joe, in his Guide to Cabana Living 10th Anniversary Commemorative T-shirt, poses with the morning breakfast pastries amenity.

 

The new amenities sheet. To be frank, this is not delivered with super consistency.

 

Lunch is at the time of your choosing, so just let one of the cabana attendants know when you are ready.

 

They have offered breakfast pretty consistently. We're not sure if they are offering the room service menu, or something more extensive. Something to put on tomorrow's project list.

 

 

Agreed the new amenities have been a bit hit and miss. They always offer breakfast and coffee on the days we have gone to the cabana early in the morning. The fruit skewers have shown up regularly but the geloto has never been offered. Now in fairness you could ask and they are happy to bring the items. In an effort to make sure my clothes fit by the end of the cruise I'm not a big snacker but some times the bear and I want a little nosh 😋

8 minutes ago, BetsyS. said:

Thanks for all the menus. Why do they put bourbon in a Cosmopolitan?

I ordered it on Niew Statendam and on Zuiderdam and they always had vodka, NOT bourbon!  If someone doesn't read the fine print, they could order a 

Cosmopolitan not knowing that it has bourbon in it! Sorry to rant, but I 

think it's misleading.

          On a happier note, I would order the trout! 😊

Betty I think it's a typo but you are correct if people don't catch it and order they may get the wrong drink 😳

2 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

@HuskerchickThrilled hear you liked the Pork Dumplings. I do not eat seafood, so I would not ever consider Morimoto. But the Dumplings caught my attention on the menu you posted and got me thinking I could try them. So so so happy you liked them - could I pair w/a salad to have a full meal?

The dumplings are Pork and we're very tasty. As for non fish items there is a tenderloin similar to the one served in Tamarind, a chicken dish and a vegetarian curry

This is the line just before they started serving and might I add some of our fellow passengers are acting as if they have not seen food in days 😁

It's Cake me Away time. We totally missed this in December on the NS and even tho I didn't want cake I wanted the pictures 😋

4 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

We have the Morimoto dinner booked on NS, and, providing we get to Fort Lauderdale (there are storms in Alberta, we may get stuck in Calgary like we did last year) I know exactly what I'm going to order.  Thanks for the food porn!

Fingers crossed the weather cooperates for you.

It's orange party day and although Poohby Joe doesn't get to attend he is sporting his orange Rotterdam shirt. 

13 minutes ago, POA1 said:

I had the Tofu Cheesecake. It had a brûléed top, providing a nice, crunchy contrast to the cheesecake.

 

 

 

The little blue ball on the right is a blueberry granita. Also note the collectible chocolate coin. I'm accumulating quite the assortment!

 

 

 

I know you will all be shocked given my love of all things chocolate but that cheesecake was delicious and I would seriously consider ordering it on a future visit

Morimoto was an over all fantastic experience. As Brian said entirely too much food for two people, we need some friends, but it was all very good and something we would definitely do again.