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Nieuw Statendam


richwmn
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12 hours ago, richwmn said:

<SNIP>

I left there to come to the room for a minute, I could here Rolling Stone in the hall to about cabin 1022 or so, but not any further. I don't know if it could be heard inside the cabins in that area. Nothing inside my cabin 1012.

All for now

 

 

I suspect you heard RSRR band sounds via the forward staircase between decks 1 and 2.  We occasionally could hear them down the starboard hallway to cabin 1091, but never in the room.  Could not hear BB Kings All Stars either for that matter.  That being said, we happened to catch a scene when someone early in our cruise came running out of her cabin (near the 1030s) much closer to the forward staircase on the starboard side demanding to know "what that awful noise was" from a unlucky room steward and was very upset the hear that it was the band in RSRR.  Apparently she could hear it in her cabin (just below RSRR) and there was no way she was going to deal with that for 10 days!  Do not know if she was able to be relocated.

 

Enjoy NS!  She is a very lovely ship with very interesting artwork.  Very much enjoyed Jason Waters, Richie V, 'OG' and 'Mr. Maximiliano' of BB Kings, not so hot on RSRR Band though; perhaps you have a different group as you described some younger musicians than we seemed to have.  Also, the women (ATLYS) who comprised Lincoln Center Stage were amazing, very interactive and animated, and quite fun to watch and listen to; they obviously enjoy what they do.  Hopefully you'll hear their versions of 'Stairway to Heaven', 'Creep' and 'Appalachian Spring' which come across incredibly well.

 

To me, NS seemed a refined version of K'dam overall, but we were on K'dams Christening Cruise, so this could affect our opinion.  Have a great cruise!  Cabin photos posted.... :classic_wink:

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1 hour ago, sueleekey said:

I have sailed with Errol many times!   He came to HAL from NCL!   Great compliment to HAL!   He is the nicest most efficient person in the world!!!  

 

Would love to see nightly menus from MDR!   If I dont I will be surprised every day!!!   Which is fun too!!

This is the menu that is currently posted. It is a bit early for the new menu to be posted, so this might be last night. I will check again after noon, by which the new menu should be posted.

SundayDinner.pdf

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In regard to cabin noise, I was just at the front desk to resolve my first ever major accounting issue (which was probably the fault of the TA) and the person next to me was complaining about noise and I think he said cabin 1041. After he left, his wife mentioned that they would be complaining each day until something was resolved.

 

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5 minutes ago, 0bnxshs said:

 

I suspect you heard RSRR band sounds via the forward staircase between decks 1 and 2.  We occasionally could hear them down the starboard hallway to cabin 1091, but never in the room.  Could not hear BB Kings All Stars either for that matter. 

 

You are correct, the sound I heard was coming via the staircase. It was not loud enough to bother me, but I am sure someone was bothered by it.

 

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16 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Hi Rich!  Glad to see you're posting from the NS  🙂  Didn't we have Captain O'Driscoll on our VOV?   He was great as I recall.  

Sorry it took so long to respond, I didn't remember and was only able to ask someone a few minutes ago. I was told that Captain O'Driscoll was on the Veendam in July, followed by Koningsdam. He joined Nieuw Statendam about a week ago.

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1 minute ago, 0bnxshs said:

We, too, had an accounting error on NS; our first ever.  It will be corrected on our next booked cruise, so we are satisfied with that.

Mine was most likely the fault of the Travel Agent I transferred the booking to. I originally booked under a promotion that included pre-paid gratuities. Somehow they got lost, even after the Agent assured me they were still part of the package. With the deal I got, maybe I shouldn't complain but still . . .

 

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I don't think I have mentioned anything about embarkation yesterday, so here goes (while setting up at HMC).

I visited some friends in WPB for a couple of days pre-cruise so I was nearby. We left WPB about 9:15 and the only traffic problem we had was the last quarter mile entering the port area. Once we got thru that log jam, we were fine.

I believe we got to the drop off around 11:30. The first security line was a bit long but moved pretty quickly. Once past that the Suite/4*/5* line was short but to begin with only had one agent. When I got to the front of the line they added a second and I am told a third. There was a short wait before boarding, and the cabins weren't ready for another half hour or so.

I placed the first order at the Dive-In and enjoyed my first meal on board. By the time I finished the cabins were ready and I dropped off my laptop. I took the pictures and sent them off to HalFacts, similar to the ones I took of Koningsdam (same cabin) two years ago.

Sailaway with AlbertaQuilter, her mom and a few others was fun, but I understand that the camera didn't zoom in on us. Oh Well, maybe next time.

A little bit later I made my first contribution to the Casino, it didn't take long. Maybe today will be a bit longer.

Trivia last night was Music, and the Assistant CD ran it. A small segment of a song was played and we identified the song only, no artist. It was a good mix of old and new, which means I got about half - I don't know too much of the new ones. Sandy from the roll call assisted.

I mentioned the Rolling Stone Venue earlier. I will just repeat that the group aboard NS is very good.

 

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3 hours ago, richwmn said:

Sorry it took so long to respond, I didn't remember and was only able to ask someone a few minutes ago. I was told that Captain O'Driscoll was on the Veendam in July, followed by Koningsdam. He joined Nieuw Statendam about a week ago.

No problem, thanks for checking!  The name just sounds so familiar, maybe some other cruise 🙂  

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33 minutes ago, stickey_mouse said:

Does the casino smell of smoke? If so, how far outside the casino does the stench permeate? I'm still crossing my fingers that HAL gets its act together re: the smoking issue. 

Sorry, my sense of smell is not great and it would take a heavy stench for me to notice. I did not see anyone smoking last night when I was in the Casino, or when I have been walking by.

21 minutes ago, love!to!cruise! said:

Thanks so much for taking the time to give all great info!   Does the ship have a outdoor movie?  I have seen the screen but the information I can find says they do not have a outdoor movie,  so just curious if they do or don’t.   🙂

The outdoor screen is set up the same way as Koningsdam. Sunday night after boarding they played Bohemian Rhapsody on that screen at 7:00 pm, and it is also available in the cabins. An excellent movie, btw. I don't see a movie scheduled for tonight.

 

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Just a quick note about the performers.

Lincoln Center Stage - A very talented group of 5 perform there several times nightly, alternating with BB King. The group currently on Nieuw Statendam is excellent. While I am not one to sit for the entire 45 minutes, I did stay and listen to a couple of songs last night and tonight. They played an instrumental version of Bohemian Rhapsody this evening that was wonderful.

 

Rolling Stone Rock Room - again tonight I stopped and listened for a couple of songs. The members of the band are very talented. They play a version of the songs which respects the originals, yet gives them a bit of latitude to show their own strengths.

 

 

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Enjoying your posts and reliving my 1/6/19-1/20/19 cruise on Nieuw Statendam.

 

The Captain, Hotel Director, and Executive Chef are different from the gentlemen on my cruise.  (Perhaps with a different Chef, there will be more consistent MDR dining experience.  I enjoyed some of my dinners much more than others.  Also, the first menu that you posted had some items that I saw during my cruise, but there were some new items as well.)

 

Thanks for making the effort and taking the time to post!

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On 2/10/2019 at 8:02 PM, richwmn said:

Some early notes:

We had a good time at sailaway. About a dozen showed up at the appointed place. I hope that Lou and company were able to find us. I met AlbertaQuilter and her mother, and a couple of others.

After the sailaway I entered the Lido Market and found things to be just as they were on Koningsdam, so I easily found what I wanted. Had a nice dinner then to music trivia. It was handled by the assistant CD Grant, a very high energy guy. I noticed that the winners only got possession of a "Cup" to be turned in tomorrow to be presented to the next winner, not even the pins that have been handed out the last few years. True disappointment.

When trivia ended it was time for the Rolling Stone Venue to open, and they opened with a bang. They seem to be comprised of 5 or 6 talented 20 year olds who enjoy playing classic rock. The venue was full of people enjoying their efforts.

I left there to come to the room for a minute, I could here Rolling Stone in the hall to about cabin 1022 or so, but not any further. I don't know if it could be heard inside the cabins in that area. Nothing inside my cabin 1012.

All for now

 

About that trivia.  Yes, the evening trivia only rewards the group with a trophy for 23 hours that you are expected to decorate.  I had no idea what was going on but our team mates did.  At the end of the week he totals everyone's points and you are rewarded with...wait for it...a drink at the bar.  We don't play for the prizes (we have so many from DCL and X and RCI we don't need any more).  But in a way it is kind of a let down for a weeks worth of progressive trivia.

 

And having to listen to Grant say Fit Bit or whatever it is and go on about Oprah Winfrey, well, after 14 days I was so ready to not see Grant ever again.  But I will give him this, he does seem to enjoy running the trivias.  I requested music trivia on our cruise (they had the same general knowledge day after day) and they did do a couple for us.  I'm glad to hear that they are still doing it.  I love music trivia.

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4 hours ago, richwmn said:

Just a quick note about the performers.

Lincoln Center Stage - A very talented group of 5 perform there several times nightly, alternating with BB King. The group currently on Nieuw Statendam is excellent. While I am not one to sit for the entire 45 minutes, I did stay and listen to a couple of songs last night and tonight. They played an instrumental version of Bohemian Rhapsody this evening that was wonderful.

 

Rolling Stone Rock Room - again tonight I stopped and listened for a couple of songs. The members of the band are very talented. They play a version of the songs which respects the originals, yet gives them a bit of latitude to show their own strengths.

 

 

Thank you for this. I was curious about the on board performers. My Fiancee and I are going in July out of Amsterdam on the Nieuw Statendam and are interested in checking out the different performers on the Music Walk. (I am aware we will likely see a different set of performers than you are reporting on but it is much appreciated.)

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21 hours ago, richwmn said:

Mine was most likely the fault of the Travel Agent I transferred the booking to. I originally booked under a promotion that included pre-paid gratuities. Somehow they got lost, even after the Agent assured me they were still part of the package. With the deal I got, maybe I shouldn't complain but still . . .

 

 

We had booked our NS trip with the FCC on board Westerdam last April with free gratuities.  We then transferred that booking to a TA.  We were curious how the increase in gratuities was going to be handled.  Oddly, our bill showed 1 HSC charge per night of $14.50 along with a debit of the same amount but not 2.  It was as if only one of us being charged and debited.  Our issue was with our shareholder's benefit which was missing.  We had our proof of fax and reply with us.  No dice on board but we spoke with WCR after returning and they "promised" to credit it on our next, already booked, cruise.

 

I forgot that the ladies of Lincoln Center Stage had performed a version of "Bohemian Rhapsody"; they really were terrific.  They also did a version of the theme song to "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" that was incredible, including the haunting vocal cry.  It was so interesting watching Fionnuala Ward, the pianist, reach inside the grand piano to pluck a string several times during the song.  Sounds like you have the same ladies still.  The 4 strings have formed a group called "ATLYS".

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A couple of things to catch up. First, the menu posted earlier was in fact Sunday Night, I will attach Monday's to this post. I usually eat in the Lido, so I don't have any way to comment on the service in the MDR.

 

In looking back I noticed that I had not commented on the size of the crowds. Both nights so far the venues for Lincoln Center and Rolling Stone have been full with a few people standing to listen for a bit. Neither venue seemed to be overcrowded. Billboard also looked full when the Dueling Pianos were there and the one song I listened to was ok, but both LC & RSRR were much better.

 

The show on the main stage last night was Step One Dance Company. Tonight is the Comedy of Brian Bradley. Show times 8 & 10. No movie on the big screen last night the area was used for an Officer's Meet & Greet, tonight is Widows.

 

Service in the LIdo to this point has been excellent, Bartenders all cheerful and acomodating. The ship, as always, is constantly being maintained.

 

Cruise Critic Meet & Greet is today at 11am in the Billboard, which I notice is also scheduled for Trivia. Might make for an interesting situation.

[edit] Glad I just looked, M&G is 10am, so Trivia will follow!

Feb11Dinner.pdf

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Meet and greet was great.  Very well organized by OVGirl. The hotel director and CD popped by for a few minutes.  Both were very personable.  One of the guests advised that the specialty dining discount is only available to people on the same booking number as the Mariner, even if purchased in advance.  He pre purchased PG for six and was only allowed the discount for two (the other four were not 3/4/5 Star Mariners.

 

DM and I have enjoyed a very different cruise thus far.  We were too late to book to get early fixed dining so got open dining.  We were going to change it once onboard but later decided not to change.  We ate dinner in the Lido on embarkation day.  Last night, DM had pizza and a salad and I ate from the Lido, instead of getting dressed up for Gala night.  It's been rather liberating!  Tonight we will go to the dining room because Wiener schnitzel is on the menu!  We'll have to walk in because when I called for reservations, I was given a choice of 5:00 or 8:00 and later.  Nothing in between!  Not sure if other times were available and were taken already but I'm guessing that's what happened.  We'll try walking in and see how long it will take.

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No wait to get into the MDR tonight.  Service was okay, a bit slow for my liking but overall, it was just over an hour and a half from getting to the table until we left.  Really on par with our dining times on our last cruise.  The Wiener schnitzel was okay to good.  It was missing the lingonberry sauce that was listed in the description.

 

After dinner, we tried to get into the show but it was SRO.  We left.  If we can stay awake, we may try the late show. 

 

Tomorrow, we arrive in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

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Thanks for sharing your cruise with us Rich and Alberta Quilter!  I wasn't impressed with Rolling Stone Rock Room on my Jan 20th NS cruise, but I'll admit to not really giving them a second chance.  It was just too loud and the one night we sat over in Billboard to listen to them none of the songs were familiar - and we're in the right age demographic, lol!  I hope you enjoyed Brian Bradley's show.  He's a friend of mine, and told me he was boarding in February - I was sorry he wasn't on the ship during my cruise.  

 

Sue/WDW1972

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Music Walk / Entertainment Revisited.

 

First up this evening was LIncoln Center Stage.

 

As I said before, the ladies are very accomplished musicians and they didn't disappoint. I stayed around for 4, maybe 5 songs which is pretty good for me. The set was titled "All American" and the selection was excellent. I also enjoyed the little bit of discussion that was included about the music.

 

Rolling Stone Rock Room.

 

They started out the set tonight with "Take It Easy", which they played yesterday. Again a good version. The next two songs I didn't feel they did justice to, but both were songs I really like the originals of. Walking by later they were back to acceptable if not good so overall a nice addition.

 

B.B. King.

 

I have been impressed with the B.B. King group on other ships that have had it. This group did well, and played to a large audience. Since they started before the 8pm main stage show ended there were a bunch of people that stopped after that show ended. Again, very good musicians and a good choice of songs.

 

Billboard.

 

I guess I am a bit resistant to the "Dueling Pianos" concept, as I really like the Piano Bars on the smaller ships. I did listen for a bit and they are talented. I'll have to give them a bit more of a try.

 

The Main Stage Entertainment -  The Comedy of Brian Bradley.

 

The World Stage was already pretty full when I got there. I stood near the back and listened to the first few minutes. I am told I didn't give him enough time and that he is really funny, so I'll head back to the Stage now and try again.

 

In case I didn't mention it before, the movie at 7pm & 9:30pm on the big screen was Widows.

 

Edited by richwmn
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