Nieuw Statendam

[kazu]

52 minutes ago, richwmn said:

This evening's view off the port side:

 

 

Very pretty Rich 😄 

[rkacruiser]

When friends ask me why I enjoy cruising, my answer always includes something about viewing the beauty of the sunsets (and moon-rises) and the majesty of the night sky at sea.

[Alberta Quilter]

5 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Was this listed in the "When and Where" daily program?

 

Not that I've seen.  I asked about it last week and was told that it may be done this week.  When I was at the Front Desk this morning about the credit, I asked again and was able to sign up for it.

[Despegue]

Did the “ a night with the Culinary Council” menu appear?

no mention at all on the MDR menus regarding the council...

 

ps. No more escargot it seems due to supply shortage.

 

thanks for the truly excellent posts!

[Alberta Quilter]

We are really enjoying the freedom of open dining this cruise!  We eat when and where we want.  Sometimes it's just a bowl of soup or sandwich or pizza.  Often it's specialty dining.  Last night, we had dinner in Canaletto.  It was Osso Buco night which is my fave and it did not disappoint.  One thing that has always turned us off of trying Canaletto in the past was the awful stench of garlic in the Lido on other ships.  We tried Canaletto on Prinsendam because the restaurant is separated from where the meals are cooked.  On this ship there is no garlic smell in the evening (I smelled more garlic this morning at 6:30!).

 

The Canaletto menu has changed a wee bit.  The short rib gnocchi is no more, unfortunately.  I believe Rich previously posted the Canaletto menu so will not attempt to post it here.

 

I cannot comment on the escargot supply or the culinary council menus since we're not eating in the MDR.  I have not heard about an escargot shortage but can't say I care since I'm not fond of them. Don't they usually appear on the second gala night?

 

Today we are doing something very different and doing a self drive Hummer tour of Grand a Turk.  We are just arriving now.  Tonight will see us dining in Tamarind for the second time.  It is DM's birthday today.  The flower arrangement that I got for her last week is now fully open in time for her day.  It is a lovely arrangement; I'm glad I paid attention to the posts on CC about them a month or two ago.

[baggal]

1 hour ago, Alberta Quilter said:

We are really enjoying the freedom of open dining this cruise!  We eat when and where we want.  Sometimes it's just a bowl of soup or sandwich or pizza.  Often it's specialty dining.  Last night, we had dinner in Canaletto.  It was Osso Buco night which is my fave and it did not disappoint.  One thing that has always turned us off of trying Canaletto in the past was the awful stench of garlic in the Lido on other ships.  We tried Canaletto on Prinsendam because the restaurant is separated from where the meals are cooked.  On this ship there is no garlic smell in the evening (I smelled more garlic this morning at 6:30!).

 

The Canaletto menu has changed a wee bit.  The short rib gnocchi is no more, unfortunately.  I believe Rich previously posted the Canaletto menu so will not attempt to post it here.

 

I cannot comment on the escargot supply or the culinary council menus since we're not eating in the MDR.  I have not heard about an escargot shortage but can't say I care since I'm not fond of them. Don't they usually appear on the second gala night?

 

Today we are doing something very different and doing a self drive Hummer tour of Grand a Turk.  We are just arriving now.  Tonight will see us dining in Tamarind for the second time.  It is DM's birthday today.  The flower arrangement that I got for her last week is now fully open in time for her day.  It is a lovely arrangement; I'm glad I paid attention to the posts on CC about them a month or two ago.

Escargot was available on the January 6 sailing of the NS.

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

We are really enjoying the freedom of open dining this cruise!  We eat when and where we want.  Sometimes it's just a bowl of soup or sandwich or pizza.  Often it's specialty dining.  Last night, we had dinner in Canaletto.  It was Osso Buco night which is my fave and it did not disappoint.  One thing that has always turned us off of trying Canaletto in the past was the awful stench of garlic in the Lido on other ships.  We tried Canaletto on Prinsendam because the restaurant is separated from where the meals are cooked.  On this ship there is no garlic smell in the evening (I smelled more garlic this morning at 6:30!).

 

The Canaletto menu has changed a wee bit.  The short rib gnocchi is no more, unfortunately.  I believe Rich previously posted the Canaletto menu so will not attempt to post it here.

 

I cannot comment on the escargot supply or the culinary council menus since we're not eating in the MDR.  I have not heard about an escargot shortage but can't say I care since I'm not fond of them. Don't they usually appear on the second gala night?

 

Today we are doing something very different and doing a self drive Hummer tour of Grand a Turk.  We are just arriving now.  Tonight will see us dining in Tamarind for the second time.  It is DM's birthday today.  The flower arrangement that I got for her last week is now fully open in time for her day.  It is a lovely arrangement; I'm glad I paid attention to the posts on CC about them a month or two ago.

Happy birthday to your mom!

 

[Crusin-Suzan]

Onboard this week and loving it!!!   Met great people at M & G!   

[Dismomx5]

2 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

We are really enjoying the freedom of open dining this cruise!  We eat when and where we want.  Sometimes it's just a bowl of soup or sandwich or pizza.  Often it's specialty dining.  Last night, we had dinner in Canaletto.  It was Osso Buco night which is my fave and it did not disappoint.  One thing that has always turned us off of trying Canaletto in the past was the awful stench of garlic in the Lido on other ships.  We tried Canaletto on Prinsendam because the restaurant is separated from where the meals are cooked.  On this ship there is no garlic smell in the evening (I smelled more garlic this morning at 6:30!).

 

The Canaletto menu has changed a wee bit.  The short rib gnocchi is no more, unfortunately.  I believe Rich previously posted the Canaletto menu so will not attempt to post it here.

 

I cannot comment on the escargot supply or the culinary council menus since we're not eating in the MDR.  I have not heard about an escargot shortage but can't say I care since I'm not fond of them. Don't they usually appear on the second gala night?

 

Today we are doing something very different and doing a self drive Hummer tour of Grand a Turk.  We are just arriving now.  Tonight will see us dining in Tamarind for the second time.  It is DM's birthday today.  The flower arrangement that I got for her last week is now fully open in time for her day.  It is a lovely arrangement; I'm glad I paid attention to the posts on CC about them a month or two ago.

Happy birthday to your mom! 🎂

This post came at the best time for me! I was just talking with DH about our dining plans for October. We didn't choose our favourite-late dining-but instead went with As You WIsh Dining. We had that on NCL last month + some upcharge restaurants. I'm glad to see that you are enjoying it! 

[Cruising-along]

3 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

We are really enjoying the freedom of open dining this cruise!  We eat when and where we want.  Sometimes it's just a bowl of soup or sandwich or pizza.  Often it's specialty dining.  Last night, we had dinner in Canaletto.  It was Osso Buco night which is my fave and it did not disappoint.  One thing that has always turned us off of trying Canaletto in the past was the awful stench of garlic in the Lido on other ships.  We tried Canaletto on Prinsendam because the restaurant is separated from where the meals are cooked.  On this ship there is no garlic smell in the evening (I smelled more garlic this morning at 6:30!).

 

The Canaletto menu has changed a wee bit.  The short rib gnocchi is no more, unfortunately.  I believe Rich previously posted the Canaletto menu so will not attempt to post it here.

 

I cannot comment on the escargot supply or the culinary council menus since we're not eating in the MDR.  I have not heard about an escargot shortage but can't say I care since I'm not fond of them. Don't they usually appear on the second gala night?

 

Today we are doing something very different and doing a self drive Hummer tour of Grand a Turk.  We are just arriving now.  Tonight will see us dining in Tamarind for the second time.  It is DM's birthday today.  The flower arrangement that I got for her last week is now fully open in time for her day.  It is a lovely arrangement; I'm glad I paid attention to the posts on CC about them a month or two ago.

Happy Birthday to your Mom!  What a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday. 😄

We love the freedom of Open Dining too and have chosen that since it was first offered and never looked back.  

[mocruzer]

Thanks to all for this report.  

[richwmn]

It is Feb 19th, and a beautiful day in Grand Turk!

It looks like they are repeating the movie schedule for the big screen at the Lido, tonight is Mamma Mia - Here we go again, just like last week. I watched it on the room TV and it is pretty good.

I was looking around the Lido before lunch for the Dinner offerings there and didn't see anything posted, so for the first time since the Navigator has been available I looked at the Lido and the menu was there, so it is also attached here.

Tonight on the World Stage will be a different Comedian - Ken Boyd, shows at 8pm & 10pm.

 

Feb19dinner.pdf

Feb19Lidodinner.pdf

[Alberta Quilter]

Thanks for the birthday wishes for DM!  We had a fun tour of Grand Turk.  The mini Hummers only seat two people.  They're electric vehicles so very quiet.  We hadn't realized that they drive on the left hand side of the road here. So I actually got to drive. DM was going to drive but decided not to drive when she heard we would be driving on the left.  It actually was a great way to experience driving on the left since one just follows the Hummer in front of you.  There were two guides on ATVs, one in front giving commentary over the radio, and one in back making sure everyone was keeping up and not getting lost.  The guy in the rear would also stop traffic occasionally to keep us all together.

 

We had a few stops along the way, one of which was to show us the various sea life available here.  We got to hold baby conch, sea urchin, star fish, and a sea cucumber.  He also showed us a jellyfish but no one got to hold it except the guide.

 

When we returned to the port, we went through some of the shops, including the duty free shop.  Boy, is that expensive!  We didn't buy anything there since we could buy the same items for less at home and in our own currency!

 

We came back onboard and had lunch.  DM celebrated her big day with a beer and some bread pudding at lunch.  She is now having a happy nap.

[dfish]

8 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

 Tonight will see us dining in Tamarind for the second time.  It is DM's birthday today.  The flower arrangement that I got for her last week is now fully open in time for her day.  It is a lovely arrangement; I'm glad I paid attention to the posts on CC about them a month or two ago.

Happy Birthday to your mom!   How wonderful to be able to spend the day with her.   I'm glad it was such a great day.

[raesive]

Just booked for April!  3rd cruise ever, first with HAL. Excited to be on a brand new ship.
I have a question... we are looking at doing one of the beverage packages, and the signature one is capped at $9 per drink... which means that we couldn't get the special cocktail that is advertised on the MDR menu that was posted from the 13th (listed at $9.50). I assume most nights are the same... which makes me wonder if maybe we'd be better off with the Elite package? Are there a lot of other things that are "affordable" for the signature person? Is it possible for someone to post a bar menu or two for me to peruse? Most of the ones I've found previously are pretty out of date. thanks 🙂

[Alberta Quilter]

Sorry, can't help with the Beverage question. In a week and a half onboard, I have yet to see a beverage menu, other than a Top Ten listing at Billboard Onboard (don't recall if it had prices but I'll try to remember to check at Trivia this morning).  I have been drinking this cruise and DM has only had beer purchased at Happy Hour.  

 

We no longer get receipts for our beverage purchases.  Makes it very hard to know how much one has left on their Beverage cards.

[Alberta Quilter]

Some odd things happened yesterday that I forgot to mention.  We are getting mail and phone messages for another person.  The first was a flyer for the shops addressed to someone else but to our cabin.  (We've had the same cabin for both segments.)  Then a birthday card came from the Captain, also addressed to this same person.  There was also a voice message from the Front Desk, to this other person, wishing her a Happy Birthday.  It was really rather bizarre.  I went down to the front desk for something else and the clerk just blew me off when I mentioned it.  Our cabin steward mentioned that several pieces of mail in his section had the wrong names on them.  

 

We had another nice dinner in Tamarind.  Unfortunately, my beef tenderloin was not as good as the first night, because it was well done instead of medium rare as ordered.  They brought out a cake and sang to DM, which embarrassed her totally, AFTER we finished our dessert.  I really dislike that.  Why can't they bring it out before one even orders dessert?!  Then one only has one dessert.  

 

We went to see the comedian and thought he was quite funny.  Afterwards, I finished the puzzle in the Crow's Nest while DM went to sleep.

 

This afternoon and evening, we will be in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Neither of us have been here before so are looking forward to exploring old San Juan.

[Krazy Kruizers]

16 minutes ago, Alberta Quilter said:

Some odd things happened yesterday that I forgot to mention.  We are getting mail and phone messages for another person.  The first was a flyer for the shops addressed to someone else but to our cabin.  (We've had the same cabin for both segments.)  Then a birthday card came from the Captain, also addressed to this same person.  There was also a voice message from the Front Desk, to this other person, wishing her a Happy Birthday.  It was really rather bizarre.  I went down to the front desk for something else and the clerk just blew me off when I mentioned it.  Our cabin steward mentioned that several pieces of mail in his section had the wrong names on them.  

 

We had another nice dinner in Tamarind.  Unfortunately, my beef tenderloin was not as good as the first night, because it was well done instead of medium rare as ordered.  They brought out a cake and sang to DM, which embarrassed her totally, AFTER we finished our dessert.  I really dislike that.  Why can't they bring it out before one even orders dessert?!  Then one only has one dessert.  

 

We went to see the comedian and thought he was quite funny.  Afterwards, I finished the puzzle in the Crow's Nest while DM went to sleep.

 

This afternoon and evening, we will be in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Neither of us have been here before so are looking forward to exploring old San Juan.

 

Happy Birthday to your mother.  Did you ask your waitress to wrap your cake in foil so that you could take it back to your cabin to eat at another time?

 

Strange that so many people are getting the wrong mail.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great reports coming in.

[raesive]

1 hour ago, Alberta Quilter said:

Sorry, can't help with the Beverage question. In a week and a half onboard, I have yet to see a beverage menu, other than a Top Ten listing at Billboard Onboard (don't recall if it had prices but I'll try to remember to check at Trivia this morning).  I have been drinking this cruise and DM has only had beer purchased at Happy Hour.  

 

We no longer get receipts for our beverage purchases.  Makes it very hard to know how much one has left on their Beverage cards.

 

Oh, that seems odd. I remember on our RC cruise each bar had some sort of menu floating around. I was looking forward to trying some special cocktails if they had some. 

[richwmn]

Musings for today.

 

On day 2 or 3 I mentioned that my free gratuities had gotten lost between HAL and the Travel Agency I moved the cruise to. Last Friday I got an email from the TA acknowledging the error and promising to make it good. This morning I found the credit on my card statement they promised, so I got a good resolution on the error.

 

Alberta Quilter mentioned the comic last night. I also thought he was funny, and the full audience seemed to agree. He did seem a bit edgy, at least for the current general mood.

 

The food continues to be good. Today the Hotel Manager and Beverage Manager are hosting a special Indonesian Meal for the people on the Collectors Cruise. It is at 11:30, so it doesn't interfere with arrival in San Juan at 1pm. Nice little touch for the continuing passengers.

 

The entertainment on the ship is still good. The new version of the Lincoln Center Stage is also good. One of my trivia team mates went into detail how this one is not as good, but to my untrained ear they are just fine. RSRR still draws a crowd each evening as does the Billboard. Tonight on the World Stage is a BBC Movie, Blue Planet II: an Underwater Adventure. The poolside movie is "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" described as a crime drama.

 

Trivia shortly, with Alberta Quilter and her lovely mom. Then San Juan for a while.

[EbayCruiser]

Looks like we will be sharing HMC with the Zuiderdam.  Both are due in at the same time.  Which one do you think will get the island tenders?  Will it just depend on who gets there first or which ship is larger.

[rog747]

AQ
If on the start of the second week of your B2B you were getting mail and calls to your cabin for another pax then it is quite likely that they were moved and/or upgraded due a glitch the cabin was double booked for the second week...

On Queen Elizabeth a couple of months ago I was upgraded at SOU check-in but my cabin obviously still had the original guests baggage arrive and some of their mail - all sorted within 12 hours or so...

thanks for all the reviews 

[Fouremco]

3 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

Some odd things happened yesterday that I forgot to mention.

I trust you've double checked your account to ensure that there's no similar issue with you being charged for the other person's expenditures. 

[kazu]

4 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

We no longer get receipts for our beverage purchases.  Makes it very hard to know how much one has left on their Beverage cards.

 

Yikes! 😞   Hopefully they are still giving receipts on the Prinsendam.

 

I do check them and keep the last one so I know what my card balance is 😉 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your mother 😄