Rare Crew News Posted December 9, 2019 Author #51 Share Posted December 9, 2019 34 minutes ago, smilesntravels said: Thank you for your ongoing review. We'll see you onboard next week. Hopefully you enjoy your first week aboard. I just noticed on cruise website that our sailing on the 15th is a theme cruise: wine experts cruise, with wine experts from Chateau Ste. Michelle. My hubby and I love to go wine tasting, so that will be an added bonus. Did you already know this or have you heard anything about it. Also, only if you get a chance, can you possibly let me know what night they're serving rack of lamb in the MDR? We'll probably do one specialty restaurant and I don't want to do it the night they have rack of lamb. Thank you.. Wine theme is news to me and I will ask about it. No rack of lamb on the menu so far but I will ask tomorrow during the kitchen tour. I am in the process of collecting menus for two weeks and will be able to give you a better answer when I get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenseasnomad Posted December 10, 2019 #52 Share Posted December 10, 2019 11 hours ago, rangeley said: My husband is in a wheelchair and the transfers are alot easier. I understand completely. I forgot to mention that some passengers need assistance, so HAL transfers make a lot of sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 10, 2019 Author #53 Share Posted December 10, 2019 4 hours ago, smilesntravels said: Okay thanks, but don't go to any trouble regarding the menu. I don't know if we're allowed to mention websites here, but I saw it on vacations to go about the wine theme for next weeks cruise. My apologies. I should have known that rack of lamb is always served on the second Gala Night December 19th. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenseasnomad Posted December 10, 2019 #54 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Question, Crew News. If you've purchased Club Orange, why are you eating in the MDR? On Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam, Club Orange is a separate dining room. We have Club Orange our second week while our first week is early fixed. I hate to hear that this seating is 5:00 p.m. for several reasons. First, we've asked for a zoom-in on the live cam from Port Everglades. NS doesn't usually leave her berth until after five. Second, I agree that it's much too early for dinner, particularly with the smaller portions. We'll be starving by nine, so I guess we'll head to NY Deli or order room service. What time is the second fixed seating? 7:00? Third, after consuming a large lunch at noon, that extra 30 minutes (dinner at 5:30) makes a big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry H Posted December 10, 2019 #55 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Hey Roger, Wrote you a few weeks ago hoping you would be able to obtain a map of the dining room. I have the Koningsdam but rumor has it that it is not the same. Hope you are successful and able to post the map. Have a great cruise! Sherry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
510picker Posted December 10, 2019 #56 Share Posted December 10, 2019 On 12/9/2019 at 8:10 AM, rangeley said: My husband is in a wheelchair and the transfers are alot easier. I too am a full-time wheelchair user, but I find the accessible taxis in Ft Lauderdale to be much quicker and cheaper than HAL transfers. Have you used the accessible taxis before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatcat04 Posted December 10, 2019 #57 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Thank you Roger for all you do. The information you gather and post has helped so many of us. One quick question, what sparkling wines are presently available for those on the Elite Bev Pkg? I know they have been making some changes. Last February they still had Nicolas F. available on NA but it wasn't on the official menu and the lido bartender I talked to said to just ask for it specifically. I assumed it was being phased out which is a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rangeley Posted December 10, 2019 #58 Share Posted December 10, 2019 33 minutes ago, 510picker said: I too am a full-time wheelchair user, but I find the accessible taxis in Ft Lauderdale to be much quicker and cheaper than HAL transfers. Have you used the accessible taxis before? We have tried. My husband has a service dog and most of the cab drivers refuse to take him. We got stuck in Florida once after a cruise because of a storm at home. Found someone to take us out to dinner but took us hours to get back as cab after cab refused the dog. We know its illegal but there wasn't much we could do about it at 10pm. So we just let it go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VennDiagram Posted December 10, 2019 #59 Share Posted December 10, 2019 23 hours ago, taxmantoo said: Not quite correct. On most other HAL ships, the Promenade provides an unobstructed view of the ocean. On the 2 Pinnacle Class ships, the view of the ocean from the Promenade deck is severely restricted by the tender boats. Thank you for that information! You've confirmed that my concern about the Promenade Deck is valid. You've been on many (all?) the HAL ships. How would you say the visibility from the K-dam or NS Promenade Deck compares to the Vista ships' Promenade Deck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted December 10, 2019 #60 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Lots of great information here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
510picker Posted December 10, 2019 #61 Share Posted December 10, 2019 1 hour ago, rangeley said: We have tried. My husband has a service dog and most of the cab drivers refuse to take him. We got stuck in Florida once after a cruise because of a storm at home. Found someone to take us out to dinner but took us hours to get back as cab after cab refused the dog. We know its illegal but there wasn't much we could do about it at 10pm. So we just let it go. Now I understand. I can't believe they won't allow a service dog in the taxi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 10, 2019 Author #62 Share Posted December 10, 2019 The second cruise day began with warm temperatures and partly cloudy skies and ended with some rather bumpy seas. This day was committed to electronics charging, gathering information promised to CC members, and lots of scanning. Sleeping later was a treat but squeezing three meals into a timeframe of 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM was not a healthy experience even though lunch was only cream of broccoli soup. Yes, I did eat one of those estimated 7-inch chocolate chip cookies that I remembered to pick up from the Dutch Café. The first breakfast in Club Orange was a good experience and the sparse crowd was surprising since Club Orange was a big perk for the suite’s guests. Sitting at one of the elevated tables, I could watch my Salmon Benedict breakfast being prepared just like at the Waffle House. As reported earlier, there are two 6-top tables and the rest of the tables evenly split between 2 and 4-tops. I, and a few other passengers, remained on board while the ship was docked off the shore of Half Moon Cay. Lots of shipboard photos are now stored on my laptop with none containing my fellow passengers. Of special note is the large temperature drop from Deck 5 to the hallways of Deck 2. My dinner was a light appetizer and a half-portion of prime rib in Club Orange. Laundry service was good with morning turn-in returned at 4:00 PM. I was surprised to learn that the wire hangers are gone and all laundry is returned on the same wooden hangers in the stateroom closets. Although I had my copy of the CC Meet & Greet approval, the ship had no record of the arrangements. I was finally contacted by the Event Coordinator and arrangements were completed. I lost the internet at 8:00 PM so this will be posted when access permits. More later. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenalice Posted December 10, 2019 #63 Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) Crew News, thank you for these live updates! I am sailing the NS next June with 11 others and some of us are wondering about the "Select Stations Available" in the Lido buffet during the hours of 2 to 4 PM, and 10:30 to 11:30 PM. Basically those are outside the Lido's Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner hours and we'd like to know what's open. For example, is the Sweet Spot where they scoop free ice cream open during those hours? Edited December 10, 2019 by stevenalice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 10, 2019 Author #64 Share Posted December 10, 2019 6 hours ago, fatcat04 said: Thank you Roger for all you do. The information you gather and post has helped so many of us. One quick question, what sparkling wines are presently available for those on the Elite Bev Pkg? I know they have been making some changes. Last February they still had Nicolas F. available on NA but it wasn't on the official menu and the lido bartender I talked to said to just ask for it specifically. I assumed it was being phased out which is a shame. Two meeting the $15 limit on the current MDR wine menu are: LeGrand Cortege $13 and Le Moreau Proseco $10 but I will do some research to find more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickeyG Posted December 10, 2019 #65 Share Posted December 10, 2019 My wife and I will be on the Nieuw Statendam for Christmas cruise this year. This will be our first HAL experience. We wanted to choose a ship that would be extra-special for the holidays. After reading several reviews from experienced HAL cruisers, we decided to go big with the Nieuw Statendam. Looking forward to meeting our fellow cruisers in a couple of weeks. Best...Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 10, 2019 Author #66 Share Posted December 10, 2019 2 hours ago, stevenalice said: Crew News, thank you for these live updates! I am sailing the NS next June with 11 others and some of us are wondering about the "Select Stations Available" in the Lido buffet during the hours of 2 to 4 PM, and 10:30 to 11:30 PM. Basically those are outside the Lido's Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner hours and we'd like to know what's open. For example, is the Sweet Spot where they scoop free ice cream open during those hours? The Sweet Spot is open all day/evening and so is the Gelato Station (9:00 PM) by the indoor pool. The Dive In is open until 6:00 PM and the NY Pizza and Deli is open until 11:00 PM. Grand Dutch Cafe is open until 10:00 PM. Of course Room Service is open 24/7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 10, 2019 Author #67 Share Posted December 10, 2019 On 12/9/2019 at 2:35 PM, smilesntravels said: Thank you for your ongoing review. We'll see you onboard next week. Hopefully you enjoy your first week aboard. I just noticed on cruise website that our sailing on the 15th is a theme cruise: wine experts cruise, with wine experts from Chateau Ste. Michelle. My hubby and I love to go wine tasting, so that will be an added bonus. Did you already know this or have you heard anything about it. Also, only if you get a chance, can you possibly let me know what night they're serving rack of lamb in the MDR? We'll probably do one specialty restaurant and I don't want to do it the night they have rack of lamb. Thank you.. There experts will be onboard next and there will be a special dinner in the Canaletto featuring their wines. Go to the kiosk on Deck across from Sel de Mer to book this special dinner/ Spaces are limited so reserve as soon as you board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilesntravels Posted December 10, 2019 #68 Share Posted December 10, 2019 1 minute ago, Crew News said: There experts will be onboard next and there will be a special dinner in the Canaletto featuring their wines. Go to the kiosk on Deck across from Sel de Mer to book this special dinner/ Spaces are limited so reserve as soon as you board. Thanks Roger. After looking further into this wine theme cruise, I found that they would have a wine representative at Blend. Good to know about this special dinner at Canaletto! We do have the alcohol/beverage package, yay, so will be trying lots of wine, etc. I know it doesn't include all, but just having the package is nice. I thought about posting this in our roll call for next week, but it's not very active. Anyhow, hopefully you have time to relax and enjoy the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted December 10, 2019 #69 Share Posted December 10, 2019 15 hours ago, Sherry H said: Hey Roger, Wrote you a few weeks ago hoping you would be able to obtain a map of the dining room. I have the Koningsdam but rumor has it that it is not the same. Hope you are successful and able to post the map. Have a great cruise! Sherry This is the response I got from Ship's Services when I requested the lower level layout (again). Good Afternoon, Early and Main dining are on the upper level, the lower level is reserved for Open seating on the Nieuw Statendam. Thank you and kind regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoAnderson Posted December 10, 2019 #70 Share Posted December 10, 2019 @Crew News Thank you for your reviews, comments and information regarding the NS...it is very helpful. Have you noticed if there are private cabana type areas on the LIDO deck by the dome pool? Some of the HAL ships have offered these on sea days. You can rent for the day and it was great. Thanks and see you next week Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 10, 2019 Author #71 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Lounge areas above the pool are open to the public and not are not fully utilized. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 10, 2019 Author #72 Share Posted December 10, 2019 4 hours ago, smilesntravels said: Thanks Roger. After looking further into this wine theme cruise, I found that they would have a wine representative at Blend. Good to know about this special dinner at Canaletto! We do have the alcohol/beverage package, yay, so will be trying lots of wine, etc. I know it doesn't include all, but just having the package is nice. I thought about posting this in our roll call for next week, but it's not very active. Anyhow, hopefully you have time to relax and enjoy the cruise. The Sommelier will be at Blend every day at 12, 3, and 6:00 PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 10, 2019 Author #73 Share Posted December 10, 2019 18 hours ago, Sherry H said: Hey Roger, Wrote you a few weeks ago hoping you would be able to obtain a map of the dining room. I have the Koningsdam but rumor has it that it is not the same. Hope you are successful and able to post the map. Have a great cruise! Sherry The maps of both decks are to be delivered to my stateroom tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatcat04 Posted December 10, 2019 #74 Share Posted December 10, 2019 2 hours ago, Crew News said: Two meeting the $15 limit on the current MDR wine menu are: LeGrand Cortege $13 and Le Moreau Proseco $10 but I will do some research to find more. Thanks for checking for me. We usually bring on a couple bottles of bubbles of our choice but may not be able to this next trip due to luggage and time restraints so was curious what our options are within the EBP price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 10, 2019 Author #75 Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, fatcat04 said: Thank you Roger for all you do. The information you gather and post has helped so many of us. One quick question, what sparkling wines are presently available for those on the Elite Bev Pkg? I know they have been making some changes. Last February they still had Nicolas F. available on NA but it wasn't on the official menu and the lido bartender I talked to said to just ask for it specifically. I assumed it was being phased out which is a shame. deleted Edited December 10, 2019 by Crew News Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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