LAFFNVEGAS "LIVE" from the Nieuw Amsterdam, First HAL Ship to Sail!!

[VennDiagram]

Thanks very much for taking us along on your cruise!

[chefestelle]

On 7/31/2021 at 7:26 AM, LAFFNVEGAS said:

I am actually considering doing another Live from, our next cruise the promotion we are booked under included the Premium WiFi so maybe it’s better lol but doubt it.

It will definitely be interesting to compare any differences.

Please do! I absolutely loved this!

[aliaschief]

33 minutes ago, Cajuntraveler said:

To anyone who was on this "first" Alaska cruise - can you share any packing tips? DH and I will be on the August 14th sailing and have cruised to Alaska in September when it was very cold and rainy. (We wore sweat shirts, jeans and rain coats most days.)  It's hard to think about cool weather clothes when it's 100 degrees outside.

 

Was there anything that you wish you had packed for your cruise?  Was there anything that you brought with you that you were very glad to have.  What did you bring that could have stayed home.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

Recommend each person have there own set of binoculars. Lots to see. Layers is the way to go. Waterproof shoes, rain coat. Keep in mind the water is pretty cool especially around the glaciers. Do a Google long term weather report for Juneau and your other  ports of call. Last week the weather was very nice but that can change in a jiffy.

 

 

[atexsix]

17 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

Good Evening from our home , our flight came in a bit late but then we left about 35 minutes late from SeaTac. A few bumps leaving Seattle and got bumpy upon approach to Vegas other than that the flight seemed to go by quickly.

Our son picked us up and we went to Carabbas for early dinner. After getting home we immediately unpacked, I then flipped on my computer only to find it was totally dead . It would not turn on or reboot . The monitors came on as well as my printer. For two years I have been saying I must get a new computer. I was still running on a windows 7, yeah I know I really needed to replace it. One of my monitors was also not wanting to turn on anymore or at least taking for ever to come on. So I guess I am heading out to buy a new computer tomorrow. I am thinking of getting one of the wireless all in one and hope I can connect a second monitor to it, and that my IT guy can remote in to add some things I need without having to have things transferred over.

Now the fun of planning our next Alaska cruise can start, I will be glad to be able to access that cruise on the Navigator app tomorrow.

 

Thanks again Everyone for following along, it was a fun week and I really enjoyed sharing it with you. It felt so good to be doing what we all love!!

I find that the first post vacation meal is a little depressing.

[atexsix]

2 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

 

 

and you will be glad to know that I cancelled just the Howell street hotel and will now stay out by the airport.  I so want to take Ovation out again to see my favorite places in Alaska.

thanks for your advice too.  Hoping Seattle gets better one day.  

Wonderful! Glad you didn't cancel outright because there are so many excellent alternatives like Bellevue and as you know, SeaTac.  In fact Bellevue's hotel district is thriving to the point their rates didn't drop all that much

[atexsix]

2 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Except no longer up-to-date, well some of it 😉 

I know, current cruising is so different from normal, from this vantage point, it'll probably seem just fine on the ship itself.

 

Hope you have a great cruise, we're 4 sailings behind you.

[atexsix]

5 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Thanx for confirming! Having dinner reservations at Ruth's place at the Grand Hyatt in the emerald city this Friday, our fav steakhouse

Forgot to say we might try Capital Grille this time after Lisa's review, looked pretty amazing!

[AncientWanderer]

8 minutes ago, atexsix said:

Forgot to say we might try Capital Grille this time after Lisa's review, looked pretty amazing!

 

We really like Capital Grille a lot -- have had a whole lot of celebrations there at locations all around the country.  It has always delivered the goods.

[nena4U]

20 hours ago, oakridger said:

Before 2021 the MDR waiters have been from Indonesia and bartenders/waiters/wine stewards have been from the Philippines. (occasionally from Thailand).  I have met a couple of Canaletto waitresses from Thailand also.

 

If the MDR waiters are Filipino then this is a new policy.  

 

~Nancy

I think we have to realize that not all people are comfortable working under the condition that exist in the cruise industry right now and I am sure HAL ( and all cruise lines for that matter ) ran into problems when they tried to call their crew back. I am sure a lot of juggling went on to fill all the positions they needed. We need to be great full that we can cruise at all under these conditions. 

 

[Suslor]

2 hours ago, atexsix said:

Forgot to say we might try Capital Grille this time after Lisa's review, looked pretty amazing!

In Seattle we always stay at the Fairmont and have dinner at the Capital Grille across the street. Next time I think we’ll go to Ruth’s Chris which we prefer. 

[BrownieCruises]

Thank you Lisa!  Hope you do a live blog on your next sailing and let us know what has changed. 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

6 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

Hi Lisa . Thank you for sharing your great cruise and photos with us . We are booked on a latter cruise and we wonder if you sailed on the inside passage on your return trip or if you stayed in the ocean . Thank you .

I believe we were all ocean, the True Inside Passage is for ships returning to Vancouver. Maybe someone else can give you exacts but the sailings from Seattle are never really Inside Passage.

[DavidsNana]

LALFFNVEGAS, I just read this whole thread in one sitting.  Thank you very much.  I am a Princess cruiser and have never sailed HAL.  But I live in San Diego and have been thinking about sailing HAL to the Mexican Riviera from here.  I learned so much from your posts.

 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

3 hours ago, AncientWanderer said:

 

We really like Capital Grille a lot -- have had a whole lot of celebrations there at locations all around the country.  It has always delivered the goods.

This visit to Seattle was our first to Capital Grille and it will not be our last. I was very impressed and already to Tom and our son they for my birthday in November I want to go to the one in Las Vegas.

[Boytjie]

38 minutes ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

I believe we were all ocean, the True Inside Passage is for ships returning to Vancouver. Maybe someone else can give you exacts but the sailings from Seattle are never really Inside Passage.

 

Correct. I have been following the ships' positions on Marine Traffic and from Seattle they have been going on the outside of Vancouver Island.

[jakers]

I want to thank Lisa for taking the time for this "Live" thread. I regret that we weren't able to meet up on the cruise. I didn't expect the great sail away party on the first day.  We did have a chance to chat with Gus Antorcha prior to the sail away. I expressed my gratitude for all the hard work that he, his staff, and the crew did to make this trip possible. We also had many opportunities to chat with Seth. This was our first time on the Nieuw Amsterdam, but IMHO this cruise was an improvement over cruising pre-covid. Other than the crew being required to wear masks all the time, the only differences that I could detect were the improved cleanliness efforts and the overwhelming desire of the crew to make this cruise exceptional. We only ate in the main dining room twice as we spent most nights enjoying the specialty restaurants. No matter where we dined the service and food more than fulfilled our expectations. My daughter (the one with the rainbow hair) enjoyed the musical options. There was a great variety in the age of the passengers. Something new for us. 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

On 7/29/2021 at 10:56 PM, mtiffany24 said:

https://youtu.be/7HlOwIsrLpE

Tom and I finally got the chance to watch this today. We watched it on our large family room tv rather than an iPad. This first half of the video was obviously filmed a day or two prior to the embarkation day since the Majestic Princess was not next to us, then the last half she was there. In the last half every time they show the aft Tom and I were out on the balcony. We were deck 7 port side aft next to the corner aft Neptune Suite. Unfortunately they cut the part where we were waiving at the drone but we were definitely there. It looked like I was wearing a red shirt but it was actually my Orange Nieuw Amsterdam shirt.

[12cruise2]

Unfortunately they cut the part where we were waiving at the drone but we were definitely there. It looked like I was wearing a red shirt but it was actually my Orange Nieuw Amsterdam shirt.

 

Lisa--I watched the video again and saw you and Tom on your balcony.  The orange shirt was perfect.  Thank you so much for all the sharing while you were on your cruise. 

[kazu]

6 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

We were deck 7 port side aft next to the corner aft Neptune Suite. Unfortunately they cut the part where we were waiving at the drone but we were definitely there. It looked like I was wearing a red shirt but it was actually my Orange Nieuw Amsterdam shirt.

 

Had to watch it again and definitely saw you two !  Yay 🙂 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

Loved the fire boat following after the ship in the final seconds of the video.  Thanks for sharing.

 

[whogo]

19 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Yes, the Thai ladies started coming in around 2016-2017, some were hired as restaurant supervisors.

Sorting workers into jobs by their nationality sounds bizarre to this American. Can you imagine that happening in Peoria? You're from where? You can work in the kitchen. From where? You can work in the office. From where? You can be a supervisor. A woman from where? You can work in the bar.

 

How much of this is ethnic stereotyping? I remember being shocked at a behind the scenes Cunard TV segment decades ago where the only Chinese aboard worked in the laundry.

[julia]

31 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Loved the fire boat following after the ship in the final seconds of the video.  Thanks for sharing.

 

Ferry:  Will you be working on Sept 25?  I'd love to say hello before we embark (we were on the May 2020 canceled Solstice roll call).

[woodworker&knitter]

At present on the NA the dining room stewards are 80% from Indonesia, the rest from the Philippines and Thailand

[Seasick Sailor]

51 minutes ago, whogo said:

Sorting workers into jobs by their nationality sounds bizarre to this American. Can you imagine that happening in Peoria? You're from where? You can work in the kitchen. From where? You can work in the office. From where? You can be a supervisor. A woman from where? You can work in the bar.

 

How much of this is ethnic stereotyping? I remember being shocked at a behind the scenes Cunard TV segment decades ago where the only Chinese aboard worked in the laundry.

 

@Copper10-8 will have a very educated reply if you've read his posts.

[North2Alaska]

14 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

I believe we were all ocean, the True Inside Passage is for ships returning to Vancouver. Maybe someone else can give you exacts but the sailings from Seattle are never really Inside Passage.

Thank you so much for your live comments!  We're on the NA on the 14th and it really helps with planning, not to mention adding to our excitement for the upcoming trip!  I'm looking for your FB page!