Live and life from Nieuw Amsterdam's third Alaska sailing

[bluesplayer]

Following along..   have a wonderful cruise!!   Thank you for posting your travels.

[cruisin'teach]

As a Seattle native, I am loving your pictures and the Sea. history you have shared! Have a wonderful cruise😍

[Vict0riann]

Good morning, Copper!  Have you noticed anything new and Covid related  in your treatment at the hotel? As you are only staying one night, I don't suppose you will have had any interactions with cleaning staff, etc.  Are masks being worn?

[luvteaching]

Bon Voyage Copper and Maria! We're on the next voyage so be kind to that ship. Oh - when you return it's supposed to be in the low 90's!

 

Karen

[Copper10-8]

13 minutes ago, IslandThyme said:

I have been enjoying the last two Live From threads, and am loving the level of technical detail and description you are bringing to yours! With one notable exception: cooking tenderloin well done = un sacrilège total! Oh well, chacun à son gout.

 

 

Merci beaucoup Madame! Chacun à son goût est correct car nous ne sommes pas des vampires, pas qu'il y ait quelque chose de mal a vampires 😉 / Thanks very much Ma'am. To each their own taste is correct because we are not vampires, not that there is anything wrong with vampires 😉 

[Copper10-8]

5 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Good morning, Copper!  Have you noticed anything new and Covid related  in your treatment at the hotel? As you are only staying one night, I don't suppose you will have had any interactions with cleaning staff, etc.  Are masks being worn?

 

Morning Ann! We had our masks on walking from our gate through Sea-Tac to baggage claim. As soon as we met our driver and got in his very nice Escalade, we asked him about mask wearing in the back and his answer was "you don't have to, it's optional when fully vaccinated," which is what we are.

 

Upon arrival at the Embassy Suites, we asked the desk person and received the same answer. We asked two more times - cab ride to Ruth Chris, and from the manager inside that fine establishment, and once again received the same responses. We see folks wearing masks, but the majority here are not. Employees of the hotel and in the restaurant are wearing masks. One cabbie was wearing a mask but the second one did not. A bit different than the L.A. area.

 

We'll b waving at you later today while in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, as we pass beautiful Victoria, BC

[syesmar]

@Copper10-8Any news on why NA is still coded Yellow after more than a week?

 

Enjoying your posts! Hope you have an amazing cruise!

[NavArch64]

Just off the ship ... best wishes to all who are boarding today.

[Happily@Sea]

14 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Merci beaucoup Madame! Chacun à son goût est correct car nous ne sommes pas des vampires, pas qu'il y ait quelque chose de mal a vampires 😉 / Thanks very much Ma'am. To each their own taste is correct because we are not vampires, not that there is anything wrong with vampires 😉 

 

I like my meat cooked too,. Not still oozing blood. 🤢

[Copper10-8]

2 minutes ago, syesmar said:

@Copper10-8Any news on why NA is still coded Yellow after more than a week?

 

Enjoying your posts! Hope you have an amazing cruise!

 

Nope, but I will attempt to find out for you! Thanks a bunch!

[syesmar]

2 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Nope, but I will attempt to find out for you! Thanks a bunch!

Appreciate that. Have a wonderful cruise!

[NavArch64]

I asked the Captain yesterday about the CDC CSO color codes. I received a sort of answer. The implication was that the NAdam Yellow was due to incoming crew in 7 day quarantine. We had 3 below us ... we on deck 5 fwd ... they below us on deck 4 fwd. We spoke all week over the balcony railing.

[Vict0riann]

24 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Morning Ann!

 

We'll b waving at you later today while in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, as we pass beautiful Victoria, BC

 

Thanks for all that, Copper.   It's pretty much like that here, too.  Although mask wearing indoors is recommended for all.  No more mandate.  Hope it works!

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise - if we were still in our house we would be able to wave back, but here we just see the Olympics.  But consider me waving as you pass by, just wish you were visiting here too, we remember our promise to take you to the Aviation Museum!

[Vict0riann]

10 minutes ago, NavArch64 said:

I asked the Captain yesterday about the CDC CSO color codes. I received a sort of answer. The implication was that the NAdam Yellow was due to incoming crew in 7 day quarantine. We had 3 below us ... we on deck 5 fwd ... they below us on deck 4 fwd. We spoke all week over the balcony railing.

 

That is interesting.  I was a bit confused by the colour coding - you would think it would go green, yellow, orange , red, not green, orange, yellow, red.  Or maybe I am going colour blind!

[NavArch64]

Agree ... very confusing ... counter intuitive.

[Copper10-8]

Just a little walk around the hotel. We are right smack next door to Lumen Field, built between 2000 and 2002, and home of the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) - an employee in the elevator called them the "Sea Chickens" - and Seattle Sounders (MLS) It was built on the site of the former Seattle Kingdome. Plus you'll find these orange colored - Dutch soccer team fan - bicycles and smaller step bikes all over the place that you apparently can rent. Leaving for Smith Cove in about 45 min. Catch y'all later

 

 

 

 

 

[zelker]

@Copper10-8 John - when you have a chance sometime during the week, would you stop by the spa and ask them what the masking requirements are, if any, if you're doing the Relaxation Package (so using that pool, heated loungers, etc.).   Thank you!  Barb

[NengEuis]

Lime and Uber e-bikes are lifesavers. I had to spend 2 weeks at UW for a family member's surgery and I rode them everywhere. Just unlock with your phone and go! Leave them and lock with your phone when you're done. They give you a little help on the hills so you don't have to kill yourself and arrive huffing and puffing 😅 lol

[aliaschief]

Nice face mask awaiting us on what was the fastest boarding ever.

 

 

 

[TrulyLoveCruising]

36 minutes ago, zelker said:

@Copper10-8 John - when you have a chance sometime during the week, would you stop by the spa and ask them what the masking requirements are, if any, if you're doing the Relaxation Package (so using that pool, heated loungers, etc.).   Thank you!  Barb

I will be going to the spa using the relaxation package. I will let you know the requirements Barb.

[Coffeeluvr05]

18 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

Nice face mask awaiting us on what was the fastest boarding ever.

 

 

 

Do all pax get those or just certain loyalty levels? 

[boze9999]

18 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

Nice face mask awaiting us on what was the fastest boarding ever.

 

 

 

Did you board right at noon?

[zelker]

1 hour ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

Do all pax get those or just certain loyalty levels? 

This is from HAL's newest Travelwell FAQ's:

 

Holland America Line is providing a double-layer cloth mask for each guest on board. Guests may also use their own double-layer cloth or paper medical mask. Face coverings such as bandanas, neck gaiters, and masks with exhaust valves are not allowed. We always recommend guests wash or replace their mask daily and choose a good quality, ideally medical grade, standard mask. Please note that visors and face shields will not be accepted as a substitute for a face mask.

[aliaschief]

7 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Not sure; I can tell you that both Chief Bruce and us initially had a 1:00 PM boarding time and that was changed last week to 12:00 Noon

If I had known I had to take off my belt and my  watch total time from handing bags to longshoreman to being on board would have been 12 minutes but I believe 15 minutes was all time best!

 

By 2:00 PM we were unpacked and enjoying our Verandha. Our next door neighbors are the Pinnacle Suite which is probably as close as we ever get.

 

We are in our Happy Place!

[CRu1853!!]

Have a terrific time. I always enjoy your postings because they are interesting and full of behind the scenes information and facts.😊