Live From Nieuw Statendam Nov 28 - Dec 12, 2021

[Crew News]

16 minutes ago, cat shepard said:

I have been so focused on the info and details provided by your other threads, that I have totally missed your sense of humor.

 

I have not missed it in this thread. I really appreciate it as much as the wealth of info you provide. 
 

And if all goes as planned, I will be thinking of you when I fly over Denali next September. Thank you Roger! Enjoy the rest of your cruise. 

If you looked at my Fly Denali photo before you made your decision or read my previous threads, I hope you get to experience the snow landing that I missed on my first flight over Denali (made it the second time).  Practice sitting  with your knees pulled to your chest for two hours.

 

I will be aboard the Niuew Amsterdam Sep 11 so we might just share a port.  FWIW I pondered a Denali flight out of Anchorage during one of my stops and then remembered that "pretzel" feeling might not be good for 4.5 hours.

 

FWIW I will be collecting and posting Alaska menus in April.  Stay tuned.

[smlnd]

How about a picture of the almond and the chocolate chip cookies you keep raving about?  What is so special about them?

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, Crew News said:

I have posted the PG New Years Eve, PG Ne Years Day Brunch, and Christmas Eve menus.

 

Holland America Line Holiday Menus

 

MDR Christmas Eve Menu:  "From Mexico"  Caesar Salad:  Julius might have a quibble or two about that.  Adding "Mexican ingredients" does not make a true Caesar Salad.  I would judge that menu as weak in comparison to the same menus for the same evening on previous HAL cruises that I have sailed.  

 

Roasted Parsnip Broth on the PG's New Year's Eve menu:  can't imagine that to be an offering in an upscale restaurant.  

 

The Christmas Day MDR menu is quite appealing to me.  More than one Starter, Mains, and Desserts:  all are tempting.  The Jacques Torres White Chocolate Snowman sounds most intriguing.  

 

 

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, smlnd said:

How about a picture of the almond and the chocolate chip cookies you keep raving about?  What is so special about them?

I shall do that tomorrow when the Grand Dutch Cafe opens and I get my daily ration. 

 

The chocolate chip cookies are a bit smaller now but still 5.5 inches in diameter, thick, chewy since they are made with lots of butter, large chocolate chips, and they fall apart quite easily. 

 

The almond cookies are soft, a bit more crumbly than the chocolate chip cookies, filled with sweetened almond butter, and topped with slivered almonds.

[Crew News]

Our sixth day at sea began again with sunny skies and delightful temperatures.  My day was spent updating the menus received and posting them.  I gave up trying to make sense of HAL bingo and just posted what I saw in the bingo poster from the Casino.  My disembarkation package with two black luggage tags arrived today.  Much like before, they included blanks for passenger information.  Now I am wondering why I still need to keep my original luggage tags attached for disembarkation.  

For the first time, I encountered lines in the Lido Market Buffet for breakfast and had to settle for muesli that turned out to be an excellent find.  With fresh berries on top, it was a good start of my day.

With all of the restaurant managers working the Lido Market breakfast, I have started receiving a daily fist bump from each. It is certain that my Navigator feedback for their employees is getting their attention that great customer service needs to be rewarded as soon as it happens.  On this cruise, it has not been the managers that provided menus rather it was a collection of excellent restaurant hosts.

I asked about last day laundry and was told that it would be accepted before 8:00 AM for return the evening before disembarkation.  Too risky for me, I sent in my last laundry load tonight.

The seven days of changing kid's menus are now posted as are the remaining menus I have been seeking.

I spent some time at Notes speaking with the bar tender that runs the tasting sessions.  There is a different and increasing cost session each evening that begins on the first day ($25) up to $150 for the last session.  The cost of the whiskeys get higher for each tasting.  A 28-year aged bottle from Kentucky has $1000/shots available.  Individual tastes outside of the regular tasting sessions are available.

Clocks fall back tonight and another hour of sleep is available for our last stop in Nassau.  After reading the tourist crime threat, I decided to keep my camera and wallet safely in my stateroom along with myself.  With most passengers ashore, I can take my final shipboard photos before downloading them to my laptop.

If my notebook is correct, I owe answers to questions on capacity in Feb and senior officers at the same time.  I am still waiting for the Half Moon Cay Butler menu to complete my collection.  

Last Saturday, I smiled knowing that I would still be onboard for another week.  Tomorrow, others will be smiling while I am packing for my disembarkation.  

My use-it-or-lose it Delta Airlines COVID cancellation refunds are now recouped, onboard menus are updated, my future Cruise Deposit wallet is again healthy, my emergency travel kit (screw driver for glasses, duct tape, sea bands, ace bandage, ibuprofen, handiwipes, cool collars, chargers, adapters, nightlight, stapler, post-it-notes, etc.) is restocked, and I am well-practiced for enjoying the Nieuw Amsterdam in 19 days.  

More later.

[canadarocks]

25 minutes ago, Crew News said:

The seven days of changing kid's menus are now posted as are the remaining menus I have been seeking.

If my notebook is correct, I owe answers to questions on capacity in Feb and senior officers at the same time.  I am still waiting for the Half Moon Cay Butler menu to complete my collection.  

I've checked your website Roger and I don't see the 11 day menus. Were you not able to get them? But I also don't see kid's menus..... so am I maybe not looking in the right place? 

[Cruise Suzy]

7 hours ago, Crew News said:

Now I am wondering why I still need to keep my original luggage tags attached for disembarkation.

 

On our cruise, we left the originals on and found our suitcases grouped together in the terminal. Previously, they had been widely separated. Don't know if leaving the tags on was the reason or not. We did notice other groups of 2-5 suitcases. Of course, having reduced capacity also may have helped them to group by stateroom but the larger tags certainly would have been helpful.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Cruise Suzy

[Crew News]

8 hours ago, canadarocks said:

I've checked your website Roger and I don't see the 11 day menus. Were you not able to get them? But I also don't see kid's menus..... so am I maybe not looking in the right place? 

Kid's menus are with the breakfast menus but I did add them to my revision page after forgetting to do so.  The 11-Day menus are still a work in progress.  An insider says they are not yet on the ship.

[Florida_gal_50]

Thank you for all your hard work Roger.  I hope you had at least 5 minutes to relax.  It’s hard to believe you would have.  Enjoy your last day.  It’s always a sad day for me.

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, Cruise Suzy said:

 

On our cruise, we left the originals on and found our suitcases grouped together in the terminal. Previously, they had been widely separated. Don't know if leaving the tags on was the reason or not. We did notice other groups of 2-5 suitcases. Of course, having reduced capacity also may have helped them to group by stateroom but the larger tags certainly would have been helpful.

Thanks for your input.  I now understand what a great idea/change this will be.  I remember  the time searching among hundreds of bags for my luggage. 

[LouChamp]

13 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

MDR Christmas Eve Menu:  "From Mexico"  Caesar Salad:  Julius might have a quibble or two about that.  Adding "Mexican ingredients" does not make a true Caesar Salad.  I would judge that menu as weak in comparison to the same menus for the same evening on previous HAL cruises that I have sailed.  

 

Roasted Parsnip Broth on the PG's New Year's Eve menu:  can't imagine that to be an offering in an upscale restaurant.  

 

The Christmas Day MDR menu is quite appealing to me.  More than one Starter, Mains, and Desserts:  all are tempting.  The Jacques Torres White Chocolate Snowman sounds most intriguing.  

 

 

We love holiday cruises. Not this year as we are caring for my mother who has dementia but hope to start in the future.  All the best!

[Crew News]

2 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Thank you for all your hard work Roger.  I hope you had at least 5 minutes to relax.  It’s hard to believe you would have.  Enjoy your last day.  It’s always a sad day for me.

Indeed a sad day, but also one of knowing that cruising in these times is possible.  The reduced capacity is truly a joy to experience but will one day end.  After this "practice" cruise, its time to move forward with the joy of cruising.

[cat shepard]

16 hours ago, Crew News said:

If you looked at my Fly Denali photo before you made your decision or read my previous threads, I hope you get to experience the snow landing that I missed on my first flight over Denali (made it the second time).  Practice sitting  with your knees pulled to your chest for two hours.

 

I will be aboard the Niuew Amsterdam Sep 11 so we might just share a port.  FWIW I pondered a Denali flight out of Anchorage during one of my stops and then remembered that "pretzel" feeling might not be good for 4.5 hours.

 

FWIW I will be collecting and posting Alaska menus in April.  Stay tuned.

Roger, I will arrive in Vancouver on the NA on the 11th! And it was your pictures & info that decided us to book a flight with Fly Denali.  I am only 5’6”, so I am hoping not to be as much of a pretzel.

 

And I look forward to any info you glean and share!  It will have been 27 years since I visited Alaska. You will be my (and a host of other cruisers) forward “scout”!

 

Thank you again!

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The Nieuw Statendam in Nassau .

 

[jagger16]

Thank you again, Roger for taking so much of your time to observe, seek out and share all of this useful information for us. Congratulations on two successful, safe and healthy cruises. Hope you have a safe journey home.

 

I just wanted to circle back on a question I had asked (and was answered) about making dinner reservations prior to boarding. Based on your trusted advice, I went ahead and booked our Tamarind dinner. I expect that I will be credited my Mariner discount after we board per your experience.

 

Before I had asked on this thread I had asked our TA to ask HAL the same question and some time later they got back to me with a message saying we had to book on board to get the discount. I figure we’ll sort it all out when we get on board. Just wanted to point out that sometimes information from HAL is not quite right.😏

 

One other note for those who are following boarding time changes, for the 12/26 sailing we have been bumped up from 1 to 12 pm.

[Florida_gal_50]

5 minutes ago, jagger16 said:

Thank you again, Roger for taking so much of your time to observe, seek out and share all of this useful information for us. Congratulations on two successful, safe and healthy cruises. Hope you have a safe journey home.

 

I just wanted to circle back on a question I had asked (and was answered) about making dinner reservations prior to boarding. Based on your trusted advice, I went ahead and booked our Tamarind dinner. I expect that I will be credited my Mariner discount after we board per your experience.

 

Before I had asked on this thread I had asked our TA to ask HAL the same question and some time later they got back to me with a message saying we had to book on board to get the discount. I figure we’ll sort it all out when we get on board. Just wanted to point out that sometimes information from HAL is not quite right.😏

 

One other note for those who are following boarding time changes, for the 12/26 sailing we have been bumped up from 1 to 12 pm.

Hal was sort of right on the discount.  If you want the discount immediately you need to book on board.  You will get it eventually 🙂.

[tupper10]

On 12/9/2021 at 5:07 PM, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

We're not Roger but we did sail in aft VS verandah # 5200 on the NS . We did notice more vibration and creaking on the sea than any any of our previous 10 aft facing verandahs . Additionally we saw shims in the door frame to try to minimize the noise . We did hear water running in the walls 24/7 . About 0530 in the morning the music from Sea View Pool would wake me up and we did make several requests to  the Club Orange concierge ( i.e . the front desk ) to reduce the volume but unfortunately they never did .

 

 

Very concerned about your post because we booked two aft rooms - not on this ship but one on the sister ship for a cruise to Hawaii in January 2023 and one on the Zuiderdam.  Did you hear the music the entire time on your aft veranda?   We are in the camp of people that hate the non stop music on cruise ships - we booked the retreat on our Caribbean cruise because we were told there was no music in this area. Thanks.

[Comptech]

58 minutes ago, jagger16 said:

One other note for those who are following boarding time changes, for the 12/26 sailing we have been bumped up from 1 to 12 pm.

So is that so they can disinfect the common areas?

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, cat shepard said:

Roger, I will arrive in Vancouver on the NA on the 11th! And it was your pictures & info that decided us to book a flight with Fly Denali.  I am only 5’6”, so I am hoping not to be as much of a pretzel.

 

And I look forward to any info you glean and share!  It will have been 27 years since I visited Alaska. You will be my (and a host of other cruisers) forward “scout”!

 

Thank you again!

I hope your weather is clear so  you can see the peak as you fly around it. 

 

The opportunity to snare a Vista-class ,fully-covered Deck 5 aft stateroom for early Alaska. is rare.  As an early Alaskan season cruiser, I will be an active gleaner , reporter, and an active photographer to capture all the new baby creatures and views. There will be another live thread in April for my 2022 Pacific coastal and Alaska cruise. 

[Florida_gal_50]

12 minutes ago, Comptech said:

So is that so they can disinfect the common areas?

They moved UP their time not moved it back?  

[Comptech]

2 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

They moved UP their time not moved it back?  

I meant that it seems later than normal. My boarding doc said we are in group E @ 130 and not to show up any earlier.

 

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, jagger16 said:

Thank you again, Roger for taking so much of your time to observe, seek out and share all of this useful information for us. Congratulations on two successful, safe and healthy cruises. Hope you have a safe journey home.

 

I just wanted to circle back on a question I had asked (and was answered) about making dinner reservations prior to boarding. Based on your trusted advice, I went ahead and booked our Tamarind dinner. I expect that I will be credited my Mariner discount after we board per your experience.

 

Before I had asked on this thread I had asked our TA to ask HAL the same question and some time later they got back to me with a message saying we had to book on board to get the discount. I figure we’ll sort it all out when we get on board. Just wanted to point out that sometimes information from HAL is not quite right.😏

 

One other note for those who are following boarding time changes, for the 12/26 sailing we have been bumped up from 1 to 12 pm.

You will find the discount son your account statement on the second day of your cruise. 

 

The Tamarind Manager, Mercedes, is right at the top of my helpful crew list.  Nikola, Beverage Server in the Tamarind is amazing and will be across from the Spa entrance on Embarkation Day.  If she learns your name on Embarkation Day, she will greet you every day at your Lido Breakfast.  The same is true for Host Livia and Server Linda in the Tamarind.  Give them my best when you go to dinner.

 

Since it is difficult to judge when taxis and shuttles arrive at the HAL terminal, if you arrive a bit early, you will be boarded immediately.

 

As another heads-up, during the hour or so when your Navigator app transitions from Seattle to ship input, your excursions and reservations will disappear.  Just be patient and don't join the long line at Guest Services seeking support.  If you have a laptop, enter "login.com" in Google search to connect to Navigator.

[jagger16]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Hal was sort of right on the discount.  If you want the discount immediately you need to book on board.  You will get it eventually 🙂.

True. Thank you for clarifying. 🙂

[Crew News]

2 minutes ago, Comptech said:

I meant that it seems later than normal. My boarding doc said we are in group E @ 130 and not to show up any earlier.

 

There are benches outside the terminal if you mistakenly arrive too early.  With lines at the port entrance and stops at several terminals, it is hard to judge your arrival time.  With extremely limited passengers, an early arrival should not be a problem.  My shuttle had me at the terminal 20 minutes early and there was one other couple ahead of me.  12 minutes from luggage drop off until I was onboard.

[jagger16]

Thanks, Roger. Good advice on the app.

Can you describe where the comment section for crew is on the app? That’s such a great feature.