Venture to the Caribbean with Bill & Mary Ann on the Nieuw Statendam & Nieuw Amsterdam 12-18-21 to 4-26-22

[KAKcruiser]

Have you heard how many passengers will be on the next sailing?  Thanks.

[Beachbum1944]

1 hour ago, phinu said:

I am not trolling your statement.  We are loyal customers.  Gamblers are pure profit for the cruise line.  The house never loses, and since the ships are not anywhere close to being full, a free room and food is  an inexpensive cost for the cruise lines.  The ship has to sail an empty room makes them no money, but someone losing a thousand bucks on a cruise is a tidy profit.  My wife plays penny slots and does not spend a ton of her money.  We never asked for the free cruises, the offers just started coming.  We got our offer in the fall, however, the ship was pretty empty so they sent out a new offer just a few weeks before the cruise to get more bodies on the ship.  It gave the cruise line an opportunity to fill  their coffers.

 

  I completely understand about the casino offers and the need for HAL to fill those cabins. And we also received the offer from them in the fall, much to our surprise. Neither my wife or I  gamble much or spend too much doing it. We like to play a little blackjack. Our issue was with the fact that VERY FEW people were wearing masks or even bothered to sanitize their hands in that casino. We saw people blowing their noses and touching their faces and then handling chips. Coughing was also common. I just thought with the amount of people in the casino HAL should have asked people to wear masks before the in transit people were tested and they found out there was a 20% positivity rate. Then they required masks for those last 2 nights, but too little too late. I understand the rate was even higher when those people were retested at the beginning of this week. And who knows how many people are positive and symptomatic when they got home, like us. I feel sorry for the dealers and casino employees last week. 

[SarahCBL]

I would also love to know that amount of total passengers on the next sailing if you could please ask someone?  Thank you for the in transit info.  I wondered if those guests would go to a hotel or stay onboard.  Mystery solved.  

[Hogladyrider]

I just read a post by HAL on the book of faces page that the Voledam (sp) will be docked in Rotterdam for the next three months used to house 1500 Ukranian refugees......way to go HAL!

[phinu]

58 minutes ago, Beachbum1944 said:

  I completely understand about the casino offers and the need for HAL to fill those cabins. And we also received the offer from them in the fall, much to our surprise. Neither my wife or I  gamble much or spend too much doing it. We like to play a little blackjack. Our issue was with the fact that VERY FEW people were wearing masks or even bothered to sanitize their hands in that casino. We saw people blowing their noses and touching their faces and then handling chips. Coughing was also common. I just thought with the amount of people in the casino HAL should have asked people to wear masks before the in transit people were tested and they found out there was a 20% positivity rate. Then they required masks for those last 2 nights, but too little too late. I understand the rate was even higher when those people were retested at the beginning of this week. And who knows how many people are positive and symptomatic when they got home, like us. I feel sorry for the dealers and casino employees last week. 

We both live in Florida, my wife and I still wear our masks but get dirty looks and have been yelled at for wearing them.  We have tested ourselves on Wed and today and are negative because we have worn our masks even when recommended it was just suggested.  Unfortunately on a 4 day on Independence of the Seas in December with mandated masks, the crew on the ship did not enforce mask wearing and many times wore their own masks improperly.  The cruise lines talk the talk but do not walk the walk.  In my estimation the captain knew on our cruise of the problems but did little to correct it until it was too late.  I hope that the current cruise does not have worse outcomes.   I am a retire pharmacist, my wife is a retired microbiologist we know how serious this covid is but too many people believe the misinformation.  

[idiebabe]

1 hour ago, Beachbum1944 said:

  I completely understand about the casino offers and the need for HAL to fill those cabins. And we also received the offer from them in the fall, much to our surprise. Neither my wife or I  gamble much or spend too much doing it. We like to play a little blackjack. Our issue was with the fact that VERY FEW people were wearing masks or even bothered to sanitize their hands in that casino. We saw people blowing their noses and touching their faces and then handling chips. Coughing was also common. I just thought with the amount of people in the casino HAL should have asked people to wear masks before the in transit people were tested and they found out there was a 20% positivity rate. Then they required masks for those last 2 nights, but too little too late. I understand the rate was even higher when those people were retested at the beginning of this week. And who knows how many people are positive and symptomatic when they got home, like us. I feel sorry for the dealers and casino employees last week. 

I don't know if it can be said for sure that the Casino was to blame.  Masks were not Mandated until two days before getting off so those not wearing them shouldn't really be vilified (IMO).  The Main Stage could also be a culprit where I saw only a handful of people with Mask on anytime we were in there.  The man two rows behind us  was coughing so bad when we went to see Cantare we moved our seats.  At the Q&A with the Captain a Woman sitting a few seats away from us would pull her Mask down to blow her nose and also cough into her hands.   It also amazes me how few people use those wonderful hand sinks on Lido before putting food in their mouths.

 

This is interesting.  It's a letter a Passenger received who's on a B2B on Rotterdam.  I guess if this went into effect a week ago, we'd never know about the cases on our Ship!

 

[The Other Tom]

12 hours ago, WCB said:

Report #104  Sea Day En-Route To Bonaire   Thursday March 31, 2022    Some Sun, Rain, And Wind  78 Degrees     Part #1 Of 1.........46 Pictures

Great bird pictures!  Thanks for posting.

[Beachbum1944]

10 hours ago, phinu said:

We both live in Florida, my wife and I still wear our masks but get dirty looks and have been yelled at for wearing them.  We have tested ourselves on Wed and today and are negative because we have worn our masks even when recommended it was just suggested.  Unfortunately on a 4 day on Independence of the Seas in December with mandated masks, the crew on the ship did not enforce mask wearing and many times wore their own masks improperly.  The cruise lines talk the talk but do not walk the walk.  In my estimation the captain knew on our cruise of the problems but did little to correct it until it was too late.  I hope that the current cruise does not have worse outcomes.   I am a retire pharmacist, my wife is a retired microbiologist we know how serious this covid is but too many people believe the misinformation.  

   I agree with your conclusion that the cruise lines talk the talk but do not walk the walk. But masking up is not the only area where this happens. Think of saving chairs by the pool, lining the stairwells to disembark, etc. They just don't want to offend anyone. But on this particular cruise, with the high volume of gamblers in that casino, and the amount of time people spent at the tables, machines, etc., even though there was no mandate until the captain announced all the positive cases, someone should have seen to it that masks were more than suggested. It was a hot zone in there and ground zero for transmission. Even though we wore our masks, are fully vaccinated including booster shots, we still got sick. Our bad luck I guess. I'm glad for those that did not get sick. 

Living in Florida, covid mitigation is a whole other topic.................No one wants to hear anything about it.

[WCB]

Report #105   Kralendijk, Bonaire  Friday  April 1, 2022   Cloudy With Sun Hot And Muggy  85 Degrees   Part 1 Of 3.......80 Pictures

 

Happy April Fool’s Day!!

 

Well, here we are for the fourth visit to an island we like…….Bonaire.  It would have been the fifth time, if we had not had to leave the ship back in January due to Covid.  We arrived around 7:30am to find that the Celebrity Silhouette was docked in our usual spot, the South Pier.  She is bigger than us at 122,210 gross tons. Took a while before we were docked at the North Pier, just yards away from each other. And it took the local authorities until 9am before we were cleared.  By then, anxious guests were waiting in the public areas of deck 2 to join their tours.  Since the ship will be here until 11pm, none of the tours will be shortened. 

 

For some reason unknown to us, Club Orange seemed especially warm  this morning.  We simply mentioned this to greeter, Queenlyn, who reported it.  Lo and behold, we began to feel the air circulating, cooling the room off.  We were not complaining about it, just commenting.  Queenlyn was happy since she has to wear a uniform that includes a jacket. 

 

Back in our room, we saw a flotilla of boats outside our veranda.  You name them…..tour, catamaran, glass bottom, and even  a pirate ship were waiting for their guests to arrive.  Just about then, there was the signal that another crew drill was about to begin.  All of the ship’s services were shut down for one hour.  Just as the alarm went off, we had been calling the spa to make an appointment for a trim.  The phone rang, but was eventually disconnected.  That’s what they meant by an interruption of services.  Literally, there was no one “home”.  We could try again later.

 

By 10:30am, we left the ship.  Once again, we had been reminded to bring our Covid vaccination cards.  And indeed, they were checked by locals as we left the pier.  Docked a bit closer to town, we turned left, and followed the seawall.  This is where the prettiest fish can be found.  Mostly large turquoise and blue parrot fish.  Cannot believe people eat these in Barbados and other parts of the world.  Got to admit, they are plump.  Snorkelers can often find surgeonfish, angelfish, eel, snapper, and grouper.  The dive sites are marked with large yellow-painted stones along the roadside.  There is a $10 nature fee, which can be paid at any dive shop.  It is good for one year.

 

Besides the fish, we also saw may types of birds today.  There were the laughing gulls, brown pelicans, a few frigates, what we think are banded red knots, and a snowy egret or two.   We even spotted a bare-eyed pigeon, and the yellow shouldered Amazon parrot.  Other creatures we saw were small lizards with turquoise tails and the iguanas.  Would have been nice to see the flamingoes, which number in the thousands.  But that would involve a tour in a van, and we aren’t doing that this trip.  And besides, these birds are in a protected area, and can only be viewed from a distance.  The best display we have seen of flamingoes had to be while in Walvis Bay, Namibia.  You can walk right to the beach area and see the flocks right off of the shoreline. 

 

The day had started out quite overcast and windy.  But eventually, the sun came out and it got hot.  No wonder so many people take to the water here, especially snorkeling or diving.  Bonaire is one of the best diving destinations in the world.  And if you are into deep sea fishing, there are wahoo, marlin, tuna, swordfish and sailfish to be caught and released. 

 

Our walk took us all the way to a yacht club, which is where we turned back.  At this point, you have to walk on a busy highway.  We like the beachfront better.  With two ships in, most all of the restaurants were full to capacity.  Even the craft and souvenir area in Wilhelmina Park had many customers. One of us was in search of a matching pendant for existing earrings made of dichroic glass.  Passing a small shop with dozens of such jewelry in the window, we went inside to look.  Wearing the earrings today helped us find a good match.  These are all handmade on the island….each one is unique.  We have read that the tiles used on space shuttles are made of the same glass.  It takes the heat of 1200 degrees to mold the glass, so it does well in outer space.  Who knew?

 

We were back to the ship by 1pm, and dined on our veranda for lunch.  Lots of ice cold sodas.  We faced the open ocean, so it was fun watching the passing  tour boats go by.  Every hour on the hour, a group went out.  The best was the pirate boat, especially when they put the red sail up.  The one thing we recalled facing this way was the intense heat from the sun.  Could have fried an egg out there on the veranda.  However, we did get treated to a great sunset.

 

The Celebrity Silhouette with her possible 2886 passengers left the pier around 6pm.  And we are scheduled for some time after 10:30pm.

 

Dinner was in the dining room starting with double spring rolls on a bed of glass noodles with sweet and sour sauce.  Best ever, that could be an entrée in itself.  We both had salads, then shared lasagna with one order of wiener pork schnitzel.  Totally full, we skipped dessert, although one of us snuck one piece of the pillow candy in our room.

 

Bill And Mary Ann

 

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Bonaire is my favorite of all the Caribbean Islands with Dominica being second. I hope to be able to visit both again in the future.

[LewiLewi]

Do you know what happened to the group of Covid positive in transit passengers that were quarantined in their cabins? Were they disembarked from the ship prior to reaching Bonaire? If so, any idea where they were relocated?

 

[WCB]

Hello all!

 

We got the impression that the Covid positive folks that were quarantined after we left Ft. Lauderdale, were flown home from Grand Turk.  They could not stay on the ship, as that would have put the ship's numbers over the top.  

Will ask about the next cruise as far as numbers.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[seagypsea]

WCB - thanks for the blog.  I enjoyed it before leaving home and continued to follow as we're on the ship.

 

Question - our arrival at Bonaire was cutting it close and curious about the delay I checked the marine traffic app and sometime during the night we stopped in Aruba before continuing on to Bonaire.  Guessing we either disembarked the covid folks or had a medical emergency.  Was wondering if you heard anything about it.

[WCB]

That is the first we heard of a stop in Aruba.  Will investigate.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[LewiLewi]

12 hours ago, WCB said:

That is the first we heard of a stop in Aruba.  Will investigate.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

Have you found out anything more?

[WCB]

Report #106  Willemstad, Curacao   8:30am-10:30 pm  Saturday April 2,2022   Very Windy And Cloudy  85 Degrees   Part #1 Of 3........80 Pictures

 

Curacao is the largest of the three ABC (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) islands, belonging to the Netherlands, although, now governs itself independently.  The island is only 35 miles north of Venezuela, and 42 miles from Aruba.  It has 38 beaches with many diving spots. 

 

Willemstad, the capital, boasts the famous painted houses with gabled roofs that sit right on Santa Anna Bay, called Handelskade.  The Dutch brought the red tiles we see on the roofs as ballast on their sailing ships.  Resourceful, they put them to use.  But the most famous icon has to be the floating pontoon bridge by the name of Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge. Nicknamed the “Swinging Old Lady”, it is built on 16 pontoons and swings sideways when a boat or ship enters the harbor.  This can occur 30 times a day.  Built in 1888, it was moved three times and restored in 2005.  By the way, it connects the districts of the Otrobanda, and the Punda. 

 

The Queen Juliana Bridge was added in 1974  soaring 200 feet high and is 1625 feet long. It crosses over the Santa Anna Bay.  The entire city has been listed in the book of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

 

We were docked by 8am, but not cleared.  It was the same situation as yesterday, when the passengers had to be reminded not to go down to deck A until they announced clearance.  That took 45 minutes.  Why?  We do not know. 

 

After breakfast, Bill took advantage of his second hair trim, a birthday gift from the spa.  They had an opening, and did a fine job.   The $45 men’s haircut was covered, but not the tip, even though the coupon was worth $75.

 

We left the ship by 10:45am, and walked to the nearby Renaissance Casino and Hotel.  There are high end shops here, built around 2008, and one of the stores is Diamonds International.  You can guess who went inside for the free crab charm.  Yes, me.  It’s my fun for the day.  Oh wait, there was another stop at Milano’s for a silver tone turtle pendant. 

 

Going through the Rif Fort, we saw a 4 man band entertaining the lunch crowd.  Did we mention that the Celebrity Silhouette docked behind us?  With these two ships in port, there were many more customers in this outdoor mall today.  Were they wearing masks?   We would say mostly – no.  But we were.  Don’t care what kind of looks we get, we still have a test to pass in a few days.  And besides, the local vendors and salespeople are all wearing masks. 

 

Once out of the fort, we passed the row of tented vendors, and one of us spotted a nice pink visor.  Will have to stop on the way back, and pick it up.  There were many more people out and about this morning, because it was Saturday.  Traditionally, that seems to be the busiest shopping day for the locals in most all of the islands.   As opposed to Sunday, when the cities and towns about shut down.   St. Lucia was one island that we never visited on a week day.  Always on a Sunday, and most everything was closed.

 

Today there were crowds everywhere.  But we were determined to find McDonald’s because there were so many signs pointing to it.  Like up the street, around the corner, close by.  We began to think it was not here at all.  But we did find it after all.  Located on a corner off of the beaten path, we noticed that the signage was not typical to what we see at home.  And the photos on the windows of their breakfast foods were also different from what we know.  They are heavy into chicken instead of the beef.  That’s probably why we see more of the KFC fast food restaurants everywhere.  

 

We zipped down the main street of Breedestraat, then down to Wilhelmina Park, where the Curacao and Dushi signs are located.  Most of the official government buildings are located here at Ft. Amsterdam.  The Governor’s Palace is also here.  Going down the side streets, we ended up at the Central Market.  Having toured this three times, we felt the need to stay out this time.  Way too many people in there, and more to come, judging by the long line of cars outside clogging the streets. 

 

We walked along the Waaigat Canal, where the floating market is located.  In the old days, fishing boats from Venezuela came here with their fresh catch and produce. We did see a few fish vendors cleaning some red snapper and mahi mahi, but they did not smell “fresh”.  So we didn’t stick around very long.  Locals were lined up to buy them.  On our way back via the Handelstraat, we met Howard, our other President Club buddy.  He will be staying on the ship after we leave, but will have to spend two nights at a hotel.  The N.Statendam is going to be fixed, then resume a 9 day cruise in the Caribbean before heading trans-Atlantic. 

 

Anyway, we had stopped on the pontoon bridge just as the flag went up to warn folks that the bridge was opening.  Already on it, we stayed and rode the swinging lady to let a small boat inside the bay.  Pretty neat.  Then on the way back , we stopped at the tent with the Curacao visors and purchased one as a keepsake.  They are getting harder and harder to find, as most vendors sell only baseball caps. 

 

Back onboard by 2pm, we did our usual room lunch and enjoyed watching the traffic of passengers come and go from the two ships.  Around 5:30pm, another small ship came through the opening into the bay.  Hard to see the logo, we suspected it was a Seabourn vessel.  Looking it up, we found it must be the Seabourn Odyssey, which we have seen in several ports on this long trip. 

 

Dinner was in the dining room, which was only half full at most.  The tomato bisque was good, but the fish cake had a bone.  Yikes, my biggest fear….fish bones.  Salads were fine, but the lamb shank was not quite as tasty as the last time we ordered it.  Wish they served hamburgers one night.  Sometimes they did on a world cruise.  But then, this is not one of those.  They stick to a 10 and 11 day menu with no exceptions.  Since we only have a few more evenings left on the ship, we might consider going to the Tamarind and Pinnacle Grill one more time.

 

We found our pillow chocolates as well as two Delft tiles for this cruise.  Guess they are wrapping up the last minute things early as we usually get these on the Mariner Recognition day.  And that reminds us…..we need to begin packing.  Another yikes!

 

One more port tomorrow…..Aruba, the happy island.  Plan to enjoy it again.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[riverrat]

On 4/2/2022 at 10:07 AM, LewiLewi said:

Do you know what happened to the group of Covid positive in transit passengers that were quarantined in their cabins? Were they disembarked from the ship prior to reaching Bonaire? If so, any idea where they were relocated?

 

Hi LewiLewi,

I don’t know anything about anyone being disembarked. We are still here. So are all the neighbors we have met on the balconies. Many stories shared with new friends.

 

Beautiful view today….. we should write a blog “prime rib on a paper plate” 😆 

 

…if you look up from deck three aft starboard side…we are here…...right above  lifeboat 21 

HAL is taking excellent care of us. 

[Dietemann]

On 4/1/2022 at 10:04 AM, KAKcruiser said:

Have you heard how many passengers will be on the next sailing?  Thanks.

I would also like to know how many passengers will be on the next sailing. Thanks.

[LewiLewi]

3 hours ago, riverrat said:

Hi LewiLewi,

I don’t know anything about anyone being disembarked. We are still here. So are all the neighbors we have met on the balconies. Many stories shared with new friends.

 

Beautiful view today….. we should write a blog “prime rib on a paper plate” 😆 

 

…if you look up from deck three aft starboard side…we are here…...right above  lifeboat 21 

HAL is taking excellent care of us. 

I am so glad that you are all OK and still with us. We will all be home soon.

[albingirl]

Thank you for this wonderful review.  I've looked forward to reading it every day.  It's so well done.

[WCB]

Report #107  Oranjestad, Aruba  8am To 4:30pm  Sunday April 3, 2022  Mostly Cloudy And Windy    Part #1 Of 3...........80 Pictures

 

We arrived to the island of Aruba around 8am, and we were cleared right away, unlike the last two ports. Today we were at pier 2, which added a few more steps to get to town.  It appeared that it was going to be a warm, humid, and mostly cloudy day, but quite windy.  This is common in this part of the world we understand.  There is a good reason that the divi divi trees lean in one direction as they grow.  Winds can be described as savage.

 

Beginning our day in Club Orange, we enjoyed the last of the mimosas and poinsettia drinks on a Sunday morning.  Of course, we can do this every day, but have chosen to make Sunday special.  We asked the manager if he knew how many people would be sailing on the next cruise, and he said he thought it was close to 1100.  It will be a nine day cruise, which would be more affordable, and easier to fill.

 

With us in port were the Celebrity Constellation (2001), with 2170 passengers and a 44 year old woman captain, Kate Mc Cue, according to Celebrity’s website.  We have read that there are several women captains these days.  Very interesting.  Also docked was the Freedom, the Scientology vessel, that has not appeared to have moved since we first began stopping here. 

 

The first tour vendor we passed when we got off of the ship after 10am, told us that we did not have to wear masks unless we go into a store.  Sure, we know that, but we are taking no chances.  Once we were far from any crowds, we did remove them, but briefly.  Only half of the souvenir tents were set up outside the gate today, but then it is Sunday.  We have not attempted to go to a supermarket here, but we found out that they were also closed today. 

 

Diamonds International was opened, and it was the last chance for a charm….a pair of dolphins.  Making our way up the main street, we passed by the famous Royal Plaza, noticing that the restaurants were not open yet. Only Lucy’s had customers, which looks like a nice spot.  More than once, we ducked in there to get out of the passing rain storm. Making our way to the Marina, we noticed that part of the boardwalk had been stripped, and was being replaced.  The last few times we were here, it was obvious that the wood had begun to rot.  Appears that each section was going to be replaced -  one at a time.

 

We walked through the Renaissance Marketplace, noticing that few shops were open there. Continuing on to the grounds around the Renaissance Ocean Suites, we took many photos of doves, a diving tern, pigeons, iguanas, and the resident Muscovy duck.  This time, we brought an almost empty bag of granola to feed to the fish at the lagoon.  It figures, today there were not many there.  Small ones….yes.  But the parrot fish were not so many.  They seemed to love the fine cereal, but it did sink quickly to the bottom.  The wind was so strong, it blew the crumbs three feet away.  Even attracted a little sparrow, who we also fed.

 

Sitting on a cement bench, we watched a man in a fishing boat. He had caught something big on his line. Then it appeared he lost it, as the boat driver took him to another spot.  Several fishing boats were on their way back after a half day adventure.  Catamarans and glass bottom boats passed by as well.  Many iguanas of all sizes love to lay on the rocks to warm up on this shoreline.  The hotter they get, the deeper color they take on.  The smaller lizards were just too fast to get a photo.

 

Time to move on, we made our way back to the pier, bypassing the tents of souvenirs.  Also avoided some aggressive jewelry store owners that try to entice the tourists to buy their treasures.  We had completed our three hour walk once again.

 

A little early for lunch, we worked in the room for an hour, then headed to the Grand Dutch Café.  It’s been a while since we ate there, and now that the time is slipping away, we had to have the ham & cheese sandwiches with fries at least once more.   The only barista we recognized was Michelle.  The fellows and Julia were not there.  Assuming they had shore leave,  Michelle told us they were “on vacation”, and we would know what that means.  Oh no…..not Covid?  Yep, the guys got it, but Julia was being tested as a close contact.  Just as we were chatting, we could not help but hear three ladies sitting at a table…all coughing.  One way more than the others.  Every time she coughed, the ladies pulled their masks up.  As a crew member, Michelle has the authority to report what she sees and hears, and said she would do that.  In the meantime, she did tell her assistant to be most careful cleaning that table after they left.  Now that there are only two sea days left, sick passengers would not report they were feeling ill.  Giving them the benefit of the doubt, they could have come down with something else.  Who knows?

 

But then, getting out of the elevator on our deck, we spotted a crew member dressed in the hazmat clothing.  He was holding another elevator for an incoming patient we assume.  I know the drill….been there, done that.  Glad we had masks on, since we will need to pass one more test soon.  Now we are wondering if the mask mandate will be dropped completely after we board the N. Amsterdam?  Time will tell.

 

Our room stewards brought the two pieces of luggage we had put in storage.  One of us had some time to begin undoing the hooks on the wall, and bagging up some small stuff.  Two pieces of our luggage will be shipped home, while we will take two on the next voyage.  Two sea days will give us plenty of time to sort it out. 

 

Dinner in the dining room was unusually loud with six people sitting across from us.  It was the same group that dressed oddly for the first gala evening. You know…the fellow in the turquoise tulip -decorated suit.  We might consider going to the Pinnacle tomorrow.  Anyway,  we had starters of chicken and chorizo soup, tangerine shrimp, salad nicoise, beef Wellington, and Rudi’s chicken.  However, when our entrees arrived, one was the fish dish.  Wrong.  Our waiter took them back, and returned about 15 minutes later with the correct entrees.  At least they were hot and tasted good.  No dessert, but we did have our sweets during lunch with a large chocolate chip cookie and two of the almond ones.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[510picker]

We are on the next sailing. I was initially disappointed when it was changed from 11 days to 9 days, but after hearing the reports of Covid outbreaks I'm happy the ship will be cleared of passengers and hope a deep cleaning takes place while the repairs are being made.

 

Thank you for your wonderful posts of your journey. I've followed them from Day 1. Reading them each day has provided valuable information and made me look forward to our cruise even more!

[Essiesmom]

23 hours ago, WCB said:

Report #107  Oranjestad, Aruba  8am To 4:30pm  Sunday April 3, 2022  Mostly Cloudy And Windy    Part #1 Of 3...........80 Pictures

 

We arrived to the island of Aruba around 8am, and we were cleared right away, unlike the last two ports. Today we were at pier 2, which added a few more steps to get to town.  It appeared that it was going to be a warm, humid, and mostly cloudy day, but quite windy.  This is common in this part of the world we understand.  There is a good reason that the divi divi trees lean in one direction as they grow.  Winds can be described as savage.

 

Beginning our day in Club Orange, we enjoyed the last of the mimosas and poinsettia drinks on a Sunday morning.  Of course, we can do this every day, but have chosen to make Sunday special.  We asked the manager if he knew how many people would be sailing on the next cruise, and he said he thought it was close to 1100.  It will be a nine day cruise, which would be more affordable, and easier to fill.

 

With us in port were the Celebrity Constellation (2001), with 2170 passengers and a 44 year old woman captain, Kate Mc Cue, according to Celebrity’s website.  We have read that there are several women captains these days.  Very interesting.  Also docked was the Freedom, the Scientology vessel, that has not appeared to have moved since we first began stopping here. 

 

The first tour vendor we passed when we got off of the ship after 10am, told us that we did not have to wear masks unless we go into a store.  Sure, we know that, but we are taking no chances.  Once we were far from any crowds, we did remove them, but briefly.  Only half of the souvenir tents were set up outside the gate today, but then it is Sunday.  We have not attempted to go to a supermarket here, but we found out that they were also closed today. 

 

Diamonds International was opened, and it was the last chance for a charm….a pair of dolphins.  Making our way up the main street, we passed by the famous Royal Plaza, noticing that the restaurants were not open yet. Only Lucy’s had customers, which looks like a nice spot.  More than once, we ducked in there to get out of the passing rain storm. Making our way to the Marina, we noticed that part of the boardwalk had been stripped, and was being replaced.  The last few times we were here, it was obvious that the wood had begun to rot.  Appears that each section was going to be replaced -  one at a time.

 

We walked through the Renaissance Marketplace, noticing that few shops were open there. Continuing on to the grounds around the Renaissance Ocean Suites, we took many photos of doves, a diving tern, pigeons, iguanas, and the resident Muscovy duck.  This time, we brought an almost empty bag of granola to feed to the fish at the lagoon.  It figures, today there were not many there.  Small ones….yes.  But the parrot fish were not so many.  They seemed to love the fine cereal, but it did sink quickly to the bottom.  The wind was so strong, it blew the crumbs three feet away.  Even attracted a little sparrow, who we also fed.

 

Sitting on a cement bench, we watched a man in a fishing boat. He had caught something big on his line. Then it appeared he lost it, as the boat driver took him to another spot.  Several fishing boats were on their way back after a half day adventure.  Catamarans and glass bottom boats passed by as well.  Many iguanas of all sizes love to lay on the rocks to warm up on this shoreline.  The hotter they get, the deeper color they take on.  The smaller lizards were just too fast to get a photo.

 

Time to move on, we made our way back to the pier, bypassing the tents of souvenirs.  Also avoided some aggressive jewelry store owners that try to entice the tourists to buy their treasures.  We had completed our three hour walk once again.

 

A little early for lunch, we worked in the room for an hour, then headed to the Grand Dutch Café.  It’s been a while since we ate there, and now that the time is slipping away, we had to have the ham & cheese sandwiches with fries at least once more.   The only barista we recognized was Michelle.  The fellows and Julia were not there.  Assuming they had shore leave,  Michelle told us they were “on vacation”, and we would know what that means.  Oh no…..not Covid?  Yep, the guys got it, but Julia was being tested as a close contact.  Just as we were chatting, we could not help but hear three ladies sitting at a table…all coughing.  One way more than the others.  Every time she coughed, the ladies pulled their masks up.  As a crew member, Michelle has the authority to report what she sees and hears, and said she would do that.  In the meantime, she did tell her assistant to be most careful cleaning that table after they left.  Now that there are only two sea days left, sick passengers would not report they were feeling ill.  Giving them the benefit of the doubt, they could have come down with something else.  Who knows?

 

But then, getting out of the elevator on our deck, we spotted a crew member dressed in the hazmat clothing.  He was holding another elevator for an incoming patient we assume.  I know the drill….been there, done that.  Glad we had masks on, since we will need to pass one more test soon.  Now we are wondering if the mask mandate will be dropped completely after we board the N. Amsterdam?  Time will tell.

 

Our room stewards brought the two pieces of luggage we had put in storage.  One of us had some time to begin undoing the hooks on the wall, and bagging up some small stuff.  Two pieces of our luggage will be shipped home, while we will take two on the next voyage.  Two sea days will give us plenty of time to sort it out. 

 

Dinner in the dining room was unusually loud with six people sitting across from us.  It was the same group that dressed oddly for the first gala evening. You know…the fellow in the turquoise tulip -decorated suit.  We might consider going to the Pinnacle tomorrow.  Anyway,  we had starters of chicken and chorizo soup, tangerine shrimp, salad nicoise, beef Wellington, and Rudi’s chicken.  However, when our entrees arrived, one was the fish dish.  Wrong.  Our waiter took them back, and returned about 15 minutes later with the correct entrees.  At least they were hot and tasted good.  No dessert, but we did have our sweets during lunch with a large chocolate chip cookie and two of the almond ones.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

Could your man in the tulip suit be the same one we saw on Carnival Splendor in 2018, in a pink flamingo decorated suit?  Wifey with coordination dress...

 

 

EM

[RICHARD@SEA]

The people in the flamingo suit/dress look great....its fun w fashion..why not??? I bet the man in the tulip suit was European - they seem to be more fashion concious...

 

As far as dress codes - w the giveaway cost of cruises today most passengers from Florida consider a pair of gym shorts, backwards baseball cap, sleeveless t shirt & flip flops dressed up for dinner.  The women just keep on their daisy duke shorts & put on a see thru blouse of sorts.

 

PS what exactly do people pack in all that luggage???

Edited April 5, 2022 by RICHARD@SEA
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[WCB]

Report # 108   Day at Sea Enroute to Ft. Lauderdale   Monday - April 4, 2022  Mostly cloudy, passing showers   78 degrees..........64 Pictures

 

The weather was not great today.  There were heavy clouds, and passing showers in the morning.  Later on, there were a few spurts of sunshine.  So far, the prediction of eight foot swells have not occurred yet.  However, we do know that when we pass between islands, it gets rocky.  You know that with the gray weather, it was a good day for packing.  Normally we would have four duffel bags to pack for the world cruise, but here, we only have four suitcases.  Much easier with less stuff for sure. 

 

Breakfast was quiet in Club Orange, which was nice.  It gave us more time to chat with the manager.  We learned that there will be about 1100 guests on the next cruise after the two day wet dock in Port Everglades.  This will include under 70 guests that are in transit.  And those who are in transit, will be put up in a hotel for two nights, then return and have to be Covid- tested at the pier.  This is a major concern for our buddy who has the same amount of luggage as we do.  He has also been on this ship almost as long as we have.  His concern is the last minute testing, and the fact he may test positive, heaven forbid.  He is feeling fine, but that is not always the way the tests go.  So he is probably packing everything just in case that happens, and he is not allowed back on the ship.  Hopefully the day will come (and not soon enough) that all of this hoopla will be over and done.

 

So we spent the majority of the day packing.  It was a little more complicated separating what we needed to ship home, and what we had to keep for 19 more days sailing through the Panama Canal.  The shipped bags have a 65 pound weight limit.  And thanks to a nifty hand-held scale we bought a few years ago, we did not have to take each piece of luggage to the ship’s scale.   It sure would be a great idea to place one of the ship’s scales on each passenger deck. 

 

At 11am, there was the Mariner Recognition Event in the Billboard Onboard.  There were almost 25 guests there, the smallest crowd ever.  We believe there were six medallions awarded, then each guest was announced, and welcomed to take their photo with the Captain, and Hotel Director.  Most did do the photo, which was delivered to the rooms a few hours later.  Howard joined us and once again, brought some popcorn.  We had a fine little party, then after the ceremony, Jonah and Rene joined us for a while.  Jonah, who has been over-the-top helpful told us that we will be docked at pier #2 at Port Everglades.  Later in the afternoon, we should receive our custom disembarkation package, which will include our colored purple luggage tags, and instructions and time for our departure.  After dropping off our luggage to be shipped, there will be a transfer to our hotel.  She has made our life much easier with all of these details.  We do have an appointment  tomorrow afternoon in the Medical Department for our final Covid test.  It will be good for our boarding on April 7^th.  We HAVE to pass it.

 

We took a needed break for lunch, then continued packing.  A better activity was shopping again in the Shops, specifically the watch section.  The same really nice sales fellow was there all alone, so we had no problem locating what we were looking for.  Tomorrow we will need to spend the rest.

 

The sun had peeked out, so we had some veranda time sipping our sodas.  Around 5pm, we thought we saw a very different bird fly by.  Out came the good camera, and the bird continued to fly by so the photographer among us could get some close-ups of it.  Not a seabird, it was a peregrine falcon.  Now that was really odd.  Here we are out at sea, with no islands in sight.  That was the last type of bird we expected.  Could it be that he hitch-hiked a ride from Aruba yesterday?  So we Googled the falcon, and discovered that they can reach diving speeds of 180 mph.  That’s incredible, and gives them the prize for being the fastest animal in the world.  How about that?  Reading more, we learned that sighting a peregrine falcon has another meaning, according to folklore.  It could a prediction of something negative to occur.  Wish we did not read that, but we are not that superstitious to believe such things.  This folklore dates back to biblical days.  Who knew?

 

We were treated to a very nice sunset, although not a chance for a green flash.  There are always too many clouds on the horizon.

 

For a change, we made reservations in the Tamarind this evening.  Usually we don’t go on gala nights, but we are running out of days to “dine out” so to speak.   Our meal consisted of shrimp crackers and hot dips, jasmine tea, and a Thai salad and one serving veggie spring rolls….the best.  Lobster and shrimp pot stickers and tasty ramen soup arrived next.  Finally, we both ordered the wasabi-crusted tenderloin, which was  cooked  perfectly.  Tender and savory, it went well with the asparagus and tempura onion rings.  Shared sides were brown rice and sautéed mushrooms.  It was no wonder that we had no room for dessert. 

 

So much for a lazy day at sea, which it was not.  Maybe tomorrow will be more laid back.  Yeah….sure.

 

Bill & Mary Ann