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

[Florida_gal_50]

7 minutes ago, albingirl said:

I'm really enjoying this review.  We were on the ship the past two weeks.  Loved Canaletto so much; best staff ever and so personable.  Thanks for posting.

While I wasn’t on this ship I totally agree about Canaletto.  They’ve stepped up their game so much.  I have to say it’s become my favorite and part of that is the staff for sure.  

[WCB]

Report #6   Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands   December 23, 2021   Thursday   Mostly sunny & 80 degrees   Part #1 Of 2........  82  Pictures

 

Nothing really looked familiar when we arrived to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas early this morning.  Guess it has been longer than we remember as to when we were here last.  On the earlier visits here, we had taken tours, mostly to a beach for the afternoon.  The last time, we went on a boat to St. John’s for a day of snorkeling. 

 

History here is interesting in the fact that the three largest of the US Virgin Islands were acquired by President Teddy Roosevelt for $25 million in 1917.  At that time, Denmark owned this area.  This island is 32 square miles, 13 miles long and 4 miles wide, roughly the size of Manhattan.  Sixty thousand people live here, most of them US citizens. 

 

In the old days, St. Thomas was a magnet for pirates , and often attacked ships bringing silver and gold back to Europe.  Plantation owners grew sugarcane (for rum making), cotton, and indigo for export to the rest of the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe.  This area is famous for their johnnycakes, a bread snack eaten while working in the plantations.  Imported slaves from Africa were given these cakes so as not to stop field work eating a proper lunch.  Time is money…..nothing has changed, has it?

 

Today, there is much to do here such as sailing, beaches, diving, snorkeling, golf, and horseback riding.  Naturally, it has become a shopper’s paradise with gold, diamonds, and emeralds.  High end shops are here by the dozens, as well as upscale resorts and hotels.  It can be very expensive during the peak season of December through May. 

 

The front desk crew are still working on our shipboard account, with most  of the problems resolved.  Getting a good signal in our stateroom has continued to be evasive, although the IT manager did say today that they will try to remedy it with a little extra work.  We happened to be sitting at the side table near the Front desk while a big drill was announced.  Took them almost an hour to complete it.

 

Leaving the ship after the thundering herd got off, we strolled through Havensight Mall with over 60 shops.  Not all of them were occupied or opened today.  By the way, we were in port with the two Carnival ships, creating many crowded venues everywhere.  Close to lunchtime, most folks were searching for bars and restaurants.  Once again, we decided not to eat out.  Most of the guests from all of the ships wore masks, but many did not.  Signage for wearing masks was posted on every building, as well as plenty of hand sanitizer dispensers available for use. 

 

Turning left out of the gates, we wandered to The Shops, a place which houses nice shops with cafes and restaurants here and there on the Bayfront.  Mega yachts, sailboats, catamarans, and dinghies filled the small harbor.  When we come back here, this is where we might go to an outdoor bar and grill.  It was far less crowded here.

 

We did walk through Havensight Mall on the way back, and did manage to find nail polish remover.  This is one item we do not want to ship in luggage or pack in luggage on the airplane.  The other small items we need will have to wait a few days until we return to Ft. Lauderdale. 

 

Getting hungry and thirsty, we went back on the ship and went to the Lido for salads and sandwiches.  A few cookies and a small ice cream cone were good also.  All aboard was 4:30pm, so we sat on the veranda to watch the sail away.  We have enjoyed this immensely.  Over in another bay, we could see the stacks of the APEX.  So there were at least 4 ships here today.  We read that as many as 8 ships can be here in a day, making St. Thomas one of the busiest ports in the Caribbean.  Many of the water-related tours were taking place right near our veranda.  Namely, the boats and catamarans were loading and unloading both morning and afternoon.  We did not have a chance to check out the ship’s tours here, but most of them must have been on a boat.  What caught our eye more so were the 6 fellows working on one of those mega yachts.  They wore us out just by watching them paint, polish, and clean all day.

 

Dinner tonight was in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm.  This is such a bigger venue than what we knew on the Amsterdam.  For one thing, there are windows, which is nice, even in the dark, we could see waves from the ship.  Jumbo shrimp was suggested for an appetizer, so we shared them on top of our Caesar salads.  A bowl of bread sticks were served with two types of butter spreads.  One of us had the 7 ounce filet mignon, and the other had chicken….both delicious.  We split an order of French fries, then ended the meal with Key lime pie.  Excellent cuisine and even better service.  The manager Ada, her assistant, and even the chef checked on us throughout the meal.  We left happy campers…full to the brim.

 

Laundry service has been swift, with the return time the same day.  Our clean clothing even came with a thank you note from Paryono.  No, we should be thanking him!

 

Tomorrow, we will have a restful day at sea, thank goodness.   We need it!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[WCB]

There is no breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill on the N. Statendam.  But they do have it in Club Orange, as well as lunch & dinner, for all suite guests and President's Club members.

 

Thanks for the post on photo enlargement.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[DaveOKC]

Pinnacle Dinner - my standard order is the lobster bisque and crab cakes.  Petite Filet with key lime pie for desert!  Two weeks ago the Pinnacle service was very slow and the manager was new (but seemed to be working hard at it).

Edited December 24, 2021 by DaveOKC

[julia]

Hi Bill & Mary Ann:

We met briefly on the NA back in September...  really enjoying your review!  May I suggest you look for nail polish remover that comes in individual foil packets (with cotton inside)?  It's my choice for travel and most large stores carry them.

[WCB]

Yes, we do remember you.   Thanks for the tip, I will search for it.

 

Mary Ann

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, julia said:

Hi Bill & Mary Ann:

We met briefly on the NA back in September...  really enjoying your review!  May I suggest you look for nail polish remover that comes in individual foil packets (with cotton inside)?  It's my choice for travel and most large stores carry them.

Do you have a brand name you particularly like? The ones I found don’t seem to work well and almost impossible to get the nail polish off. I usually end up buying polish remover when I get to the port city with other items I end up needing.  Thanks.

[Fred321]

Merry Christmas guys! Great to see you posting again. Hope your cruise goes well. We just got off a short 10 day trip out of Tampa on Celebrity just to dip our toes back in the water so to speak. Only 400 passengers on a 2000 passenger ship. Quite an unusual experience. Stay safe and, if you remember, say hi to Presty for us.

 

Rich and Peg

[Suzcruz57]

Hi Bill and Maryann, Thanks for the tips, I now see your glorious pictures. Can you please find out how many passengers are expected tomorrow, Dec 26th sailing. Thanks much.

 

[WCB]

Report #7   Sea Day   December 24, 2021   Thursday   Mostly cloudy & 75 degrees   Part #1 Of 1........  52  Pictures

 

Ah, finally a day at sea to kick back and relax.  Well, not exactly since we had a few activities in the morning to do.  After yet another nice breakfast in the Club Orange, we headed to the main dining room, deck three, for a mandatory Covid test.  Only those guests who will be doing the next voyage had to go.  Turned out the line was already long when we got there, but we discovered that about 150 folks will be travelling onward.   The process was easy.  We were required to bring our “invitation” we had received yesterday.  This card was kept and we each got a sticker with our name & room number on it.  It was adhered to the back of our hands.  Four stations were set up to do the swabbing, then the sticker was placed around each sample.  Now the fun part….we had to return to our room and wait ½ hour.  If we did not receive a phone call from them, that meant our tests were negative.  We would be free to leave the room at that point.

 

Now the good news……we never got that phone call, meaning we did not test positive.  A much nicer activity was the invite to a Mariner Recognition Event held at 11am in the Ocean Bar.  On this ship, the Ocean Bar is a much smaller room, and was perfect for the 30 or so people that attended.  We knew two other President’s Club guests who travel on the grand world voyage every year.  One other lady we did not know made the five of us on this trip.  Several guests, already wearing their new medallions, were called to have a photo with Captain Noel and Mustafa, the Hotel General Manager. One of these guests was a very special one…..a guide dog assisting a blind lady.  A black lab, she posed for the photo with her “family” as if she knew what was happening.  Heartwarming, they all got an astounding round of applause from the small group.  The majority of the group were then summoned for photos, but their days were not mentioned.  Last but not least, the President’s Club members were introduced by name and our number of sea days.  During the ceremony, wine, orange juice, or mimosas were served.  Lingering after most everyone left, we chatted with a couple seated next to us.  They recognized us from the 2020 world cruise, even remembering that I wore a knee brace.  Turned out, they were also members of the same travel agency we used for years, although, we have changed companies a few years ago.  All-in-all, this was one of the more fun gatherings we have attended.  The Captain set the tone for a very casual meeting.  Anyway, we did receive the complimentary photo along with a photo of the ship by 5pm this afternoon.  Nice.

 

We know this is getting to be old news, but our computer still does not work in our room.  We even had trouble in the atrium.  Oddly enough, the battery in the computer was low, but should not have been.  That was when we discovered that when our room steward pulls the card from the wall slot, it was cutting power to some of the desk plugs, thus our computer was not charging.  Now we have located the correct receptacles that do not shut down on the desk when the card is pulled, and we will not have to bother our room stewards about it.  Not sure we mentioned that this new ship has modern technology in regards to room keys, that work by tapping, not inserting.  And like most hotels have these days, you need to put a card (any card) into the slot by the door to enable the lights to work.  It saves power, which is fine once we figured out what works or not.

 

So we went down to the Front Desk area and took our favorite seats to try the computer there. This time we looked for a plug, and it was there near the desk. The IT fellow spotted us, and said two of their top technicians were on their way with a possible solution for the computer to work everywhere.  Then magic happened.  Tweaking a few things, the internet came back in the atrium as well as our room.  We sent them a thank you on their Navigator site, which takes the place of “Let Us Know” cards. 

                                                                                        

Many activities were taking place all over the ship today.  Besides entertainment, there were last chance sales in every shop.  We have yet to check any of their things out, but we do have lots of time to do it and make use of the use-it-or-lose-it shipboard credit.  And of course with today being Christmas Eve, there were reports that Santa was roaming around, although we never did see him.  Bet the kids found him.

 

We did have a few passing showers today, and the temps have cooled down to the mid 70’s.  That is the forecast for tomorrow’s weather while at Half Moon Cay.   We should arrive there around 8am with the last tender leaving at 2:30pm.

 

Tonight’s dinner was gala, and with it being Christmas Eve, most everyone in the dining room was dressed for the occasion.  We ordered a hot pumpkin soup, crab cakes with Thai peppers, Caesar salads, beef tenderloin with Yorkshire pudding, and vegetarian raviolis with an added side of roasted chicken breast. Perfect.  Desserts were a very chocolaty yule log and a fruity pavlova.  The plates were decorated with a Happy Holiday white chocolate edible decoration.  And this is the first evening we heard two birthday celebrations with the special Indonesian song.  The crew really loves doing this, and we are happy that the tradition has not been dropped…….yet.

 

The clocks went back one hour tonight, much to everyone’s delight.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[Florida_gal_50]

Merry Christmas.  Glad your internet issue has been resolved finally.

[SoCityKid]

Merry Christmas Bill and Mary Ann,

 

I have been enjoying your posts and following along on your travels.  My wife and I will be boarding the NS on the January 12th sailing.

Continued good sailing and good health to the both of you.  John

[WCB]

Report #8   Half Moon Cay   December 25, 2021   Friday   Mostly cloudy & 75 degrees   Part #1 Of 3........80  Pictures

 

Merry Christmas one and all!   Ho-ho-ho!

 

If there was an ideal place to spend Christmas, the private island of Half Moon Cay would be one of our picks.  While we were enjoying breakfast mimosas (one of us has switched to a poinsettia with champagne and cranberry juice),  we watched as the ship sailed into the bay of this tiny island.  The weather could not have been better, with temps in the high 70’s and perfectly clear, blue skies.  Not a cloud in sight.  Knowing that combination could be dangerous as far as sun exposure goes, we decided to play it safe, and not spend all of our time in the water or sunbathing.  A little at a time is best.

 

Back at our room, we found one blue waterproof HAL bag, which can be used to pack our blue and white HAL towels to the island today.  In addition, we had a stack of white masks.  These are not the same re-usable cloth masks with the HAL logo we got in Alaska. 

 

The ship was cleared after 8am, but we waited until closer to 10am to take the island’s large tender boat to shore.  These vessels can hold up to 200 guests, and are much easier to access.  The waters in this bay are pristine blue to turquoise – picture perfect.  The Carnival Corporation has really developed this property over the years.  Way back when we had our first stop here (may be almost 20 years ago), there were a few kiosks for souvenirs, a large dining area for the outdoor lunch, water toys for rent, horseback riding, and lagoon activities. Plenty of complimentary chaise lounges lined the beach.  All that is still here, but now there are cabanas, beach villas, and one Private Oasis….all available for a hefty price starting from $450 to $1400.  And that may be the price per person.  Butler service can be addition like $100 to $270.  Keep in mind, we were only here for about 6 hours. But this is the final port of this 7 day trip, and many folks might think….what the heck.  The last tender boat to leave the island was at 2:30pm.

 

Following the map of the island, we found the trail that led to the kayak and glass bottom boat rides in the inner lagoon.  Jet skis were there as well.  It appeared that each tour group had a guide, and you were not allowed to go off on your own.  Close to this venue was the sting ray swim adventure.  The rays are screened in a large area where guests access the water to swim with them.  One of the island’s large transport, an open-air 18 person truck, drove the guests here.  Many younger kids were in the group, and we knew this tour would be thrilling for them.

 

Continuing on, we located the Nature Trail where we saw mostly mangrove growth, a few indigenous tress, and a couple of blue-tailed lizards.  Fairly deep sand sort of slowed the walking for one of us.  We came out to the road that led us to the horse stables.  Now this is where things got interesting.  A few of the extra horses were near the railings, so we walked over to see them.  We should have remembered that we were walking through some pretty noxious grasses, that left at least one million sticky burrs on our shoes and socks.  Good grief…..it would take 20 minutes to pick them off.  The tiny thorns were sharp enough to penetrate the soles of our shoes. Oh well, kind of made our day to be able to pet the horses, one of which was chewing on the wooden railing. 

 

A bit further up this road, we found the area where the horseback riding began.  There were benches and a small building with lockers for the riders to stash their stuff.  While sitting on a picnic bench, a lone donkey wandered over to us, and began looking for food, we think.  No, we had no food, but we did have very sharp stickers to clean off. Of course, we pet him, and he never left.  Even when we got up to leave, he followed us to the sandy beach.  He was convinced our HAL bag had some goodies for him.  Aren’t animals great?

 

With our shoes off, we walked the soft sandy surf back towards the Pirate Ship Bar.  The water felt so good, we said the next time we come, which is Monday, we might go for a swim.  Finally at the Pirate Ship, we went inside and had two frozen Margaritas.  Boy, were they ever so good.  The second round, one of us tried a frozen strawberry dacquari.  Made with spiced rum, now this is my favorite drink.  Can’t believe I never tried one before.  The bartender announced the last call for alcohol around 1:15pm.  The staff began cleaning everything up, which surprised us.  Guess they want to make sure everyone makes that last tender.

 

Passing the outdoor cafeteria, we found that it had been completely cleaned also.  We had missed lunch here again, but we knew where we could find food on the ship….like everywhere.  On the way to the tender boat, we had to pass through security.   No need to do that on the ship.  Our keycards were not scanned onshore.  We relaxed on the top deck while waiting for more people to board.  Within a few minutes, we were back onboard the ship. 

 

Lunch for us was in the Lido, with a stop at the Dive In Grill for one burger, fries, and a hot dog.  That took maybe 20 minutes, even though they did not appear to be that busy.  The Captain blew the horn by 3pm for at least 20 seconds while he sailed away from the island.  Like we said, we will be back here on Monday with mostly a whole new group of people. 

 

Christmas dinner for us was one entrée of steak and lobster, and one meal of sliced ham.  For dessert, one of us had a pumpkin tart, and the other the Christmas snowman, which was the white chocolate mold filled with a chiffon cream.

 

Back in our room, we had the new small “Journeys” booklet with a sticker of the N. Statendam’s itinerary for this cruise.  There is room for 15 more stickers.  Also, last night we received a letter of instruction for tomorrow’s procedures for in transit guests.  Breakfast will be at 6:30 to 8:30am, and we will need to disembark by 9:15am.  We will fill in the details tomorrow.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[ottahand7]

Merry Christmas a day late.    I loved your update on your day of Half Moon Cay with your photo journal.   I was wondering if they were going to use the life boats for tendering - if ever there was a sardine can they are it.    I am glad the open large tenders are used even though packed - we will be more likely to go ashore when we hit the stop twice on our upcoming cruise on the NS.   Since you will be going back to HMC again a few more times save a few apples from the buffet for the donkey and the horses if you go back the the horse back riding venue.    The horse chewing on the fence is what they call a "cribber" if it was biting the fence and swallowing air.    It is a nervous habit of some thoroughbred horses and some others.   I have ridden there twice and always talk with the Jamaican proprietors about their stock and many are former race horses.  I recognize the big gray horse coming out of the water named Hero.  I rode him when we were there PC December 2019.    Again, thanks so much for sharing your reviews and photos.   We are down to 49 days until we join the NS.   

[scubacruiserx2]

Thank you for sharing your day on HMC . You did show a photo of what you called an Ocean Pine . It is an Australian Pine which is an invasive species . While it does provide shade it's harmful in beach erosion and hurricanes with it's shallow root structure . It's also negatively impacts American salt water crocodiles and sea turtles nests . Here in Palm Beach County you must remove any from your property before you built a house before you can receive a Certificate of Occupancy .

https://www.evergladescisma.org/the-dirty-dozen/australian-pine/

 

 

[WCB]

Report #9   Fort Lauderdale, Florida   December 26, 2021   Sunday  Sunny & 75 degrees   Part #1 Of 3........80  Pictures

 

Well here we are, back where we began…..in Ft. Lauderdale.  Breakfast was early from 6:30 to 8:30am in the dining room and Club Orange. The Lido service was from 6 to 9am, and there was no room service.  The entire population of the ship had to be cleared through the US Customs and Border Protection, which is called a “zero” clearance.  This process began with the passengers after 8am, and needed to be completed by 9:15am. 

 

We needed to take our passports, our room key, and In-Transit cards, as well as wearing our masks.  We had already decided that we wanted to leave the ship, and not return until the early afternoon. For those that were In-Transit like us, that did not want to leave the ship, this group had to proceed together to be cleared by Customs.  Then they would have to wait in the terminal for about 90 minutes to re-board after 11am.  These folks would not be allowed to leave the ship again if they chose this option.  In addition, once all of the In-Transit guests came back onboard, none of us had to visit our muster station again, since we had done that a week ago.  Now that we have gotten this down pat, we will repeat the process over and over.

 

We had three things to do in mind this morning while in town.  One was to take a long walk, do some shopping, and possibly go out to lunch, something we have not done yet.  The weather was cooperating with mostly blue skies, temps in the mid 70’s, and a nice breeze blowing. A good recipe for taking some photos.  Access to town from Pier 4 was so much easier than walking from Pier 26.  This pier was located directly behind the Convention Center, which is being remodeled at the moment.  Getting directions from the terminal crew, we easily found our way to Eisenhower Blvd which led to the Walgreens on the corner of 17^th and SR A1A.

 

From here we turned right and walked over the draw bridge towards the beach area.  The sidewalks here were busier than we remembered, but most of the locals were not wearing masks.  Creatures of habit, we felt more comfortable leaving ours on.  Eventually we reached the Ft. Lauderdale Beach, which is opened to the public.  There is a lot of parking here, but there is also a charge.  Bikes were here to rent also.  Within an hour, most all of the parking spots were gone. 

 

We continued our hike, but stopped short of the Las Olas area, which we can walk the next time we come here.  One of us was being most careful of going too far, just in case it may be difficult to walk back.  So far, all is good as long as we take it slowly.  From here, we back-tracked, and continued up  17^th to the Harbor Shops, and Duffy’s, a fun sports bar.  We had already decided that if it was crowded, we would not go inside.  However, even with a football game in progress, the high top tables near the back were all empty.  This would work OK.  We ordered draft beers, a house salad and a bacon cheeseburger to share.  The ice cold beer hit the spot and the burger was excellent. 

 

In this same mall, we went to Publix and found a few items we needed.  At the far end was an Ace Hardware Store where we bought a large wall clock (battery powered) for our room.  It fit perfectly over the big screen TV.

 

Back at the ship by 2pm, we relaxed in our room until sail away around 4:15pm.  Welcoming us, were a new vase of red roses and one dozen Cokes. On the desk, were two plates, one with bruschetta and the other with truffles.  The best was another bottle of champagne on ice with two champagne flutes.  We shared this while enjoying the boisterous sail out of Port Everglades.  Captain Noel, once again, had fun with the ship’s horn.  We happened to be the first of the six ships in port to leave.  We noticed that many of the onlookers ashore came out to wave at us again.  During the sailing out, a Coast Guard speed boat, complete with a gunner in the front, kept all of the fishing boats and jet skis away from the big cruise ships.  A couple of police boats were also nearby for back-up.  We watched for the dolphins, but there were none to be seen.  Only one frigate bird soared above the ship briefly.  So here we go again on another 7 day trip, this one a New Year’s sailing.

 

There was a big difference with service in the main dining room this evening.  With more guests onboard, the service seemed much slower.  Even the head waiter was running food and clearing tables.  We did notice our waiter was using a larger tablet to take our order, so don’t know if that was a problem.  Some of our food was warm, not hot, except for the onion soup, which was boiling.

 

We knew that friends Susie and Woody would be boarding today with some of their family members, who are joining them for 7 days.  Turned out they had a table for eight near the back of the room.  The Hotel Manager and one of his assistants stopped by our table to inform us that they were here.  Then Presty stopped by for a chat, and we sent him there to greet them.  Presty also told us that under 1600 were on this cruise, but there were also 300 kids under 18 here for the holiday sailing.  We expect this to be a lively crowd. And like we did last week, we will dine in each specialty restaurant at least once in the next 7 days.

 

Back in the room, we had two more $50 spa offers and a $200 credit for an Effy product.  Also back was the laundry we sent in this morning.  Wow.

 

Tomorrow, we will be in Half Moon Cay, another day in paradise!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[syesmar]

@WCB thanks so much for taking your time to share your adventures with us! Sounds like a wonderful journey so far. Enjoy your New Year’s cruise!

[Hogladyrider]

@WCB...glad I found your review here on CC as I follow via the Blog but miss not being able to post comments.

 

Love all your reviews and they helped us move to HAL cruising!  So glad to see you are back on the waters.

[CHK]

Thank you for all of the commentary. We hope to be on the ship for 21 days starting February 23rd. I apologize in advance if I've missed reading about this, but can you tell us how the mask wearing is doing onboard? We are reading about numerous Covid cases on Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships but also are reading comments that suggest that people are not wearing masks. And in some cases, people who do wear masks are being harassed and ridiculed. Thank for the information!

Edited December 27, 2021 by CHK

[ottahand7]

4 hours ago, WCB said:

 

 

In this same mall, we went to Publix and found a few items we needed.  At the far end was an Ace Hardware Store where we bought a large wall clock (battery powered) for our room.  It fit perfectly over the big screen TV.

 

 

 

I am curious about your clock purchase.   Are the Pinnacle class ships not providing clocks in the cabins any longer.   Perhaps because of all the time zone changes?   I remember when we were on the Oosterdam ours wasn't working properly for a while on a Panama Canal transit   Again, loving your daily updates.  Enjoy your second leg of your journey.   

[ottahand7]

Since you will be in Fort Lauderdale a few more times quite close the the Renaissance Hotel is Kelly's Landing.    If you care for New England seafood they are terrific and are open for lunch.   We will probably hit the place the Friday before we board but for lunch or takeout, there is no chance for social distancing in this local institution.    https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g34227-d825044-Reviews-Kelly_s_Landing-Fort_Lauderdale_Broward_County_Florida.html#

 

We may hit it twice when we are there.   Us midwesterners have a very hard time finding fried Ipswich clams.  Their onion rings are top notch too.    

[Florida_gal_50]

45 minutes ago, ottahand7 said:

I am curious about your clock purchase.   Are the Pinnacle class ships not providing clocks in the cabins any longer.   Perhaps because of all the time zone changes?   I remember when we were on the Oosterdam ours wasn't working properly for a while on a Panama Canal transit   Again, loving your daily updates.  Enjoy your second leg of your journey.   

What type of room were you in?  Was it a Neptune or pinnacle suite?  I’ve never seen a clock in a vista suite or balcony and I’ve sailed a number of times on pinnacle class ships.  The only clock to speak of is on the desk phone.

[WCB]

So far there have been no problems with folks wearing masks on the ship.  No negative comments at all.

We do not know if other staterooms have clocks, but we do not in our veranda room.  Yes, the date and time are on the phone as well as our room number.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

PS   Thanks for all of the positive comments!!

[WCB]

 

Report #10   Half Moon Cay   December 27, 2021   Monday  Sunny & 75 degrees   Part #1 Of 2........80  Pictures

 

Here we are again, but today is different as far as our time goes here.  Tomorrow we have a day at sea, so we were able to stay on the island until 5:30pm.  Much nicer.

While we were having our breakfast, we had a chance to speak to Jonah from the Front Desk.  She reported that yesterday there was a longer than desired wait for the in-transit group to re-board the ship. Tempers must have flared.  Years ago, the same thing happened to us, and we remembered it well.  Luckily, we had made the right decision to leave the ship to come back later.  We shall repeat the same trek every time we come to Ft. Lauderdale.  Since we did not ship 4 ½ months-worth of toiletries, we intend to do shopping along the way.  And going out to lunch is always a plus.  One of us has a fish allergy, so we usually do not go to that type of restaurant. Thanks for the dining tips anyway.

 

The tender boat did not leave the ship until it was mostly full.  Even at 10am, many people had waited like we did.  One thing for sure, there is no “social distancing” on these tenders.  Absolutely everyone, including the young kids, wore masks without complaints.  Once on the island, most of the masks were taken off.  Except for the few shops, we are all outdoors in the fresh breeze, so masks were not needed. 

 

We arrived to the food pavilion in time to see the cuisine set up.  Cold salads, sandwiches (hot dogs, hamburgers, and tacos, etc.) were served by the wait staff.  Desserts were simple cupcakes along with a variety of fruit.  One helped ourselves to one pear to be used later.  Ice cream and beverages were served too.  All of this food was complimentary.  Once again, we did not dine here.  Maybe next time.

 

Making our way down an alleyway to the beach, we passed by the Lobster Shack.  All of the lobster related dishes were served here for a price.  In fact, the chef mentioned that we would need to place our order before they ran out of lobster.  Not to worry, we replied, as lobster is not exactly one of our favorite dishes.  Serve us a charcoal broiled burger any day, and we are happy campers.

 

Determined to hike the entire crescent-shaped half-moon beach, we took our sweet time and made it to the very end.  One must stop was at the corrals to pay a visit to the friendly donkey.  Now this is where the pear came in handy.  One of the corral staffers was there and noticed the pear in my bag.  Calling the donkey by name, Ted, he came over to check us out.  Another young couple had made it quicker, and insisted on photos with Ted.  They held onto him until smart Ted spotted the fruit, and left them.  He sucked the pear into his mouth and bit it in half.  Good thing I moved my fingers away fast.  The staff member said that many guests will bring apples from the ship over here to feed Ted, explaining why he had his head in my bag last Saturday. 

 

Time to mosey back to Captain Morgan’s Bar.  We had walked much further than we thought, and needed some refreshments.  So the strawberry daiquiri and margarita were mostly for medicinal purposes, ha-ha!  Last week, we noticed that the charges for these drinks were slightly higher than $11 plus 18% gratuity.  Reading the menu closer, there was an additional charge for Bahamian tax, which applied to this island.  Interesting……

 

One of us was going to check out pricing on some island clothing in the shops, but did not have the energy to do so.  As the saying goes, we will be back.  We boarded the waiting tender, and had the treat of watching flying fish soaring around us. We were back onboard by 2pm.  A Lido lunch was in order with custom-made salads and sandwiches on ciabatta rolls, toasted no less.  All of the food venues appeared to be busy, so many people did not eat on the island today.  In fact, we know that many never left the ship.  That’s the beauty of this type of travel, as you have so many options to do whatever you like.  You are never bored.  In fact, the word “bored” is not in our vocabulary.

 

Spending the rest of the afternoon on our veranda, we had the perfect view of the tender boats bringing the folks back.  Working on photos and future port reports was another job to do.  The ship left before 6pm, and was now headed for a day at sea on the way to Jamaica. 

 

Nothing really caught our eye for dinner in the dining room tonight, so we made last minute reservations in Canaletto.  They gave us a time of 8:30pm, and we said yes.  Thinking that the Canaletto was filled with guests, we were surprised to find it mostly empty.  Of course, this is later than usual for us, and the restaurant is closed for any more guests by 9:30pm.   Our service was great, the food hot, and delicious. Starters were salad, minestrone soup, and veal meatballs. Our mains were short ribs and veal scaloppini.  Saved a little room for desserts of chocolate tart and an orange tart.  As well as the waitress chatting with us, we were visited by the manager and chef, making sure our meal was to our liking.  Yes, it sure was.

 

So glad tomorrow is a sea day, as there are very few on these shorter cruises.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

Great to see you back traveling. I always enjoyed your past world cruise blogs and this one is just as good. Thanks a bunch for posting your experiences cruising during covid. It’s a nice change from many of the “doom and gloom” posts as of late. We sail on Rotterdam this coming Sunday and your posts make me feel excited for our trip.