Mostly Live From Nieuw Statendam Northern Isles June 22 - July 6

[Lucie73821]

We are also on this cruise.  Agree that check in was very disorganized.  There was no Verifly line like we have seen at Port Everglades.  But we didn’t wait too long to get through the line.  We are traveling with my in laws and all of us had updated our info in Verifly.  My in laws were able to check in with it no problem, but the lady who checked in my husband and I had no idea what it was, just gave us a blank stare when we showed it.  We tried explain it, but she had no clue.  We were able to show our vaccination cards and emailed test results.  She was also very confused over my husband’s vaccination card (he got the Johnson and Johnson one dose for his first shot). She didn’t seem to understand why there was such a long gap between the first and his booster.  
 

Thankfully we made it past the initial stress, and are already to enjoy the cruise!

[roxybear135]

8 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

I was interested to hear about Verifly in Copenhagen, too.  Someone on another thread also mentioned they didn't ask to see it, and it didn't enable anyone having it to "jump the queue".  DH doesn't plan to use it, when we board NS next month.

It definitely didn’t help you skip any lines. Everyone had to wait in the same health assessment line. I’m not sure if they looked at it or not since we didn’t use it, but I would make sure to have your documents ready in case they don’t look at it. 

[Vict0riann]

7 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

It definitely didn’t help you skip any lines. Everyone had to wait in the same health assessment line. I’m not sure if they looked at it or not since we didn’t use it, but I would make sure to have your documents ready in case they don’t look at it. 

 

When we have boarded (once in Italy and once in the US), DH has printed out a single sheet of paper with our passport picture page, our vaccination certs. (with QR codes), and test results.  They say they want to see originals, but each time that has been sufficient.  We'll see if it works in Copenhagen.  Of course we'll have everything on our devices as well.

 

Thank you for all the information you are supplying us.  Just a great Live From - you have earned your "Rare"!

 

A few questions - I wondered who your officers were?  Captain, CD, Hotel Director, Cellar Master, and if they were staying on through July, if you know....

[roxybear135]

5 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

 

When we have boarded (once in Italy and once in the US), DH has printed out a single sheet of paper with our passport picture page, our vaccination certs. (with QR codes), and test results.  They say they want to see originals, but each time that has been sufficient.  We'll see if it works in Copenhagen.  Of course we'll have everything on our devices as well.

 

Thank you for all the information you are supplying us.  Just a great Live From - you have earned your "Rare"!

 

A few questions - I wondered who your officers were?  Captain, CD, Hotel Director, Cellar Master, and if they were staying on through July, if you know....

Not sure the names of them. I believe the CD is something like Sue Ann but I’m not sure. Perhaps someone else on this cruise would know better than me. 

[roxybear135]

Today we had a pretty relaxing sea day. We had breakfast in Club Orange. The breakfast was very good except for the french toast (way too dry and didn’t seem to have been fully dipped in batter). 
 

Then we wandered around the boat for a while before relaxing in our cabin until lunch. It’s the same lunch menu as we have had on the last few cruises so there wasn’t much that excited me on it. I had the calamari and quinoa bowl and they were fine but nothing special. 
 

In the afternoon we went to the gym for a while and then got ready for dressy night (it’s no longer called gala night). Most people were not very dressed up and some even came to dinner in T-shirts which surprised me. 
 

Dinner was great. The standout was the lamb and it was so good we ordered a second portion to share. The chocolate soufflé was also delicious. 
 

After dinner we spent some time in the casino and then saw the illusionist. He was very good and hilarious - one woman couldn’t stop laughing the entire show. 
 

We then went back to the casino for a bit before wandering around the boat and coming back to the cabin to watch a movie before bed. We have an excursion tomorrow morning in Bergen and are looking forward to it. So far it’s been a great cruise. 
 

I forgot to take a pic of my filet before I started it because I was so excited to eat so excuse the partially eaten steak!

[VMax1700]

41 minutes ago, roxybear135 said:

Not sure the names of them. I believe the CD is something like Sue Ann but I’m not sure. Perhaps someone else on this cruise would know better than me. 

The stateroom tv should show them.

Go to 'From the Bridge' and then 'Meet the Officers'

[roxybear135]

Today we are in Bergen. We got very lucky with warm temperatures and no rain. We did a walking tour excursion through HAL where we walked around Bergen before going to the ice bar. It was a lot of walking but we had a lot of fun. 
 

We then had a cinnamon roll for a snack down by the fish market which was delicious. We took the funicular up Mt. Floein which had beautiful views of Bergen. We also walked to a lake up there (about 10 minutes from the main area up on the mountain). 
 

In town we went to a few souvenir shops and bought a few things before heading back to the ship. We ended up walking just under 7 miles and are now relaxing back on the ship with some room service and a movie. Overall we really enjoyed this port. 

[roxybear135]

Last night we watched Cantare which was the show for the evening. It was a group of 4 men who sang a variety of songs. We enjoyed it. 
 

Today we are in Molde and did a private excursion of the Troll Road. It was a long drive but so worth it. The views were spectacular and completely breathtaking. We really enjoyed the tour and highly recommend going. 
 

Tonight the entertainment is a saxophonist who we are hoping will be fun to watch. We are looking forward to a sea day tomorrow to have some time to relax. 

[oakridger]

17 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

Today we are in Molde and did a private excursion of the Troll Road. It was a long drive but so worth it. The views were spectacular and completely breathtaking.

 

Did you have any problem on the Troll Road with motion sickness?  I am VERY sensitive to motion in a car or bus if I'm not driving (but not cruise ships thankfully!)  

 

~Nancy

[roxybear135]

26 minutes ago, oakridger said:

 

Did you have any problem on the Troll Road with motion sickness?  I am VERY sensitive to motion in a car or bus if I'm not driving (but not cruise ships thankfully!)  

 

~Nancy

I have horrible issues with motion sickness so I took two meclizine pills and I was fine. The troll road itself isn’t very long so luckily it’s not twisty for more than about 10 minutes. You also have to go extremely slow up or down it because it’s only one car wide at most parts so you have to wait for others to pass at a bunch of spots. 

[roxybear135]

The saxophone show last night wasn’t great. Fortunately though dinner was. 
 

Today it’s extremely foggy (basically zero visibility) and cold, so it’s not really a day to do anything outdoors on the ship. Most people seem to be relaxing and not doing much because the ship is pretty empty in the public areas. 
 

Tomorrow we are in Akureyri and are going on an excursion to Godafoss and the lava fields. We are really looking forward to it. 
 

Here’s some photos from dinner last night (lamb, fried lingfish, and opera cake). 

[jimbri]

Great photos.  Have a wondeful time.

[oakridger]

Thanks for the info about the Troll Road.  Meclazine....check!  Good to hear that the twisty part is only 10 minutes.

 

~Nancy

[Heartgrove]

On 6/22/2022 at 7:56 AM, roxybear135 said:

This morning we checked out of our hotel just before noon and took the metro to Orientkaj. There we grabbed the free shuttle to the cruise terminal. I definitely recommend this because it would have been an extremely long walk otherwise. Look for a yellow bus that stops right at the metro station. 

 

Just found your thread for your cruise. I am sure that you will enjoy the Nieuw Statendam as we have sailed on her twice. Glad to see that it is now easier to travel to Oceankaj Terminal. It use to be a two bus ride as the Metro did not extend that far. Hopefully Iceland's infamous sideways rain does not affect your excursion tomorrow. Godafoss is very spectacular and worthy of a visit rain or shine.

 

Have a great cruise on the NSDM!

[roxybear135]

Today we had a lazy relaxing sea day which was great. The weather was cold and foggy for most of the day. 
 

Dinner was excellent. I got the roasted chicken with corn and gnocchi and my fiancé got the Club Orange entree (duck with potatoes and cherries). My chicken was good but my fiancé’s duck was amazing. We both got the chocolate puff pastry craquelin for dessert and it was delicious. 
 

After dinner we went to see the second performance of Cantare. They did a great job and we really enjoyed their singing. 
 

We then watched some of the other performances around the boat. We checked out the orange party but it didn’t look particularly exciting. 

[Wendy-Europe]

Icelands coast is beautiful....but unfortunately a rising number of passengers will not be able to leave the ship... 

 

First the usual part of deck 4 was closed for quarantine.  Than both sides aft. Then one side aft of deck 5, later both and yesterday evening portside of deck 8 aft .

 

But with less than 5 % of people wearing masks no wonder. 

[cruiseaholic78]

2 hours ago, Wendy-Europe said:

Icelands coast is beautiful....but unfortunately a rising number of passengers will not be able to leave the ship... 

 

First the usual part of deck 4 was closed for quarantine.  Than both sides aft. Then one side aft of deck 5, later both and yesterday evening portside of deck 8 aft .

 

But with less than 5 % of people wearing masks no wonder. 

I hope you are enjoying your cruise we will be on from 16th July.

 

Are they continually testing or are people becoming ill?

Hi could you please elaborate on which is "the usual part of deck four was closed for quarantine" I am worried that I might be bumped out of my carefully chosen cabin! (egotistical I know but I was so happy I managed to book it)

Rosalyn

 

[Wendy-Europe]

Deck 4 aft seems to be the usual quarantine area.  No regular  testing . People get sick. 

[Vict0riann]

I'm sorry the Covid count seems to be going up.  But I do hope the staff and crew can stay healthy.  On Koningsdam deck 4 aft of a set of watertight doors was the quarantine area.   @cruiseaholic78,  we had originally booked on deck 4 but decided to change to 5, midship.  Hope we will be safe there!  

[CruisingGrandmaW]

On 6/23/2022 at 1:38 PM, roxybear135 said:

Today we had a pretty relaxing sea day. We had breakfast in Club Orange. The breakfast was very good except for the french toast (way too dry and didn’t seem to have been fully dipped in batter). 
 

Then we wandered around the boat for a while before relaxing in our cabin until lunch. It’s the same lunch menu as we have had on the last few cruises so there wasn’t much that excited me on it. I had the calamari and quinoa bowl and they were fine but nothing special. 
 

In the afternoon we went to the gym for a while and then got ready for dressy night (it’s no longer called gala night). Most people were not very dressed up and some even came to dinner in T-shirts which surprised me. 
 

Dinner was great. The standout was the lamb and it was so good we ordered a second portion to share. The chocolate soufflé was also delicious. 
 

After dinner we spent some time in the casino and then saw the illusionist. He was very good and hilarious - one woman couldn’t stop laughing the entire show. 
 

We then went back to the casino for a bit before wandering around the boat and coming back to the cabin to watch a movie before bed. We have an excursion tomorrow morning in Bergen and are looking forward to it. So far it’s been a great cruise. 
 

I forgot to take a pic of my filet before I started it because I was so excited to eat so excuse the partially eaten steak!

HI ROXYBEAR

Re:  People not getting dressed up for Gala Night.

I have the answer to that --- after we've all been homebound for almost 2 years due to Covid; none of us can fit back into our fancy clothes. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Vict0riann]

Haven't heard from @roxybear135 for a couple of days.  Hope all is well!  

[roxybear135]

3 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

Haven't heard from @roxybear135 for a couple of days.  Hope all is well!  

Thanks for your concern! Wifi has just been down since yesterday afternoon. Will post an update in a minute

[roxybear135]

Yesterday we were in Akureyri and did an excursion to Godafoss waterfall, lava fields, and a geothermal hot springs. It was a long day with cold and rainy weather but the sights were amazing to see. It took up the whole time we were in port so we didn’t get a chance to explore the town at all. 

We went to Nami onboard for dinner. The sushi and service were excellent. My favorite dish was the tuna poke. 
 

Afterward we went to the casino for a while and then relaxed with a movie in our cabin. We got some late night snacks at the deli/pizza place and they were excellent. We found out they no longer serve breakfast (we had tried to go there the other day but it was closed so we now know why). 
 

Today we were in Isafjordur. There was basically nothing to do there. The entire town was maybe a 30-40 minute walk to see everything and the highlight was a grocery store where I got some Icelandic chocolate. We went back to the boat for lunch at the Dine In, which has been surprisingly excellent this trip (our last cruise it was awful). 
 

We are headed to dinner for a bit and then probably the casino. Tomorrow we are in Reykjavik and renting a car so it will be fun getting to explore more of Iceland at our leisure. 

Wifi was completely down all day today and so slow yesterday it was essentially useless. Here’s some photos from the last few days that I haven’t had a chance to upload 

[GroomsportGirl]

21 minutes ago, roxybear135 said:

Yesterday we were in Akureyri and did an excursion to Godafoss waterfall, lava fields, and a geothermal hot springs. It was a long day with cold and rainy weather but the sights were amazing to see. It took up the whole time we were in port so we didn’t get a chance to explore the town at all. 

We went to Nami onboard for dinner. The sushi and service were excellent. My favorite dish was the tuna poke. 
 

Afterward we went to the casino for a while and then relaxed with a movie in our cabin. We got some late night snacks at the deli/pizza place and they were excellent. We found out they no longer serve breakfast (we had tried to go there the other day but it was closed so we now know why). 
 

Today we were in Isafjordur. There was basically nothing to do there. The entire town was maybe a 30-40 minute walk to see everything and the highlight was a grocery store where I got some Icelandic chocolate. We went back to the boat for lunch at the Dine In, which has been surprisingly excellent this trip (our last cruise it was awful). 
 

We are headed to dinner for a bit and then probably the casino. Tomorrow we are in Reykjavik and renting a car so it will be fun getting to explore more of Iceland at our leisure. 

Wifi was completely down all day today and so slow yesterday it was essentially useless. Here’s some photos from the last few days that I haven’t had a chance to upload 

Thanks for the update - food looks amazing - we just booked nami for next week!  
 

Also glad you are ok - with all the talk about the 🦠 and quarantine….I feared the worst.

[VMax1700]

Have you noticed, no matter how careful you are, that there is always one image that refuses to behave and posts upside down?? 😬

There's always one 🤣