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

[Roberrrrrt]

8 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

 Afterward we went to the casino for a while and then relaxed with a movie in our cabin. 

Curious to know if smoking is currently allowed in the casino.  When we were on in late February there was not. Hoping that is still the case, as I’ll be getting on board on July 6.

[Wendy-Europe]

Since today morning masks are mandatory on board.

[GroomsportGirl]

52 minutes ago, Wendy-Europe said:

Since today morning masks are mandatory on board.

Thanks for the update.  Is the thermal spa suite open and if so are there restrictions/masks?

 

I hope you are enjoying your cruise despite the restrictions and 🦠 risks….

[roxybear135]

15 hours ago, Roberrrrrt said:

Curious to know if smoking is currently allowed in the casino.  When we were on in late February there was not. Hoping that is still the case, as I’ll be getting on board on July 6.

There’s no smoking allowed in the casino. 

[roxybear135]

Today we rented a car and drove to the black sand beach and stopped at a few waterfalls along the way. We got extremely lucky with amazing weather. It was absolutely gorgeous and the scenery looked like it was from another world. 
 

Tomorrow we are going to the sky lagoon to have a day of relaxation. We are very excited for it. 
 

Wifi has been down most of the day again. We also were told this morning that there were enough Covid cases on board that masks have become mandatory. 

[12cruise2]

On 6/20/2022 at 8:10 AM, *Miss G* said:

 

 

We stayed at the Admiral too!  It ranks as one of my top favourite hotels in the world, but you’ve got to like quirky and history.  Its onsite restaurant and bar are excellent.  As @roxybear135 says, the location is perfect and is in a nice, walkable, area.

We stayed at the Hotel Bethel, a former seafarer's place.  Great location.

https://www.hotel-bethel.dk/en/info/about-us

[12cruise2]

On 6/26/2022 at 5:37 AM, oakridger said:

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

 

~Nancy

FYI, you can get meclizine in 12.5 and 25 mg. strengths.  We use the 12.5 that doesn't make us so sleepy but does work--for us.  You have to order it or ask the pharmacist for it maybe, I think--it's not readily available OTC in the drug stores, only 25 mg. strength is.

[Florida_gal_50]

6 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

Today we rented a car and drove to the black sand beach and stopped at a few waterfalls along the way. We got extremely lucky with amazing weather. It was absolutely gorgeous and the scenery looked like it was from another world. 
 

Tomorrow we are going to the sky lagoon to have a day of relaxation. We are very excited for it. 
 

Wifi has been down most of the day again. We also were told this morning that there were enough Covid cases on board that masks have become mandatory. 

Your pictures are absolutely beautiful.

[omago4th]

FYI

ask for meclizine at drug counters of big stores,  wal----  or Cos---

 

and best prices also.

[roxybear135]

I bought my meclizine on Amazon. It was about $5 for 100 pills. They’re chewable and strawberry flavored. 

[iramack]

How was the airport in Copenhagen when you flew in? Crazy? Chaotic? Normal?  etc....

I'm flying in for a Seabourn Cruise on the 15th.

 

Thanks

Steve

[roxybear135]

Last night we took it easy because there wasn’t anything open on the boat since it was docked. We had dinner at Club Orange and it was excellent. The prime rib was some of the best I’ve ever had and the chocolate raspberry tart was delicious. Food has been really good on this cruise. We haven’t had a bad meal yet. 
 

Today we went to Sky Lagoon. It was about 15 minutes (a $30 cab ride) from the port. We did the date night package which included admission for 2, the 7 step ritual for 2, 2 drinks (so 1 each), and a small platter (like a charcuterie board). The place was absolutely gorgeous and very high end. We spent a few hours there soaking in the lagoon and doing the ritual (an extremely cold plunge pool, sauna, cool mist room, salt scrub, steam room and shower). I definitely recommend coming here since it’s close to the port and wasn’t as crowded or touristy as the blue lagoon seemed to be. The package was about $180 and I recommend booking it ahead of time so you can get the time you want since it’s a timed entry. 
 

Tonight is formal night and there’s a dance show called Humanity that we are planning on going to. So far it’s been a great cruise and we are really enjoying it. 

[roxybear135]

Just now, iramack said:

How was the airport in Copenhagen when you flew in? Crazy? Chaotic? Normal?  etc....

I'm flying in for a Seabourn Cruise on the 15th.

 

Thanks

Steve

It wasn’t too bad. It was busy but nothing worse than any other large airport I’ve been to. The only problem was bags took a while to come out (about 30 minutes) and we heard some people had to wait a couple of hours for their bags. 

[iramack]

Thanks so much. That really helps.

Now just to get out of DFW on the 14th.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

Steve

[unclefeather]

Thanks for your update. I am on the sailing on 7/16 and getting concerned about COVID cases. How's the vibe on the ship about that? Are they enforcing the indoor mask policy?

[tupper10]

We are doing this trip next summer and wondered if you can tell us which car rental agencies you used in the ports since like you we prefer to do our own excursions.  

[roxybear135]

2 hours ago, unclefeather said:

Thanks for your update. I am on the sailing on 7/16 and getting concerned about COVID cases. How's the vibe on the ship about that? Are they enforcing the indoor mask policy?

Before the mask mandate started, pretty much no one was wearing masks. They’ve been somewhat good about enforcing it now but some parts of the boat are better than others in enforcing it. For example, we saw plenty of people waking around the buffet to get food without masks but at the casino if you are playing card games and take a sip of a drink and don’t put your mask back on, they tell you to put it on. 

[roxybear135]

2 hours ago, tupper10 said:

We are doing this trip next summer and wondered if you can tell us which car rental agencies you used in the ports since like you we prefer to do our own excursions.  

We only rented a car in Reykjavik and it was from Hertz. We booked it directly on their site and it was about $130 for a small car. 

[roxybear135]

Today we were in Djupivogur where there wasn’t much to do. We took a tender to the town and spent about 45 minutes walking around. The only things there were a gift shop, grocery store, and two restaurants. It was also so foggy that there was zero visibility to see any views. 
 

There were a bunch of people who were delayed in getting back from their excursions (193 people) so we didn’t leave until about an hour and a half after we were supposed to. 
 

Tonight we went to Tamarind for a special Indonesian dinner. It booked up extremely quickly so we were lucky that they were able to squeeze us in because of all the people being late from their tours. It was $30 a person and well worth it. We got an appetizer, salad, soup, a plate full of different Indonesian foods, and dessert.  I definitely recommend doing this if you get a chance. Just make sure you can handle spicy food. 
 

After dinner we went to see the show which was a singer/harpist. She was very talented but some of her songs that she had written weren’t the best. 
 

Tomorrow is a sea day so we are looking forward to relaxing. 

[Florida_gal_50]

I think I’ve had that special dinner before.  It was likely on your ship a few years back.  I haven’t seen it since.

[Junelovestocruise]

1 hour ago, roxybear135 said:

 

Tonight we went to Tamarind for a special Indonesian dinner. It booked up extremely quickly so we were lucky that they were able to squeeze us in because of all the people being late from their tours. It was $30 a person and well worth it. We got an appetizer, salad, soup, a plate full of different Indonesian foods, and dessert.  I definitely recommend doing this if you get a chance. Just make sure you can handle spicy food. 
 

 

 

@roxybear135 - how far in advance was this special menu advertised? My sister and I will be on this ship next month and this is something that we would love to try.

[iflyrc5]

On 6/27/2022 at 6:09 AM, cruiseaholic78 said:

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

 

When we were on board in Feb/Mar 2022 the quarantine area was on deck 4 - forward of the aft elevators on both sides of the ship.

[roxybear135]

10 hours ago, Junelovestocruise said:

@roxybear135 - how far in advance was this special menu advertised? My sister and I will be on this ship next month and this is something that we would love to try.

As far as I’m aware, it wasn’t advertised. I saw a flyer for it at the dining reservations desk while walking by and asked about it but it was already fully booked. Perhaps you can contact HAL and see if they are having it on your cruise so you can book it now since it seems extremely likely to sell out quickly. 

[roxybear135]

Today was a sea day so we mostly took it easy. We slept in and got to the buffet around 10 for breakfast. It was the most crowded we’ve seen it all trip (only one side has been open at all meals for the buffet) but even though it wasn’t easy finding an open table, there wasn’t much wait for any food. 
 

We spent most of the day near the indoor pool since the weather was fairly chilly and raining. We played card games and just relaxed. 
 

I tried a pizza from NY deli for the first time. It wasn’t bad, but definitely lacked flavor and was in need of some garlic. 
 

We had dinner in Club Orange tonight which was excellent again like it’s been the whole cruise. I had the beef brisket which was the most tender brisket I’ve ever had and was delicious. My fiancé had the Peruvian roasted chicken which was phenomenal. It was spicy and extremely flavorful and I kept stealing bites. 
 

Tomorrow we are in Inverness. We have to do passport control early in the morning and then we are doing an excursion to the Glenmorangie distillery. 

[iceman93]

7 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

Tomorrow we are in Inverness. We have to do passport control early in the morning and then we are doing an excursion to the Glenmorangie distillery. 

First of all, thank you for your ongoing updates.  As someone who's boarding the NS in a couple of weeks, I love hearing the first-hand reports!

 

But second, I sincerely hope that Glenmorangie will offer tastings and/or allow purchases of Signet.  My wife and I have found it our absolute favorite dollar-for-quality scotch out there!