Our anniversary cruise on the Neiuw Statendam : Is the honeymoon over ? Part 2

[scubacruiserx2]

We first went on the Nieuw Statendam in March of 2919 from Fort Lauderdale when it was a fairly new ship ( I think that we were on the first cruise from FTL ) . It was not our favorite ship or cruise and you can read about it here : 

 

 

We were disappointed when we had earlier booked the Nieuw Amsterdam for our grandson's birthday cruise which included Grand Turk where we all wanted to go . But HAL changed ports (after we had paid) to Key West . We still wanted to dive Grand Turk and so we tried the Nieuw Statendam again last week because it included GT . So will this cruise be better than the last ? There will be lots of photos of GT , Nassau , Amber Cove and HMC , and of course the NS .

 

[CruiserBruce]

Hard to answer for your personal perspective. But when we were on N. Statendam in July/August, it was a great cruise, and an excellent ship.

 

As mentioned by others, if a single port is your most important goal, do a land trip there.

[Mosaic]

It should work out very well for you on the NS. I would not be that concerned...

[Sea42]

3 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

It should work out very well for you on the NS. I would not be that concerned...

I believe they have already returned from their cruise.

 

[Sea42]

I'm looking forward to your review. I enjoyed the last one very much!

[scubacruiserx2]

2 hours ago, Sea42 said:

I'm looking forward to your review. I enjoyed the last one very much!

 

Thank you very much . We appreciate your encouragement and upbeat input . 😎😊

[scubacruiserx2]

 We didn't book a Neptune this time but choose a Vista Suite the same as the previous cruise but with a different location . The first time was an aft our prefered view # 5200 . This time we booked # 7089 midship with a nicer cabin arrangement and hoped for an upgrade/upsale , but to no avail . The ride down to Ftl was smooth . The Navigator app . and a 4 star card got us on quickly by 12 :30 pm in time for a MDR lunch . A couple of quick photos before lunch and the main crowd arrived .

 

 

 

The aft MDR with it's 2 story wine tower reminds us of the Celebrity Solstice class .

 

 

 

The Apex was docked aft of us 

 

 

It was a bit windy with a cold front that had moved in and it was clear and sunny with a high temp of the 60's and the low was predicted in the mid 30's where we live about and hour North and West of  FtL . So the soup and half a club sandwich looked good .

 

 

 

 

[canadianbear]

Looking forward to reading more & photos!

[scubacruiserx2]

4 hours ago, canadianbear said:

Looking forward to reading more & photos!

 

Thank you and we're also looking forward to sharing and answering questions if there are any and we can .

[scubacruiserx2]

After lunch we took a walk by the Club Orange diner . We only used it once on our last trip and didn't care for it . It wasn't available when we tried to book it this trip .

 

 

 

Rudi's we ate at twice . When we last ate here it was on the last cruise to Alaska on the Neiuw Amsterdam . It is now closed on the NA .

 

 

 

The Atrium

 

 

The Pinnacle Grill doesn't serve breakfast for the Neptune Suites here like the other classes of HAL ships and that's why we wouldn't book a Neptune Suite on the Pinnacle Class ship . We saved 4 thousand on our room . There was only 1 day that we could book it for dinner and the only time available was 8 pm . We did eat lunch here on a sea day and was somewhat underwhelmed . So we did cancel the second day .

 

 

Up to the 3rd deck to the Dutch Cafe which was busy with some rude passengers .

 

 

 

So when our turn came we grabbed an Almond and a Chocolate Chip cookie and a Bossche Bol to go and split it in the suite - Ah , peace , quiet and dessert .

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[canadianbear]

It’s good to hear your opinion.  We haven’t cruised since our 2 weeks on the Oosterdam in December 2019 in a Neptune suite.   I’ve been reading so many threads that we aren’t quite sure if we will cruise anytime soon.  We are booked (refundable) for a long cruise in 2024 but don’t have to decide for quite awhile.  I have missed cruising but hubby doesn’t care-he can take it or leave it.  He has his boat to keep him happy especially when the salmon are biting, lol.

 

I love the Dutch Cafe and hubby did too.  I especially got hooked on their lattes.  Their food is delicious too.  
 

It’s a shame about rude passengers but it’s everywhere it seems.  What we don’t tolerate is if they are rude to staff though-I especially will say something. 
 

I understand about saving thousands too.  We have usually been in Neptune suites but now have decided not to any longer unless it’s a good upsell.  
 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

13 hours ago, canadianbear said:

It’s good to hear your opinion.  We haven’t cruised since our 2 weeks on the Oosterdam in December 2019 in a Neptune suite.   I’ve been reading so many threads that we aren’t quite sure if we will cruise anytime soon.  We are booked (refundable) for a long cruise in 2024 but don’t have to decide for quite awhile.  I have missed cruising but hubby doesn’t care-he can take it or leave it.  He has his boat to keep him happy especially when the salmon are biting, lol.

 

I love the Dutch Cafe and hubby did too.  I especially got hooked on their lattes.  Their food is delicious too.  
 

It’s a shame about rude passengers but it’s everywhere it seems.  What we don’t tolerate is if they are rude to staff though-I especially will say something. 
 

I understand about saving thousands too.  We have usually been in Neptune suites but now have decided not to any longer unless it’s a good upsell.  
 

 

 

 

We have been back cruising for a year after taking a couple of years off and while I wasn't a fan of some of the older protocols there were fewer people which enhanced the experience . With the return to normalcy the ships have a lot more passengers and much more crowded and longer lines .

[scubacruiserx2]

The Coast Guard and Broward Sheriff's Officers stayed busy keeping us all safe

 

 

 

The 17th Street Causeway connects the mainland to the beach

 

 

The Odyssey of the  Sea's toys .  The North Star observation pod reminds us of the London Eye .

 

 

And the Skypad features bungee trampolines

 

 

Sailboats on a rope clearing the way for sail away time

 

 

The Sky Princess heading out . We had booked an aft corner suite for a TA/ Northern European cruise in 2020 which was of course cancelled .

 

 

 

We did use the credit for a Southern  Caribbean cruise on the Enchanted Princess her newer sister ship last Valentine's Day . If you would would to see that ship and cruise it can be found here :

 

 

 

Here's a video of our aft corner cabin and balcony

 

 

 

Bye , bye Fort Lauderdale and the sunset

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

Some photos of the room and the sail away

 

Paper boombox under glass . I wonder how much they paid the artist for this ?

 

 

We never used this shower

 

 

 

 

 

A BINO ( Balcony in name only )

 

 

A couple of video clips :

 

Pushing off to the sound of the Love Boat theme 

 

 

 

We were on the Starboard ( Smoking side ) facing South as we left the port . whoever the horn operator was had a lead foot .

 

 

 

[Dismomx5]

Thank you for sharing.

 

You never used the shower? IMO the shower is one of the best things about the ships. Aaaaah.

[scubacruiserx2]

You are welcome . A lot of the ladies like the foot bar for shaving and I like the solid enclosure but it's got a lot of echo and is a bit warm because the door goes up so high . Ours at home is larger and with a larger opening over the door it's not nearly so noisy or as steamy . We did have a spa pass that we used a lot and showered there using their nicer robes and towels leaving them there and a choice of several shower options . We took our own shampoo , conditioner , brush and hair spray and deodorant and a change of clothes bringing them in a water proof bag . We will be showing a number of photos and video clips from there later so please stay tuned .

[scubacruiserx2]

Dinner on the first evening was at the Tamarind and here's their trailer

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We love the Tamarind but there were a few hiccups on the first night . They usually start with shrimp crackers but this 1 was all we got . We didn't touch it because there was plenty to come .

 

 

Jewels of the Sea ( Sounds like the name of a Royal Caribbean ship )

 

 

Wasabi Cocktail with a bottle of Momokawa Pearl Sake in the background

 

 

Shrimp and vegetable tempura

 

 

 

Rainbow Sushi Roll

 

 

Crispy Duck 

( We've never had or seen the leg before )

 

 

 

Panang Red Curry

 

 

Mango Posset

 

 

Trio of Sorbet 

Yuzu , Lemon-Basil , and Lychee

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

A quick digression to the Greenhouse Spa walkaround video clip , but no changing room or shower scenes . They and the still shots will come a little later . BTW the showers shown in the video are not the private ones in the changing rooms .🙂😊

 

 

 

[Queenmom1947]

Likewise having two- year postponement of anniversary cruise In February!

Holland canceled Key West and subbed Nassau.  THEN substituted a second day at Half Moon Cay.   THEN changed the second visit to Freeport!!!   Lots of changes but one couple with us really wanted to visit Key West, one of initial destinations, as had never been there!    HAL, make up you destination mind, though we may not get off ship in Bahamas…..

Hoping nothing further is changed and looking forward to the cruise!

[scubacruiserx2]

15 hours ago, Queenmom1947 said:

Likewise having two- year postponement of anniversary cruise In February!

Holland canceled Key West and subbed Nassau.  THEN substituted a second day at Half Moon Cay.   THEN changed the second visit to Freeport!!!   Lots of changes but one couple with us really wanted to visit Key West, one of initial destinations, as had never been there!    HAL, make up you destination mind, though we may not get off ship in Bahamas…..

Hoping nothing further is changed and looking forward to the cruise!

 

So sorry to hear about the old switcheroo . It does make for a frustrating vacation experience and requires replanning sometimes . HAL does seem to hold their cards close to their chest not telling people their room number or boarding time until very close to sailing .

[scubacruiserx2]

Sunday morning in Nassau was early and so we had room service with our sunrise .

 

 

We were across from the Carnival Liberty

 

 

 

We moved to our first visit to the spa near a clear David ( with a cell phone of course )

 

 

Sunning room with a view ( of the Dawn of course )

 

 

 

 

The men's changing room . Wave your bracelet and open a locker with shower shoes and a robe inside that fit .

 

 

The men's room on one side

 

 

And behind this door was 2 showers

 

 

The shower side of the enclosure

 

 

The bench side of the enclosure

 

 

The handicapped shower and the changing room on the left

 

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

We like to try to eat local when we go ashore but since this was a Sunday our first 2 choices were closed for the day . I was a little reluctant to go to lunch because of the name of the place , but we liked the menu . It was only a couple of minutes away but with 5 ships in port it was busy .

 

 

 

It's in the mall a little and it was packed downstairs 

 

 

So we went upstairs where there was a wedding group at a large table .

 

 

The bride was pretty vulgar with a single finger extended with a wedding ring on it on the front of her  T - shirt . She continued the gesture and used some choice words very loudly and extensively .

 

 

We asked the server if we could move outside and slid them to overlook the roof and turn our backs to all the noise . Our daughter wants to get married in New York in June with 80 of her closest friends which is over 1200 miles away from where we live so this might be a trial run of that event . Anyhow we had our menus now .

 

 

 

We went with a local draft that's fifty cents more than the bottle

 

 

Fortunately the group moved before the meal arrived and our hearing impaired ears could now hear each other . Pat's lunch .

 

 

The cracked conch , conch fritters and Mac and cheese were good and the other 2 things just OK

 

 

We decided to nap it off and that's just what we did !

[KroozNut]

Wow, this is amazing! Keep going.. We sail NS in March and can't wait! Hope we don't run in to another wedding party like that though... Lol

[Iamthesea]

On 1/24/2023 at 5:27 PM, scubacruiserx2 said:

A lot of the ladies like the foot bar for shaving and I like the solid enclosure but it's got a lot of echo and is a bit warm because the door goes up so high . Ours at home is larger and with a larger opening over the door it's not nearly so noisy or as steamy . 

Enjoying your review.  We will be on in May.

 

Great to know that the shower is closed in and gets steamy.  Perfect for steaming wrinkles out of clothes!  And I love the shower shaving bars so much that I had 3 installed in our new-build home recently.

 

Had my DH and I encountered the "wedding group", we would have turned around and headed back to the ship.