Live From Nieuw Amsterdam Through the Panama Canal Followed by One Week in the Caribbean

[Crew News]

1 minute ago, canadarocks said:

Looks delicious! I look forward to pictures of the beef tenderloin and escalope of fish if you decide to try them! 🤞😁

I am committed to doing so.

[bluesplayer]

Have you seen any of the crew suggestions on the MDR menus?  There were a few in the Navigator but didn’t see them on any of your menus.  

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, bluesplayer said:

Have you seen any of the crew suggestions on the MDR menus?  There were a few in the Navigator but didn’t see them on any of your menus.  

Crew suggested items in the Navigator? Never heard of these things.

[Haljo1935]

10 hours ago, maggiev said:

...I'll be on the NA in August '24 in aft view deck 7.  I've never sailed Holland nor aft view.  Interested in your info on the cabin

Welcome to HAL and to the best cabin location - aft wake views!!

Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

[bluesplayer]

I guess it is called Crew dish of the day.  Here is one from today.  In the past they had Korean Fried Chicken.  I have not seen this on a ship..  only in the Navigator.  Looks good!

 

[CruiserBruce]

54 minutes ago, bluesplayer said:

I guess it is called Crew dish of the day.  Here is one from today.  In the past they had Korean Fried Chicken.  I have not seen this on a ship..  only in the Navigator.  Looks good!

 

Hmmm...haven't seen that menu layout. It wasn't on Zaandam last month.

[scubacruiserx2]

Are you  going to Costa Rica Roger ? we did the same cruise last year and went to the Monteverde Cloud Forest which was fantastic . We did get some rain in the mountains but when we got back to the Pinnacle for dinner we noticed that the staff from the Tamarind was having dinner there telling us that the Tamarind was closed .

 

 

We were concerned that something was up and the Captain's announcements confirmed it on the video .

 

 

 

41 guests from the ship's zipline tour were left behind and had to miss the Panama Canal . We did pick them up as soon as we made it through the Canal . The wake view sunrise before entering the Canal the next day .

 

 

[sleepygirl1]

2 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

Are you  going to Costa Rica Roger ? we did the same cruise last year and went to the Monteverde Cloud Forest which was fantastic . We did get some rain in the mountains but when we got back to the Pinnacle for dinner we noticed that the staff from the Tamarind was having dinner there telling us that the Tamarind was closed .

 

 

We were concerned that something was up and the Captain's announcements confirmed it on the video .

 

 

 

41 guests from the ship's zipline tour were left behind and had to miss the Panama Canal . We did pick them up as soon as we made it through the Canal . The wake view sunrise before entering the Canal the next day .

 

 

Oh my!!! This would be terrible!!!

[Crew News]

4 hours ago, bluesplayer said:

I guess it is called Crew dish of the day.  Here is one from today.  In the past they had Korean Fried Chicken.  I have not seen this on a ship..  only in the Navigator.  Looks good!

 

Different regions have their own added tweaks.  Is this from an Asian cruise?

[Crew News]

3 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

Are you  going to Costa Rica Roger ? we did the same cruise last year and went to the Monteverde Cloud Forest which was fantastic . We did get some rain in the mountains but when we got back to the Pinnacle for dinner we noticed that the staff from the Tamarind was having dinner there telling us that the Tamarind was closed .

 

 

 

We were concerned that something was up and the Captain's announcements confirmed it on the video .

 

41 guests from the ship's zipline tour were left behind and had to miss the Panama Canal . We did pick them up as soon as we made it through the Canal . The wake view sunrise before entering the Canal the next day .

 

Cool photos.

 

The Costa Rica canals and the Panama Canal (west end) were my two reasons for booking the repositioning cruise.  Photographing the Costa Rica canal wildlife is a major goal for me and the canal boats are covered so the rain won't be a issue.  In fact, overcast skies act like a giant light diffuser that eliminates shadows and glare. 

 

Several years ago, 43 passengers were left in Juneau when a fog rolled in leaving them on Mendenhall Glacier and Taku Lodge for the night.  28 caught up to us in Glacier Bay via chartered boat and six went by chartered plane to another HAL ship.  The remainder were on their own.

[Crew News]

Yesterday was a stop in El Salvador.  After reading the government travel advisory, I opted to stay aboard the ship and spent my time answering email, working on photos, and gathering information from the crew.

 

Last night was the Indonesian rijstttaffel dinner, served only on select 12+ days cruises (not Alaska). As I began to give my order to the Tamarind server, I was informed that I would be receiving everything on the long menu.  The meal included a small salad with peanut sauce appetizer course, noodle soup, main course (lamb chop, roast chicken, broiled shrimp, slow-roasted beef, and fried rice), rice pudding ,and banana fritters. Despite my cruise, “Eat everything but only half of each portion,” I was stuffed by the end of the meal.  The flavors were amazing, the textures varied, and the presentations magical.

 

Tidbits:

My Canaletto waiter, Reggie, does card tricks for diners when things are slow.  I showed him a coin trick and explained a card trick that I saw last year at a HAL show.  He promised that he would practice both and have them ready to show me on the Eurodam in February when we see each other again.

 

My Room Steward told me that he eats habanero peppers with tofu as a snack.

 

Specialty restaurants continue to not be filled during any of my meals.

 

The Lido Market has salt and pepper shakers while Specialty Restaurants are back using grinders.

 

Whatsapp continues to be OK for calls, but several dead spots have been encountered that cause temporary disconnections.

Rick, Specialty Restaurant Manager, stopped by my PG lunch table today to thank me for my prolific (11) use of “Let us know”.  I replied that those crew members doing a very professional job deserved to be recognized and I was only doing my part.  It is sad that the Navigator app hides this feature under the “Connect” tab. 

 

I continue to meet crew members that remember the 13% ship listing last May and enjoy discussing how we survived. We can smile now but at the time there were no smiles.

 

The PG Lunch brownie with caramel corn and chocolate chip ice cream was overwhelming both in size and chocolaty flavor.  I strongly recommend if you are in a “diet-cheating” mood.

 

I continue to post the daily MDR menus for the following Eurodam:  Eurodam Repositioning MDR Menus

 

More later.

Edited October 14, 2023 by Crew News

[canadarocks]

The Indonesian dinner sounds very interesting. We’ve got a B2B on the Eurodam in March and there is one night in each leg where the Tamarind is unavailable to reserve. I’m assuming it will be for the new Morimoto pop-up, but that Indonesian dinner would be a lovely surprise!

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, canadarocks said:

The Indonesian dinner sounds very interesting. We’ve got a B2B on the Eurodam in March and there is one night in each leg where the Tamarind is unavailable to reserve. I’m assuming it will be for the new Morimoto pop-up, but that Indonesian dinner would be a lovely surprise!

I will be aboard Eurodam in February and will let you know.

[canadarocks]

45 minutes ago, Crew News said:

I will be aboard Eurodam in February and will let you know.

Works for me! 🙂

[POA1]

Thanks for your bravery in throwing yourself in front of all the menus. Just like the astronauts or early explorers (but with cloth napkins.)

[bluesplayer]

11 hours ago, Crew News said:

Different regions have their own added tweaks.  Is this from an Asian cruise?

Must be..  my next cruise is Vancouver to Tokyo Sept 2024.  Probably why I see these Crew dish of the Day options in my Navigator app. Would be nice to see this on more itineraries.  

[billbunger]

THINGS I NEVER KNEW. 

 

We have cruised a number times and use the Lido Market regularly. I just found out a couple of days ago that the Lido has baked potatoes available. They are never on display and you have to ask for them. They have them stashed in a roaster in one of the ovens to stay warm, they are about the same size as the ones served in the Pinnacle. 
 

It’s like Wang Wangs you need to know about them  to get them. 

 

 

[Crew News]

Weather forecast tomorrow is for heavy thunderstorms.  Hopefully, shore excursions will be cancelled and refunded. 

[Cruising Is Bliss]

Thank you for taking us along! Very much appreciate your posts.

[maggiev]

@Crew News - this review is wonderful. I hope you’re taking time to enjoy yourself & not just answering all our question.

If the opportunity presents itself, please inquire as to what will be done during Neiuw Amsterdams dry dock in December.

Thank you in advance

 

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, maggiev said:

If the opportunity presents itself, please inquire as to what will be done during Neiuw Amsterdams dry dock in December.

One thing is the ship will get StarLink! All of HAL's ships are to have it by year's end. (Currently Volendam, Zaandam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam, & Koningsdam do; Noordam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, & Rotterdam do not.) One ship reportedly had StarLink installed WHILE on a Grand Voyage, so a dry dock isn't necessary, but mostly that is the process.

[Crew News]

At the time I went to bed, the weather forecast for today in Costa Rica was heavy thunderstorms beginning at 8:45 AM.  I opted to bypass my visit to the canals and slept late.  Of course, the weather turned out to be just partly cloudy.  Oh, well.

 

In my attempt to evaluate the new Canaletto specials, I tried the veal chop special last night.  As an appetizer, I selected the meatballs and was surprised to receive three 3-inch diameter veal meatballs that would have qualified as an entrée in any restaurant.  The entrée veal chop looked to be half the size of the famous PG tomahawk streak. The chef insisted it was 12 oz but my estimate was 16 oz. 

 

Even eating only half of the meatball appetizer, I could only eat half of the veal chop.  Next time, I will skip the appetizer.  The chocolate tart dessert was three kinds and textures of chocolate.  It was more than could handle after my previous two courses.

 

My waiter continued his card tricks for customers and promised some new ones when I see him again on the Eurodam in February.

 

Approximately 15 officers had their once-per-month free Specialty dinner last night in the Canaletto as it is preferred over the PG.

 

Tonight is a lamb chop that surely cannot be as large a portion as my Ossobuco and veal chop.

 

Tidbits:

As I posted on another thread, the Canaletto is closed fleet-wide on Embarkation Day to open more tables and servers in the Lido for “steak night”.  The congestion in the MDR for “anytime” dining has required a long wait on Embarkation Day and this change is to relieve the long lines at the MDR.  It is the same men for both the Lido Market and MDR but the Lido advertising brings in more evening diners.

 

Yesterday was inventory day for the ship to count glassware, linens, etc.  It seems that the company that makes the bathroom glasses is now closed making inventory management of them critical.

 

Room Stewards are now responsible for minibar Beverage services on Embarkation Day which makes sense that my removed minibar contents went to the drawer under my bed and not picked up by Beverage staff,

 

Today, my Room Steward removed any minibar items expiring in the next month.  When I asked if they were headed for the trash, I was told that they would be disposed of in the crew party next week.

 

My Room Steward has a small magnet that attaches his clipboard to a spot beneath my TV each day as he cleans.  I will see if I can find some online,

 

Specialty Restaurants continue to be at the most 2/3d filled each night.  It might be a good time for HAL to add some Specialty Restaurant usage opinions questions to the final surveys.

 

After tonight, I will have two more nights to complete my new Canaletto menu reviews.

 

The interior of the ship feels like a refrigerator to me.  I alleviate the condition by wearing a sport jacket to dinner each evening.

 

I have updated the Canaletto menus and annotated what cruise days each will be served.  For longer cruises, the cycle restarts on Day 12:  Canaletto Menus

 

Tomorrow is a sea day followed by Panama Canal day.

 

More later. 

Edited October 15, 2023 by Crew News

[Crew News]

7 hours ago, maggiev said:

@Crew News - this review is wonderful. I hope you’re taking time to enjoy yourself & not just answering all our question.

If the opportunity presents itself, please inquire as to what will be done during Neiuw Amsterdams dry dock in December.

Thank you in advance

 

According to the Lido Manager, all new Lido furniture is planned, in addition to linens and mattresses.  I will see what else I can find.

[canadarocks]

That’s too bad about Costa Rica. I remember you wrote that you were looking forward to taking photographs. Weather can be such a #%%$ sometimes. 

[Crew News]

3 minutes ago, canadarocks said:

That’s too bad about Costa Rica. I remember you wrote that you were looking forward to taking photographs. Weather can be such a #%%$ sometimes. 

Weather in October is always unpredictable in the hurricane zone.  At least we have not been blown away YET!!! 

 

With so many days just hanging out, I have met a lot of crew members that I will see on their next contracts and received promises to help me gather information. Planting crew seeds has always proven beneficial.