LIVE Thanksgiving Review Nieuw Statendam Rome -> FLL My First Transatlantic Nov 26 - Dec 10 🦃

[ottahand7]

Your problem with the TV is the same problem we had on the NS in February 2022.   Our room steward fixed it once, DH fixed it the next time and we got sick of dealing with it and had a technician fix it.  It seems to be an ongoing problem.  

[SusieKIslandGirl]

Is there an explanation given on why you must disembark between 7:30 and 8 am when using luggage direct? I'd rather stay onboard as long as possible since our flight is usually around 6 pm. Thanks!

[RuthC]

15 minutes ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

Is there an explanation given on why you must disembark between 7:30 and 8 am when using luggage direct?

All the luggage being sent to the airport via Luggage Direct is sent at the same time, in the same truck, early in the disembarkation process. 
The owners of that luggage have to be available in case the Customs authorities want to open and examine what's in the luggage, so they have to disembark the ship early in order for the whole process to proceed in a timely fashion. 

[Haljo1935]

10 hours ago, SDARCH said:

We were on the N.S. in October.  I lost count of the number of times we had to have our TV reset.

We did not have an issue when we were on last cruise before drydock (Nov 29 - Dec 9). We were deck 6 then; we're deck 5 now.

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, RuthC said:

All the luggage being sent to the airport via Luggage Direct is sent at the same time, in the same truck, early in the disembarkation process. 
The owners of that luggage have to be available in case the Customs authorities want to open and examine what's in the luggage, so they have to disembark the ship early in order for the whole process to proceed in a timely fashion. 

@SusieKIslandGirlLuggage Direct users can still do excursions before going to the airport; we've been to the Everglades, so we're doing the other one (land and sea tour). Since our flight isn't until 6pm, we may go somewhere else for a bit, as well. Since our luggage 🧳 will already be checked at the airport, all we will have is a carry-on tote each, so it will be easy to get around.😊

We'd prefer to stay on until final group, but really like not messing w/luggage and feel giving up the extra 90 min is worth it. Especially since you can still do an excursion (and have choices for them).

FWIW, the FLL airport is very near the port which makes for short travel time. 

[Haljo1935]

We're getting close - should arrive at Ponta Delgada as scheduled by 8am.

According to The Weather Channel, rain should clear out by 4:30 this morning. 

 

Is this a new forecast pattern for "don't know," lol?

CD Bettyann says to expect most shops will be closed since it's Sunday. We have an independent excursion booked and are really looking forward to seeing the island. 

[Haljo1935]

43 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

We did not have an issue when we were on last cruise before drydock (Nov 29 - Dec 9). We were deck 6 then; we're deck 5 now.

Correct dates for previous cruise are Oct 26 - Nov 10, sorry.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[Haljo1935]

TV has a good map showing location of Ponta Delgada on the island.

[BetsyS.]

Have a great day! 😊

[Haljo1935]

How's the HVAC? Glad you asked - Air vent is on far side of the cabin close to the balcony door; beds configured into twins with a sofa between the bed and the balcony. Bathroom is between the entry door and the bed(s).

The bed closest to the balcony stays much cooler than the bed nearest the door. Frequently with the thermostat set just slightlyon the cool side, the person in the bed closest to the bathroom needs only the top sheet while the person in the other bed needs the comforter.

Hallways, theater and bars are comfortable with no hot/cold extremes noticed; we've been comfortable watching movies and presentations in the theater w/o jackets. MDR and PG tend to be on the cool side so we wear a light jacket or sweater; CO is a meatlocker. One night, the doors to CO were closed and we were praying they'd invite us back to cook our own meals so we could warm ourselves by the stove, lol. We have only eaten in the Lido twice, but I don’t remember being hot or cold and it seems fine when we pass through.

Elevators are hot🥵. High Score (the game room) seemed comfortable, but we weren't there long nor were we being active/playing games, so cannot really assess 🤔

Last cruise (Oct 29 - Nov 10) before drydock, temperatures were about the same. In the cabin, the air vent was a bit more forward but not quite centered. The far side of the cabin was noticeably cooler than the side near the bathroom. We were on deck 6 then; we're on 5 now - both times true aft.

Not HVAC, but does involve cooling - the fridge works great!!

[POA1]

11 hours ago, FLCruiser97 said:

That would be a lot of decorations.

One of the more interesting things about South Florida is that we make up for our lack of snow with an over abundance of decorations.

 

However, since a lot of ships are operating out of our waters over the holidays, it makes sense to store the decor on land here. The NS, being in Europe so late, is a one off. If I had to guess, HAL had a few "containers of Christmas" shipped out of Port Everglades last month. After all, there's no attic on a cruise ship. The decorations have to be stored somewhere.

[POA1]

I really appreciate all the work you are doing with your "Live From." Enjoy your last week on the NS!

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

I really appreciate all the work you are doing with your "Live From." Enjoy your last week on the NS!

Thanks! Bow Cam tells me we're coming into Ponta Delgada, which is our last port, so we're about to truly begin the "crossing" portion. This 2nd week will for sure be different than the first.

The flag appears to be blowing straight out, so today should be windy. Oh, fun!

[hrhdhd]

Have a great day. PD was my favorite port on my TA last year.

[js1357]

On the dallies that you've posted, I've seen few, if any, outdoor movie listing.  Have you been up there?  Are they showing outdoor movies in the evening?

[FLCruiser97]

This is a beautiful island. Hydrangeas everywhere.

[FLCruiser97]

8 hours ago, POA1 said:

One of the more interesting things about South Florida is that we make up for our lack of snow with an over abundance of decorations.

 

However, since a lot of ships are operating out of our waters over the holidays, it makes sense to store the decor on land here. The NS, being in Europe so late, is a one off. If I had to guess, HAL had a few "containers of Christmas" shipped out of Port Everglades last month. After all, there's no attic on a cruise ship. The decorations have to be stored somewhere.

Thanks for the insight @POA1. Very interesting and informative. 

[pinkiek]

Good morning:

 

Sounds like a wonderful cruise.  Thank you for your review. My husband and I are sailing on the Nieu Statendam on December 10th.  

 

I have 2 questions.  Are the cabin walls magnetic and what are the key cards like?

 

Thanks!!

[Beach Basket]

Enjoy 

[ottahand7]

15 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

@SusieKIslandGirlLuggage Direct users can still do excursions before going to the airport; we've been to the Everglades, so we're doing the other one (land and sea tour). Since our flight isn't until 6pm, we may go somewhere else for a bit, as well. Since our luggage 🧳 will already be checked at the airport, all we will have is a carry-on tote each, so it will be easy to get around.😊

We'd prefer to stay on until final group, but really like not messing w/luggage and feel giving up the extra 90 min is worth it. Especially since you can still do an excursion (and have choices for them).

FWIW, the FLL airport is very near the port which makes for short travel time. 

Smart move to have a 6:00 pm flight.  All the cruise crush and wheelchairs will have probably already departed.  

[POA1]

Are the Christmas holiday drinks on the bar menus yet? We did the holiday mixology class during our Christmas cruise on the Zuiderdam in 2018.

[quilty964]

@Haljo1935I'm enjoying your reports!  Just wondering, how do you find a tour in FLL? Our flight home is later in the afternoon, HAL has some choices, but they are done noonish...that still gives us a lot of time at the airport.  Thanks for sharing!  Karen

[charliebeagledog]

Has anyone noticed how they are having local cheeses from the ports we visit in the Lido.   After Malaga they had some wonderful choice from there and today they had a ton of cool choices from São Paulo Azores plus fresh Pineapple from the island (and were sautéing some of it at the station across from all the cheese…yum!).  

The different cheeses are impressive and definitely a premium touch to us.   

the HA Fleet Executive Chef is on board and seems to be directing lots of these things ( he did a Q&A yesterday and we saw him directing the setup of the cheese display.
 

This is our first HA cruise ( we’ve been on celebrity a bunch previously).  We are really enjoying ourselves!!

[southseaers]

We enjoy all your postings, thanks for sharing. We board on Sunday, Dec 10th, can you tell us who the hotel manager is, and who the food and beverage manager is. We thank you again for all your information on the Nieuw Statendam. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Haljo1935]

14 hours ago, js1357 said:

On the dallies that you've posted, I've seen few, if any, outdoor movie listing.  Have you been up there?  Are they showing outdoor movies in the evening?

I've noticed that, too. The movies seem to all be playing in the theater. We have only seen 1 movie playing on the outdoor screen - we didn't watch it, just noticed it when we were getting gelato. With the exception of 1 night, the weather has been great for outdoor movie, so it's curious.