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The Nieuw Statendam is a great ship with a nice variety of dining venues.  The Music Walk has three venues, I particularly like the BB Kings Blues Club.  

Your Roll Call may be able to assist with some insight into the itinerary.

@Ready2go11 Thanks again for this wonderful thread.  Why was the “Fun Fair” not held on a sea day? 🤔 It would have been more fun.  Also, the Cellar Masters dinner would have been more relaxing on a sea day.  (Morimoto pop up too.) I’ve haven’t seen any comments on special evening activities in the evening on sea days.  Were there any?

We have had two beautiful spring days in MD and I look forward to all the fresh produce in the coming months. I bought rhubarb at the farmer’s market last Saturday. I made a compote that I put on cottage cheese and my DH puts on ice cream. Very simple, slice rhubarb, add some sugar, cook slowly over low heat.  As soon as strawberries come in, I’ll use both in my favorite strawberry rhubarb pie.  ( For those of you who don’t bake, Marie Callender makes a decent frozen one that I occasionally buy in the winter.)

3 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

I’ve never have had rhubarb so I’ll pass on the pie.

Try it, you might like it.

@Mr. BostonI can’t imagine eating raw rhubarb, it’s so tart!

1 hour ago, dfish said:

That is a beautiful pie, as always, thank you for the recipes.

Thinking of everyone struggling and in pain, be it physical or emotional, hoping for the best possible outcome.  Cheers to those with something to celebrate.

@Haljo1935Thanks for your Dailys.  I don’t know why showtimes on your cruise and the one that followed were so early (6/8). I am hoping that on this cruise they have been adjust to 7/9ish like the rest of the fleet.

As far as daytime activities, I look forward to lectures and Hawaiian oriented classes. I’m not interested in “Coloring for Adults”.😊

Hi @cruisn71 thank you for this thread.  I will be sailing the Koningsdam to Hawaii in January.  Would it be possible for you to post a few Daily’s from your sea days.  I’m interested in what activities are available during the day as the cruise returns to San Diego.  Also, the times of the Main Theater performances so I can schedule my specialty dining times. TYIA

20 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Many ships have made a recent change to 6 and 8.  I am not a fan of the new schedule and hope we soon go back to 7 and 9 

Perhaps your wish has come true.  The Oosterdam’s late show was at 9 in February and is currently at 9 based on the Daily’s posted by someone on the current TA.  The Nieuw Statendam’s late show was at 9 when I cruised in March.  Based on the Daily’s posted by people currently cruising and doing Live threads, the Volendam & Rotterdam’s late show is at 9 and the Zuiderdam’s is at 9:30.

1 hour ago, CruiseMob said:

I wish I knew how to get reassigned to someone else.

Call the PCC number, don’t put in your PCC’s extension, ask to speak to a supervisor, ask to be reassigned.

10 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

The latest show is over by 9 ish

On my SA & Antarctica cruise in February, the second show in the theater started at 9.  I would be more concerned about the noise than the steel balcony.  
 

We had a deck 8 cabin verandah towards the aft.  The only time we felt the motion was going through the Drake passage when the seas were so high all the outside decks were closed.  I came prepared with sea bands, Motion Eaze and candied ginger (The medication makes me sleepy and I didn’t want to miss a minute!) we kept green apples in the room.  I never used any of it.  My husband used it during the passage.

It was as a trip of a lifetime.  Enjoy.

I attended a Mariner’s lunch on the Rotterdam in October and the Oosterdam In February.  We enjoyed both experiences.  The menu was almost identical.  Sparkling wine on the table when we arrived.  Excellent lobster appetizer, you could also have a soup, maybe a salad.  Main was filet, fish or vegetarian.  Chocolates for desert.  I will attend every time it is offered.  

19 minutes ago, marshhawk said:

I told her that they were very beautiful, and that two had been spoken for, and she glared at me, and went back into the bed and started nursing them again.  I have not told her that when the time came, she was getting spayed. 

I am happy that you have found homes for two of the kittens and am even happier to hear you will be getting Munchkin spayed.  Although somewhat controversial, I feel that trap-neuter-return (TNR) is the best method for dealing with feral cats.

Happy Tuesday!  April is National Poetry month.  Here is a poem by Ian Parks. 
Thank you Jacqui @kazu for posting our Daily, Roy @rafinmd for the maps and Rich @richwmn for assembling our content.  Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for inspiring us to try new food and beverages.  Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the lists. I’d also like to thank everyone who posts port pictures, my favorite part of the day.

Positive thoughts to those who need them.  Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

Happy Tax Day 😐 The state has returned some of my money but the money I owe the federal government will come out of my account today.

i cannot celebrate McDonalds.  Consuming a diet that relies on fast food such as McDonald's can significantly increase the risk of chronic health conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes due to the high levels of saturated and trans fats, sodium, added sugars and additives. 
 

Instead I will celebrate beet greens.  Thank you Debbie @dfish for the salad recipes.  They are also excellent cooked.  Beet greens contain plenty of nitrates, which help lower blood pressure. Nitrates also improve oxygen levels in the body.  Beet greens also help fight inflammation, improve digestive health, support brain health and contain anti-cancer properties.

Boston Strong!  I love this story about Spencer: the Boston Marathon dogPositive thoughts to those who need them.  Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

1 minute ago, POA1 said:

We did not receive an invitation to a Mariner's Lunch

Perhaps Marines lunch is only on longer cruises.  I was on a B2B on the NS 3/3-3/17/24 and there were no Mariner lunches. Since I did not receive an invitation prior to the sea days, I asked; no lunch was scheduled.

BTW, 3/10-17 was over run with kids with no activities to keep them busy.  There were also many more college age passengers who really enjoyed the “bar crawls”. However, next year, most MD spring breaks are from 4/11-22 so you may luck out on your “spring break” cruise.🤞

On 4/13/2024 at 7:34 AM, rcs931 said:

Pinnacle lunches are not listed in the daily program, so we missed all of them.

Pinnacle lunches are listed on the back page off the Daily program, usually on sea days.

14 minutes ago, POA1 said:

I don’t know off the top of my head, but I am going to be scanning all the daily programs later today, so I'll check

I have never seen a Mariner’s lunch in the Daily program.  On the Rotterdam TA (15 days) in October and the Oosterdam SA & Antartica (22 days)  in February, we received invitations in our mailbox.

@POA1Thanks for this thread, especially the pictures of the”pointy” room.  Did it feel more spacious?

@singleflyerHere is the Pinnacle Grill lunch menu $19 + 18% gratuity. You can find this information on the Navigator app too

@ArchipelagoI highly recommend the Oosterdam to Antarctica.  Several of us did live threads this year; I suggest you read them all (and enjoy the pictures)!  The elite beverage package allows you a glass of wine (or other beverage)up to $15, not bottles.  Here is some added information kindly provided by @Crew News Beverage Menus

12 minutes ago, mynameisjonas said:

Does anyone know if they have gluten-free buns? I'd love to have one of their burgers but I am celiac.

They have gluten-free buns at the DiveIn.

You may find this thread helpful.

5 hours ago, Bristol5 said:

HAL no longer has the cooking classes or the internet classes

On the 22 day Oosterdam cruise in February we had cooking classes on 4 sea days.  We had a morning and afternoon lecture every sea day.  On a 7 day Nieuw Statendam cruise there were water color and brush stroke lettering classes, also line dancing instruction.

I enjoy meeting new people and the relaxing pace of sea days and hope that you will too.

1 hour ago, rcs931 said:

Our balcony cabin is the smallest we've ever had, and the bathroom is tiny.

Interesting comment.  My 3 verandah cabins on the Oosterdam were larger than the my 2 on the Rotterdam and 1 on the Nieuw Statendam.  Perhaps it has something to do with the location on the ship.  I prefer the walk in showers on the Rotterdam and NS but those bathrooms seem even smaller than the Oosterdam’s. 

20 minutes ago, rcs931 said:

I think those guys are overworked.

I agree that the staff is overworked but my experience has been that they want to please you.  If something isn’t right, you need to let them know so they can correct it.  I know you shouldn’t have to do this but you should get want you want and be served in a timely fashion.  If you don’t see your server, flag another server or the manager.

i use the “let us know” feature on the Navigator app daily.  I praise at least one person who made my day special but I also immediately point out experiences that do not meet my expectations.  I have been thanked by the people I praised and have received follow up phone calls when I pointed out problems.

Thank you for your opinions @rcs931. I hope you enjoy the remainder of the cruise.

Happy Saturday!  I like today’s quote, “I do not regret one moment of my life.” A bit of information about the woman who said it…Lillie Langtry was a highly successful British actress, a renowned beauty, and socialite of the late 19th century. She was notorious for her long list of prominent suitors. She was the mistress of the Prince of Wales, future King of England, Edward VII. Envied, respected, adored, and lampooned, her fame spanned over half a century. A controversial figure who challenged Victorian society’s attitudes to women, Lillie Langtry was years ahead of her time.

Positive thoughts to those who need them.  Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

Deck 8 aft cabins are my favorite because of the quick access to the Seaview pool and the Lido.  They set the chairs up in the morning, usually after I am awake and take them down in the evening, usually when I am at dinner.  That is the only time I have heard any noise.  I have never smelled smoke; you are on the port side, smoking is on the starboard side.  Enjoy your cruise!

On this International Day for Street Children, we must remember members of our community who are less fortunate.  As a teacher, I had several homeless students every year.  Luckily, my school provided resources for these students, things we take for granted like the ability to shower and launder their clothes in addition to food and other services.  For many, school was their safest space.

9 hours ago, floridababa said:

How have the Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam or Zuiderdam fared during the notorious Cape Horn?

Our wonderful Captain Kevin Beirnaerton on the Oosterdam in February explained his plan for our passage through Drake passage to Antarctica.  He changed his original route but we still experienced 24 foot seas and all the outside decks were closed.  When we returned to SA 5 days later, the seas were like glass.  
 

BTW, our cabin was 3 from the aft on deck 8. True aft cabins are always my preference but they were sold out when we booked.

I was in a Signature Suite under the Lido on the Oosterdam.  I could hear the carts rolling to set up the stations in the morning but it didn’t really bother me.