A live view from Nieuw Amsterdam on her New Years cruise

[andeesue]

How refreshing to read your trip report! I love the detail and your great sense of humor. Lucky passengers that you meet up with- I have a feeling you bring out the best of those around you. Thank you for sharing! And Happy New Year!

Edited January 1, 2014 by andeesue

[cruisinjudy]

I am enjoying your live from, from the perspective of a crew member also. I enjoyed meeting you on Maasdam a year or two ago. I will try to find you on FB to see your pics.

[solocanadian]

I am enjoying your live from, from the perspective of a crew member also. I enjoyed meeting you on Maasdam a year or two ago. I will try to find you on FB to see your pics.

 

John, does this mean you are not going to post your photos on CC? I no longer do Facebook.:confused:

[PathfinderEss]

Happy New Year Copper and Maria, too.... Sounds like your going to have a really great evning. Thanks for keeping us posted.:)

[erewhon]

Thanks for the update.

 

Happy New Year.

[leonidas]

First of all Happy New Year/Gelukkig Nieuwjaar, vooral een gezond 2014.

I am really enjoying your live report from your cruise.

Enjoy!

 

Kind regards,

Gina

[Copper10-8]

First of all Happy New Year/Gelukkig Nieuwjaar, vooral een gezond 2014.

I am really enjoying your live report from your cruise.

Enjoy!

 

Kind regards,

Gina

 

Hey, harstikke bedankt Gina en hetzelfde toegewenst voor jou/jullie! :)/ Thanks a bunch and the same to you and yours!

[Copper10-8]

John, does this mean you are not going to post your photos on CC? I no longer do Facebook.:confused:

 

Yep, sorry, until I can work out posting pics from photo bucket to this site; Happy New Year!

[cccole]

Just finished watching the Rose Parade and the first band was the West Coast Marine Corps Band lead by a color guard riding wild horses from the Bureau of Land Management. There was also a float called Canines for Cops which, besides all the flowers, was accompanied by officers and dogs. From your profile, both seem to be near and dear to you. Thanks for the detailed and great reports of your cruise. Cherie

[65 Gator]

Yep, sorry, until I can work out posting pics from photo bucket to this site; Happy New Year!

 

Will you share with us where they are posted on Facebook?

[u4ea]

Remember me?

The "evil weed" now legal, how bout that!:p

Happy new year and enjoy your cruise!:cool:

Mark...

[Copper10-8]

Day 3 – 12/31/13; Sea Day/Sailing towards Montego Bay, Jamaica; Well, New Year’s Eve was a blast! We started the evening off with 8:00 pm dinner in the Manhattan dining room, actually the first time we’ve partaken in dinner there since embarking on Sunday. As pax, we prefer a large table in order to meet people; well, they gave us a big table alright, an oval one with ten chairs around it! For dinner last night there were only five of us since the other five were doing exactly what we’ve done so far, which is take advantage of the various different options available for dining on NADM. Out table mates who did turn up in the Manhattan dining room were very experienced cruisers; Ann from Toronto… sorry Canucks, Toronno, Ontario, Canada and a mother-daughter combo; Ruth and RJ from just north of St. Petersburg, FL. Like I said, very experienced cruisers; Ann, after disembarking NADM on Sunday, is getting right on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth III and taking her all the way down to the land of the Kiwis and the Haka, New Zealand. Ruth & RJ have several hundred days on HAL, including an interesting experience on Rotterdam VI when she lost power for three hours in, I believe, 2006, on the perimeter of a hurricane. All three ladies were onboard NADM last week on her Christmas cruise and are doing a back-to-back.

 

Dinner was good tonight; Maria had the Classic Caesar Salad and the Grilled Breast of Chicken and I chose the Butternut Squash Bisque and Linguine Pasta with Goat Cheese & Arugula (being the knuckle dragger that I am, no clue what Arugula is but it tasted good!) Maria had the Crepes with Exotic Fruit Medley and was good and watched her consume same. Oh yeah, every table had either a “Happy New Year” tiara for the ladies and/or a top hat for the gents.

 

We completed this task by around 9:30 pm and meandered slowly forward passing the various public lounges all decorated up, various plates of “oliebollen”, “bitterballetjes” and assorted finger foods. Bottles and bottles of champagne would be emptied in the appropriate glassware, beginning around 11:00 pm. We wound up in some front row seats in the Queen’s Lounge by 9:40 pm for a 10:00 pm game show by the name of “Call my Bluff”. The place was soon “standing room only” by the time the “panel of storytellers” consisting of Cruise Director Dave, Guest Entertainer Julie “Downtown” Barr and Future Cruise Consultant Susan took their seats o stage. The Mc was Jason “Styles”, the self proclaimed Bingo King. So, the way this game works; “Styles” comes up with some obscure word out of the dictionary like “Titup” and each of the three panel specialists gives us, the audience, some off-the-wall definition of what that word is supposed to mean. We, the audience, by round of applause, then pick one of those definitions as the true meaning. Prety good stuff, especially the interaction between Dave “I’m the CD, so I would never lie to you” and Miss Barr.

 

By 11:00 pm we found ourselves in the “Big Countdown Party” inside the Showroom At Sea where live entertainment was soon provided by Sarah & the HALCats and the assembled dance floor in front of the stage soon filled up with dancers, incl. Maria and I. On that stage was positioned the ship’s bell and above the stage was hanging a very large net with 600 black & white balloons. The live entertainment was ongoing while the lead singers changed periodically. We had about four different ones. At 11:55 pm. The two screens on both sides of the stage changed to a live feed of Times Square in New York City and all ship’s crew present in either formal whites and/or the best duds was invited on stage by CD Dave. A live countdown followed at 11:59:45 pm and at exactly midnight the ship’s bell was rung twelve times, followed by champagne toasts galore, lots of lips/cheek smacking, those 600 balloons coming down to ship terra firma, accompanied by thousands pieces of confetti. The place was rocking and a good time was had by all! Lots of live video and pics were taken by everyone with a camera, coupled with numerous wishes for a Happy New Year. It was really good to see some familiar faces! We paid a visit to the Northern Lights nightclub, which was hopping, and called it a night at 0130 because we had a 0945 shore excursion in Montego Bay, Jamaica in the morning. If you’ve never done New Years Eve at sea, you oughta consider it, it’s a blast!

 

Pic is a look at Nieuw Amsterdam’s ship bell, temporary transferred from her bow to the Showroom At Sea for New Year’s Eve.

[Copper10-8]

Just finished watching the Rose Parade and the first band was the West Coast Marine Corps Band lead by a color guard riding wild horses from the Bureau of Land Management. There was also a float called Canines for Cops which, besides all the flowers, was accompanied by officers and dogs. From your profile, both seem to be near and dear to you. Thanks for the detailed and great reports of your cruise. Cherie

 

Love that composite band and its sound! Thanks for sharing! :)

[Copper10-8]

Remember me?

The "evil weed" now legal, how bout that!:p

Happy new year and enjoy your cruise!:cool:

Mark...

 

I sure remember that eye! Happy New Year Mark! :)

[Mtn2Sea]

Your great review is making me wish we had booked a New Year's cruise on one of those dam ships. Oh well, maybe next year!

[ger_77]

Hello John, and Happy New Year to you and Maria! I've been watching your "live from" as well as your Facebook postings - love the pics that come with the FB site. We haven't been on a New Year's cruise since we saw the new millennium in on a Carnival ship - will have to look at booking one for next year, I think.

 

Take care, enjoy the sun, sea and sand while we exist through Minus 36C wind chill values today on the "frozen tundra".

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

[Boytjie]

Ann, after disembarking NADM on Sunday, is getting right on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth III...

 

There in no ship named that. ;)

[Copper10-8]

There in no ship named that. ;)

 

Got me on that one Peter; but it sounded good! ;) Gelukking Nieuwjaar!

[Copper10-8]

Hello John, and Happy New Year to you and Maria! I've been watching your "live from" as well as your Facebook postings - love the pics that come with the FB site. We haven't been on a New Year's cruise since we saw the new millennium in on a Carnival ship - will have to look at booking one for next year, I think.

 

Take care, enjoy the sun, sea and sand while we exist through Minus 36C wind chill values today on the "frozen tundra".

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

 

Hang in there Your Honor! ;) Happy New Year to you and the family on the tundra. it's a little warmer in MoBay, Jamaica today! :)

[SilvertoGold]

Loving your posts! So, the bowling balls??? Are you going to make us wait and wait?????

 

Happy New Year and thanks for the entertainment!

[catl331]

Me thinks dear Copper has accused his "child bride" of bringing bowling balls on other cruises. This wise person believes it is his sense of humor and just her suitcases.

 

DD in California worked on the Rotary float #69 placing coconut stuff on the white areas of the gingerbread house while being on a scaffold. She was very excited about doing this.

 

Happy New Year from rainy but warm Florida.

[Typhoon1]

We've sailed with Mr Kuppens and found that he has a great sense of humour and seems to enjoy talking to the passengers. Would love to sail on a ship with him again.

 

We've sailed with Stan several times. He is such a fountain of unlimited information about the HAL fleet.

[mamaofami]

John, your New Year's Eve sounds wonderful. Where are those pictures on Facebook? Would love to see them.

Edited January 2, 2014 by mamaofami

[kazu]

Thanks Copper for the great description of New Year's Eve. I love that they brought the bell down and used it :D Pretty sharp!

 

Sounds like you had a fabulous New Year's :)

 

Hope you are having a joyous New Years Day on board :D

 

Thanks again - sounds very nice indeed!

[aliaschief]

Thanks For the daily reports. So refreshing to hear how one can enjoy a cruise without nick picking every tiny observation or experience.

 

Also refreshing that you both enjoyed the new Canaletto menu as much as we did versus just reading a menu and condemning it. At least give it a try and than pass judgement.

 

I take it the new intranet system has not been started yet?

 

Thanks for spending the time and money in sharing your cruise experience.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise and Semper Fi.