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CSI: NA Reloaded (Nieuw Amsterdam 11/30 to 12/14/14)

POA1

By POA1,
in Holland America Line

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cruz chic

cruz chic

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Thank you Cruz Chic! Very much appreciated! Looks like we'll have to bring the antique! Along with the pleather document holder....hahaha!

 

I still use my oldie Goldie holders too. I don't know what I'm going to do when they fall apart. They work great.

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sail7seas

sail7seas

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POA...... What fun for us!!

 

While you have two more weeks of sun and fun, we get to enjoy your great thread. I know I'll be looking for new entries as often as you wish to share with us. :)

 

Have a great time and good luck getting some of F-I-L's closet space. ;)

 

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POA1 "Live from...." Rare

POA1

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I was hoping one of those bags was filled with goods from total wine. Please let us know what your brining along for this cruise

 

But of course, there is wine! We have our two wine totes of awesomeness and a spare, emergency six bottle Total Wine bag. I know that seems a little light, but when DFIL saw the bounty that is the 14 Cheer Wine Package, he said, "A bottle a day?" (He did not mean this in the way one would hope, "A bottle a day? How will the pairings ever work out?")

 

http://www.evernote.com/l/AFgKaozOMLZOZrLsj1jC31JlIaPZaJBzGHY/

 

Not to fear, we received 3 bottles of Nicolas Feuilatte Brut from our Travel Agent and I'll supplement with a HAL wine package later in the cruise.

 

Note to my fellow passengers who might meet DFIL at the Meet & Greet tomorrow... Please don't ask my father in law if he's the "anti-wine dude." It would be awkward. ;)

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POA1 "Live from...." Rare

POA1

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01-Half-Moon-Cay-2014-12-01.jpg

On this Day in History - December 1st - In 1959, the first color photograph of Earth is received from outer space. This is also a bigger deal than your selfies.

 

Remember all those menus we so lovingly scanned for you two weeks ago? Well, you can toss them out. The Nieuw Amsterdam has gone to the new menu format. It's the one Krazy Kruisers posted about in a separate thread. I think it just happened this week, but Cruz Chic can let us know if they were on the new MDR menu format last week because she was on the ship then.

 

This post will probably make a lot more sense if you can actually see what the heck I'm talking about, so I will try to get up a new meany scan shortly. The new format combines all the standard menu items and the every day selections into two large groupings. The first is appetizers, soups, and salads. The second grouping is your main courses.

 

Initial impressions from the Institute of Cheer's Dining Task Force: The new menu definitely gives the appearance of having more selections. It also helps those people who were confused by the two section menus of yore. (I know what you're thinking. "Who could have been confused by that?" Try to visualize those people who can't figure out where the bow end of the ship is after a week on board. It's for those people.

 

We think that the new format tends to muck up your dining progression, but we're professionals, so a look, a question "Two courses, then the entree?", and a nod, and we were good to go. Could get dicey at a large table of people who don't know one another well enough to set a pace, though.

 

DW & DFIL had the prime rib ith baked potato for dinner. I had the pork buco (It's like Osso Buco, only oinkier.) The pork dish is a winner. We paired last night's meal with Mollydooker's 2012 Gigglepot. It's an excellent Cabernet with an even better name. We're toting three Mollydooker's this trip: Gigglepot, Two Left Feet, and the Maitre'D. Mollydooker's Sarah & Sparky Marquis had the #2 wine on the Wine Spectator Top 100, "Carnival of Love." It's an excelent wine, and I'm glad we got ours before its popularity blew up. The Carnival of Love did not make the trip. It's at home, patiently waiting for us. We took Mollydooker's 2012 Velvet Glove on the last cruise. It's outstanding; even better than the Carnival, IMHO. (It's so good that DW told me to pick some more up for her birthday.)

 

Our waiter is Guruh, and his assistant is Tri. They're both very good. Our wine steward is Dominic. I don't really have an opinion on him yet, because Tony the wine director did our wine service. He's a very nice guy. Personable and knowledgeable. Also, if you ever bring an old bottle with a difficult cork, he carries an Ah So.

 

We're missing Half Mood Cay today. There are 30 knot winds and 6 foot confused swells, making tendering unsafe. That's okay with us, because Huskerchick is safely ensconced in her Cabana. (It's Mallorca, which was Cruz Chic's cabana the past two weeks. Thanks for keeping it in nice shape, Cruz Chic.)

 

Last night, while we were in the B.B. King show, Christmas decorations began appearing around the ship. The should have the halls all decked in a few days and we will upload some photos for your festive, holiday viewing pleasure.

 

We caught the entertainment overview show last night. If you have a chance, it's a good way to get a quick sampling of all of the acts on the ship. Jeremy, in the piano bar was rocking last night. His first show on Day 1 is at 10:30 PM, so it's a very good sign when the piano bar is packed on what is a travel day for many people.

 

Surprise of the night: The violinist from Adagio. She's really, quite good. She laid down a high energy Irish reel during the intro show. Don't worry Explorer's Lounge fans, she doesn't rock out during the normal Adagio shows. In keeping with my tradition of not remembering the names of people, I have no idea of her name, or the name of the pianist. Luckily, I have two weeks to learn them.

 

Speaking of people whose names I can't remember... The HalCats have a new singer. It was Meliana two weeks ago. (See what happens when I commit a name to memory? The person leaves.)

 

Thanks for reading along. I'm off to the front office. DW's beverage card became demagnetized and we need a replacement. (I'm pretty sure that she didn't blow through the whole $250 already. I know that traveling with your father can be stressful, but $250 in drinks in just a few hours seems kind of extremem.)

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POA1 "Live from...." Rare

POA1

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Please accept my apologies if the last post has any spelling or grammar errors. It's really bright where I'm sitting and there's a lot of screen glare. I couldn't really proof my work, so it's entirely possible that it's a hot mess.

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cruz chic

cruz chic

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Yes, they started the new menus last week. Your comment about knowing the bow from the stern must be about me:D. After all these years on ships I still am directionally challenged. I seem to be able to manage the menus ok:D.

 

That's funny that you ended up in the same cabana. I assume that wasn't your original choice. Hopefully they won't be doing more construction in there like they were on Saturday. It was a hot mess. I hope you meet trolley girl in the cabanas. She is very nice and I enjoyed talking to her.

 

Sorry to hear about you missing HMC. They seemed to have issues with tendering on Saturday.

 

I'm enjoying your thread.

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ger_77

ger_77

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You have Guruh and Tri as your table servers - they are so sweet! We had the pleasure of being one of their tables for our trans-Atlantic and they treated us like gold. On the first night I asked for iced tea with extra lemons and from that night on, they always had it sitting at the serving station, waiting for me to be seated. Love them!

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

Edited by ger_77
speling
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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

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Please accept my apologies if the last post has any spelling or grammar errors. It's really bright where I'm sitting and there's a lot of screen glare. I couldn't really proof my work, so it's entirely possible that it's a hot mess.

 

It's a great post and I am still smiling :D

 

No worries on the spelling and grammar. All just great:D

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POA1 "Live from...." Rare

POA1

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Yes, they started the new menus last week. Your comment about knowing the bow from the stern must be about me:D. After all these years on ships I still am directionally challenged. I seem to be able to manage the menus ok:D.

 

That's funny that you ended up in the same cabana. I assume that wasn't your original choice. Hopefully they won't be doing more construction in there like they were on Saturday. It was a hot mess. I hope you meet trolley girl in the cabanas. She is very nice and I enjoyed talking to her.

 

Sorry to hear about you missing HMC. They seemed to have issues with tendering on Saturday.

 

I'm enjoying your thread.

 

 

Do you remember which cabana Trolley Girl was in? BTW - I ran into Chandra from the MDR. He said to tell you hi.

 

So, "Hi." from Chandra.

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POA1 "Live from...." Rare

POA1

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In news that might have mattered but didn't because we missed Half Moon Cay...

 

Two weeks ago, they were selling a 6 drink beverage card for HMC that could be split among people. This sailing, it was a $29.95 All You Can Drink package. It's per person and I don't think that there was a restriction stating that everyone in the cabin had to buy it like there is with the normal SBP.

 

In breakfast news....

 

I found the HAL sticky buns/cinnamon rolls this morning. All I can say is thak God I didn't find those before. I'd need one of those dressy track suit style tuxedos with an elasti-waist.

 

In dress code news....

 

At first glance, it looks like the super elegantly dressed crowd from two weeks ago might have been a one-off. Last night was coming on the heels of a travel day for a lot of people, so it's a little hard to judge. We'll know more tonight - and tomorrow's formal night, so that will be the big test.

 

Off to eat a Dive-In Burger, because I'm just daring my tuxedo vest to fit. :D

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cruz chic

cruz chic

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Do you remember which cabana Trolley Girl was in? BTW - I ran into Chandra from the MDR. He said to tell you hi.

 

So, "Hi." from Chandra.

 

Awwwwww, he's so sweet.

 

I can't remember the name of the cabana but I think she in one of the glassed in ones on the side furthest away from your cabana. She a blond lady. She was looking forward to meeting you.

 

Grrrrrrrrr, first flight delayed. Luckily I have tons of time btw the two.

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cruz chic

cruz chic

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In news that might have mattered but didn't because we missed Half Moon Cay...

 

Two weeks ago, they were selling a 6 drink beverage card for HMC that could be split among people. This sailing, it was a $29.95 All You Can Drink package. It's per person and I don't think that there was a restriction stating that everyone in the cabin had to buy it like there is with the normal SBP.

 

In breakfast news....

 

I found the HAL sticky buns/cinnamon rolls this morning. All I can say is thak God I didn't find those before. I'd need one of those dressy track suit style tuxedos with an elasti-waist.

 

In dress code news....

 

At first glance, it looks like the super elegantly dressed crowd from two weeks ago might have been a one-off. Last night was coming on the heels of a travel day for a lot of people, so it's a little hard to judge. We'll know more tonight - and tomorrow's formal night, so that will be the big test.

 

Off to eat a Dive-In Burger, because I'm just daring my tuxedo vest to fit. :D

They had the all you can drink pkg on my second half. I do believe everyone in the cabin had to buy it because I overheard a conversation in the cabana area. Personally, there is no way I could drink that much and still walk.

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pamelabrown53

pamelabrown53

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"In dress code news..."

 

This is fertile ground. In my short time here, using my Sherlock-style powers of observation, I've surmised: everyone has an opinion on this (!)

 

Just a tongue-in-cheek suggestion: assign DFIL the task of counting tuxedoes at tomorrow nights formal dinner. Everyone at your table can come to a consensus as to who is the best/worst dressed man/woman and then send the best dressed of both genders a glass of champagne...I'll pay.

 

P.S. Hope you enjoy your "Dive" burger; they have a good rep.

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maxie99

maxie99

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I still use my oldie Goldie holders too. I don't know what I'm going to do when they fall apart. They work great.

 

your right, they are perfect when traveling, I've been using mine since my old Rotterdam cruise in '88--

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