Dave’s Live From Oosterdam 21-day Southern Caribbean, Jan. 29 – Feb. 19, 2016

[RetiredMustang]

Thursday, February 11, Sint Maarten

 

 

Today we pull into Philipsburg at 8, but have an all onboard of 2:30. Since we have visited many times and done all of the shore excursions we wanted, we just plan to walk into town and wander a bit before hitting that bar on the beach that is a great place to people-watch. I also will try to get a shot of an airliner buzzing the beach-goers as it approaches the airport for landing.

 

 

Here are the first four pages of today’s On Location:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2016 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

Thursday, February 11, Sint Maarten (Cont.)

 

 

Here are the other two pages of the On Location:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the Sint Maarten guide pages:

 

 

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Thursday, February 11, Sint Maarten (Cont.)

 

 

We were docked and cleared by 8. We waited a bit for the first crush and shore excursions to depart before we headed to town. It was mostly overcast, which helped keep the temperature down a bit, and although the sun broke through now and then, it was mostly cloudy all day. We walked through the cruise pier area, which like many ports has a lot of shops:

 

 

 

 

We then continued along the sidewalks and on the pedestrian paths through the marina to the Philipsburg Boardwalk:

 

 

 

 

I took a shot back to the port, where I could see four of the five ships in port today (from left, Celebrity Eclipse, Eurodam, Freedom of the Seas and (I think) Navigator of the Seas but certainly another RCCL ship of the same class. The Oosterdam was docked behind the Celebrity ship:

 

 

 

 

We wandered along the boardwalk for a while, taking a few photos such as of the Catholic Church and of the road leading from the central pier, where the water taxi was discharging lots of passengers, to the Courthouse:

 

 

 

 

 

 

We quenched our thirst at one of the many conveniently-located establishments along the boardwalk and did some minor shopping for things like postcards, not diamonds, and then leisurely returned to the cruise port area and the Oostedam.

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Thursday, February 11, Sint Maarten (Cont.)

 

 

After three full days, we are still in Code Red, with no self-service, no magazines or books at the library, no salt and pepper shakers, etc. I must admit it is getting a little tedious. What is the bad part is that nobody knows why we are still under the restrictions. Rumors are floating that we have some active noro cases. The captain has not addressed the issue in his daily announcements, but he probably should consider doing so soon; I believe the passengers will accept it if he just tells them what he is doing and why.

 

 

I returned to the room after lunch, did some blogging, and got sucked into a dense gravity hole over my bed for a while. Once I recovered and escaped, I heard announcements that so-and-so please check in with the front office. It seemed two passengers had not returned by the 2:30 all on board. A few more announcements were made, and the captain delayed departures for a little more than an hour. Eurodam was also delayed, but when we saw a group of people arrive and hurry aboard and then the gangplank being pulled in, we figured she was waiting for a late shore excursion. Eurodam sailed before 3:30, and we followed; I don’t think the two passengers made it, and I haven’t heard if they came on with the pilot boat. They may have just bought the most expensive cruise photos you can buy – the ones of the ship sailing without you. Getting to St. Lucia may be expensive, but doable I suppose – I hope the ship was able to retrieve their passports and hand them to the shore handling agents.

 

 

We had drinks at the Ocean bar as we sailed, and then went into dinner.

 

 

Here is the dinner and dessert menu:

 

 

Starters – Soups – Salads

 

* Citrus Delight with Amaretto – oranges, pineapple, grapefruit, cranberry-apple vinaigrette

* Goat Cheesecake with Red Onion Jam – puff pastry base

* Crispy Seafood Spring Roll – bay shrimp, surimi, sweet red chili sauce

* Double-Baked Potato Soup – a velvety cream soup of pureed potato and Cheddar cheese, garnished with chive and bits of bacon

* Lemon Turkey Spinach Barley Soup – celery, carrots, bell pepper, Parmesan cheese

* Chilled Mixed Berry Soup – lemon zest

* Smoked Salmon, Pear and Fennel Salad – red onion, raisins, chive

 

 

Holland America Line Signatures

 

* French Onion Soup “Les Halles” – Gruyere cheese crouton

* Classic Caesar Salad – Parmesan cheese, garlic croutons, anchovies

 

 

Mains

 

* Orecchiette with Eggplant and Pork Ragout – tomato, garlic, Asiago cheese

* Spciy Peanut-Cilantro Salad – lime-marinated turkey, fresh corn, black beans, cheese, tortilla strips, tomato, mixed lettuces, spicy peanut-cilantro vinaigrette

* Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Roasted Corn Salsa – black bean rice, fried plantain

* Short-Rib with Smoked Onion – sausage

* Veal Rump with Autumn Leaves – baked semolina dumplings, beet jam

* Turkey Roast with Giblet Gravy and Cranberry – apple-pecan stuffing, glazed dilled carrots and turnips, Brussels sprouts, candied sweet potato

* Curried Vegetable Cutlet – Indian spices, garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, baby bok choy

 

 

Holland America Line Signatures

 

* Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Pesto – basmati rice, Swiss chard, garlic cherry tomatoes

* Broiled New York Strip Loin – cauliflower gratin, green peppercorn sauce

* Oven-Roasted Chicken – quinoa loaf, herb roasted vegetables, jus

 

 

Desserts

 

* After-Eight Cake – chocolate sponge, mint-chocolate chip mousse

* Warm Espresso-Date Pudding – sticky pudding, zabaglione, meringue

* Grand Marnier-Marinated Cherry Mille Feuille – vanilla cream, gianduia gelato

* Crème Brulee – vanilla-scented custard, caramelized sugar

* Peach Crisp – French vanilla ice cream

* Cheese and Fruit – Roquefort, Pere Brie, Beecher’s Dutch Hollow Dulcet, Maaslander

* Sliced Fruit Plate – selection of fresh fruit

* Hazelnut Mousse Cake no sugar added – Vanilla sponge cake, rum-flavored hazelnut mousse, hazelnuts, pistachios

* Hot Fudge Sundae – French vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, toasted almonds

* Ice Cream – Vanilla, Rocky Road, Orange Sorbet, Cookies N Cream Frozen Yogurt, Vanilla no sugar added, Coffee Fudge no sugar added

 

 

After Dinner Drinks

 

* After Eight Cordial in souvenir glass – Kahlua, Crème de Cacao Green and Bailey’s Irish Cream: $6.95

* Espresso: $1.25

* Cappucino: $1.75

- ask your serve for additional drink selections

 

 

More later,

Dave

[cruz chic]

Sorry you are still in code red. Thx for the update.

[sppunk]

Dave am I reading correctly that the first gala night was the third day (second sea day)? That seems unusual.

[rajkr74]

Boy..still in Code Red, not good. If it doesn't improve in a week (since we board on the 19th) I hope you and Cathy can grab some rubber gloves and a bucket of Clorox and start scrubbing???? ;) :p

 

Rick

[RetiredMustang]

Dave am I reading correctly that the first gala night was the third day (second sea day)? That seems unusual.

 

Yes, it is bit unusual from previous years. But, the first segment had the first gala night on Feb 2 - the fourth night of the cruise. I believe that now that HAL has gone to only two instead of 3 gala nights for 10 and 11 day cruises, the hotel managers are making them on sea days and spaced more evenly whenever possible.

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Friday, February 12, St. Lucia

 

 

We always like to watch the sail into Castries harbor, because it is a very pretty approach. So, we plan to be on deck for that, as well as at least part of the sail down to Soufriere this afternoon. The On Location says the bow will be open from 4 to 6 p.m. for the scenic cruising.

 

 

Here are the first four pages of today’s On Location:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RetiredMustang]

Friday, February 12, St. Lucia (Cont.)

 

 

Here are the other two pages of the On Location:

 

 

 

 

 

 

As well as the St. Luica guide pages:

 

 

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[Mtn2Sea]

Thanks for the update. I think St. Lucia is one of the prettiest islands in the Caribbean. Enjoy your day!

Edited February 12, 2016 by Mtn2Sea

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry to hear that you are still on Code Red.

Those people who missed the ship in St Maarten will have a costly trip to get to St Lucia.

Love the pictures.

[slabeaume]

We were on the Maasdam cruise in April of 2015 when it came down with the norovirus and it lasted the last 9 days of our cruise, plus the next 2 cruises. Worst part about it for us was the self serve laundrymat was closed as well as the jacuzzis were emptied for the whole time. Fortunately we didn't get it, but I felt sorry for how much harder all the crew had to work. Every night they were scrubbing walls, rails, elevators,... as well as their usual jobs.

[retiredkid]

Thanks for the updates. Enjoying the read.

[RetiredMustang]

Friday, February 12, St. Lucia (Cont.)

 

 

We arrived early in St. Lucia, and approached Castries harbor in low pre-dawn light. We were moored by about 7. We are at the Carnage, the area to the right as you enter harbor, near the two-story port and shops terminal. The Costa Magica followed us in and moored Across the way, at Pointe Seraphine:

 

 

 

 

After the sun came up more, I took a shot of Castries inner harbor, which is pretty, but really cries out for umbrella tables, cafes and beer gardens:

 

 

 

 

We walked ashore and walked past the Carenage building, where several passengers were availing themselves of the free wifi at the restaurant:

 

 

 

 

We then boarded a ferry for a five-minute ride to Pointe Seraphine. We wandered a bit, and looked into the shops:

 

 

 

 

but they were mostly the usual suspects such as Diamonds International. We enjoyed a drink at an outside bar and waited for the ferry to return:

 

 

 

 

The cost of the ferry was $5 U.S. for a round-trip ticket. It said it ran every 15 minutes, but there was only a single ferry in operation not two as usual, so this morning it was running about every half hour.

 

 

The good news is that we seem to be mostly out of Code Red. At breakfast in the Lido, we could serve ourselves and there were cutlery and napkins on the tables, although there were no salt and pepper shakers. It was hard to say who appeared the happier – passengers or crew.

 

The Explorations Café still did not have the sugars/sweeteners and topping shakers available. At 8:40 the library still had not put out magazines or opened the bookshelves. But, when we came back for lunch in the Lido, the self-serve taco bar was open, there were salt and pepper shakers on the tables, and most of the usual stations were back to serve-yourself status. The salad bar was still requiring staff to serve your salad. I usually pass in those circumstances, because I can never seem to get what I want at the salad bar – I’m coming to believe the absolute most difficult phrase in English for a non-native speaker to master and hear/understand has to be “… just a little bit of …”.

 

 

More later,

Dave

Edited February 12, 2016 by RetiredMustang

[rajkr74]

Dave,

On Feb. 11th St. Maarten, the late night snack in the Lido was scheduled for 11:30pm instead of the normal 10:30pm time. Do you have any idea why they changed it to the later time?

 

Rick

[Alberta Quilter]

I'm so glad you're out of Code Red. It's not fun for anyone. Stay healthy for the rest of the cruise!

 

Thank you for your reports! They really are quite enjoyable.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad to hear that you are out of Code Red.

A couple of years we docked at Point Seraphine and we enjoyed walking around there. All too often were are at Carenage (fright area). And one time there was hardly anything open and the elevators weren't even working to get to the second level.

[RetiredMustang]

Dave,

On Feb. 11th St. Maarten, the late night snack in the Lido was scheduled for 11:30pm instead of the normal 10:30pm time. Do you have any idea why they changed it to the later time?

 

Rick

 

 

No, I have no idea. Let's face it, Rick, until a couple of weeks ago I reported to work at 6 a.m. -- I'm not aware of much of anything past 8:30 or 9. :D

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Friday, February 12, St. Lucia (Cont.)

 

 

We set sail from Castries on time. Amazingly enough, there were no announcements for passengers to contact the front desk. We had asked one of the security people at the gangway earlier in the day if the two had shown up yet, and he said no. Castries may be hard to get a flight to from Philipsburg, so they may have gone to Barbados to meet us there. Inquiring minds want to know what’s up with those two guys!

 

 

We sailed out of the mouth of the harbor, and I got a shot of the Castries airport, with no zoom or anything – it really is that close, which is why you can understand why they hold flights until the cruise ships pass, and vice versa.

 

 

 

 

We turned to the south and started to cruise to Soufriere. The captain opened the bow, and some passengers went out right away:

 

 

 

 

Others were on the promenade, and a lot popped in and out to take in the sights and take some photos. We reached Soufriere about 5 or so, and turned in to approach the town more closely. The main features of St. Lucia were clearly visible, the Pitons, which as luck would have it, had a five-master sailing ship in front from my angle of view:

 

 

 

 

The ship lowered tenders which went to fetch the people on the HAL excursions which ended in Soufriere. We went in to dinner, but it was still light as we came out, although it was darkling and twilight. I was able to get a couple of shots of Soufriere town and the Pitons in the twilight:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the dinner and dessert menu:

 

 

Starters – Soups – Salads

 

* Orange and Avocado Carousel – lime-honey dressing, cilantro

* Golden Tomato and Mozzarella – olive oil-basil dressing, toasted focaccia

* Almond Chicken Tender – honey-Dijon mustard sauce

* Caribbean Fish Chowder – roasted red bell pepper, cram, potato, celery, diced pumpkin

* Red Bean and Chorizo Soup – porkbelly, leeks, beef broth

* Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho – lemon sorbet, lime leaves

* Boston Bibb Lettuce – roasted tomato, bell pepper, organic mixed seeds

 

 

Holland America Line Signatures

 

* French Onion Soup “Les Halles” – Gruyere cheese crouton

* Classic Caesar Salad – Parmesan cheese, garlic croutons, anchovies

 

 

Mains

 

* Spaghetti with Meatballs – marinara sauce

* Sesame Steak Salad – romaine, soy-glazed oyster mushrooms

* Grilled Snapper with Olives, Onions and Peppers – creamy mascarpone polenta, green beans

* Red Wine-Braised Brisket – paprika-infused onions, buttermilk mashed potatoes, snow peas, carrots

* Caribbean Curried Lamb – rice and beans, fried okra

* Poblano-Stuffed “Pechuga de Pollo” – braised tomato-cilantro rice, roasted carrots, roasted cumin-buttered corn

* Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage – red bell pepper sauce

 

 

Holland America Line Signatures

 

* Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Pesto – basmati rice, Swiss chard, garlic cherry tomatoes

* Broiled New York Strip Loin – cauliflower gratin, green peppercorn sauce

* Oven-Roasted Chicken – quinoa loaf, herb roasted vegetables, jus

 

 

Desserts

 

* Pumpkin Chocolate Cake – chocolate, cherries, walnuts, chocolate glaze

* Caramelized Pear Crepe – French vanilla ice cream

* Strawberry Shortcake – Chantilly cream, basil

* Crème Brulee – vanilla-scented custard, caramelized sugar

* Pineapple Crisp – French vanilla ice cream

* Cheese and Fruit – Maytag Blue, Brie de Nage, Beecher’s Dutch Hollow Dulcet, Leiden

* Sliced Fruit Plate – selection of fresh fruit

* Chocolate Delight no sugar added – chocolate cake, dark chocolate ganache, white chocolate mousse, chocolate shavings

* Peach Melba Sundae – French vanilla ice cream, poached golden peach, Melba sauce

* Ice Cream – Vanilla, Tiramisu, Watermelon Sorbet, Banana Frozen Yogurt, Vanilla no sugar added, Strawberry no sugar added

 

 

After Dinner Drinks

 

* Kahlua Koala Cordial in souvenir glass – Kahlua, Amaretto and Sambuca: $6.95

* Espresso: $1.25

* Cappucino: $1.75

- ask your serve for additional drink selections

 

 

More later,

Dave

[mllewis48]

I see the Piton's!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rajkr74]

No, I have no idea. Let's face it, Rick, until a couple of weeks ago I reported to work at 6 a.m. -- I'm not aware of much of anything past 8:30 or 9. :D

 

Dave

 

That's funny! :D

Naps help, so one can stay up later. ;)

 

We stop in there from time to time to see what different items they may have cooked. We cross checked other things going on around 10:30 and could not figure it out.

Thanks.

Rick

[RuthC]

We reached Soufriere about 5 or so, and turned in to approach the town more closely. The main features of St. Lucia were clearly visible, the Pitons, which as luck would have it, had a five-master sailing ship in front from my angle of view:...

Lovely shot. One of your better ones. Glad you shared that one especially.

[RetiredMustang]

Saturday, February 13, Barbados

 

 

Today we visit Bridgetown, Barbados. We have booked the Green Monkey tour at 1, but we plan to go ashore to the cruise terminal early and get a fish cutter sandwich and a Banks beer at the little outdoor restaurant prior to the tour. The terminal building will be crowded with crew members as always – wifi is free in the terminal.

 

 

Here are the first four pages of today’s On Location:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2016 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

Saturday, February 13, Barbados (Cont.)

 

 

Here are the other two pages of the On Location:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, here are the Barbados guide pages. Note: I can tell that the numbered dots on the map are actually one number higher than the description from the list. For example, the dot at the cruise port is “10” but that is actually number 9 on the description list; number dots “9” and “11” on the map are actually 8 and 10 from the list, the Boatyard and Lobster Alive, respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave