Nieuw Statendam

[RuthC]

4 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

Some odd things happened yesterday that I forgot to mention.  We are getting mail and phone messages for another person.  The first was a flyer for the shops addressed to someone else but to our cabin.  (We've had the same cabin for both segments.)  Then a birthday card came from the Captain, also addressed to this same person.  There was also a voice message from the Front Desk, to this other person, wishing her a Happy Birthday.  It was really rather bizarre.  I went down to the front desk for something else and the clerk just blew me off when I mentioned it.  Our cabin steward mentioned that several pieces of mail in his section had the wrong names on them.  

Makes you wonder about any mail for you that you're not getting.

Last cruise I got a gift card from a TA for a Pinnacle dinner. Right cabin, wrong name. So, down to the Front Desk to straighten it out. The card belonged to the other person, but the receptionist checked my account and found I also had a gifted Pinnacle dinner. Had she not taken that extra step, though, I would not have known.

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, richwmn said:

Musings for today.

 

On day 2 or 3 I mentioned that my free gratuities had gotten lost between HAL and the Travel Agency I moved the cruise to. Last Friday I got an email from the TA acknowledging the error and promising to make it good. This morning I found the credit on my card statement they promised, so I got a good resolution on the error.

 

Alberta Quilter mentioned the comic last night. I also thought he was funny, and the full audience seemed to agree. He did seem a bit edgy, at least for the current general mood.

 

The food continues to be good. Today the Hotel Manager and Beverage Manager are hosting a special Indonesian Meal for the people on the Collectors Cruise. It is at 11:30, so it doesn't interfere with arrival in San Juan at 1pm. Nice little touch for the continuing passengers.

 

The entertainment on the ship is still good. The new version of the Lincoln Center Stage is also good. One of my trivia team mates went into detail how this one is not as good, but to my untrained ear they are just fine. RSRR still draws a crowd each evening as does the Billboard. Tonight on the World Stage is a BBC Movie, Blue Planet II: an Underwater Adventure. The poolside movie is "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" described as a crime drama.

 

Trivia shortly, with Alberta Quilter and her lovely mom. Then San Juan for a while.

 

I'm enjoying your "musings." I watched "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" last month when I was on the K. Worth watching, and I can see why it has been getting nominations. 

 

How is the volume level at RSRR? On the K, it was painfully loud.

 

[Alberta Quilter]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

I trust you've double checked your account to ensure that there's no similar issue with you being charged for the other person's expenditures. 

 

No worries on that front.  I'm rather anal and have been checking our account on a daily basis.

[Alberta Quilter]

39 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Makes you wonder about any mail for you that you're not getting.

Last cruise I got a gift card from a TA for a Pinnacle dinner. Right cabin, wrong name. So, down to the Front Desk to straighten it out. The card belonged to the other person, but the receptionist checked my account and found I also had a gifted Pinnacle dinner. Had she not taken that extra step, though, I would not have known.

True.  Our friends snooped a little and found their own invitation to the Indonesian lunch in the mailbox across the hall.

[Alberta Quilter]

17 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I'm enjoying your "musings." I watched "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" last month when I was on the K. Worth watching, and I can see why it has been getting nominations. 

 

How is the volume level at RSRR? On the K, it was painfully loud.

 

I think the volume level is quite loud.  It's much better to sit in Billboard to listen to RSRR.

[3rdGenCunarder]

11 minutes ago, Alberta Quilter said:

 

No worries on that front.  I'm rather anal and have been checking our account on a daily basis.

 

I checked mine often, too. A useful aspect of the TV system and the "navigator" system. My account had a strange thing. When I checked it 2 days into the cruise, it showed "Explore 4" and a charge of $0 each day. I didn't have Ex 4 (and I was being charged for my drinks) so I asked the concierge what was going on. I logged in to the guest computer and showed her. She checked my account on her computer and saw something different. She said it was my free gratuities. She printed it from her computer, and that showed what I'm used to seeing, the gratuity added and then removed. Either way, I wasn't charged. But it bothers me that there are two versions of my account, even if they do add up the same.

 

[Alberta Quilter]

We have arrived in San Juan.  We are just waiting for clearance.

 

We skipped the Indonesian lunch today and went up to the Lido.  DM's leg cramped up right then so she is now having trouble walking for the first time during the cruise.  What do we have planned for the afternoon?  Walking!  So, we'll go to Plan B or C.  Plan B is the free trolley around Old San Juan, Plan C is a taxi tour, if we can get one.  There is another ship in port with us so both B & C could be iffy.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, Alberta Quilter said:

We have arrived in San Juan.  We are just waiting for clearance.

 

We skipped the Indonesian lunch today and went up to the Lido.  DM's leg cramped up right then so she is now having trouble walking for the first time during the cruise.  What do we have planned for the afternoon?  Walking!  So, we'll go to Plan B or C.  Plan B is the free trolley around Old San Juan, Plan C is a taxi tour, if we can get one.  There is another ship in port with us so both B & C could be iffy.

 

This might be a good day to investigate a day pass to the spa for the hydropool and ceramic loungers. Make it a belated birthday gift for Mom. Or try the hot tubs on deck. I don't know about the tubs on NS, but on the K they were not dangerously overheated as they often are in hotels.

 

[richwmn]

I realized a few minutes ago that I failed to give y'all today's menus, so here they are.

 

For a little while it was raining here in San Juan so I didn't go out yet, still plenty of time. It looks clear right not.

 

 

Feb20dinner.pdf

Feb20Lidodinner.pdf

[Alberta Quilter]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

This might be a good day to investigate a day pass to the spa for the hydropool and ceramic loungers. Make it a belated birthday gift for Mom. Or try the hot tubs on deck. I don't know about the tubs on NS, but on the K they were not dangerously overheated as they often are in hotels.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  However, for us, public hot tubs hold no appeal, and she's not a spa person.

 

We did go with Plan C.  We left well after arrival to let the hoards get off first.  That time allowed DM's drugs to kick in, too.  When we left the ship, a taxi driver found us.  He took us and four other couples for an hour and a half tour for only $15/person.  Mom stayed on the bus the whole time while I ventured out for pictures.  It was a good way to see the city without getting soaked.  And it was long enough for her.  

[cayman09]

How's the volume for the movies on deck? Too low, too high? Doo many people attend?

[Alberta Quilter]

51 minutes ago, cayman09 said:

How's the volume for the movies on deck? Too low, too high? Doo many people attend?

 

I've actually been surprised at how many attend.  Many of the lounge chairs are occupied and some people sit at nearby tables.  Then others sit upstairs on the Panorama deck where there are the round white padded loungers.

 

The volume seemed reasonable to me but some accuse me of being hard of hearing so don't take my word for it!

[rkacruiser]

13 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

We no longer get receipts for our beverage purchases.  Makes it very hard to know how much one has left on their Beverage cards.

 

Beverage cards?  Are you referring to the $50-$100-$250 denomination cards that have been available in the past?  On my 1/6/19-1/20/19 cruise on NS, they were not available.

 

Beverage receipts are available if one asks for them.  In discussing this "omission" with the Billboard's main bartender, he then started to print them when he served me.

[Fouremco]

On the NA a couple of weeks ago, receipts for Beverage Card purchases were given without asking.

[Alberta Quilter]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Beverage cards?  Are you referring to the $50-$100-$250 denomination cards that have been available in the past?  On my 1/6/19-1/20/19 cruise on NS, they were not available.

 

Beverage receipts are available if one asks for them.  In discussing this "omission" with the Billboard's main bartender, he then started to print them when he served me.

We received two $25 Beverage cards as part of the cyber sale perks.  They were given to us at check in as opposed to onboard which was unusual to me, based on past experience.  I don't know if Beverage cards can be purchased onboard because I haven't asked about them/needed to purchase them.  I can inquire, if you like.

[notladjr]

4 hours ago, Fouremco said:

On the NA a couple of weeks ago, receipts for Beverage Card purchases were given without asking.

 

When we were on NA a couple of months ago I never received a receipt. We were using the $50 for $25 soda cards you can only buy in advance. However apparently we didn't use it up because it was never rejected as payment.

[0bnxshs]

10 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

We received two $25 Beverage cards as part of the cyber sale perks.  They were given to us at check in as opposed to onboard which was unusual to me, based on past experience.  I don't know if Beverage cards can be purchased onboard because I haven't asked about them/needed to purchase them.  I can inquire, if you like.

 

On our NS cruise we received beverage cards as gifts from family for DWs BD.  Some of them were received from the Check In desk (which surprised us and seemed to surprise the check in staff) and others in cabin.  We only received receipts when using them if we asked for them; sometimes the wait staff would just tell us the balance.

 

My in-laws received mail addressed to someone else more than once on the same cruise.  We felt the staff seemed discombobulated much of the time last month and chalked it up to simply getting used to the new ship, new procedures, new supervisors, etc.

 

Oddly, our account listed 1 set of HSC charges and debits and 1 set of Exp4 charges of $0 daily.  Again, not sure that one hand knew what the other was up to with the staff.

Edited February 21, 2019 by 0bnxshs

[Crusin-Suzan]

In St Thomas today!!   A bit of rain but just got off the ship for a drink and free WI FI!   Have been enjoying Ocean Bar with Jorge (the bartender) every night before dinner!   

 

Food has been super!  Only place that had a glitch was NY Deli!  Long wait for pizza and sandwiches are just okay!!!  They need to add sides, like pickles etc!   Would not do this again!!!   Dive In and Lido are much better choice for lunch!!  

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

In St. Thomas docked at WICo / Havensight. This morning was very nice, around noon it was raining. It looks like it might be clearing off again.

 

This area has really changed. I first visited this area in the mid '70's. I stayed at the St. Thomas Sheridan Yacht Haven which no longer exists. It is now the newer Shopping Area. I don't remember Havensight Mall existing either, but I may be wrong.

 

Fast forward to 2001 and my first cruise stop at St. Thomas. Havensight existed and was a thriving sales area. Most of the cruise passengers at least stopped in the shops and many bought things. It was clean and pretty. I bought a digital camera at one of the shops.

 

Today Yacht Haven Shops have replaced the Sheridan, it happened many years ago. Yacht Haven contains the more chic shops and is newer. Havensight looks like it needs a little TLC. The shops don't seem to be as busy as I remember.

 

I am including tonight's menus.

 

 

Feb21dinner.pdf

Feb21Lidodinner.pdf

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, richwmn said:

Havensight looks like it needs a little TLC. The shops don't seem to be as busy as I remember.

 

I agree with both of your observations.  Still some obvious damage from the hurricanes; getting rid of some of what appeared to be empty warehouse buildings near the berths would help.  

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

I don't know if Beverage cards can be purchased onboard because I haven't asked about them/needed to purchase them.  I can inquire, if you like.

 

Thank you for the offer to do this, but don't bother.  When I was aboard, the denominated beverage cards were not available and I doubt that has changed since January 20th.  The "push", a bartender told me, was to get the guests to buy the signature beverage package.

[richwmn]

On 2/19/2019 at 6:59 PM, raesive said:

<snip>

Are there a lot of other things that are "affordable" for the signature person? Is it possible for someone to post a bar menu or two for me to peruse? Most of the ones I've found previously are pretty out of date. thanks 🙂

I hadn't noticed a bar menu around, but here is the one from Rolling Stone Rock Room.

 

[richwmn]

Bar Menus part 2

 

[raesive]

Thank you richwmn! That's helpful. Looks like a few special things that would be above budget but plenty of other choices. Some look tasty too! 🙂 

[philliesgirl48]

On 2/20/2019 at 11:35 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I'm enjoying your "musings." I watched "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" last month when I was on the K. Worth watching, and I can see why it has been getting nominations. 

 

How is the volume level at RSRR? On the K, it was painfully loud.

 

What kind of trivia do they play? General or topics like Friends, Harry Potter etc?