Life and live from Nieuw Amsterdam up north to Alaska

[Lido deck main]

Hi Copper,

Thanks for the review and pictures.  Love the commentary, always learn something, which is a good thing.  Thanks again for sharing.

 

[Copper10-8]

Day 7 - 08/16/2019; Sailing the Inside Passage back to Vancouver, BC, So, after departing Ketchikan yesterday, Nieuw A. sailed southbound Tongass Narrows to Clarence Strait. The strait was named by George Vancouver in honor of Prince William, later King William IV, Duke of Clarence. Capt. van Dreumel and his navigators then took us to Dixon Entrance, part of the maritime boundary between the U.S. and Canada, from where we reached Hecate Strait, the wide but shallow body of water between Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) and the mainland of British Columbia. All this maneuvering took place during nighttime hours.

 

Friday morning found us in the open (Canadian) waters of Queen Charlotte Sound. A sound is a large sea or ocean inlet, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land. Queen Charlotte Sound is positioned between big Vancouver Island in the south and Haida Gwaii in the north. Queen Charlotte Sound leads to Queen Charlotte Strait which is the entrance to the Inside Passage route to Vancouver. Queen Charlotte, btw, was the consort of King George III. Pilotage is mandatory in the Strait so at approx. 11:00 PM, Nieuw A. slowed down near Pine Island where two Canadian/B.C. pilots came onboard and a course was set for Malcolm Island and Alert Bay on Cormorant Island, home of several totem poles. For the next three hours, we had an enjoyable scenic cruise and then sailed into Johnstone Strait.

 

Johnstone Strait is between 1.6 miles and 3.1 miles wide and is a major navigation channel and is the preferred channel for vessels from the Georgia Strait leaving to the north of Vancouver Island bound for Prince Rupert, BC, Alaska, and the North Pacific Ocean, and for southbound vessels from those areas bound for Vancouver, BC. Chugging along in late afternoon/early evening, timed again with slack tide, Nieuw A. would maker passage through Seymour Narrows and from there, it was pretty much a straight shot via the strait of Georgia to Burrard Inlet and Vancouver with a 0630 passage under Lions Gate and a 0700 arrival at Canada Place’ Berth West. The longshoremen in Vancouver do not start work before 0700 for beauty sleep reasons!

 

So, this being our last day onboard, a sea day, there were activities planned, one of which was the On Deck for the Cure walk, a non-competitive five kilometer walk around the ship’s Promenade Deck/Deck 3. We also lost that hour we gained last Sunday night to bring us back on Pacific Standard Time. At 10:00 AM, Captain Bas van Dreumel took a seat on the Main Stage, along with CTD Rebekah. The captain spent the next 35-40 minutes talking about his training in the “Koninklijke Marine” (Royal Netherlands Navy) and with Holland America Line, starting as an officer cadet in 1995 on Maasdam, to his promotion to Captain in 2012 as well as answering questions from his audience. I’ve seen this “Ask the Captain” virtual behind the scene tour and Q&A on several ships now and it seems to be a popular event.

We had a 12;30 lunch in the Pinnacle, which was good, the PG Burger still takes the price as far as I’m concerned. Maria had the chicken salad. We have one more breakfast there on disembarkation day.

 

The entertainment tonight was a variety show consisting of illusionist Leon Etienne and comedian Kristen Key. Left to do for us was the always depressing chore of packing luggage and have them out in the corridor outside the cabin by Midnight. We are “Pink one” in the morning (bus transportation to YVR – Vancouver Int’l Airport) with an anticipated disembarkation around 0900 hrs.

 

Pic is a look at scenic cruising in British Columbia's beautiful Discovery Passage

 

[Copper10-8]

Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill while sailing Queen Charlotte Sound towards Queen Charlotte Strait

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Nieuw Amsterdam's 'Signature wall' can be found on Deck 1 starboard side, just off the Atrium, and opposite the offices of the hotel director, beverage manager, and food & beverage director. Nieuw Amsterdam's godmother, HRH then Princess, now Queen of the Netherlands, and all guests and certain staff on board the three-day inaugural voyage from Venice on 5 July 2010, were asked to sign the wall. The idea came from soldiers onboard then World War II troop carrier Nieuw Amsterdam II carving their names into the ship’s railing to commemorate their transit of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

The picture opposite the wall is of Nieuw A's inaugural, or take-out, senior management staff of Captain Edward van Zaane, Staff Captain Jochem Bakker, Hotel Director Stan Kuppens and Chief Engineer Marcel Kiers. The last pic in the same area is of HAL ad posters of Nieuw Amsterdam ships throughout history

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

At 10:00 AM, Captain Bas van Dreumel took a seat on the Main Stage, along with CTD Rebekah. The captain spent the next 35-40 minutes talking about his training and service in the “Koninklijke Marine” (Royal Netherlands Navy) and with Holland America Line, starting as an officer cadet in 1995 on Maasdam, to his promotion to Captain in 2012 as well as answering questions from his audience. I’ve seen this “Ask the Captain” virtual behind the scene tour and Q&A on several ships now and it seems to be a popular event

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

A look inside Nieuw Amsterdam's "O.B." or Officers Bar, one of the nicer ones. Nope, that's not a dancing pole! 🙃

 

 

[puppycanducruise]

Great pictures.

We enjoy the "ask the Captain" event, lots of interesting info there.

[Himself]

Great pictures John  I love the NA, as you know.  My disappointment is that the last Rehab the Manhattan Dining Room became just :Dining Room. Some one of the Higher ups lacks a sense of History. Nieuw Amsterdam was the nae the Dutch gave to Manhattan Island.  That is why, in my opinion Nieuw Statendam makes no sense.

Edited August 24, 2019 by Himself

[Copper10-8]

54 minutes ago, Himself said:

Great pictures John  I love the NA, as you know.  My disappointment is that the last Rehab the Manhattan Dining Room became just :Dining Room. Some one of the Higher ups lacks a sense of History. Nieuw Amsterdam was the nae the Dutch gave to Manhattan Island.  That is why, in my opinion Nieuw Statendam makes no sense.

 

Agree with you on both points, Father. That slowly "doing away with some of the Dutch tradition" on HAL started with the name "Eurodam, and was followed by Koningsdam and "Nieuw" Statendam. The dining rooms as well as the main showrooms used to have individual names on the various ships; Rotterdam dining room; La Fontaine dining room; the Dutch Masters (painters) main show lounge names of van Gogh theater; Vermeer Theater; Rembrandt Theater; Rubens Theater; Frans Hals theater; Mondriaan Theater; then Queens (main) Lounge and Vista show lounge. Those names have disappeared and are now just the "dining room" and the "main stage" on all ships.

[Copper10-8]

Had a nice lunch in the PG on this last sea day. It turned out to be lunch with a view as Nieuw A. was passing from Queen Charlotte Strait to Broughton Strait which separates Vancouver Island from the much smaller Cormorant (think Alert Bay) and Malcolm Islands, the latter, the site of Pulteney Point Lighthouse

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Passing Pulteney Point Lighthouse, also known as Sointula Lighthose, located on the south side of Malcolm Island. It was built in 1943 however, the actual station was established thirty eight years earlier in 1905. It is a 30 foot high square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a one-story fog signal building. The lighthouse is painted white with the lantern and gallery, as is common with Canadian lighthouses, painted red. Pulteney Point is a staffed light station with a keepers house as well as other buildings.

 

Sointula, the alternate name for the lighthouse, is the name of a nearby settlement founded by Finnish immigrants in 1901. For southbound vessels, this lighthouse marks the entrance to the narrow Broughton Strait from Queen Charlotte Strait

 

 

[Himself]

10 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Agree with you on both points, Father. That slowly "doing away with some of the Dutch tradition" on HAL started with the name "Eurodam, and was followed by Koningsdam and "Nieuw" Statendam. The dining rooms as well as the main showrooms used to have individual names on the various ships; Rotterdam dining room; La Fontaine dining room; the Dutch Masters (painters) main show lounge names of van Gogh theater; Vermeer Theater; Rembrandt Theater; Rubens Theater; Frans Hals theater; Mondriaan Theater; then Queens (main) Lounge and Vista show lounge. Those names have disappeared and are now just the "dining room" and the "main stage" on all ships.

I also recall the "Dutch Nights" with the Dutch meals and all would get the Dutch head wear.    Some complained but I liked it.  Things have become rather bland.  I think Carnival is calling too many shots on the Dutch line..

[Ineke]

18 minutes ago, Himself said:

I also recall the "Dutch Nights" with the Dutch meals and all would get the Dutch head wear.    Some complained but I liked it.  Things have become rather bland.  I think Carnival is calling too many shots on the Dutch line..

 

Yes!  We also miss things like Dutch croquettes, bitterballen etc. from what is now the Dive-In, and other Dutch offerings from the Lido Market.  A lot has changed, and not usually for the better.

[Copper10-8]

Sailing the Broughton Strait with Cormorant Island and the community of Alert Bay on the port side and Vancouver Island on starboard. Also passing Hanson Island. Further east from Broughton Strait is the beginning of Johnstone Strait, which leads via Discovery Passage to the Strait of Georgia and, ultimately, Vancouver, BC. Communities on the Broughton Strait include Port McNeill, on Vancouver Island, and Sointula and Alert Bay, on Malcolm and Cormorant Islands respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2019 by Copper10-8

[TiogaCruiser]

No bugeler?

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

No bugeler?

 

 

It's funny you mention him because I was on the lookout for him also. He was not there  Capt. Albert, in his blog, wrote something about the Alert Bay trumpeter, his name is Jerry Higginson, not being seen for several years. Hope he's OK!   “O, Canada” and “The Star Spangled Banner” were his bread and butter when cruise ships passed by the area and he also liked “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “Amazing Grace”.

 

[sevenseasnomad]

4 hours ago, Ineke said:

 

Yes!  We also miss things like Dutch croquettes, bitterballen etc. from what is now the Dive-In, and other Dutch offerings from the Lido Market.  A lot has changed, and not usually for the better.

Some of these items are available at the Dutch Café on the Pinnacle Class; however, I understand what you mean because not all ships feature these foods at all.

[erewhon]

Enjoying your reports, thank you.

[Copper10-8]

Nieuw A. Deck 9 / Lido Deck mid-ships; Cabana living and the Dive-In

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Nieuw A. Deck 9 / Lido Deck aft; Sea View Pool, New York Pizza, rules of the road, plus the Salad Bar inside the Lido Market, port side

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[deliver42]

Great pics. Thank you for your efforts.

[Copper10-8]

Johnstone Strait to Discovery Passage to Seymour Narrows to the Strait of Georgia, plus the BC Ferries' Powell River Queen on her regular service run between Campbell River (Vancouver Island) and Quathiaski Cove, Quadra Island, one of the Discovery Islands

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Johnstone Strait to Discovery Passage to Seymour Narrows to the Strait of Georgia, plus the BC Ferries' Powell River Queen on her regular service run between Campbell River (Vancouver Island) and Quathiaski Cove, Quadra Island, one of the Discovery Islands (con't)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Passing another of several lighthouses of the Canadian inside passage. This is Cape Mudge light, a staffed light station with a two-story red-roofed keeper's house and other buildings. Cape Mudge light is a 40-foot octagonal concrete tower painted white with the lantern and gallery painted red. It is located on the south side of Quadra Island. The lighthouse was built in 1916, while the station was established in 1898. It marks the entrance of the Discovery Passage, the first narrow section of the Canadian Inside Passage, from the Strait of Georgia

 

 

 

 

[sevenseasnomad]

What a lonely job.  How does he/she get groceries/go shopping etc.  Internet?  Who delivers?  Amazon Prime in the middle of nowhere?  Interesting if someone knows.