Venture to the Caribbean with Bill & Mary Ann on the Nieuw Statendam & Nieuw Amsterdam 12-18-21 to 4-26-22

[nanlaur]

One thing we like to do at Grand Turk is to search for sea glass. We have found more of it to the right of the pier (as you face the shore) than at the beach on the left.

[regnig]

6 hours ago, WCB said:

Report #66   Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos   Monday - February 21, 2022   Partly cloudy with sun   80 degrees   Part #1of 2.........80 Pictures

................................  Going back to the room, we waited for the call that never came.  Great, we did it again….passed negative.  .......................................

 

 

Wonderful news!!! Continue to stay well and I look forward to getting a chance to meet you when I board on 3/16 for 21 days.

[WCB]

Report #67 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas Tuesday- February 22, 2022    Mostly Cloudy With Sun    80 Degrees   Part #1 Of 2...........82  Pictures

 

During the night, one of us noticed that the swells had increased, and it was actually rough as the ship headed for the Bahamas.  We did wake up to a nice day with partly cloudy skies and a lot of intermittent sun.  Rain showers could be seen on the horizon, and we hoped they would stay out there.

 

We are never in a big hurry to get off of the ship, mostly because when a lot of guests leave, the internet seems faster.  So that is when reports and photos get posted.  That gave us a little time to check out the tours and rentals on the island.  Some of the main excursions included the glass bottom boat, snorkeling, sting rays, and horseback riding.  The prices ranged from $30 to $100 (horses were the most).  However, the rental fees on the cabanas was missing on the TV.  Were they not available to rent?  Strange…..

 

From the time we left the room and got to the island, it took 45 minutes.  We had just missed a tenderboat, and had to wait for the next one.  After a handful of folks were unloaded, the crew had to spray the railings and seats.  We were still required to wear masks onboard the boat, although some folks did not.  These must be Bahamian rules, and they are strict.

 

Our first stop was at the food pavilion, where we grabbed a couple of apples.  The cooks were in the process of grilling the hamburgers,  and they really smelled good.  We had eaten  a healthy breakfast at 8am, so once again, we did not dine here.  The food offerings looked great.  Maybe next time. 

 

Walking the surf as we usually do, we made it to the very end of the sandy beach.  Reaching the volcanic rocks, a sign said it was forbidden to go further.  On other visits, we have seen people snorkeling in this area, but if they were washed up against the volcanic rocks, they would be injured.  Many years ago, one of us got too close to the same type of sharp rocks, and got cut.  For some reason, it hurt more than any other kind of cut.  Left a scar too.  So we pay attention to these signs.

 

Making our way back, we stopped at the Pegasus corrals, and paid a visit to good old Ted, who was grazing the grassy sands in the smoking area.  Pulling out the apples, he came right to us.  He ate every single bit of apple, even when some of it fell in the sand.  He just shook it off, and  chewed it up.  That was our best fun of the day.  Before we left the area, one of the wranglers offered us bottled water.  We did have some ice tea, but in this heat, water would have been good.  We declined, thanking him, but should have taken it.  They even offered us a ride to the main area, since they knew it was one long walk back. Once again, we said no thanks.

 

Of course, we had planned on stopping at Captain Morgan’s Bar, the one that looks like a ship.  On previous trips, we knew they closed up shop by 1:30pm.  But today, by the time we got there at 1:10pm, no one was there.  Captain Morgan had left the building!  Disappointed we did not have our frozen Margherita or daiquiri, we figured another bar might be opened.  On the way back, we saw a tractor trying to pull a cart with the leftover tubs of beverages.  It had gotten stuck in the sand.  Walking around it, we went for the nearest bar to find it closed.  Surely the bar at the courtyard would still be serving something.  Nope, they were closed as well.  Instead, the bar staff were dancing to the music of the local band, while they waited for their tubs to be picked up.  Time to go before we died from dehydration.

 

On the way out, everyone has to pass through the xray on the island.  A man in front of us set off the alarm, then was wanded by the security guard.  He kept insisting he had nothing in his pocket, when the guard pulled out a fork.  Really?  He claimed he did not know it was there.   Really?  The guard kept it, and sent him along to join the boat.  Probably an accident, or he was in the process of collecting a service for eight…ha-ha!

 

Beer and sandwiches with fries sounded good at the Grand Dutch Café.   Just when we were ready to leave, friends Jennie and Don came along and chatted for a bit.  They will be going home tomorrow.  Jennie has been reading the blog, and said she had a solution to the leaking bottle of nail polish remover.  They were soaked and sealed packets of remover.  Running back to her room, she brought several packets to me, and also one Larabar bar, which looked to be nutritious.  Now we know what to look for when we go shopping in Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow.  How sweet was that?  We sure hope to see them again on one of these shorter cruises.  In the meantime, we promised to keep in touch.

 

We had a few things left for us in the room, like a new Club Orange bag, the Journeys booklet with this voyage’s itinerary, and the letter for the in transit guests.  We have those directions down pat now.

 

The N.Statendam left the island around 3pm, and by then, the rain started.  Not just a passing shower, we would have gotten really wet had the ship stayed longer.  By the way, we realized why the cabanas were not up on the shore excursion screen.  All of them had been rented, which really surprised us.  Then we remembered that many of these passengers come from colder parts of the world, and savor every day they can get in the sun and swim in the water. 

 

Dinner was in the dining room, although our tablemates went to the Tamarind.  They did invite us, but two of our favorite items were on the menu…..coconut crusted shrimp and prime rib.  Hate to miss either of those, and our waiters spoil us when we have a table for two.  Now beginning tomorrow, with a new cruise, we will get different waiters.  Maybe one of them stays and the other one moves to  a different location, closer to the kitchen.  We could not help but notice that the table of guests next to us, was getting a special bottle of expensive wine (according to the sommelier), served in the fancy boat-like carafe.  Last evening, they had been complaining about the temperature of their food, so maybe this was a peace offering, compliments of the Hotel Director.  Come to think of it, a survey will be sent to all of us via email, and the staff are striving for high marks. 

 

Breakfast is early tomorrow, so we need to turn in earlier than we usually do.   No burning the midnight oils.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[Btimmer]

The snorkeling you mention at the far end of the beach is much better than the location near the tender area.  One does not need to get near the sharp rocks.  I've snorkeled there a couple of times.

 

Regarding the rain squall upon departure, a similar thing happened to us on a previous visit.

 

Thanks for the reports as we are 21f this morning in Seattle.

 

Tim

[RICHARD@SEA]

Good morning Bill & Mary Ann and welcome to FT Lauderdale - you have a beautiful day here - 80 degrees & sunny - drink lots of water!!!

 

I have a question for you both - how do you feel about doing this type of B2B2B@B etc type cruise as opposed to a WC?  I do realize the differences - I have been thinking about doing the same in the winter - a WC then B2B2B the next year.  Would you do this again?

 

Thanks & enjoy your day here in FT Lauderdale - I'll see you sail out later!!!

 

Boon Voyage

[WCB]

Report #68  Fort Lauderdale, Florida   Wednesday-February 23, 2022     Partly Cloudy With Sun  80 Degrees    Part #1 Of 2........74 Pictures

 

Another stop in Ft. Lauderdale, means another cruise is soon to start.  We’ve been asked if we are tired of the b2b cruises, and we have to say, no we are not.  Since the itinerary changes every cruise, the only repeat island on a 21 day cruise is Half Moon Cay.  And how bad is that?  Returning to Ft. Lauderdale means we can easily find the things we need that were too heavy to pack.  Once you leave the USA, it is difficult to find exactly what you need, like favorite toothpastes, lotions, or over-the-counter meds.  Even simple snacks such as potato chips or crackers tend to taste different in foreign countries. 

 

We went to breakfast in Club Orange around 6:45am.  Few folks were there, but that changed the later it got.  Many had their hand carry-ons or small wheeled suitcases, ready to go when their color tags were called.  The nice thing about having such a low number of guests, is that the debarkation was easy.  As for us, we once again chose to go off around 9am, and not go with the group of 200 that were in transit.  The passport photo ID worked perfectly for both of us this morning, even though we still had to pack our passports with us. 

 

Compared to the last time we were here, it was warm and mostly sunny.  No flooding rain with strong winds either.  This time we took a right turn on 17^th St. and walked to the center of the bridge . And this time the bridge traffic was stopped and the roadway was lifted.  It’s kind of exciting to see how this worked.  We are sure that it is an annoyance for the locals, who have to stop and wait it out. Expecting to see a huge sailboat go under, we only saw a fairly small sailboat with a mast that easily cleared the bridge.  Many small craft were going back and forth too.  There is a nice bench at the center point, so one of us enjoyed the break  while the bridge was doing its thing.

 

Back down the way we came, the next stop was at the Renaissance.  People were just checking out, and appeared to be going in busses to the terminals.  Other ships in port today were the Viking Orion at pier 4, and the N. Statendam at pier 26.  The Vision of the Seas – RCI, had docked at pier 18, and appeared to have no guests.  The monster ship, Wonder of the Seas, also RCI, was docked at pier 21.  It is their newest vessel, and tops out at 236,857 gross tons.  She holds up to 7,000 passengers (full berths).  Oddly enough, it appeared to be empty of guests, and the cruise terminal appeared to be empty of people, buses, and taxis as well.  There has to be a story there.

 

We continued our walk to Ace Hardware for batteries, Total Wine to just look around, and TJMaxx, also to look around.  Publix was our target store, so we shopped for a few items that we needed.  It was a long walk back, and we can certainly tell you, no other guests did this as far as we know.  Perhaps there were a few crew members in town, but we know they used to have a free shuttle for them.  Will have to ask our morning waiter if this is still the case.  (We did inquire and the crew has access to a shuttle for a small fee.)

 

Arriving back to the terminal, we showed our in transit cards, and were allowed to go straight to the xray line.  The only thing set off was with me, which I assume is my new knee replacement.  The security people never take that statement as fact, as they always do the pat down and wand test.  And as always, I was good to go. 

 

Got back to the room by 1pm, and had the usual suspects left for us on the start of a new trip.  Bruschetta, mini desserts of chocolate, caramel, and lemon meringue treats were left for us.  Our President’s Club perks were there with 17 Cokes and a beautiful bouquet of dark pink roses. A bottle of sparkling wine was on ice.  And lastly, shipboard credit had been tacked on to our account. 

 

For some reason, we never made it to lunch.  It was much more comfortable watching the sail away from the veranda.  We were passing through the opening of Port Everglades but 4:30pm or so.  With today being a Wednesday, we did not expect any fanfare.  The locals still came out to wave us onward, and the beachful of locals also waved as we went by.  The Captain answered their send-away with three very long blasts of the ship’s horn.  We call him Captain Hornblower. 

 

We did see a few birds on the buoys, but that was it.  No dolphins, but we did see the Island Princess at anchor offshore.  We wonder if they were being used for the Covid positive people?  Neither of the RCI ships left after we did.  Later on, we did bring up the live webcam of the Wonder of the Seas.  They said they may be leaving  at 5pm, although by 6pm, they still had not moved.  It sure looked pretty with all of the lights they had on at nighttime. 

 

Deciding the dinner menu was not an exciting one, we chose to make reservations in the Tamarind.  Normally, the first day of the cruise has the lowest number of specialty diners in those restaurants.   Perhaps they will fill up tomorrow, because it will be the first gala night. We ordered spring rolls, Thai salad, and the vegetarian soup.  I had a rice cracker the size of a salad plate, and Bill had shrimp crackers.  The three dips were good, but take some getting used to for the hot spices.  Asking for more of the sweet and sour dip, our waitress brought another little ramekin.   Both of us ordered the wasabi-covered beef tenderloin….very tender and tasty.  Sides were shared bowls of brown rice and sautee’d mushrooms.  Saving a tiny bit of room for dessert, we had the lemony cheesecake with a side of creamy vanilla ice cream.  The combination was right on. 

 

Going down to deck three, then across that deck to the front elevators helped us to avoid the noise from the BB King’s All-stars.   At least there are no heavy glass doors to open on this deck. 

 

All in all, it was a good, but exhausting day, and we are happy to be continuing onward.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[cruzingnut]

I see you will be at HMC with us (Rotterdam) on March 5th.  If you are planning on going ashore, it would be fun to meet up for a bit if you want!

 

Linda R. (and Dave)

...from "Ganville".

[StartrainDD]

53 minutes ago, WCB said:

The monster ship, Wonder of the Seas, also RCI, was docked at pier 21.  It is their newest vessel, and tops out at 236,857 gross tons.  She holds up to 7,000 passengers (full berths).  Oddly enough, it appeared to be empty of guests, and the cruise terminal appeared to be empty of people, buses, and taxis as well.  There has to be a story there.

The Wonder of the Seas, so far as I can tell, just arrived in FLL this week.  It's first sailing is scheduled for March 4.  This was the ship RCC built for the China market but is now sailing from the US (winter) and Europe (summer).

 

I didn't see it but understand there were news stories on southern FL TV about its arrival.

 

Mary Ann & Bill; we look forward to joining the Nieuw Statendam on the March 16 sailing.  Perhaps we will run into you at the Royal Dutch Cafe,  Thank you so much for your ongoing reports!

[DeepWaterMariner]

The new Wonder of the Seas doesn't have its first cruise until next week.

 

[felma531]

We have no desire to be on a ship of 7000! A full N Statendam is big enough for us! We booked a 2023 Baltic/ Transatlantic on the Rotterdam. Wonder if it will be full sailings by then??? 

We're on Oosterdam in October but still have old Amsterdam and Rotterdam as favorites. Too bad they are no longer in the fleet 

Continuing to enjoy your posts. Know you're not doing shore excursions but we did Ronnie Carrington' s photo tour on Barbados. Small van- he gave photo tips and took us to interesting places away from crowds. He's quite well known and very very personable. I'd recommend his tour.

Bon Voyage for this leg!

[Hogladyrider]

We are right there with you, no desire to cruise on the larger ships.  We much prefer the smaller more intimate cruise ships!

[WCB]

Report #69   Day At Sea  Thursday-February 24, 2022  En-Route To St. Maarten........Part #1 Of 1.........35 Pictures

 

The best thing about today was that it happens to be our son’s birthday.  So, happy birthday, Ken!  Hope it is a good one…

 

It’s always a good thing to have a few days at sea, after four busy days in port.  Would have been even better if the sailing was less rough and windy.  Heavily overcast, the captain mentioned the winds were a force 7 on the Beaufort, and the sea swells were 12 feet.  Even with the size of this ship, we seem to be rocking and rolling quite a bit.  No doubt, there will be a few new guests with sea sickness.  In the old days, we always knew when to expect rough sailing when the sea sick bags showed up near every elevator.    We do not see that anymore.

 

Many years ago, we sailed with friends who made the remark that here we sit, twiddling our thumbs, while Rome burns.  A very old saying, but it sure applies to what we are hearing and seeing on the news today.  Not to get political, but none of us are feeling confident about the world’s situation.  It also seems that Covid has taken a backseat.  How long has it been since we have heard the statistics of the Covid casualties, or the numbers of folks that need to be vaccinated?  Perhaps watching HGTV or the Food Channel has some merit.  And of course, with today being a day at sea, there were dozens of things to do on the ship.  Even with that, we still were glued to the TV during the day.

 

Doing some internet work, we came across an interesting thread on Cruise Critic concerning the Step One Dance Company’s performances on the Rotterdam.  They had reduced their show to one an evening, instead of the usual two.  Same as here.  It has been weeks now that the one show was at 7:30pm.  There must have been many complaints about it, because we saw in the When & Where that there were two shows tonight ….one at 7pm and the second one at 9pm.  About time.  We have a lot of catching up to do now that we have the time to go without interrupting dinner.

 

There is a new comedian onboard by the name of Keith Bender doing a show called All Grown Up.  The room was more full of guests for his show compared to the group that attends the BB King’s All Stars.  We guarantee that by the end of 11 days, some of these folks will have hearing problems.  We do by just passing by the venue after dinner.

 

We missed another wine tasting event at 1:45pm in the dining room.  Nice to be asked, we have yet to go.  Barb usually attends, and says it is really nicely done.

 

Going out in the morning and once in the afternoon, we got some miles in on the promenade deck.  Not easy walking with the high winds and light sea spray covering one side.  Only a handful of people attempted it.  Being in the Caribbean, you would think it was always warm and muggy.  Not even close today, as we wore our jackets. 

 

We did a little exploring today, wanting to see the cabanas up on deck 12.  Interesting concept, we guess it is OK for folks that like to be isolated.  It is not something we would chose to do, because we never stay in one place very long.  One nice thing about the cabana area is that they do have a small spa to go in if it gets too hot.  Climbing up the outside stairs, we reached deck 14, the Sun deck, which really is deck 13, but never is labeled as that.  Superstitious we guess.  Knowing there were some coins buried in a wall, we found them.  This is a tradition that dates back centuries, and continues to this day.  Not sure who the Madrona is for this ship, but it is not the Godmother.  Quite possible that the Madrona is Ann Marie Bartels.

 

There are lounges up here, but they would have blown overboard with today’s wind.  All of them were lashed down.  There is also one outside shower for the sunbathers that come up here.

 

On the way back, we strolled through the Crow’s Nest, which is huge.  It felt like walking into a church with people reading (sleeping) in over-sized chairs.  In our way of thinking, having the shore excursion desk here, as well as the Explorer’s Café, is next to out of sight and out of mind.  Fine for some folks, just not our cup of tea.  We remember Crow’s Nests that were fun with a live band and dancing.  Guess those days are over.  And what about the library?  Sadly, it does not exist here.  What few books are there, are not to be removed.  We did see huge jigsaw puzzles, which is surprising, knowing that social distancing is impossible leaning over a table.  Board games were also available, but we saw no one playing any today. 

 

Lunch was a salad and sandwich in the Lido.  At 2:30pm, it is never crowded there.  In fact, we had almost the entire Lido to ourselves.  Now that’s what we call social distancing.  Funny story, we got in an elevator that filled up with eight people.  Two people panicked and jumped out.  That’s when we noticed one man had no mask on. They were newbies, what can we say.  It is possible, that in a few days, mask-wearing inside the ship might be optional.

 

Dinner was with Barb tonight, the first gala night of this cruise.  Most folks looked pretty sharp, but there were a large number that were not dressed for it.  T-shirts and shorts with flip-flops don’t do it for us. Yes, we did see one man sitting near the bar at the Rock & Roll venue, looking as if he just came from the Seaview Pool.  Remember when it was suggested that the dress code of the evening applied to attending the show in the Queens Lounge and any other public space that evening?  Boy are those days gone or what?

 

Anyway, we all had the rack of lamb and were not disappointed.  The food has been very tasty and served hot most nights.  And by waiting to order our dessert, the ice cream arrives frozen solid, not melted.  Fredy, our head waiter always checks on us, and Presty seems to find the time to pay a visit. Yes, we are treated well.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[WCB]

Hi Linda and Dave,

As long as we can get to the island, we will hunt you down.   We are usually at the Pirate ship by 1:30pm.  Hope to see you there!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruzingnut]

19 minutes ago, WCB said:

Hi Linda and Dave,

As long as we can get to the island, we will hunt you down.   We are usually at the Pirate ship by 1:30pm.  Hope to see you there!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Sounds like a plan!  Hope it's not closed up already since the ship leaves at 3!  Maybe we'll get there at 1PM...  When I saw we had to share "our" island, I was like....noooo....  But, once I realized what ship it was and that you guys were on it, it was ok, lol!! 

 

Linda R.

[albingirl]

Really enjoying your review.  We'll be back onboard shortly and as usual, before we board, I'm glued to the ship reviews.  Thanks very much.

[riverrat]

oh no, 😞 some of my gala outfits are simply not comfortable for extended wear..... I guess this means I'm not supposed to change after dinner and come back out in comfy clothes?  Maybe I just need better fitting gala wear. lol BTW, I really enjoy your wonderful reports and look forward to reading them daily. We board 3/16 so if there is anything we can bring you guys, just say the word  🙂

[WCB]

Report #70 Day At Sea En-Route To St. Maarten Friday - February 25, 2022  Clouds With Sun & Force 5 Winds 79 Degrees.........Part #1 Of 1..........17 Pictures

 

Our second day at sea began with smoother seas, and much less motion of the ocean.   It was slightly warmer, except on our side of the ship, which is port.  The sun seems to rise and set where we cannot easily see it, as we are heading on a more easterly course.  According to the Captain, we are sailing near the deepest trench in the Atlantic Ocean. Very deep, it is way over our heads!  We must be far enough from any land, because we only saw one booby today, and that was brief.  We did pass a Princess ship heading in the opposite direction.

 

Sales for everything took place on the ship all day.  Since we have so few sea days on these 10 to 11 day sailings,  they take advantage of that fact.  Both of us received coupons again.  One for a spa treatment for $70 and another for $200 towards anything Effys.  Our last coupons expired back in December, so we might check this out to see how far $70 will take each of us.  Susie also got one of these coupons, and went to Effys.  There was nothing even close to $200, although if you have considerable have-to-spend shipboard credit to use, it may work. 

 

Going to Club Orange for breakfast, we noticed that the majority of people did not show up until later.  Could be due to the changing of the clocks last night. Even the waiters in this venue have changed stations, as we have a new man taking our orders.  Joko is still nearby to give the new fellow instructions.  Our yogurt, fruit, and granola starters are always ready to go when we sit down.  Two pots of coffee, a blueberry muffin, and fresh-squeezed orange juice are served.  Joyce always inquires as to if we would like a mimosa, which we say yes on Sunday. 

 

Between two long walks, lunch in the Lido, and working online, we kept busy.  Relaxing also, but not so much on the veranda, as the breeze was downright cool.  The further south we go, the warmer it will get.

 

Dinner time found all five of us present.  It seems that we ordered the better entrees of lasagna and parmesan-coated veal.  By the time we finished dessert, the room had all but emptied out.  Not a lot of late diners here, we guess.

 

Tomorrow, we will be in St. Maarten, and should have no restrictions as far as walking to town. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[LewiLewi]

Bill and Mary Ann,

Can I ask you to do us a favor? We will be on board the NS in a few weeks and we are booked in Verandah cabin 5200, which is the aft part of the ship at the stern. We are hoping that it is quiet in this section (no loud engine noise, no strong vibration). If you have the time, can you walk by this cabin and give us your opinion. We would be most grateful to you. If there is a problem, we can switch cabins before getting on board.

Again, thank you.

Marilyn and Lew

[WCB]

Report #71 Philipsburg, St. Maarten  Saturday-February 26, 2022  Sunny With Clouds  85 Degrees & Hot......Part #1 Of 3.........80 Pictures

 

We arrived to the port of Philipsburg, Saint Maarten early this morning, and were surprised to see some ships docked already.  Within the hour, we counted seven ships.  There was the Azamara Quest, Seabourn Odyssey, Oceana Marina, the Star Legend, and us, the N. Statendam.  Other vessels were the Star Flyer, a 4 mast tall sailing ship, and the Stad Amsterdam, a 3 mast clipper ship.  Not in the count, was the Rhapsody of the Seas, which was anchored out in the bay.  In addition, there were a few pretty sleek yachts docked here.

 

Just a quick reminder, St. Maarten is the smallest island in the world divided between two ruling powers….the Netherlands and the French.  It has been that way for 374 years.  The entire island is 37 square miles, with 87,000 people, and 37 picture perfect beaches.  Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side, was big enough for us to explore today.

 

Even the cruise terminal is spacious with the usual jewelry stores, boutiques, souvenirs shops, eateries and bars.  Collecting the free charms, one of us went into Diamonds International and Milano for the little tokens that clip onto their free bracelet. Milano will sell you the necklace for their charms, as they have no clips on the charms. 

 

It was going to be a very warm and humid day, even leaving the ship by 10:30am.  Walking out the gate towards downtown, we looked for the cavorting monkeys on the bottom of the hillside.  As hard as we tried, we saw none today.  But we did meet a very nice couple from Canada, who have been reading our blog.  So we had a good conversation about cruising and knee replacements, of all things.  Hope we were able to help on all counts.

 

Following the Boardwalk, we realized that there were fewer people here than the last time we visited.  With all of those ships in port, we wondered where all the people were.   Probably taking tours, the folks may have come this way in the afternoon.  The many bars and cafes along the beach were ready to go.  We’re still chicken about eating and drinking off of the ship. 

 

There is a long pier where some nice benches are located.  We caught a beautiful breeze relaxing there, watching a local dog enjoying the cool waters in the shallow end.  He shook off, then followed us, checking out every café along the way.  He seemed to know where he could find some crumbs, or handouts from the diners.

 

On the way back, we cut across to Front Street until we reached Old Street .  Missing it the last couple of times we were here, it was a neat narrow alleyway of boutiques and cafes.  We had intended on checking out the sweatshirts at the Harley Davidson shop, but they had none for men…..only t-shirts.  Figures, they had a perfectly good one for the ladies, but I already have two.

 

By the time we  got back to the ship, it was after 1pm.  We needed some ice cold sodas, which we have a refrigerator full.  Then ended up staying in our room, snacking on some chips, dips, and peanuts.  Lunch in the Lido never happened.  For a change it will be nice to be hungry for dinner.

 

Around 3:30pm, the Azamara Quest left, and after a few announcements for a missing man, we left the port with one long blowing of the ship’s horn.  Guess this person missed the ship.

 

As we got away from the island, dozens of boobies followed the ship, diving and fighting for the fish.  They always put on quite a show.  We stayed on the veranda until it got too chilly, and we ran out of islands to film.

 

Dinner was the five of us, comparing what we all did for the day.  Barb never leaves the ship, with one exception in Curacao.  Susie made it to the shopping area off of the ship, and Woody stayed onboard.  Don’t know how we do it, but we were about the last to leave the room by 10pm. 

 

Tomorrow’s port will be St. Lucia, and we will not know until we get there whether or not we will be allowed off of the ship without taking a taxi somewhere.  And it will be a Sunday, and not much will be opened anyway.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[mari neufeld]

Have read your blog for years - have learned so much - would you ever consider posting more pictures of you going to dinner onboard and more pictures of what you eat?  I am interested in what you and your table mates as HAL’s top cruisers consider suitable dinner attire - this will help us plan for our fall cruises.

Thanks for so many hours of entertainment!

[kb4683]

Elite signature beverage package question.

 

Since unlimited non-alcoholic beverages are included in the ESBP, do you get one of those cups with a chip for the freestyle soda machines?

 

TYIA

[kb4683]

10 hours ago, kb4683 said:

Elite signature beverage package question.

 

Since unlimited non-alcoholic beverages are included in the ESBP, do you get one of those cups with a chip for the freestyle soda machines?

 

TYIA

Sorry, forgot to specify ship — Nieuw Statendam.

[TXCruiser78660]

11 hours ago, kb4683 said:

Elite signature beverage package question.

 

Since unlimited non-alcoholic beverages are included in the ESBP, do you get one of those cups with a chip for the freestyle soda machines?

 

TYIA

Elite package is now limited to 15 total drinks per day including alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.  In other words no longer unlimited non-alcoholic drinks.  No chipped cup given.

[WCB]

Report #72 Castries, Saint Lucia  Sunday-February 27, 2022...Cloudy With Periods Of Rain  78 Degrees........Part #1 Of 3........80 Pictures

 

Yes, it sure was a soggy day in Castries, St. Lucia today.  But it wasn’t the rain that started the day out on a negative vibe.  Not that this is a major change, but we noticed that last night the chocolate pillow candies were missing.  Then this morning after breakfast, we ran into our room steward who apologized for not leaving the chocolates.  In addition, he said that starting today, only gala evenings will have pillow chocolates.  And if we had been getting the comical towel animals (we do not), those would be left only on gala nights.  Following the HAL blogs on Cruise Critic, we knew the same thing happened on the Rotterdam.  For as long as we can remember, this was a nice way to end the day, and it had become an HAL tradition….Signature of Excellence, if we recall correctly.  Well, another tradition to bite the dust.  Finally, your room would be serviced only once a day, unless you request the turndown service at night.  With that, we asked our room steward what happened to the Seattle’s Best Chocolates we always got on the world cruise on gala nights.  He did say that the suite people here get those on gala nights.  OK, if that is the case, we felt that this little nicety should be extended to the 9 President’s Club members that are onboard now.  Surely those few chocolates will not break the bank.  If they are, then HAL is in big trouble.  Koko said he would pass that request on to his supervisor, which was fine with us.  It wasn’t five minutes before there was a knock on the door, and there was his supervisor.  She explained the new policy, and said they were just following the rules.  She promised to ask about the better chocolates to be given on gala nights for our small group only.  So far, we have heard nothing.  But we did receive the missing ship tiles that were owed to us from our previous cruises here, thanks to Jonah we suspect.

 

Anyway, on with our day which began when we left the ship at 11am.  Early this morning, an announcement was made that we were free to walk out of the port, and not be forced to take a tour or taxi.   That was the good news, but the bad news was that rain was on the way.  Packing umbrellas, we set off for a town that was virtually shut down……it was Sunday again.  And strangely enough, we were the only ship docked here today. 

 

At the gangway we were held up first to get the St. Lucia bracelet put on our wrists, and second, to wait for a very over-sized electric scooter to come up the steep gangway. Took like forever, but eventually a man appeared with a pizza (hat) on his head and a decorated monkey hanging from the handlebars.  Oh boy….guess there is a story there.

 

The last time we were here, the ship was docked across the harbor, where we walked to Pointe Seraphine, our usual dock.  At that time, no one was let out of the gate due to Covid restrictions.  We had explained we were from the other pier, and were let loose to explore.  Lucky the guard let us go once she saw our room cards were for the HAL ship.

 

On our way out through Diamonds International, one of us went for the free charms. I was given two birds, so we assume there are many birds on this island.  Not so much down at the water, but up high in the mountains.

 

It had been raining off and on all morning, so there were puddles everywhere.  Even a small flock of doves were bathing and drinking out of these deep puddles.  It was much cleaner water than in the canals in town.  We did get offers for rides to downtown starting at $5.  Then it was $4 up the road apiece, and lastly, $1 up at the corner.  Downtown was about ¼ mile from here.  And very little was opened.  Needless to say, we walked.

 

By the time we reached the Castries Market, the light rain turned to heavy, and kept up.  So much for the predicted light passing showers today.  Sure wish we could send this rain to California, where we need it big time.  No wonder it is so green here.  Running into Howard and Gyl, we chatted for a bit.  They like to walk like us, and it would not be the same if we did not run into them somewhere in every port.

 

On the way back, we did stop in the small park and got some photos of hummingbirds dining on the blossoms of the center tree. The longer we watched, the more we saw.  The only other birds we spotted were two egrets,  a lone frigate, and one pelican.

Oh, and there were many dogs taking shelter at one of the government offices.  They appeared to be pets, but you never know for sure if they are feral.  If so, we never go near them.

 

We strolled around the shops and cafes at the terminal, surprised at how few people were out and about.  Guess many folks took tours, but today would not have been a good beach day, or even site-seeing.

 

All aboard was 3:30pm, and after the Captain’s talk, we were off and running before 4pm.  Scenic cruising was planned for 5:15pm, to see the town of Soufriere and the Pitons just south of Castries.  Although it was raining, by the time we reached the Pitons, they were out of the mist and very visible.  Today there were a number of small boats there, as well as a Ponant cruise ship.  They had a tender boat in the water, and were transporting folks to the mainland.  Another smaller ship had their marina extended out, and a lady was actually water skiing behind a speed boat in the bay.  A slide was attached to the side of the boat also, probably for the youngest of their group.

 

The Captain got as close as possible to the peaks, then slowly turned the ship on a dime, so to speak. Having extra time, he turned and turned several times, giving everyone a perfect view.  Even after darkness settled, we were still there. The next port of Barbados is only 114 nautical miles away, so we figured he was measuring the time we needed to arrive there.  We’re just guessing, but we think that if he goes too slow, the ship would roll even more.  

 

Dinner was just the two of us and Barb.  She had not heard about the change with the pillow candies, and was also disappointed to see HAL dropping more perks.  We have all been around long enough to see many changes, some for the better, and some not.  This is in the “not” category. Did we ever mention that the room stewards no longer bring fresh fruit to your room?  Now it has to be ordered through room service.  Nothing stays the same forever…..

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[kb4683]

29 minutes ago, TXCruiser78660 said:

Elite package is now limited to 15 total drinks per day including alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.  In other words no longer unlimited non-alcoholic drinks.  No chipped cup given.

Thanks for the answer.  Went back to my purchase and see that the unlimited non-alcoholic drinks statement has gone by the wayside 😔.  However, the following sentence is also there:

"Only on the ms Koningsdam & ms Nieuw Statendam, the package includes Freestyle Coca-Cola which provides 100+ refreshing Coca-Cola flavors to choose from."