iflyrc5 Almost Live from the Nieuw Statendam - Feb 2 - Mar 16 (we hope)

[DeborahP]

Am loving your daily updates of your cruise.  Ports look wonderful and onboard experience amazing.  Am curious, are any passengers wearing masks onboard anywhere?   Any staff?  Are they required at all anywhere on the ship?  Thanks!

[iflyrc5]

4 hours ago, DeborahP said:

Am loving your daily updates of your cruise.  Ports look wonderful and onboard experience amazing.  Am curious, are any passengers wearing masks onboard anywhere?   Any staff?  Are they required at all anywhere on the ship?  Thanks!

The Crew members are still required to wear masks at all times.  As of this cruise the only required mask areas are in the medical and when going on and off the ship.  The World Stage and Casino are now "recommended" areas as is the rest of the ship.  I estimate that this morning in the lido at breakfast about 25% of guests are wearing masks.  Last cruise several ports were requiring masking outside.  I will report as this cruise goes along on any port requirements.

[iflyrc5]

Half Moon Cay - Monday Mar 7 - sunny - low 80s - moderate breeze.  What a great way to spend a Monday in March.  The weather was great at HMC today.  The NS arrived at HMC about 0800 and tendering started by about 0815.  The Rotterdam was supposed to be with us but they apparently got a late start out of Ft Lauderdale yesterday and did not arrive until about 1000.  We took the tender in at about the same time as the Rotterdam was arriving,  We asked and were told that we have a little over 1100 guests for this cruise and you can see that it is a much younger crowd with spring break season starting and be probably have about 15 or so youth on board.  Masks are now only required in the medical department and I estimate that about 25% of us are still wearing them in the recommended areas around the ship.  Even with both ships in the island had plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the beach and island and there was not much of a line at the BBQ when we went about 1215.  Each ship had it's own lines for the BBQ and the shaded areas for eating.  Barb loves this beach so we stayed in till about 1345  and were on the next to last tender at 1415.  Back to the ship then just relaxed and read until dinner time in the MDR.  Tonight was the Silver Gala night.  The food was excellent as usual but you could see that when we when at 1800 the dinning room was much more active than the last cruise.  We had a new comedian tonight, Mike Paramore in the BB King at 1945.  He was OK but I would say overall the comedians we have had on HAL ships in the past have been much better then the one's we have had since we joined the ship on Feb 2.  This was my last chance to see the Step One Dance folks do Humanity and again this show is outstanding.  If you are on the pinnacle class ship make sure you don't miss this performance.  We are rocking again tonight as we are on our way to Grand Turk with arrival at 1000.

[KroozNut]

On 3/4/2022 at 6:40 PM, iflyrc5 said:

Relaxing Sea Day - Friday - Mar 4 - sunny - low 80s and not much wind over the deck.  Up at 0800 for a quick breakfast then to MDR - deck 3 for our Covid test at 0900.  We were in line about 15 minutes before it was our turn - 208 guests are doing the next cruise.  A quick swab of the nose then back to the cabin to wait 30 minutes and hope we don't get a call - we didn't - so are good to go for another 10 day segment.  Then is was time for some exercise.  I did about 50 minutes walking deck 3 (3 laps is about a mile) then up to deck 9 for some weight machines in the gym - Barb was still there so I tried out one of the electronic bikes for a mile ride.  By then it was time to change into bathing suits and fill my jug with some ice tea.  Out to the sea view pool area for some reading time until about 1330 and lunch.  It is Friday and lent so it was some fried fish and a bowl of fruit for lunch.  Being a sea day the pool was rather busy and with the motion of the ocean there was some pretty good wave action on the pool.  About 1500 the pool started to clear out so time for some sloshing around in the pool before getting ready for dinner.  Tonight was the last sea day and therefore the "gold" menu Gala night meal.  It was surf and turf and yes they had lobster and the table next to us must have had 3 lobsters each.  Neither of us like lobster and again it is Friday and lent so Barb had the Salmon (I think she is going to grow gills with all the fish she is eating) and I had a non-meat paste dish.  I did get a double order of the jumbo shrimp cocktail which was very good.  I tried to go to the World Stage show with the dancers but as the Captain announced at his noon brief we are having considerable motion of the ocean tonight so the show was cancelled.  We are on our way to Half Moon Cay, HALs private island and Barb's favorite beach with arrival at 0800.  Hope the wind and waves calm down or we won't be able to go ashore.  If it is too rough the tenders can not run.  Included a few more images from around the ship.

 

You're lucky.. A good friend of mine is currently on the Koningsdam (different itinerary of course), and he was told that there will not be any lobster available in the MDR on Gala nights because it is too expensive.

[Canadaclyde]

Thanks Ted for taking the time to share your cruise with us. I've been enjoying reading about your journey. Your photos, as usual, are beautiful. I was wondering if there has been any talk onboard with staff in the know about instituting the fuel supplement due to the continual increasing cost of oil? It would really impact our upcoming world cruise, so any info you can provide would be appreciated. Glad you and Barb are having a wonderful time. Keep enjoying the warm weather, the beautiful water and great food. Best regards, Bonnie

 

Edited March 8, 2022 by Canadaclyde

[iflyrc5]

9 hours ago, Canadaclyde said:

Thanks Ted for taking the time to share your cruise with us. I've been enjoying reading about your journey. Your photos, as usual, are beautiful. I was wondering if there has been any talk onboard with staff in the know about instituting the fuel supplement due to the continual increasing cost of oil? It would really impact our upcoming world cruise, so any info you can provide would be appreciated. Glad you and Barb are having a wonderful time. Keep enjoying the warm weather, the beautiful water and great food. Best regards, Bonnie

 

Hello Bonnie - I wish you had joined us in the Caribbean.  The only discussion I have heard with respect to the fuel supplement charge has been here on cruise critic.   There have been some cutbacks from what long time HAL guests have experienced but the number of guests on the ships in increasing.  Our first 3 segments it was between 800 and 900 and this segment it is a little over 1100 and from what I understand the next cruise will be over 1400.  If I see the captain in the lido I will ask about the fuel supplement.  The slide show he gives with his ask the capt talk shows the cost of fuel for a typical 10 day cruise is about $350,000 and at his last talk he said that the price is now about double that.

[iflyrc5]

 Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos - Tuesday - Mar 8 - sunny low 80s - moderate breeze.  Arrived today at 1000 just after the Carnival Freedom (that ship needs a lot of maintenance - rust showing everywhere along the hull).  The ship was cleared by 1020 with no restrictions on getting off except to bring your Vax card and masks for HAL tours.   We decided to make this a lazy day and stay on the ship rather than the pool or beach - after breakfast did some reading - then 45 minutes of deck walking - then a Ruben from the NY Deli for lunch - then swimming in the lido pool and reading for the rest of the day. Today was the International Day for Women and during the Captains announces he mentioned this and I noticed that all the female crew (they call them Team Members now) received a red rose.   Dinner in the MDR tonight then we walked down to the BB King and listened to one set.  Going to watch a movie in the cabin tonight.  Tomorrow is Amber Cove and we plan to go to the pool area at the port for part of the day and then back to the ship for swimming in the ship pool while the guests are off the ship on tours.  The only downer today was that we got the paperwork for disembarkation which  reminded us that a week from tomorrow that our "No cooking - No Laundry - No cleaning" will be coming to an end in a week.

[Canadaclyde]

2 hours ago, iflyrc5 said:

Hello Bonnie - I wish you had joined us in the Caribbean.  The only discussion I have heard with respect to the fuel supplement charge has been here on cruise critic.   There have been some cutbacks from what long time HAL guests have experienced but the number of guests on the ships in increasing.  Our first 3 segments it was between 800 and 900 and this segment it is a little over 1100 and from what I understand the next cruise will be over 1400.  If I see the captain in the lido I will ask about the fuel supplement.  The slide show he gives with his ask the capt talk shows the cost of fuel for a typical 10 day cruise is about $350,000 and at his last talk he said that the price is now about double that.

We sure wish that we were sailing with you too. Hopefully we will again sometime soon. That would be great if you have the chance to talk with the capt. In the meantime, keep enjoying your cruise. I'll be doing the same, even if it is just remotely!

[KroozNut]

32 minutes ago, Canadaclyde said:

We sure wish that we were sailing with you too. Hopefully we will again sometime soon. That would be great if you have the chance to talk with the capt. In the meantime, keep enjoying your cruise. I'll be doing the same, even if it is just remotely!

Why aren't you sailing now? 🤔

[Florida_gal_50]

On 3/7/2022 at 9:13 PM, KroozNut said:

 

You're lucky.. A good friend of mine is currently on the Koningsdam (different itinerary of course), and he was told that there will not be any lobster available in the MDR on Gala nights because it is too expensive.

Yup, that is true.  It appears to me if a cruise is more than 7 days you might see it, otherwise only if you pay for it.

[KroozNut]

3 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Yup, that is true.  It appears to me if a cruise is more than 7 days you might see it, otherwise only if you pay for it.

Hmmmmm.. Okay, hopefully we'll get lucky and see it on our upcoming 9-day in April. 🙂

[Canadaclyde]

12 hours ago, KroozNut said:

Why aren't you sailing now? 🤔

We cancelled a 36 day cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Barcelona in Dec due to omnicron and difficulty in our ability to get tests. (We live outside of Ottawa, and the availability of tests for travellers was very limited.) Now that things are easier, maybe we'll take a cruise prior to the 2023 world. In the meantime, I'm happy to read about the adventures of others!

[iflyrc5]

Amber Cove - Dominican Republic - Wed - Mar 9 - mostly sunny - low 80s - moderate winds.  Back at Amber Cove today and the large wandering pool area.  We decided that after breakfast we would wander down to the pool area at the port and spend the morning their while guest were on tours then back to the ship for lunch and use the ship's pool in the afternoon.  So, we got to the Amber Cover pool area about 1000 and it was already rather crowded with lots of guests from the larger Princess ship that had pulled in next to us.  It was a much younger crowd with lots of kids and they are doing a 5 days cruise out of Ft Lauderdale.  We talked to a person from that ship and they have over 2600 on board.  We stayed around until about 1215 and it was really getting to be crowded so we got out and headed back to the ship.  On the way we passed a building called the Caribbean Fish Spa where you could pay to put your feet in a fish tank and the fish would eat the dead skin off your feet and there were several people do it.  On the way back to the ship we had a quick strong rain shower pass through and got us soaked.  So back to the ship for a pizza lunch - then reading and napping a pool time until sail away at 1700.  Great dinner in the MDR tonight with almond chicken tenders and cookie dough ice cream.  Sea day tomorrow.

[CruisingCanucksTwo]

On 3/7/2022 at 10:32 PM, iflyrc5 said:

Half Moon Cay - Monday Mar 7 - sunny - low 80s - moderate breeze.  What a great way to spend a Monday in March.  The weather was great at HMC today.  The NS arrived at HMC about 0800 and tendering started by about 0815.  The Rotterdam was supposed to be with us but they apparently got a late start out of Ft Lauderdale yesterday and did not arrive until about 1000.  We took the tender in at about the same time as the Rotterdam was arriving,  We asked and were told that we have a little over 1100 guests for this cruise and you can see that it is a much younger crowd with spring break season starting and be probably have about 15 or so youth on board.  Masks are now only required in the medical department and I estimate that about 25% of us are still wearing them in the recommended areas around the ship.  Even with both ships in the island had plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the beach and island and there was not much of a line at the BBQ when we went about 1215.  Each ship had it's own lines for the BBQ and the shaded areas for eating.  Barb loves this beach so we stayed in till about 1345  and were on the next to last tender at 1415.  

Thanks for all the great details and info!  We sail next week on the Rotterdam.

Is the entire beach open at HMC? - we had heard part of it was closed.

I saw a comment early in this thread about staff carrying sand to that area - but was unsure of the beech status.  Thanks!

[iflyrc5]

1 hour ago, CruisingCanucksTwo said:

Thanks for all the great details and info!  We sail next week on the Rotterdam.

Is the entire beach open at HMC? - we had heard part of it was closed.

I saw a comment early in this thread about staff carrying sand to that area - but was unsure of the beech status.  Thanks!

They have added some sand in front of the rental center near the children's area and the full beach is open to use.  It is great

[iflyrc5]

Day at Sea - Thursday - Mar 10 - mostly sunny - low 80s - rather breezy.  Today was a relaxing day at sea with lots of activities available on the ship.  I had a quick breakfast of my usual omelet and some fruit and then went to the morning chat with the cruise director.  Today she had the executive chef as a guest.  He was born in India but raised and educated in England and has been with HAL for 5 years.  He was very funny and talked about the 200 team members that are involved with preparing all the meals and the challenges of getting the materials to the ship.  He said the average cost of the food for the 10 day cruise is over $300,000.  After the morning talk it was time for my morning 45 minutes of deck walking and then to the gym for some weight machines and free weights.  Some reading time before lunch then a salad, soft pretzel and a large chocolate chip cookie from the Grand Dutch Cafe'.  More reading time in the shade then some pool time and sun time before heading back to the cabin for showers before dinner.  Up to this point of the cruise we have been getting a table 2 just the 2 of us but tonight we thought we would share a table with 2 others.  We sat with a very nice couple from Michigan that also do lots of cruising and found out the wife had relatives in Indianapolis.  It turns out her brother was my first boss when I started at Naval Avionics back in 1970.  What a small world.  After dinner we went to the BB King to see a new comedian on board, Michael Gaffney.  He is probably the best of the ones we have had since boarding but still not the best by far of the comedy acts that we have had on pre-pandemic cruises.  We then caught the last half of the Step One Dance group and a few songs in the Rock Room on the way back to the cabin.  Tomorrow is Bonaire - we have nothing planned but will probably go in and walk the town.  

[riverrat]

 

Your pictures are so wonderful. Love the art, really enjoyed HMC photos as I have been looking for a picture of the Clamshells. Thank you! The morning chat sounds great. Love anything chef-ie and the cooking shows are so enjoyable.

Speaking of cooking... are there salt grinders or salt shakers in lido and MDR on the Nieuw Statendam? I do use a bit of salt... and the grinders last trip spit out salt chunks.

[Dietemann]

Thank you for all the reports of your cruise, I can't wait to go again myself. We will be on the 9 day Nieuw Statendam cruise leaving April 8. Can you tell me the cost of WiFi, just normal for emails? I'm trying to decide whether to upgrade to the Have it All package, we just received an email about that.

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, riverrat said:

Love the art

 

I don't.  When I sailed on the ship, none of the art was labeled.  What was the title of the art?  What was the artist trying to convey?  Such information might have helped me understand what I was seeing.  A glass sculpture of David holding a smart phone:  what's the message of that piece of "art"?  

[iflyrc5]

10 hours ago, riverrat said:

 

Your pictures are so wonderful. Love the art, really enjoyed HMC photos as I have been looking for a picture of the Clamshells. Thank you! The morning chat sounds great. Love anything chef-ie and the cooking shows are so enjoyable.

Speaking of cooking... are there salt grinders or salt shakers in lido and MDR on the Nieuw Statendam? I do use a bit of salt... and the grinders last trip spit out salt chunks.

Shakers in the lido - grinders in the MDR that don't work too well.

[iflyrc5]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I don't.  When I sailed on the ship, none of the art was labeled.  What was the title of the art?  What was the artist trying to convey?  Such information might have helped me understand what I was seeing.  A glass sculpture of David holding a smart phone:  what's the message of that piece of "art"?  

There is a booklet available at guest services that they will print and give you that explains most of the art.

[iflyrc5]

Kralendijk, Bonaire - Friday Mar 11 - lots of rain - high 70 - fresh wind.  We arrived at Bonaire to dark clouds at 0800.  Many guests started getting off for the HAL tours shortly after the ship was cleared.  Since we nothing planned we had a late breakfast at 0900 - I waited until about 1100 when the clouds were looking a little brighter to head out for my walk about (Barb stayed on the ship).  It was spitting rain when I left but cleared off a little with some sun.  I headed into the downtown area and found the local Catholic Church and then walked out along the waterfront.  I got back to the ship about 1300 just as the rain started which then was off and on the rest of the day and into the evening.  Spent the afternoon reading and watching the boats out in the bay between Karlendijk and little Bonaire island.  When we headed to the MDR at 1640 we ran into the same couple that we ate with last night so met up with them again and an excellent meal and conversation.  We are in port until 2230 but with the rain still off and on I don't think too many guests are out and about.  Curacao tomorrow at 0800.

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, iflyrc5 said:

There is a booklet available at guest services that they will print and give you that explains most of the art.

 

I wonder if that was available when I sailed on the ship.  Didn't think to ask; appreciate the information.  

[iflyrc5]

Willemstad, Curacao - mostly sunny - low 80s - moderate breeze.  We docked at the mega pier at 0800 and were cleared quickly.  After breakfast I went out and walked down to the Hotel Resort that is to the left of the ship about a quarter mile to see if they did day passes for the beach.  They only did all inclusive passes for $85 per person so I thanked them and headed back to the ship. I then went back out a little later and did a walk about to town for about 2 hours including getting stopped on the floating bridge when it opened to let a tug pass through.  Back to the ship about 1300 for lunch then in the pool and about 1400 the movie Dune came on the big screen.  Watched the movie while in the pool until about 1630 and back to the cabin to get ready for Mass at 1700.  Dinner in the MDR and then the comedian in the BB King at 1945.  Sail away was at 2300 and we are on our way to our last port of call which is Aruba at 0800.

[Btimmer]

It's fun to ride the bridge when it opens.  Thanks for the continuing "almost live" reports.