LIVE Review March 19, 2023, Nieuw Amsterdam, "Friends Who Cruise Together"

[LVinTennessee]

Okay, we are all back home now. 

 

The internet was unreliable. Especially at night when I would be settled into bed, ready to type out my daily review. Also, I've never gotten the internet package before so there was also user error. 

 

I typed out a continuation of 3/20 and then could not post it. I kept trying, but eventually the post was lost. Along with that problem and my pictures not syncing between my phone and iPad, I just decided to wait until I got home. Not the best way to do a LIVE review, I know. But it is what it is.

 

Here's a spoiler alert - we all had a great time! To be continued

[canadianbear]

Welcome home!! So good to hear you had a great time!  Sucks about the internet.  I wish actually they didn’t offer it in the Have it All-maybe too many on it 🤷‍♀️. 
 

We are a patient bunch and look forward to photos and anything else you have to offer from your cruise. 

[LVinTennessee]

3/20 continuation - In the MDR, we sat at table 42 and our head waiter was Katino and his assistant was Geno. WE SO ENJOYED THEM SO MUCH ALL WEEK!!! They took great care of us and those in our party that were gluten free. Katino brought the next day's menu every evening at the end of the meal so that the GF people could choose their meal for the next day. We spoke to these nice gentlemen every evening learning about their families, where they are from, when they're going home next, etc. By the end of the week, we hugged each each one and had our picture taken with them. 

 

I can't remember what I ate that evening because I am not a "take a picture of every meal, everything I do type of person," but I do remember that the seafood deviled eggs that I had as a starter were excellent!!!

 

After dinner, we had to run a variety of errands for various reasons (more on that later) and then we went to Billboard On Board for the 8:30 Majority Rules Game show. We sat in the far corner of the bar area and met a nice lady named Chin and she joined our group/team. We did not win this time 😞

 

Afterwards, Chin had to leave and more seats opened up closer to the pianos so we moved and played Music Trivia at 9:30. During Music Trivia, we met two more ladies who just happened to be from Tennessee too, and we struck up a friendship that lasted throughout the cruise (and will probably continue back home - we don't live in the same town but not too far apart either). We didn't win music trivia despite Al awarding us additional points for dancing and singing along. We laughed a lot!

 

I'm not really sure when we called it a day. Tomorrow is an "At Sea" day. To be continued....

[LVinTennessee]

3/21 - Tuesday - At Sea Day

 

I enjoy getting the paper copy of the  Daily Program, and I keep it with me all day because I carry a cross-body purse. I like to circle the activities that I'm interested in. All the other gals used the app. I used the app some too. We did get reliable notifications of activities that we had selected on the app. Sending messages to each other thru the chat feature was very unreliable. So we just got in the habit of saying: "Where are you going? When are we meeting up next? Where will you be after that? When should we meet - tell me again?" etc etc. This worked pretty well for us. 🙂 

 

Just like when we took our Alaskan cruise on the Eurodam, we used the cabana as our go-to meeting spot and hang out spot. The lido cabana is for 2 people but all 4 of us used it. We are very laid back and easy going, and we were no problem for our attendants. And I made sure our attendant was okay with all of us being there. I *think* all of the cabanas were sold out, but we rarely saw anyone in theirs. It was kind of strange. But that made for quiet, peaceful days. Most of the time, two of us would order food and two of us would go fix our own plate at the Lido. One person really enjoyed napping on the lounger in the cabana, and we were all really good about switching spots from the lounger to the table depending on if one of us wanted to eat at the table or nap or read or sit at the window facing the water. 

 

On a side note, with it being March and the typical Spring Break month, we did not see a lot of kids. 

 

At 10 am, we went to the Sea View Pool to attend Permission to Dance hosted by Al. He taught us 4-5 line dances with one being "Dollar Wine" which I had never heard of or seen. We had a lot of fun! We also struck up several conversations with the people around us, and I went around asking several people if they wanted to join us. I basically have two left feet, but I still had fun. One gal never dances, but she joined in and enjoyed it too. It's a nice 30 minute work out to help get ready for lunch and dinner.

 

At 11:30, two of us went to buy Bingo tickets (I think we ate lunch after dancing and before Bingo). Bingo started at Noon. We didn't win. We struck up a conversation with three other ladies sitting near us, and they were very nice. One of them won one round, I think $100+. She was very happy.

 

Next, my friend and I went to the Hydro Pool (my first time, her second time). We checked the thermal loungers before we got in the pool, but they were all full. We stayed in the pool for the recommended time and enjoyed each of the different areas of it. We chatted with a nice couple from Georgia. We checked the thermal loungers again, and they were still full. Not sure if they are always full or just on "at sea" days because I never went back again. 🤨

 

We went back to the cabana to dry off and lounge. At 3:00, we went to one of my favorite activities - Afternoon Tea. We sat with a nice family from Canada who were very well traveled. We questioned them a lot - getting ideas for future cruises (to Hawaii, for example). 

 

Then we lounged in the cabana some more and spent time getting to know our attendants - Oka and Manuel. They took such good care of us all week. Such nice young men!

 

Tonight was dressy night so we spent extra time getting ready. Until the other ladies upload their pictures to a shared album, I will have to share pictures later. I know I ordered the beef tenderloin, and it was very well prepared. We got our pictures taken, but we didn't buy any. I actually meant to buy one, but I guess it's too late now.

 

At 7:30, we went to Billboard On Board for The 1960's and stayed for The 1970's at 8:45 and All Requests at 10pm. Yes, we love Brady and Caroline!

 

Do you all want me to take pictures of all the Daily Programs? I have all of them. Just let me know.

 

Now is a good time to mention staffing. I, personally, did not notice any issues except one that I will mention in a second. I didn't experience slow service at meals or bars. One evening, it seemed like an extra server would have been handy in Billboard Onboard, but I'm not sure how many would have typically been working this area. Our MDR attendants did not seem overworked or stretched too thin, but I do know they work long hours. Not sure if they are working more hours than usual?? There seemed to be plenty of cabana/pool attendants. We were across the hall/elevator area from our other two friends (we were in the even section; they were in the odd section), and we had different attendants. I think I saw our attendants a total of 3 times (one of those 3 times, I had to track them down because I wanted to double check their names so I could fill out their tip envelopes - for extra tips because we did the prepay too). My friends in the odd section said they rarely saw their attendants. BUT our cabins were always clean, well stocked with clean towels, they always remembered to bring the beach towels for when the next day was a port day. So I tipped generously and left a very favorable review of everyone (by name) on the app at the end of the cruise, and I will leave great reviews whenever I get an email survey. I think we mostly had our cabin serviced once a day, but I know they came to our rooms twice in a day on more than one occasion because we had towels animals with chocolate twice and the beach towels would show up.

 

On another staffing note - our toilet had problems twice on two separate occasions. When we called, someone showed up promptly to fix it. We ordered room service for breakfast 4-5 times, and it was always on time and hot and exactly what we ordered. I also called for room service for lunch once, and my call was answered quickly and showed up on time. I have zero complaints about staffing.

 

I had to go to guest services several times - not for complaints - 3 times about a refund/charge on my statement and 1 time to get cash and 1 time to get a cabana printout for someone else interested in renting one in the future. Boy oh boy! The things you overhear from others visiting guest services! 

 

To be continued - tomorrow is Amber Cove, Dominican Republic

[tompeter]

Great review....Thanks!

[LVinTennessee]

the island rooster at Half Moon Cay

 he was crowing just for me  listen to this sweet song from a Bahamas bird

kimberly, our cruise director - she just boarded this week or last week I believe. This pic is from the sail away party.

My sweet roommate surprised me with this arrangement on embarkation day. I got to keep the vase which is really pretty. I got it home without breaking it. 

My first pina colada in the cabana. Very tasty! I do not like the paper straws. I would much prefer another type of biodegradable straw. Little ice chunks get stuck and clog the straw and paper straws get too damp and mushy. This is about the only complaint I have. 

our complimentary sparkling wine each afternoon in the cabana. Wine is not my thing, but I enjoyed this one. We turned it down most days. 

Cauliflower starter at embarkation lunch in MDR. Not my dish so I can’t give a review but I believe my friend really liked it. 

My embarkation lunch in the MDR. I really liked it. Club sandwich with slaw. 
the tomato bisque starter that I had before my sandwich. I would say this is one of the best tomato bisques I’ve ever had. I ate every bite!

my friends fish tacos from embarkation lunch.

this is a Caribbean/jerk pork terderloin with plaintain and beans and rice for our first dinner in the MDR. I loved it!

a shrimp cocktail starter in MDR. I can’t remember which night. I ate every bite. It was not a traditional shrimp cocktail. It had a creamy sauce and some corn in it. 

This is me on the first Gala night. If you recognize me and met me on the ship, please let me know.

this is my main course - beef tenderloin with shrimp - on the first gala night. Perfectly prepared. 

a tart from afternoon tea from our first at sea day 

 

sorry my pics aren’t really in order. And I have an older phone so my camera is not the latest/greatest.  
 

more pics/ more review will be upcoming. 
the seafood deviled eggs starter that I mentioned in a previous post. I wish I had ordered two. They were so good. 

my bbq lunch from Half Moon Cay. We all really liked the lunch we had here.

Edited March 28, 2023 by LVinTennessee

[Denise T]

1 hour ago, LVinTennessee said:

the island rooster at Half Moon Cay

 

E18DEF60-DBBB-47B8-9C00-5AD30AF5306D.MOV 20.59 MB · 1 download  he was crowing just for me 8798781C-665A-4294-A489-F62929CA85E5.MOV 27.33 MB · 1 download  listen to this sweet song from a Bahamas bird

kimberly, our cruise director - she just boarded this week or last week I believe. This pic is from the sail away party.

My sweet roommate surprised me with this arrangement on embarkation day. I got to keep the vase which is really pretty. I got it home without breaking it. 

My first pina colada in the cabana. Very tasty! I do not like the paper straws. I would much prefer another type of biodegradable straw. Little ice chunks get stuck and clog the straw and paper straws get too damp and mushy. This is about the only complaint I have. 

our complimentary sparkling wine each afternoon in the cabana. Wine is not my thing, but I enjoyed this one. We turned it down most days. 

Cauliflower starter at embarkation lunch in MDR. Not my dish so I can’t give a review but I believe my friend really liked it. 

My embarkation lunch in the MDR. I really liked it. Club sandwich with slaw. 
the tomato bisque starter that I had before my sandwich. I would say this is one of the best tomato bisques I’ve ever had. I ate every bite!

my friends fish tacos from embarkation lunch.

this is a Caribbean/jerk pork terderloin with plaintain and beans and rice for our first dinner in the MDR. I loved it!

a shrimp cocktail starter in MDR. I can’t remember which night. I ate every bite. It was not a traditional shrimp cocktail. It had a creamy sauce and some corn in it. 

This is me on the first Gala night. If you recognize me and met me on the ship, please let me know.

this is my main course - beef tenderloin with shrimp - on the first gala night. Perfectly prepared. 

a tart from afternoon tea from our first at sea day 

 

sorry my pics aren’t really in order. And I have an older phone so my camera is not the latest/greatest.  
 

more pics/ more review will be upcoming. 
the seafood deviled eggs starter that I mentioned in a previous post. I wish I had ordered two. They were so good. 

my bbq lunch from Half Moon Cay. We all really liked the lunch we had here.

Love the pictures!

[LVinTennessee]

at the Asheville airport - super excited and ready to get away from the cold weather

view from our hotel- The Riverside - I splurged on a corner balcony

Views from our water taxi ride

two pics of our meal from Shooters in Ft Lauderdale

in our van from Elite Shuttles - headed to the port

ready to board Nieuw Amsterdam
 

[LVinTennessee]

this was my favorite dessert from Tamarind. It’s called Mango Posset and it was delicious and I ate every bite. Our server was Ing Ing and she was a hoot! We had great service. 
and here is a photo dump of various food pics. 1-2 are from room service and the rest are from MDR

Geno is on the left and Katino is on the right. We loved them!

[mahi mahi]

Your pics bring back fond memories....we were on the same sailing!  We thought the food in MDR and Tamarind was outstanding - we ordered many of the same things you did!

 

Service everywhere was excellent and the ship was spotless!  We had a signature suite and spent many a blissful hour on our balcony reading and watching for flying fish, it was so quiet!

[LVinTennessee]

On Wednesday, 3/22, we docked in Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. We had an excursion scheduled for first thing and we had a tight window to disembark due to the Carnival Mardi Gras coming in after us. After the Carnival docked, disembarkation would resume agin but we had to get off at the earlier time so we wouldn’t miss our excursion. We requested early room service and it was delivered promptly. I ate light - toast and juice. 
 

the planned excursion was a catamaran snorkeling trip. We walked around the port for a little while waiting for the group to form up. We took pictures of the many orchids growing on the trees. 
 

Soon it was time to board our bus - a typical tour bus. It was comfortable an air conditioned. Our tour guide gave us a running commentary as we drive thru town, he covered many aspects of life in the Dominican Republic. Eventually, we arrived at a golf course near some homes (possibly vacation rentals?), and we took a short walk down to the beach to find the catamaran waiting for us. We were advised that we would have to wade thru the water to board - water was up to my thighs. Not too bad - there were plenty of crew to assist us. 
 

there were 6-8 crew and each one was introduced to us. We all found seats but some had to sit directly on the deck and those people at the front of the catamaran got lots of splashes at one point. The catamaran does have two toilets which was convenient. 
 

I think it took 20 min or so to get to our snorkeling location out in the ocean. It seemed to be smooth sailing for the most part (I’ve been on plenty of boats - tours and rentals (never deep sea fishing though)). For the first time ever, I got sea sick. There was quite a bit of up and down motion, and that eventually got to me. I had time to get up and request a bucket from a crew member (they had advised us earlier about what to do if we got sick). I was sick repeatedly and a crew member was by my side the whole time, holding my hair out of the way, and he brought me water and napkins. Eventually, he led me to the side of the boat and told me to sip my water and to keep my eyes on the horizon in the distance. I felt much better but I drank two cups of water because my throat was on fire. 
 

we got to our snorkeling location and we were given instructions on using the gear. Once we were all in the water, we were sort of herded around. There were plenty of fish to see, sea urchins, coral, etc. one of my friend saw starfish too. 2-3 crew were in the water with us with one taking underwater pictures. They all had food that they fed to the fish which made for some good pictures. They sold us a jump drive of the pictures later. 
 

I ended up swimming back to the boat sooner than everyone else because I felt sort of weak and wrung out from the earlier ordeal. Once everyone finished snorkeling and we’re back on the boat, they served lunch and water, beer, soft drinks, and rum punch. I was told I could eat because it would be a smoother ride back to the drop off spot. I did not get sick again but I did borrow my friends sea bands just to be safe. 
 

the crew members were fun and they joked around and performed a few dances. They also sold some T-shirt’s and passed around a tip box.  I also personal tipped the man ho was so nice to me during my unfortunate situation. I thought I was the only one who got sick, but later I found out that 2-3 other people got sea sick too. 
 

once we got back to the beach, I noticed some local police presence during our walk back to the tour bus. We got more local info from the guide on the way back to port. Three of us decided to go back to the ship and one of us stayed in port exploring, shopping, and soaking up the beach views. I was kind of sorry that I didn’t stay in port longer. 
 

after dinner, we visited the shops on the ship for a little bit and then met up with other TN lady and wound up at Ocean Bar where Third Avenue West was performing. Not a lot of people were here. We ran into another fellow snorkeler and chatted for awhile. The music wasn’t loud and was at a relaxing tempo so this was a good spot for conversation. Then we spent the rest of the evening at “All Requests” at Billboard on Board. 
 

to be continued - 

[oakridger]

Such pretty orchids!

 

~Nancy

[Denise T]

Beautiful pictures!

[LVinTennessee]

Friday - At Sea Day

 

I don't have a lot to report. We were total couch potatoes. We ate breakfast in the Lido and then basically relaxed all day in the Cabana. We didn't play Bingo, we didn't get in the pool, we never went back to the spa/hydro pool, we didn't play trivia, we didn't go to "Permission to Dance" again even though we had so much fun the first time. 

 

I mentioned this earlier, and I've decided I won't provide a lot of details, but I had a negative experience with my first time HAL spa visit on the first night of the cruise. It did not ruin my cruise nor have a negative impact on my overall opinion of HAL. Maybe it was a one time thing. I'm not mad at all, but I did provide a detailed report of what happened in my online survey at the end of the cruise. I've been to my local spa numerous time plus a fancy/luxury spa in a nearby town on 3 occasions, and I've never experienced what happened - I only mention this to say that I'm not a spa newbie.

 

Okay - after all that relaxing, we ate dinner in the MDR and had excellent service with Katino and Geno. Then we decided to go up the Crow's Nest to play cards. We took pictures of the sunset, and one of us got a mocha latte. Fun times! 

 

Guess what we did next? Yes, we went to Billboard On Board for All Requests with Brady and Caroline. We sort of stopped by B.B. Kings but it was always pretty crowded (whether it was the comedian or the band). And truthfully, Billboard On Board could get crowded. Sometimes, people stood in the walkway in front of the casino because all of the seats would be taken. Luckily, we were able to get 4 seats together because by Friday night, we had learned to get there early. 

 

At 9:45, we got to experience Chocolate Surprise (either they didn't have this on the 2018 Alaskan cruise or I just didn't know about it). Suddenly a parade of servers came through the area with various small bites of chocolate - I personally sampled a chocolate macaron, white chocolate covered raisins, milk chocolate covered nuts. It was a great treat!

 

To be continued - our last port day on Saturday - Freeport, Bahamas

 

 

[0106]

Thank you for your detailed review.  Sorry you were sick on your catamaran trip. Could you provide a minimum amount of detail about your negative spa experience? What type of service? Cost? Quality?