Memo from the British Isles - 14 days Almost Live from Nieuw Statendam

[VMax1700]

 

 

Coming Soon!

 

Will the stateroom TV show the saved movies on my hard drive?

Can I connect my laptop?

Is there an headphone socket?

 

Answers to these long standing forum questions are about to be answered!

 

 

 

[Iamthesea]

Thanks so much for this review that I will be following closely.  My husband and I are also on the team of those doing a similar cruise on the Rotterdam, and out of Rotterdam next May.  Our first stop will be Scotland. 

[SilvertoGold]

VMax1700:   Re: Notices as posted.   In all our many days on HAL cruises we have never seen such well done Notices.  Concise, well-planned, easy to read, no repetitions, no confusion, each type of info separated and titled, capitalized and underlined.

 

Considering the Notices we have seen and struggled through, these are first rate and whoever is making these up need a huge star and a lot of praise. This deserves some serious praise on the Contact form on the HAL Navigator.

 

Thank you for this very readable thread!  Lot of esoteric info! Nice photos. Engaging tone to the writing.  You are a star!

Edited August 12, 2023 by SilvertoGold

[Bruges]

(Sun)deck 11 is closed for passengers 😞

only open for teammembers.

This is the only aft deck where you can take onobstructed pictures…

just the same like in May last year!

no more Statendam for me if it stays like this!

On Rotterdam it was always open

been to guestservices: this deck is only for personel!!!

 

 

[ski ww]

I was in the Tamarind and walked out on to the Sun Deck which was open from the Tamarind and had no problem taking pictures.

[Sea42]

There's also the aft lido deck.

[VMax1700]

It's been a long day, so....

Cue Gerry and the Pacemakers, Ferry across the Mersey........

"Life goes on day after day, hearts torn in every way, so ferry across the mersey......."

 

I must have been to Liverpool at least 20 times from when I was young to the last time which would have been about 1976.  My memory of the early years are the strongest as we regularly sailed on the overnight ferry from Belfast to Liverpool, where we would wake up to the sight of the Liver Building and the smell of Lime Street railway station, the smells of straw, horses and superheated steam, grease and oil from the steam driven locomotive taking us first to Crewe and then on to Stafford.  Perhaps my most memorable trip to Liverpool was to see a show by Sam & Dave plus Arthur Conley in the Empire Theatre.  I went to both shows a matinee and an evening show.  That was 1968 as they had been support to Otis Redding in 1967 on the Stax/Volt Tour of Europe, the summer before Otis died in a plane crash.  

But I digress.......

 

Liverpool is a cold grey city and specially on a wet morning.  We were docked at 10am but UK Immigration were slow to arrive onboad and set up shop so the Cruise Director was begging pax not to line up outside the World Stage as they had called no one yet.  But everyone ignored her.  Our scheduled slot was  10.30 to 10.45 am but it was 11.15 before our deck was called and when we went down to Deck 2, the line went from the World Stage, past BBKings, past Rudi's, past Club Orange and all the way down to the entrance to the MDR where it doubled back again up to BBK.  They called it a 'Process' but that was a complete misnomer.  Frustrated Chaos would be closer to a discription.  It was 12.30 before they called the final deck.

 

The Liver Building:

 

 

 

 

 

[VMax1700]

We used one of our HIA excursions and did the Footsteps of the Fab Four.  Originally we had been waitlisted for this tour, but more coaches were put on, so a "lorra lorra" people were touring the Beatles trail.  Our guide was a retired school teacher and as well as guiding us he had to tell the driver which way to go, as the driver had not done the tour prior to today.

 

So it was the usual places starting at the 'Beatles Story' (admission and headset was included in the price of the tour).  Interesting enough.  We were here for 1 hour 15 minutes, which was just about the right length of time.

 

 

We then moved on to Penny Lane for a photo op, 

 

 

The Bank on Penny Lane, which is now a Surgery,

 

 

And the barbers shop

 

 

Then it was on to the teenage years homes of John and Paul

 

 

 

 

We also visited the site of Strawberry Field home.

It was an enjoyable afternoon with a very professional guide and it lasted just over 4 hours.

[VMax1700]

Now some housekeeping:

 

Day 4 Daily Program (Saturday Liverpool)

 

 

 

[VMax1700]

Day 4 Menus (which are labelled Day 3!)

 

Lido Lunch

 

MDR Dinner

 

 

 

 

Lido Dinner

 

 

 

There were quite a few 'extras' in the Lido.  A lot of pies!  Steak and Kidney, beef and potato, Cottage Pie, Toad in the Hole.   Real British Food.  It was well received!

 

 

 

 

m3-day3-_lido_lunch_north_europe_2023 (1).pdfm3-day3-_lido_dinner_north_europe_voyage (2).pdfm3-day3-_mdr_north_europe_2023 (2).pdf

 

 

[VMax1700]

Todays Bread Pudding......it's twins!

 

[travelholics]

4 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Day 4 Menus (which are labelled Day 3!)

 

Lido Lunch

 

MDR Dinner

 

 

 

 

Lido Dinner

 

 

 

There were quite a few 'extras' in the Lido.  A lot of pies!  Steak and Kidney, beef and potato, Cottage Pie, Toad in the Hole.   Real British Food.  It was well received!

 

 

 

 

m3-day3-_lido_lunch_north_europe_2023 (1).pdf 97.35 kB · 0 downloads m3-day3-_lido_dinner_north_europe_voyage (2).pdf 110.54 kB · 0 downloads m3-day3-_mdr_north_europe_2023 (2).pdf 116.28 kB · 0 downloads

 

 

What choice! I think it would have been starter in the MDR with the Borscht and then up to the Lido for Steak and Kidney puff pie! Not sure if there would be room for bread pudding too !

[Ready2go11]

The daily program includes the deal or no deal game show. Did anyone attend and share details of how that works?

[Nodakboiler]

After 40+ cruises, this is the first time we’ve ever gone 2 straight days without any scheduled trivia games!

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks for the menus!  I am amazed that the MDR dinner menus are almost a carbon copy of the ones we had starting in April 2022 for Hawaii, Alaska, NZ, Australia and South Pacific on the Koningdam and the Noordam.  I would love to see the menus change....once a year?

 

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by SilvertoGold

[POA1]

20 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

It's been a long day, so....

Cue Gerry and the Pacemakers, Ferry across the Mersey........

"Life goes on day after day, hearts torn in every way, so ferry across the mersey......."

 

I must have been to Liverpool at least 20 times from when I was young to the last time which would have been about 1976.  My memory of the early years are the strongest as we regularly sailed on the overnight ferry from Belfast to Liverpool, where we would wake up to the sight of the Liver Building and the smell of Lime Street railway station, the smells of straw, horses and superheated steam, grease and oil from the steam driven locomotive taking us first to Crewe and then on to Stafford.  Perhaps my most memorable trip to Liverpool was to see a show by Sam & Dave plus Arthur Conley in the Empire Theatre.  I went to both shows a matinee and an evening show.  That was 1968 as they had been support to Otis Redding in 1967 on the Stax/Volt Tour of Europe, the summer before Otis died in a plane crash.  

But I digress.......

 

Liverpool is a cold grey city and specially on a wet morning.  We were docked at 10am but UK Immigration were slow to arrive onboad and set up shop so the Cruise Director was begging pax not to line up outside the World Stage as they had called no one yet.  But everyone ignored her.  Our scheduled slot was  10.30 to 10.45 am but it was 11.15 before our deck was called and when we went down to Deck 2, the line went from the World Stage, past BBKings, past Rudi's, past Club Orange and all the way down to the entrance to the MDR where it doubled back again up to BBK.  They called it a 'Process' but that was a complete misnomer.  Frustrated Chaos would be closer to a discription.  It was 12.30 before they called the final deck.

 

The Liver Building:

 

 

 

 

 

They say that the best writing paints a picture. This was a superlative post!

[Iamthesea]

"We were docked at 10am but UK Immigration were slow to arrive onboad and set up shop so the Cruise Director was begging pax not to line up outside the World Stage as they had called no one yet.  But everyone ignored her.  Our scheduled slot was  10.30 to 10.45 am but it was 11.15 before our deck was called and when we went down to Deck 2, the line went from the World Stage, past BBKings, past Rudi's, past Club Orange and all the way down to the entrance to the MDR where it doubled back again up to BBK.  They called it a 'Process' but that was a complete misnomer.  Frustrated Chaos would be closer to a discription.  It was 12.30 before they called the final deck."

 

Did you have to wait in that line, or go to the front when your deck was called?

 

 

[queen_kathy1]

7 hours ago, Ready2go11 said:

The daily program includes the deal or no deal game show. Did anyone attend and share details of how that works?

They sell DOND cards before the show.  The computer randomly selects a person who bought a card to go up on stage to play (2 people play in one hour) and select which briefcases are opened.  The person on stage can win up to $1,000.  Those in the crowd who bought tickets open the briefcases on their card and if the amount in the briefcase on your card matches what's shown up on the big screen, then you get a match.  As you play, you accumulate matches and depending on how many you get, you can win a prize.  The big prizes are win a free cruise or $1,000 - but you need a lot of matches to get to that level.  I watched DOND 2 different times during my 2-week cruise and the highest prize I saw won was $300 by one person (in the crowd). Most people won $5 scratch cards, a few people won a free bingo card.  On stage, the most I saw someone win was $200, the worst, someone won 25c, another won $1.  When you buy a card to play, even though you already opened all the briefcases, you still use your same card in following along as the second person plays - same session.  On another day, you need to buy new DOND cards to play again.

 

[Ready2go11]

queen_kathy1

 

thank you for the details!

[VMax1700]

2 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

"We were docked at 10am but UK Immigration were slow to arrive onboad and set up shop so the Cruise Director was begging pax not to line up outside the World Stage as they had called no one yet.  But everyone ignored her.  Our scheduled slot was  10.30 to 10.45 am but it was 11.15 before our deck was called and when we went down to Deck 2, the line went from the World Stage, past BBKings, past Rudi's, past Club Orange and all the way down to the entrance to the MDR where it doubled back again up to BBK.  They called it a 'Process' but that was a complete misnomer.  Frustrated Chaos would be closer to a discription.  It was 12.30 before they called the final deck."

 

Did you have to wait in that line, or go to the front when your deck was called?

 

 

Wait in line

[VMax1700]

Today was Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leery), a former village that for many years was known as Kingstown (while Cobh in Cork was known as Queenstown) and is now a  suburb of Dublin.

My previous experience of Dun Laoghaire is twofold.  In the mid 1960's I drove a Ford van for a blues/rock band based in Belfast.  They were semi professional and most of their income was earned in the Dublin area at the weekends.  I had a regular job during the week but friday evening I would be in the van driving the guys from Belfast to Dublin where they would play Friday night.  Saturday night and we would be out in Dun Laoghaire playing the tennis club followed by Sunday afternoon and evening gigs in Dublin followed by the drive back to Belfast on Sunday night.  In those days Dun Laoghaire was a prosperous area with many well to do families living in the area.

 

My second experience was from the mid 1980's until I retired a few years ago and I my employment was based in Dun Laoghaire!  So having experienced it during two downturns/recessions I was not exactly excited about having a port of call in Dun Laoghaire.  However, ignoring the slowness of the tenders it was a pleasant day.  The sun was out and it warmed everyone.  We met a former colleague of mine and her husband for lunch in the Royal Marine Hotel and had a good long catch up.  Dun Laoghaire looked good in the sunshine and it really presented well.  There was lots of information available for cruisers from numerous volunteer organisations.

 

Unfortunately the morning tender 'process' was fraught with problems.  The tide was running strongly which made the tender journeys quite slow.  Also because of the tidal conditions the ship was moored about one and a half miles from the pier.

Tender tickets were being issued in the BBK room on deck 2 but if you had priority you went straight to deck 1 for the next available tender (yay!).

 

Nieuw Statendam flying the Irish Tricolour.....

 

 

And Nieuw Statendam at anchor as seen from front door of Royal Marine Hotel.

 

[VMax1700]

Day 5 Program (Sunday Dun Laoghaire)

 

 

 

[1ANGELCAT]

@VMax1700, Enjoy your day tomorrow on the Isle of Man 🇮🇲. I have been thee 2 times to ride the trains and was able to visit the Manx cat sanctuary. I’d love to visit again.

[VMax1700]

Day 5 Menus 

 

Lido Lunch

 

 

 

MDR Dinner. (slight variation on other Northern Europe Day 5 menus - Short Rib replacing Norwegian Hake)

 

 

 

 

Lido Dinner

 

 

And the extra dish in Lido Dinner - Corned beef (but no cabbage on offer)

 

 

 

m5-day5-_lido_lunch_north_europe_2023.pdfm5-day5-_mdr_north_europe_2023.pdfm5-day5-_lido_dinner_north_europe_voyage.pdf

 

[Iamthesea]

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

Wait in line

That really is not fair.  Staff should have controlled the lines and process better. 

 

I am now concerned about the immigration process for our cruise.    It's really hard to plan an excursion outside of the cruiseline not knowing when passengers will be allowed off of the ship. We normally book shore excursions with fellow CC members.