'Twas Two Weeks Before Christmas - Live from the Nieuw Statendam, Dec. 10 - 17, 2023

[superoma]

1 minute ago, POA1 said:

I would never do that. Michelle read it first and kept the plot from me. I was working on Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr series, aka the Burglar books.

Another author to try. Thanks. 

[POA1]

Pregame cocktails were at the Royal Dutch Cafe. They make a wicked Espresso Martini.

The Espresso Martini and - I know you are sporting your shocked face - Maker's Mark on the rocks.

Even though Poohby Joe doesn't dine in public, he still dresses for dinner. (He needs to keep a low profile because the poohparazzi are everywhere.)

[Haljo1935]

8 minutes ago, POA1 said:

Pregame cocktails were at the Royal Dutch Cafe. They make a wicked Espresso Martini.

The Espresso Martini and - I know you are sporting your shocked face - Maker's Mark on the rocks.

Even though Poohby Joe doesn't dine in public, he still dresses for dinner. (He needs to keep a low profile because the poohparazzi are everywhere.)

Awe, Poohby Joe looks quite dashing🤭

They also make a fabulous Chocolate Espresso Martini if you're game for an extra kick.

[1ANGELCAT]

Poohby Joe always looks so dapper. I think he deserves a night in the PG.

[POA1]

Just now, Haljo1935 said:

Awe, Poohby Joe looks quite dashing🤭

They also make a fabulous Chocolate Espresso Martini if you're game for an extra kick.

I really appreciate the tip! Apparently the only thing better than an espresso martini is a chocolate espresso martini. Consider it on the priority list.

[POA1]

We started dinner with the Caribbean Deviled Eggs. (I posted the menu earlier if you want to read the descriptions.)

I have our wine steward on the same page as we are now. I order our wines "straight through" for delivery all at once. That ensures that our wine is always there when each course arrives. The exception is dessert wine and after dinner cordials. I'll order them with dessert.

For our starters, we had Domaine Houchart Rosé. The previously discussed Trignon Cotes du Rhone accompanied the mains.

 

[POA1]

For our second course, Michelle had the Boston Lettuce with Gorgonzola and I opted for the Port to Table selection of the Jamaican Beef Patty. DW said that, "With all due respect to the Jamaicans, that's an empanada."

 

The Boston Lettuce with Gorgonzola salad.

 

Yeah. It's an empanada. Good though.

[POA1]

For the main course, Michelle was torn between the Pork Belly and the Amber Ale Glazed Salmon. Per our marital vows, I have to order whichever other one she doesn't choose.

 

She had the pork belly. I got the salmon. The pork belly was nice and crispy on top. The salmon was quite good as well.

 

 

[POA1]

And finally, we reach the dessert round. Michelle ordered the Red Velvet Cake. I picked the Coconut Chocolate Napoleon. The Napoleon was the first outright disappointment. The pastry was rather dry.

 

If I keep "losing dessert," I'm going to get a complex.

The Red Velvet Cake was a little on the pink side. (Does that make it medium rare?) Michelle got another glass of Trignon.

 

The Napoleon I paired it with Graham's Warrior Port.

[POA1]

Tomorrow starts our specialty dining run. It's the Pinnacle tomorrow night and Sel de Mer on Thursday. We're going to try to work some caviar in at some point. We usually shoot for a formal night. However, the Pinnacle Class does not have a Pinnacle bar which is usually where we do caviar. I'm sure we'll figure something out.

 

For everyone on the Chef Rudi's death watch, it's been full every night but embarkation day. As Mark Twain said, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

 

I trust that both nights will be, dare I say, awesome.

[POA1]

There is an animated gingerbread village on Deck 2 between the midship atrium and the BB King lounge. It would probably lend itself to close ups and video, but I wanted to get the full scope of the display. I will see what I can do in terms of Christmas decor photos on Wednesday or Thursday.

 

We lose an hour tonight. We're planning on room service breakfast to start the day. We remembered to put out the hang card for breakfast, which is nice. It's amazing what you can forget in five years. At least we remember how to order breakfast.

 

We've done a couple of land vacations in San Juan so we don't have anything specific planned. We want to wander around and get some Christmas pictures. When we were last in San Juan, they had some interesting Christmas displays. They were very Catholic and very much Spanish and Central / South American in influence. We love seeing different Christmas traditions.

 

We received our disembarkation instructions earlier. Talk about abrupt. We'll take advantage of the 4*, Club Orange late disembarkation privilege. We have what the sheet calls "independent travel arrangements." Once we grab a taxi, we'll be home in less than 15 minutes. Then we can sit out on our balcony and watch the Nieuw Statendam leave in the afternoon.

Edited December 13, 2023 by POA1

[POA1]

We have not seen a production show yet. We prefer to dine late and that's not conducive to seeing the shows. We may wait until Spring on the Rotterdam.

 

We walked through the casino and I don't think we've ever seen a HAL casino so packed. There's a huge slots tournament going on during this sailing. The machines are almost all full, all the time. The only thing that didn't seem busy was craps. We did not spend a lot of time in the casino, so maybe it empties out at times.

 

In unrelated news, ever since I decided to introduce myself to Lisa the next time I saw her, I haven't seen her at all. I saw she was in Tamarind tonight. We were in CO, so our paths did not cross.

 

We still have a few days.

[erewhon]

Thanks for sll your information and photos.

Is Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc no longer available on HAL, or did I miss it on the wine lists?

[swin26]

4 hours ago, POA1 said:

and I opted for the Port to Table selection of the Jamaican Beef Patty. DW said that, "With all due respect to the Jamaicans, that's an empanada."

So funny- I don’t think I would ever order a Jamaican Beef Patty, but definitely would order an empanada. 

[POA1]

Just now, erewhon said:

Thanks for sll your information and photos.

Is Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc no longer available on HAL, or did I miss it on the wine lists?

Right now, there is 13 Celsius or Simi Sauvignon Blanc by the glass. I saw Tini Sauv Blanc on one of the package lists but that's all.

[POA1]

Just now, swin26 said:

So funny- I don’t think I would ever order a Jamaican Beef Patty, but definitely would order an empanada. 

Other than the fact that it is plated on a red cabbage Jamaican slaw you'd swear it's an empanada. Now that you know the secret, you can enjoy this exotic Caribbean island treat (which is totally not from Mexico.)

[POA1]

I started to write this to @VMax1700

but then she shipboard internet went out. Let's see if it will let me finish.

 

We have had two quibbles this trip. Both are fairly minor. The first is the serving temperature for red wines. It's a little warm. We are sticklers for a proper 65°F for most red wine. (That's 18 1/3 degrees Celsius if you are drinking metric wine.)

 

Most restaurants in Florida serve their reds too warm, so we're used to it. (Wines served at the Institute are served at the proper temperature. And, no one ever asks if you want a refill when you are done. You just finish the bottle. Anything less shows lack of commitment.)

 

Quibble number two had to do with the size of the pours of my bourbon. I like them to be a little on the generous side. I don't want to order doubles all the time but I worry about evaporation. I was diligently helping out with the village scholarship fund each time we got a round. But, I was worried that if things continued on their current course, a bright young student in Luzon would be denied an education.

 

For the first two days, the pours were a little less than my liking. (It's technically not possible to be "more than my liking.") On Monday night, in the Rolling Stone Lounge, during a rendition of Eddie Money's "Two Tickets to Paradise," a nice generous, and dare I say, much loved and appreciated pour showed up.

 

"Halle-f'ing-lujah!" I exclaimed. And there was much rejoicing.

 

My luck continued to hold as we moved to BB King and it has held up since. The pours aren't always as spectacular as the photos, but they've been quite acceptable.

 

I understand the cruise line's need to control costs and their concern for my liver, but I hate to have my server run ragged bringing an endless stream of tiny drinks. I also worry about the glasses washed unnecessarily. (I didn't start the whole canned water, "saving Gaia" thing - but if we must, I can play along.)

 

I feel like I'm doing my part by not adding a mixer to my drink. And finally, I know I could order "doubles" but I'd rather not. If I hit the 15 drink limit, I'm expecting a debilitating hangover. That's why we pack Alka Seltzer, Bonine and some electrolyte powder that our niece, the biochemist (PhD University of Virginia, Masters MIT) gave as wedding favors. (Research runs in the family.)

 

I guess what I'm saying is, "Travel in the Bubble of Awesome, and trust it's vacation magick."

 

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by POA1

[POA1]

Good morning! We are currently steaming toward San Juan. We arrive in the afternoon and depart around 10:00 PM. The approach to San Juan is usually a scenic one, so we'll probably watch from up in the cabana. I need to get some photos for a special project and today should provide a good opportunity.

[POA1]

Let's file this post under 'Environmental Observations." Our stateroom AC has been fine. We set our AC to the coldest setting and adjust as needed. We still have not acclimated to Florida temperatures so our air conditioner setting is reflect years of living in Maine.

 

The water temperature has been fine with plenty of hot water. Water pressure is good as well.

 

All in all the Pinnacle Class shower only set up is fine. The bathroom is definitely smaller than the older ships with their tub and shower.

 

 

I'll be interested to see what the Signature Suites look like in person. That'll have to wait a bit because our next cruise is in a pointy V verandah on the Rotterdam.

 

[0106]

@POA1i am enjoying this thread!

 

When eating a patty in Jamaica, I find them to be similar to empanadas but the crust tends to be flakier, the filling is meat or seafood (often spicy) and they are baked instead of fried.  

[whogo]

10 hours ago, POA1 said:

If I keep "losing dessert," I'm going to get a complex.

It is wonderful to hear reports from another competitive diner.

 

[POA1]

I'm jumping the gun a little on this "banner post," but the post cards and maps are on my PC, while the photos come from my phone for the most part.

 

 

I probably should have written some material for each of the ports, but it's really hard to top @Copper10-8 when it comes to informative port posts.  I should start working on that for April. If I begin now, I might have something done by then.

 

 

 

[POA1]

11 minutes ago, 0106 said:

@POA1i am enjoying this thread!

 

When eating a patty in Jamaica, I find them to be similar to empanadas but the crust tends to be flakier, the filling is meat or seafood (often spicy) and they are baked instead of fried.  

 

That sounds about right, but I am married to a Southern California girl and I know better than to mess with her pronouncements on Mexican food.

 

The Jamaican patty was what I call "HAL Spicy" as in not very much at all.  No need to reach for the Tums or Rolaids on this one.  In fact, the only really spicy thing I encountered was the pico de gallo on the corned beef hash at breakfast.

[keeponcruising]

Hello Poa1, I am greatly enjoying following along with you and it is building my anticipation even more for my cruise in a few weeks on the Rotterdam.  In the middle of the night  I had the thought that during happy hour, I wonder if the beverage package can be used to get a more expensive drink that would be over package limits. Example would be a glass of wine is $20, but with the 50% off it puts it within the package limits.  I wonder if the Institute of Cheer can do some research on that??

[Haljo1935]

22 minutes ago, POA1 said:

 

That sounds about right, but I am married to a Southern California girl and I know better than to mess with her pronouncements on Mexican food.

 

The Jamaican patty was what I call "HAL Spicy" as in not very much at all.  No need to reach for the Tums or Rolaids on this one.  In fact, the only really spicy thing I encountered was the pico de gallo on the corned beef hash at breakfast.

The "pico de gallo" in the Tamarind has a bite to it. Wasn't expecting to see that served there, but it was very good. In the blue bowl in the pic below.

Was so good on the rice crackers (their term) we had to get refills of of the pico.