Live from Nieuw Stat sailing from A to A!

[Mike B Landlubber]

 

In Seville, I took an excursion called “white villages and countryside. “ I interpreted the description rather naïvely. I visualized capturing scenes of old-fashioned, beautiful white Spanish villages. In fact, we went to two tourist oriented small towns and had relatively short times in each (an hour or less). In the first town, the Guide mentioned shopping although we did actually see an old church and part of the old city wall. The guide gave a short tour which went further, but I was feeling pessimistic and explored on my own. In the second town, the Guide mentioned dining or shopping. It was mid afternoon and the tour had left before lunch properly got started on ship, so I looked for a light late lunch. One Restaurant the Guide pointed out did actually appear to be serving Spanish fare, but it had a colossal line and I knew I wouldn’t get served in the time we had. Ironically, I went next-door to a burger place which the Guide said had good hamburgers. I ordered a hotdog and a strawberry shake. Both were actually quite good! But not the authentic Spanish food I would’ve hoped for… We also saw Spanish windmills, quite different from the ones I saw in the Netherlands early this year.

 

The tour delivered what was offered in the description, but I never felt engaged or excited, and I don’t really recommend the tour. Someone excited by a chance to shop away from a big port might feel quite differently.

[Mike B Landlubber]

I had a very good excursion from Barcelona to a monastery today, will catch up on excursions later. But I was glad to be on an HAL excursion. The lines for busses into Barcelona were impressive at 10 AM. Might have been better in the afternoon. There were two Dam ships in port today, Oosterdam was tied up ahead of NS. I also saw an MSC ship. Supposedly there was a Windstar ship also, but I didn’t see it. 
 

Oosterdam ahead of Nieuw Statendam.

 

I would say this was about 1/3 of the total line waiting on busses. I saw no movement while I was getting onto my excursion.

Edited September 19 by Mike B Landlubber

[Mike B Landlubber]

From Cartagena I took an excursion called “Spanish Horse Ranch and Show”. Unsurprisingly, the Focus was visiting a ranch that raised horses. After a chance to view horses in pasture and a presentation on some of their work, we saw a nice show involving a human dancer and a horse with rider “dancing. “ When I can post video I will show some video from it. They also served us some excellent snacks! Very good excursion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 19 by Mike B Landlubber

[Mike B Landlubber]

Regarding the wait for buses in Barcelona that I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I have talked to a couple of riders. They say that the wait wasn’t really bad. I hear times of 10 to 30 minutes. A couple of people said they could take taxis.

Edited September 19 by Mike B Landlubber

[cccole]

1 minute ago, Mike B Landlubber said:

Regarding the weight for buses in Barcelona that I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I have talked to a couple of riders. They say that the wait wasn’t really bad. I hear times of 10 to 30 minutes. A couple of people said they could take taxis.

You gave me a good laugh when I read "weight for buses" and it turned out to be "wait."  I was afraid they were weighing everyone before they could board the bus.  Thank you for your posts and beautiful photos.  Cherie 

[Mike B Landlubber]

1 minute ago, cccole said:

You gave me a good laugh when I read "weight for buses" and it turned out to be "wait."  I was afraid they were weighing everyone before they could board the bus.  Thank you for your posts and beautiful photos.  Cherie 

Using Speech to text doesn’t always pay off. Fortunately I reviewed carefully and caught this blooper while I could still edit…

[QuattroRomeo]

Love the horse photos!

[Mike B Landlubber]

I took a Norway cruise at the beginning of Summer that sailed from Amsterdam and had more than 50% Dutch passengers. Once when I ate at the Tamarind, I could not understand the hostess at all. My hearing is bad, but not that bad and I was puzzled. She left me with a menu and when I opened the menu it was in Dutch and I understood that she’d been talking to me in Dutch (I’m from the USA). Well, Holland America seems to be determined to make me a Dutchman. Yesterday in my cabin, I received one of the little ceramic decorated tiles and the card you see in the photo below!

Edited September 20 by Mike B Landlubber

[bigbeergut]

18 hours ago, Mike B Landlubber said:

I had a very good excursion from Barcelona to a monastery today, will catch up on excursions later. But I was glad to be on an HAL excursion. The lines for busses into Barcelona were impressive at 10 AM. Might have been better in the afternoon. There were two Dam ships in port today, Oosterdam was tied up ahead of NS. I also saw an MSC ship. Supposedly there was a Windstar ship also, but I didn’t see it. 
 

Oosterdam ahead of Nieuw Statendam.

 

I would say this was about 1/3 of the total line waiting on busses. I saw no movement while I was getting onto my excursion.

The wait really wasn’t that bad, but frustrating thing was there was only one person selling tickets at the front of the line.  That person did not move down the line and sell tickets prior to the bus arrival, he only sold tickets to the first person in line when the bus was there. It took a long time to board the bus because you needed to buy your ticket.

[Mike B Landlubber]

Food, glorious food!

 

Swordfish

 

Angry Lobster Pad Thai

 

Morimoto Fresh Tuna pizza—Delicious but SPICY HOT!

 

Shrimp, sausage, and grits

 

Oreo sundae

 

Pinnacle burger

 

Ham and cheese skillet

 

Crab cakes at Pinnacle lunch

Edited September 20 by Mike B Landlubber

[VMax1700]

5 hours ago, Mike B Landlubber said:

I opened the menu it was in Dutch

I would suggest that you go to Guest Services and point it out to them that you require English Language.  It must be recorded somewhere in the HAL system that you are Dutch.

[Mike B Landlubber]

29 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

I would suggest that you go to Guest Services and point it out to them that you require English Language.  It must be recorded somewhere in the HAL system that you are Dutch.

On the other hand, I’m doing a back to back, and got a letter today about the change in English, and all my communications from them have been in English. But if there is another “flying Dutchman” incident for me, I will definitely contact them.

Edited September 20 by Mike B Landlubber

[Mike B Landlubber]

The first half of my cruise is over. For those contemplating a similar route, I tried to assemble my view of the different excursions I took and my opinion of them. I tried to take a Broad view and not zero in on just what I like.
 

Bovington Tank Museum(Weymouth/Portland)—If the idea of standing and looking at old war machines for two hours doesn’t make your heart pound with delight, you should run away far and fast. If it does make your heart pound with delight then this is your day! My only criticism is that it was too short.

 

Santiago de Compostela Highlights (A Coruña)—Good tour but nothing special unless you have a strong religious connection.

 

Sweet City of Aveiro (Porto)—A good tour of broad interest but nothing special.

 

Lisbon Baroque & the Art of Tiles (Lisbon)—Great tile exhibit and a small but magnificent church. If those appeal to you, my highest recommendation here.

 

White Villages & Countryside (Seville)—Might appeal to hard-core shoppers who want a change from stores in the big ports, but I would choose another.

 

Fortress Gibraltar (Gibraltar)—Great tour for history fans and I think still a very good tour for almost everyone. If you are mobility limited it might be tough.

 

Spanish Ranch & Horse Show (Cartagena)—Recommended. I suspect especially good for families with kids.

 

Montserrat Monastery (Barcelona)—Spectacular scenery. The Basilica is nice, but not awe-inspiring unless the Madonna is very important to you. I liked it better than the Gaudi tour I took on previous Barcelona trip. Recommended. For those on wheelchairs be warned there are unavoidable sidewalks up and down hills.

[Mike B Landlubber]

 

Barcelona has many attractive options. On my previous visit, I took an excursion focused on the architecture of Gaudi. On this trip I chose an excursion with a trip to the Monastery at Monserrat. This involved a bus ride of about an hour. The last ten minutes of the trip are a curvy ride through a mountainous and scenic area. The parking area is at the base of a slope and you must walk up well-maintained sidewalks to get to the Basilica and facility. You will pass all sorts of vendors selling stuff. There are a couple of nice viewing areas for the surroundings. I wouldn’t feel safe taking a wheelchair up and down the slope and I doubt it would be allowed. After a modest climb, there is a facility that is well-integrated into the beautiful surroundings. The main interests for tourists are a museum and funicular, which this tour didn’t give time to visit, and a Basilica. The Basilica was built to contain and honor a statue of the Virgin Mary that was discovered in the area over 1000 years ago. There are also living facilities for some monks and nuns. We were guided into the basilica and then released to walk back to the bus on our own. We were given enough time to do minor shopping or buy a snack on the way back but not for any extended exploration. I understand it is possible to see close-up and touch part of the Madonna, but this takes more time than we had. I thought the surroundings and the integration of all the buildings into the surroundings were beautiful. The interior of the Basilica was attractive, but didn’t wow me. I recommend the excursion. Devotees will appreciate it, but probably be frustrated that there isn’t time to approach the Madonna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22 by Mike B Landlubber

[cccole]

@Mike B Landlubber  The photos and review of Monserrat were wonderful.  I did not know that there was a town with hotels.  In the reviews I had previously seen it was just about the Monastery.  The area is beautiful.  Thank you again for letting us cruise with you!  Cherie

[Mike B Landlubber]

26 minutes ago, cccole said:

@Mike B Landlubber  The photos and review of Monserrat were wonderful.  I did not know that there was a town with hotels.  In the reviews I had previously seen it was just about the Monastery.  The area is beautiful.  Thank you again for letting us cruise with you!  Cherie

To be clear, I didn’t stay in a hotel, but my understanding is there is at least one hotel. It looks surprisingly affordable from a quick check. I have no certain knowledge, but unless they have bellhop service or some sort of direct vehicle access it could be a chore to get your luggage to the hotel! Thanks for the nice words, glad you are enjoying my rambling!

Edited September 22 by Mike B Landlubber

[cccole]

@Mike B Landlubber  I understand that you were on a ship excursion but I had never seen photos of the town.  Your photos showed apparent lodgings and I thought that was awesome.  Totally understand that it would probably be an overnight where you do not bring anything but a carryon but it looks interesting. We spent 6 nights in Barcelona in 2022 and decided not to go to Monserrat because it just didn't seem worth it for a day.  This decision was made after reading reviews on CC of Monserrat.    Thank you again sooooooo much, Cherie

[Mike B Landlubber]

At Montserrat we were given this handout showing the upper area which may be of interest. At a guess, looks like the funicular may be the best way to access with luggage.

[Mike B Landlubber]

Today I did an excursion called “Ancient Olympia in Focus.“ it was billed as a photography-focused tour of the area where the ancient Olympic Games were held. We toured the ruins, then had a stop for refreshments and shopping before returning to the ship. Overall, the ruins of Olympia were pretty ordinary compared to others I have seen. And the photography aspect of the tour was a disappointment. We did not go to special viewpoints, didn’t receive photography advice, and appeared to be following the same path with the same stops as people taking conventional tours of the ruins.  I do think that we tended to stop for longer periods of time when we were given time to explore. We had an unimpressive snack break at the end with some shopping time. The tour made the best of the unremarkable ruins, but in this port I would look for excursions with other goals that might be more interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 23 by Mike B Landlubber

[RClark6369@aol.com]

Thank you for taking the time to post the port reviews and pics.   We eagerly read your posting each day.  We embark in A as you are disembarking in A.   In just a few days someone has to get out of my cabin !!!  Here I come!    LOL

Couple you snap a few more photos around the ship ?   I know a lot of pics are posted elsewhere, but its nice to see other photos.   Exterior and interior pics.

Hope you continue to have an awesome cruise !

 

Cheers!

Rex

[Mike B Landlubber]

46 minutes ago, RClark6369@aol.com said:

 

Couple you snap a few more photos around the ship ?   I know a lot of pics are posted elsewhere, but its nice to see other photos.   Exterior and interior pics.

Hope you continue to have an awesome cruise !

Here are some to start

 

ship library

 

work with glasses that I don’t understand 

 

 

 

finding an elephant in my bed!

Edited September 23 by Mike B Landlubber

[RClark6369@aol.com]

So Great !!!   Thank you !!!

 

Rex

[greensprout]

We went to Monserrat when staying for a few days in Barcelona post first cruise in 2008.  Was us (40ish) and 2 kids (11 and other turned 13 in Barcelona).

 

As we were post cruise we took a train, then the tram up the mountain.  Went on a hike above the monastery supposed to be maybe 30 min.  Clearly we took a wrong turn and eventually found our way back 2 hours later, lol.  It was actually a great adventure and the boys(kids) stayed engaged.   They were happy with a cola and ice cream once we returned to the base area while we had a well deserved cold beer.

 

Definitely recommend a trip to Monserrat if you are there, but suspect the ship tours may be less time than one may want up there.

 

 

[cannongate]

3 hours ago, RClark6369@aol.com said:

Thank you for taking the time to post the port reviews and pics.   We eagerly read your posting each day.  We embark in A as you are disembarking in A.   In just a few days someone has to get out of my cabin !!!  Here I come!    LOL

Couple you snap a few more photos around the ship ?   I know a lot of pics are posted elsewhere, but its nice to see other photos.   Exterior and interior pics.

Hope you continue to have an awesome cruise !

 

Cheers!

Rex

I am also getting on in A and it isn't just "someone" who needs to get out of my cabin it's Mike the Author of this thread!  I hope you're taking care of it for me.

[Mike B Landlubber]

At dinner last night. The wait staff sure earn their money!