Kinda "Live From" - CSI: NA (Nieuw Amsterdam, 11/16-11/23/2014

[shrimpboat123]

Nieuw Amsterdam Internet Speeds - Off Half Moon Cay:

Seattle:

 

Download Speed: 2053 kbps (256.6 KB/sec transfer rate)

Upload Speed: 630 kbps (78.8 KB/sec transfer rate)

 

New York:

 

Download Speed: 2037 kbps (254.6 KB/sec transfer rate)

Upload Speed: 530 kbps (66.3 KB/sec transfer rate)

 

 

Nieuw Amsterdam Internet Pricing:

Pay as you go: $0.75/min

100 minutes $55, 250 minutes $100, 1,000 minutes $250

Bottom Line: This not bad satellite speed at all. I am posting this from the desk by the window in our stateroom, so I'm not directly under an access point.

 

I'm going to have Internet withdrawal at those speeds.

 

At home I'm used to Downloads of 64.09 Mbps and Uploads of 24.14 Mbps.

 

We're on Fibre right to the home. :D

[kopykat]

Well, me and DW are sure going to enjoy this thread. Thanks for sharing. Great read.

 

I'm with you Chief

[PathfinderEss]

There was no one in the Piano Bar - including the pianist - when we checked. I looked at the schedule from yesterday, and I see that he wasn't scheduled to start until 10:30 last night, so that might be why we missed him. (Admittedly, we didn't have a super late night last night. We were plum tuckered out from the long, arduous journey. We'll be rested up for tonight now that the jet lag is out of our system. :D) You can expect a full report!

 

What jet lag, from your condo to the Nieuw Amsterdam, what a 5 min trip by taxi, hello! If the water didn't get in your way probably a 2 min walk.:D:eek:;)

[POA1]

i feel for you poa1. Ive only got 4500 miles to travel to get to the ship in 2 weeks!!!

 

if you think of it can you check when the happy hours are (if any)

 

thanks v much

 

There were no happy hours on the first day. On days 2+, there look to be 3 happy hours per day. One in the Ocean Bar, one in the Crow's Nest, and one in the Northern Lights Disco.

 

They are from 4-5, 5-6, and the Disco's is usually late - around 11 - midnight.

[Susie51]

I read more of the thread today. I actually got the "jet lag" joke right away.

 

Looking forward to more of CSI.

[POA1]

 

 

My apologies for being a little behind with the daily reports. Half Moon Cay Days are always a little tough in terms of the live reporting for some reason.

Another correction: I originally posted that Mario was our Cruise Director on the Maasdam in 2012. He was the CD on the Noordam in March 2014. (It's so sad when you get old and become forgetful.)

On this day in history -- In 1928, the first commercially successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon premiered in New York. It was Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie," starring Mickey Mouse. If you look closely, at about the five minute mark, Minnie can be seen getting breakfast from the buffet - in her bathrobe.

The Ship:

The Nieuw Amsterdam is in great shape. I haven't gone hunting for chipped paint of worn carpets, but nothing jumps out at you. The ship is clean and well-maintained. DW (Huskerchick) and I really like the decor. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but we like it very much. The public spaces are beautiful and nicely done. Passenger traffic flow is very good and we haven't felt crowded at all.

Our Stateroom:

This is our first foray into and SS and it works well for us. I won't lie and tell you that we like it better than our usual Neptune Suite outside the lounge, but the room is really quite functional and perfectly adequate for our needs. The workspace / desk in front of the window is good and there's a strong WiFi signal, which is good as I have had some unexpected work pop up. Shrimp123 - The speeds are no where near what you get at home. However, they're almost double what I measured just this spring on he Noordam. As with any satellite connection, latency is noticeable, especially on the uplink.

Room Stewards:

Our room stewards, Ari & Ari (or Ari Sr. and Ari Jr. according to their card) are fantastic. I requested a wine bucket full of ice so I can use my Ice Bags to chill the wines to temperature and the guys have kept it full. They've been really great and I am delighted to know that they will be our room stewards on the B2B on the 30th. (I'm fairly dismal with names, so have one room steward name to remember, "Ari," and getting to use it for a full 21 days is a welcome bonus.)

Tamarind - Departure Day:

We dined at Tamarind with Cruz Chic the first night of this trip. It's a very pretty room and the servers were quite good. (Sorry. I don't remember their names, and DW is out sunning, so I have no one to ask.) We started with the soup and had pot stickers and spring rolls as our appetizer. Both were good, but the spring rolls were the winner. Cruz Chic said that they're her favorites as well. For our main courses, Huskerchick had the rice paper wrapped Baramundi and I had the duck. I had planned to order the Swai, but our waitress waived me off of it. DW really liked her fish and it was the more successful of the two dishes. There was nothing wrong with the duck, but I prefer a crispier skin on my duck. Our wines were the Paul Georg Tradition Brut Champagne (NV) and Charles Smith's Kung Fu Girl Riesling. (If you're looking for a good Champagne to pair with Asian food, and you can get your hands on the Paul Georg, pick some up. They only make 400 cases a year, but you can pick it up at the Total Wine in Fort Lauderdale.)

The ladies had the Tamarind chocolate device for dessert, and I had the gingerbread pudding with tempura bananas. Desserts were good all around. We did not have a chance to try the Silk Den bar. It was closed for a private function when we were at the Tamarind. (It was the Suite Welcome Reception, so if you're in a Neptune Suite.... )

Cruz Chic suggested that we make a reservation for the Tamarind on the last night of our cruise. Apparently she, like DW, has no love for International Night. (I'm making DW go to International Night on one of the weeks of our B2B, so I will finally get to experience it.)

Main Dining Room - Second Day of Cruise, Half Moon Cay:

We've always been traditional late seating people. However, we decided to try open seating on this voyage. Cruz Chic was nice enough to acquiesce and eat at 7 PM on Monday night. Our server, Chandler, was very good and our wine steward, Arman, was excellent. We've tried to get them for our next meal. DW had the Pot Roast. Cruz Chic and I had the Sole. (Menus will follow as soon as I get them scanned.) Our wine pairings for the meal were 2012 Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc and 2012 Ken Wright Abbott Claim Pinot Noir. Ken Wright is DW's all time favorite Pinot, so we have it pretty often. The 2012 Abbott Claim is outstanding. So far, the Institute of Cheer Wine Package is getting pretty nigh marks from Cruz Chic.

Speaking of Cruz Chic... Please hold on to your seats. Ready? Okay, here goes: Her food in the MDR was hot last night. Let that sink in for a moment. She also said that our wine steward was the best she's ever had.

For those of you who hate food photos, you're really in luck. We've taken zero so far!

Our initial impression is that the traditional seating in upper dining room is a bit more formal than the open seating in lower dining room. Tonight is formal night, so we'll try to get a better read on things. Maybe I'll go upstairs and meet my assigned dining companions at Table 26 and see how they're dressed. ;)

Entertainment:

We attended all three shows of the B.B. King band in the Queen's Lounge last night. We loved the band on the Noordam, and this band is even better. The dance floor was pretty full for much of the shows and it seems like everyone had a good time. I will try to get a list of the band members' names to post later.

We stopped by the Piano Bar for a bit. Jeremy was playing to about a 1/3 to 1/2 full room when we popped in. His set was just ending as we walked in, so I can't really give a fair impression.

Bars (So Far):

We're all out of sorts on this cruise. We've not been to pre-dinner cocktails in the Ocean Bar yet. We have been to the Crow's Nest a few times. The bartenders: Jeffrey, Ramon, and guy whose name I can't remember are excellent. (The working name of the third bartender is "Cool green watch guy." I'm sure I'll learn it eventually.) All in all, the Crow's Nest crew is probably the most entertaining bar staff we've had on a HAL ship in a decade. We're delighted to be sailing on this ship again in two weeks.

The Queens Lounge ran this bizarre "Happy 15 Minutes" last night between the band's sets. It was your basic Buy 1, get a second drink for $1 event, but it only ran for the period between music sets. It seems to have worked - at least on us - because we didn't wander off to other venues when the music stopped.

On tap for tonight: Tonight is Formal Night, and we are eating at 6 to pay Cruz Chic back for dining at that unglodly hour of 7 PM last night. :) We have to give her credit. She hung in there with us through all three shows in the Queens Lounge. She peeled off before we went up to the Crow's Nest, but based on my headache this morning, hers was the wise call.

I think we're going to see the production show tonight. We'll also try to see one of Jeremy's sets in the Piano Bar.

Thanks for reading!

Edited November 18, 2014 by POA1

[kazu]

awesome post!

 

Glad to hear you and Cruz Chic are having fun together.

 

We like the Tamarind too! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the tip on the champagne :)

[AACJ]

 

snip

 

 

The Queens Lounge ran this bizarre "Happy 15 Minutes" last night between the band's sets. It was your basic Buy 1, get a second drink for $1 event, but it only ran for the period between music sets. It seems to have worked - at least on us - because we didn't wander off to other venues when the music stopped.

 

snip

 

We also took advantage of this great happy 15 minutes in between sets in the Queens Lounge last week. We also found they had this special around the ship in different bars at different times. In the Crows Nest, it usually started around 4:00 pm, at the aft pool bar, it seemed to start at 5:00 pm but sometimes ran as late as 8:00 pm.

 

Be sure to ask about the lightning strike we took last week.

[IJustWantToGo36]

Enjoying your updates.

 

Looking forward to sailing with you in 2 weeks.

[POA1]

Here are the first two on locations. I made them into PDFs with readable text, so you can theoretically copy and paste from them.

 

http://www.evernote.com/l/AFgR9t332HlCuK64O6WmW849cItiRJQz7no/

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the update and the link to the daily programs.

[Lizzie68]

Here are the first two on locations. I made them into PDFs with readable text, so you can theoretically copy and paste from them.

 

http://www.evernote.com/l/AFgR9t332HlCuK64O6WmW849cItiRJQz7no/

 

 

Great report - and good to hear CC-ers are having a great time together.:D Happy to hear Cruz Chic's dinner was hot. Thanks for making the On Locations in PDF format, makes it easier to read, for me anyway.

[trub]

fantastic report and thanks for the info - realy whetting the appetite for 11 days time!!!

[Stratheden]

I am so enjoying your reports. Hope you all continue to have a ball. It sounds like so much fun.

[shrimpboat123]

Here are the first two on locations. I made them into PDFs with readable text, so you can theoretically copy and paste from them.

 

http://www.evernote.com/l/AFgR9t332HlCuK64O6WmW849cItiRJQz7no/

 

I noticed they are offering a Beverage Package for Half Moon Cay for $29 pp. (Frozen Classics, Beer, Mocktails, Waters, and Sodas) Some conditions apply.

 

I don't remember this being offered last time we went to HMC in March.

 

Do you have any additional info about this? Especially what the conditions are.

[AACJ]

I noticed they are offering a Beverage Package for Half Moon Cay for $29 pp. (Frozen Classics, Beer, Mocktails, Waters, and Sodas) Some conditions apply.

 

I don't remember this being offered last time we went to HMC in March.

 

Do you have any additional info about this? Especially what the conditions are.

Just getting off the NA, that offer is for 6 drinks for 29.00. It IS transferable too. We reluctantly did NOT take it.

 

And only good on the island too.

Edited November 18, 2014 by AACJ

[wondertrue]

Thanks for updates POA1

[shrimpboat123]

Just getting off the NA, that offer is for 6 drinks for 29.00. It IS transferable too. We reluctantly did NOT take it.

 

And only good on the island too.

 

Thanks.

 

Doesn't sound like that great a deal. Cocktails are $5.95, so 6 would be $35.70, a saving of roughly one drink.

[AACJ]

Thanks.

 

Doesn't sound like that great a deal. Cocktails are $5.95, so 6 would be $35.70, a saving of roughly one drink.

They were pushing it as a savings of two drinks, using a higher priced drink.

[cruz chic]

Just want to add my 2 cents worth. The service has been top notch and the food the same. This has been one of my best cruises in terms of food and service. It's almost making me forget the Westy. Having a great time with POA and mrs. POA but they are making me stay up to late. BB king is excellent.

[PathfinderEss]

Just want to add my 2 cents worth. The service has been top notch and the food the same. This has been one of my best cruises in terms of food and service. It's almost making me forget the Westy. Having a great time with POA and mrs. POA but they are making me stay up to late. BB king is excellent.

 

Twisting your arm..........I'm sure.

[flamingogal]

Here are the first two on locations. I made them into PDFs with readable text, so you can theoretically copy and paste from them.

 

http://www.evernote.com/l/AFgR9t332HlCuK64O6WmW849cItiRJQz7no/

 

Thanks a bunch. Good to see the Happy Hours!!! and the BB King times.

Ur awesome!!

 

Jeanne

[POA1]

I noticed they are offering a Beverage Package for Half Moon Cay for $29 pp. (Frozen Classics, Beer, Mocktails, Waters, and Sodas) Some conditions apply.

 

I don't remember this being offered last time we went to HMC in March.

 

Do you have any additional info about this? Especially what the conditions are.

 

Why, yes I do, my soon-to-be cruise pal! It's basically a punch card that's good for 6 drinks at up to $7.25 each. The card costs $29 per card. The card can be shared amongst your party, so if you normally get something to drink on HMC, it works out to be a pretty decent deal. I sort of remember that the drinks on the island are a little more expensive than they are on the ship. (Don't quote me on that, because we didn't purchase any beverages on Half Moon Cay and I don't know for sure.)

[shrimpboat123]

Why, yes I do, my soon-to-be cruise pal! It's basically a punch card that's good for 6 drinks at up to $7.25 each. The card costs $29 per card. The card can be shared amongst your party, so if you normally get something to drink on HMC, it works out to be a pretty decent deal. I sort of remember that the drinks on the island are a little more expensive than they are on the ship. (Don't quote me on that, because we didn't purchase any beverages on Half Moon Cay and I don't know for sure.)

 

Thanks Brian. Have to think about whether it is worth it or not. Such a short stay at HMC.

 

Looking forward to meeting you and the Mrs. Will look for you at our agreed to meeting spot on the 30th. I might have to carry a sign - "Looking for Brian!". :D

 

Time to dig out the suitcases and start thinking about what to pack.

[POA1]

 

On this day in history, 12 years ago --- The U.S. government completed its takeover of security at 424 airports nationwide in 2002. Thanks to the new screening procedures, it now makes sense to show up for your flight in a robe and slippers - basically the same way you should dress to go to the Lido for breakfast.

 

Every once in a while, something happens that is so inspiring that you say to yourself, "Ah, perfect! Today's post will practically write itself."

 

Today is not one of those days.

 

Time for another name correction. Our excellent MDR waiter is Chandra. I had it written as Chandler earlier. Spell check, I blame you!

 

We're in Grand Cayman today. This is a tender port and there's a storm coming. That will mean an early end to tender service, and an abbreviated day. We're supposed to be getting some 3 meter swells this afternoon.

 

DW is hanging out in Cruz Chic's cabana, and I am catching up on some work. (I'm on break at the moment. ;) ) Because it's a short day, and because we're here again in two weeks, we opted to stay on the ship. I'll have better port reports when we do our B2B because we actually have things planned.

 

Last night's production show was Live at the Avalon Ballroom, which has a focus on ballroom dancing. If you are into dance, are a fan of Dancing with the Stars, and the like, this is a show for you. We also caught two of the BB King shows. They were excellent again.

 

We also made a pit stop at the Ocean Bar. DW and Cruz Chic had the drink of the day, "Witches Brew," which was a pumpkin spice martini. Huskerchick loves most anything pumpkin spice and wound up having another one in the Queen's Lounge.

 

Now for the long awaited piano bar update. We caught most of one of Jeremy's sets. He's a very good pianist, and he had a pretty enthusiastic crowd.

 

The casino is very busy on this sailing. There have been a number of Club 21 events, and this cruise was offered to the gambling group at a pretty good discount.

 

Last night's dinner was formal. I am happy to report that most guests rose to the occasion. The upper dining room does appear to be a little more formal, but I spotted well over a dozen tuxedos in the area immediately surrounding our table. There were a fair number of begowned women in attendance, too. (Yeah, I know that's probably not a real word. It sounds like one, though. Doesn't it?) UPDATE: It's a real word.

 

I would put the tuxedo percentage at about 20-25%, quite a bit higher than we saw on the Noordam in the spring. I wasn't expecting that, considering that this is a 7 day cruise and the Noordam was 10.

 

Dinner was very good. DW and I had the shrimp cocktail to start, followed by the pate. For her entrée, DW had the lamb. I had the surf and turf, which was two sautéed shrimp and a beef tenderloin that erred on the side of being a medallion. We both opted for cheese. Our Cheer Pack wine selections were Nicolas Feuillatte Rose Champagne and a bottle of 2007 Far Niente Cabernet that we brought back from the winery. Cruz Chic said it was the best red she's ever had. I told her to wait. There's an even better wine coming up for the second Formal Night.

 

We are of the opinion that this is a younger than average crowd. (Not Disney young. This is Holland America, after all - but pretty young nonetheless.) There are a fair number of people who are trying Holland America for the first time. We met several Princess & Celebrity regulars. They seemed generally pleased with the Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

We are dining in the Pinnacle Grill for Le Cirque night tonight. The Institute of Cheer Wine Package was only 12 bottles for this cruise, so we're going to pick something off the wine menu for tonight.

 

Hopefully, I'll have some more On Locations and some menus for your shortly.

Edited November 19, 2014 by POA1