Alberta Quilter Posted December 12, 2019 #126 Share Posted December 12, 2019 4 minutes ago, smilesntravels said: Thank you. The lady on the phone did say the embarkation lunch is open to everyone, I just didn't say it in my post. Hmmm, so maybe it's a mystery champagne brunch she was talking about. I'm looking forward to the high teas and the new eating spots on this ship! The "champagne" brunch is the Mariners Brunch that is held later in the cruise. There may be more than one brunch if there are many Mariners. The Captain or Hotel Director makes a toast. There is a limited menu. And everyone receives a Delft tile gift. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 12, 2019 Author #127 Share Posted December 12, 2019 5 hours ago, caribill said: Can you provide the link to where your pictures/scanned items are posted? I missed seeing it in earlier posts. Thanks. I will be posting new beverage menus, dining menus, MDR table maps, and When & Wheres on my hobby website: www.rogerjett-photography.com before the end of the year. Since all photographs are created in RAW format, they must be processed before uploading to the same site which will require another week to be made available. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 12, 2019 Author #128 Share Posted December 12, 2019 4 hours ago, sprockie said: I'm loving this thread. We'll be skipping up the gangway in 3 more days!!!! Thanks for following. As posted earlier, boarding should be starting at 11:30 AM. Please join my 2:00 PM ship tour on Embarkation Day as posted on your roll call. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 12, 2019 Author #129 Share Posted December 12, 2019 5 hours ago, caribill said: a) Everyone is allowed to eat in the dining room (while it is still open for lunch) on embarkation day. It used to be that only Mariner Society members could do so. b) There will be two Mariner lunches during the cruise if the number of Mariner members cannot be accommodated in just one sitting. You would receive an invitation to attend one, not both if there are two. Someone else will need to answer about the brunch. The Westerdam this year had the Embarkation Day MDR reserved for only Mariners, so a blanket statement that "Everyone is allowed to eat in the dining room" made by HAL Customer Service does not reflect what actually happens at sea. The only way to know if the MDR is available for non-Mariners is to ask at the MDR door on Embarkation Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Himself Posted December 12, 2019 #130 Share Posted December 12, 2019 On 12/7/2019 at 8:27 PM, Crew News said: A week before boarding, members of my roll call were notified that general boarding would not start until 1:30 PM by deck number with a different deck boarding each 30 minutes and the last deck :boarding at 3:30 PM. If you are arriving from a HAL-sponsored hotel, everyone on the bus will board the ship at the same time. I am supposed to board at 1:00 PM but will be at the terminal door at 11:00 AM to report on the enforcement of this new policy. They will not enforce it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted December 12, 2019 #131 Share Posted December 12, 2019 It is so interesting to read about different things happening on the various ships. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Himself Posted December 12, 2019 #132 Share Posted December 12, 2019 I hope the wind dies down for Grand Cayman and if the wind is too severe better they drop it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 12, 2019 Author #133 Share Posted December 12, 2019 5 minutes ago, Himself said: I hope the wind dies down for Grand Cayman and if the wind is too severe better they drop it. Winds were calm enough and the seas were quiet enough for safe tendering today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
78232 Posted December 12, 2019 #134 Share Posted December 12, 2019 Have you seen the Retreat? There were reports that the Koningsdam retreat was cramped and generally less desirable than the retreat on the other HAL ships. I wondered if the Nieuw Stantendam had improved that situation. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcknj Posted December 12, 2019 #135 Share Posted December 12, 2019 Hey Crew News, enjoying your daily posts. We will be joining you on Sunday (12/15) and wondering about dance music on the ship. We love ballroom and Latin music -- is there much dance music on the NS? And what are the entertainment offerings on this cruise? Thanks for your response and hope your weather improves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcknj Posted December 12, 2019 #136 Share Posted December 12, 2019 1 hour ago, Crew News said: Winds were calm enough and the seas were quiet enough for safe tendering today. Hey Crew News, enjoying your daily posts. We will be joining you on Sunday (12/15) and wondering about the dance music on the ship. We are into ballroom and Latin music especially -- is there good dance music on the NS. Also what is the current entertainment on board this week? Thanks for your response and hope your weather improves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 13, 2019 Author #137 Share Posted December 13, 2019 1 hour ago, 78232 said: Have you seen the Retreat? There were reports that the Koningsdam retreat was cramped and generally less desirable than the retreat on the other HAL ships. I wondered if the Nieuw Stantendam had improved that situation. Thanks The Retreat is restricted to those who purchased them so I will visit the Retreat when we get to Fort Lauderdale before we depart for my second week. Hopefully, I can get pictures, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 13, 2019 Author #138 Share Posted December 13, 2019 1 hour ago, dcknj said: Hey Crew News, enjoying your daily posts. We will be joining you on Sunday (12/15) and wondering about the dance music on the ship. We are into ballroom and Latin music especially -- is there good dance music on the NS. Also what is the current entertainment on board this week? Thanks for your response and hope your weather improves. HAL is not great for dancing so I have heard. Tomorrow, there is a ballroom dancing hour at 5:00 PM in the BB King Club, Deck 2. Between the Lincoln Stage, Billboard, BB King, and Rolling Ston.e, there should be dancing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 13, 2019 Author #139 Share Posted December 13, 2019 (edited) The day at anchor near the Georgetown port began with partly cloudy skies and a growing threat of rain. Breakfast in Club Orange went quickly (25 minutes) just after the anchor was dropped off the coast and included the veggie scramble with beans and rice. Yes, I am from New Mexico. I decided to go ashore to find a polo shirt with the Cayman logo and take a few photographs. The ferry boarding process is one lane and must wait until all ferry passengers have boarded the ship and cleared Security screening. This is a lengthy process. It was noted that no bottled water was being sold near the gangway. The port provided the 250-passenger ferry boats which we boarded onto the top deck. The winds were calm and the seas quieter than I have ever seen in my many visits to Georgetown. It took me only one hour to discover that polo shirts were not available, take a few pictures, and head back for the ferry dock. If you want to take a photo of the ship, make sure you sit on the right side of the ferry. Gala Night dinner in Club Orange was both tasty and took one hour to complete. I like the cloth bread baskets that keep the bread warm. With a different view of the prep station, I watched the waiters bring in domed plates of food from the Deck 2 kitchen. I also watched the Club Chef mixing/stirring something but I never saw any of it being plated or picked up by the waiters. Over the next nine days, I hope to learn more about the Club Orange operations and what the chef actually cooks during the dinner service. Other notes for the day include the Dutch Café chef will be following this thread, the latest Shops liquor price list shows a $300/bottle increase in Louis XIII cognac, Room Steward carts are being parked in the hallways overnight (one across from my stateroom door), laundry took 8 hours today, and the Rolling Stone featured 70’s hits with most seats filled. The Dutch Café ran out of chocolate chip cookies before I remembered to stop there. I failed to listen to my own recommendation to pick up cookies right after breakfast but I have vowed to not let that happen again during this cruise. FWIW smoking is allowed on one side of the Casino that contains some slot machines. As I walked into the smoking area, I could not smell any smoke which indicates a smoke evacuation system is working well. Tomorrow is a late morning stop in Cozumel which means another “sleep-in” morning. More later. For those heading to Fort Lauderdale to join me next week, safe travels and pick up a few cookies from the Dutch Café on the way to your staterooms. Edited December 13, 2019 by Crew News 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenseasnomad Posted December 13, 2019 #140 Share Posted December 13, 2019 (edited) How in the world did you miss those cookies? Too many distractions I would imagine, such as keeping all of us posted, which we appreciate. We will definitely swing by Dutch Café on the way to our cabin at Dec. 22 embarkation for one of these impossibly delectable treats. You had me at chocolate-loaded. Edited December 13, 2019 by sevenseasnomad 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted December 13, 2019 #141 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Can't believe that after all these years HAL is using the island tenders at Grand Cayman. Great report. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoAnderson Posted December 13, 2019 #142 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Thanks so much for your reports. They are very entertaining and of course helpful!! I take meds that require refridgeration and in the past I have always had to store it in the infirmary. You mentioned storing goodies in the mini bar in your cabin. Are these fridges larger than the ones on other HAL ships. It would be great not having to retrieve my meds each day.... Thanks so much, hope to see you Sunday!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare puppycanducruise Posted December 13, 2019 #143 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Great information - thanks. Looking forward to reading more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat shepard Posted December 13, 2019 #144 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Note to Dutch cafe chef following this thread - more cookies, please. And if you communicate with any other HAL chefs, please ask them to make those cookies for their Exploration cafe! Back to @Crew News - you MISSED the cookie window???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 13, 2019 Author #145 Share Posted December 13, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, JoAnderson said: Thanks so much for your reports. They are very entertaining and of course helpful!! I take meds that require refridgeration and in the past I have always had to store it in the infirmary. You mentioned storing goodies in the mini bar in your cabin. Are these fridges larger than the ones on other HAL ships. It would be great not having to retrieve my meds each day.... Thanks so much, hope to see you Sunday!! The minibars are not free standing but built into the closets which makes them a bit smaller. The door holds 4 soda cans, the bottom holds 8 soda cans, and there is an adjustable top shelf about 12 X 6 inches. Using a thermal infrared thermometer a few years ago, I measured 43 degrees at the back and 46 degrees at the door. Your Room Steward can bring you a champagne bucket with ice and refill it three times per day that will keep meds around 33 degrees. My plate of cheese (small square plate from the Lido Market bread station) in a gallon-size Ziploc bag keeps cold and my Diet Cokes are perfect. Edited December 13, 2019 by Crew News Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 13, 2019 Author #146 Share Posted December 13, 2019 1 hour ago, cat shepard said: Note to Dutch cafe chef following this thread - more cookies, please. And if you communicate with any other HAL chefs, please ask them to make those cookies for their Exploration cafe! Back to @Crew News - you MISSED the cookie window???? It could be a matter of counter space. A domed plate of biscotti takes up little space on the combined Explorations Cafe/Crows Nest Bar counter whereas the large cookies are usually kept in a glass display case that have disappeared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Despegue Posted December 13, 2019 #147 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Roger, If you meet CAPTAIN Kevin, please give him my regards and congratulations from Captain Tino. Tell him to change the Café’s name into Café Belgium 🤪 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 13, 2019 Author #148 Share Posted December 13, 2019 2 minutes ago, Despegue said: Roger,s If you meet CAPTAIN Kevin, please give him my regards and congratulations from Captain Tino. Tell him to change the Café’s name into Café Belgium 🤪 There is a Mariner's Lunch tomorrow at noon, just I will be finishing my Behind the Scenes Tour, and when I pass him in the reception line, I will tell him. In addition, I will leave a message for him at the Front Desk with your regards convey and report any response here on this thread. Since I will be onboard for another week, feel free to exchange any info to the Captain through this thread. Hopefully, he will have mastered the Mariner's toast by tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted December 13, 2019 Author #149 Share Posted December 13, 2019 30 minutes ago, Despegue said: Roger, If you meet CAPTAIN Kevin, please give him my regards and congratulations from Captain Tino. Tell him to change the Café’s name into Café Belgium 🤪 I wrote a note, stating the above, for Captain Kevin and left it for him at the Front Desk. I will post any reply. If you would like to share your email address with him, you can post it via the Contact Tab on my website and I will give it to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Despegue Posted December 13, 2019 #150 Share Posted December 13, 2019 2 minutes ago, Crew News said: I wrote a note, stating the above, for Captain Kevin and left it for him at the Front Desk. I will post any reply. If you would like to share your email address with him, you can post it via the Contact Tab on my website and I will give it to him. Thanks buddy, I doubt he remembers me haha, it’s been 20 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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