Venture to the Caribbean with Bill & Mary Ann on the Nieuw Statendam & Nieuw Amsterdam 12-18-21 to 4-26-22

[idiebabe]

3 hours ago, BellKat said:

I will speak to our friend who works for Holland corporate about this. He’s adamant about people wearing masks.I’m sure he will speak to the appropriate people. Thanks for the heads up.

You only mentioned in your other Post the Group in BB King who were not wearing Masks.  If passengers are sitting down and having a drink, it is my understanding that they don’t have to wear a Mask. This was the case on both my Rotterdam and NS Cruises.   Were there passengers walking around Indoors not wearing them?  I was on NS early December and thought the Crew was very good reminding anyone not wearing a Mask or not wearing it properly to do so.  
 

Just curious how lax has it become?  

[YXU AC*SE]

1 hour ago, LocoLoco1 said:

A cabin I have booked for next month. NIEUW AMSTERDAM (and EURODAM) appears quirky. 

 

Actually that feature is common to Vista, Signature, and Pinnacle class ships.  The two end inside cabins on the block that abuts the running track have windows that face the end of the magradome.  No view, but you can check on the weather and daylight.    Shot is from the running track looking into the room a few Hallowe'ens ago on Koningsdam -- and before the safety marms lose their minds, the pumpkin (which cost 5 EUR(!)  in Civitavecchia Coop Italia) its illuminated w/ an LED.    Scott. 

 

 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

I wonder if the hotel would provide a small microwave if you asked for one. We've had hotel stays where both refrigerators and/or microwaves were available on a limited basis.

[sailawaygirl]

I too enjoyed reading your wonderfully informative posts on each port...was so looking forward to meeting you in person. Keep posting I will keep reading and hopefully we can all cheer you up in your isolation.

 

[nooligans]

13 hours ago, idiebabe said:

You only mentioned in your other Post the Group in BB King who were not wearing Masks.  If passengers are sitting down and having a drink, it is my understanding that they don’t have to wear a Mask. This was the case on both my Rotterdam and NS Cruises.   Were there passengers walking around Indoors not wearing them?  I was on NS early December and thought the Crew was very good reminding anyone not wearing a Mask or not wearing it properly to do so.  
 

Just curious how lax has it become?  

Yes passengers are allowed to remove masks while drinking but they are maskless on the dance floor and while walking around. Enforcement was great last week on the Rotterdam but is very lax on NS. 

[WCB]

Report #38  Marriott Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.......Monday - January 24, 2022 .......Part #1 Of 1........50 Pictures

 

Woke up to someone singing “Happy Birthday”, which of course, was Bill, reminding me that I was one year older.  Even with everything going on, these birthdays seem to find you no matter what.  Better than the alternative…..

 

We slept pretty good, except for waking up a few times, wondering where we are.  The hotel room layout is similar to the ship’s cabin.  And the strange thing with one of us, is that the feeling of the sea motion stays long after leaving the ship.  Could have sworn that we were still on the ship.

 

We were just about to begin our yogurt breakfast, when there was a knock on the door.  It was the food deliverer who left a bag of dining room breakfast on our door handle. Except, it wasn’t ours.  On the top was a cardboard container with two fried eggs, hash browns, and Canadian bacon…..all piled on top of each other.  It sure wasn’t appealing.  There was fruit and toast with jams in another cardboard box.  That’s when we called the front Desk and told them about the incorrect delivery.  The bags were picked up, and delivered to the right room we assume.  Little did the recipients know where their food had gone.

 

Doing our own housekeeping chores, not a big deal, we took our first walk of the day.  The weather seemed better today.  With the un coming out, it was not as cold as yesterday.  But the wind was still chilly.

 

Yesterday, Bill had found the local supermarket at Publix.  So we went back there.  He picked up some more supplies like paper plates, napkins, and plastic cutlery, while I waited outside. 

 

Back at the hotel, we dined on ham and cheese sandwiches, chips, and pillow candies from or room. 

 

We had a surprise knock on the door again at 2pm.  This time, it was a vase of flowers delivered to the birthday girl.  The card said it was compliments from the Mariner Society.  A phone call later on revealed that it may have been Gerald Bernhoft who sent the bouquet.  Sure brightened up my day.

 

Another nice surprise, was a phone call from our travel agent in Seattle.  It is not unusual for us to talk at least once a week concerning future bookings and the details.  This call was purely a goodwill phone message for my birthday, and spending it with Covid.  Again, it made my day.

 

Later we took another walk outside, where we discovered other folks seemed to be doing the same thing.  It was a good time for a movie, so that took care of the rest of the day.

 

Dinner was hotel delivery of a shared chicken quesadilla then we had salads – one chicken Caesar and one panache of greens.  We had toyed with the idea  of ordering one slice of chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream, but decided that the ice cream would be melted.  Sharing a fresh apple seemed to be a better idea. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[0106]

I appreciate your daily updates and am glad you are feeling well enough to go for a walk.  This might be better than being restricted to your cabin, alone.

[WCB]

Greetings all readers!

 

Many  thanks for all of your positive comments.  The good news is that I am feeling better every day, and Bill is still fine.

We will get FCC for the missed cruise.  And only Bill will be tested before re- joining  the ship, as I will test positive for a few months I was told.  A certificate will be issued saying as much.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[KirkNC]

18 hours ago, nooligans said:

Sorry to hijack this thread but we are also on the NS. PLEASE let guest services know how you feel about the maskless. We speak to them every day but nothing seems to change. 

And this is one reason why I am sitting at home.  I would be too irritated by those who selfishly refuse to follow rules they agreed to follow.

Edited January 26, 2022 by KirkNC

[seagarsmoker]

Belated Happy Birthday and thanks again for your daily updates! 

[mexico8]

Also a belated Happy Birthday and glad that you got some nice flowers and phone calls.  I was enjoying all your posts while you were on the ship and still enjoy reading about your time at the hotel.  Hang in there - it will soon be over and you will be back cruising.

 

Like you I also got Covid in spite of being so careful.  We are in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for the winter months and wore masks and were careful but I got a very mild case of  Covid.  Had a few mild symptoms for a few days and then it was all done.   I have had 2 vaccinations and the booster so that sure helped me.

 

Look forward to reading all about your cruise once you are back on board.

 

Wendy

[cunnorl]

    Glad you are feeling better. Hopefully the weather will improve and you can get some sun. 

    Anxious to again follow your travels.

  

[KirkNC]

2 hours ago, WCB said:

Greetings all readers!

 

Many  thanks for all of your positive comments.  The good news is that I am feeling better every day, and Bill is still fine.

We will get FCC for the missed cruise.  And only Bill will be tested before re- joining  the ship, as I will test positive for a few months I was told.  A certificate will be issued saying as much.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

My DW had Covid, confirmed by both an antigen and PCR test.  A week later she tested negative with an antigen test.

[julia]

Happy to read that you had an enjoyable birthday....  certainly one to remember!  Thanks for keeping us updated!

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Happy Birthday. Knowing how much you two like to walk, I am so glad you can do that at your isolation hotel.  Hang in there.

[WCB]

Report # 39   Marriott Hotel   Tuesday - January 25, 2022   Mostly cloudy, but not as cold  - 73 degrees   Part #1 Of 1........45 Pictures

 

For a change, we slept in later than we usually do.  Can’t say that we are not getting a lot of rest during our stay.  And it has to be helping me recover from this virus.

 

Running low on the coffee pods and tea bags, we called to ask for more.  Requesting regular coffee, they brought decaf, and many tea bags.  Calling again, the correct ones were brought, with the deliverer giggling down the hallway.  It seems that about half of the time, something we have ordered is missing.  And most of those times, we don’t call.  The secret could be not to order too many things at once.

 

After our yogurt breakfast with cranberry juice, we headed out for our morning walk.  This time we were determined to find Walmart, which is supposed to be close by.  Asking a group of ladies who were waiting to enter an exercise club, they pointed up the street and across the road.  We  would not have seen it, because the building was buried in palm trees, and there was not even a sign of what it was. 

 

It had everything we needed and more.  Prices were better than anywhere we have shopped. We do have a Walmart at home, but it is over the hill, and not on our regular path.  And the largest city near us, Concord, will not allowed one to be built as far as we know.  Lucky we have a Costco.

 

Lunch was in our room again with sandwiches just like we make at home.  And now we have biscotti cookies, one of our favorites.   They go well with slices of apples. 

 

On our late afternoon walk, we passed more couples that were doing the same  thing as us.  Now we are wondering if this hotel is strictly for quarantined guests?  It’s almost like – don’t ask, don’t tell type of situation.  The sun was going down, giving us a much different type of setting.

 

Dinner was one turkey BLT and one cheeseburger.  They came with fries, although we had ordered a side salad instead.  Our delivery gal said just keep them and enjoy the fries.  Previous to this delivery, she had brought someone else’s food.  Meeting us at the door, she switched bags with us. 

 

The final movie of the evening was the first half of Titanic, which we have seen a hundred times already.  We think the best part was before hitting the iceberg, especially with everyone onboard.  Don’t need that in our heads once we go back.

 

Another day gone……….

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[SilvertoGold]

Really enjoying your adventures, both cruise and hotel :)  So sorry this happened to you!  It is, however, very interesting and instructive for those of us reading your newsy posts.

 

One thing that really struck me is why this "quarantine" could not be handled on the ship, as I know that is being done from reading other threads here on CC.   

 

Surprised, but happy, that you are able to get out and about for walks and shopping, which you would not have been able to do on the ship.  Thanks for keeping up your daily posts.  Most welcome and the first thing I look for each day.

 

Stay calm and carry on!  Best wishes.

[ozcruizer]

I have been following you and your world cruises for years so was disappointed for you, Mary Ann, that you were unlucky enough to catch the dreaded virus.  Cruises are unfortunately off the table for us for quite a while, being in Australia.  Glad you enjoyed your birthday and hope you are back on the ship as soon as possible.

[CHK]

21 hours ago, WCB said:

Report #38  Marriott Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.......Monday - January 24, 2022 .......Part #1 Of 1........50 Pictures

 

Woke up to someone singing “Happy Birthday”, which of course, was Bill, reminding me that I was one year older.  Even with everything going on, these birthdays seem to find you no matter what.  Better than the alternative…..

 

We slept pretty good, except for waking up a few times, wondering where we are.  The hotel room layout is similar to the ship’s cabin.  And the strange thing with one of us, is that the feeling of the sea motion stays long after leaving the ship.  Could have sworn that we were still on the ship.

 

We were just about to begin our yogurt breakfast, when there was a knock on the door.  It was the food deliverer who left a bag of dining room breakfast on our door handle. Except, it wasn’t ours.  On the top was a cardboard container with two fried eggs, hash browns, and Canadian bacon…..all piled on top of each other.  It sure wasn’t appealing.  There was fruit and toast with jams in another cardboard box.  That’s when we called the front Desk and told them about the incorrect delivery.  The bags were picked up, and delivered to the right room we assume.  Little did the recipients know where their food had gone.

 

Doing our own housekeeping chores, not a big deal, we took our first walk of the day.  The weather seemed better today.  With the un coming out, it was not as cold as yesterday.  But the wind was still chilly.

 

Yesterday, Bill had found the local supermarket at Publix.  So we went back there.  He picked up some more supplies like paper plates, napkins, and plastic cutlery, while I waited outside. 

 

Back at the hotel, we dined on ham and cheese sandwiches, chips, and pillow candies from or room. 

 

We had a surprise knock on the door again at 2pm.  This time, it was a vase of flowers delivered to the birthday girl.  The card said it was compliments from the Mariner Society.  A phone call later on revealed that it may have been Gerald Bernhoft who sent the bouquet.  Sure brightened up my day.

 

Another nice surprise, was a phone call from our travel agent in Seattle.  It is not unusual for us to talk at least once a week concerning future bookings and the details.  This call was purely a goodwill phone message for my birthday, and spending it with Covid.  Again, it made my day.

 

Later we took another walk outside, where we discovered other folks seemed to be doing the same thing.  It was a good time for a movie, so that took care of the rest of the day.

 

Dinner was hotel delivery of a shared chicken quesadilla then we had salads – one chicken Caesar and one panache of greens.  We had toyed with the idea  of ordering one slice of chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream, but decided that the ice cream would be melted.  Sharing a fresh apple seemed to be a better idea. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

I'm so glad to hear that you aren't feeling many ill effects from your infection. Being moved off of the ship is such a great inconvenience, but at least at the hotel you can go out and walk around as opposed to being locked in a cabin by yourself for 10 days. 

[rochelle_s]

13 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

Really enjoying your adventures, both cruise and hotel 🙂 So sorry this happened to you!  It is, however, very interesting and instructive for those of us reading your newsy posts.

 

One thing that really struck me is why this "quarantine" could not be handled on the ship, as I know that is being done from reading other threads here on CC.   

 

Surprised, but happy, that you are able to get out and about for walks and shopping, which you would not have been able to do on the ship.  Thanks for keeping up your daily posts.  Most welcome and the first thing I look for each day.

 

Stay calm and carry on!  Best wishes.

The ship needs to keep the number of COVID cases onboard as low as possible. Crew are moved to another ship acting as a sick bay and guests are quarantined in hotels when necessary. This might seem like an inconvenience to those affected but it enables all the other passengers to be able to enjoy their cruise.  A higher number of cases on board, even if they are quarantining on the ship, could mean denial of entry at the scheduled ports and worst case scenario could even mean a fully cancelled cruise.

 

Wishing the OP a speedy recovery, no lingering side effects and an enjoyable return to the ship on its return to Fort Lauderdale.

 

Rochelle

[WCB]

Report # 40   Marriott Hotel   Wednesday - January 26, 2022   Mostly cloudy, but not as cold  - 73 degrees   Part #1 Of 1.......46 Pictures

 

Today began about the same as the rest…..overcast, cloudy, muggy, and some drizzles.  Rain was predicted, but it was light and occasional. 

 

We took our morning walk again, heading for Walmart.  There were a few items we missed yesterday, so this was a good excuse to get some exercise.  Of course, it began to rain when we left, but this time, we had umbrellas.  Only used them for 5 minutes, then the rain stopped. 

 

Taking our time, we got back to the hotel by 1pm and in time for lunch.  Now we have chips and dips, and even bought some Cup of Noodles.  We can use the coffee maker to get hot water.  There are no microwaves to use here, but we can improvise. 

 

Walking this afternoon, we took the long way around the abandoned golf course.  It is a haven for birds now, and right up our alley.  It seems that the entire complex is surrounded by water, so it attracts a good number of water-loving birds.  Of course, Bill never leaves home without the camera, and he did capture a few good photos.  If nothing else, it sure gives us something to do.

 

Catching up on emails and photos, it was time for dinner.  The menu for room service is pretty limited, so we both ordered cheeseburgers.  They really were good, especially with  the side salad, which is almost entrée-size.  A chocolate biscotti  was perfect for dessert. 

 

Now the big decision is what to watch on TV?  At least we have a full grid of programs to choose from.

 

Another day gone….

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[RICHARD@SEA]

On 1/25/2022 at 8:00 PM, YXU AC*SE said:

 

Actually that feature is common to Vista, Signature, and Pinnacle class ships.  The two end inside cabins on the block that abuts the running track have windows that face the end of the magradome.  No view, but you can check on the weather and daylight.    Shot is from the running track looking into the room a few Hallowe'ens ago on Koningsdam -- and before the safety marms lose their minds, the pumpkin (which cost 5 EUR(!)  in Civitavecchia Coop Italia) its illuminated w/ an LED.    Scott. 

 

 

Thats a cute pic of you 2.....sort of like before & after a cruise pic...you 2 & the skeleton...I'll let you pick which is which!!!

[RICHARD@SEA]

WCB....

 

FYI  Publix has a decent roast  chicken you can pick up along w salads ..

also in Coral Springs there is a restaurant that will deliver called Fat Boyz....great bar b que & sides..Ive oredered it for friends that live in Coral springs & they love it - 

[RICHARD@SEA]

PS -- 

 

Be ready for the cold front coming through this weekend - it will be in the hi 30's (at nite)by Saturday morning!!!!

[tcmagnum]

3 hours ago, WCB said:

Report # 40   Marriott Hotel   Wednesday - January 26, 2022   Mostly cloudy, but not as cold  - 73 degrees   Part #1 Of 1.......46 Pictures

Another day gone….

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Mary Ann,

 

Belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

So sorry you popped positive.  Very glad your symptoms seem to be minor.  And very happy your DH isn't getting sick.

 

I've enjoyed your updates on your fabulous, planned cruise.  I'm actually reading your blog for this trip and look forward to reading your past blogs.

 

My dream is one day to take a 'long cruise'.  Actually, I want to fly to Europe for a few weeks and then do a crossing home.  

 

I hope you are able to get back on the ship and have a wonderful trip!!