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

WCB

By WCB,
in Holland America Line

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cruzingnut

cruzingnut

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1 hour ago, WCB said:

Report # 44   Marriott Hotel   Sunday - January 30, 2022   Sunny And Cool  55 Degrees   Part #1 Of 1........36  Pictures.......Day #8

 

Right up the road near the canal, we saw our first iguana laying across the sidewalk, trying to warm up.  We almost tripped over it, as it laid there motionless.  It looked like a young one, measuring about 30 inches head to tail.  Of course, many photos were taken, even close up.  Still didn’t move.  Later on, the iguana was still there, having moved a little.  That was 2 hours later when we walked back. 

 

 

 

Bill & Mary Ann  

 

 

 

Look at you two, making up your own (land) excursions!  This one is rarely available and you were actually successful in find one of those poor iguanas!  Glad you are able to stay busy enough and good thing you like to walk!   Is Wednesday when you'll be reboarding the ship?  Hope that goes smoothly for you and you are able to resume your cruising.

 

Linda R.

....heading to the blog now to see the evidence of your "tour"!

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rkacruiser

rkacruiser

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On 1/30/2022 at 9:21 AM, dchip said:

Worse were the snakes that got in the house. This usually happened when the weather was cold or rains had flooded snake holes or wherever they live.

 

Visiting during the Summer with Canadian friends who owned a chalet at a ski resort North of Toronto, we entered their chalet which had not been occupied for a few weeks.  We heard a OMG! from my friend's wife when she entered a bottom floor room.  There was a rather large snake comfortably lying on the floor of that room.  The weather was very warm.  The chalet's basement was cool.  The basement was a nice respite for the critter.  But, how did it get into the chalet?  Never was determined, but, needless to say we all checked the chalet's rooms (and beds) very carefully.  

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Report # 45   Marriott Hotel   Monday - January 31, 2022   Sunny And Warmer  70 Degrees    Part #1 Of 1........28  Pictures.......Day #9

 

Sometimes it is funny how things can fall into place, without trying really hard.  For the last three days, we have been looking to locate a bank nearby this hotel.  On the map, it sure looked close.  But in reality, it was not.

 

Our first inquiry was at the front desk, where two agents gave us conflicting directions.  That didn’t help.  Then the following day, we happened to see a UPS driver at Publix.  He even brought out his cell phone to show us where this bank was located.  Then yesterday, we happened to pass by a bus that was stopped, and the driver was on a snack break.  Asking him if he went the way of that bank, he said yes, outlining the route the bus would take to get there.  Of course, yesterday was Sunday (banks closed), so our best chance to go was today.

And we did check out the bus route online to make sure we were not on a wild goose chase. 

 

We left the hotel around 10:15am, and boy, the weather was just about perfect.  Still cooler than normal, the sun was out and there was a whisper of a wind.  We bet by 2pm, the temperature will be almost 70 degrees.  Locating the bus stop, we had about a 10 minute wait before it arrived.  The driver confirmed he stopped near that street, and the fun part was that the price for us was the senior fare of $1 each.  Can’t beat that.  Even better, we had the bus all to ourselves, as there were no other passengers.  Masks were required of course.

 

So we found the bank, and took care of some necessary business.  This area looked to be very newish, so we walked around this shopping center and found a very nice Publix.  We did a little shopping there, then went back across the road to wait for the bus.  It took about 20 minutes before it came, but we were in no hurry to get back. 

 

We noticed at the hotel, there was another sign up for two gatherings today.  Never realized how busy these hotels can be, even with regular tourists not traveling so much these days.  Business meetings, weddings, or birthdays help keep a lot of people working.

 

Even though we are free to dine in the hotel’s restaurant, we still choose to eat in our room.  Frankly the menu is really limited, and dinner is varied enough to order each evening.  So it was the hoagie sandwiches again.  And biscotti cookies.  We picked up two more flavors of chocolate cookies today.  With about 2 days left, we need to finish what we have bought.

 

With the sun out, we figured a little time sitting by the pool would be restful. There were two other couples there…one couple sacked out, the other working on a sunburn.   We lasted about 45 minutes, then went back.  The water looked cold, so we have never gone swimming. 

 

Phone calls took up some of the day starting with a call from a sweet cruise friend, Rosie (Randy), who we met on a world cruise back in 2013.  We call them the “kids”, and have kept touch ever since.  Nice to know they read the blog now, and have for several years.  Then we were contacted by HAL’s Family Assistance, firming up the plan for the next two days.  They have been most helpful.  Then, we had an hour conversation our travel agent, who has kept up with our situation.  Between her and the Guest Relations manager, we will figure out the two insurance coverages and re-imbursement.

 

Took a long walk, then came back for dinner.  Two cheeseburgers and two side salads were plenty.  By the way, we did have the hotel bill printed, and do see that we need to make a visit with the manager tomorrow.  Even though we were told the bill would not be charged until we checked out, it was charged to our card after eight nights.  We sure don’t remember authorizing that.  In fact, we had specifically asked if we could pay down some of the bill with cash.  The manager at the time said of course.  What happened?  

 

To be continued…….

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Report # 46   Marriott Hotel   Tuesday - February 1, 2022   Cloudy And Cool  72 Degrees    Part #1 Of 1........35 Pictures.......Day #10

 

Our first job for the morning was to check with the hotel manager regarding our statement.  He said that the credit card was charged because they do this every seven days.  Strange that no one mentioned this when we checked in.  There was a credit applied from our first conversation with a different manager a week ago.  Finally, we asked why the food charges were different from the restaurant menu we had been given on day one.  He made copies of the few receipts we were given, and promised to look into it.

 

Then we went back to put the papers in room before we took our walk.  On the way out, the receptionist called us over to her desk, and said the nurse was here and looking for us.  Even though our appointment was between 1 and 2pm, he arrived at 10am.  Funny the nurse was a “he”, while we automatically thought it would be a “she”.   Doesn’t matter, but we were glad to get this over with. 

 

Within 5 minutes, we had a knock at the door.  The nurse, a fellow from the Dominican Republic, stayed in the hallway.  He had us prop a chair against the door to keep it open, as well as use it for our test.  We hauled over the other chair, one of which he used for his test kit.  We would say the whole process took about 30 minutes or more.  What took time was the fact he had to cover up, put on gloves, and prepare the kits.  Both of us got the antigen test, Bill first, me next.  It took 15 minutes to work, then the nurse declared us both NEGATIVE.  Thank goodness for that.  He took our email address and said two detailed results would be mailed to us before the end of the day.  They did arrive around 4pm.  Then he disinfected himself over and over before leaving to test more guests.

 

Then we took our last hike to Walmart for a few things, and were back to the hotel in time for lunch at 1pm.  We noticed there was a large group of older kids, possibly a swim team as indicated by the sign in the lobby. 

 

Even though it was a cloudy day, it was not cold.  Warm enough to relax at the pool for an hour.  That is, until nearby people began coughing and sneezing.  Best for us to leave, since if these folks are sick, they do not belong in a public area.  Obviously, there is no supervision with these rules….only common sense.

 

HAL’s Family Services called about the Covid tests, which we gladly informed them of the results.  They also confirmed our complimentary Uber ride tomorrow morning. Believe us, we will be ready.  Another call from Janine, the guest relations manager, confirmed everything we know.  The last call came from our travel agent, who has kept up with every detail. 

 

Time for the afternoon walk, we took a few slices of bread to feed the ducks.  A small amount won’t hurt them, and they really knew what the bread was.  It was getting late, so we headed back to order our last dinner.  Although we have ordered these several evenings, we stuck to the hamburgers, as they really are the best.  No fries, but side salads were added.  We also took the time to pack most everything tonight.  All in all, it hasn’t been such a bad stay.

 

Bill & Mary Ann 

 

 

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WCB "Live from...." Rare

WCB

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Report # 47   Marriott Hotel  Enroute To  The Nieuw Statendam   Wednesday - February 2, 2022   Cloudy And Cool  72 Degrees    Part #1 Of 1.......82 Pictures.......Day #11

 

We were up early to eat breakfast, our last meal in the hotel room.  Last minute packing took longer since we were having to combine what we brought with us, along with a few extra items we purchased.  Checking out by 8:45am, we discovered that our bill had been adjusted to correct the food pricing errors.  Also some local phone calls had been charged at $1 each, and that had been removed.  Paying the difference we owed, we were on our way. 

 

The Uber driver, Jose, was a much better driver than the crazy ride we had here 10 days ago.  We got to Pier 26 by 9:15am.  The instructions we had gotten were to wait on the outside of the terminal for Jonah to escort us inside.  At this point, they were still doing the zero clearance, and we had to wait about ½ hour. 

 

Just as she promised, Jonah appeared and greeted us with hugs.  She helped with a couple of bags, then led us through the terminal where the in transit folks enter.  Of course, we had to put everything through xray, and once again, I set off the alarm.  A pat down search was necessary, even though I told them about my new knee.  It could have been my back brace, so I took it off, and they were satisfied.  About the same time, we had noticed a single fellow tag along behind us as Jonah led us inside.  No one stopped him, because they assumed he was with us.  No, he was taking advantage of the situation, thinking he could sneak on through.  How dumb is that?  Without going through the check-in process, he would not be allowed on the ship.  He made it all the way up the escalator to the second floor of the terminal, when Jonah approached him and sent him back down the elevator.  She knew every one of her 168 in transit guests, and he was not one of them.  We also asked Jonah if there had been many Covid cases on the cruise we missed.  She said there were 16 crew members and perhaps three passengers.  The crew members would be taken to the N. Amsterdam, while the other couple would go to where we did.   She also said that the crew members were allowed to leave the ship today……first time in a long time.

 

We spotted Susie, who was in a wheelchair due to a fall last night, and Woody who was already in his electric wheelchair.  We found Barb doing internet in a back room, freezing, but covered up in a shawl.  With her mask, we almost did not recognize her.  We stayed in this room for ½ hour until we were let back on the ship. 

 

The Guest Relations Manager, Janine, was waiting for us as we boarded.  We thanked her for all of her help, then waited mid ship for the elevator.  That’s where we met the new General Hotel Manager, Rene.  Mustafa must have gone home.  The Front Desk Manager, Mattias, also greeted us, while other crew members helped us with our belongings. 

 

At our room, there was a homemade life preserver hanging on the door, made by Jonah saying Welcome Home.  Where she found the time to do this, is a mystery.  Inside our room, was a Happy Birthday banner over our headboard, and a large cake for my belated birthday.  Wow, sure never expected any of this.  Finally we had double the amenities, since we had missed the last cruise, and were starting this one.  Lots of Coke, more sparkling wine, and even a bottle of JD were left on the desk.  We had trays of food with desserts.  This was one welcome we will never forget.  Koko, our room steward, came in to see what more he could do for us.  Everything was just like we left it, except it was clean….very clean we suspect. 

 

We spent the next 2 hours putting all of our stuff away, as well as re-arranging the shelves and cabinets.  We had no idea how much we had brought with us, and naturally, we did bring back some necessities like two large jars of peanuts.  Some of the bottled soaps and shampoos had leaked,  but were contained in ziplock bags. 

 

The internet was not working, so we went down to the Front Desk, which was crazy busy.  That’s where we ran into Howard and Gyl who were recently on Crystal’s world cruise.  What a story they had to tell about being taken off in the Bahamas, then ferried to Ft. Lauderdale.  Lucky they found space for them on this ship, so they don’t have to go home.  While we chatted, it became clear that the internet was down.  Someone said they were working on it. 

 

Good time for lunch, we went to the Dutch Café for ham and cheese sandwiches….fries on the side.  The fries are served in the Pinnacle metal  swirled cups now, and hot as ever.  Two Heinekens were refreshing.  No dessert, since we had already sampled the birthday cake.  Andre, the bartender here, asked where we had been hiding the last 10 days.  Guess he did not know we had been taken off.  When we explained about one of us failing the Covid test,  he assumed we may have been quarantined on the N. Amsterdam.  No such luck.  He was very interested in my symptoms and how quickly did I recover.  Quick enough, but still not 100%. 

 

Back to our room, we relaxed on the veranda in the warm sun. Now was a great time to open a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and sip away. Sailaway was delayed from 4 to 5pm, due to a late arriving flight.  We did not attend the 4pm Mariner Reception party as we don’t feel we are up to be mixing in a crowd just yet.   We did notice that the N. Amsterdam had slipped into the port briefly around 1 or 2pm, then unloaded and re-loaded crew members, then silently exited. 

 

We finally left around 5:15pm to choppy waters.  The Captain said to expect rough seas tonight due to the winds.  As soon as he turned the ship heading east, it was downright cold. 

 

Koko, our room steward, gave us two Club Orange deck blankets, and we gave him the rest of the cake.  Surely he can share it with his buddies.  We had two really full bags of laundry, so handed those to him.  He and Faishal are the best.

 

Dinner for us was in the Tamarind at 8pm.  Not sure what the dining plans are for the group, we shall find out tomorrow.  All of us have the President’s Club perk of 10 specialty dinners each, so we might want to use more of those than eat in the main dining room.

 

So good to be back “home”, but you know what?  We will miss our walks around the waterways watching all of the birds and other wildlife.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

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cruzingnut

cruzingnut

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Glad you made it back onboard and to such fanfare!  Happy belated Birthday!  I'd really love to hear about Howard and Gyl's experience on Crystal and it's great that they could "jump" on your ship instead of having to go home.   I do have a question about the PC dinners; are these only usable in the Pinnacle or can you use them in any of the other specialty restaurants?

Enjoy your time back onboard and stay safe and well.

 

Linda R.

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Dismomx5

Dismomx5

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Today's post is one where I wish CC had the ❤️ symbol included as a reaction emoticon. I love that you are finally home, and appreciative of all the little things to make your return special by the crew. Rest well and smooth sailing!

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