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

[iflyrc5]

1 hour ago, DrKoob said:

We are part of a group called "Sail with Seth" that is sailing with HAL's Brand Ambassador, Seth Wayne. We had a Zoom call with him last week and we were told the new restrictions and that there would be KN95 masks per stateroom available to us. We too are taking an extra 20. A couple of those will get used on the plane and in the few days we will be in Florida pre-cruise. Here is the HAL doc we got from Seth about COVID precautions that mentions wearing them all the time.

US-Cruise-Protocols-0103.pdf 535.84 kB · 20 downloads

Thanks for the background on this.  

[Btimmer]

We're currently on the Zuiderdam headed for Florida.  No N95 masks have been provided us; just an ample supply of the paper ones.

 

Last month we were at Amber Cove on the Rotterdam and took a power snorkeling HAL excursion.  The water was too murky to see anything but the power snorkeling was pretty cool.

 

Thanks for the continuing updates.

[WCB]

Report #24   Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos   Monday - January 10, 2022   Sunny & 78 degrees      Part # 1 of 2...............80 Pictures

 

Well here we are,  once again docked in Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos.  But this time, we were not alone…… the Emerald Princess was docked right across the narrow pier from us.  This ship was built in 2006 and has the capacity to house 3084 passengers with 1200 crew members.  Her gross tonnage is 113,561, and appears a bit larger than the Nieuw Statendam.  We assume she is sailing with far fewer guests, like we are. 

 

Before our Club Orange breakfast, we found a note on our door, once again promising the missing ship tiles to be delivered to our home in the near future.  We do have a growing collection of these tiles from many other HAL ships, but we do not have these from the N. Statendam. 

 

There are about 5000 people that live on this small island of 7 miles long by 1 mile wide, and much of it is covered with salt flats or salinas as they are called here.  The Grand Turk Cruise Center where we docked was built in 2006, reportedly attracting 300,000 visitors a year.  The historic center of the island is Cockburn Town, a three mile ride from the cruise center.  The visitors guide spelled out the taxi prices to get to Cockburn Town and beyond.  It would be $5 per person for a one way ride.  If you chose to go to other beaches, then you could pay up to $9 per person or less. 

 

Surrounded by coral reefs, Grand Turk also has a famous 7000 foot deep coral wall located only 300 yards from the shoreline.  Of course, it is for tank diving.  You might see underwater tunnels, sand chutes, coral pinnacles, and dizzy vertical drops.  Sea life viewed are turtles, nurse and reef sharks, eagle rays, octopus, and huge barrel sponges.  The reef waters can be described as neon blue.

 

Columbus may have made landfall here in 1492, and there are some old vessels sunk along  the coastline.  Now they are diver’s objects to explore. 

 

A short distance from the island of Grand Turk, is a small dot of land called Salt Cay.  It is only 2.5 square miles, but there are abandoned salt ponds that attract birdlife.  In addition, during the months of January through April, about 2500 humpback whales migrate from the northern areas to calve and breed for next year’s babies. It is said there are good beaches there with tiny seashells and weathered sea glass.  There was talk of building a luxurious resort there with a huge golf course, but that was back in 2009.  Doing some research, we discovered those plans fell through the cracks.

 

Watching the foot traffic from both ships, we decided to go off around 10am.  Even with two big ships here,  there were  just a few folks snorkeling in the shallow waters, and a few more lounging sea side.  It looked like a large group of about 50 were congregating with a guide to go on a tour.  We wondered if these tours possibly mixed the guests from the Princess ship with the HAL guests.  No one had an answer to that, but we did notice everyone, for the most part, was wearing a mask. 

 

Strolling around, we went into some of the shops, and ended up at Margaritaville.  Many of the passengers were here, taking advantage of the meandering swimming pool.  Today the Flowrider was working and we watched two fellows try to master it on a boogie board.  Trust us, it is way harder than you think.  Once they lost their balance, it was head over tea kettle, which looked to be painful to us.  We’re not sure if there was a charge to this, but you would have to pay one of us to do it in this lifetime!  

 

Making a swoop through the local market, we picked up some conch shell jewelry, or something that looked similar.  One of the vendors said she was not having a lot of luck with sales today.  It was true, as we saw little shopping being done here.  All aboard for us was at 1:30pm, while the Emerald was staying until 4:30pm.  She still had time to make some more money we told her. 

We went back to the ship by 1pm, and spent the afternoon on our balcony waiting for the sail away.  It was around then that we got another notice about the in transit process in FT. Lauderdale on Wednesday.  Wayan in Club Orange told us that about 800 new passengers are due to board, and close to 200 will be going onwards.   The big question with the new passengers is how many will cancel a day before the cruise or will they test positive with the virus?  Time will tell on that one. 

 

Lunch for us was in the Grand Dutch Café, with two toasted ham and cheese sandwiches, a plate of fries, and a slice of apple tart and one cookie.   One big cookie.

 

Except for the blowing of our horn a few times, the sail away was slow and easy.  Captain Noel stated that he has never gotten so close to a beach before like he does here.  We think his contract is up, and he will be headed home on January 12^th.  He will be missed.

 

Dinner for us was in the Canaletto.  Barb had said she would join us, but must have changed her mind.  So it was just the two of us, and the meal should have gone quickly and smoothly.  But it didn’t.  We had requested our waitress to bring one order of veal meatballs with our salads.  The salads came, but not the meatballs.  Truthfully, we noticed she brought the little pot of meatballs to another customer, who said he would like to taste them.  We waited for another serving, with apologies from the manager.  Both of us ordered the short ribs, but with different sides.  The chef had made them the same, so we chose to wait for the correct plates.  Presty had stopped by, and he personally brought us our entrees.  The ribs were delicious, and that is what we told the chef when he came by for a visit.  There really was no room for dessert, but both of us had the trio of gelatos anyway.  We are going to have to walk more tomorrow to wear some of these calories off.

 

Reading tomorrow’s When and Where, we saw an article saying that the Rolling Stone Room Band will be suspended tomorrow due to medical reasons. Hope it’s not Covid , but that is probably what it is.  We get tested at 8am, so please wish us luck……

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[WCB]

The camera seems to be working again.  Thanks for the tips on the auto focus. You are correct with your theory.  Taking it  in and out of a pocket also can change the setting slightly.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[julia]

Hi Bill & Mary Ann!

 

Had to laugh about the note on your door regarding the tiles being shipped "soon"....  didn't they tell us the same thing on the NA back in September?!  Still waiting on those!

 

Thanks for your fun and informative posts...  enjoy the next leg!

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Me too. On NA in September and have not received tile. Actually, i have so many I really don't need/want it. But wonder if it will arrive some day.

[WCB]

Report #25 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas   Tuesday - January 11, 2022   Mostly cloudy & 78 degrees   Part #1 Of 2........ 80 Pictures

 

Today was an interesting one, arriving to Half Moon Cay before 8am.  On port days, breakfast is a half hour earlier, so we always make it a point to be there before 8am.  Barb surprised us with a visit, mostly because she had to get up early to go to the upper dining room for her first Covid test.  For about 160 of us, that was between 8 and 10am.  She stopped by for a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, then had to go back to her room and wait for a phone call from the medical staff. No call……….  the good news was that she had passed the test.

 

Now it was our turn to do the same thing.  This was our third time, although this test seemed to be done a little different.  Could be the rapid test was from another manufacturer.  Then we went back to the room, and also waited for the dreaded call.  It never came, so we were free to go.  

 

Since it wasn’t really hot today, we decided not to go for a swim.  A long walk would do just fine.  We boarded the island tender boat around 10:45am, and noticed it was hardly filled.  Many folks had probably gone over earlier, because all aboard was 2:30pm, making this a short stop.   Entering the island, we were surprised to find that there were no vendors here today.  It must be due to the Covid spread in this part of the world, we assume.  Of course, one of us had spotted a sweatshirt/jacket that could be used for cooler nights out on the veranda.  What is nice about the souvenirs and clothing is the fact no cash is involved.  Every purchase is tied to our shipboard account, a good way to spend that use-it-or-lose-it money.  Oh well, guess we’ll have to wait until next time, if the vendors come back.

 

We made our way to the food pavilion to take photos, and to pick up an apple for Ted, the donkey.  The food would be served soon, but too early for us once again.

 

Finding our way to the sandy beach, we strolled through the gentle surf all the way down to the very end.  Today there were very few folks in the water, or even sunbathing.  When the clouds cleared, and the sun peeked out, it was hot.  Also, we remembered that this was the final day of a ten day cruise, and many people might have stayed onboard to pack.  Glad we do not have to do that yet.

 

Guess what?  Getting to the stable area, we noticed there were no horses or wranglers.  Darn, guess they took the day off as well.  All of the horses and Ted, the donkey, were probably in the corral.  No way were we going to  walk in the sticky weeds to go see them.  So the huge juicy apple will go back to the ship  with us.

 

At the required stop at Captain Morgan’s on the Rocks Bar, we enjoyed two cans of Heineken beers.  The bartenders (all from the ship) were already beginning to clean up.  The last call for alcohol was 1:15pm.  All of their left over supplies had to be put in large containers to be hauled back to the ship. 

 

A tender boat had just come back, so we hopped on and were back to the ship by 1:45pm.  This time I remembered to duck getting off of the tender, since the tide must have risen since we left earlier.  The first time over here, I did not duck enough, and the slight whack sure woke me up. Wearing a visor also limits one’s vision.

 

Time for lunch in the Grand Dutch Café.  The toasted ham and cheese sandwiches come piping hot, as do the fries.  They are cooked while you wait.  We do like an occasional burger or hot dog at the Dive In Grill, but the wait could be really long.  For that reason, we have only gone there once since we boarded.

 

Sail away began quietly immediately after 2:30pm, as everyone must have come back earlier than requested.  Captain Noel came on the loud speakers and gave his usual talk, but this time, he was also saying goodbye, as he will be going home tomorrow.  You could not miss the happiness in his voice as he described going home to his 2 year old and his wife, who is the boss while he is away at sea.  We suspect there was a bit of relief in his voice as well, because after tomorrow, he will not have to deal with this virus and the uncertainty of where we are going.  We know that a lot of crew members and entertainers have become ill, but we have no idea how many passengers are infected.

 

And as the Captain had reported in his talk, the rain began within a few hours as we headed towards Florida.  By dinnertime it was coming down hard.  This might affect what we do tomorrow while in port.  And we will be docking at Pier 26 once again…..the long walk.

 

Dinner was good, because we all ordered prime rib.  So far, we have managed to miss this favorite meal due to going to the specialty restaurants.  Barb had met a couple of folks that were interested in going on the 2023 world cruise.  So they wandered back to our table in between courses, and asked a bunch of questions.  Recently retired, they wanted to try a long one, so we passed along some info that might help them to decide.

 

Time to turn in for the night, as tomorrow will begin early again.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[nimi17]

I believe we were on the Koningsdam Cali Cruise with you on 10/10 but didn’t have a chance to meet you. We’ll be joining you on this cruise for 11 days so hopefully we’ll be able to meet you this cruise. 
 

Thank you for the detailed reports. I can’t wait to see what the Caribbean has in store for us in the days to come 🛳⚓️

[nimi17]

15 hours ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

Me too. On NA in September and have not received tile. Actually, i have so many I really don't need/want it. But wonder if it will arrive some day.

Depending on how many tiles you have, sounds like they would be perfect for a backsplash or accent wall in a bathroom 😁

[The Other Tom]

8 hours ago, WCB said:

Wearing a visor also limits one’s vision.

Surprisingly true.  I wear a cap to keep the sun off of my head.  I can't count how many times I've bumped into things because the bill on the cap limits my view.

[WCB]

Report #26    Ft. Lauderdale, Florida   Wednesday - January 12, 2022   Mostly cloudy & 72 degrees   Part #1 of 2..................80 Pictures

 

The first day of a cruise for those of us that are in-transit can be challenging.  All of us need to pass through the US Customs and Border Protection to be processed, then allowed to re-board.  Now this sounds fairly simple, however, If you choose this route, it may take a few hours before the group is  allowed back on the ship.  And you lose your chance to leave the ship after you are back.  Barb went with the group of over 100 in-transit guests, and they were held up in the terminal for almost 3 hours. 

 

Once again, we chose to leave the ship around 9am.  It was required to take our passports, our stateroom cards, and the in-transit cards, and also wearing the special masks.  This time we had an electronic facial recognition, and did not have to have our passports scanned.  Knowing we had to stay off for a few hours, we headed slowly towards town. 

 

Needless to say, it was a long walk since the ship was docked at Pier 26 again.  Pier 2 would have been so much closer, but we believe the Noordam was there.  Other ships in port were RCI’s Rhapsody, Celebrity’s Reflections, and the Nieuw Amsterdam.  This ship recently had two consecutive cruises cancelled due to a group that had chartered the entire ship, then changed their minds.  What happens in this case, we have no idea.  Perhaps the ship goes off of the coast and floats until the next cruise begins. 

 

Having time to kill, we walked halfway up the bridge to get some photos.  The forecast for today was possible rain showers, so we had to pack umbrellas.  Turned out, we never used them. Isn’t that always the way? Temperatures remained low in the high 60’s with a good breeze blowing. First stop was at the Renaissance Hotel checking out their breakfast menu for future info.  Then we went to Walgreens to check out what they had.  Seems that some of their shelves were empty, like we had heard on the news.  There was a small boutique on the way, where we had purchased some good buys on formal wear a few years ago.  Having time,  we went inside to see if there were any bargains.  Of course, there was a white blouse suitable for everyday wear.  While we were in there, both of the sales ladies asked about our ship and the Covid situation there.  We explained about the testing and the wearing of masks, and some crew that were infected.  They had heard the same type of stories regarding other major cruise lines.

 

Continuing up the street, we went to Ace Hardware to look for a small wall thermometer.  Publix had the rest of the things we needed.  Then it was time for lunch at Duffy’s.  We shared a burger, fries, and salad.  Our waitress was doing fine, until she got a phone call from school concerning her young son.  He felt ill, and his mom was totally shaken.  Naturally, you think the worst, and she had to make a plan to pick him up.  She had forgotten to apply our $10 birthday bonus to our bill.  Knowing it will stay there forever, we said don’t worry, we’ll use it next time.  She had enough on her mind, worried that her kid had Covid.  We wished her well.

 

Our final stop was at Walgreens for some chips, then made the long walk back, once again slowly.  On our last visit, we had discovered a shortcut, that probably saved us a 30 minute round trip walk.  Instead of following the sidewalk, we cut through the parking lot across from pier 26.  There were no gates to block our way.

 

With our in-transit cards in hand, we breezed through security.  And one nice thing was we did not have to repeat the muster check-in.  One time when first boarding was sufficient for the entire time.

 

Coming back to our room, we found that the “gift” fairy had made a visit.  Compliments of the Mariner Society, we had a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers, as well as a bottle of “sparkling” wine on ice.  No more Veuve Clicqout, our President’s Club perk had been downgraded to a bottle of Brut Domaine Ste. Michelle.  Since we are not into the wines and champagnes, it makes little difference to us.  Also on our coffee table were two trays of bruschetta and truffles.  And once again,  we received a letter from the President of HAL, Gus Antorcha, regarding the guests requirements for the Covid-19 protocols.  Nothing new here, except for wearing the better KN95 masks onboard he ship.  We did ask our room steward for two more masks, and he delivered them yesterday. 

 

Did we mention that we have a new captain?  He is Captain Eric Barhorst, and by checking Know Your Officers on the TV, we discovered he appears quite young.  Turned out he is also an avid horn-blower while we left Port Everglades.  An official letter arrived to explain the replacement of Martinique with Saint George’s Grenada on Tuesday, January 18^th from 7am to 4pm.  The following stop at Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis was changed from 8am to 5pm to 11am to 8pm.  Neither change will affect us, but it did for those who booked shore excursions.  The guests will have their tours credited back, and still have time to re-book new ones.  

 

Both of us were so exhausted from the busy morning, we decided not to attend the Mariner’s welcome reception at 4pm.  Well, maybe not both of us were so tired, as photos were worked on.  We knew Barb would be there, but for us, it was easier to stay on the veranda to watch the sail away.  If they served as many mimosas as they did last time, we would never make it to dinner. 

 

It was actually chilly as we left the harbor.  Many of the locals came outside to wave us goodbye, and there was just as much horn-blowing from both the condos and the ship as there was the first time.  Searching for the elusive dolphins, we only saw some terns that were successfully catching fish along the way. 

 

There was another surprise at dinnertime in the dining room.  Our nice waiters, Nur and Oka, had been moved to a different area.  We learned that this was done every two weeks or so.  Did we all like this change?  Absolutely not, and we asked our head waiter, Fredy, why they did this.  His answer was this was their new policy.  Both of our waiters had become quite familiar with our likes and dislikes, so we asked if they could make an exception and send them back to us.  Fredy said he would take care of it.  Nur did appear, and seemed happy we had requested him to come back.  However, Oka said he and Nur were “divorced” and they no longer were a team.  Nur took over from there, and now we hope he will be back tomorrow night and every night.  Presty, who is assigned to the dining room, came by for an extended chat.  He should be here as dining room manager for at least two months, when his contract is over.  Once again, we were among the last to leave.

 

It appears that the band that played in the Rolling Stone Rock Room are all gone now, due to Covid.  No other band took their place that we can see.  Sadly, one couple that we know, were also gone.  They were supposed to be on for the next 11 days, but Barb saw them leaving, telling her that they tested positive for the Covid.   Not sure what they had to do regarding quarantining, but we shall investigate that.

 

The menu for tonight sure seemed the same as the first day of every cruise we have done here.  The chicken was the best.  There seemed to be more activity on the ship as we headed back to our room.  This is a good thing.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[dmcfad2]

How often are they requiring Covid tests onboard?

[Bostonjetset]

You mentioned N95 masks. Is that a requirement now or a suggestion?  They were not required for passengers on Rotterdam last week though some people chose to wear them. Any mask was acceptable as long as it wasn’t a neck gaiter type thing.  Wearing masks continuously is already uncomfortable but it is what it is at this point. However, N95 masks are considerably more uncomfortable for long periods so if they are REQUIRED it may be cause for concern for some. 

[dchip]

25 minutes ago, Bostonjetset said:

You mentioned N95 masks. Is that a requirement now or a suggestion?  They were not required for passengers on Rotterdam last week though some people chose to wear them. Any mask was acceptable as long as it wasn’t a neck gaiter type thing.  Wearing masks continuously is already uncomfortable but it is what it is at this point. However, N95 masks are considerably more uncomfortable for long periods so if they are REQUIRED it may be cause for concern for some. 

They received KN95 masks. 

[WCB]

We are being tested for Covid at the end of each cruise.

 

We were given KN95 masks and asked to wear them while onboard the ship.  Many guests are wearing them, but just as many are wearing their own.  We have been told the thinner masks are not as good.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[TiogaCruiser]

2 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

You mentioned N95 masks. Is that a requirement now or a suggestion?  They were not required for passengers on Rotterdam last week though some people chose to wear them. Any mask was acceptable as long as it wasn’t a neck gaiter type thing.  Wearing masks continuously is already uncomfortable but it is what it is at this point. However, N95 masks are considerably more uncomfortable for long periods so if they are REQUIRED it may be cause for concern for some. 

I think it depends on how good the fit is, as to how comfortable they are.
 

The N95s that I have been fit-tested for have been very comfortable. More recently, the VOC mask I tested into is not. And I have had KN95s that have been comfortable and uncomfortable.

[felma531]

Enjoying following along with you. Am interested to hear about the number of passengers onboard for this leg.  We are supposed to be on the Feb 2 sailing.  Saddened to hear of the couple that had to leave yesterday. Thank you for keeping us informed about happenings on the ship and in port.

 

[iflyrc5]

Yes - when you see Presty again please ask him if knows the number of guests scheduled for the Feb 2 sailing. We are on from Feb 2 - Mar 16.   I hope to get to meet you when we are on board.  Your informational postings are a great help for us that will be boarding soon.

[Navybikermom]

4 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

You mentioned N95 masks. Is that a requirement now or a suggestion?  They were not required for passengers on Rotterdam last week though some people chose to wear them. Any mask was acceptable as long as it wasn’t a neck gaiter type thing.  Wearing masks continuously is already uncomfortable but it is what it is at this point. However, N95 masks are considerably more uncomfortable for long periods so if they are REQUIRED it may be cause for concern for some. 

Might be a show-stopper for me. My lungs were damaged from my Afghanistan deployment and wearing masks in general is difficult. I’ve tried the 95 styles and they are nearly impossible. 😢

[dmcfad2]

4 hours ago, WCB said:

We are being tested for Covid at the end of each cruise.

Oh, I understand now. Thank you.

[bcummin]

Thank you for bringing us along with such good details.

Have the musicians been wearing masks when they perform?  Our school band students wear masks with mouth holes, so that they can still play their instruments.

Barbara

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, Navybikermom said:

My lungs were damaged from my Afghanistan deployment and wearing masks in general is difficult. I’ve tried the 95 styles and they are nearly impossible. 😢

 

Thank you for your service in Afghanistan.  I have two issues with this type of mask.  Shortness of breath issues that the pulmonologist has diagnosed as asthma and an ear anatomy that makes wearing these 95 style masks impossible.  I have found a way that I can wear a simple surgical style mask.  Not comfortable; not for a prolonged period of time; but, for day to day living:  it works.  Unsure that it would work on a cruise given the frequency during one's day that the mask would need to be worn.  

Edited January 14, 2022 by rkacruiser

[cruising sister]

15 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Thank you for your service in Afghanistan.  I have two issues with this type of mask.  Shortness of breath issues that the pulmonologist has diagnosed as asthma and an ear anatomy that makes wearing these 95 style masks impossible.  I have found a way that I can wear a simple surgical style mask.  Not comfortable; not for a prolonged period of time; but, for day to day living:  it works.  Unsure that it would work on a cruise given the frequency during one's day that the mask would need to be worn.  

I am there with you on asthma but have looked around and found some KN95 that give more room around my nose and mouth for easier breathing There are many that go behind the head and avoid the ears. The ones I like have a flat front instead of the pointed front. 

[rkacruiser]

1 minute ago, cruising sister said:

There are many that go behind the head and avoid the ears

 

I have yet to find these.  Yet, I have been told that they exist for many, many months.  

[The Other Tom]

5 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I have yet to find these.  Yet, I have been told that they exist for many, many months.  

Here you go:

Amazon.com: 3M Personal Protective Equipment Particulate Respirator 8210, N95, Smoke, Dust, Grinding, Sanding, Sawing, Sweeping, 20/Pack : Tools & Home Improvement