24 days on the Nieuw Statendam. Outstanding ports, great dining room service, the rest?

[StartrainDD]

Hello HAL cruisers.  We are back from our 24 day trip to far northern Atlantic Canada, Greenland and Iceland.  I keep a log daily during the cruise and typically submit it as a review to cruise critic.  Apparently at 21,000 words it is too big a file as the review page will not let me post it.  This happened some years ago with our Antarctica cruise as well, and I simply posted it in pieces on a thread like this.  So here goes:

 

Nieuw Statendam, Aug 3, 2022, 24-Day Canada, Greenland & Iceland

 

Tuesday, August 2 – fly to Boston

 

We left the house a little after 4:00 AM to meet our friends at their house a half-hour away (but on the way to the airport). We parked our car, transferred our luggage, and off to the airport we raced! We arrived at 5:20 and our friend dropped us off (with all the luggage) at the terminal and he went to park the car. A very helpful American employee helped get all the luggage tagged and checked in. By the time we had it all set our friend arrived from the economy parking and we went through security, had a quick breakfast at the airport Burger King, and boarded our flight.

 

The flight to Philadelphia was really nice as it was only about 50% full. I had an entire three seats to myself and so did DW. At PHL, we had just enough time to enjoy a Chick-Fil-A lemonade before heading to our Boston flight. Right after we arrived at the gate (when boarding was to start) an announcement was made that the airplane was too hot and it needed to be cooled down. This delayed boarding by nearly an hour. This flight to Boston was completely full and we arrived in Boston about 30 minutes late.

 

Sitting in the rear of the plane, by the time we reached baggage claim all our luggage was on the belt. We picked it up and headed to hotel shuttle pick up. I called the Embassy Suites and the timing was just right as about 30 seconds later the shuttle pulled up. I will give the Embassy credit that they did get us checked in on arrival, at about 1:30. But that was about the end of the compliments. We went out for lunch and on the way back picked up a bottle of wine for the evening. Not thinking until we were back at the hotel, we don't have a corkscrew. The hotel refused to open the bottle for us to enjoy in our room. What happened to taking care of your customer?

 

We called the wine shop and they were appalled that the Embassy Suites wouldn't open the bottle. They said we could certainly exchange it for a bottle with a screw top, so DW and I took a late afternoon walk back to the wine shop. Returning to the Embassy the evening reception had begun. Due to a Massachusetts liquor law, no alcoholic beverages are allowed to be served for free, so only soft drinks are complimentary. The snacks were okay but pretty basic.

 

We returned to our room and began to get the Catan game ready. Our friends joined us and we played two rounds. We were also treated to a very nice sunset from our window.

 

Wednesday August 3 – Embarkation day.

 

We received many mixed messages from HAL regarding boarding. This so confused some roll call members that they spent hours on hold to talk to someone at HAL. How accurate the information they were given is questionable but at the end we decided to follow the last message which was to arrive at the terminal at the time assigned on our boarding pass.

 

The other messages (earlier) were that “Due to a Coast Guard inspection, the Nieuw Statendam would be delayed in boarding and PLEASE do not arrive before 1:30 PM. But, you MUST be aboard by 3:00.” To be honest, once we were finished with breakfast and done resorting some of our suitcases we were bored at the Embassy. We purposefully overstuffed our large bags to make the one essential “Carry on” as light as possible (just meds and electronics).

 

We called a Lyft XL who picked us up in about one minute, stuffed it full and headed to the Flynn cruise terminal, arriving at about 10:40. There was already a considerable line (perhaps a city block long) but the porters took our luggage and there were several folks handing out documents as people got into line. One of these documents explained that there was indeed a coast guard drill taking place and embarkation would be delayed. Asking the rep, however, she rather suggested that we stay in line as opposed to leaving to walk the city with our carry-on. She said the line would likely be much longer later. This turned out to be true. The line at least was in the shade and it was a pleasant enough morning to wait.

 

The second document that came along a little later was a note from HAL that due to covid numbers on the previous cruise(s) they were requiring wearing of masks indoors at all times except while eating or drinking. I will avoid being political but I will say that this is not the bucket-list vacation experience that we paid for. HAL's website indicates that mask-wearing is recommended, but optional. It is very likely that had we been informed of this requirement before the 'cruise with confidence' cancel date we would have canceled and tried this trip again in a few years. Moving on...

 

While standing in line we watched an ambulance and police cars pull up to the front of the line. We were too far back to see details but someone was carried away, their trip cut very short. Hope they are okay. A little after 11:00 another employee came along and said to have our passports and boarding pass out. The line then began to move. At the entrance to the open-air terminal (a very old building) two police officers were checking passports. There was then a queue for security screening. It took perhaps 20 minutes to get through the queue.

 

Past security there were two lines. One for folks who had completed Verifly and a longer queue for those who had not. We had preloaded all our boarding and health documents into the “Verifly” application as HAL suggested. That line was short, our photo was taken, passports scanned, and we were told we would only need our boarding pass later to board the ship. We were directed to sit in boarding group 'A' for four-five star mariners and club orange guests. Our traveling friends were right behind us and they joined us.

 

The temperature in the terminal slowly rose as we waited, but we did not find it oppressive. Water bottles were offered to folks along with some small packaged snacks. A woman in the row in front of us ended us fainting. Her companion said she can't handle the humidity. Our friend the doctor tried to help while his wife alerted staff. Folks arrived to help followed by paramedics. After about 30 minutes she too was taken away by ambulance along with her companion. Another trip cut very short.

 

Our assigned boarding time was 12:20. At about 12:40 they announced that boarding would begin and group A was cleared to board. I had been up throwing away an empty water bottle as the announcement was made. DW and friends were walking towards me and we joined the group A parade. We were likely about the 20^th or so guests to be welcomed on board. They scanned our boarding pass on the Navigator AP as we boarded and we were told our staterooms were ready.

 

So for us, it was about 2 hours and 10 minutes from arrival until boarding. But about an hour and 20 minutes of that was sitting relatively comfortably. Another cruise critic member arrived after 1:00 and reported a quarter-mile long line outside the terminal. Once inside, they breezed through Verifly and five-star check in but it still took them 1 hour and 56 minutes from arrival until boarding, and that was standing the entire time.

 

Once onboard we immediately verified our dining arrangements. Our dining host from March came through and we have a terrific table at early fixed dining at a port side window. We dropped our carry-on off in our cabin, #1111. This is one of four squarish-shaped inside cabins on deck one. We saw one of these on the Koningsdam back in 2016. There is enough room in these to 'move around' and we are very pleased with the cabin. Our friends are next door in #1115 which is similar but reverse.

 

We went to the lido and found a nice table on the aft lido deck. Beverages were ordered and the ladies went to obtain their lunch. The men followed when the ladies returned. It was very pleasant sitting outdoors in the shade with the light breeze. We would be surprised later in the day by a temperature drop!

 

After lunch we stopped at our muster station for our cards to be scanned, and then went to the Royal Dutch Cafe for dessert. I enjoyed a slice of Apple Pie and a Strongbow cider. We talked with another guest seated nearby while enjoying the atmosphere. By the time we left the Cafe it was getting very busy.

 

We returned to our cabins at about 2:40 to find our luggage had been delivered. We played the safety briefing on the TV. We spent the next hour plus emptying the luggage and storing everything. The luggage fits under the bed.

 

A little after 4:00 we went back to the aft lido for the sail away party. Well, no real party. No band, not even a DJ. One crew person made an announcement wishing us a great cruise. Canned music playing in the background. Long line for a drink. Our friends seemed rather shocked there was no band. The captain came on the speaker to let everyone know that departure was delayed as they were still loading stores. We took a look onto the pier and yes, they were still loading stores. In fact, as we watched, two 18-wheelers pulled up and those were full with additional stores. When did the Nieuw Statendam really depart? About 7:40 PM.

 

We had made pre-cruise reservations for the Pinnacle for this first evening. However, “For operational reasons” the Pinnacle was not open (nor were any of the specialty restaurants). So we stopped at the dining desk to reschedule and make a few other arrangements. This brought us to 5:15 so we headed to the dining room.

 

Knowing where our table is, we bypassed the first evening line and headed straight to our table where we met our waiter, Hendrika (call him Hendrick) and assistant Oka. We discussed DW's special dietary needs and gave our waiter her card that lists her restrictions. Dinner was quite good. Three of us had the Haddock and it was very nice. Dinner moved along quite well until the end. I will likely bypass tea with dessert, as it arrived well after dessert was finished. We did talk with one of the sommeliers who told us that when he was first on the ship (2018) they had 24 wine stewards. They now have just four. The waiters handle all the normal beverage orders.

 

We headed up to the aft lido yet again, but not until we picked up jackets in our cabin. We really enjoyed the sail away. We caught a few sunset photos of the sun behind the Boston skyline. Three Boston Police boats were keeping other boaters away from the Nieuw Statendam as we backed away from the pier and made a large swing to head out of port. The sunset was at 8:00 and all too soon it was too dark for photos, so we didn't see much of the islands on our departure route. We sat for a while and ordered a few beverages. The last cruise really emptied out the stores, as the aft bar has no Sprite Zero, Diet Coke, or Coke Zero. I ended up with water.

 

We set our phones to Atlantic time as the ship's clock goes forward an hour tonight. We ordered coffee and tea delivery for the morning. At this point we called it a night and told our friends we would try dining room breakfast at 8:30 the next morning.

 

[StartrainDD]

Thursday, August 4 – At sea

 

We woke on our own and were ready for our morning beverage delivery. I updated my log and perused the TV information. There is no 'morning show' or anything similar like Celebrity and Princess now provide as standard fare. We called our friends to find out that one of them had a contact lens issue. They met us at the dining room and his eye didn't look good. He ended up needing to avoid bright spaces all day.

 

Breakfast was very nice and the waiter Henry was excellent. The cruise critic meet and greet was at 10:00. Attendance was far below the number which signed up, likely due to the port talk being at the same time. Still, I met everyone except one party that is on our “South Shore” tour from Reykjavik as well as the other couple on our tour in Qaqortog. Our friend connected with many of the folks on the ferry tour he set up in St. Pierre a few weeks out.

 

Our friend rested in his dark cabin while the three of us went to the dining room for lunch. Harry was again our server. Lunch was nice. After lunch we explored the ship a little, visiting the lido pool (cover closed, nice and warm), and we sat a while on deck 10 overlooking the pool while 'line dance' class was going on. We visited the Royal Dutch Cafe as our friend wanted to try the Poffertjes. She enjoyed them.

 

We had fog outdoors all day. On the lower decks you can't hear it but upstairs the blasting of the fog horn was a constant reminder. Every now and then the sun kind of peeked through but the fog was relentless.

 

We relaxed a while as there was nothing that really interested us to participate in. We thought about walking the outdoor track in the fog but didn't quite make it. It is a 'gala night' so some time was needed to get prepared. We were ready a little early so we went to the Ocean Bar for pre-dinner drinks. It was quite crowded however one couple left their table just as we arrived so we took their place. There is a small band that plays at the Ocean Bar several times a day.

 

We went to the dining room and arrived just as they opened the doors. Hendrick and Oka were happy to see us. Our friends arrived shortly and his eye is healing but remains sensitive to light, so he sat at the window looking in. The gala night dinner was very good and enjoyable. We were served water several times by Dal, who had a different uniform. Inquiring she told us she works in Canaletto, which was not yet open, so she was helping out in the dining room.

 

This gave us a chance to ask about options in Canaletto with our specific dining needs and she offered several attractive options, so we made reservations for Saturday evening with Dal as our waitress. After dinner we headed to the World stage for the captain's welcome. Beverages were handed out as we entered. The captain's welcome was fine and the gala night show was Cantare. We enjoyed Cantare in March and they are very good. It's just a shame their performance is done to a recorded soundtrack rather than live musicians.

 

Speaking of live musicians, after Cantare we visited the Rolling Stone rock room as they were just beginning a set. We ended up sitting right next to the stage, so we did get a very good view of the performance. This group is very talented and we did enjoy most of their numbers. After that set it was 9:00 and as much as Billboard was enticing we called it a night as tomorrow is an early start and an all day tour.

 

Returning to our room, the laundry we sent out in the morning had been returned. Included with the laundry was a personalized note from Azwar thanking us for using the laundry service.

 

Friday, August 5 – Sydney, Nova Scotia

 

The alarm was set for 6:00. Coffee & Tea were delivered about 6:40. We met our friends at 7:10 to go to the lido for a quick breakfast. The omelets were nicely made. I went out on the aft deck to take a few photos and returned to our cabin to get everything together.

 

At 8:00 the cruise director said we were docked but not yet cleared and please do not crowd the stairways headed to the gangway. At 8:10 she announced we were cleared to go ashore. As our cabin is very close to the mid-ship gangway, we were ashore in about two minutes. We quickly found our guide, Gustone, with Blackwood Tours. We had a 13 passenger minibus with 10 of us as one couple backed out of the tour if everyone would not have to wear a mask all day. On what was literally the 'hottest day of the year' in Sydney that was not in the cards.

 

Gustone gave us an excellent tour up the Cabot Trail. Some of the highlights were the cable ferry, our furthest point at the Celtic Lodge, and the overall beauty of the forested mountains and gorgeous sea. It certainly helped that we had a cloud-free day. It was a challenge for the A/C in the mini-bus to keep up, especially after our brief lunch stop at the general store for lobster or crab sandwiches. I give the tour about four out of five stars simply because we needed to spend just too much time in the van to cover the distance and not enough time or walking around at the stops. We were back at the port at about 3:15. Back on the ship we heard that the buses used for the ship's tours (with 50 persons in each bus) were not air conditioned.

 

Back on the Nieuw Statendam we stopped in the cabin and headed to the Ocean bar needing cold beverages. With only one bartender it was obvious service would not be quick, so we headed to the aft lido. To our shock, the bar there wasn't even open! A 90 degree afternoon and the aft bar not open? Walking through the lido a server stopped us and said she would get us drinks, so we sat at a table and she soon reappeared with beverages. We kept her busy running back and forth to the lido pool bar for three rounds. Another couple that was on our tour saw us and joined us.

 

Note, we found out the next day the reason the bar was not open. This is apparently a Canada rule that while in port ships may only have one open bar per deck. So the servers get in a great deal of steps running back and forth to and from the open bar. Craziness.

 

Along with my friend we had just enough time for a dip in the aft pool and hot tubs before getting ready for dinner. Our friends skipped the dining room as they didn't want to rush and the menu seemed uninspired. DW and I did go to our dining room table and really enjoyed the meal. Kendrick recommended “Chef Rudy's Pot Roast” and it was superb. The meat just fell apart to the touch of the fork, it was that tender.

 

We met our friends at the theater for the 7:30 performance of comedian / instrumentalist Chris Pendleton. Chris is a woman and part of her routine is how everyone expects her to be a man because of her name. Her show was really good and it is hard to say if the comedy part was better or the musical part. For the musical part she was backed up by live musicians; the same ones that play in the Ocean Bar.

 

The show ran long (55 minutes) so by the time we reached Billboard no seats were available. We sat across at the Rolling Stone and listened to Billboard. We stayed for the Rolling Stone set. We had lots of beverages and tried some new ones. One I ordered, the Hemingway Special, I did not enjoy but DW rather liked it.

 

At the end of the set we called it an evening. We returned to find clean laundry on our bed along with the Saturday program.

 

[lstrong]

Wonderfully done. Waiting for more!

[StartrainDD]

Continuing on...

 

Saturday, August 6, Corner brook, Newfoundland

 

We woke shortly before 7:00. We had ordered coffee & tea for 7:15 delivery but it arrived a bit early at like 7:02. No worries, that was good. Turning on the TV I was surprised to see how close we were to the inlet to Corner brook, as docking isn't scheduled until 10:00 AM. So I kept the TV on the bow cam as the mountains look very pretty. There appears to be some high cloud cover as well as a few low clouds hanging in the mountains. The forecast is for 77 degrees today.

 

We enjoyed breakfast in the dining room although it took longer this morning. It was a long sail up the fjord to reach Corner brook. We finally docked just before 10:00 and were cleared to go ashore shortly thereafter. Corner brook is a very nice port call. The folks there are friendly and very happy to see the ship. I'm sure some of the tours would take you far afield, we had a really nice time simply taking the complimentary shuttle to City Hall and walking around.

 

The “Pulp and Paper Mill” seems to be the major employer and benefactor of the city. We walked the Corner brook stream trail (a total of three miles) and saw many birds, ducks, swans, and flowers. The stream hosts Atlantic Salmon but they did not yet appear to be running upstream. It reached 81 degrees in Corner brook, something I'm sure doesn't occur very often.

 

City Hall itself has a rooftop garden which was open for visiting. We did visit and take some photos up there. There was a bit of a craft fair in the square by city hall. The moose antler items were certainly unique. At the port itself there were also folks with booths and tables set up. We did buy a t-shirt and a few gift items.

 

We were back aboard at about 1:30 and enjoyed lunch in the lido. After lunch we set up Catan and invited our new friends to join us. We played two rounds with the first being mostly an introduction for them. As we were cleaning up the game the captain came on with his update. We are headed to Red Bay Labrador for Sunday however it is unsure if we will be able to get ashore with the tenders as 35 knot winds are forecast along with some light rain. Only the morning will tell.

 

We had 6:00 reservations at Canaletto after being convinced by Dal the other evening. On the one hand, that gave us time to finish Catan. On the other, we still have not had a good experience in Canaletto and will not do this again. One positive is we had a terrific view of the sail out down the fjord, not exiting the fjord until just about 8:30.

 

It was also just after 8:30 by the time we finished dinner. It was well over an hour from sitting down until the appetizers were served. That is not acceptable in main dining, let alone a venue where there is an additional cover charge. This was one of our 'comped' specialty dining experiences which was the only reason we did it. Never again. The food itself? It was just barely okay. DW's lamb chops were somewhat overcooked. My shrimp entree were five of the same shrimp that were in the gala evening shrimp cocktail in main dining. Desserts were nothing special either.

 

From dinner we went down and found seating at Billboard for their 9:00 set. We could listen to the Rolling Stone group from across the way. We enjoyed Billboard and the fellow is very talented. At that point we called it a night. Back in our cabin we found we did not have a breakfast order card. I tried calling room service and hung up after two minutes of listening to their recording.

 

Sunday, August 7, Red Bay, Labrador

 

We woke about 7:00. I went to see what was happening up in the crow's nest and got a coffee for DW. They have no breakfast or Darjeeling tea at the coffee place. The Nieuw Statendam appears to be in a sheltered cove, with the community of Red Bay (population less than 200) about a mile away past the aft of the ship.

 

A little about Red Bay: Red Bay is a UNESCO world heritage site as it contains the history of whaling as well as the best preserved 16^th century whaling ship (underwater). It is also a unique community being rather remote and far from everywhere. We did not see this ourselves, but understand that the paved road ends at the northern outskirts of town. From there on north in Labrador, the road is gravel. To the South, it is a very long way to the Quebec border and even further to population centers.

 

We enjoyed breakfast in the dining room. About 9:45 we went with our friends to get their tender tickets. Within a few minutes their number was called and we all went to the tender. We ended up being about the last folks in the tender so we had seats right by the 'door.' It was a pleasant enough ride into the pier. The local folks were very happy to have us visit.

 

We were handed a map and quickly saw that the shuttle boat to Saddle Island left from the parks Canada visitor center just up the road. We bought our tickets (also good for the visitor center exhibits and the whaling museum) and were on the next boat for the less than five minute crossing to Saddle Island.

 

Saddle Island was the seasonal home to 15^th and 16^th century whalers from Spain and France. There are remains of the ovens used to cook the whale fat to produce oil, which provided light to Europe during winter months. Regretfully, the whales were over-harvested and several of these local species are now endangered. There is a nice 1.7 KM trail that circles much of the island. During our visit, the fog rolled in curtailing our views. We did see the remains of a ship that ran aground just off the island in the 1960's After 50+ years, only the metal skeleton remains.

 

Local park naturalists were along the trail to provide information and answer questions. We had a nice conversation with one, who told us he grew up in Red Bay and his family remains there. He said people leave but often return a few years later. Their largest industry now is shrimp harvesting.

 

We completed the trail and returned over to the village. There we walked up the hill to the whaling museum and church, taking photos along the way. The wind shifted and suddenly it felt warmer and the fog was gone. 20 minutes later the wind shifted again and the fog came rolling back in. We visited the gift shop in the restaurant and the craft tent set up near the tender dock. Then we queued up for the return tender to the Nieuw Statendam. Oddly enough, we again ended up being about the last folks on the tender and sat right near the opening, thereby being the first off once tied up at the ship.

 

Back on board, we dropped everything in the cabin and went up to the lido for lunch. Roast Turkey was one of the feature items. Lunch today was much better than the Canaletto dinner the prior evening. We sat out back as it was pleasant enough and the overhead heaters were on as well. After lunch the men decided to use the hot tubs for a while and the ladies went to talk with the spa to make a far future appointment for some treatments using the discount cards left in our mail the prior day.

 

After washing up, the men went to the Dutch cafe for apple pie. There was quite a line as it appeared folks returned from the tender and went directly to the cafe. My friend attempted to get information on our future port of St. Pierre (specifically where we will dock or tender to) and this appears to be a last minute decision by the captain and bridge team.

 

We tried to get seats in the Ocean Bar for pre-dinner drinks. Not a seat was to be found. Neither were there any seats available in Billboard as they were playing trivia there. DW did not want to go to the pool deck as she was dressed for dinner. We ended up discouraged back in our cabin, where we waited the 30 minutes or so until we could head to dinner.

 

The dining room was open early when we arrived. Dinner was very nice. The “Fresh haddock” fish and chips was very good. DW and my friend both had lamb shank that they said was so much better than the overcooked lamb at Canaletto. Hendrick and Oka were happy to see us. We enjoyed a few rounds of beverages as well. There is a 6:30 church service that our friends went to. We would have gone too but I was not willing to sit in a smaller room wearing a mask the whole time. We returned to our cabin and then found a table at the Ocean Bar.

 

Our friends joined us for the 7:15 set at the Ocean Bar. I'm glad they actually have a band here, but I don't really care for this band. The Ocean Bar band historically would play dance music. This band seems to be more of a jazz group, but it's not dance music. We left just before 8:00 to get a table at Billboard.

 

Billboard tonight has three sets, 8:15, 9:15, and 10:15 as the rolling stone group is off. 8:15 was 'hot country' and was very enjoyable. We stayed for the 9:15 “Never #1's” and that was also really nice. After that we called it a night.

 

Monday, August 8, Crossing the Labrador Sea

 

We ordered coffee & tea delivery for 7:30 and it arrived at about 7:35. We took a scenic route to a light breakfast in the lido to deliver my tour reminders as we have a chartered boat the next day in Qaqortog, Greenland.

 

The omelet maker in the lido is terrific and actually makes a much better omelet than what is served in the dining room. That was my entire breakfast today. Our friends joined us and we just enjoyed watching the fog, as well as a few birds (arctic terns?) that were flying alongside the ship, seemingly just inches above the 12 foot waves. I attempted to take a few photos.

 

The ladies then enjoyed a relaxing morning while the men also relaxed in the mid-ship pool and hot tubs. It was very nice. One thing about this cruise, there is no battle over lounge chairs by the pool. It is actually most pleasant at the mid-ship despite the outdoor temperature being in the 40's as the roof is closed. We dried off and cleaned up as we had scheduled a Pinnacle Grill lunch at noon.

 

The Pinnacle Lunch? It seemed to flow well until the end, when it took forever for dessert to arrive. Later in the day I discovered I was charged for six folks rather than four, so needed to make a return visit to have the charge corrected. They also lost our dinner reservation, apparently due to a typo of the cabin number. How can you mess up 1111? Well, at least everything was corrected.

 

After lunch we played Catan up on deck 10 overlooking the pool. There are several odd-shaped long oval tables with a couch. Bringing over two chairs from the nearby Pizza place makes these a great table for six to play. Our new friend won the first game and DW the second, abbreviated game. She scored five victory points on her last move to win the game.

 

Dinner was very nice with Hendrick and Oka. We left the dining room before 7:00. We stopped at Billboard to obtain drinks for the show, as Cantare was doing their second show tonight. It took nearly 20 minutes for the drinks to arrive so when we went to the showroom the only seats available were way around the front. We've seen the show in March so DW and I returned to Billboard for their 7:30 set while our friends stayed to enjoy Cantare.

 

The Billboard set was terrific. Billed as “R&B” I knew all the songs and it was most enjoyable. I spoke with one of the players afterward to ask about a comment that was made that “Every set on this 24 day cruise will be different.” Our experience has been that everything is on a seven day cycle. They said yes, on shorter cruises with less experienced performers that is true. He gave credit to Megan, his partner, who has been doing this “A long time” and knows a huge library of songs and is always looking for more. They've been onboard doing longer cruises so they have taken it as a challenge to develop sets to avoid repeats. He said they now have three set lists for each “Title.” So for example, the first country set (from the prior day) will be totally different from the next country set, and so on.

 

I was so happy to hear this as Billboard is, for us, the best entertainment on the ship. We stayed after the set and listened to the Rolling Stone group from the distance. Then we enjoyed their second set of songs by “Icons.” The entire room seemed to sing along with 'Ring of Fire.'

 

Everyone needs to watch their accounts closely. Billboard charged me for a soda. This likely happened when they handed me someone else's card. I asked about getting it corrected and they said I needed to go to guest services. So after the set I headed to guest services and had our name added to the notification list if the Northern Lights show, and had the erroneous charge removed. This ended the day and we called it an evening.

[StartrainDD]

Tuesday, August 9, Qaqortog, Greenland.

 

Qaqortog is one of the highlights of this trip for us. We arranged for our private tour to the Greenland Ice Cap over three years prior. As our northern cruises kept getting canceled we were able to continue rescheduling the tour.

 

We were up for our 7:30 coffee & tea delivery which arrived at 7:20. Then we headed to the lido for breakfast and met our friends there sometime after 8:00. We were in no hurry as the ship was scheduled for a 10:00 AM arrival. We had an 11:00 start time for our tour. It turned out the ship arrived and was cleared shortly with tenders beginning at 9:15 or so. I called our tour mates and we met at 9:30 at the Grand Dutch Cafe to head to our tender.

 

We were able to immediately board a tender and headed over for the 10 minute ride to Qaqortog. The folks there seemed to be quite welcoming. We walked over to the old red church, found the fountain (the first fountain in Greenland), enjoyed the waterfront, and visited a large general store / supermarket. DW had brought a less than ideal toothbrush and she wanted a new one. We bought one along with a bar of Danish chocolate that we enjoyed later in the afternoon with our friends. We walked the higher path back and passed the many rock carvings of animals and fish, including whales. We snapped photos as we moved along.

 

At about 10:40 we saw what we thought was our chartered boat from Blue Ice Explorers arrive at the nearby dock. We had to wait for two 'ship's tour' boats to board and then we were on our way for our ~90 minute ride to a not-so-nearby fjord. I don't know how far we went but we were averaging about 29 knots, so it was quite a distance. Regretfully it became apparent that our very nice and polite guide did not know a lot of English. Yet he was a very good driver and took us to a very secluded cove where there was a brilliant waterfall of water from the ice cap. There were also tall cliffs containing many bird nesting holes and ledges. We enjoyed watching the birds and taking photos and videos.

 

He asked if we were intending to walk over to the ice cap and we affirmed that was the plan. Well, it was the plan. In a nearby site there was a dock waiting for us with some rather steep stairs to get on top of large rocks. We all got out of the boat but DW did not make it past the top end of the stairs. She saw the climbing needed and said “Not for me!” The rest of us did begin the trek. The couple that joined us were troopers and made it perhaps half way to the ice cap. I made it more than 80% and my friend made it more than 90%. The problem is that the closer one gets to the ice cap the worse the conditions are.

 

It became steeper and steeper and the footing became poorer and poorer, with the last 25 yards or so apparently just sand and loose gravel. Climbing on solid rock is very different than going up and down on gravel. I nearly fell several times and just had to turn back. I did stay to take photos of my friend but he couldn't complete the trek either.

 

Going back took just as long (if not longer) than the outbound hike/climb. When we were more than half-way back the driver came looking for us and then he led us back to the landing. The trek was quite the adventure and at least no one was injured. It appeared that we took a different return route with our driver watching for whales. At one point we did see a whale and several successful photos were taken. We also slowed near a few large icebergs for photos. One of them appeared to have a large “Galapagos Turtle” perched on the top.

 

Returning to the pier at about 3:45 we took a look at the shop across the road. If there had been long sleeve t-shirts I would have bought one. Several local folks had tables outside with interesting crafts to sell. DW was interested in a traditional Greenlandic shirt (or jacket?) but nothing close to her size was available, all were either far too small or far too large.

 

We then rode the tender back to the ship and enjoyed a few cold beverages up near the Dive Inn. DW and I split a scoop of gelato. Our new Catan friends joined us and told us of their enjoyable 'walk around the lake.' The lake can't be seen from the shore as it is on the other side of a hill, past some new construction homes being built.

 

It was then dinner time. Our wait staff really is terrific. While the dining room had a light participation this evening, we were finished shortly after 6:30. Everyone was tired and so we tried a few beverages from the Dutch Cafe and then the Ocean Bar. By 7:45 we called it a night and put together our laundry to be ready for the scenic sailing day to come.

 

Wednesday, August 10. Scenic sailing through Prince Christian Sound (Ikerasassuaq)

 

The alarm was set for 6:30 and the bow cam showed fog. I went for coffee & tea and noticed the fog beginning to lift and from the Dutch Cafe could see some rocks. By the time I returned to the cabin we were entering the southern opening to the sound (Torsukattaq) and the clouds were a little higher than the ship.

 

We ventured onto the bow and enjoyed 15 minutes or so out front. The mountains jut nearly straight up out of the sea and this is quite a place. That would be true for much of our transit. We moved back to the aft lido and met our friends. Enjoyed breakfast out back while taking breaks for photos. We began to pass some hanging glaciers with small waterfalls descending from them, a very pretty sight.

 

The path through the sound winds around various mountains and is very scenic. A blue sky once the fog lifted accentuated the experience. We passed the remote village of Aappilatroq, where for eight months of the year the only way in or out is by helicopter. This is said to be the 'most remote' village in Greenland, even though it is one of the most southern.

 

A few more bends and we enter Prince Christian Sound proper. The sound is rather straight and quite long, about 30 nautical miles. At times is is quite narrow, a little over 100 meters. Right around lunch time we stopped at a tidewater glacier. This was a very pretty glacier in that it did not have a lot of dirt and rocks on the surface. We really had nothing to use for scale so it was hard to say how tall the face is. This was one of the arms of the Greenland Ice Cap, and the narrator said that Greenlanders have not named the individual arms. The ship did a 360 and then an additional 180 degree turn before headed back down the sound.

 

We passed two other glaciers including one which the map identifies as the furthest southern point of the ice cap. At about 2:30 we passed the weather station at the eastern entrance to the sound and then we were back in the Atlantic.

 

We rested and warmed up a bit. Later in the afternoon we went to the Ocean Bar for the band and pre-dinner beverages. What we didn't realize was that the ship's course was taking us nearly parallel to the Greenlandic coast and as we moved north it became snow and ice covered. At dinner we were like “Wow, that reminds us of Antarctica.” But by then we were quite a few miles off shore. I wonder if we will have any similar views on the return trip in a week?

 

There is no show tonight in the World Stage, and Billboard is off for the evening. So we went up to deck 10 near the NY Deli and played a long, six person round of Catan. It was fun and DW ended up winning but the game went until nearly 10 o'clock. We did try the evening pretzels and had a very nice time making our own entertainment, and then we called it a night.

[StartrainDD]

Thursday, August 11, at sea headed to Iceland

 

We lost another hour overnight and after being up later than usual slept in until after 9:00! We managed to reach the lido about 9:40 and for the first time were in the lido when they began to close down breakfast stations. I went up in my swim gear as the plan was to use the pool and hot tub then take a quick shower and play Catan in the early afternoon. That worked out just fine. Tonight is the second “Dressy night” so we need to leave the late afternoon available to get ready for the evening. A table was set up during the morning hours with the dutch vases on display. We ended up buying several, both for ourselves and as nice gifts.

 

We did enjoy three rounds of Catan. First a four person game that I managed to win, and then a six person island game won by DW. Finally the men stayed for a three person game (on the big board) that my friend won. He was very happy to have ended his dry spell! We obtained some lunch from the lido around 1:00. It really didn't seem as good then as at the earlier times we've often gone. The Ocean view bar staff kept our sodas and beverages coming and it was a very nice time.

 

It was time to get ready for the evening festivities. I joined my friend for his Dutch Cafe coffee and we tried to take care of a billing problem with his account at the Pinnacle but no one was there. We all stopped at the Ocean bar for pre-dinner drinks but did not see each other. The Halibut on the dress up night dinner was terrific. For whatever reason, DW's halibut was very overcooked. Kendrick quickly brought another which she really enjoyed. All the others were perfect.

 

After dinner we stopped to get the Pinnacle charges corrected on our friend's account. Then we headed early to the World Stage for the evening show, a second performance by comedian / musician Chris Pendleton. She was again very entertaining.

 

We've now heard from several crew members that there are just under 2,000 guests on board. Compared to the double occupancy capacity that is about 85%. Crew staffing is also at 85%. We were told that during the holidays of 2019 there were over 2900 guests with the third and fourth berths filled. I just can't imagine this ship that crowded as it is already difficult to get seating in the lounges and certainly the World Stage. The World Stage is too small for the capacity of the ship. We first reported this on the Koningsdam back in 2016. We went 35 minutes early for the show and it was already half-full. By 15 minutes before showtime there were only single seats available. If we don't arrive 15 or more minutes before a Billboard or Rolling Stone performance, there are no seats. And this is with 15% of the cabins empty! We will need to carefully consider this before booking any future trips on the “Pinnacle” class ships.

 

With a very early tour tomorrow we called it a night after the show.

 

Friday, August 12, Isafjordur, Iceland

 

Isafjordur marks the first of six port days in a row in Iceland. The Nieuw Statendam will be making a complete circle around the island starting here in the North. We set the alarm for 6:00 and our coffee & tea were delivered right at 6:30.

 

We made it up to the lido at about 7:30 and obtained breakfast. Our friends were already seated and we joined them. We stopped at the Dutch Cafe for better coffee and got everything ready in our room, then made our way to the theater as we have a ship's tour “Off the beaten path, cruise to Vigur Island.” We were only in the theater for a few moments and we were told that “Tour #1 head to the tenders.”

 

Upon reaching the shore we found that not everyone made it to tender #1, even though it was not full, and we waited for the next tender for a few latecomers. We rode over on a fast boat for 35 minutes or so to the bird island, Vigur Island. Vigur island only has a few full time inhabitants. The island itself is now a 'Down farm' harvesting down feathers from nesting ducks. The island is also home to literally hundreds of thousands of birds, including the elusive puffins.

 

Did we see puffins? We sure did! We saw them flying, and (mostly) just enjoying floating on the waves. We also saw puffins bringing seafood to their burrows, most likely feeding their young. We never got close enough to get super photos (even with our long lenses), although for sure DW got one very clear photo. We also were treated to a traditional Icelandic rhubarb pie, with the rhubarb grown right there on the island. I would have liked the walking tour to go further along the path, but we did have time after the tour to venture out on our own. All in all, this was a very nice tour.

 

We rode the boat back to Isafjordur and then walked around the town. We stopped in a few shops and obtained a coffee at a convenience shop. By the time we returned to the tender port there was no line and we were back onboard at about 1:30. We had some lunch from the lido and went to get everything straightened out in our cabin. It's important to charge the camera batteries before our all day tour the next day!

 

We discussed with our friends future tour plans, and decided that we had enough puffins for the Iceland portion of the trip, so we then went to cancel a shore excursion booked for later the next week. By then it was dinner time. Dining room dinners have been a delight so far on this trip, with us nearly always finishing dessert by about 6:45. In talking with Hendrika we learned he previously served on the Prinsendam and we shared Prinsendam stories.

 

After dinner we visited the Explorations center up on deck 12 and then had an after dinner beverage in Billboard while the Rolling Stone group played across the hall. With a very early meeting time the following morning we called it an evening.

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by StartrainDD
typo

[StartrainDD]

Saturday, August 13, Akureyri, Iceland

 

The alarm woke us at 6:00. Coffee & tea delivered at 6:30. We met our friends in the lido around 7:20. Our private group tour organized by a cruise critic member was meeting at 7:45 at the Grand Dutch Cafe. At about 7:55 hotel manager Rene walked by and said the ship was clear, the announcement was coming, but we could head to the gangway. Just as we started sure enough the announcement was made.

 

We were among the first off the ship and with our group complete, we were the first group tour to leave the parking area. Our guide was Jonas Karisson, owner of Lake Myvatn Private Tours.

 

I was offered the front seat as our organizer really didn't want it. That was terrific and DW enjoyed having her seat to herself as well. Since our last visit a tunnel has been completed and opened which cuts the trip by 15 minutes each way. This is a toll tunnel and therefore the ship's tour buses do not use it. Our guide has an agreement with the tunnel authority to stop mid-way where there is a pull off area. Because the tunnel goes through a geothermal area, the tunnel temperature year round in around 82 degrees F. Then he led us through a door in the tunnel wall into a large carved out 'room' which had to be 20 or 30 degrees warmer, with the walls very warm to the touch. Really a neat thing to experience and I can't say that we have ever before stopped in the middle of a tunnel to get out of the vehicle.

 

From there we headed off to Godafoss, the waterfall of the Gods. Being the first group from the ship upon arrival there were very few folks around, making for some great photo opportunities. By the time we were leaving 45 minutes later there was many tour groups and hundreds of folks milling about.

 

The next stop was Skútustaðagígar, the pseudo-craters. We did a short walk trying to dodge the midges. They seemed about as bad as our previous visit and then we did cross the road to the homemade ice cream, made from the farm's own cow milk, spot even though at 10:30 it was a little early for ice cream. How likely is it we would get this opportunity again?

 

From there we headed on to the incredible lava formations. We walked the yellow trail dodging the midges, which honestly seemed worse than our previous visit. This time we even had full head covering masks (except for the eyes) and they didn't seem to help that much. Even so, we had a nice time taking photos. The men did the entire trail while the ladies went to the shop to get away from the midges.

 

Next we stopped at a site of a geothermal underwater pool in a cave. I didn't actually reach the pool as the 'trail' down seemed rougher to cross than the rocks near the Greenland ice cap. This cave is right at the area where the American and European plates are separating. We passed a spot where some locals built a pipe structure some years ago and could clearly see that the plates had separated by about a meter.

 

At 12:20 we reached the Myvatn geothermal baths. The entire group had a terrific time here and we made the most of our two hours, leaving five minutes 'early' at 2:15. The bar in the baths even had the same incredible German Apple Cider I enjoyed on our Viking River Cruise the prior month. What a way to enjoy the afternoon. I did end up getting a bit sunburned but it was worth it. Who would ever think of getting sunburned in Iceland?

 

After leaving the baths, we made our last stop at the Myvatn Geothermal Area, the area where the sulfur fumes and hot water come up to the surface. The water is boiling as it comes through the mud. From there, we traveled around the north side of Myvatn lake. We stopped at a photo spot and there was a Porsche convertible with Florida license plates! We told the driver we were from Florida and he said he was from Miami Beach. Still can't quite fathom how he got his car to Iceland. There sure are not many 'convertible' type of days to enjoy in Iceland.

 

We stopped at a photo stop for a bird's eye view of Akureyri. Two additional cruise ships had joined the Nieuw Statendam at dock. Finally we stopped at the main Akureyri church, designed by the same architect as the Reykjavik church, and the design is indeed very similar. The guide took a drive around town on the way back to the ship. We were dropped off at 4:10 just after (and just ahead of) two ship's tour buses, so there was quite a line to get back on the ship. I will give Kudos to the ship as many of the bar staff was outside serving warm apple cider to those waiting to board. It took us about 15 minutes to clear the queue and so we were onboard about 4:30.

 

We did not leave the dock until we were well into our dinner, so we had the perfect view for the sail away down the fjord. Today is our friend's birthday so six of the crew came over to sing the Indonesian birthday song and the rich chocolate cake was brought over.

 

After dinner we went up to the pool deck to enjoy some beverages and the view. We saw what we believed to be a large pod of dolphins but there were quite some distance away. Nearly as far we saw the blow of a small whale but it never surfaced enough to be seen. We called it a night after that adventure and found two sets of returned laundry in our cabin.

 

Sunday, August 14; Seydisfjordur, Iceland

 

We've not visited Seydisfjordur before so today was new. This is a town on only about 800 inhabitants but it sits at the end of a beautiful fjord. We heard there were nice waterfalls to be seen and many hiking trails. We are actually tendering in as a Viking cruise ship, the Mars, is docked.

 

With a very long port day of 8:00 – 7:30 we were in no hurry to get off. We met friends for breakfast at about 8:45 and left the ship about 9:30. It was a short tender ride. Showers were again forecasted but they did not appear until early afternoon. Maps were available right after we exited the tender and we were told to follow the main road out of town to the waterfalls. Well, it wasn't really quite that easy. Since we were tendered we were not at the information center, and from a distance it appeared to be within the fenced area for just the Viking ship. So we set out to walk through town (passing many Viking walking tours along the way) and took photos of the blue church. Then we found the main road and began walking.

 

After about 40 minutes we were getting concerned. A few passers-by (other cruise passengers) gave us various stories about the distance to the waterfalls. We saw the small golf course in the distance. I ended up turning around with the ladies while my friend continued on with another two men from the ship. After just a minute or two, two ladies were walking the other way. They had good GPS on their phone showing the actual distance, which was perhaps another 15 minutes. So the ladies continued back to town to shop, and I turned back around, catching up with my friend at the golf course clubhouse.

 

From the clubhouse it was maybe another ¼ mile along the road to the waterfall sign, then a long city block walk along a gravel road to the waterfall. This waterfall is the site of the first electric generating station in Iceland, and there is a museum there (closed on Sunday). We took a lot of photos and then found the sign showing the various walking paths. There is an “Easy” rated path part way up the mountainside that returns to town. We climbed to that path and passed a few smaller falls along the way. Then we talked to a hiker who had just came from town and he assured us the path was well-marked and 'just stay to the left' and it would bring us back to town.

 

Walking the trail was so much better than walking the road. It was a little longer but so much more enjoyable. We saw mushrooms, crossed many tiny streams of water coming down the mountain, and walked through brisk pine forests where we could actually smell the pine. We doubt that many of the Nieuw Statendam's guests (or Viking's for that matter) can say that they enjoyed the scent of an Icelandic pine forest. We also crossed a few larger streams with waterfalls cascading down the mountain. There were wooden bridges built over these streams. Just before the descent back into town we came across a park bench with a wonderful view. We took a few minutes to enjoy the view and drink some water. Then we headed down the hill into town. Just about now it began to rain, gently at first and it became a 'hard drizzle' by the time we were back to the tender pier.

 

We were nearly the last back on the tender before they closed off the line. I ended up sitting at the end of the bench at the open doorway, so I was being rained on a bit. Oh well, everything will dry. At least we were among the first off the tender at about 1:20. We dropped our gear back in the cabin and went to the lido in search of the ladies. We did not find them after a full circuit, so went to get some lunch. While I was getting my lunch the ladies appeared. It turned out they truly took advantage of their 'shopping time' and were on the tender after ours. Most of the purchases were made at the supermarket, which also had a souvenir section.

 

We decided to play a round of Catan and were able to snag the large table on the starboard side of the lido. DW won the first round and our friend who just celebrated his birthday took a big gamble on the second round and won. Perhaps he should be in the casino? Likely not. After Catan dinner was calling. DW had a terrific meal and really enjoyed it. I really wasn't very hungry having overdone lunch but what I had was very good. We had some after dinner beverages in Billboard at then called it a night after an over 16,000 step day!

 

 

[StartrainDD]

Monday, August 16, Djupivogur, Iceland

 

We were up rather early as this is an early port day. I also needed to deliver the tour reminders for the following day's tour from Reykjavik That was quite a chore as one of the couple's rooms on deck 4 aft was hard to reach due to the mid section of deck 4 being closed off for quarantine cabins. I only found one way in and out of that section, from the small hall behind the aft elevator. I did 2000 steps just walking around the ship.

 

We were very intrigued by information at the EXC tables in the crow's nest about Papey Island off Djupivogur. Having visited Djupivogur before, we knew there is little in town to occupy more than 90 or so minutes. I had looked up the ferry information to Papey Island but it said it only ran at 1:00 PM, which does not work with our port schedule of 7:00 AM – 2:30 PM. The ship did not offer a tour to Papey Island either

 

We decided to get off on a tender around 8:15 in hopes that perhaps the ferry service was enterprising enough to take advantage of a potential customer base and have an earlier option. Well, Djupivogur was the least enterprising and least welcoming site we've visited in Iceland. There was no information center, no one at the port offering maps or advice, and the restaurant and coffee shop did not open early to offer their services to the cruisers. Perhaps they just don't like cruise ships?

 

We walked around and took photos of what used to be a church. We stopped by the general store/supermarket at 9:05 (they opened at 9:00) and bought some Icelandic licorice. While in the store we noticed the post office is also inside (open 11:00 – 14:00 only) and the bank (open Mon, Wed, Fri from noon to 3:00 only). We then made our way to see the outdoor art “Eggin / Gledivik” (The Eggs of Merry Bay) on the waterfront perhaps a Kilometer from the tender dock. We took photos and noticed an unusual Orange structure in the distance on the waterfront. Was this some type of lighthouse?

 

While it was a beautiful sunny morning the wind was at least triple the “9 MPH” stated on our cabin TV, and it was biting with the air temperature in the 40's. We stopped in the local souvenir shop as it finally had opened at 10:00 but found nothing of interest and then headed back to the ship on the next tender.

 

After being 'chilled to the bone' by that wind it was time to make use of the hot tubs on board. We certainly thought they were better called 'warm tubs' but still they felt good. Afterwards we enjoyed a few beverages while relaxing by the pool. A light lunch was obtained from the Lido or the Dive-Inn and then we had a happy birthday call with our grandson who was turning six today.

 

I took a few photos of a rainbow that appeared on the east side of the fjord as a rain shower appeared. It was time to freshen up after the swim and soak, and we had a relaxing afternoon. The goal is to stay up tonight for the “Orange party” at 9:30.

 

After preparing for the evening we visited the Grand Dutch Cafe. DW found a 'new' wine at the Cafe and began ordering that one as her previous favorite is no longer available. Sailing along the coast it is very pretty to watch the coastline slide by. During the evening we passed several huge glaciers. With the sun now in the west however it made photography difficult.

 

Dinner was simply superb this evening. Our friends went to Tamarind and enjoyed their dinner as well. Afterwards we made a short visit up to the crow's nest to take a few coastline photos and then settled in at Billboard for a while. We had a great time for the “All request” set and then listened at a distance to the Rock Room set. We stayed for the start of the 9:00 Billboard set and at about 9:15 we moved over to B B King's for the 9:30 Orange Party.

 

The Orange Party was somewhat disappointing. In past years the Orange night has featured lots of Dutch foods as well as drinks and was an overall celebration of Dutch heritage. Now, it is just pushing orange gin-based drinks. It was good to hear the B B King's group. They total eight folks and are very talented. We stayed for their entire set and then called it a night. What made it fun was being with our friends, new and old.

 

Tuesday, August 16, Reykjavik, Iceland.

 

The longest tour of the cruise was booked for our day in Reykjavik. We didn't arrive until 10:00 but the ship is not scheduled to depart until 11:00 PM. We have a '10 hour' South Shore tour booked through Arctic Shoreex.

 

No reason to get up early, we went to the dining room for breakfast at about 8:10. We won't do that again. Service was horribly slow and they don't even seem to come by any more to ask if you want juice or a pastry/bread selection. Another Holland America special treatment that seems to be history.

 

After we finally had our breakfast we went to the lido to find our friends who were just finishing their breakfast. They are doing the “Golden Circle Tour” today which we did some years back. Service in the Canaletto area of the lido is nearly as poor as in the dining room. They like the more comfortable chairs there but the servers completely ignored us latecomers even though we would have liked some coffee and tea. Honestly, the service in the main lido at meal times is quite good and we really appreciate that.

 

Our private tour was to be 13 folks in a 16 passenger mini-bus. Well, one couple ended up 'double-booking' tours for the day. They tried to resell their two prepaid tickets but to no avail, and they went the their other tour as they have been with that touring group of folks at other ports. Then, I had a message on my phone from the three-some in our group that she wasn't feeling well that morning and did a covid self-test which was positive. They were waiting on the official test from the ship but they would not be going. So, we ended up with just eight folks on the 16 passenger mini-bus. The tour did involve a lot of time in the bus so having that extra space ended up working out well for those who actually took the tour.

 

We met at 9:55 at the Dutch Cafe. At about 10:10 an announcement was made that due to 'shore side hiccups' we would not be able to disembark until 10:30, and please do not wait on deck one. So we waited in the Ocean bar on deck two. At about 10:25 the 'clear to go ashore' announcement was made. A comment here is that with a 10:00 arrival time 'everyone wants to get off' right away, and everything should be done by the ship's team to ensure there are no 'hiccups' to cause delays. Even though all aboard is at 10:30 PM, many of the tours from Reykjavik are eight to ten hours long. Ours ended up being 10 hours and 45 minutes, and it could have been longer if we had wanted it to be!

 

We were about the first mini-bus to leave the parking area. Our guide, Tomas, from Arctic ShoreEx was terrific all day. We headed away from Reykjavik and our first stop was a 'bonus stop' due to our small number of passengers. We stopped at an area where thick soft moss covers the very rough volcanic rock. Tomas showed us how the moss regenerates each spring and how even though the rock is extremely sharp you can lay on the moss with no concerns. He said many athletic competitors do exactly that when they complete a competition.

 

We then continued on our way. This area of the ring road is being expanded to two lanes in each direction. Tomas talked about the increase in tourism in Iceland driving the need to improve the infrastructure. Tourism took off after the big 2010 volcanic eruption as news outlets in Europe focused on Iceland for more than a week, often showing some of the beautiful vistas, waterfalls, etc. We made two quick rest stops on our way to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall.

 

Seljalandsfoss is unique in that you can walk behind it. Just four of our group of eight made the trek over the wet rocks to reach the area behind the falls, but it was worth it. We did get quite wet from the wind-blown spray, but everything dried within 30 minutes once back in the bus. The origin of the Seljalandsfoss river is the Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcano, which we were also able to photography part of.

 

From Seljalandsfoss it was a bit of a drive on to the Skogafoss waterfall. Skogafoss is said to be the most photographed in Iceland and one of the top waterfalls for photography in the world. We made a brief stop at the access road as there was a rainbow around the base of the falls and would return later. Tomas said the best photography here if the sun is shining was at about 3 – 4:00.

 

We took a side road to get a closer glimpse of Solheimajokull, an outlet glacier of the Myrdalsjokull ice cap, which covers the Katla volcano. This is the large ice cap I have photos of from our visit to the island of Heimey on a previous visit. We could see Heimey off the coast during our drive. It is a .75 KM walk from the parking area to the overlook of the glacier, which currently ends in a glacial lake. It is an addition and rougher .75 KM to actually reach the face of the glacier. Time constraints meant this was not a possibility. We did see many young folks equipped with gear to actually hike up on the glacier, which is very popular here.

 

We returned to the Skogafoss waterfall for some up close photos and a lunch/supper stop at the hotel located there. At this time I caught some photos of a double rainbow in the falls, truly special.

 

We headed further down the coast to the Reynisfjara beach. This beach is magnificent with its black volcanic sands, geometric basalt columns and caves. There are also the towering Reynisdrangar sea stacks jutting out of the ocean just offshore. This was a most popular spot with a lot of visitors exploring the area, and children and young folks climbing on the columns (which did not appear to be very safe...)

 

Reynisfjara beach represented our furthest point. In discussions with Tomas, we all agreed to forgo the visit to the town of Vik for more time at the other locales. We drove just a few KM back and stopped at

Dyrholaey, a spectacular arched cliff with a lighthouse and gorgeous black sand beaches around. We were also able to see puffins which nest in the cliff face. I was able to get photos of a baby puffin in it's nest as well as other puffins standing near their nests. This was truly a magical site and we really enjoyed Dyrholaey.

 

From there we began the long drive back to Reykjavik. We stopped at the same rest area as on our outbound trip, and made a quick post office box drop for some of our tour members to mail their postcards. One couple had asked earlier in the tour if there would be time to visit the Reykjavik church and Tomas said we will have to see our timing. At about 9:00 we approached a highway intersection Tomas asked if folks wanted to make the detour to the church. I told Tomas that we needed to get back to the ship.

 

Tomas dropped us off at 9:15 right at the ship. During our drive he was notified on his phone that despite our gorgeous weather, the following day was a 'code yellow' weather emergency. He was scheduled to drive to our next port for a tour there. I obtained his cell number and told him if we heard anything about our port being canceled before leaving Reykjavik I would send a text. Sure enough, there was a letter from the captain at our cabin telling us our port call had been canceled as we would not be able to run the tenders. So we let Tomas know.

 

We raced to the dining room so that DW could give Hendricka her order for the next evening. We then went up to the NY Deli to grab a little food. The lido also opened for 'late night' at 10:00 due to the number of late tours returning. We met our new Catan friends at the deli and sat with them. A little before 11:00 the bar server came by for 'last call.' Well, that has never happened to us before on a cruise! Of course, on most cruise lines the bar wouldn't be closing at 11:00 either.

 

At 11:11 we entered the elevator to go down to cabin 1111 and called it a night.

 

Wednesday, August 17, Grundarfjordur, Iceland (or not)

 

Our last port call in Iceland was to be a new port for us. However, due to very stormy weather with near 50 MPH winds and high waves, the port was canceled and we enjoyed a sea day. So the Nieuw Statendam had left Reykjavik and headed west-southwest at a leisurely 13-14 knots towards the next port of call in Greenland. The ship was sure shaking as the seas were 4-5 meters (15-20 feet).

 

With no need to get up early and after our very late day we slept late. We found our friends in the lido around 9:45. The pool was fun in the morning along with the hot tub. The ladies did their own thing. We spent the afternoon playing Catan in the lido on a long table for six, using the two-tops next to us to hold beverages and snacks. It all worked out well and our traveling friends won the two matches.

 

Dinner was terrific and we can't say enough good things about our wait staff. We also had a nice chat with the dining room host, Juli. Wine steward Edward found us a bottle of DW's and our friends favorite wine on the ship, the Sextant Zinfandel. Most spots are telling us there is no more available. Hope Edward can find some more!

 

We tried the show, Canadian comedian Andrew Grose. His first two routines first offended any covid anti-vaccination folks (of course there are none on the ship, but we do have friends at home who are not in favor of the vaccines) and then offended US folks for supposedly not knowing anything about Canada. After fifteen minutes we walked out and found seats in Billboard where Gabe & Megan were playing a terrific set. We stayed in Billboard for their second set and then called it a night. The hours go BACK an hour so we get extra sleep tonight!

 

Thursday, August 18, at sea

 

No need to rush anywhere this morning but we were up at about 7:30. I ran into my friend on the way to the Dutch Cafe for coffee and tea. We ended up sitting there a while and then I brought the coffee back to DW. We met up in the lido at about 8:30 for breakfast. The ladies decided they wanted to shop and walk around and the men agreed to go to the pool and hot tubs. The weather is much improved from yesterday and by noon we had a brilliant blue sky and the seas were calming down, but still a bit bumpy from the storm that had passed.

 

During the fourth 'button push' in the hot tub we were remarking how pleasant it was on the pool deck. One of the large deck 10 tables with the couch had not yet been 'claimed,' so we dried off enough to go claim it. We took turns cleaning up from the water and then I began setting up Catan. My friend brought one of the dutch cafe apple pie slices and that was my lunch. We played a two person round while waiting for the ladies who had all gone to the flower arranging demonstration. Although we said we would play at 1:30 no one was especially hungry so we began at about 12:30. While we were setting this up the ladies passed by the “Effy” shop where they were having a contest. DW ended up with the winning ticket and a bag of 'bling.' Perhaps these trinkets might be enjoyed by our granddaughter, we will see.

 

We played two rounds of Catan and had a really nice time. We had the game put away at about 4:45 and went to get ready for dinner. All I needed to do was to put a long sleeve shirt over my Catan tee. The local dinner feature was Arctic Wolf fish. It was actually so good I asked for a second piece of fish. They made it for DW without the breading and she enjoyed it also. After dinner we visited the photo shop as one of the rotating ads was for a time-lapse video of our passage through Prince Christian Sound. We watched the video and will consider buying it. It comes on a jump drive and is in MP4 format. Also on the drive are perhaps two dozen still photos taken by the photography team during the passage.

 

We stopped at the front desk to make sure we did not need any luggage tags for our self-disembark now nine days away. We also made sure we were on the list to be called should the northern lights appear. Both were affirmative.

 

The world stage show tonight is the Step One Dance Company. We saw their show (well, part of it...) when on our March cruise. The dancers are very talented but this is just not our cup of tea. So we found a terrific table in Billboard and listened to the Rock Room across the hall, then enjoyed two sets at Billboard. At 10:30 we called it a night. We gain a second hour back tonight and look forward to our port call tomorrow!

 

At a few minutes before midnight our cabin phone rang. Guest services was calling to tell us that the Northern Lights were visible. We quickly put on some warm clothes (not warm enough!) and went up deck 10. At first we couldn't see anything but oddly enough the camera could. After a short time we could begin to see them ourselves. There was a flash for perhaps 30 seconds where colors other than green were visible, including purple and red. Sure hope the photos look good! It was brutally cold due to a very strong wind so we lasted perhaps 15 minutes before heading back to the warmth of our cabin.

 

[StartrainDD]

Friday, August 19 – Nanortalik, Greenland

 

We had read on a previous cruiser's blog that the sail-in to Nanortalik was not to be missed. When I woke at 6:30 I immediately got dressed and went out on deck. I did snap some photos and saw the shadow of a whale in the distance, but otherwise I believe the sail away photos are superior.

 

Stopped at the Dutch cafe for some good coffee and tea and brought those back to the cabin. Then I got the laundry ready for pick up. By then DW was ready and we went out aft on deck nine to take a few additional photos. There are a few icebergs in the bay and that makes for some good photos. If only there were some seals enjoying those icebergs... Alas, that was not to be.

 

We were in the lido for just a few minutes as I was getting frustrated not able to send my friend a text letting him know where we were. The Navigator AP still needs some work as it is not reliable. He ended up finding us as he was heading out to take photos. We had a nice breakfast. For the first time I tried the 'normal' scrambled eggs. They were not edible so I went back for an omelet.

 

We all agreed to meet at 9:15 to get tender tickets and head over to shore. There was no wait and we were sent down to the tenders. I managed to get a seat by the open door so I was able to get some good photos and video of the large iceberg in the bay as I had noticed the tenders sailed right past it. We arrived on shore and began walking towards the church. We stopped at the information center / souvenir shop to look around. One hour iceberg boat rides were available at $120, a relative bargain compared to the $159 the shore excursion department was charging. We moved on to the church and took some photos. The 10:00 concert had already started (it was 10:10 when we arrived there) so we did not go in to hear the concert.

 

We headed over to the open air museum and my friend bought the tickets for the four of us. 60 Danish Krone each on the credit card was a better buy than US$10 cash each. The open air museum was very nice but inside the building many exhibits did not have an English translation. We did get some terrific photos of the surrounding area from inside the museum grounds.

 

We exited the museum on the other end and walked along the bay to a bunch of colorful houses. I don't know how long the paint lasts in this sub-arctic environment but many of the homes could use a fresh coat of paint. From a distance you can't tell but up close it becomes evident. While there is a fish market, I saw no evidence of a commercial fishery so I could not figure out how the town supports itself. Nanortalik has a population of about 1300 and is the tenth-largest town in Greenland. The educational facilities we walked by looked impressive for a town of this size.

 

We heard seals but never did actually see them, although we tried to follow the sound. We made it back to the harbor area at 12:05. We decided we had enough (over 10,000 steps already on our fit-bits) and headed for the tenders. Our friends stayed to check out the supermarket/general store, although they did not make any purchase.

 

Getting back took fifty minutes from the time we joined the very long tender line until we reached the ship. I believe four tenders came and went before we were on one. The line didn't move at first then the ship began sending empty tenders to pick up folks and it moved more expeditiously. I suppose we must have joined the line right after some of the ship's tours returned. At least it was a beautiful sunny day with little wind, so the mid 40 degree temperature felt fine.

 

Back on board we had a little lunch. A very nice cod was available in the lido. After lunch we lingered talking awhile as our friends had made it back, and then went to the cabin to put away the laundry. I went back on deck for the sail-away, which was beautiful. As soon as the ship began to really move however the apparent temperature seemed to dive very quickly, so the warm tea was not enough and I headed inside. I did stop on deck 3 to take some photos as we passed a large iceberg.

 

Dinner was outstanding. We both enjoyed the roasted turkey and it was perfect. Hendrika takes such good care of everything. Our friends went to Tamarind tonight and they reported they had an excellent dinner. We took in the 7:30 country set at Billboard and then a game show at B B King's. This ended up being the exact same show we saw in March. Same words, everything except the panel. We went back to Billboard and enjoyed their second set.

 

At that point we called it a night.

 

Saturday, August 20 – at sea

 

Saturday was a fine sea day. Breakfast was very light as this was a day for big meals. When we booked the Pinnacle lunch for this day this was not supposed to be a dress up night, but it became one. We met our friends in the lido and enjoyed the large oval table on the starboard side of the ship. We decided since we had this terrific table that we would play Catan in the morning and I went to retrieve the game from our cabin.

 

We played one really close round and our new Catan friend from Kansas ended up 'dethroning' our traveling friend from Florida. If he hadn't won on that round I'm sure someone else would have won before his next turn, but that is the fun of Catan! We finished up at about 11:20 and cleaned up the game. On our way back to the cabin we found the florist had a table set up poolside with the dutch vases. The ladies wanted to take a look at the “$9.99 bling sale” down on deck 3 but nothing was purchased. We then went to our Pinnacle lunch. This lunch was much more satisfying than the one earlier in the cruise, likely because DW was able to order ahead and the chef did a great job adjusting her foods for her restrictions. We also celebrated a birthday at lunch!

 

After lunch the men enjoyed a long soak in the hot tub while the ladies did their relaxing and prepping for dress up night. We went to Billboard 20 minutes early for the 4:00 music trivia being hosted by the Billboard team of Gabe & Megan. Our team scored 13 out of 40, not very good, while the winning team had a 29. It was hard to find a seat even arriving 20 minutes early. We then met our new friends and posed for dress up night photos of the group of six of us before heading to dinner.

 

Dinner was superb. To our delight, in addition to 'normal' dress up night entrees like lamb chops and filet, there was “Fresh Greenland Cod.” This was just terrific fish that my friend and I both enjoyed. DW and her friend both had the lamb chops and they were nicely prepared. Hendrika seemed sad when we told him we would be in the Pinnacle the next evening (for our booking-included Pinnacle meal) but we assured him we would be back the following evening.

 

After dinner we got seats in Billboard where our new friends had secured a nice table. We listed to the Rolling Stone Rock group from Billboard and then enjoyed Gabe & Megan's set of 'One hit wonders.' The next day is an early port call so at 9:00 we headed back to the cabin for the night.

 

Sunday, August 21 – St. Anthony, Newfoundland, Canada

 

A beautiful day was foretasted for St. Anthony and the forecast was surpassed with the actual temperature reaching 68 degrees around lunchtime with a brilliant sunshine. So how do we enjoy it?

 

We had the alarm set for 6:00 AM but woke up just before the alarm. Coffee & tea were delivered at 6:30 exactly as requested. We went up to the lido at about 6:45 for a quick breakfast. We found our friends and everyone was finished with breakfast by 7:00. We saw the tenders bouncing around in the bay, and could also see that the tender ride into St. Anthony was a longer ride than at our previous ports.

 

At 7:18 we left our cabin and were told we could board a tender immediately. Our friends had just been told the same thing at the ticket desk, so we were all on the first passenger tender to shore. At about 7:45 we reached the dock. The visitor center / gift shop / tea house was already open and I was able to download a trail map as our intention was to walk out to the lighthouse. Advance research showed this to be a 1.6 mile walk each way however by the time we returned to the pier we had walked five miles total.

 

Walking along the road early in the morning wasn't bad, although we were aware of passing cars. After the first several blocks there were no sidewalks. Once we reached the actual park area the trails were wonderful. We enjoyed the trails, the wildflowers, and watching the birds near the sea cliffs. We took a bunch of photos near the lighthouse. To our surprise, a very nice souvenir shop was open and DW found a nice light jacket to acquire. Friends also made purchases here.

 

We began walking back on the Whale View trail and before it began climbing the 400+ steps to the cliff top we veered off back to the road. The walk back was not as pleasant as the walk going out, as now there were many more vehicles going back and forth. By the time we reached the dock we all just wanted to get back to the ship. I would have liked to go back into the visitors center shop and tea room, but it felt good to be on the tender for the 15 minute ride back. During the walk back we all kept shedding layers as the sun was really warming up the day.

 

Once on board, I grabbed my computer from the room and went up to the lido. Rather parched, we downed several glasses of water and had Tao, a very personable bar server, bring us several rounds of beverages. We had a light lunch from the buffet while using my cell phone connection, I downloaded two weeks worth of e-mails, paid some bills, and checked on a few things on the internet. My dad also returned my call as I had called him from the earlier souvenir shop and it was good to get caught up.

 

Everyone was quite tired after our morning adventures and we took it easy for the afternoon. The bell of the 'welcome back' announcement woke us from a nap and we began getting ready for the evening. We have reservations this evening at the Pinnacle Grill for the dinner included in our booking.

 

Dinner in the Pinnacle was very nice. They did not have the featured bacon appetizer available so as we left they said they would send one to the dining room the following evening (which they did). As pleasant as it was, we missed our normal wait team. One advantage of dining at the Pinnacle is that they have their own stash of wine and the wine that everyone else is out of remained available at the Pinnacle.

 

After dinner we visited the main dining room to place DW's order for the next evening. Then we found seats in Billboard to listen to the rolling stone group across the hall and the Billboard team before calling it a night.

 

[StartrainDD]

Monday, August 22, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

 

I was up early to get photos of our sail-in to St. John's. This is a natural harbor and the cut in the mountains allowing entry is quite something to see. A lighthouse and old fortifications are also part of the attraction.

 

Upon passing through the harbor there was an older cruise ship berthed and a USCG ship that looked a lot like the ship our son had been previously posted on. Sure enough, it was the USCG Cutter Bear, and once we arrived I took a few photos and sent them to him. We met our friends up in the lido and decided to leave the ship early to explore some of the city on foot before our scheduled 9:30 tour meeting at the ALT hotel, which we saw directly adjacent to the ship's berth.

 

After leaving the gangway there was an information table set up with city maps, a historic walking tour map, and little “Newfoundland” pins. We were given one of each by the friendly volunteer. I will say that everyone in St. John's made us feel very welcome. We hit the highlights of the walking tour which was quite enjoyable, ending at the ALT at 9:20. In a few minutes a full size school bus pulled up to take us to our Puffin and Whale watching adventure on Gatherall's Boat Tours. It was a 30-40 minute ride mostly south to the cute community of Bay Bulls. The bus was less than half-full, and I believe everyone on the bus was from the ship. Gatheralls had clean restrooms and a very nice gift and snack shop. We got in line to board the boat and were glad we did as we were able to get aft seats on the open upper deck.

 

How many were on the boat? I don't know but I will say that we never felt crowded. We saw another tour boat with a green hull that just looked packed with people, and it seemed much more affected by the sea motion than our blue ship. We stopped before even leaving the harbor as a young bald eagle (not yet 'bald') was enjoying the sunshine on a rock outcropping. Then we made our way to the bird island where we were told 360,000 puffins enjoy the summer, in addition to over a million other sea birds.

 

Well, we sure did see puffins! I hope at least a few of the photos are sharp. They fly incredibly fast and their wings almost see like large hummingbirds. They love to just sit on the ocean waves occasionally diving down for food. We also saw at least a dozen bald eagles circling above the islands and again I hope at least one or two of those photos are good. At one point a crew member spotted a whale's blow and the ship headed off in that direction. That whale never did resurface but on our way back we did see a Humpback Whale and my friend and I both appear to have successfully shot a sequence of photos including the tail.

 

Along the way the crew entertained us with songs of the sea and one lucky (?) young person was “Screetched” and thus made an honorary Newfoundlander. All in all, this was a 10 of a tour, and I will be sure to post a trip advisor review once back home. Back at the ALT at about 1:30 we all decided to head back to the ship. We had a light lunch followed by the dutch cafe apple pie. Three of us played two rounds of Catan on the aft lido deck outdoors as it was a beautiful afternoon.

 

Dinner in the dining room was terrific. I did not care much for the “Atlantic sea bass” and Hendrika insisted I try the pork medallions and they were quite good.

 

We went to Billboard and were very disturbed to see that the ship closed off the seats by the pianos. We don't choose to sit up there anyway but really? There are four evenings left in the cruise. During this sailing Holland America has been issuing news releases touting their relaxed protocols and even the dropping of vaccination requirements for cruises starting the following month, and now they are further restricting access? There is insufficient seating in Billboard to begin with, with many people standing during the performance, and now they take another 16 (?) seats out of the available number? This just put a damper on the entire experience and it did not feel like the same excellent entertainment we've enjoyed thus far this cruise. Perhaps Gabe and Megan feel the same way, but we will never know.

 

Near the end of the first set we called it a night as we have big plans that our friend put together for the next day.

Tuesday, August 23, St. Pierre & Miquelon, France

 

Our friend had set up two ferry boat charters for some 70 folks on the cruise critic roll call to go out to Sailor's island. The ship chartered the 9:00 boat and we chartered the 9:30 and 10:45 boats for 35 folks on each. So we met for breakfast up in the lido and as we were returning to our cabins at 7:45 we were asked by the tender folks if we were ready to go ashore. So five minutes later, before any “Ship is cleared” announcement was made, we were on the tender along with the ships photographers.

 

Reaching shore we had quite the reception. A number of folks were at the tender dock offering maps, a schedule of events planned for the day, including folk dances and musical presentations, and small French flags. We found the way to the ferry dock, which was a little further than had been indicated. There we met the proprietor of the ferry and discussed boarding control using the 'tickets' (wristbands) we had given everyone and also paid him for their services.

 

I went with the ladies to the tourist information office just down the street while my friend went back to the tender dock to guide folks to the ferry. At about 9:26 the ferry pulled in and everyone loaded on board. Two folks who were not part of our group had to leave the ferry as we would have then had too many passengers, but they could go on the next public ferry. We reached the island at about 9:45 and everyone had instructions to be at the ferry dock by 11:45 for the chartered return trip.

 

Sailor's island is a living history place and we very much enjoyed everything about the time there except for the lack of good restroom facilities. We walked over to the ruins of the fort that once guarded the harbor. Several of the homes on the island are still used as summer homes, while others are part of the museum. Most interiors were not accessible. We were able to get into the building that housed the school as well as other displays, but the mold made it so DW could not stay inside as she is very sensitive to mold.

 

The church is impressive for such a small community, and it is easily the largest building on the island. The interior and especially the altar area was very well done. We then walked the western loop back towards the ferry dock. Some folks from summer rentals were also there to ferry back to the mainland and that was a concern as we knew our group would fill the ferry, and we also had a 12:30 bus tour booked which meant we needed to be on the 11:45 chartered sailing.

 

When the ferry arrived, the folks on board handled things well, and we all were on the ferry who needed to be on the ferry. The 12:30 bus ended up coming very early (but did not leave until late), so we had no time to look at the market. The bus tour was 'blah.' Truly there wasn't much to see and the one spot I would have liked them to stop for photos they didn't stop, I suppose as there was no place there to park the bus. The time would have been better spent walking the back streets of the town. The one thing we did learn is that the entire island is essentially a welfare state, with 65% of the population working for the government and the others involved in seasonal work. Costs are high but so are subsidies from France.

 

At the end of the tour at about 2:10 we could get off in town or stay on the bus to be dropped at the tender pier. We all got off in town except for DW, who had an appointment on board at 3:00. She was brought (with others) directly to the tender pier where there was no wait for a tender. The rest of us looked over the market, walked up the hill to another shop, and then walked the waterfront back to the tenders. The colorful “Fish huts” near the tender pier contained a few history displays and a few were converted into bars / cafes for the day. Based on the number of empty bottles, we thought they had a pretty robust business.

 

We were back on the tender at about 3:10. We all stopped at the Grand Dutch Cafe for a light late lunch and I discovered they had fruit based beers. The berry bear was pretty good. The men decided to visit the hot tubs which was very relaxing after walking all over Sailor's island. We had just enough time to get cleaned up for dinner and DW returned from her appointment at 5:05.

 

Dinner was very enjoyable and the Arctic Ling Cod was superb, perhaps the best fish of the cruise. After dinner we went to the show, songstress Jamila. Her show was enjoyable however the first three numbers were performed to a soundtrack. I'm sorry, but that is basically karaoke and in our opinion not suitable for a main stage show. After the first three the Ocean Bar band came on stage and the remainder of the show was certainly more enjoyable.

 

With Billboard being off we went and sat around a table at B B Kings. The B B Kings group is very talented. This is just not my kind of music (at least not the set they did!) and they are so loud it is not possible to have a conversation. After their set, we all agreed on plans for the next day, our last sea day, and called it a night despite gaining an hour overnight on the clock as we move to Atlantic Time.

 

Wednesday August 24, at sea

 

With no reason to get up early we still woke a little before 7:00 with the time change. I went to the dutch cafe for coffee & tea and ran into my friend there. We received a text from our new friend at 7:45 letting us know they were in the lido. We met them there shortly thereafter, with our other friends a little behind us. We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast. I ordered the 'fresh squeezed orange juice' and it was much better when poured into a full glass of ice.

 

We were at the large oval table (there are only two of these) and stayed there to play Catan. We played two rounds and had a terrific time, staying through lunch until a little after 1:00. Then most of us changed and met at the main pool and hot tubs. At 1:45 the bar staff began a 'show' of sorts with juggling acts and demonstrations on cocktail preparation. I will say this was a fun thing to watch from the hot tubs. Note this is the 22^nd day of the cruise and this was the first real poolside entertainment.

 

After cleaning up DW and I went on a mission at the shops to find a way to utilize the remaining non-refundable OBC that we had on our account. With both gratuities and beverages included in our booking, there was little to spend OBC on during the cruise. We did find a few items and ended up within $10. over the total. We also have refundable OBC courtesy of our T/A, and that can be refunded at the end of the cruise, which we will then apply towards our next trip budget.

 

We also stopped at the Dutch cafe and I tried the Cherry beer from Belgium. I liked it but it is not as good as the berry beer. We decided to visit the casino bar to see if they still had a certain wine, and they did. We asked for the wine in a good glass and the bartender complied. We sat there (first time the entire cruise we actually sat at a bar) and the bartender was looking rather strange. DW assured him we would not walk off with the glass. Then he told us “I guess you didn't know but a few days ago the captain ordered that no one sit at any of the bars.”

 

Well, with that, we took our drinks and left. However, that really got me ticked off. There is no place else to sit in the casino except at a slot machine. There was virtually no one in the casino at 4:45 on a sea day. That also explains the 'closing off' of the seats around the piano in Billboard. These crazy restrictions just need to stop. During this cruise Holland America is issuing press releases touting the opening of cruises to non-vaccinated guests, and the continued relaxation of restrictions. The on-board reality however is that restrictions are increasing. Why they are bothering with this with only a few days left until the guests are leaving is a total mystery.

 

We stopped in the cabin to finish getting ready for dress-up night dinner and went early to dinner to find the doors already open. I was still in a bit of a funk about being chased away from the bar. Dinner was very enjoyable however the “Gold Gala” dinner is not what it used to be. What used to be filet and lobster is now steak and shrimp. I ordered the “Red fish” with a few added shrimp. The Red fish was enjoyable however not as good as the prior day's Ling Cod. At dessert, in addition to our ordered desserts, Hendrika brought around a “Chocolate surprise,” a mousse topped with chocolate covered raisins and some colored chocolate. I suppose this is the “New” poor replacement for the former “Chocolate surprise” in all the bars and lounges later in the evening, which itself was a poor replacement for the former dessert extravaganza around the lido pool. Honestly, for a very high-priced cruise with a per Diem far above the HAL average, they certainly could have done more to make things special.

 

Speaking of not making things special, what was the main stage show tonight? The dance company. Further, at 7:30, there were no other entertainment options. None. Billboard's first set was at 8:15. We went up to the lido to get a few teabags for the remaining mornings and then found seats at Billboard. Our new friends joined us at about 7:45 and our other friends came out of the show in the first wave and pulled over another heavy chair to make our table for six.

 

The Billboard set was terrific with a lot of singing along. It is sad however seeing perhaps 50 people standing in the hallway and on the stairs to the casino trying to listen and watch, while at least 25 chairs at the bar and around the piano sit there empty. The management should be ashamed of the way they are treating their guests. When the billboard set was done we stayed and listened to the Rolling Stone group until about 9:45 when we called it a night. The next day is a full day tour with a previously used guide in Halifax and we need to be ready to leave the ship as soon as it is cleared.

[StartrainDD]

Thursday, August 25, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

 

We've been to Halifax twice before. The last time our guide was Paul McNeil, of Halifax Historical Titanic Tours and years ago when we first booked this trip I contacted Paul. Our friends have not been here before. Paul offers a “South Shore” tour that includes Peggy's Cove lighthouse (where we have been) but also many other sights we have not seen, so that is what we set up.

 

I set the alarm for 6:30. I went for coffee & tea at the Dutch cafe and brought it back to the cabin. I noticed the first opening in the fog while I was waiting at the cafe. On the TV cam I saw that the Zaandam was directly behind us heading towards the Halifax docks. Met our friends in the lido at about 7:40. It seemed like we stopped moving in the middle of the channel which seemed strange. When we looked outdoors we noticed we were actually docked, but the Zaandam had the 'better' pier (the one with all the shops).

 

We headed to the cabin to get our bag for the day and went up to deck two where the gangway was set up. Folks weren't yet getting off but we got in line and soon enough it was moving. During breakfast I received a text fro Paul McNeil telling us of the terminal change and exactly where to find him. That was terrific.

 

We met Paul at about 8:35 and the other party of four were right behind us. The last two were perhaps ten minutes later, but he walks with a cane so it just took them longer to reach the meeting point. Then we were off on the trip to Lunenberg.

 

Lunenberg is a UNESCO world heritage site, as the best preserved example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America, still having the same layout as designed in 1753. The waterfront and marina is delightful and we enjoyed the beautiful sunshine while walking around. Then we went up the main street incline and found a lovely little coffee bar where we enjoyed a break and beverage of choice. We then walked the main shopping street taking a look at a few sidewalk sales before turning left and heading back to the waterfront. All the while we were shooting photos of the colorful houses. Paul had told us that the houses need to be repainted every two or three years as the fog and salt really attacks the paint. Most of the homes look good from a distance but when you move closer you can see the paint deterioration. Also, many of the building have placards telling which family lived there in the past, who built the house and when.

 

We were to meet by 12:30 and everyone was back a little early. Paul provided cold water bottles and we moved on to Mahone Bay. We made a brief stop in Mahone Bay to take photos of the five churches all clustered together just off the waterfront. I hope they come out nicely. From there we drove on to Peggy's Cove, stopping at a few photographic points along the way.

 

At Peggy's Cove Paul told us where the “Best lobster rolls he has ever eaten” can be purchased. So after viewing the lighthouse and the granite stones it is built on, we walked over to the lobster shack. We agree this was the best lobster roll by far that we have ever enjoyed. No filler, just lobster meat with a small amount of seasoning and butter on a toasted roll.

 

We left Peggy's Cove just before 3:00 and Paul dropped us back at the cruise ship terminal at 3:55 for our 4:30 all aboard. Perfect timing on the day all around.

 

Back on board we made a stop at the dutch cafe for some cold beverages and then freshened up for dinner. Dinner was very nice with several great options. The “NY Cut” Prime Rib was outstanding. The Beer-battered shrimp was good. Everyone enjoyed their selections. We will certainly miss our wait team of Hendrika, Oka, Juli (dining room host), Edward (sommelier) and Alan (beverage server).

 

After dinner we made a few stops and then found seats in Billboard to listen to the rock group across the hall and then an “All request” set from Gabe and Megan. At the end of their set they thanked everyone for always filling up the lounge and said that the various requests they received led them to learn fifty new (to them) songs during the cruise. They are on the main stage with the dance company the next (and last) evening.

 

We talked with our friends awhile and then called it a night, changing our watches for the last time this cruise.

 

Friday, August 26, Bar Harbor, Maine

 

We woke to fog. More fog. Guess this cruise will be known as the “Fog cruise #2.” I went to get coffee and tea and we met folks in the lido. We also have to see US Customs before getting off the ship today. That went exceedingly well. We were on the very first tender over (a super-large local tender / sightseeing boat) along with the photographers. We stopped at Ollie's Trolley where our friends had booked the 10:00 AM tour, arriving at about 9:30. We walked the town. Bar Harbor looks really good. Some of the older buildings are either gone or fully restored, as everything looks very clean and tidy.

 

We found a few shops where I finally found nice long sleeve T's, and they even had pockets. Then DW found a long sleeve Puffin T. During our shopping it began to rain. The rain did not make the fog go away though. When we were outdoors it did not rain hard. About 11:00 we went back to the tender port to return to the ship to pack.

 

The two big suitcases done at 49+ pounds each, we took a break for a lido lunch at 12:30. It was not busy as many folks are ashore. I downloaded all the photos from two of our cameras and my phone onto the computer for later sharing. Then we returned to the cabin to pack the photo equipment and the small amount of clothes that need laundering. They will be in a carry-on (which we hope to check).

 

We went back out and had a last “Cherry Beer” at the Dutch cafe. Then we moved over to the Ocean bar to listen to the band. I left a note for our friends and they met us there. Seems like the Navigator text message system is on the fritz, no messages are reaching me or our friends, even though the ap shows they are sent.

 

This is the last evening of the cruise and we have no complaints about the service staff on the Nieuw Statendam. In fact, the dining staff and stateroom staff are at the top of the list. We don't feel that way about the upper management, however. We did prepare thank you envelopes for the folks that have served us so graciously for 24 days. We will always remember Hendrika, Oka, Juli, William, Deden & Sumbri. The bar server Tao helped lighten up the wait time (which was never too long) for beverages.

 

After dinner we went to the show. This is the show that should have been on the final dress up night. Billboard's Gabe and Megan headlined a show that included the dance company in the World stage. This was terrific and at the end they again thanked everyone for coming to their performances and they received a mostly standing ovation.

 

We went up to one of out deck 10 “Catan” tables to share photos. Well, we have thousands of photos and this took a while, so I ended up letting the copying of files run while we went to bed. I also stopped at the front desk to cash out most of our refundable OBC and while it took them a while I did walk away with a nice sum of cash. I also asked what deck disembarkation would be on and the standard “Listen for the announcement” line was given.

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by StartrainDD

[StartrainDD]

Summary below!

 

Saturday, August 27, disembarkation and travel home

 

We set the alarm for 5:30 as we had agreed to meet in the lido at 6:45 for breakfast and for me to return the jump drives with photo files. We actually arrived early in the lido and our Florida friends were already there. We were about finished with breakfast at 6:45 and our new friends arrived and I gave them their newly purchased thumb drive with the files. We made a quick stop at the Dutch Cafe for a drip coffee and a farewell almond cookie.

 

On our way to breakfast at 6:30 we noticed the crew seemed to be setting up a checkpoint on deck one for a gangway. Now at 7:05 folks were lining up at deck 2 where ribbons had been put into place for a line. There were still crew members on deck one and I asked if this would be a disembarkation gangway. They told me again “Listen for the announcement.” I told them that folks were lining up on deck two and again “Listen for the announcement.” By the time of that announcement at about 8:30 AM (instead of 7:30) there was likely half the ship's passengers in a long line that stretched back from mid-ship to the showroom.

 

So we got into line at 7:10 on deck 2. 7:30 came and went and nothing. The line is now past Billboard. About 7:45 the cruise director said 'the ship is not cleared' and 'thank you for your patience.' In the meantime, I texted our Uber driver to let him know we were delayed. He said okay, keep him informed. Problem is where the line is there is no signal. We lost the Uber ride and incurred a $28.00 cancellation fee. Thank you Nieuw Statendam! Don't tell passengers they can walk off at 7:30 if 7:30 is not going to happen. At 8:20 we watch four US Customs officers come on board. Yet once we were allowed to disembark, there was no customs or passport check of any kind.

 

Finally at about 8:35 the line began moving. Once we reached the gangway we saw the folks from deck one having a much easier time with their luggage as they had almost a level gangway, while we were all struggling with quite an angle and 120 pounds of luggage.) Outdoors at last, we entered a taxi line. Perhaps 15 minutes later we were in a taxi headed to Logan airport.

 

IN THE MEANTIME, I received a text that our (sold out) connecting flight from Newark to Palm Beach had been canceled. I left the line to find a better signal and United could not get us back to Palm Beach today. We absolutely did not want to deal with a hotel stay. They offered options to Fort Lauderdale so we took the earliest of those, a flight from Boston to Washington Dulles and then connecting to Fort Lauderdale getting there about 8:30 in the evening. Then it will be a costly Uber/Lyft ride to our friends home in Jupiter to pick up our car and drive home.

 

Additionally, United got another $118 out of us to buy two one day United Club passes. With nearly five hours to kill at Logan airport, that seemed an investment that was needed. The United Club at Logan is very nice and mostly quiet and spacious. As the day went on the club did become a little busier but it was never crowded.

 

Our flight to Washington took off on time. Right after getting off at Dulles we passed a Chick-Fil-A so we stopped to order “Lunch” and took it with us to our next gate, just a few minutes away. Our flight to Fort Lauderdale left just a few minutes late. One of the flight attendants must have been sitting nearby when I was talking to my father on the phone, and he told us we could use the Tri-Rail to get back to PBI. I checked the schedule and the problem is we would have to wait two hours for the next train as it doesn't run often on the weekend. He also invited us to sit in a vacant exit row seat, a very appreciated gesture.

 

 

 

Summary and conclusion:

 

The two previous post restart cruises we have taken on Holland and Princess have been fraught with problems. Our four post restart Celebrity cruises have overall been outstanding. They have handled the restart much better than the CCL brands we sail. This cruise was 'better' than the prior HAL cruise however it still leaves much room for improvement to regain the HAL that we fell in love with in 2009.

 

The fact that the HAL website said (and still says) that “Masks are recommended but not required” did not seem to make any difference to the captain and upper management of the Nieuw Statendam. Upon arrival at the pier for embarkation we were informed that masks are required at all times indoors except when eating or drinking. We ended up constantly, always, with food or drink nearby. I'm sure our scale won't appreciate this when we dare to step on it. Despite this, we were told a few times that there was “An increase in cases” but no numbers are ever given. We heard the captain was asked this specifically and his response was “We do not release that information.” But if there is an increase in cases I suppose that just shows that masks don't work very well when used in this fashion.

 

During the period of this cruise Holland America (and other cruise lines) made a big deal with press releases of the elimination of vaccination requirements beginning in September. WHAT? You are forcing your guests on a relatively expensive sailing to wear masks and at the same time you are inviting those who are not vaccinated to join cruises beginning just weeks from this? There is certainly a disconnect here, you can't have it both ways.

 

Back to the cruise experience. Honestly, overall the dining room service was the best we have ever had on a cruise. Thanks to our dining room host from March, Wayan, for making sure we had a nice table with a terrific wait team. The seafood selections in the dining room were also the best we've ever enjoyed. So kudos to the staff on this.

 

Our stateroom team was terrific. I made a few requests upon embarkation and they were all attended to throughout the cruise. The “Music walk” entertainment was the highest quality we've seen, especially the Billboard duo of Gabe and Megan.

 

The Dutch cafe is terrific and I just wish they offered a few healthier menu options so DW could get something to eat there.

 

On the other hand, the 'enrichment' talks are not put on the TV for folks to watch at their leisure. I don't understand why not. Every talk was to a standing room only crowd in the World Stage. This was not so much because of the quality of the talks but rather that there was little else to do during the sea days. We did not attend the talks as we enjoyed playing our game and thus providing our own entertainment while keeping food and drink nearby. However, it would have been nice to listen on the TV while getting ready for the day or the evening as we always do on Celebrity or Princess.

 

Entertainment in the World stage is pretty poor. There were some enjoyable shows but also others not worth the time. The comedian Andrew Grose offended me and many folks I call friends as well as making it seem like Americans know nothing about their northern neighbor. Why is Karaoke considered main stage entertainment? Then on other evenings there was nothing offered in the World stage at all, on other nights a movie, and two nights of BBC Earth, which is nice to see but basically just a TV show on steroids.

 

The embarkation debacle might not have been 100% Holland's responsibility but they could have done more to help guests tolerate the delay. The disembarkation debacle is without excuse. They certainly should know the situation at Boston as that is a home port for them. Don't tell their guests that disembarkation begins at 7:30 and have it begin more than an hour later. I took photos with my phone of the line we were in and the completely jammed BB Kings lounge at about 8:20.

 

The cruise director, Betty Ann, was the most invisible cruise director we've ever (not) seen. I was joking about half-way through the cruise that her announcements could have been recorded in Seattle as at that point we had never seen her except at the Captain's welcome. Even at some of the main stage shows she never introduced the performers or made any post-show announcements about the upcoming day's activities (perhaps because there were so few?).

 

There was no mariner's lunch, no mariner's recognition event, and pretty much nothing special setting apart this 24 day sailing from any run of the mill seven day cruise.

 

Our cabin, #1111, is one of four squarish-shaped inside cabins on the main deck. It is spacious and is in a tremendous location. I would book that cabin again in a heartbeat however I have no intentions at this time of sailing again on this class ship. There is some kind of crew area behind the cabin and we did hear noises from time to time, but it was not enough to trouble us. We've seen the standard inside cabins and they are tiny and we would not consider them at all. Even the standard balcony cabins (which we have stayed in on Koningsdam) are tight with barely room to walk between the bed and the TV wall.

 

My cruise rating is only talking about the on-board experience (including embarkation and disembarkation). Every cruise starts off in my book as five stars. So the subtractions for this sailing of the Nieuw Statendam are: -1 for forcing the guests to wear masks. -1 for poor entertainment in the World stage and very little diversions on sea days and the lack of all mariner's events. -1 for the embarkation and disembarkation debacles. Then we add back +0.5 for the incredible service of the hard working crew for a final rating of 2.5 stars out of five.

 

[FlorenceItaly]

REALLY enjoying your review.  We were scheduled on this cruise, even some shore excursions with Artic Shores, but, ultimately cancelled.  It pained me.  Our cancellations was due to concern of required masking(which became a reality), and COVID quarantine concerns.  It does seem like you had perfect weather for the majority of the cruise.  Back to reading.....thank you, thank you!!

[StartrainDD]

4 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said:

REALLY enjoying your review.  We were scheduled on this cruise, even some shore excursions with Artic Shores, but, ultimately cancelled.  It pained me.  Our cancellations was due to concern of required masking (which became a reality), and COVID quarantine concerns.  It does seem like you had perfect weather for the majority of the cruise.  Back to reading.....thank you, thank you!!

We did have terrific weather when on shore nearly all the time.  The ship was pretty 'brutal' with the quarantine from what I have heard.  They required ten days after the positive test, allegedly because "That is what Canada requires."  Folks did report that room service took good care of them, but still...

[FlorenceItaly]

11 minutes ago, StartrainDD said:

We did have terrific weather when on shore nearly all the time.  The ship was pretty 'brutal' with the quarantine from what I have heard.  They required ten days after the positive test, allegedly because "That is what Canada requires."  Folks did report that room service took good care of them, but still...

I would have gone out of my mind, truly, being in quarantine for ten days.  We were booked in an OV on deck 4.  Thanks again for sharing a true picture of the cruise.

[Mosaic]

Thanks much for the detailed report! We are going on the NS soon.  Yes, the main stage entertainment is now more lame than before---and it was not the best then either.  But with Music Walk, they try to make up for that lack of experience.  

 

I do have to disagree with your comments about masks.  Bring em on!  Keep the Vax requirement (that are now largely gone), but drop the testing.  Enough of that though.  Thanks again.

[Damcruiser]

Thank you so much for this review.  We will be boarding Sep 7th and returning to Quebec.  We can avoid the Boston nightmares.  I looked at the deck plans and I can't find 1111.

 

Did any of the venues have room for dancing?

[PasadenaDave]

Thanks for your complete diary of your cruise.  We are also on the Quebec to Boston cruise.  This is our first on HAL after four on Princess and one May 2022 on Viking Ocean.  We chose this cruise based on itinerary and we hope we haven’t been spoiled by Viking.

 

We have not enjoyed Princess food and Viking was good so we look forward to HAL based on your comments.  Entertainment is low on our priority.  Destination and comfort is what we like 

[Florida_gal_50]

I don’t see anywhere on hal site that masks are optional.  Here is the wording below.  Somehow people see the word recommended and change the word in their mind to optional. Was there somewhere else that states it’s optional?

 

Mask Policy
Masks on board are recommended but not required indoors or outdoors*. We highly recommend guests wear a mask in the World Stage and other entertainment areas, casino, spa treatment rooms, Club HAL and during other congregate events. For more details, view our FAQs.
*Masks are required on the ship indoors on Alaska cruises that sail between Whittier to Vancouver and on buses/trains on Cruisetours.

[wdw1972]

"Recommended but not required" is pretty much the same as optional.  Basically, wear one if you want to, but you don't have to (it's not required).  That's the direction the world is moving towards, so people who want everyone masked are going to have a tough time of it.  All you can do is wear your mask if you feel that's important, but you also have to accept the choice of others to not wear one - the alternative is to simply not cruise if the issue is a deal breaker.

 

Sue/WDW1972

[Florida_gal_50]

20 minutes ago, wdw1972 said:

"Recommended but not required" is pretty much the same as optional.  Basically, wear one if you want to, but you don't have to (it's not required).  That's the direction the world is moving towards, so people who want everyone masked are going to have a tough time of it.  All you can do is wear your mask if you feel that's important, but you also have to accept the choice of others to not wear one - the alternative is to simply not cruise if the issue is a deal breaker.

 

Sue/WDW1972

Yes I know people pretend that’s true.  If I’m at work and my boss tells me I recommend you do this work.  I can tell you without a doubt it doesn’t mean it optional.  If it was optional it would say exactly that.  I’m not going to derail this thread so I won’t be discussing it further.  We both know what it means if we are honest.

[cruisemom42]

38 minutes ago, wdw1972 said:

"Recommended but not required" is pretty much the same as optional.  Basically, wear one if you want to, but you don't have to (it's not required).  That's the direction the world is moving towards, so people who want everyone masked are going to have a tough time of it.  All you can do is wear your mask if you feel that's important, but you also have to accept the choice of others to not wear one - the alternative is to simply not cruise if the issue is a deal breaker.

 

Sue/WDW1972

 

And yet on this cruise (and others) masks ARE clearly being required indoors. I am pretty certain this is at the captain's discretion when COVID numbers exceed a certain point onboard.  And it is a measure that I'd hope they would take, among others, if numbers are high, to curb the spread.

 

And to quote you, if that is a deal breaker for some cruisers, the sensible alternative at this time is to simply not cruise. Not to keep food and drink at hand always to avoid compliance with a simple mandate.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

9 hours ago, StartrainDD said:

Summary below!

 

Saturday, August 27, disembarkation and travel home

 

We set the alarm for 5:30 as we had agreed to meet in the lido at 6:45 for breakfast and for me to return the jump drives with photo files. We actually arrived early in the lido and our Florida friends were already there. We were about finished with breakfast at 6:45 and our new friends arrived and I gave them their newly purchased thumb drive with the files. We made a quick stop at the Dutch Cafe for a drip coffee and a farewell almond cookie.

 

On our way to breakfast at 6:30 we noticed the crew seemed to be setting up a checkpoint on deck one for a gangway. Now at 7:05 folks were lining up at deck 2 where ribbons had been put into place for a line. There were still crew members on deck one and I asked if this would be a disembarkation gangway. They told me again “Listen for the announcement.” I told them that folks were lining up on deck two and again “Listen for the announcement.” By the time of that announcement at about 8:30 AM (instead of 7:30) there was likely half the ship's passengers in a long line that stretched back from mid-ship to the showroom.

 

So we got into line at 7:10 on deck 2. 7:30 came and went and nothing. The line is now past Billboard. About 7:45 the cruise director said 'the ship is not cleared' and 'thank you for your patience.' In the meantime, I texted our Uber driver to let him know we were delayed. He said okay, keep him informed. Problem is where the line is there is no signal. We lost the Uber ride and incurred a $28.00 cancellation fee. Thank you Nieuw Statendam! Don't tell passengers they can walk off at 7:30 if 7:30 is not going to happen. At 8:20 we watch four US Customs officers come on board. Yet once we were allowed to disembark, there was no customs or passport check of any kind.

 

Finally at about 8:35 the line began moving. Once we reached the gangway we saw the folks from deck one having a much easier time with their luggage as they had almost a level gangway, while we were all struggling with quite an angle and 120 pounds of luggage.) Outdoors at last, we entered a taxi line. Perhaps 15 minutes later we were in a taxi headed to Logan airport.

 

IN THE MEANTIME, I received a text that our (sold out) connecting flight from Newark to Palm Beach had been canceled. I left the line to find a better signal and United could not get us back to Palm Beach today. We absolutely did not want to deal with a hotel stay. They offered options to Fort Lauderdale so we took the earliest of those, a flight from Boston to Washington Dulles and then connecting to Fort Lauderdale getting there about 8:30 in the evening. Then it will be a costly Uber/Lyft ride to our friends home in Jupiter to pick up our car and drive home.

 

Additionally, United got another $118 out of us to buy two one day United Club passes. With nearly five hours to kill at Logan airport, that seemed an investment that was needed. The United Club at Logan is very nice and mostly quiet and spacious. As the day went on the club did become a little busier but it was never crowded.

 

Our flight to Washington took off on time. Right after getting off at Dulles we passed a Chick-Fil-A so we stopped to order “Lunch” and took it with us to our next gate, just a few minutes away. Our flight to Fort Lauderdale left just a few minutes late. One of the flight attendants must have been sitting nearby when I was talking to my father on the phone, and he told us we could use the Tri-Rail to get back to PBI. I checked the schedule and the problem is we would have to wait two hours for the next train as it doesn't run often on the weekend. He also invited us to sit in a vacant exit row seat, a very appreciated gesture.

 

 

 

Summary and conclusion:

 

The two previous post restart cruises we have taken on Holland and Princess have been fraught with problems. Our four post restart Celebrity cruises have overall been outstanding. They have handled the restart much better than the CCL brands we sail. This cruise was 'better' than the prior HAL cruise however it still leaves much room for improvement to regain the HAL that we fell in love with in 2009.

 

The fact that the HAL website said (and still says) that “Masks are recommended but not required” did not seem to make any difference to the captain and upper management of the Nieuw Statendam. Upon arrival at the pier for embarkation we were informed that masks are required at all times indoors except when eating or drinking. We ended up constantly, always, with food or drink nearby. I'm sure our scale won't appreciate this when we dare to step on it. Despite this, we were told a few times that there was “An increase in cases” but no numbers are ever given. We heard the captain was asked this specifically and his response was “We do not release that information.” But if there is an increase in cases I suppose that just shows that masks don't work very well when used in this fashion.

 

During the period of this cruise Holland America (and other cruise lines) made a big deal with press releases of the elimination of vaccination requirements beginning in September. WHAT? You are forcing your guests on a relatively expensive sailing to wear masks and at the same time you are inviting those who are not vaccinated to join cruises beginning just weeks from this? There is certainly a disconnect here, you can't have it both ways.

 

Back to the cruise experience. Honestly, overall the dining room service was the best we have ever had on a cruise. Thanks to our dining room host from March, Wayan, for making sure we had a nice table with a terrific wait team. The seafood selections in the dining room were also the best we've ever enjoyed. So kudos to the staff on this.

 

Our stateroom team was terrific. I made a few requests upon embarkation and they were all attended to throughout the cruise. The “Music walk” entertainment was the highest quality we've seen, especially the Billboard duo of Gabe and Megan.

 

The Dutch cafe is terrific and I just wish they offered a few healthier menu options so DW could get something to eat there.

 

On the other hand, the 'enrichment' talks are not put on the TV for folks to watch at their leisure. I don't understand why not. Every talk was to a standing room only crowd in the World Stage. This was not so much because of the quality of the talks but rather that there was little else to do during the sea days. We did not attend the talks as we enjoyed playing our game and thus providing our own entertainment while keeping food and drink nearby. However, it would have been nice to listen on the TV while getting ready for the day or the evening as we always do on Celebrity or Princess.

 

Entertainment in the World stage is pretty poor. There were some enjoyable shows but also others not worth the time. The comedian Andrew Grose offended me and many folks I call friends as well as making it seem like Americans know nothing about their northern neighbor. Why is Karaoke considered main stage entertainment? Then on other evenings there was nothing offered in the World stage at all, on other nights a movie, and two nights of BBC Earth, which is nice to see but basically just a TV show on steroids.

 

The embarkation debacle might not have been 100% Holland's responsibility but they could have done more to help guests tolerate the delay. The disembarkation debacle is without excuse. They certainly should know the situation at Boston as that is a home port for them. Don't tell their guests that disembarkation begins at 7:30 and have it begin more than an hour later. I took photos with my phone of the line we were in and the completely jammed BB Kings lounge at about 8:20.

 

The cruise director, Betty Ann, was the most invisible cruise director we've ever (not) seen. I was joking about half-way through the cruise that her announcements could have been recorded in Seattle as at that point we had never seen her except at the Captain's welcome. Even at some of the main stage shows she never introduced the performers or made any post-show announcements about the upcoming day's activities (perhaps because there were so few?).

 

There was no mariner's lunch, no mariner's recognition event, and pretty much nothing special setting apart this 24 day sailing from any run of the mill seven day cruise.

 

Our cabin, #1111, is one of four squarish-shaped inside cabins on the main deck. It is spacious and is in a tremendous location. I would book that cabin again in a heartbeat however I have no intentions at this time of sailing again on this class ship. There is some kind of crew area behind the cabin and we did hear noises from time to time, but it was not enough to trouble us. We've seen the standard inside cabins and they are tiny and we would not consider them at all. Even the standard balcony cabins (which we have stayed in on Koningsdam) are tight with barely room to walk between the bed and the TV wall.

 

My cruise rating is only talking about the on-board experience (including embarkation and disembarkation). Every cruise starts off in my book as five stars. So the subtractions for this sailing of the Nieuw Statendam are: -1 for forcing the guests to wear masks. -1 for poor entertainment in the World stage and very little diversions on sea days and the lack of all mariner's events. -1 for the embarkation and disembarkation debacles. Then we add back +0.5 for the incredible service of the hard working crew for a final rating of 2.5 stars out of five.

 

Thanks for the nice write up - enjoyed your perspective.   We had the same MDR waiters as you did only at the 8pm seating.   They were outstanding.

Edited August 31, 2022 by The-Inside-Cabin

[StartrainDD]

17 hours ago, Damcruiser said:

Thank you so much for this review.  We will be boarding Sep 7th and returning to Quebec.  We can avoid the Boston nightmares.  I looked at the deck plans and I can't find 1111.

 

Did any of the venues have room for dancing?

 

13 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I don’t see anywhere on hal site that masks are optional.  Here is the wording below.  Somehow people see the word recommended and change the word in their mind to optional. Was there somewhere else that states it’s optional?

 

Mask Policy
Masks on board are recommended but not required indoors or outdoors*. We highly recommend guests wear a mask in the World Stage and other entertainment areas, casino, spa treatment rooms, Club HAL and during other congregate events. For more details, view our FAQs.
*Masks are required on the ship indoors on Alaska cruises that sail between Whittier to Vancouver and on buses/trains on Cruisetours.

Folks were dancing in BB Kings and sometimes at Rolling Stone.  There is not really a 'dance floor' at Billboard but at times a few folks found some space between tables.

 

From January to February this years masks were "Mandated" and the website clearly said so.  We did not cruise.  The mandate was lifted in early March with much public fanfare (similar to the current lifting of Vacc requirements).  "Recommended" is exactly what wdw1972 said above.

 

All the best!

[StartrainDD]

10 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Thanks for the nice write up - enjoyed your perspective.   We had the same MDR waiters as you did only at the 8pm seating.   They were outstanding.

We had hoped to meet you as I have followed your adventures, but with our different dining times I know we were on different schedules.