Live from Nieuw Amsterdam 14-Day Alaska Explorer

[PSR]

Crew News:

I was just looking at the 7-day menus for AK 2023 on your photo site and it appears your listing of day 3 and day 4 are the same. Also, what is the "Day 5 NOT Gala Night" mean? Is it  just Day 6? I'm glad escargot are still on the 2nd Gala Night menu! Thanks for the menus and all the posted information over the years.😊

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, PSR said:

Crew News:

I was just looking at the 7-day menus for AK 2023 on your photo site and it appears your listing of day 3 and day 4 are the same. Also, what is the "Day 5 NOT Gala Night" mean? Is it  just Day 6? I'm glad escargot are still on the 2nd Gala Night menu! Thanks for the menus and all the posted information over the years.😊

Thanks for the catch.  Day 04 is now fixed,

 

All Alaska cruises have Gala Night on the 2d night but not all Alaska cruises have a Gala Night on Day 05 so I posted both,  There is a Day 06 coming tomorrow.

 

After posing so many questions to the crews over the years, I have learned a lot of trivia that once in awhile comes in handy.

[Hlitner]

9 hours ago, Crew News said:

Unfortunately, the ship was not rocking, just leaned waaaay to the port side for several hours. 

This happened to us, many years ago, while on a Prinsendam cruise.  The Captain (Halle Gundersen) explained, during a Captains question/answer session, that the listing was simply caused by a high wind that hit the ship abeam.  At some point, the ability of a ship to counter the wind by shifting ballast is not sufficient to get the vessel on an even plane.  When that incident happened, it went on for a few days.  

 

While we found the constant listing somewhat weird, the proper use of adult beverages did help fool our body into thinking that we were not listing :).

 

On our recent Westerdam cruise, there was also a major shortage of various crackers in the Lido.  Since we have not heard of a worldwide cracker shortage one can conclude that HAL is simply not procuring crackers.  Another cut-back?  At one point when DW bought some tea bags while ashore (we had also run out of black tea) I joked that we should also buy some crackers.  Perhaps this is the beginning of a new HAL tactic to encourage passengers to bring their own food on cruises.  At one point we had supplied our favorite bar with Rose's Lime Juice (we posted this on our blog) since that item was also not available on the vessel.  The bar tender actually thanked us, and stored the Rose's so it was available for our use (and the use of authorized friends).

 

Hank
 

[Hlitner]

11 hours ago, PSR said:

Crew News:

I was just looking at the 7-day menus for AK 2023 on your photo site and it appears your listing of day 3 and day 4 are the same. Also, what is the "Day 5 NOT Gala Night" mean? Is it  just Day 6? I'm glad escargot are still on the 2nd Gala Night menu! Thanks for the menus and all the posted information over the years.😊

Just a few words about escargot (Celebrity used to have it on their everyday menu).  DW decided it was simple to make at home (just buy a relatively inexpensive can of decent snails and cook).  She even bought some empty snail shells to enhance her presentation.  After making the dish (it was delicious) a few times she gave it up.  Her comment, "As much as I love eating escargot, you get too familiar with the snails when you cook your own."   On our recent Westerdam cruise they had escargot on the menu for about half our dressy nights.  They were quite good.

 

Hank

[canadianbear]

5 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Just a few words about escargot (Celebrity used to have it on their everyday menu).  DW decided it was simple to make at home (just buy a relatively inexpensive can of decent snails and cook).  She even bought some empty snail shells to enhance her presentation.  After making the dish (it was delicious) a few times she gave it up.  Her comment, "As much as I love eating escargot, you get too familiar with the snails when you cook your own."   On our recent Westerdam cruise they had escargot on the menu for about half our dressy nights.  They were quite good.

 

Hank

I agree with your wife.  Years ago I did my own too but then just said no way.  Love them on the ships though!  

[PSR]

13 hours ago, Crew News said:

Thanks for the catch.  Day 04 is now fixed,

 

All Alaska cruises have Gala Night on the 2d night but not all Alaska cruises have a Gala Night on Day 05 so I posted both,  There is a Day 06 coming tomorrow.

 

Well darn...my Day 3 and Day 4 HAL menus are still the same. I even signed out and re-signed in. I went through the link for "HAL menus..." in your signature. Hope we don't skip the 2nd Gala on our cruise. 

[Stateroom_Sailor]

15 hours ago, Crew News said:

Overhearing an elevator conversation, I learned that Northern Lights are expected around midnight.  With camera in hand and tomorrow a sea day for sleeping late, I will be on my aft balcony.

 

The sky remained too light to see the Northern Lights, unfortunately.  We tried tied until 3am.

 

I will try and upload a video of the Wednesday's peak listing tomorrow.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

15 hours ago, Crew News said:

While eating lunch in the Lido Market, a server with a "Seafood Boil" sign was seeking diners for a special meal in the LIdo Market tomorrow evening.  With the slow MDR service my first night aboard the ship still in my memory, I jumped at the chance to experience something new for $35.  I will report back tomorrow if it was a worthwhile decision.

 

Enjoy your Seafood Boil tonight.  We're holding out for the cheap crab in Ketchikan:

 

On 5/5/2023 at 2:26 PM, Hlitner said:

 

[VacationCharlene]

I saw these prices as well for the crab etc in Ketchikan and was SHOCKED!  I sure hope they can sustain their business with those prices.  I really dont want anything negative to happen to them but OMG.............SUPER PRICEY!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

1 hour ago, VacationCharlene said:

I saw these prices as well for the crab etc in Ketchikan and was SHOCKED!  I sure hope they can sustain their business with those prices.  I really dont want anything negative to happen to them but OMG.............SUPER PRICEY!

 

I hope there's something like fish n' chips available, otherwise I would temporarily add them.

[Boatdrill]

On 5/10/2023 at 6:18 PM, Crew News said:

Captain reported 70 knot winds for the next 2-3 hours causing an extreme list then we turn into Cook's inlet with shielding from the winds....

With a splash of water in my face, I would feel like I am aboard the Time Bandit on Deadliest Catch.

Your comment made me laugh.  I saw the Time Bandit docked in Homer while I was on a HAL cruise.  Aside from the feeling of seeing a celebrity in person, the small size of that boat was surprising. It looks bigger on TV.  It's only about 100' long. As a comparison, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria were about 50'-60' in length respectively.

 

I'm so glad you were on the NA and not the Time Bandit. 🙂       

Edited May 13, 2023 by Boatdrill

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, VacationCharlene said:

I saw these prices as well for the crab etc in Ketchikan and was SHOCKED!  I sure hope they can sustain their business with those prices.  I really dont want anything negative to happen to them but OMG.............SUPER PRICEY!

When I posted that menu I should have explained that the Alaskan crab industry as nearly collapsed in the past few years.  Snow crabs have been so scarce there have been 2 years of moritoriums and King Crabs have become quite rare.  A comparison to Japan, where we saw abundant crabs (including King Crab) in the markets of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.  My suggestion is that if you are going to be in Japan, that is a good place to indulge in crabs (of various types).  

 

Perhaps this is going to be a good year for salmon, but it is still too early to know for sure.

 

Hank

[Boatdrill]

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

When I posted that menu I should have explained that the Alaskan crab industry as nearly collapsed in the past few years.  Snow crabs have been so scarce there have been 2 years of moritoriums and King Crabs have become quite rare. 

Interesting, I thought Alaska was very careful about maintaining sustainable seafood ?

[Florida_gal_50]

10 hours ago, Hlitner said:

This happened to us, many years ago, while on a Prinsendam cruise.  The Captain (Halle Gundersen) explained, during a Captains question/answer session, that the listing was simply caused by a high wind that hit the ship abeam.  At some point, the ability of a ship to counter the wind by shifting ballast is not sufficient to get the vessel on an even plane.  When that incident happened, it went on for a few days.  

 

While we found the constant listing somewhat weird, the proper use of adult beverages did help fool our body into thinking that we were not listing :).

 

On our recent Westerdam cruise, there was also a major shortage of various crackers in the Lido.  Since we have not heard of a worldwide cracker shortage one can conclude that HAL is simply not procuring crackers.  Another cut-back?  At one point when DW bought some tea bags while ashore (we had also run out of black tea) I joked that we should also buy some crackers.  Perhaps this is the beginning of a new HAL tactic to encourage passengers to bring their own food on cruises.  At one point we had supplied our favorite bar with Rose's Lime Juice (we posted this on our blog) since that item was also not available on the vessel.  The bar tender actually thanked us, and stored the Rose's so it was available for our use (and the use of authorized friends).

 

Hank
 

Oh for a while they weren’t serving crackers. The reasoning was too much packaging.  Apparently they hadn’t heard about buying them in a box instead of little packages 😛🤪🙄.

[Crew News]

3 hours ago, PSR said:

 

Well darn...my Day 3 and Day 4 HAL menus are still the same. I even signed out and re-signed in. I went through the link for "HAL menus..." in your signature. Hope we don't skip the 2nd Gala on our cruise. 

I have learned a lot about caching and permalinks on web pages the past few hours.  What I see on my web page is not always what others see.  I uploaded and pasted the correct file for Day 04 at least 10 times to no avail.  I am now wiser.  Thanks for catching my error.

 

I am considering deleting the Day 05 NO Gala because it applies to so few Alaska itineraries.  To be continued.

[Crew News]

5 hours ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

Enjoy your Seafood Boil tonight.  We're holding out for the cheap crab in Ketchikan:

 

Good choice on your part. 

 

he seafood boil was unlike any seafood boil that I have experienced.  To locate and dismember the solitary serving of crab required removing it from three inches of piping hot, buttery, milky, potato soup-like broth.  Since a bit of violence is required to dismember the crab legs, my hands were covered with hot and slippery liquid each time I broke a leg portion and then began the cracking scenario.  I opted out of eating the submerged piece of corn to keep my wrists and chin free of the dripping liquid.  The small finger bowl should have been a portable handwashing station.  When the new Lido Manager asked about my experience, I advised him that the seafood is normally removed from the boiling liquid before serving or else it is called seafood soup.

 

As a many-time visitor to Ketchikan's George Inlet crab and the Silverking Lodge seafood feasts,  I consider myself trained and certified in "seafood boil" best practices.  Based on the latter and my experience in cracking, I cannot recommend this submerged seafood experience.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

1 hour ago, Crew News said:

Good choice on your part. 

 

he seafood boil was unlike any seafood boil that I have experienced.  To locate and dismember the solitary serving of crab required removing it from three inches of piping hot, buttery, milky, potato soup-like broth.  Since a bit of violence is required to dismember the crab legs, my hands were covered with hot and slippery liquid each time I broke a leg portion and then began the cracking scenario.  I opted out of eating the submerged piece of corn to keep my wrists and chin free of the dripping liquid.  The small finger bowl should have been a portable handwashing station.  When the new Lido Manager asked about my experience, I advised him that the seafood is normally removed from the boiling liquid before serving or else it is called seafood soup.

 

As a many-time visitor to Ketchikan's George Inlet crab and the Silverking Lodge seafood feasts,  I consider myself trained and certified in "seafood boil" best practices.  Based on the latter and my experience in cracking, I cannot recommend this submerged seafood experience.

 

 I only started eating seafood in 2014, blackened drumfish onboard Celebrity, and have leaned towards fish ever since.  I'm not into crab or lobster enough to want to crack it open, they're actually proteins I prefer mixed in soups, enchiladas, or rangoons.  I'm starting to like clams, but not mussels.  I wouldn't order a Seafood Boil even if prepared right, let alone what you're describing. 😲

 

 

 

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Pinnacle Grill, I briefly mentioned it, but I wanted to expand my review from the other night.  The service was impeccable.  My lobster bisque was the best I've ever had, with solid pieces of lobster.  My wife's mushroom bisque was a similar experience.  The main entrees were both outstanding.  Neither of us touched our potatoes because there was just too much food.

 

Our only complaint were the deserts.  We thought they were too large, too rich, and too sweet.

 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

5 hours ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

Pinnacle Grill, I briefly mentioned it, but I wanted to expand my review from the other night.  The service was impeccable.  My lobster bisque was the best I've ever had, with solid pieces of lobster.  My wife's mushroom bisque was a similar experience.  The main entrees were both outstanding.  Neither of us touched our potatoes because there was just too much food.

 

Our only complaint were the deserts.  We thought they were too large, too rich, and too sweet.

 

 

It’s definitely a bit of food for sure.  You don’t have to order the potato though or the dessert.  I have the key lime pie and haven’t noticed it being huge. I only have one appetizer  before, usually salad or crab cakes.  If you want a small meal order the scallops.

[Florida_gal_50]

I don’t understand why people love crab so much.  It’s messy and not worth the work.  I don’t enjoy getting the cartilage with the meat.

[MTAK]

13 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

Your comment made me laugh.  I saw the Time Bandit docked in Homer while I was on a HAL cruise.  Aside from the feeling of seeing a celebrity in person, the small size of that boat was surprising. It looks bigger on TV.  It's only about 100' long. As a comparison, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria were about 50'-60' in length respectively.

 

I'm so glad you were on the NA and not the Time Bandit. 🙂       

Here's a comparison - the Time Bandit docked in Ketchikan next to the Eurodam in 2018. 😲

[Zagqwest]

NA in Valdez

[Stateroom_Sailor]

11 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

It’s definitely a bit of food for sure.  You don’t have to order the potato though or the dessert.  I have the key lime pie and haven’t noticed it being huge. I only have one appetizer  before, usually salad or crab cakes.  If you want a small meal order the scallops.

 

Great idea for January, I do like scallops.  My wife ordered the key lime pie, it still seemed a little rich, probably best to slit one.  Still a nice treat with HIA.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Wednesday's storm from deck 6, port side.

[Florida_gal_50]

24 minutes ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

Great idea for January, I do like scallops.  My wife ordered the key lime pie, it still seemed a little rich, probably best to slit one.  Still a nice treat with HIA.

I thought the scallops were good.  I was looking for a smaller meal.  Usually I eat pretty sensibly during the day and have my largest meal at night plus dessert 😛.  I very rarely eat sugar at home so I take full advantage at dinner time because I do love a sweet.  It’s definitely on the rich side.  It reminds me more of cheesecake and I love cheesecake.  I never try anything else there lately but I recall the other desserts were bigger.  Don’t know that it’s still relevant.