Live From Alaska Aboard Ms Nieuw Amsterdam - May 5-19, 2024

[SilvertoGold]

19 minutes ago, BaileyMJ said:

Today May 18 Scenic Cruising Inside Passage

 

Today 11:30am Cake Away - never either had it on my only previous HAL cruise ot I didn’t attend.  I came down early but already a crowd gathering - so I shot pictures through the screen.  

 

 

Nice to look at but rather ordinary to taste we thought. I picked the chocolate cake with the thick cream cheese icing and it was rich,  heavy and very filling. No carrot cake, too bad as HAL does that one well

 

[BaileyMJ]

Update on the pastries offered in Explorers Cafe noon carrot cake mini muffins & brownie bites

 

 

[Lido deck main]

Just wanted to thank both @Crew News and additional contributors, love this thread.  Great intel.  Appreciate all the information.  
regards, Mary

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, Crew News said:

As a four+ years resident of Athens, Greece, I will ask for an olive sample and give an authenticity estimate.

The black olives offered by the Nieuw Amsterdam NY Pizza are "Kalamata-style" olives.  The brine is strong with an effective salty flavor. 

 

IMHO someone working in the Accounting Department of the packing company might have been of Greek ancestry.

[BaileyMJ]

I really want to thank @Crew News Roger for graciously allowing me to post my rambling thoughts - I have learned I am not ready for a live thread.  Also he started the Roll Call and that has been one of the best roll calls - so good people are still posting!

[Lido deck main]

9 minutes ago, BaileyMJ said:

I really want to thank @Crew News Roger for graciously allowing me to post my rambling thoughts - I have learned I am not ready for a live thread.  Also he started the Roll Call and that has been one of the best roll calls - so good people are still posting!

Thank you @BaileyMJ great contributions.   Great thread.

[Alberta Quilter]

Oh boy, I really wish brownies hadn't been brought up and with a picture of them, no less!  OMG!  I'll have to try them on my cruise. They look fabulous, and with Crew News' description, I fear I'll be going to the Explorations Cafe every afternoon I can.

[SilvertoGold]

56 minutes ago, Crew News said:

The black olives offered by the Nieuw Amsterdam NY Pizza are "Kalamata-style" olives.  The brine is strong with an effective salty flavor. 

 

IMHO someone working in the Accounting Department of the packing company might have been of Greek ancestry.

This is good info and appreciated, Roger.  If not the "real" Kalamata ones, better than regular black olives. I think DH can live with these! 

[SilvertoGold]

1 hour ago, BaileyMJ said:

Update on the pastries offered in Explorers Cafe noon carrot cake mini muffins & brownie bites

 

 

Thank you so much!! They look perfect!  Now we have to keep our fingers crossed that they won't change the recipe! The carrot cake muffins look reasonable too.

[QuattroRomeo]

Do you happen to recall when the Alaskan Brunch was held? We intend to do mostly Pinnacle lunches on sea days but would like to try the Brunch. We're on a Noordam 14 day collector.

[Crew News]

9 minutes ago, QuattroRomeo said:

Do you happen to recall when the Alaskan Brunch was held? We intend to do mostly Pinnacle lunches on sea days but would like to try the Brunch. We're on a Noordam 14 day collector.

Second day at sea.  Brunch Menu:  Sea Day Brunch

[leerathje]

@Crew News, if you happen to be on the port side as you go past the lighthouse on Quadra Island tonight (the lower part of Yaculta on my map) you will see me camping!! Smooth sailings to Vancouver. This was the Koningdam last night....

[Crew News]

9 minutes ago, leerathje said:

@Crew News, if you happen to be on the port side as you go past the lighthouse on Quadra Island tonight (the lower part of Yaculta on my map) you will see me camping!! Smooth sailings to Vancouver. This was the Koningdam last night....

Unfortunately, my binoculars are packed as is my preferred camera.  Will you have a signal fire?

[leerathje]

Lol...no signal fire, but I will wave my flashlight!  You may see neighboring campsites with campfires.

 

L.

[takemewithyou]

I apologize that I just found your thread and haven’t read every detail, but I will.  I have loved your threads in the past….and that goes way back!
 

Thinking of an Alaska inside passage cruise on this ship.  But…..we haven’t experienced a Neptune suite since the days of breakfast in the PG.  How does breakfast work with NS on this ship? At a table in a a section of MDR that is designated CO? 

And then when we have dinner in MDR, is it in some section of CO in MDR?

Is there still fixed dining and also anytime dining?  

I know…..I am way behind because we haven’t been on HAL since 2019! 

[BaileyMJ]

4 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

Oh boy, I really wish brownies hadn't been brought up and with a picture of them, no less!  OMG!  I'll have to try them on my cruise. They look fabulous, and with Crew News' description, I fear I'll be going to the Explorations Cafe every afternoon I can.

They are also available in the Pinnacle Bar - I tried one and super hard to not ask for another please!

[BaileyMJ]

Inside Passage Scenic Cruising May 18

 

Absolutely Beautiful Day - Beautiful vistas and I just had to put the phone down and just enjoy life sailing by!

 

[Alberta Quilter]

30 minutes ago, BaileyMJ said:

They are also available in the Pinnacle Bar - I tried one and super hard to not ask for another please!

Oh geez, don’t tell me that they’re available in two locations!  Maybe that won't be true on the Volendam…. I can hope.  I’ll need the exercise!

[Alberta Quilter]

2 minutes ago, Alberta Quilter said:

Oh geez, don’t tell me that they’re available in two locations!  Maybe that won't be true on the Volendam…. I can hope.  I’ll need the exercise!

Uh oh, just checked the deck plan.  No Pinnacle Bar on the Volendam but the Explorations Cafe is on Deck 5 so closer than I thought.  That could be dangerous!

[Crew News]

19 minutes ago, Alberta Quilter said:

Uh oh, just checked the deck plan.  No Pinnacle Bar on the Volendam but the Explorations Cafe is on Deck 5 so closer than I thought.  That could be dangerous!

I was on the Volendam last year and the Explorations Cafe was very impressive'

 

[Crew News]

5 hours ago, BaileyMJ said:

I really want to thank @Crew News Roger for graciously allowing me to post my rambling thoughts - I have learned I am not ready for a live thread.  Also he started the Roll Call and that has been one of the best roll calls - so good people are still posting!

At the Meet & Greet, I encouraged all to contribute to this thread to get a mixture of views and a more complete picture of the cruise.  My thanks to all who have contributed with input, questions, photos, and answers.  

[Crew News]

23 hours ago, Crew News said:

I will see what I can discover.

I spoke to three SHOREX reps this evening and was told that a local booking agent selects the boat/owner for the subject excursion in Seward.  The boat selected for my excursion may have just had a deal with a local burrito restaurant. 

 

Your choice of a private, known-provider, excursion might be a good idea.

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, takemewithyou said:

I apologize that I just found your thread and haven’t read every detail, but I will.  I have loved your threads in the past….and that goes way back!
 

Thinking of an Alaska inside passage cruise on this ship.  But…..we haven’t experienced a Neptune suite since the days of breakfast in the PG.  How does breakfast work with NS on this ship? At a table in a a section of MDR that is designated CO? 

And then when we have dinner in MDR, is it in some section of CO in MDR?

Is there still fixed dining and also anytime dining?  

I know…..I am way behind because we haven’t been on HAL since 2019! 

Breakfast for Neptune Suites is in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

MDR CO tables are your choice of those tables not yet reserved (only 50% of the lower MDR tables may be reserved). Only the Pinnacle-class ships have a separate dining room for lunch and dinner. The rest of the HAL fleet just has a separate podium inside the Deck 2 MDR.

 

Early dining is at 5:00 PM which is too early for me but I adapt a few days.  I think that the second dining shift begins at 7:30 PM.

 

Feel free to ask lots of questions.  CC is a team effort to help all of us have a well-informed cruise both in planning and experiencing.

[BaileyMJ]

Highest temperature and sun is out so I noticed they have cracked open the lido pool retractable roof just a bit.

 

[McGarrett5oh]

Really well done thread Roger. Thank you. Also appreciate the photos on your website.  Is there a reason you didn’t dine at the Pinnacle Grill?