HAL Nieuw Statendam Part 2

The ship can hold 2666 passengers and 1036 crew. Our captain was Eric Barhors (from the UK), the hotel director was Rene Tuinman, the Food and Beverage Director was Cliff Strerath, and our Cruise and Travel director was Clare Adams. We had dinner at 5pm every night at Table 36 and our servers were Joko and Adi. Our cabin was 4105 and our cabin stewards were Hery and Wira.

Click here to see pictures aboard the ship.

Day 15: Copenhagen 8/23/23

We watched new passengers come aboard. What a different atmosphere with this new group of people. There were a lot more children and the passengers seemed more aggressive. Elevators were more crowded, and people forced themselves onto the full elevators. At dinner, we had the same table, but we had different servers. The man behind me (he was here the last 2 weeks also) said that we almost didn’t get into Lerwick because our Covid numbers were so high (20%). We didn’t go to the show since it was the same as the last 2 weeks.

Day 16: Sea Day 8/24/23

After breakfast, we sat on the deck above the pool for an hour. I’m surprised how many people were in the pool and laying out as if they were in the southern Caribbean! Don tried to walk on the outside deck, but it was so cold that he had to put on his wool cap! I went to the Cruise Critic meet and greet and met some nice people. Michelle, the woman who organized it thanked me for sharing info about the train in Copenhagen. I’m glad she found the information useful. After that, Don and I walked around while our cabin was cleaned. We’ve been having trouble with the TV, so the cabin steward had to reset it for us when we got back. After lunch we watched TV and I napped, then we left for dinner, the TV went out again. The cabin steward told us he had to call for a technician. Around 6:45, I called guest services to complain that the technician still hadn’t come, and then suddenly the TV started working. At about 7:15, the technicians showed up and when the channel was changed, the TV wouldn’t work again. They had to take the TV off and do some stuff with wires. They got it going again.

Day 17: S. Queensferry 8/25/23

Click here for pictures of S. Queensferry.

At 7:45, we had to do face-to-face immigration in the theater. After putting away our passports, we got right on the tender. We were on the land by 8:30. Then we walked along the shore road to the Port Edgar Marina. Next, we walked to the Tesco Supermarket but stopped at the Coop to see what they had. We didn’t see anything we wanted so we kept walking uphill to Tesco. We decided to have a couple of diet cokes before leaving. Then we bought some snacks and an eight-pack of Diet Pepsi. It started raining on and off as we walked around town. We got back to the ship around 12:30. After lunch, we watched movies until dinner time. We decided to skip the show and went back to the cabin to finish watching movies.

Day 18: Lerwick 8/26/23

Click here for pictures of Lerwick.

We arrived in Lerwick around 10 a.m. It was a cloudy day but eventually got sunny. We decided to stay on the ship and relax since we had just visited here on Monday. Of course, the TV didn’t work, and we had to call for them to send the TV technician. When we arrived, we saw two ships in port where the tenders arrived. They were the MV Hebridean Princess and the Statsraad Lehmkuhl. We had lunch and watched TV until dinner. After dinner, we returned to the cabin to watch more movies. The show was Lincoln Stage Classical Music so we decided to skip it. At dinner on the Lido deck, we met Franci and Bill from Missouri who told us about a guy at the Excursions desk this evening screaming his head off yelling that he couldn’t believe they sold that excursion to him because his wife could have died! After dinner, we watched movies in our cabin.

Day 19: Sea Day 8/27/23

In the morning, our TV didn’t work again, so they sent the TV technician. Then we went to the session on Cruises for Your Bucket List. Next was the talk about Marconi -The Wizard of the Wireless. After lunch, we went to the port to talk about Akureyri and Isafjordur. It was very informative. We watched movies until dinner and then watched more after dinner.

Day 20: Akureyri 8/28/23

Click here for pictures of Akureyri

At 9:30 a.m., there was a talk from the Crow’s Nest that could be heard on the Bow camera channel. Unfortunately, our TV was working again (the 7th day in a row) so we had to call for the TV technician again. It was 43F when we arrived in port. We docked at 11am but we had lunch before we got off the ship. When we got off the ship, we walked towards the botanical gardens. We were told that the Hop On Hop Off Bus makes 11 stops and costs about $40 per person which is pretty expensive so we decided not to do that. We walked to the Botanical Gardens which was free and only open from June through September. On the way, we found a yarn store, but I didn’t buy any yarn. Then we saw the Akureyri Lutheran Church which was very pretty but they charged 5 euros to go inside so we just admired the outside. Next, we went to the Botanical Gardens, and they were lovely! There were more flowers blooming than I expected to see. After that, we went into town and looked through souvenir shops. Next, we walked to the mall and found a grocery store (Netto). We bought a couple of Pepsi Max (181 IK each) so I could get change back in coins. Then we went back to a couple of shops to buy a magnet and some postcards. On the way back to the ship, we stopped at a little gift shop that had a local magnet. He also let us in to see the indoor skateboard park. Then we got back to the ship before dinner. When we got back to the cabin, the bathroom floor was flooded, and we had to call guest services to send a plumber. After dinner, we came back and watched movies.

Day 21: Isafjordur 8/29/23

Click here for pictures of Isafjordur

We arrived in port at 8 a.m. This was supposed to be a tender port but instead, we were able to dock. We let the big crowds go first since we didn’t have any plans. We were off the ship by 8:40 and walked around town. Most places were closed. So, we walked around the harbor to the other side where we saw some hiking trails. We walked a couple of them, and the trail was mostly loose rock. We went to the steep hike but stopped at the base of the steep stairs. The views were beautiful. Then we wandered back to town. First, we stopped at Netto, the supermarket. Then we found the post office where Don bought some collector stamps. We stopped at a yarn store, but the owner wasn’t overly friendly, and the yarn was expensive, so we left. We ended up back at the ship in time for lunch. After lunch, we returned to our cabin for a rest. We didn’t have any movies or internet in this port because the system was down.

Day 22: Grundarfjordur 8/30/23

Click here for pictures of Grundarfjordur.

We got on the tender around 8 a.m. Sam and Patty joined us so we could all get on the tender early. Then we took a left and walked all the way to Gundarfoss (a waterfall). We walked through a sheep pasture to get to it. When we got there, we also saw another waterfall to the right. Then we walked back to town and continued to the other waterfall, Kirkjufellsfoss. Across from that was another beautiful waterfall. Then we decided to take a side trail up towards the back of the town and found two more waterfalls. We followed the trail back to town and checked out some souvenir shops. I went into 2 stores where the owners were knitting. We were back on the ship for lunch and while we were there, a man fell and had a seizure. When he came out of it, he was very agitated and started getting aggressive with the people trying to help him. Then we relaxed in our cabin until dinner. The TV wouldn’t turn on so I unplugged it and replugged it which helped it restart. Guest services called to see if our TV and bathroom was working, and I didn’t mention that I fixed it myself. It was a dressy night, and we went to the dining room for dinner (jumbo shrimp for me, escargot for Don, filet mignon, and crème brulee for both of us).

Day 23: Reykjavik 8/31/23

Click here for pictures of Reykjavik.

We arrived in Reykjavik around 7:30 am. There was a complimentary shuttle to take us to the City Center so we were downtown by 8am. We passed the Hodi House which is where Reagan and Gorbachev had their summit meeting in 1986. We walked around town and found all the places we wanted to see when they opened. We also walked to the Lutheran Church which is the tallest building in Iceland. It was hard to find a public bathroom but I finally went into a hotel and used one. Then we bought magnets at Hard Rock Café. I also bought some yarn at the Handknitting Association of Iceland. We also went to the Iceland Phallological Museum and bought a lot of souvenirs. Then we got the bus back to the ship and had lunch. After lunch, we just relaxed around the ship until dinner. After dinner, the Captain announced that there was a change in our itinerary. Due to the approaching storm, he canceled our stops in Djupivogur (Iceland) and Runavik (Faroe Islands). Instead, we are heading to Norway and will stop in Stavanger and Leirvik.

Day 23: At Sea 9/1/23

After breakfast, we sat out by the pool until it was time to go to the session on Ask the Captain. While we were relaxing, they called for first responders to a fire on Deck 1. Apparently, there was an electrical fire in cabin 1043 which they put out and there was smoke. Then they had to evacuate cabins 1021- 1063 until they could get rid of the smoke. The captain talked about the change in the itinerary and how we were trying to outrun the storm. He also talked about the fire. After lunch, we went to a session on The Act of Happiness which was interesting. We called guest services 3 times to reset the TV by this time. After dinner, we came back to the room to plug things up and the TV was out again, so I had to call guest services. We went to the show to see the illusionist, Gaston Quieto and when we got back to the room, the TV was even worse than before. Guest services said that they would send the cabin steward and then the IT person was called. The cabin steward said that the IT person just left. Guest services called back and said IT was working on it and I asked if they could call me and let me know if the IT people say they got it working. It didn’t get fixed. I called guest services and asked if we could have an appointment with the hotel director and we were told we needed to talk to the guest services manager first, so we had an appointment to talk to Hugo at 9 a.m.

Day 24: At Sea 9/2/23

After breakfast, we had an appointment with Hugo, the guest relations manager to tell him how frustrated we were with our TV repairs (which have been daily since we got on the ship on Aug. 9). If we were at home, a TV repairman would not come to my house every day to fix it or I wouldn’t pay him! The manager was under the impression it was fixed so there was a lot of misinformation going around. Of course, they fixed it before lunch but when we got back to our cabin after lunch (to watch TV - aka take a nap LOL), they were in there fixing it again! We ended up going to the World Stage Theater to hang out because it was too windy and wet to walk outside (they roped off the doors to the outside). We met Genero, the light technician, and had a nice conversation with him. At 3 p.m., we went to the Port talks to hear about the 3 ports in Norway we were going to visit (Stavanger, Leirvik, and Kristiansand). When we got back to the room, we watched TV while it was working. To apologize for the inconvenience, the manager called to give us a complimentary dinner at a specialty restaurant, Canaletto ($30 pp) which was nice. I insisted that he didn’t have to do that, but we ended up accepting it. The food was VERY good! After dinner, we went to the show to see Anil Desai, who did impressions of famous people. Some of them were pretty good. Then when we went back to our cabin at 8:30pm, the TV wasn’t working again. Guest Services reset it but the TV tech showed up at our cabin at 9pm and said it wasn’t reset right and he ended up fixing it. Hopefully, it is really fixed now….

Day 25: Stavanger, Norway 9/3/23

Click here for pictures of Stavanger. https://www.flickr.com/photos/loonyhiker/albums/72177720311062070

We got off the ship at 8:30 and walked around town until noon. It was a pretty town, but everything was closed because it was Sunday. We had lunch on the ship and then watched TV in our cabin. Of course, we had to ask Guest Services to reset the TV again. Guest services sent us chocolate-covered strawberries as an apology for the TV. After dinner, we came back to the cabin and watched movies until bedtime. We went to bed early since we had to get up early.

Day 26: Leirvik, Norway 9/4/23

Click here for pictures of Leirvik.

This is a new port for this ship and we had to tender to shore. We arrived at 7 a.m. but we didn’t get off the ship until 7:45. Most things didn’t even open until 8 a.m. The first thing we did was look for the grocery store. We found it in the mall (3-story mall) and the post office was in the grocery store. Don bought stamps there. Then we found the library and movie theater. For the next few hours, we just walked around town. We found a yarn store (in the building that said Trio) where I bought 2 skeins of Alpaca yarn for 30 NK each. Then we found another big yarn store next to an Asian market and I bought 2 skeins of Camel yarn for 20 NK each. Around noon, we went back to the ship for lunch. After lunch we went back to the cabin to relax. I started doing a little packing too. After dinner, we came back to the cabin to watch movies.

Day 27: Kristiansand, Norway 9/5/23

Click here for pictures of Kristiansand.

We arrived in Kristiansand and got off the ship at 7 a.m. We walked around town until noon. The post office opened at 9 and we also saw the Extra grocery store. It was a very pretty town. After lunch, we packed. I checked in for our flight and it let me check in for the first leg but said the other legs were unavailable. It kind of freaked me out. I texted our neighbors Molly and Trevor, and Trevor said we would be okay since we checked in at the first leg. After dinner at the Lido deck, we put out our bags in the hallway and relaxed.

Day 28: Disembarkation

Click here for pictures of flying home.

We were scheduled to get off the ship at 7:30 because we bought transfers to the Airport ($38 each). The bags were near the buses and when we got off the ship at 7:30, we found our bags easily and got them on the bus. One lady got on the bus and said that her husband left a bag in the cabin. He had to go get it and would take a later bus. We arrived at the airport at 8:40. 

Then we had to stand in line at the British Airways counter to check our bags. We finally checked our bags in around 9:15 and then had to go through security. Don had 2 bottles of unopened sodas that he forgot to toss so he had to get rid of them. We finally got to our gate around 10am and then we boarded at 10:20. The flight to Heathrow was not bad but it was a full plane. We got to Heathrow, and it was overcrowded with planes so we had to get off the plane on the tarmac and they bused us to the terminal. Then we had to find what terminal to go to and get on a bus for that terminal. We finally got to that terminal and then had to go through immigration to show our passports. Next, we had to go through security and I had a bottle of water that I had filled up at the airport in Copenhagen and had to toss it. We finally found our gate within 5 min. to spare before boarding the plane. This was the long flight to DFW and there were 3 seats in our grouping, but the plane wasn’t full. The person in the window seat never showed up so we had the 3 seats for the 2 of us. It was a nice flight and we got dinner (chicken and rice and a chocolate coconut cake for dessert). The nice flight attendant was an older man and he had a great sense of humor. When I told him that the dessert was great, he brought me 2 more! Later they came around with ice cream which was good too (or I was hungry). Before we landed, we had a cold chicken wrap which was delicious. I watched some movies on the flight, but it was dark and I didn’t get as much knitting done as I had hoped. When we got to DFW, we had to go through Customs and then get our bags from baggage claim. It seemed like we just moved our bags from one huge room to another room where we checked them back in again. Then we had to go through security again and this time, Don had a water bottle he filled up at Heathrow that he had to toss. 

We finally got to GSP around 11:30pm and it seemed to take forever to get our bags. We finally got them around midnight and Dyanna and Earl were waiting for us outside the baggage claim area. 

Things I’ve Learned:

• Even though we stayed on the same ship, a new group of passengers can really change the atmosphere of the ship.
• The captain is repeating the same sea trivia that he used the first two weeks.
• We didn’t need to get off the ship in Lerwick since we had just been there a few days before.
• Iceland money- 132 Icelandic Krona to $1 USD
• You can take a public bus to Godafoss waterfalls in Akureyri (but we didn’t).
• Our friends went to the Natural Baths in Akureyri and wished they brought their robes from the ship to keep them warm as they walked to the baths.
• Isafjordur has a smaller population (2600) than the people on our ship.
• There are several hiking trails in Isafjordur.
• It was about 2.5 miles to Grundarfoss and the same to Kirkjufellsfoss.
• A bus would take you to Kirkjufellsfoss for 10 euros.
• I was disappointed to miss the Faroe Islands but I'm glad the Captain outran the storm. 
• The Rotterdam was caught in the storm and faced 26 ft. waves and hurricane-force winds. 
• Norway was nice.
• 1 USD = 11 Norwegian Krone

Original photo by Pat Hensley

HAL Nieuw Statendam Part 1

The ship can hold 2666 passengers and 1036 crew. Our captain was Eric Barhors (from the UK), the hotel director was Rene Tuinman, the Food and Beverage Director was Cliff Strerath, and our Cruise and Travel director was Clare Adams. We had dinner at 5 pm every night at Table 36 and our servers were Eko and Ikram. Elena was the assistant maitre'd who was amazing! Our cabin was 4105 and our cabin stewards were Hery and Wira.

Click here for pictures from the ship.

Day 1: Embarkation 8/9/23

We got to the port by 10am, checked our bags in, and went straight through security. We boarded the ship by 11am. Even though our cabin wasn’t ready, we were able to put stuff in the safe and store our packs in the closet. Then we went to the Lido deck for lunch. After lunch we walked around the ship until our luggage arrived. After unpacking, we had the safety drill at 2:30 pm where we had to go to our muster station and check in. Then we had to watch the TV safety information (which we did while unpacking).

After the safety drill, we walked around until it was time to go to dinner. I made a reservation for 5 for a table for 2. When we got to dinner, she told me that if we liked it, we could tell her and have that table every night. Dinner was nice and we were done early enough to get a seat for the show, Musicology. After that, we returned to the cabin to watch TV.

Day 2: Sea Day 8/10/23

I was up by 5 and sat on the Lido deck to play on my computer. Don joined me around 8am. After breakfast, he went to the shore excursion talk while I went to the Cruise Critic meet-up. Then we met on the Lido deck across from the pasta bar. Linda and her husband, Steve (Minnesota) joined us for lunch and we had a nice visit. After that we went to the 2pm, Port Talk. We went to tea at 3pm and sat with Cathy and Paul (Wisconsin). We enjoyed visiting with them too! By then it was time to change and get ready for dinner. Dinner service was great, and we were able to go back to the cabin and relax before the show. We watched the British comedian, Chas Burnett who was pretty funny! Then we went back to the cabin and watched the movie Lightyear before going to bed. We had to turn our clocks back an hour before going to bed.

Day 3: Sea Day 8/11/23

I was up at 4:15 and went to the Lido deck to drink some tea and play on my computer. Don eventually showed up for breakfast. At 10am, we went to the Seabourne presentation. Then we had lunch at 11:30 and Don had to go back to the cabin to prepare for his board meeting. It lasted almost 90 minutes and we rushed to hear the end of the port talks, but it was about over when we got there. At 3pm, we had afternoon tea again and met a nice couple from Missouri. Don walked about an hour before dinner, and I relaxed and watched The Princess Diaries in the cabin. Dinner was wonderful! We had crab cakes, prime rib, and a chocolate puff pastry. Kathy and Paul ended up getting the table beside us so we ended up talking for 2 hours before heading to the show. The show was Humanity and after 2 dance scenes, they had to cancel the show due to technical difficulties. Then we went back to the cabin and watched A Man Called Otto.

Day 4: Liverpool 8/12/23

Click here for pictures of Liverpool.

We didn’t arrive until 10am but we were supposed to go through Immigration at 10:30. They gave each deck a specific time to go through Immigration in the theater. We didn’t get to go through Immigration until 11:30 and surrendered our passports for Ireland after that. Some people were upset because this affected their private tours that they arranged Since it was 12pm, we decided to eat lunch before getting off the ship. Some people were upset because this affected their private tours that they arranged. Once we walked off the ship, we went to the Beatles statues, but they were jammed up with people. Next, we walked to the Eleanor Rigby statue which was cute. We kept walking uphill through all the stores and people. It was a lot of fun to people watch! We ended up at the Liverpool Cathedral, the longest cathedral in the world and the fifth largest cathedral in the world. It was a beautiful cathedral and was damaged during World War II because Liverpool was considered an important port during this time. Then we went to the Metropolitan Cathedral, a Catholic church. Finally, we ended up back at the Royal Albert Dock. We went to the Museum of Liverpool but decided to save that for another visit. We were back on the ship by 5:10 and we were pretty tired. Since we missed our dinner reservation, we ate dinner on the Lido deck and then went back to our cabin to watch movies.

Day 5: Dun Laoghaire 8/13/23

Click here of pictures of Dun Laoghaire.

We got on the tender and were ashore by 8:30. We walked around town, and nothing was open yet (especially since it was Sunday). We walked down to the park where they were setting up for the Sunday market. Then we walked along the coast and even saw people swimming in the water. Around 11:30 we found a Tesco supermarket across from St. Michael’s Hospital. We bought 2 Cokes (1L bottles), 3 bags of chips, and a plastic shopping bag for a total of 7.75 euros. Then we walked the whole route again now that places were open. The market was busy, but everything looked great. We also stopped at the library where there were a lot of food vendors in the square. We also walked to the Royal Marine Hotel. We also found the train stations and thought next time we might take the train to visit our friend, Marie who lives in Edenderry. We got back to the ship by 2pm and had sandwiches at the Deli. Our toilet was acting up and had to get the cabin steward to call the plumber. It made a super loud screeching noise when you flushed it! At 5pm we went to dinner, but we skipped the 7:30 show. We put out a bag of laundry and was told it takes 48 hours to get it back. We watched the movie Ambulance until we went to bed. At one point, the ship wasn’t moving so we went up to the Lido deck to see if anything was being said about why we weren’t moving but while we were up there, we started moving again.

Day 6: Douglas, Isle of Man 8/14/23

Click here for pictures of Douglas.

This was another tender port. We got on the tender at 7:45 and it was about a 10-minute tender ride to shore. Then we went to the Welcome Center in the Sea Terminal to buy our steam train ticket. It was 18 pounds round trip, or we could buy an unlimited pass for 19 pounds per person which we did. This gave us access to the trains, buses, and the horse tram. We walked 10 minutes along the ocean quay to the train station. The train was scheduled to leave at 9:50 but we boarded the train around 9:15 and I’m glad we did. The train filled up fast. The first 2 cars were reserved for the cruise ship tours. They were 30 minutes late and the train waited for them. We took the train all the way to Port Erin (about an hour) so we arrived at 11:15. We walked towards the coast (5 min. walk) and took pictures and then returned to the train which was scheduled to leave at noon. The train arrived back at Douglas around 1:30pm. Right outside the train station was a Tesco supermarket where we bought snacks (2 cokes, 4 bags of chips, and 3 large candy bars) for 10 pounds. Luckily, I carried the Tesco bag that we bought yesterday and carried it all in that bag. Then we found the yarn store (Bon Fabric) where I saw Lucy Neatby and asked if I could take a photo with her. I bought 4 skeins of local yarn (6.50 pounds each) made with fiber from local sheep (a rare breed found on Isle of Man). Close by was the Post Office where Don bought some stamps for his collection. Next, we walked to the waterfront and took pictures before heading to the Manx Museum. There was a big postal exhibit there and Don was happy to see that. By then it was 3:30pm and we headed back to the sea terminal to get the tender back to the ship. We got back in time for dinner and then the show. At dinner, the captain apologized for the delays in the tender due to rough water (it must have been after we got to the shore). He also announced that we were only 60 nautical miles from our next port, Holyhead, Wales so we wouldn’t pull up anchor until 8pm. The show was changed from the dancers to the comedian, Chas Burnett. He was very funny, and we enjoyed his show. After the show, we returned to the cabin and watched John Wick 4.

Day 7: Holyhead, Wales 8/15/23

Click here for pictures of Holyhead.

Port Authority wouldn’t let us walk off the ship and we had to get tickets for the free shuttle to take us from the ship to the terminal. There were no priority arrangements for 4- and 5-star Mariners. We were group 2 and got off the ship by 8:30 and took the 5-minute shuttle to the terminal. It was a 5-minute walk to town across a pedestrian bridge. We walked around town and was back on the ship by 10:30 (even though they said we couldn’t return to the ship until 11am). We were back in time for lunch and then watched movies in our cabin until dinner. Right before dinner, the captain announced that it was a good thing that we were so close to this port because we were supposed to lift anchor at 8:30 but the anchor got tangled in a large cable and we didn’t leave until 10:30pm last night. After dinner we went to the show and watched the Step One dancers and singers in the show Timeless. They brought the black singer from BB King showroom to sing part of Whitney Huston’s song, but she wasn’t very good.

Day 9: Greenock, Scotland 8/16/23

Click here for pictures of Greenock.


We walked off the ship at 7:15 am. Then we walked around town. We walked towards the back and climbed about 6 flights of stairs. We ended up at this beautiful park at the top of the stairs. Then we walked around the streets in a residential area. We eventually walked back towards the main part of town. We saw a Lidl store but walked into Aldi and got a diet coke. Then we walked around and saw some yarn stores that wasn’t open yet. We found a mall where there were public bathrooms. Then we went back to the yarn store. I met several people who were knitting in the back, and I was invited in to have a cup of tea and knit with them. Instead, I bought two skeins of yarn, one from Greenock and one from Glasgow. Then we went to Tesco and bought a 8 pack of diet Pepsi, and more chips for Don (less than 10 pounds) We returned to the ship around noon and had lunch. After lunch we relaxed in the cabin and watched movies. Right before we left, they announced that we were missing a crew member but eventually we left without him. It was fun watching the scenery from our balcony. Attire was dressy night and dinner was very good. Don had escargot and I had filet mignon. We both had Crème Brule for dessert. We decided to skip the show after dinner.

Day 8: Portree, Isle of Skye 8/17/23

Click here for pictures of Portree.

We really enjoyed this port. We got off the 8am tender and walked around town. We started by walking up 2 flights of stairs to the upper main part of town. After walking around town, we stopped at the Visitor Information. I found out that we can get on the bus at 10:10 and ride it for 2 hours round trip (8.70 pounds per person). It was a wonderful trip! We went all the way around a peninsula to Flodigarry and back. We saw lots of sheep, a castle, a waterfall, and the Old Man of Storr. We got back around 12:15 and walked around town some more. Don went to a craft store and bought 4 postcards framed in glass (5 pounds). Then we went to another craft store where he bought 3 bird paintings (15 pounds) Then we returned back to the ship by 2pm. After lunch we went to the talk about S. Queensferry, Invergordon, and Lerwick. We relaxed until dinner and after dinner we went to hear the comedian, Chas Burnett again.

Day 9: S. Queensferry 8/18/23

Click here for pictures of S. Queensferry and Edinburgh.

We got on the tender at 1:35p (they said we weren’t starting tendering until 2 but they start earlier than they say). We got ashore by 1:50 and walked to the Dalmeny train station. It was down the street to the left and down another side street. Then we had a huge set of stairs to climb which would take us to the level of the red bridge we saw from the ship. It was a very steep climb and and then a very deserted path along the top to the train station. I worried about coming back in the dark and in the rain. We finally got to the top and I said it would have been worth taking the X99 bus (12 pounds per person) right there as we go ashore so we wouldn’t have to climb those darn stairs!!! It was 2:10 by the time we go to the train station. The tickets (round trip) for the train was 5.30 pounds per person. We took the 2:20 train to Waverly station in Edinburgh and the trip was around 15 – 20 minutes. . The train was very crowded, so I sat with a nice group of locals and Don stood. Luckily Waverly was the last stop because Don had to go out one door and I had to get off from another. When we got out of the station, I asked someone how to get to the Royal Mile and of course he pointed to another steep flight of stairs! We walked along the Royal Mile and saw a lot of street performers because the Fringe Festival was going on. We walked to the Edinburgh Castle, but it was closed unless you had tickets for the Tattoo. We found the Hard Rock Café (in New Edinburgh) and I used the bathroom (which was up a flight of stairs!). Then we walked to the train station around 5:45 but found out that we had Off-Peak return tickets and couldn’t get on until after 6:30. So, we left and had dinner at McDonalds. We got back to the train station and took the 6:54 train back to Dalmeny. Then we had to walk that isolated path and back down the steps which was a little creepy at that time of day, but we got back to the port safely. If we go back, we will take the bus next time because it wasn’t that much more in cost, and we didn’t have that long stair climb and walk to the station. Plus, the bus lets you off at the same place where the train station was located. They put us on a tour boat that was being used as a tender and the water was rough going back so we were glad we weren’t on those little ship tenders. I talked to a man who took the bus, and he said it took about 40 minutes to get to Edinburgh due to the heavy traffic (last time it only took us 30 minutes on the bus because there wasn’t any special events going on). We went up to the Lido deck and had some dessert because they stayed open until 9pm instead of closing at 8 like expected. We stayed overnight in this port because many people went to the Military Tattoo event that happens once a year here. The shore excursion was $599 per person and sold out so we didn’t go to it. Some people went to the later show at 9:30 and stayed in Edinburgh overnight. The tenders ran until 2am for people returning from the show.

Day 10: S. Queensferry 8/19/23

We ate a leisurely breakfast and decided to into Edinburgh today. We got on the tender around 8:45 and was ashore by 9. We got to the station at 9:15 and was able to board the train for Edinburgh. We walked around and had a beautiful day. We got back on the train around 12:15 and headed back to Dalmeny station. From there, we walked along Station Road and headed to the Tesco Supermarket (about 1 mile from the station). Then we walked back to the pier which was another pier. Then we got on the tender and back on the ship around 2:30 and had lunch. Since we ate a late lunch, we had dinner on the Lido deck.

Day 11: Invergordon 8/20/23

Click here for pictures of Invergordon.

We got off the ship around 9am and walked about 5 min. into town. Since it was Sunday, not many people were around. We walked around town and found the Co-Op supermarket. We also found a souvenir shop where we bought some souvenirs. Then we walked to the train station and to the church. It was interesting to see the community come out to weed the flowerpots and clear the drains of weeds. We were back on the ship for lunch and then relaxed until dinner. After dinner we went to the show that featured the Scottish singer, Hannah Howie.

Day 12: Lerwick, Shetland Islands 8/21/2023

Click here for pictures of Lerwick.

We took the tender to Lerwick, and it was a short ride. The weather was warm and beautiful! We walked to Jamieson and Smith Wool Shop but got there around 10 minutes too early. We saw some men though going through huge bags of fleeces and putting them in bins. When the store opened, there were several others who arrived by taxi. I bought 8 skeins of yarn and a large ball of fiber (400 g. of 100% Shetland). Then we walked around town and bought a magnet. It was a very up-and-down kind of town also which involved stairs. (I think Scottish people really like their stairs!). They also announced that there were some people who tested positive for COVID-19 and that masks were encouraged in crowded areas. Masks were put in our rooms in case we wanted to use them.

Day 13: Sea Day 8/22/23

We were lazy all day and mainly stayed in our cabin and watched movies. Most people still not wearing masks.

Day 14: Copenhagen 8/23/23

We arrived early and watched people get ready to leave. Some were cranky! It’s always a fun day for people-watching, especially since we didn’t have to get off the ship.

Things I’ve Learned:

• Making a reservation at dinner every night doesn’t guarantee you the same table every night. I had to ask if we could get the same table.
• We had to go through Immigration when we arrived in Liverpool.
• We had to surrender our passports when we went to Ireland.
• Liverpool was a fun city to walk around.
• We would go back to Dun Laoghaire and ride the train to Dublin. It was only 5 euros each way and the train station was right by the port.
• Isle of Man was a nice port, and we would go there again. Next time we would like to ride the electric train north, but we didn’t have enough time to do both in one day this time.
• We should bring a snack and a drink for the train ride. The round trip took 4 hours (without getting off and spending much time at any stops).
• Bring an extra-large plastic bag to use if you go grocery shopping.
• We weren’t impressed with Holyhead, Wales.
• Greenock had a great yarn store – Wee Crafty Owl.
• Portree was a wonderful port, and we would go there again! The bus ride was amazing!
• Always bring a bottle of water when you get off the ship (we pack an empty bottle from home).
• Bring an extra bag in case you buy snacks at a grocery store. They don’t bag them for you.
• I was glad I downloaded maps of different ports and places on my phone to use offline.

Original photo by Pat Hensley

HAL Nieuw Statendam

Click here for pictures.

The ship can hold 2666 passengers and 1036 crew. Our captain was Noel O’Driscoll (from Ireland), the hotel director was Mustafa Gulbahar, Food and Beverage Director was Niek Van Der Kolk and our Cruise and Travel director was Bettyann Chun. We had open seating for dinner and had to make a reservation every night. Our cabin was 8047 and our cabin stewards were Adi and Egen.

Day 1 Saturday, December 03, 2022, Embarkation

We got to the port around 10am and checked in easily. We were in Group 1. We got on the ship around 11:30 and got our cabin keys which were in the mail slot by our cabin. Then we went to the Lido deck for lunch. I had to call MSC about our tickets for next week because I was concerned about not getting them. The lady on the phone helped me and I got them finally. We walked around the ship and found the dining reservations counter, so we made dinner reservations for 5:15pm for the next 3 nights. We also checked in at our muster station. When we got back to the cabin, our luggage was there so we unpacked and watched the safety video. Then we went to the pool bar and got drinks and watched the ship pull out of the port. We got to the dining room early and were seated at 5. We had great service at table 91, and I was able to get a couple of diet cokes for dinner. Don tried the salmon again which was very good, but he still got heartburn from it. I had lasagna but I really wanted steak which was only served on the Lido deck for dinner. So, after dinner, we went up to the Lido deck so I could have my steak. After dinner, we walked around the ship and got some beer and diet cokes to put in our cabin fridge (we get 15 free drinks each per day). Next, we went to the Royal Dutch Café and Don had a cappuccino. I was told I could get a Frappuccino in the Crows Nest. By then we were tired and went back to the cabin.

Day 2 Sunday, December 04, 2022, Half Moon Cay

I love having an omelet every morning and people-watching is a lot of fun! I was second in line and this lady who came behind me tried insisting that Sam should move up to where she wanted him to be. He handled it so calmly and didn’t move which I think frustrated her. It was a hilarious situation to watch! I did have to stop at the man’s table and we had a good laugh about it. His name is Sam and his wife is Patty. They are from Sarasota, FL After breakfast, we had to go to the BB Kings Lounge (Deck 2) to get our tender tickets around 8:30 and were in Group 1. We got on the tender to the beach at 9 which left at 9:30 and had a lovely day at the beach. We couldn’t get our drinks on the beach so I brought a diet coke that we collected yesterday. Don brought a bottle of water. We swam in the ocean for about an hour and then went to the BBQ at 11. I had a hamburger and a hot dog without buns and Don had fish and potato salad. When we got back to the ship and cleaned up, I went to the lido deck and had stir fry which was great! Then we sat on the deck and relaxed until dinner. Don was not feeling well and thought he got food poisoning from the fish at lunch. At dinner, he tried the Mahi Mahi and it gave him bad heartburn like the salmon did so I think it is the orange sauce they put on the fish. Don changed clothes after dinner and then we went to the Captain’s welcome at 7:15 in the World Stage. He had a great sense of humor! At 7:30, we watched the comedian Jon Stringer and I enjoyed his show too. Don was still not feeling well and we went up to the Lido deck to see what food was still open but it was closed. Then we went to the pizza place and Don couldn’t decide what he wanted. Instead, we ended up in the Exploration Café and got mocha coffees to take back to the room. Don didn’t feel well all night long.

Day 3 Monday, December 05, 2022, Sea Day

Today was a sea day so we spent the day relaxing. The lady from yesterday got in the omelet line really early so she could be first in line. Sam and I got in line behind her. I found it interesting that I still got my omelet before she did. At 9:30, we went to the Exploration Café to join the Talk with Bettyann. She interviewed the comedian, Jon Stringer and I enjoyed the talk. Then I sat on the deck and relaxed while Don walked on the jogging track. At 11:30, we had lunch, and Sam and Patty sat with us. We really enjoyed talking with them. After lunch, Don walked on the Promenade deck and I went back to read on the deck. At 2pm, we went to the lecture on The Story of Rum in the World Stage theater. It was the same presentation that we saw on the Rotterdam. At 3pm, we stayed to hear about future cruises. I saw a lady knitting and when I talked to her, she recognized me as Loonyhiker on Plurk (social media started around 2007 that was like Facebook and Twitter)! Wow, I was stunned. At 5pm, we had dinner in the dining room, and it was a dressy night. After dinner, we changed clothes and walked on the promenade deck. I didn’t want to go to the show featuring the dancers because it was the same one that we had seen on the Rotterdam. Then Don got a cappuccino at the Royal Dutch Café. By then we decided to go back to the room and watch a movie.

Day 4, Tuesday, December 06, 2022, Ocho Rio, Jamaica

We ate a leisurely breakfast on the Lido deck because we weren’t in a hurry to get off the ship. After breakfast, we went out outside to see where we were docked, and we were not docked at the cruise ship terminal like our informational brochure told us we would be. We would have to go out and walk along the street to get over to that area, so we decided not to get off the ship. Carnival Horizon was docked at the cruise ship terminal. Don decided to go walk while I sat on the deck in a comfy lounge chair and read or knit. We went to the Lido deck for lunch but for some reason, after eating, Don had a bad case of heartburn. He took some tums to see if that would relieve it and he had some ice cream which he said helped. We sat back on the deck until it got so humid and hot that we had to leave. There was no breeze at all. So, we went to the Ocean Bar to have drinks in the air condition. While we were there, we met a new friend, Chillies. He has a YouTube channel that I will check out when we get off the ship. It was so nice to hear that he will be on the MSC Seascape with us next week.

We had dinner at the Pinnacle Grill at 5 (but I missed the Prime Rib in the dining room). I had lobster bisque, 15 oz. boneless ribeye with asparagus and sauteed mushrooms, and crème Brulee. Don had lobster bisque, baked Alaskan halibut with sauteed mushrooms, and roasted baby beets with blue cheese. During the main course, Don suffered from severe heartburn again and had trouble eating the rest of his meal. I felt so bad because there was nothing I could do. I was disappointed because the sample menu I saw online mentioned a 23 oz. Porterhouse, but they changed the menu so instead, I got the ribeye. The ribeye was a little tough and had some gristle in it. Everything else was good. After dinner, we went back to the cabin to watch movies on our TV. I’ve had to ask the cabin steward to fix our TV twice already. He says that it keeps going offline and it isn’t anything that we are doing wrong.

Day 5, Wednesday, December 07, 2022, Grand Cayman

We had to eat an early breakfast because we had a shore Excursion: Grand Cayman Highlights and Turtle Center at 9am. We had to meet in the theater at 8:15 to get on the tender. We didn’t get on the tender until around 9:10 and got on the bus by 9:40 with 37 other people. We went to the Turtle Center and spend an hour there, then we stopped at a gift shop that gave rum cake and rum samples. Next, we went to Hell, where we sent a couple of postcards home. We got back to the ship around 1pm and had lunch. After lunch, I sat on the deck and Don walked. We had a couple of drinks before dinner. After dinner, we went to the show featuring Jon Stringer again. We liked his first show so we wanted to see him again. Then we came back to our cabin and watched Ambulance. Don didn’t have any heartburn the whole day!

Day 6, Thursday, December 08, 2022, Sea Day

After breakfast, we sat out on the deck all day and relaxed. At 11, we went to the World Stage for an Ask the Captain session. He has such a great sense of humor! He is probably the most personable captain that we have ever had. He gave a virtual tour of Behind the Scenes of the ship. At 2pm, we went to the lecture by Bettyann about Italian fashion. Then we had before dinner drinks. We decided to buy cigarettes with our shipboard credit but we don’t know what is the difference between regular and 100s in the cigarettes that are available so we went to the smoking section to ask the smokers. Then it was time for dinner. After dinner, we went back to our cabin to watch Where the Crawdads Sing.

Day 7, Friday, December 09, 2022, Bimini

We got off the ship at 10:10 and were able to follow the signs on the dock to the free shuttle. We were the first ones on the shuttle and rode it round trip to get a look at the area. The last stop (which we passed on the way out) was the free beach. It was at the end of the dock and was faster to walk there than to wait for the shuttle to fill up and go the whole route. We decided not to go swimming and were back on the ship by 10:50. We had lunch and then sat on the deck and relaxed until it was time to get ready for dinner. After dinner, we stopped at the shop and bought 4 cartons of Marlboro for $150. Then we finished packing our suitcases and went to the show featuring the One Step Dancers in Off the Charts. I thought it was a nice show but Don didn’t like it. When we got back to the cabin, we put our luggage in the hallway.

Day 8, Saturday, December 10, 2022 Disembarkation

We chose the last group to get off the ship, around 9-9:15. We aren’t in a hurry since we want to stop at the Postcard Club meeting on the way home but then I found out it was their Christmas party and we wouldn’t go after all. Now I’m sorry we picked a later time. We got off the ship around 8:45 and were on the interstate by 9:30.

Things I Learned:

• Service can vary from ship to ship on the cruise line.
• It is worth it to pay a little extra to get premium wifi. On the surf package that came with our Have-It-All package, I could not send pictures most of the time or do any streaming.
• I liked the dining room better than the Pinnacle Grill.
• Gas in Grand Cayman was $5.95 Cayman Island money or around $7.44/gal in the US.
• 6 traffic lights on Grand Cayman and everything else is roundabouts.
• The Cayman Islands are made up of 3 islands.
• Grand Cayman is 22 mi. long and 8 mi. wide.
• Grand Cayman has over 575 banks.
• The Cayman Islands Flag has a coat of arms with a pineapple on it to represent it is tied to Jamaica. British settlers from Jamaica were the first ones to settle in the Cayman Islands.
• The 7-mile beach is only 5.5 miles long.
• Temperature determines the sex of the turtles before they are born. If it is cool, it will be a male, and if it is warm, it will be a female.
• Hell has unique rock formations that is really just a dead reef.
• There are 3 shelves that cause different depths of water around Grand Cayman – 6000 ft., 10,000 ft., and 25,000 ft.
• There wasn’t a lot to do on Bimini.
• There was a pretty beach that was free at the end of the cruise dock in Bimini

Original Photo by Pat Hensley