Monday’s unexpected sea day proved to be a day of relaxation here onboard the Holland America Line ship, the ms Nieuw Amsterdam. After having breakfast en suite, we headed up to the cabana on deck 11 and spent the day enjoying champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries while our butler attended to our every whim.
The day was cool but the sun was strong and hot. I think I set the record for the number of games of Solitaire played in a single day on an iPad.
The Internet is so painfully slow and expensive, I’m beginning to have email withdrawal symptoms crop up. That plus I keep looking for the rewind button on the TV remote control thinking I’m at home with TiVo.
After the poor service experienced in the ship’s main dining room Monday night, I went to the concierge and made reservations in all the specialty restaurants for the week. Last night we ate at Canaletto, the ship’s Italian venue and it was remarkable.
The meal started out with a selection of Italian meats, cheeses, olives and other assorted antipasti. Then onto the soup and salad course and the main entree. I chose the Lasagna and had them put some veal on top. Delicious!
Being that it was the first formal night of the cruise, we were all decked out in the most uncomfortable clothes one can find. I suffered through dinner with the tux, sans bow tie. I painfully watched as others who don’t know the meaning of “formal” stumbled around the ship thinking they were at Walmart instead of at formal night. We got our picture taken and will be obligated to spend the $19.99 to capture that memory.
I spent about 10 minutes in the Casino. Enough to lose enough to make me not want to come back. I can’t say that about the other two in my group, they’re gluttons for punishment.
After dinner, I strolled around the Promenade Deck and did a little over a mile before I finally said “enough” and retired for the night in the comfort of my Mariner’s Dream Bed.
This morning we were supposed to stop at Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos. Like yesterday, 40-mile-per-hour winds prevented us from docking so the captain graciously provided us with another day at sea. I feel bad for those who wanted to buy cheap island-made jewelry and be harassed by the natives selling their wares. I’m content with another sea day.
It’s off to the Lido to try the breakfast buffet then straight to the cabana for another fun-filled day of nothingness. Which is just my speed.
Personal Day-By-Day Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the Nieuw Amsterdam:
No vacation would be complete without a ton of photos, right? For this particular cruise, I took a bunch of photos of the ship’s interior, pool areas, the stateroom itself, and more. Photos can be found in the Nieuw Amsterdam Photo Tour as well as in the day-by-day review of the cruise at the links above.