Day 6 aboard Holland America Line’s ms Noordam has come and gone and there are four days left to this incredible journey through the Southern Caribbean.
After spending a day at sea, we arrived in the first of the Dutch “ABC Islands” – Bonaire. The “A” stands for Aruba which we will call upon on Friday, and the “C” is for Curacao which we are currently visiting.
The Noordam arrived about 7am and the all-clear was given around 8am for passengers to start heading ashore for excursions or self-guided exploration. “Bonaire” in Dutch means “good air” and this island is famous for its crystal clear water that earns itself a top spot for divers looking to explore the underwater reefs.
Off in the distance to where the ship is docked, you can see mounds and mounds of salt. In addition to scuba diving, Bonaire is also known for its salt mines. Although the mines have mostly been abandoned once slavery was abolished in the mid-19th century, there are a few still in operation. The main economy today isn’t driven by salt, but by tourism.
In today’s update, I’m going to talk about three cruising firsts for me, and they all happened within the same day. The first, “first” has to do with Bonaire. Having been to almost every Caribbean port-of-call, it’s pretty unusual for me to hit a port that I haven’t been to.
Until today!
This was my first visit to Bonaire, so I wasn’t sure what to expect ashore. Would it be clean? Are the natives friendly? What language do they speak? Is it safe to walk around downtown? The only way to get the answer to these questions is to get off the ship and find out… so I laced up my sneakers and headed out.
As far as shopping is concerned, Bonaire isn’t a shopper’s paradise. There were only a handful of stores and they’re the same ones you see at every Caribbean port – Del Sol, Cariloha, and the Duty-Free, along with local vendors selling their crafts. There is a main street with shops selling everything from Rolex watches to trinkets and of course, native foods. If you take a good whiff of that “Bonaire,” you can also find your way to the fish market just off the docks where fresh fruit and vegetables arrive daily from nearby Venezuela.
Everything is within a short walking distance from the ship, with the main shopping street – Kaya Grandi – just a few minutes away. Narrow streets, small stores, and signs proclaiming the “best deal in town” are all things you’ll experience here. After a walk through the shopping area, I headed along the road that runs along the coast. There aren’t any stores here but rather apartments and homes as well as new construction being done presumably to respond to the demand for vacation rentals.
Was it clean? Absolutely! The streets I walked up and down – some even off the beaten path – were all clean. No litter anywhere, not even a cigarette butt. I was impressed with that considering I’ve been to some islands in the Caribbean where raw sewage runs down the street and into storm drains.
Were the natives friendly? As I walked down streets in residential neighborhoods, everyone outside their home would say hello. I did encounter the friendly neighborhood prostitute – and I met her in an area that was well, well, well off the main street and far away from the ship – who offered her services for a mere two dollars. I ended up giving her five bucks just to leave me alone.
What language do they speak? Everyone I ran into spoke English, but they also speak Dutch.
Did I feel safe? Absolutely. Even in the remote part of town, I had no fear of being abducted or robbed.
The U.S. Dollar is accepted everywhere and I tried to negotiate the price of a $7 friendship bracelet, but the local craftswoman selling it wanted nothing to do with, “I’ll give you five.” It was $7 or nothing. She drove a hard bargain!
There were several recommend places to visit in Bonaire, including a restaurant called Pizza Bon Pizza known for having the “best New York style pizza in Bonaire.” I managed to find this little restaurant, but it was closed. So much for a little slice of NYC.
With the first, first, of the day out of the way, it was back to the ship. According to my iPhone, I managed to walk nearly 8 miles around town!
Back on board, it was lunchtime and time to try a burger from the Dive In, the hamburger/hot dog grill located at the Lido Pool. Having what I called the best burger at sea from Guy’s Burger Joint on the Carnival Liberty, it was time to see what one was like from the Dive In.
I opted for the Cannonball Burger which was topped with chop-chop lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, bacon and secret Dive In sauce then served on a brioche bun. While not as good as Guy’s burger, this one ranked about a 7 on a scale of 1 – 10. I did not like the fries that came with it, as I was never a fan of coated fries. I’m a crinkle-cut kind of guy and you just can’t find them anywhere!
Being that it was a port day, there wasn’t too much happening onboard the ship. Once again the casino was open for slot play and there was no smoking in the casino “due to local regulations.” As a side note, today in Curacao, the casino is closed. I’m of the opinion that the casino is allowed to stay open for slot play as long as there is no casino in port. Maybe someone from Holland America can chime in and clarify that for me.
The ms Noordam pulled away from the dock around 6pm as Debra, the steelpan player entertained at the Lido Pool while mojitos were being served as a way to celebrate the sail away.
This was the night I was set to have dinner in the Vista Dining Room, the ship’s main dining room where thousands of meals are served each evening. Mario, my waiter each evening in the ship’s steakhouse, the Pinnacle Grill, arranged for me to have a table at 8pm.
I arrived on time and was escorted to the awaiting table, which if I were in a land-based restaurant would have refused. It was a two-top, sandwiched between a table for ten, a table for six and a table for four. With just enough space between tables for a server to squeeze in, if I had a dinner companion with me, I would strike up conversation guaranteed to grab the attention of the others close to me just to make things interesting.
You know the kind of table I’m talking about here. The kind where you and your adjoining diners have no privacy as the only thing that makes you have a separate table is an inch of space. Being a solo diner, I nicknamed this table the, “hey look at the loser eating by himself” table.
But, since space is limited and there are literally a thousand other people in the same room having dinner, I sucked it up and sat eavesdropping on those around me.
Off to my right was a gentleman celebrating his 88th birthday with his niece. Back in Boca Raton the “niece” would actually be his girlfriend, but I’m pretty sure this was his real niece. At the ten top, one woman was explaining how this was her first cruise since her gastric bypass surgery a year ago. And off to my left was a group of people all wearing foam pink flamingoes on their heads on springs that bounced up and down.
“I hope I never reach a point in my life where you make me wear one of those,” an older gentleman said to his wife as they walked by.
My server brought over the menu and recommended two main entrees out of the ten – the Beef Wellington and the Herb-Crusted Scallops.
Going with his advice I chose the Wellington which he said is served medium to medium-rare. Perfect! I also ordered the French Onion Soup “Les Halles” to start along with asking for the Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage, which was one of the entree choices, as an appetizer.
The soup came out first and was good. The broth was thick like gravy and the onions were soft and plenty. It was topped with a Gruyere cheese crouton.
Next up was the Stuffed Cabbage. It was stuffed with white rice and served with assorted chopped vegetables and a spicy red bell pepper sauce. Not bad, but not notably good either… almost what I would expect from something on a vegetarian menu. The only reason I ordered it was that it stirred my curiosity.
Here’s where the second “first” happens. The Beef Wellington arrived and it was supposed to be served medium to medium-rare. My portion was neither. It was medium well. The beef itself was room temperature and the knife that I was given to cut into it, couldn’t. It was that tough. The duck liver mushroom duxelles that was between the beef and the puff pastry, was cold and rubber-like.
The dish was served with mixed vegetables and duchess potatoes. The vegetables were once again cold to room temperature and the potatoes… well, I find it hard that any chef or cook can mess up mashed potatoes, but they did. The consistency was like a mixture of powder and water – very dry to the point where you touch them with your fork and broke them down into clumps like improperly mixed cement.
Seeing the lady at the table from me also ordered the same entree, I had to inquire about hers before I called my server over. She said, “it’s simply awful.”
I called my server over and pointed out the issues with my meal. He apologized and offered to get me something else. The woman next to me sent hers back as well and ordered a replacement entree of the evening’s pork tenderloin.
Feeling pretty disappointed, I politely declined his offer of something else and just asked for dessert. I opted for the hot fudge sundae which was two very small scoops of ice cream with chocolate syrup and nuts. Not even a cherry on top.
Now, I totally get the fact that the main dining room is there to serve meals en mass to all 1,918 passengers on board, and out of those 1,918 people not everyone is going to walk away 100% happy. I also understand that there should be some type of quality control in place in the galley to ensure meals like mine and the woman next to me didn’t go out as they did.
For those who follow my cruise logs on a regular basis, you know that the main dining room on ships is something I avoid at all costs, and this is a prime example of why. When you are putting at the number of meals these rooms/galleys are putting out, one cannot expect a gourmet dining experience.
Cruise lines know this as well, which is why they all have for-free specialty restaurants on board. In fact, on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas which I sailed on in November, there is no main dining room. Taking its place is more than a dozen specialty restaurants, each with its own theme which cater to a small number of diners each evening. Some are complimentary while others are not.
Many cruise veterans love the main dining room and enjoy sitting with total strangers each evening. I do not. I would much rather pay the additional fee to enjoy a better dining experience on my own time and at my own private table. As a new generation of cruisers is hitting the high seas, cruise lines realize this and are taking advantage of the situation by adding more of these dining venues which not only add additional revenue per passenger but also increase customer satisfaction. If that wasn’t the case the new Quantum-class ships from Royal would not have been built without a dining room.
No, I will not be dining in the Vista Dining Room again.
First, first: Virgin port-of-call.
Second, first: A very bad dining experience.
Now for the third first. After leaving the dining room with a sour taste in my mouth, I decided to head over to the Vista Lounge to have a laugh while taking in the evening’s entertainment, comedian Sam Fedele. Billed as being seen on the Tonight Show and Comedy Central and opening for Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin James, and Michael Buble, I thought a good laugh would be a way to shake that miserable look I had on my face after dinner.
I was not disappointed. For almost an hour, Fedele kept the audience laughing continuously as he used self-deprecating humor to get laughs about himself, his wife, his home life, his job, and the occasional ribbing of audience members. His material was great, was not off-color, and was a delightful pick-me-up.
Before the show started the cruise director came out and let us know that a guest was in immediate need of urgent shore-side medical care and our planned leisurely evening cruising speed of 11 knots would need to be stepped up to full speed and we were making an immediate deviation to Curacao with an ETA of midnight instead of our planned 7am arrival.
The medical evacuation of a passenger would be today’s third first. After the show wrapped up around 11pm, I headed out to the Promenade Deck where the lights of the coast were coming into view and the Noordam was plowing through the Caribbean Sea at 19.1 knots. Being that we were an hour away from arriving in port, I stopped by Northern Lights, the ship’s disco where a tribute to the Beatles was underway. While the bar was empty, the dance floor was not.
Across the hallway in the Piano Bar, the place was packed with not even standing room available.
Around 12:15am, the Curacao pilot embarked the Noordam and we began operations to pull into port. By the time we made our way to the dock and the ship was safely tied up, an ambulance arrived around 1:00am and an elderly passenger was taken away to a local hospital.
The ship stayed in port rather than return to sea.
Today’s entry comes later in the day, as I spent a few hours ashore in Curacao. We are not scheduled to leave port until 11pm tonight with a 10:30pm all aboard. There is no entertainment in the Vista Lounge tonight, however, the B.B. King Blues Club will be packing them in. In just a few moments, a BBQ is being held on the Lido Deck from 5:30pm – 8:00pm for those who wish to have that as a dinner option.
Me, I’ll be dining in the ship’s Italian restaurant, Canaletto tonight at 8:30pm. Canaletto is $10 per person and is located in the Lido Restaurant/buffet area in its own separate corner. It serves small plates of Italian dishes cooked by the Lido chefs. Since its introduction as part of the line’s Signature of Excellence program, it has undergone some menu changes, and the last time I dined there I was not too thrilled with those changes.
Will my opinion change this evening?
We shall see.
As they say, tune in tomorrow for the answer!
Personal Day-By-Day Noordam Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the Noordam:
Join me as we embark on a photographic journey to see this incredible ship and all that it has to offer. This tour will take you on a visual journey through this magnificent cruise ship, showcasing its beauty and elegance through the lens of my camera. From the stunning public spaces to the comfortable and luxurious staterooms, this Noordam Photo Tour will give you a glimpse into the unforgettable experience that I had on board the Noordam.