Abandoning Ship

February 4, 2023

It was still dark when I peaked out the window and saw we were arriving at Port Everglades so I crawled back in bed. I had not slept well. Probably because I was concerned about the logistics of switching ships. The wake up call got me out of bed for good at 7 am and by then we were docked. From the back deck I could see the Nieuw Statendam and it was close. Originally the port schedule showed the two ships were to be docked quite a distance from each other so this was a welcome discovery. It appeared to be an easy walk to get from one ship to the other which was good...especially since we would have all of our luggage AND the clouds looked like rain would be starting soon.

The Rotterdam was REALLY close to the Zaandam!

Bob and I ate our breakfast by the pool and it was noticeably cooler. We went back to the cabin and added the last few things to our carry on bags. Our large pieces of luggage had been set out in the hallway and were picked up during the night. The brown colored luggage tags on those suitcases designated our disembarkation time as 9:15 am which was the last group scheduled to leave the ship. We had been given the late disembarkation time since we were just transferring ships. An announcement was made that there was a backup at the U.S. customs which was slowing the disembarkation process.

We hung out in our room after breakfast but knew that Putu needed to get our room cleaned and ready for the next occupants. Around 9 am we left and sat near the Mix Bar on deck 5 until our color was called.

After disembarking, it was easy to locate our luggage because most everyone else had collected theirs. I timed our queue as we waited to go through customs and it was right at 15 minutes. The actual face to face time with the agent probably took 15 seconds.

Bob wheeled both of the large bags and I took the smaller carry-ons and we each had a backpack. We left Pier 21 where the Zaandam was docked and walked across the street to Terminal 26 where the Nieuw Statendam was docked. It started raining on our walk and I was glad we brought along our rain jackets. The weather app on my phone showed a gale warning for Ft. Lauderdale. Rain PLUS wind. Oh boy. There were three HAL ships docked at Port Everglades (the Rotterdam was the third) and also a Princess ship, the Navigator of the Seas, and the Celebrity Apex.

We sat by a window while waiting to board.
The palm trees were really swaying in the gusty winds.

I had been concerned about the late boarding time we had been assigned for the Nieuw Statendam, but no one even checked. Once we got in the terminal we never stopped walking until we were seated and waiting for the boarding to begin. For us in boarding Group 4 that came around 11:40 am (2 hours earlier than our scheduled time). We were told that staterooms would not yet be ready, however.

Neither testing or vaccinations were required for this voyage so I found it odd that as we were checking in there was one stop where a lady asked us if we were vaccinated. I started to pull out my vaccine card and she said "I don't need to see anything." I saw about 4 names written on a list in front of her and wondered if those were people who answered "no" to her question...and what ramifications that would have...if any. 

I suggested we go to the MDR for lunch to avoid the crush at the lido buffet. On the way there, we passed a podium where one could make reservations for the specialty restaurants. We had an abundance of onboard credit for this cruise so decided that a dinner at the Tamarind restaurant would be a good way to use the funds. Just as we got to the entrance to the MDR, a crew member was there and told us that the passenger rooms were now ready so we went up the elevator to deck 8 to drop off our bags.

In the process I happened to remember that the ship has the Grand Dutch Cafe and thought that would be a good choice to get a quick lunch. Other than pea soup (one of Bob's favorites) neither of us knew what to order so relied on suggestions from the crew member working at the cafe. Even though the food was complimentary we still were asked to give our stateroom number and sign a receipt.

We found a table for 2 by a window and our meal was brought out when it was ready. Besides each of us getting the soup, Bob had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and I had a small salad and spinach quiche. The food was good, but avoiding the lido crowds was even better!

Split pea soup at the Grand Dutch Cafe.

Our stateroom for this cruise is a balcony cabin (8146) located on Deck 8 just behind the aft elevators. By the time we had returned from lunch, my luggage was in the room and Bob's arrived just a short time later. Bob did most of his unpacking and then went to explore the ship and give me space for my unpacking. Bob also filled a laundry bag to send out right away...mostly his pickleball clothes. Knowing we had extra onboard credit for this cruise, we had put off having it done on the Zaandam. The price for a bag (stuffed as full as we could possibly get!) was $30. I had noticed the price per bag on the Zaandam was just $20...not sure why there was a price difference. 

I had been really anxious to check out the balcony for this cabin. On the deck plan, the divider between cabins 8146 and 8148 is missing. The deck plans for the other Pinnacle Class ships (Konigsdam and Rotterdam) also have the divider missing between the same two cabins. I was assured that the balcony would be normal when we booked the cruise, but still had a nagging feeling that there might be something weird for them to leave out the divider on the deck plan for all three ships. Thankfully I could find nothing unusual about the balcony.

Our stateroom, 8146.

When I completed my unpacking, we did a little more exploring and then returned to the room for sail away. My daughter-in-law had pulled up the Port Everglades webcam on her computer so our grandsons could watch the ship. My sister was also watching. I gave periodic video updates to the family using the Marco Polo app on my phone.

The captain had warned that seas were going to be rough and it began the second we sailed by the beach and out into open water. Very big swells and lots of wind.

Neither of us wanted to change for dinner so we went to the buffet. Bob discovered the "made to order" Asian section and thought he had died and gone to heaven! He also indulged and had two servings of hot apple crisp. He is as skinny as a rail and exercises like crazy so he can afford to splurge on calories.

Although we had seen the Holland America Origin Story presentation on the 150 year history of HAL when we were on the Eurodam, I wanted to see it done on the 180º video screens on the Nieuw Statendam. Nice!

Cruise Director, Gage, at the Holland America Origin Story Presentation

After the presentation, we checked out some of the different entertainment options on the music walk. BB Kings Blues Club was LOUD...not really our style. We sat and listened to the last few songs from the two piano players at Billboard Onboard. That may end up being someplace we go on this cruise in the evenings. The female singer was OK, but fell short of the talent and vibrant personality that Clara Vee had on the Zaandam. The band at the Rolling Stones Rock Room began playing as we were leaving, but again...not our choice of music that we enjoy. Yes...I guess we are old.

The ship was rocking a lot and it was raining so no balcony time before bed. We let the ship rock us to sleep...