The Nieuw Amsterdam pitched and rolled all night long, and every time we woke, it seemed our hopes of being able to tender into Half Moon Cay were diminishing. Still, early this morning, we saw spots of sunlight on the water and became momentarily hopeful. We were in the Lido Buffet enjoying an early breakfast (tendering was scheduled to begin at 8am) when the captain came on the PA and made the not-unexpected announcement that, due to the storm front that had moved in, and the forecast that showed no signs of improvement, there would be no stop today at Half Moon Cay for the Nieuw Amsterdam.
Well, shoot.
Any port, but especially tender ports, can be missed due to weather or other reasons. We're not supposed to get mad about it, but disappointment is a reasonable response. And we were disappointed...for an hour or so. But then the realization dawned that we had been so busy exploring the Royal Princess that we really hadn't slowed down since we left home. Or for months before that. A down day was just what we needed.
Breakfast in the Lido Buffet on HAL ships is always a feast. I had an egg beater omelet with shrimp and sweet peppers and onion and a large bowl of fruit. G enjoyed the no-extra-charge freshly squeezed OJ, and pineapple, grapefruit and mango juices. He returned to our cabin with a travel mug filled with his own fruit blend to enjoy later in the day.
We took a few minutes after breakfast to explore the pool area on the back of the Lido Deck (large pool, two hot tubs and lots of loungers) and the mid-ship pool area (large pool, three hot tubs and a retractable glass roof). Then we ventured into the fitness and spa areas where there is a free use sauna for each gender but the steam room is part of a relaxation spa and is extra charge. This ship is very similar in layout to the Noordam that we were on last winter, and, although much larger, not dissimilar to the Maasdam we were on in 2010.
Back in our cabin, I did some hand washing of the last two day's clothes and gave myself a quick manicure while I water tested my iPhone's Lifeproof case for the first time in months (still water tight!). It was nice to take care of some housekeeping duties.
It was so windy and rough that the beautiful, wide Promenade Deck that wraps around the Nieuw Amsterdam on Deck 3 had been closed off to passengers. Still, we enjoyed using our own balcony until lunchtime. I've decided a balcony is perfect for doing my nails...G didn't complain once about the smell, and the ottoman covered with a pool towel made a nice foot prop for a pedicure.
By noon we were starting to feel a bit hungry, and, once again, G thought the Manhattan Dining Room was the right option. When we opened our cabin door to go there, we noticed that a revised Explorer (the daily activities guide) had been delivered to our mail slot, reflecting the addition of several activities as a result of our unscheduled day at sea. We took it with us to view at lunch...but, honestly, we were enjoying being lazy for the first time in months.
The food we've been served in the dining room has been incredible. I had roasted vegetables with goat cheese as a starter, then a cold triple berry minestrone followed by a vegetarian entree that were all delicious. Service has not been as slow as we've experienced in the past on HAL, though we did spend two hours at lunch. We had been seated with a couple of about our ages from Arizona and we all just "clicked". Lazy lunches and good conversation are some of the best parts of sea days!
I returned to the gym to enjoy the luxury of a mid-afternoon stint on a treadmill. The fitness center is surprisingly well equipped with some excellent weight machines. While it had been busy this morning when we peeked in, by mid afternoon I nearly had it to myself.
We were in the Manhattan Dining Room before 6pm for dinner. What has most impressed us about the Nieuw Amsterdam compared to our previous HAL cruises is the service in the dining room. What had been painfully slow on the Maasdam and Noordam is very well paced on this ship. And the food has been incredible. I am ordering four courses at every meal just to taste a bit of everything, because I truly can't choose between all the options. The presentation and the quality is a step up from Princess, and we're loving it. Champagne was served with dessert tonight, a Holland America tradition when a port has to be skipped due to weather. It's a nice gesture; we'll also get our port charges for Half Moon Cay refunded.
The featured entertainment tonight in the theater is a ventriloquist. Gag. Instead, we took a few minutes to book a ship's excursion in Cozumel and buy a Future Cruise Deposit for Holland America (our first ever- they didn't used to be refundable and we never wanted to commit $100 per person, but now they are and so we did). We then enjoyed the "sophisticated classical music" of the Adagio duo (violin and piano) in the Explorer Bar, and the not-so sophisticated solo guitar music presented by Brad in the Crows Nest. The Piano Bar is featuring a Beatles Name that Tune later this evening, and that's a final possibility.
We love love love being entertained by talented musicians and HAL offers that in spades
The weather, which had added rain to the wind by lunch time, never did clear today. We're cruising south and west around Cuba and hope to sail though this by tomorrow. The ship is much more stable tonight, and our cabin is not moaning and groaning as it was last night. I see that as a good sign we'll see the sun tomorrow. And a strong indicator of a good night's sleep tonight!
Photo 1: Got hangers? Yes...so many there's no room to hang clothes on them. ;-)
Photos 2-4: crepes and waffle station in the Lido Buffet and the decorations made out of bread
Photo 5: the retractable glass roof over the main Lido pool, which makes this area so cozy and usable even in inclement weather.
Photo 6: Holland America has such classy looking china. Every dish is served with their traditional logo in the 12 o'clock position.
Photo 7: tonight's towel animal was a stingray. :-)
