Day 1 - Wed 12/05/18 - Boarding the Nieuw Statendam

Boarding day was finally here. I slept most of the night with the exception of 1-3am. We started our day by walking up to the market to do a little shopping before returning to our B&B to enjoy a leisurely breakfast with some other passengers who are sailing on the ship. We checked out of the B&B and walked 10 minutes to the port shuttle pickup point. After a brief wait, a shuttle bus came and soon we were transported to the cruise terminal to begin the boarding process.

At the terminal we made our way upstairs for our first time checking in as 5 star Mariners. We were initially given a boarding group number 15, but that was taken away by the check in person. We didn't have to get new photos taken, and we were escorted over to the VIP lounge where we met up with Sherita who we had traveled with before on the Zaandam. She was keen on being the first one on the ship, and when the boarding door opened we were off like a shot and she got to be #1 paying passenger to board the ship. Angela was #3 and I took #4. We were immediately struck by the new car smell that accompanies sailing on a new ship. It was surprising also that there were no embarkation photos being taken.

Since we had all (a rolling suitcase and a backpack each) of our luggage, we found our tiny stateroom number 10008 and moved in. There are only two small closets and one set of drawers. A refrigerator takes up one closet and there is a nice keypad only safe. It's really nice to not have the style which require a credit card to open the door. The two biggest spaces in the room are the bed and the shower. There is an impressive large flat screen interactive TV set. There are 3 USB charging plugs along with multiple 110/220v outlets. Since the room is so compact, we don't need to use our extension cords. We were also able to meet our room stewards. I also took the opportunity to purchase the 18 day premium internet package for $240 net after our 5 Star discount. We can stream video and have a 1 gig a day download limit. So far it's working well.

 The ship is absolutely filled with all sorts of modern art and in the coming posts I'll try to share some of that. Generally it tends to be on a music theme. After a stop at the elegant front desk to volunteer to lead the interdenominational service and pick up a current activity guide, we went to the Dutch Cafe for a wonderful split pea soup and sandwich lunch. Since we were on board so early, it wasn't crowded. We also met Carolyn who we traveled with several years ago. Later on, I had dinner in the Lido with Carolyn and William, her husband. It was a good time to catch up.

At the Mariner reception in the Billboard On Board area, we met the Captain, Sybe de Boer (freshly over from Seabourn, another Carnival subsidiary), and enjoyed a pleasant chat with Orlando Ashford, President of Holland America Lines. Gerhard, President of the Mariner Society was there as well and we exchanged a few sentences. We also met Anneke and Harlan who we had also sailed with previously.

The mandatory passenger muster drill was similar to the Koningsdam's in that passengers muster at various inside locations throughout the ship on decks 2 & 3. We were assigned A3 in the Main Showroom. We were instructed to return to our stateroom and upon the emergency signal, proceed to our muster station. For us that meant walking down seven flights of stairs from Deck 10 to Deck 7. As we got lower, the stairs got very congested. I can only imagine what it would be like in a real emergency with everyone bulked up in their life jackets! At the Showroom, our keycards were scanned and we took a seat, waited, listened to emergency procedure words from the Captain and the Cruise Director, and watched a demo of how to put on a life jacket. After we were dismissed it was a 7 floor climb back up to our stateroom where Angela watched the funeral proceedings for President George HW Bush, while I did some more exploring.

At the sail away event in the covered Lido Pool area, they played a cool looping video showing the construction of the ship with various sections of the ship being lowered into place before being welded together to form what we are now on! Orlando gave a short welcoming speech inviting our comments on the ship and extolling how much better it is than its sister ship, the Koningsdam. That ship entered drydock today to receive upgrades to make it more like this ship.

I found out I couldn't get a soda card and was told the only option was to get an $8 per day unlimited or Freestyle package. Bummer, I could have bought the card online, but waited to purchase it onboard. We typically only drink one soda a day, so $8 per day is out of the question. I happened to run into Ross, the CD, and explained my predicament. He contacted the beverage manager, and I received a voice message later indicating some willingness to work with me. We'll see how that works out. If it doesn't work out, at our first port stop, we'll purchase cans in bulk off the ship.

The only main stage activity this first night was a future port talk by Lance. While it was good, my jet lag caught up with me near the end. Afterwards we walked around the ship and through the greatly expanded shops on board. They officially open tomorrow. There's also a new eating venue called Club Orange available for a $50/day/person supplement. No thanks! We also listened to a dueling piano set in the Billboard On Board venue. It's a favorite for us. Across the aisle is the Rolling Stone Rock Room, but its way too loud for my taste. However, it's a full venue so it has appeal. The two venues alternate sets.  

We explored the revised Crow's Nest which is devoted to the EXC concept with the shore excursions desk being there, lots of large table mounted video maps, a horribly pathetic 'library' (really just an 8' section of shelves), the Explorations Cafe (no food items, just drinks), a small presentations room, and tables and chairs which will likely be used for trivia.

Jet lag was catching up with me, so off to bed we went. Let's see if I can sleep through the night. Stay tuned.